skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Happy 6th day of Christmas!
Since my last post, we were slammed with stocking orders. This year we sold over 350. I was more organized this year, but still could do better. I have my plan in place for next year.
On Christmas Eve at 1:30 in the morning, we lost power.
Thank goodness, I made myself get things done the night before. However, we had to have a plan B for our family gathering on Christmas night. Melisa offered her house which, handily, is on the next farm over. We hauled everything over there and had a great time. We even got our family pic taken.
On Sunday, we celebrated the Twins' baptisms followed by brunch afterward at the Shepherd bar. It was a great day!
Even though our family celebrates Christmas until January 6, it is back to work here at the Sugar Bush. Last night I made a batch of soap - my first in well over a month. It is blueberry and it smells wonderful. It did not set up quickly so I am making myself wait until tonight to cut it. We'll see how that works out.
Another love that went by the wayside during "stocking season" was quilting, so yesterday I spent most of the day working on a quilt made out of some fat quarters that I bought from Anna. As the quilt came together, I decided that it needed a snowman. I'm not completely happy with the snowman, but, oh well, I like him and this one will be for us.
My first attempt at quilting this was a disaster so I took it apart and redid the layers with different batting. I got some of it quilted last night - and I'm afraid I stayed up a bit too late.
Tonight, Claire, Maddie, and Meghan are coming over. The plan is to go to the service at St. Patrick's if everyone arrives on time. St. Patrick's was deemed an "occasional church" by the powers that be in Saginaw. But the good news is that they meet every Wednesday night for a Word and Communion service followed by a potluck. Even though I spent 38 years at St. Mary, I feel much more at home at this little church. The sad thing is, there are more people on a Wednesday night at St. Patrick than there are on a Saturday night at St. Mary. One has to wonder at the "wisdom" coming from Saginaw.
I often think it is ironic how much I love country life. I grew up in the city, but can't imagine living anywhere but here.
***********************************************
Fast forward to now - several hours later. I caved. I admit it. I caved and cut the soap. I am so bad. LOL! I do love how it turned out.
On the lowcarb front:All week I have had pretty good averages except for today. But still, I am down a pound from last Sunday, Sunday being the day that I post my official loss for the week. If I were to go down a pound every Sunday, that's 52 pounds in a year - for doing nothing more than eating cheesecake, omelettes, macadamia nuts, yogurt, chocolate (homemade), and the like. I didn't get a workout in this morning because for some reason, I didn't wake up until 9:45. I rushed around a bit and prayed that the font water was warm. It was - yay!!!!! No frozen baptizees today. We on the lowcarb friends board are working hard to convince Cleochatra that she needs to publish a book of her lowcarb recipes. I say we bombard her blog and nag her until she agrees. LOL! I'm only half kidding. It was reading Cleo's blog that got me back on track. Whether you go there to nag her about a cookbook or not, her blog is definitely worth reading. It's called "The Lighter Side of Lowcarb" and there is a link on my blogroll. Let's show her the love!!!Word of the Day:Matthew 16:13-19Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter,and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Reflections from the Cornfield:"Who do people say that I am?" Of course "people" got it wrong. In this passage, it would appear that Simon Peter has come of age. But his recognition of Jesus as the Christ comes to him not as a human being, but as a revelation from God. Jesus proclaims him as the rock on which He will build his church - not because of what Peter is, but because of what he will later become by the grace of God. In subsequent verses, Peter rebukes Jesus for His prediction of His passion, death, and resurrection. In his humanness, Peter fails to see the bigger picture. It's not hard to imagine that being made the rock on which Jesus will build his church might have gone to Peter's head just a wee bit; he was only human, after all. At that point he was a work in progress. Isn't it comforting to know that God wants us with all of our inperfections? Not because of the imperfections, but in spite of them. Because God sees in us what we and others fail to see in ourselves? God bless the troops!
On the lowcarb front:The little ones stayed over last night so no workout this morning.
I am down 2.8 from last Saturday. Not much to report so far today. Will update later.On the home front:Made a batch of honey, oats, and milk soap last night. Smells wonderful. I also finished curing a batch of simmering potpourri for the simmer pot Anna found for me at a garage sale. It's scented with orange clove. Mmmmmmmm. Today I will finish the grubby tags with what is left of the solution from the other day. These are also orange clove.
I made Cleochatra's Mozzarella sticks. Well, no, I didn't actually. I cheated. I melted a pile of cheese on a plate and scooped it up with pork rinds. My mouth didn't know the difference. LOL
We have baptisms at Mass tomorrow. I have to remember to turn on the pump and heater for the font tonight and to make sure that I override the timer. At the last baptism there were some pretty startled babies. We didn't realized that we had to override the timer on the pump so it kicked off during the night and the water was cold.
Word of the day:Matthew 8:5-17
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress." And he said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion answered, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and the slave does it." When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, "Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you according to your faith." And the servant was healed in that hour. When Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."Reflections from the cornfield:Catholics will recognize the words of the centurian as the words we use before receiving the Eucharist. "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." And Jesus answers him, "Go; let it be done according to your faith." Again, the healing and the miracle depend on the faith of someone involved. I think of the ongoing debate about faith and works. I don't really see the argument. Sometimes I think people argue just to have something to argue about. Faith and works are so intertwined that I don't see how one could exist without the other. Kind of like the Holy Trinity. It would be like asking, which is more necessary? God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.
I wonder if we really think about these words of reconcilliation that we speak before the communion procession begins - this miracle of being able to receive Jesus, to take part in the ancient action of the Last Supper - not a new sacrifice, but the same sacrifice. Not an action that took place long ago, but a timeless action in which we participate today - an eternal banquet which we share with the communion of saints. If it be done according to our faith, we would do well to pray for an increase in that faith. "but only say the word and I shall be healed."
God bless the troops!
