Cooking on my birthday

Every year for the past four years I have cooked an Italian meal for people, not my family.  This year the date that was chosen by mutual agreement, is my birthday.  For those of you that think that’s insane, here are a few of my thoughts about this:

I love to cook and eat.  Cooking and eating with friends who enjoy good food (and good wine) is even better.  And, cooking and eating with friends who enjoy good food, good wine and a sunny evening on a deck on my birthday is a no-lose situation.

As most of the people that are at this Italian meal are close acquaintances or friends, it’s a win-win for me.

The dinner is an auction item I offer for my youngest son’s former private school.  Why do I continue to offer a donation for a fundraiser to a school my son no longer attends?  Well, why not?  He attended there five years, many of my current friends are from this school, and who doesn’t love to eat something that someone else has cooked?  

I try out new recipes every year; some are very uncomplicated and some are quite a bit more time-consuming.  This year, for instance, I made home-made zabaglione (frozen ice cream), home-made ravioli and home-made pizzelle (cookies).  We always serve this with lots of wine, laughter and more food.

I have learned to make tiramisu, chicken saltimbocca, chicken scaloppini, a variety of vegetable side dishes, and desserts through this dinner.  

It’s always an adventure.  Sometimes I test-drive the recipes before I serve them; other times I just cook them for the first time the night of the dinner.  Although some of the food hasn’t been my favorite, I’ve yet to have a complaint.  

I *make* between $600 and $1300 a year for the school with this donation; I spend about $300 a meal (for 8 people) for the donation.  Both are tax deductible.  This year, I donated two dinners, which sold for $650 each; I’ll spend roughly $500 for the two meals together.  And, I get the leftovers.  

I get to explore my Italian heritage through cooking.  

Cheese, wine, pasta and bread can never be a bad thing (okay, for my friends who are lactose or dairy intolerant, watching their carbs or gluten free, it can be a bad thing).

I learned to make gluten-free pasta dough because I wanted to.  

I got a ravioli press out of the deal (and I might get a pizzelle iron too)!

I get to use the guilt of guests and my birthday to get the house clean.

My kids get to see the service, sacrifice, fun and work in helping people in ways that isn’t just handing them money on a street corner (you knew I couldn’t leave politics out, huh?).

Happy Birthday to me; Happy donations to the school!

Little things…

• Sometimes, it’s the little things that become big things.  

• No matter how hard you try, it’s still (sometimes) not enough.

• Even if you cut back on spending, do away with non-necessities, cut out the fat and put money away for a rainy day; something will usually happen that completely blows the budget off the charts.

•  No matter how much you save, it’s probably not enough.

• No matter how much you plan, sometimes your plan “Z’ won’t be even in the ball park of being effective.

• No matter how great of a parent you think you are, your children will rebel, talk back, disappoint you or turn their back on you at some point in their lives.  If you’re lucky they won’t find a publisher for their tell-all book.

• Even if you think you’re a horrible parent, if your children graduate from high school and aren’t on welfare, you’ve done a pretty good job.

• There is no such thing as too much money.  People with money have medical, emotional, physical and family issues just like everyone else.  Money only gives them more options to deal with those issues.

• Sometimes working hard just isn’t enough.

• Wanting something isn’t the same as needing something.  But sometimes you need to do things you don’t want to do to get things you need to have.

• Some days the only reason I get out of bed is because my back hurts and I have to use the bathroom.  And some days the only reason I don’t crawl back in bed is because I’m afraid the dog will get into something and then I’ll have to clean it up.

• No one should have to plan dinner before noon.  My stomach has barely digested breakfast, so I’m not in dinner mode.

• I really think I could eat sushi, pizza or Italian food every night and not get tired of it.

• Knowing and proving are two different things.  And sometimes you can’t prove what you know.

• Sometimes breaking the rules is necessary to keep on going.  And sometimes keeping the rules is the only thing that separates us from evil.

• Good people have bad things happen to them for reasons that are inexplicable, unforeseeable and unavoidable.  

• Laughter isn’t always the best medicine.  Sometimes a glass of wine or a box of cookies or a sad movie does the trick instead.

“Three weeks with my brother” Nicholas Sparks

I love Nicholas Sparks’ books, some more than others, but he’s pretty much a sure read for me when a new book comes out.  I love that, as a man, he writes romance/fiction/real-life in a way that touches me. 

Romance novelists tend to get a bad rap; they’re called “bodice rippers” or whatever other negative stereotypical nick-names the genre frequently is labeled with.  I love a good story, and yes, I like to have the male character and the female character find their happily ever after.  I CAN do without the descriptive pages of intimacy, sex, fore-play, etc. that some of the writers indulge in.  I know some readers like that part of the books, I usually skim over it.  I mean, I get the whole scene.  I don’t really want to read about it.

Most of Sparks’ books dispense with the physical trappings of sexual love and deal more with real life situations and people that I find so relatable that I’m usually crying by about mid-point in any of his books.   My angst as a hopeful writer myself is that I find my characters boring and not very real.

I’ve been on a memoir kick lately, and as some people will tell you I hate memoirs.  They’re usually boring and fluffy or filled with name-dropping and gossip which is mildly interesting, but usually put in print for the shock value.  Few people have a life I’d like to read about; even famous people like Barbara Eden or Susan Lucci or Meredith Baxter (all three of whose memoirs I’ve read lately). 

So, I ordered this eBook on “Three Weeks with my Brother” by Nicholas Sparks in the hopes that it was another Sparks’ book that I would love.  Which I did.  But it is NOT just another Sparks’ book; it’s not even fiction.

The book revolves around a three-week, around-the-world trip Nick takes with his brother Micah.  Although the travel destinations are fascinating, and the tour descriptions are sometimes laughable, the real story here is that he intertwines his growing up, parents, siblings and family inside the three week trip.  The roller-coaster of his childhood and adulthood and all the struggles in-between.   And, it made me cry; tears streaming down my face, sniveling, blow-my-nose crying.

The story was so fascinating I think because not only is he a fantastic writer, but he is just a regular guy.  He’s a real person, with a real family and real pressures like all the rest of us.  He struggled with grades, athletics, parents, jobs, money, children and the ups and downs of life just like we all do.  He doesn’t come across as self-confident or arrogant or entitled or even expecting of what he’s lived through; he’s grateful and self-reflective and connected to his family.

It’s not your typical Nicholas Spark novel where the guy gets the girl; but he does get the girl and the family and the whole nine yards.

Minorities

(Thanks Matthew!)  One of Maxine's best....

Minorities    

   

 

                     

We need to show more sympathy for these people.
* They travel miles in the heat.
* They risk their lives crossing a border.
* They don't get paid enough wages.
* They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do.
* They live in crowded conditions among a people who speak a different language.
* They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day ~ every day.. 

 

I'm not talking about illegal  Mexicans ~

I'm talking about our troops! 

Doesn't it seem strange that so many are willing to lavish all kinds of social benefits on illegals, but don't support our troops?

Wouldn't it be great if we took the $360,000,000,000 (that's billion) we spend on illegals every year, and spend it on our troops!!!

Please pass this on; this is worth the short time it takes.

 A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to‘The United States of America ’ for any amount, up to and including their life.

Change

Can people outlive their crimes?  Can mistakes be forgotten over time?  Should criminals, having served their jail time and full service requirements of their release be able to maintain their livelihood as if nothing ever happened?

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda has been the poster girl for the anti-war crowd for years, being dubbed “Hanoi Jane” and other not so nice names.  Veterans picket her movies and business endeavors; very few people over a certain age can say her name without having her political views flash across their memories for a time.

She trudges on amidst the hateful rhetoric and constant reminders of her youthful political stance; keeping her head up and her career in the forefront.  She’s been an actress, a fashion model, a dance teacher, workout guru, feminist, entrepreneur and political activist.

She’s apologized for her opinions and actions that garnered the name “Hanoi Jane” (from Wikipedia):

In a 1988 interview with Barbara Walters Fonda expressed regret for some of her comments and actions, stating:
"I would like to say something, not just to Vietnam veterans in New England, but to men who were in Vietnam, who I hurt, or whose pain I caused to deepen because of things that I said or did. I was trying to help end the killing and the war, but there were times when I was thoughtless and careless about it and I'm very sorry that I hurt them. And I want to apologize to them and their families. [...] I will go to my grave regretting the photograph of me in an anti-aircraft gun, which looks like I was trying to shoot at American planes. It hurt so many soldiers. It galvanized such hostility. It was the most horrible thing I could possibly have done. It was just thoughtless..."^[36]

But still, the hate and anger towards past actions continue to follow her around.


Michael Vick is the Dog-fighting and racketeering ambassador.  He served his time, paid his fines, apologized to the world for his crimes and has gone on to have a lucrative NFL career and promotional contracts.   He’s been congratulated by President Obama, supported by the Eagles organization, granted interview after interview and (again) apologized to PETA and animal lovers for his indiscretions.

Yet, we still can’t move on and forgive him for his mistakes and bad choices.  I have friends that tell me “he’s paid his time; he’s apologized, let it go.”  Nike has forgiven him in the name of money; Subway has included him in their promotional ads because he’s, well, famous.

Is it possible for people to change; grow; mature?  Can we let Casey Anthony off the hook now that she’s been found “Not Guilty”?  Will she spend the rest of her life running from her past mistakes (assuming that she doesn’t continue in her immature ways and lifestyle)?

What about forgiving?  Do people who’ve changed, moved-on, grown-up, deserve forgiveness?  

What about people who are struggling with addictions?  Divorce?  Anger issues?  At what point does paying the price become the ticket to a new road? 

Are those of us who remember the transgressions; are we guilty of not forgiving?  Or is it a case of guilt because we feel there isn’t enough of a price to be paid for some crimes?

Vacation Paige-Style

Because I’m pretty sure my friends think I’ll be on Facebook the entire week while my husband and youngest are at Boy Scout Camp (and oldest son is working at Day Camp); here’s “THE LIST” of my things to do for the week:

• See Jennifer Fleetwood

• Pressure-wash deck

• Mow Back lawn

• Weed flower beds

• Clean/organize Car-seat area

• Give Yarn to Viola or Value Village

• Switch out toys

• Scan Photos

• Scrapbook

• Take clothing to Value Village

• Laundry

• Dog to Groomer

• Dog to Dog park

• Walk Dog 2-3 times a day

• Exercise 3 times a week

• Cook for Friday Dinner Party

• Make Ravioli to Freeze

• Make Pizzelle

And in case you “didn’t make the list”, it doesn’t mean that I won’t fit you in. It also doesn’t mean I’ll get everything done on the list.
Yeah, I’ll still play my games on FB and post articles (I need to have something to do while I drink my coffee).
The best part of time alone is I don’t have a schedule. I can stay up as late as I want, get up when I want (except the dog needs to go out and eat in the morning about 7:30), and go where I want, when I want.
Yep, It’s vacation time for me – Paige-style.