For Saturday, November 13th, 2010

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

NOVEMBER 13th, 2010

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side

It's SATURDAY!

It's WORLD KINDNESS DAY!

This is a recent holiday but a worthy one. Kindness is one of the greatest thing you can show another person so today is the time to look beyond our lives, our culture, race and religion and realize we are citizens of the world. We're all neighbors after all.

THINKING

Smart young folks know all the rules. Smart old folks know the exceptions

Trust is something that is important to us all. It is not automatic. Earning trust takes time and loosing trust can happen quickly. As a child we placed total trust in our parents. Then as we journey through life we experience setbacks and broken promises erode our trust in others. The level of trust in our society is often very low. For anyone who has been let down it can be hard to build the levels of trust up again. One thing we can always trust is that God is always there for us.

NEW IN THE KITCHEN

Today is National Indian Pudding Day!

These sweet treats were created by native American Indians and possibly shared with the early settlers at the first Thanksgiving feast! They are usually made with molasses and cornmeal and sometimes apples.

Indian pudding is a baked custard with milk, butter, molasses, eggs, spices and cornmeal. Here is a tried and true recipe for Indian Pudding

6 cups of milk

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup molasses

3 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 cup golden raisins (optional)

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Scald the milk and butter in a large double boiler. Or heat the milk and butter for 5 or 6 minutes on high heat in the microwave, until it is boiling, then transfer it to a pot on the stove. Keep hot on medium heat.

Preheat oven to 250°F.

In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, and salt; stir in molasses. Thin the mixture with about 1/2 cup of scalded milk, a few tablespoons at a time, then gradually add the mixture back to the large pot of scalded milk. Cook, stirring until thickened.

Temper the eggs by slowly adding a half cup of the hot milk cornmeal mixture to the beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture back in with the hot milk cornmeal mixture, stir to combine. Stir in the sugar and spices, until smooth. At this point, if the mixture is clumpy, you can run it through a blender to smooth it out. Stir in the raisins (optional). Pour into a 2 1/2 quart shallow casserole dish. Bake for 2 hours at 250°F.

Allow the pudding to cool about an hour to be at its best. It should be reheated to warm temperature if it has been chilled. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 8-10.

PRAYERS

Thank You, Lord, for the love, the laughter, the love You give us all our lives. May we always, at whatever age, celebrate Your goodness and live fully for You

Amen

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in

your loving hands.

Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families for the

selfless acts they perform for us

in our time of need. I ask this in the

name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters

and Paramedics and EMT's

GOD BLESS YOU!

AROUND HOME

There’s always a lot to be thankful for, if you take time to look for it.
For example, I am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don’t hurt.

We have been having a busy time of it. I do feel like I've had more exercise in the past two days than I have in a long long while. Lots of walking. Thank the dear Lord for a good pair of walking shoes.

The old knees are feeling a little strain but it's all so wonderful and I hate to miss any of the sights. Thanks to DDIL#1 for a once in a lifetime treat for sure. This birthday celebration is more than I could have ever been able to do and it's her birthday not mine, still I feel like it's all such a gift.

COUNTING THE DAYS

38 DAYS UNTIL WINTER!

42 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

153 DAYS UNTIL CAMPING SEASON BEGINS

Keep looking ON THE BRIGHT SIDE of things.

A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near…

Love,

ma