Free!

Nothing like getting a creative idea . . . for free! I've found a lot of great help and ideas from this site.

http://www.quiltinaday.com/eleanorandcompany/freepattern/

Save yourself a trip to the store!

We never seem to have tortillas on hand when we want them. I just found an easy recipe to insure that we never want for our south of the border fix again!

Homemade Tortillas

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
3 tablespoons oil (I prefer olive oil to insure tenderness)

Combine flour and salt. Stir in water and oil. On a floured surface, knead five or six times. Divide the dough into eight, even pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into an 7-inch circle.

In a large, nonstick frying pan coated well with cooking spray, cook tortillas over medium heat for one minute on each side until lightly browned. Stack them between sheets of paper towel and keep covered with a clean kitchen towel. The 'steaming' will keep them soft enough to fold or roll depending on what you are
using them for.

Cutting the fat . . .

I may have mentioned this before, but there is a way to cut the calories on a boxed cake mix. I prefer a totally, homemade cake but when time is short, I have been known to resort to this convenience. I've discovered that you can omit the eggs and oil on a boxedd mix and still come up with a good cake with half the calories! I just use a cup or so of applesauce or any pureed fruit (I've even used steamed and pureed carrots!), a bit of water, if needed, and bake as usual. The cake is moister but great with some low-fat ice cream. However, since you did cut the cake calories, I'd, personally, frost it with a nice butter icing!

What?

Hope this isn't true but it sure seems in line with the mind set of our current political administration. According to what I heard, included in the infamous obamacare bill is a bit about everyone being taxed on the cost of their health insurance. Seems rather sad that we could have our gross income upped $10,000 to $20,000 a year and taxed on money we will never see. In many cases, it is insurance because, Thanks be to God, a lot of us don't use it from year to year. More free money for the government.

It is twice as insidious, at least to me, because the increase on income taxes owing means many of us will have to pay towards the final, annual amount due quarterly. Of course, if we happen to overpay on the estimate, we will get a refund . . . if the government HAS the money come April 15th. Free enterprise is being smashed under a tax burden that won't quit.

Also, as we have read, our children and children as yet unborn are already in tax debt. One problem with the government's thinking on this: The liberals are very much in favor of 'choice' which means the birth rate is barely replacing the population. The fewer children, the deeper the debt for the few born.

Sharing a prayer . . .

This prayer was posted on my e-mail on October 2, 2001 after the 9/11 attack. Seems that more 'attacks' are coming from our politicians and government these days so thought I'd post it for everyone. It seems to apply to governmental 'domestic' terrorists as well as the foreign
ones.

Oh Jesus, Divine Redeemer, be merciful unto us and the whole world.
Amen.

O Powerful God! Oh Holy God! O Immortal God! Have pity on us and all that are in the whole world.
Amen.

Pardon and mercy, O my Jesus during these present dangers, pour on us Thy most Precious Blood.
Amen.

O Eternal Father! Be merciful to us; by the Blood of Jesus Christ, Thy only Son, be merciful to us, we beseech Thee.
Amen. Amen. Amen.