To Fletcherize or Not to Fletcherize--That is the Question

Last Saturday, my brothers, my mother, and I along with our spouses went to the Oakland Temple to celebrate my mother's belated birthday. We rode together in David and Laurie's car, affectionately nicknamed, "The Beast." David had thoughtfully provided donuts for our ride up to prevent the rumbly in our tumbly feeling. (That was a reference to Winnie the Pooh, by the way.)

About ten minutes after the donuts were handed out, my brother Daniel loudly asked, "OK, who has finished their doughnut by now?"

Everyone raised their hand. Except me.

"What a surprise!" Daniel exclaimed.

I"m always the last one to finish. Because I enjoy my food!

There was much teasing until I said, "You should be kind to me. My friends have discovered that I have a medical condition known as fletcherizing."

OK, maybe it's not TECHNICALLY a medical condition, but to fletcherize \FLECH-uh-rahyz\ means "To chew food slowly and thoroughly." That's me!

Back in Stockton, everyone KNEW how slowly I ate. I was given special consideration at ward socials.

"Loralee needs to be at the FRONT of the line so she can finish eating before the program starts."

I was given special consideration at girls camp.

"The group doing Pearl Divers will eat first and oh, yeah, that old lady over there, too"

This is not a new condition by any means. From the time I was a young tot I made sure that each bite was thoroughly chewed. I was always the last one in my family to finish eating. And when anyone asked why I was taking so long I replied, "I enjoy my food."

Now, I have entered a new phase in my life--a new ward that doesn't realize how special I am!

My Stockton friends thoughtfully suggested that I make a "handicapped" placard and wear it around my neck for ward socials so I can have preferential treatment. They have suggested that I have a special table reserved where no one disturbs me while I am eating. They have even offered to put a public service announcement in my ward bulletin, educating people to my condition. so that they won't tease or judge me harshly! Don't I have great friends?

Personally, I think we should have a combined Relief Society/Young Women lesson on the joys of eating slowly so that we all might learn to thoroughly chew our food so that we can enjoy every morsel--every bite.

Won't you fletcherize with me?

How to Get Rid of a Telemarketer in One Easy Step

In early November, we received a phone call from a telemarketer. We have caller ID so we pretty much know who is calling us or at least we know their phone number. Ron answered the phone. listened to the spiel and politely told the company we were not interested. End of story, right?

Wrong.

Every day the remainder of November, December, and the beginning of January the same telemarketer called. THE SAME ONE! It was always the same phone number. They called as early as 7:45 am and as late as 9:15 pm. Despite letting them know that we were not interested, they would not. give. up.

I always let the answering machine pick up. No use wasting my time by letting them know EVERY DAY we were not interested. They never left a message. Because they are telemarketers and they do not have good manners.

Soon, the phone calls were increasing to twice a day. Twice a day I would look at caller ID and see my "friend" attempting to reach out and touch someone. However, I didn't want to be reached, much less touched.

Finally, in great exasperation I forgot my New Year's resolution about trying to be more loving and kind and gentle and all that good stuff and I answered. the. phone.

Yes, I did.

But, I didn't say, "hello" in my normally sweet telephone voice. (I've been told that my voice changes when I answer the phone and I sound like my daughters. I'm working on that. I still want it to sound sweet--just not so young!)

I didn't say anything. Instead, I muffled the receiver and walked over to our TV.

I turned the volume up to the loudest it would go and then, I un-muffled the phone and placed the receiver right next to the speakers and walked away.

A few minutes later, I could tell that my "friend" had finally hung up.

Guess what?

They haven't called back.

This is a public service announcement. You may want to try this when you have a persistent telemarketer who doesn't take "no thanks, I'm not interested" the first time.

You're welcome.

Top Favorite Recipes for 2010

One of last year's goals was to try out a minimum of 12 new recipes. There were some real losers such as the Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake mentioned in an earlier post. Emily says that it doesn't even deserve a one half star rating. But others were keepers. Here are my three favorite new recipes for your dining enjoyment. Because I'm generous like that. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
This recipe is pure dining enjoyment. It's a little bit of heaven here on earth. If you are a sweet and sour fan like our family, you MUST try this recipe. It's that good!

*Serves 4-6

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Vegetables and fruit:
3 large carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, diagonally sliced
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 can of pineapple, drained well

Bake chicken for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated with the sauce. Last 15 minutes of cooking time, add the vegetables and pineapple. Serve over rice.

Broccoli Cheese Bacon Stuffed Potatoes

From Parade Magazine

Wow, that's a mouthful of a title, but it describes this recipe PERFECTLY! I have made this recipe at least a half dozen times in 2010 and it's on the docket for dinner next week. This is perfect for a main course with a salad and fruit on the side. This recipe always brings happy memories because shortly after eating it the first time, I got the BEST birthday surprise EVER! Less than an hour later my darling daughters (and their significant others) showed up from Utah. Maybe that's why I'm such a fan.

4 large russet poatoes
4 T. butter
3/4 c. cottage cheese or 1/2 c. sour cream (I like it better with the cottage cheese.)
6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
8 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
1 1/2 c. cooked, chopped broccoli
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prick the potatoes with a knife and bake them on a foil-lined baking sheet until tender; about an hour. Remove potatoes from oven.

2. Cut off and discard (or munch) the top quarter of each potato. Scoop out the flesh and mash it with the butter, cottage cheese or sour cream, and cheddar cheese. Stir in the bacon and broccoli and pile the stuffing back into the potato skins.

3. Bake another 20 to 30 minutes; or until browned and piping hot.

Broccoli and Chicken Casserole

Several years ago, my family compiled a family cookbook. I finally tried my sister Karen's delightful recipe. She calls it simply, Broccoli Casserole, but I've added chicken to the title to help describe it in all it's glorious goodness. I need to make this casserole again soon! It is a dreamy delight and perfect served over rice.

2 BIG bunches of broccoli, cut up quite chunky. (According to my sister Karen, the broccoli is the BEST part! Some members of my immediate family might disagree, but I think it is quite good, too.)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup (fat free works well for this recipe.)
1/2 c. low fat mayo. (OK, if you must use the full fat variety, that will work, too. But only use mayo. Do not substitute with Miracle Whip.)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. curry (the secret ingredient)
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. Bread croutons. (Karen says to make these croutons, take the thick "Texas Bread" and toast in a toaster or broil them briefly in the oven. Cut the toast into 1" cubes. Saute the cubes in 2 T. butter. Delicious!) (OK, Karen says she lied! The broccoli isn't the BEST part, but the croutons are. She usually doubles the amount of croutons she uses--it's that good. I agree that it is the BEST part!)

1. Cook broccoli slightly (half cooked) Line the broccoli at the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

2. Cook chicken and cube into chunks. Put on top of the broccoli.

3. Combine soups, mayo, curry, and lemon juice. Spoon over top of chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.

4. Place croutons on top.

5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and continue baking another 10 minutes.

There you go! Three meals that should please your taste buds!

Excuse Me...I Didn't Catch Your Name

Tuesday night the doorbell rang. Ron and I answered the door. There stood a nice looking older couple on our doorstep. They said, "Hi, we're here to take you to dinner!"

Wow! That's never happened before.

Unfortunately we had already eaten and Ron, Emily, and I had commitments that evening.

Emily was playing Nerf guns for Mutual. I was helping the Mia Maids with Personal Progress. Ron was going out with the missionaries. We also had three steaming hot lasagnas on our kitchen counter waiting to be transported to the church to feed the homeless at the Armory.

Ron explained all this to this very nice looking couple.

The man said, "No problem. My wife will visit your wife and we'll take the lasagnas to the church."

With that, the woman came into our house. I excused myself for a minute to make sure Emily had woken up from her short nap.

"Who is in our house?" she whispered.

"I have no idea," I whispered back.

There was a very nice looking lady sitting in my living room and I had no idea who she was!

Now, that doesn't happen every day!

I walked back into the living room and the very nice looking woman and I began making conversation. I figured out that she is a member of our ward. Good to know! I discovered that she has three adult sons. I learned that she can't wait to have grandchildren. I found out that she's lived in Morgan Hill for over 30 years and that she used to work for Kaiser.

I learned quite a bit of information about this very nice looking woman but I never learned her name.

Ron and the very nice looking man came back from delivering the lasagnas. They sat in the living room and we continued our conversation.

I learned that the man has worked in construction since he was in his early 30's. I learned that he worked for a large Utah contractor for many years before starting his own company. I learned that he never made a lot of money, but he's happy. I learned that he knows my brothers and my mother and Jack and that he was surprised to discover I was related to them.

I learned quite a bit of information about this very nice looking man but I never learned his name.

As they prepared to leave, they expressed their disappointment that we had already eaten. They were really looking forward to getting to know us better.

"We'll have to do it another time," they remarked as we said our good-byes. Ron and I said we were looking forward to it.

The door closed. They drove off.

"Who are they?" I asked Ron.

"Hmmm...I'm not sure," Ron replied.

All I can say is that we better figure out their names soon.

Tangled Up in an Old Spice Commerical

If you are sitting at home, wanting a little fun, this post is for you.

If you are a devoted fan of the Old Spice commercials, this post is for you.

If you enjoyed Disney's Tangled, this post is for you.

Entertainment in a 30 second clip. What more could you want?




By the way--LOVE that horse! And who can resist "The Smolder?"

Reflections of a New Year

Today after I taught early-morning seminary, I went for a long walk. The rain had finally stopped, the sun was trying to break through the clouds, and I wanted to think and ponder.

As I climbed up and down the hills in my neighborhood, I silently prayed, "Heavenly Father, what do you want me to do?"

Sometimes, my life feels like a jigsaw puzzle. There are missing pieces and yet, if I can just find the right combination of patterns, colors, and pieces, everything will fall into place. I love the New Year because it feels fresh with a whole world of possibilities. Some of my friends tease me because I LOVE to set goals. I also love to work on them. I don't always succeed in every goal--but I am making the effort and hopefully by the end of the year I can look back and see some progress.

So this morning, as I walked, I asked, "Heavenly Father, what do you want me to do?"

I had already written down some goals I wanted to accomplish for the coming year. I want to study the life of the Savior as I re-read the New Testament. I want to continue to read the Book of Mormon. I want to attend the temple at least once a month.

I had some physical goals as well--exercising 250 times this year, organizing my recipes, filing my magazines. And I had some intellectual goals as well--completing a couple more BYU classes and reading at least 24 books. But, I felt like something was lacking.

As I walked up and down the streets of my neighborhood, silently praying, this is the thought that came to me:

"Don't just study the life of the Savior, but become more like Him."

It made me think of one of my favorite Primary Hymns.

I'm trying to be like Jesus,
I'm following in His ways,
I'm trying to love as He did,
In all that I do and say.
At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice,
But I try to listen as the still, small voice whispers,
"Love one another as Jesus loved you,
Try to show kindness in all that you do,
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught."

--I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus from the Children's Songbook.

This coming year I will try a little harder to be kinder. I will try a little harder to be more loving. I will try a little harder to be more patient. I will try a little harder to be a little more like my Savior.

I may not be able to measure this goal in numbers--I won't be able to wake up one morning saying, "Good job--you did it!" But, hopefully at the end of 2011 I will feel a difference in my spirit.

Time Capsule Opened

Yesterday afternoon, I was determined to find the lost time capsule. After a little bit of searching, I found it! When I looked at the carefully labeled lid I realized I was supposed to open the time capsule last New Year's Day! Ooops! I guess with all the excitement of Jennifer and Jacob's wedding and Christmas and the New Year's Eve youth dance that I was helping with, I forgot.

Well, better late than never!

Ron and I had a good laugh over some of our predictions. Some came true. Some did not.

A couple of my predictions that did come true was that I went back to college and that we paid off our mortgage. One of the predictions that did not come true was that Ron and I would travel to Israel. Oh well. Maybe this decade!

I also asked each family member to share a little bit about themselves for the time capsule on their "Who I am" paper. Jennifer's paper made me smile when she wrote as an 11 year old, "I like horses and hope to own/ride one someday." She also shared "I like playing Centipede the most (on my computer.) You have to destroy the centipede and save the world." Go, Jennifer!

In our time capsule I included the front sections of the local paper for Dec. 31, 1999 and Jan. 1, 2000. The New Year's Eve issue's headline was "Clock ticking down." It also mentioned that "Ex-Beatle stabbed by crazed intruder." The New Year's Day paper's headline read, "Jan. 1, 2000: Looks like we made it!" The whole Y2K scare was just that--a scare. Thank goodness.

My favorite part of the time capsule was the sheet of paper titled "Words of Wisdom." Here is what we wrote 11 years ago.

Emily (age 6) "Hug and kiss someone everyday."

Jennifer (age 11) "Don't ask Mom what you can do when your room is a mess." More words of wisdom: "Don't write things you don't want other people to read." A.K.A "I didn't want to keep the first message I wrote, but Mom said I couldn't cross it out."

Loralee: (age much younger than now.) "Start the day with prayer, scripture study, and exercise."

Ron: (age much younger than now.) "Buy low--sell high."

Christie (age 18) "Do what is right even when it's hard. Sometimes the right thing to do is not always the 'popular' thing to do."

Heather (age 14) "Always finish what you start."

Dear Christie, Heather, and Jennifer,

Your predictions will go into the mail next week along with your "Who I Am" papers. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Love,
Mamoom