The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1092055
C-4 Wednesday, March 13, 2019 The Press-Dispatch HOME LIFE TO ADVERTISE: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: ads@pressdispatch.net Visit: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Deadline: 5 p.m. on Monday Youth First Today by Kaitlyn Meredith, Youth First, Inc. Healthy friendships "Yo, your face is changing colors. You upset? " "Yeah, dog, read my lips." This is how I imagined conversations would unrav- el around the dinner table as I clutched $ 3 mood lipstick in my hands. It promised to change from orange to pur- ple based on a mood change of calm to stressed. Without consideration as to whether orange or purple is my color, I threw the lipstick into the shopping basket. I've always had a soft spot for kitschy fashion items of yesteryear — especially the items that filled my adoles- cence in the '90s but were born of the '60s. Walking around the $5 -or-less sale at my local thrift store provid- ed endless fodder for nostal- gia. There were jellies, see- through purses and birth- day cake perfume. And then there was the jewelry — ti- aras, chunky neon rubber gemstones and, of course, my longtime favorite, mood rings. For years, I wore mood rings on multiple fingers at once. They served as per- sonal checks and balanc- es. My rings are green and say I'm serene. Do I feel se- rene? They also often act- ed as a catalyst for others to check in on how I was feel- ing. Whoa, your rings are black and orange. Are you OK? In a world moving too fast to check in on the ones you love, my mood rings al- ways seemed to force a lev- el of connection I craved in my angst years. I thought I was out of those angst years. Perhaps not. Otherwise, why would the waxy orange-to-purple mood lipstick be so darn ap- pealing? Am I still feeling angsty? I'd check my mood rings to find out, if only I still had any. As an adolescent, the co- ercive care of my cheap checkout-aisle novelty rings made me feel seen in a fuzzy world. As a working mom, I guess I'm craving the same thing. The runaround, the long work hours, the kid carpooling, the food-mak- ing, the bedtime routines, the keeping up with news and social calendars and civic duties — it's too easy to disappear. The stress may crease lines across my fore- head, and the bags may for- ever darken under my eyes, but those visuals seem to have fallen by the wayside in terms of things our human senses pick up on. It's like the beeping of your home's fire alarm to alert you that you need a new battery. The first time you hear it, you are startled. But if you don't change it within the first day, your senses become numb to the sound of a shrill beep every 30 seconds, until you no longer hear it. We've be- come numb to the forehead creases and the eye bags be- cause everyone we see has them, too. But not every- one has mood-in- dicating lipstick. I clutched it in my hand to see whether my own heat would change the color while it was still in the tube. I im- agined a conversation with my husband at the dinner table, in which I was feel- ing overwhelmed and taxed and, rather than overlook- ing it, he said, "Yo, your face is changing colors. You upset? " And I responded, "Yeah, dog, read my lips." I don't know why in my imagination we suddenly talked to each other as if we were Seth Green's character in "Can't Hardly Wait," but I'm not angry at it. In college, a friend of mine had a baseball cap with a scrolling LED mes- sage board on it. One time, he wore the hat to campus and had it scroll, "Ask me about my day." And people did. When asked why he had put up that mes- sage, he said he hadn't had anyone check on him in a while. It's not that he was doing poor- ly; he just wanted to be asked. I wore the lip- stick to the din- ner table. By the time I got there, it had already turned purple. My husband kissed my cheek and said, "That color looks good on you." The mood lipstick may need to come with an in- structional pamphlet to hand out to others. Like Katiedid Langrock on Facebook, at http://www. facebook.com/katiedidhu- mor. IRISH BEEF HAND PIES MEALS IN Monica's MINUTES Share your favorite recipe! www.facebook.com/mealsinminutes Monica's Meals in Minutes PO Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567 mealsinminutes@pressdispatch.net FACEBOOK MAIL EMAIL By Monica Sinclair St. Patrick's Day is in a few days. A lot of people celebrate this day with corned beef and cabbage. However, this year I thought I would search for an- other Irish dish that could be served. I came across one that only takes an hour to make and has very few ingredients. While I love corned beef, this is one that I want to try. Enjoy! INGREDIENTS • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil • 1/4 head green cabbage, shredded • 1/2 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and diced • 1 pound ground beef sirloin • 3 tablespoons tomato paste • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme • Coarse salt and ground pepper • All-purpose flour, for rolling • 2 piecrusts (9 inches each), homemade or store- bought DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium; add cabbage and potatoes. Cook until beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes. 3. Add beef; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in toma- to paste, Worcestershire, thyme, and 1 cup water. Cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Lightly mash mixture with a fork. Sea- son with salt and pepper. Let cool completely. 4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each crust into a 14-inch square; cut each into 4 equal squares. Place 1/2 cup filling on one half of each square, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the fill- ing. Brush borders with water; fold dough over filling to enclose. Crimp edges with a fork to seal. With a paring knife or scissors, cut 3 small vents in each. 5. Transfer pies to 2 foil-lined rimmed baking sheets; bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotat- ing sheets halfway through. Source: marthastewart.com When you think of friend- ship, what comes to mind? Is it someone that you do homework with? Is it some- one that is there for you when the going gets tough? Maybe it's that person who cheers you up and can joke around but also be serious when it's time to be. Friendship can come in a variety of forms. You could have a large, close group of friends or a small group. You could see them every day, once a week, live close to each other or on opposite sides of the country. With to- day's technology, keeping in touch is easy and distance doesn't matter so much. But how do you tell if the friendship is healthy? Here are some ingredi- ents to a healthy friendship. • Trust is one of the vi- tal parts of any relationship. You need to be able to trust that a friend will not cause any physical or emotional harm. This includes trust- ing that they will not try to poison other friendships. Another level of trust is that we can trust them to keep their word and to keep our secrets. • Talking and listening are very important. Every- one needs someone they can talk to, whether it is a casual conversation or more serious. When you talk with a good friend, you are able to talk about whatever is on your mind, no matter how deep or shallow it may be. They will give advice if that's what is needed, or they will listen to you rant and let you cry. • Supporting each other in all ways possible makes for strong friendships. When you are younger it is easy to think that everyone is heading in the same direc- tion. But as life progresses, each person has their own course; if the course heads in a different direction, the parties in a healthy friend- ship will continue to support each other. • Understanding and supporting each other's goals adds a lot of strength to a friendship. As a friend, you should encourage each other to continue towards your individual goals. • Having mutual under- standing, respect, and ap- preciation for each other is crucial in a healthy friend- ship. There must be equal give and take. Friendship should not be one-sided. If you feel that you may be in an unhealthy friendship, ask yourself these ques- tions: • Do I feel good about myself when I am with them? • Do we do things that we both want to do? • Can I trust them with my secrets or to give me sol- id advice? If you are answering no or questioning the friend- ship, it may be time to create some distance. Ending any relationship is never easy, but by putting some space between you and your friend it will allow you to see if the friendship is truly right for you. This column is written by Kaitlyn Meredith, MSW, school social worker for Youth First, Inc., a local nonprofit dedicated to strengthening youth and families. Youth First provides 55 Master's level social workers to 76 schools in 10 Indiana coun- ties. Over 38,000 youth and families per year have access to Youth First's school social work and after-school pro- grams that prevent substance abuse, promote healthy behav- iors, and maximize student success. Katiedid vs... by Katiedid Langrock Mood lipstick 4-H AUCTION APRIL 13 • 10am EDT at Pike County 4-H Building Auction pick-up available! Tools & Equipment CALL 812-789-6761 Follow on Auctionzip.com • ID# 46613 • TAKING CONSIGNMENTS TODAY! EARLY TO GET YOUR ITEMS ADVERTISED SPRING FARM AUCTION Saturday, March 16 10aM (cdt) • 114 E. Sr 68, LynnviLLE Tractors, Trailers, Farm Machinery, Tools and more. CALL NOW TO GET YOUR ITEMS ON THIS SALE! Lic. #AU10800006 812-598-3936 TUESDAY, APRIL 2 6 PM CDT 114 E. SR 68 Lynnville, IN 47619 THE PROPERTY WILL BE OFFERED IN 9 TRACTS PUBLIC LAND AUCTION 200 +/- ACRES