Category Archives: Steps on the Journey

Saving the best for last- Psalm 150

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Psalm 150

1 Praise the LORD.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.

This psalm is short and to the point.

Anywhere, everywhere= Praise the Lord.

Praise Him for His strength and greatness.

Praise Him with any instrument you can play.

Dance, dance – throw everything you have into

this session of praise.

Praise with with your first, last and every breath.

Don’t hold back- give way to the passion in your soul.

Do it NOW!

Do it always!

Don’t hold back-

Praise Him with loving abandon.


Making pizza and flounder…

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I’ve been so busy baking lately.

I decided to have a booth at River City Shop’s

Spring Fling, in Copley on Friday the 21st of May.

My booth is called Tea to Go-

So I’m making tea- and cakes and cookies,

and scones and sausage rolls and bear breads.

and quiche and tea sandwiches.

And some mini-trifles.

The idea is to pick up a treat and enjoy- now or later!

So – I’m baking and preparing.

Supper is not a main priority- for me.

For the guys- it’s #1 priority.

I made pizza last night-

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Jordan was pretty happy.

I told him I was making flounder tonight- and I did.

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Only I knitted it! 

He didn’t think I was very funny.

But I REALLY had a good time knitting this little fish!

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He’s not only cute- but in good taste, no?

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And I got my hair cut just in time for this unseasonable

hot weather!  80 degrees F- AND I baked most of the

day.

( I made Italian seeded sausage rolls and sausage links with

a blend of tomatoes and onions and green peppers sauteed to

top the sausage.)  And fresh asparagus picked from the garden with

ramps to flavor it, pan fried with a little olive oil, a salad and onion

rings. Not flounder, but still pretty good!)

I didn’t have time to take pictures of any of the quiche- I froze them as soon

as they cooled, but over the next week I’ll try to take some more pictures

and share some recipes.

Sons and grandsons

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Here is my son, Luke.

He came from a busy week of work to make a wonderful meal for his wife and I

for Mother’s Day!  We had baked sockeye salmon, roasted ramps and asparagus,

King Trumpet sauteed mushrooms, fresh lettuce salad with pear basalmic vinegar and

a marvelous Australian pepper olive oil, a selection of gouda and feta cheeses with

luscious olives and crusty fresh baked bread.  It was delicious.

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And here is Jordan, our youngest son- he just turned 25 last week.

What a treat to have both boys here to share this fine repast!

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Kieran was in such a happy mood- smiling a blessing at all around him-

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Grandpa sure enjoyed this time together!

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Aidan’s favorite is always the bread- foccacia and seven grain- this time.

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Although the fruit- mangos and raspberries- made everyone quite happy!

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Yes, everyone was quite happy.

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Even my husband.  Grumps, I mean Gramps!

Ramps and where to get them

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Ramps are wild onions.

They grow in wooded and damp areas in West Virginia, Ohio, and

probably most states in the Midwest.

The flavor is rather mild when you consider the reputation- and ,  in

my opinion, they aren’t any worse on the breath than any other

onion. 

Luke, Jordan and I bought some at Mustard Seed Market for

$5.99 a pound, so they certainly aren’t cheap.  (Although a lady

walking by as we picked ours out said we could go to Furnace Run,

in Richfield and pick them for free- except it is against the law to

pick things in the MetroParks.  So I don’t think I’ll be doing that.)

You could probably plant some and let then multiply in a quiet corner

of your garden- but they DO multiply- and then you pull up every

second plant.

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Cut off the root section, like you would a scallion, and any part of the

green that is discolored or damaged,

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layer them with some fresh asparagus, drizzle with olive oil, lemon

juice,sea salt and pepper and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes.

The result is slightly crunchy and sour and salty.

YUM!

JOY!!!

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Psalm 113

Hallelujah! You who serve God, praise God!
      Just to speak his name is praise!
   Just to remember God is a blessing—
      now and tomorrow and always.
   From east to west, from dawn to dusk,
      keep lifting all your praises to God!
4-9 God is higher than anything and anyone,
      outshining everything you can see in the skies.
   Who can compare with God, our God,
      so majestically enthroned,
   Surveying his magnificent
      heavens and earth?
   He picks up the poor from out of the dirt,
      rescues the wretched who’ve been thrown out with the trash,
   Seats them among the honored guests,
      a place of honor among the brightest and best.
   He gives childless couples a family,
      gives them joy as the parents of children.
   Hallelujah!

Happy Mother’s Day!

“Remember  God is a blessing-

now and tomorrow and always.”

The whole patriarchal language of the Bible

renders most of our references to God as “HE”-

MALE.  But there are other references that speak of a mother

figure- El Shaddai – being the most obvious in speaking of God

as a nursing mother.  Shad  meaning breast.

I love the imagery of our Mother/Father God who nurtures Her/His children.

God is our perfect parent.  And He shares the wealth by giving us children-

gives us joy as the parents of children.

My niece recently adopted a little boy.

He has become a welcome and essential  member of our family.

Happy Mother’s Day to Willow and Allyson, my favorite young mothers.

Happy Mother’s Day to Clarice, my heart mother, whom I love and honor and respect.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who are mothers- and know that particular blessing,

trial, and joy.

Hallelujah! 

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Perfect Mom faces!  I’m watching you- be careful- stop- don’t move-

What are you doing??? 

Fig and Hazelnut Bread

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My friend, Joanna, posted this bread on her blog , Zeb Bakes .

Only hers looks a lot better than mine.

It is so very good.  I kind of fudged on her recipe, because it is in grams and I 

am a firm believer in cups and ounces, tablespoons, and  Farenheit temperatures.

So this is my recipe.

3 cups bread flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup rye flour

1 or 2 TBSP soft butter

2 tsps sea salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tsps yeast

1 1/2 cups of sliced dried figs

1 cup partially chopped hazelnuts

1 TBSP fennel seed

(optional- 1/2 tsp finely minced rosemary)

Mix together flours and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour and

pour water and yeast into the well.  Mix the yeast (add 1/2 tsp sugar, to get it started)

and let it sit for a couple of minutes to prove the yeast.

Add butter and mix well, adding warm water to get a pliable dough- up to 3/4 cup more.

When the dough is well mixed, add the figs, hazelnuts and fennel.

Knead for about 10 minutes and then place in a well greased bowl and cover.

Let this raise for about 2 1/2 hours- poke it with your finger to make sure it is flexible.

Shape into a ball and place into a bowl that has a piece of parchment paper molded into it.

Raise for another hour and a half-preheat oven and cast iron kettle to 425 degrees F

and then carefully lift edges of parchment paper and place entire dough into kettle and

cover with a lid.  Bake for 25 minutes with lid on- then lower the heat to 375 and take off

the lid and bake another 20 minutes.

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It is great with butter, or toasted, and today we had ham sandwiches with it and they

were magnificent.

Phone calls that take you back-

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 Adam Jr (3) Pauline 1920

Ha –ha!  Not this far back!  My Uncle Adam and my mother in 1920.

Yesterday I got a call asking about my mother’s married status in

1994.  It was for an improperly filled out land deed transaction and

the clerk just wanted to fill in the missing information.

I gave her what she needed and the call was over in just a couple of

minutes.  But I have been skimming around in those years now-

looking at the past.  Rethinking and remembering.

Pauline and Ruthie 1935

Here she is again in 1935- about 17 years old.

My parents anniversary is coming up on May 6th.  When he died,

they had been married for 32 years.   She lived another 34 years as

a widow- not interested in marrying again- she said there was no

one else she could love like she did my father.

 

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And here they are- she is about 32 here- so around-  I don’t know-

my brain isn’t up to math today.

But there they are- in love- facing life and death together.

I miss my parents.

They were brave and beautiful.

They lived through tumultuous times and survived.

They loved and lost and won and gave their children

a firm base to grow upon.

And now I’M Grandma.

Funny- I still feel like a little girl.

Psalm 148- who’s who in the world of PraiseGod.

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Psalm 148

Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven,
      praise him from the mountaintops;
   Praise him, all you his angels,
      praise him, all you his warriors,
   Praise him, sun and moon,
      praise him, you morning stars;
   Praise him, high heaven,
      praise him, heavenly rain clouds;
   Praise, oh let them praise the name of God—
      he spoke the word, and there they were!
6 He set them in place
      from all time to eternity;
   He gave his orders,
      and that’s it!
7-12 Praise God from earth,
      you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;
   Fire and hail, snow and ice,
      hurricanes obeying his orders;
   Mountains and all hills,
      apple orchards and cedar forests;
   Wild beasts and herds of cattle,
      snakes, and birds in flight;
   Earth’s kings and all races,
      leaders and important people,
   Robust men and women in their prime,
      and yes, graybeards and little children.
13-14 Let them praise the name of God—
      it’s the only Name worth praising.
   His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
      he’s built a monument—his very own people!

   Praise from all who love God!
      Israel’s children, intimate friends of God.
   Hallelujah!

Did you know there was a Royal Wedding last week?

I wasn’t invited, but they let all of us nobodies watch from afar

on television.  I watched the news after to see :

1) her dress

2) the balcony kiss.

But weddings have always seemed like private affairs to me.

I got married on a Tuesday afternoon and didn’t send out any

invitations.  Some people showed up anyway and that was fine-

but I felt like it was between Frank and me and God.

So I wasn’t  all that interested in the details or guest list- until I heard

that Posh Spice and David Beckham and Elton John were invited and

President Obama wasn’t.  If you have a big powerful wedding- I think

you should invite big powerful people.  Not sports and music personalities.

But it wasn’t up to me.

I  do, however , like the guest list above.

The “Come and praise the Lord with us” guest list.

It starts up in the Heavens- includes all the powerful entities (Angels,warriors,

Stars, Sun, Moon, Rainclouds).

Then it gets down to earth and invites everyone who is anyone- Sea dragons, ocean

waves, weather and it’s relatives,mountains,hills, orchards,forests, wild beasts, cattle,

snakes, birds, Kings, leaders, important people.

And the list goes on men and women in their prime and of course,

the ever present graybeards and little children.

We are all invited!!!

We fit into the intimate friends of God- especially if we know His Son, Jesus Christ!

This is it – the party of the millenium- of the ages- and we are invited!

I’m there!

Spring view

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I have been so incapacitated with this sciatica.

It just won’t go away and it flairs up and catches me when I’m not expecting it.

So I’m taking advantage of the quiet moments when it is biding its time,

planning an attack.

I went out and  took some pictures the other day.

AND made it to a greenhouse-(Quailcrest, outside of Wooster).

For me- Spring means greenhouses as well as new growth.

I love the smells, the humidity inside the structure, the

drippy atmosphere, THE DIRT!!!

So – without further ado, here is MY springview.

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lily of the valley, trillium, bloodroot, and wild geranium.

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narcissus

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Virginia blue bells

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ajuga, or bugleweed

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flowering quince

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a yardfull of violets-

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And greenhouse- GLorious greenhouse!

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I bought herbs and lavender- I just can’t wait to get it into the ground!

(DIRT- MARVELOUS- Dirt!)

Today it is raining- but hopefully not ALL day!

Isn’t Spring grand?