Five Minute Friday: "Stuck"

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I was going to refrain from this prompt, but Kate started is.  So, what the heck.

How do I even approach this without going negative?  Life does feel pretty stuck right now. 

Hmm.  What do you do when something is stuck?  You spray it with WD-40.  But, you don't just spray it, you work it back and forth to get things moving.

That's how I'm keeping life from being permanently stuck--keeping things moving.  They may squeak a little, but they still move. 

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Don't Call on Me: The Weekly Hodgepodge



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They say you learn something new every day. What did you learn yesterday?

I am in the throws of a Bible study from Dallas Theological Seminary called "The Story of Scripture."  It gives an overview of the literary structure of the Bible, plus gives historical context to the Scriptures.  I've always been confused about the divided kingdom of Israel.  As many times as I've read the Bible in its entirety, I never caught on to when, how, or why the kingdom divided.  I learned yesterday that the kingdom split during a civil war after the reign of King Solomon.  Yes, I've been a Christian for a long time, but Bible history, especially Old Testament history, is not one of my strengths.  I'm working to change that.

Have you ever had a now or never moment? Elaborate.

I think my moving to Colorado was my "now or never" moment.  If my life was ever going to change for the better, following God in the trek was necessary.

From Kenneth Copeland Ministries

April 25th is National Telephone Day. Do you still have a land line or have you gone mobile only? When you receive a text message do you respond immediately? Last time you turned your phone off?  In two or three sentences share with us a story/memory/incident from your childhood (or something current if that's too hard) where the telephone is featured.

I've gone completely mobile.  Budget and not really seeing the need for a landline are the main reasons.  Also, my mobile allows me to keep my Alabama number, so my contacts from back home don't have to pay long distance charges.  Also, I've discovered that I don't have to get a land line or cable in order to get internet service.  Once this car business is settled, I can start budgeting for home internet service. 

It depends on the situation whether I will answer a text immediately.  I don't read or answer texts when I'm driving.  I turn my phone off every night and put it on vibrate when I'm at work and on silent when I'm in church. 

I can't really think of any interesting or funny stories involving the telephone, so I'll just share a song.

Close call, at someone's beck and call, call the shots, call a meeting, call it quits, call in sick, call on the carpet, wake up call...which call have you 'heard' recently? Explain.

"Call the shots" I suppose.  I'm daily working on making good health choices.  Some days are harder than others.

What subject do you wish you'd paid more attention to in school?

History. Granted, I had one really good history teacher in high school and really enjoyed the history courses I took in graduate school.  However, the rest of my high school and college history teachers were horrible, boring, or horribly boring.  Gah!  It's going to take the rest of my adult life to catch up.

Insert your own random thought here.

Today, April 25th, is also Administrative Professionals' Day (what we used to call Secretary's Day) here in the United States.  Shout out to all my fellow Admins!

My friends at work have ruined me by introducing me to Good Mythical Morning.  This is my kind of nerd-like stupid.  Just a warning; if you have a weak stomach, don't watch any of the food challenges.

Five Minute Friday: "Turn"

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It's starting to look like spring here in Colorado.  The green grass is popping through and the trees are starting to bud and bloom.  I know that there is still the threat of snow for a few more weeks, but seeing the evidence of turn makes me smile.

I'm looking at the evidence of turn in my own life. With so many things up in the air and on the horizon, I feel like I've been standing still since December.  That feeling weighs heavy on the psyche, but the mind is where the evidence of turn starts.

I'm working to turn my thinking and not let my dreams gather dust.  I'm more than ready for things to turn around and stay turned around.  God didn't move me 1400 across the country to fail; I was doing just fine at that back home.

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I is for I Don't Think We Got the Tools Here to Pull This Off [A-Z Blog Challenge 2015]

Experiments From Auntie's Test Kitchen

Intro  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Conclusion



                                                                                                                    

I is for I Don't Think We Got the Tools Here to Pull This Off 

The title is taken from a comedy album from Rick and Bubba.  It's a line from this segment (around 4:25 in).

Since last we met, Auntie's Test Kitchen has moved 1400 miles west.  I'm in a new apartment in Lakewood, Colorado with a completely different kitchen and tools to work with.  One change is I'm retraining myself to use a traditional electric stove rather than a flat rangetop.  Another is that I'm starting over with proper kitchen tools.

One of the most annoying trends in recipes, whether written or video instruction, is the assumption that certain tools make a successful recipe.  I mean, seriously, you can't make a Paula Deen or Rachel Ray recipe unless you have their pots, pans, utensils, etc?  I. Think. Not.  Yeah, I know they want to sell their products, but hey, I'm on a very tight budget.

The only cookbook I own is a 20 year old Betty Crocker cookbook.  The majority of my recipes are collected from various sources, plus I make up a few of my own.  This particular recipe is one I saved from an old Alabama Power Electric bill.  It's called "Three Envelope Roast."

The only ingredients are:

• 1 chuck roast (approximately 3 pounds)
• 1 envelope dry Zesty Italian Dressing mix
• 1 envelope dry Ranch Dressing mix
• 1 envelope dry brown gravy mix
• 2 cups of water

Looks easy so far.  However, the first stumbling block is that the recipe requires you to have a slow cooker.  At the time I made this recipe, I didn't have one.  OK, well the recipe can be adapted to a roasting pan with a lid.  Nope, don't have one of those either.  What about a Dutch Oven?  A what?  Well, what DO you have?

I've got a cookie sheet, a glass baking dish and some aluminum foil. 

The directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (since I didn't have a slow cooker).
• Combine the dry ingredients with the water and mix thoroughly. 
• Brown the roast if you'd like (I didn't).
• Place the roast in your pan and pour the liquid mixture over the roast.  Since my baking pan is shallow, I couldn't use all of the liquid at first.  About midway through the cooking time, the roast shank enough and enough liquid evaporated for me to pour the rest in without making a mess.
• Cover and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1.50 to 2.50 hours until desired doneness.  My desired doneness is well done.  I don't like my beef mooing at me before I eat it.

Looks good to me.

Now, for sides.

I decided to have carrots, Brussels sprouts, and mashed potatoes. 

Did you know that you can steam carrots in the microwave?  Yep, instead of the complicated cooking instructions for carrots involving a lot of sugar, I sprinkle a little water over a serving of baby carrots, lightly cover, and microwave for about 3 minutes.  They come out done, delicious, and naturally sweet.

Not burnt or raw, but
missing something...
like flavor

As far as the Brussels sprouts, I've not figured out the perfect recipe for those yet (I think I'm going to need some bacon for this one).  However, I do know they need to be blanched (boiled a little bit) before stir frying, otherwise I either get burnt or raw.  I sautéed these in olive oil with some peppers and onions. 

Well, it worked,
didn't it?

Now, on to the mashed potatoes.  This should be simple, peel the potatoes, cut up the potatoes, rinse the potatoes, boil them for about 15-20 minutes, mash them up, add whatever extras you'd like (butter, salt, a little milk, and some garlic powder), and enjoy.  Yeah, it should be simple, until I realized the my new vegetable peeler won't peel anything and I don't have a potato masher.  My mother can continuously peel a potato with a knife without breaking the skin.  I can't do that.  When I knife-peel potatoes, I'm thrilled when there's actually potato left.  Granted, my sharp Ikea paring knife did just fine--even in my hands.  Yes, I will admit I cut myself with this knife trying to remove it from the packaging AND a couple of times when I was taking it out of the dishwasher.  Anyway, the potatoes did get peeled, rinsed, diced, and boiled.  Now, on to the mashing.  After nearly breaking a plastic mixing spoon, I found that a clean coffee mug does an adequate job of mashing potatoes. 

So let's dish this up and make it pretty.

Yum, yum!

Yes, I'll buy more "proper" utensils and tools when I can finally leave my house without an act of congress or having to endure the Weed Wagon--Denver's public transportation system.  However, proper doesn't mean certain expensive brands--it simply means what will get the job done.

So, are there any recipes you've made that turned out well despite not having the "proper" tools?

Window Dressing: The Weekly Hodgepodge



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Three things on your spring bucket list? If you don't have an actual list that's fine, pretend you do.

Spring?  Ha!  Spring is still struggling to get here in Colorado.  We've had 70+ degree weather one day and snow the next, but as April grows older, we get closer to that blessed season!  By the way, I didn't know Bradford Pear trees grew here.  I saw a few Sunday.  When I got a whiff of those wonderful blossoms in the air, I thought I was on the Ladiga Trail again.

Yea, Alabama!  Drown 'em Tide... anyway.

Sorry, flashback.

Among the normal springs needs like "GET OUTSIDE!" and "eat something besides chicken, peanut butter, or cereal," three items on my spring bucket list are:

• Visit the Denver Botanic Gardens
• Binge watch some of my favorite movies and eat popcorn.
• Decorate my front stoop.

I've got some vacation time coming up, so I'm hoping to add even more to my bucket list.

Where do you find rest? What restores your soul? When was the last time you did whatever it was you answered here?

I'm still looking for it.  I get an adequate amount of sleep, but not much real rest lately.  Many of the activities that restore me are not possible at the moment.  That should soon change.

April is National Celery Month. Who knew? Do you like celery? What's your favorite dish made with celery? On a veggie and dip platter which would you reach for first-carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumbers or cherry tomatoes?

I'm not very fond of celery.  The only good use for it is in my mom's cornbread dressing.  On a veggie tray, I'd reach for the carrot sticks first.  Speaking of a veggie tray, I just heard about (on Rick and Bubba of all places) this newfangled fancy pants arrangement called a charcuterie board.  Isn't a veggie tray or meat tray complicated enough?  Good night.  The things we women fall for trying to be high class.

I read here eight things to do before 8 am to make your day less hectic-Start one load of laundry, drink water, empty the dishwasher, read your Bible, know what you're having for dinner, get dressed, brain dump (two lists-one what you're thankful for and one what's weighing on your mind), and after the brain dump make your to-list for the day. How many of these are you currently doing? Which one do you think would help the most if you added it to your early morning routine?

Well, let's see.  Since I get to work before 8 am, getting dressed is essential.  I usually empty the dishwasher while I'm preparing my breakfast and getting my lunch together.  If I don't read my Bible, most times I'm listening to some Bible-based audio.  The one that would help me the most would be to drink water.  As stated above, I've been in a low energy cycle lately.  If I could start my day with a cup or two of water, it may help.

Describe the view from your window.

Which one?  The view from one of our conference rooms is the best view.  As you look out that window, you see buildings and streets, but you also get the beauty of a variety of trees and the beauty of Green Mountain in the west.  It's gorgeous.

I know it's a phone pic from earlier this year, but you get the idea.

Insert your own random thought here.

An update on my vehicle situation:  As you will recall, I applied to a ministry called Good Neighbor Garage to get assistance with obtaining a reliable vehicle.  I've done the initial paperwork and completed the interview portion of the application.  I've been approved for vehicle placement.  YAY!  Now, the wait for a suitable vehicle has begun.  Hopefully I'll have something good in the VERY near future.

Book Trek 2018 - 10

Book:  Act Like a Success.  Think Like a Success (Audio Book)

Author:  Steve Harvey

Info:  Copyright 2014.  New York:  Harper Audio

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars):  ✮✮✮

Where Acquired:  Library check out.

What it's about:  In the ever-growing sea of self-help and success books, Steve Harvey puts his spin on walking out the principles of success.  Pulling from his experiences as a struggling comedian and entertainer, Harvey gives practical advice and encouragement.

Favorite Quotes:

Jordan Belfort, the author of the book and inspiration for the movie The Wolf of Wall Street said, "The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bull[expletive] story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it."

Some of you are afraid to step up into your gifts because you're too busy comparing yourself to someone else. God made you and the way you do what you do exclusively for you.  The world doesn't have time to interact with your representative; they need the real, authentic you to show up and shine your light.

I was raised by two strong parents who taught me that the world doesn't owe me anything.  They told me that if I wanted something, I need to put my head down, lift up a prayer, and get to work.

Every time you make a decision to do more, be more, want more, here comes opposition....The only cure for enemies is success....My father taught me to never take my foot off a ladder to kick at someone kicking at me.  When I do that, I am no longer climbing. 

I'm not a doctor, but I know that your health is just as much a part of your wealth as the zeros in your bank account.

What I liked:

• While many books of this type make the author out to be a perfect specimen of success, Harvey is open and honest about his failures.
• Though I wished the author himself had narrated the book, the gentleman who did read the audiobook was a great choice.
• This tome was not designed for CEO's and high power executives; it was written for the average person. 
• The advice given was simple and practical.

What I didn't like:

• While I enjoyed the practical simplicity of Harvey's recommended action steps, I was hoping for something more outstanding.  While it's not a rehashing of someone else's work, as I've seen other authors do, the information wasn't anything I hadn't heard before.

Takeaway:

While the author's advice isn't unique, it is said in a uniquely Steve Harvey way.  I would recommend this volume for someone brand new to the success/self-help genre.  It's a great overview of how time tested success principles can work for anyone who takes them seriously.

Banjo Jazz Band: The Weekly Hodgepodge



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April is National Jazz Appreciation Month. Are you a fan? If so what's a favorite you'd recommend to someone new to jazz listening?

As much as I love music, I've not acquired a taste for Jazz.  I hope to attend one of my church's monthly jazz and soul worship experience services.  Maybe I'll understand and appreciate the genre more.

My issue with jazz music is a theoretical one.  Yeah, I was a music major for a time, until I figured out I could become a brain surgeon faster than I could complete Jacksonville State University's VERY thorough Music Education program.  Anyway, I've had enough music theory for it to bother me when songs don't resolve.

In case I'm going too musical nerd, listen to the end of this song and you'll understand what I mean by "doesn't resolve."

Of course the big joke with the worship teams I've played for is most of the Hillsong praise and worship songs we play don't resolve either.  We usually rework them to make them resolve.  You can't do that with jazz; it is what it is.

So, maybe it isn't the lack of resolution that's the problem.  Maybe I just haven't heard any good jazz.  All the so-called jazz I've ever heard sounds like a train wreck that ran into a pack of cats. 

Mandolin, ukulele, harp, accordion or banjo...which would you be most interested in learning to play? Or do you already play one of the instruments listed?

If I were back home, I'd say the banjo.  However, there isn't much need for banjos in Colorado.  Hmmm...maybe the ukulele?  I'd be great at parties.

Do you judge a book by it's cover? Elaborate. You may answer in either/both the literal or figurative sense of the word.

The cover of an actual book?  No.  I try not to do that with people either.  Now, if someone is acting ugly...that's a whole different story.

According to a recent study the ten most nutritious foods are-almonds, cherimoya (supposed to taste like a cross between a pineapple/banana), ocean perch, flatfish (such as flounder and halibut), chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, swiss chard, pork fat (shocking! but I don't think they mean bacon), beet greens, and red snapper. Are any of these foods a regular part of your diet? Any you've never ever tasted? Which would you be most inclined to add to your diet?

OK, I've got to ask, if pork fat is nutritious, why doesn't bacon fall into the same category?  Plus, flax seeds are just as nutritious as chia seeds with more flavor, less fat (and less of them sticking in your teeth).  I think the wheel is rigged on this one.  Also, did you ever notice how the supposed "most nutritious" foods change like the March winds and are almost always obscure of ridiculously expensive?  Just sayin'.

The only item on the list I consume is almonds.

Besides a major holiday what is the most recent thing you've celebrated with your people? Tell us how.

Insert your own random thought here.

Book Trek 2008 - 09

Book:  Let’s All Be Brave.  (Audio Book)

Author:  Annie F. Downs

Info:  Copyright 2016.  Old Saybrook, CT:  Tantor Audio

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars):  ✮✮✮

Where Acquired:  Library check out. 

Category:  Impulse Reads. A couple of my friends read and reviewed the book, so I added it to my reading list.

What it's about:  Downs, using stories from her own life and experiences, encourages the reader to embrace his own version of bravery.

What I liked:

The narrator of this audio book was great.

Many of the author's experiences with bravery mirrored my own.  She seemed to understand that bravery looks different for everyone.

What I didn’t like:

Downs' treatment of singleness really rubbed me the wrong way.  The book had four stars until I got to this section.  Using terms like “unwanted season,” and treating singleness like a disease of which to survive and be cured, rather than see the beauty of a life not hindered, made me want to barf.  Like me, Downs is also Southern.  Unfortunately, she has fallen victim to Southern church culture (and as I've seen, churches in other parts of the country as well) that teaches women to worship marriage instead of Jesus.  She laments of being 33 and not married.  I guess she’ll curl up and die if she not married when she’s my age.  Good grief, she admittedly put her life on hold for ten years for fear that she would miss a marriage opportunity, yet wasn't married during that time period anyway.

Please, can someone, anyone write that there is joy in singleness and that all Christian singles over the age of 18 aren't bitter spinsters surrounded by 99 cats.  As I’ve said before, I’m not against marriage; I’m against women being taught that marriage is all they can want.  I’m against women being ostracized for having godly desires outside of marriage and motherhood.  I’m against a woman’s sexual orientation being questioned if she's not married with six children by the time she's 25.

 

Takeaway:

The book had a great start, but fell flat as a founder by the end.

Book Trek 2018 - 08

Book:  Blue Like Jazz.  (Audio Book)

Author:  Donald Miller

Info:  Copyright 2007.  Escondido, CA:  Hovel Audio

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars): ✮

Where Acquired:  Library check out. 

Category:  Everyone else is reading it.  Its popularity piqued my interest, but not enough to read it until eleven years after its publication.
 
What it's about:  Miller recounts his early life, his coming to Christ, and those he’s met who either helped or hindered his life’s progress.

Favorite Quotes:

I believe that the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil, but rather, have us wasting time.

I don’t think any church has been relative to culture—to the human struggle—unless it believed in Jesus and the power of His Gospel.

…to be in a relationship with God is to be loved purely and furiously, and a person who thinks himself unloveable cannot be in a relationship with God because he can’t accept who God is:  a being that is love.

What I liked:

I appreciated the author’s transparency about his faults and struggles.
 
What I didn’t like:

Yes, I know part of the book's title is “Non Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality,” however, I didn’t see much in Miller’s conclusions that were based on Scripture.  It’s very easy to give non religious thoughts when it seems that you have no spiritual foundation from which to glean knowledge.

I found it rather narrow-minded for the author to put all republicans, conservatives, fundamentalists, television preachers, and pretty much anyone else he’s decided to hate in one box.  While saying that we shouldn’t assume everyone not like us is alike, he’s assumed everyone not like him is alike.

I spent a lot of my time in this book thinking but you just said…  He criticizes others for things he’s gleefully doing.  For example, he encourages people to follow his suit and pick a church based on personal preference so they can “go to church without getting angry,” yet talks smack about people “not having to deal with real people who might hurt us or offend us.”  Well, which is it, Hoss?

The gentleman who narrated Miller’s book read in a very condescending tone…perfect to match the author’s pithy comments.  

Takeaway:

I honestly don’t know what to make of this book.  For me, this book is like jazz music to my ears; I don’t hate it, but I don’t like it either.  Blue Like Jazz is a strange dichotomy of open confession mixed with arrogance and sniveling. While I found some of Miller’s observations refreshingly honest, a majority of the book annoyed me. I’m not sorry I read it, but I am sorry that like jazz, I don’t really get the point.  Miller’s bitter attitude comes across as very angry and hateful.  It seems as though the author isn’t interested in the family of Christ growing together in love, but rather, to keep it fractured, ineffective, and scripturally illiterate.  If that’s his idea of the “progressive” church, I’ll stick with what I have, thank you.