The Cliffs of Ugly Truth

Have you ever found yourself in the situation of having an idea of the truth, but trying to not have it confirmed.  You desperately don’t want to have it confirmed because you know that the truth will cause irreparable damage?  No?  I am very jealous, you are indeed a lucky person!

Sadly, I have been there.  I tried as hard as I could to avoid that hunches that I thought might be true.  Then, the truth became unavoidable.  I had no choice but to see it, in writing.

It drove me straight to The Cliffs of Ugly Truth.  I did not pass go or collect $200 either.  It was a jolt that left me emotional, unhappy and crying.  There was lots and lots of crying.  It is never easy to have to face something, even if you did suspect it.  Once you have the truth in black and white, well it if you continue to deny it, you are doing yourself a terrible disservice.  In my case, it just makes me a fool.

Depression

Depression is not a very fun or pretty subject.

A few years ago I found myself in that state of mind and it was horrible.  It is also hard to understand.  So, this post is a total rip off.  Please follow this very good link and read about depression.

While my journey was not quite the same, it was close enough that I wanted to share... and yes, I did do counseling but no I did not consider ending my life.  But I did have the crying jag, you’ll understand when you read it.  Give it a try and if you know someone who might benefit from this post, please send them the link!

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/depression-part-two.html

Shepard’s Pie or Cottage Pie

I have the exciting opportunity to be in a cookbook!  Along with the opportunity to submit a recipe, my picture and blog is also going to be put into the book!  I have to admit that I am very excited!

After emailing back and forth we settled on talking about the difference between Shepard’s Pie and Cottage Pie.

So, you have to be wondering what is the difference?

In America, you mostly eat Cottage Pie.  Cottage pie is made with mince (they say mince instead of ground in the UK) beef.  Shepard’s Pie is made with mince lamb.  I actually do a combination of the two and because I have a large family I doubled the recipe.  Here is my recipe:

1 lb of minced beef
1 lb of minced lamb
1 large onion chopped (or 2 small)
12 oz of mushrooms diced
4 tbsp of flour
2 bay leaves
2 cups of stock (I do both of lamb stock)
6 Tbsp of ketchup or tomato paste
6-8 potatoes, peeled
2-3 carrots chopped
salt and pepper
butter
milk
cheddar cheese (optional)

Chop the mushrooms, onions, and carrots.  Brown the lamb in a pan with the bay leaf, onions, mushrooms, and carrots.  Drain off some of the fat if you like, I do.  Add the flour and cook for at least a minute.  Blend in the stock and ketchup.  Cook stirring until thickened.

Meanwhile cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender.  Drain and mash with butter and milk until smooth.

Spoon the meat mixture in a oven ready dish discarding the bay leaf.  Add some salt and pepper for seasoning.  Cover with the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with cheese if desired.  Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, it will be bubbly.  Serve hot with a salad or green vegetable!

This recipe is easy to split in half.  If you choose to do that route, just use 8oz of mushrooms.

Driver’s License

Well, the count down is on.  Our time in the UK is growing shorter by the day.  The list is ever growing of things to see and things that we have to get done.

For Super Handome and I we desperately need to get our driver’s licenses.  Sounds a bit mad, right?  I wish.  In the UK, they will only trade licenses with a few countries.  So, we knew that we needed to get our licenses.  France will take some of the licenses from the US, but only select states.

Arkansas, South Carolina, Colorade, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

Sadly, Super Handsome and I do not hold a license in any of those states.  It is indeed a sad, sad day for the drivers in the Beary household.   Our options are to get our UK license and then trade it for a French license, which is preferable (and cheaper) then getting the French license and having to have an interpreter.  So, well do the easier version and take care of while we are here.

One of my American friends just went through the process herself and she passed both the theory test and the driving test!  Yay!!!! for my friend!  I was really relieved to hear of her success.  There are practice tests that are available to take online.  I went and tried one out without studying and while I did not pass, you have to achieve 43 out of 50, I was not too far off as I scored a 39.  I am confident that with a little studying, success will be mine as well.

I am off to schedule my theory test!  I have to pass it first before I can take the driving version.  Wish me luck!  I’ll let you know when I pass!

Here are some of the things I see when I drive...

Zebra stripes

I’m glad it is not a rude notice!

Wanderings of My Mind....

I have been dealing with a few things lately, really struggling.  So, here are some of the wanderings of my mind...

 Excerpts of Mr. Writer by Sterophonics

"Mr. Writer"

You line them up
Look at your shoes
You hang names on your wall
Then you shoot them all

You fly around in planes
That bring you down
To meet me who loves you, like
Me crashing to the ground

Are you so lonely?
Don't even know me
But you'd like to stone me

Mr Writer, why don't you tell it like it is?
Why don't you tell it like it really is?
Before you go on home

You've just enough, in my own view
Education to perform
I'd like to shoot you all
And then you go home
With you on your own
What do you really know?

Mr Writer, why don't you tell it like it is?
Why don't you tell it like it really is?
Before you go on home

And then you go home
With you on your own
What do you even know?

Family quarrels are bitter things. They don't go by any rules. They're not like aches or wounds; they're more like splits in the skin that won't heal because there's not enough material.
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald 

I will rise.

Paying the Costs....

When we were in France, I got a message from one of my friends who is a meteorologist in Chicago.  There was a very strong storm headed toward Fort Wayne and he wanted to make sure that I was aware.  It was really touching that he was thoughtful enough to send me the message.  I quickly explained to him about the last 18 months.  Then I sat and kind of watched Facebook.

Unfortunately, a few of my friends got water in their basements.  It left me a little worried.  As it turns out, I had good cause to be.  When we arrived back at our home in England I was greeted with messages from my mother informing me of our <not so> fabulous luck!  Super Handsome almost sent me home.  I was assured by my parentals that they had it all under control.

More rain came and things did not get better.  As our luck runs, I found out Monday while Super Handsome was in France.  So, I started making phone calls to the US when business opened.  I arranged for a company to meet my father at the house to assess the situation.  It was immediately referred to a contractor as the damage was more extensive then my parents had realized.  It not only involved the carpet, but now the walls.

We were warned that if the water was found to be surface water, insurance would not cover the damage.  So, I completely fretted (and by fretted I mean freaked out, expecting the worst!) while I waited for the contractor to meet with dad the following day.  They met and it was determined that the damage was not caused by surface water.  The sump pump, which had pumped faithfully through all the episodes held up like a champ!  There was just too much water for it to handle.  So, the good news is that the basement did not leak AND the insurance will cover the damage.

So, the company is doing the drying out process in my basement and I have been waiting for the insurance people to contact me regarding the claim.

Expecting the worst and then hearing what I did, has been a strange relief.  I honestly expected to have to foot the bill for all of this ourselves. So, it was more then a pleasant surprise to know that I am *only* going to be responsible for my deductible.  I feel crazy saying that I am grateful to only have to pay a fraction of what the repair costs are going to be.

Frustration!

I am really tired of the curve balls that life seems determined to throw me.  They are not just time consuming, they also tend to be just plain costly.  Let’s face it, the last few months have not been easy or cheap.

I dutifully picked up and recovered from all that has happened and continued along with life.  Let’s face it there is a lot to look forward too!  Things seemed to be going rather smoothly, when life just threw me another curve ball.  This one is not a pretty one either.  It certainly could be worse and it could be better.