Cranberry Jam . . .

 My younger daughter insists that one cannot have Irish Soda Bread without homemade cranberry jam. I meant to make a couple of jars to last through the two loaves of bread . . . but my hit and miss recipe made more than I planned . . . and my canning jars were a good dealer smaller. I ended up with ten jars of cranberry jam! I'm glad I went the regular canning method as the jars were sterilized, the jam had the right amount of sugar, and I got a good seal when I processed the jars. My favorite part of canning? I love to hear the 'click' as the seal sets up on each jar. I am waiting on just one more to do it's job . . . otherwise, it gets eaten first!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 Although I have been known to bake Irish Soda Bread at other times of the year, St. Patrick's Day always reminds me of it. This morning, I cooked down cranberries for jelly which will go with the Irish Soda Bread that came out of the oven a couple of hours ago. It is such a simple recipe. I don't know why I don't make it more often. Some soda breads call for a lot of baking soda and salt. The recipe I posted earlier in the month, uses a lot less but still maintains that good texture and taste.

The war being waged against women . . .

I go through my day a relatively happy person. I feel the freedom of being alive and productive. I am content with my lot in life yet the news informs me I  am having a war waged against me and other women. It all stems, in part, from the recent obama mandate about providing free contraceptives to any and everyone in the name of women's 'health'. When the Catholic Church objected to participating in something that goes against our Faith and conscience, the Church is against the well-being of women. I was two weeks late in getting born and seem to be late for the war!

If anyone has put women on the 'battlefield', I'd venture it was the 'liberation' of women. It was the burden of abandoning feminine attributes in order to vanquish manliness and take it on as part of our own female selves. Let's see . . .

We have been provided with all kinds of birth control so we won't be tied down to housework and too many children and can be in the workplace full time with marriage as a sideline. The trouble with that is it isn't a great way to have a marriage so women have been avoiding marriage in order to prove themselves as independent . . . yet they are dependent on birth control as their 'freedom' now allows them 'free sex' when and where they will without the old-fashioned chains of modesty and purity. Everyone is doing it so it must be okay . . .?

With the mental relief from that pesky modesty, women can cut loose on what they wear because men should control themselves and not look at all the bare flesh that is on parade. Impure dress causes impure thoughts . . . is it the fault of the males for looking or the female for the display?

Since women no long need/want the constraints of marriage, they can change partners more often. I remember when a first date had you wondering if you were going to let the young man steal a quick kiss on your cheek. Now you are deliberating whether you are spending the night or not.

Many women end up as single parents trying to cope with job and children. The children lose out on a solid family home. I heard someone complain that her live-in boyfriend wasn't being faithful and I had to wonder . . . Faithful to what?

If anyone is waging a war against women, it is the ones that tell them any and everything is okay as long as it makes you happy.

And so many people voted this possibility into office . . .

You just have to wonder about the twists and turns of the world's thinking today. You can end up in jail with a hefty fine if you abuse an animal. The whales are being protected. Vegens rue the meat eaters of the population because that is being cruel to animals. Meanwhile, abortion continues and the horrible deaths of fellow humans leaves many of these people untouched. Interesting how they put animals above humans and think they are on a higher level of kindness than others. When I read this recent notice, it was hard to be shocked because it was only a matter of time!

http://www.lifenews.com/2012/03/16/obama-admin-oks-using-aborted-babies-brains-in-lab-tests/

Words from the Internet that Men need to know . . . or else!

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' . that will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying Forget YOU - or worse!

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

You need all the pieces to make a quilt . . .

I found a great quilting site but especially enjoyed the quotes. I could relate to several of them and thought I'd share a few of my favorite.

*Blessed are the children of the piecemakers as they shall inherit the quilts.
*Finished is way better than perfect.
*Friends are threads of gold in the quilt of life.
*I am a material girl. Wanna see my fabric collection?
*I only think about quilts on the days that end in "y".

For more quotes and some neat ideas and links on quilting, you can check it all out on:
http://www.aprairiehomequilts.com/quilting-resources/quilting-quotes.html

I had an interesting thought as I worked on a quilt yesterday. A quilt just won't hang together unless each piece of fabric has a place in which to connect to another piece in the quilt. Life is like that. We all have a place in the 'big quilt' and a connection. Makes me wonder about the 'holes' left by abortion. God has a place for every person He creates. Now that 36 years have passed since the legalization of abortion, thousands of murdered babies would have been established in careers, parents, doctors, etc. had they been allowed to live. Seems to me that come Judgement Day, God is going to reveal what was lost to the world because these 'pieces of fabric' never made it to the quilt of life.