Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally
the by-product of other activities.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
I like it!
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough
people to make it worth the effort."
-- Herm Albright
-- Herm Albright
God's Blessed Us With Another Sunday . . .
Another Sunday has rolled around and we have been blessed in that we are able to worship according to our Faith and share the blessing of this gift of a day with everyone else. I guess it is watching the years line up that makes me stop and appreciate the value of each moment on earth just a bit more.
Father's sermon this morning was interesting and made me stop to think. He said that we all strive to get closer to God and we have to remember that when we find ourselves closer to His graces to not use this 'power' to demean others for not being 'as good' as we currently think we've found ourselves. Kind of knocks your spirituality right out of the park, doesn't it? He said, if I remembering it correctly, that we should be thankful for the advances we make in our own spiritual lives but not judge others based on our human perceptions. He said that a lot of the time, the more one gets into the zeal of their Faith, they often tend to try and get others to see it their way rather than acknowledging that each person is entitled to find God in the paths set for them by God.
I used to attend a much more orthodox parish and never quite matched up to what others thought I should be and was often self-conscious about whether I was doing something right or not, praying enough Novenas, wearing the right length dress, etc. I found myself attending Mass and worrying about the outside things rather than dwelling on the spiritual and letting God work in me. It was a rough time but it has made me more aware of just leaving people alone even when they might take the rubrics along unheard of paths during Mass, etc. I keep my nose in my prayerbook and refrain from looking around and making judgments. Okay, I'm definitely a work in progress but I've to the realization that I have to try.
Father's sermon this morning was interesting and made me stop to think. He said that we all strive to get closer to God and we have to remember that when we find ourselves closer to His graces to not use this 'power' to demean others for not being 'as good' as we currently think we've found ourselves. Kind of knocks your spirituality right out of the park, doesn't it? He said, if I remembering it correctly, that we should be thankful for the advances we make in our own spiritual lives but not judge others based on our human perceptions. He said that a lot of the time, the more one gets into the zeal of their Faith, they often tend to try and get others to see it their way rather than acknowledging that each person is entitled to find God in the paths set for them by God.
I used to attend a much more orthodox parish and never quite matched up to what others thought I should be and was often self-conscious about whether I was doing something right or not, praying enough Novenas, wearing the right length dress, etc. I found myself attending Mass and worrying about the outside things rather than dwelling on the spiritual and letting God work in me. It was a rough time but it has made me more aware of just leaving people alone even when they might take the rubrics along unheard of paths during Mass, etc. I keep my nose in my prayerbook and refrain from looking around and making judgments. Okay, I'm definitely a work in progress but I've to the realization that I have to try.
Really Fast and Easy Cake!
On Sundays, I like to do things a bit nicer for dinner and include dessert. However, if I fuss over dessert, the dinner gets neglected in small ways. I've decided, over the years, that the fancier desserts get made during the week when dinner is simpler. On Sundays, concentration is on the main meal with a less complicated but still tasty dessert. I came across this one and am definitely putting it on my 'to do' list for today.
Uncomplicated Cake
1 chocolate cake mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup water
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Vegetable oil spray the baking pans of your choice - two 8 or 9-inch round ones if you want to make a layer cake or an 11x 13 for even less fuss.
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend to mix thoroughly. Don't overbeat it, about two minutes should do it. Spread batter into prepared pans and bake for approximately 20-30 minutes depending on size of your pans and oven heat output. Cake should spring back when touched lightly when done.
Ideas . . .
Although I haven't tried it, I would think a spice cake mix would be good. I might even add a half cup of finely chopped nuts to the batter.
A yellow cake mix with 1/2 cup toasted coconut would be good.
One-half cup of tiny chocolate chips would enhance the value of any cake.
Using orange juice instead of the water would make either the spice or chocolate cake stand out.
Uncomplicated Cake
1 chocolate cake mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup water
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Vegetable oil spray the baking pans of your choice - two 8 or 9-inch round ones if you want to make a layer cake or an 11x 13 for even less fuss.
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend to mix thoroughly. Don't overbeat it, about two minutes should do it. Spread batter into prepared pans and bake for approximately 20-30 minutes depending on size of your pans and oven heat output. Cake should spring back when touched lightly when done.
Ideas . . .
Although I haven't tried it, I would think a spice cake mix would be good. I might even add a half cup of finely chopped nuts to the batter.
A yellow cake mix with 1/2 cup toasted coconut would be good.
One-half cup of tiny chocolate chips would enhance the value of any cake.
Using orange juice instead of the water would make either the spice or chocolate cake stand out.
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