Is it just me??

I didn't grow up in an angry household. I didn't grow up in a place where people treated each other poorly. However, I look at my country today and I see so many things that I never saw before.

First off, I am a Christian, before anything else in my life, Jesus comes first. Granted, I am not perfect and there are days that I put myself first, but I always try to put Him first. I am also a Conservative. I don't believe in abortion, I don't believe in gay marriage, I don't believe in women in the clergy, I don't believe in entitlement programs. That being said, I have just gained a lot more "enemies" than friends. I live in a country where freedom is no longer a right, but a luxury. I live in a country that is traveling down a path that I fear we will not be able to change. We're coming to a fork in the road and I'm not sure there will be any turning back.

Since the election, I have become more aware of the people around me. I am a happy person, or try to be most of the time. I volunteer to help when I can. I give food to people just because I worry about them. I donate clothing to people. I help in any way I can and my husband and I try and instill this value in our daughter. But in this country today I see many people that are not asking for help, they are DEMANDING it. They are demanding I pay for their mortgage, they are demanding I pay for their health insurance, they are demanding I pay for their life style, whether I agree or not (think Prop. 8 in California and the stem-cell research issue). I didn't grow up demanding anything from my parents - they instilled in us the knowledge that we had to WORK for what we wanted. As an example, as a teenager, my parents bought their first home (we had always lived in govt. housing due to my dad's job). The house was on 1/2 an acre. My dad decided we needed a fence around the property. We did not have a lot of money, but there were two teens that needed to earn some money, so the deal was done. All summer long by brother and I dug post holes in rock hard ground. There were days we could only dig half an inch and we'd then put water on the hole to soften it up for the next day. Well, we finally got the holes dug with much fighting amongst ourselves (hey, we're were teens!). My parents took us to the bank and gave us the money we had worked so hard for. Twenty five dollars. We each got $25 for all those post holes. Price per hole? .25 each. Slave labor???? Maybe, but we earned every dime and we were excited to get that money. By today's standards, that's not much. But by today's standards, you don't see kids digging post holes for money either. We have become a society of entitlement. It's been caused and encouraged by many parents and our government. No one thinks they need to work for anything anymore. What ever happened to being proud of what you've accomplished? Can you honestly say that you can go to your friends and say you are proud that the government is taking care of your every want? Not needs, but wants?

I also see a country that is full of angry people. I don't think they just showed up, I think they just came out of hiding. I think this President has made many realize that it's ok to demand things from their neighbors, even if they don't deserve it. I see people demanding many things, but at the same time, they have things I don't have (think 60 inch plasma tv, multiple cell phones, new vehicle, etc.). They made the choice for those items. I didn't. I work hard for what I have. I don't live on credit, I may not have a big savings account, but I do have some. I have always tried to live "right". Why am I being punished for other people's poor choices? Now, I understand that things happen and sometimes people do need help because they lost their job or they got behind on their mortage payment because of the lost job, but that is different than someone who decided to roll the dice and play to see how long they can get by on what they don't make.

I see people who want to take away my rights because it makes them uncomfortable. Do I really care? Not really. I know where my home will be at some point and it's not here. But, I also know that I have to live with my neighbors. Just because I don't like your lifestyle or choices, doesn't mean I will treat you poorly because of it. That being said, why do you treat me poorly?

We are no longer governed according to the Constitution, but rather by emotions and desires. What happens when our voices are taken away? Our rights to protect ourselves? Our rights to grow our own food? Think it won't happen? It's happening now. Do you really want your children to live in a country where they are not free? Do you really want to live in a country that has no moral compass? That makes it ok to kill someone because of their belief system? That makes it ok to silence them because of their belief system?

I pray that our country wakes up and take the "right" fork in the road and not the other. I have faith in people and I pray their eyes will be opened to what is happening and take a stand against the anger and intimidation and not be fearful for being Christian, or Conservatives.

That being said, I also see angry people who don't like what is going on in their country and for the first time in their lives they are realizing what they could lose if they don't stand up and fight for it. These people are the silent majority. They don't normally voice their concerns because they figure that as conservatives, we are supposed to sit on our hands and play nice, but I think the days of playing nice are over and we are going to have to stand up for our country and the future of our children and grand children. Also, we as parents and grandparents need to make sure that the values our children have and are being taught are the types of values that make this country great. Hard work, honestly, truth, love, life isn't always fair - deal with it.

I don't envy the people that make 5 million a year. I don't envy anyone what they earned. They earned it. Would it be nice to have that kind of money? Sure, but I DIDN'T EARN IT. I'm ok with that. I pray that there are others like me that feel the same way.

Again life isn't fair, but deal, people.

Mom's Pie Crust

Everyone has special memories of their mom. One of mine is her pies. She made the most beautiful pie crusts. They were truly amazing. Unfortunately, she did not pass that skill onto her daughter, but I do try. That being said, here's my Mom's recipe.

2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. shortening
6 Tblsp. water

In bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry cutter (or do like me and use a fork). Sprinkle water a little at a time and mix with a fork. Gather dough into a ball and divide in half and roll each into a circle about 1.5" larger than pie plate. Lay into plate and flute edges.

Makes 2 crusts.

Green Chile Quiche

Another favorite quiche recipe of mine, and living in the chile capitol of the world, I have a lot of chile floating around.

Preheat oven to 300 deg.

3 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. mayo
1/3 c. green chile
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 c. onions, sauteed
1/2 c. swiss cheese (can add more if you want)

Mix all and dump into a prepared crust. Bake at 300 deg. for 30 minutes. If you use a deep dish pie crust (double the recipe), cook for 50-60 minutes at 350 deg.

LaDonna's Favorite Quiche Recipe

Throughout the past couple of years, I have become a lover of quiche. I didn't grow up eating it, it is something I developed a taste for. I like this recipe because it is pretty adaptable to what I have in my freezer or my garden at any given time. I hope you enjoy it.

Preheat oven to 350 Deg.

1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 Tblsp. flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. ground sausage, browned
1/2 c. green chile
1 c +/- broccoli (steamed)
sauteed onion, to taste
8 oz. grated swiss cheese

Mix altogether and pour into a pre-made pie crust or make your own crust (I will post my mom's recipe that I use, next).

Variations: I have used the following in lieu of broccoli: 1 c. drained, steamed spinach or you can mix it up by dividing the 1 c. measurement with various other veggies. I like mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, swiss chard, yellow squash, to name a few. You can also substitute bacon for the sausage. If you don't like meat, just replace it with more veggies.

This makes a deep-dish quiche.

Enjoy

Bake for 1 hour