This is a social setting, right? People stop by, read my muttled thoughts, sometimes leave their own insights in the comments, then leave. Granted, there's no food, which is a requirement in the concrete world of socializing, but I think we can get away with calling the act of surfing blogs a form of socializing. (I know that recipes count as virtual food, but you won't get that here, because I don't cook. Does that make me a bad virtual hostess? Wow! I hope not!)
The rules of hostessing say that you should avoid all controversial subjects as topics of conversation such as politics, religion and above all, finance. I vividly remember being taught that one should NEVER ask how much money another makes or how much any possession of another costs, nor volunteer any information about one's own financial position to another. These are still truths I abide by today, but I do not think it outside the boundaries of etiquette to forward information about good financial strategy. Now, I'm not talking about insider trading or stock tips, I mean good financial planning. So, I have added a link to Dave Ramsey's site, because I believe he gives good basic financial advice (and I vaguely remember promising to add some financial info to this site).
I will let you read Dave's site. Yes, he sells stuff. I've never bought any of it. And the most important thing: I'm not qualified to give financial advice. I'm not qualified to give advice about people who give financial advice. But what Dave says makes sense to me. Big Daddy and I took a financial planning class at church once and alot of what Dave says falls into the Christian guidelines we learned there. I will let you check out Dave and decide on your own.
As Christians, I believe that we are called to be good stewards. Good stewards of all our resources - time, talent and treasure. I believe that the Lord raises us up just as we raise our children. You teach your children how to get dressed, then they eventually learn to dress themselves. You choose the clothes they put on, then eventually they start to decide what to wear - and what to buy. God gives us a little to handle. If we do well with it, He gives us more. And so the process goes, until we are called Home. Heaven is such a treasure - will we know how to handle it?
Lack of stewardship is one of my biggest problems with the current candidates, and the country in general. Let me be clear on this point - my vote will go the person that is the lesser of two evils, so don't think this is my pitch for one candidate or the other. There could be a soapbox involved though. Hold on.
I believe that we, as individuals, are not good stewards of our families and communities. Why does the government need to take care of the disabled or the poor? Where is the family? Where is the community of faith?
I believe that we, as a country, are not good stewards of our resources. Why don't we have renewable fuel sources? Why are we buying everything from China?
I believe that we, as a country, are not good stewards of our talent. We do not need the government to provide health care. Why aren't doctors left to treat patients, unincumbered by the insurance industry? Why have we let special interests dictate what happens in this country?
I believe that we, as individuals, are not good stewards of ourselves. What happened to personal responsibility? Why is the tobacco company's fault that you chose to smoke? Why is it the banks fault that your house is being foreclosed on? Why is it the homeowner's fault for shooting you when you tried to rob his home?
I believe that we, as corporate citizens, are not good stewards. Why should you, Mr. CEO, get a golden parachute when all the taxpayers are left to bail out the company you ran into the ground? Remember that "risk and reward" thing? You risked and lost.
Uh-oh, falling off the soapbox.
As your hostess for today, I feel obligated to note that there is NO candidate that fits my criteria. And since I have managed to cover every taboo subject today, I guess I should at least offer up a recipe (from Being Dead is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral). After all, if you were actually at my house, I would at least put out some cream cheese and crackers, and offer you a drink.
VODKA CAKE (or as I like to call it, the Best of Both Worlds)
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small 3.4 oz and 1 large 5.9 oz box of chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs at room temperature, beaten
1 cup oil
1/2 cup Kahlua
1/2 cup vodka (use the good stuff)
1 container of chocolate-fudge frosting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine, in the bowl of your mixer, the cake mix, chocolate pudding mixes and eggs. Mix until creamy. Add the oil, Kahlua, and vodka, and twirl around until there are no lumps. Pour into a well-oiled bundt pan and bake for approx 45 mins. Remove from oven, let it sit a minute, and then flip it out onto the plate. While the cake is hot, spread the frosting onto the cake. It will melt into the cake and the result is celestial.
Your hostess with the mostess - The Hat Chick
No comments:
Post a Comment