Cooking a la King

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and watching Julia Child's movie certainly fits the bill. Her husband looked non too displeased.
I don't know if I would have the patience she did, over my stove.
You definitely need to love what you do and be an artiste with imagination.
Today we like 10 minute meals or meals on wheels. Not much time is spent on saturation of flavors.

After the movie I looked up her Beef Bourguignon recipe and could see why it turned out so nice
I have beef marinating in wine right now and for those who would like to try this recipe as well, keep on reading et bon appetite. :)

Ingredients
• 6 oz bacon
• 2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 lbs trimmed beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes, patted dry with paper towels
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups sliced onions
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 bottle of red wine (such as a zinfandel or Chianti)
• 2 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
• 1 medium herb bouquet (tie 8 parsley sprigs, 1 large bay leaf, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 whole cloves or allspice berries, and 3 large cloves of smashed garlic together wrapped and tied in cheesecloth)

• Beurre manié: 3 Tbsp flour blended to a paste with 2 Tbsp butter
• 24 pearl onions
• Chicken stock
• Butter
• 1 1/2 pounds of button or cremini mushrooms, quartered


Method
1 Blanch the bacon to remove its smoky taste. Drop bacon slices into 2 quarts of cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and dry on paper towels.

2 In a large frying pan, sauté the blanched bacon to brown slightly in a little oil; set them aside and add later to simmer with the beef, using the rendered fat in browning. Brown the chunks of beef on all sides in the bacon fat and olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and put them into a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or covered casserole pan. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and add to the pan.

3 Remove all but a little fat from the frying pan, add the sliced vegetables and brown them, and add to the meat. Deglaze the pan with wine, pouring it into the casserole along with enough stock to almost cover the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and add the herb bouquet. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer slowly on the lowest heat possible, either on the stove or in a preheated 325°F oven, until the meat is tender, about 1 to 2 hours.

4 While the stew is cooking, prepare the onions. Blanch the onions in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Slice the end tips off of the onions, peel the onions and score the root end with 1/4 inch cuts. Sauté onions in a single layer in a tablespoon or two of butter until lightly browned. Add chicken stock or water half way up the sides of the onions. Add a teaspoon of sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer slowly for 25 minutes or until tender. The onions should absorb most of the water. If there is water remaining after cooking, drain the excess. Set aside.

5 Prepare the mushrooms a few minutes before serving the stew. Sauté quartered mushrooms in a few tablespoons of butter and olive oil until browned and cooked through.

6 When the stew meat has cooked sufficiently, remove all solids from the sauce (except the beef) by draining through a colander set over a saucepan. Return the beef to the casserole. Press juices out of the residue into the cooking liquid, then remove any visible fat and boil down the liquid to 3 cups. Off heat, whisk in the beurre manié, then simmer for 2 minutes as the sauce thickens lightly. Correct seasoning and pour over the meat, folding in the onions and mushrooms. To serve, bring to a simmer, basting meat and vegetables with the sauce for several minutes until hot throughout.

Serve with rice, bread, or potatoes (unless you are doing the low-carb version!).

==========================================================

The blonde man was crying at the bar, and the bartender gave him a free drink. "What's the trouble?" asked the friendly bartender.

"I got kicked out of chef school," replied the blonde. "They said I gave them the oldest excuse in the book, and all I did was tell the truth."

"What did you say?" asked the bartender.

To which the chef student answered, "I told them my dog ate my homework."
============================================================
Wife: The two things I cook best are meatloaf and apple pie.
Husband: Which is this?
============================================================
Newlywed: Do you want dinner?
Spouse: Sure, what are my choices?
Newlywed: Yes and no.
============================================================
"My wife has to be the worst cook. In my house, we pray after we eat."
- Rodney Dangerfield
============================================================
This man comes home from work and his wife whines, "Honey, the dishwasher is broken." He says to her, "Who do I look like - the Whirlpool man?"

A few weeks later, the husband comes home from work and his wife whines, "Honey, the washing machine is broken." He says, "Who do I look like - the Maytag man?"

Another few weeks pass and he comes home from work and she whines, "Honey, the stove is broken." The husband answers, "Who do I look like - the Kenmore man?"

A few more weeks pass. When he comes home from work, his wife looks pretty happy. So he asks her, "What's the matter? Isn't anything broken?"

"No," she says, "Mr. Johnson from next door came over and fixed everything, and all I had to do to repay him was either bake him a cake or go to bed with him."

So what kind of a cake did you make him?" inquired the husband. To which the wife replied, "Who do I look like - Julia Child!?!"

:)

Bungee Jumping

"Don't bungee jump naked"

Self in Hinduism

Hinduism goes back to before 6000 years ago into pre historic times.

It can be traced back to the Vedic Aryan civilization.

It divides society into 4 groups:

Brahmins = teachers priests

Kshatriyas = warriors and nobles

Vaishyas = farmers merchants and businessmen

Shudras = servants and laborers.

The Hindu belief in the Atman or the inner soul comes from the root word “an” meaning to breathe.

It is different from the body or the mind. The soul or spirit or self can be found beyond all other states (body,mind dreams sleep)

To find the self should be what everyone spends a lifetime looking for because everything else leads to pain, suffering, birth and rebirth

To realize the self means going beyond this world into the Brahman world and never to return.

This is where the individual soul and the universal soul unite and are two sides to a same reality.

The Atman or inner soul uses creativity to enter a body. It develops a false sense of identity called a sense of self or a sense of individuality, we know as the ego.

Lost in an illusion of this ego or self, A Hindu spends his life trying to over come it to reach his Atman, through self control, discipline of the mind,

Withdrawal of the senses and desires, and in his love of God.

The idols in Hinduism represent the inner self.

A Hindu worships himself establishing life breath.

This is why they give themselves personal names of gods and goddesses to show the god in man.

It is believed man is god in the making because his body contains the eternal soul which aims at developing into a supreme self.

The breath or Atman, in a body is the same life breath that sustains the universe.

The body is a temple with 9 gates in which the divine soul resides.

The body and mind is dependent and perishable and therefore unreal.

It needs control and discipline and to be kept in good health free of internal and external impurities.

When a person discards his body to be reborn, in between this time the soul may go to heaven or hell and eventually back to earth where the soul can enter all beings including plants animals and minerals.

The soul exists in all and all in it, which makes the whole universe sacred because of the universal self.

Elements continue to evolve with their souls till they reach and unite with the Supreme Soul.

====================

Hung Chow calls into work and says, "Hey, I no come work today, I really sick. Got headache, stomach ache and legs hurt, I no come work."

The boss says, "You know something, Hung Chow, I really need you today. When I feel like this, I go to my wife and tell her I want sex. That makes everything better and I go to work. You try that."

Two hours later Hung Chow calls again. "I do what you say and I feel great. I be at work soon... You got nice house."
---------------------------



THE SCIENTIST AND GOD

A scientist approaches God, and says to Him, "Look, God, we don't need you anymore. Nowadays, we can do all sorts of things that used to be considered miraculous. We can transplant organs, giving new life to a dying man, we can cure almost any disease, and we can even clone animals. It won't be long, and we'll be able to clone humans, too. So, I'm sorry, but you are just outdated".

God listens patiently to the scientist and says, "I can see that you believe you don't need me, and I understand. However, I love you, and I don't want to see you make a big mistake, so why don't we make sure? I say we should have a man-making contest, just to be sure."

The scientist replies, "I'll take that challenge".

So, God says, "Ok, let's do it the way I did it in the old days, with Adam and Eve". The scientists says, "No problem", and reaches down to scoop up a handful of dirt.

"Whoa, hold on there a minute", God says. "You get your OWN dirt".

==================


CARROT, EGG OR COFFEE

A daughter complained to her father about life and how hard things are for her. She said she wanted to give up as she was tired of struggling. For just as one problem was solved, another arose.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed the fire on high.

Soon the three pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the other he placed eggs and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word. The daughter wondered what he was trying to do.

In half an hour he turned down the fire and took out the contents of the pots and put them in bowls. Turning to her he said, “My dear child, what do you see?” Smartly she replied, “Carrots, eggs and coffee.”

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After shelling it, she observed it was hard-boiled now. Finally, he asked her to take a sip of the fragrant coffee. She winced as it was very strong.

Humbly, she asked, “What does it mean father?” He explained, “Each of them faced the same adversity, 100oC of boiling water. However, each reacted differently. The carrot was strong, hard and unrelenting. But, after going through boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg was fragile. A thin outer shell protected a liquid centre. But after sitting in the boiling water, the inside became hardened. However, the coffee beans are unique. After they were in the boiling water, they became stronger and richer. Which one of these are you?” he asked.

Are you the carrot that seems hard but with the smallest amount of pain, adversity or heat, you wilt and become soft with no strength? Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart? But after a death, breakup, divorce or layoff become hardened and stiff? Your shell looks the same but you are bitter and tough inside. Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean does not get its true flavour until it reaches 100oC. When the water gets hotter, it just tastes better. When things are at their worst, you get better.

So how do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Buddha and the Self

People often think that there must be a personality or self that is real and permanent, otherwise they would not exist or experience things in life.
Buddha taught that there is no real, permanent and independent personality or self at all.
This is the third characteristic of existence.
If a permanent and independent self really existed, one should be able to identify it.
Some people may say that the body is the self, or that mind is the self.
However, both ideas are wrong because neither the body nor the mind is permanent. They both change and self destruct because they are dependent on many factors. Neither body nor mind can possibly be a permanent and independent self.

If the body were the self, it would be able to will itself to be strong or fair.
Instead the body grows tired, hungry and falls sick against its will, so you cannot see the body as an entity like a personality or a self as for example a book is.

Similarly, if the mind were the self, it would do whatever it wished. But the mind often runs away from what it knows to be right, and runs after what is wrong.
It becomes disturbed, distracted and excited against its will.
So the mind is also not the self.
When people say, for instance, “I am going to work”, they are just using a convenient name I for a collection of physical and mental factors.
In reality, there is no I or self.
Egoistic and self centered people see themselves as a self that is permanent and independent.
according to Buddhist thought.

This in turn makes them feel constantly threatened by people and situations which then requires protecting of their beings, possessions and opinions.

But once people realise that the self is just a convenient name for a collection of constantly changing physical and mental factors, they will no longer cling to it in fear and insecurity.

They will find it easier to grow, learn, develop, and to be generous, kind and compassionate because they will no longer need to be constantly on the defensive.

Understanding the fact that there is no "self" can help people deal more effectively with everyday situation. It encourages the cultivation of Good Conduct and helps one to progress towards happiness, peace and Enlightenment.

Bit of Buddhist thought.:)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What did the Buddha say when the hot dog vendor asked him if he had change?

ANSWER: Change must come from within.


QUESTION: WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?
Possible answers:
* MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: I envision a world where all chickens will be free of cross roads without having their motives called into question.
* MOSES: And God came down from the Heavens, and He said unto the chicken, "Thou shalt cross the road." And the chicken crossed the road, and there was much rejoicing.
* FOX MULDER: You saw it cross the road with your own eyes. How many more chickens have to cross the road before you believe it?
* RICHARD M. NIXON: The chicken did not cross the road. I repeat, the chicken did NOT cross the road.
* MACHIAVELLI: The point is that the chicken crossed the road. Who cares why? The end of crossing the road justifies whatever motive there was.
* JERRY SEINFELD: Why does anyone cross a road? I mean, why doesn't anyone ever think to ask, What the heck was this chicken doing walking around all over the place, anyway?"
* FREUD: The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken crossed the road reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.
* BILL GATES: I have just released the new Chicken Office 2000, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbooks. Of course, you also have to purchase Microsoft Road.
* OLIVER STONE: The question is not, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Rather, it is, "Who was crossing the road at the same time, whom we overlooked in our haste to observe the chicken crossing?"
* DARWIN: Chickens, over great periods of time, have been naturally selected in such a way that they are now genetically disposed to cross roads.
* EINSTEIN: Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road moved beneath the chicken depends upon your frame of reference.
* BUDDHA: Asking this question denies your own chicken nature.
* RALPH WALDO EMERSON: The chicken did not cross the road .. it transcended it.
* ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die. In the rain.
* MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: It was an instinctive maneuver, the chicken obviously didn't see the road until he had already started to cross.
* HOMER SIMPSON: Mmmmmm.....chicken....

Lights Out!

SCHOOL

After one day of school a little girl came home and saidto her Dad: 'I'm just wasting my time, 'I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk!'

11) BIBLE

A little boy opened the big family Bible. He fingered through the pages of the old book when suddenly, something fell out of it.

He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. 'Mama, look what I found,' the boy called out. 'What have you got there, dear?'

With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, 'I think it's Adam's underwear!'

people may die for a belief but not for a lie.

An article written by someone about 9/11 being justified
I stated 9/11 was not justified. It is only the wicked who would do such a thing. The wicked abuse women and souls of their own people.
The reply from one blogger was that unless the women stand up and fight for themselves to obtain freedom, we have no right to intervene .
So I searched the life of Jesus and I found so many martyrs who fought and died for something they believed in. How many more need to die?
They do not include the millions who died by machetes in Africa for believing in the wrong prophet.
They had no right to freedom of thought or speech, things we take for granted in our part of the world because of Christianity.
These people in Africa, are all Christian martyrs


Augustine of Hippo :
Martyrs for Christianity suffer persecution simply because they are children of God, who are totally devoted towards His cause for the salvation of humanity.

The children of the world hate the children of God and will do anything in their power to discourage or even kill those individuals who will not bow down or compromise with them.
Martyrs for Christianity have also been imprisoned, and unjustly condemned. Plus on top of that, falsely accused, ridiculed and scorned.
Children of the world have a malicious, spiteful and envious spirits. They are totally devoted to the world and the things of it.

Although Christian persecution continues in the 21st Century, the voice of the martyr in the 1st Century is still the most dramatic evidence that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was not a man-made hoax conspired by a group of disciples. Since the apostles and many of the early disciples were eye-witnesses to the life of Jesus, their story was not just based on religious belief, but actual historical events. It’s one thing to die for a religious belief, such as an Islamic fundamentalist or a follower of David Koresh. It’s quite another to die for a known lie. Here is a list of eye-witness martyrs as compiled from numerous sources outside the Bible, the most-famous of which is Foxes’ Christian Martyrs of the World:

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it’s own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: "No servant is greater than his master." If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me." (John 15:18-21)
Jesus


Stephen was preaching the gospel in Jerusalem on the Passover after Christ’s crucifixion. He was cast out of the city and stoned to death. About 2,000 Christians suffered martyrdom during this time (about 34 A.D.).

James, the son of Zebedee and the elder brother of John, was killed when Herod Agrippa arrived as governor of Judea. Many early disciples were martyred under Agrippa’s rule, including Timon and Parmenas (about 44 A.D.).

Philip, a disciple from Bethsaida, in Galilee, suffered martyrdom at Heliopolis, in Phrygia. He was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified (about 54 A.D.).

Matthew, the tax-collector from Nazareth who wrote a gospel in Hebrew, was preaching in Ethiopia when he suffered martyrdom by the sword (about 60 A.D.).

James, the Brother of Jesus, administered the early church in Jerusalem and was the author of a book in the Bible. At the age of 94 he was beat and stoned, and finally had his brains bashed out with a fuller's club.

Matthias was the apostle who filled the vacant place of Judas. He was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.

Andrew, the brother of Peter, preached the gospel throughout Asia. On his arrival at Edessa, he was arrested and crucified on a cross, two ends of which were fixed transversely in the ground (thus the term, St. Andrew's Cross).

Mark was converted to Christianity by Peter, and then transcribed Peter’s account of Jesus in his Gospel. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria in front of Serapis, their pagan idol.

Peter was condemned to death and crucified at Rome. Jerome holds that Peter was crucified upside down, at his own request, because he said he was unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord.

Paul suffered in the first persecution under Nero. Because of the converting impact he was having on people in the face of martyrdom, he was led to a private place outside the city where he gave his neck to the sword.

Jude, the brother of James, was commonly called Thaddeus. He was crucified at Edessa in about 72 A.D.

Bartholomew translated the Gospel of Matthew in India. He was cruelly beaten and crucified by idolaters there.

Thomas, called Didymus, preached in Parthia and India. He was thrust through with a spear by pagan priests.

Luke was the author of the Gospel under his name. He traveled with Paul through various countries and was supposedly hanged on an olive tree by idolatrous priests in Greece.

Barnabas, of Cyprus, was killed without many known facts about 73 A.D. Simon, surnamed Zelotes, preached in Africa and Britain, where he was crucified in about 74 A.D.

John, the "beloved disciple," was the brother of James. Although he suffered great persecution, including imprisonment where he wrote the book of Revelation, he was the only apostle who escaped a violent death.
Voice of the Martyrs - People May Die for a Belief, but Not for a Lie
when life is at stake, multi-party conspiracies break down very quickly.

Matthew 5:5LThis verse also shows that a Christian is different. He is different from a person who is not a Christian. What Jesus said in verses 3 and 4 should prepare us for this verse. If you are poor in *spirit you will feel sad about some things. The result is that you will be humble. A person who is not a Christian wants to have everything for himself. He thinks that he is the most important person. The Christian is different. When Jesus spoke these words, it was a shock for the Jews. The Jews, of course, had expected a military *Messiah. A military *Messiah could not be a humble person.

Joan of Arc is beloved by the people of France to this day for sacrificing her life for her God. God spoke to her and she wouldn’t deny it.

St Lucy born 284 , Syracuse, died 304 Syracuse She wanted to devote her life to God and her fiancée reported her to the governor who desired to punish her by attempting to put her into a brothel and abusing her with fire and torments until she died. A woman was thus not allowed to hold onto her virtue or her belief.
Today we give it for free or we can keep it and no one cares.

Throughout history people have shed blood for Christianity. To this day people, soldiers are dying for freedom Christianity symbolizes, among other things.
In our societies you are free to love God and you are free not to love him because in the end it is between you and God.
God has no fear in losing. He wants man to understand . He knows man needs time to grow to understand
but if man is stopped from growing then eventually he will have to step in and humble him anyway.
It is man of this world that is somehow threatened by God.

The status and possessions of this world are not what Christianity represents or desires or promises in the next. So you can have them or not.

Today we have so much we don’t need anymore. But in other parts of the world man needs a lot because he is told he is not entitled to anything but food, water and reproduction.
If he refuses or decides to think for himself, he is killed.

So simply put, to turn our backs and ignore human rights, human salvation, is to eventually face the same martyrdom in this part of the world, as our predecessors suffered.

Man was set free by God to decide for himself what he wanted to believe in.
Stopping people from doing this, is not in any ones interest.
People need to be free so they can all learn.

http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/stephen.htm
http://www.christian-resources-today.com/Christian-Martyrs.html
http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/L/stlucy.asp
http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-study/jesus-life/bless_humble.htm
http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/voice-of-the-martyrs.htm

On My Father's Side

“To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour.”
~ William Blake




HAPPY EASTER!!!

On My Father's Side

The Guiding Light

Appreciate Life



Whew!

What a day we had yesterday!

The wind was blowing hard and it was pretty dark outside
I have trees on the side of my house which felt like they were
going to crack and break through my roof.
Even my son was alarmed He said Mom if they crash through they will end up killing me.
So now he is afraid to sleep in his room.

I will have to contact the city and see what can be done if anything
They are so particular about trees around here even if they endanger people and homes.


I did a fair amount of cooking yesterday, egg coloring and blogging.
The day went by very quickly.

They also did a fair amount of Bible studies for Easter on television and it was interesting to see what
Archeologists had to say about their findings and how they compared to the Bible the Torah and the Queran.

They found many new Gospels One called Mary Magdaline and one Judas.

Apparently Juda was told to do what he did, by Jesus
Jesus prepared to be crucified and he told Juda the true story about his plans, which the other apostles did not know.

Jesus told Juda he would have a difficult life but he would be the most rewarded for it because he has no idea
what the Fathers Kingdom is like. It is beyond explanation. Jesus showed Juda some stars and there was one
more brilliant than the others following it
And Jesus told Juda he would be like that biggest star, a leader.

Committing suicide is a cowards way out and against religious beliefs.
Those who do this are not allowed to be buried on holy ground.
I don’t understand this but this is how the church does things.

So the Juda story is indeed intriguing.

Sometimes when I look at soil and history, all the wars, blood shed, death and life, I can’t help but feel, everything we touch
once belonged to a living person or thing and was transformed like they say, dust to dust, ashes to ashes.
Our oil, our soil, the trees that grow the water all came from some living thing that once was.
We could be sitting building homes, bridges, digging mines,smoking pot,drinking whisky or tequila etc….all consisting of what was once the bones of a civilization of people.

This makes the world a holy place and we transgress on hallowed ground every day.
We touch eat and drink things we have no right to, to begin with.

Today you could take a person and turn him into a diamond.
This is something unimaginable to be able to wear your Mother
Or grand mother in a ring or a pendant or earrings.

So Jesus was a man with an understanding beyond his times.

Well these are my thoughts for today.:)

Continue to enjoy your holiday 

GOOD FRIDAY

Rubens

Good Friday

Many Orthodox Christian churches often observe Good Friday at a later date than the Good Friday date observed by many western churches.
Good Friday focuses on Jesus Christ’s death, which is described in the Christian bible.

The day is also known as Great Friday, Holy Friday, and Holy and Great Friday

What do people do?

Great Friday is a strict day of fasting for many Orthodox Christians .

Some Orthodox churches begin observing Holy Friday on Thursday night where the liturgy’s main feature is the reading of 12 sections from the gospels, all of which are accounts of Jesus Christ’s passion.
Other churches may have a Good Friday liturgy in the evening. Some priests remove icons of Jesus from crosses and wrap them in linen to reenact ancient burial rites.

Some Orthodox Bulgarian churches have special traditions, which include allowing people to pass under a table in the middle of the church and light a candle after the church bell rings.

This ritual is believed to wash away one’s sins. Many families of the Orthodox Christian faith may spend time on Great Friday to decorate Easter eggs as part of the Easter preparations.

Background

Many Orthodox churches retained the Julian calendar after the Gregorian calendar was introduced in Europe in 1582.
Therefore they often follow a different Easter date compared with many western churches. Easter holidays, such as Good Friday, are “moveable feasts” as these dates change according to calendar calculations.

There are different types of Orthodox churches that are well established in the United States.

Some of these churches include the Greek Hellenic Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, and the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Russian Orthodox Church in North America can be traced back to the late 18th century, where a Russian church was built on Kodiak Island in Alaska during that period.
Alaska was previously part of Russia. The number of Greek Orthodox churches grew as Greek immigration increased after the late 19th century in the United States.

Symbols

Many Orthodox Christian families prepare Easter eggs, which are beautifully decorated and often dyed red to symbolize the Jesus Christ’s blood.

Jesus died to prepare mankind for his Fathers World
He died in Faith
He died leaving people to believe he would resurrect into life everlasting.

His death brought upon dark clouds and a storm they say.

Today I look out my window and the wind has been blowing a few days now threatening
stormy weather.
Is it a fluke?

I have noticed it before in previous years.

:)

AND THIS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

Growing up in the Province of Quebec was a very special time for me.
I had my own family life.
I had the Protestant School Board which enriched me as a person in so many ways and
I also had the Catholic French Canadian influence which intrigued me.

Our school was very good introducing us to many things like the Anglican Church. Our choir went to sing at a little church next door and other churches down town.
I had the honor of singing solo because I had a nice voice. This was the time I found Liberace and fell in love with him because of his music. I think our music teacher was gay but no one knew about such things then.
He was a very nice man to say the least.

We had a student exchange program whereby 7 kids from our school went to a French School and 7 French kids came to ours.
We had a vacation because all we did was sing songs and go to a French Catholic Church. We learned Catechism had few minutes of math that sort of thing. It was a breeze.
The French kids had our schedule which was math history English etc.. They cried for two weeks and wanted to stop because it was too hard.lol

I had Polish neighbors and played with a little girl who always wanted to be a princess
She would wear her princess get up and play out her fantasy. I always fantasized being an Amazon woman who was befriended by a lion and lived on an Island. Anyone who got stranded on my island I would help but they never saw who was helping them.lol

I had another Polish girl whose family rented and lived in an attic across the street.
I would go up to visit her as she had problems coming down stairs in a wheel chair.
She was so pretty, with long thick curly hair and afflicted with polio.

On the corner of my street a pretty little boy with golden locks, ran around with flippers for arms.
I told my Mom and later I found out I also could have been born this way but My Mom decided not to take the
Anti nausea pills early in her pregnancy.
Taking them resulted in thalidomide babies.

Further down the street was a small bungalow.
You could look down the embankment and see so many cribs and each crib had babies with
heads so huge, they had problems lifting them.
It seems the heads filled up with water and they later died.

We had a colored family a few houses away.
I was friends with the daughter but the older son was stand offish. Once he had a sling shot and shot a stone which whizzed by my eye for no reason. I turned around and chased him and pushed him into a huge puddle. He lost his glasses, got all wet and then had the nerve to go and complain to my Mother. She saw everything and told him nicely that it was not nice to hurt girls lol
His Dad had brain cancer and stayed home quietly waiting to die. The Mom was a nurse.
She was such a pleasant lady, beautiful inside and out. I just loved her.
There are some people who walk and have halos hovering over their heads and this was one such woman.
She had so many problems at home but walked with courage every day to do her job and her duty.
As it is written, some walk in their righteousness and some in their transgressions.

We had Italian neighbors, French neighbors, Ukrainian neighbors and English neighbors. Every one got along.

The Italians were funny. The big kids fought and the Fathers chased them down the street with straps.They were all good kids. My neighbor had 4 boys and a girl. The girl they imported a husband for from Italy and married her off at 15. By 20 she was hunched pregnant old and ready to die.She had 5 children and was told not to have anymore but her husband didn't care. He drove nice cars, dressed well.They had a nice home.
There was going to be a major fight between her family and him.
Thankfully she had her baby and they saved her life but the doctor tied her tubes so she would not have any more. They didn't care about her religion.

Her middle aged brother threw a rock on my head when I was 4 and then wanted to marry me when I was finishing high school. He was a handsome dude but I said no. One hole in my head from him was enough lol

One family had many children and lived on welfare.
All the neighbors brought them their childrens' clothes once they grew out of them, so they did not suffer and food.
One day their house burnt down.

The rumor was the husband took a big insurance policy and then burnt his house down.
The insurance gave them so much money and they built a huge house .
Now this was making something out of nothing, loll

Needless to say the neighbors were not too impressed cause every one had problems but would never stoop so low as to do this sort of thing..
They also felt used and abused.
The mother came to our house and told us no one gave them anything anymore because they were jealous.
But we knew why. It was because peoples generosity was betrayed by her husbands evil ways.
He never lifted a finger anywhere except in bed.lol

Our other next door neighbor was a union between an English woman and a French man.
They were a lovely couple They cried when we moved.I think almost the whole street did.
They owned a boxer. I was a lover of dogs and they entrusted me with their dog so I was given a treat to walk it every day. She had puppies and the man came to my Dad and said "I will sell you a pup cheap because your daughter loves dogs." but my Dad did not believe in spending on animals so he refused. I was very upset. lol

Then their son took the Boxer and brought them a Doberman . I took it out once and the dog looked at me as if to say you don't tell me where to go. I tell you. So I said ok and slowly brought it back home and never took it out again. Next thing you know the Boxer was back and we were all soo happy and back to our old routine,.

In our house we had an old woman living with three sons. She was a real chaste religious French Catholic woman, always dressed in black. She was afraid of everything but a wonderful person.Quiet as a mouse, smart, just, and had very well behaved young sons.

At school we had bullies. No one bullied me to my face because I was a big girl .
I became a defender of the bullied and all they had to do was come to me and every one would back off.
I guess it was the look on my face that did it. Or Maybe my Dad’s teachings to fight back or expect to get
more of the same when I got home because my parents couldn’t afford to replace my ripped stockings every day lol
We learned to stand up for ourselves early in life and not sit feeling sorry for ourselves.

We had one boy who came to school and no one wanted to sit next to him because he stunk. He not only did not take showers but farted all day long.
He always sat alone, red faced and embarrassed.
The teacher would always sit him beside me and although I also thought he was so offensive to me as well, I never let on.
I tried to be friendly to make him feel better but he really did stink.

Then we had a Scottish family. I loved going to their house cause every Christmas. my friends' Dad brought so many Christmas trees.
They filled her yard and we’d go at night to choose one for our house.
What a wonderful night this was and she was grateful for the extra cash it brought her family for Christmas.
Bringing the tree home in the snow was just as wonderful.
We had to drag it or carry it full of snow just like in the Christmas cards. The weather never disappointed us cause pretty snowflakes would fall and the tree smelled so wonderful in the house.
My Dad had to prepare the stand to fit it. It was a whole ordeal to set it up and not just a walk to the store for a regular stand.

Then there was one family we never saw outside but they had a small Chihuahua. Every morning it came out wagging its tail
So you let it come near enough to you and then it would run up and bite you. loll
Some smart little dog. Loll and then of course there was Nipper. He was an old schnauzer mix belonging to an old couple and his name said it all.
No one went near him lol but he made sure to come out onto the street and tell you a thing or two. Loll
He was the 15 year old boss of the street.

Growing up in such a milieu taught me many things about people, religion, and life.
And because of it, I feel today, that there is nothing better than living in a heterogeneous society.
Not only were we all different but we were all the same.
We suffered, we cried, we had good times and bad times, we shared and together we prospered.

I played and prayed and sang and was taught by a song called

“Amitie” in my early years.

And this made all the difference to me and to all the people who lived in my neighborhood.

God loves and cherishes all his people and he brings them together for a purpose.
I know I was blessed in more ways than one growing up in Montreal North.
I am now telling my story and it is a good story to tell. :)



The Jesus Garden.

Today I let my dogs out for their daily routine and as I was waiting for them to finish, the

little one went towards Springs first bumble bee.

It was carefully looking to see if there was something worth while for it to address.

I was pleased that neither dog nor bee was bothered with the other. loll

The cherry trees blossomed, the dandelions are opening,

as are the hyacinths and daffodils.

The apple trees are not quite there yet but any day now.

On top of the hill, morning glory vines made a beautiful sight to wake up to and then hid

their flowers as if they were shy or afraid of the day.

So many secrets are kept up on this hill and they show themselves once in a while

just so you know they are there and leave you with a vision of quiet beauty you never thought was there.

My yard is unkempt because I live on a hill where it is wet and mucky but under

leaves there is plenty of life for the birds, especially the robins.

I never rake in the fall nor fill bags of clippings for the garbage truck.

Everything dries and crumples back into my grass, flowers and bushes and it makes life cheaper and easier for me.

Blending into the forest as opposed to fighting it.

Black berry vines spread like wild fire into my yard and it is so difficult to keep them at bay

But I do enjoy the pesticide insecticide free fruit they bear and look at it as Gods

gift to my place of residence.

As I watch the news, reporters are always digging for the truth.

Sometimes they find it and sometimes they don’t.

In many cases they don’t because it does not want to be found.

When the time is ripe it unfolds itself of its own volition,

just like the morning glory flowers when there is enough dew and their delicate

petals are not dried out by a hot sun.

:)

Jelly Bean Poem (Jelly Bean Prayer)

contributed by Sherri, Rachel and Diana

written by Charlene Dickerson

The isn't exactly a recipe, but I wasn't sure where else to put it at the moment. It's so cute and a lot of people sent it in to me!

Red is for the blood He gave.

Green is for the grass He made.

Yellow is for the sun so bright.

Orange is for the edge of night.

Black is for the sins we made.

White is for the grace He gave.

Purple is for His hour of sorrow.

Pink is for our new tomorrow.

An egg full of jelly beans, Colorful and Sweet

Is a prayer, a promise, A loved one's treat!!

Charlene Dickensen, 1997

We then put a jelly bean of each of the above colors in a plastic egg to take home and tell of Jesus' love!

Old Scripture Cake

Contributed by Helen. Thank-you!

The famous “OLD SCRIPTURE” cake. If you know your Bible well, this will pose no problems. If you don’t know it quite that well, the translation will be at the end of the recipe.

********************
CAKE

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Genesis 18:8
• 1 1/2 cup Jeremiah 6:20
• 5 Isaiah 10:14 (separated)
• 3 cups sifted Leviticus 24:5
• 3 teaspoons 2 Kings 2:20
• 3 teaspoons Amos 4:5
• 1 teaspoon Exodus 3:23
• 1/4 teaspoon each 2 Chronicles 9:9
• 1/2 cup Judges 4:19
• 3/4 chopped Genesis 43:11
• 3/4 cup finely cut Jeremiah 24:5
• 3/4 cup 2 Samuel 16:1
• Whole Genesis 43:11

Directions:

• Cream Genesis 18 with Jeremiah 6. Beat in yolks of Isaiah 10, one at a time. Sift together Leviticus 24; 2 Kings 2; Amos 4; Exodus 30; and 2 Chronicles 9.
• Blend into creamed mixture alternately with Judges 4. Beat whites of Isaiah 10 till stiff; fold in. Fold in chopped Genesis 43; Jeremiah 24; and 2 Samuel 16. Turn into 10-inch tube pan that has been greased and dusted with Leviticus 24.
• Bake at 325 degrees F until it is golden brown or Gabriel blows his trumpet, whichever happens first. Bake for an hour and ten minutes. Remove from oven. After fifteen minutes, remove it from the pan. Cool completely. Drizzle over it some Burnt Jeremiah Syrup.

************************************
BURNT JEREMIAH SYRUP

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Jeremiah 6:20
• 1/2 cup Genesis 24:45
• 1/4 cup Genesis 18:8

Directions:

• Melt Jeremiah 6 in a heavy skillet over low heat. Keep cooking it till it is a deep gold, then add Genesis 24. Cook till smooth and remove from the heat. Add Genesis 18 and stir till it melts, then cool.
• After drizzling this on the Scripture Cake, you can decorate it with whole Genesis.
  

---

THE SCRIPTURE CAKE:

Genesis 18:8 “And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them.”

Jeremiah 6:20 “To what purpose cometh there to me frankincense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country.” (Sugar)

Isaiah 10:4 “And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples; and as one gathered eggs that are forsaken, have I gathered the earth.”

Leviticus 24:5 “And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof.”

2 Kings 2:20 “And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein.”

Amos 4:5 “And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim free will offerings and publish them.” (Baking Powder)

Exodus 30:23 “Take thou also, unto thee the chief spices; of flowering myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half as much.”

2 Chronicles 9:9 “And she gave the King a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance.”

Judges 4:19 “ And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk and gave him drink.”

Genesis 43:11 “Carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts and almonds.”

Jeremiah 24:5 “Thou saith Jehovah, God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I regard the captives of Judah whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good.”

2 Samuel 16:1 “And when David was a little past the top of the assent, behold, Ziba, the servant of Mephiboseth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred clusters of raisins.

Genesis 24:45 “And before I had done speaking in my heart, behold Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the fountain, and drew: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.”

KEY WORDS from the OLD SCRIPTURES:

butter, sweet cane, eggs, fine flour, salt, leavened, sweet cinnamon, spices, milk, almonds, figs, raisins, water.

Easter Blessings

This week my blog is dedicated to Easter
It was always a special time for my family.
I can still see my Mom making her dough .
She’d collect her coffee cans weeks ahead to be ready.
She got all her ingredients together and had such painstaking
Love and pride in making her Easter bread.
They were her babies and she’d hover over them and
roll them so they stayed nice and round

She would make three / four runs at it, so we’d have about 25
by the time she was through, all different sizes.
They tasted so wonderful .

She never gave away her recipes,
But people would call her and ask
to exchange one of hers for one of theirs.
She could have said no but she never did.
It was her pleasure to make people happy.

My job was to make the pysanky eggs to give away.



My Dad would have the job of going to St Lawrence Street to get the special bacon
which could be eaten as is, and the schmaltz herring, the best in the whole world.
He would get the cheese to make the special cheese dish made for this occasion.
And the polish garlic sausage that was sold in rings and other kolbassa’s. like Moishes smoked meat.
They sold caviar in glass jars. It was always fresh.
Fresh salt was also included on the list.

You could never beat Montreal’s, St Lawrence Street, where food was concerned in those days.
The smells filled the street as you walked from store to store.
The old people knew their stuff and the secrets died along with them.
I have never tasted a bagel or a cheese knish, poppy seed danish or even rye bread, as good as the way
these people made them. Their stores never cried for customers.
They came in hoards and there was always enough.

The ovens baked continuously. People worked quickly.
It was a question of pride for them.
Being war survivors, food was important to enjoy.
And very few people were fat.

Preparing for Easter was a very big thing for our family
We always had a beautiful basket to take to church to be blessed.

Every family went out of their way for their baskets and it brought people
together because we could compare notes,
have nice things to talk about and share.

Today it is all changed. We throw away so many good traditions which are important
to raise good families.
We set examples for our children to follow and if nothing is important
to us, then nothing is important to them either.

So I dedicate this week to Easter.
I dedicate it to the Love this man Jesus, brought into my life.

I thank him for sending me to be born, live with and understand war survivors
who raised me to be a good person, and kept me ignorant of the ugliness
they had to go through, so I could have a child hood.
They could have been bitter but instead they learned what it meant to be alive
how to love, and how special every day is.

Though they may be gone, I carry them in my heart and soul and every day
I feel their presence all around me.
I see their eyes and their smiles.
I miss them
I miss their sunshine but I am happy knowing that where they are today
is a blessed place.
:)

Joy of Easter.

Easter is a beautiful ceremony in the

Russian /Ukrainian Orthodox Religion.

If people have a chance to go see one such ceremony it is worth their while

The church is all decked out. Christs’ coffin is there, surrounded by candles, white lilies and other flowers

The candles are lit and the whole place looks and smells so holy with incense.


The ceremony is an all night mass and people have to stand as there are no benches or chairs.

Maybe some churches have benches I don’t know. Old people sit up front.

Women on the left and men on the right

I guess you are allowed to bring your own chair.

The choir is unbelievably beautiful

People get their blessings

There is a procession around the block with candles.
Then the church gives every one a hard boiled colored egg.

When Christ has risen every one rejoices and lots of kissing takes place
and then everyone goes downstairs to bless the
Easter bread, cheese, kolbassa’s and eggs basket.

This is the best part because then you exchange your eggs with friends and strangers.

Every one is happy on this day.

You get home around 5 am just in time for breakfast and you feast on the food that was just blessed.

It gives you a very glowing feeling to know that today you

Took part with Mother Mary, in the death and resurrection of her beloved son,
the son of God.
You cried with her and you rejoiced with her.

There is not one Mother there, who doesn’t feel the trials and tribulations of a Mother’s broken heart.
There is not one Mother who doesn’t feel the glory of God as he gives back to her the son she thought she would never see hear or speak to again.

It is a miracle and those who have known pain, sickness and hopelessness, can once

again believe that with God’s help, good things do happen.

When you get home, the air smells fresher, the flowers seem brighter, and life seems to have turned a new page

You have a fresh outlook, new ideas and a new reason for living.

This is why we have such traditions.
They are to remind us who we are and what is expected of us.

They remind us that just when things can seem so hopeless,

there is suddenly a light that shines upon your head

lightening the load in your soul and things don’t seem so dark anymore.

You can soldier on and fix everything that’s broken.

People chant thrice

Christ has Risen! Christ Has Risen! Christ has Risen!

Rejoice man kind, for Christ has risen for you.


:)

We Are Forgiven

One must never forget why Adam and Eve were thrown out of paradise.They disobeyed God and God was angry but he understood why they did what they did.
God loved man and he had faith in him but God also wanted man to have faith in him. God showed man good will by letting him go.

Man is worthy if he follows Jesus.
Man is worthy if he doesn't follow Jesus.
Jesus asked his Father to forgive us for we know not what we do.
Jesus forgave Juda for betraying him and Juda knew that he knew.
Imagine how this must have played in his head?
Jesus forgave Mary Magdaline.
Jesus forgave the crucified criminals.

Jesus's last words were: Father, why have you forsaken me?
But he was resurrected so again, God came through for him and for mankind.
Jesus was not forsaken as neither will man be.

This is the story that Christianity is based on......Hope .....Faith.

It has always been a question of trust and faith which Adam and Eve did not have.

The Christian religion is ingenious. There is none like it in the world.

Of course there will always be false prophets and we are warned about them and told to use our heads.
Isn't this true freedom, to be given a right to decide for ourselves and time to make the right decision through coming to an understanding?

In the end, God will show us TRUTH and we will be educated.
This is why God doesn't fear the devil because the devil is not about TRUTH but its' manipulation.
The thing about TRUTH is that, in the end, you must either understand it or self destruct because you can't.
This is the way our minds were constructed by God.
He knows who we are.

That is the plan but first God is giving us time to do what we need to do to obtain understanding because it is important to us, not to him.

God recognized man's need to understand first before he could himself be trusted by man.Being smart he must have known that there is only so much arguing one can do with oneself lol
If God was ever to have a friend and not be ONE, it had to be based on truth.
We do not know the whole story behind that.
We only know God did not want to be alone.

In the end, it is between man and God as it was between Jesus and God.

Religion isn't about clothing, food, torture or judgement. These directions were given to us because we did not know about germs or dust or social etiquette etc... elements which were harmful to us not to know. Since then man has progressed.

Religion is about forgiveness and love.
How do you judge a humble shepherd leading innocent lambs?

When you have peace because you understand, it is better than begetting peace through the sword.
Man is like a dog or horse who would give its life for someone it loves but will never risk losing its life to help an owner, if the owner is harsh and beats it.

This is why I believe in Jesus.

He had a message of TRUTH I think was worth sending forward .
His Truth crosses generations because some things just never change.
It doesn't matter who you are or what station you hold in life, there is something
for every one, found in the teachings of a humble shepherd.

AND

we are all forgiven.
We were forgiven the day God let Adam and Eve live.

:)

Happy Palm Sunday

A Lady's Life

Wants to wish everyone a Happy Palm Sunday.
We remember the sacrifice made by God's only son,

Jesus.

He was willing to die, so man could live.

A Lamb among Kings.

We pray mankind is worthy of his Love,

His Death

and

His Resurrection

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Scary - but Not Beyond Imagination

 

We took a drive to Mickey Dees, after getting the munchies .
It was after midnight and this place and Denny’s was still open.

It was disturbing to see a woman, with the little that she had, stuffed in a car,
sleeping in the parking lot. It seems she is doing this regularly.

It was also scary because if this person was living in such dire straights so
close to your home, how long would it be before more
and more people end up living this way?
We already have so many in Vancouver.
Could this be a growing trend which will one day include you and your children?

She must not have drug problems because she had a drivers license.
So it must be attributed to nothing short of bad luck.
It’s hard to find a place to go when the traditional family is destroyed and
government teaches people to depend on it instead.
Government can’t do much for you.
To ask government or credit companies or banks for help,
is to sell your soul.
Our system is not a “for sale” system but an “interest” system.

Looking at our banking system , it seems to be clearer and clearer that the business,
is not in the business of
providing people shelter in real estate, but in amassing interest from material
things people need, like shelter. That’s why they lease cars instead of selling them.
They are not interested in cash sales.

Interest systems, create a huge difference in the cost of living because people
need to make bigger salaries to cope,
which means prices need to get higher.

In spite of all the criticism about Mickee Dees and Walmart not paying people well,
I saw last night, that they did provide a service other places wouldn’t.
They provided this woman a relatively safe place to park and spend the night.

Hopefully she has a job during the day or maybe she collects social services
But one thing for sure, we didn’t have such things in the 40’s when we had a full scale
Depression. No one lived on the streets in those days.
Every one had families to take them in.

There are just some things that should not be played with and they include the
traditional family and shelter.
Families need to have a secure place to raise their families and banks
Are crossing the line here when they begin to play with peoples homes.
That’s sacrilege.

Banks have to know, that when they give a mortgage, it is for a 25 year period.
To change this would mean soaring house prices which in the end
become unaffordable for most people who then need to live in suitcases.

A new way will have to be found to live then.
Maybe people will buy bigger cars and live at Walmart or Micky Dees
or maybe they will have a tent or shack
they can open up on their car roof or maybe they can pull a utility trailer they can convert
into a home at night and park close to their place of work or parking lot.

Is this the future we are looking at?
It is appalling to think so.
Instead of attacking businesses like Walmart and McDonalds, maybe people should
Reflect on where price increases are heading?
Maybe price increases may soon lead to a system collapse where by to buy even
Food on interest could cost you a life of slavery.

Hmmmm
Scary thought but not beyond imagination.