Creatures Great and Small – The Handsome Brat

 

Yogurt Caraway Chicken

 

This is an original recipe that I invented after reading another recipe using yogurt as a chicken coating.  It turned out quite well.  We liked the way the yogurt and coconut milk powder baked as a coating for chicken.  You could alter the seasonings to achieve different tastes.

Yogurt Caraway Chicken

5-6 drum sticks.  Place chicken in an oiled 9x13 cake pan, leaving room for cabbage.

Mix together in a small bowl:

3/4 C. plain yogurt
1/4 C. coconut milk powder
1/2 tsp. caraway seed powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Spread over the top of chicken, dividing it evenly among all pieces.

Sprinkle with Cayenne pepper to taste (optional).

In the empty area place 3-4 large wedges of cabbage.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, caraway powder and salt.

Bake at 375F for 30 minutes or till chicken tests done.  Check occasionally and turn cabbage over if needed.  If the food is drying out too much you may cover the pan with aluminum foil to finish baking.  (If you wish to add liquid be sure to add boiling water to a hot pan, especially if it is glass.)

Makes 3-4 servings.

Of course, this dish can be prepared gluten free.

Note:  I don’t know if caraway can be bought in the powdered form.  I think my mom or I ground what I have.  We use a designated electric coffee grinder to grind up herbs/spices.  You don’t want to use the same grinder for herbs and spices that you use for coffee.  It might result in “interesting” and undesirable flavor combinations.  We’ve picked up our “spares” at second hand stores.

The Bible – An Admonition and A Poem

 

What Do You See?

Guest post by my brother-in-law, MPW over at DailyBytesBlog.

Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

I recently watched a dramatized documentary on the training for the Astronauts that walked on the Moon. NASA wanted more geological information from these guys so they put them in geology classes which happened to be a challenge for a guy that gets a thrill from strapping himself to a rocket and floating into space. They finally were able to bring in a geologist that took them into the field and showed them the importance of what they were looking at, what to look for, how what they were looking at could tell them the story of what had happened in times past etc. Although I didn't agree with most of the ideology that they spoke of it got me to thinking about how I read my bible. Do I just read it to fulfill my duty before God or am I digging into the scripture for the truth placed there for my edification? Do I take the scripture and look at it from various angles as I would if I were inspecting an important item before a purchase? The more you enjoy something the closer you look at it and the more time you are willing to devote to it. Don't let your love for the word of God grow cold. It is your spiritual nourishment. Cultivate it. Check out Psalm 119 this week. It will bless your soul. Here are a couple verses to get you started.

Ps.119:140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.
Ps. 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

---------------------------------------------

The Anvil – God's Word

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

"How many anvils have you had," said I,
"To wear and batter all these hammers so?"
"Just one," said he, and then, with a twinkling eye,
"The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."

And so, thought I, the anvil of God's Word,
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed - the hammers gone.

Unknown

Psalms 105:8  He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

Afterthought:

I couldn’t help thinking how this poem is true of the Authorized King James Version of the scriptures in particular.  For hundreds of years now there have been various men attacking the Authorized Version trying to destroy it, convince us we need a “better translation”, and plant doubt as to its reliability.  The most famous and active were probably Westcott and Hort who were responsible for much doubt and an “alternate” Greek text upon which the Revised Version and many, many subsequent version are based.  BUT, by God’s grace and power His preserved word in the King James Version still stands.  It is still sold by the millions and according to one research, it is the most favored translation among those who own and read the Bible!  That really blesses my soul when considering how many hammers have worn themselves out trying to tear it down and destroy it!  Praise God. :-) 

Creatures Great and Small – He Thinks He’s Tough

 

One of our neighborhood feral cats awhile back.

A Few Tips for Packing to Move

 

 
Mom and I packing to move to Texas 5 years ago.  If I look tired, it’s because I was!

Moving!  Ugh.  Sometimes it’s very sad, sometimes it’s exciting, often it’s a mixture of both.  But, even when you’re going on to something good or better, it’s a lot of work and frustration!

Not long ago someone on Facebook whom I follow was asking for tips on packing to move.  This is something with which I have a fair amount of experience.  My family moved quite a lot, and the last several moves that my family made I did a lot of the packing and organizing.  So, I made a short list of suggestions for this lady, and then it occurred to me that it  might be a useful blog post, so I copied it over here for you all with some edits. :-)

----------------------------

1. Try to pack boxes according the room the items belong in. Keep like items together as much as possible - this will make putting them away at the other end easier. (Books with books, utensils with kitchen gadgets, dinnerware and "silverware", etc.) Mark the boxes clearly as to which room they belong in.

2. Use extra towels, linens and sewing/crafting fabric to wrap breakables. Use other soft items for padding - throws, blankets, cushions, etc. This will reduce the amount of extra packing materials that you need and it will consolidated you packing at the same time.

3. For fragile items try to pack solidly so there won't be shifting or rattling. Add filler items inside of large empty fragiles (such as baskets) to help support them. Make sure that thin flat fragile items don't have pressure on them. Try to pack very fragile things together and clearly mark the boxes with warnings. Try to make sure there is cushioning of some sort between the box wall and all fragile items. Padding makes a big difference.

4. Mark all boxes clearly as to what is in them - a somewhat detailed list is best. (After numerous moves I can't emphasize this one enough! You never know how long it will be before you unpack some boxes, and you won't remember what is where.)

5. If you need boxes and don't want to buy them and don't get them free from the truck rental/moving company, ask for them at stores. Liquor stores often have quite a lot of boxes that are easy sizes to handle and very sturdy. (I realize some people might feel uncomfortable using those, though.)

6. Sure and steady wins the race. Take "breathers", drink plenty, eat and get a good night's sleep as much as possible.  Get some fresh air and sunshine if possible.  Funny as it sounds, when you're packing it's really easy to forget the obvious.

7. Don’t be proud.  Ask for help if you need it.  If a friend offers to make meals, watch the kids, do your laundry for you, etc. while you’re loading the truck/container, let them!  It will be a huge help.

8. If you accept help for the actual packing (which might be needful), try to make sure that someone who has moved across country before and packed their own things works on the fragile items.  People with no moving experience should be assigned to the less breakable items.  :-)

9. When you are packing to move is probably not the best time to be sorting your stuff with a view to reducing.  So – work on that ahead of time if there is a chance that you may be moving in the near future.  However, if you’re caught unawares, and you can’t take it all, remember that it is just stuff.  Make yourself rate items and identify the things that are most important for you family’s well being, important mementoes and items of real value (not what you think might be valuable).  Focus on that stuff and then eliminate what can’t go from the unnecessary things.

Laying Aside Weights – Goodbye to Chicken Little

See previous posts in this series.

Hebrews 12:1-2  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

One weight that we can become weighed down with these days is worry about all the dreadful things that “could” happen or “are going to” happen or “are” happening.  This kind of thinking and worry can be a serious hindrance to running the race with patience.

I suppose many people have heard the fable of Chicken Little, how the acorn hit her on the head and she thought the sky was falling and set off to tell the king.  Of course, she met Henny Penny and explained to her about the sky falling and hitting her on the head and Henny Penny joined her in going to tell the king.  Along the way they told Ducky Lucky and Goosey Loosey and Turkey Lurky who all joined the crusade to go and tell the king that the sky was falling.  But, then they met their natural enemy Foxy Loxy.  Because they were so intent on the fact that the sky was falling, they told him about it too and then foolishly allowed him to join their program.  According to the book my family had the end of the story was that “Foxy Loxy walked with Turkey Lurky.  Foxy Loxy ate Turkey Lurky.  Foxy Loxy walked with Goosey Loosey.  Foxy Loxy ate Goosey Loosey.”  Right down to Chicken Little they were all devoured by Foxy Loxy.  And, the king never knew the sky was falling.

The world today is literally bursting with Chicken Littles who have very important messages to us that the sky is falling.  The internet is teeming with such sources.  Because there are certainly many unhappy, evil and worrisome things in this world, it’s easy to get sucked into the panic and dismay that these people peddle.  Whether it’s predictions of coming troubles, the pollution of food and environment, “chemtrails”, HARP, weather annomilies or any of the many other “impending dooms”, there is bound to be someone who is informing the world that the sky really is in fact in the very act of falling.

First of all, regarding the “big, bad” things, if there is nothing we can do about the scenario or claim (no matter what it is), then it really isn’t worth wasting our time and worry over!  Really.  If you can’t change it or fix it or avoid it, what’s the point of getting all frazzled and stressed over it?  Now I admit that a falling acorn might be a pretty big deal to the Chicken Littles, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us need to panic along with them.

Secondly, we need to remember that just because a Chicken Little has “proof” and was an “eyewitness” himself or knows “eyewitnesses”, doesn’t mean that he (or she) knows what he’s talking about!  Oh, there are many claims made by the Chicken Littles.  They will press us with all kinds of “good reasons” to believe them, often resorting to mockery if we refuse.  But, those things ultimately prove nothing.  The truth may be very far from the terrible interpretations they claim – as far as an acorn is from the sky.

Thirdly, too many of the calamities that are declared to be coming or already upon us are really only acorns.  This is especially true when they are compared with some of the more real issues at stake, such as the selfishness and lack of holiness in the Lord’s church and the lost souls that are dying without Christ.

Some things we may find a small way to avoid, such as buying foods that are less likely to contain bizarre and dangerous things.  But, even with that there are limits.  Unless you have the time and strength to grow virtually all of your own food, you can’t get entirely away from it in many parts of this world.  So, what is the point in fretting?  As my Gramma used to say, “You can only do so much and then you just have to trust the Lord.”  She didn’t mean that we shouldn’t trust the Lord right from the first, but rather that in certain situation there is a limit to our ability to “fix it”, and so we simply have to commit ourselves to God and go forward in His will because He is faithful.  As long as He has work for us to do He will take care of us, even when we can’t avoid “dangerous” situations. 

1 Peter 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

It is true that “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”  Proverbs 22:3  There are some things that we can or should hide from, as it were.  But, we can’t avoid all evil without leaving this world!  [1 Corinthians 5:9-10  I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.]  Added to that, when we foresee an “evil” and hide ourselves we really need to make sure it’s a real evil!  And, we have to acknowledge that some things we are not going to be able to avoid.

Paul wrote of his experiences as an apostle,  …in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 2 Corinthians 11:23-27  Yet, even though we know Paul was cast down at times and disappointed, we also know that he was not a Chicken Little and he didn’t spend his life trying to avoid these situations.  Instead, he warned the saints of the most important perils in this life – the spiritual dangers.

Paul wrote, But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 

The trials of our life allow us to make the life of the Lord Jesus manifest to those around us.  If we could avoid all trials and tribulations then would we not be hiding the power of Jesus Christ?  It seems like we might make that conclusion from what is written.

When we allow ourselves to become weighed down with the threats of the sky falling we forget the words of our Lord Jesus when He said, “…Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”  Matthew 6:34  Most of us have enough to deal with today in our own lives without borrowing a lot of conspiracies and threats that may happen tomorrow.  Even things that are supposed to happen “today” according to the Chicken Littles may not ever happen, or may not affect us if they do.  Often they don’t. 

Wait, read that again.  Often they don’t! 

I don’t know how many times in my life I have worried about this or that happening – either my own acorn or one handed me by someone else – and after all my worry and distress and expectation, it did NOT happen.  Strangely enough, the unhappy things that did happen seldom were the things I’d anticipated, prepared for and stressed over.  Unless it’s something obvious like death, which we can’t avoid anyway unless the Lord comes first, it very often isn’t what we expected.  

More than this, though, is the very real danger that accompanies following Chicken Little – not the sky falling, but being devoured.  As you will recall from the story, all the other birds joined the parade to tell the king the sky was falling, and they were all so distracted with their terror and drama that they allowed their natural enemy to join them.

The scripture tells us, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” 1 Peter 5:6-9 

I find it very interesting that casting all our care upon Him comes right before the admonition to be sober and vigilant because the devil is seeking to devour.  When we are carrying around our cares instead of giving them to the Lord as He told us to we will be too distracted to be vigilant and we will be too weighed down and encumbered to resist stedfast in the faith! “Foxy Loxy” may not devour us physically as he did Chicken Little and her friends, but he (the devil) can devour our strength, our peace, our health, our time and our resources when we are worrying about the sky falling instead of watching unto prayer.  1 Peter 4:7  But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

Ultimately, a fate worse than the sky falling came to the birds in the fable.  Being eaten by their natural enemy was a lot worse than getting hit on the head by bit of falling sky.  We also may find ourselves in a situation far worse than the imagined one we became preoccupied with when we failed to watch for the adversary.

Also, referring back to 1 Peter 5:8 and 4:7, it says to be sober.  One thing that tends to come with the the Chicken Little crowd is a lot of “unsober” thinking, and by that I mean irrational.  If the sky was truly falling don’t you think someone besides Chicken Little would have noticed?  And, why didn’t any of them ask to see the piece of sky that had fallen (which would have been an acorn in reality)?  Also, it seems like they should have been observing other “pieces” of the sky falling as they set out on their journey to tell the King.  They didn’t stop to think.  Sadly, this is the way we tend to be when we take up with some Chicken Little’s story.

What we need to do is learn to ignore the Chicken Littles of life.  We need to turn off the news and talk shows, avoid the web sites, not listen to the preachers and politicians, and avoid the people who generally are peddling “falling sky” scenarios.  They are handing out weights that we don’t need to carry.  Our King, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the only one who can stop the sky from falling in any situation!  We need to cast all our care on Him and then get busy with the real things of life, the things that we can do something about.

Psalms 55:22-23  Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.  But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

Psalms 115:3  But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

Lovely Little Dress Quilt

 

I think this is one of the prettiest quilts I’ve seen.  It was displayed at the spring quilt show in Georgetown, Texas in 2012.  My husband took me for my birthday. :-)

The little girl dresses were so dainty and sweet.

Some were open at the bottom and showed a lace petticoat.

The embroidery was beautiful, but it must have taken a lot of time to make this quilt from start to finish.  Many of them are also smocked.  It’s certainly not the size project that I’d care to take on, but it was lovely to look at.

These patterns are sold by the each and are a little pricey – not surprising considering all the work that went into developing them.  However, if you are interested – even to just make one or two blocks for framing – you can find them here:  Kreations by Karon.  There are numerous other dresses besides the ones shown here, and a few boy outfits too.  For extra charge they can be purchased with the material to make the design. (I not sure if the laces and embroidery threads are included.)

Creatures Great and Small - A Backyard Surprise

 

A baby skunk that visited our yard last summer.

There is a drain pipe there, and as far as I could tell, he went into the pipe.  His mama siblings left in another direction and I was afraid that one of our pets was going to run into this little fella when he was least expecting it!

Brain Troubles – A Couple of Fun Poems

Mommy Brain

If you've left the crayons to melt in the car,
And forgotten just where the car keys are,
There's a perfectly good way to explain:
You see, you've come down with "Mommy Brain."
When you're not sure where the past 8 hours went,
Or whether the phone bill check's been sent,
If you've left the laundry drying in the rain,
It's just--you guessed it--Mommy Brain.
If you find yourself chatting for hours on end
About diaper prices with your cyber friends,
You've just caught a particularly virulent strain
Of that affliction known as Mommy Brain.

Copyright 1998
Carlotta Eike Stankiewicz
used by permission

A Little Mixed Up

"Just a line to say I'm livin' - that I'm not among the dead.
Tho' I'm getting more forgetful, and more mixed up in the head.

"For sometimes I can't remember when I stand at the foot of the stair,
If I must go up for something, or if I just came down from there.

"And before the 'frig', so often, my mind is filled with doubt -
Have I just put food away, or have I come to take some out?

"There are times when it's dark out - with my night cap on my head,
I don't know if I'm retiring, or just getting out of bed.

"So, if it's my turn to write you, there's no need for getting sore,
I may think that I have written and don't want to be a bore.

"Just....remember, I do love you, and wish that you were here--
And now it's nearly mail time, so I must say, 'Good-bye,' dear."

There I stood beside the mail box, with a face so very red;
Instead of mailing you my letter, I had opened it instead.

Author Unknown

A Word of Explanation Regarding Scheduled Posts On this Blog

 

Awhile back, when scheduling blog posts ahead of time, I would set the “post date” and pick a time early in the morning for the post to go up.  It was rather random and didn’t reflect on actual times when I would be online at all.  My husband told me he thought I should set a specific time when scheduling posts and make it the same every time.  He pointed out that he looks at the time stamps on blog posts and if they were put up at 12:00 midnight regularly he knew they had been scheduled ahead of time.  If they had a random time stamp he assumed it had been posted at the time of writing.  He liked to be able to tell the difference.

In the spirit of the article I wrote on clouding the truth (Sad Truth) I acknowledged that he had a legitimate point and so I chose a time stamp for the scheduled posts.  You might have noticed that a lot of them have been going up at 1:11 AM.  :-)  I chose this particular time simply because I’m a somewhat lazy typist.  It is easier to type that into the date box on my blog compiler than to type in 12:00 AM. :-)

So, now you know the truth of the matter.  If you see any time stamp other than 1:11 AM, it’s safe to assume that I posted it at the time of writing. Exceptions would be when I forget to set the time part of the post date (ahem!) or the rare event that a post fails to go up automatically as it should.  (I’ve had to post some manually a few times when Blogger had a hiccup.)

We are planning to be away for about four weeks later this year on a rather long vacation, but during that time, Lord willing, there will still be blog posts going up.  I intend to schedule them ahead for that time (have already been working on it); and in the event that they fail to post, and if I happen to remember to keep track, I should be able to access my account where we are and post them manually if necessary.  I may even write a post or two while we’re away.  I can’t promise this will happen, though, since I don’t know what all we will be doing and I may be too interested in other things to remember or take the time. ;-)

Creatures Great and Small – The Dog Days of Summer

 

Another Random Day In the Country

 

This Morning I like the…

Smell of…leather gloves?  No, not really, but that’s the smell that my garden gloves leave on my hands for me to “enjoy” for awhile after using them. :-)

Sound of…Hmmm…it’s pretty quiet in here this morning. 

Taste of…my breakfast/snack – Greek yogurt with peanut butter, old fashioned rolled oats, maple syrup and a bit of stevia mixed in.

Sight of…tiny birds sitting on the top wire of the garden fence.  Maybe gnat catchers?

Feel of…having worked outside in the pleasant morning coolness and now resting.

Good Things about Today: 

I’m feeling quite a bit better today after having not felt well this past weekend.

It was lovely and cool outside this morning even though it will be scorching hot today!

Things Already Accomplished Today:

I got a “lottle” yard work done this morning.  It would be a little by many people’s standards, but by mine it was good. :-)  After you’ve been at a point in your life where you could do very little it’s good to remember that and be thankful for what you can do without bemoaning that it wasn’t more.  I have found when you pace yourself properly you can go farther.

Things that Need to Be Done – Hopefully Today:

There is laundry that needs to be attended to, along with some kitchen chores and cleaning; and I very much hope to get some sewing in today!  I have a couple phone calls I’d like to make as well, if possible.

Random Recipe:

Coconut Cream Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Random Photo from My World:

Quote for Today:

Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous mind.  -- Samuel Johnson

Verse for Today:

Psalms 131:1-3  <<A Song of degrees of David.>> LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.  Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.  Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.

It’s interesting how often we get ourselves all worked up over things that are completely out of our control.  Yet here is David, the king of Israel, saying that he did not exercise himself in great matters or things too high for him. 

Have you ever noticed the difference between a contented weaned child and one that is not weaned yet?  It’s harder to find in our modern cultures because so many children are weaned way too early or never breastfed at all.  But, you’ve probably seen a small child who was happy to just play and be content with his or her own little enjoyments, plans and busyness without being involved in everything or demanding constant attention from “mama”.  This is an interesting comparison that David is making.  I don’t grasp it entirely myself, but I sure know what a happy, contented child acts like who isn’t always demanding attention, wanting something or fretting.  It’s hard to be that way sometimes in this crazy world we live in, BUT – if our hope is in the LORD “henceforth and for ever”, we can be like quieted and well behaved child too!

Our Sanctuary – A Poem

 

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

In troubling times it is a comfort and blessing to know that our safety is not in the hands of faulty men.  Our sanctuary is also not in some church building, but in the person of Jesus Christ!  Because of this, we can have our sanctuary with us at all times.  What a blessing and comfort!

Our Sanctuary

Jesus! before Thy face we fall,
Our Lord, our life, our hope, our all;
For we have nowhere else to flee;
No Sanctuary, Lord, but Thee.

In Thee we every glory view,
Of safety, strength, and beauty too;
'Tis all our rest and peace to see
Our Sanctuary, Lord, in Thee.

Whatever foes or fears betide,
In Thy blest presence let us hide;
And while we rest our souls on Thee,
Thou shalt our Sanctuary be.

Through time, with all its changing scenes,
And all the grief that intervenes,
Let this support each fainting heart,
That Thou our Sanctuary art.

C. Medley

Isaiah 8:13-14  Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary…

The Thousand Word Project – Mallow