Jesus Directed To Prepare The Passover

Have you ever celebrated Pesach or Passover as Jesus did with His apostles for The Last Super?

Pictured here are samples of the Seder Plates used for the Passover dinner. Our church and several other churches in our area celebrate the seder meal each year and several newspaper articles have been written about it in the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News. Has this Jewish celebration been adopted by your church, I wonder? If you are Jewish, I’d love to hear about your memories or what you look forward to each year during Passover.

Visit Amy at The 160 Acre Woods for more Word-Filled Wednesday Participants.

In Memoriam, Helena, ‘Thrice Blessed Momma’ Passes

We have lost one of our blogging sisters. A young mother of 5-year-old triplets has passed away only 2 years after the passing of her husband. These dear babies, Zoe, Madison and Jonathan, now have no parents. It was a sudden death and the family does not yet know the cause.

Helena of Thrice Blessed Momma had written in her next to last post, “I’m exhausted! This goes way beyond being tired. More than PCOS tired. More than SAHM of Triplets tired. More than I need to lose some (okay, lots of) weight tired. This is even more than PCOS-triplets-I need to lose weight tired. This is that and so much more. Deep in your bones tired. If I had no children and no responsibilities at all and could stay in bed and sleep for a month, I don’t think it would help. And it’s not depression either.”

And yes, the red type is hers, not mine. While her entire blog was in the traditional black type, this post was in bright red, crying out for help.

The family will be putting her blog into a book for her children. They are also interested in collecting memories for the book, and Helena’s cousin wrote in the comments section of Robin’s blog at Around the Island, “I can be reached via e-mail at samantha_edelman@hotmail.com. Please pass the word.”  Whether or not you knew Helena through her blog, years from now, when these babies are older, I’m sure it would please them to see many comments from all over the blogosphere in support of their dear mommy, whom they might only barely remember since they are so young.

I’ve only today discovered Helena’s blog through Robin’s blog post, but it has touched me. She had a good blog, and it was full of love for her children and her husband. I encourage you to visit her blog as friends would visit a memorial. Her blog can be a virtual memorial so that through blog hit statistics her family and her children can see how much she was loved too and how much blogosphere sisters (and brothers too!) care about each other.

Please do take the time.

“Insanity is hereditary. You can catch it from your kids.”

 

Happy Thursday, everyone!  For more participants be sure to visit Thursday Thirteen.

Today would be Erma Bombeck’s birthday.  She was born February 21, 1927 and died April 22, 1996. The newspaper columnist made us laugh at life’s idiosyncrasies for three decades through her syndicated column and her bestselling books like “If Life Is A Bowl Of Cherries, What Am I Doing In The Pits?”

1. Insanity is hereditary. You can catch it from your kids.
2. Thanks to my mother, not a single cardboard box has found its way back into society. We receive gifts in boxes from stores that went out of business twenty years ago.
3. Did you ever notice that the first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone?
4. Getting out of the hospital is a lot like resigning from a book club. You’re not out of it until the computer says you’re out of it.
5. Housework, if you do it right, will kill you.
6. When a child is locked in the bathroom with water running and he says he’s doing nothing but the dog is barking, call 911.
7. If you can’t make it better, you can laugh at it.
8. It is not until you become a mother that your judgment slowly turns to compassion and understanding.
9. It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.
10. On vacations: We hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies, and the sand out of our belongings.
11. When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me”.
12. One thing they never tell you about child raising is that for the rest of your life, at the drop of a hat, you are expected to know your child’s name and how old he or she is.
13. Seize the moment. Think of all those women on the ‘Titanic’ who waved off the dessert cart.

Inhumane Conditions In The Slaughterhouse Since 1993?? They Told Us California Cows Were Happy Cows!!

With this week-end’s meat recall, 143 million pounds of beef, the largest recall in history, comes an even more disturbing possibility. A video has surfaced that shows inhumane conditions may have occurred since 1993. That’s 15 years!! Did the government do anything to safeguard that consumers eat healthy food? Did the greedy big business slaughterhouse have the least thought about the public school children who would eat tainted meat? Are California cows happy cows as the advertising slogan claims? You decide.

Check out Tad Cronn’s article and look at the video he posted.

Fast, Easy Valentine Hearts For Breakfast or Anytime

This Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday so a special breakfast for your family might seem impossible, but not if you follow these quick and easy tips. Armed with my heart shaped cookie cutters of varying sizes I can show my heartfelt sentiments with morning canapes which are some of the easiest and fastest things you can possibly make.

These ideas can also be easily adapted into sandwiches for the lunch boxes (children LOVE them) or appetizers for your romantic dinner for two or even include all your children to celebrate your family’s love.

Here’s just a sampling of the variations you can make in little more time than it takes for your toaster to pop up.

Cut your favorite brand of store-bought waffles, English muffins or sliced bread with your heart-shaped cookie cutters. Toast, and add your favorite savory or sweet toppings. If your topping is not spreadable, use your cookie cutters again!

• Sweet:
• Jelly/Jam especially red ones to keep with the Valentine theme such as strawberry, cherry, or plum;
• Sugar and cinnamon;
• Lemon curd;
• Peanut butter or peanut butter and jelly;
• Butter;
• Apple sauce or apple butter;
• Cream cheese;
• Whipped cream and red sugar sprinkles;
• Nuttela (chocolate and hazelnut spread);
• Or to be totally decadent, an ice cream Sunday with a heart waffle or two on the side.

• Savory:
• Pate or braunschweiger;
• Canadian bacon;
• Ham;
• Shredded or sliced cheese; (shredded will melt faster in your toaster over)
• Minced sun-dried tomatoes;
• Turkey;
• Pastrami or any other deli meats;
• Egg (such as scrambled or over easy, etc.)
• Roasted bell peppers (they come right out of a jar these days);
• Herb cheese spread such as Rondele or Alouette;
• Lox (smoked salmon);
• Marinated mushrooms;
• Marinated artichoke hearts.

I’m sure I missed lots of great toppings, so let us know your great ideas too.

And for the scraps left over from those heart cutouts, some very lucky dogs will love you, or you can save them for your next turkey stuffing.

WFMW & Thursday 13: Our Purpose Driven Lives

The Lenten season is approaching quickly.  For the past two years while I was working at my church I have used the book “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren to prepare for Easter by reading his book and reflecting on his 40-day spiritual journey.  I found different insights each year as I have grown and changed.  It worked for me so well that I want to repeat it for a third year, and for 2008 I hope you’ll join me on-line.  I highly recommend this book which according to Publishers Weekly has become “the bestselling nonfiction hardback book in history.”  So come find out why with me and my other readers.  If you don’t already own it, you can check it out from your local library when the time comes, or you can purchase it.

If you’re interested in “The Purpose Driven Life,” please join me for the 40 days of lent as we go through each of the 4o short chapters one day at a time.  I will start the discussion with the introduction on February 6th (Ash Wednesday) and we will continue for the next 40 days during lent, finishing on March 17th (St. Patrick’s Day), just in time for Holy Week and with God’s help we will be prepared for a new purpose driven life during the Easter Season.   (I will continue my other posts as well.)

Here are 13 of many more discussion questions taken from Warren’s book:

1. What do you feel most people’s lives are driven by?
2. What has been the driving force in your life?
3. How is friendship with God similar to any other friendship, and how is it different?
4. What fears surface when you think of surrendering your complete life to Christ?
5. What are the barriers that keep us from loving and caring for other believers?
6. Is there someone you need to restore a relationship with that we could pray with you about?
7. Where in your spiritual growth are you having to be patient because there seems to be little progress?
8. How has God used pain and trouble to help you grow?
9. What do you love to do that you could use to serve others in the family of God?
10. How does comparing ourselves with others keep us from fully developing our unique shape?
11. What do you feel might be a part of the Life Message that God has given you to share with the world?
12. How has reading through this book together refocused or redirected you life purpose?
13. What have been some of the most helpful insights to you?

For more participants, head over to Shannon’s Rocks In My Dryer, and to Thursday Thirteen.  And if you’ve missed some of my previous posts, just click below.

• Hit The Road, Junk!
• Cleaning Supplies In Every Room
• Large desk calendar inside guest closet
• How Do You Organize Your Home?
• Thank You Note How-To And Samples
• New Year Resolution And Thank You Notes
• Organizing Household Resources In An Address Book
• Organized In The New Year
• Put Used Christmas Cards To Good Use
• Bookcases at the Breaking Point?
• Organizing Household Binder
• Trading Card Storage
• Freezer Solution
• Child’s haircut without tears
• Homemade bread stuffing
• Plastic colander bath toy drainer/holder
• Reuse plastic grocery bags in the car
• How to increase Web site traffic?
• 16 Blog/Web site tips
• Toy storage
• Every Cookie Recipe Imaginable
• Egg Tip
• Holiday Decorating Tips and Ideas

Dear Readers

Due to post-holiday travel and illness, InfinityGoods will be taking a brief break but will be back shortly, hopefully next week. Best new year wishes to you all, and see you soon.

— InfinityGoods (posted by husband/tech guy Mr. Goods)

Adopt The Tradition of the Feast Of The Magi And The French Galette Des Rois Recipe

French families have an Epiphany tradition to celebrate the Magi each January 6. Even non-religious families celebrate because they have such fond childhood memories and the galette, a covered almond tart or pie, is so good that they just can’t leave it only to the Christians.

I think you should adopt it too because your children will love the game (adults enjoy it too) and all your taste buds will rejoice. The recipe is easy and fast too if you don’t have a French bakery near you.

You’ll have to “draw a king.” After a fancy holiday dinner, everyone eats the Galette Des Rois (Mages). Inside the covered pie is a “feve” or a small ceramic figure or even just a fava bean or button. The figures are traditionally of the Baby Jesus, but can be of any of the nativity pieces, of a champagne bottle, a lucky clover, a horseshoe or anything symbolizing good luck for the New Year.

The mother or hostess cuts and serves the pie pieces while the youngest child gets under the table or simply closes his eyes to tell the server to whom each piece should go to without being able to peek at the little hidden figure.

When someone finds the figure, they are crowned King or Queen and everyone toasts to them with Champagne or non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider, and none will prevent you from drinking soda or milk if you prefer. Each time the King drinks everyone says “The King drinks!”

Then that person discretely places the figure in the glass of someone of the opposite sex so that the King has a Queen or vice versa. Everyone waits for the Queen to find her figure in her glass and when she drinks, everyone says “The Queen drinks!” The King and Queen wear their crowns all evening.

When children are participating, the mother strategically makes sure that one of the children gets the treasured figure. Should a parent accidentally become King, that parent should make a child the Queen (or King or Prince), NOT his spouse.

The game is rigged, but the gullible children have no idea and believe that each year they are just the luckiest kids in the whole wide world and it makes them quite happy and excited. It also boosts their self-esteem in a safe manner. You could crown all the children or even everyone present too.

When the game is played only among adults, it is often agreed upon that the King or Queen will host the Feast of the Magi the following year or bring next year’s galette or pie to the party, and everyone looks forward to more good times among good friends or family.

Whether children or adults, the King and the Queen are supposed to have good luck all year long!

You will need 2 crowns. Your children can easily make them out of paper and decorate them by drawing jewels or using stickers or gluing plastic jewels or sequins. It’s an easy and fun craft. Otherwise you can find crowns from the most basic paper to fancy gold plastic or even velvet ones at a party or costume store.

For the figure you can use a bean or a button. Be sure to warn everyone so there is no tragic chocking! If you decide to play each year, you can even buy tiny figures on-line like the ones in the photo or even outside France at some French bakeries. E-Bay also auctions them as they have become collectibles.

Here’s the recipe:

Galette Des Rois
For 4-6 people

• 2 circles of store-bought puff pastry
• 1 1/2 cup of powdered almonds
• 1 1/2 stick of butter (melted)
• 3 eggs
• 1 heaping cup of granulated sugar
• Natural flavoring to taste such as orange flower water, rose water, pure vanilla extract, rum, Amaretto or Grand Marnier

Mix the sugar, butter, 2 eggs, almonds and your chosen flavoring. Evenly spread the mixture on one of the puff pastry circles. Insert your “feve” or a button or bean, and cover with the second circle. Make a pleasant design on the top with the tip of a knife and paint with 1 egg yolk. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden at 325-350 degrees F. depending on your oven.

It is best served warm. You can also serve at room temperature.

Bon Appetit and Bonne Fete Des Rois!!

Thank-You Note How-To and Sample Ideas

It’s easy to write a thank-you note if you keep it short and simple. It doesn’t need to be long. It could even just be a small card preprinted with the words “Thank You” that you simply sign and mail. These days so few people send thank-you notes that you’ll really make someone’s day. Just keep it simple and keep it sincere, and it’s never too early to teach children to send a thank-you because even a newborn can draw a scribble.

Here are some samples:

• Thank you! I love it!
• Thank you for (fill in the blank). It was such a pleasant surprise on Christmas morning.
• You made my day! Thank you for the (fill in the blank).
• So sweet of you to remember that I like _____ . Thank you!
• Thank you for thinking of me. You are such a thoughtful person.
• Thank you for _____ . It will be so useful for _____ .
• I’m so lucky to have a friend like you. The _____ is fantastic. Thank you so much.
• Thank you doesn’t seem enough for a (fill in extravagant gift), but you leave me speechless.
• Thank you so much! You are great!
• Thank you for being so nice. I love the _____ .
• You couldn’t have picked better. Thank you.
• Thank you for _____ .
• Thank you so much!
• Sweets from a sweet person like you are twice as nice. Thank you for remembering me on (fill in occasion).
• Enjoyed your homemade treats. Thank you for taking the time to make (fudge, toffee, etc. fill in the blank).
• Thank you for thinking of me this Christmas (or appropriate occasion).
• I always love your gifts. Thank you for being such a special (fill in the blank, friend, mom, sister, etc.).
• Thank you. You’re the best.
• I will have so much fun (reading, eating, etc. fill in the blank appropriately). Thank you!
• Love it! Love you! Thank you!
• Thank you!

Pay It Forward With A Letter will give you more details on the lost art of letter writing. For more on why you should resolve to write thank you notes, see Time For The New Year And Thank Yous.

No Nativity For Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury says there was no virgin birth, no magi (only a legend), and no star, among other blabberings.  This is coming from a religious leader of the Christian faith, but since atheism keeps creeping into our churches, even an Archbishop no longer believes in the biblical nativity.  I found all the details on Tad Cronn’s blog, so head over there to read his editorial on the Archbishop’s heresy titled The Archbishop of Can’t Be: Atheism in the Church.