The Median Sib (yes, that’s me!) is hosting this week’s Carnival of Education.  Submissions are due on HALLOWEEN (Tuesday, Oct. 31) no later than 6:00 p.m. Eastern.  Send submissions to carol (at) themediansib (dot) com, OR use this handy submission form.  Come on, folks!  If you’ve never submitted something before, now’s the time to give it a try.  If you’ve written something the past week in the area of education, send it in!

RT and I played 9 holes of golf yesterday afternoon with our son.  What fun!  My score for nine holes was 63.  It’s one of the few times I’ve kept an accurate score.  I tend to skip holes occasionally or give up on a hole after a few swings.  I actually made par on hole two, had a couple bogies and two double-bogies (which, for me, is excellent).  On hole #8, I kept “hitting the big ball before hitting the small ball” and ended up with TWELVE strokes on that one hole.  Other than that, though, I had a good game.  The last hole is over water — and my first ball went right into the water.  The second made it over, though - and I was thrilled about that.  The best aspect of playing golf - other than being outside on a beautiful day - was being with RT and Joey.  They both are so funny.  We laughed and joked around the whole time.

Yesterday (Sunday) was a good day.  Sunday School and church in the morning with the two grandkids, then lunch with our entire little family (daughter, son-in-law, son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters), then the game of golf followed by a quick walk on the land.  A very good day.

This morning in church, our minister, Pastor Tom, sang a solo at the end of his sermon.  In his sermon he talked about how salvation isn’t just for getting a ticket to keep us out of hell.  It’s a ticket for a joyous life.  (I hope I didn’t butcher the main point too badly!) 

(Note added later:  Pastor Tom read this post and told me I had gotten the basic sermon idea, but he added: “Another point is that we are to serve because we love Christ and not use the gift offered in Him just as ticket.  In fact one without the other is useless. One cannot have a true abundance until we get a real glimspe of the intentional, circumstancial, and ultimate will of God found in and through Christ.”)

The song he sang was “His Eye Is On The Sparrow.”  Click the title if you’d like to hear the music and read the history of the song.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father…So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31

I made chicken enchiladas for lunch today.  I actually made them last night, and then after church I just had to heat them in the oven.  We had both kids with their spouses, along with the two granddaughters over for lunch. 

Here’s the recipe.  You’ll LOVE it!

YUMMY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

5 large chicken breast halves (cooked, deboned, chopped, set aside)

3 T butter

1 medium onion, chopped finely

16 oz. chopped frozen spinach, thawed, drained and patted dry with a paper towel

4 oz. can green chiles, chopped

2 cans (10.5 oz each) cream of chicken soup (undiluted)

16 oz. sour cream (I actually FORGOT this ingredient when I made them last night - and the dish was still wonderful)

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 cans enchilada sauce (red is what I used, but green would probably be good, too)

16 oz. shredded Mexican cheese, divided

20 flour tortillas (I used whole wheat, and they were good)

Melt butter in a skillet and saute’ the onion.  Remove it from the heat and let it cool.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the onions, drained spinach, green chiles, soup, sour cream, cumin and about 2/3 of the cheese. Mix well.  Fold in the chicken and blend well.

Take one tortilla and spread a large spoonful of the chicken mixture down the center.  Roll up the tortilla and lay it folded side down in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish (spray dish with Pam first).  Do the same with the other tortillas.  You’ll end up using 3 or 4 pans, depending on the size of the pan.  Pour the enchila sauce evening over the enchiladas in all the pans and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

I probably used a lot more cheese than the recipe calls for - just follow your taste.

You can refrigerate overnight or bake immediately.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the cheese bubbles.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.  It makes 20 enchiladas, and two of them are more than most people can eat.

Since this recipe makes so much, you can easily half it - or go ahead and make the full recipe and freeze some for another meal.

This meal served 6 adults and two children at lunch today.  There was enough leftover that I sent a pan home with my son and his wife for a meal later this week, and RT and I will get at least two meals out of the leftovers.

One thing I like about the recipe is that it makes enough that it provides more than one meal.  This is the kind of recipe to make on a weekend - put in three or four different containers and freeze.  Then on a busy evening after work, just pop it from the freezer into the over - and you have a ready made dinner.

If you try it, let me know.  It really was one of the most delicious dishes I’ve made in a long time.

Beth, at Blue Star Chronicles, has posted THE COTILLION COLLOQUY.  What, you may ask, is a “colloquy”? 

 It means a conversational exchange; dialogue, a conference. 

Thanks to Alabama Improper for providing that definition.  And since we Cotillion ladies do a lot of “conversational exchanging”, it’s an apt word for our canival.  Beth did an absolutely fantastic job of putting together some wonderful posts.  So click on over and check it out.   Thanks to Beth, also, for the cool Cotillion graphic!

Yesterday when I got home from work, it was cold and rainy - perfect chicken and dumpling weather.  Since I had been looking for a recipe for whole wheat dumplings I decided that it was time to try.

I started a pot of water boiling on the stove, added lots of chicken tenderloins, and then I seasoned it with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.  I got two onions, some green, yellow and red pepper strips and several stalks of celery.  I chopped it all finely and added it to the water.  To that I tossed in some grated carrots.  I like my chicken and dumplings with some color and flavor, and all the little bits of veggies do that.  When the chicken was well-cooked, I removed it from the boiling water.  Now for the dumplings.

All the recipes that I had found for whole wheat dumplings had half whole wheat flour and half white flour.  However, I wanted entirely whole wheat.  After all, I reasoned, in the olden days whole wheat flour was all they had.  So surely it’s not that difficult to make whole wheat dumplings.

I mixed up a couple cups of whole wheat flour with some buttermilk and seasonings.  I added baking powder and baking soda and salt as leavening so the dumplings wouldn’t be so dense.  I rolled out the dough, cut it into strips and pinched off little pieces into the boiling broth.  Once the dumplings had boiled awhile, I chopped the chicken and added it back to the pot.

Once it had all simmered awhile, I was ready for the taste test.  My anticipation was high.  Alas, I was disappointed.  I was looking for SCRUMPTIOUS, and I got nourishing.  They’re healthy and nutritious, but they didn’t qualify for the delicious rating.  

Sigh.  RT has been out of town this week and will be home in a couple hours.  I’ll get him to try them and see if his opinion is the same as mine.

However, I trust my taste buds enough to know that it’s back to the drawing board to find a truly delicious recipe for whole wheat dumplings.

 

There’s a lot of hoopla in the press the past couple days about a television commercial by the RNC.  I’m glad that I first saw the commerical before I read or heard of any of the controversy surrounding it.  The commercial is funny.  The liberals who are crying their usual “racial insensitivity” lament are determined to see a racial dimension to anything Republican or conservative.  Their response isn’t surprising.

At first I couldn’t figure out WHY people were saying the commerical was playing on racial issues.  Then I read that it is because the woman in the video is white.  The liberal media and Democratic spokespersons are saying that the fact that there’s a WHITE woman (supposedly a Playboy bunny?) used in that commercial deliberately plays to Tennessean’s racial prejudice.  I don’t think they even realize what an insulting stereotype that is.  Guess if I’m white and live in the South, I’m a redneck racist yahoo - don’t want our wimmin being with no black men.  And, for the liberal media, it’s all right to make such outrageous charges.  It’s okay to racially stereotype Southern white folks - especially Conservatives.

The facts don’t back up the stereotype, though.  The Republicans are the ones who have positively welcomed blacks into positions of real power and influence.  It’s a matter of who is best qualified - not what color their skin is.  However, rather than championing people such as Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice for their accomplishments, the Democrats call them “Uncle Toms” or “token blacks”.  At least they insinuate that they’ve “sold out”.  The Democrats harm minorities by fostering their dependence on government services.   And they assume that because a person is black, the person should be a Democrat. 

In his commercials Harold Ford portrays himself as a conservative - and he’s not.  The controversial commercial is obviously poking fun at that - the self-proclaimed conservative who votes liberal and who parties with playboy bunnies.  The commercial showcases legitimate issues.  And that’s probably why the liberals want to turn it into a race issue.  The truth of his record would hurt him.  The “outrage” of the liberals is amusing considering their track record.

The fundamental lack of morals of many in the Democratic party has been in public view for quite awhile, and apparently most Democrats don’t think it’s a big deal.  Lack of morals is okay - as long as you’re a Democrat.  It doesn’t matter to them that Bill Clinton took advantage of a young intern while in office.  To them it was just a little “sexual addiction”.  No big deal. 

To most ethical and moral people, it IS a big deal.  The president of the United States cheated on his wife with a barely legal intern IN the White House, and he never suffered any serious consequences for it.  To be blunt, he received blow jobs from her.  This wasn’t something that was tender - he was gratifying his own sexual desires without consideration for her.  Well at least I didn’t read where he reciprocated.  He got his, so to speak.  She was the means of sexual gratification for him - she wasn’t a person to him.  When confronted about it, he denied it and made her suffer the media scorn.  He had absolutely no consideration for her.  It was all about him, him, him.  And most Democrats STILL admire him.  How anyone can consider Clinton with anything other than contempt is beyond my comprehension.  Clinton  made the office of president a joke.  He took advantage of a young woman and then used the power of his position of POTUS to further cause her harm.

And what does Clinton have to do with Ford.  It’s the same attitude towards women and sex.  Ford attended a Playboy party.  What does Playboy stand for?  It’s Playboy stands for the use of young women for sexual pleasure.  Sexual pleasure is wonderful - but typically Playboy isn’t interested in mutual pleasure or commitment. 

It doesn’t matter whether or not the supposed Playboy bunny in the commerical was black or white.  The point is the same.  It’s not a matter of race.  It’s a matter of character.  I voted today, and my vote was for Bob Corker.

Note: Watching TV tonight - in a short time span, there were four political commericals.  Three were Ford commercials blasting Corker personally, and one was a Corker commercial in which Corker’s two daughters talked about their dad - they never referred to Ford at all.

I was in meetings all day today at the county complex where our board of education is located.  Since early voting was being held in the same building, I voted immediately after the meeting this afternoon.  I had hoped to do it earlier in the day.  Several times during the day - during breaks and during lunch - I had checked the voting line - hoping to find a short line so I could vote quickly, and each time I postponed voting because the line was too long.   I was surprised.  It rained all day.  People were lining up in droves on a rainy day to exercise this great American privilege.

At the end of the meeting, the line was longer than ever - but I was determined to vote today.  So I stood in line.  From start to finish it took about 45 minutes.  Lots of people expressed surprise at the high turn-out.

It was wonderfully reassuring to me to see American voters - men, women, young, old, all ethnic groups.  One woman had her two young sons by her side to watch as she voted.  She quietly talked to them as she read the ballot.  I couldn’t hear her, of course, but I think it’s safe to assume she was talking to them about her selections and the reasons for them.   

The other conversations around me were varied.  Immediately after I first got in line an elderly woman lined up behind me.  She asked if I’d hold her place while she went to the front to look at the sample ballots.  I noticed she was limping as she slowly walked down the hall.  When she returned she told me and the young woman in line behind us that she was 80 years old. She said that the phrase ”80 years old” was still a shock to her because she sure didn’t feel that old.  She told us that she had injured her foot while exercising at the Y, that it was still quite painful and that she thought she’d wait till next week to vote. 

We told her she could go to the front of the line, and they’d let her vote immediately.  There was a prominently displayed sign stating that anyone with disabilities, frailties or an visible pregnancy could bypass the line.  However, this lady didn’t want to go ahead of the others who had been waiting.  She said it just wouldn’t be fair.  She had a legitimate reason to go ahead, but no matter how much we tried to convince her she should do it and that no one would mind, she ended up leaving.  She said she had to be back at the county offices next week anyway, and she’d vote then.

I enjoyed listening to all the conversations that were going on and watching the senior citizens who were handling the voting booths - escorting people to the booth, showing them how to operate the machine, and then giving them their “I Voted” sticker as they were leaving. 

When it was my turn, I read each proposal carefully and made my selection.  I read through the list of candidates and for the first time in life based my vote only on party affiliation.  Before clicking the final “Vote” button, I made sure that all my votes were as I wished.

No one knows how the election will turn out.  Regardless of the outcome, though, I am glad that people are out in force to vote.  People care about what happens to our country, and people care about who will lead us.  God bless America.

Oh joy!  Today is one of two Teacher-Parent Conference Days this week. I will arrive at school by 8:00 a.m., and I won’t be able to leave school until after 8:00 p.m.  Even if I were to do nothing but twiddle my thumbs from the time school is dismissed until 8:00, I’m still required to spend those 12 hours at my school today.  I don’t have any conferences planned, but I do have shelves and materials to organize, a meeting to attend, lessons to plan and paperwork to complete.  It’s such a stupid waste of time, though.  There is no way to be truly productive by sticking four hours of conference time after a full day of teaching.  Counting the time it takes to get ready and drive to and from school, the entire day will be gone. 

Teachers are required to do this every year, and so I know how I will feel by this evening, and it’s not a pretty sight.

Since I have only been out of the general education classroom for two years, I also know how the classroom teachers who are doing back-to-back parent conferences feel.  After the first few conferences, the parents and conversations start to blend together.   By the end of the evening, it’s difficult to remember what was said when and to whom.  I always kept meticulous notes, but still the conferences were a blur.  That’s wrong - not only for the teachers but for the parents and students as well.  It disrespects the time and efforts of everyone in working to do what’s best for the students.

I wonder about the intelligence and common sense of the out-of-touch administrators who come up with such requirements.

RT and I were watching “Deal or no Deal” the other evening.  Yes, I know it’s mindless entertainment.  Nevertheless, we were watching.  There was a woman contestant who was from somewhere in the South. Her daughter was one of the three “supporters” who cheered for her.  At one point in the game, Howie Mandel, asked the daughter a question.  Her answer STILL haunts me.  She said:

We southern girls may not be smart, but we’ve got heart.

She was probably around 20 years old - give or take a few years.  Certainly younger than either of my children.  It broke my heart to hear that at that young age she has already bought into the southerners-are-stupid line that seems so readily accepted throughout the country.  She has listened to northern and western snobs long enough that she has started believing them.  With one sentence, she exposed the results of their elitist crap.

Along a related line, I was reading another blog today - a “progressive” one - and a commenter referred to southern voters as “yahoos” and “racist rednecks”.  Doesn’t sound very progressive to me.  As a matter of fact, it sounds downright elitist and snobbish.

There is a lot of prejudice, elitism and discrimination in the world.  No single race, gender, nationality or other group has a monopoly on it.