My Year of Baking #2019

It has been awhile, and frankly, I forgot about my blog. I would like to document one of my goals for 2019: incorporate baking into my life. This sounds like fun, doesn't it!?! First, I need to figure out what to bake. I thought to myself, let us start with the basics: Bread. Once I tackle everything and all that is bread, I will move onto the creme de la creme (no pun intended), pastries and desserts. Because, duh.. desserts.

So my first objective is bread. Bread, bread, bread. I made an Amish-White bread that turned out quite tasty. So far, I have made it 3 times, that is 6 loaves of wonderful, homemade bread. Fortunately, I have many friends that take the bread off of my hands. Slices of pure joy- love infused bread. Baking is a thing of the past, much like quilting, and I would love to see this come into every home. Sundays are for Jesus and baking bread for the week. Febrez air plug-ins do not make a "fresh bread" smell because there is no such thing as artificial bread smelling goodness. You have to make it from its' source. Make the smell of bread your familie's alarm clock this weekend. They will forever love you and forgive you for the messy kitchen. Seriously, flour everywhere!

 In our house, we enjoy it toasted with butter and honey, as open faced sandwiches such as avocado toast with a poached egg, and closed faced sandwiches such as the classic peanut butter and jelly. My favorite, is plain, not toasted, with a little bit of soft butter. I should make my own butter.. I wonder if that is labor intensive? Most likely!

Anything delicious in this world is labor intensive, but that is half of the fun. The other half is kneading dough. This is super fun and therapeutic. I had no idea. Why didn't anyone tell me? It's the secret of the bread-making world. Toss your therapy sessions into the trashcan, because kneading dough is where it is at! Being creative in general and allowing creative juices to flow helps release stress, so I think bread-making falls into this category. Here are some photos of my Amish-white bread:

My Wilton brand loaf pans are working out nicely. They are hand-wash only so that means they are fancy right? The first batch was mixed with my hand mixer and dough hook. The second and third batch I mixed with a wooden spoon and my hands, which turned out better. I made love to that dough! For the finishing touch, I tried the "thump" test for the first batch, which were slightly under cooked. The second and third batch I did the "toothpick" technique and they were perfect.

Click here for the Amish White Bread Recipe  (I used melted butter instead of vegetable oil.. because well butter has more flavor and is better in my opinion).

Happy Baking!

Giving Thanks

I have seen  many FB posts regarding being Thankful this month. So many people speak of things they are thankful for as being intangible, and this gives me hope in humanity. The things you don't see matter most. Things such as God, love, family, peace, joy etc.. I would like to contribute to this message of thankfulness with some verses.

*The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusted him, so I received help. My heart is triumphant; I give thanks to him with my song. Psalm 28:7

*Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Then God's peace,which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

*Be strengthened by the faith that you were taught and overflow with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:7

*Therefore, we must be thankful that we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Hebrews 12:28


Give thanks daily. Not just in November. Overflow with thanksgiving..

Thanksgiving Blues..

Ya! November is finally here! It is getting a bit chilly outside; cold enough to start a fire and snuggle on the couch. Maybe read a good book or learn about the Pilgrims. I know, it is the perfect day to go Thanksgiving decor shopping. I love to decorate the house with fun fall foliage and festive decor for this Autumn..

Off to the store I go.

Stop 1: Hobby Lobby
Now Hobby Lobby is known for going above and beyond in regards, to decorations. We call it the "decoration station" in our household. Well, I call it the decoration station and hoblob for short. When I step into Hoblob, I mean business. And by business, I mean spending wayyyyy to much money on decorations and useless things. I waltz into Hobby Lobby with a smile on my face and a pep in my step. But wait... there is Christmas stuff up already. But its only.. NOVEMBER 1st. I think to myself, this can't be right. There is a life size nativity scene to my right, surely they have the Thanksgiving/Autumn section behind the Christmas stuff. I mean a LIFE SIZE nativity scene. I had to double take on the baby Jesus... thought he was real. So I'm walking my happy booty past the Christmas isles. ISLES! Literally 7 isles later I find the Autumn/thanksgiving stuff. It took up 1/4 of an isle and most of the stuff was broken.

 I mumbled a few choice words to myself and quickly turned a smile when an employee walked by and asked, "You findin' everything ok hun?"
In my mind, I said "hell no look at this shit! Leftover leaves!! you call this MFin thanksgiving stuff!!!!!?!?!?" Instead, "Yes, ma'am thank you so much."

I grabbed some fall leaf bushels and checked out. Well, maybe another store has  better variety.

Stop 2: Ross
Ok, ok, I know what you are thinking, I am getting desperate. But, I mean, it is only November 1st, surely Ross will have some great thanksgiving decor at roll out prises. Wait, is that walmart's motto? Anyways, Ross! Let's do this.

I don't waste anytime, when I get inside Ross. I go straight to the cashier and ask, "excuse me do you have any thanksgiving decorations?" and she replied " if we do they would be in the back corner." I think to myself, of course it would be in the back corner, left there alone to rot in retail hell. Let's shove all that doesn't matter into a little corner and call it decorations. Again, it looked like Christmas threw up in there. But, alas there was truth to what that maiden promised! Thanksgiving decorations shoved in the back corner next to mismatch kids shoes and backpacks. There I found 2 broken vases, Halloween decorations, and a Pilgrim figurine with one arm broken off. Perfect. Just perfect. What does a sister need to do to get a gobble gobble place mat around here!!! I left Ross broken. Just like those vases...


Stop 3: Walgreens
And you thought I couldn't get more desperate.. Walgreens. Walgreens. Come on Walgreens. I take a deep breath as I move past the sliding front doors. I walk toward the decoration isle. Hooray! There is some stuff left over. I knew I could count on you Walgreens. I picked out a leafy table runner, and some Autumnish figurines. As I was checking out the lady asked me, " oh did you see all of our Christmas decorations?" And instead of vomiting on her face, I just smiled and said, "yes, ma'am i did."

Sovereign Man?

My eyes lock the whites of yours
I watch as your chest rises and falls in rhythmic surges.
A line drawn in the sand determines our differences, as well as our stubbornness.

Who will be the sovereign man?

Brick by brick, I piled them on
A wall built, to which, no one may come.
And Lo! if you chisel and chip away, dust will fall on my feet!

Chip away, away, away.

Shall you continue to pass by the sand,
Or will we move together across this land?
I say, who will be the sovereign man?

Will you leave me just as you've left me? Dust and sand?
A pile of dust is a corpse for wind to carry.
Away, away, away.

Aim me at this sun. Aim me at the sky.
Will I ever make bricks again or will I just die?

I watch, as you scoop the sand with both hands, and sift it softly towards the land.
And the last bit of sand you release into the sky.
Into the wind I go, a corpse for the wind to carry by.

Your choice determines how I show.
Will you cross the line in the sand?
Hold my hand and cross this land.
Who will be the sovereign man?

You will make the line a trench to bury old grievances, mistakes, and betrayals?
May we bury the sadness? And cover it with dust and sand?

But no?

Then allow me to make the sand and dust into bricks again.
Mix it with my tears, so that I do not have to feel.

Brick by brick, I pile them on.
A wall built, to which, no one may come.
Never again, will we move across this land.
I hope you've chosen well, dear sovereign man.

Feathers

My latest obsession is feathers. I love peacock feathers, quail feathers, down feathers (they are soft and fluffy!), plumes, semiplumes (great for pens!), contour feathers, filoplumes, etc.. Feathers make any simple object fancy.


Need a fancy outfit?.. add a feather brooch to it.

 Need a fancy pen?.. boom.. add a feather. Writing with feather pens increase my happy meter. It's just fun!

Need fancy shoes? add feathers around the anklet.

 Need a fancy hairdo? Add a feather to a headband.

You literally cannot go wrong with adding a subtle touch of feathers to your outfit. Just be careful, too many feathers = gaudy.


Examples of feathers gone wrong: (extravagantly showy, typically so as to be tasteless.)

 

Again, simple and subtle touches. You don't want to be mistaken for the black swan of Jersey.

Sunshine

I borrowed sunshine from the Maker.
Grace upon me as I take her.
The rays outline and warm my soul.
I grab the tailspin and lose control.
Humbled by the power of such Greatness,
Seek the light and watch it tunnel through darkness.
Watch as the most beautiful flowers grow from fortuitous light.
Absorbed in a trance-you will lose sight.
Surrender to the path from where they take her.
I borrowed sunshine from the Maker.

Dream: Waterfall Mansions

I am blessed and cursed with lucid and vivid dreams. I dreamt last night of a place so beautiful. I was in a streamline canoe by myself paddling on a river between mountains. There was no grass, just water, mountain side, and the blue sky. I remember seeing my breath as if it were cold, but it did not feel cold. Oddly, there were huge mansions build on the cliff side. The mansions were as big as castles with red granite walls and marble window panes. Outpouring from all sides of the mansion were waterfalls. They were almost hidden among the mountain side. I remember thinking to myself in the dream, I wonder what grand people live in such a place? And in my dream someone answered: angels.

Miracle

I surrendered to the darkness.
It crept into my soul and took hold of my thoughts.
I sprouted wings and tried to fly to you. But the darkness held me down.
I am stuck!
I saw the light and reached my arms into the sky.
With no avail, I sunk down, farther down into the ground. Down into the mud, stuck.
Set me free! Oh great miracle maker!
And He did.
Into the light I flew.
My wings, angelic and clean. I ask myself why?
 Because the depth of darkness is no match for the miracle maker.
To Him I fly.
To Him I go.
To Him I trust.
I surrendered to the darkness, but it was no match for the miracle maker.

Thunderstorms

When I was younger, and now still, I love to watch thunderstorms. I sit outside and stare in amazement as lightning pierces the darkened sky. The wind, mist and falling rain kiss my face. But most of all, I love to watch, because I feel at peace.
There is something special about thunderstorms. The awesomeness of it all reminds me of someone greater than myself. Lightning has the opportunity to create raw energy or destruction. It represents a delicate balance from which I have become aware.

In my line of work, I am reminded on a daily basis the preciousness of life--the extreme delicate balance between life and death--the thin line people walk on everyday, and often times don't even realize it. In an instant, your life can be taken without foresight or forewarning. In all honesty, it scares me, but I take this opportunity to appreciate life and the time given to me.

The lightning strikes fast and with a flash of light it is gone. This light reminds me of the light to which I was born into and the light to which I will leave this Earth.

And as the rain falls I think of a this Psalm: 

Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

Honor your Body.Mind.Soul

  As many of your know, I have battled depression for some years now. I have seen the course depression  has taken over me, and in turn, those around me. I have seen depression win and I have seen it lose. I am proud to say I am winning now, but it did not come without struggles. I have finally figured out my path and what it all means for me. I take the winning days as triumphs. Not with haste, but with pure joy, I celebrate life's many small accomplishments. Many hours, tears, troubles, therapy sessions, journaling, photography, painting, crossfiting and heart felt conversations helped me established a few things on the matter. One, you are not a victim to your mind and secondly, you must honor yourself. It is all about becoming a better person.

Being a victim is all about allowing negative thought processes.Victim mentality is very prominent in our society. 'Woe is me' seems to be the trending attitude. Without getting to much into it, I can say I reject that mentality and would say to those people, "Look up! You have the whole world around you.You are not a product of your mind, but a product of your soul." You must find it in yourself to break the chains your mind seems to create and become the person you are meant to be. God made us in His image for a reason.. to shine! But without the proper resources, or maybe just a good mentor, people fall into victim-like mentalities. You must work HARD for what you get and there is no easy way of doing things in this life. I think so many times people with this attitude expect things in life to come easy, when in reality, it is simply not so. Victims tend to think they are weak and everything bad is happening to them. Reversely, you must know that you are strong and that no matter what obstacles come your way, you can handle them. I use this verse as an example for such times:

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."-  1 Corinthians 10:13

Bottom line:You are not special. Bad things happen to good people every day, but God is faithful and he will not let you fall.  He will provide the path for you so that you may grow from these experiences. Amazing! If people could think of it this way, what changes would we see in the world?

From my experience, the better you treat yourself (your body/mind/soul), the better you feel. To put it very simply: Honor God by honoring yourself. Take time out of your busy day to slow down and literally smell the roses!

What do you do for your body? I could not have battled depression without crossift. I have been practicing for 2 years now, and I absolutely love the feeling I get after a good workout. Some days it is very hard for me to get motivated to go, but when I do, I am so thankful for the opportunity. Now, I am not trying to sell crossfit to you (even though everyone should do it because it is pretty awesome), but I am trying to motivate you to stop feeling sorry for yourself and go do something for your body! The time is now! Take it one day at a time. You will love yourself for it. Do you have a dog? Why not enjoy a walk together? Something, just get out of the house and do something!

Eat high quality foods. This is hard, but my body loves me when I eat very clean (and so does my GI system- thus also pleasing Justin). So try and stay away from processed yucky food (anything in a box, soda, and refined things are not ok. Halloween candy; however, is ok.)

What do you do for your mind? I limit TV, but prefer to read, listen to talk radio or do crafts. I know I am 65!! But I love the feeling I get when I am snuggled up on the couch with a good book, or listening to talk radio, or in my craft room painting, or sewing. Perfection!

What do you do for your soul? For my non-religious friends, I would encourage you to do a morning journal/meditation session. Allow some spirituallity into your life. As for me and my house, we serve the Lord. I attend Lifechurch and absolutely LOVE it! I try to donate to local causes, and help wherever/however/whoever I can.


 So bla bla bla what did I really say? Do anything and everything that brings you joy. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. And honor God.