Potato Bacon Soup

This Christmas was a year of new traditions.  One of them was a cream potato bacon soup on Christmas Eve. This was thick and creamy, a nice, tasty, yet nutritious filling recipe that broke up all of the snacks and sweets!

Dark Chocolate & Fig Bites (No Bake)

I was chatting with Real Food Freaks about what to do with some dried figs I'd acquired - 3 lbs to be exact.  And though, the holidays are not an ideal time to experiment with new recipes, I thought there had to be a way to make these into a treat.  They suggested something similar to a recipe they were working on: Chocolate Covered Candied Orange (with date variation).

So, of course, I went blindly into a brand new recipe with very little input.  I was actually pleasantly surprised and it did end up turning out to be one of those recipes that gives a person "taste bud confusion" especially if you're not into dried figs or raisins.  You think you're not going to like this recipe, but it ends up being something I keep going back to "just to make sure."

In the future, I will definitely soak the figs longer and add lots of nuts to this recipe.  But, here was my kitchen science experiment for this holiday season. Trust me, one is enough!

Easy Double Chocolate Chip Brownies

This would not be considered a Real Food recipe, but rather a tweaked version with higher quality ingredients for holiday treats!

Can We Stop the Insanity?

As any parent would, I think about my kids and their future a lot. I've thought about how to approach the topic of relationships with my kids. From my own experience, my parents, my family, my friends and life, in general.

Of course, I don't know anything.   I'm far, far from an expert.

10 Staples in my Home that Make Great Gifts!

1.) Mr. Coffee Grinder – it makes any coffee taste more delicious, just by the fact you freshly grind beans daily!  It’s the first thing I fire up after making sure the kids are up & dressed each morning.



2.) Eight O’Clock Coffee – I’ve been a diehard Starbucks fan since before I drank coffee.  My parents shipped it in from Seattle when I was a kid after having tasted it while on a trip.  Now that I use a coffee grinder, it’s totally unnecessary to spend twice the amount.  Definitely a good buy for a the coffee lover on your list.



3.) Pandamania CD – the best $7 I ever spent.  To be fair, I purchased this as it was their VBS theme last year, but they want to listen to it daily!  Dad even burned a copy to keep at his place they request it so often!



4.) Purex Crystals – I’ve been obsessed with finding the perfect fabric softener for almost 15 years. (Yes, I know, I have issues.)  I finally found it this year.  It rocks and I could quit purchasing dryer sheets, which, annoyingly, always came out the legs of my pants, or a sleeve, in public.



5.) Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil – I use this oil daily: in my coffee, in recipes and to fry in.   The only other oils I purchase are olive oil (which I USED to use for everything) and tea oil.  I also use it for body & hair care.  It’s the perfect thing to add to the bath for dry, itchy skin, especially kids with eczema.  It’s also wonderful to use in homemade body scrubs.  Coconut Oil is the Windex to my Big Fat Greek Wedding, except I’m German and I’m not married. A little goes a long way, a jar will last a long time!

32-oz. - Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil - 1 quart











6.) Tropical Traditions Organic Moisturizing Cream – I love the Baby Silk & Unscented.  They are all great.  In my previous life, I only used a light moisturizer, because heavy creams weighed down my skin causing it to break out.  Their creams are made without parabens and alcohol.  They soak right into your skin, leaving it soft & moisturized, not with a coating. Great for hands, body & face – head to toe on the kids!

4-oz - Moisturizing Cream - Baby Silk





7.) Tropical Traditions Organic Shredded Coconut – I grew up HATING coconut, I’m still a little leery of it.  But, natural, dried coconut is not the same product as what is in mounds bars or the bags at the stores.  These have so many additives, you should question whether or not you’re actually buying coconut. I will still tell you I am not a huge fan of it, but it’s usually the “fake” flavoring that I am not fond of.  This product is awesome.  I use it for breading fish & chicken after dipping in egg and frying in oil or baking. 
1-Gallon Pail - Shredded Coconut







8.) Tropical Traditions Organic Lip Moisturizers – I could, and often do, use straight coconut oil on my lips.  But, the addition of Virgin Palm Oil and organic beeswax to the very simple ingredient list of these moisturizers made it worth the purchase.  I have one on me at all times, plus at my desk where I spend most of my waking hours and in my car!  Buy them – they are also on a Buy 1 Get 1 Sale until 12/18!! 

2 Lip Moisturizers - Unscented - Buy 1 Get 1 FREE!







9.) Simply Organic Spices – these are literally the best spices I have ever used.  I love them and they are reasonable.  I can add them to foods knowing they are Non-GMO and free of chemicals or pesticides.
Organic Spice: Garlic Salt - 4.7 oz.







10.) Crunchy Chipotle Chile Peanut Butter – I have never been a huge PB fan.  Mostly because, we grew up on plain label PB and only good “good pb” when there was a great sale or coupon.  That’s the way it is in a house full of kids and modest budget.  So, I was really surprised when I fell in love with this.  It’s awesome for sauces over noodles, on crackers or dipping vegetables.  I have to warn you, it has a little zing!  This stuff rocks.

Organic Crunchy Chipotle Chile Peanut Butter - 12 oz










Note:  I don’t blog about Tropical Traditions’ products enough.  But, if I did that, you’d never take my promotion of their products seriously since I work with TT for a living.  People often say they don’t want their recipes to “taste like coconut.”  My response is this, If you have only had coconut from a commercial grocery store in the states, then you don’t know what coconut should taste like.  I don’t find using the oil adds a strong flavor to foods, rather, it enhances the flavor much like spices or other ingredients.  Plus, no gut-aches because it’s traditionally made!

If you do happen to purchase any of the products above from TT, as a first-time customer, you'll automatically receive a FREE book that includes over 85 recipes automatically added to your order!

I hope you enjoy these unique ideas for your holiday shopping lists!

What do you do in Nebraska for fun?

I actually kind of hate that question to be quite honest.  

After all, we do have running water, indoor plumbing and our attire consists of more than overalls.  Really, this is all true.  I mean, what does anyone do in any state for fun?  But, because as a state, we do a poor job of branding the real Nebraska image, people really don’t know that we have urban centers, culture and things to do in general.  

I decided to capture a little bit from a fun trip I took last night to Omaha for our annual holiday lights viewing.  It’s about a 150 miles round trip and yes, we have holiday lights in our town.  But, that’s not how my crew rolls.

So, of course, we charter a bus with 27 of our closest friends.

But, not just any old bus.  

This WAS a Minneapolis city bus that has been transformed into an addition to the fleet of a local company who provides transportation for private events. What a great idea! A small town doesn't often have amenities like this.

This bug is fully equipped with a PA and rocking stereo system with iPod hookups, a bar, a restroom and built-in coolers under a few of the seats.

The inside of this bus is nicer than most of the dives I hung out in during college!  

The past two years, I have been our “navigator” since I lived in Omaha for over a decade.  We lucked out and happened upon a lake community that had this house that is completely decked out.  Last year when we arrived, they even had people in costume as Santa and a snowman.  Their lights are synced up with a radio station and so as you pull in, there is a sign asking you to tune to it.  It’s completely awesome and quite a site.  No Santa this year, but just as amazing of a display.

This is just one part of it, it’s a custom home on a large lakeside lot and the display goes across their lot plus the neighboring empty lot.  

We drove through another well-known neighborhood with our huge bus, through the snow packed streets and then decided against going into any more neighborhoods.  It’s a girls night out, after all, so we made a couple stops for cocktails, jazz and dancing.

This, of course, is where the pictures end. 

A fun holiday tradition two years running! 

Mid-Week Temperature Check

I can’t do Wordless Wednesday.  I always write too much.  So, instead, I’m writing a Mid-Week Temperature Check.

I’ve got some things on my mind that I’ve vaguely blogged about like Schadenfreude, Am I Tough Enough? and last, but certainly not least, 5 Tension Breakers for Hectic Lives.  

And also, the Holiday Season is upon us and I have been trained to dread it over the years. But, I have to admit, my children simply won’t let me.  Their spirit is infectious and if I just follow their lead, I can’t help but remember that excitement over a magical time of year.  I have been able to slow down and notice it, when otherwise, I might have been too busy to. I am grateful for that.  

Last Saturday, we were Making Holiday Memories driving around during a snow storm in our quaint, rural Nebraska downtown.  It’s fun to point out the things I remember being so cool from when I was still a kid.  And it’s also fun wishing new traditions existed when I was a kid, too.

I need a new Christmas Tree, but I am too stingy to buy a new one until after Christmas this year, so I gave in to my 7 year old son’s requests (for the past 2 years) for a white fiber-optic tree.  If you hear my comments about our “radioactive tree,” it’s because every picture we take by it looks like it to me.  But, this one is not too bad, granted, I ran it through some Instagram filters!

Officially: It’s 32 degrees F and sunny.

Holiday Memories in the Making

 

So, here we were on Saturday morning.  The humongous snowflakes had been falling on our town about 45 minutes or so.  The forecast was predicting over 4” depending on who you listen to, Omaha or Sioux City.  The kids & I decided we’d roll on downtown to see how cool it looked with the annual 3-4 story tall Christmas tree in the middle of main street and everything ready for the holidays. 

As we rounded the corner, we saw the community theater all decorated up.  This 100 year old building is currently being restored to its hey-day and is a beauty with it’s new roof, freshly painted tower, tuck pointing and brick work repair done and the beautiful large wreath above the front door.

4-1/2 year old Olive said to her brother, “Oh, Noah, when you look up at the sky and see the snow falling on us, it’s so cool!”

I put their windows down as we crawled on the slick old brick main street past the theater so they could better watch the snow from their seats.  Noah, 7-1/2, heard something and said, “What’s that?!” in surprise.

I had forgotten about the Christmas music that is piped in each year over the speaker system.  It was ringing out a nice mellow, contemporary tune.  For about a block no one spoke, just enjoying our own favorite parts of these moments.  We drove under the large Christmas tree we had come to see. The huge, puffy snowflakes fell on our faces from the windows and the music lulled us.  We all said we loved each other.

It was almost a magical moment.

At least I’m going to pretend that’s what my boy meant when he said it all seemed, “Weird.”  Magical and surreal. No one around, snow falling quietly and music ringing out in the town almost like a movie set.

“A Winter Wonderland,” he said later.  I agreed and said I knew it was silly to get so much enjoyment out of those moments, but it’s the simple things.  I recognize it now a few hours later that this moment will be a memory.

5 Tension Breakers for Hectic Lives

 

1. Giggle.

Find a funny YouTube video

A cat riding an invisible bike

Whatever trips your trigger

^{Google+ “Psych, Facebook!”}

We all just need to take a break and laugh.

2.  Get some goodness for your soul. Engage in conversation.  Check out Soul Pancake, a place for you to chew on life’s big questions.

3.  Yoga.  A great way to clear your thoughts, and strengthen your mind & body.  Find a studio in your area, a book that shows you how to begin or visit The Yoga Diet, a great blog on the yoga lifestyle run by South Method Yoga in Omaha.

4.  Take a Zumba class.  If you take life too seriously sometimes, (like me) this is a great way to work up a sweat and have fun.

5.  Get out into nature.  The Great Plains, specifically, Nebraska, is a wonderful place to start.  You can place yourself into some great wide-open spaces by viewing beautiful photos like these by Michael Forsberg, or better yet, take a road trip here to experience it in person.  There is also nothing like experiencing some awe to put things into perspective. 

Schadenfreude–What is that?!

 

Schadenfreude is a German word that describes a feeling of malicious enjoyment derived from observing someone else’s misfortune.  Literally translated, it means “shameful joy.” 

I think the best American example of that is the Simpsons kid, Nelson, who does just that every opportunity he gets.

I love that the Germans actually have a word for this.  One of those things that doesn’t easily translate into other languages.  More of a way to describe a dysfunctional feeling.  I take the literal translation to mean that people know they should be ashamed of themselves for being joyful over something horrible.

As feisty as I am, I am always taken aback when people can hurt me. 

This week I was the recipient of some “shameful joy” and I just couldn’t believe it was happening to me.  The person was smiling on the outside acting like the question they were asking me was totally legitimate, but in their eyes and what I could only imagine was going on in the inside, was the ugliest spiritual crisis.

I mean, really, how could anyone be so cold?

As cool and collected as I always hope that I seem, I was already on the verge of tears and, honestly, I’m not even sure I’d brushed my hair that day.  To me, the answer to their question was evident.

It really made me sad, because it was a person I’d known since I was 5 years old and I’ve actually defended their rude actions in the past.  Thinking about it, I would never outwardly do that to someone, even my worst enemy (if I had one).  And I’ve felt horrible when even the thought that someone I didn’t personally care for all that much meets hardships.

I try to put myself in other people’s shoes.  Maybe to a flaw.  But, that’s just how I am.  I don’t think I’m going to change that about myself, I think it’s a strength to be able to see things from other perspectives.

The lesson here, maybe, is that other people don’t always do that. They are too scorned and damaged by life to not take joy in others’ misery, because they themselves are just that. Miserable.

Maybe I’ll send them a fruitcake this holiday season instead. 

Am I Tough Enough?

 

When it rains, it pours.

What doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.

Bad news comes in streaks.

What are some other phrases that express when people are going through difficult times that just seem to keep coming?

I truly do believe that life is a journey and we have to experience it all at the fullest, so we don’t cheat ourselves.  Every experience is a learning experience, you just have to be open to the lesson.  But, I’m having a difficult time understanding when there are times where it seems like there is no end to the amount of fires that need to be put out. 

What I’m speaking of are life shattering, serious things.  Not little things like, “My car broke down and I don’t have enough money to fix it.”  I wish. I’m talking about things that work at destroying the core of those involved.

So, I have to believe there is a reason for it: Either it hasn’t been fully addressed and/or there is much, much more than meets the eye that needs to come to light.  But, the universe/God is bringing it to the forefront.  I feel that we must go right through journeys and not try to escape discomfort to go around it.  In my opinion, we can’t let things take their own course, it doesn’t work like that.  I feel we need to be an active participant in life, otherwise what is the point of having free will? 

One of the toughest things for me is to watch those I love continually go through pain and anguish.  Some people need that pain and anguish as catalyst for change.  Some people will wallow in it instead, playing the victim, perpetuating the cycle over and over.

And I keep wondering what my role needs to be here.  I’m guessing emotional wreck is not it.   I’m wondering if I have what it takes to be stay strong, be supportive and not let it consume me.  These are the days I wish superheroes were real.

How do you move forward and stay productive when the world seems to be crashing in around you?

We Give Thanks

 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I like that we can take one day each year (at least) to set aside time to be thankful for what/who is in our lives.  Even if it is the simple things.

Here are a few things I am thankful for this year:

• I am thankful for work.  Work that allows me to not only provide for my family, but also work that stimulates my mind, educates me, gets me charged up and drives at my passions.  I spend most of my time working for Tropical Traditions and because it is such a fun, challenging and creative job, it doesn’t drain me of my own life.  I have the ability to provide for my family and also spend time with them.  I also have the ability to fit my job into my life and I work for impeccable people.  Something I rarely could say previously.  I appreciate their values and admire the work they have done, and continue to do, to educate the public on important health issues.
• I am thankful for my children and for being a Mom.  They remind me daily that I have the ability to give & receive love.  It’s scary to think they are a blank slate when you receive them.  I want to do the best job I can, I mean, really.  I am thankful I have an open line of communication with their father so that we can continue to raise them together, instead of putting our own best interests in front of theirs.  I hope I will be a good role-model to them.

^{A traveling Thanksgiving Collage the Kids & I made this past weekend.}

• I am thankful that Glen, the Appliance Guy, came today and replaced the coil in the bottom of my oven that just happened to explode and burst into flames nearly two months ago.  It has not been easy to cook via the stop top alone and I was beginning to panic that my favorite holiday was upon me and I couldn’t bake a pie.
• I am even thankful for the things that pain me most.  Whether it is perceived negative experiences, challenges faced or situations.  I’ve learned to draw from each in their own way so that I can grow.  (Even if the lesson is just to stay away from those people or situations.)
• Lastly, I am thankful for living in Northeast Nebraska so that I can spend holidays with the people I have almost always celebrated with most.  I can share that with my kids and take comfort in mixing in all of the old traditions with a few of the new ones we create ourselves.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

The Top 10 Relationship Words That Aren't Translatable Into English

I came across this on Big Think - so interesting to ponder after watching a documentary last night about the revival of the language of the Waupenog Indians. How disconnected we can become from our culture without being a native speaker and understanding that there are untranslatable words. It's more of a description of a feeling. I'm grateful to know the language of my ancestors - though I don't view Germans as very romantic.

The Top 10 Relationship Words That Aren't Translatable Into English

An UN-Wordless Wednesday

 

I thought as a tribute to “processing” my thoughts, I would remain silent this week as I did much of last week.  But, as a writer, this is near impossible to process my feelings and thoughts without writing them. 

My dad’s family lost their matriarch last week. The funeral was this past Saturday. 

I thought my role in this death was to be one of the few that still reside in rural Nebraska where everyone grew up.  To be a resource for when people needed things like advice on where to go or if they needed a phone charger.  I had even thought part of my role was just to be supportive, because I lived closer to her and the situation.  Surely, I had been given more time to process because of my proximity.  I was able to visit often, I was “in the know.”

I wrote about Grandma’s Alzheimer’s earlier this year and had taken comfort that the woman I knew was gone. The person who remained looked like her and was never quite sure of who I was, but I thought I had grieved that already. 

But, I hadn’t.

It’s bittersweet when my dad’s family is here.  I didn’t get to grow up around many of them and enjoy their company so much.  I describe it to my aunts as “hanging out inside of a hug.”  I have always been so fascinated by the fact that we could be such a tight knit bunch, regardless of the distance and size of the group.  She had 10 kids, I have 18 first cousins on this side.

And Grandma had revealed to me that she was “ready, ready, ready!” as she put it in a high pitched, funny voice the last time I visited her.  I knew she would be leaving soon. The children had already began to have “quality of life discussions” with regard to treatment of a cancer that had recurred.

The next day I saw a rescue squad from her town.  Most of the people who use that squad lived in that nursing home.  I remember thinking, “Oh, this will be soon.”

The day after, in fact, I received the call that it was beginning to happen.  By the next night, she was gone.

I am glad she is with Grandpa, my uncles and my aunt.  (She died the same day as Heavy D, so I picture that he is there, too, as ridiculous as that sounds.)

We had a wake, we laughed, we cried, we ate potato salad and food that people had brought.  We received flowers. We wrote thank you’s, I helped people pronounce and spell German names and local streets. 

I think we all just tried to make the most of our visits and I appreciated that. 

And, as everyone was leaving to go back to their homes, or to continue on to her burial in Arkansas, I felt as though I was panicking. 

It was easier to be together.  Even if we do goofy things like sing karaoke, we are together.

Yesterday, I asked my daughter if she wanted to hang a picture from Grandma’s room in her room.  She said she did and went upstairs to find a spot.  When she came down she brought me this picture:

This was a picture my grandma had painted for me in her retirement and gave to me as a little girl.  It always reminded me of me as a kid, all of the time I spent exploring on our farm west of town.  At times, I would sit on the side of the hill in the fields just staring at the farm wondering about all of the other little girls and children who grew up there before me. 

Of all of the pictures my daughter could have decided to remove from the wall, this is the one she chose.  One that so symbolically meant so much to me. 

You can call it a coincidence.  But, I’ve already told you I don’t believe in them.

I call it a sign.  Grandma made it to the other side and she is fine.  She is only a thought away and she is free from the shackles of this life that took hold of her.

I love you, Grandma.  Good Bye.

Why Breaking the Mold Worked for Me

The mold I am referring to is this:  You grow up in a small town, you go to school, you graduate and then you go away so you can have a successful life.

In Nebraska, this is a frightening statistic and, really, a tactical error.

Recently, my hometown hosted the 2011 Connecting Young Nebraskans Summit and later I was asked to speak a bit on why I live in Nebraska and my ideas to grow the state for the Nebraska Renaissance Project.  When sitting down to think about it, I couldn’t believe it, but for the first time in my life, I couldn’t think of any other place I’d rather be on a permanent basis. There are many places I have thought about living and I’ve tried to be anywhere else.  I love to travel, but I keep being pulled “home” to reside.

When I was downsized in 2009, I moved back to my hometown of West Point, pop. approx. 3660.  The cost of living seemed so much less expensive and it seemed like everyone I knew that lived there also got to spend more time with their families and actually enjoyed their lives. I spent a good deal of time traveling in my previous job, I was burned out, felt my work was meaningless and didn’t want to miss another minute with my then 5 and 2 year old. When I got back home, however, my options seemed as limited as I felt they would be when I was 18 years old.

At least, that is what my first impressions were. There was not full-time work that justified the cost of childcare, even though it was admittedly a third of what I used to spend. I no longer possessed the capital to purchase or start a business. So, I created my own flexible-schedule by working several part-time jobs instead. I dug my heels in, took on what work I could find and started connecting.

The most amazing thing started to happen as a result of my work in all these part-time places in a small town. Something I never experienced in structured networking groups I had belonged to in the past. Just by talking to people and letting them know that I had moved back and what type of work I was looking for, I started receiving phone calls to see if I was open to helping, consulting and coordinating. Almost as if people were trying to do what they could to keep me here.

I also learned to find the value in being informed and knowing who’s who in a small community. If I can’t help, I can give them the phone number, website, email address and maybe even the Twitter handle of at least one person who can.

You can only give and receive this kind of treatment in rural Nebraska.

I also have a vested interest in making where I live a cool place to live. 

And so two weeks ago, as I stood for a family photo with nearly 200 of my closest relatives. (Just a tiny 3 generation lunch!) I felt the awe of not only having that opportunity to be with these people, to enjoy all of our personalities, but to realize we are the offspring of some very successful farmers and cattle feeders, and later entrepreneurs in manufacturing and design. If everyone could have made it to the gathering, we may have outnumbered the population of the town we were in.

I considered what it would look like had most of us not left to urban areas of the state and out of state. Some of us have come back, but what would Snyder or Dodge, NE look like had we all (and generations of other large, catholic rural families) stayed there and had a vested interest in creating the community they wanted to live in? I’m guessing the post office and grocery stores wouldn’t be closing.

I think the main thing we that have returned have come to learn is, in rural communities you can have a big impact and an active role in creating the world in which you want to live in. You can have a voice and won’t get lost in the crowd unless you want to.

My ideas to grow this state are simply this: Mentor our youth, invest in and energize our emerging leaders, believe in the viability of our communities ourselves, and encourage proactive, creative and innovative thinking, and REAL civil discourse about our future. “This isn’t way we’ve done it before,” should not be in our vocabulary when we’re discussing our future.

Living in rural Nebraska has not limited my life.  In fact, my resume has grown and doubled in experiences since I’ve been here nearly 3 short years.  I’ve had the opportunity to do work I’m passionate about, and be involved in making a difference.  Things I had no idea were so important to me and have forever changed the course of my life. “Small town, small mind, small ideas”?  Not on your life. 

This is a Good Question

 

If you haven’t heard about Chris Guillebeau or the Art of Non-Conformity, click on the image above and take a look at his site. He is a writer, traveler and fighter of the status quo.

He had me at “challenging authority since 1978.”

8 Manifestos for Facebook

 

Ugh! I spend a lot of time on social media due to work, writing, and the nature of the projects I’m involved in. Everyone has differing reasons for using it, but here are my new manifestos for using Facebook:

1.) Stop over-analyzing your friends’ posts. Maybe it IS just an inspirational quote and you DON’T know exactly what they are going through.  Maybe what they are writing has nothing to do with wanting you to identify with them in some way and they just thought others would appreciate it as much as they did.

2.) For you cryptic posters:  Stop This.  Might I suggest a support group of some kind or growing up?  This negative attention getting is not healthy in either scenario.

3.) Google, many other search engines, many websites, email and phones are still active.  If you’ve exhausted your search, asking a question on Facebook could be an option. Not looking it up yourself and waiting for others to answer doesn’t really save time or guarantee accurate answers.

4.) Unfriend anyone who isn’t being a real friend to you in real life. Reading snippets about one’s life, then coming to a harsh conclusion about them without all of the facts, is not a friendship in any world.  This is not a situation where hurting their feelings in real life should be an issue. So, feel free to protect yourself from the dramatics.

5.) Facebook has many privacy settings!  For example, your pictures can be set to only be viewed by your friends and not friends of friends. Your posts can also be set up this way, even better, you can also update your status and posts in a custom setting where you can exclude certain people (like your boss or your mother-in-law)from viewing your photos.

6.) Don’t assume everyone has read (or chosen to read) what you have read on Facebook.  Facebook is not meant as an exclusive means to communicate something, but it is a nice supplement. 

7.) In-real-life relationships cannot be solely maintained by using Facebook.  You still have to do that part on your own, in, um, real life. Granted, it’s an easy way to make announcements, share photos, get in touch and reconnect, but don’t rely on it because everyone’s newsfeed is different, set differently or people may not simply see it because they were busy.

8.) If you catch yourself stalking someone, stop.  Then realize how some people may not possess that inner barometer to be mortified. I’m talking about the Facebook stalking everyone jokes about: How all of a sudden based on one picture posted, you’ve looked through every album of someone’s.  Eww. Don’t rationalize that.

Are you a trusting person?

 

It’s so interesting to me that I find themes continually bringing themselves up in my life.  And when they do, I’ve learned to contemplate them and how they affect me.

For example, last week, on several separate occasions I found the theme of trust recurring.  Lacking trust, trust being an insecurity in people’s lives, whether or not people should trust certain situations or other people and how to trust. 

It led me to think about what this word, Trust, meant to me in my own life.  It kept coming up or I kept noticing it for a reason, right?

I have come to believe there is no such thing as coincidences.

I wouldn’t say I’m UN-trusting.  I believe in the inherent good in people, when I can see it in their eyes, the windows to our souls.  While I have trusted in situations and my own instincts in the past, I wouldn’t say I’ve been too trusting either. 

But, I have been burned, too, trusting in someone or something.  Usually against my own instincts or at the urging of others to “have faith,” when, perhaps, my gut told me otherwise.

I hope, in turn, that I have done things to earn people’s trust.  I know that I am a friend whom others can turn to and know what they say, stays with me.  I know that my children feel they can confide in me.  I know in relationships, I’ve never felt checked up on.  I know that when given a task or duty, people have the peace of mind to know it will be done and done to the best of my abilities.

And I also know, that some people are so damaged, they may never trust again.  And there is nothing you or anyone else can do about it, they have to come through it on their own.

Trust is built over time.  Trust is destroyed in an instant. 

Trust is a privilege.  Trust is to be cherished.

Keystone XL Pipeline Corruption Investigation

Nebraska, I urge you to get on your state senators – write, call, email them.  We deserve better than accepting Keystone’s cold hard cash to make the proposal for the special legislative session “go away.” 

No amount of money will replace our land and water once it’s destroyed by tarsands oil.

20 of the nation's top scientists have written to the president to say it's a terrible idea -- and the planet's leading climatologist says burning the tar sands would be "game over for the climate." And nine recent winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have condemned the plan.

(And Robert Redford has just made a video explaining why the plan is an attack on the nation's heartland.)
 
Why is the KXL issue important?  Because it’s not about jobs and the environment, at least not to these people:

Connecting Young Nebraskans Summit is Next Week!

Ord Nebraska » Blog Archive » Connecting Young Nebraskans Summit is Next Week!

(West Point, NE) – The 2011 Connecting Young Nebraskans (CYN) Summit will get Young Nebraskans talking about how they can play a role in their communities and connect them to resources and people who can help. The CYN Summit is scheduled for Friday, October 28 with an evening social kicking off the summit at 6:00pm on Thursday, October 27.



The 2011 CYN Summit will be held at West Point’s state-of-the-art facility, the Nielsen Community Center. Tina Biteghe Bi NDong of the West Point Chamber of Commerce states, “West Point is excited to host this year’s event that will bring together the talent and creative minds of the next generation of Nebraska’s leaders.” Attendance for this year’s Summit is projected to be over 150, and the event will be full of exciting interactive speakers and great conversations.

CYN is a statewide network designed to connect, empower and retain young Nebraskans. CYN strives to enhance opportunities for individuals to impact their communities through networking and learning experiences. The network is a dynamic and diverse group of peers with a passion for making a difference, a willingness to learn and the desire to build important relationships to help shape the future of Nebraska.

Last year’s summit was held in Grand Island and attracted over 120 young Nebraskans from across the state, drawn from many different organizations and workplaces.

“CYN is gaining momentum and the summit provides an opportunity for energetic and passionate individuals to gather new ideas and network,” said CYN Coordinator Kayla Schnuelle of the University of Nebraska Rural Initiative.

Featured at the 2011 CYN Summit will be keynote speakers Jeff Slobotski and Dusty Davidson, founders of Silicon Prairie News. Slobotski and Davidson are two dynamic Nebraska entrepreneurs who will inform and energize participants about the future of Nebraska with their keynote address, “A Sense of Place.”

During the 2011 CYN Summit, participants will also get to choose from a variety of breakout sessions covering topics such as: creating a personal brand, engaging legislators, attracting and retaining young Nebraskans, tools to help with fundraising and more. The summit will also provide an extensive networking platform through a Thursday night social gathering, as well as coffee shop and roundtable discussions on Friday.

Registration for the 2011 CYN Summit closes on October 21. For more information about CYN and the upcoming Summit, visit: cyn.nebraska.edu, find us on Facebook (facebook.com/youngnebraskans), or follow us on Twitter (@youngnebraskans).

Joe Bageant: Redneck Writer

I'm sorry to just be learning about Joe Bageant today. His work was (and still is) so significant and important to the backbone of our country. It resonates so deeply within me as a 5th generation redneck, myself.

This article so articulately written by Lisa Pruitt, a professor of law from UC-Davis, and shared by the Daily Yonder.

If you struggle with the urban/rural or working class/white collar divide in this country (or even in Nebraska), this is a great article.

From the article:

Bageant—consistent with his rural roots—expressed this distinction between the settled and the hard living as that between rednecks and white trash, explaining:
Life is about work for the American redneck. … [T]he work ethic is burned into their genetic code. (Incidentally, I am not talking about white trash here. I am talking about rednecks, the difference being that rednecks work themselves to death and will never accept a handout. White trash folks do not have the same hang-up). In the redneck mind, lazy is the worst thing a person can be—worse than dumb, drunk or mean, worse than being a liar and a jailbird or crazy. The absolute worst thing that a redneck can say about anyone is: “He doesn’t want to work.”
Joe Bageant: Redneck Writer

Occupy the Polls–Register to Vote and then, Do IT!

It’s Autumn up in here! Why I love Nebraska in the fall.

 

Autumn is a very picturesque time of year here in Nebraska for a few different reasons. 

The obvious changing of the seasons with all of the colors it brings. (We have all four seasons here and sometimes in one day!  For reals.)

^{See that tree in the back just starting to turn colors?}

But, also harvest time with all of the wonderful opportunities to see our state’s number 1 industry, Agriculture, in full swing.  The event all farmers work toward all year long. 

^{This field will be barren the next time I drive by.}

It’s impressive to see how family farms and their crews bring in their crop every year.  These farmers work non-stop for weeks on end, sometimes all night long.  I meant to take more of those pictures this fall of all of the machinery & people out in the fields.  Hopefully, I will have time to do this again, so that I can share it here with you before it’s all over.

I always get an extra burst of energy during Autumn.  Perhaps it’s that extra “umph” to get things done before we are all snowed in and hibernating.  I still recall all of the fun fall school events like home football games, marching band, traveling to games (with the band), bonfires and Homecoming. 

I still like to be out and about in Autumn.  Looking at beautiful things and exploring and I love taking my kids along, when I can, for that discovery, too.

Free Coconut Recipes: Healthy Grain Free Zucchini Crackers

I've got a huge zucchini that I'm going to put to use making these and perhaps even tripling the recipe to put some up, too!

Free Coconut Recipes: Healthy Grain Free Zucchini Crackers

Free Coconut Recipes: Coconut Flour Cheese Crackers

Really excited to try these! It's becoming more and more apparent that my youngest has food allergies. We miss crackers!

Free Coconut Recipes: Coconut Flour Cheese Crackers

Go Big Red…Wine, that is!

 

So, we’re Huskers and agriculture, this much you know about Nebraska, even you if you don’t know anything. 

What you might not know is that Nebraska is home to nearly 30 wineries.  Before the Prohibition, there was a booming industry with over 5,000 acres of vineyards in the 19th century. It was only during the 1980s, when the Nebraska farm bill passed allowing farm wineries to operate, did another surge occur.

Recently, Nebraska has started developing French-American hybrids adopted from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York. These are Edelweiss, Vignoles, St. Croix, and de Chaunac, all of which are used to make award-winning wines that can compete with California wines.

Wine growers have found that Nebraska has an excellent climate for grapes. The winters are harsh, but the summers are hot and, recently, dry — the way grapes love to have it.

According to Nebraska Vintage, the state’s winery and grape growers association, here’s what makes Nebraska wines unique:

Nebraska has the advantage of diverse geologic,
physiographic and climatic characteristics, which enable
the production of unique, handcrafted wines that are
“site-specific.” Nebraska wine makers have worked to
fully maximize the relationship that exists between the
soil, the microclimate, and the particular grape cultivar to
produce outstanding wines.

I decided to take advantage of Regional Wine Week, and the celebration of my mother’s birthday, to take my first visit to Big Cottonwood Winery in Tekamah, NE (about 30 miles away). 

Proprietor Deb Barnett shared with me that in Nebraska, wines don’t have sugar level issues in this climate because the grapes can’t get overripe.  What a delicious side affect of our weather. 

Big Cottonwood was established in 2001 and is located between Omaha and Sioux City in the Loess Hills of eastern Nebraska.  They currently have 2000 vines on 4 acres, producing about 1000 cases per year. 

They offer both cork and screw caps, of which, among purists, is up for debate which has a better seal.  Barnett says many prefer the cork seal for ceremonial reasons, but the screw cap is actually a better seal.

She was gracious enough to offer us a wonderful tour of the winery and their back room where all of the magic happens.  Deb walked us through the process and how they go about harvesting in their growing operation. 

Harvest had already been completed at the time of our visit, which usually occurs the 2nd or 3rd week in August in Nebraska.  Big Cottonwood usually plays host to what they call Harvest Mania Parties.  In exchange for helping with harvest, workers receive food, drink and a discount on wines for the year.  Sounds pretty tempting!

This winery offers a wonderful wine list, of which we sampled very willingly.  I’m a red connoisseur myself, and brought along my white wine compadre and photographer (Mom).  I brought home a 2009 Frontenac priced at $15. It’s a heavier bodied red table wine with tart cherry aromas and flavor.  It went well with their Nebraska produced dill-infused white cheddar!  But, their de Chaunac (also $15) came in at a close 2nd for me.  Big Cottonwood’s Seyval, which my tasting partner brought home, was an interesting crisp white, almost with a lemony character. It sells for $13.  They also sell a Wine-A-Rita mix if you don’t care for it plain!  The combination tasted pretty amazing.

Deb shared that she and her husband had both been working full-time jobs and commuting until just this past year.  She is going to devote more of her time to the marketing of the winery this year.  So, I hope to see more of their wine distributed here locally and get an opportunity to visit them again very soon.

We picked a lovely, sunny Autumn day to visit and it was beautiful from the outdoor tasting area.  I was pleased to see cars from varying counties near and far in and out of their parking lot during our visit. Our beautiful, quiet day in the country couldn’t have been better!

Visit their website for tasting room hours and directions.

Another well-known, longer established winery, Silver Hills is just a few miles away with a very similar wine list, but definitely their own style of wine.

You can learn more about Nebraska wines via Vintage Nebraska.  They also offer a yearly wine tour passport, so you can experience all 29 participating wineries and, as they say, experience the unexpected!

Wondering where to Drink Local in your state? See other posts from around the country here.