Moving My Blog

Hi followers,

I'm moving my blog to a different account.  It will still be Alfabet Soup and I will be more active with it.  The blog address is slightly different, though.  Please continue to follow me here!
I hope you'll come along.  :)

Dana

Book Spotlight: Die For Me

Over the last year or so I've had the pleasure of following a then-aspiring author on her journey toward publishing her first book.  It began simply when I started following her personal blog, Chitlins and Camembert.  I became interested at first because she happens to live in a place full of romantic notions, ancient history, and plenty of inspiration for an author - France.  One of my favorite places on earth.

As I began to look around online for groups that I could join to develop my own writing, I noticed her in several places that I was beginning to frequent.  I "friended" her on Facebook and a couple of other sites.  I wasn't a stalker, really.  But she represented something that I wanted for myself.  To live in France and publish my first book.

Being an aspiring author myself, I shared in her excitement and rejoiced with her when she received that first phone call, "We would like to purchase your book."  Any writer's dream call!  I've enjoyed reading her blog posts about the incredible journey since that fateful call.

And now, her first book, Die For Me, is out!  I've just finished reading it on my cool new Nook Color (thanks Mom!).  What a read it was, too!  Vincent is the all-around cool, sexy, gorgeous guy who just happens to be immortal.  And Kate is the heroin that we all believe ourselves to be - a little scared and unsure, but in the end, worthy of an endless love.

This is not your typical girl-falls-for-the-immortal love story.  No, no.  These immortals are different; they are revenants....but you'll have to read it for yourself to find out more.

I highly recommend it!  Five Stars!

Way to go, Amy!  Congratulations on your success.

Coffee made from feces?

Today on Fox News online, there was an article about Kopi Luwat.  This is a coffee bean made from the feces of the civet, a small animal found mostly in Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.  Here's the article:

"Kopi Luwak is the world’s most expensive type of coffee, which sounds pretty good…until you hear how it is made.

Instead of being picked off of coffee plants, the beans are gathered from the droppings of a small mammal called a civet. Found primarily in Indonesia, Vietnam and The Philippines, the civet eats raw coffee berries, digests the outer pulp and passes the beans in its feces, which look something like a PayDay candy bar.

Apparently, enzymes and other chemicals in the animal's digestive tract react with the protein in the beans, eliminating much of the bitterness present in most coffees and creating a highly appealing flavor, despite how it came to pass.

Dried, thoroughly cleaned - we're told - and then roasted, Kopi Luwak can cost upwards of $3,000 a pound for the finest varieties, although more typical beans can be found for around $300 at a number of retailers like Porto Rico in New York City and RealKopiLuwak.com.

Just want a taste? Funnel Mill Rare Coffee and Tea in Santa Monica, California will sell you one for $73.50.

But even if it you were offered it for free, would you drink it?"

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/04/23/eat-kopi-luwak/#ixzz1KRUt1llS

An addition to the Bucket List

I figured I would eventually come up with some other items for my Bucket List.  So far, since the 14th, I've only had time to come up with one more, but I think it's pretty significant.  With the recent happenings with our beloved James gone missing and the search for him everyone's mind has been preoccupied with that, including mine.  Over the past several days I have seen such an outpouring of love, concern, and encouragement from the young people in our community.  I say "young people" because I can't seem to count the number of teens who have rallied together to pray for the Eunice family and to worship God in the midst of their sorrow.  But, there are adults, too, of course, and I see them offering such comfort to anyone who seems to need it.  I want to be like that.

So often, I am paralyzed by fear.  Fear of rejection, fear of the unknown.  But, James brought this to light for me in his writing of April 2010 when he stated that sometimes God gives him a little nudge toward someone, but then he puts it off.  He encourages us to stop stalling.  So, paralyzed or not, I'm going to begin to reach out to people despite my fears.  I think this is God's test and James' challenge for me.  And, if we are truly God's children, how can we do otherwise?  I think that's what James was trying to say.

How about you?

As of this morning, the community is still searching for this beloved young man.  Will you add yours prayers with ours?

A Tribute to James Eunice

The young man who went missing two days ago lives on.  He lives on in his message to us that he wrote in April 2010.  Take heed, take heart.  God knows the plan.

by James Eunice, April 2010

"Take time to love someone. Today, Tomorrow, For the rest of your life. Because when that unexpected day comes that they pass on, you'll be left wondering what you could've done better. How you could have made them feel more welcome, and show that you do care for them. Don't wait until it's too late like I did. Show the love that Jesus has for you to everyone you see. Let your heart break for what breaks His. Christ is enough. Let Him show you life. You never know who He may touch through you. It is so sad that it takes a tragedy like this to comprehend how our days are numbered. Only He knows. Keep your faith in Him. He will bless you beyond belief. Our job is right now. This very second. So often, God gives me a little nudge towards someone.. and I put it off until the next day.. and then the next and then the next. Stop stalling. God put us on this earth for HIS glory. Not ours.. and so many times, the things I do always point back to me and my stupid self righteousness. So do something with me. Everyone. If this just touches one person, I will have done my job. Don't stall. Judgement is a heart beat away."

Stop Bullying

While watching Cartoon Network - which, by the way, I don't normally allow my children to watch - a couple of commercials came on about bullying.  Bullying has been brought to light in everyones' minds in recent years with the violence of school shootings.  The commercials suggested we check out the following site, so I did.

StopTheBullyingSpeakUp.com

Tragedy and Hope

Yesterday the community where I live was delivered a hard blow.  The 17 year old son of a beloved family from my church went missing.  He had been duck hunting on a local lake with a friend.  The two apparently separated and when the friend came back, James' boat was empty but still running.  No one knows what has happened to him.  Searchers have been working around the clock since 2pm yesterday.  Our church and community has rallied together to pray hard for this young man and his family.

My reason for this blog post is twofold.  One, to reach out to others out there who will join us in praying for James.  He is (I refuse to say "was") so loved within our church.  He is only 17 but has already impacted so many lives.  My own teenage daughters were impacted by him and left better for his presence in their lives.

My second reason for this post is simply for selfish reasons.  I don't know James on a very personal level, but I know him through my girls and have talked to him several times on Wednesday nights at youth group.  He is hard to miss.  A very tall young man with a personality to match.  I've never seen him with anything but a smile on his face and love in his heart for those around him.  But, even though I don't know him personally, his disappearance has left a huge hole in me.  I cannot think about him and his circumstances without tears coming.  He epitomizes everything a young person should be.  

His disappearance strikes us all hard.  I listen to my daughters' heartbreaking cries, I see the devastation from others around us.  It's as though our own mortality has risen up to slap us in the face.

But in the midst of the heartbreak is a grain of hope.  I see our youth and families rallying around each other and the Eunice family.  I see them on their faces before God crying out, asking for hope, knowing that God will provide it.  I see encouragement and love.  I have never (NEVER) seen a group of young people that love so genuinely.  I'm proud of every single one of them and how they are handling this tragic event.

I'm asking anyone who reads this to pray for James Eunice and his family.  Pray that, whatever the outcome, we can continue to see God's will and grace in this, that we continue to stay true to His word and never falter.  I, as so many others do, believe that James is a child of God and He knows exactly where James is (thank you to Tim Allred for reminding us of this).

As a selfish human, it is my prayer that James is returned home, safe, to his family.  

Until then, I am praying....

My Bucket List

I admit that I'm a sporadic blogger.  I love to blog.  I love to write.  But finding the time to actually sit down and do it....well, that's another thing entirely.  I surf other blogs and find so many that I like and I enjoy reading what others have to say.  When it comes to my blog, however, I often think, "why would anyone want to read what I have to say?"  I have followers and that's a really cool thing!  I love followers - what blogger doesn't?

I guess today is just a day of reflection.  I know...you're supposed to do this around New Year's and make new goals for the upcoming year.  I'm getting started a little late this year, I guess.

I've heard about the movie the Bucket List although I've never seen it.  I know, I know.  But, I think I have the general concept down:  Write down the things you want to accomplish before you leave this life, Set goals to accomplish those things, and Do It.  I don't know about you (if you're even reading this) but I have so many things that I want to do and accomplish.

Do you ever feel like you were put on this earth for a purpose but you can't quite put you finger on it?  Do you ever feel like you are doing something worthwhile and yet, at the same time, you are just spinning your wheels?  Do you ever feel like you're standing on that proverbial ledge, ready to take the leap to something greater but you don't know what that something greater is?  Do you ever feel terrified, at a loss, confused?  I guess that's where I am at this point.

So, I think from this point onward, I'm going to use Alfabet Soup more as a journal than a blog.  Since I'm on the computer so much anyway, I think it will give me a good forum for logging the steps I take toward fulfilling my bucket list.  And if you (if you're even reading this) feel so inclined to lend me moral support along the way, I would be eternally grateful.

My one hope is that I can stick with it.  There are so many things I would like to do and the list seems a bit daunting.  It's funny....I always tell my kids, "You can't eat the elephant all at once."  Guess I should take my own advice, huh?

So, for now, here is the beginning of my bucket list:

1.  Finish my novel
2.  Go back to Paris
3.  Lose weight
4.  Graduate with honors with my Associate in Criminal Justice
5.  Begin my Bachelor's degree
6.  Begin my Master's degree
7.  Travel Europe
8.  Go on a mission trip
9.  Grow my non-profit
10.  Write an article
11. Run/Walk for a cause
12. Be a better blogger

Ok, so it's not very long right now, but believe me, I'm sure I will add to it as time goes on.

If you want to get ideas for your own bucket list, here's a website I found with LOTS of them:  http://www.squidoo.com/100things

New Year's Resolutions

I say it every year.  "My New Year's Resolution is..."  ....fill in the blank.  I start with great intention and lots of dedication and motivation.  But, somewhere along the way, I always fall off the wagon.  Is it a lack of interest?  Lack of motivation?  Lack of support?  Probably a combination of things.  I like variety so I know I lose interest quickly.  I'm certainly motivated, but life seems to keep coming at me and I get derailed.  I have a great support system in my husband, but life comes at him full force, too, to he finds it hard to keep me supported.  *sigh*

What's a girl to do?

Here are a few tips that I've discovered while searching the Internet for help.  Maybe they'll help you, maybe they'll help me.

1.  Choose realistic resolutions.  (Seems simple enough.)
2.  Write down your plan.  (It helps me to see what I'm working towards.)
3.   Make small, attainable goals.  (You can't eat the elephant all at once.)
4.  Tell people.  (Tell friends and family.  They can be a great support system and may even join you.)
5.  Keep a journal.  (It may help you be accountable to yourself.)
6.  Set a schedule. (That life that comes at you is sure to get in the way!  Make a time for yourself.)
7.  Reward yourself with each goal.  (Don't binge...don't use food as reward if you're trying to lose weight.)
8.  Find support.  (It's critical for keeping your motivation and determination.)

So now, the question is...Can I stick to my resolutions.  Like so many others, my goal is to shed a few pounds.  I think though, that instead of my resolution being to lose weight, it will be just to eat better.  No more fries on the dollar menu, more water and green veggies.  That sounds a little more do-able to me.

I'd love to hear what your resolutions are.

Creamy Cranberry Coffee Cake

I've had this "thing" for cranberries lately so I baked a cake on Tuesday for my church's annual Cake Auction.  It looked and smelled so good, my husband wanted me to make another one tonight.  So, I did...

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

3/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Cream Cheese Layer

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cold butter

In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients.  Combine the eggs, orange juice, butter, and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients until well combined.  Fold in the cranberries and orange peel.  Pour into a greased 9-inch springform pan.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla; mix well.  Spread over batter.  Combine the flour and sugar; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over top.

Place pan on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 70-75 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing sides of pan.  

Yield:  12 servings

I found the cake a little dry so you might try a little corn syrup in the batter to moisten it.  Also, if you have a food processor, use that to chop the cranberries.  Much easier than using a knife!

Enjoy!

Bottle Bombs

This came across my email this morning and since it's true, I thought I would share it on my blog and Facebook and try to reach as many people as possible.

A Bottle Bomb is made of Drain-O and Tin Foil mixed together inside a plastic bottle. The chemical reaction makes a build up of gases inside the bottle and it then detonates with a great amount of force.

People have discovered these bombs in their fronts yards. They look like trash and had intended on removing them. The detonation takes place 30 seconds after moving the bottle.

If you find one of these, PLEASE do not move it! Call your local police.

snopes.com: Bottle Bombs

Song Dedications for my children

I've dedicated these songs to my children. Every time I hear them I'm reminded that this is my wish for my children.

For my girls:

For my boys:

Lion and rescuer reunited

YouTube - Lion and rescuer reunited

Fair Trade

I'm a big advocate for Fair Trade.  My other blog - The Anti-Slavery Project - is about combating human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children.  It's a huge issue in the United States (and globally, of course) but it doesn't stop there.  Another big issue is fair trade.  That is, slave labor.

Think it doesn't exist in the US?  Please, think again!  But, what is fair trade, you might be asking.  Fair trade creates a platform where producers receive fair wages and good working conditions.  It is assuring that the products you buy are made by workers who are not slaves to their employers.  In case you aren't aware, there is a full Fair Trade Movement going on!

Slave labor doesn't just mean "adults".  Many of the slaves are children.

Fair Trade principles include:

• Fair price
• Fair labor conditions
• Direct trade
• Democratic and transparent organizations
• Community development
• Environmental sustainability

Some of the products that are an issue for fair trade include:

• Coffee
• Chocolate
• Fruits and vegetables
• Spices and herbs
• Plants
• Nuts
• Sugar
• Cotton
• Soybeans
• Quinoa
• Wine
• Sportsballs

See anything that looks familiar to you?  Chances are, the food you're eating, the shoes you're wearing, or the soccer ball your kids play with were picked and/or assembled by slave children.

My challenge to you - my PLEA to you - is to shop smart this holiday season!  And then, learn to shop smart after the holidays are over.  STOP buying products unless the company is Fair Trade certified!

Here are some links to help you out:

Fair Trade Federation

Fair Trade USA

Chain Store Reaction

And by the way, October is Fair Trade Month!

FairTradeMonth.org

Foursquare Schoolhouse: Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF 2010

Click the picture above if you wanna join the party!!

Foursquare Schoolhouse: Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF 2010

Couch-to-5K

I've been saying for a while that it's time I got in shape. I'm carrying around ___ pounds of extra weight (ha! did you really think I would tell?) for the last thirteen years. So, my husband and I have decided that we're going to do it together. There's nothing like having a partner to help you stay motivated.

I discovered this running program several months ago through a church friend and thought, "There is NO way I could do that!" I've had a history of heart problems for a long time and this past May I had open heart surgery. But, finally, I've gotten up the courage to begin my journey.

It started this morning at 5am when my husband's alarm went off. Scared the bee-jeez out of me! I rolled over to slap it off and hit his nose instead. Poor thing. That's what he gets, I guess, for dragging me out of bed at the witching hour - or whatever hour that is!

But, I dragged my overweight butt out of bed, threw on my PT clothes and....yep, I successfully completed my first day of Couch-to-5k! It dang hard, I tell ya! I know why they say to take a day of rest between runs! My body felt beat all to heck! But, like the moron I am, I felt great!

Tomorrow, I get my day of rest. Wednesday, it's Day 2 (or as they say it in the program - W1D2)!

Looking forward to a thinner more energized me!

Cool Running | The Couch-to-5K � Running Plan

'Star Wars (John Williams Is The Man)' a cappella tribute medley - Corey...

Call Response

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic – After several days of going hungry, Maria said she surrendered to sexual propositions made by several men in the park where she begged in this resort town in the south of the Dominican Republic.

Maria, 12, said she had sex with “many” of those men, sometimes for a dollar, while her cousins, 13 and 10, begged European and American tourists for coins.

“I was hungry, I lost everything; we didn’t know what to do,” said Maria, explaining her decision to sell her body on the streets of Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.

The three children told reporters from El Nuevo Herald and The Miami Herald that they left Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with the help of a smuggler after the January earthquake devastated the city.

Today, the children sell boiled eggs for 10 cents all day, walking in the sun along Duarte Avenue, a bustling runway for juvenile prostitution in the heart of Boca Chica, where newly arrived Haitian girls sashay, offering their bodies to gray-haired tourists.

The story of Maria and her cousins has become commonplace: Since the earthquake more than 7,300 boys and girls have been smuggled out of their homeland to the Dominican Republic by traffickers profiting on the hunger and desperation of Haitian children and their families. In 2009, the figure was 950, according to one human rights group that monitors child trafficking at 10 border points.

Several smugglers told the newspaper that they operate in cahoots with crooked officers in both countries — their versions verified by a UNICEF report and child advocates on both sides of the border.

“All the officials know who the traffickers are, but don’t report them. It is a problem that is not going to end because the authorities’ sources of income would dry up,” said Regino Martinez, a Jesuit priest and director of the Border Solidarity Foundation in Dajabon, a Dominican border town.

Martinez has denounced the problem from the pulpit, to community groups and to the heads of CESFRONT, the Dominican Republic’s Specialized Corps for Borderland Security.

Leaders in both nations, following the catastrophic earthquake that killed an estimated 300,000 people, pledged to protect children from predatory smuggling, a historic problem.

But the newspaper found that the trafficking of children remains, with reporters witnessing smugglers carrying children across a river, handing them to other adults, who put the kids on motorcycles and speed off to shantytowns. Border guards, charged with preventing this very operation, witnessed the incidents and never reacted, the reporters found.

Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive acknowledged there has been a lack of political will to tighten the porous 370-kilometre border between both nations, which he called a “no man’s land and an opening for bigger trafficking.”

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/trafficking+Haitian+kids+exploding/3717456/story.html#ixzz13OB1bYTc

Call Response

Main Dish Menu Planner

I thought this was worth repeating. I'm always on the lookout for neat ideas to help keep me organized.

If you plan meals {or even if you don’t!} and are looking for a cute way to organize your favorite meals and recipes, be sure to check out my Main Dish Menu Planner that I posted on our family blog ~ and the best news is, you can fill it in and save it on your computer!!

I also shared how I use the meal planner andplan out our meals a month at a time. This handy page has helped me save so much time when it comes to planning!

Thanks Jolanthe from Homeschool Creations

Main Dish Menu Planner

Back in the Swing

I think I've figured out that once blogging is in your blood....well, it's your blood.  I've been away for a while and I MISS it.

However, some changes need to be made so I'm thinking of a new blog title and will change the look also.  I have so many things I like to talk about and that I'm interested in, I need something a little more "all-encompassing"!  Maybe you can help.  Got any ideas?  Leave me a comment....(I know, sneaky, right?)  ;)