Shoes

There are so many things one can tell by about a person just by looking at his or her shoes. For instance, this weekend I went to a silent auction and dinner at The Ashland House in Morton. Most of the ladies that attended were over the age of 50 and they were sporting bright colorful yet comfortable shoes. Yeah, these ladies have a lot of personality and are very influential people.

However,  I really don't think the men cared too much about the shoes they were going to be wearing to this event as most of them wore their tennis shoes or it was strikingly obvious their significant other had picked them out.

There was one woman who stood out from the rest. She was parading around in an ensemble that was totally age inappropriate. I mean, no woman over 30 should be wearing what looks like a prom dress to a church related event. The dress was strapless, she was not wearing any pantyhose, and the black toe less heels stuck out like a sore thumb. I was thinking to myself, does she really feel that inferior about herself to show up in such an attention grabbing ensemble?

As I stood in amazement at the lady's choice of attire, it hit me. I was judging someone because of  her choice of clothing. I felt like a complete heel! I usually do not sink to that level and I am always telling my daughters to never judge a person unless you have walked a mile in her shoes. Now,  here I am being that person I despise.

 So, I did some long and hard soul searching. I began to reflect on what made me think so harshly about that woman's clothes. My harsh and inexcusable judgement had nothing to do with the woman. Soon I became to realize that the problem was with me.  I was judging her because I was having a bad day. Given, I did not share my careless comments with anyone else but that did not excuse my age inappropriate reaction.

 I guess we are never too old to be caught off guard or to take a brush up course on the things we learned in kindergarten. I did learn my lesson and thankfully no one's feelings were hurt in the process. So, in closing, I would like to remind all of you to learn from my mistake and to never judge a person until you have walked a mile in his or her shoes. Because one day, when you least expect it, someone will wear or do something outrageous. How you react, might make you take another look in the mirror.

Something to blog about...

This last week was exciting for me as a student and a mom. I had the opportunity to showcase the research I had worked on with two professors at Bradley University's Student Scholarship Exposition. This was my first time participating in such a event. I had no idea what to expect. There were a lot of smart students there with huge wallpaper like posters. Every one of these posters was carefully pinned to a foam board. When the judges came by to evaluate my poster, I was excited to tell them about our research study and the results we found. I found it easy because all I had to do was present the study on the Facebook Revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt in a storytelling fashion. The judges became engaged with my story and asked a lot of questions. I answered these questions with the greatest of enthusiasm because the topic was relevant to things happening today.

Anyway, we ended up winning an Honorable Mention. The provost was so excited for me. He hugged me several times and posed in pictures with me. I felt overwhelmed with a sense of recognition and accomplishment. After the awards ceremony was over, Dr. Bashri and I took the award over to the communications department to show the department chair, Dr. Gullifor. When Dr. Bashri tilted her head in the door, Dr. Gullifor looked up at her and asked how the ceremony went. She didn't respond. I entered the office throwing him a shirt and said, "We are throwing in the towel on this whole exposition thing." He then looked at Dr. Bashri for a response to which she shouted, "We won!" I have never seen a man jump to his feet in such excitement as I did that day. Everyone in the communications department was overwhelmed with excitement. Dr. Gullifor then said he thought this was the first time the communications department has ever won an award at the exposition. After hearing those words, I became more proud of the goal I had accomplished. It is not everyday one gets the chance to pave a road in a department at a University.

 I was so touched by all of the feedback I received from all of my current and past professors in different departments. At Bradley, we are all one family no matter which department one attends. My professors are above all the politics played in most schools. They went out of their way to offer me their words of congratulations. These professors are the reason I love being a student at Bradley. Without them I don't think I would have been able to finish school. It is their words of encouragement and constant faith that pushed me through not only my student career but allowed me the opportunity to pave a path for the graduating class behind me. Now, that is something to blog about!

Pumpkin Layered Cheesecake

 I must share my all time favorite recipe. Whether we are hosting pinnacle, celebrating the holidays, or making a meal for someone else, this cheesecake is always a hit. It is super easy and I do get a lot of compliments on it. 
The Philadelphia cream cheese recipe calls for...
2- 8 oz packages of cream cheese softened         1/2 cup of canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar                                                     1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla                                                    Dash of each ground cloves & nutmeg
2 eggs                                                                1-9 inch ready to use graham cracker crust

*Mix-cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs one at a time and mix until well blended.

*Stir-pumpkin and spices into 1 cup of the batter. Pour remaining plain batter into crust then top with pumpkin batter.

Bake-for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until center is almost set. Cool and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Although, overnight is best. Makes 8 servings.

If you love cheesecake and pumpkin pie, this recipe is for you. It is a match made in heaven. I love to serve the cheesecake with a tablespoon of whipped cream on top to compliment the pumpkin flavor. Either way you top it, it is as easy as pie to make!

Easter

This Easter my family and I decided to take a time out. We started out the day by attending the late service at our church. Our oldest daughter served as the acolyte for the Easter service. She did an amazing job. Unfortunately, one candle would not stay lit. I could tell she was becoming frustrated and a little embarrassed. She managed to remain cool and calm.

After the church service, we grabbed lunch and went home to rest. We usually do not have time to rest and unwind as we are trying to sell one house and remodel another. Now when I say remodel I really mean to completely gut it. The only thing we kept in the house were some of the walls and floors. These projects can take a toll on a family. Especially since we have our own daily responsibilities on top of that.
Our day of rest consisted of doing normal things together. The girls put on a dance performance. We watched some episodes of Chris Angel "Mindfreak". This definitely was a conversation piece as we were in amazement of the magic tricks he performed. My daughters told me that they could not imagine having a son like that. I agreed with them. His mom must have nerves of steal. A child we wants to defy nature has got to take its toll.

Anyway, we really enjoyed the day of rest together as a family. I never want to sacrifice time with my kids and when I get the opportunity for some down time, I am taking it. They are my strength and my world. A house is just a house without a family. I can't wait until the other house is done so we can call it "home." Until then, we will have to continue to manage our time wisely so we can finish all of our projects. However, a break is always a good idea when you start to feel frustrated about the small things in life. It does increase productivity and the energy levels will start to increase as well.

In conclusion...

Wow, I am surprised of all the things I have accomplished during my time here at Bradley University. My senior Public Relations campaign gained local and national media coverage. It also was awarded a multi-county award. I am also proud of the letters I received from First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama. The list of accomplishments for the campaign goes on and on.
When I think of my time at Bradley, the several interviews I have had with Representative Bob Michel will always stand out. He is not only my husband's second cousin, but an ideal example of what being a great leader should be. He is a very down to earth person. He is not at all like most politicians. He is a genuine person who cares more about his country than the popularity polls.
Also, I am so blessed to have had the experience of making such wonderful friends and having great, astounding, and first class instructors. In my personal opinion, the professors are what make Bradley University such a great school. They have given me the strength and the encouragement I needed to succeed. It is not easy being a non-traditional student, attending a school that is tailored to the traditional students. My professors respected me as a person and were always glad to have me in their classes. Each and everyone of the professors has contributed to all of my success here at Bradley by just encouraging me, helping me to further develop my skills, and by just being  great role models.  For example, I had the honor to work beside two of Bradley's finest professors on a Literature review that will be published in the May/June, 2012 issue of the Journal of Muslim and Media Research. On April 18, 2012, I will be presenting the research I composed to the Bradley University public. This will be the last chapter written in my book about my journey as an undergraduate and it is my chance to have a big exit. In conclusion, this is my opportunity and I plan on making the best of it.

Get connected

All classmates at Bradley University learned how to use Linked In for a job search this week. It is very important for those who are job seeking to stay connected with other people. You never know when one might help you land a job or introduce you to someone that is hiring. All of this reminded me of a posting I recently saw on Linked In. The posting was from someone who belongs in my Phi Kappa Phi group. He posted on the group's wall, "Lets get connected. Post here if you would like to get connected with other members of this group." How ingenious! He ended up getting over 245 comments on this posting. The posting has remained a conversation for over 3 months and more members are still commenting. My point here is that if you want to get connected to more people, try to reach out to group members on Linked In. Post on the group's wall that you are interested in connecting with other members. You will be surprised of how many will respond to your offer.

I posted my "Lets get connected" on the Bradley University Alumni group page, Bradley University group page, and the BUCAN group page. I am anxious to see if I get the same response as the guy who so craftily posted on Phi Kappa Phi's page. After all, I was informed that Bradley students are usually pretty nice to each other and are always willing to help.

Under construction

My family and I are currently living in one house and remodeling another house we hope to move into soon. However, the work and the time we put into the house does not leave much room for our usual free time. We have other obligations we have to fulfill. It is very frustrating to know that there is never enough time in a day to complete all the tasks you thought you could get done. I think one project will take a few hours and it ends up taking a whole day. This is life. Our lives will always be under construction because there is always room for improvement. The tasks will seem to take longer than we originally thought but well worth the effort in the end. I remember when my youngest was potty training. I thought she would be potty trained in days as she was very eager to learn. Instead, she took half a year to reach that goal as she loved the attention she was getting. We all have our obstacles in life and so many of us do not realize that others are much worse off than we are. Instead of complaining about the obstacles, why not turn them into advantages to do something great. Be creative and make the challenges you face somewhat fun. One of my younger sisters has always had trouble in the relationship department. She thought she would never find the right man for her. One day she decided that she was not going to let this absence of a man hold her back from happiness. She turned her obstacle into an advantage by investing more time in herself. She went back to school and started to work out. No, she has not met the man of her dreams yet but she looks and feels like a million dollars. So, being under construction while facing an obstacle has its advantages. You just have to be a little more creative in the way you handle them.

Do more with less!

With gas prices jumping to a whopping $5 a gallon and many companies still not hiring new graduates, makes me a little nervous. This is not a good nervous either. It is really frustrating to know that when I graduate, I may not find a job for months or longer. The job market is so bleak. We have suffered from high inflation due to the increase of oil. Yet we have not seen an increase in our pay. In fact, many companies are looking to save money and have one person do the job of several.Our economy has not been kind to those who want to work.
My proposed solution to this problem I am facing is learn to do more with less. Instead of trying to find more money to make ends meet, why not find a way to cut my budget. I can try to make less trips to the market, eat out less often, read more books, cut cable out of the home, and sell unwanted items. An article I read some time ago said that to be rich you must learn how to do more with less. With the economy still in the tank, I think it is a good time to practice such a strategy. However, doing is a lot harder than saying. I look forward to the challenges I face in life. If there is one thing I have learned, it is to welcome those challenges with a good attitude. Otherwise, you were doomed from the beginning. Failure is a fear that we all must face on a day to day basis, but we do learn more from it than anything else. I would rather try and fail than to not try at all.

Hypothyroidism

I had no idea what "hypothyroidism" was until I was diagnosed. It was after I had my second child and I was going through what I thought was postpartum depression. I remember feeling so tired that I could barely get out of bed in the morning let alone take care of my newborn and 4 year old daughter. Things were getting out of hand. My mind and body were not on speaking terms at all. It wasn't until after I found out that I was not providing a sufficient amount of milk for my newborn that I contacted my medical provider for help. I explained to him all of my symptoms and he too thought it was a form of depression. Later, I contacted my lactation specialist and she said "tell your doctor to test your thyroid." I immediately contacted my doctor and set up an appointment to have my blood drawn. A few days later, my doctor asked me to come into the office as soon as I could. I thought to myself why all of the fuss?

After sitting down with my doctor, I was informed that my thyroid level was far below normal that he highly recommended that I be placed in a hospital room with an IV hooked up to my body to get the thyroid levels back to the normal range. I rejected the idea of going back to the hospital but took my levothyroxine as directed. Wow, the medicine made a huge difference. I lost my 20 pounds of baby fat really fast and gained my mental and physical energy back. Life was good. Hypothyroidism is serious business and should not be taken lightly. Yes, it can be treated by taking 1 pill daily. If it should go undiagnosed, it could kill you. I was to the point that I was ready to believe that I was going insane. Hypothyroidism does go undiagnosed by many medical professionals.

My mom was one of them. She had been rushed to the hospital for jaundice and her organs were shutting down one by one. I had been talking to my mom about my medical issues with hypothyroidism and asked her if she had hers tested. She too talked to her doctor whom refused to test her. I told her it was very unlikely that her body had 4 or more things shutting down than to have just one. She then came to the realization that she had to step up to her doctor and demand for him to test the thyroid. She had been in and out of the hospital for over 4 months and came tot he realization that his way was not working. The test results came back and I was right. The thyroid issue had almost shut down her kidneys, liver and gallbladder. I almost lost my mom due to the doctor's unwillingness to listen to his patient. If you think you or someone else has hypothyroidism, don't wait. Tell your doctor to test you. Here is a link so that you can read all about how important of a role your thyroid plays.
http://www.synthroid.com/Hypothyroidism/Default.aspx?s_mcid=bing-ppc

Great, wonderful, fabulous news

You know those days you have where you feel like you are on top of the world or even feel like you set on the shoulders of giants? I had a day like that Friday. I went from having a really bad day thanks to my cold running down my energy level, to having the greatest day in my student career. In the midst of lying down to rest and filling myself to the brim with much needed H2O, I decided to get up and check my e-mail. In my inbox was a letter from a former instructor and friend that read, "Dear Ms. Amy Evans Greiner, You are now an official author of an article that will be published in an international academic journal!" My body was soon filled with adrenaline and excitement. It was so hard for me to grasp the concept of accomplishing some thing so great, so wonderful, and so fabulous.
I first called my husband to tell him the wonderful news. No, I could not wait until he got home to tell the astounding news. As a matter of fact, I went down my cell phone contact list and began spreading the news. My children began dancing and jumping in the living room shouting with excitement. Our home was blessed at this moment with good cheers and lots of overwhelming joy. A moment like this doesn't come very often. We embraced it with all of our might and celebrated together as a family. My friends and family from a far, sent me messages of congratulations. Mass e-mails were sent out in the departments of communication and marketing to spread the news to all faculty members. I was extremely touched by this acknowledgement from the instructors at Bradley. It was as if they too were joining in on the celebration. At this moment, I was so touched and honored by all the congratulations and the positive feedback from everyone. This day was definitely a moment to not only remember but one I will never forget.

Comfort food

So, last week my schedule was pretty tight. That being said, I still have to feed my kids. The crock pot always comes in handy when a meal needs to be made for a mom on the go. I put my 3 pounds of chuck roast in the crock pot with about 6 chopped potatoes and plenty of of baby carrots. I added the pot roast crock pot seasoning mix and set the crock pot on high. I let it cook the food as I attended to my rather long to do list. As I came home at about 6 pm, my dinner was done and I was ready to feed my family a home made dinner. Pot roast always makes me think of my mom and grandma. It was truly a comforting meal for a cold wintry day.
After my kids, husband and I had are full of the pot roast, there was still 1 pound of the roast meat left over. I took the meat and the juices of the pot roast and stored it in the refrigerator. The next day, I took the pot roast meat and juices and threw them back into the crock pot. I added 1 can of tomato juice, two cans of Veg-All, and 5 chopped potatoes. I set the crock pot on high for about 7 hours. After my day of hustle and bustle was done, I came home to a pot of homemade vegetable soup. Vegetable soup made from scratch is definitely one of my favorite comfort foods. It was a pretty quick fix and rather cheap when you use leftovers to create a whole other meal. So, that was comforting too. 

Graduation

Many of us students at Bradley University look forward to graduating in May of 2012. I am most excited to graduate not that the job market is adding to this anticipation. I am mostly excited because I am the first one in my immediate family to graduate with a high school diploma. So, my graduating with a Bachelor's degree in May sets a whole new educational standard for my family. No longer will a G. E. D. be the expected norm. I have paved the road for the rest of the family, especially the younger ones. They will know that getting a college education has been done by a family member and that they can do it too. No longer will any excuses be a liable force stopping them from achieving their dreams. No longer will there be a fear of not knowing what lies ahead them (educationally). This degree that I will receive will not only be an achievement for me. It will be the end of lower standards and the beginning of raising expectations.
I remember when my mom went back to school after she had us three girls. She worked long hours on her GED homework. It was right then that I learned how important education is. So, when I walk across that stage and see my family there cheering me on, I will be in turn cheering them on to continue their education.

Cheap fix

This blog is for the ladies eyes only. Ever stayed up too late studying for an exam and you woke up to find bags under your eyes? Yeah, we have all experienced this issue and many supermodels use hemorrhoid cream to fix that problem. It is cheap and you don't need to spend a bag of dough to fix it. Have frizzy hair? Take a dryer sheet and rub it through your hair. Not only will your hair smell nice but the frizz will be a thing of the past. Pantyhose riding up? Hair spray is an easy fix to this annoying problem. Just spray the pantyhose lightly and your pantyhose will behave. Dry hair? That is an easy fix. Try not to blow dry your hair until it is halfway air dried. Also, once a week massage a small amount of coconut oil in your hair and kiss that dry winter hair goodbye.

Deadly storms hit Alabama

It was 3 am in Alabama when a possible tornado ripped through the northern part of Jefferson County. Many of the victims woke up to rummage through the rubble for the things that were not destroyed by the storm. Rescue teams searched homes and debris to help the people and animals stricken by the storm. A lot of people were effected by this storm and lost many of their valuables, while some lost a family member, a friend, and/or a neighbor.

This story so heart wrenching to hear about other people losing their valuables, their homes, and possibly a loved one. I think it reminds me of how short life really is. It also teaches me exactly how one second everything can be alright and then "bam" everything is gone.