Teen Tuesday – Idioms and Soon-to-be-forgotten Gestures

Teaching high school freshman for 7 years has taught me that kids haven’t heard, much less understand, idioms these days.  Every time I say one, they stare at me like I just spoke a foreign language…and I feel a lot older than I really am.

One year I made the mistake of saying “kill 2 birds with 1 stone.”  They were jokingly shocked at how “violent” I was.  They didn’t get it at all.

Several have never heard of “stuck between a rock and a hard place.”  Well, a lot more now thanks to The Simpsons movie.

Also, “on my soapbox” is one  I’ve said probably every year, and every year I have to explain what it means.

I’m sure there are  many others I just can’t think of off the top of my head.  But this got me thinking…what if cliches just eventually went away?  I mean, so many of them we, or at least younger people, don’t even know where they come from anyway.  Will we eventually not use them altogether?

Then that got me thinking of other things, like gestures, that in the future will become obsolete and, although we may still do them, we won’t know why.

For instance, you know the whole circular, rolling-down-the-window motion we do to get people to “roll down” the window of their car?  Who even rolls down their window like that now?  We push a button.  Either that motion will go away entirely, or we’ll do it but not know why.

Also, the pointing to your wrist to indicate you want the time.  Same thing.  Who wears watches anymore?  We all look at our cell phones, right?  Eventually, won’t that motion become something of which nobody knows the origin?  We may do it but wonder to ourselves, why the heck am I pointing to my wrist to get the time?  That is unless our cell phones end up becoming something we strap to our wrists…in which case it will come full circle and make total sense again.

Musa Monday Greek Pastitsio Recipe!

This looks delicious – like Greek lasagna!  Has anyone had something like this?  Be sure to check out Eleni’s paranormal at the end!

It’s all Greek to Me

by Eleni Konstantine

I’m very lucky. I’ve been surrounded by good cooks my whole life. One food that I have loved since I was a kid is pastitsio. And my mum’s pastitsio has always been my favourite.

What is pastitsio? It’s Greek and is sort of like a mousaka but instead of putting potato and eggplant (aubergine), you have pasta.

We make pastitsio for my dad’s name day celebration. It is one of his favourite dishes.

There are three layers traditionally but we mix up the bottom two layers.
1. Pasta – bottom layer
2. Mince sauce
3. Béchamel sauce – top

You will find variations on the web, but this is the one that always makes my mouth water no mater what.

The following is for a dish 30cm x 40cm (11 inches x 15 inches)
I had to pin my mum down for this as she does this off the cuff and changes according to the size of the casserole dish.

Ingredients
500gm (1 pound) pasta of your choice. We usually go for penne as it mixes with the mince layer really well.
7 eggs (3 egg whites, lightly beaten for mince/pasta layer; the remainder egg yellows will go in the béchamel (white sauce) and 4 eggs in Béchamel sauce.
7 cups milk
6 tbsp. melted salted butter
250gms (1 cup) of corn flour
1 tsp. of nutmeg
salt
white pepper
8 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese or dried ricotta cheese or a mixture of both
800-1kg mince or 13/4-2 pounds ground – we usually do a mixture of Pork and Beef. 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion grated
2 tbsp. of tomato paste
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes or readymade pasta sauce to replace the paste and diced tomato
½ cup chopped parsley (continental)
1- 1½ cups water
7 tbsp. corn flour heaping

Mince Layer
- Heat oil and fry mince until brown.
- Add onion and stir
- Add tomato paste and diced tomato. Stir
- Add ¾ teaspoon nutmeg.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add chopped parsley
- Stir until there is little to no liquid left.
- Take off heat and put to side.

Pasta Layer
- boil the paster so it’s al dente. tip 1: add a few drops of extra virgin olive oil; tip 2: when you add the pasta, add some salt to taste.
- strain pasta

Combining Layers
- Mix the meat sauce and the pasta together
- Add 3 lightly beaten egg whites into mixture and stir.
- Butter or oil a casserole dish (we use Pyrex) before use.
- Pour mixture above into casserole dish and flatten out to cover the bottom of the dish.
- Leave for 10 minutes (so the meat takes up a bit of the heat)
- Add the 7 tablespoons of the cheese(s)

White Sauce
- Place 6 cups of milk, a pinch of white pepper, ¼ teaspoon with melted butter into saucepan to boil.
- As this is heating, add into a bowl, the remainder eggs (4 whole + 3 yellows), 1 cup of milk and corn flour and whisk until the corn flour is absorbed.
- Add the bowl’s ingredients into the saucepan and stir until the milk froths.
- If there are lumps in your white sauce, you can sift it through to make it more smooth.
- Add white sauce to the casserole dish. Spread out.

The Finish
- Add some dried grated ricotta cheese or parmesan cheese to top of mixture
- Put in oven at 180Celcuis (356 Fahrenheit) for an hour.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes when you take it out of the oven.
- Cut into how large you want your pieces to be, and serve.
- A Greek village salad makes a good side dish.

My heroine Zeta Kosmos is from a Greek background but she has no time to enjoy pastitio.

Zeta will protect the one she loves, even if it means living in Hell.

Mastering a unique power was much safer for Zeta Kosmos with a mentor to help her along. Now that he’s disappeared, Zeta must continue alone with her calling—closing Gateways to Hell.

Daniel Richards is in the family business—Warding supernatural evil from causing havoc on humans. As such, he’s only interested in the safety of one-night stands. Until Zeta. This bad boy now wants a long, lasting relationship.

But Zeta can’t let go of her past, nor can she ignore the secret demonic threats against Daniel’s life. She’d rather fight demonic spawn and be dragged into Hell than allow anything happen to him. Can Daniel convince her to stay? Will she have to pay the ultimate price?

To read an excerpt from Gateway to Hell, please click HERE.

Eleni Konstantine is Fantasy and Paranormal fiction writer, with a number of shorts published. Her stories range from flash fiction to novels. She blames her mother for her writing bug because as a child she was given many books, including illustrated fairytales. That and a love of Greek mythology, and Eleni was destined to become a writer.

Eleni lives in Adelaide, Australia, with her family and feisty American Staffy.

Learn more about Eleni Konstantine on her website and her blog Eleni’s Taverna.

Teen Tuesday – Teenagers and Hope

I normally read this poem at the beginning of the year to my freshman, but I figured it’s just as appropriate now that graduation is around the corner or already here for some.  Best wishes to all of you graduates!  Reach for the stars, and don’t let anyone tell you it’s not possible!

 

Teenagers and Hope

By Dusty Crabtree

“When I say the word ‘teenager’ what’s the first word that comes to your mind?”

“Disrespectful,” grumbles an elderly woman.

“Stubborn!” exclaims a mother.

“Attitude!” shouts a father.

“Unmotivated,” sighs a teacher.

“Lazy,” huffs an employer.

“Mean,” whimpers a child.

“Self-absorbed,” declares a college student.

“And you?  What comes to your mind?”

“Hope,” I say.

“Hope?  What an odd answer.  Explain yourself.”

“When I think of teenagers, I think of hope.  Sure, they may have rough edges that need to be smoothed and behaviors that need to be learned, but they are also passionate, driven, sincere, creative, trusting, optimistic, and hopeful.  They have so much to learn and so much to give.  The possibilities for them and their futures are limitless.  They feel like they can accomplish anything, because they haven’t been told otherwise.  Sadly, we were once that way too.  But since then we’ve listened to the world’s lies about our insignificance and helplessness in changing our world.  We’ve become jaded and complacent, but teenagers have not.  They still believe they can change the world . . . and they can.”

The Seven Ages of Mom

To all the mothers out there, this is my tribute to you (and to Shakespeare, in a way, for the inspiration), but especially to my own mother, Sheila Ives, for being such a great example to me of what a mother should look like in all stages of motherhood.  I love you, Mom, and will always appreciate the role you have played and are still playing in my life!

 

“The Seven Ages of Mom” by Dusty Crabtree

 

All of the home is a mother’s realm

and all her children are jewels in her crown.

The children have their entrances and exits.

And one mother in her time plays many parts.

Her roles being seven ages.  At first, the mother of an infant,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sleep-deprived and unsure, yet basking in the joys of new motherhood.

Then, the mother of a whining toddler, with her time-outs and

daily lessons, teaching how to behave, but also

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

adoring the simple ways love is shown.  And then the mother of a child,

curbing the complaining and arguing with stern but loving words

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and wiping away tears with encouragement.  Then the mother of a teenager,

full of wisdom and rules, and hardened like steel against rolled eyes,

Nervous of dating, quick to offer advice,

Seeking only to show her love and offer her help

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

even as it’s not appreciated.  And then the mother of the college student

in apprehension at the thought of this new independence,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

with pride in her heart, and tears of both joy and sadness,

full of happiness each weekend the spare room is filled with life again,

which gradually becomes less and less frequent.  The sixth age shifts

into the caring and generous grandmother,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

with love for her grandkids, and advice for the parents,

Her words this time cherished greatly as precious gems

by her children, but her rules now slackened for her grandkids,

turning towards carefree playtime, reaping the benefits

of the seeds she’s sown that have flourished into new growth.  Last stage of all,

That ends this magnificent yet mystical privilege called motherhood,

is the memories that live on past her earthly life,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

eternal teaching, eternal wisdom, eternal inspiration, eternal love.

 

 

 

In case you want to see the original poem by Shakespeare, “The Seven Ages of Man,” to compare, here it is…

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players,
They have their exits and entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
Then, the whining schoolboy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice
In fair round belly, with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws, and modern instances,
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,
His youthful hose well sav’d, a world too wide,
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again towards childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

 

Musa Monday – Cozy Mystery New Release!

I’m featuring a fellow Musan and Wench today (it’s still barely Monday where I am) for her new release!  Take it away Sam!

by Sam Cheever

What is it about cozy mysteries that makes them so much fun? To answer that question, I guess you need to start with the basic elements of a cozy. When one thinks of a cozy, one might think Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple or maybe Angela Lansbury’s character, Jessica Fletcher, of Murder She Writes fame. The traditional cozy is set in a specific, confined area, such as a bunch of people stranded in a remote location with a killer in their midst, a.k.a Clue (Best. Movie. Ever). Many contemporary cozies are in small town settings, with quirky characters and the challenges and opportunities inherent in small town living. A cozy generally revolves around a murder, but the murder is usually off screen and/or not overly violent.

Cozy mysteries feature amateur sleuths of all kinds. For example, some of the most popular contemporary cozy series feature flower shop owners, chefs, caterers, accountants, book store owners, writers, and dog trainers. These unlikely sleuths find themselves repeatedly embroiled in murder most foul and struggling to figure out whodunit. The mystery is made more interesting by the quirkiness of the people involved, their tendency to lie and cover, and the misconceptions that come from knowing someone for years. It’s a fun formula fraught with opportunities for both the reader and the sleuth to go awry and lose their way.

Which brings me to the reason I love a good cozy mystery. I love the challenge and journey of figuring out whodunit in a light, fun environment. No guts, no gore, no over-the-top sensuality. Just a big, fun puzzle.

My own cozy mystery series is centered on an antiques store owner and has an additional fun twist. Filled with lots of great, old things, Yesterday’s Antiques is a hotbed of paranormal activity, giving Yesterday Mysteries a paranormal edge. This aspect adds an extra element of fun to the already enjoyable mystery. Anna Yesterday is a kind, attractive young woman trying to make a living doing what she loves in a small town in Southern Indiana. When Anna opened Yesterday’s Antiques, she inherited two spirits, who are tied to objects that were once buried under the store.

Joss is a cowboy from pre-Civil war times, whose gun belt and holster were uncovered behind the store when Anna was having some improvements made. Joss is sexy, protective, and obviously in love with Anna, and she feels pretty much the same about him. The second specter, Bess was a saloon girl who sometimes cleaned the floors in the inn that was located where Yesterday’s now exists. She lived in the mid to late 1800s and Anna isn’t sure what her transference object is. Bess and Anna butt heads on a regular basis, mostly due to the fact that Bess is jealous of Anna’s relationship with Joss, but also because…well…Bess is kind of a crank. #:0)

To make things even more interesting, Anna has a sexy, flesh and blood assistant who’s an ex-cop to help her with her sleuthing. Her growing feelings for Pratt are confusing and cause no end of tension between the two men in her life. All in all, it’s a fun series with likeable characters and I’m really enjoying being on the creation side of the cozy mystery genre for a change! I hope you’ll check these books out.

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Book 1: Yesterday Mysteries

Antiques can be a dangerous business. Especially when you’re dealing with a desperate politician, a sexy ex-cop, and a couple of “spirited” companions.

Anna Yesterday owns Yesterday’s Antiques in small town USA. When she finds an old newspaper clipping lining the drawer of an antique dresser, she realizes she’s never heard the ugly story of rape and suicide detailed on the yellowed newsprint. So she starts to dig, and her sleuthing exposes an ugly cover-up that casts the residents of Crocker, Indiana into danger and intrigue, and leaves them with a corpse.

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Book 2: Yesterday’s Mysteries – April 2013

A deadly secret is tangled up in Yesterday’s Threads, and Anna is racing the clock to get it unraveled.

In 1859, Elisabeth Margaret Nelson traveled to Crocker, Indiana to meet her new husband and start a new life. Her family never saw her again. The story of her death and a heartbroken husband who grieves his entire life is a sad tale for sure. But is it true?

When Anna Yesterday receives some vintage dresses from the local museum, she’s excited about highlighting them at Crocker’s annual Apple Blossom Festival. But someone wants the dresses back, and they’ll apparently stop at nothing to get them—leaving a trail of murder and destruction in their wake.

As Anna and Pratt work to uncover the deadly intrigue behind the vintage dresses, interference of another kind is working its way to the surface. All too soon, Anna and Pratt find themselves neck deep in trouble from more than one dimension—and wondering which will get them first!

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Fun Friday – Iron Man 3!

Sooooo excited to see this tonight!  If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, check it out!  Apparently it’s already took the top sales figures for Marvel – over The Avengers…which was pretty amazing.  Iron Man has also been my favorite of the Marvel movies.  I think Robert Downey Jr. just does a fantastic job!  Also, a little side note, I think our little 3-month old has a crush on Iron Man.  She is obsessed with staring at our Iron Man 2 poster.  Lol!  Click on the movie poster to view the trailer!

Fun Friday – I’m Going to Prom Again!

Even though I teach high school, I have never been to prom as a chaperone.  The last time I went to prom was as a senior with my future husband (cough) 12 years ago (cough).  I’m pretty sure things have changed since then (in some ways for the worse, I’m sure), but I am really looking forward to going tomorrow with my husband!  I’m excited to see all my former students dressed up and everything.  I’m also excited for our little date night!  We’re doing the whole thing – dressing up, going to a nice dinner, and then prom, although we will not be staying the whole time.  12 o-clock is just a tad too late for my taste, especially when I now have a foster-daughter to come home to.  :)

Since it’s been a while and I’ve never chaperoned a dance before, does anyone have any DO’s or DON”Ts for me?  I’ll gladly take any advice, whether from an adult or teenager.  Thanks!