A friend shared this with me . . .

Me: Promise You won't get mad
God: I promise

Me: Why did You let so much stuff happen to me today?
God: What do u mean?

Me: Well, I woke up late
God: Yes

Me: My car took forever to start
God: Okay

Me: at lunch they made my sandwich wrong & I had to wait
God: Huummm ...

Me: On the way home, my phone went DEAD, just as I picked up a call
God: All right

Me: And to top it all off, when I got home ~I just want to soak my feet in my new foot massager & relax. BUT it wouldn't work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did You do that?
God: Let me see, the death angel was at your bed this morning & I had to send one of My Angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that

Me: (humbled): OH

GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.
Me: (ashamed)

God: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick & I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.
Me: (embarrassed):Okay

God: Your phone went dead bcuz the person that was calling was going to give false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered.
Me: (softly): I see God

God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a shortage that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I'm Sorry God

God: Don't be sorry, just learn to Trust Me.... in All things , the Good & the bad.
Me: I will trust You.

God: And don't doubt that My plan for your day is Always Better than your plan.
Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, Thank You for Everything today.

God: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I Love looking after My Children...

I'm baking before the government decides to take away my sugar!

Interesting topic on the raido today. It seems that there are proponants of placing the blame not on overweight people but on the government for not taking care of the problem. When you leave the political door open through uneducated voting, you are sure to find a government official trashing your choices of food. In view of this, I heard that bake sales are banned in Massachusetts! Yes, the government agrees that bake sales have always been great ways to make money for various organizations but we now have to find another avenue. Carrot sticks? I'm wondering how they will handle the Girl Scout Cookie sales every year? Will they be exempt from dietary legislation?

One person called into Rush Limbaugh's radio show and said that he has gone from over 300 pounds to the correct weight for his height and build. He exercises regularly, eats correctly, and takes a variety of supplements and vitamins. He said he does this because he wants to do this for all the right reasons. He said it was a choice he educated himself to make. He didn't need the government to bring in the experts and oversee his life choices. In fact, the caller said that a very liberal friend of his didn't approve of his efforts . . . probably because he was making the choices without benefit of government approval?

I can see education in the schools about nutrition but not policing of the the lunchboxes from home. I can support information being offered to expectant mothers and parents of toddlers. I do not think government has the right to have social services or some agency coming into anyone's home to judge.

We do have problems with matters of nutrition. I've seen what families with food stamps purchase and it isn't in line with healthy eating. Perhaps, since the president is pushing food stamps, the nutrition mandates should start with the people being given free food through our taxpayer dollars. Better control on the welfare spending and food stamps would strongly encourage people to make better choices. And, if they get tired of the government telling them what to do, it might push them to getting out of the system.

Meanwhile, as I listen to all this stuff on the radio about wanting to mandate my food intake, I'm busy baking cookies! Yes, my children enjoy cookies. No, they are not overweight. They know the difference between an apple and a treat. I taught them about healthy eating not the government.

Husbands aren't always wrong, you know! :-)

My husband likes to go shopping with me even to the fabric store. It is interesting, however, to notice the male/female differences in approaching situations.

On Friday, we went to a regular fabric store and I saw a sample of a dress on display along with the pattern number. There were supposed to be patterns by the display but they were all purchased. My husband and I went back to the pattern section and discovered that the desired pattern was sold out. I was disappointed.

Yesterday, we tried another fabric store which had the same display and the same empty pattern holder. I was beginning to understand why the pattern was sold out as it was very cute and a simple format. We, again, went back to the general pattern section and searched through the drawers only to find out that the pattern was sold out here, too.

As we were heading out of the store, my husband looked at the pattern tag on the sample dress, again, and said that there were two numbers under the pattern description. I shrugged and said I had never heard of the same sort of dress being sold under two, different numbers. I continued on my way out but my husband insisted we go back and look. I sighed and followed, ready to say 'I told you so!'

My husband looked at the outside numbers listed on each large drawer of patterns. Not one drawer began with a zero number. I was ready to leave, again, but my husband wasn't giving up. He decided to pull open the very first draw even though it didn't list a pattern beginning with a zero in the number. Suddenly, he noticed that the first section had a multitude of patterns that weren't sorted according to the label on the drawer . . . and, they all began with zero! He immediately started going through them and the very last pattern was the one we wanted and it was the very last pattern of that number in the store! I was suddenly a bit leery of paying $13 for a pattern but, after all that angst and work, my husband grabbed it and headed to the register. I was still fuming about expensive patterns. The clerk rang up the purchase and my husband was right once more . . . Turns out the patterns was on sale for 40 percent off.

I have to learn that even though males mind sets aren't always along the same track as a female's, they do have their benefits! :-)

Two Great Thoughts for the day . . .

"Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life."
-- Immanuel Kant

"All television is children's television."
-- Richard P. Adler

Soylent Green, anyone?

What a downward spiral the world seems to be taking these days. First, we read that there is a company that uses aborted fetal cells in the testing of flavors for food. A look at the list was shocking as they were popular brands that each and every one of us have purchased at one time or another.

http://dprogram.net/2012/01/06/biotech-company-using-aborted-fetal-cell-lines-to-test-food-flavor-enhancers/

The next shock was the used of aborted baby collagen in facial creams and youth-promoting skin products. Just the thought of using a lotion that contained anything from dead babies was sickening but, the products do sell. Amazing that the vain put their earthly ‘beauty’ ahead of their spiritual salvation.

Then, yesterday, I read on two different reports that there are "aphrodisiac" pills that contain over 98% dehydrated aborted babies. A huge haul of them was confiscated in South Korea but who knows how much further they have gone and under what deceptive names.

Back in my early twenties, I saw a really awful science fiction-type movie called Soylent Green. It was dark, depressing, and had a shocking ending. Basically, society had gotten to the point where the major part of the population was out of work and relied on government food handouts. A major industry was euthanasia for the downtrodden, sick, and people tired of the world. To make a long story, short, the final line of the movie was the surviving character screaming to the masses, "Soylent Green is made of people!" From what I can remember, no one seemed to care.

Each day we hear something new and horrifying that tries to numb our consciences to the reality of what is happening. A perfect world doesn’t come from recycling unborn babies or hurrying up the end of life for someone. God has a time and purpose for each one of us and I imagine that even as earthly forces are gearing up to destroy each other, God is tiring of our disrespect for Him and His Creation and probably had plans of His own.

When you replace prayer with power and entitlement, you shorten the life of the world as we knew it growing up. What are we leaving for our children and their children?

Homemade Apple Pudding . . .

Not exactly a pudding in the usual sense of the word but a fast way to have dessert going in the oven when you are busy with other kitchen needs for getting dinner on the table. It also works with pears, too. My mother used to make a version of this and I have added my own touches over the years. Another reason to look forward to Fall and the return of apple season . . . although I don't always wait that long to treat the family to this.

Homemade Apple Pudding
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-5 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons or so of freshly grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Vegetable oil spray a baking dish.

Combine the sliced apples, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Spread the apples out on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Cream together the shortening, sugar, and egg. Mix in the dry ingredients and vanilla. Spread in a layer over the apples.

In a small saucepan, combine:

1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups water or apple juice

Bring to a boil and cook for about 5-6 minutes. Drizzle over the apples and batter. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden. Cool to warm, scoop out and enjoy with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It can be reheated in the microwave the next day or eaten cold.

We need a country of workers not takers . . .

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
- Benjamin Franklin, 1759