It's Been 100 Days....

Goodness, 100 days of retirement!!!  Where has the time gone these last 100 days?  I am amazed...the older I get the faster time flies by!

Retirement has been an adjustment for me, to be sure.  Having worked somewhere since I was 16 years old, switching gears has been a tad hard.  So here's what retirement is not (thus far):

• Sleeping late- nope I still awaken around 5:00 AM every morning.
• Taking naps- there is no way I can justify naps in the middle of the day! (At least not yet...LOL)
• Getting everything done-just like my working life, things come up and cause me to go into reverse mode or to switch up what I planned to work on.
• Coffee shops- since everyone I know works; no one to sit in the coffee shop with just yet!!
• Organized and Regimented- I am a list writer and planner.  So I still need to get into the groove of sometimes just going with the flow!
• A bad thing- I am amazed at the number of people who look upon retirement as the worst thing you could do???  Geez...it doesn't mean I'm dead!!!   Just that I am choosing to move into new territory.

What is retirement then:

• A new life phase- a chance to catch your breath and find different priorities.
• A time to actually rebond with your grown children- "Mom and Daughter Days", cooking lessons, helping your children move, daily conversations, weekly family meals, celebrating their successes and so much more!
• Finding new outlets- blogging, line dancing, cooking, reading the latest best sellers, cleaning out all the "stuff" one has accumulated over the years, reunion meetings, dinner rides, photography....and learning what's out there!!
• Eating meals on a regular basis.
• Learning how to slow down and be thankful for all the blessings you have.
• A time to regroup and figure out what you want to be when you "grow up"!
• Hard to explain.  Sometimes people think you are suppose to have filled your days with thousands of things to do!!  Now that just doesn't happen right away...it takes time just like anything else.
• Keeping in contact with those you worked with for years and being aware of what's going on in their lives...awards, new babies, marriages, celebrations, challenges.  Just because you retire doesn't mean you want to cut that out of your life.  It's still a part of who you are and being included or sharing information helps maintain that special part of who you are!!
• Not being able to always answer the question "What are you doing with all your time?" or "What did you do today?" with a thrilling answer or totally exciting stories!!

Retirement, for me, is taking one day at a time as I try to find a new paths to take and new skills to grow!!  It's a new season of life and a learning process!

The Time's Ripe For...

Strawberries!!!  I was at the grocery store today and my goodness...strawberries were everywhere.  Now I don't mean the small ones you see during winter months...these strawberries were huge!!  Beautiful, gorgeous strawberries.  Of course, I had to get some and I certainly hope they are as delicious as they look!!

According to a recent newspaper article:

Strawberries, one of spring's first fruits to ripen, will soon be ready at nearly 200 farms across North Carolina. According to the North Carolina Strawberry Association (NCSA), this year's crop is expected to be early and plentiful.

"North Carolina strawberries handled the cold winter well this year, so we're looking forward to a good season," says Debby Wechsler, NCSA executive secretary. Reports from around the state indicate harvests in the Sandhills and Coast in early April, in the Piedmont in mid-April and in the mountain area in late April. Strawberry-picking season generally lasts from five to eight weeks, depending on the weather. May is peak season and officially regarded as Strawberry Month.

More than just a delicious and healthy fruit, the official red berry of North Carolina plays a major role in the state economy, bringing in more than $25 million annually. "We are No. 1 in the nation among states that sell strawberries directly to consumers. People like to pick their own produce from local strawberry farms because it's a great outdoor activity for families and they know the fruit is fresh," Wechsler adds.

In addition to supporting the state economy, produce lovers also boost their own health when consuming North Carolina strawberries. Strawberries are naturally high in Vitamin A, iron, calcium, and Vitamin C. Just one serving of fresh strawberries – one cup or about six to nine berries – contains 140 percent of the recommended daily allowance for Vitamin C with no fat, cholesterol or sodium.

I have decided I'll pick some strawberries this year and I can't wait!!  If the strawberries I bought today are any indication...I'll be in "strawberry heaven" for quite some time.  Interested in picking your own strawberries?  Then go to: http://www.ncstrawberry.org/index.cfm.  There's a strawberry farm locator plus other interesting strawberry tidbits.

Oh, by the way...I found the ultimate Strawberry Shortcake Cake recipe.  Hope you enjoy it!!!


Bon Appétit!!




Strawberry Shortcake Cake 

Cake Ingredients:

• 1-½ cup Flour
• 3 Tablespoons Corn Starch
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 9 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 3 whole Large Eggs
• ½ cups Sour Cream, Room Temperature
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

Icing Ingredients:

• ½ pounds Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
• 2 sticks Unsalted Butter
• 1-½ pound Powdered Sugar, Sifted
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 pound Strawberries

Preparation Instructions:

IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a cake pan that’s at least 2 inches deep! Before baking, the batter should not fill the pan more than halfway.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.
Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.

Pour into greased and floured 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until no longer jiggly like my bottom. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.

Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.

Make icing: combine cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.

Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minutes, just to make icing easier.

Remove from freezer. Use a little less than 1/3 of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top spreading evenly, then spread the remaining 1/3 cup around the sides.

Leave plain OR garnish with strawberry halves.
IMPORTANT: Cake is best when served slightly cool. The butter content in the icing will cause it to soften at room temperature. For best results, store in the fridge!

Sticks and Stones

Bullying is not a new phenomena; we all have seen bullies, known bullies or have been bullied at some point in our lives.  There are bullies of all ages in this world!  Does that make it okay....NO WAY!!  The video above is a reminder of how bullying is still around!!

What is new is the technology we now use and the way it's being used to bully children.  Bullying is in our child's school, on their computer, on their cellphone!!  There is no escaping bullying...in years gone by one could walk away from the bully and not allow a bully access to our lives 24/7!  Not so today.  Now, in no way am I saying technology is bad...it was a lifesaver while I was doing graduate work, provides unlimited research opportunities, keeps me connected to family and friends and my list can go on and on.

My request is simple...we need to be aware of what is going on in the lives of our children, grandchildren, students...the lives of the children around us.  It's important we provide them with an outlet...someone they can go to, talk with and give them knowledge on actions they can take when faced with any bullying situation!

How Frequently Does Bullying Occur?
There are different estimates of how often children are bullied or engage in bullying:

• According to the American Medical Association, 3.7 million youths engage in bullying, and more than 3.2 million are victims of “moderate” or “serious” bullying each year (Cohn & Canter, 2003).
• Some studies have shown that between 15 and 25 percent of U.S. students are frequently bullied; 15 to 20 percent report that they bully others frequently (Nansel et al., 2001; Melton et al., 1998; Geffner, Loring, & Young, 2001).
• Over the course of a year, nearly one-fourth of students across grades reported that they had been harassed or bullied on school property because of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or disability (Austin, Huh-Kim, Skage, & Furlong, 2002).
• Almost 30 percent of youth in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both. In a national survey of students in grades 6 to 10, 13 percent reported bullying others, 11 percent reported being the target of bullies, and another 6 percent said that they bullied others and were bullied themselves (Nansel et al., 2001).
• Seventy-four percent of eight- to eleven-year-old students said teasing and bullying occur at their schools (Kaiser Family Foundation & Nickelodeon, 2001).
• Every seven minutes, a child on an elementary playground is bullied (Pepler, Craig, & Roberts, 1998).

When and Where Does Bullying Usually Occur?

• It occurs at early ages and in all grades, with an onset between three and four years of age (Byrne, 1994a, 1994b).
• In the United States, it increases for boys and girls during late elementary years, peaks during the middle school years, and decreases in high school (Hoover, Oliver, & Hazler, 1992; Banks, 1997; Garrett, 2003).
• Physical severity may decrease with age (Sharp & Smith, 1994).
• At the start of the school year, bullies begin looking for easy targets.
• It occurs two to three times more often at school than on the trip to and from school (Olweus, 1995).
• It is most likely to occur where there is no adult supervision, inadequate adult supervision, poor supervision, a lack of structure, and few or no anti-bullying rules; it is also more likely to occur where teachers and students accept bullying or are indifferent to it (Beane, 2008).
• It occurs virtually everywhere: in homes, nursery schools, preschools, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, neighborhoods, churches, city parks, on the trip to and from school, on the streets, and in the workplace, for example. It occurs in large cities and small towns, large schools and small schools—and even one-room schools in other countries (Olweus, 1995).
• It occurs mainly in hidden areas and areas lacking adult supervision: halls, stairwells, the playground, areas where students take brief breaks, between buildings, restrooms, locker rooms, the cafeteria, on buses, and parking lots; it occurs when students are walking to and from school, but also in classrooms

http://www.cyberbullying.us/index.php
http://www.olweus.org/public/bullying.page
http://www.stopbullying.gov/
http://www.education.com/topic/school-bullying-teasing/http://www.bullying.org/http://www.bullyfree.com/free-resources/facts-about-bullying



Download a free e-Book on bullying

Because I Care.....

You know how on Facebook we all find "likes" for a cause or activity and we add it to our posts or profiles?  Well, a friend of mine had one on her page this week for a cause and I am so glad she shared it.  It was a "like" for a link to "Start Seeing Motorcycles" http://www.causes.com/causes/273418-start-seeing-motorcycles.  So I ventured over to the site to see what it was.

As I manuevered through the link, I came upon some information near and dear to my heart.  You see, I ride a motorcycle, my husband rides a motorcycle and many of our friends ride motorcycles.  We've experienced a wreck on our motorcycle and we have several friends who've had wrecks on their motorcycles.  Careless you may think....no, not at all.  Most people who ride a motorcycle are overly cautious and very careful so everyone is safe...looking out for those driving around them who may not be as cautious or careful!!  When you ride a motorcycle, the only protection you have is your windshield, your helmet, your apparel and your reaction time!!!  No doors, no big bumpers, no heavy frame...nada.

Since Spring has Sprung, there will be more and more motorcycles on the roads in the days and weeks to come.  So I have a request...please remind everyone you know to "start seeing motorcycles".  I've included information I found on the link I referred to earlier.  Never hurts to share information...it keeps all of us safe out there on the road!!!  Thanks for reading the information and for helping out!!

Please Start Seeing Motorcycles:
There are over 11 million motorcycles registered in the United States and the number continues to grow each year.

•Be aware when making left turns: Most motorcycle accidents occur at intersections, watch for motorcycle riders when making a left turn.

•Cell phones: Be aware that cell phone usage can distract from driving properly and pose a threat to everyone’s safety on the road.

•Blind spots: check blind spots at all times, as motorcyclists are often out of view when cars attempt to make lane changes.

•Weather: When the road is wet or icy, it makes it more difficult for motorcycles to brake and handle their bike, be respectful and give them some space.

•Obscured visibility: Large vehicles such as buses, trucks and vans can make a motorcyclist appear to come out of nowhere. Be aware of the driver’s view from the vehicle.

•Strong winds: Be prepared at all times for a strong gust of wind that can move a motorcyclist unexpectedly into a different lane. This is something that they can sometimes not control.

•Road Conditions: Potholes, obstructions and other items in the street aren’t always a serious concern for drivers, but can cause serious concerns to motorcyclists and may require lane changes or a decrease in speed. Give them as much or more room as a car may need.

•Parked Vehicles: Look for motorcyclists before you open a door, and tell other passengers to do the same.

On behalf of all of us who ride....Thank You!!!!