Random Acts of Kindness

I worked at a Florist for a while as a floral designer. I loved that job!! Flowers make people happy... for the most part. When I arrived at work one of the first things I would do is wrap individual roses for the delivery drivers to hand out to random strangers on their route that day. I loved the idea of it and often wondered what it was like to walk up to a total stranger and hand them a rose. Did the person weep with joy or question it as if it was rigged to explode?

Sometimes I wondered if the drivers even handed them out at all. Maybe they took them home to their wife and skipped on the random act. But then one day on my lunch break I decided to run to the bank and cash my check. I realized as I walked into the bank that I had forgotten to take off my apron. A woman approached me and said "I love your flower shop. I was having the worst day. My husband was in the hospital, not doing well at all and I have a bad knee. I was making my third trip of the day to see him and I was emotionally and physically drained. One of your drivers gave me a rose as I was getting on the elevator. It made my day."

I didn't even give her the flower but I wrapped it and it made me feel good to be a part of something like that. To know that I took part in turning someones day around. There was a time when I was usually the reason someones day went to hell. Not something I'm proud of but now I am on a mission to be a better person.

Anyway, like a lot of people, I'm on facebook. Recently I received an invite to take part in a birthday celebration. A friend of a friend was having a birthday and wanted people to join her in a day of Random Acts of Kindness. I didn't hesitate! I joined!

Well, her birthday rolled around and I set off about my business, taking the kids to school, picking them up, laundry, gas station. I didn't have any money to spare. Every penny I had went in the gas tank. See, my idea of a Random Act is paying for someones fountain drink or buying a kid a fifteen cent sucker. That wasn't an option for me though. I was broke. I had to think about it, what should I do?

I decided that holding my tongue and not telling people off was an act of kindness but quickly corrected myself when I heard that little angel on my shoulder whisper, "You idiot! That's common courtesy! Not a random act" and yes, she talks to me that way.

I was in a bad mood, tired, sick and ready to climb in bed but still hadn't completed my random act of kindness. I felt like Mrs. Scrooge. I'm a bad person. I asked myself what would help turn my day around.

A COMPLIMENT!!

So, I searched the house for loose change and drove to the gas station to buy a 2 liter of pop... or soda for the kids. They'd appreciate that! I waited in line and when it was my turn to pay for my purchase I looked at the haggard woman standing behind the counter. She was wearing a pair of peacock feather earrings. I said "I like your earrings. They bring out the pretty blue in your eyes." She looked at me, arched both eyebrows and said "You a lesbian or something?" I stood, stunned... speechless and the line of people behind me erupted in laughter. They laughed long and hard. One man actually had tears in his eyes.

I don't see it as defeat, her calling me out on my compliment wasn't a failed random act of kindness. Some people just don't know how to take a compliment. I may not have made her feel good but I think it's safe to say I made the folks in line behind me feel good. Even if it was at my own expense. So, here's a challenge. Today, I want you to pay someone a compliment. It doesn't even have to be a stranger. Do it and see what happens. Pay it forward.

 

Comfort Food

   Everybody has that go-to meal that puts them in a happy place. I have a meal that reminds me of childhood, of my Mom and my Granny. I insist that my Mom make it every time I visit. This last time, I asked her to make a double batch because I planned on eating it for days and at every meal.

Porcupine meatballs.

It's not made out of porcupine but if you want to pretend it's some exotic food then go for it. You can tell your friends that you wrestled a porcupine and with ungloved hand, plucked the quills and made a native American head dress out of them....donated it to the needy. Or you can just tell them it's hamburger and rice! Be boring. I don't care!

This is an easy meal to make. I serve mine with mashed potatoes and home made bread. And by home made I mean the frozen stuff that you literally place in a greased pan, covered with plastic wrap and let thaw and rise all day. Super easy and makes the house smell so good! My Mom always made home made bread from scratch but I'm not that good and making bread is a lot like math to me, I don't get it.

I serve this with mashed potatoes and broccoli or you could always make extra rice to pour your gravy over.

So, this is what you'll need to make this exotic comfort food.

1 lb. of Hamburger
1/2 cup uncooked rice (not minute rice!!)
1 tbl spoon minced onion (I love it)
1 tsp salt (I add a pinch more)
1/4 tsp. pepper (I eyeball it)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup water

*Note: I don't add the full amount of rice to the meat mixture. Add a 1/4 of it with the soup and water.


Ok. Let the fun begin!

First, Mix the hamburger, rice, minced onion, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Now, begin shaping your meat mixture into meatballs. Mom makes them big enough or small enough, depending on how you look at it, to fit in the palm of her hand.

Brown the meatballs in your pan. I used my big Paula Dean Skillet.

While you're browning your.....meatballs, go ahead and mix the soup with the cup of water. I'll admit, I used Cream of onion tonight plus a can of cream of chicken because I doubled the recipe. Pour your soup mixture over the meatballs and bring to a boil. NO need to drain the fat! Unless you want to but I didn't. I dropped the heat and let things simmer for an hour. You're using long grain rice. That stuff takes some time to cook!

You could also cook this in the crock pot. I haven't tried it in the slow cooker but I'm sure it would be as equally tasty. I have teenage boys and a grown man to feed. So, like I said, I doubled the recipe. BUT!!!! instead of adding all of the rice to my meat mixture I left out a 1/4 cup and mixed it in with my rice. My Mom says it will help the meatballs stay together. And it worked out. The meatballs were solid and very very good. It was as if I was at my Moms house....only with a lot less books.

The Book of Hadley

A sneak peak from a work in progress:

  

   Occasionally, you’ll hear women talk about how they “lost themselves”. They got married, had babies, left their job to stay home and just let who they were as an individual fall away. It happens and most of the time we don’t even know that it’s happening. Usually, we’re so swamped with being an adult that we don’t realize that we’ve lost ourselves or that it’s even a bad thing until it’s too late. We stop pursuing our dreams, cut ties with friends or forget what we stand for. Sometimes we don’t even know ourselves at all. We let someone else mold us into the punching bag or door mat; we become something we’re not. Helpless.                                                                                                                                                                  

I couldn’t tell you the exact date that I lost myself but I can tell you the date I decided I wasn’t going to be a victim anymore, I was going to be someone my daughter would look up to,no matter how tall she got.
I will never forget the day, June 18^th.  That’s when it happened, when I came to a screeching halt at the cross roads. I had to make a decision. Would I lie down and take it or stand on my own two feet and fight back?                                                                                  
For some women, facing a decision like that, the answer is obvious. Something happens in their life and they have this epiphany.They realize that their life isn’t what they want it to be. They wake up and say "I'm going to change my ways". My epiphany came in the form of a broken nose, two black eyes, a lacerated spleen, a fractured wrist, bruised kidneys and four broken ribs…..among other things.   
 
__________________________________________________________________________________

Domestic violence is something I try to campaign against. Nobody wants their loved one to encounter an abusive partner. Writing this story put me in a bad place emotionally and I had to step away for a brief period. I have finished the story but part of me second guesses it. It needs serious polishing and I'm not sure I have done Hadley justice. So, it's back to the drawing board after I take some time off to focus every brain cell on getting a job. You know, something that actually generates income. Hopes and dreams don't put gas in the car. Unfortunate, isn't it. I'd be able to go to the moon and back.

Thank you to those who support my hopes and dreams and a special thanks to those who have lent an ear. You know who you are. :)

Small people

This is an important message from Mark Twain:

A Ten dollar gift card and a choice

    I truly have become a reading addict. I am addicted to reading. I can't get enough. Sometimes I fall so madly deeply in love with a book that I literally cannot put it down. I take it to the bathroom with me and read. Not while I'm on the toilet. That's where I meditate. I literally hide with the door locked. Sometimes I'll even lie and say I have explosive....well, you get the idea, just so I can get through one more chapter.

    Recently, I found myself driving, alone which rarely happens, to Target to get toilet paper. I NEVER go to Target alone and bonus, I had a ten dollar gift card. High Five. So, anyway, I thought "Ok Tasha, it's time to do something mature. You have to buy something you actually need." So, as I walked to the store from my Jeep, I decided I would buy a new shirt or if you're my Granny, a blouse... in case I got called for a job interview. I can't very well wear my husbands old T-shirts, the things I've been living in lately.

   So, there I was standing in Target, staring at the clothes section. They have cute and affordable shirts. I hesitated to enter the arena.

    And then I walked to the books....just to browse!! I was only going to browse! I swear but then I found this book. The cover wasn't very interesting to be honest with you but it spoke to me. Or maybe it was the sign that said "If you loved 50 Shades of Grey, You'll love this ---->"
I don't know. I read the title without picking the book up..."Switch" by Megan Hart. I don't read the back of books. I'll normally read the first page. If it catches my interest I'll read the entire thing. This book though.....I picked it up and opened to page nine and read these two sentences before anything else:

" I love the way a blank sheet of paper looks when it's waiting to be written on. Anything can happen in those moments before you put pen to paper."

   You see, this book really did speak to me because those words, that's how I feel about writing. Anything can happen and it's all up to me. I did the irresponsible thing and took that book to the cashier and said "Ring me up before I change my mind." I used my gift card and then counted change until I had the book paid for. Then, I walked out without buying toilet paper. Oops.

   But isn't that what an addict does? Push everything to the side to get one more fix? I devoured that book in one day like a junky with a quarter size rock of crack. I couldn't put it down and at the end I was like "Wo! That was intense."

    If you like the raunchiness of 50 Shades of Grey, you know, the SEX and you're not afraid of the "f" bomb or other various dirty words then this book could be just what you've been looking for. And that's all I have to say about that because I have MOM things to do.

 

This awesomeness

   I promised myself I wouldn't post anymore sappy posts for a while. So, in keeping with that promise, please enjoy this piece of art that I can't seem to photograph without making it blurry or dark or small or well... you get the idea!! This guy, Daniel Stormont, is a far better artist than I am a photographer.
 
 
   This has become one of my most prized possessions. As a matter of fact, I have printed a sign that hangs on my door like the ones you see with pictures of pets, a notice to firefighters letting them know how many pets are inside so they know to rescue them. Well, I don't have any pets. So, I would like the firemen to rescue this painting. Don't judge me.
 
   I would also like to explain why this is so special to me.  I got this as a gift from my sister...you've read about her. She's actually my cousin but we grew up together etc. It wasn't my birthday. It wasn't my anniversary and I didn't win it in a bet. She saw it and thought of me. Maybe it's because from a distance this woman in this painting is just another pretty damsel in a dress but then you get closer and realize that she is truly flawed, like me. Sure from a distance I'm probably not bad to look at but then you get up close and realize that I have wrinkles around my eyes from laughing too much and my eyebrows are in need of landscaping (I've never plucked and have no interest in that torture). I always have a zit between my eyes or on my chin. Or like today, both.

   I hung this in my bedroom on the wall directly in front of where I sit and write. When I get stuck on something I stare at it.... the painting. I use to stare at the wall. It encourages me to push on and never forget what I'm aiming for in a story, something offbeat and write about characters who are well.....flawed, like me. 


Artist Daniel Stormont...What shall we name her?

A summer review

Is it seriously time for the kids to go back to school? The summer was too hot and not nearly long enough! My oldest son is a senior this year (pulls out several tissue from box) and I'm not ready for his graduation. I remember his first day of school like it was yesterday! Time does fly by!

At the beginning of the summer, I promised myself I would read and write everyday while the kids were out for summer break. Did I stay true to that promise?

Of course I didn't! I have children who think me holding a book or notebook is a sign that I'm bored and need something to do. So I was unable to meet my writing goals but did surpass my reading goal! Go me! I keep track of that on Goodreads, don't ask me how many books I read. I stopped counting at six.

Sometimes we set unrealistic goals for ourselves and it sucks when we look back and see that we didn't meet any of them. But!!!! As long as we try and never give up, we're doing something right. Even if you're spinning your tires, at least you're pushing on the gas (being productive, trying, etc.).... Sure sounds like a good one to me!

So, I took a trip to my Moms in Arkansas this summer. It was a spur of the moment trip because my Mom had to have surgery. I wanted to be there to take care of her. So I piled the kids and the laptop in the Jeep and hit the road. I normally don't drive the entire twelve hours that it takes to get there but this time my husband stayed behind to reclaim some of his sanity. I managed to make it to my Moms and back without any incident or speeding tickets. The time in the car was actually enjoyable. We burned two CD's with our road trip music and sang until we just couldn't sing anymore. Actually, now that I think about it, the boys did have their earbuds in their ears quite a bit. And here I thought they put up with my singing very well.

I wanted to stop everywhere and take pictures of the things we saw but we got held up in traffic several times and the trip was already long enough. So, I had to settle for a picture of this cow! Isn't she cute!?

So, what's in store for me now? Well, once again I am promising to READ or Write each day. Preferably, WRITE since I am behind on that goal. I'm also putting together a baby shower for my sister, making some super cute things for that and I'll share them sometime in October. I am also job hunting, fingers crossed on that one. Mama needs a new bra and all that stuff.

I tried out several pinterest recipes over the summer and hope to share them with you. I like to test them out and then let you know how it turned out or what I did differently! So, what's new with you?