It's all perspective . . . a child's train of thought . . .

I was attending a special Mass, one time, in honor of our Lady of Guadeloupe. A friend was making a video tape of the event and asked if I would watch her five year old daughter during Mass. The little girl was interested in all the excitement, especially when I told her the Bishop was going to be there. Finally the procession started and the child watched the altar boys, priests and finally the Bishop march down the aisle. She turned to me and said, "How come they get to wear costumes?" I explained they were called vestments but I don't think it sunk in as she went on to muse, "I was an angel for Halloween!"

Bean Pie? Seriously?

I heard about using sweet potatoes in a pie but was curious when I heard that beans would serve the purpose, too. Everyone seems to have a method so now I'm anxious to try making one to see how it really turns out. I found a multitude of recipes and suggestions and put together my own version. Seems it might be the pefect solution for people who are watching their weight and protein intake. As soon as Lent is over, my kitchen will see the production of this recipe and I will let you know. Naturally, I've added my own tweaks to the basic recipe according to my own tastes. Be forwarned, I'm sharing my ideas before they have gone through my test kitchen. You proceed at your own risk here but if you have enough whipped cream or ice cream on hand, you can probably get away with however it turns out!

Pinto Bean Pie

1  15-ounce can of unseasoned pinto beans

1/2 cup of light brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon clove

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender, cream the sugar, butter and eggs. Add the beans, and blend until  smooth. Add the spices, vanilla, and brandy.

Pour pie filling into an unbaked pie shell, and bake for approximately one hour or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Working on inner peace . . .

“During the course of the day, recollect as often as you can that you stand in the presence of God. Consider what He does and what you are doing. You will find His eyes turned towards you and perpetually fixed on you with an incomparable love.”

  ~St. Francis de Sales

Palm Sunday!

But Palm Sunday tells us that … it is the cross that is the true tree of life.
~ Pope Benedict XVI

Palm Sunday is like a glimpse of Easter. It's a little bit joyful after being somber during Lent.
~ Laura Gale

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you; righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
~ Zechariah 9:9

You are saying all those people who show up on Palm Sunday, Easter and Christmas fly away in between those holy days?
~ Buck Malachi

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die;
O Christ, thy triumphs now begin
O’er captive death and conquered sin
~ Henry Hart Milman

It may well be that the world is denied miracle after miracle and triumph after triumph because we will not bring to Christ what we have and what we are. If, just as we are, we would lay ourselves on the altar of service of Jesus Christ, there is no saying what Christ could do with us and through us.
~ William Barclay

Alleluia, how the people cheer
And palm leaves rustle as the king draws near.
~ John Beavis

Lord, we lift up your name
With hearts full of praise;
Be exalted, O Lord my God!
Hosanna in the highest!
~ Carl Tuttle

Jesus Christ is a God whom we approach without pride, and before whom we humble ourselves without despair.
~ Blaise Pascal

Clap your hands all you people.
Shout unto God with a voice of praise!
They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!
~ John 12:13

Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory!
~ Isaiah 6:3

Self-awareness through applicable quotes!

"Never be afraid to laugh at yourself, after all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century."
-- Dame Edna Everage

"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence."
-- H. L. Mencken

"All God's children are not beautiful. Most of God's children are, in fact, barely presentable."
-- Fran Lebowitz

"I passionately hate the idea of being with it, I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time."
-- Orson Welles

How I spent my Saturday afternoon . . .

 As you have seen from previous postings regarding my quilting addiction, my patterns tend to be rather eye boggling. My husband likes calm and sedate, a pattern that 'sits' still when you look at it. I'm restraining all my inner abstract and trying to make a new quilt for our bedroom that will make my husband and his eyes happy.

Since we are repainting the bedroom blue, eventually, I decided to make a basic patchwork quilt in all the blues I can find in my stash. So far, the pattern is relatively calm . . . but it isn't finished yet and no promises.

Timeless reflections . . .

I guess overcast skies and staying indoors has activated my homemaking instincts  because I've been doing some cleaning and organizing. Lots of stuff is boxed for chairites and thrift stores. Lots of memories are leaving by way of those boxes. That's the hard part of cleaning . . . giving away various items and books that instantly bring back a memory. Okay, a few things got slipped back on the shelves for the next clean up (I promise!), but most of it will find a new home.

In my papers, I found a little paragraph written by my son when he was about eight or ten years old. Nothing changes as it seemed rather appropriate in view of the world all these years later. Here it is:

"Religion does not seem to play an important part in many people's lives today. Sad as it is, I think that people lead sinful lives to comfort themselves because of their own inadequacy. What it comes down to is there are two types of people; those who realize they are inadequate and turn to God, and those who turn their inadequacies to sin. "