Thanksgiving Shopping: Are you being hypocritical?

Let me first start by saying that I have been drafting this in my head all morning, but the typing of this will go rather quick because I have my own family to get back to. Second, let me make it clear that when stores first started opening early Thanksgiving evening I was not a fan and now that it is done on purpose at many stores I am definitely not a fan.

How did we get to be this way? How did we let this happen in our society? Because we are greedy, we give in to earthly wants, and we don't stand up for or stand up against these things, instead we allow them to be done and even become a contributing factor. We ignore the small changes and then suddenly they are changes across the whole society. I promise this change didn't just suddenly happen this year, but it has been years in the making. One store here, another store there.

Now for all who are posting and tweeting that they won't support shopping on Thanksgiving and they would like to unfriend anyone who does, are you being true to what you claim you believe? Are you possibly being a little hypocritical?

Some things I want you to think about as you choose to pass judgement.

• Do you watch football on Thanksgiving Day? Do you go to the games? 
• As you are cooking, have you ever hoped beyond hope that the store around the corner might be open for that one thing you forgot?
• Are you boarding a plane to start your Thanksgiving weekend or to head back home?
• Do you need to stop and fill up your vehicle with gas?
• Do you know someone who maybe, just maybe, doesn't have any place to celebrate? Is someone who gets depressed during the holidays and work is the only thing that keeps them going?
• Do you know or have you been that single mom who just wants to be able to provide for her children and as much as you want to spend the entire day with your loved ones, you have the option to work on a holiday which means holiday pay regardless of whether you are a full time or a part time employee?
• What about that college student who really wants to be with family, but knows that he is on his own when it comes to paying for college tuition or for the books to use in his classes? Holiday pay really helps. 
• Do you ever meet up with your family at a local restaurant because it is "easier"?
• Do you turn on the news or the radio so you can enjoy some tunes or find out what is going on in the world?
• Have you ever needed medical care? Been in need of local law enforcement? The fire department? 
• What about the children's homes? Someone has to be there to take care of them....even on days like Thanksgiving.
• What about the person working to defend this country you are blessed to live in?

I know I have probably missed a few examples, but I really had to stop and assess where I stand with this business of stores being open on Thanksgiving. No I don't like it, but as a society we have allowed this to happen gradually over the past few years. Are you a contributor and you didn't even know it?

I personally will not be shopping any of these crazy sales on Thanksgiving Day....or even on Friday, but I would be hypocritical if I judged you because I am getting ready to get 5 children dressed so we can travel a couple hours to a restaurant that is open until mid-afternoon to be with extended family we only see (sadly) once a year. So I ask that before you unfriend, stop following, or judge another, please take a look in the mirror. Then I ask that you pray. Pray for your family and friends, the stranger down the street, the cashier having to work and be away from family, and yes even the people who dash out madly to save a couple of dollars. Remember that although there is an official set aside holiday for us to give thanks, we should really take the time to give thanks to God every day for the blessings and trials of our life.

Psalm 95:2-3

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.  For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.

Raspberry Bars

Our life with food allergies not only means being creative with ideas for enjoyable desserts, but also being knowledgeable and creative enough to modify regular recipes to suit our needs. I found the original recipe for this at http://mommysmenu.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/blueberry-raspberry-bars-with-a-cinnamon-stresual/. The recipe below is my adaptation to meet the needs of avoiding our top 9 foods to avoid in our house: wheat, yeast, milk, egg, peanut, corn, banana, pork, and beef.

Altered Recipe:

Crust:
6 gluten free sugar cones
Handful of Crunchmasters Grammy Crisps
2 tablespoons sugar
7 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350°.

Grind sugar cones, Grammy Crisps, and sugar together. Add butter a tablespoon or two at a time and mix well. Spread mixture into bottom of 12 x 8 greased pan. Place in oven for about 5-8 minutes.

 Mixture ready to spread

 In the oven

 Crust is ready

Filling:
12 oz. package frozen raspberries (fresh berries or another kind of berry will work too)
2 tablespoons sugar
dash of lemon juice

Mix together ingredients for filling. Pour onto prebaked crust.

 Raspberries on crust

Topping: 

3/4 cup Betty Crocker's Rice Flour Mix 

3 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter, softened

Blend together all ingredients. Mix may be powdery, but when you crumble over the raspberries, it will clump together. Crumble topping over raspberries. 

 Topping is crumbled over and ready for the oven.

Place in oven for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Ready to serve!

Chocolate Fudge

I've tried many times, and unsuccessfully I might add, to make chocolate fudge. It always turns out dry and crumbly, but not today!!!!! I just want to keep sneaking bites of this creamy fudge. The best part is I am able to make this fudge so that my kiddos with allergies can enjoy it as well.

Easy Chocolate Fudge
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix sugar and cocoa in medium saucepan.

 Sugar and cocoa ready to mix.

 Sugar/cocoa mixed

Add milk and mix. Bring mix to a boil.

 Pre-boiling state. Make sure no sugar crystals/mixture remain on the sides of the pan. Wipe down.

Once boiling DO NOT stir. Add candy thermometer and turn heat down slightly so mixture can simmer. Once candy thermometer reaches approximately 238 degrees F, remove from heat. Mine didn't get that high (maybe I'm not patient enough), but the candy thermometer itself indicates fudge to be a range of about 210-250 so I was fine with the temperature only reaching about 230 degrees. 

 Boiling

Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to about 150 degrees F. 

 Cooling down

Once cool, beat in butter and vanilla until fudge loses its sheen. (To be quite honest, I do more by feel than by look so mine didn't quite lose its sheen, but I could tell it was ready). Pour into greased pan and let cool and set. 

 Cooling and setting

Cut into squares and enjoy!!!

Sunbutter Fudge

One of my favorite sweets is peanut butter fudge, and not just anybody's my Great Mamaw Pilkenton's. I'm sure I haven't had any of her fudge in 20 years or more, but the taste is one that can't be easily forgotten. In my quest to share my love of fudge with my children, I've tried many recipes and had many fails, but not this one. Now since there are peanut allergies I don't enjoy this fudge as much as I do true peanut butter fudge made this way, but my kiddos love it and that is what matters most.

My favorite part about this recipe.....NO candy thermometer needed!!!!


Basic Recipe:
1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk (we use Silk Plain Soy milk due to milk allergies)
3/4 cup Sunbutter (peanut butter if you can)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add brown sugar and milk.

Brown sugar, milk, and butter mix

Bring mix to a boil. Stir frequently and allow to boil about 2 minutes. 

Boiling mix

Remove from heat and add Sunbutter (or peanut butter) and vanilla extract. Stir until well mixed. 

 Just after Sunbutter and vanilla added.

Mix after Sunbutter is starting to melt into sugar mix.

Place the powdered sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl. To avoid some lumping, you can sift the powdered sugar into the bowl or go through it with a fork breaking up clumps before adding mix. I forgot I sometimes do that so I had a few powdered sugar clumps to work out. 

Pour Sunbutter/sugar mix over powdered sugar. 

 Just after pouring Sunbutter mix.

Mix well and spread into an 8 x 8 pan.

 Ready to set. 

Allow fudge to cool. You can place in refrigerator for a 1-2 hours. Once cool, cut into squares and enjoy! 

Ready to eat. 

The Words No Mom Should Have to Hear

"MOMMY! NOOOOOOOO! STOP IT MOMMY! I SAID STOP IIIIIIITTTTTTT! YOU'RE BURNING ME! STOP IT! PLEASE JUST STOP IT MOMMY!" Bradley screams to the point of being hoarse every night and every morning, as tears well up in his eyes. Sounds very similar to this post I made in 2009....

His Hand's Are Holding Me

This is once again our life. Fortunately for my readers, I don't have any good pictures from our current flare. We live each day  not knowing. Not knowing whether the day will be one full of smiles, mischief, giggles, and genuine boy life or whether they day will be somber and heartbreaking with these screams, with Bradley curled up in the fetal position with tears in the corners of his eyes, ready to fall at any moment, screaming at the slightest move. Clothing, especially socks, stick to his wounds and sometimes the pajamas do as well so we have to carefully wet the clothing and pry it off his already hurting skin.

You see, Bradley's eczema sat on the back burner for the past couple of years while we learned of new health issues. Now that we had time to uncover some issues that have probably been present for just as long as the asthma, eczema, and allergies, his little body is now overtaken with all his health problems.

God's timing is perfect too. While I pray that Bradley will get the relief he deserves, I am also thankful that if he must endure this pain, that he gets to do it where I work. You see, he gets to be in the same building I am since he is now a second grader and our school is 2nd-5th. Sometimes he just needs a mother's touch, hug, kiss, word to keep him going through the day. And days like today he can say "Mommy, I don't care what anyone says, will you please carry me down the hall so it doesn't hurt so bad?" God gives moms an amazing amount of strength:-)

We are going to enter into a sense of false healing because to help him make it through the next several days, he is on an oral steroid to help calm his little body down. I say false healing, because he cannot stay on this medicine for a prolonged period and it is a medicine that starts out strong and tapers off with lower doses every few days. By this time next week he will most likely be screaming himself hoarse again as I work to moisturize his skin, force him to bathe, and apply any topical medications because that's what happens....the flare comes back with a vengeance. I will take advantage of the rest this false healing will provide because from experience we know this is a long haul because it does take time. He has been suffering without getting this under control for the past several months, and especially since August.

In years past, no matter how bad a flare, no matter how horrific his skin, Bradley always made it outside because he loves the outdoors and was willing to pay the consequence. Since August, Bradley has been outside for recess or other play only a handful of times. He has found a new escape in a world of technology that requires little exertion meaning little chance of sweating or becoming too hot.

We continue to pray and trust in the ultimate Healer's hands to hold us, wipe away our tears, carry us, and be the listener we need as we cry out in pain, in frustration, in weariness, in praise, and in question.

As I read back over many of my blog posts from 2009, I am taken back to that time. It's amazing how our brain helps us to remember some things and forget others. We battle such health problems as eczema, allergies, asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic colitis, acid reflux, and the food elimination that goes with those diseases for Bradley. We carefully read labels so he can avoid milk, egg, yeast, wheat, peanut, banana, pork, beef, and corn. He now complains constantly of new symptoms such as always being dizzy, tired, and crampy.

For Tori, our days are only slightly different because she too suffers from eczema, allergies, and asthma. She gets hot, she scratches. She doesn't get what she wants, she scratches. She gets upset about something, she scratches. Fortunately she clears faster for right now that what Bradley does and at least she can tolerate water from a shower or bath, she just doesn't like putting on her lotions. But my walk down memory lane via my posts reminds me that she has suffered for quite some time as well and she even had some serious diagnosis that I had forgotten about as far as her infections through the years.

As for Aubrey who is now 18 months old, I continue to pray she remains as healthy as she is and praise God each day. For both Bradley and Tori, they have suffered since before their first birthday.