Book Review: A Future for Tomorrow

When I was first asked to review this book I wondered why I said yes. It's the story of a girl dealing with anorexia nervosa, which is obviously a problem I've never had to face, but it's also the story of a girl dealing with her own self worth and has many spiritual elements that appealed to me, so I gave it a try.

Boy, am I ever thankful that I did.

Any of you who follow my blog with any kind of regularity know that my mother passed away a few months ago and I've been really struggling since. I had even begun to question if there really was a life after this one and if my Heavenly Father loved me. I spent a lot of time very angry at him for taking my best friend away and that attitude has been reflected in my life. Call me strange, but the written word has always affected me much more strongly than anything anyone can say and reading this book was no exception.

What does anorexia nervosa have to do with death, you might ask?

Well, everything, really. I don't want to ruin the story for any of you, but Haley nearly lost her life in this battle and what she went through helped me to understand some of the things that had been bothering me about my mother's last few days. I also saw myself in some of the challenges Haley faced with her self image and her relationship with food. It was a very eye opening experience and a fascinating, heart wrenching read.

Let me put it to you this way. I sat on a bathroom floor for five hours finishing the book because I couldn't put it down. I stayed up all night with two kids to send off to school the next day. That's how great this book was and is something I think everyone should read. The problems with body image and self worth are prevalent in our society and something that each of us will come across almost daily. By understanding the problems and thinking that accompany it we may find a way to help those who struggle--and at the very least, find some answers to our own problems.

That's what A Future for Tomorrow has done for me. Haley's story has brought me peace in remembering my mother's last days and she has helped me to understand myself in ways I couldn't before. I wish I could give a copy of this book to each of my young women, but at least I can use the principles I have learned to help them to love themselves and love their bodies and see themselves the way that Heavenly Father does.

My Rating: Two thumbs up.

Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Granite Publishers, Inc (2008)
ASIN: B001G6JFVW

To Order: Amazon.com or DeseretBook.com

Salsa!

About a week ago we had a freak snowstorm and even though my son had told me the day before it was supposed to snow, I blew it off. When I woke up and saw snow on the ground I jumped into my clothes and raced for the garden. I ended up picking five buckets of tomatoes, two and a half of which were green! What was I going to do with all those green tomatoes?

Well, I started searching and found a couple of recipes for green tomato salsa, but I didn't like them after I put in the work to make a batch, so I took my sister's red salsa recipe, modified it, and came up with a winner! It's a little more tangy than red salsa but has a nice, smooth flavor. Not too hot, not too sweet, and just the right touch of garlic and onion. I thought I'd post it here in case anyone else is looking for an answer to the green tomato question.

Green Tomato Salsa

2-3 onions, preferably sweet (walla walla or vidalia

4-6 Jalapenos, halved lengthwise and seeded

4 Annaheim Chili peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded

6-8 large garlic cloves

8 Quarts Green Tomatoes

1/2 Cup apple cider vinegar

1 rounded Tablespoon crushed red chili pepper

1 Tablespoon crushed cumin

Juice of 3 limes

1/2 Cup sugar

1/4 Cup salt

1-2 Quarts water (1 makes it thick and chunky, 2 makes it more runny)

2 Tablespoons dry Cilantro

In food processor finely chop onions, jalapenos, annaheim chilies, and garlic. Put into an 8 quart heavy pot. Short and quick, pulse tomatoes to desired consistency (I like them a little chunky. Kind of diced.) Put in pot. Add crushed red chili pepper, apple cider vinegar, cumin, salt, sugar, lime juice, cilantro, and water to pot. Simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally. (Watch that it doesn't scorch the bottom). Pack into hot jars and process in pressure canner for 15 minutes at 15 pounds of pressure.

Yields 18-20 pints.

So there you go. If anybody tries it, let me know what you think. I gave away four bottles and every single person told me the family ate the whole jar in a day. That's a good sign I think! Hooray for green tomatoes!

Quote of the Day: "And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. "

~Sylvia Plath

Writing Again!

So, a friend of mine told me that one of our online groups was starting a B.I.A.M. (Book In A Month) for the month of October and asked if I wanted to join. I've been desperate to write for ages and just needed an excuse, I guess, because I started today and wrote 2,295 words! How cool is that? It feels so good to be writing again, I can't even tell you. It's a great way to fill those sleepless hours I can't seem to get away from. Hey, if my brain is awake at one and two a.m., why not use it?

Quote of the Day: "The reason 99% of all stories written are not bought by editors is very simple. Editors never buy manuscripts that are left on the closet shelf at home."

John W. Campbell