Making Whoopie Pies

Tonight while preparing for my upcoming Leadership Academy I was faced with the new idea of "Challenge with Purpose". I am having to read The Leadership Challenge: How To Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations by James Kouzes and Barry Posner to prepare for this upcoming academy. This idea struck a cord with me tonight as I was setting in my back yard reading my book while my neighbors worked in their garden and mowed their yards. They were being productive physically while I was mentally preparing for my ultimate life challenge that some will never achieve...becoming a leader in my community, county, state, and nation. I am not bragging by any means. This is a daunting task that somewhat scares me! Yes, I know that I am currently a leader, but hopefully I can learn how to do it better and with a more focused purpose. Someone saw enough value and potential in me that they selected me to be attend this academy to prepare me for whatever future leadership challenge that I might ever be put up against. I hope this Savage Girl can meet these upcoming challenges and start implementing what I learn into action in my daily life.

Getting back to why "Challenge with Purpose" struck a cord with me. Here are four things that I concluded that we each should do in order to bring "Challenge with Purpose" into our lives:

1. Stop complaining.

I get approached all the time to do something new or try something out. I have people that give me ideas and share possibilities. People are simply trying to "share" things that could happen or that should be happening with the things I am involved in within my job or in the community. It finally clicked with me that these people are simply complaining. Stop complaining people! Put action into your words and start creating a vision, goals, and purpose. Why tell me because I am just one person! It is OK to ask questions and challenge what has been done in the past. I do this every day! But you also have to be willing to actively help deal with those challenges and uncertainties that are happening within your life situation or what is currently going on that you want to fix. I am just one person and I cannot do everything. Volunteer to help us make changes in our community. Volunteer to make that change in your workplace that you always wanted to see happen. Enlist yourself to help out instead of setting on the sidelines waiting for someone else to do it! I cannot do it alone. I need help. The groups I work with can only accomplish so much. Trust me we can find you a place where you will fit in.

2. Begin listening and start.

If you want to ask why something is done a particular way...take a tip from me and begin to listen to the responses you are getting when you ask questions. After listening to the responses you are given analyze the situation, come up with a game plan and put some of those answers into action. If you have ideas help make them goals and put them into action and begin working towards achieving them. You can start your own group if you know there is an area currently being undeserved. Don't wait for someone else to do it! You can help too! Stop the excuses. Start. Find people who have the same interest, same passion, and same drive as you do and enlist them to join your group.

3. Share a whoopie pie occasionally.

Together we all can make a difference. You can have your project and I can have my project. Let's point our arrows in the same direction. Support my team and I will support your team. We are better together than we are separate. A whole whoopie pie is better than a bite of one. When whoopie pie ingredients are perfectly measured out, carefully mixed together, baked to perfection, whipped cream goodness spread in the middle, and served to others usually something sweet happens. Comfort and happiness is shared. If it is an awesome whoopie pie then others want the recipe so they can make it themselves at home. Share your recipe with them and don't leave any ingredients out. Tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Don't sugar coat any of the important details. The more we can share our recipe with others the better our communities, families, and lives can be and together we can begin making a difference.

 

 

4. Find your passion.

We need to turn our challenges into opportunities and purposes. We need to rise to the occasion instead of complaining to others. We all have the power, the force and the drive within us if there is passion and if it is something we really care about. If we want to really resolve something and improve a situation, then there should not be any excuse for what is stopping us. If we keep eating the same kind of pie all the time it will begin to taste dull and old...so change it up and seize the opportunities to try something new for the first time. Find your passion and start sharing it with others. Be on the lookout for people to share pie with, but don't complain! Listen and share. Sharing your pie means that you might find some new ideas yourself and you might also find others who have the same passion you do.     

Get out there and begin making whoopie pies, but do not forget to stop complaining to others, begin listening and start, share a whoopie pie occasionally, and find your passion! Last but not least be open and willing to discover new possibilities but keep in mind you need to "Challenge with Purpose".

Country Living

Today I have been working on projects around my house both inside and outside. While eating lunch I thought I would reflect over this weekend...this extra long weekend would not have been possible without the many men and women that risk their life for our nation and gave the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. For that I am thankful! Happy Memorial Day! Sometime today while you are enjoying this great weather outside take a little time to reflect on the meaning behind today so as a nation we don't lose touch with the purpose of today.

This weekend marked the unofficial kickoff to SUMMER. Memorial Day weekend brought several of my family members together on the family farm. Members of my family have been living on the family farm for almost 100 years now. It is the current residency of four members of my family...my parents and my cousin Matt and his wife Amanda. The farm is located on the Tennessee Kentucky stateline and it is still a family gathering place for holidays every now and again. My parents house is usually where everyone gathers. It will not be too much longer before we out grow my parents house if we keep adding at the current rate! Number 25 will be added in a few shorts weeks...but here are a few photos from this weekend of a few of those who were able to make it.

 

 

 

One evening several of us decided to take a little stroll on the family farm to see what was happening. I couldn't resist snapping a few photos along the way since country living on the farm isn't something that I get every day now that I'm a city girl in the metropolis of Tompkinsville. Enjoy a few scenic views, because I know I did that evening.

I love this small path since it helps keep the property interconnected.

Barn # 1...The tobacco barn (view 1)

 

The tobacco barn view 2...the barn quilt was painted by yours truly a few years ago for a school project while working on my master's degree. The pattern is called "Log Cabin" and it was selected since my mama has made all the cousins quilts in this pattern. This is the barn I spent many days when I was younger helping in the family tobacco crop & my 4-H sheep projects were raised in this barn.

It is hay season on the family farm so daddy and Matt have been a little busy. 

Barn #2...the Ridge Barn. I love this barn because of its character and charm! When I was a kid it was the "red" barn, but that has long disappeared. Now my aunt Kathy is the proud owner hence why I called it the "Ridge Barn".

 

Somehow sunsets in the country always seem prettier.

 

I am thankful and blessed to have been raised on such a beautiful family farm. I realize that now that I am an adult, but when growing up I did not appreciate the country living. Living on the farm meant that I had a few chores and had to help in the tobacco patch and my mama's daylily patch. I had to get up early and be on the school bus around 6:45 a.m. in order to be at school by 8:00 a.m. Most of my friends lived in town and had the convenience of being near everything, but that wasn't the case for my family. To shop or do anything "big" we had to travel one to two hours depending on if we went to Cookeville or Nashville. I survived without all the hustle and bustle of city life. Life on the farm has its own pace and things seemed to be simpler then and even now today.

 

Thinking about today being Memorial Day and country living & farm life  made me think of this passage from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, time to keep and a time to throw away,a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

 

I am glad that my parents decided to build on the family farm and raise my sister and me there. I got to be raised with my Pa Ralph being our closest neighbor. Not many kids can say that! If we ever needed anything he was there in an instant to lend a helping hand or words of advice or encouragement. I never dreamed at the age of 28 that I would be living back so near the family farm (I am less than 10 miles away), but somehow God's plan brought me back when I was 24. I don't know what is in store for me in the upcoming years but one thing I know for sure is that I love going back and visiting the family farm and country living every now and again even if it is just for a visit. Without these special veterans in my life I would not have been so lucky to be able to experience life on the farm. Thanks Pa Ralph & Pa Virgil!

 

Ralph Craighead

Virgil Savage

 



It's Strawberry Season!

It's strawberry season on the Tennessee Kentucky stateline! This weekend I helped pick strawberries on the family farm. These photos are from one days pickin'. Needless to say mama and daddy have been busy in the garden harvesting these little berries and preparing them for the freezer...that is if they were not consumed first! Strawberries are full of vitamin C and they also contain vitamin A, folic acid, fiber, and iron. They are low in calories and loaded with nutrition so that makes them great to eat! Strawberries are best eaten almost immediately after they are harvested within the 2 to 3 days. After they are picked you remove their "cap" and then enjoy them!    

Mama's Berry Patch...the strawberries are on the right (5 rows of them) and they are my favorite, but I cannot wait till the blackberries (on the left) come in sometime in July because they are also delicious!

I could not resist trying to consume several strawberry dishes yesterday since I had farm fresh strawberries! This is not a normal occurrence in the Savage household. I did not want those little yummy berries to go to waste especially since I helped pick them.

Breakfast (Bran Cereal & Strawberries with Milk)

Lunch (Fresh garden chicken salad with strawberries, apples, almonds, blue cheese crumbles, craisins & honey mustard dressing)

Afternoon Refresher (Strawberry Tea)

Dessert (Strawberry Shortcake) 

I haven't turned into a strawberry yet, but I'm ready to go back to the berry patch to pick some more because after reviewing these pictures I'm hungry again for some more berries. Can you tell that strawberries are one of the Savage Girl's favorite fruits? What is your favorite? 

Overweight VS. Skinny

Is being healthy and overweight better than being skinny and unhealthy? This question was recently posed to me. I am no health expert by any means, but I do have a degree in Human Ecology with an emphasis in Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics. I have a good general knowledge of the human body and what has worked for me personally during my lifestyle changing journey this past year. So here is an attempt to answer the question about being overweight versus skinny and who is healthier...if an individual is making healthy choices with the foods they eat, they exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and have a healthy blood pressure, blood glucose & cholesterol reading from their doctor then I believe they are being as healthy as they can be. These are some of the essential things that help create healthy bodies. An individuals weight might not be ideal, but an overweight person who is trying to be healthy are at a "healthy state" for their individual body. Doing something and being proactive to better than doing nothing at all!  God made us all different and unique in all shapes and sizes. If you are concerned about being healthy then as individuals all that we can do is try to be the healthiest that we possibly can be at whatever size we currently are at. The skinny person who is not trying at all to be healthy by the choices they make might actually be worse off than the overweight healthy person, because they do not care and are not concerned about their health. So yes, I believe you can be skinny and unhealthy!

Over the course of the last eighteen months I have learned that your weight is not everything. The media world has helped to give us a false view of body image and what is overweight & skinny and healthy & unhealthy. Love your body at whatever weight you currently are at. You are beautiful/or handsome and made in the image of God! If you love your body then the eating healthy, exercise, sleep, and blood pressure, blood glucose, & cholesterol readings will somehow find a way within a healthy range when you are psychologically ready. You have to have the desire to be healthy and want to change for yourself and no one else but yourself. That's when you are psychologically ready and then I believe you can begin to get physically ready by making wiser choices within your life. This might mean admitting to yourself that you need help from professionals or a support system. Anyways, LOVE the skin you are in first, then everything else will fall into place. Being healthy will work its way into your new lifestyle when you are ready.

If you still find yourself confused or need more encouragement then create a support system to surround yourself around. Talk to your health care provider because they might have some really great tips and pointers for you from a professionals standpoint. Find people around you that will help encourage you to reach your goals if you want to get healthier. Your support system could be made up of your family and friends, maybe a group of individuals who are trying to achieve the same goals as you (like my Weight the Reality Series group), or it could even be a group of fellow Christians who could be your cheerleaders. Your co-workers need to be involved also because more than likely you are around them as much as you are your family and friends. Join a fitness center and the people you meet there will become part of your accountability and encouragement team. Last but not least involve the most import person who helped create you...God. Pray about your health and ask for His support in your journey. And...my door is always open if you need my encouragement...because I know that I need yours daily! 

Learning From a Special Lady...

It has been an historical week to say the least. Tornadoes ripped through the state of Oklahoma. An innocent soldier was murdered in broad daylight in London. Millions of insects called cicadas have begun to emerge from the ground to serenade us throughout the summer. A new grocery store opened up in a small town promising lower priced groceries. A committee of seven ladies finalized plans on a summer concert series. A former co-worker moved on with a new life opportunity while leaving behind a vacant agriculture and natural resources county agent position in a small rural county in Kentucky (the job will be posted soon). A small group of dedicated individuals participating in a program called Weight the Reality Series continue to lose weight and make healthier life choices in order to have better bodies. A friend decided to move and transition into a new town to be closer to her work. And on a more personal note...my "Savage Life" continues. I have come to realize even more now than ever before that I cannot do it all, so I say a little prayer for God's guidance and my personal sanity. I put a smile on my face and attempt to manage one thing at a time on my to do list.

Now that I have had a chance to step back and reflect a little over my week it is kind of ironic that this week I have been reading about a special lady that overcame many obstacles! I am trucking right along with my daily bible readings and this week I have been reading about a lady that had courage. She followed God and His will for her in order to help her friends and family. She had faith and courage despite the obstacles that were thrown her way. Here are some applications that I think we can observe from this special lady.

1. Sometimes we need to stop and thank God for helping us overcome obstacles, trials, tribulations, and evil that is around us. We need to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak and be thankful for all the blessings that come our way no matter their size, shape, or situation. Life might not make sense now but God has a plan for your life just like he has a plan for my life.
2. Sometimes we might be placed into situations that we necessarily do not want or desire for ourselves, but instead of harboring on the sour situation we need to add a little syrup and make lemonade out of the lemons that life throws our way. We need to understand there is a purpose and we might not understand it now, but one day all the puzzle pieces will fit together perfectly because someone else with more powers is designing our life and we just get to play a small part in the process. 
3. Taking risks is a part of life and we must be willing to take the risks that come along in life in order to gain something greater. Some of the best things sometimes come when things are unknown. The lady I have been learning about this week was willing to go before a powerful king without his permission. She was willing to risk her life for her friends and family because she did not have anything else to loose.  
4. There are times we need to pray about things, seek a Godly counsel and wise advice from others, and then there are times we need to simply wait a while and have patience. But when the courage comes we need to move forward, step out of our comfort zone, and have faith in God's plan for us. The lady I was studying trusted in God and she saved a nation. She was willing to risk it all, but when we are like this special lady others will want to be like us. Others will look to us as an example, for answers, and for help. We need to be humble enough to acknowledge that we do not know it all and that answers can be found when one seeks the one and true God who knows it all.  

If you have not already figured out my special lady was Esther and we can learn much from her in the short ten chapters about her life in the Bible. So tonight when I say my prayers I am going to ask God what He wants to do through my life. Let us each remember that God put each of us on this earth where he wants us to be and for a particiular period of time. Let us have faith in His timing and will.