LESSONS FROM THE COOKIE DOUGH...

I turned 60 this year...the age where you are most definitely on the down-hill slide (an assumption based on the fact that I don't know any 120 year-olds). The point where you can no longer pretend that you will "clean up your act" next year. The point where you need to start eating and acting like an adult (well, at least eating like one).

It has long been a tradition in our family to make cut-out Christmas cookies. When I was a young mom, I loved it so much that I developed my own recipe because I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. Things of beauty, they were. Melt-in-your-mouth they were. DELICIOUS!

This year, since we weren't with the girls for Christmas, I decided to bake the cookies and mail them to Seattle. I just could not, though, force myself to put Crisco in them. Just reading the word made my arteries shudder in fear. So I substituted "lite" Parkay. You could tell a difference, but they were still pretty tasty.

For home, though, I decided to really "clean up" the recipe:
Splenda instead of sugar
Egg Beaters instead of eggs
"lite" Parkay instead of Crisco and margarine

INTERESTING best describes the outcome. However, I did glean some wisdom from my experiment (and adventure):
1. Above substitutions do NOT produce a dough suitable for cutout cookies. (no prob...flat, round cookies will do just fine)
2. Above substitutions do not even produce a dough that resembles dough...ADD MILK
3. The term "sticky bread dough" is a necessary part of any vocabulary used to describe results of this adventure.
4. Eye-balling "walnut sized blobs of dough" to be made into spheres will NOT produce uniform sized balls of cookie dough.
5. Rolling them in Splenda does help the stickiness, but putting the bowl of Splenda on the burner is NOT the best idea unless you want to do some cleaning of the drip pan.
6. Taking the rings off BEFORE rolling the dough into balls is a much better idea than taking them off AFTER said rolling has been done.
7. Finished product does not even VAGUELY RESEMBLE sugar cookies. They resemble...uhhhhh....ummmmmm....welll, they DON'T resemble sugar cookies!
8. Adding this recipe to "recipes that turned out well enough to make again" is a great idea...NOT!!!!

AND

not actually related to the cookies, but just FYI, when the spout of the soft soap has "build-up" in it, the soap tends to squirt on the shirt instead of into the hand.

And now I think I'll go have a "cookie."

Holiday HUGZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

into

I'm moving into the 21st century...have created a page on Facebook. Supposedly I can import my blog. Let's see if this works.

GOD'S AWESOME AUTUMN 2008

NOSTALGIA

Went to a luncheon today for the Methodist District Conference. During the program, the praise team led the group in 3 songs. During one of them, the instruments stopped, and it was just the group singing, filling the room with such beautiful sounds. It transported me back to the college days of Baptist Student Union retreats and conferences...to the overwhelming feelings of love and being blessed. It transported me back to a retreat at HEB foundation camp...driving through the river to get to the camp...hiking in God's glorious hills...swimming in Blue Hole, ice cold and crystal clear...sleeping on bunks with such sagging springs that you had to do major climbing to get up and out of the bunk. And then...on the last night...sitting out under the stars with a few dear friends and the guy I was crazy about...and suddenly we all started singing "God Is So Good." That has been a special song to me ever since.

It transported me back to an awesome Conference...Mission 70...in Atlanta, Georgia. A huge auditorium of young adults all singing the song written especially for the occasion. I still remember the words. ..."oh help me Lord to find my place...in God's world today." (Funny, that's what we're all still searching for, isn't it.) An amazing conference...strong feelings of conviction...such life shaping events.

And then I returned to the present...back to the "here and now." I found myself awash with the longing to just once more be able to revisit and recapture those amazing feelings when the heart overflowed with love and the conviction to be totally selfless was overwhelming. I guess I will just have to settle for the nostalgia...the nostalgia and its accompanying mixed emotions...joy and gratitude for having had the experiences, but sadness that I will never again be able to experience them. I've often heard it said that you can never go home again. I know that's right, but in this case, I would love to try.

MUM'S THE WORD

Nope, I'm not trying to tell you to shush...I'm talking about all the great fall colors as the mums begin to bloom. I just love it when there is "a touch of fall in the air."

Today was a good day. It wasn't overly cool, but it was overcast and blowy...kind of like "blustery"...so I was able to convince myself that fall is close by. And indeed I think it is. The high temps for almost all of next week are in the 70s!!!! I LOVE IT!

I have some cool pumpkin pictures to show you...just as soon as I figure out which memory card they're on. I rounded up all of my memory cards tonight to look for a batch of missing pictures, and now I'm not sure which one has the pumpkin pictures on it. But never fear, I will find them!!!!

Slideshow came together nicely. The really nice thing about showing it on the big screen at church is that you don't see all the "noise" and imperfections that show up on the computer monitor. That's close enough to "editing" the pictures to make me happy! Only glitch to the finish of the project was when my slideshow program informed me that I don't have a CD drive on my computer. Uhhhh...yes I do. See...it's right there!!!! [pointing to the CD drive] But alas, there was no convincing it, so I had to resort to Plan B. Now that all of that is behind me, I can work on some of my other projects that have been waiting in the wings.

Other tidbits from the week:

I was quite annoyed on Thursday night to find out they had killed off Warrick Brown (CSI) without consulting me first. I have seen every episode of that silly show---MULTIPLE TIMES; surely that should have given me some special privileges, don't you think? BUT NO! I had to find it out when they aired the show just like everyone else....HOW RUDE!

I have decided our house is haunted. I wouldn't have been able to make such a brilliant deduction had I not been faithfully watching "Hauntings" [TV show] for several years now. I have learned soooo much. What other explanation could there be for notebooks that disappear and directories that turn up in the wrong pile and missing batches of pictures????????????? YEP...HAUNTING HAS TO BE THE ANSWER!

And now, since it is past midnight, I shall bid you a fond adieu.

Lovies and huggies to all!!!!

NO DOUBT

The jury has returned. The verdict is in. There is no longer any doubt whatsoever. It is totally and completely out of my ability to do a project simply!!!

Yep, I'm in the midst of yet another of my projects. (Not my idea this time, but I once again failed to say "no.") You know the projects I'm talking about. The ones where it is supposed to be "no big deal"...just a little something...keep it simple, but I am on my third day, full-time--and it isn't finished yet.

"Just a simple little slideshow," they said. Just a little something to show a bit of the church's history; something to be played before each of the services one Sunday during the stewardship emphasis. But simple isn't in my vocabulary. "Little" never applies to my projects. Audience or not, it doesn't matter. And so I am compiling a slideshow which pretty much shows the complete history of the church. Pictures of the progression through the years. Pictures of the buildings and the leaders and the people. Researching as I go, of course. But it'll be cool when it's finished, even if I AM the only one who ever sees all of it.

I'll let you know when the smoke clears and the dust settles.

TECHNOLOGY...JUST GOTTA LOVE IT!

This has been one of those days...one of those days when technology and I have locked horns...one of those days when technology wins by leaps and bounds.

Need to rip a track from a CD? No problem...should take about 5 minutes. It took 3 hours!!!! (new programs and hidden commands, in case you're wondering!)

Need to send email to a friend...a friend to whom you send mail all the time? BOUNCY, BOUNCY...4 TIMES!!!

Need a new title line for a new web page? No prob...you have a template and notes. But where the heck are some of the settings listed on the notes???????????

Need bad weather for your NOA weather alert machine to go off? Heck NO!!! You just have to be breathing on days like this, and it will "come alive"...not with warnings but with nice loud static!!!

I can hardly wait to see what the rest of the day will bring!

WORDS

One of my favorite things to do each night is to read my niece's blog. She writes beautifully...and says a great deal with her words. Tonight's blog was about the power of words, which of course started me on a trip down Memory Lane...all the way back to some of the nicknames I had in elementary school. I assure you they weren't terms of endearment. I remember them vividly to this day. They did indeed hurt my feelings...and they did indeed have an influence on the way I felt about myself.

Her blog went on to say that that is often carried to excess these days with folks being "offended" when no offense was intended. And I agree with her. There is a lot of absurdity these days.

But I do think we need to be ultra aware of the power our words have on those who hear them...while at the same time being willing to "forgive" those who have a tendency to accidentally put their foot in their mouth...such as the "someone" who created this blog!!!

BUSY

Wow, September is 2/3 gone. Fall arrives officially next week, again without my being ready for the big day. (have I mentioned that I'm still trying to get my "ducks in a row" so 2008 can begin???)

The past month has gone by in a blur. We have family reunioned, CLEANED (and I mean REALLY CLEANED) the house except for my closet, the computer room and the laundry room, and had a wonderful visit with daughter and her beau. It's been a great time with lots accomplished. I will try diligently not to let it become habit.

While daughter was here we visited the Brown Ranch in Christoval which is a Wildlife Habitat with lots and lots of hummingbirds. We hiked, we watched the birds and deer and wild turkeys, we played games, we cooked outside, and we had a fabulous time. Oh, and we (using that pronoun very loosely) took lots of pictures. I can definitely see a return visit happening in the spring!!!



Today I spent the day updating the church's website. I was about a month behind in doing that. You just can't get good help anymore! All is spiffy and up-to-date now...all ready for the beginning of the fall season.

Tomorrow I will do whatever I decide I'm the furthest behind on...probably the stewardship slide show that is due in a couple of weeks. I still cling to the fantasy of being totally caught up on my projects, but I'm not at all sure I'll live that long!

Our weather has been beautiful. Our animals are all HEALTHY! I have a clean house. I'm slowly catching up on projects. All is right with the world.

Have fun on your wilderness hike, ACM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lovies and huggies to all!!!

ITS TURN...

After reading about vacuums and features, reading about a million on-line reviews, and shopping for 4 days, I have finally purchased a new vacuum cleaner. A thing of beauty, it is!!! Lots of cool features but moderately priced. BLUE! I have read the manual and taken it for a test run. NOW...I'm going to go set it in the middle of the back bedroom and tell it to "do its thing!" IT'S ITS TURN NOW!!!!!

I'VE BEEN...

I've been composing postings for my blog during the past few weeks, they just haven't made it to the blog. Minor detail!!! Let's see if I can summarize things.

I enjoyed the Olympics. I even stayed up until the wee hours a couple of times watching volleyball. You'd think the teams could have whipped out their wins a bit earlier, wouldn't you! I think the Olympics went very smoothly. I love all the athletes coming together in harmony. I love striving to be the best you can be. I don't like the heartbreak for those who lose a race by .01 of a second. And...I can't help thinking about how many people could be fed...and housed...with the 40 billion Beijing spent to "show off."

The public schools have started. For the first time in I can't remember when, I didn't buy any school supplies. I have never outgrown my love of school supplies, especially when I get fantastic deals on them. In fact, you could probably make a pretty good case for saying that I'm addicted to them! But...I still have a "stash" of folders (8 cents each, I'll have you know!), notebook paper (50 cents a package), and spiral notebooks(some ridiculously low price). We have no students living here anymore, the dogs just don't seem interested, and I can only use so many spiral notebooks!!!

Took our weekly trip to the vet today. Older dog who has had multiple strokes has a swollen leg and fluid-filled place on chest and wasn't even coming out of the doghouse this morning. I was fearing another stroke had caused her to fall out of the doghouse and twist or break her leg. Fast forward to this afternoon...she was limping but getting around. Major infection in leg...antibiotics and steroids...but not another stroke!!! That is a good thing.

Right now I am thinking that...
There's no way my "reunion projects" will be finished before the reunion--
I will NEVER be finished editing pictures--
My house will never again be totally clean...not EVER!!!!!

lovies and huggies to all!!!!!

NEW

New cartoons posted August 9, '08.

MISTY

I am such a silly ol' lady! Thursday night I found myself misty-eyed because the series So You Think You Can Dance was ending. It's a TV show, for goodness sake...but through the past several months, I've become quite fond of some of those kids.

I do realize, though, that the reason I enjoy the show so much is because of things that have nothing to do with the show itself. First of all, the dancing takes me back to those days when both girls took dancing. There are memories of recitals and getting costumes in order and trying to get the hair to look just right and scurrying to get costumes changed between dances...and, most of all, memories of bursting with pride because my daughter was the cutest, best dancer on the stage. (only a TAD prejudiced there!!!)

The other endearing quality of the show lies in the fact that younger daughter also loves it and is often watching it at the same time...all the way across the United States. We have fun talking about the dances and the dancers and how our opinions often aren't even close to those of the judges, not to mention those of "voting America."

I was sad to see this season of shows reach the finale, but all good things must come to an end. Now...BRING ON THE OLYMPICS!

JUST THE BLACK KEYS

I thought this was interesting AND informative. It's also a great reminder that God can use anyone, any time, any place!

DIDN'T REALIZE

Isn't it funny how sometimes we don't realize how much we've missed something until we get it back. I have spent the day making my new laptop "mine." I have all but one program installed and working (the "working" part is a definite plus!). Tonight I put my .mp3 files on lappy. They have been on an external for about a year now because I had maxed out the computer I was using. Something had to go...so "go" they did...all the way to the external drive on the table beside me. But...when I reloaded them tonight, it was as if old friends had come home. I had missed Andy without realizing how much. And I had missed all the others who used to serenade me while I was "computing."

I remember another episode along these lines. Younger daughter left for college in the fall of 2002. She (and her sister) had been my "focus" for the previous 18+ years. My "baby." Everyone (including her!) said I would have to get a life of my own now. And "get a life" I did. In fact, I was quite proud of how smoothly I transitioned into an "empty nest." No tears. No distress. Just branching out to do more volunteer work (so I would have an excuse NOT to clean house!!!). But then it was October and she was coming home for her first visit since she left. I was delighted. I knew she would be so proud of the way I had handled her absence. But what did I do when I saw her? I got all teary eyed the minute she walked through the door! I just hadn't realized how much I had missed her.

She lives in the "Great Northwest" now, thousands of miles away. She doesn't walk through the door very often anymore. But in her absence, I will be enjoying the wonderful reunion Andy and I are having.
(that's Andy Williams, in case you're wondering)

lovies and huggies to all!

SMILING DOWN

I have decided that God is most definitely smiling down on our little household! Jelly Bean made it through yesterday just fine.

This morning Roy and I headed out and bought some super, duper heavy-duty dog clippers and proceeded to shave both of the dogs. It's not quite as good of a job as a professional groomer would have done, but it looks pretty dern good if you ask me!!! We have decided that if we are ever on the brink of starvation, we can just open a pet shaving business!!!!

JB was a bit squirmy, and we finally let her go when the majority of the hair was gone. Taffy went to sleep and slept through the whole thing. As soon as Taffy was finished, Bean decided maybe it wasn't so bad after all and came back over and plopped down at our feet for some more lovin' and shavin'. It was a fun time for all of us!!!

Not only that, out of Heaven only knows where, we are having rain today...with a predicted high of 95 instead of the triple digits predicted last night on the news.

I don't know if this will solve all of the problems...triple digit temps which will return tomorrow are still triple digit temps, but now I feel like I have done everything in my power to make our sweet Jelly Bean comfy and happy!

DECISIONS

To me, decisions are one of the most difficult parts of life. We have 2 of the sweetest dogs ever in our back yard. Golden Retrievers...with some Chow blood in them. The mother is 15; the daughter, Jelly Bean, is 13. Last summer JB started having strokes. We tried to head off the heat stroke this year by getting her "summer do" in April. But the hair has grown back...and she is too shaky to stand for grooming...and temps are consistently hitting triple digits. JB has started wobbling again, thankfully not as badly as before. I'm wondering if it's time to let her go. The part that worries me even more than letting her go is what will become of her 15 year old mother, Taffy. She won't know what to do all alone in the back yard. And...of course...the wobbles started right after dear sweet hubby left town.

So, for now, I'm going out every 30 minutes and pouring water over JB. She is covered in mud, but that's ok. DShubby will be back tonight. Tomorrow he and I are going to get "wild and crazy" with the scissors and get rid of some of that hair. I bought cippers a few years back, but they aren't strong enough for her coat.

Anyway, think of us as we try to decide when enough is enough...and what constitutes "quality of life" for the dogs. They still have each other...JB is still eating just fine...and walking around--not overly steady, but she gets where she wants to go. I have spent years feeling guilty that they weren't allowed to be house dogs because they are so loving, but my allergies just wouldn't allow it. So now I guess I'll shift gears and feel guilty about whatever I choose to do concerning JB.

Pets bring an amazing amount of love to a family. Unconditional love. It's the end that's so difficult.

REALITY

One of my younger daughter's friends has just begun an eleven month mission trip with World Race. She is blogging regularly. She writes beautifully, and her photography is outstanding. It is such a blessing to be able to share what God is doing through her. I especially liked the quote below:

"Ministry is not an act, it is the movement of the Holy Spirit in and through willing and prepared hearts. Ministry is to speak in Spiritual Love." -Nat

She also incorporated the quote below in her blog. I think it is a good one.

"Spiritual Love will meet the other person with the clear word of God and be ready to leave him alone with His word for a long time, willing to release him again in order that Christ may deal with him... Spiritual Love will speak to Christ about a brother more than to a brother about Christ. It knows that the most direct way to others is always through prayer to Christ and that love of others is wholly dependent upon truth in Christ." --Baunhoffer

GOOD SUNDAY, IT WAS!

Yep, today has been a good Sunday. I got up at the crack of....9:45. (but in fairness to myself, I must mention that I was up until 1:15 a.m. finishing photo projects for OTHERS). Anywho, before I let myself sit down I did the first 5 loads of laundry! Such an industrious soul, I am, I am. Of course, there are still 5 more loads that need to be done, but we just won't mention those. I have at least gotten all of the necessary clothes washed in case dear sweet hubby has to go to Dallas this week for work. Can't send him off with dirty clothes in his suitcase, now can I.

Speaking of dirty clothes in suitcases, did you know that that is a very efficient way to pack???? Just ask my daughters. They both load all of their dirty clothes in their suitcase and head for home (not very often, of course, since they live all the way across the U.S....but when they do come.) It is their way of telling their Mom that they still need her!!! What's that???? There is another explanation? I don't want to hear it; just let me have my moments!

I will leave you with today's ASTUTE OBSERVATIONS:

1. Cell phones are wonderful and easy to use...such marvels of technology. But they are cranky, too. Just plugging the cord into the phone doesn't seem to be enough to make them happy enough to charge. They expect the other end of the cord to be plugged into the outlet. PICKY, PICKY, PICKY

2. Cathye needs to write down her nuggets of wisdom when they happen because by the end of the day chances are good she will have forgotten. I'll let you know tomorrow if I remember the other Astute Observation from today!

lovies and huggies to all!!!

WHEW

Miracle of miracles...my email program is all set up on my new computer!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's beginning to feel like MY computer now. Still squishes my legs, but that, too, will be under control one of these days.

One of my video projects is finished, too.

Now what will I use as an excuse to not do the laundry???????????