...Catsinger Catering, opus 1

I have my first catering gig on Wednesday & Thursday...

Fr. Toolbelt is hosting some church people for 2 days of meetings...
and I've been asked to provide dinner on Wednesday...
as well as a simple breakfast & lunch on Thursday...
so this morning, we met to discuss the "3 menus" for 10 people...



for dinner, FrT wanted some kind of roast...
so we decided on a nice boneless, rib roast of beef...
he has several nice bottles of wine to compliment it...
and this is the right time of year[cold & wet]to serve such a hearty meal...

I'm hoping to have a "sous chef" to help me on Wednesday...
with all the initial prep & clean-up...
but even if I end up doing it all myself... it should be fun...
it's been quite a while since I got to cook a nice meal...



I will make my "Scarborough Fair" garlic herb butter...
slather the roast with it, sear the outside...
and then roast it to a nice medium rare...
reducing the pan drippings with red wine to make a nice "jus"...



I'll oven roast fingerling potatoes in olive oil with rosemary, Kosher salt & thyme...
gently smashing them before a brief sear to crisp them a bit...



I'll also oven roast in olive oil & Kosher salt...
carrots,[if I'm lucky, I'll find the red, yellow & purple colored ones]...
fennel, onion, garlic cloves...



and Brussels sprouts... to accompany the potatoes...



for the bread, I'll make Parmesan/Romano garlicky cheese biscuits...



and there will be a salad of greens, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries...
and crumbled blue cheese, dressed with a nice vinaigrette...



and for dessert, vanilla ice cream with assorted fresh berries...

for "breakfast" the next morning...



there will be assorted bagels & cream cheese...



as well as prepared oatmeal with lots of add-ins...
assorted juice & some fresh fruit...

lunch, will be a "do-it-yourself" sandwich bar...



deli turkey, ham & pastrami... assorted bread & rolls...
cheeses, condiments & chips...

sounds like a plan...

now to make my shopping list...

...wow, just wow...

my regular readers know, all too well, of my l-o-n-g journey...
through,"the valley of the shadow of debt"...
[pun intended...]

you have suffered along with with me...
in my desire to get my financial attitudes "right" with God...
[as well as my spiritual & psychological issues...]
to retire my debt burdens, to learn to live more simply...
to discern the work that God has in mind for me...
and the job that would allow all this to happen...

and even though it's been one failed job interview after another...
during months of trying to remain patient & trusting in God's promise of supply...
with my resources literally running out in a matter of a week or so...
and with NO respite in sight, but my belief & faith in the goodness of God...

there's been a miracle...

a miracle beyond what I would have ever thought to hope for...
the details of which, I just can't share at this point...
but which will solve my financial problems for the foreseeable future...
and allow me to let "the right job" come to me...
instead of taking a situation that would be unhealthy or untenable for me...
just to "try & pay the bills"...

God doesn't work that way anyway...
and this is absolutely from Him...
another chance to be a good steward of His money...
[and this truly is... He's "lending it to me"...]
as I wait for that "right job" that I know, He has for me...

I'd like to thank each and every one of you...
from the bottom of my grateful, catly heart...
who have suffered along with me, endured my outbursts...
put up with my self-centered whining or depression...
and still prayed for, the dominoes to fall, the doors to open...
[or any other euphemisms you might wish to add...]

it has been a long & difficult road, so far...
and I'm sure that my path will continue to have difficulties...
but He has told me that I could not have learned the lessons that I had to learn...
without the difficulties that I had to deal with...

and since a large part of my problem is to overcome myself...
learning to focus on the problems and overcome them was essential...

"...he who overcomes, shall inherit all things..."[Rev.2:7]

so today, I rejoice in the providence of God...
allowing me to step back, away from the edge...
also, the joy I know that God has allowed me to share...
with those whom He has used to allow this to happen...
and with those of you who have been, "along for the ride"...
[however bumpy, it may have been...]

may our God, who is very good, at all times...
richly bless you all for all your thoughts, prayers & good wishes...

...*sigh*

I suppose that I'd find the irony a bit more humorous...
if I hadn't just submitted an application to WallyWorld today...

*again*...



this time, I actually passed the "hourly management" test...
but still failed the "entry level management trainee" test...
the 2 tests are almost identical, so I'm not sure where I "strayed"...
but I did... next time, maybe I'll drink the Koolade first...
[or, maybe not...]

since I applied for every position I thought that I could manage...
at every hour of the day or night[except Sunday...]
at all 4 stores within 15 miles[Mudville, Lardtown, Altamontville...
and the Sleepy Village to the North...]

[it took a couple of hours, online...]

maybe I'll get an e-mail or call this time...

I also skulked about on the both local college HR sites [nada...]

then, I crossed over to the darkside...



they claim that there is a "long-term sub." elementary band & string position...
shared by 2 Southside schools [NOT in the good part of town]...
that has been available since Thanksgiving...
& is scheduled to terminate on May 28...

[it may be that this position was that of a former colleague...
who got put on leave, because it wasn't available in August...]

so I called and left a message with the HR person I know...
I don't expect that it's still open, but it doesn't hurt to ask...
it is full-time, but there's not enough year left to compromise my pension...
& it does NOT include classroom music, which I'm just not prepared to do...

then I applied for 2 different "food prep.assist II" positions...
[ie "lunch lady"] one is 6.5 hours daily, the other is 3...
these I could apply for online...
don't know what will happen, but since Monday is a holiday...
I probably won't hear anything until Tuesday at the earliest...
[both job application deadlines are 01/20/2010 at 4 PM...]

I would have applied for an "instructional aide" position...
that was advertised, but no applications were available on line...

God continues to tell me to wait & remain calm...
but the money is running out fast...
so I figure that if these jobs don't pan out...
I haven't really interfered with something God has in mind...

after all, you can't steer a parked car, can you ?

I'm not panicking... I know that God can do anything...
He IS the master of "last minute rescues"...
and I hope that He has plans for one here...
but I just can't sit & wait any longer...

maybe I'll stop by a couple of fast food places on the way home...
and see if they're hiring...

...clouds gathering

when I walked out of my driveway and started my walk...
south, towards the park, yesterday[1/13]...
I was feeling no pain thanks to the extra Excedrin I had "popped"...
[due to the nagging "pressure" in my lower back...
after dealing with the locked back gate & heaving trash bags over the fence...]

as I strolled down the street in the bright sunshine...
I noticed the gathering clouds on the southern horizon...



after rounding the corner & turning back to the north...
I paused to catch the Narnia tree without leaves...
looked south & was surprized by how fast the clouds were coming this way...



I rounded the next corner, now looking east, & noticed the big puffy clouds...
now closing in from that direction...



by the time I had returned to my starting point[probably about 20 minutes...]
the clouds that had been so far away, were now almost on top of me...
I went inside, make lunch & was hardly finished...
when I noticed that the sunshine was now gone...

by a little after 3, it was gray and "socked-in" outside...
with the damp chill pervading my house...
and before dark, the fog was "afoot", big time...

this morning's light came in shades of gray...

with fingers of sunlight peeking through around 9:30...
and it's been bright all day...
though now, the broken cloud pieces are moving from the west...
filling the afternoon sky like a loose-fitting jigsaw puzzle...



the jet stream has dropped and the storm door is opening...
they have forecast a significant series of storms for all next week...
we need the rain, but that much moisture will insure the continuing fog...
happy, happy... joy, joy...

I can't wait...

...overcoming myself

when I toured with Continental Singers in 1977[Tour E]...
one of my favorite "numbers" was one that contained the lyrics...
"He that overcomes shall rise/stand"[there's more, but I can't remember it all...]
but the overarching point was that true victory came only through adversity...
and the "overcoming" of it...



those times that you feel as if you are, "in, too deep"...
and as you swim for the surface, the distance between you and the light...
is at the least daunting... at the worst, impossible...
and panic, if allowed to set in, will squeeze what air you have left...
right out of you... making an already untenable position, hopeless...

those who've studied "lifesaving", know...
that the more the victim struggles...
the harder it becomes for the rescuer to help them...
even to the extent that it may eventually become impossible...
because of the peril to their own safety...
for the rescuer to continue to try & help the victim...

now, God has it all over human rescuers...
because He is God & can't be taken down by one He is rescuing...
but He can be "fought off"...by someone trying too hard to "help"...
and as a result, the drowning person is lost, due to their own interference...

I continue to be told to wait... to believe & trust...
to stop "trying" to save myself... & just do only what He tells me to do...
and today, I was reminded that only through the overcoming of myself...
could I reach the goals I seek...
that the "overcoming" of myself is necessary to achieve the victory...



that the things in myself that hold me back...
must be mastered & left behind in order to be of service to Him...
if I insist on continuing to bear burdens that I've laid on Him...
I not only will not be able to be of service, but will actually prevent God from helping me...

and how would I do this ?

by limiting His power in my life to only "some things"...
& insisting on controlling the rest myself...
which is not in my "job description"...
but so in my "control-freak-ista" nature...

this mindset of "self-control", non-manipulative, non-compulsive behavior...
is not a new idea for me at all...
everything for the last 2-3 years has been leading to this...
with the 2 steps forward, then 3 steps back dance I've been doing...
[which I have to say, I.am.tired.of.]

I know that I just can't "do it" myself...
no human, of their own will, has the self-control to conquer...
such compulsive, controlling and destructive behavior..
I have to just let go of it all...
and let Him have His way with it...

using His strength to defeat that which bc has used against me for so long...

the more I hold on to something, the less it will satisfy me...
[actually, the more it hurts me & holds me back...]
"holding on tight" to things... not good...
"holding on tight" to Him & letting go of everything else... my goal...

not at all, an easy lesson for a pack rat or a "glommer" to master...
but master it, I must...

by just letting "go"...
perhaps I'm at a point now where I can...



only then will He be able to make me into the person He wants me to be...

...thanks M&CM !

when I posted a review of "The Last of the Blond Bombshells"...
I mentioned that I liked it enough to own it...
but couldn't afford it at this point...
[I can't even afford Netflix...]

today, after being prompted to "check my box" in the church office...



look what I found from M&MC !!

Thank You SO much !!!

I will enjoy watching this & re-watching this...

I do SO appreciate your kindness, my Sister...

blessings on all you do...

...bc has a new tack

after what has seemed like way too many "broken"...
or "not working properly" things around my house in the last few months...
[with NO money for service calls, repairs or replacement...]
I was hoping that bc would get bored & move on...
at least for a while...

the most recent problems, that have his paw prints...
include the broken back gate lock & the clogged water line for my washer...
which happened after the water was off the other night...

the return of the water pushed all sorts of sediment into my pipes...
which I was successful at clearing from the faucets...
but only a service guy can clean out the washer water supply line...
and that service call costs over $100...

so now, the washer fills so slowly that washing a load takes nearly 3 hours...
and I've taken to doing laundry, overnight...

today, a much more insidious tactic emerged...

it has come up before...
most recently about a month ago when I got home from the market...
and discovered that a container of yogurt...
purchased by the customer in line ahead of me...
had been put into my bag by mistake...

realizing that if I took it back, they would have to throw it away...
I just went ahead & ate it...
but apparently, the hook was now baited...
& bc waited... for me to not be "paying attention" ...

today, I had to go buy cat & dog food...

having discovered that DP has lowered their "case" prices...
to compete with WallyWorld[at least on what I need to buy...]
I went there...

I found a 40 lb bag o'diet dog food [Purina] on sale for $25.00...
[$15 less than similar products of the same size that I used to buy...]
I also got 4 24 can flats for Piglet & Fluff of the Turkey they thrive on...
[case price $.41 per little can]
and 3 24 can flats[bigger cans, $.79 each] of the kind the rest eat...

the salesperson seemed a bit dense, but finally figured it out...
and eventually gave me my debit card tag to sign...

it was only $72...

now that may seem like a lot to you...
but I do this every 6 weeks to 2 months...
and it's always over $100...

3 cases of bigger cans=$56.88, 4 cases of small=$39.39...
that's $96 already... without the dog food...

so I looked at the charges...
and there it was...

she had charged me for 1 can, [$.79] 3 times...
instead of 1 case, [$18.96] 3 times...
since I had already signed the debit ticket before I realized her error...
I then had to spend quite a bit of effort...
convincing her that she had made a $60 error in my favor...

it took longer than it should have to get her to understand...
then we had to start all over again with the manager...
since she had charged me for one can from each flat...
and would now have to charge me for 23 cans in each flat...

the guy waiting behind me in line understood me from the get-go...

finally, the manager understood me...
told the clerk what to do and I paid the nearly $60...

so as I loaded it all into my car...
I reflected on my narrow escape...
resolving to pay better attention in the future...
as bc is now, apparently, not just content to break things...
that I can't afford to fix...
he's now setting traps for me when I'm not paying attention...

perhaps I need to include a garlic necklace in my wardrobe..