Lent

Family / Lent — No Comments
23
Feb 10

Money. Oh, how my perception’s changed.

Money.

My perception of money changed in the last few years.

Money doesn’t always appreciate, grow or result in multiple dividends.  In fact the opposite can happen. And it’s not very wise to charge things you can’t pay cash for in the present, especially at a usurious interest rates.

Though I’d still like to very, very much. It’s just not wise.

Or mature.

I’m trying to be mature with money these days. Wants verses needs. You know the drill.

This was what I saw yesterday out by our street.

All you want for $2.00.

All you want for $2.00.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
That is our dirty paper recycling receptacle. Which in a former life was a laundry basket. Since they were out on the street because Monday is our day, why not have a sale?
My kindergartner, set this stand up and  informed me that this sale was to raise money for next Valentine’s Day.
There were no takers…
 
 
 
Must have been a night for Jack Sparrow.

Must have been a night for Jack Sparrow.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And surprisingly no takers for these….
Remember Rubik's Cubes?

Remember Rubik's Cubes?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I guess there is not a lot of business these days rehabbing 1980′s brain teasers.  But the point is, my children have more of an appreciation for money than I did.
It’s been another part of transforming my character. Ouch.
 
My daughter said the other day, “We don’t have any money anymore. And (insert name of her friend) doesn’t either.” Now thankfully, we do have money coming in, but we surely don’t spend it like we used to. We are hammering away at the debt and trying to save as well.
 
Have you thought of any creative ways to earn or save money? Other than selling Rubik’s Cube chips? (As valuable as they might be.)
Lent / WOF — 7 Comments
22
Feb 10

God Never Makes Mistakes. Or Does He?

 

On most Sunday mornings, I meet with a wonderful group of women in the Women of Faith Sunday School class. 

Ironically ~ WOF. I am not usually the “woofing” kind. But I love these gals. We have been working our way through What Happens When Women Pray by Evelyn Christenson. The book copyrighted in 1975 and some of her dated references are humorous.

But all in all ~ it’s a great study, that’s lead us on an amazing journey into prayer. Yesterday, we were addressing the chapter God Never Makes a Mistake. This was right on the heels of the chapter How to Pray in God’s Will. We asked ourselves the question, are we at the place where we can say and believe down to our tippy toes that God never makes a mistake? That in allowing suffering and accidents, can we ever truly believe that nothing is a mistake?

 Do we want to believe that?

Along with Romans, I am making my way through the book of Genesis. This morning’s reading was the Gen. 45: 1-28. The scene is when Joseph, by then a powerful man in Egypt overseeing the distribution of grain in a land in the grips of a devastating famine, confronts his brothers with his true identity.

Sure Joseph lived large now, second only to Pharaoh, but he had experienced a life filled with major suffering.  Being sold into slavery by his brothers. (And I think we have sibling rivalry around here.) Falsely imprisoned 13 years by accusations from the original cougar, Potiphar’s wife. Then the dude that said they would remember him to Pharaoh and remembered…nothing. Until the timing was right for God to use Joseph to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and begin storing grain for the seven years of famine.

So as the lightening and thunder rang out this morning…so did this reading hit me, especially in light of our WOF discussion on Sunday:

 

“Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!

And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. …. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. [a]

 8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. “      Genesis 45: 4 – 8.

 

God sent Joseph into a situation that was filled with suffering to bring about a salvation plan during the famine not only for Joseph’s family ~ but for all humankind in the region affected by the severe drought.

I thought that was so cool. Not that I am volunteering for any big time suffering anytime soon ~ but God does have a plan and God doesn’t make mistakes.

But I do…did you know when I spell-checked this I misspelled Pharaoh…every time. (I think a different way each time.)

Day six of Lenten chips and sweets fast (I don’t skip Sundays.) Still strong. Though felt a bit weak about wanting something sweet after Sunday lunch. I guess a good portion of KFC salty grilled chicken might have that effect. But I had held fast.

What about you..do you agree or disagree about God not making mistakes? Not about KFC making you want something sweet.

Family / Food / Lent — 1 Comment
21
Feb 10

Dead Bananas? Sunday afternoon activity; bake Banana bread.

My six year old and I were home alone.

Joe cooks.

Now this is not some hip-mutation of Joe “rocks”. He really does like to cook. He dreams up recipes. None of which could ever work ~ yet. But he loves to be at one with the kitchen.

So yesterday, I spied these.

I think they're dead.

I think they're dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But I knew they weren’t dead. They were just very ripe and pure sugar.

So we went to work.

1 3/4 cups flour

2/3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 mashed ripe bananas

Mashed bananas, not potatos.

Mashed bananas, not potatoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/3  cup shortening, butter or margarine

2 tablespoons milk

2 eggs

1/4 cups chopped nuts

 

In bowl combine 1 cup of flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add mashed banana, shortening (butter or margarine) and milk. Beat with mixer on low till blended, then on high for 2 minutes. Add eggs and remaining flour; beat till blended.

Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 55 to 60 minutes or until the center of bread passes the old toothpick test. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and let cool completely.

Now we never let the bread cool completely. For pity’s sake, why do that? 

Joe and I sliced that warm bread and slathered buttered on it. So after some flour and sugar and an hour in the oven, those black bananas turned into this…

Boo-ti-full!

Boo-ti-full!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that’s a Romans 12:2 transformation.

What is your favorite bread and recipe? Happy Sunday and Happy Baking.

Lent / Life in Madison — 4 Comments
19
Feb 10

Waiting on a filling ~ got me to thinking about waiting.

Happy Friday! The sun shines in Madison, Georgia and the forecast looks lovely for the weekend.

Yesterday, my 16 year-old had an appointment here. http://pagettfamilydentistry.com/ He needed to get a cavity filled.

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It was early. It was  8:30. Now then, 8:30 is not early for dentists. The early birds of the health industry, if you want a 5:30 a.m. root canal, call your dentist.

To be honest, this was right after carpool drop-off so I was up and dressed.

 Fully dressed.

Most days, you only have to be presentable from the mid-bicep up for that is how much people see of you in your car in carpool.  Yesterday, I wore jeans, shirt (maroon turtleneck) and matching socks (minor miracle).

Patsy, Angie and Dr. Forest

Patsy, Angie and Dr. Forest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a picture of part of my favorite dentistry staff. Poor souls, I ambushed them with the camera.

But before this picture, while I sat in the waiting room, I pulled out some reading. I’ve tried to become very productive when waiting. Whether in the carpool line, car repair shop, dance studio or dentist office. I try to make the most of my time. So as I sat in the waiting room looking through People Magazine  (took a productivity break),  I got to thinking.

Waiting rooms. Do I live too much in the waiting room?

Now I don’t mean literally. You can’t be a mom of three under the driving age and not spend time in waiting rooms, but do I live in the waiting room?

Sitting there, reading and planning and watching till the door is opened and the nice hygienist calls my name. Am I always on the wrong side of the door from the action, waiting for my name to be called?

Heaven forbid.

In keeping with Lenten  manifesto Romans 12:2, I want to be transformed to non-waitee status. I want to move from the land of passive to action verbs.

No more — Jamie is running.

 More — Jamie runs. (Even when frightfully cold and windy.)

 Not, Jamie is caring.

 Jamie cares!

Not going to wait anymore. Now there are seasons of waiting on God, but waiting just for passivity’s sake is over. Done.

Angie Wells (pictured up top), started a blog when her family began adoption proceedings for their daughter from China. http://amothersplace.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html .

It’s been a long wait. But she hasn’t been sitting passively. Check out her blog. Angie’s a dynamite Madison lady living  outside the waiting room while she and her family wait on their daughter/sister.

The clock ticks. There is never a perfect time for anything.

What are you waiting for? Other than lunch.

Family / Food / Lent — 4 Comments
17
Feb 10

Ash Wednesday after Fat Tuesday at a Mexican Restaurant.

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Ash Wednesday.

A day that the church historically marks the start of Lent. The 40 day (excluding Sundays) period up till Easter.  Most know that it is tradition to give up something in a fast for Lent. Most of my life I have given up sweets. That was the case today. Though at approximately 7:10 this morning, I licked the knife that I used to cut my son’s syrupy pancake. My lips touched sugar…

Then remembered.  Argh.

I don’t think that counts. It was the first day. I also give up chips. For I eat chips way, way too much. There is nothing good about them for your body; I need to purge my body of that evil.

So I had a Fat Tuesday for chips at the local Mexican restaurant.

My husband was dining on steaks with his men’s bible study. My oldest feigned illness at home. My daughter seeing a friend and her mother sat at another table ~ for she is way to social and I am way too boring.  So it was just me, Joe ~ my kindergartner ~ and chips and salsa.

I was so happy.

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Until Joe kept taking a billion pictures…

He was taken with the lights over the tables.

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After a ton of picture of the light and of me doing every little odd thing, I demanded the phone back.

 

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Okay ~ if you could tell ~ my plate is clean. This is because I have already scraped its contents into a to-go box. See black blob on left of plate. The remains of my dinner which was consumed 2 minutes after we returned home by the son who stayed home with a stomach ache.

That is not cheese dip on my finger.

I emailed this picture to my husband (who hates Mexican) and said “Wish you were here.” He wondered if it was cheese dip. Nope, it is not. It is just an enraged pointer finger that can’t get a 6 year-old to mind his mother in a very public forum.

So this is Ash Wednesday, no sweets and no chips. Guess I need a little more spiritual introspection than that.  I am going through the book of Romans and very early this morning,  I started the 12th Chapter.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern waht is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.   Romans 12:1-2.

While reading that early this morning while the puppy was straining to reach the cats perched up high, it dawned on me. That is my Lenten theme.

Give up sweets, give up chips and be transformed. I am all up for transformation. To live above the world (and how very, very cold and windy it continues to be).

So that is my mission the next 40 days. Are you doing anything to sync spiritually or abstaining from anything this Lent?

Okay ~ the cat is making demon sounds from hell and the puppy is trying to make friends again, so I must go. Later on…