Happy Friday, RISERS! I hope this week has been good to you. Our church had Vacation Bible School every night this week. It is exhausting work, but totally worthwhile. Today, I get to go on a shopping date with my daughter. I hope you’ll have a chance to sit back, relax, and cool off this weekend. You deserve it!
Quote of the Week: “Hobbies are great distractions from the worries and troubles that plague daily living.” –Bill Malone
TV Show of the Week: I guess you have picked up on the theme of hobbies for this week. I want to recall a program that I have mentioned before: Grow, Cook, Eat. It is available to watch on Prime Video and stars Michael Kelly and Karen O’Donoghue. I cannot tell you the number of times my husband has watched these episodes to learn more about how to care for his garden. Each episode highlights a different vegetable. Michael and Karen show you how to start it from seeds, then take the new seedlings and plant them in a bed. In “Container Corner,” Karen tests the probability of growing the vegetable in a container, so that people who live in apartments can learn to grow vegetables. The program takes you through the end of the growing time needed for the particular veg, and you see them harvest it. Finally, at the end of the program, they invite a chef to prepare a dish using that vegetable. It’s amazing to see the end result. My husband always says that the food he grows in his garden tastes better than store-bought items. Even if you don’t plan to start a garden for food, this program is very enjoyable.
Joke of the Week: What’s a shark’s favorite hobby? Anything he can sink his teeth into.
Nugget of Wisdom of the Week: Besides giving us a healthy source of food, gardening is a great way to relieve stress. It is very satisfying to take a patch of dirt, add your favorite greenery or flowers, and watch the plants thrive. Pulling weeds, adding plant food, and watering your plants can be a very relaxing way to end (or start) your day. Plants grow better when talked to, or so I understand. Let me digress for a moment to tell you about “The Houseplant Song” by Audio Adrenaline. It’s very funny and touches on the idea of playing different types of music for plants and seeing the results.
Our daughter loves flowers, so she has a flower box in the backyard in the midst of all the veg. She also has a collection of non-flowering plants in her bedroom. I, sadly, did not inherit a green thumb—and on top of killing the poor things, I am allergic to most flowers. I once received a plant as a gift on my birthday. I got it on a Tuesday, I think, and without exaggeration, it was dead by Friday. I have managed to keep a Christmas cactus alive since 2017, so that’s something.
Whether you garden for vegetables or just to have beautiful flowers, you are doing great work!
Recipe of the Week: BBQ Chicken Salad
What you’ll need:
7.5-ounce container of chive-and-onion cream cheese
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, cooked
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup bacon bits
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, and BBQ sauce. Use an electric mixer and cream until the mixture is smooth. Add the chicken, the cheese, the green onions, the bacon, and the rest of the dry ingredients and stir until everything is thoroughly combined. Serve immediately or chilled. Enjoy!
Shout-Out of the Week: This week, I want to give a shout-out to everyone who is chiiling out while doing their favorite hobbies. It is necessary to “let your hair down” once in awhile, have fun, and maybe even get a little dirty.
Have a great weekend. Remember, you are most awesome, and YOU ROCK!
Marion Rhines is a foster-turned-adoptive parent. She lives in Knoxville, Tenn., with her husband and five children. She has written and published two children’s books as well as two foster-care-themed novels. She has a Facebook blog, Tips from the FLIP Side, and enjoys working with children of all ages.
