Prayer for the Protection of Liberty 2012

The Fortnight for Freedom begins today. This is the prayer issued by the Catholic Bishops of the United States. I plan to add this to our evening prayers and wanted to share it with anyone who hasn’t received it yet. Our religious liberties are on the line and God is the One to stop this disgrace in it’s tracks.

　

Prayer for the Protection of Liberty

O God our Creator, from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome—for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us—this great land will always be "one nation, under God,indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Tangy Cheese Crisps

Most of the time, you would probably be sure to have the ingredient for homemade snacks right in your cupboards/refrigerator. I like cheese crackers or most any sort but the boxed ones from the store are expensive, have many additives, and are too salty. Besides, my cravings usually happen when I can't indugle myself and race over to the grocery store. These go together pretty quickly especially if you think ahead and have the dough already chilling and ready to bake.

Tangy Cheese Crisps
1/2 cup butter
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Ingredients should be at room temperature. Cream the butter until smooth. Add the cheeses and cayenne and beat until very smooth. Stir in flour to the cheese mixture to form a dough. Chill for about an hour. Form into 1-inch balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes or until pale, golden brown. Great hot, warm, or cold.

*If the crisps don't spread out enough, you can press them down a bit with a fork to form a crisscross
pattern.

**You can roll the unbaked balls of dough in poppy or sesame seeds for an even more festive presentation.

Life's Recipe

Life's Recipe - Author Unknown
1 cup of good thoughts
1 cup of kind deeds
1 cup of consideration for others
2 cups of sacrifice for others
3 cups of forgiveness
2 cups of well beaten faults

Mix these thoroughly and add tears of joy and sorrow and sympathy for others. Fold in 4 cups of prayer and faith to lighten other ingredients and raise texture to great height of Christian living. After pouring all this into your daily life, bake well with heat of human kindness. Serve with a smile.

Not a Barrel of Monkies!

 A new space-saving device for kitten storage? Nope, this old pretzel barrel is the kittens' favorite plaything. When they are done playing, they like to curl up in it and take a nap. They are getting a little too big to fit in but they still make the effort. Naturally, the orange cat got in first and took up most of the room. He is all-boy and very bossy.

Still Dreaming about a Home . . .

 We have one kitten left without a home. His brother and sister are going to new homes at the end of the month but, as yet, this little one is heading for the animal shelter. I wish we could keep her but we have a dog that would like nothing better than having cat for lunch. I've tried not to get attached to any of the stray kittens that found their way to our door but this one is the sweetest of the bunch. While the other two like to try out their claws on our arms and legs, this one seems to make a point of using 'soft paws' - no extended claws. As you can see, it is a cuddler, too.

Another way to use zucchini . . .

The one crop that seems to excell every summer is zucchini. Soon, we will be trying to leave our extra crop on the doorsteps of unsuspecting neighbors who are probably out doing the same thing with their overabundance of zucchini! I'm always looking for new and interesting ways to use this vegetable. I guess I'm one of the few that truly like it. I even eat it sliced and raw for a lunch time snack.

Zucchini Spice Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup honey
1 large egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup dried cranberries (although raisins or diced dates would work, too)

Cream together the butter and honey. Add the egg and beat well. Mix in the dry ingredients and then stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Drop by teaspoonsfulls onto a parchment-lined or vegetable oil sprayed cookie sheet and bake in preheated 375 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes.

You can dust them with powdered sugar for presentation purposes or ice them with lemon or orange icing. Makes about 4 1/2 to 5 dozen cookies. Great with a glass of milk for an after-school/work snack.

Never thought of life that way . . .

A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction.

- Rita Mae Brown