Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Yesterday I received a fragrance oil order that I have been wanting to try. It's a dupe for Lush's "Honey, I Washed the Kids." This fo is named, "Toffee Sugar Crunch." but I don't smell honey or sugar or toffee in it at all. I mean, usually my sniffer can pick up even subtle notes. The scent is pretty, but not foodie. So I'm wondering if I wasted the bubble wrap technique on this scent. Anyway, here is the result.  The soaping went wonderfully.  The loaf gelled, which surprised me.

I had some pink dollops left from the Fairy Tale batch so I topped a few cupcakes.  I am much more confident with my piping technique now.

Here is the loaf this morning.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  The honeycomb looks really nice.  I'll cut it tonight with my new cutter.  I had said that it was coming yesterday, but I forgot that I had received a delayed shipping notice on it.  It should be here today when I get home from the Cathedral.

Word of the day:
Tuesday of Holy Week
Saint(s) of the day : St. Elphege, Archbishop and Martyr (954-1012)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 13:21-33.36-38.

Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, «Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.»
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus' side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus' chest and said to him, "Master, who is it?"
Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it." So he dipped the morsel and (took it and) handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot.
After he took the morsel, Satan entered him. So Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."
(Now) none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him, "Buy what we need for the feast," or to give something to the poor.
So he took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.
When Judas had left them, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
(If God is glorified in him,) God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, 'Where I go you cannot come,' so now I say it to you.
Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?" Jesus answered (him), "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later."
Peter said to him, "Master, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."
Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times."

 

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Just a quick update and then I'll be back. I have the little girls this morning and the littlest one wants to be held. I made the oatmeal milk and honey soap last night but completely forgot that I wanted to try the honeycomb thing with the bubble wrap. Duh!! I used some new silicone molds that I bought last week. I needed to pop them in the freezer to unmold, but I am totally happy with the result. I sprinkled ground oats and brown sugar (sand colored glitter) on top.  It didn't gel so it is a bit too soft to continue cutting right now.  I just love the way this turned out!  I'll be doing a YouTube cutting video later on.

I don't know if I wrote about this or not, but on February 5th I ordered a mold from a moldmaker on Etsy.  On February 25th I ordered a cutter.  The listing says 7 to 14 business days.  It's now been 26 business days since I ordered the cutter.(He offered to ship mold and cutter together to save shipping)  This seller does not keep you updated unless you hound him.  I was reading his feedback and several buyers have the same complaint. If they complain about it he leaves retaliatory negative feedback.  Last week I couldn't wait any longer for the molds so I ordered the silicone ones.  Since the moldmaker told me he was shipping last Saturday (that's the third date he gave me) and since Saturday came and went without a shipping notice, I emailed him to ask him to cancel the mold.  Well, lo and behold, his wife emails me back to tell me he's in the hospital, but that his kidneys are "waking" up and that he should be back in operation at the end of the week. Due to several other excuses that this man has used, I am highly suspicious - especially with the way the email is worded - very emotionally manipulative.  I will definitely not order from him again.  I don't mind waiting for something, but I expect to be kept updated if my order is not shipped when it is supposed to be.  Apparently his workmanship is excellent, but unfortunately, I cannot attest to that since I don't have anything to prove it. I am not a happy camper.  Now I am off to rock my little Meghan.  I'll be back later with a link to the YouTube video.





Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Fourth week of Lent
Saint(s) of the day : St. Vincent Ferrer, Priest (1350-1419)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 5:1-16.

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep (Gate) a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.
In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.
One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be well?"
The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me."
Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your mat, and walk."
Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked. Now that day was a sabbath.
So the Jews said to the man who was cured, "It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat."
He answered them, "The man who made me well told me, 'Take up your mat and walk.'"
They asked him, "Who is the man who told you, 'Take it up and walk'?"
The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.
After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, "Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you."
The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Yesterday Harold and I celebrated our wedding anniversary.  I drove home from church in a snowstorm.  I guess it's not that uncommon because people drove home from our wedding reception, 35 years ago, in a snow storm.  We didn't even know that until a few years ago. 

Melisa and Claire were in the paper yesterday because Melisa is one of the co-ordinators of the Mom-to-Mom sale.  Clayton did not want his picture in the paper.  He's funny about getting his picture taken.  If it's his idea, he's fine with it.  Otherwise, not so much.

I'm planning to make soap tonight.  I saw a cool technique where soapmakers put bubble wrap on top of honey scented soap and it looks just like a honeycomb.  I'm making oatmeal, milk, and honey tonight so I can't wait to try it.

Sales have been non-existent lately - normal for this time of year, but it seriously puts a crimp in my soapmaking because my supplies are running low.  I don't seem to be having much success on Etsy, except for Christmas stockings but I'm going to give it a while.  It's only 20 cents to list and item - that's fairly cheap advertising.

  Harold just told me that there is water in the basement.  My stuff is protected, but I had hoped to put a pretty rug down there.  All of the snow and rain yesterday and caused the basement to get wet again.  Oh, well, thank God for plastic tubs.  LOL!

Word of the day:
Monday of the Fourth week of Lent
Saint(s) of the day : St. Isidore of Seville, Archbishop (+ 636)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 4:43-54.

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast.
Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe."
The royal official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
Jesus said to him, "You may go; your son will live." The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While he was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, "The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon."
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live," and he and his whole household came to believe.
(Now) this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

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!