Making "Good" Out of a "Bad" Economy

Lifestyles change with every page of newspaper headlines or a new televised report of stocks falling or companies closing. It's sad and for many it is heartbreaking.
There can be a bright side to every sad disheartening tale but they are sometimes hard to find and still harder to take in. One of the best changes that is occuring because of the economy is a turn around to home-cooked meals, more natural food and less chemically laced ingre-dients. It can even include growing your own fruits, herbs, and vegetables. By sharing the knowledge of how foods started with simple seeds can and do turn into fantastic meal entrees and delectable desserts, you and your family have new inroads into healthy and sustainable eating habits.
Holidays are also getting a "change" when it comes to entertaining, gifts, and decorations. Families are finding out that home-made has and always will be heart-made and that something given that is unique, and one of a kind, not manufactured or mass produced will give lasting memories. A meal served simply but with mouth-watering tastes, colors, and textures can surpass an expensive restaurant experience. How many times have we been disappointed with a meal that we thought would take our breath away and instead just took the dollars out of our wallets? It happens and this does not mean that eating out is a no-no. It only represents the fact that you can, with a little effort and planning, prepare feasts when monetary famine rears its ugly head.
Remember that cookbooks and recipes are maps or guidelines for certain dishes. You can and should include your family's favorites when you prepare a meal. If your family prefers corn to artichokes, make the change if it is appropriate for the dish. Improvise and tuck and trim and you will be delighted with the results. If not, and the family gives you the thumbs-down, then you know from this experience that these ingredients just did not go well together. There is nothing wrong in trying because "tried and true" recipes have evolved from many false starts and "maybe" ingredients, until the final result is a passed down to generations "keeper."
Going to garden shows or nurseries as a family, you will find that the kids enjoy the varieties of vegetable plants and flowering treasures and would consider it more "personal" if you let them pick and choose a few varieties. Their interest will be more in tune because they had input and their choice just may be the stellar star of your own garden show.
In home decor, let the children try their hand at decorations from vacations past or tidbits just lying in boxes collecting dust. If you enjoyed a vacation at the seashore a few years back, those shells may be re-invented to be used as curtain tie-backs, or even glued to a vase or tray. Glass balls from a tourist trap, placed in a clear bowl, can be a colorful and eye-catching mantle piece that reflects colors and rainbow accents. A skirt from a spa venture just never fitted right but was just too good to toss. It can now cover a pillow for porch or deck and its new life will bring back memories once again.
It's all a matter of choosing how to deal with down-turns and making sure that they don't turn your life downward. An old saying of "This too shall pass" is a wonderful mantra, but in the meantime, using your creativity and talent, your inspiration and dedication to trying your hand at new ventures, is the right "recipe" for dealing with anything the economy or this life can throw at you.
Something to think about
©Arleen M. Kaptur March, 2009