Look For The Helpers

There is really no easy way to start a column like this. How do we open a conversation about tragedy easily?

Some of you may know I am a transplanted Arkansan; born and raised in Oklahoma. I still consider Oklahoma my home. I probably always will.    

The tornadoes that have devastated my “home” are nothing short of heart wrenching. Lives have been forever changed.

 As I write this some families are celebrating the safe return of their loved ones, some are still waiting to know and all of us are grieving. Right now my home state is shattered, but we will be okay. We will always be okay. Thats just what Oklahoma does.           

There is a fairly popular quote from Fred Rogers that is often highlighted in times like these. It reads: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”"

Most of us are already thinking about the basic needs that the residents of Oklahoma no longer have i.e. food, clothing, shelter, diapers etc. I would suggest we hold off on clothing drives or food drives for now. They’ll let us know when they are ready to accept things like that. There isn’t even a structure to house the donated items as of yet.

How do we help in the mean time? What do we need to do to be “the helpers”? 

I would ask that you all consider donating blood. And, if you are able, find a reputable charity like the Red Cross or the Salvation Army and make a monetary donation. You can donate to the Salvation Army by texting STORM to 80888. Doing this will add a $10 charge to your cell phone bill, and give a $10 donation to them. You can also visit donate.salvationarmyusa.org to make a donation. If you would like to donate to the Red Cross you can do it the same way via text by sending REDCROSS to 90999 or by visiting redcross.org/ok/oklahoma-city. The United Way of Central Oklahoma also has a disaster relief fund set up and you can donate to it by visiting their website unitedwayokc.org.

If you’re not able to donate in any of the fore mentioned ways, could I ask you a favor? Could you give every Oklahoman a moment of your time and pray for them, all of them.

Governor Brad Henry once said “something called 'the ‘Oklahoma Standard' became known throughout the world. It means resilience in the face of adversity. It means a strength and compassion that will not be defeated.”

Resilience is woven deeply into the fabric of Oklahoma. Throw us an obstacle, and we grow stronger. My heart aches for Oklahoma. You’re in my daily thoughts and prayers.

Hiding In My Closet Crying

Prom has come and gone, and with no incidents thank goodness.

It’s a huge weight off knowing our kids all made it home safe and sound.

With the school year fastly wrapping up, we now have to start preparing ourselves for graduation.

I don’t think it matters much if you have a senior graduating or a kindergartener graduating, they’re still your baby and it’s still harder than any of us would like to admit.

When we aren’t hiding in our closet crying over our babies growing up and rational thoughts return we should all take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate that comes with a graduation.

Now is a chance to pat yourself on the back for a job well done; you and your graduate have made it through another year.

Plus, end of the year field trips are only going to keep us busy for so long. Family and friends are much better than that.

I want to share a recipe that’s good for any graduation party; be it in the backyard or a rented banquet hall.

Green Grape Dessert Salad

You’re going to need:

4 pounds of seedless green grapes
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese
1 (8 oz) container of sour cream
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
4 oz chopped pecans
2 tablespoons of brown sugar

First things first, you want to wash and dry the grapes.

Now, in a large bowl you want to mix together the cream cheese, the sour cream, the sugar, and the vanilla. 

Once you have that mixed together add in your grapes and stir till everything is evenly distributed.

Next you just sprinkle in the brown sugar and the pecans and mix it a little more.

I like to serve mine in a bowl other than what I mixed it together in, but you don’t have to. 

If you do want to serve it in another dish now is the time to move it over and then let it chill for a little while before serving.

So, there you have it; an easy but crowd pleaseing recipe that still allows us time to cry in the closet.

Happy Birthday Boy 1.

Six years ago this month I was laying in a hospital bed praying with everything in me to just make it through another day, another week of what had been a horribly scary pregnancy.

Things changed on April 10th. That day, my doctor decided things were getting a little too risky and that although still 4 weeks early it was better for everyone to go ahead and deliver.

After many tears, phone calls, prayers, and two units of blood I was taken to the O.R. In what seems like only minutes later, I was kissing the head of my sweet baby boy.

He was here.

He had all ten fingers and all ten toes.

He was early, but for the most he was okay, just the expected breathing complications.

He was taken to the NICU where he could be given oxygen and the monitored care he needed. We expected an NICU length of at least 3 weeks, but even as a newborn he had his own way of doing things. After a terrifying Code Blue call, and an emergency baptism with our family priest things started getting better. We left the NICU after only 17 days with a note from the doctor declaring him to be “a healthy, hard-headed handful”.

I’m happy to say in the last six years that doctor’s report hasn’t changed much. My sweet boy is very much still healthy, hard-headed, and man is he a handful.

    In honor of this new milestone, I’d like to share one of his favorite things to make.

It’s “semi-homemade” because sometimes that’s just how we roll in the non Betty Crocker or Martha Stewart world.

        Dirt Cake

You’re going to need
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 8oz container of Cool Whip
1 package of Oreo cookies
2 packages of vanilla pudding mix
1 8oz container of cream cheese
1 cup powered sugar
3.5 cups of milk

Start by creaming the butter, cream cheese, and powered sugar together.

Now, in a separate bowl whisk the pudding mix, milk, and cool whip together.

Once that’s whisked together well, combine it with the cream cheese mixture.

This is his  favorite part: Crush the Oreos. It doesnt matter if you do it in a bowl with a cup, or  in a ziplock bag with the a rolling pin just as long as you get them crushed up.

Now all that’s left to do is put it together.

You can either mix the cookies in with the cream cheese pudding mix and serve it in a pail like my kid likes to do, or if you want to be a little “smancy” as he says it, you can make layers in a glass cake pan or serving bowl. To do that you just rotate a layer of crushed cookie and a layer of cream cheese pudding mix, and repeat.

This dessert you have to store in the refrigerator.

So, here’s to my baby's latest trip around the sun. Here’s to the doctors and the nurses that keep things calm and have steady hands in times of crisis, and to the teachers that love my boy in spite of his hard-headed ways.

Happy Birthday baby, I love you to the moon and back!
  
Now, dig in! 

An Easter Side-Dish Or Dessert

Can you believe that Easter Sunday is just around the corner?

I can’t hardly wrap my head around it already being here, even with the daily reminders I get from the kids.        

This will be the first Easter that Boy 2 is really big enough to enjoy decorating eggs and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.

I’m sure you know by now that my kids are pretty competitive and they make everything, even egg decorating, into a challenge. They always try to out do what they did the year before. I think it’s going to be pretty hard to top the Harry Potter eggs that were made last year. Regardless of what they come up with I’ll love it, and they’ll love doing it. And, that’s all that really matters.

When I think of Easter Sunday, I think of three things: Easter Service, Egg Hunts, and Church Potlucks.

So, I’d like to share an old but favorite recipe for an Easter side dish or dessert, depending on how you see it, that’s perfect for a church potluck or your kitchen table.

Watergate Salad

You’re going to need:

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Pistachio flavored instant pudding
1 cup of mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups of cool whip
   
Start by combining the pineapple (with juice), pistachio pudding, marshmallows. and pecans together in a large mixing bowl.
   
Once that is all mixed together really well you just stir in the cool whip.
   
Now comes the hard part, you need to let it refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
   
If you’re as impatient as me I suggest you grab an ooey gooey Cadbury egg to hold you over while the salad sets.

Trust me, it’s worth the wait.