By SEMIRA SAWYER
LifeAtStart.com Reporter

It’s your turn to cook the family meal.  You already had spaghetti twice this week and don’t want to eat it a third time.  A perfect answer to your problem is soup.

Soup isn’t just something you eat when you are sick, but it can also provide a variety of benefits to your life. Soup is a quick, hot meal that offers plenty of health benefits.  The healthiest soups include fresh ingredients made with less salt.

Throw a variety of ingredients into a crock-pot in the morning before you leave for work or school. You’ll return home to a delicious meal in the evening.

With winter approaching soup is also a great food to eat to warm you up. Soups made with beans and lean meats, such as chicken and fish, provide protein. Soups are made mostly of water, which fills you up with fewer calories. That can come in handy when trying to lose weight.

To get you started on making soup, here is a quick and easy recipe from my grandma’s kitchen:

Easy Crock-pot Potato Soup:

1-30 oz, bag frozen hash browns.

2-14 oz, cans of chicken broth.

1-10.75 oz can, cream of chicken soup.

½ cup, chopped onions.

1/3 tsp, ground black pepper.

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened.

Garnish with  chopped green onion.
In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, broth, cream of chicken soup, onions and pepper.

• Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
• Stir in cream cheese, cook 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
• Garnish with green onion.

Contact Semira Sawyer at [email protected]

By Andrew Russell
LifeAtStart.com Reporter

Fury is about the five man crew of a Sherman tank in the midst of World War II in April of 1945 as they attempt to push through German forces and deal a final blow.

Fury makes a statement about war that has not been made so well since Saving Private Ryan; the statement being that war is brutal and ugly.

When I say ugly, I mean horrific. This movie is not shy of boldly stating its theme of death in almost every scene.

It’s hard to fully take in some of it, not just because it makes you want to look away, but because of the way the characters interact with the things happening around them, as in not at all. The people in this movie are mostly shown as casual toward the things happening around them, which says how often they must see things like it and things worse than it.

This movie has one of, if not, the best casts this year. With a hard-hitter like Brad Pitt at the helm, the feelings that are meant to be portrayed definitely are. Every one of the supporting cast members plays the part and plays it well, with each of them having a distinct personality by the end of the film.

The movie does, however, slow down perhaps a little too much at one point. I’m not sure how everyone else will feel about this particular part, but you can see clear distinctions of pace in this scene compared to the rest of the movie. You could argue that it is all for character development, and I would agree, but it does take away from the movie since as it progresses, the scene becomes more and more irrelevant.

Another thing that others may have seen as a flaw is the way the characters treat the new comer to their crew. They aren’t exactly welcoming. At first you would probably just pass this off as first day hazing, but it doesn’t really stop and can make it hard to find reasons to care about these characters. I, however, don’t see this movie as character-based, even though the characters are great. I see it as a statement of war and how it can make people and change them into something that they perhaps never would’ve become otherwise.

All this being said, I’ll say Fury is Oscar worthy, if not for acting, then at least for special effects. Those are just great.

Contact Andrew at: [email protected]

By Rysa Lake 

LifeAtStart.com Reporter

It’s that time of the year again when the leaves are changing colors and teenage girls are spamming Instagram with pictures of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, which must mean it’s fall. You’re hanging up that beach towel, grabbing for that fall jacket, and looking for something to do until the warmer weather comes back. With the weather changing so are the activities you used to do. But never fear, Rysa is here, providing you with ideas you can do this lovely fall season.

Go to a pumpkin patch

With it being fall, a pumpkin patch is one of the classic things to do. Buying pumpkins seems like a no brainer, but what about buying hot apple cider and apple cinnamon donuts or little trinkets from the plenty of venders there. Make it more fun by going and buying little nick-knacks so you can remember the fun times you had, even after your pumpkins rot away.

Erie Orchards, located at 1235 E Erie Road in Erie, MI, costs $1 to park plus additional activity fees for pumpkin picking, apple picking, animal feeding, hay rides, corn maze, along with venders that sell just about anything you could think of.

Carving pumpkins/ Decorations 

What would a holiday be without decorations? Join in on the holiday craze and carve some pumpkins. While carving might be a family tradition, gather some friends and make it a new one. You could also come up with a competition to see who has the most creative idea and then take to social media to see who wins. Although pumpkins are the most crazed decoration, there are others such as gourds, corn stalks, fake cobwebs, and inflatable characters.

Haunted Houses

If you want  to veer off and go on a scary route to celebrate the season then a haunted house is for you because who doesn’t like being chased down a small hallway that leads to nowhere, by a guy with a chainsaw. Haunted houses are especially great if you’re trying to impress some one and show them how courageous you are, just hope when you scream, nobody can hear it. While haunted houses are supposed to be scary, going with a group of friends can make it 10 times better.

 Scary Movie Marathon

Sticking with the scarier side of festivities, grab a bowl of popcorn, and turn off the lights. Then grab a useless object that could help you if you became under attack by a group of zombies because we’re talking scary movies. Some of the best are the 1978 classic Halloween, the 4-part movie series Scream, or the 7-part movie series Saw.

Host a get together

Take advantage of the weather changing and have a bonfire. After a long and stressful day picking out the perfect pumpkin to carve and deciding how to carve it, it might be fun to just sit back and relax.  Grab a flashlight, sit around, and share your wildest ghost stories, or just gossip about everything. While you’re roasting other people, make sure to roast some marshmallows for S’mores.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact me at [email protected]

By Julianna Ruiz

LifeAtStart.com Repoter

The air outside is crisp and the sun has already begun to set. The shadows are long, and the wind whistles softly through the trees. The house before you is littered in skulls and pumpkins, spiders and their webs. Stabbed into the dirt is a cute, spooky little sign that reads ‘Happy Halloween’.

You enter the house, joining the party. You turn your nose into the air, inhaling the scent of Fall. The air is warm and the whole house is buzzing with Halloween spirit. You say your hellos and sink comfortably into the homey fall atmosphere. Children run around the living room, half their costume sitting with their parents, waiting to be shown off. The parents chat distractedly, awaiting the night’s candy adventure.

“Can we go now mom?” a tiny, sandy brown haired girl asks.

“Yes. I guess I have made you wait long enough.” the mother smiled, saying it in her sweetest mommy voice.

The kids slip into the rest of their costumes and stand eagerly by the front door. Jumping up and down in excitement, their parents bundling up for the long Halloween night ahead. The first step outside they are greeted with a gust of fresh air. The night air nipping at their noses. They pull their hoods tight around their faces, their cheeks flushing pink in the freezing wind.

Enthusiastic children dash back and fourth, their parents chasing tiredly after them. Fallen leaves crunch underfoot as parents and children make their way through the neighborhood. Before anyone knows, bags become full and tiny feet begin to ache. They trudge back home, where hot chocolate and a warm dinner awaits.

The kids gather on the floor, admiring, comparing, and trading their best or worst scores of the evening. Giggling freely, and sharing tales of scary encounters and spooky run-ins, as the night begins to end. Full tummies, warm hands, and sleepy eyes consume the house. The night closes thickly around All Hallows Eve and it’s time to lay the kids in their beds. The candy is hidden and the costumes are stored away. The parents sigh, exhausted, glad this only happens once a year.

Contact Julianna at: [email protected]