When nobody answer, that means it is hard to understand the question or the question is beyond words to explain.
I once solicited advice for unclogging a bathtub -- never received a response. The question was pretty clear: Do you have any tips or advice on unclogging a bathtub that is slow to drain? It's still open in hopes a Master Plumber happens upon it
I close questions because now that they are on the subdomains you can see the traffic and most of my questions have been really slow in attracting any visitors. There are probably some exceptions but I'd guess you have to promote a question some or get a lucky hot topic that gets a lot of people responding.
Same as someone else said. Left it up for a month and no response. Thought it was a good question. Apparently, I was wrong.
And good luck pushing traffic to a question. I just sent 100 viewers to my question about Dick Clark & Apocalypse which I thought was at least thought provoking with no response. No one can be bothered to sign up. There has to be some reward o
It would be nice if the questions-stats page had a little tick mark or whatever indicating that we had closed the questions to new answers for whatever reason.Not a biggie and not worth it if it requires major programming time.
We were first introduced to the yellow pill-shaped, giggly, mischievous and completely adorable Minions in the 2010 movie Despicable Me as Gru's mostly helpful worker bees.
As did so many other viewers, we fell in love with these cute and cuddly henchmen adopting them as our family mascot. (More later in the page.)
The Minions, which to me look like a cross between a twinkie and a vitamin pill, provide a lot of the comic elements in the film. They are silly sidekicks kind of like the penguins of Madagascar.
These scene stealing creations emerged from the imaginations of Chris Meledandri, Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. Through character development they expanded on the typical definition of minions as being unimportant followers of a more important person.
Despicable Me was a hit for Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment. The film grossed than $540 million and became the 10th-biggest animated motion picture in U.S. history.
Listen to the Banana Potato song from the Despicable Me 2 Trailer on DespicableMeMovie. CAUTION: It is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head.
Minion gibberish translations with proofing help from my kids who had me figure out the lyrics. Middle section translations from Banana Song with Subtitles on Youtube below.
This banana shirt featuring the minions is a great shirt for girls who love the minions and the Banana song (like my two).
For Despicable Me 2 there are new posable minion figures and Funko has also come out with a line of character products.
Get the set of mini Despicable Me figures, a great gift for any Despicable Me fan. Includes Gru, his girls, Dr. Nefario, assorted minions and the unicorn.
In Summer 2013, get ready for more minion madness in Despicable Me 2. Chris Meledandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team create an all-new comedy animated adventure featuring the return of Gru (Steve Carell), the girls, the unpredictably hilarious minions...and a host of new and outrageously funny characters.
Despicable Me 2 starring Steve Carell as Gru is back with more outrageous characters including the minions and the girls. Watch the Despicable Me 2 movie in theaters July 3, 2013.
In this second trailer for Despicable Me 2 we learn a bit more about what might be going on with the movie from MovieTrailerApple.
The Minions are thousands of short little pill-shaped (twinkie-shaped or thumb shaped) yellow creatures with eye-bugging goggles that help Gru, the world's greatest villain, carry out his nefarious deeds.
Originally envisioned as underground mole people, these cute little critters are like mischievous children and giggling trouble makers. The Despicable Me Wikia describes the minions as "a rambunctious bunch of simple-minded beings." Their silly, scene-stealing antics like taking butt pictures on the xeroxing machine, arguing over bananas or tee-peeing a house from the inside make viewers want to laugh along with them.
The thousands of short little minions start off by being Gru's hench children, but ultimately turn into part playmates and part baby sitters for Gru's daughters Margo, Edith and Agnes.
They have become so popular that they have their own Minion Madness DVD and their own ride, Minion Mayhem at Universal Studios in Orlando.
In early 2007, Universal Pictures began to build its family and animation film business by bringing aboard blockbuster producer Chris Meledandri to shepherd the initiative.
Born out of the animation process were the scenestealers the production came to know as Gru's minions.
Despicable Me hits the big screen this week and looks set to be a huge success. Born out of the animation process were the scene-stealers the production came to know as Gru's minions.
In addition the DVD contains the Super Silly Fun Land games: "Feed the Creatures," "Tin Can Alley," "Minion Dunk Tank" and "Match Madness."
Download and print out this free Despicable Me coloring page featuring a variety of characters from the Despicable Me movie.
We started our Minion collection in 2010 with the group of three minions (Dave, Stewart and Jorge) plus an extra Stewart dressed in their blue overalls as Christmas presents.
Someone suggested putting them in the back window of our car, peering out the back window and it is where they have remained. They bring a smile to most people's faces and I hope even bring some silliness to stressed out drivers.
When the Halloween Minion set and the Christmas Minion set became available we added them to our Minion collection and swapped out the regular Minions for holiday themed minions.
Since we had so much fun with the holiday Minions we've dressed up our regular Minions for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's, Easter, Spring, Memorial Day and the 4th of July.
Needless to say they are quite a conversation starter for my daughter's friends. We've gotten a few extras to give as gifts to those who have been the most touched by our silly mascots.
Download different Despicable Me Ringtones for your phone including the new Banana Potato, Papoi, Minion Giggles and Agnes' "It's so Fluffy" line.
The Despicable Me Minions are all dressed up for Halloween trick or treating. One is dressed as a skeleton, one as a vampire and one as a mummy.
Since we couldn't decide on just one costumed minion, we got the set. We have all three of the Halloween set all ready to go for Halloween this year. The vampire minion has proven to be very popular (with the Twilight crowd?) and at least during the summer of 2013 is harder to find, except on eBay.
We keep our stuffed minions in the back of the car, changing them during the holidays as a way to give people behind us a laugh.
The Christmas Minion toy set is a fun way to spread some holiday cheer. These silly Minions with Dave in his elf hat, Stewart in reindeer antlers and Jorge dressed up as Santa, are a fun way to spread some holiday cheer.
It may be impossible to decide which Christmas Minion is the cutest, Stewart the Reindeer, Jorge the Santa or Dave the Elf. If you are like us and can't make up your mind just get the set of all three Christmas Minions.
We keep them in the back of the car, peering out at the drivers behind us as we go down the highway. You can almost hear them singing silly Minion holiday songs.
There are different versions of the Christmas Minions. I like the ones where they are dressed up as reindeer and elves. These can be hard to find on Amazon. Hopefully they'll come out with new ones for this Christmas.
I came up with several lenses on making minion costumes including how to make your own basic minion costume using denim overalls and goggles, how to make a minion fireman costume and alarm hat like the Bee-do, Bee-do minion wears.
Of course I had to include a lens on how to make the latest minions, the evil purple minions for those days when you are feeling more like a screaming, crazy monster than a silly sidekick.
Learn more about the Minion Mayhem 3-D Ride at Universal Studios in Orlando and the launch from InsidetheMagic and JeffLangeDVD.
@Mommy-Bear: Or at least a fun diversion from the story line... I like them better than Scrat from the Ice Age films for a diversion plot.
@sojourner-1: A few silly, off color jokes and the whole orphanage is a bit scary, but for the most part a fun family movie.
@Weekendvoer: The ride is a bit far for us here in California. That's why I was glad to find several video clips so you could get some kind of an idea about the ride without being there.
Nice lens, i haven't seen "Despicable me" yet, but after reading your lens i will do for sure. The 3d ride seems a lot of fun, too bad i'm from holland so it's a bit far away for us.
@LisaDH: It was my kind of film, with some dark humor mixed in. Of course I also like many of Tim Burton's films. I thought Gru was funny and of course little Agnus and her "It's so fluffy, I'm gonna die!"
THey are so cute that I can hardly stand it. I'm a big fan. Thanks for giving so much in the way of background on how they were created.
My husband is a wonderful cook. We both share the kitchen & each of us has our specialties. He often does the cooking for our dinner parties
For those people who do not have an aversion to eating pork for religious or other reasons, this has become a good alternative protein meat source. It is generally much lower in fat than most beef because of modern ways in which the pigs are raised. It is commonly referred to as "the other white meat" referring of course to chicken.
We enjoy eating pork in many different ways and my husband who is very creative in the kitchen...especially when testing new recipes with one of his favorite wines...recently came up with this scrumptious recipe.
My hubby and his business partner broker wines and many of them come from Italy. Often times he likes to see which foods pair best with them by experimenting in the kitchen. I'm a lucky gal since I am naturally part of his tasting panel. Sometimes we have a friend or two join us so that they can also weigh in on the results.
This recipe for pork ribs got its name because of the wine that became a part of the recipe. Naturally other rich tasting Chianti type wines could be substituted. Thus without further ado here is the delicious Pork Garda Rosso recipe for your enjoyment.
Note: This recipe was created to pair with Garda D.O.C. Classico Rosso, a wine produced by Provenza Winery of Desenzano, Italy. It is a blend of four grapes - Barbera, Sangiovese, Groppello, and Marzemino. The latter two varietals are indigenous to the area around Lake Garda in the Lombardia Region. www.provenzacantine.it
Wash and pat dry the bone-in pork and cut into serving sized pieces. Cooking this with the bones left on is optional.
4. Saute the shallot for about a minute in a non stick pan in oil over medium high heat and then add the mushrooms removing them to a dish when wilted.
5. In the same pan after adding the butter, saute both sides of the pork until nicely browned and remove from the skillet to another dish.
6. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of the red wine scraping up the browned bits of fond from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the juices until they have just about disappeared from the pan.
7. Add another 1/2 cup of the wine and a 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and again reduce over high heat, stirring frequently until the pan juices are reduced by at least two thirds. What this is doing is concentrating the flavors of the eventual entree that you will be serving.
8. At this point add the meat and any meat juices that have accumulated on the plate, and the shallot and mushroom mixture back into the pan.
10. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and braise until done and fork tender...approximately 1 hour.
After everything is nicely nestled into the juices, cover and cook according to directions. | Source
11. Check occasionally to make sure that there are still some juices in the pan, adding a bit more only if needed.
Most chefs advise that when cooking with wine one should utilize one that is also enjoyable to drink from a glass....perhaps even use the same one with which one is cooking. We did that with the Italian Garda Rosso wine and the pairing was perfection.
Naturally if one is uncorking a rare or very expensive wine one might wish to use a less pricey one with which to cook. Just try to keep it in the same flavor profile as to grape or varietal.
Cooking with wine can help tenderize a meat and also cut down on the amount of fat one uses in preparation. Most of all in addition to adding needed moisture it imparts a distinctive flavor to the meal.
If you ever find yourself with extra wine in the bottle that has become vinegary in its taste or past its prime, think of letting it go all the way and actually become a wine vinegar. It can be used in salads and other manners.
You can also use it like I do. Dilute it with water and pour it on your outside acid loving plants. I'll bet that you did not expect a gardening tip in this post! All I can say is that our ferns and azaleas look happy. (Smile)
After the prep time and once everything is in the covered pan simmering away and developing those succulent flavors, you can concern yourself with the rest of the meal. It can all be done stove top if you like while occasionally checking on the pork ribs to make sure that some juices remain in the pan. If you need to top it off with a bit more wine or chicken broth that is okay.
If you are like some of the television chefs, you might even wish to have a glass of the wine while you are cooking. No wonder they all seem so happy!
If using leaner cuts of pork like tenderloin in order to cut down on a few calories the end result may not be quite as fork tender but the flavors of the sauce will be the same. Once in a while it is okay to indulge in a fattier cut of meat. As many chefs say..."Fat equals flavor." Everything in moderation is the goal.
We watched the debate tonight as we do all the others. Fireworks tonight between the 3 on center stage. Certainly an interesting political season and unlike most others due to the candidates running for President. Oh my! is right!
Hi Peggy I read this before but since I made a pork cutlet recipe last nite had to stop and review...next time I will try this ....
I agree that often dishes cooked with the same type of wine one wishes to drink turn out well assuming the wine is good to start with. In this case it was definitely a winner.
Yes this would make for a delicious valentine's dinner. Thanks for the share. Hope you are enjoying your weekend.
This looks like a dish I would really like, Peggy. And I enjoy the flavor of wine paired with dishes cooked in same. Thanks!
Back to share this excellent recipe again. It's almost Valentine's Day, and this would be a superb dinner to make for someone special.
Hope you've had the same great weather down there as we're having up here the last few days. Ours is about to end, but after a few days of cold it's supposed to come back. Hope all is well with you Peggy. Take care . . .
Yum...every time I see this my mouth waters...and it is a dish I feel I can eat without feeling guilty.
This recipe is definitely a winner. Happy cooking in your very own kitchen! Ha! Once in a while it is nice to cook at home. :)
I am so lucky that my hubby loves to cook and we often enjoy good meals together such as the one featured here. Glad you liked it and thanks for the share.
OK Peggy, your yummy looking recipe pulled me in! I don't often read recipe hubs, because these days I'm more OUT of the kitchen than IN. LOL
Getting to be that time of year when staying in and enjoying a lovely homemade meal will make for a perfect evening. Came back to share this wonderful meal and recipes with my followers.
I know that you are heading into the colder weather where you live so a warm tasty meal like this would probably be perfect. Enjoy!
Mmmm I am getting hungry just looking at this! The preparation seems simple and I'm not very good at cooking pork, though I like to eat it, so now I have a good recipe to start with! Voted useful, up and pinned to my recipes board for when my oven is working and ready for warm winter meals ;)
My hubby likes to make this recipe and yes...it is yummy! Sorry if it made you hungry looking at the photos. :) Thanks for the votes, pin and the share.
I have not had dinner, Peggy. Cereal is on tap for tonight. But I have to give this a try. If I read this before I did not pin it so I am pinning it now.YUM. Mouth watering..
We can thank my hubby for this recipe since he makes it most often. I did photograph it and can attest to it being delicious. Glad that you liked the sound of it. Hope you make it and get to taste it for yourself. :)
It never fails to amaze me that you come up with this things. You must be really a good cook. Love it even from the pictures alone. I am sure that they taste great...
This is a delicious recipe. Hope that you give it a try. Thanks for your comment, votes and shares. Appreciate it!
A very interesting pork recipe, Peggy. I've never tried one with wine and chicken broth. It is so different to the way we make them here. Looks absolutely delightful. I like the great gardening tip for using the vinegary wine as well.
They always advertise pork in the USA as "the other white meat." If they get people to eat more pork, obviously it is a successful advertising campaign. :)) Glad to know that you liked this hub. Appreciate the votes and the 5 star rating. Thanks!
Peggy I really love your hubs, you put great pictures be it recipe or travel. I really liked the way you described other white meat. I always thought pork as red meat. Voting it up, useful, interesting and 5 stars.
Believe me...this tastes even better than what my photography of it portrays. Enjoy this recipe! Thanks for the comment.
It is really good! Hope that you will give it a try. Appreciate your comment, vote and especially the share.
Perhaps someday you will have the time to make this pork rib recipe with the red wine, mushrooms and shallot. It is really good! Appreciate your 5 stars, votes and the sharing of this with others. Thanks!
Just got home from work and this looks so yummy! I'm hungry!! Wish someone had my supper ready for me . . . ;) Seriously, this looks delicious and I love mushrooms and shallots. Good plant tips too! Voted up, useful, gave you 5 stars, and will share.
How fun to not only be in Italy but to have taken a cooking class there! Sounds like a dream come true. Let me know what you think of this recipe when you give it a try. We think that it is delicious! Thanks for your comment.
This looks delicious. When I was in Italy, I took a cooking class and one of the dishes we made was pork cooked in wine. But a very different recipe. I'll have to try this one, too.
The gardening tip was good thanks. It will act like ericaceous I guess. The food looks and sounds scrummy
If you were a nearby neighbor instead of living half way across the country we would save you a portion the next time we make this recipe. Guess you will just have to make it for yourself. Ha! This pork ribs red wine and mushroom recipe fits the "comfort food" category perfectly. Thanks for the thumbs up and the sharing. I'm looking all over my keyboard for a little heart icon and cannot find it. How did you do that? Nice touch! :)
So glad to read that you enjoyed learning about this pork recipe with the red wine and Crimini mushrooms. Hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we do. Thanks for your comment, vote up and especially the share.
Peggy, there is only one thing that you could possibly make better with this recipe.... and that is to make it and bring it to me so I can eat it allllll up! I am so drooling over this. It is calling my name...lol Fabulous pictures and easy to follow recipe. Definitely printing this one out and filing it my "comfort food" folder! Thumbs up & shared! ♥
Your dish make my mouth water. You have made it look so easy to make. Step by step instruction to make it. Quality dish. Voting it up and sharing.
We are in full agreement on that! Good wines make a dining experience even better! Thanks for your comment and share regarding this recipe utilizing red wine as an ingredient.
This looks absolutely delicious, and I am sharing. Good meats must be paired with good wines....makes the dining experience and even greater one! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Peggy, spare rib pork is one of my favourite cuts - your recipe and photos are mouth wateringly good!
I understand! That is what the HP contests do...in this case the focus was on recipes. Nice to read other subjects. I'll have to get back to writing other things again. I skipped the plumbing contest. Ha! Thanks for your comment on this pork rib recipe.
I have to apologize; I got so tired of reading recipes last month that I eventually just quit reading them....so I haven't been by your site lately. Now that I've had ten days without a recipe I'm going back to some of the people I follow and reading....so here I am....and I love this recipe. Anything with pork or beef I will sign up for, and this sounds delicious. Great job Peggy!
Nice to have the comment from you on this pork rib recipe with red wine and cremini mushrooms. Hope that you make it and enjoy it. Thanks.
The wine and mushrooms do make for terrific flavors in this pork entree. Appreciate your comment and votes. Thanks!
This is quite exotic and looks delicious. I love the use of the wine and the mushrooms. Voting this Up and Useful.
I have never been informed by any gardening article or nursery expert to pour diluted wine on acid loving plants. It just made sense to me since it does have some nutrients and seemed a shame to pour down the drain. All I can say is that the "proof is in the pudding"...the plants seem to like it. Ha! Thanks for your comment.
Perhaps one of these days Bruce will be cooking this pork rib dinner when we have you over for dinner. Glad that you liked the videos and tip about using wine on your plants. Fortunately not too much of the latter is needed...only occasionally. :) Appreciate your comment and votes.
So glad to know that you are interested in trying this pork rib recipe with the red wine and cremini mushrooms. Enjoy! Thanks for your comment.
What a beautiful meal. I know it is the best. The recipe sounds easy enough for me to prepare. Perhaps during the holiday. Thanks for the detailed instructions, photos and videos on cooking with wine and making wine vinegar. Great tip for the plants. Awesome and useful hub.
Thanks for the nice comment, votes and the sharing regarding this recipe for the pork ribs in red wine and cremini mushrooms. You could be on our taste panel if we lived closer! :)
Admittedly there are some perks to the type of job my husband now has. He has always been interested in wine from when I first met him and at one point we were part owners of a vineyard in California. While that investment did not exactly pan out as we would have liked, the allure of wine continues. Thanks for your comment, votes and the sharing of this hub with others.
Glad that you liked the photos. I was busy taking pictures as my husband was cooking. We make a good team! Easier than when I am cooking and have to stop at various intervals to take the photos. Thanks for your comment.
I'd like to be a part of your taste panel! My roses would be happy if I gave them some wine, too. Back in the day when I enjoyed my wine, I would start drinking as I cooked the meal. By the time I was ready to serve the dinner, I was sauced! You always make your food look so good, I can smell it cooking right now!
I gave you all the stars I could. I voted it UP, and wish there was a choice of mouth "watering good". I will share this here, and on FB.
Glad that you liked the ideas of cooking with wine with regard to this recipe and perhaps others as well. It can definitely perk up an ordinary dish and make it delicious. Appreciate your comment and the sharing.
If you could smell the aromas when this pork rib entree is being cooked, you would be even more hungry! :) Thanks for your comment, votes and the sharing.
Ahh...we can always use more people on our testing panel. :)) Perhaps you will decide to make these pork ribs for yourself one of these days? Thanks for your comment and votes.
Your photos make my mouth water! How awesome to have a husband whose job puts you in contact with Italian wines. Thanks for all the extra tips, even about gardening. : ) Voted up and shared.
I've only just eaten lunch and yet you have managed to make me hungry again. This looks and sounds amazing, you are very lucky to be the tester!
It looks very scrumptious! i prefer pork more than beef, my mum stop eating beef since giving birth to me and i decided to do the same thing i do not know the exactly reason why but something like religion i guess
Anyway we both like your recipe a lot i showed this to her and she said it looks very yummy she wants to be your tester haha Voted up and awesome :)
There is a wide choice of meat to choose for preparing Thanksgiving dinner; lamb, beef, seafood, chicken, pork and turkey.
Although turkey is the main ingredient during Thanksgiving, most people prefer to cook either chicken or beef depending on which meat is available in the market.
Beef may take a longer time to cook and it is wise to pound the tendons before cooking. Otherwise your guest will have a hard time to chew them off.
However, I prefer to use the traditional turkey as it is low in fat but high in protein, an excellent diet for weight watchers.
When you are preparing turkey, remember to remove the skin and excess fats as they are high in fat content.
This Golden topped Turkey and Hampie requires 240g of cooked turkey which means each person could consume at least 60g of turkey, sufficient if you are watching your weight.
I am sure this turkey meal will give you less workload, nutritious meal for the whole family and mouth-watering dish at first sight.
Peel off potatoes skin. Cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until tender for 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
1. China made dish will crack if you put into an microwave oven and has foul odor. Hence, I chose Pyrex, a well known culinary brand for shallow dish, fit for microwave oven .
2. I like the see through dish so that I could watch the turkey / chicken meat turn color, whether any liquid overflows.
Beat the egg and remaining 2 tbsp of milk together and brush over the surface of the potatoes to glaze them.
Easy healthy healthy salad recipes for low cholesterol diet and weight watchers. Easy to prepare, delicious and perfect for lunch or midnight snack. Try these healthy lunch recipe for a change
Looking for a quick and easy dinner for this coming Easter? In this article, you will find delicious meat dishes that use the roasting method to ease your trouble. There are lamb, pork and chicken.
Looking for a simple spaghetti recipe for a romantic dinner for two? Try this Seafood Tom Yam Spaghetti, a simple romantic dinner recipe for two person which is healthy and easy to cook in 30minutes
Thanks for this..my daughter loves to try new recipes so I will pass this along. It looks very flavorful...yum
This looks delicious. I had never heard of a hampie either but you made me hungry. Great recipe hub. Thanks.
So "hampie" is a mixture of turkey and ham. Nice combination! I have a turkey roasting in the oven right now and also have some ham. This sounds like a good combination dish with the potatoes and peas. Could easily substitute other veggies or even add some cheese to this. You now have me thinking! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I never heard of "hampie", but the recipe look really good. You may want to consider converting grams so folks like me know the amount to use in your recipe. I would have no idea how many potatoes would equal 720 grams. Just a thought......
My son only just started JK so my epxictateon is that he puts his best foot forward, try's new things and establishes good communication with his peers. Grades are obviously not a part of the program at this point, but i'm confident he will do well from grade's one and up. As for behaviour we as parents lead by example so showing our children that being good to others, sharing in your family household and being a genrally positive good person in public will emanate through the school years as well.
I used to be a lot stricter. My kids both get A's and B's with out me puihsng them. We work together on home work and most things come pretty easy to them. I used to be pretty hard on my son when he would come home with a B or even a C on a paper when it was something I knew he could do better at and he just didn't follow directions or finish the assignment. Then last March he was diagnosed with ADHD and Aspergers. So although he was capable of the work he couldn't focus to the extent he needed to to get the higher grades. So I am more understanding now but I still encourage him and I do believe he is doing his best.
This looks amazing and delicious! I have never made this dish, but it certainly is right up there with favorite recipes to try out. Thanks so much for writing about this wonderful recipe.
A very good recipe for holiday leftovers. There is always plenty of ham and turkey to dice up. Very nice piece.
Thanksgiving Recipe: Baked Golden Topped Turkey And Hampie is a wonderful idea and looks so good. A recipe with many great suggestions.
Looks really good... all of the my favorite goodies are here in one dish. I might have not tried that this just past Thanksgiving but I am going to try that for Christmas/Christmas eve dinner. Thanks for sharing Peachpurple! :)
I have never heard or seen these dish before. It sounds delicious and a great casserole for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe and ideas with us. This looks so good.
This looks just delicious PeachPurple :-) Thank you for sharing your recipe! Great choice of pictures!
Looks delicious! I was going to write that I have never heard of Hampie, but maybe, after reading, it is Ham pie? Either way, looks great. Thanks for sharing.
Growing up, I was a pretty interesting kid. Not the kind of interesting that got discovered by an agent at a young age and became famous in my teen years. Not the kind of interesting that modeled or got on TV for a crazy talent obtained in my earlier years. And certainly not the kind of interesting that involved winning first place at a science fair or a pie eating contest. I was the kind of interesting that grew up too quickly then not at all.
When you reread that last sentence, does it make any sense at all? I grew up too quickly, then not at all. Well, I was always an eloquent and delicate soul who could list the starting lineup for a baseball game, identify presidents on dollar bills and read chapter books in first grade. I would think up phrases, one being “Well first of all, his zipper is busted” when my Dad and I went to pick up flowers at a flower stand. My Nana’s favorite line from little three year old Andrea would have been when my parents were in China adopting my sister and I asked to talk on the phone with her. She was a one year old at the time, and I greeted her with the words “Hi, I’m Andrea! I’m your big sister!” And as the story goes, it was almost as if I was laying down the law to my sister that hadn’t even met me in person yet.
But this isn’t about the funny things I said and did as a child. It is about how I first grew up too quickly. Besides enunciating my words at a young age or having a good memory, I grew up too fast emotionally. In my experience, this meant that I thought and felt so many feelings and emotions at a really young age, feelings that an elementary school student shouldn’t have felt. To make a long story short, after my sister was diagnosed with ADHD, I felt as though my emotional well-being flew slightly under the radar. The feelings of being lonely and left out arose, and suddenly I was second guessing my self-worth. It was also around this time when a strange type of competition between my older cousin and I began to be more noticeable and had a bigger impact on me than ever before. It was ever-present from a very early age, however the very beginning of puberty hit me in addition to this competition and my sister’s diagnosis.
As time went on, my emotional state got increasingly worse. I painted a smile on my face every day, the disappointing part being that most of the time, my smiles and laughs were not genuine and even sometimes fake. It has always felt easier to laugh things off than to face the feelings head on and expressing how I actually felt. This especially happened upon the arrival of 3rd grade. 3rd grade wasn’t a very good year for me. I got pneumonia on the first day of school and heard rumors that my new teacher was mean and hard on her students and gave out lots of homework, most of which was true. My new teacher did give out lots of homework and was hard on her students, but looking back, she wasn’t mean. She just wanted to prepare her students for the next grade in their elementary school careers.
The sad truth of the matter is that no one and nothing could prepare me for 4th and 5th grade, and beyond the last few years of elementary school came middle and high school, all of which was a hot mess. I started to take everyone’s opinions, constructive criticism and comments so personally and the unkind words of my peers were taken straight to heart. Needless to say, I became more and more sensitive and vulnerable to everything and anything that was said to me by anyone.
There were times that crackers were my only “meal” of the day. There were times I ate lunch in the bathrooms of the middle school I attended. There were times I cried and screamed, and unfortunately it became violent as self harm was added to my repertoire of negative behavioral patterns. And all of those negative behavioral patterns only got worse as time went on. The first time I self harmed, I was 13. 13 year olds are in 7th grade and might worry about straightening their hair or making the basketball team. Yet on my bedroom floor I sat with the will to die.
These would be the examples as to how I grew up too quickly. Now comes the even more intriguing part of not growing up at all. Because I lost my emotional innocence at the age of 7 subsequent to my sister’s ADHD diagnosis, I grew up and pretended to smile through my preteen years until my first hospitalization at age 15. Since then, all of the feelings and emotions that could ever be felt hit me all at once. I cried every day for the past few years and it still happens at times to this day.
Every time after I was done crying, a random memory of my childhood came to mind which always led to me wishing I could go back to the days before I turned 7 and when everything was easier. When high school started, I was even better at faking the happy act, even as my situation got harder than ever before. But the high school Andrea was much different than the middle school Andrea. Instead of hiding from everything, I found a new way to handle things. I started getting overly excited about everything positive that happened by jumping up and down, clapping and squealing with delight. I started listening to my childhood CD’s, reading the books with perfect rhyme and hanging out with my friends at locations that you would more likely find little kids at, playgrounds and a room full of inflatable bounce houses.
But on the other side of the not-so-positive spectrum, I continued to deprive myself of food, stayed up way too long at night thinking about all of the what-ifs that life could possibly throw at me and the worst of it, self harm. I started a social media blog with solely negative content, I isolated myself from the world and my motivation for just about everything escaped me. During my 3rd hospitalization, I realized with the unit psychologist that I was frequently recalling my childhood memories and reverting back to the interests and behaviors that a child would exhibit at around the age of 7. That explained the reasoning behind my unusual love of all things with a little kid nature, but it also left my new pattern of behaviors with a question mark next to it.
Then again, at the end of the day it does make sense as to why I was so mean to myself; people were being mean to me and my logic resembled that if it was okay for others to hurt me, it was okay for me to hurt myself as well. Looking back on it, I can see why I thought that way so often and at the same time I’m glad that I’m at a place now where I can look back on that darker period of time in my life and learn so much from it. So today you could still find stuffed animals on my bed. You can still find me looking at old pictures and listening to artists that were popular when I was younger. But what’s different now is that I think I’ve managed to balance out the good and the bad. I’m not nearly as mean to myself as I was before, but I don’t talk my friends into going to the playground with me like I did before either. So that would be the story of how I grew up too quickly then not at all. Or in other words, the story of how my emotional state transitioned too quickly, then I slowed down the process by replacing dangerous thoughts and behaviors with things that I used to enjoy as a kid. And like I said before, I was an interesting kid.
You seem to be a very sensitive person, noticing with a very heightened awareness everything that goes on around you and taking it all to heart. I hope that as you have matured, you have found a sense of balance that has helped you to be more kind to yourself.
Sometimes even a single bad quality make us feel like running away from that person, so what is that quality that you dislike most?
There are several, but the one that immediately comes to mind is folks that I hardly know that want to tell me every single medical issue they have going on. I suppose some of these people are truly sick and desperate for an ear. But unless I know the person well, I really don't want to be bombarded with all the ghastly and often revolting details.
Talking with your mouth open. This will cause people to avoid sitting with you or inviting you over to dinner. use the time wile masticating to listen to your partner intently. causing a deeper bond and shows a role of a mature nature.
Absolutely correct. Infact the wounds of tounge are deeper than the sword, the former may heal but the later remain in heart. The human is good as long as people does'nt get hurt by his open mouth.
Is being an over nice person a bad trait?I try to give people respect and help. It almost seems like I am the only one left around me that goes the extra mile
I recently wrote a hub on this. If you are a wife who suffered this, the Other Woman who broke up a marriage, or a husband who left a family - what do you think explains the interest of the OW in breaking up a family?
while i don't fit in any of your categories, i wouldn't chase after any married man, no matter how tempting. it's just bad form and there's a jillion attractive, unattached men out there, and besides i can't see the attraction to a man who would breach a loved one's trust that way.
Married men sometimes cheat on their wives at some time or other. The women involved are not braking any marriage. Marriage was already broken.
LOL I was going to write something along those lines - great minds, ya know - but then I thought - what about open relationship? Nothing gets broken in this case
Yes, but thats not a 'regular' marriage. and anyway, in those cases in the end they split. Jealousy plays an important part in it.
We are on the same page here. But most people are not, including the OP I think, or she wouldn't have worded the question this way.
I agree ... the OW doesn't break up the marriage as the married man has the option of objecting her advances. If he says no, it never happens.
and i've been on the broken-hearted, why-would-she-do-that-to-me-what-did-i-do-to-her end WAY too many times.
Sometimes she gets tired of running when he's been chasing her. My husband has never cheated on me but years a go when I was young and naive I was the other woman.
I knew he was married and pushed him away for a long time before I gave in. I'm not proud of what I did and promised myself I'd never do it again but don't always lay blame all on the other woman.
He told me his wife wouldn't give him sex. Remember, ladies, he will get it somewhere so if you tell him no don't think he's going to suddenly resort to celibacy.
I keep getting texts the last week off a girl who says shes engaged on her facebook, and I havent spoken to her for months, we went on 1 or 2 dates and snogged. I thought she knew I had a girlfriend..But you can see its not only men who cheat
The same thing that motivates the 'other man' to go after a married woman. Lust, power & excitement. Read about the aftermath of betrayal.....
What kills me is how the wife always blames the other woman - like she held a gun to the husband's head!
It could be alittle of all that has been talked about, but I think mostly it is the old saying that you always want what you cant have. It also has a safety issue of not having to worry about commiting, for he cannot commit to her if he is married.
What I do not understand is why any woman would consider taking up with a man who is cheating on his wife with her. If she ends up with him, would she not get cheated on eventually too?
Also, some women start dating a married man without knowing he's married. Happened to me. Believe it or not, some men will actually lie about this!
Sometimes marriages are made from hell. When two such people meet, decide to come together despite financial ruin for both of them from divorce settlements, it is really nobody's place to condemn.
Im sure it depends on the women. Maybe she has been abused by her father and is in search of an older father figure.
i am attracted to older men because my dad died during my formative years but i won't pursue a married man. besides not all older men are married. a couple of times i found out they were married and i stopped it way before it got started. let them go get their cheap thrills someplace else.
those women not knowing aside, I think it's that women are the most competitive creatures on the planet! (not necessarily a bad thing)
I think all the sports and other competitions, business, etc pale in comparison to the competition for 'reproductive rights' to their designated male...
I'm married. I've a crush on a married man. How do I snuff the crush? I'm growing weaker by the day.
Do you hesitate to date an older man that never married?Is an older bachelor someone to stay clear of if you are looking for a husband? Does this turn off women?
I'm really wanting to become a Christian but i don't fully believe or understand everything that Christians do. I'm very confused about this and would appreciate any advice or statements...
How do I know the picture on the profile (up top & to the left) is really you and not just one you downloaded-then-uploaded from google pics to confuse me?
How can i believe there really is another individual reading this on the other side of 'this-here-computing machine', not an android made to look like a human?
How do I know when i close my eyes that the world won't drastically change before I open them again - then I'll be lost & confused?
Silly you say? NO absolutely NOT! Nearly everything in life requires Huge Commitments of faith - Just living in the State of California alone requires Unbelieveable amounts of it - sink holes, earthquakes and the like..
Just to sit on the on my rickety couch, trusting that I won't be the straw that broke the Camels back only to wind up on the floor takes a small measure of faith - we ALL naturally have it in us placed their long long ago - Sooooooo.....
(I'm certain DesCarte, St. Augsutine, and the like would roll in their graves because of my flimsy 'Humanistic' explaination for faith, but we have to start somewhere dont we? [sorry, another question!]... )
Ask - Seek - and You WILL find! Not me though.. - Ask God, Believe it - He'll answer, then wait for it.... it's on the way.
The fact that you want to believe is an indication that you are seeking Him and He is already tugging at your heart. Find a quiet place and spend some time alone with Him in prayer. Romans 10:10 says, "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." All of us are born sinners. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death or eternal separation from God. But God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die as a sacrifice for our sin. When we believe in what He did for us and repent of our sin, we are forgiven and enter into a personal relationship with Him. If possible, find a Christ centered BIble teaching church in your area and begin attending. Also get yourself a good study BibIe and read it every day. I am a born again Christian. I've written 9 hubs on how God is working in my life and how I came to know Him. Feel free to check them out and contact me with any questions you may have. I'd love to see you come to know the Lord. Praying for you!
You should certainly not take this issue lightly, its natural to wonder if there is someone listening or helping you, but please don't fall into the trap of being brainwashed. Read the bible if you want, but be objective. Also, read "the emperors new clothes" a classic fairy tale and be sure whatever you decide is not the opinion of others. There are warm fuzzy feelings in religion, but also in drugs, playing volleyball or doing with passion what you are good at. Don't let people brainwash you, even though its tempting to find all that salvation waiting for you... the down side is you'd have to die to find out if you were lied to. Think for yourself, and if you start hearing voices seek professional help.
Before I get spanked with the bible belt I would point out to to those with their scripture locked loaded and ready to just have a quick peek at the category this question is in.
Every choice or direction you choose to take in life should be considered, experienced as well as ......if you find yourself forcing yourself to accept or be apart of something and you are still confused, then you need step back and do some serious soul searching. Yes we all make mistakes, as well as follow the masses due to pressure and acceptance, but it is for you to be smart and use common sense as well as logic regarding certain matters. When you truly Love do you force yourself to do so, are you reckless with who you Love and if you are what are the repercussions.....regret, sadness, insecurity and more insecurity. As for religion that is personal and you must know your reasons for wanting to be apart as well as believe in it.
You must abandon your reason and logic. You must abandon the common standard of evidence for what people claim about life. Otherwise, there's really no way to be a true christian.
I recently heard an atheist say that a true skeptic is not someone who sets out immediately to disprove beliefs, but one who first endeavors to understand beliefs, and cannot. The more a skeptic learns about christianity, the more he/she will will find it intellectually repugnant.
If you want to become a christian and cannot, there is nothing wrong with you. If you wish to find a spiritually fulfilling philosophy that is lacking in supernatural hocus pocus then there are plenty of which to choose from and you can even invent your own. You don't need to be a christian to live a full and virtuous life and don't be swayed by those who condemn you as a sinner. You needn't fear hell and you shouldn't lust for heaven. Both are dangerous prospects.
Generally speaking, talking to someone who isn't there is considered a tad "crazy"; unless, of course, you are on a cell-phone.
Seriously, I doubt that every Christian belonging to a particular church believes every last tenet of that church. I know not every Catholic believes every last canon. I know not every Episcopal believes every last teaching. I know not every Mormon toes the line with church fathers.
It's rather like politics. You side with the party that comes closest to what you want or form your own.
The thing you are looking for sounds as if you believe that god is something separate from yourself. Once you realize that you are as much a part of "god" as he/she is of you, then you can let go of the ever popular dualistic type of religious thinking. Just because Christianity is the most popular type of religion doesn't mean that's your last choice for finding purpose and meaning in your life.
I could go on and on but, the fact that you are here now experiencing life is solid proof that you exist. Now that you know that, it is unreasonable to believe that you will ever cease to exist. Because we are dealing with an infinite amount of time, it's improbable for you to never have a continued experience of life.
After reading your question I can see you are looking for belonging. And, I am here to tell you that you do belong, to everything, because without you the whole world would be different. Just as the wings of a butterfly cause an earthquake on the otherside of the world.
Ok, I'll stop here. If anyone has questions about my answer, please contact me on hubpages and I will elaborate further.
Do you want to become a christian, or do you want to believe in God? There is a difference you know. God does not prescribe to any set religion, so you can be anything or nothing as far as religion goes, yet still have a relationship with God. You do hear God, down deep inside you if you listen. Ask a question, any question and then wait and "feel" for the answer. The answer comes to you not in your head, but in your heart or even in your gut (Ever heard of gut instincts?). As far as belief, if you stop to think about it, there are tons of things you believe in but don't see yet, but you believe anyway. It's not so different. Keep your quest with your heart wide open and don't just listen to one type of christian, listen to many of them and see what feels the best for you. You may find that God, or Goddess, or Spirit is more to your liking than a particular religion, or you may find a couple different religions that feel right for you. Good luck on your journey!
Honestly... you'll never know if god or any other higher being is real or not. This and other questions related to this, has me spinning around in circles as well. I've found that breath meditation helps. It's a exercise where all you do is sit in a comfortable position, clear your mind of everything, and focus on nothing but your breathing. Sounds weird I know, but it really helps relieve stress, at least for me it does.
Who cares about believing? We don't have to believe, all you have to do is look out there and see what's right or wrong for yourself. If God is the epitome of good, he wouldn't care if you believe in him or not, he'd just be happy you're doing good things in this life. If God was real i don't think the main purpose of us being here is to give him attention, it would be so we can love and take care of each other so we can be deserving to enter his kingdom, you know, "real important things". We focus on believing in God too much that we don't even do what matters anymore. I say have good intentions, act on them and then if there is a God, you'll meet him soon enough and if he doesn't want you in heaven because you didn't believe in him then screw him, who would want to live with a douche like that anyway. "Faith is making a virtue out of not thinking".
It sounds crazy, but that is exactly what its about.....I quote from the Bible...Heb:11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb:11:3: Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
But your logic needs more info so your mental capabilities can begin to get a clear picture, then once this is done. You will suddenly notice that there is an invisible world and it changes your world day to day, for Good and Bad.
it is the will of God that you dont believe in God. you want to see God to believe. humans have too many disabelities like greed,haterade,anger,materialism,attachments to worldly belongings and so on ..... they are infinite. with so many impurities how can you feel to see God to believe it. you can see God only if you free yourself from all the bonds in this world and think completely of God. with all the impurities you can just bargen to believe God not see. relegion is just a belief, a faith you trust it is and if you dont it isant. so wait for right movement God will show you the path.
Posted: June 14, 2017 | Author: Hugh MacLeod | Filed under: #hughcards, 2017 |Comments Off on New Hughcards, 14th June, 2017
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