Building a Relationship

One of the best things about being a Dad is being able to do fun things with your kids that take the focus off your every day work life. There is nothing like fun activities that just make everything else seem like small stuff. We enjoy spending time together as a family, but more importantly I treasure the moments I get to spend with just Annabelle and me.

One of our favorite activities is building things at the Lowe's Build and Grow Workshop. It is a FREE service that Lowe's offers on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 11:00am. In the spring it is every Saturday, but in the summer and the fall it is every other Saturday. On the first Saturday of the month, Home Depot also offers a free workshop from 9:00 am to 12:00 Noon, so almost every Saturday can be a project day for you and your child. Annabelle and I have been attending these workshops since she was 3 years old. We have attended both the Lowe's and Home Depot workshops, but I personally prefer Lowe's. The people that host the workshop treat the children as if they were their own. Annabelle says she just likes spending time with me so I'll take that!

A few Saturdays ago we were unable to go there and build a dog treat holder due to extremely bad weather. When we went to Lowe's later that day, I asked one of the employees if there were any leftover project kits. He excitedly went look for one and gave it to us. Regretfully, there were not any project patches left to put on her apron (they give you an apron, goggles, hammer, and a patch or at Home Depot, a pin). I emailed Lowe's later that evening and her patch arrived in a few days. I guess that gives me a reason to prefer Lowe's, but it is not really about the project or the place it is built.

The importance to me is making good memories for us. I want her to build with me for many years to come. I am so glad that we have this opportunity to spend time together and while it doesn't cost a dime, it is priceless. This weekend, neither place held the workshop because of the holiday so we decided to finally build the treat holder at home. What memories are you making each day with your kids? All I know is that I enjoy this time with my daughter more than anything in the world. For more information you can visit http://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/ or http://www.homedepot.com/ (search for Kids Workshop).

Let's Get Cooking!

One of my favorite things, other than eating good food, is cooking. I come from a long line of great cooks and actually started cooking at a very young age. I think I was born with a cooking spoon in my hand. Before I started my career in Clinical Nutrition, I worked in several restaurants around Lafayette, including Copeland's, Alcide's Restaurant (now known as Nash's) in Broussard, and Hub City Diner. I helped create the menus and develop recipes for a few restauants in town, too. I was a guest chef on both Passe Partout and Good Morning Acadiana. Winning The Daily Advertiser cookbook competition used to be a goal of mine, but making the finals only one time discouraged me. Maybe one day! My culinary skills are mostly self-taught, but I learned from some culinary masters right in my own family.

One of my favorite Cajun dishes is of course, GUMBO! I enjoy it so much that I will even brave the heat (and crank up the A/C) and eat it right in the middle of July. My wife has become quite the cook since we are married, so she does most of the cooking in our house. I am proud to say that her meals are very delicious and healthy for us. She has altered several recipes to cater to our healthier eating habits. She created a gumbo recipe a few years ago and we've been eating it this way since that time. I will occasionally cook a pot in the winter that is filled with chicken, jalapeno sausage, tasso, and "real" roux. However, I enjoy the recipe that she uses because I can eat more of it and not feel as full. I also use brown rice so my hunger will not return as quickly.

A couple years ago in the middle of winter, Annabelle and I decided to have a picnic. It was about 40 degrees, so we thought it was a great idea. We bundled up and packed TV trays, bowls of gumbo, file, drinks, and even hot sauce. We moved everything we had onto the porch with our rocking chairs and we had the best picnic ever. Although it was a little windy and cold, we had a lot of fun. I will always cherish this memory.

Another memory I have with gumbo was when our entire family was outside enjoying our new fire pit and a mouse ran across my sister's foot. She then kicked it onto me and my cup of gumbo went flying into the air onto my mom! The next day I found gumbo and chicken & sausage dried onto the side of our house. We still laugh about that today!

DL's Gumbo

1 c. Tony Chachere's Instant Roux

2 c. water

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 can cream of chicken

32 oz. (1 box) chicken broth

10 cups water

1 pkg. sausage of choice

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Green Onions, chopped

Cajun Seasoning

Prepare roux with 2 cups water according to directions on package. Saute' onions, bell pepper, & celery until tender. Add garlic; do not brown. Stir in roux/water mixture & cream of chicken; mix then add broth & water. Bring to boil then add chicken; simmer for about an hour. Add sausage then simmer until sausage is done. You may simmer until desired consistency is reached.

WW Points: 1.5 points per cup of juice

*Note: We recommend Butterball turkey sausage or Hillshire Farms Light Smoked Sausage.

You will need to calculate how much chicken and sausage you consume in order to figure the WW points.

Gumbo tip of the day: Your gumbo is not complete unless it boils over at least once. My Dad used to say that if it boiled over twice that would be your best gumbo ever.

...Encourage One Another

My employer started a wellness program at work 5 weeks ago so I decided that after trying Weight Watchers two previous times, the third time would be for life. At times it is easy, especially if I'm around other losers, but it gets rough when you're around those who would love to see you fail. Yes, there are "those" people. With the strength that only God could give me (and lots of sweat and hard work) I hope to make a life change. My wife joined first so the support we give each other helps a lot. Even my daughter has exercised with me making it even easier. Having the support of your family makes a difference. But it's not easy to ignore negativity.

As I faced the scale this week I was handed a choice. Should I walk away with negative thoughts of what I just read or think about how good it is that I've come so far in such a short time? Or should I walk away with negative thoughts of others that shared their weight loss this week or be encouraged that the program is helping me and my co-workers whether we lose or not? I tried to take the high road, but my car had a flat tire. Our leader shared a story about a man who lost 80 lbs. and what a success he had become. I truly heard my name in that story, but couldn't help think, "Whatever..."

In this world it is very easy to become self-centered and negative, but when we move our focus to serving others by offering encouraging words or just a smile, then we realize where I reward lies. It is not in ourselves. It is giving of ourselves. When you pass someone in the hallway or in the grocery store and say, "Hey, how are you doing?" Do you really want to know how they are doing? Probably not and they probably don't either, but you may have just made a difference in their life because you smiled and showed interest. When is the last time you actually encouraged someone by saying a kind word directly to them? I would guess it would be easier to think of something you said about someone while they were not around.

Lord, please help me to remember that it's not about me. Help me to keep going forward and only let me listen and absorb the encouraging words. And help me to give it back to others.

"Therefore encourage one another, and let each one help to strengthen his friend, as in fact you do." I Thessalonians 5:11