Filed under: Uncategorized
“Be careful,” my mom always said when I went on field trips. She would always remind me to look both ways before crossing a street, not to talk to strangers, and don’t get lost. My mom is like most moms. She taught me well through her remakes to me as a child. I alway have a tiny voice in my head talking me to look both ways before I cross a street. When I became older, I took Driver’s Ed. A calm black man told me calmly to look over my shoulder and switch lanes. He would keep an eye on my speed, and tell me the speed limit if I when over. Now, I mostly drive alone. Every time I come behind a “poker” on the interstate, I quickly look in my blind spots and pass them.
Because I have been told to be careful, my reactions have become natural, and I’m still here. I haven’t gotten hit by a car as a pedestrian or a driver.
Jesus tells his disciples,“Be careful. If you aren’t, your hearts will be loaded down with wasteful living, drunkenness and the worries of life.” Luke 21: 34
We need to hear Jesus, and we need to act it out. And, hopefully, living a full life, avoiding drunkenness, and forgetting about worries will become natural to us.
Filed under: Spiritual
The Old Testament states nothing about a soul.
Man believed they were bodies. Bodies with pain, blood, and urine. The body was it. The body went to God. The body was everything. Man didn’t know about the organs inside. Organs contain the “thoughts” or the “heart”. Man was body. Only a body was man.
My psychology professor, Mr. Loftis from TTU, hit me today –not literally. He said, ” A man came along named Jesus. And he said that man has a soul — a psyche, and, guess what, it is immortal.” This was astounding to the common everyday people in rags. Yes, Greeks thought about it and studied it, but never came out with it because of their fear of the polytheism.
However, the word is out. The soul is man. The body is a tool for the soul.
An artist has hand and paint, and in order to paint properly, an artist needs a brush. The hands –the soul– moves the brush– the body– to paint a masterpiece– to interact with the world. The soul grasps the body, they interlock, and become almost one.
Till death do us part.
Death is the end of the body, and the soul continues.
The example: Jesus on the cross.
We are spiritual beings having a physical experience. - Du Chardin
This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
To seize the everlasting prize,
And shout, while passing through the air,
“Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!” -Sweet Hour of Prayer
18Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”
20Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Luke 13: 18- 21
I have a love for trees and bread.
As a child, I played around trees. I constantly found myself pulled towards trees. Trees grow to be very large, but have no heart beat. Not only are trees large, but trees provide food. Also, Trees can provide wonderful shelter- both dead and alive.
I make artisan bread. I love to heat up the oven has high as it will go, throw water into a hot pan, and push in raw dough. Great bread takes days to make, but that is what amazes me. Bread is ultimately flour, water, salt, and yeast (wild or commercial). Flavor comes from hard work on fermentation, and texture come from the amount of water (or if wild yeast is used – sourdough bread). So simple, but it is a life source.
Jesus compares heaven to a mustard seed and yeast.
Heaven is not the mustard seed or yeast. Thank God! If heaven was as small as a seed or yeast, I would ask God for a bigger heaven.
Instead Jesus explains that tiny seeds and a little yeast grows.
Our faith -the mustard seed, the yeast- grows into heaven. Heaven comes to being because we first believe.
Once our faith gives us a heaven, heaven becomes a tree and bread in our life.
Trees shelter us , gives us a place to be, provides for us, and gives us rest.
Bread gives us nutrition and life.
Thus, heaven spreads more into our life. Till, finally, we know nothing else but a tree and bread.
I hate stupid people.
Yes, I know you do too.
When I went to college, I found a world of stupid people. I would sit there in my classes with my hands covering my face and think, “Why are they so, so stupid?”
By stupid I mean: students being everything but students, Students thinking the teacher will forgive them, smokers inhaling cancer, no coat on in the winter, finishing something the day of, growing weed in the backyard, girls thinking boys love them, boys thinking it is nothing, and those who go back.
People are stupid. I mean just stop and think about what you are doing, and your I.Q. may go up.
The other day I found that Jesus had my same frustation.
“You unbelieving and evil people!” Jesus replied. “How long do I have to stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you?” - Luke 9:41
Jesus was annoyed at people who where evil, as I am, but He was also annoyed with unbelieveing people.
Just not believeing makes Jesus throw up his hands.
When I see stupid people burning a fire underneath their feet (along with fireworks), I don’t stop them.
However, unlike me, Jesus does something. He gives the unbelieveing a clue – look at the wind, sun, flowers, birds, music, love, babies, children.
He reminds me to believe everyday. I’m glad Jesus acts on his annoyance, because it is easy to slip into a questioning world.
Filed under: Poetry
looked at the snowflakes on your cold car’s window?
seen snow glitter as it falles?
seen the ice melt from within?
gingerly walked on ice?
seen ice crystals form hexagon? spikes? shapes?
got up while it is still dark, pulled a blanket from under you comforter and found a light show of electricity at your fingertips?
seen the wind spin in a circle in one place so long that you thought God was standing there?
No? Then go outside. What is cold, but a game?
Filed under: Uncategorized
Amish Friendship Bread starter was a gift from someone at church. I personally love to make bread. I have succeeded in French bread and whole wheat when I was handed the turn to down fall.
Maybe it is just me? The starter was happy, fermenting, but I was not. Me, I prefer to cook vegan. I am just a vegetarian, but I will eat vegan over vegetarian most days. The things keeping me back are cheese and sometimes ice cream. I will not get into that.
The Amish bread starter eats up milk and the recipe given was a disappointment. Three Eggs in bread will NOT do. I had to redo.
My first job was to get rid of the eggs. I use common egg replacing tactics, grounded flax seeds. The recipe gave a liquid to bake. The bread took two hours had to be scraped out. The flavor of pistachio pudding mix and cherries was worth keeping.
The next job was to make dough, not a liquid. I used cornstarch for the egg replacement, ¾ cup of oil, and measure 1 ¼ cup of starter. Success, the bread just rolled out of the pan after one hour in the oven, but not vegan yet. I still used milk. I also used the white chocolate pudding mix with white chocolate chips that where getting old. My mother’s favorite.
The third try is a charm. I still used the milk-eating starter, but this starter can be made vegan. There is still work to be done. So if you test it out or change it please tell me.
· 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
· 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
· 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
· 1 cup white sugar, divided
· 1 cup plain/ vanilla soymilk (vanilla)
In a Gallon Plastic Baggy, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. Combine 1-cup flour and 1-cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when soymilk is added. Slowly stir in 1-cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10-day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.
Now follow the Amish Friendship bread 10-day step, but using soymilk. I just feed my starter every once in a while, like once a week, and bake about every 2 weeks.
DO NOT DO DAY 10’s INTRUCTION!
Vegan Coconut-Banana Friendly to All Bread
Dry:
1 large box or 2 small boxes of Coconut Cream intent pudding mix (Vegan)
2 cups of flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
Just under 1 cup of sugar
Egg Replacement for 3 eggs. I used 3 Tbsp of cornstarch.
Optional: add a little over or more of coconut flecks
Wet:
½ cup of coconut milk (or soymilk will work)
1 ripe banana mashed
½ tsp of vanilla
3 Tbsp.-1/4cup of water
Preheat oven at 350.
Mix dry. Then mix in wet. Add water to make the dough moveable, mixable, and stays togerher. It is a chunky mixture, not smooth.
Spray no stick in a loaf pan (I used one). Coat the pan with sugar. Put it in the loaf pan.
Put in the oven for an hour (, but watch it) or until a toothpick comes out kind of clean.
Let it cool in the pan for a minute or two, then as gently as you can turn out the bread and flip it up right, OR let it sit in the pan for a longer time… because
mine caved in.
The bread is very moist inside, almost pudding-y. It is a change to the everyday banana bread. Personally, I taste the banana more but the hint of the coconut that lingers will make people ask.
There is still work to be done. So, if you test it out or change it please tell me. I would LOVE to know!
If you just want coconut bread then forget the banana and ad 3/4 cup oil or some apple sauce!
Filed under: Crochet, General Craftiness, Sewing | Tags: Crochet, elephant, friend, timid
I walked straight over to my flowerbed under three cedar trees. The shade cooled of f my skin as I picked the leaves off of a young basil plant. I looked around at the thriving plant and wonder how they stood up to the heat like today.
Suddenly, a light shower of rain fell. It was much unexpected. The sun was still shining a lie as a light summer shower of mercy fell from the heavens.
I stayed there sitting on my heels by the herbs when I heard another unexpected sound. It was a quiet sound like a bird on the ground. I looked over. By the purple flowers was an elephant. She was a beautiful color of gray and had big blue eyes. She had large ears that she had the habit of hiding behind because she was very timid.
When she saw me looking at her, she hid behind her ears and looked over her ears to see if I was still looking at her. Her ears, I could tell, where turning a light shade of pink out of her bashfulness. I asked her if she had a name.
The reply was no answer only a quick look over her ears.
I knew if I kept asking her questions, she would never answer them. Therefore, I talked. I talked about how hot the weather was and that it was great that a little rain came (which by then had stopped), how I was picking herbs for dinner’s spaghetti sauce tonight, how glad I was that school was out and finally how glad I was that she showed up. I did not look at her when I spoke, but went on examining the herbs.
She was not were she was before when I looked up. She was at my elbow picking some different herbs to put in my spaghetti sauce. She handed them to me with her trunk.
“
My name is Rainy,” she said to me in a light high, but soft voice.
We had become friends. She was my first new friend of the summer, and I was very excited. I invited her to dinner. Rainy opened up more as dinner was being made. She helped me and my mother prepare a lovely but simple spaghetti dinner.
She told us how she became known as Rainy. She said she could always tell when it was going to rain ever since she was born.
“…but… the great problem with this is I can’t tell if the rain coming is going to be a large terrible storm or a light lovely shower, like today. You see, I am greatly afraid of lighting.” Some reason this did not surprise me at all.
I told her that she is welcome over she time it is going to rain so that if it was a bad lighting storm she would be dry and safe.
“Thank you very much. You have become a true friend.” Rainy said to me with her large blue eyes sparkling.
Friendship comes with cost and if that means waking up in the middle of the night to find her scared of the rain about to come (big or small) is all the cost then I can pay it. In addition, it is always a good feeling when I can comfort her though the big storms.
Thanks to Rainy for modeling for me by the purple flowers.
*Body and Trunk crocheted with leftover gray wool yarn.
Ears and legs made with fleece (gray).
Eyes and inside of ears made with felt (pink, black, white, and blue).
*Truck made with Vogue Knit1. pattern. The body based apon the principles of the pattern.
Amazing how many people hate rain! I find it such a nice day when it is raining. If you thank God only for the sunshine, how many times do you miss a moment. Sure, I’ve cursed the rain. Large storms sometimes do bring grief.
The saying goes, The only people who hate rain has never danced in it. I don’t dance in the rain everytime it rains. Yet, I am the girl who will seat outside during a lighting storm for lunch (Under something. I’ve got to keep the uniform dry.).
Rain can give you a smile. Think of it as snow. Snow is rain. Snow reminds me of hot chocolate and warmth. Rain then in return must remind you with something. Maybe it reminds you of flowers or craft days?
Filed under: General Craftiness, Sewing, TV | Tags: heart, keychain, love, Mulder, plush, relationship, Scully, Tithonus, untitled movie, X files
I found the X-files about two years ago. Because there was nothing to watch, my friend turned it on the sci-fi channel at 4 o’clock. I was quickly captivated by the show’s mystery. The X-files made me open my eyes to the normal things happening and to question it.
Suddenly, I found out that X-files did not just revolve around the unexplained cases they solved but had a lot to do with aliens. As a child, aliens terrified me. I would not look at the screen when a rare scene showed an alien. Yet, my fear did not last for long. My love for the plot, which emerged to me out of order, and the characters, Mulder and Scully, out shadowed my childish fears.
I fell in love with Scully first. The very first episode I saw was “Tithonus”(6×09). “Scully pursues a photographer who can seemingly predict the deaths of other people.” Mulder did not have a large role in this episode. Scully is like me in some ways. The more I see her the more I see me sometimes. She is very logical and sound. She is solid in what she believes be easy to turn. She knows what is right, and Mulder shows her the other right. Scully is not very social, like me. Yet, many differences separate Dana Scully and me. Scully is brave and rarely is there a time when she runs away, unless it is emotional. Scully is smarter then I could imagine and has a quite different past with her family and men.
Before I saw the X-files Movie: Fight the Future, I did not see Mulder and Scully together very much. When they almost kissed, I smiled so big. They were meant to be. I was soon watching for this relationship to emerge. Their love was everywhere. Scully and Mulder rarely touched each other. What a respected relationship, that they do not have to be on top of one another every second, like most TV couples. Their love for one another came in a believable, real life order: respect, trust, care, unknowing, people assuming and love. The relationship Mulder and Scully have is the most realistic relationship that evolved over a series.
Untitled X-Files movie is coming out this summer. I am terribly excited to see what trouble Mulder and Scully get in to and how their relationship is doing. Still there is no leak of what the movie is even about.
Featured at: geekcrafts
