Menu for this week

I love having a good menu for the week. It gives me something to look forward to!
Tuesday- stromboli-it was amazing! I have found the best whole wheat pizza dough recipe .
Wednesday- chinese steamed dumplings (ground turkey instead of pork)
Thursday- beef roast in a slow cooker with beer and veggies plus cabbage (a twist on corned beef and cabbage)
Friday- sausage lasagna. I'm going to try to substitute tofu for ricotta. The last time the lactose in the ricotta really got to me.
Saturday/ Sunday- leftovers and beef short rib stew

CBS Reports

You have to read this story. CBS uncovers how many h1n1 cases are really h1n1 or influenza. Shocker? http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/21/cbsnews_investigates/main5404829.shtml

Who wore it best?

Who hasn't met the pope?
There has been a lot of talk online recently about Obama's meeting with the pope and Michelle's veil. I wanted to put up a post comparing how first ladies and British royals have carried the veil and black dress tradition when meeting the pope. The question here is, who wore it best?

Here we see Mrs. Kennedy being escorted by a cardinal to meet the pope. This is probably due to the times and the fashion of the day, but kutos to her for wearing a long high collar dress. It's modest and still you can tell she's a woman. I love her long veil! She has a great hairstyle for the veil too.

Flash forward a few decades. Nancy Regan meets JP2 who (hands-down) wins the award for best looking pope ever. What I love about Nancy's look is the pill box hat that she wears under the veil, retro and classy. It's also a great way to keep the veil from slipping. Pin it to a hat pinned to your head!

Another picture from the 80's I think. Lady Di meets the pope. Props to her for her long sleeves! I'm still not a fan of the shiny fabric or the poofy shoulders... oh well. At least she's got the veil. I'm not really a fan of the veil and bangs though. What do you think?

Hillary meets the pope. In the 90's it seems it became ok to see the pope in a skirt that was not full length.  In this picture she's got the veil, which is great. I think this was early on in their presidency.

Here she is meeting the pope again, sans veil and sans dress. She looks much more masculine in this picture. Maybe if she styled her hair a bit that would have helped. Those were the 90's though. Remember that look? Jennifer Aniston-esque?

And here we have the current pope meeting the previous first lady. Modesty again! High neckline and long sleeves. I love the button detail too. The veil looks very sweet on her. Maybe bangs are ok for veiled brunettes? Jury is still out. I might get over it. I'm just upset I look bad with bangs :)

Finally, our first lady of the moment and pope of the moment, Michelle looks modest and trendy in this outfit. Hillary already set the short skirt precedent, and I think Michelle's skirt is longer. Man is she tall! I love the pointy flats... she is really tall. The best thing about this outfit is the belt. I'm impressed with the long sleeves and high neckline as well. I wonder where she found that blouse/ dress. My only critique of Michelle's look is that she should have worn a shorter veil. It's a little too habit-like. Perhaps if it were an airier lace it would have not added weight.

Who wins the contest? Jackie O for her style and Laura for her cuteness :)

Note: if you want to be a female politician wear long sleeves and high necks. It seems to be a trend. :-)

Dress design for Shabby Apple dresses

Dress design for Shabby Apple dresses

I'm calling it Bay Breezes. It's a retro but casual dress.
It's a square neck dress with a full skirt that has seams on the bodice to make it feminine. The sleeves are drawstring, so you can go from a shorter short sleeve to a longer short sleeve. This makes it perfect for spring because you never know if you'll be hot or cold! The best part of all is there are pockets hidden in the side seams! Boys have pockets in every garment they wear, and I've always been envious. Why not have a dress with pockets?
I was thinking a light cotton, linen or another lightweight fabric. If the color is light, the bodice may have to be lined.
For colors- anything but white on account of the fabric being too light. I could see this dress in a sky blue or brown. A springy purple color might be nice as well. I think it could work in many colors.

Dress design for Shabby Apple dresses

P.S. Please excuse the lack of artistic talent.

Blessed are the extroverts?

All my life I have been asked, "Are you always this quiet?" Other times, I have been outright branded as "quiet" or an "introvert." I always believed them. I thought it was my character flaw. I thought to myself, "If only if I could be more talkative, more interesting, more popular, better with people." Yet, people always talked to me. I was the person the outsiders turned to. The unpopular people were drawn to me. I made them feel comfortable, I think. I wasn't bad with people. That was not the problem and it was not my character flaw.
Instead, the problem is with society and the people who believe in it. There are those who believe in Jesus, but their religion is society. They keep society's commandments and worship her idols. They believe, "Thou shalt be outspoken and popular." They proclaim, "Thou shalt be loud and bubbly." Don't forget the age old adage, "If you make someone feel uncomfortable about the way they are living (ie if you don't drink at parties or don't join in gambling) then those who feel uncomfortable should make YOU feel uncomfortable and as if you are WRONG, because you obviously are, right?"
This is a lie. Plain and simple.
What did Jesus say? "Blessed are the meek. They will inherit the earth." (Matt. 5)
What is a meek, you say? A fuzzy animal that you make into a coat?

Let's review.
Meek-
1. enduring injury with patience and without resentment
2. not violent

Are the meek loud or are they quiet?
I'm not introverted. I'm not quiet. I am meek. I endeavor to speak when the Lord tells me to and not before. I know that the tongue is the part of the body that gets most people into trouble most often. It's hard to control. Sometimes you'd think it has a mind of its own (James 3).

Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who endure less than polite treatment. Blessed are those who obey God given authority. Blessed are the quiet and calm. Blessed are the less popular.

The ironic thing here? It is not just the non-religious or non-Christians in my life that accuse me of being quiet, it is the churched and the Jesus followers as well.


Satan is tricky. He's convinced us that in this age of "equality" and "rights" for everyone, that means we should all make our opinions known all the time, as loudly as possible. I'm willing to bet he is wrong. I believe, as Christians, we should be meek.

Ze Frank is hillarious.

Get ready for a shake up!

This should prove an interesting time in the English speaking part of the Catholic Church.

Beautiful Reminder-- Blessed are the humble.

From the Horse's Mouth

Do you think global warming is a huge issue? Or do you think it's a non-issue? Either way you should read what BBC has to say. Interesting stuff.