My money is definitely easy to count . . . sigh!

"If you can count your money, you don't have a billion dollars."
-- J. Paul Getty

"But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown."
-- Carl Sagan

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."
-- Groucho Marx

"Last night somebody broke into my apartment and replaced everything with exact duplicates... When I pointed it out to my roommate, he said, 'Do I know you?'"
-- Steven Wright

A good one to quote . . .

Even a mosquito doesn't get a slap on the back until it starts to work.

- Unknown

More on the light side . . .

"People are, if anything, more touchy about being thought silly than they are about being thought unjust."
-- E. B. White

"The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided."
-- Casey Stengel

"Exit, pursued by a bear."
-- William Shakespeare

"Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people."
-- W. C. Fields

Invincible ignorance?

A friend called me last night with her stomach in knots and her heart burdened by a confrontation she experienced at church, yesterday. Now, she attends what is considered an ultra-conservative parish with a pastor that adheres to the Rubrics and demands modest attire at Mass. You can imagine my friend's shock when she pulled into the parking lot and saw a car sporting a brand new obama bumper sticker!

My friend went into the church. She had come to help with the weekly cleaning. There were two very elderly ladies already at work. My friend said, "Ladies! I'm in shock. I can't believe what I just saw in the parking lot . . . at this parish!" Naturally, they were curious and my friend said, "Who in attendance at this parish would be supporting obama?" One lady immediately owned up and said, "That is my car and I'm proud of my support of obama." The other old lady piped in with, "Me, too!"

Now, my friend was really floored. She said, "But this president is adamantly in favor of abortion. He voted against the Born Alive Act when he was a senator. He rescinded all of President Bush's protections for the unborn within days of taking office." One of the women flatly stated, "You can't believe everything you read." The other one snarled, "I guess that means you won't want to clean the church with us now!"

My friend kindly said, "I came to clean God's house." and went about her work. It was with much sadness knowing that these elderly women hadn't done any research or even knew what they were voting for in  2008 and, obviously, how they were voting in 2012! Where have they been and what news have they been watching? Didn't they hear about the mandate against the Catholic Church? Have they bothered to read the health care reform which isn't good news for seniors? Don't they have children and grandchildren that can't find jobs because of all that has happened in the last three and a half years? Isn't their Catholic Faith supposed to come ahead of politics?

Besides being a dear friend, my friend called me because, as she put it, she understands more fully what I went through at my parish when several elderly ladies also got on my case when I said I wasn't voting for obama. To this day, they stick their noses in the air when they go past me into daily Mass yet they receive Communion. One of them did go as far as to say she would like to see where it was written that obama was in favor of abortion. I ran off his senate record as well as what he has done since president. I handed it to her, she stuffed it in her purse, and hasn't spoken to me since. "None so blind as those who will not see . . ."

Instead of quilting, yesterday . . .

I was getting tired of quilting this week but forged on in order to get some baby quilts completed. I was very happy to get a tote bag order and got to spend yesterday afternoon sewing the bag. I discovered the fabric at the fabric warehouse and wondered how I would use it and when I would have a chance to sew something out of it. Guess that moment arrived. Nothing like having a challenge and getting paid for it, too.

Worth sharing . . .

"No one gossips about other people's secret virtues."
-- Bertrand Russell

"The greatest mystery is not that we have been flung at random between the profusion of matter and of the stars, but that within this prison we can draw from ourselves images powerful enough to deny our nothingness."
-- Andre Malraux

"Inanimate objects are classified scientifically into three major categories - those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost."
-- Russell Baker

"There's so much pollution in the air now that if it weren't for our lungs there'd be no place to put it all."
-- Robert Orben

Two Ways to Easy Cake . . .

I like to fuss in the kitchen but there are days when I have to get something in the oven fast and appreciate throw-together recipes. This is one of those recipes. I've seen several versions of it but this is the way I like to do it.

Living on Easy Cake - #1
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons baking soda
Smidge of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Grated zest of one lemon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 20-ounce can pineapple tidbits, undrained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Vegetable oil spray a 9x11-inch baking pan or two smaller pans. You can divide it between two 8 or 9-inch round ones to have one cake today and another one for breakfast tomorrow . . . after the children and husband are off for the day, of course! Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to just combine. Baking time will depend on the size of the pan but approximately 20-30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes to see how it is going. Living on Easy Cake - #2 1 cup granulated sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 teaspoons baking soda Smidge of salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Grated zest of one lemon 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 2 cups canned apple slices, undrained 1/4 cup water if the canned apples don't seem to have enough liquid. (I've used brandy with good results!) Prepare and bake as for the Living on Easy Cake - #1. Remove from the oven when done and cool thoroughly before icing the cake(s). You now have a decision to make: Lemon or Chocolate Icing? Lemon Icing 2 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Enough fresh lemon juice to form a pourable but somewhat thick icing. Chocolate Icing 2 cups powdered sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Dash of cinnamon 1/4 cup baking cocoa Enough milk or cream to form a pourable but somewhat thick icing. (Believe it or not, but Chocolate Icing tastes good with pineapple!) If you have the time, toasting the nuts brings the recipe to a whole, new level. Just be sure the nuts are cooled down before using.