Politics And Tight Ropes

I know, it’s been some days since I have written a post.  I’ve been working quite a bit and to be honest, I’ve had a little bit of writer’s block.  Or blog block.  I have had some thoughts and I just thought I would share them all:

Political Ads: I don’t get it.  I know that Election Day is tomorrow, but come on.  Some of the ads on t.v. make me want to punch someone in the face.  The ads don’t make me want to vote for you.  In fact, the nastier they are the more I am definitely not going to vote for you.  I saw one this morning that was for a judge and it was a man standing in front of a barn singing in a horrible country voice about how this was the best choice for judge ever.  I’m going to vote tomorrow but I am 100% over it.

I don’t know if anyone has noticed but Christmas is creeping in like you wouldn’t believe.  Just for the record, there is a holiday between Halloween and Christmas.  It’s called Thanksgiving.  We eat turkey and cranberry sauce.  It’s a good time.  However, Home Depot had some pretty awesome wrapping paper…

Sam Hunt has a new album out called Montevallo.  You should probably check it out, it’s county with a little hip hop in there.  You know that song Cop Car that Keith Urban sang?  Well Sam Hunt wrote it and he wrote some of other awesome songs that you can find on his album.  My personal favorite is ‘Speakers’ makes me swoon every time.  It also doesn’t hurt that he is incredibly good looking.   Oh and can we talk about Meghan Trainor, she sings ‘All About that Bass’, love it times a thousand.

And then there is this things I’ve noticed lately about Christianity.  I’ve never professed on this blog not to be a Christian so I feel like I can say this.  When did we make it so complicated?!  A couple of days ago I was working the demo station, and we were serving Cabernet Pot Roast.  It’s marinated in wine and you just cook it.  It’s really good, but in preparation we seared each side, put a little beef brother and Cabernet wine in a crockpot for it to cook in.  Customer #1 came up to get a sample and was chowing down when Customer #2 came up to see what we were serving and to ask how we prepared it.  Once I got to the part about putting a little wine in the crockpot with the pot roast she immediately said, ‘I don’t drink alcohol.’  Before I could get any words out Customer #1 said ‘Oh, no worries, the alcohol cooks out.’  To which Customer #2 replied in a more stern voice, ‘I don’t drink alcohol.’  At this point, I decided to jump in and said ‘Oh yeah, it cooks out and we add it for more flavor, it’s already been marinated in Cabernet before we added any extra.’  Customer #2 then said, very sternly, and almost offended ‘I don’t even touch alcohol.’ and turned and walked away.  When Customer #2 was far enough away Customer #1 said ‘Damn Christians.’ It wasn’t my place to say anything I am simply serving the food, but my heart hurt.  Not only was Customer #2 way wrong about what the Bible says, but now Customer #1 has a skewed view of what Christianity is.   Jesus makes it pretty simple once you have accepted Christ, Love God and Love People.  Let’s just remember that this holiday season.  People need Jesus way more than they need presents.

One Direction.  Yeah, I know they are a boy band.  I come from a boy band era.  But Praise the Lord for Harry Styles.  They have a new album coming out soon too.  You should probably just trust me and get on the One Direction train.

If you have children around the age of 1.  Let me just suggest two Halloween costumes that will make them the cutest children in the world.  A dinosaur and a mouse.  Trust me people will ooohh and aaahh when they come to the door.  I also met a lady at work that was going to dress her baby up as an ice cream cone and I couldn’t handle it.  Baby Halloween costumes are genius.  They make a cuter baby even cuter and then we give it candy for the adults to eat.

And this verse: ‘Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.’ Ephesians 5:14.

Did anybody watch the tight rope man?  I didn’t but I saw some clips afterward.  That is not a talent I want any of my close family and friends to pick up.  Why on earth he feels the need for that kind of adrenaline I have no idea.  You can say what you want but I just think that is stupid.

That’s all for now.  I know, it’s a bit all over the place, but sometimes my brain has thoughts in a thousand different directions.  Till next time blog world.

 

Lists.

Recently my mom and I watched an old episode of ‘The Pioneer Woman’ on the top ten things that she loves.  I don’t know if any of you have watched Ree Drummond’s show, but let’s be honest, it’s one of the best things The Food Network has cookin’ right now.  (Nice pun, I know. :))  She also has a fantastic blog where she talks about cooking, her kids, homeschooling, the Marlboro man (her husband), and has awesome giveaways.  She lives on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma and she might be my woman crush.

She also makes a cinnamon toast that will make you want to slap your mama good.  Not literally, but it’s that good.  Basically if you are just toasting bread, adding a little butter, and then dusting cinnamon and sugar on it, you are doing it all wrong.  Trust me.  She’s right.  I’m going to add the recipe to the bottom of this blog so that you can enjoy the goodness too.

I don’t know that I can narrow the things I love down to ten things, but I thought I would make a list with things that I love.  These are in no particular order and it might be more than ten once I am said and done…but here goes:

1. Pride & Prejudice – it’s no secret my love for Jane Austen and all things Darcy.  I’ve read the book I don’t know how many times and when Darcy confesses his love to Elizabeth I get goose bumps every time.  Even though the movie version with Kiera Knightly is not the best that scene makes me want to crawl in the book and live forever.

2. Baking/Cooking –   I don’t know that I am the best cook around but I like doing it.  Baking however, is my thing.  Some of my best recipe’s include strawberry rhubarb pie, chocolate covered cherries, and white wedding cake.  I’m not the cleanest in the kitchen either which makes it all the more fun.

3. Edwardian History – Ok my inner nerd is about to scream, but I do not even care.  The Edwardian era is the era in England where the really wealthy families had downstairs servants.  The shows like Upstairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey cover this era beautifully.  What’s fascinating about it to me is the idea that there is pristine picture to the public of elegant dinners and detailed dresses but when you look further the tangled web of lies and deceit and poverty and infidelity come creeping through.  It makes since why this era failed, the financial difficulties for those that didn’t live upstairs resulted in death and disease.  Even those that did live upstairs sometimes ended in death and destruction.  They could lose their manor houses and everything would crumble.

4. My Family – Sometimes I want to hit them in the face but in reality my mom, dad, and brother are some of my favorite people.  We have some fantastic stories together and we do have fun when we are together.  Oh no worries, we can also fight like cats and dogs, but in the end we still really love each other.  I mean, come on, we have a group text on iMessage that stays pretty busy.

5. Camping – I have camped since I was a baby.  We’ve camped in pop-up campers, small travel trailers, and tents.  I love it all.  The smells, the weather, the sleeping on the ground…it never gets old.  In fact, my family has camped at one campground since before I was born.  Some of my closest friends have been there too.  Oh the name of the campground you ask?  Raccoon Holler.  Trust me, it’s as fun as it sounds.

6. Vegetable Soup – My mom makes the best vegetable soup ever.  Seriously, it’s got chunks of potatoes, carrots, beans…and it makes the kitchen smell heavenly.  The longer it sits in the refrigerator the better it gets.  It reminds me of cooler weather and good family times.

7. Driving around at night – This is not a creepy thing, I promise.  This is what you do, you get in your car in comfortable clothes, get a nice cold drink at the nearest gas station, and just drive around.  People will often have their windows open at night with their lights and you can see how they decorate their houses.  You get great ideas, you can also have really great conversations with friends.  It doesn’t come across all the great on paper, but it’s a fun time.

8. Bonfires – Who doesn’t love one of these?  I don’t even need to explain myself.

9. Christmas – I love Christmas.  I just do.  The decorations, the presents, the stores full of shiny objects, Pinterest projects.  The list goes on.  Oh and don’t forget the baking!  Every year since my brother was born my mom gets he and I a Christmas ornament.  The idea is when we move out we get to take our ornaments and start the tradition with our children.  I don’t think she expected when I moved out and took my ornaments I would be moving back in and bringing them all with me.

10.  Diet Coke – I don’t drink a lot of soda anymore.  But every once in awhile an ice cold Diet Coke makes my heart happy.  I realize it’s full of chemicals, but those chemicals are pretty heart warming.

11. These Bible Verses –

• Hebrews 4:16: ‘Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’
• 2 Timothy 4:17: ‘But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all Gentiles might hear..’
• Exodus 14:14: ‘The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.’
• Psalm 139:16: ‘Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.’

12. Tattoos – Small, large, ugly, pretty, I love them all.  I have a few myself and they hold some of my greatest memories and deepest thoughts.  A tattoo tells a fantastic story if you can get to know a person well enough to ask.  A pictures tells a thousand words.

13. This blog – It’s new and exciting and I like it.  It’s fun to write down my thoughts, and its fun to come up with things to talk about it.  My love for it may end but I don’t care, it’s nice to be a faux writer for a few hours every couple of days.

So my list was 13, lucky 13 in this case.  And since it’s been chilly the last couple of morning this recipe is going to warm you right up!  I’ve also added the link to Ree Drummond’s blog, it’s a good time too.

The Pioneer Woman’s Blog: www.thepioneerwoman.com

Cinnamon Toast – The RIGHT Way

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 16 slices Bread (whole Wheat Is Great!)
• 2 sticks Salted Butter, Softened
• 1 cup Sugar (more To Taste)
• 3 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (more To Taste)
• 1/8 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Smush softened butter with a fork. Dump in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, if using. Stir to completely combine.

Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges.

Place toast on a cookie sheet. Place cookies sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling. Watch so it won’t burn!

Remove from oven and cut slices into halves diagonally.

 

 

Light on a Hill.

I’ve got some thoughts today on this verse: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16.  I am sure at some point if you grew up in church you have heard this verse.  I decided to re-read the book of Matthew and stumbled upon it.

Have you ever been on an airplane at night?  Sometimes when you go over big cities you can see the lights of the city or town below sort of twinkle.  Kinda like the picture below. That’s the bright lights of Dallas from 30,000 feet.

Imagine if you will that all the lights in the picture are homes and businesses of Christians.  And the dark parts, well those are the areas where Christ’s light hasn’t reached yet.  Some parts of course are darker than others, but those lights, those homes and businesses, are lighting the way for others to reach Jesus.  Some of the areas are so bright they are blinding.  This whole concept of light and dark is much more than a picture I took out of an airplane window.

What I mean is those lights in that picture can be turned off.  That’s just the truth of it.  Jesus is the light inside of us and it can’t be turned off.  I think maybe it can be dimmed but never turned off.  Which means that we are set apart.  We walk around this Earth with an internal light that shines on the darkness even when we don’t realize it.  Darkness will always try to diminish the light, but it can’t. It’s like vs 15 says: “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket…” it’s not meant to be put out.

So much turmoil is happening in the world around us, this last week alone in my home state gay marriage was made legal.  That’s a big deal.  I think it’s more important than ever for us to make sure the light inside of us is blinding to the darkness.  I’m not talking about holier than thou towards others, I’m talking about the internal lightness shining forth so that the only thing people see when you interact with them is Christ’s love.  Trust me I hear what I am saying and this is just as much for me as it is for you.  Until next time…

It’s not hard to be nice.

I work in a grocery store.  I have stated this in previous posts so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise.  To break this down even further, I work at a place that sells food to the general public.  When you walk into our store there is a huge pile of bananas for $0.19 each.  When bananas split and start to rot it’s not a pretty smell or sight.  Same goes for other produce, it’s not a fun time to stick your finger into a old smelly soft zucchini and smell like zucchini juice the rest of the day.  But myself and my crew members do it with a smile!

The worst thing in the world are rude people.  When we were growing up my uncle, who passed away when I was in college, instilled in my brother and I that it is just not acceptable to not say yes ma’am and no ma’am.  We only visited my uncle a couple times of year.  My parents were the ones who started teaching us at a young age that manners were important and did exceptional job of teaching us our please and thank yous.  We still use them now.  I’m not sure what people teach people now-a-days but somewhere along the way the general public has forgotten the use of their manners.

It’s not hard to be nice.  In fact, it doesn’t even cost you anything.  When I am putting fresh produce out for your eating enjoyment there is no need to park your full grocery cart behind me to block me in.  Then proceed to reach around me to get one of the produce pieces I am putting out.  I will gladly step away and let you look if you say excuse me.  I will even let you take one of the new ones out of my box.  Furthermore, when I am bagging your groceries and your doggy bag from lunch is in your cart don’t ask me to bag your leftovers with the rest of your cold items.  You have two hands.  While we are at it, when you come to the check out with a full cart of groceries and proceed to stay on the phone and chat with your friend about the clothes you just bought and then watch me bag your groceries, I don’t appreciate that either.  Oh and don’t even get me started on people not being nice on Sundays!

Just because I work at a grocery store doesn’t make me less of a person.  My work uniform my not be a three piece suit but a t-shirt, and I hate to break it to you, but that doesn’t make you better.  So, just be nice.

When you really break this down, I don’t think it has anything to do with whether or not your parents taught you how to use your manners.  I think it’s a heart issue.  (Well, that’s a little convicting.)  I imagine that when Jesus was on Earth he was a nice person.  He was teaching the love of his Father to the world.  Yes, he got mad at people for choosing to use the temple as a marketplace, but he wasn’t rude.  He treated all people the same, from little children to the leper who was forced to live outside the city walls.  Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God and love people.  Are we really loving people when we aren’t nice?

This is no doubt an area that I could be better in. I am seriously far from perfection at it.  But I think those of us who are believers it should be a little easier because we have God’s love in us and his helper, the Holy Spirit, to guide us.  And when we profess to be believer’s and non-believers see us being nice…it’s a testament to who we serve.

The challenge then for me and you, let’s be nice.  Let’s show the love of Jesus.

Matthew 34-40: ‘Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.  One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” ‘