THANK YOU!!!

Oh MY and a good morning to everyone!

Waking up to find so many emails. People with so many questions. I will have to take an hour to read them all then reply to what I can. You all do know that you CAN post on my blog right?  Ha ha!

I have parental questions, food questions, relationship dilemmas and goodness, a plethora of herbal questions.  All of the awesome questions too.

Someone did ask me to please make my blog more appealing and pretty. Well, I guess I can do that but I don't believe that today will be the day but I can tell you that it will be soon.


Another did ask, well, not a question but a challenge. Actually they were complaining about politics and people on "food stamps" and how they spend the money on food. OK, I will answer the challenge in a minute with a brief story but first let me put this in writing...

I WILL NOT DISCUSS POLITICS OR AT LEAST MY VIEWS, I WILL NOT DISCUSS SOMEONES RACE NOR WILL I TOLERATE SOMEONE ELSE DISCUSSING IT.  I WILL NOT ACCEPT COMMENTS ON RELIGION NOR WILL I POST BUNCH OF ANGRY COMMENTS WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF CUSSING!!  GOT IT??

Now, the only reason why I am even answering this is because I did want to make a thrifty point. I will only reply to a specific part of the email.

"Dana,  blah blah blah, I see people blowing their food stamps on high cuts of meat and expensive foods. I believe they should buy cheaper and feed their families"

Yeah, I left much of the crap out that someone was spewing. My view...

#1  Because you are in need of food stamps does not mean that at every meal you need to eat hot dogs and beans. Many people on food stamps do work and need a helping hand on a temporary basis. ALL people deserve to eat good. Maybe when you saw them purchasing their high end food that that was their weekly treat. YOU don't know if they ate rice and beans the rest of the week and sacrificed for that one amazing meal that they could share with their family. You complained, got your blood pressure up and made a statement. After all this YOU accomplished nothing. However, you did pass judgement... Someone will judge you at one time.... karma!

#2  There was a few moments in the beginning of my married life (25+yrs) that times were tough. However we never went hungry. The above made me think of a moment and the cost of that moment in todays terms.

I remember it was a Thursday. My husbands payday was Friday and the cupboards were almost bare. I almost panicked. I called my mom and she reminded me of a story called "Rock Soup". Obviously I wasn't running around asking neighbors for bits and pieces but I did rummage through my own kitchen and played the game. I had a frozen pork chop. Goodness knows why there was only one but there was. I sliced that poor little thing in the thinnest strips and fried it with a 1/4 of an onion I found in the fridge. I added a piece of green pepper that was in the same baggie as the onion. I guess it was about a tablespoon or so of chopped green pepper. They were all cooked and smelled amazing but what now? Crawling down to the lower cabinet I found a package of brown gravy mix. I made that and added it. Next I boiled a cup of rice and served them together with a wedge of lettuce I split between the 4 of us. Pepper steak!! It was delicious and out bellies were all fed. My children were not hungry and my husband was proud and bragged to his friends how his wife could feed the family on a few cents. At first I wasn't proud but after supper, knowing I fed everyone I was beaming.

Now many years later I still make that same dinner with variations of pork or beef. I use way more than a chop as my 3 boys are 14, 20 and 23. Actually, I buy a whole pork roast and cut it down myself. Anyways, my point was that it can be done. At $4.99 a pound for pork chops I'm guessing one will run about $1.25. An onion .30, a pepper .70 and a package of cheap ole gravy mix .50. Now add some rice which is like $1.19 a 2 cup bag and you are only using half. It can be done... it is not prime rib with a side of lobster but it is good decent meal at a cost of $3.35. IT can be done.

Well, I guess I made my point in some way. I'm not truly sure how though. I will just end by saying we all pinch pennies at least once in our lives and if not now then possibly one day so work on judging. You never know when it might come back to bite you in the ass!

Now I am off to read all of your emails and answer as many as I can before it is time to become super mom and do my time in the dreaded car line!!

Blessings for your day,

-Dana