Turkey/Chicken Pot Pie, Gluten/Dairy Free

What do you do with all that left over turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas?? 

TURKEY POT PIE!!! HECK YESSS!!

So, many of you know I am a huge fan of Namaste Foods Brand mixes. I used their "Biscuits, Piecrust and More" blend to make my crusts (top and bottom cuz I LOVE me some crust!). 

 I started out by sautéeing some onions, bell peppers, and celery, I seasoned with sea salt and Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash.

added about a cup to a cup and a half of cut up/cubed turkey ( I just eyeballed it to see what I thought would fit in the pie plate) warmed that a bit,

added about a cup of water and let that come to a soft boil (this makes it broth-y) If you can have chicken broth you can use that instead,

then added a little bit (probably about 3-6 tablespoons) of the Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend and stirred it up to make the gravy

I kept that on low while I was finishing up the pie crust (which I was making while everything else was cooking during the above steps), 

put the bottom layer of crust in, poured in the turkey mixture, put some green beans that were leftovers from the day before on top, and put the second crust over it and pinched it closed. 

Baked at 400 for about 15 mins til the crust was golden. 

VIOLA! Delicious, crowd pleasing Turkey Pot Pie!!

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Chicken Fried Steak with Country Gravy

So, when it comes to cooking to accomodate my diet, I pretty much make it up as I go along. Hence the following being approximations. I am a "taste it as I cook it" kind of person.

I've been harboring some chicken fried steak meat in my freezer for a while and finally decided to make another go at gluten free chicken fried steaks, not that the first attempt was a bad one, but there is always room for improvement.

So, first, I mixed an egg and about 1/4 cup of almond milk in a bowl and in another, I mixed about 1/4 cup to 1/2 a cup of Namaste Perfect Flour Blend with fresh ground salt, fresh ground pepper, and about 1/2 a teaspoon of Mrs. Dash Table Blend.  I do use organic butter, but that is the only dairy I am allowed.

I melted about a tablespoon of butter and some coconut oil in the frying pan. Then I coated the meat first in the flour blend on both sides, then the egg mixture, then in the flour mixture again. The heat was on medium-medium high then I turned it down to low a little at a time as the crust browned so that the meat could cook with out burning the crust. While my meat was cooking, I made my gravy.

I started with about a tablespoon of butter in a medium sauce pan, then whisked in about 2 TBS of Namaste PFB and salt and pepper. I slowly added almond milk, a little at a time, whisking it ao that the clumps became smooth. I used about a cup to a cup and a half of almond milk, whisking it over medium heat. I use about 1/4 tsp of baking soda to give it that country gravy taste. Always use a whisk, not a spoon when making gravy. Just salt and pepper to taste and remember that gravy thickens as it cools so its ok if its a LITTLE on the runny side as it will thicken. 

When your meat is done, put it ob the plate and smoother with gravy for complete, Texan YUMMINESS!

Gluten Free/Sugar Free Blueberry Muffins

Ok, so I don't get many treats and just recently found out that I can have certain berries as long as they are super fresh. So what do I do? Get flash frozen blueberries!
Due to my many restrictions, there are gluten free products that I can't have because they have sugar, corn starch, potato starch, or something else I can't have. But I have new faithful friend in Namaste Foods. They have a sugar free muffin mix, which admittedly isn't all that great on its own, but when I follow the directions on the package and add about a cup of blueberries, 30-40 drops of liquid stevia, and 1/4 a cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, I came up with a yummy, tart, treat! Sometimes I'll add dark baking cocoa and 1/4 cup of trivia instead of the fruit and those give me my chocolate fix.
So, there ya have it ladies and gents, my easy, peasy recipe! 

RAVES!!

First off, I would like to congratulate myself on finding a new coupon code site. http://www.oohey.com, I just got 20% off my BOGO sale shoes at Payless! WHAT WHAT!! *raise the roof* LoL

Second off, more raving on myself, I just decided to start back into Mary Kay Cosmetics. I love Mary Kay products and have been using them for years, I just decided that, in order to get some extra cash flow, I need to start selling it again! I am STOKED! Please, call me for a facial! ;o) Just message me and I'll get you my number.

Thirdsies, I have got a new recipe for YUMMY Crock Pot Chicken Taco Soup.

What you need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
4-5 chicken breasts (I buy the package of frozen breasts from H-E-B)

1 can of Rotel mild **
1 can black beans**
1 cup of rice (I use brown rice because white rice is too starchy and feeds my candida)
about 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning (I use Fiesta brand, made in San Antonio, TX)
about a teaspoon of comino (also Fiesta brand)
salt to taste (I use sea salt)
water (or chicken broth if you can have the yeast and sugar in it)
CROCK POT
**I have since discovered that I am not allowed to eat things from cans, but jarred foods are ok, so I precook my own beans and use a mild salsa that does NOT contain distilled or white vinegar as this is not allowed on candida diet either.)

Directions
 pour the olive oil in the pot and coat the bottom, add the chicken, rotel, beans, and rice. fill the pot about 3 quarters full of the water and add the seasonings. You could add bell peppers and onions if you want that extra splash of flavor. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, you'll know it's done when the rice is fully cooked and the chicken shreds easily. NOTE: You may need to periodically add water so it doesn't get stew-y instead of soup-y, but I usually don't need to, I leave it at lunch time and go back to work.

I serve it with Black Bean chips (Beanitos brand, here's a link for a coupon: http://www.couponfactory.com/share/b286c342b0e7a8478d12cddd1dd35fe1ab904223/) fresh cilantro, avocado, and a dash of Tony Chacheres Cajun seasoning for a wee bit of heat. Sometimes I strain a little bit and put the solid stuff on top of a fresh salad with salsa and the cilantro and avocado. I like to use Green Mountain Gringo Salsa since it's organic, there's no sugar, and they use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar.
**I have also found Mark's Good Stuff Salsa which is made with apple cider vinegar instead of white and no added sugars. It IS Good Stuff! :)

Rant: Kindergarten "Graduations"

I'm sorry, but I think this whole graduation ceremony for kindergartners is ridiculous. We didn't have kindergarten graduation when I was a kid. We just knew we were moving on up to 1st grade which meant a whole day at school and no nap time. LAME!

I think its just another way for schools to make you waste your hard earned cash on caps and gowns (those can cost like $25!!) and photos, not to mention a waste of time that you could be spending with your family, not with a hundred other families. Sure, their little signing is cute, but shoots, have a choir concert, not a wasteful graduation. They are 5, they are not going to care about a graduation and are probably getting bored waiting for you to call their name so they can get their little certificate that isn't going to be looked at by any college, university, or future job. "Oh, you don't have your kindergarten graduation certificate??!? I'm sorry, we only accept kindergarten graduates at this establishment."  PSSHH!


Ok, that is all. KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION!!! *Shaking my head. NOW that is all.

Gluten-free/Sugar-free BROWNIES!!!

My mom gave me a recipe and I tweaked it. HAHA

While her recipe is absolutely divine for people who have had zero sugar in MONTHS, it's a bit dry for my taste. I like gooey brownies. So, I added 1/4 cup of almond milk to it. Here is the original, with my notes added in ():

Mom's Gluten/Sugar-free Brownies

2 sticks of organic butter (hormone free, I get Central Market brand)
3/4C Stevia powder (Truvia is the best I've tried so far, no after taste, but it is expensive so I do 2/4 Truvia, 1/4 Stevia in the Raw, as it is cheaper.)
4 eggs
3/4C cocoa powder (we use Hershey's special dark because we like the dark chocolate!! YUM!)
2 1/4 Namaste Perfect Flour Blend (HEB doesn't carry this, I found it at my local natural foods store, but it can be purchased online at Vitacost.com, it's pricey, too, but hey, when you want your sweet tooth satisfied, and you're on a strict diet, it's worth the cost!!)
dash of salt
1Tbs Vanilla (I use organics made with bourbon)
1C chopped nuts (pecans and/or walnuts for this girl!)
Unsweetened Coconut flakes (I usually use about 1/4-1/2C)

Soften butter then combine all but the last two ingredients (including the almond milk if you want a more moist brownie) in mixing bowl and blend, then add nuts and coconut flakes. Put batter in 8x8 glass baking dish, bake at 350 for exactly 20 minutes. DO NOT GREASE YOUR DISH! There is enough butter in the batter that you do not need any additional grease. In fact, when you pull them out of the oven you will see butter on the brownies, this will soak back into the brownies lending moisture so do not drain it off.

Yes, I know, this is probably very fattening, in fact these suckers are probably the reason for my weight-loss plateau. I HAVE A HUGE SWEET TOOTH!

Since it's just me eating these, to keep them from going bad before I can eat them all, I store them in the refrigerator. If you have a few kiddos running around, this may not be an issue for you, my mom keeps them out on the counter throughout the week, but it's both of us eating them while I'm there so they tend to go a little faster.

I also think that the Stevia in the raw may be the culprit that makes them go bad faster. Mom only uses Truvia, but as it is more expensive, I feel it is more economical to use the both of them.

Another delicious use of my Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, Quinoa flakes for breakfast.

I make the suggested serving size of 1/3C Quinoa Flakes with a wee bit less than a cup of water, microwaved for two mins. Then I add about 3-4 TBS of cocoa, 1-2 TBS of Stevia/Truvia, a tiny bit of vanilla, and enough almond milk to make it soupy and stir it all up. If I'm feeling something special, I add unsweetened coconut flakes and a heaping spoonful of almond butter. (I think it's a great alternative to an almond joy.)

Happy Gluten/Sugar-free, candida friendly eating!

A new lease on life?

I was complimented tonight, at least I think it was a compliment. I was told that I look more relaxed, more chill. I said, "I'm a different person aren't I?" She said she didn't want to quite put it that way, but that yes, I am. It is such an amazing feeling being done with school, having accomplished something, that for me and mine, is a big deal. I am a college graduate, with a BACHELORS degree! I may not have a grand career to show it yet and I may never have a "grand career" at all, but I have accomplished something that neither of my parents or any of my siblings or cousins have and it feels so wonderful to be done with it! I admit, I was a stressed out, frustrated, and scared woman, especially there at the end and REALLY during the holiday (as you may be able to tell from my Valentine's post). Working and doing school is not easy, especially in a flower shop during the Valentine holiday. I don't know how single mothers do it, so kudos to those ladies! You're my heroes! So, what is next? Admittedly, I am enjoying this relaxation state, but I am also updating my resume and searching for job opportunities that will further my skill set and improve my financial independence. I call it a "big girl job". I am ready to get out on my own, yeah, I know I am technically out on my own, but I want to try for my own apartment, no roommate. I am a woman now, not a 20 something college student. I want a little space of my own that I can't complain about someone else messing up or not doing their part to keep it clean. At least for a little while, you know, before I get married. Again. This time for good, I hope. And I may have a prospect or two. (Thank you LDS internet dating site, haha.) So, look out world, Selina is ready to take you on and conquer your next challenge. At least I think I am. No, I am. Really! (It is time for some real world confidence, that's what gets the job done!)

Spring Break

Well, it's officially Spring Break and I was expecting sunshine and flowers. Instead I get RAIN. Lots and LOTS of rain. The small break I get to come visit friends and family and I'm stuck inside doing homework (which I am just about done with which means I am just about done with school. YEE HAW!) and listening to the rain pour down. I guess, I'll just finish up my homework and settle in with a book. That will be nice and relaxing, now won't it.

Anyway, I hope you all have a sunnier and drier Spring Break week than I do and have a SAFE and Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!

Creating a Blog-For Class

I actually already have a blog. I am not a frequent blogger, as I have school, work, church activities, and something resembling a social life, but I am sure that with assignments for class, I will become a more frequent blogger.

 I remember when I was creating it though, I did not know what to write about, but decided that it is my blog and I can write about what I want. And so that is what my blog description entails.  “Just a place to see how a true single LDS young woman feels about life, frugality, and anything else I deem to be interesting.” I approach religious topics, political topics, recipes, and who knows what else will come along.

When it came to aesthetics, blogger was very helpful. It has all kinds of layouts and wallpapers from which to choose. I like to change it up a little sometimes, so having choices is always nice and I believe there is an option where you can upload your own images for you background.

 The great thing about creating a blog is that it is easy! Google’s blogger makes it a very simple, systematic process, and guides you through it. So, my advice to anyone wanting to set up a blog, at least a first time blog is to use Google’s blogger. I have friends though, who have been blogging for a while and have moved their blogs to Wordpress, as it is a more professional blog site.  

my blog url: http://rantingsandravingsofasingleldswoman.blogspot.com/

Careers in Communications-For Class

The first career I came across in the field of communications that I was surprised about was real estate agent. I never thought of a real estate agent as being a communications degree career.  Real estate agents can sell, rent, or buy properties for their clients, they study property listings, show properties to clients, interview prospective clients to see what they want and need, inform their clients of the contract and sale conditions, and draw up real estate contracts. (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes419022.htm)

According to bls.gov, the salary ranges from an annual wage of $20,460 in the 10^th percentile to $95,220 in the 90^th percentile. “Employment of real estate brokers and agents is expected to grow faster than average. Beginning agents and brokers, however, will face competition from their well-established, more experienced counterparts.” There are no long-term education requirements, only licensure is required by state.

          According to bls.gov, another career in the field of communications is that of editor. Editors proofread and edit other people’s writing. Industries include newspapers, magazines, publishing companies, and more. “Because writing skills are essential in this occupation, many employers like to hire people with degrees in communications, journalism, or English…” (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos320.htm#training)  The salary ranges from an annual wage of $28,880 in the lower 10^th percentile to $96,800 in the 90^th percentile.

Writers and authors are next on my list of communications careers with an annual wage of $28,610 in the lower 10^th percentile to $109,440 in the top 90^th percentile. As far as education, degrees in English, journalism, or communications are needed, but writers and authors “must be able to express ideas clearly and logically and should enjoy writing. Creativity, curiosity, a broad range of knowledge, self-motivation, and perseverance are also valuable. Authors, writers, and editors must demonstrate good judgment and a strong sense of ethics in deciding what material to publish. In addition, the ability to concentrate and to work under pressure is essential.”

Another career field for a communications degree is in public relations. PR specialists annual salary range from $30,560 in the lower 10^th percentile to $95,200 in the 90^th percentile. While a communications degree can be used to obtain a job in PR, other degrees include public relations, journalism, or marketing. Industry specific knowledge is also helpful in obtaining a job at a firm.

The final career path in communications I chose is broadcasters. Broadcasters can have a degree in communications, broadcasting, or journalism. Broadcaster annual salary ranges from $16,590 in the lower 10^th percentile to $72,500 in the 90^th percentile for television and radio broadcasters and from $16,940 in the lower 10^th percentile to $70,120 in the 90^th percentile for public address system announcers and other announcers. (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos087.htm)

Effective Blogging-For Class

Blogging can be a daunting task for some, a pleasure for others. A blog’s design can do many things. It can catch your audience’s attention, it can set you apart from potential competition, it can make your blog easy or hard to read and much more.

According to the UK’s Kronik Media, there are 15 element to effective blog design. The first of which is good readability. Making your blog easy to read is the first step to effective design. “Large font size, contrasting colour against the background, sufficient line and paragraph spacing are some ways to ensure content is easy to read.” (http://www.kronikmedia.co.uk/blog/15-elements-of-great-blog-design/2133/)

The second element of great blog design is emphasizing content. The whole point of a blog is the content. One must make sure that the content is easily accessed and that it isn’t out-shined by other elements of the blog. Pictures are always nice to have, just make sure they aren’t over bearing and taking focus away from the actual blog. You do not want your background image to be so interesting that people are busy studying the background instead of reading your blog.

Comments can be another important part of your blog. Readers want to leave their feedback and want to know that they are being “heard”.  “Well designed comment section encourages readers to contribute by sharing their views.” As well as commenting, people like to be able to share what the read with others via social media. So, making you blog share-able is important also. Share buttons for Facebook, Twitter, and others are easily integrated on you blog page when you are creating your blog. Don’t leave home; rather, don’t create your blog, without it.

If your blog is a professional blog and there are many links to different pages or posts, headers and footers can be necessary. “A well designed logo will re-enforce your brand. On the other hand, an effective slogan or tagline that describes your blog informs readers what you blog is about…Footer can be used to supplement navigation and to display a range of useful information and widgets” The sidebar is also important as much of your blog elements are  found on the sidebar. It is a map to your blog posts. 

For professionals and those wanting to profit from their blogs, making sure that your HTML codes are clean and correct is important. Links offering a person to take a tour of a website, see customer's reviews, or see product pricing are important. If you want to monetize your blog, banner ads are a common and effective way to make money off your blog. Bloggers can advertise their own products or get paid by companies to have their ads posted to the blog. 

Subscribing is also an important option for bloggers. If you want followers, in other words, if you want regular readers, having a "Subscribe" button is important. This allows your readers to receive updates on new posts and happenings on your blog.  

For Doraliza’s blog, along with the school entries, I would like to see more entries that are personal. The first entry let potential readers step into her life and feel her frustration. While Doraliza is obviously stressed about the process of her home buying experience, the reader can tell that this is really something that she wants as they look at the photos and their captions.

Something I would like to see for Doraliza’s blog is a little more color. I feel like there is more to her, just from her first post, than just brown. I don’t think the brown suits her. Maybe if it was solely a spot to post her class writings as it is a professional looking background, the brown and world map would be alright.

Lori’s blog was one of the first I read for our class. She immediately caught my attention with her first entry, I can totally relate to the body not wanting to get out of bed. I loved her humorous remark about keeping the covers company for another thirty minutes. She won me over with her shoe entry, “a shame”. (What can I say?  I’m a woman!) Lori has a certain charm about her that captured me and had me waiting for more. One thing I would like to see in Lori’s blog, though, is editing. Two things that bug me to no end are: starting a sentence without a capital letter or capitalizing the word “I”.  I also think that she could find a better-suited background to her blog and that charming wit!

As for Stephanie’s blog, the title itself is what caught my attention from the get-go. “Life in the blender” immediately made me reminiscent of the summers I spent getting snocones, one of the flavors at my favorite stand was “frog in a blender”, so my curiosity was instantly piqued. When I read Stephanie’s first post, my curiosity and love for a good story, were satisfied. I would like to see a little more detail because that story was too short and too captivating! I was drawn into her life and felt as if I was only getting a snippet and was disappointed that I was not getting more! That’s what you get for being so interesting, Stephanie! I want more please!! The background fit this feeling perfectly as it is like looking through a fogged window.

I received some very good feedback for my own blog from my fellow students. I have already begun to make changes to my blog based on the ideas of my classmates. I had not thought much before on having photos as part of my blog, but I have realized that it adds character and can lend a visual to my sarcasm or humor.  I have also considered, and will continue to think on, adding banner ads to profit from my blog. I feel, though, that I do not have a steady topic of conversation, nor do I have a steady stream of followers, so I may not have a lot of exposure for brands to make money off my blog. 

If I were to make my blog a professional one, I would definitely consider the “15 Elements” from the Kronik Media article. I certainly agree that aesthetics are very important for any blog, though. Let’s face it folks, people are all about looks when it comes to catching interest. Looks grab a person’s attention and then content holds it.

Blogs Reviewed

http://muchcomm.blogspot.com/2012/02/much-ado-about-conflict.html - Doraliza Longoria

http://mimirucas.blogspot.com/ - Lori Muro

http://lifeintheblenderstepsforsteps.blogspot.com/ - Stephanie Hartman

Media Technologies-Post for Class

The longest running media technology is print media, mainly newspapers. No matter what advances in technology have been made newspapers, magazines, brochures, books, and flyers have been around for thousands of years and are still used today. The intended audience for newspapers is anyone who wishes to stay informed about local, national, or global issues, depending on the paper. They also report on entertainment, weather, employment, real estate, and the arts.

Print media is the only way that any culture has been able to keep accurate accounts of history.  There are people who dedicate studies solely to book history! “For many scholars, it was the work of David D. Hall that catalyzed the study of histoire du livre in America.” (Cohen, M., 2008)  Books have been the key to knowledge for centuries. Monks devoted lifetimes to transcribing the Bible.

In his review on Konstantin Dierks book, In My Power: Letter Writing and Communications in Early America, Adrian Weimer states, “In this important book at the intersection of ideologies of modernity, material culture, and middle class practice, Konstantin Dierks argues that when men, women, and eventually children achieved prowess with the writing of a letter, they gained access to social networks which could help them achieve a more secure, comfortable life.” (Weimer, A. 2010) So, the written word has aided in social advancement, winning wars (via secret spy dispatches), and the growth of religion.

The second longest running form of media technology is television. Television is a medium for entertainment, news, education, and sales.  Local stations broadcast local, regional, national, and global news, sports, and weather. Those stations also provide entertainment with shows of all kinds, which have commercial breaks allowing brands to advertise their products.

Schools use television to show educational movies, news shows such as “Chanel One”, and school news programs. Studies have shown that television has been a positive influence with “achievement for disadvantaged children or those with limited proficiency in English. George Comstock and Haejung Paik interpret these findings as meaning that television viewing and academic achievement are negatively associated when TV displaces cognitively enriching experiences, but positively associated when it provides such experiences.” (Schmidt, M. E. & Vandewater, E. A., 2008) Television has been a useful media in the form of language development. 

Television is a source of advertising. Everything from cars to vitamins is advertised on television. Agencies have departments who’s whole focus is on this  mode of advertisement. “

The next form of media technology that is used worldwide is the internet. The internet provides its own forms of media technology catering to those who want to stay connected through social and professional networks, the news media, gamers, people who want to find and listen to music, and provides an avenue to watch television shows and movies. The internet also provides communication avenues such as blogs and email. Blogs are a sort of online journaling system that allows a person to share their lives with others.  Email provides an avenue of written (or at least typed) communication and an avenue to send private messages for personal and business communications. Social networks such as Facebook, provide a way to connect with family, friends, fellow students, and co-workers. Professional networking sites, such as LinkedIn provide an avenue for professionals to network with and learn about each other’s businesses.

References

Cohen, M.(2008). The History of the Book in New England: The State of the Discipline. Book History 11(1), 301-323. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved February 23, 2012, from Project MUSE database.

Weimer, A. C.(2010). In My Power: Letter Writing and Communications in Early America (review). Textual Cultures: Texts, Contexts, Interpretation 5(2), 94-96. Indiana University Press. Retrieved February 23, 2012, from Project MUSE database.

Schmidt, M. E. & Vandewater, E. A.(2008). Media and Attention, Cognition, and School Achievement. The Future of Children 18(1), 63-85. Princeton University. Retrieved February 23, 2012, from Project MUSE database.

Raving on Romney...kind of.

As you may have gleaned from past posts or even my blog title, I am LDS, meaning I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Mitt Romney happens to be a member of the same church. My mom forwarded this to me and I want to share it with you. Everything it says about the church leadership and the sacrifices made are true of Bishops and Stake Presidents of our church, so bear in mind the difficulties that Brother Romney has already faced, the challenges he has already met and conquered and the experience he has when choosing who to vote for. If you want to gather information on what kind of person he is, go to Mormon.org or LDS.org and learn about the church because people like him are the rule, not the exception.

Stake President of the United States

Posted on February 22, 2012 by stallioncornell

A few years back, a hive of hornets decided to make its nest on top of a second-story swamp cooler outside my cousin’s Boston-area home. My cousin made an ill-fated attempt to remove the hornets, which resulted in a two-story fall and a broken arm.

“This looks like a job for your home teacher,” said my cousin’s home teacher.

The home teacher brought over his own ladder and clothed himself in homemade beekeeping gear. He then made his way to the hornet’s nest and gathered the whole thing up in a garbage bag, avoiding any stings or the more severe injuries that had beset my cousin. He did this with no public fanfare, no accolades, and no thought of collecting payment for his efforts.

And who was this noble home teacher? A man by the name of Mitt Romney.

Now, unless you’re familiar with Mormon lingo, you probably got lost when I introduced the phrase “home teacher,” or you may have conjured up images of some kind of private educational tutor who was taking care of my cousin’s kids. That would have left you wondering why a tutor thought it was their responsibility to wrangle hornets.

But if you’re a Mormon, the phrase made perfect sense, as did the rest of the story. You would know that every month, every member of a Mormon congregation receives a visit from two “home teachers,” who share an inspirational message but, more importantly, are charged with the responsibility of looking out for the family’s welfare. So if a family is struggling, the home teachers are the spiritual “first responders,” and a good home teacher jumps at any opportunity to be of service.

Among other things, Mitt Romney is a good home teacher.

People who look to Mitt’s faith for clues about how he’d govern as president usually miss the target by a wide margin. They rip the more obscure elements of Mormon doctrine out of their theological and historical contexts – polygamy or underwear or planetary real estate – and think they’ve discovered or explained something. They haven’t. The world at large, as it focuses on unusual theoretical elements of Mormon doctrine, all but ignores the eminently practical aspects of Mormonism as it is manifest in each Mormon’s daily life.

Consider the fact that “home teachers” receive no compensation for what they do. In fact, neither does anyone else in a Mormon congregation. The whole enterprise is supervised by a lay clergy that will often work over forty hours a week in their unpaid positions in addition to their “real” jobs – you know, the ones that actually earn them money. Mitt Romney has spent his entire adult life in these kinds of high-responsibility, time-intensive positions. He has been both a bishop – a leader of a “ward” that consists of a congregation of about 500 people – and a stake president, who oversees a “stake” which consist of about six or so wards, giving him ecclesiastical responsibility for thousands of people.

So what does this mean? What, precisely, does a bishop or a stake president do that eats up so much of their time?

Go to a Mormon meeting on any given Sunday, and you’ll see three dudes sitting up by the pulpit. The guy in the middle is the bishop, and he’s already spent most of the day in meetings where he reviewed the ward’s staffing needs and organizing relief efforts for families who may be struggling with health, financial, or spiritual issues. He’s also been meeting one-on-one with members of the church who look to him for counsel and support for personal problems that would turn your hair white. Usually, he’s been doing all this since before the sun came up, so don’t be surprised if he nods off while the meeting progresses.

Please keep in mind, too, that there are no elections for bishops and stake presidents, nor are there reelections. Each leader is “called” to serve, and they accept the responsibility dutifully, no questions asked. They then serve for a period of time, usually between five and ten years, after which they are “released,” meaning they rejoin their congregations as lay members and have no more responsibility than anyone else.

The call to serve can come to any priesthood holder in good standing, but it usually comes to a certain personality type. Remember, bishops and stake presidents are confronted with massive organizational challenges accompanied by the most intimate, personal, spiritual struggles imaginable. So they must lead without being authoritarian; they must judge without being judgmental, and they must minister without offending. That means the people who get this assignment are often more even-tempered than exciting, more reassuring than revolutionary, and more competent than colorful.

Sound like any particular presidential candidate you might know?

Those who remain baffled by Romney’s cool public persona have not spent a whole lot of time with an LDS stake president, a role for which Romney provides the quintessential example. If one truly understands his background, one shouldn’t expect a President Romney to dazzle the masses with rhetorical virtuosity.

One should instead expect him to practically and quietly remove the hornet’s nest from the nation’s second-story swamp cooler.

Conflict Resolution

Here's my latest assignment for school.

“You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior, which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.”

            Given the situation stated above, I would follow the “Five Steps of Principled Reasoning” as found on http://www.ethicsscoreboard.com/rb_5step.html. I would first clarify what the situation at hand is with the employee.  I would begin by stating exactly what the issue is, “John, I have received some complaints from both customers and coworkers. Is there something going on that I need to know about?”  Depending on the employee’s response, either I would work with them on the issue or if they did not tell me, what the issue was, I would move on to the issue at hand. To help explain why there is an issue, I would have some of the employee’s recorded calls on hand to play back so he or she could listen to them and I could explain what was wrong with the call.

 I would then state what options are available. “These are your options, you can take a training course provided by our HR department on one of these days…and be re-evaluated next week, you can take a course through the local college and show continuing improvement starting immediately with a re-evaluation at the end of next week, or we will have to let you go.”  I would then try to explain that I would want this to be a collaborated effort, him or her making an effort to change and to learn new techniques in customer service and me making an effort to help them by giving constructive criticism. (Abigail, R.A., Cahn, D., 2011)

            I am sure the employee would show signs of agitation and anger, and possibly be hurt and resentful. I would assure the employee that he or she would have a fair opportunity to rectify the situation given their willingness to do so.

            Then, I would follow through with his or her decision. With the HR provided course, I would evaluate the course assignments/tests given and listen in on calls sporadically throughout the evaluation period to evaluate his or her progress. If they chose to take an outside course, I would follow up with the teacher and evaluate calls for progress.

            At the end of the time given, I would then call the employee in for a re-evaluation of the situation. I would ask what he or she had learned in the course and how they feel they have improved. I would also ask for feedback on the course to make them feel like the company wants their opinion on how the company can improve as well. This action can create feelings of goodwill towards the company.

            After the evaluation, I would take into consideration the employee’s willingness to change their attitude and to learn new customer service strategies. I would also take into accord their actions and attitude on their customer service calls and the attitude with which they received the criticism of their calls throughout the evaluation period. I would then call in the employee and explain my decision with examples of why I made that decision.

References

http://www.ethicsscoreboard.com/rb_5step.html.

Abigail, R.A. and Cahn, D. (2011) Managing Conflict through Communication. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Pg 56.

           

Rant on the dreaded V-day

As some of you may know, I work in a flower shop. The past week has been a living HELL for me. Yup, I said the "H" word, whatcha gonna do about it?

I HATE Valentine's Day!!! I have had no love of Valentine's day for as long as I remember. It's not because I'm perpetually single, I have had some V-day's when I am not single and I still hated them. For example, one year I was married, my husband bought me SHOES for V-day. SHOES!!! Not cute or sexy heels, not sensible, comfy work shoes, not even some nice house shoes, no, Justin bought me Adidas sneakers. They were a lovely white with green trim, but they were sneakers. UGH!! Ok, enough ranting on the ex-dipstick, I'll move on. Ha! I did move on!

Anyhoo, as you may have gleaned, I have no certain love for the day of lovers. But working in the floral industry, especially in a flower shop, makes that lack of love turn to hate. As this was my 3rd year to spend the week of V-day in a flower shop, I have especially come to hate it.

 I WISH that was me! I would DEMOLISH it, just like JG did! 

For a flower shop, Valentine's day isn't just a day, it is a week; a week of pure insanity. Gentleman, if you want to order flowers for your sweetheart on V-day, order at least a week, preferably a month ahead of time, and please, please, PLEASE, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, have them delivered a day or two BEFORE V-day. Not only does she get flowers for V-day, she gets them BEFORE everyone else, and it is one less delivery we have to worry about on V-day! All the other ladies at work or who come over for book club can be jealous that SHE got flowers by such a considerate hubby and she gets to enjoy them all week! Not only that, it saves you the worry of having them delivered by a certain time, because, Honey, no matter how early you order, if you want your flowers delivered by a certain time of V-day, you are absolutely, positively INSANE. We had over 400, yes, OVER 400 deliveries on V-day. We had to hire in temporary drivers so that there were 10 drivers out making deliveries on V-day. The day before we had 6 or 7 and Wednesday, the day AFTER, we had 3. The chances of you getting your delivery made by a certain time in all of the confusion that ensues in the madness of 500 orders (because there are "will call" orders as well and I am not including walk-in's either) on V-day alone, are slim pickin's gents.

Come spend 10 minutes in a flower shop, behind the scenes as a worker on V-day and you will understand. We try to route the drivers according to location so that time is not wasted going all over town. So, we are up nights, or early mornings, routing delivery areas, and (I had nothing to do with it) my boss did not care two cents whether there was a time marked or not.  AND we work off of a computer system, which generally makes keeping track of orders easier, but sometimes computers mess up and don't print out an order and it is lost in virtual space because if it doesn't print and if the order was sent from another store, how are we to know that it exists?  It happens.

So, I'm sorry if you didn't get exactly what you ordered or it didn't get delivered by the time you wanted because you wanted her to have the flowers at work all day, if you wanted her to have them all day to enjoy, you should've sent them the day before. And you know what, if you didn't get what you ordered, its because you waited until the last minute to order and we sold out. We did start asking for second options or if we could send something of the same value when you called in two days before V-day to order. So, if you got something completely different and you waited until the last minute, I have absolutely NO sympathy for your sorry, absent minded booty. (I do try to run a clean show here folks.) You should've ordered ahead of time, like a week or 4.

Maybe that is enough ranting about V-day. Maybe one day I'll change my mind...one day when I'm not working in a flower shop, it's not rubbed in my face that I'm single, and I have a husband who treats me to something better than a pair of sneakers. Perhaps that day will come...

2011 is over already?!?

I can't believe it is 2012! When I was a kid I thought I'd be married with children by now, that we'd have flying cars and hoverboards, and that there would be a resort and apartments on the moon. So far, NONE of that is true. But, that's life for ya, you never know what God has in store for you until it's His timing.

But I digress, I got on here to post a recipe! I got myself a Crock-Pot for Christmas! YAY ME! haha
And I have been experimenting in the kitchen.

Last time, I had a little bit of left over turkey (I freeze my left overs for health reasons) so I put that in the pot along with a pound of browned ground turkey (seasoned while browning with Italian seasoning blend), chopped carrots, chopped purple onion, chopped celery,chopped fresh green beans, about a cup and a half of brown rice, a quarter cup of lentils, a half cup of red kidney beans (uncooked) and water to fill the pot a little over 3/4's full. I cooked it on low heat for the day stirring occasionally and adding water as needed. I added some salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, and a personal favorite: Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (don't use a lot unless you want it a bit warm spice wise) I advise putting the Italian seasonings at the beginning if they are dried (fresh herbs and spices should be added to the crock-pot in the last 30-60 minutes), the rest I put in the last thirty minutes and individually to taste. IT WAS FANTASTIC!

I'll be trying something similar today. I love having a Crock-Pot!! I will be doing more experimenting, of course. But until I'm done killing off that infection in my intestines, it will all be Candida-Diet friendly, so if you aren't on the diet, add potatoes to your little hearts content, I know I can't WAIT until I can have potatoes again, that is the ONE thing I miss more than anything else on this diet.

MMM MMM Gluten free goodness!

As some of you may know, I have started the candida diet which is a gluten free, sugar free, and other stuff "free" diet. So, I decided to buy a few new ingredients to fit into my new gluten free diet. Today, I experimented! I baked cookies!!! and they turned out pretty good! Very light and airy, but good. I started with a cup of brown rice flour, 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum, about 1/4 cup quinoa flakes, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup cocoa, about one cup stevia, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, a splash of almond milk, 1 stick of organic, hormone free butter,  about 1/4 cup of coconut oil, one egg, and a splash of vanilla, I also added about 1/4 cup of almond butter. I mixed everything and then baked them at 350 for 8 minutes the first batch, then I put the rest of the dough in the freezer to cool. The next batch I baked for 10 minutes. They are pretty good, even my roommate tried one and said it was good. I am just so excited to have COOKIES!!! and good ones! I'll have to experiment more but for my first try, I am well pleased!

Bon Appetit!

Candida Diet

My Diet "Bible"

For the past month I have been on this diet called the Candida Diet. This is a starvation diet, but not in the common sense. It starves off a yeast overgrowth in the intestines by eliminating certain foods that feed it. So, that means no gluten, no yeast, no fungus (mushrooms!! I LOVE MUSHROOMS!!), no potatoes, no macadamias, cashews, peanuts, or pistachios, and no SUGAR!!! I have been doing this for a month and STILL crave sugar! There are other foods on the restrictions list as well. I can't have corn, any form of sweetener except stevia since it has no glycemic index what-so-ever so it isn't feeding the yeast.

Basically, I eat chicken, turkey (since I didn't eat beef or pork before), veggies, brown and wild rices, beans, and products that contain those items. I continue to discover specially made foods online and at the organic grocery store. I am surprised at the lack of foods available at H-E-B since they own Central Market and carry Central Market products, which are organic and generally geared towards people who are on special diets. Luckily, Bryan has Village Foods which is like a smaller Central Market that carries both organic types and regular grocery store items.

Tonight, I had my daily craving for SWEETNESS and decided to try something. Did I mention I'm also a chocoholic? Yeah, so. . . I had made brown rice for dinner so I got about half a cup of the cooked rice, about 3-4 tablespoons of quinoa flakes, about 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, about half a teaspoon of coconut oil, and a tablespoon of stevia mixed them all together and poured on some almond milk and had pure chocolatey goodness! Sweet tooth satisfied! YAY!!!

I will try to post up more information in case anyone else would like some gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, corn free, etc. recipes. I am learning as I go. Who knows how long I'll be on this diet, but as long as I am craving sugar like I have been, I will need to stay on it because that tells me its working but that there is still an issue.

Thank God for the internet and all the other people who have done this diet! I would be severely depressed if I didn't have advice and the ability to find new ideas!

Off to bed, folks. This girl has got to work in the mornin'! Night y'all!

Long time, no post...yet again.

Howdy!

It's been a few months since my last post and boy howdy have I been busy!

If you aren't in Texas, you may not know that we are in a serious drought. So, if you have any extra water, send it our way! We have had so many wild fires! And with the economy being what it is, so many people are suffering great loss. So, please keep these fire victims in your prayers!

I just have so much to do, so this post is short, hopefully I'll have more to say soon! MAYBE I'll catch a break sometime soon and have more time!

Hope that you're all doing well and enjoying God's blessings in your lives! I try my best to do so.

Peace, Love, and Aggies! Gig 'Em!

New Recipes!

I made some YUMMY Parmesan Ranch Potatoes and Italian Ranch Turkey Burgers!

What ya need:

1 package of ranch dressing mix, I just used Kroger's brand.
1 package of Italian mixed shredded cheese
Hamburger buns, I used the Kroger brand "Sandwich Slims" multi-grain
1 vedalia onion, I sliced off about three rounds and diced them
5-7 small-medium potatoes, cubed
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil
1 lb ground turkey, thawed
1 egg
4-6 crushed saltines (this helps keep your burgers together)
1 more slice of onion, diced

Preheat oven to 400
In 9x13 glass casserole dish, mix potatoes, onion, 3/4 of the package of ranch dressing mix, and wet with just enough oil to give it all a good coating. Cover with foil and bake 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender, take out after about 15-20 minutes to stir.

While your potatoes are in the oven, mix your turkey, remaining ranch mix, onion, egg, and crushed crackers. Form into patties and cook in skillet over medium heat, browning both sides. Make sure you cook thoroughly since this is yard bird. ;o)

When potatoes are done, sprinkle  with desired amount of Parmesan cheese and stir.

Put your burger on your bun and sprinkle with your shredded cheese. I didn't use any kind of condiments beyond salt and pepper on my bun, but you can jazz it up with fresh lettuce leaves and tomato or anything your little heart desires!

Enjoy!!!