True Beauty in a Melt-Down?
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Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Childhood Memories of Special Treats
One of the(many)things I remember from childhood is the white icing we usually made for cakes. The icing was made from powdered sugar, Milnot(canned milk) and???? Was there some butter in it (I think so)? Maybe a pinch of salt? Vanilla? (I think we added Hershey's Cocoa to make chocolate icing.) I haven't made this icing in years; and since I can no longer get Milnot, it probably wouldn't be quite the same.
I liked the icing on cakes, but I liked it even better on saltine crackers (we made certain to make enough for leftovers). Now, eating icing on regular (or any other kind of) crackers may sound strange to you, but I loved the salt and sweet taste together. When my children your young, I made sure to let them have this treat occasionally so that my(fond) memory from childhood would be a pleasant memory for them also.
I think the icing made for carrot cake today is fairly close to what we made - minus the cream cheese, of course. The icing is my favorite part of carrot cake; sometimes I select this cake for desert (even when I would really like to have something else) just to taste the icing.
Another treat we had (I don't think my children had this) was a slice of bread with sugar sprinkled over it (heavily, sprinkled if I remember correctly) and then drizzled with Milnot. I think this was a kind of poor man's cake. Anyway, it was very good. We didn't have it often, but I always enjoyed it. I think this might be comparable to pouring condensed milk on bread, though I doubt that it would be as good.
One last food memory (for today). When Mother made pie crust, we (my sister and I) always waited for the left over pieces of dough to make cinnamon rolls. Now, these cinnamon rolls were not like the cinnamon rolls of today. We formed the leftover dough into a ball and then rolled it out (fairly thin), dotted it heavily with butter, and sprinkled it with (quite a lot of) sugar and cinnamon. Beginning at one edge of the dough, we carefully rolled it into a long strip. This strip was then cut into slices and placed on a cookie sheet or pie pan (depending on how much dough was left over). The slices were then baked for a few minutes until done. I don't know if other families used leftover dough this way, but it made a delicious treat.
What I would like to do right now is to eat some "icing crackers" or have an old-fashioned cinnamon roll; however, since I gained weight over the summer and I have neither powdered sugar nor pie dough on hand (thank goodness), I will resist the temptation. The next time I'm with my Miami grandchildren, I'm going to try to get the boys interested in making old-fashioned cinnamon rolls and eating "icing crackers."
Blessings to all.
I liked the icing on cakes, but I liked it even better on saltine crackers (we made certain to make enough for leftovers). Now, eating icing on regular (or any other kind of) crackers may sound strange to you, but I loved the salt and sweet taste together. When my children your young, I made sure to let them have this treat occasionally so that my(fond) memory from childhood would be a pleasant memory for them also.
I think the icing made for carrot cake today is fairly close to what we made - minus the cream cheese, of course. The icing is my favorite part of carrot cake; sometimes I select this cake for desert (even when I would really like to have something else) just to taste the icing.
Another treat we had (I don't think my children had this) was a slice of bread with sugar sprinkled over it (heavily, sprinkled if I remember correctly) and then drizzled with Milnot. I think this was a kind of poor man's cake. Anyway, it was very good. We didn't have it often, but I always enjoyed it. I think this might be comparable to pouring condensed milk on bread, though I doubt that it would be as good.
One last food memory (for today). When Mother made pie crust, we (my sister and I) always waited for the left over pieces of dough to make cinnamon rolls. Now, these cinnamon rolls were not like the cinnamon rolls of today. We formed the leftover dough into a ball and then rolled it out (fairly thin), dotted it heavily with butter, and sprinkled it with (quite a lot of) sugar and cinnamon. Beginning at one edge of the dough, we carefully rolled it into a long strip. This strip was then cut into slices and placed on a cookie sheet or pie pan (depending on how much dough was left over). The slices were then baked for a few minutes until done. I don't know if other families used leftover dough this way, but it made a delicious treat.
What I would like to do right now is to eat some "icing crackers" or have an old-fashioned cinnamon roll; however, since I gained weight over the summer and I have neither powdered sugar nor pie dough on hand (thank goodness), I will resist the temptation. The next time I'm with my Miami grandchildren, I'm going to try to get the boys interested in making old-fashioned cinnamon rolls and eating "icing crackers."
Blessings to all.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sororities and Me
My first introduction to sororities was not a good one. I came in contact with a sorority when I was in junior or senior high school. I found the idea of being a part of one of these group intriguing; after all, these were the "popular" girls and being invited to be a part of their group was at least momentarily appealing.
I only remember the name of the group that asked me to join - the Aphrodites. I don't know if this was a true sorority or just a "wannabe" - a group of girls trying to play grownup. Anyway, I attended a meeting or two and went to one of the outings - a kind of initiation or hazing. I didn't like what went on at that outing and quickly decided that being popular was not all it was cracked up to be if I had to behave foolishly in public in order to be accepted. They didn't ask us to do anything wrong, but I still was not comfortable with their expectations.
My second exposure to sororities was through a book I read while in junior or senior high school. I do not recall the name of the book (though I wish I did). It was about three young girls who had been best friends for years, and who had mapped out the future they wanted for themselves. They would attend the same college, join the same sorority and, I think, marry and live on the same street where the couples and their children would all share their lives. Sounds nice!
Initially, things went as planned. The girls attended the same college; and during Rush Week, they made the rounds of the various sororities. They knew which sorority they wanted to pledge and did all they could to make a good impression on the girls in the sorority of their choice in the hope of being asked to join.
When the sororities made their decision and sent out invitations to the girls they hoped would join them, two of the three friends were asked to join the coveted sorority - the third girl did not receive an invitation. I don't remember the details of how they learned the reason why the third girl was not invited to join, but the reason she was rejected was because she was Jewish. The sorority was interested in smart, attractive, white, Anglo-Saxon pledges - if you didn't fit that category, they were not interested in you.
The girls now faced a problem - the dream for their future had hit a serious snag. The Jewish girl told her friends to go ahead and pledge the sorority. After all, this was the sorority they had all hoped to join; and she did not want them to give up their dream because of her. Her two friends were torn; they wanted to be a part of this sorority, but they did not want to join without her.
The two friends finally made their decision. One girl decided not to join; she did not want to be a part of a group that discriminated against persons because of race or religion. The other girl decided to join the sorority and to work from the inside to change the sorority's attitude and stop the discrimination. The ending of the story was not clear; there was no way to know what lay ahead. It was clear though, that the future they had envisioned would be altered, and the relationship between the three girls would never be the same.
When I went to college, I had no plans to join a sorority. Even if I had wanted to, sororities were expensive, and I could not have afforded to join. If the money had been there though, I still would not have joined. I was "courted" by one or more of the sororities including the most popular one, but I was not interested. While still in high school, I had decided that I did not want to be a part of any group that barred some persons from membership. The reason behind the exclusiveness really did not matter to me - not smart enough, not pretty enough, not thin enough, not wealthy enough, not the right color, not the right religious affiliation, etc. I did not want to be a part of a group that refused to let some persons join.
It is not my intention to make an indictment against sororities or to offend anyone; I am simply explaining how I felt about things in those days and how I came to my decision.
Blessings to all.
I only remember the name of the group that asked me to join - the Aphrodites. I don't know if this was a true sorority or just a "wannabe" - a group of girls trying to play grownup. Anyway, I attended a meeting or two and went to one of the outings - a kind of initiation or hazing. I didn't like what went on at that outing and quickly decided that being popular was not all it was cracked up to be if I had to behave foolishly in public in order to be accepted. They didn't ask us to do anything wrong, but I still was not comfortable with their expectations.
My second exposure to sororities was through a book I read while in junior or senior high school. I do not recall the name of the book (though I wish I did). It was about three young girls who had been best friends for years, and who had mapped out the future they wanted for themselves. They would attend the same college, join the same sorority and, I think, marry and live on the same street where the couples and their children would all share their lives. Sounds nice!
Initially, things went as planned. The girls attended the same college; and during Rush Week, they made the rounds of the various sororities. They knew which sorority they wanted to pledge and did all they could to make a good impression on the girls in the sorority of their choice in the hope of being asked to join.
When the sororities made their decision and sent out invitations to the girls they hoped would join them, two of the three friends were asked to join the coveted sorority - the third girl did not receive an invitation. I don't remember the details of how they learned the reason why the third girl was not invited to join, but the reason she was rejected was because she was Jewish. The sorority was interested in smart, attractive, white, Anglo-Saxon pledges - if you didn't fit that category, they were not interested in you.
The girls now faced a problem - the dream for their future had hit a serious snag. The Jewish girl told her friends to go ahead and pledge the sorority. After all, this was the sorority they had all hoped to join; and she did not want them to give up their dream because of her. Her two friends were torn; they wanted to be a part of this sorority, but they did not want to join without her.
The two friends finally made their decision. One girl decided not to join; she did not want to be a part of a group that discriminated against persons because of race or religion. The other girl decided to join the sorority and to work from the inside to change the sorority's attitude and stop the discrimination. The ending of the story was not clear; there was no way to know what lay ahead. It was clear though, that the future they had envisioned would be altered, and the relationship between the three girls would never be the same.
When I went to college, I had no plans to join a sorority. Even if I had wanted to, sororities were expensive, and I could not have afforded to join. If the money had been there though, I still would not have joined. I was "courted" by one or more of the sororities including the most popular one, but I was not interested. While still in high school, I had decided that I did not want to be a part of any group that barred some persons from membership. The reason behind the exclusiveness really did not matter to me - not smart enough, not pretty enough, not thin enough, not wealthy enough, not the right color, not the right religious affiliation, etc. I did not want to be a part of a group that refused to let some persons join.
It is not my intention to make an indictment against sororities or to offend anyone; I am simply explaining how I felt about things in those days and how I came to my decision.
Blessings to all.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Things Change but Nothing Really Seems to Change
In January of 1970, I had surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. Since the doctor was "in the neighborhood," he also removed my appendix. He must have considered the appendix unnecessary or thought the possible risk of my having to go through another surgery (for a ruptured appendix) before fully healing from the first surgery too much of a risk for me to take. Shortly after the surgery - probably within a few month, I heard that the medical community had changed its mind and now thought that the appendix really had an important part to play in our health. I regretted that my doctor had removed my appendix; however, I knew he had done it with my safety in mind. Also, I was and am still firmly convinced that with God's help, he had literally saved my life; I could not hold the removal of my appendix against him.
Today on the Internet, thirty-nine years later, I saw an article titled: The Appendix: Useful and in Fact Promising. You can read the entire article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090824/sc_livescience/theappendixusefulandinfactpromising/
Since I heard about the importance of the appendix sometime during 1970, how is it that this article shows up today as if the information has just been discovered? I find this amazing.
In the article, Charles Darwin is mentioned as being one of the persons who held the opinion that the appendix was unnecessary to our health. Since I do not agree with Darwin's theory of evolution, it does not surprise me that his ideas about the appendix are also wrong. Don't misunderstand me; I am not saying that we cannot get along without our appendix - obviously we can since many persons, including myself, have had to have theirs removed yet live very normal lives with no apparent negative affects. I do think that the appendix has a purpose; but for many of us, the body either does not suffer an injury or illness where the appendix could be of help or our body has to work to overcome the problem without the aid of the appendix.
Blessings to all.
Today on the Internet, thirty-nine years later, I saw an article titled: The Appendix: Useful and in Fact Promising. You can read the entire article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090824/sc_livescience/theappendixusefulandinfactpromising/
Since I heard about the importance of the appendix sometime during 1970, how is it that this article shows up today as if the information has just been discovered? I find this amazing.
In the article, Charles Darwin is mentioned as being one of the persons who held the opinion that the appendix was unnecessary to our health. Since I do not agree with Darwin's theory of evolution, it does not surprise me that his ideas about the appendix are also wrong. Don't misunderstand me; I am not saying that we cannot get along without our appendix - obviously we can since many persons, including myself, have had to have theirs removed yet live very normal lives with no apparent negative affects. I do think that the appendix has a purpose; but for many of us, the body either does not suffer an injury or illness where the appendix could be of help or our body has to work to overcome the problem without the aid of the appendix.
Blessings to all.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Discipline
Discipline is such an important part of life, but we sometimes avoid it because we do not look at it in the right light. There are also different types of discipline, though they are connected.
When you hear the word discipline, what thoughts comes to mind? Are these thoughts positive or negative?
One type of discipline comes when we are in trouble. As children, we often need to be disciplined or corrected for misbehavior. No one enjoys this discipline; however, it has its place.
Then there is the discipline that most of us build into our lives (to varying degrees) that enables us to function in various aspects of our lives. For some of us, discipline seems to come more easily while for others, discipline is very difficult to achieve.
Discipline or lack of discipline can impact us in all areas of life. A lack of discipline in our personal life may lead to problems with friends or spouses. A lack of discipline in our work life may lead to a lack of success on the job or loss of employment. A lack of discipline in our school life may lead to low grades, which may prevent us from getting a high school diploma, getting into college (or the college/university of our choice) or into a particular field of study (medicine, for example) where top grades are required. A lack of discipline in our spiritual life is, in my opinion, the most serious, since this may limit our usefulness to God.
This summer been wonderful for me in many ways; however, the discipline in my spiritual life has been neglected. Being away from home for almost three weeks and then having additional responsibilities for almost three weeks after returning home has thrown everything out of kilter. Of course, it is my lack of discipline that has caused this to happen. Regardless of where I have been and any added responsibilities I have had, I did not have to place my spiritual discipline on a back burner.
All of my excuses now must be put aside; I must return to my 5:00 A.M. schedule and begin the process of rebuilding the discipline I let slip away over the last few weeks. I am looking forward to this since I have missed the very important benefits which have come from being disciplined.
I thank God for His grace and mercy and for the opportunity to begin anew after having gotten off track.
Blessing to you all.
When you hear the word discipline, what thoughts comes to mind? Are these thoughts positive or negative?
One type of discipline comes when we are in trouble. As children, we often need to be disciplined or corrected for misbehavior. No one enjoys this discipline; however, it has its place.
Then there is the discipline that most of us build into our lives (to varying degrees) that enables us to function in various aspects of our lives. For some of us, discipline seems to come more easily while for others, discipline is very difficult to achieve.
Discipline or lack of discipline can impact us in all areas of life. A lack of discipline in our personal life may lead to problems with friends or spouses. A lack of discipline in our work life may lead to a lack of success on the job or loss of employment. A lack of discipline in our school life may lead to low grades, which may prevent us from getting a high school diploma, getting into college (or the college/university of our choice) or into a particular field of study (medicine, for example) where top grades are required. A lack of discipline in our spiritual life is, in my opinion, the most serious, since this may limit our usefulness to God.
This summer been wonderful for me in many ways; however, the discipline in my spiritual life has been neglected. Being away from home for almost three weeks and then having additional responsibilities for almost three weeks after returning home has thrown everything out of kilter. Of course, it is my lack of discipline that has caused this to happen. Regardless of where I have been and any added responsibilities I have had, I did not have to place my spiritual discipline on a back burner.
All of my excuses now must be put aside; I must return to my 5:00 A.M. schedule and begin the process of rebuilding the discipline I let slip away over the last few weeks. I am looking forward to this since I have missed the very important benefits which have come from being disciplined.
I thank God for His grace and mercy and for the opportunity to begin anew after having gotten off track.
Blessing to you all.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Healing and Deliverance
Here is the teleseminar on strongholds and deliverance by Deanna Allen on August 17, 2009.
Healing and Deliverance
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Healing and Deliverance
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Fasting
Just below this post is a link to a teaching by Donna Partow on fasting - done on August 10, 2009. This teaching is a part of Donna's study on Facebook based on her book - Becoming the Woman I Want to Be. There is a charge of $27.00 to be a part of the group (plus the purchase of the book), but I think it is well worth the cost.
I am also going to add the link for today's teleseminar, which was done by Deanna Allen since Donna is on a mission trip to Bogata, Columbia. This teleseminar (part one of a two-part series) is on strongholds and should finish next Monday, August 24th. You may not have a problem with strongholds in your life, but you may know women who do and these teleseminars may enable you to someone else.
Let me know if these seminars are helpful to you.
Blessings to all.
I am also going to add the link for today's teleseminar, which was done by Deanna Allen since Donna is on a mission trip to Bogata, Columbia. This teleseminar (part one of a two-part series) is on strongholds and should finish next Monday, August 24th. You may not have a problem with strongholds in your life, but you may know women who do and these teleseminars may enable you to someone else.
Let me know if these seminars are helpful to you.
Blessings to all.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The Routine Begins Again
I cannot believe that it has been two weeks since I posted anything to this blog. On another blog, I just entered a post on discipline and the fact that I have been very undisciplined during the last six weeks. My lack of discipline is certainly evident here.
I think discipline has always been a problem for me. I tend to procrastinate and then have to work under pressure. Procrastination and working under pressure are, however, very stressful; and the older I get, the more negatively stress effects me.
When I was in high school, I did not have to do a lot of studying to make (what I considered then) acceptable grades. I could have, and should have, done much better than I did. When I entered college, I discovered that my study habits were not really adequate for the grades I wanted to make. If I had been more disciplined in high school, I would probably have been much more successful in college.
When I was in fifth grade, I was diagnosed with Amblyopia (also called "lazy eye") and had to wear a patch over one eye for about a year. I had very little sight in my left eye, and it was very difficult for me to do my school since I could only use my "bad" eye. My mother had to help me a lot with my school work until my "bad" eye gradually improved and became at least adequate. To my amazement, I made some of my best grades during that school year. I was so afraid of failing that I worked harder than usual with greater success than usual.
After taking a year off from college between my sophomore and junior year, I returned to school determined to be successful and get my college degree. At the end of my first term back, I earned the best grades I had ever gotten - I believe my GPA was a 3.66 (or higher - not lower). I did well the next term too though my grades were not quite as high. The last term of that year was also good, but I was engaged by that time and planning to get married in August - my focus was not quite the same as it had been in August/September of the previous year.
Discipline is very important, and I will begin tomorrow to rebuild some of the discipline that has been lacking during the last six weeks.
Blessing to you all.
I think discipline has always been a problem for me. I tend to procrastinate and then have to work under pressure. Procrastination and working under pressure are, however, very stressful; and the older I get, the more negatively stress effects me.
When I was in high school, I did not have to do a lot of studying to make (what I considered then) acceptable grades. I could have, and should have, done much better than I did. When I entered college, I discovered that my study habits were not really adequate for the grades I wanted to make. If I had been more disciplined in high school, I would probably have been much more successful in college.
When I was in fifth grade, I was diagnosed with Amblyopia (also called "lazy eye") and had to wear a patch over one eye for about a year. I had very little sight in my left eye, and it was very difficult for me to do my school since I could only use my "bad" eye. My mother had to help me a lot with my school work until my "bad" eye gradually improved and became at least adequate. To my amazement, I made some of my best grades during that school year. I was so afraid of failing that I worked harder than usual with greater success than usual.
After taking a year off from college between my sophomore and junior year, I returned to school determined to be successful and get my college degree. At the end of my first term back, I earned the best grades I had ever gotten - I believe my GPA was a 3.66 (or higher - not lower). I did well the next term too though my grades were not quite as high. The last term of that year was also good, but I was engaged by that time and planning to get married in August - my focus was not quite the same as it had been in August/September of the previous year.
Discipline is very important, and I will begin tomorrow to rebuild some of the discipline that has been lacking during the last six weeks.
Blessing to you all.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Back In Nassau
I left on Wednesday with a very handsome young man to keep me company. Clayton, Rachel's fifteen year-old son, came to visit for about two and a half weeks. I hope he won't be too bored. So far, he has visited my school, spent time with his grandfather at the church, worked on "the lot" - his grandfather's favorite place (I can't take the heat or the sun), taken a dip in the pool (not our personal pool), and I hope to take him out for cracked conch and maybe conch salad this evening. We have also done marathon movie watching; we have some old movies Clay has not seen.
On Monday, a holiday here, I hope to take him to see some sights. I hope he enjoys himself; I would like for him to take good memories home with him.
Blessings to all.
On Monday, a holiday here, I hope to take him to see some sights. I hope he enjoys himself; I would like for him to take good memories home with him.
Blessings to all.
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