Happy Friday, RISERS! I hope this week has been good to you. I know I say this all of the time, so please forgive me, but I cannot believe we are in the month of September already. This year is two-thirds of the way over and we are on the downhill slide. Not to mention, this weekend is a three-day weekend. Labor Day…a day to rest from labors. All joking aside, have a great weekend; watch football, do some shop therapy, and refrain from working…as much as possible.
Quote of the Week: “Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, and your spirit. Then go back to work.” Ralph Marston
Song of the Week: To keep with the theme of labor, I want to go back to “an oldie but a goodie.” “Sixteen Tons” was released in 1955, by Tennessee Ernie Ford. I am snickering to myself because I accidentally made a Back to the Future reference with the “oldie” thing and the fact the song was released in 1955. Anyway, the song was about a miner who was hopelessly bound to the company, not only as an employee in the mines, but also needing to pay off the money he owed while trying to make ends meet for his family. Although work situations are much different now, it is still easy for people to fall into working way too many hours and still feel as if they are not free. Whatever job you have, I hope that you are able to meet your needs and have a bit left over.
Random Fact of the Week: According to a study conducted by Will and Guy, most Americans over their lifetime will change careers three to five times, working in each area on average of three and a half years. During that time, they will change jobs within those careers from 10 to 12 times. And on top of that, a personality trait study conducted by Dr. Alan R. Hirsh in 1999 revealed a link between snack preferences and occupations. He studied more than 18,000 adult subjects across occupations of more than 35 different areas!
Recipe of the Week: I don’t know the correct name for this dessert, but some people call it a dump cake and I prefer to call it Cookie Surprise.
What you’ll need:
1 package Oreo cookies
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
8 oz. Cool Whip whipped topping, defrosted
chocolate cake mix
1.5 sticks of butter, thinly sliced
Place the Oreo cookies in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Next, pour the condensed milk evenly over cookies. Slather the defrosted whipped topping over the pan, then pour the dry cake mix over the pan, covering all the cookies. Evenly place the butter slices over the cake mix. Then, in an oven preheated to 400 degrees, bake the mixture for 35-40 minutes. I usually do the “tilt test” to see if a dessert has baked long enough, but this one is a bit harder to check. By tilt test, I mean that you tilt the pan to the side and if the middle jiggles or moves at all, bake it a bit longer. Serve while warm, but it is still very tasty once it has cooled. Enjoy!
Shout Out of the Week: This week, I want to shout out to everyone working this weekend. You help keep society going, and you are greatly appreciated.
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.
