May 27th to June 2

On those dates, mangamagbabasa, I will be in Winder, GA, at TeenPact National Convention.

Through the exorbitant grace of God, I was offered an opportunity to get the full cost of the week, registration, etc. covered; namely an essay contest. After much procrastination, I used the wisdom of my grandparents liberally, and sent my essay in on the second to last day.

It took some time, but when I found out that I won, I literally burst into tears. I had not expected to win, because they took longer than expected to get back to me. I was able to work for a neighbor and get some traveling money, and then our other neighbors gave me money in congratulations.

God is so good! The cost to the family (besides me being gone for a week or so) is almost nothing, and even though it was definitely not a 'need', it was one of the 'desires of my heart' that God has given to me. I have really been learning this week as I find out continually how selfish and self-centered I am and how I SO need to stop worrying and fretting within myself. I believe that God did not inform me immediately because I needed to wait and be content with NOT going before I was allowed to go. In fact, I registered to vote absentee for the TeenPact national candidates before I found out that I was going. I have been particularly touched by the words of this old Don Moen song that I 'found' again after some time:

For all You've done

For all You're going to do

We give You thanks

And lift our praise to You

Chorus: We give thanks, we give praise

For we know that all things work together for our good

We give thanks, we give praise

For by faith we know Your grace will see us through

For all those things that we don't understand

We come by faith and place them in Your hands

Even if we stumble, even if we fall

You will not forsake us

You are King and Lord of all

Lord of all

Politically Correct!

I recently went on a Narnia binge, and I have decided to catalogue various exemplary thoughts and observations that Lewis has inserted in the text. Secondarily, I want to temp someone to read them who has expressed distaste for the series as a whole.

Anyhow, this talking horse refused to follow the politically correct mode of addressing the current ruler of the land, the Tisroc (may he live forever). When scolded he replies:

"Why? I'm a free Narnian. And why should I talk slaves' and fool's talk? I don't want him to live forever, and I know that he's not going to live forever whether I want him to or not....No more of this southern jargon between you and me!"

--The Horse and His Boy

FF Quotes:

From our (founding federal) patriarchs

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

— President Abraham Lincoln

"As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence."

— Benjamin Franklin

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."

— President George Washington

Quote:

“I would like to take you seriously, but to do so would affront your intelligence.”
~William F. Buckley, Jr

Pies and dyes

Our dearly beloved grandparents were coming over for the nationally-so-called "mother's day weekend" and I decided to make a Key Lime Pie for my grandmother. Being a good learner (it has taken me 17 years to get some left-brain, but give me a break) I decided to make a trial first and then a final.

The hardships began with the crust, which had to be pre-baked. I stuck it in the oven (nicely rolled out, perfectly fluted, etc) and checked on it 5 min. later only to find that butter crusts don't enjoy holding their shape in high temperatures. I re-made the crust with a fork, and tried to stick it to the edge of the pie-pan, but when it finally cooked hard....it was still not above the edge. *sigh*

I used bottled "calamansi" juice, and followed the recipe otherwise, but the juice already had sweetness in it...and I used a *bit* too much coloring.....which made my creation a little too reflective of alien slime and not so much of limes.

However, my first-time meringue turned out *perfect* (which is no small accomplishment for ME at least).

In a right-brain flair, I scrawled a big letter on my meringue to represent whom it was for....which I had to then TELL my mother and sister (who did not seem to be able to recognize it...grrr).

Because it was a test, I allowed the mortals who inhabit my house to try a piece....and when it was cut...it was not only alien slime.....but alien juice as well. We quickly placed it in the fridge to see if cooling it would induce it to congeal. Using already-sweet juice also ruined it, because it was WAY to sweet and rather sickening.

Having now ruined my first batch, I made an effort to get REAL key limes to make it not-so-sickly-sweet and more like the real thing. After many dire predictions of failure....I found the rather expensive green balls with great promise.

After another unsuccessful crust episode, I spent 5 minutes slowly dropping mili-teaspoons of coloring into the filling in hopes that it would not be too green again....and the effort payed off.

It tasted rather interesting....and it didn't goo...although it did "drip" water somehow. I managed to make two perfect meringues, two awful crusts, one good filling and one alien-slime filling. I have decided not to venture int Key-Lime territory for a while.

No Greater Promise-

Once on a hillside, people were gathered
Hoping to see Him, as thousands were fed
He touched the blind eyes, healed broken spirits
He moved with compassion, while He raised up the dead

Once on a hillside, people were gathered
Watching as Jesus was crucified
No one showed mercy, to the one who had healed them
Yet, Jesus loved them, as He suffered and died.

Once on a hillside, people were gathered
For Jesus had risen and soon would ascend
Then, as He blessed them, He rose to the heavens
And gave them His promise to come back again

Chorus:
We shall see Jesus, just as they saw Him
There is no greater promise than this
When He returns in power and glory
We shall see Jesus, we shall see Jesus, just as He is!

Quote

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die."

— G.K. Chesterton, essayist and poet