Why We Need Show Tunes – Poor Man’s Treat
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Poor Man’s Treats are a very special treat with a great history! 
Tonight I realized that all of the gloom and doom is rubbing off of me and I’m here to tell you I’m not having it.
You see, within my mind lies a wealth of show tunes, show tunes which I have a tendency to hum and sing throughout my day and with very little conscious knowledge. I’m just a music-y person. I sing. I can’t help it. There is always a song in my head and my vocal chords like to get in on the jam session.
While walking through Wal Mart, I was humming. Now I’ve been known to hum a lot of things in Wal Mart. Once, while talking to a friend on the cell phone, I began humming the star spangled banner on the coffee aisle. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until she exclaimed in a disgusted voice “You have GOT to be the most patriotic person I have ever met”
“Huh?”
“No one I know randomly hums the star spangled banner”
Oh.
Minutes later I began humming My Country ‘Tis Of Thee
I wake my kids up with various up beat good morning songs and I sing the entire soundtrack from singing in the rain and just about every Judy Garland tune ever recorded (except the sad ones, of course!).
Tonight, while going through wal mart (okay so I spend way too much time in Wal Mart), I was humming, not really paying any attention to the tune until I heard my voice quietly singing the words and it hit me…
I gets weary, and sick of trying. I’m tired of livin’ and scared of dying…
Oh good grief, I’m singing Old Man River!
NUH UH! This stops here.
Now don’t get me wrong. I realize that life is harder now on some a lot folks than it has ever been in their lifetimes. Fact is, many of us have very valid reasons to complain and worry. What I’m saying though is that we also have valid reasons to be grateful, too, and the good things in our life deserve at least the same amount of air time as the difficult.
So I’ve decided to stop the cycle. I’m not buying into the whole “life is horrible, cower and worry” that is being sold to us all right now. I’m not going to spend my entire day in anxiety and I’m not going to exchange my inner peppy soundtrack for a slower beat or a mournful strain.
You know what we all need?
What we need are some upbeat show tunes and maybe even spontaneous choreographed dance.
Bring on the Judy Garland, Crank up Mary Poppins and hit play on the old version of Pollyanna, its time to bring back the good life!
We need to live our lives in such great appreciation of each day and each moment that we all find ourselves walking through Wal Mart humming the star spangled banner. It really wouldn’t hurt if the rest of the store joined in and we all started twirling and tap dancing about, now would it? Those without a partner can just grab a sack of potatoes or some of that abundant rice we all stocked up on during the panic over supposed shortage a few months back.
We need to realize that sometimes life gets so bad that we lose sight of just how very good it is!
There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for. There is always a positive side.
So here is your homework:
Smile at strangers today, count how many smile back.
Learn the words to at least one song from an old Technicolor musical
And lastly, hum the Star Spangled Banner. I don’t care who you root for in the elections, we live in a fine country and I got some “special” batch brownies for anyone who tells you different!
It’s like I tell my kids:
Each day when you wake up you have a choice. You can have a good day or you can have a bad one. So you might as well have a good one.
Same goes for life.
For the pessimists who haven’t left the room yet, things can ALWAYS get worse so you best get to enjoying them now. Don’t make me come over there and slap you around a bit because I will…and I’ll sing SHOW TUNES While I do it!
Oh and a recipe…here ya go. These were sent in to me by Cynthia, a reader who called them “poor man’s treats”. I asked my mother about them and she said her father practically lived on them as a child.
Spread crackers with peanut butter
Top with marshmallows
Place under broiler just until marshmallows are browned.
Eat with a grateful heart. 🙂
Ingredients
- Saltine Crackers
- Peanut Butter
- Marshmallows or marshmallow cream
Instructions
- Spread peanut butter on the crackers. Top with marshmallow or a dollop of marshmallow cream. Place under broiler in oven until marshmallow is just browned. Pay close attention because this will not take long at all! Devour.
Quick, easy, good. Make 'em tonight and eat like the po' folks do, our food tastes better than the rich people's anyway. Another thing to be grateful for.
Nutrition
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looks pretty good! I liked ur speech Christy! Good job! I was picturing everybody in wal-mart dancing and singing, and it would be a great movie!….lol I hope u have a good day! 🙂
Ditto on the news thing-I am absolutely sick of it too. Really life has not changed for us as my hubby is still working and 92% of Americans ARE STILL working! We have had our share of lost jobs over the years and you just get through it. Really the news has become laughable because they can not seem to talk about anything else and they are losing any credibility that they did have. My 17 year old daghter has the internal sound track too-she plays the drums also so the soundtrack comes with drumming on any surface-THAT can get on my nerves. Love her lots anyway!
I agree! There is always something to be thankful for in life!
What wonderful treats!
We laugh about my little girl having her own personal looping soundtrack … she’s always, always singing a song and I hope she never stops having a song in her heart! Sounds like you have a soundtrack too! I love to hear someone else humming, singing, or whistling, especially out in stores.
These sound easy & so good … I believe we’ll try a variation with Nilla Wafers & crunchy PB!
hehe, mine are like that, too and I love it also~!
Katy got into bed with us last night pretty early on, and she fell into a deep sleep nestled in the middle of our bed. In the middle of the night I woke up to find Katy singing, in her sleep. It was a happy little tune from one of her favorite cartoons. She hummed at first, then sang a few bars and promptly rolled over when the tune was done, her eyes never once opening as she slipped back into silent slumber.
That’s my girl.
Nilla wafers and crunch PB? oh my goodness gracious that sounds good!
I love these! My Mama used to let me make them when I was a little girl. I’ve never seen the recipe anywhere before.
how cool! you know I had never had them until Cynthia emailed me! so glad she did!! Now I get in on y’all’s fun!
What if the person is not from the U.S.? Are you suggesting that they sing the Star Spangled Banner as well? Let’s not forget that there are a bunch of countries in this world that don’t have anything to do with the U.S. Many (not all) people from the U.S. seem to forget that fact way too much.
Anyway, I don’t think I could EVER sing that song even though I unfortunately live in this country. I cannot wait to leave. Yes, I’m a pessimist and a cynic, but I’m a realist, too.
I will try the smiling thing, though.
Hey Mandy!
Well now ya just gotta realize that I’m from and in the US so this blog is written from that point of view. Sing the Muppet’s theme song or God Save the Queen, makes no nevermind as long as its happy! ‘Course I realize there are other countries out there! In Alabama, we are taught the whole world is round concept pretty early on ;).
As far as you not ever singing that song, hey to each his own! I think you kinda missed my point in the post in terms of optimism and gratitude but hey, that’s fine too! Long as you are happy with your own outlook and attitude, I’m happy for ya!
Me, I’m a “Bloom Where You’re Planted” type gal. Some of the richest experiences of my life have come from me making the best of what I felt at the time was a miserable experience.
To each his own. Y’all know my favorite quote: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
I’ll sing the old Happy Happy Joy song in your honor today!
Gratefully,
Christy 🙂
P.S. I plan on personally visiting every country that has Southern Plate readers one day! After all, its international relations, right? 😀
My short list includes (at this moment)
1. Australia (Thanks, Su!)
2. England
3. Ireland
I wanna try out your food, too!!!!
Yeah, I’m sooooo teaching them the Star Spangled banner!
Yes, I’m an optimist and not a cynic! I’m a realist too ~winks~
Are you nuts??? Even with the multitude of problems that we have, the United States is still the best country in the world in which to live! First of all, you’re completely free to make that statement without any retribution. As a woman, you are allowed to go to school, have a job, leave home without a male relative, dress as you please, purchase & own property, follow any religion at all, and vote! Even if the parents are poor as dirt, a child can do well in public school, pay their way through college with grants & scholarships, and get a decent job. People flock here by the millions for the opportunities that our country has to offer. If you hate the US so much, why are you still here???
You know…I don’t want to harp on this BUT I seriously think this is a situation in which things would be viewed in a different light had my version of Border Patrol been in effect…
https://www.southernplate.com/2009/03/taco-pizza-and-my-version-of-border-patrol.html
Every person who visits and/or comes to our great country from another locale could benefit from it!!!
Great post =]
As for the treat, I’ve done something similar, but with chocolate. Good stuff
Thank you so much, Ashley!
I don’t reckon anything with marshmallows can be bad, huh? lol