Prayer request . . .

 

I don't know why God has little ones go through these sufferings. Perhaps, it is to make sure we realize we have to pray whether we have a specific intention or not as someone, somewhere is always in need of prayer.

 

God bless,

Barbara

 

Hello,

 

Many thanks to our Almighty God for the miracle He bestowed on Aine!!  We continue to pray for her and her family.

 

You prayer warriors are so wonderful!  I am wondering if you'd be willing to pray for another child who has an inoperable cancerous brain tumor?

 

  His name is Liam and he is 7 yrs old.  He truly is the sweetest boy with such a DEEP spiritual faih.  He was born on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and has been known to ask his mom to say the rosary with him out of the blue.  His aspiration is to be a priest.

 

He was confirmed shortly after his diagnosis and all in attendance were in awe during the actual confirmation because there was such a storm outside that it was hard to hear the priest by the climax of the Confirmation.  Everyone was in tears and laughterby this point and then the confirming priest said, "Liam, God is applauding you."  And with that the storm ended suddenly.  It wasn't until after Holy Mass that we found out it wasn't rain that accompanied the lightening during the storm - it was hail.  Everwhere you looked it was white - just like Liam who had just received his First Holy Communion and his Confirmation.  Thanks be to God!  It is apparent God has distinct plans for this special boy - please pray for him, storming heaven, especially the prayer to PJP II.  You can read more about him and find the intercessory prayer to PJP II here.https://sites.google.com/site/prayforliam/

 

Thank you!!

 

God bless,

Laura

Successful bread baking day and the dog still lives . . .

 

What does baking bread have to do with the life of our dog? Our usually well-behaved dog took advantage of five unsupervised minutes to grab the best-looking loaf on the counter. My daughter heard the noise and caught Chick with the goods in her mouth. She dropped the loaf, a piece fell off of it, she grabbed it, and took it as a good idea to scuttle out the backdoor. When I got to the scene, I took the long loaf of soggy/doggy bread and threatened the dog with it. She didn't look like she was going to be too fond of bread for a long time. Her part time, indoor status was officially revoked until further notice.

The rice bread turned out good. You don't notice the rice in the dough but the taste is interesting and should be great toasted. The buttermilk bread had a wonderful aroma that went further than just the homebaked bread scent. Definitely going to share these recipes before the week is out.

Have to finish fixing dinner and ignore the dog some more!

Bread baking and quilting today . . .

Yes, I know it is hot but I seem to get an urge to bake bread no matter the weather forecast. Besides, I just got two pounds of fresh yeast and want to put it through it's paces today. I discovered a good recipe for Buttermilk Bread and a bread recipe that calls for Basmati rice as an ingredient. Homemade bread tastes better and it is a good way to treat the family.

Since bread only needs mixing and rises on it's own without a lot of supervision, I'm hoping to get some sewing done, too. In spite of a shopping trip, yesterday, I finished the quilting on my 'fish' quilt and the handsewing done on a seashell quilt. Hmmmmm . . . I seem to be leaning towards a theme here! Pictures will be forthcoming when said quilts are presentably completed.

Only one problem with the plans . . . I don't have buttermilk in the house! Okay, just one trip to the grocery store and then I will get started on my day. If the bread is a success, I will pass on the recipes.

Just did a run through on the community college site in preparation for registering my son for classes on Monday. Good think I already have a college education because you need one to figure that thing out. You think they are trying to separate the wheat from the chaff at this early point in the game?

Interesting to start hearing the campaign stuff showing up in the media and press. Seems that the 'ruling party' is given more to bashing the prospective competition than running on any existing merit. Too bad real men of real character are too smart to dirty their hands in politics.

Too true for comfort lately . . .

"On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does."
       -- Will Rogers

Gourmet in almost an instant . . .

I like recipes that can go with the crock pot or on the stove. In the summer, I'd rather not have the stove going for any extended period of time but do enjoy coming in from shopping and smelling the contents of the crock pot bubbling away and not needing my attention. A favorite one for a quick morning of getting dinner going and then taking off for your appointed rounds is cheap meat in the crock pot . . . Okay, these days there is not much in the way of inexpensive but I usually go with the beef cut that sort of gets into my idea of a budget.

2 pounds of round steak, 7-bone roast, chuck steak . . . your choice!
Vegetable oil
1 ounce package of dried onion soup mix
1 cup red wine
1 cup fresh, sliced mushrooms (you can opt for a canned version, too)
Pinch of dried Basil
Pinch of chili flakes (for taste not heat)

Cut your meat into stew-sized pieces. Dust them with flour and brown them in a frying pan with the oil. Be sure to heat up the oil first so you get a fast sear on the meat. You aren't cooking it, just giving it a basic brown. Place meat into the crock pot.

Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the meat. Cook according to your crock pot directions. Your main course is ready!

Ideas . . .
You can also put in carrots and potatoes, too. Just cut them up in reasonable chunks and add them to the crock pot, first.

If you want the resulting meat juices a bit thicker, you can mix a tablespoon of cornstarch to 1/4 cup water and add the last twenty minutes of crock pot cooking time.

Don't want to bother with the crock pot today? You can do this in a heavy pot on the stove. It might take about an hour and a half. You add the vegetables the last 20 minutes of cooking time.

Goes great over hot rice or pasta.

You can add a can of diced tomatoes and Italian seasonings for a different taste.

Littlecote House near Hungarford, England

 

Littlecote in England was used by the American Army during World War II. It was an amazing part of our visit to England bringing together both historial English history along with the more current history of World War II. There was a lot to see from both aspects and the place purportedly came with a ghost . . . which we did not see!

The amazing part of the estate was the fact that anyone could come in and just sit and read or relax in the times gone by atmosphere. You could visit the various rooms at will and no one did damage to the property. I liked that sign of respect for history.

We got to visit with two ladies who told us stories about growing up and living during the American Army's stay in England which gave us a new perspective on living 'in' the midst of war rather than hearing about it in a dry history book. Naturally, we didn't have as much time as we would have liked to inspect every nook and cranny of the estate but it certainly gave us a taste for coming back some day. Not being a history buff, I had never really heard abut this place and now that I've been there, I can't get it out of my mind!

We were blessed to have toured there on a beautiful English day as evidenced by the pictures. It was our last day in England for the trip.