2017 Hopkins County Summer Food Service Program

My heart is a little broken writing this. But I know it's out there; I know it's all around the country and right down the street. When school is out for holidays or summer vacation, there are children in Hopkins County who do not know where their next meal is coming from.

There are many things that our local public schools provide to their students. Not the least of these is the availability of consistent breakfasts and lunches. Some schools also send "backpack blessings"--backpacks loaded with easy to prepare snacks and meals--home with students on Friday afternoons. But what do these children do when school is out for weeks or months?

Now my heart is swelling. Because the Hopkins County School system is, this year, offering meals to students throughout summer break!

This statement is directly from the Hopkins County Schools website:

"Hopkins County Schools is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided, at a first come, first serve basis..."

Their page includes a full schedule of the times and places that meals and snacks will be provided. Not every location will have meals every day, but this is a great step!!

Summer Fun: AMC Theatres

Looking for some summer fun out of the sun? AMC Theatres offers a summer kids' movie series! Shows are Monday and Wednesday mornings at 10am, from June 5 to August 2. For $4, you get admission to a movie and a kids' snack pack. These are not first-run films, but they're still fun!

Besides being a great diversion for rainy or exceptionally hot summer days, taking a few friends to see a movie your child loves could be an affordable way to celebrate a birthday or other milestone.

This program is available at select locations in 37 states. Visit AMCtheatres.com to see if one of them is near you!

Favorite Sale: thriftbooks

I don't know how my house of bibliophiles made it to 2017 without knowing about Thriftbooks.com. Well, Chris may have known about it, but I sure didn't! A homeschooling friend of mine told me about it a couple of weeks ago, and this morning I checked it out.

Although many of the children's books are listed for more than I would pay at McKay Books, my favorite used book store, I found an activity book for our upcoming homeschool year for $4 that was about $13 on Amazon. I also found a research book Chris had been looking for priced at 1/5 of the Amazon list price. (Let me stop right here to say that I still like and use Amazon all the time!)

Here's a link for you to check it out. It includes a 15% discount for you, if you've never ordered from them before, that is good through June 5.
Shop Now!

If you find something great, I would love to hear about it!

Slow Cooker BBQ Pork

It seems like many people think to use their slow cookers during the cooler months. They do make great cold-weather foods like soups, stews, roasts, you name it. But I like to utilize my slow cooker during the warmer months, too, because it doesn't heat up the kitchen!

One of our current favorites--and it's SO EASY--is pork barbecue. Here's what I'm going to do today.

Place approximately 2 lbs of pork loin boneless country style ribs into the slow cooker with 1/2 cup water.

Cook on low for 5 hours.

Pour off the water and fat, then cover the meat with Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet 'n Spicy sauce. (You can substitute your favorite sauce, of course. This is one that my whole family agrees on; it's not too hot, and it's gluten free.)

Cook on low for one more hour.

Shred the meat with a fork and serve however you prefer to eat BBQ! We go bun-less, and I like to serve it with pineapple and chips. It makes for a quick, light meal. It makes great leftovers for lunches, too.

Enjoy!

Donating Blood

I understand why so few of us donate blood. It takes time. We might be turned away due to health or history. It's not at the top of anyone's list of fun things to do.

Few of us expect to need a transfusion, but when you or your loved one needs blood due to an accident or medical emergency, the gratitude felt for the people who donated, never knowing whose life it might save, is immeasurable. 

I know, because I had this experience in the fall of 2015. Chris suddenly started feeling very bad, and we thought he had food poisoning. By the time we realized it was much more severe, he had to be transported to our local hospital by ambulance, and from there, transferred to a larger hospital that could perform an emergency surgery immediately. By that point, he had already lost a substantial amount of blood due to a Dieulafoy's lesion (as it was described to me, an ulcer that formed on an artery in his stomach wall). Thankfully, the surgeon was able to stop the bleeding quickly.

Chris recovered beautifully, and we are grateful for the emergency staff, the surgical team, and the nurses and doctors that made up his post-surgical care team. He now has a local GI specialist and we know to keep an eye on these things. I drive him a little bonkers, probably, but any time he has any discomfort with his stomach, I am immediately questioning him about what it feels like, what he has eaten, if he's had too much coffee recently, and on and on.

What does this have to do with donating blood? Well, following surgery, Chris needed to replenish his blood supply, and not just a little bit. When all was said and done, he required nine units of blood. NINE. I don't know how much he started with, but I can tell you that this was a LOT. Nine people, at some point in the days or weeks or months prior to his hospitalization, donated blood so that my husband and Pip's dad could survive this unforeseen and horrific medical emergency.

After we left the hospital, I decided I wanted to donate blood in order to give back. I had never done so before, and the idea made me slightly nauseated. But I was so thankful that the supply was there for him when he needed it that I was determined.

The first time I donated, I didn't do great. I got dizzy and a bit weak. The sweet women running the drive knew what to do for me, and I was fine, of course. It turns out that although I was mentally prepared, I hadn't done everything I could to be ready, physically. They recommended that, next time, I be sure to eat a good meal and drink plenty of water in the hours prior to donating.

The second time, I followed their suggestions, and it didn't go much smoother. I was only able to give what they referred to as a "baby bag." I asked if it would even be useful. Yes, I was assured, it could literally be used for a baby who needed blood. Thinking about an infant needing blood--and the thought of being the parent of said infant--reinforced my resolve.

I haven't given up. I'm sure the third time will be better.

I am clearly not the best at donating blood, but I am trying. I sincerely ask anyone who is reading this to at least consider finding out how to donate where you live and if you are eligible. You never know whose life it might save: it could be a stranger you never meet, or it could be someone you love dearly. Like I said before, few of us expect to need a transfusion. I hope you never do. But if or when the need arises, having the resources available could make all the difference in the outcome.

Favorite Sale: Kohl's

Let me start by saying that I am not a big Kohl's shopper. I like the store just fine, and I have heard from people who have found amazing bargains there. I just don't make my way over to any of their locations very often.

However, they recently mailed me a coupon for $10 off any purchase of $10 or more. Game on.

I went into the Clarksville, Tennessee, store yesterday. I had my coupon and a short list of things I would like to find, if the price was right. I wasn't particularly pleased with the selection or prices of any of the items from my list, so I scoured the outer edges of the store, looking for the clearance sections of each department. I was determined to find some way to sensibly spend this $10 rather than lose it.

Then I found the clearance bedding and remembered that we could, in fact, use a new set of sheets. Never would I pay the original price of $109.99, but this set for $32.99 with an additional $10 off? Yes I will, thank you very much!

That's right, down from $109.99 to $32.99. And I was able to apply that $10 coupon. These very nice, 100% cotton sheets were only $22.99 plus tax! That's less than a pair of pillowcases from the same collection normally run.

I felt like a champion when I left the store with my "Total Saved: $87.00" receipt!

What's the best buy you've gotten at Kohl's?

Recycling Clothes at H&M

I've been going through our clothes this week, trading sweaters and coats for tanks and shorts. Along the way I have encountered more than a few items that are in too poor of condition to share along (please don't donate worn out/torn/stained clothes to charities), but I was pained to think of just throwing them in the garbage and sending them to a landfill.

Enter H&M's garment collecting initiative! Not only will they dispose of these garments responsibly, but at the H&M store in Nashville's Opry Mills Mall, at least, they give you a discount on your purchase if you bring in clothes to recycle. Garments can be any brand, and in any condition. There's more info and a store locator on their website!

Their fashionable clothing is pretty affordable, generally, and their clearance prices are often big bargains! And they're well-made, too. I found a "size 2-4Y" dress from there--at a thrift store, so I assume it had already been previously worn--for Pip when she was two years old. It was her favorite because it was so soft, and she wore it as a dress that summer, and the following summer. The next summer and the next, it was a tunic. Then it became a shirt. I am not even kidding; at age 7 1/2, that kid is still wearing that shirt!!

So, bag up your worn out garments and head to your nearest H&M!