Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie

My family loves this pie.  If I ever say I am making it for someone else, you better believe I will be making one to leave at home as well or I will never hear the end of it.  LOL

Funny thing is.....I love to make it but I don't even like strawberries or rhubarb!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 pound fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, halved
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

TOPPING:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking or rolled oats
• 1/2 cup cold butter

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg. Add the sugar, flour and vanilla; mix well. Gently fold in rhubarb and strawberries. Pour into pastry shell.

 

For topping, combine flour, brown sugar and oats in a small bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

Hump Day Humor

Anyone in development should be able to relate to this humor today.

Random Thoughts

As a rule, I don't blog about my job or my relationships with others on any in depth level and with the exception of one blog, I typically never mention names. I believe those matters are personal and putting stuff like that out here on the web is just planting a recipe for disaster that will one day sneak up on you, like Ebola, and decimate your life all because you felt the need to vent your frustrations in a public forum. Too many people are doing that these days but they have no idea how immature, foolish and self-indulgent it actually makes them look.

The point to this is that I choose my words very carefully in my blogs because people I have relationships with and work with can read my blogs, and might stagger across a rant and misinterpret a haphazard venting of aggravation as discontent with our relationship, work or hostility toward a co-worker. Therefore, I choose not to air that kind of information. Call it self-preservation, call it covering your tail or call it spineless but I prefer to think of it as common sense.

Having said that, I wanted to blog about some things I have learned, which include my relationships and job.

Everyone makes mistakes. That is a given. People make honest mistakes and careless mistakes. The absolute worst kind of mistake, however, is when you firmly believe you are doing what is expected of you and you're wrong. It's one thing to be frustrated when you find a typographical error in an email after it has already been sent because you chose to not use spell check. It's another thing to complete a project according to the instructions you were given, only to learn that you didn't do what was expected and must completely start over again. At that point, you have people who are unhappy with you, thinking that you were careless or willfully disobeyed instructions. At the same time, the person who made the mistake questions his own intelligence, thinking that he should have known better. I've lost it at work a few times and belittled someone in front of other co-workers because of their mistakes but I have since come to realize that not only are the mistakes inevitable they will most likely happen again in the future. It's a vicious cycle.

Asking for help or forgiveness is difficult, but dealing with the consequences of your silence is worse. Is suffering in silence really more satisfying than speaking out and dealing with the consequences? When you choose silence, there's a voice inside your head that judges you and no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to shut it up. It will drive you mad. You will continually tell yourself you are powerless and weak while you make yourself believe and live with the cooperation of maintaining secrecy. (Never tell. If questioned, deny it. If caught, say as little as possible.) Trust me, I've been there. You don't just wake up one day and decide to pour out your soul and confess. It's a very gradual process that happens over months and possibly years but true healing for all parties involved can and will only come once the silence is broken.

Very few people can broadcast an achievement without sounding arrogant. Not sure that I need to explain this one but this is where silence may not a bad thing. LOL

Being Good Enough

With the type of job I have, I am continually reminded how the bumps and bruises, rejections, failures and disappointments of a project gone bad can undermine people's beliefs in themselves and their ability. The same holds true in life itself. It is unfortunate how often we allow a family member, spouse, boss or friend to define who we are or are not, rather than holding on to the power of who we are by simply acting on our gifts and knowledge.

Life is a constant, never-ending process of learning and growing in skills, experience, wisdom and compassion. It is not a goal or series of goals; and despite this worlds obsession with competition, it is not a contest either.

Most of us are not extravagant in any category of life, however we are valuable, lovable, proficient, useful, attractive, and smart enough to live our lives full of involvement, compassion and importance. We have to accept that we are enough just as we are, and stop comparing ourselves to others, good or bad.

We are not our car, clothes, awards, job title or bank account; and we certainly aren't our failures or shortcomings. There are no winnings without losses, no virtue without faults and no learning without mistakes.

We have to accept that we are enough and stop making judgments about others or ourselves. We ARE enough just as we are and so is everyone else!

When we accept our faults and shortcomings as part of our "enoughness" (if that's even a word) we will be able to let others have their faults and shortcomings without the need to criticize, fix or make them wrong. We will be able to make choices, rather than feeling like we 'should' or 'have to' be or do something. We give ourselves the space to let go of guilt.

 

 

Once we realize that we are enough and are at peace, the less power others have to manipulate us or make us feel guilty. We simply act on our own best thinking and feelings in the moment and take responsibility for the outcome. If we make a choice that results in something we don't like, we get to make a new choice. It's all a part of the learning process and nothing to feel guilty about.

Thankful for Teenagers

After a long and exhausting week of work in Rhode Island with hurricane Sandy, I am thankful for my teenagers.  I know that sounds crazy but unlike toddlers, teenagers love to sleep in on Saturdays.  I never get to sleep in because of sports or commitments, etc. but was able to sleep until 10:00am today AND I get an extra hour of sleep tonight because of the time change.  Woo Hoo

So now, the twins are at their dad's, Caitlin is at work and I am hibernating in my sewing room creating more outfits for my website.

Defining Moments

The astonishing human spirit can conquer virtually anything if we CHOOSE to make a difference.   Ordinary people can do amazing things even through adversity if we CHOOSE to make a difference.  The following is a true story, and it defines all of us, from the weak to the strong, the poor to the wealthy.  Lessons can be learned through the smallest trials to the largest trials.

In November 1995, Itzhak Perlman, a violinist, went on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.  If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him.  He was stricken with polio as a child, so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches.  To see him walk across the stage one step at a time, painfully and slowly, is an awesome sight.

 

He walked painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair.  Then he sits down, slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs, tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward.  Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and proceeds to play.

 

By that time, the audience is used to this ritual.  They sit quietly while he makes his way across the stage to his chair.  They remain reverently silent while he undoes the clasps on his legs.  They wait until he is ready to play.

But this time, something went wrong.  Just as he finished the first few bars, one of the strings on his violin broke.  You could hear it snap.  It went off like gunfire across the room.  There was no mistaking what that sound meant.  There was no mistaking what he had to do.

We figured that he would have to get up, put on the clasps again, pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage to either find another violin or else find another string for this one.  But he didn't.  Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again.

The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off.  And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before.  Of course, anyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings.  I know that and you know that, but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that.

He was modulating, changing and re-composing the piece in his head.  At one point, it sounded like he was de-tuning the strings to get new sounds from them that they had never made before.

When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room.  Then people rose and cheered.  There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium.  They were all on our feet, screaming and cheering; doing everything they could to show how much they appreciated what he had done.

He smiled, wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quiet everyone and then he said (not boastfully) in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."

What a powerful statement that was.   Perhaps that is the definition of life - not just for artists but for all of us.  Here is a man who has prepared all his life to make music on a violin of four strings when all of a sudden, in the middle of a concert, finds himself with only three strings; so he makes music with three strings, and the music he made that night with just three strings was more beautiful, more sacred, more memorable, than any that he had ever made before, when he had four strings.

Perhaps our task in this shaky, fast-changing, bewildering world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have and when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.

ABC's of Happiness

A -- Accept
Accept others for who they are and for the choices they've made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.

B -- Break Away
Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.

C -- Create
Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.

D -- Decide

Decide that you'll be successful and happy come what may and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.

E -- Explore
Explore and experiment.  The world has much to offer, and you have much to give.  Every time you try something new, you'll learn more about yourself.

F -- Forgive
Forgive and forget.  Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief.  Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.

G -- Grow
Grow by leaving the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way.

H -- Hope
Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.

I -- Ignore
Ignore the negative voice inside your head.  Focus instead on your goals and remember your accomplishments.  Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.

J -- Journey
Journey to new worlds and new possibilities by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something new every day, and you'll grow.

K -- Know
Know that no matter how bad things seem they'll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.

L -- Love
Let love fill your heart instead of hate.  When hate is in your heart, there's room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there's room for endless happiness.

M -- Manage
Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you'll suffer less stress and worry.  Then you'll be able to focus on the important things in life.

N -- Notice
Take notice and never ignore the poor, sick, helpless, weak, or suffering.  Offer your assistance, kindness and understanding whenever possible.

O -- Open
Open your eyes and take in all the beauty around you.  Even during the worst of times, there's still much to be thankful for.

P -- Play
Never forget to play and have fun along the way.  Success means nothing without happiness.

Q -- Question
Ask many questions, because you're here to learn.

R -- Relax
Relax a bit.  Refuse to let worry and stress rule your life, and remember that things always have a way of working out in the end.

S -- Share
Share your talent, skills, knowledge, and time with others.  Everything that you invest in others will return to you many times over.

T -- Try
Even when your dreams seem impossible to reach, try anyway. You'll be amazed by what you can accomplish.

U -- Use
Use your gifts to your best ability.  Talent that's wasted has no value.  Talent that's used will bring unexpected rewards.

V -- Value
Value the friends and family members who've supported and encouraged you, and be there for them as well.

W -- Work
Work hard every day to be the best person you can be, but never feel guilty if you fall short of your goals.  Every sunrise offers a second chance.

X -- X-Ray
Make use of the concept of an x-ray.  Look deep inside the hearts of those around you and you'll see the goodness and beauty within.

Y -- Yield

Yield to commitment.  If you stay on track and remain dedicated, you'll find success at the end of the road.

Z -- Zoom
Zoom to a happy place when bad memories or sorrow rears its ugly head.  Let nothing interfere with your goals.  Instead, focus on your abilities, dreams, and a brighter tomorrow.