Couch is No Longer Safe

 First Wesley could be left laying at the back of the couch. Then he was dissatisfied unless he was sitting up and he would be safe and content sitting in the back corner. He has gotten so good at sitting that he can reach clear to the edge from the back, so we put pillows across the edge to prevent him from falling off.

Today I caught him reaching clear up and over the pillows and quite capable of

going right off despite the barrier. Well, no more safe zone there! I tried to get a picture of him doing it but couldn't catch it.

But he is so unhappy because he wants to be higher.

RePost 9/10/17 Random Funnies

Encouragement, Jokes

Random Funnies

By Creodomus September 10, 2017  education, Encouragement, Jokes

Is Spring Really Here?

Last night my sister, Sue, was telling of the flowers she saw blooming in Missouri where she lives, and here in Ohio, barely anything is blooming yet.

This morning I went outside to leave for the day and what do I see?

RePost 5/2/17 Masala Sauce and Individual Portions

Uncategorized

Masala Sauce and Individual Portions

By Creodomus May 2, 2017

I discovered I like Indian food.  Then I discovered it is expensive to buy.  Then I discovered it is expensive to make. Then I discovered it is hard to make.  Three strikes, I don’t get Indian food very often!  Then I discovered that Aldi has several Indian sauces for quite a bit less than I have seen anywhere.  My favorite sauce at Bombay Curry is masala, so I tried it first.  Way too spicy for me! I always get it mild when I order it.  Back to striking out.

But I wasn’t willing to give up on it.  In my research in making the sauces myself I found ways to stretch the sauce so it still keeps the flavor but loses the extra kick.  My recipe now is:

16 ounce jar masala sauce from Aldi

16 ounces plain Greek yogurt 
16 ounces plain tomato sauce

New problem: huge batch of sauce that only 1 person in this household will eat.

So I applied this strategy — pour sauce into small cups (bathroom dixie cups, mini cupcake pan, or a dozen scoops I have from powdered drink mixes that I can’t bring myself to throw out!) and put in the freezer.  Then loosen them from the cups and put into a freezer bag.  Whenever I want to make Chicken Tikka Masala, I just pull one frozen cup-shaped ball of sauce from the bag and defrost it!

It works great, just like it does for chili hot dog sauce, spinach, or korma sauce. Try it and tell me how it works for you!

RePost 4/25/17 God's Guidance

https://onechristianlife.blogspot.com/2018/02/repost-6416.html

Encouragement, Family, Who Am I

God’s Guidance

By Creodomus April 25, 2017  bus, education, infertility

Recently at church I was asked to give my testimony on a Wednesday night.  Some who were absent due to illness asked me to repeat it the following Sunday after service.  I thought it might be of interest to more people, so here goes:

 

The first part was some of the same story I told in this throwback post:

Early Days

My family lived a simple life on a little farm raising goats and chickens.  I learned duty and responsibility. We didn’t have tons of money, but what we had was spent on family and education. I learned to love learning.  My dad was a laborer in a cheese factory and my mom did all kinds of things, tutoring, driving kids to school and Amish, and delivering newspapers. I learned a strong work ethic. Somehow we managed Christian school tuition and travel.  My folks bought an old school bus and converted it into a camper which we took to New England and to the west coast several times.  I learned how to get along with others, to love family, and geography!

These are some of my favorite family memories!

(That's me on the bottom right!)

Marriage

After I married, we had one child in a normal time frame, but after that experienced infertility.  It was hard watching friends and family continue to have children while time was passing for our own family.  We exhausted all avenues that our budget and conscience permitted, as well as adoption on two different occasions, all to no avail.  I certainly can not say I am pleased with this path that God chose for me, but I have grown to accept it.  One day I may even be joyful.  At any rate, I doubt if I would be as able to teach other children as I do–Sunday School, junior church, 4-H, tutoring–with a passel of a family.  So these are my children!

Tragedy

During that time another tragedy hit my family in the form of a fire that destroyed our farmhouse.  We are so blessed no one was hurt. My family stayed with me and my husband tat night and I worked side by side with my family members as we sorted through what was left of our belongings, tore the house down, and moved a house trailer onto the property.  And throughout this process I learned as I watched my parents model faith in crisis not to allow my emotions to rule and not to place too much value on possessions.

God miraculously provided for me to be born despite the medical issues my mom faced

He guided my childhood to help me develop into a believing, productive, contributing adult.  He directed the path my life has taken to make me into the person He designed me to be even though it’s still a work in progress!