Yet Another Tragedy…

How much more proof is needed? Disarming capable, legal citizens is not smart nor is it safe! With the shooting that happened last week at Fort Hood, where 13 people were killed and more than 30 wounded, it once again proves this point. “Gun-free zones” are nothing more than a place where the bad guys can do harm, and a lot of it.

The Associated Press reported that when Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan started shooting up the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, Pfc. Marquest Smith dove under a desk, where he "lay low for several minutes, waiting for the shooter to run out of ammunition and wishing he, too, had a gun."

Neither Smith nor the other victims of Hasan's assault had guns because soldiers on military bases within the United States generally are not allowed to carry them. This folly of "gun-free zones" only attracts and assists people bent on mass murder instead of deterring them.

The supporters of victim disarmament believe that Smith’s desire for a gun was irrational. According to Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, "This latest tragedy, at a heavily fortified Army base, ought to convince more Americans to reject the argument that the solution to gun violence is to arm more people with more guns in more places."

Does this make no sense to anyone else? Number one, his reference to "a heavily fortified Army base" completely disregards the fact that the people attacked by Hasan were unarmed as a matter of policy. Number two, Helmke’s assurance that "more guns is not the solution to gun violence” is just plain ridiculous. Look at the facts… IF someone, anyone, would have been armed, this tragedy would most likely not have happened, or would have at least been stopped before so many innocent people were harmed.

The first people with guns to confront Hasan, two local police officers, were the ones who put a stop to his rampage. While these police officers did their job and acted heroically, they did not arrive on the scene until a crucial 10 minutes or so had elapsed and Hasan had fired more than 100 rounds.

If someone else at the processing center had had a gun when Hasan started shooting, it is likely that fewer people would have been killed or injured.

Of course, Hasan knew that his victims would’ve been unarmed, so maybe he would’ve chosen a different target. Maybe one of the other locations where firearms are not allowed… churches, schools, shopping malls, etc. The overall problem is that hell-bent killers tend not to follow such rules while the good citizens do. And the good guys end up paying for it.

Zuppa Toscana Soup

I’m really not a huge soup fan. I don’t care for broth, which hinders my soup liking a lot. Even when I’m sick, I just don’t like it. Basically the only soups I like are creamy ones; cheesy potato tops the list. But there is one out there that has stolen my heart. It’s Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup. I could seriously eat a whole pot of it and still want more.

I’ve tried mastering the recipe and just haven’t been able to get it right. Last night I think I finally did it! Hubby even gave it an A+! Yes, I make him grade my recipes… he thinks I’m a dork, and I own that.

These are the cast of characters (minus the water I forgot to put in the picture).

Ingredients:
1 lb Italian Sausage
4 strips smoked bacon
3 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
3 large potatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 onion
2 cups kale
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

I started off by browning the bacon and sausage, seperately of course.

While it was cooking, I chopped up the potatoes, garlic and onion and added those to a large pot.

Then I added the chicken broth and water, letting it simmer over medium heat.

When the sausage and bacon are finished, add them to the pot. Simmer until potatoes are tender.

While simmering, chop up the kale.

Add to pot (I think you are catching on to the pattern here, right?)

Then add the cream, season with salt and pepper, and heat through.

Lastly, and this might be the most important part, so do not forget it… add parmesan cheese to each individual serving. You won’t regret it, I promise.

I served the soup with garlic bread sticks. A salad would’ve been awesome as well, but I was out of lettuce. Oh the shame!

Enjoy!

Inspiration

These two crazy kids have been married for 61 years today.  For real, 61 whole years! 

It almost seems more common these days for couples to just give up and quit trying when times get tough.  Not these two.  I'm sure they've had their ups and downs, but after 7 children and 61 years together they are still making memories!

That's what I call inspiration.

I love you Grandma and Grandpa, Happy Anniversary!

Know What Today Is?

Any idea at all??

It's November 6th!  46 years ago on this very day, my Momma was born!  Okay, so maybe that would only make her 10 years old when she gave birth to my brother, but she doesn't look a day older than 46 if you ask me. 

I don't know how she's done it, but she's managed to escape a face full of wrinkles and whatever secret she has up her sleeve for that, I want her to give it to me.  Now.  Please. 

Happy Birthday Mom, I love you!!

Thursday Thirteen: Thanks

As today is Thursday, Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I am feeling a mental drain, unable to write anything really worthwhile, I thought I would list thirteen things that I am thankful for.

1. My little Monkey. She’s the best baby in the world and I’d do anything for that sweet little face.

2. My husband. I may complain about him on occasion, like when he ruins a perfectly good toaster. But I love him and am thankful he’s in my life.

3. My family. No words can express how much they mean to me, period.
This picture was taken at my baby sister’s wedding…. Please excuse the bowling ball underneath that dress, I was 8 months pregnant.

4. My friends. I’ve got some of the greatest friends in the world. We’ve seen some really hard times having to say goodbye to a handful of us, but we’ve made it through, coming out closer, stronger and tighter knit as a group, on the other side.

5. My freedom and the Bill of Rights.

6. Good food and the ability to enjoy it.

7. My dog. He makes me smile, simple as that.

8. Sunshine and blue skies. We’ve had some pretty drab, rainy days here recently, but it’s been looking good with clear skies! I love sunshine.

9. My in-laws. You hear a LOT of horror stories about the crazy Mother-in-Law and such. I’m sooo happy that I don’t have to deal with that. My in-laws are awesome and no I won't trade with you.

10. Clean air and breathing easy.

11. My husband’s job. We are in open enrollment for insurance right now and it just reminds me how lucky we are that his employer pays for 100% of our health insurance. That is something almost unheard of these days and I sometimes take it for granted. They also provide us with a chance to travel and visit new places. So far they’ve paid for us to go to Denver and Portland for a company party. Very cool.

12. My good health and the ability to run. I may not always like running, but I am able to do it!

13. Good literature. I love to read and appreciate a quiet moment to curl up with a great book.

Wordless Wednesday: SERIOUSLY, No More Rain!

Of Mice and Men

I’m in need of a new toaster. Why you ask? Because my husband JC thinks that I’m not always right.

I am always right. Unless I’m wrong, then I’m not right. But in those cases I just keep my mouth shut. I like being right.

This is the story of the dead toaster and why my sweet JC is wrong…..

We were sitting in the living room watching T.V. or talking, or playing with Monkey or something. We were doing something, okay? I don’t remember the specifics. Get off my back.

I do remember hearing our cat Jinx (the story behind her name is a whole nother blog post, I’ll get to it someday) in the kitchen making some odd noises. I look in there and she is up on the counter with her nose in the toaster, pawing away at it like crazy. I say to JC, “What is she doing? Oh, please tell me there’s not a mouse in the toaster!”

Jinx likes mice. She likes them a lot. And she’s great at catching them. And leaving the remains in the shower for me to step on in the morning if my eyes aren’t all the way open yet.

So we go into the kitchen to check out what all the commotion is…. And yes, there was a mouse in the toaster! We could just see his little butt and tail sticking out from the side at the bottom of it. I commence to tell JC that he needs to get that mouse out of MY toaster this very second.

Let me clarify, I’m not afraid of mice. Growing up in the country we had them all the time, they are actually kind of cute, but I certainly don’t want them anywhere around my food!

We try shaking the mouse out, no luck. Pulling the crumb catch out, no luck. The little booger was hiding in there and was not about to come out while Jinx had her eye on him.

JC gets the bright idea to TURN THE TOASTER ON. I tell him to not do that. I can live with a mouse being in the toaster, but I most definitely can not handle having a burnt up mouse in there! He proceeds to turn it on saying it will coax the mouse out.

After a few seconds of this coaxing and no mouse, I shut it off. He turns it back on and puts a cast iron skillet on top to keep the heat in, to once again, coax out the mouse. No luck. After a few seconds of this, I tell him it’s not working and to just stop because the mouse is going to burn up and I can’t have that. I like this toaster and don’t want it ruined.

This toaster isn’t anything special, but it was a wedding gift and I LIKE it. It’s big enough for bagels and toasts bread at just the right brownness without burning. You know like this:

Not this:

But most importantly, I don’t want to have to buy a new one.

Before I can reach over and shut it off, I see smoke coming up out of it, and think to myself, “This isn’t good. This is EXACTLY what I don’t want and exactly why he should listen to me in the first place!” But out loud I say, “Honey, it’s smoking. The mouse is burning up and it’s smoking. I’m not happy.”

He pulls off the skillet and gets a nice big whiff of what was cooking. It wasn’t good.

So sorry I don’t have pictures of the toaster or of the poor little mouse, but I didn’t want PETA getting on my back. We already don’t see eye to eye. Maybe when I buy a pretty new toaster I’ll show you a picture of it.

Moral of the story: Listen to your wife, especially when she’s always right!