It Snowed!

I was skeptical, but it finally did snow and now it is time to take the obligatory photos because it does not snow here often.

Snow??? GO GET SOME BREAD DAMNIT!!!!!

Maybe because I've traveled to places that have real snow storms.
Perhaps it is because in Minnesota in February, I once veered off a cleared path and sunk about two feet into snow...
and maybe it is because I look at our forecast beyond the one moment where we are slated to get some amount of the frozen stuff to realize that the morning after it is supposed to get up to 40 degrees...
but you wont be snowed in your house no matter what people.

Let's take it down a notch or two...chill out, and dont make a rush on the bread and milk because you think you will somehow magically transport to the upper north and live in a tundra.
anyway...as I saw on the internet today....
Why does the mention of snow lead to people wanting to make French Toast?


 

Quick Update

To the very few people who read my blog ( though I appreciate it greatly), school, work, baby, and just life in general is hectic as of late.  I've been compiling a slave database, working at a bookstore, learning to deal with a semi-walking toddler, and writing a paper on the medieval profit economy. 

Learning about the amount of Jews who were randomly killed by Crusaders is perplexing and depressing at the same time.  There are days when I'm like....  I picked a doom and gloom subject.

Oh... It's so cold! 

This is me. INSIDE 

Shonda's Decadent Potato Soup

It is cold for us Georgians and when we have cold weather, I want hearty and thick dinners that stick to my insides...
I wanted a soup today and searched the internet for a potato soup recipe I liked... I didn't find one (I am picky)....

I made one myself and it turned out pretty tasty!


Shonda's Decadent Potato Soup

Ingredients:

8 peeled and diced potatoes
two diced onions
two sliced carrots
2 cans of chicken broth
1 pint container of heavy cream
1 stick of butter
1 tablespoon of dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (I like spice)
1 tablespoon of salt
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
pepper to taste

You could make this less sinful by using olive oil instead of butter and 2% milk instead of heavy cream, but add cornstarch and it will not be as tasty to be fair (lol)

Finished result:

Served with garlic toast

We were really happy with the soup and it hit the spot for a warm and soothing soup on a cold day.

Getting Back to Routine

School vacation quickly turned into a vacation from a lot of things, even my hobbies which include writing this blog.
Aiden had a birthday, I read for fun, we went to Florida for Christmas and New Years and I worked a bit before classes officially restarted this week.
I am still worn out.
I think I perform better with a tight schedule and maybe that is common, but I feel much more productive with two classes and Aiden to take care of.
This Semester I am taking:
American Slavery and Pre-Modern Europe.

My First book...

Religious Poverty and the Profit Economy in Medieval Europe by Lester K. Little.

I am comfortable with this lol..

I will attempt to update my blog in a more productive manner now that my vacation from the world is officially over.

I Wonder...

I wonder what it would be like if we spent as much effort defending those who needed it, those who are hurting, those who are suffering....as we do defending reality stars who behave the way they do for a financial gain and nothing else...

Holiday Vacation

We are in Florida for the first time during the Holidays and having a lovely time.
We've had sushi, visited the zoo, and spent some quality time with family.

Aiden really enjoyed the Gulf Breeze Zoo, but I made some friends as well...

I can take him home right???

And this llama side eye'd me like my boxer does....

I'm watching you....

And Bunny and I learned first hand what a giraffe tongue feels like...

Happy Christmas!!!!

It has been a pretty insane, awesome, stressful, and chaotic year.  I've had some really wonderful moments during this holiday season and some really not so wonderful moments, but looking back on 2013, I think of it as one of the most transforming of my life.

Of course, being a mother has pretty much changed everything.

How can you not love this guy?????

I have different goals, different wants, different priorities and yet, even with all the stress, I don't think I've ever been happier, this kid is amazing.  He makes me want to be a better person every single day and he makes me want the world to be a better place for him to live in...

That has been hard for me, learning that while I can maintain my strength of conviction about all of the things I believe in, but understand that petty political squabbles amount to absolutely nothing in the end. Avoiding caustic and unproductive arguments while also working hard to fight for things I believe in because I truly think that working to fight hate, poverty, and ignorance will make a better world for my son is difficult because while I do not want to just mindlessly argue with someone who does not want to even look at an issue from a different perspective... I do want to at least open a door to eradicate misconceptions and intolerance.  I know a lot of people who hold a great deal of animosity for the poor, for other races, for other religions, or anyone who is "different" and I just don't want to say I willingly lived in a world full of that and passed it on to my son without trying to make a change.  

I want to show my son that when he looks at another person, the only thing he should feel is compassion...not threat, not animosity, but understanding because no matter what, we are all the same.  Its not about if they get a welfare check or what they do with it, its not about what they believe, who they love, or how they feel...its about people accepting people for the flawed and amazing creatures we are.  

2013 has been a year of being closer to my husband, learning to deal with financial struggles to get what we truly want, and making our little family unit work.  In the end, although we have a large number of amazing people who love us and support us, we want to be us and happy with our choices.  I've had a hard time accepting the fact that currently I am contributing very little financially which causes us to have some really stressful moments.  Going from working full time and bringing home a decent check to nothing because we've decided that education and my pursuit of that education is paramount has caused me to continually become anxious about a lack of significant contribution.  I spend a lot of time reading and having to isolate myself to get a mounting pile of school work done in order to make the grades I feel I need to succeed. (A's) I feel guilty because at night I have to lock myself up in a room and miss out on family time...I feel even more guilty when bills come in and I know we are in such a tight spot because I am in school.  At the same time, I'm almost done with Graduate School and I've maintained a nearly perfect GPA (I've made one B).  I think I am producing some of the best work of my academic career and I think I am only getting better with time, my passion for history, my passion to keep going is growing and I truly desire to keep that momentum because I want my son to have an understanding and an appreciation for history that I fear is fading in society. 

2013 has been a time of change regarding other relationships in my life.  Most of my friendships have changed over the past year, some for better and some not, but I think all in a productive way, a way that will move forward and make everyone involved happier.  

2013 made me realize how much I miss traveling, or being in a bigger place... I want to move.  I do not want to move because I loathe the place I am, I've actually started to have an appreciation for some of the gems of culture and awesome in my small place on the planet... From Ocmulgee to the public Fishing hole a bit south of here... This is not a hopeless or horrible place, its just not for me.  I plan on working really hard towards my goal of moving to a city.  

London, England 2011

Ok the one above there... one can dream can't she....

I hope all of my readers (all 3 of you) and my friends and family have a Happy Happy Holidays and a roaring and awesome 2014. 

......

I really really really really need a stress free vacation

I'm going to do something I don't usually do...

As I was reading facebook today I came across this article.

A woman is tired of violence against women in TV

(Warning there are TV spoilers in that article if you watch Sons of Anarcy)

I agree with her theme, that violence against women in Television has got a bit out of hand and its sometimes pretty disgusting... but this is a really really really bad example and kind of silly.

First... if you don't like violence in Television, it would probably behoove you not to watch Sons of Anarchy which is about a criminal biker gang.

Second... If you've watched Sons of Anarchy for any amount of time, you know the writers of the show based it off of Hamlet....which is violent and not the most friendly towards women....

Third... If you've read Hamlet, you know...that in the end...everybody dies.

OK...
That being said.
This is the end of the season before the last season....
And they are going to end it with something big to lead to the BIG final season where everything spins into chaos and Jax (Hamlet) loses his mind and destroys everyone in his path...
Including Ophelia (Tara)
So, if you lose your respect for TV all together because of a violent female death on television...why is it the one you knew was coming? Unless you don't really watch Sons of Anarchy or you've never read Hamlet.

I don't know...this seems a bit off to me.  There are a lot of other shows you can pull up if you want to pull the violence and rape of women is out of control...maybe the episodes of Sons of Anarchy where Jax's mother is Gang raped might be more appropriate...
But Ophelia being drowned  (and I know it was more brutal than that but this is for connection purposes) happened in the 16th century, I think our audiences can handle it.