D is for Dangerous Minds.

D is for Dangerous Minds.

I heard the news about the two district attorneys in Texas who were recently shot, and how maybe it was related to another district attorney who was shot a couple of months ago. I thought How strange, I'm sure there is some long history going on there. 
Oh yes.
I read the news article on the BBC about the case, and found out that it is maybe linked to the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. I read about them, and found out that they are a gang which formed in Texan jails. What? Gangs form in jails? I would never have thought of such a thing!! Well, I must be naive or something, because I never thought this would be possible. Well, this one is apparently a white supremacist group, which formed in 1979 when Texas desegregated its jails.
I never knew they were segregated in the first place! I suppose they would have had to have been segregated back in the day. Well, now we are seeing the immense repercussions.
I read some more and found out that they even have a constitution, which amazed me no end. Locked up in prison, and they still manage to build a gang with a constitution. Apparently it is tightly structured, with each region headed by a general. It's like the army but behind bars. Apparently it has around 2,000 members.
The original Aryan Brotherhood started through the same means in California in the late 60's, but that's not the end of it. There are other prison gangs, such as the Nazi Lowriders and the European Kindred.
Seems like I need to brush up on my gang knowledge:) It's amazing what slips you by then you have no attachment whatsoever to something.
Most of all it saddens me to think that people who were trying to make the world a better place lost their lives for doing what they believed in. Gah.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22019433

C is for Caregivers

C is for Caregivers.

When I was a child I wanted to do so many different things; fly planes, helicopters, fight fires, teach African kids to read, nurse starving children to health,  ... and who remembers what else. I think my underlying goal was to save the world! Don't we all?! Then real life started to take hold and my childhood dreams faded away. Now I think about what my life would have been like if I happened to pursue one of these dreams. These are the people I admire so much! They dedicate -and often risk- their daily lives to help and save others. They are our everyday heroes.
They are the most notable of our heroes, anyway. We often miss the ones who go unnoticed, hidden behind closed doors, the ones who are busily going about their daily lives, working, running a household, sacrificing and caring for others. Of course, parents spring to mind. They double-multi-task the kiddos, the job, the house, the gym, and more all day, leaving about a nano-second spare to look after themselves. Another everyday hero. But then what about the ones who have an extra priority to add to the list? Those who have an older dependent to look after are some of our society's forgotten heroes. We humans are not going to last forever, and as we age, we may once again need some support as we grow old gracefully. These caregivers often make many sacrifices in order to help their loved ones live their lives in comfort to the best of their ability.
Child-rearing is demanding, of course, but parents rejoice as they watch their child grow and develop, whereas looking after an elder as they progress into old age can be painful, which can make it all the more difficult to cope with on a daily basis. Yet a caregiver is patient and loving, and will do all they can to make the lives of their loved one as wonderful as possible. They too are everyday heroes.

B is for Band of Gold

B is for Band of Gold.

It doesn't have to be gold. It doesn't have to be silver. It can be a plastic kiddie ring. It can be some foil wrapped in a ring shape. It can be some paper twizzled around your finger. Or, it could be nothing at all. After all, it's just a symbol. And often a far too expensive one at that.
Of course, it symbolises your marriage to your spouse. It symbolises your commitment to each other for the rest of your lives. It symbolises your life together in unity.
Does the symbol matter? Does it help remind you on a daily basis that you are married? Is it worth the expense, just for something to wrap around your finger to represent your unity? Is it to deter others from thinking you may be a single?  Isn't the piece of paper you signed or the words you spoke enough? Do you have to wear it? Forever?

What about that wedding? Oh my, it's that day. Almost all women dream of that day. They day you wear the white dress, and throw the bouquet over your shoulder. I've been dreaming of that day since I was about 10 years old! She thinks.
How much will it cost?? How much planning? How much work? Oh, but it will be so worth it! She thinks. And probably so. I really hope she will be married for the rest of her life. But, sadly, we know that sometimes, that doesn't happen.

It's not all rings and wedding days. It's not all about fancy dresses, fancy flowers, and fancy wedding cake. In fact, this is what starts out as your biggest concern, but then as life takes over, it becomes just some cake, just a dress and just a ring when all said and done.

Before I even had marriage on my mind, someone said to me "You know, it is who you marry which determines your life's path more than anything". For me, it rings true.

The band doesn't determine anything, it just sits on my finger and looks pretty. 

A is for .... All About Me.

 April is the month of A-Z!

It's April, which is the month of the 'Blogging from A-Z Challenge', which means I need to get my brain into gear and think of something to write about each day. Last year unfortunately I didn't manage to complete it, but I hope I succeed this year! Now, to dust off of my imagination, my creativity, and those writing skills.. eeek!

A is for All About Me.

I thought I would start with a little introduction to me. Well, instead of the usual stuff, I thought I would write about some of the useless bits of info which you would probably never know unless you had lived with me my entire life... then you still wouldn't know some bits... anyway, here goes...


- My favouite chocolate bars (UK) are Crunchie and Double Decker. Boost is not far behind.
- I detest cilantro with a passion.
- I have always wanted to do a skydive, but I'm getting less brave as I get older.
- I hate hate hate to sleep with ticking clocks.
- I love inventing recipes. I just made a delicious dessert pretty much by invention.
- I hate the way the American pronunciation of route and algae. It's like the word is being tortured each time someone says it. Sorry.
- I also hate how Americans say write me, instead of write to me. You can't just take out a preposition and expect it to make sense. Sorry, once again.
 - As a child I wanted to be a Sea King helicopter pilot, which, incidentally, is Prince William's job in the Royal Air Force. If I had done that (very unlikely!) then maybe I would have been buddies with a prince!
- I am a recycling nut. It physically pains me when I see something which could be recycled, thrown away.
- I moisturise my hands a gazillion times a day and they are still dry and cracked.
- I am one of the most indecisive people I know.  I have a magnet with a picture of a bear with his hands over his eyes, with the quote "I used to be decisive, but now I'm not sure".
- I feel at least 10 years younger than I actually am.
- My favourite writing pens are the cheap bic pens which nobody else likes. And the blue is definitely better than the black. The purple is my all-time favourite.
- I love the take off and landing parts of flying. The speeds and the bumps make it fun times. Turbulants scare me, but are also kinda cool.

That's enough random information for now. Hope that was half interesting at least! :)


 

S is for Something Different

S is for Something Different.

A Book Review:
'Walking the Amazon: 860 Days, One Step at a Time'. By Ed Stafford.

My list of 'to read' books is pretty much never ending, so when it comes to picking out a new book to read, I have a long list from which I can choose, from a variety of genres. The last book I read was a gift, and I actually don't think I would have picked this book out myself, but I found it a great read from beginning to end.
Walking the Amazon is Stafford's story about his quest to walk from the source of the Amazon to its mouth, entirely by foot, recounting his trials and tribulations, and his more uplifting moments along the way.
Stafford isn't a literary scholar; he's an expedition leader, an adventurer, an army captain, an action man. His story is told in his words, with his style, and even though it may not be the work of a literary genius, his own words and his own style help me understand and connect with him more, and develop a better grasp of his own journey through the Amazon.
Stafford isn't an eco-warrior, a biologist, or a zoologist. His journey isn't solely about saving the rainforest, it is more about the journey to achieve a world first, while promoting an awareness of the issues which face the rainforest today. He doesn't spend paragraphs describing the flora and fauna of the rainforest, merely mentions just some of the many issues of the area. His book is about his story, his journey, and his recount of events during 860 days in the rainforest.
Ed shares his whole story. He describes the expedition preparation, financing, charity fundraising, finding expedition sponsors, the daily challenges he faced, all the way through to his flat-out exhaustion as he completed his mission. For me, this is what I enjoyed most about the book. He describes his sometimes harsh interaction with others, his own personal issues, his exhaustion, his financial worries, his search for food, and his ability to survive in some of the most testing conditions. And he pulls through. His determination to complete his mission runs through the whole book and his achievement is a reminder of what we can achieve if we put our minds to it. His journey reminds me how fortunate I am that I do not have to struggle each day to survive as some do, and that I have much more potential than I will probably ever know.

http://www.walkingtheamazon.com/
http://www.edstafford.org/

R is for Rewind, Restart, Renew.

R is for Rewind, Restart, Renew.

Well, I never finished the A-Z Challenge in April last year, but there is nothing to say that I can't at least try to finish it one day, right? :) I'm on 'R' right now!

The past few months have been a little bizarre. Towards the end of last year I decided that my teaching position really wasn't for me. There was many reasons for this, and even though I do love certain aspects of teaching, I wasn't happy in my role. Maybe I will find something in the future which suits me better.
So I left and did a Certified Nurse Assistant course. I thought the caring nature of the position would be suited to me, as most CNA jobs are in nursing homes or similar places. And yes, a CNA really should have this quality, as they work with the elderly, and working in this environment requires a special skill set. The position really does not pay well, the job is sometimes tiring, not glamorous in the slightest, and requires a great deal of patience. However, knowing that you are providing care and support to someone who really is dependent on others for the easiest of daily tasks can offer the wonderful humanitarian, warm-hearted feeling inside and makes your job feel worthwhile.
It is this wonderful warm-hearted feeling which attracted me to this field of work. I thought I would meet many kind natured people, humble in their hearts, caring, dedicated, and selfless. I am naive. Granted I did not visit lots of nursing homes, but those that I did visit taught me a lot. Of course, some of the employees were gems. They really were the kind of people I hoped to find. However, many really did not seem to have the attributes I feel really are necessary for this type of work. For many it was just a job. A cheque each month, benefits, and maybe a retirement plan. They failed to see the residents as real people, more as bodies. They failed to respect their dignity. For example, one CNA said "Oh, Mrs X, You should be ashamed of yourself" because she wet herself. Another CNA picked up the legs of a patient who was in a reclined chair, pulled down her pants, so another CNA can clean her, just like you would a baby. Yet this is not a baby, it is an aging lady whose body does not move like that of a baby. Respect has gone out of the window. This is just a couple of events from some of what seems to be the better places.
After my little insight into nursing homes, it really made me think about growing old, gracefully. It filled me with sadness to see swollen legs, residents on oxygen, dementia, and a whole lot more. And it pained me even more when CNA's showed little sensitivity to their situations. I wasn't sure if I was able to work with people who lacked the caring nature which really is necessary in this field.
We take our healthy mind and body for granted when we are young, and fail to think about how it may change in the future if we don't look after it now. I look at middle aged people now and wonder what their state will be in 20-30 years. I wonder who the CNA's will be that look after them, and wonder if they will receive the respect they deserve. I wonder about their health in the future.

So for me it was time to rewind and restart. I was still considering working in a nursing home or somewhere similar, but I happened to stumble upon a little opportunity in a little counseling office for the front desk position. I met with some of the staff, and they all seemed really friendly. I am happy to say that they offered me the position, and I have been there a week now, and I still have lots to learn. It may not bring in the big bucks, it's nothing special, but hopefully it will be just right for now.

As I've been looking around at different opportunities I have found many different paths that I think would interest me, most of which would require a good amount of courses and studying and experience, and so I'm really not sure on what my future moves will be right now.. I'll just have to wait and see where the winds blow me....

My Own Little Recipes

My Own Little Recipes

Sometimes I get myself into a little cooking and baking mode, and I'm feeling brave enough to take a recipe and add my own special twists to it, and see how they come out. Luckily for me I think my last few 'Stephanie inventions' worked pretty well, so I thought I would share them..


Mushroom Potato and and Garlic Soup

Ingredients:
3 Potatoes
1 Onion
About 10 mushrooms
1 Zucchini
4-5 cloves of garlic
A few sage leaves
Dried about 1/8 cup dried parsley
Vegetable broth (about 2-3 cups)
About 1 teaspoon of salt
About 1 teaspoon of pepper

Cut the potatoes, and onions into little chunks. Dice up the garlic.
Warm up some olive oil in a deep skillet, add the potatoes, onion and garlic into the skillet and heat through until just soft.
Dice up the mushrooms and zucchini, and add these and the potato mixture into a crockpot. 
Add in the broth, and the herbs, salt and pepper. 
Mix together and cook in the crockpot on high for about 4 hours, or low for about 6 hours. 
Blend with a blender, and serve hot with crusty bread. 

You can change any part of this according to your taste:) I love to experiment with different ingredients and seasonings:)
I liked the mushroom and garlic flavors mixed together, and I really think the sage went well with the other ingredients.


Vegetable Chilli

Ingredients:
About 5 potatoes
Spaghetti Squash
Half an onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 or 2 cans of mixed beans
1 big can of stewed tomatoes
2 cups of vegetable broth (add more if you think it needs it)
Crushed red pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Salt
Pepper

Peel and cut up the potatoes, the spaghetti squash, and onion into relatively small chunks.
Mix together in a crockpot.
Chop up the garlic, add to the crockpot. 
Add in the beans with their juice, and the stewed tomatoes.
Add in about 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. 
Add in about 2 cups of water, or more if necessary. 
Cook on high for about 4 hours, or low for about 6 hours. 
This one is not blended, so serve hot with crusty bread.

You can adapt this to your own tastes, which is one of the great things about chilies! 
I loved the texture of the squash in this recipe, it was a little crunchy, and went well with the softer potatoes.  I preferred the stewed tomatoes, because I'm not keen on chunks of canned tomatoes, but if you prefer chunks, then add in chunky tomatoes instead of stewed.


Green Tomato Soup

We had many green tomatoes left over from the summer/autumn season, which didn't get chance to ripen, to I made them into a tangy soup! I also added lots of our poblano peppers which we also grew. 

Ingredients:
Green tomatoes (at least 6, but the more the merrier, as long as they fit in the crockpot!)
One or two red tomatoes (Although I think the recipe would be fine without them)
1/2 an onion
About 3 cups of peppers (As I said, we used poblano peppers, which are a little spicy/tangy, but not much. You could try any pepper variety, or mix up some more spicy ones with some bell peppers)
2 garlic cloves
About 2 cups of vegetable broth 
1/4 teaspooon of salt and pepper

Chop up the tomatoes, onion, peppers, into small chunks and add them into the crockpot. 
Dice up the garlic and add to the mixture. 
Add in the vegetable broth, the salt and pepper, and any other herbs and spices.
Cook in the crockpot for about 4 hours on high and 6 hours on low. 
Serve hot with bread.

Very adaptable recipe. I'm sure many other herbs and spices would go well in this too:) I really liked the tangy taste in this recipe, I wasn't expecting it:)

Quinoa with Vegetables

Ingredients:
2 cups of quinoa 
1/2 an onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 bell pepper
A few of handfuls of fresh kale
A few handfuls of fresh spinach
Soy sauce
Salt and pepper. 

Cook quinoa as packet directs, with 2 cups of water to 2 cups a quinoa. It takes about 20-25 minutes to cook. Chop up the onion and garlic, melt some butter or olive oil in a deep skillet,  and add the onion and garlic. Cook until soft. Chop up the pepper, and add to the onion mix, cooking on a medium heat until the pepper has softened. Add in the salt, pepper, and about 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, or according to taste. 
Add in the spinach and kale, and gently mix until the leaves have wilted.
Add the cooked quinoa to the vegetables, mix together, and serve warm. 

The quantities of spinach and kale can be increased easily, as the leaves will wilt down. Also, other ingredients could include blackbeans, or another type of bean, or even a handful of seeds.
 


Banana Raisin Bread
I've made a few banana breads recently, and I think this one is my favorite so far:)

Ingredients:
3 bananas, mashed
1 cup of apple sauce (with cinnamon if you have it)
About a cup of raisins
1 1/2  cups of whole grain flour
2 eggs.
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon 
1 teaspoon of all spice
1/4 cup of brown sugar

Soak the raisins in a bowl of warm water, covering them.
Mix together the mashed banana and the applesauce in a large bowl.  Add in the cinnamon and all spice.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs and mix in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 
Add the egg mixture to the banana mixture, and mix together. 
Slowly add in the flour, mixing it together as you add more. 
Drain the raisins and dry as best you can with a paper towel.
Add the raisins to the mixture, and mix well.
Pour the mixture into an 8x4 inch baking pan greased with butter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. 

This is my favorite so far because of the juicy grapes added into the bread. It is quite healthy for a banana bread, with only a little added sugar. 


Well, there we have my selection of little recipes. Pretty simple, very adaptable, and rather yummy if I do say so myself:)