The year was 1979 and I was a Freshman at Cook County High School. I wasn’t nervous because in the 70s we entered high school in seventh grade, so I had already spent two years walking the halls of good ole CCHS. I hadn’t however had Mr. O as my English Teacher. His real name was Mr. Ouellette but most students called him Mr. O or Big O. He was my favorite teacher for many reasons. First, he greeted you at the door of his classroom every day with a smile. Not an easy feat as some of my classmates were total a**hats. It was the late 70s after all, and there was an attitude towards any establishment. (Including teachers.) What I loved most about Mr. O was his quotable quotes. He would write a new one on the chalk board every day. This was long before the internet and Pinterest, so Mr. O had to take the time to research and find the most inspirational quotes to use. I copied them in my notebook. I would like to say that I still have that notebook today but I don’t. I did keep it for a very long time, but somewhere in the last 40 years it has been lost. Quotes though are everywhere. I have an entire wall of quotes in my living room as a collage.
As I thought about the upcoming New Year of 2019 and the resolutions I would like to make, I remembered how positive I felt about life when I had Mr. O’s quotes to inspire me. I was given a beautiful day planner that starts Jan. 1, 2019. I decided I would write a quote a day for the entire year in honor of Mr. O who is no longer with us.
Quotes are everywhere now. I found several posted just today on Facebook so my challenge really will not be difficult, but I believe that just the act of writing them down will be uplifting and inspirational. Please send me your favorites as you find them throughout the year. We must focus on the positive and leave the negative behind. We can’t let the a**hats win.
~ Staying Positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time. It means that even on the hard days you know that there are better days ahead.
~ Be careful how you treat people. What you do to others has a funny way of coming back to you.
~ The secret of being loved is to love. The secret of being interesting is to be interested. And the secret to having a friend is being a friend.
~ Always have eyes to see the best in people, a heart that forgives the worst, a mind that forgets the bad and a soul that never loses faith.
My New Years Wish for You is 12 months of Happiness, 52 weeks of Fun and Laughter, 365 days of Success, 8760 hours of Good Health, 525,600 minutes of Blessings and 31,536,000 seconds of Joy!
Peace, Sandy
Cheesy Grape Appetizer
4 ounces sliced almonds (about 1
cup)
1 package (8 ounces) cream
cheese, softened
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese,
room temperature
2 tablespoons minced fresh
parsley
2 tablespoons heavy whipping
cream, room temperature
1 to 1-1/4 pounds seedless red or
green grapes, rinsed and
patted dry
Appetizer skewers or toothpicks
Preheat oven to 275°. Pulse almonds in a food processor until finely chopped (do not over process). Spread in a 15x10x1-in. pan; bake until golden brown, 6-9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a shallow bowl; cool slightly.
In another bowl, mix cream cheese, blue cheese, parsley and cream until blended. Insert a skewer into each grape. Roll grapes in cheese mixture, then in almonds; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate, covered, until serving.
Brownie Batter Dip
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces cool whip
1 – 18. 4 ounces box brownie mix
(dry)
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1 cup mini chocolate chips
(optional)
Combine your cream cheese, cool whip, brownie mix, cocoa powder and milk in a large bowl.
Stir until everything is creamy and combined.
Mix in chocolate chips if desired, and sprinkle some on top for decoration too.
Serve with whatever you want to dip in it – cookies, pretzels, fruit and more.
Cranberry Cream Cheese Spread
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat
cream cheese
1/2 cup dried cranberries,
chopped
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Assorted crackers
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, cranberries, apricots and orange zest until blended. Chill until serving. Serve with crackers.