Foody Friday - Par-TAY

I admit it. Halloween is not my thing. If Halloween suddenly went away, I would shout and sing.

But, it IS fun for the kids, and there's not a lot that's cuter than all the sweet little kids dressed up at my front door. Emphasis on LITTLE. Big kids in grotesque masks aren't so cute.

The worst part of Halloween, to me, is being the mother of 2 previously sweet children, who become frightening monsters when on sugar. Not to mention the next 30 days when the greedy factor goes up and an unbelievable amount of time is spent counting, sorting, and planning the various tastes, flavors, and available highs of the candy in their stash.

The link at the bottom of the post is to a group of recipes, and one I'm personally SO excited about, because it works into the Halloween Candy Master Plan '08. Here are the specs of the plan:

• Halloween night: Children of candy-eating age are allowed to eat as much candy as they want, no limits. Buckets will be on hand, just in case.

• Post-Halloween-candy-binging: Mother confiscates all candy wealth to be redistributed via rationing.

• All-Saints Day, Nov 1: Mother makes candy brownies for all to enjoy, and the Halloween candy will be "used up" very quickly.
  

This plan was implemented in hopes of preventing a recurrence of the Great Whiny Kids Fiasco of November '07.

The candy will be gone by November 3. Mark my words.

Here is a website that will give you a vast plethora of ideas for using up that Halloween candy.

You're welcome.

Join in with your partay/ appetizer/ fun/ random recipe below!

I will rejoice with you

A few years ago, a group of young married couples that Matt and I were involved with embarked on a discussion that is vivid to me. I've been rehashing it in my mind lately. It was this:

How do we handle rejoicing with those who rejoice when we are grieving the very thing in our lives that they are rejoicing in?

and

How do we handle sharing our rejoicing, when we know there may be people around us who are grieving that very thing in their lives?

I'll just bare my soul here and tell you that for us, the dangling carrot is a satisfying job for Matt with a steady income (And, like, with a few little wee health benefits, maybe??!!). It's the green grass on the other side of the fence for us. It is, hands down, the area of our lives that can easily become an idol to us ("If we only ________, then everything would be fine!").

For another, it is the desire for a child. How can a woman grieving her infertility rejoice with a sister who is announcing a pregnancy?

Another woman might desperately want to have a marriage that is fulfilling. She wants a mutually trusting and loving relationship where she can feel completely at ease. But instead, there is abuse, anger, and heavy disappointment.

There are countless scenarios where one person is struggling, and her friend is rejoicing.

How do we handle this? I know how we should handle it, Romans 12:15. But it doesn't always feel that simple.

I have my own thoughts on the matter, but I want to know:

How do you handle it?

Why is it so hard?

What, if anything, should we do differently?

Enough Already!

So, I've been thinking that for newbies to A Latte Talk, it's been a bit confusing that I post the theme for Foody Friday just a few days before, and then don't list any recipes, etc...

Admittedly, I don't feel like giving a whole lot of info when I'm madly typing out my theme post.

SO, I added a little list in my sidebar that lists out the themes a few weeks in advance. For all you planners, this will give you some thinking time. :)

And, if you ever have suggestions, PLEASE, drop me a note and I'll add your idea!

This will be the last you will hear about Foody Friday, unless, of course, it's... Foody Friday.

Foody Friday - Egg-o-rama

I love eggs. We had them for dinner tonight, actually. They're quick, yummy, healthy. What more can you ask for? Scrambled eggs, served with turkey breakfast sausage, toast and bananas. An entire meal for my family in 10 minutes and under $10.

I'm going to give you two recipes.

The first one is my standard comfort food assemble-it-the-night-before-and-pop-it-in-the-oven-in-the-morning delicacy. It never did win me the "Freshest Idea" award at MOPS, but it SHOULD HAVE! It was always GONE... eaten... devoured... just no award.

I'm not bitter or anything.

CAUTION: For you healthy peeps, you can skip this one. It has fat, preservatives and chemicals of every kind interlaced throughout.

Sausage-Egg-Yumminess
(OK, it's not really called that. It's a casserole. But it is yumminess)

(And, yes. Yumminess is a word. I just made it up.)

• 1 pound pork sausage
• 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

1. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with crescent roll dough, and sprinkle with crumbled sausage. In a large bowl, mix beaten eggs, mozzarella, and Cheddar. Season the mixture with oregano, and pour over the sausage and crescent rolls.
4. (Insert here: cover and put in the fridge overnight)
   
5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (Increase time if you refrigerated it overnight - probably more like 40 minutes)

OK, healthy ones... you can start reading again. I currently have 2 of these babies in my freezer, waiting for a quick meal. It's unique in that it has pizza seasonings in it and mozzarella cheese. It has a very different taste from other spinach quiches I've had (Usually with feta or gorgonzola or another type of strong cheese). My kids loved this.


Spinach Quiche

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust (I use this recipe)
  
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced and quartered
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well (or 1/2 lb fresh spinach, chopped)
  
• 8 eggs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring the pie crust to room temperature.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; add the onion and cook until onion becomes transparent, about 5 minutes. Combine the spinach with the onion, cover the skillet; turn off the heat, and set aside.
3. Unroll the crust and press to fit into a 9 inch pie plate. Trim the edges.
4. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until light colored and frothy. Add the garlic, thyme, basil, cheeses, and spinach mixture, and stir until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the spinach mixture into the prepared pie crust.
5. Bake in preheated oven until the top is golden brown, and an inserted tooth pick comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

If you're new here to Foody Friday, take a moment to read the rules of how to play, and please join us!

Foody Friday Theme

This Friday's theme will be...

Drumroll, please....

Egg dishes.

It's cold outside. There is nothing, I repeat, NOTHING more fabulous than waking up on a chilly Saturday morning and popping an egg dish in the oven, to be enjoyed later alongside a vanilla latte.

Egg dishes even make very nice lunches, or easy pop-in the oven dinner.

I also like the fact that I can make a relatively cheap meal when eggs are my protien, compared to meat.

So.

Eggs! It's what's for dinner!

Wait. Wrong slogan.

The New Ava Translation (NAT)

She started with the popular verse, John 3:16 -

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal lice."

And they weren't even axe murderers!

I had me a little get-together with some bloggy friends Saturday morning.

def.
bloggy friend (n): (1) A person you probably know more about than your next door neighbor, and yet you don't know their last name, and in some instances, their first name either. (2) A person you hope is not an axe murderer in disguise, when you go meet them at a local restaurant for breakfast.

I had to tell Corene that I was going out to breakfast with some friends "that I met on the computer". Tell me that's not going to come back to haunt me in about 10 years...

These ladies were great! What a fun morning. Many of us confessed to each other that our husbands were a bit skeptical about just who we were going to meet, and were we sure that they weren't crazies?

Well, I'm not sure about the part that they weren't crazy. I do believe that they were all crazy. But in a different, sleepy-coffee-drinking-we-all-have-preschoolers-crazed-mommy sort of way. This title is one I wear with pride. It is only a season that we get to be crazies, why not have fun with it??!!

Given the above definition of the attendees, you might assume that we consumed a mighty lot of coffee at our table.

You would assume correctly.

We were waited on by the fabulous Fernando. (wait - Eduardo? Ricardo? What was his name??!!!!)

At any rate, he was gracious when we asked him to split our checks, and then double-gracious when we each handed him cash that he needed to give change for. He walked up to the table with 7 checks, and 7 stacks of change, all orderly and organized.

He won my praise, though, when he even took pictures for us with 4 different cameras. With a very weary smile on his face. Needless to say, I tipped him well.

Anyhoo, here's the group picture taken by Senor Waiter:

From left to right, Rachel from Badgers on the Loose, Heather of the EO, Kelly of LoveWell, Sara from Butterville, Whitney of Baby Tunnel Exodus, Moi, and MinnesotaMom.

Role Reversal

Only from a firstborn...

Often, when the kids all go downstairs to play or watch a video, I'll say to Corene, "Can you keep an eye on Isaac while you're down there?"

(She's actually very responsible in this job, she takes the role very seriously. If Isaac is getting into something, it's a millisecond before I hear her correcting him and redirecting him... and usually, she does it gently, and he responds well. Aaaahh, this is one reason why I maintain that having 3 children is easier than having one child.)

(Behind the usually, of course, there are the times when this doesn't work so well, and I have to come intervene when Isaac is SCREAMING and Corene is "helping".)

Anyway... yesterday I came downstairs and sat on the floor where the kids were playing, and Corene walked up to me and said,

"Mommy, can you keep an eye on Isaac for me for a second while I go potty?"

Foody Friday - Stuck in a rut recipes

Thank you to Jenna for the theme idea! Jenna, of whom I have not seen in bodily form for at least 3 weeks and who I'm currently feeling withdrawl pangs from. Any typos in this post can be attributed to the twitch I've acquired from withdrawl.

These are the recipes you actually WANT to get stuck in a rut making. For me, the recipes I don't get tired of and make over and over are the ones my family is SO done with after the second time. And the ones they usually want me to repeat are too boring for me. So we do a little bit of give and take :)

However, here at Foody Friday, it's my party, so I'm giving you a Jenny-doesn't-get-sick-of-it recipe. Don't ask my kids or family if they like eating it (I'm making it this week for the third time since it's gotten cool).

There are three basic all-consuming, beautiful ingredients:

Sausage
Greens
Half and Half

Ummm.... I'm weird. I am. But my CSA share from this summer has turned me into a LOVER of the green stuff. Especially if you put it with sausage and half and half.

You might argue that you could put anything with sausage and half and half, and it would taste good. That may be true. But Kale really REALLY does taste good this way.

I am going to be la-zy and just linky to the recipe. I don't do anything different than what's written except omit the bacon. But mostly because I'm a crunchy bacon kind of girl. And bacon in soup kind of loses its crunch. Oh, and I do use half and half instead of heavy cream.

Zuppa Toscana

Please, join in! What have you made over and over again?

Foody Friday! Tomorrow!

Quickly, the theme for tomorrow (sorry no warning) is what's your current recipe that you make over and over again, either because it's SO yummy or SO easy, or SO fast, or that you just LOVE. One of those meals that you could eat once a week and not get sick of.

Warning: For me, this meal falls into the "so yummy" category, which, this time of year, is comfort food... mmm...

mmm...

Dearest Doctor

Dearest Doctor,

You must have underestimated the God-given gift of Mama Bear in me when you so rashly perceived my little bear cub as having a bad attitude in our visit to see you yesterday. Let us recount the facts in this case:

This child is 6.
This child had just had a long pointy Q-tip shoved in her throat, causing her to gag.
This child does has never met you before.
You are a MAN. Sorry to be sexist, but there is no shame in being sexist when you're six.
You are an OLD man. Sorry to discriminate based on age, but again... no shame.

When a child is curled in the fetal position and refuses to look at the Doctor who just walked in the door, it would be reasonable to assume that she is nervous, shy, even afraid...

Unless, of course, the girl was 16, and not 6. THEN, if she is demonstrating the above behavior, you just might be reasonable in saying,

"Well, her attitude could be better... THAT'S for sure!!"

But not to my 6 YEAR OLD.

I felt the need to write you a note, as we will not be seeing you ever again.

Blessings on your day, may you rest in retirement very soon,

Mama Bear

Foody Friday - Soups

Before I launch into the single most yummy thing you could possibly put in your tummy on a cold night, I must tell you something about myself.

I am not consistent about anything in my life.

I try to be a consistent reader-of-my-Bible and quiet time have-er.
That's hard.

I try to be consistent mothering my children.
That's harder.

I try to be a consistent blogger.
That, my friends, is nigh impossible.

I try to be a consistent Latte drinker.
Wait. That's not hard.
I AM a consistent Latte drinker.

Anyway, when I'm either inspired to write, or if I'm feeling like my life is in good balance with a little extra free time, I enjoy prolific blogging. But it's hard to be consistent. So, when I logged on tonight to write FF for this week, I was SHOCKED that LAST Friday's pitiful post saying I forgot to do FF was my last post!

So, now you know that I've had no inspiration, and I've been busy. You don't really want uninspired, rushed posts to read, anyway, now, do you?? That would just bore you.

One thing that I am consistent about is eating. I eat every day.

The following soup may make you have heart palpitations. It is so good. Warning:It may not do anything for your hubby, if he is a meat and potatoes man, but he will eat it and smile and then sneak some peanut M&Ms and chicken bones for dessert.


Acorn Squash Soup

Ingredients

2 large acorn squash
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup rice
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 cups water
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons veg oil
pinch sugar
salt and white pepper to taste
chopped parsley

Peel the squash and cut it into cubes. Place them in a soup pot and add the chopped onion, rice, chopped celery, and water. Cook the soup, covered, over medium heat until vegetables are tender.

Strain the soup through a sieve or blend it in a blender. Reheat soup and add the milk, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving. Serve hot. Serve with some crusty bread.

*I have also cooked the squash in the oven until soft and reduced the water, scooping the cooked pulp into the soup after it's cooked, and that's much easier than peeling and cubing. However, I don't think the flavor was as good. The squash cooked along with the rice and onion really makes the flavors blend fantastically.

AND, I just saw Acorn Squash at Aldi for $.99!! This is one inexpensive meal if you get the squash in season for a reasonable price! Yeehaw!

Join in below!

I got nothin'

Oops. I was going to do Foody Friday - Soups today. But I'm just a little bit behind, so we'll do it next week. EVERYbody has a favorite soup recipe, right? And it is most definitely soup weather. So, next Friday. Promise.

I just want you all to know something really really important. The very most best thing to consume while drinking your latte and blogging? Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate with Mint filling.

Oh MY. Yes sir. A-mazing.

Perspective

Sometimes my life feels like a movie. Or a sermon illustration. Really, most often it's a sitcom.

Today it feels like a poignant 20/20 Special showing the vast differences between my life with all it's "trials", and the life of those who are truly facing difficulties.

Just one week ago, I wrote a humorous post about my Terrified Children and the great rain incident of September 2008. The post was humorous at the expense of my Terrified Children, you know, because on this here blog, we get a Latte Laughs out of poor innocent children who are screaming.

But, really, they were extremely frightened. And the crash of thunder in that story was quite possibly the LOUDEST thunder I have ever heard. And my kids were in my car, all by themselves. However, they were

Dry.

Safe.

Out of harm's way.

In Haiti, just a few weeks ago, thousands of children ran from their homes,

Wet.

In danger.

Fighting for their lives.

The Flip Flop Fleet has partnered with C3 Missions, based in Kansas City, where they are bringing a Semi-truck full of supplies to Haiti. This Christian ministry has orphanages in several countries, and one of their orphanages in Haiti was destroyed by the storms.

Please watch this video (it is short), which briefly documents the trials these children have faced.



Now imagine with me this. This orphanage was COMPLETELY destroyed. Those children are currently staying in a LEAN-TO up on a HILL. I don't know all of the details about when and how they got to where they are now, but I do know that they were in danger during that storm. They were wet and frightened and probably fighting for their lives.

These are little children, just like yours and mine tucked safe in their beds. Does this not just make your lips get all shakey and tight, and make a pitiful little cry squeak out of your throat?

We are so blessed. A little bit of perspective goes a long way.

You might have mommy brain if...

• You come very, very, embarrassingly close to wiping your husband's nose with a kleenex, before realizing you meant to be going for the nose of Mini-Matt.

• You stand with your hands full of groceries trying to unlock your front door with your remote car beeper.

• The top of every single form from your child's school looks like this when you turn it back in:

Child's Name: Jenny Corene Lattetalk

I think this might just have to become a series, I could probably add to it daily. Any you'd like to add?

Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Foody Friday - Convenience foods

Let's do a comment festival today! No Mr Linky, just comments, so everyone can play.

Tell me your favorite convenience-y food that you make on nights when you're not organized enough to pop a previously-prepared casserole in the oven, don't want to spend the money or ingest the calories of eating out, and don't want to eat cereal for dinner.

MY favorite convenience food, which I dare say I should have pulled out tonight.

Trader Joe's Orange Chicken. With rice. And steamed veggies.

Yours?

Murphy's Law and God's sense of humor

We buy milk from a local dairy farmer who has pick-up locations at homes in different parts of the city. Tonight we went to a new location, after realizing it was closer and easier than the one we were previously assigned.

On our way there, the sky darkened, and it started to rain a bit. I had trouble finding the house at first, driving round-an-round, do-si-do, trying to find this home. Finally we found it, an old home with a driveway back to a carriage house-style garage.

"I'm going to run up to the front door and find out where the milk is, I'll be right back." I said to the kids.

As I stepped out of the car, I clicked the lock...

Immediately, as if on cue, the skies opened up, and God poured a swimming pool of water on my head. I kid you not, from my car to the front door, I was completely completely drenched.

I spoke to the homeowner, who informed me that I needed to go around to the back, in the garage.

Suddenly, my car alarm started to go off, the side slider door opened, and Terrified Child #1 emerged, shaking, running through the downpour to my side on the porch. Terrified Child #2 was standing at the door of the car crying, pleading with Terrified Child #1 to PLEASE come back.

So TC #1 and I ran back to the car, jumped in and shut the door.

Let us pause and note a few observations here:

• It might be a good idea to note that my van has a safety feature where the alarm goes off if the doors are opened from the inside while the car is locked. This does a good job keeping people out. This doesn't necessarily do a good job keeping people IN. Particularly when those inside are Terrified Children.
  
• When God dumps a swimming pool of water on top of your minivan while you are in it, you will experience a decibel level similar to if you were sitting on the wing of a jet engine during take-off.
  
• When you experience a decibel level as described above, everyone in your minivan will be crying, but it won't really matter because you won't be able to hear them anyway over the roar of the water.
• Don't bother trying to sing to pass the time while waiting for the rain to slow down. Nobody will listen to you be able to hear you.

So. We I sang. We I acted silly. We I tried to act like this deafening noise was really no big deal, how thankful we should be that there's no thunder, and how it was going to stop ANY TIME NOW!!!

Finally, I said phooey, I'm not waiting any more. I told the girls to be brave while Mommy runs out, up the driveway and in to the garage, and as quick as a wink, I'd be back to the car.

So, I stepped out of the car, I clicked the lock...

I was back into the torrential rains, fjording the 4 inch deep river that was their driveway.

I was one FOOT from their garage, when I saw it. A blinding light. I closed my eyes, and thought, "NO, Lord." But, yes, it was true... A second later,

CRACK!! BOOM!! BOOM!! RUMBLE rumble rumble

Oh... Boy... That was one of THOSE cracks of thunder, the kind that would wake you up if you were sleeping... I knew what was coming next, and sure enough, while I was loading up my milk,

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I made my way back through the rapids and to the car, where I could see AND hear 2 Terrified Children.

My car alarm is going off.

I am 10 pounds heavier from water weight.

There are 2 of MY children standing at the door of the car, hugging each other and sobbing.

And one silent barefoot child who was picking lint out of his toes.

I kid you not.

And, the ending? Why, you know the ending... it's Murphy's Law.

Tell me, just WHEN exactly did the rain STOP?

Murphy's Law = The Soveriegnty of God + A sense of humor

A random winner and a recipe

_____________________________________

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

4

Timestamp: 2008-09-20 13:39:34 UTC

_______________________________________________________________

Congratulations, Yvette! Let me know when I can bring this to you!!

I love giveaways! I never win them, but it brings great joy to be on this end of the giving!

And, as foretold, I am sitting here drinking my latte and eating caramel rolls. And, because these are SO easy and SO yummy, I am going to post the recipe below. Awesome for when you have company, to put together the night before. They're perfect!

Yummy Sticky Caramel Pull-apart Bread

18 frozen Rhodes Dinner Rolls

1-3oz package regular (not instant) Butterscotch pudding mix

2 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar

Cinnamon

Put frozen rolls in a well greased bundt pan. Sprinkle pudding powder over rolls. Melt butter in pan and stir in brown sugar- pour over rolls. Sprinkle lots of cinnamon over rolls. Let rise on stovetop for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight covered with wax paper and a towel.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes and turn out of pan immediately (watch out because there will be a TON of caramel and it sometimes splatters).

Foody Friday - The "chipper" Chicken

Remember that line from Father of the Bride? Martin Short? One of the best characters of all time. It's been years since I've seen that movie, and my gut starts to erupt in laughter just thinking of that crazy wedding planner.

ANYWAY...

Chicken. A standard. I try to buy chicken (any meat, really) in one of two ways...

I wait until I find a really good deal on chicken, most often a buy one, get one free deal, and buy as many are as allowed (usually limit of 4 or 6 packages). Then I'm set for a while.

OR

At Super Target, I look for the little $3 off stickers on their meats. I see them maybe 30% of the time that I'm there, and a lot of the time it's like on Filet Mignon or something (Gee, $32 and then $3 off... not much help!). This can be a really good deal. though.. I bought 5 - 1 lb packages of stew meat once and ended up paying like $.90 each.

ANYWAY, Take 2...

Here is a recipe I created this week. It's a little odd, because of what I happened to have on hand (LOTS of fresh sage from our CSA, and a ton of arugula - I know, sorry, more arugula); what I didn't have on hand (breadcrumbs); and what I had left over from another recipe which was 1 day from it's expiration date, so I needed to use it pronto (Heavy cream).

So, what do you do with fresh sage, arugula and heavy cream? And Chicken, because, well, it's the FF theme this week.

Well, first of all, you throw away any idea that this is going to be a healthy, light meal.

Goodbye.

Then you throw away the idea that you are going to get ANY leftovers for yourself.

Adios.

Here's what I did...

Greeny Fettuccine Alfredo with Herb-Crusted Chicken Breasts

16 oz fettuccine
3-4 large leaves fresh sage (or 1t dried sage)
2 cups seasoned croutons (we used garlic Caesar)
20oz package boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts
4T canola oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion, sliced thin (white and green parts)
1/4 cup packed fresh sage, chopped
1 cup packed arugula (or spinach or other green), chopped
2/3 cup Heavy cream
a sprinkling of flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook Fettuccine noodles as directed on package.

Meanwhile, pound out chicken breasts thin with a meat mallet (get creative with a heavy flat object if you don't have one), easiest done between two pieces of saran wrap. Slice the breasts into 2 or 3 pieces, so they are a manageable size.

In a blender, whiz up the croutons and sage until they are fine.

In a small dish, coat both sides of chicken with the crouton/sage mixture.

Heat oil in a large pan (cast iron is my favorite), and fry chicken until brown and crispy on both sides (since the breasts are thin, they will cook through fairly quick).

Remove chicken onto paper towels. Drain any excess oil from pan (I leave a little bit).

Add the garlic to the pan, stirring quickly, until garlic is starting to brown. Add onions, and saute for one minute. Add sage and arugula and stir until wilted.

Add heavy cream all at once, stirring and scraping the pan to incorporate all the flavors.

If the sauce seems too thin, whisk in a sprinkling of flour.

Season with salt and pepper, pour over the fettuccine noodles on a serving platter, and top with chicken.

NUM. MY.

OH, and don't forget to comment on the giveaway post! I'll pick a random winner on Saturday morning, while sitting in bed drinking a latte and eating cinnamon rolls and reveling in the care I will be recieving following a small and unmentionable surgery I am having on Friday. They say I need to take it easy for a day. Or was it two? Can I get two? THREE!! SOLD!

A Fleet of Flip Flops

How many children in the world do not own even one pair of shoes? I Googled that question and tried to find a page that would even venture an educated guess, and I could not find anything.

So I asked the question on Wiki Answers. I haven't gotten an answer yet, but you can see it here if you want.

It's interesting how just a few months ago, we were reading all over about how poor the nation of Haiti is, we read how their food prices went up and people in that nation are eating cookies made out of dirt. The average yearly salary in Haiti is $60. Sixty dollars. A year.

Now, of course, Haiti is in the news again because they were hit over and over again by storm after hurricane after storm. Just in the past month, they've endured 4 different storms.

The people of Haiti are impoverished. They are hungry, thirsty, and hot. Many Haitians have little or no clothing, most of them have no shoes. Many of them are in spiritual bondage, practicing the religion of Voodoo, which is terrifying if you know anything about their practices.


Haiti has a special place in my heart because we have 2 cousins who live there. Patricia and Philippe are my little loves that aren't home yet. They are Dawn and Lee's kids, in the process of adoption (a very long process...). I love these two children with a passion that is indescribable. And they're not even mine! Patricia and Philippe have been touched by hunger, thirst, heat, and lack of clothing. And, they have been touched by evil.

They are currently in a fabulous Christian orphanage, with food and water, clothes and shoes. And school. And Bible lessons. With a family waiting for them.

Can you say, BEAU-TEE-FUL???!!!

P&P are safe and having their needs met, thanks to the wonderful people who support and run their orphanage. But there are still many outside their gates that are in the street, shoeless so their parents can afford to buy them food, even when that food is dirt cakes.

I am honored to be a part of a brand-new organization that is desiring to live out these verses. We are trying to see this need, and think "I can DO something about that!" and then MOVE.


The Flip Flop Fleet's mission is "To collect and distribute flip flops and sandals to those in need so no parent has to choose between feeding their children or getting them shoes."

The Flip Flop Fleet is Gospel-centered to the core. Providing physical needs in the name of Jesus, with prayer in each pair of shoes, knowing that little feet will inhabit each and every pair.

There is a special opportunity RIGHT now that YOU can help with, all over the US. In one or two weeks, this opportunity will be gone, so now is the time to MOVE.

It is the end of summer, so many stores are clearancing out their summer shoes/flips. WALGREENS (which are everywhere!) has kids' flip-flops that were originally $1.99, for 75% off.

That's $.50/each!

But WAIT, there's MORE!! (Do I sound like a cheesy infomercial yet??!!)

If you go in to your local Walgreens, ask to speak to the manager, tell them about what we're doing, and just simply ASK, there's a good chance that they will agree to selling the flips to you for .$25 each. I say this because so far we've been in about 8 different stores, and have not had a single manager even bat an eye at the request. "Absolutely" "Yes, definitely!" and "You're actually doing ME a favor by getting these off my shelves!" were just a few of the answers we got today.

I bought 24 pairs of flip flops today for $6. For 48 little feet.

If any of you feel a little tug on your heart, and have a Walgreens near you, we would LOVE to have you join us. Email me at alattetalk (at) gmail (dot) com or comment below if you're interested in jumping on board our fleet!

Thanks!

Matthew 25:35-40 (New International Version)

'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'