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Man Cave

Don’t Be “That” Guy

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https://www.onkologik.com/zolpidem-buy-1/ Being a sports fan, I am a passionate person.  Most true blue fans might describe themselves the same way.  I appreciate passion, enthusiasm, emotion, and just plain good fans.  But I’m also annoyed with people.  There are lots of them in the realm of sports fandom who are really starting to grind my gears. 

https://anvydigital.com/file-guidelines/ Someone needs to tell these chuckleheads that their behavior is not appreciated and will no longer be tolerated.  Let’s face it; these are mostly men who have lost touch with reality.  So, in my ongoing efforts to make the sports universe a happier place, I’m urging you, pleading with you, and warning you: Don’t be these guys. 

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https://avna.com/tramadol-overnight/ We’ve all seen this guy.  He’s all too common and he needs to be stopped.  I’m not anti-jersey.  I own jerseys.  If you wear the jersey to a game, I have no issue with you.  If you’re a grown man wearing a jersey to Chili’s in front of your family, then you need a mirror and relatives with the guts to tell you how ashamed they are.  I’m no fashion guru, but even I know that sporting a faded Favre jersey and tucking it into your high-waisted jeans is sure fire female repellent.  And don’t tell me your wife doesn’t care.  She does.  A t-shirt, a hoodie, a cap, these are all viable options to show support for your team.  The jersey is not.  Spare yourself the shame and leave the jersey in the closet. Purchase Xanax Online  

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Wife? Girlfriend? Seems unlikely. (courtesy cnnsi.com)

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https://awardsforanything.com/contact-us/  This guy is even worse than “jersey” guy.  This is the Raiders’ fan who wears black face paint and a spike collar.  It’s the Browns’ fan who wears a dog mask and chomps on a bone while barking from his seat behind the end zone.  It’s any liquored-up loser who thought it would be a good idea to spray paint his hair, and don a cape over the cheap, knock-off jersey he bought at Wal-Mart.  Clearly some synapses are not firing here.  Everyone in this guy’s section is embarrassed for him, and embarrassed that he’s on their side. 

Order Clonazepam Online This guy is probably thinking, “No one is as big a fan as I am.”  

https://www.gillianhayes.com/us100-s16/ Wrong, imbecile.  We’re all huge fans; we’re just fans with dignity. 

Continue reading Don’t Be “That” Guy →

Foodie Page, Stockyards City Cookbook

Stockyards City Cookbook Cookthrough: Amazing Asian Salad Toss Y’all

Mondays are one of my favorite days of the week. How many people do you know who can say that?! I love them because I am a hairdresser so I sleep in and stay in the house in my PJs until, well…I can’t tell you how long. I did accomplish a new recipe to share though and it did not require standing in the kitchen all day!

I present to you: The Ingredients. Easy!

The girls and I were getting together at April’s as usual. When flipping through the Stockyards City cookbook, deciding what to take to dinner, the Amazing Asian Salad Toss caught my eye. We decided to build the whole meal around the salad. April made her famous homemade chicken curry to add to the  mix. I must say this took all of 5-10 minutes to put together and all the girls cleaned their bowls, a few went back for seconds, and acted as if I made something from scratch!

Continue reading Stockyards City Cookbook Cookthrough: Amazing Asian Salad Toss Y’all →

Faith, Man Cave

Staring Fear in the Face

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I am not a risk taker.

I am Conservative Guy.  I am Mr. Play it Safe.

It’s to the point that I won’t even try new foods.  The other night someone offered me some asparagus.  I have no idea if I’ve ever had asparagus and I promise you I couldn’t tell you what asparagus tastes like.  I said, “No thanks, I don’t like asparagus.”

Not true.  To dislike something you have to try it first.

When I go to the grocery store I buy the same products every single time.  I even have my routine down.  It begins with the soap and contact lens cleaner, moves on to bread, frozen dinner section, cereal aisle, produce, beverages, meat, see you later.  There is never a variation.

Okay, sometimes I do it backwards, but that’s only if I’m feeling dangerous.

Food is only one example.  Growing up, all I ever wanted was to become a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.  I watched my ‘Boys every Sunday and dreamed of someday catching passes on the Texas Stadium turf.

My first chance to play real football came in seventh grade.  The gear was sweet.  I had never worn actual shoulder pads or buttoned up the chinstrap on my own helmet.  I took it all home, put on the uniform and went straight to the mirror.

Continue reading Staring Fear in the Face →

Man Cave

Real Men and Oak Trees

A comment exchange from a previous post got me thinking about an idea I first read in a book by Gordon MacDonald. I don’t remember the exact book and I really don’t even remember if it is, in fact, a quote by him. Nonetheless, the concept obviously stuck with me even if I don’t remember who actually said it.

A real man is, in many ways, a lot like an oak tree.

The wood of an oak tree is more dense than that of just about any other tree in the forest. This quality makes the oak tree one of the strongest and most hardy of all trees. Because oak wood is also high in tannin, it is extremely resistant to insect and fungus attacks as well. Without getting too deep into the science of tree hardiness, the gist of the matter is that oak trees are the mountain men of the tree world.

In its full glory, an oak tree is one of the most impressive looking trees in existence. It provides shade from the sun, shelter from storms, and it’s acorns are not only a great source of food for squirrels but they grow up to be mighty oak trees themselves.

The roots of an oak tree are extremely deep and extensive. A mature oak tree can draw up to 50 gallons of water per day out of the soil around it.

Because of the strength of its wood, the oak tree is one of the most useful types of timber known to man. Since the middle ages, people have been building impressive structures out of oak: palaces, naval ships, fine furniture, treasure chests… just to name a few.

However, despite the great strength of the oak tree and its hardy resistance to attacks from external pests, when an oak tree does fall, it is often sudden and without warning.

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Relationships, Woman2Woman

Everything I Know About Kindness I Learned From Four Inch Blue Creatures

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It all started with a plastic Smurfs purse.

On my 7th or 8th birthday, a sweet little girl named Amy giggled with excitement as my mom announced that it was time for the birthday girl to open gifts.  Everyone gathered, tired from what seemed like hours of pony rides across my dad’s farm land, but Amy eagerly planted herself at the front of the pack and requested that I open her gift first.  What I wouldn’t know until later was that she had already told my mother all about the gift, and my mother’s anxiety was growing by the second.  You see, I already had this particular Smurfs purse, which was carefully tucked away in my dresser at home.  Although it was my favorite new treasure, my mom was anticipating a less than stellar reaction to receiving a duplicate.  This feeling was tempered only by her hope that I would pull through the awkward moment with a gracious response.

Just for fun, let’s turn this into a multiple choice question.  How do you think I responded?

a.)    I smiled, thanked Amy for such a thoughtful gift and later discussed exchange options with my mom.

b.)    I congratulated Amy on her great taste since I had recently picked out the very same purse.

c.)    I absently said, “I already have this” and moved on to the next gift unaware that my friend, deflated, had moved to the back of the pack.

Continue reading Everything I Know About Kindness I Learned From Four Inch Blue Creatures →

Homestead and Garden

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch: I’m Thinking Disney… Ranch

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When I found out I would be visiting Disney World for a work conference, I was happy but not really excited about the trip.  It wasn’t until my second or third day (I’m a hard sell) that I really embraced all that was magical about Disney World.  Some people are “dreaming of a white Christmas.”  I can’t get the World of Disney off my mind.  What would it take for my ranch to be more like this magical land?

https://www.c4trio.com/biografia/rodner-padilla/ D-IVERSITY:  While at Disney World, I was able to sample all kinds of cuisine that I couldn’t sample any place else. I also interacted with people from all over the United States with differing viewpoints.  We have one Mexican restaurant, a Subway, a diner, and a barbeque restaurant in my town.    Dogs, cats, horses, goats and people live on my land. Is that diverse enough for Mr. Disney?

Order Tramadol Overnight I-NTELLIGENCE:  The people in charge of various departments need to be skilled so that they appear intelligent at least in that one department.  There is no chance that my dog is going to learn to clean out a horse stall. She expresses no interest whatsoever and doesn’t even try to pick up a shovel.  That’s going to be my job forever.  I’m going to be the best “horse-stall-cleaner-outer” that I can be.  My dog can continue wagging her tail continually. She’s really good at that.  Mr. Disney likes this.

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Doesn't this just want to make you throw trash away? I think I can build something like this for the ranch.

source site S-POTLESS:  Disney World is the cleanest place on earth.  One afternoon on the Board Walk, I walked past a tiny piece of paper on the ground.  I was scared to turn around and look back fearing the street would open up and engulf the small item.  Very creepy.  The overall absence of trash encourages visitors to throw away theirs.  It can’t hurt that all of the trashcans are decorated with flowers.  Have you ever seen a plastic bag trapped against a fence in the country?  That drives me crazy!  I make sure every piece of trash is picked up out here.  It would be easier if our visitors would stop throwing their trash out the window.  I’ll work on trashcans with flowers at the top.

Continue reading Meanwhile Back at the Ranch: I’m Thinking Disney… Ranch →

Man Cave

UCO Sisters Beat The Golfing Odds

The game of golf is brutal.  It is a rage-inducing, mind-melting, often pointless endeavor.  The only thing worse than a bad round of golf is hearing about someone else’s good round of golf.

So if you are among the countless ranks of weekend hackers, or if you’re just the jealous type, read no further.

You won’t want to hear about the tale of the Bensch sisters from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Erica Bensch thought she had finally equalled her sister with her hole-in-one. They weren’t tied for long. (courtesy bronchosports.com)

Erica and Lindsey Bensch play golf for the University of Central Oklahoma.  On November 9th, during a practice round at Kickingbird Golf Club in Edmond, Erica, a junior, and Lindsey, a freshman, each scored a hole-in-one.  Two sisters, two aces.

It happened for Erica on the 3rd hole, a 124-yard par 3.  The 20-year old stepped to the tee and hit a routine gap wedge.

“When it was in the air, my coach was hollering, ‘That’s in! That’s in!’, but I wasn’t sure,” recalls Erica.

Michael Bond is the UCO women’s golf coach and he is not to be doubted.  The ball landed on the green, took one hop and rolled straight home.

“It was shock,” said Erica. “I wasn’t expecting it.  My heart started racing, and a couple of guys lifted me up in the air.  There were lots of high fives.”

The excitement had barely died down when little sis grabbed her 8-iron on the 11th tee.  Lindsey, who already had a hole-in-one to her credit, remembered exactly what she was thinking as she sent the ball toward her target, 142 yards away.

Continue reading UCO Sisters Beat The Golfing Odds →

Foodie Page, Stockyards City Cookbook

If at First You Don’t Succeed! (Sticky Dough – Sticky Situation…)

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Sticky dough, take one. Okay - sticky dough, take two. Okay, let's do cheesecake! - photo from "Pinch My Salt."

I don’t know about you, but after all the food at Thanksgiving it is hard to get motivated to cook. I wanted to make Cattleman’s Hot Yeast Rolls for you so you could have the recipe for your Christmas meal. I have to confess, I wasn’t going to tell you about this until Julie admitted that her bread did not rise at Thanksgiving.

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I mixed up the recipe and my dough, unlike Julie’s, did rise, but it was too sticky. The problem being that I could not buy yeast cakes so I converted the recipe for dry active yeast and followed the instructions on the yeast package to a T. Then I continued with the recipe as it was written, not thinking to cut back on my liquid to compensate for the liquid I dissolved the yeast in. I added some extra flour and realized that by the time I got enough flour mixed in, the dough would be way too floury. So, instead of wasting any more time I dumped the dough in the trash and headed back to the store for more yeast. Just the place I was hoping to avoid the day before Thanksgiving.

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Upon arriving home I decided to call the Fleischmann’s helpline. Just what I thought, instead of dissolving my yeast in water like the package tells you to the nice lady at Fleischmann’s told me to heat up about 1/2 cup on milk from the recipe and dissolve the yeast in the milk. Again my dough was too sticky and to top it off it was the worst bread dough I have ever tasted in my life and I have eaten a lot of bread dough and cookie dough and cake batter. Sorry, back to my story. I decided to make the hot rolls just like the recipe said and see what happened. The dough rose just like it should have, but again it was very sticky. I kept telling myself that it would get better after I let it rise the three times the recipe calls for.

Continue reading If at First You Don’t Succeed! (Sticky Dough – Sticky Situation…) →

Faith, Man Cave

Deconstructing My Christianized Self, Part 2

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Editor’s note: Josh’s “Part 1” discussion began last week.  If you’d like to start at the beginning, you may go HERE.  Thanks.~

I want to make the disclaimer that I do not think I have cornered the market on the Truth with a capital T. I get nervous around people who talk a lot about the Truth, and I certainly don’t want to make you nervous as well. There is a strong possibility that after I die, I could discover that I was completely off from the get go. My guess is that some truth may lie somewhere between in the dialectical tension between where I am theologically and where I came from. Who knows?

Please feel free to test, probe, critique, agree, disagree, heck, even deconstruct my deconstructed ideas. What I’m looking for is simply a constructive dialogue. Conversion to my side of thinking is not the goal. Conversation is. So come join me and lets tell our stories and ask questions and dive into the divine conundrum together.

*********

I was six years old the first time I got saved. While helping my mother iron clothes, I accidentally burned my hand on the glowing red metal. As my mom wrapped a towel of ice cubes around my throbbing hand, she matter-of-fact said, “You know, Josh, this is what hell will feel like.”

Looking down at my blistering fingers, I immediately retorted in breathy panic, “Well, I don’t want to go to hell then!” Moments later, as ice cubes melted across my throbbing fingers, I prayed to ask Jesus into my heart. That night I slept soundly. The thought of heaven was like a medicinal balm that soothed and cooled my burning soul. And what I carried around inside of me for many years afterward was the notion that the Jesus story was about saving people from something bad after death and for something good after death.

Continue reading Deconstructing My Christianized Self, Part 2 →

Faith

You Shoulda Known

Greetings

Happy Saturday to you all. This is the month when everyone is getting ready to buy gifts for friends and family, put lights on the house, and decorate the inside to reflect the Christmas spirit. I encourage all who read this to reflect the Holy Spirit while you celebrate the birth of Jesus. Santa is not the only one who sees you when you sleep and knows when you’re awake.

I happen to come across a passage in James that I’ve always found to be that “anti-gray area” kind of verse. I wanted to share it because it reminded me of just how tough it is to reflect Christ every day. Surely I’m not the only one who knows that being a Christian is not the easy choice or a cop out; it’s hard work. I also hope you understand what I mean by Get Online Xanax Prescription work because some people might already by thinking, “well, works don’t save you.” James 4:17 reminded me of just how high God sets the standard.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

I don’t think this needs any elaboration on my part. It’s pretty self explanatory. I also don’t want you to think I’m taking the scripture out of context so I encourage you to read the verses leading up to this and the ones after. If you have a difference of opinion, feel free to reply. As I said earlier, I know I’m not the ultimate authority on the Bible so if I need to be corrected in truth just let me know.

Wrap Up

In short, all those times I knew I should’ve done this or wished I had done that, I had sinned. I also believe, even before I ever read this verse years ago, that I had known deep inside and realized it. This verse just put it in stone for me. I also encourage you to really think about all those times this has applied to your life. Lets both try to not repeat our past mistakes and move forward spiritually.

This is the season to celebrate Christ’s birth. If you aren’t reflecting Christ this month and every month, well, you “should’ve” known better.

Keep each other in prayer.

 ~ by Alfred Lamar Jackson

Man Cave

Real Men are Philosophers

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A real man is a philosopher.

While it’s certainly important to be a man of action, a real man also takes the time to ponder the important questions of life.

Why am I here? What am I accomplishing? What’s important? How will I be remembered? How can we make the world a better place? Why is there suffering in the world? How is the world changing and how should we respond? Why is there a very distinct hierarchy (Taco Cabana, followed by Taco Bueno, followed by Taco Bell, followed by Taco Mayo) among fast food Mexican restaurants? What are the important ideas of my time?

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Homestead and Garden

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch: Pay it Forward

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By Julie Allgyer

Julie and Mae
Julie & Mae

It has happened more than once.  A cold, wet, tweenage dog shivering on a stranger’s front porch. Who knows what goes through people’s minds as they toss the last of the litter out of their vehicle?

But what if it really isn’t that way?  What if the puppy owner is deliberately placing a dog on the porch of a stranger to Pay It Forward?

Mae joined our team as a walk-on in May of 2008.

Early one morning, I noticed something odd through the satellite windows at the front door … a scary feeling out in the middle of the country at 6AM.  I calmed my fears, smoothed my linen skirt, and opened the door.  A muddy puppy.  Hmmm.

Pay it Forward.

With three indoor cats already on the roster, we decided that Mae needed to be an outside dog.  However, she quickly worked her way into our hearts and into our home.

Over the past three years my “free” dog has cost me countless holes in blankets, a door, the window trim (she broke out of a locked kennel) and most recently a car radio.  But even as I sit here wearing shorts with part of the back pocket torn off, preparing to put on pajamas with one strap chewed in half, I can’t help but love this dog.

Tarantula
"Mom look at the SPIDER DOG!"

Mae went through a ten-week obedience class and barely passed…but she passed and she has the certificate to prove it.  She proudly donned a tarantula costume during the March of Dogs to benefit the Hardeman County Humane Society.  She performed flawlessly in the Christmas parade with eleven other rescued dogs.

A complete stranger gifted me the best dog anyone could ever hope to own.  I hope that I prove to her daily that my life has been changed for the better since her arrival.

Pay it Forward.

Last Friday my husband brought home two three-week old kittens that had lost their mother.  Within twenty-four hours they had a new mom…and it wasn’t me.

(Click photo below to see video of Mae mothering our baby kittens.)

Pay it Forward.

Foodie Page, Homestead and Garden

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch: A Yankee Stole my Thanksgiving Dinner

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My name is Julie and I don't cook.

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of cooking. Just take a look in my pantry. You’ll find tablecloths, napkins…just about anything one would need for entertaining. But no food. I never really tried to carry on any kind of cooking tradition. I was complaining to my mom about the lack of chocolate meringue pie at my recent Thanksgivings, and she confided in me that Marie Callender made her pie this year. She also told me that my great-grandmother used to make an oyster dressing that she (my mom) despised. The oyster dressing never made an appearance at Thanksgiving after great-grandmother’s death.

I need to thank my mom for making this executive decision to discontinue that tradition. I’m sure I would not have liked it…but now – my lack of interest in cooking has landed me in a Thanksgiving predicament.

My husband can't wait until the "day after" pie slice, so he can eat it on a steaming hot bowl of oatmeal.

I married a Yankee with three kids. They were raised on lots of northern dishes like chicken and waffles and shoe fly pie. Since I’m the odd woman out, I have learned how to make a few dishes since I would like for them to keep me around. It was clear one Thanksgiving that it’s going to take them a little longer to warm up to some of my Oklahoma dishes. I can’t understand anyone not liking brisket for Thanksgiving, but…whatever.

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Faith

Simple Sabbath: Our Legacy

Lamar was thinking about his daughter today when writing about Legacy.

by Alfred Lamar Jackson

Good Saturday to you all. I hope your Thanksgiving holiday went well and you were able to celebrate with friends and family and be thankful for all the blessings, great and small, God has given us. I didn’t participate in Black Friday. I never have and hopefully never will have to. If you did participate in Black Friday, however, I have no ill will toward you – it’s your time and hard earned money!

I’m still in Jeremiah.  I do enjoy looking for relevant truths in the Old Testament just because some people think that the Old Testament isn’t applicable to modern times. I came across a passage that made me think about what I will leave my children with once I die unless, God willing, He comes back to finish the “story.” It is strange what becoming a parent and being responsible for another life does to your thinking.

Jeremiah 22:8-9 reads,

People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, “Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?” And the answer will be: Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served false gods.

Now I have no idea when Christ will return, but I don’t think it will be before my daughter grows up. I could be wrong (smile). However, it makes me start to think about, as a father and as a believer in Christ, what I’m going to DO about what I leave behind to my kid(s). In the scripture, Jeremiah has been chosen to prophesy for God about the coming destruction on Israel by the Babylonians. He is continually distraught about his task because he knows it will happen and because God has already decided the city’s fate. He still tries to urge people to repent and even leave if they will. In the end Jeremiah’s generation will be left with a legacy. Everyone will know just why they were destroyed.

As a resident in this great country of America I am slowly watching the descent into darkness portrayed in the government and social medias. There are still bright lights and God is still working, but ultimately I know how the story ends. The question I ask myself is “What am I going to do? What can I do to make sure she and her generation doesn’t have to repeat the same mistakes? Ultimately I  must leave her in the ever so capable hands of God. Yet, the father in me wants to protect her and fight off the evils inherent to this world.”

Continue reading Simple Sabbath: Our Legacy →

Man Cave

This Year’s Bedlam Is As Good As It Gets

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With a gullet full of turkey and the anticipation of tomorrow’s Bedlam showdown, this weekend is simply the most wonderful time of the year.

The right way to welcome someone to the best day in Oklahoma sports (courtesy sportsgifts.com)

Houses will be divided, trash will be talked, and twelve months of bragging rights will be on the line.

It’s tough to find an Oklahoman who doesn’t care about this game.  But tomorrow, Bedlam will be foremost in the mind of a football crazed nation.  The game has the prime time slot on ABC and ESPN’s College Gameday is setting up shop in Stillwater.  I might make the journey to the land of orange if for no other reason than to give Erin Andrews my phone number.  No doubt, I’m exactly what she’s looking for.

OSU is in unfamiliar territory because there has never been this much at stake for the Pokes.  The program has never played for a Big 12 championship.  Beat the Sooners, and the Cowboys will do just that.  Not to mention OSU can secure the first 11-win season in school history and snap that pesky seven game losing streak to its in-state rival.

Ronnell Lewis and the Sooners crushed the Cowboys 27-0 in 2009 for OU's 7th straight Bedlam victory (courtesy Oklahoma Daily)

Pressure can do funny things to a football team, but the Cowboys have proven themselves in crunch time all year long.  The Sooners?  Well, not so much.  OU still hasn’t figured out how to solve the equation of a road game on prime time TV against a highly ranked opponent.  The win over Baylor was nice, but routing an overrated Bears team doesn’t mean the Sooners’ road issues have suddenly disappeared.

While the Sooners may have been victimized by expectations, the Cowboys came into this season without any.  They’ve been a looser bunch because of it.  When asked on a local sports radio show which of his players were playing over their heads, Mike Gundy named nearly every starter on both sides of the ball.  Can Bob Stoops make that statement about any OU players outside of DeMarco Murray and Ryan Broyles?  I’m not so sure.

Continue reading This Year’s Bedlam Is As Good As It Gets →

Woman2Woman

Time of My Life: A Top 10 List Inspired By The Black Eyed Peas

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I may not be eligible for an AARP membership yet, but my aching knees recently served as a reminder that I am perched at the top of the proverbial hill just waiting to make my descent down the other side.

My recent awareness of the nuances of getting older has me thinking about the interesting dichotomy of spending our early years desperately wishing to be older and the rest of it longing for time to stop moving so darn quickly.

As a kid, I thought turning 18 meant I was an adult. The reality, however, was that I was still dependent on my parents, didn’t know how to do my own laundry and had to sit at the kid table at Thanksgiving.

At 22, I graduated college and felt like I had the world at my fingertips…until I realized that having a degree doesn’t mean much unless you also have a job. I spent the next year reminding myself to have fun now because I would have the rest of my life to be pinned down to a demanding career. And when I did get that first job, I was referred to as “the young one” for several years before a new “young one” came on board and relieved me of the title.

Continue reading Time of My Life: A Top 10 List Inspired By The Black Eyed Peas →

Man Cave

Real Men and Crying

The post below was originally published on my blog on May 7, 2010… the day of my grandpa’s funeral.

"Wedding." Award-winning photo used by permission from Jeff + Jeanie at stu-di-o.com. Click photo to visit their site.

As I get ready for my grandpa’s funeral today, I’m reminded that a real man is not afraid to show his emotions.

As men, when we’re happy or excited about something, most of us will visibly and audibly celebrate. When we’re angry about something, we have no problem letting the world know. And yet, when we’re upset, hurt, or sad about something we often try to “hold it in” for lack of a better description.

While something could certainly be said about the degree of discipline it takes a man to hold in his tears, I would argue that it takes a lot more discipline to let them out.

Most men, if we’re gut-level honest with ourselves, would say that we typically don’t cry for one of two reasons. The first reason being that we don’t want to appear weak.   And the second? We just can’t make the tears come out no matter how hard we want to.

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Foodie Page, Stockyards City Cookbook

Stockyards City Cookbook Cook-Through: Jalapeno Cornbread

As it gets colder outside I am constantly looking for new yummy, fulfilling things to make for dinner. I love anything spicy so this recipe really caught my eye!

My friend April made chicken chili and I knew this would go very well with the cornbread. I will say that most of my girlfriends are constantly watching what they eat, so the chili was a Weight Watchers recipe – and – well, this cornbread is not so healthy.

I decided to make it not-so-hearty by cutting down the meat in it. I also was unable to find jalapeno cheese in OKC.  If you live somewhere around a Kroger, my mom said she found some there. I added chopped green chili’s to the mix instead.

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by Matt Gilson

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix (I was raised on sweet cornbread so I substituted instead of Jiffy, although Jiffy is only 50 cents per box)

1 can cream corn

1 can kernel corn

Continue reading Stockyards City Cookbook Cook-Through: Jalapeno Cornbread →

Homestead and Garden

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch: I am Living in a Time Warp…. Again

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I guess “The Rocky Horror Glee Show” came at just about the right time.  I keep on singing,  “Let’s do the time warp again,” but I’m not dancing.   We can’t avoid the time change, at least around here in the good ole Central Time Zone.   I’ve always heard people lament over Daylight Saving Time (DST), but now I’m realizing that that is the time I really like.  I despise Standard Time (ST).

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If "time is money," I am broke at least until next March.

I’ve read over and over the reason for starting Daylight Saving Time.  It had something to do with Benjamin Franklin and saving oil for lamps.  I guess I just don’t understand why it’s only important to do that March – November, and furthermore, what is so great about Standard Time?

This Standard Time is really messing with my life in so many ways.

  • I think my body operates on the sundial system.  During DST I am up at 4:00AM; during ST I am up at 3:00AM.  That makes for a really long day.  This is compounded by the fact that I go to bed at 8:00PM or 9:00PM during the summer and 7:00PM or 8:00PM during the winter.  No kidding, I went to bed last night at 6:30PM.

Continue reading Meanwhile Back at the Ranch: I am Living in a Time Warp…. Again →

Faith

Simple Sabbath: Matters of the Heart

by Alfred Lamar Jackson

Good Saturday to you all. I pray you are refreshed and ready for what God has in store for your life.

I felt extremely blessed to go on a family vacation and just relax, for the most part, an entire week. If you get the chance you should definitely go and check out the U.S. Virgin Islands. The best island is St. John in my opinion. It’s small enough to not be crowded, yet big enough to sight-see and stay in a nice place.

"I felt extremely blessed to go on a family vacation and just relax..."

here Heart Felt

Today I wanted to share with you something I read from Jeremiah about the heart. It’s something that I think might get overlooked when people are on the subject. If you could picture the heart as a pair of eyes, I would liken them to someone with tunnel vision. When we go with our heart (or emotions) we are often mislead, let down, or get easily confused. Jeremiah 17:9-10 reads,

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” Continue reading Simple Sabbath: Matters of the Heart →