Five Minute Friday - ABANDON

Five Minute Friday - a free write, which means, as our hostess, Kate Motaung, says, "...no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write."

This week's prompt is: ABANDON. 

Go!

Living life with abandon. During our children's' growing up years it's what we did. However any particular day fell...that's the way we went!

We viewed each day as an adventure and couldn't wait to see what opportunities and encounters that the Lord had in store for us and we were never disappointed. There were many of them. Our family was so free-wheeling! So spur of the moment! So full of life!

Oh, sure! We had a schedule that we tried our best to adhere to (that is what we referred to as Plan A), but we were always open to God's Plan B...and we had fun!

As the years passed and the children grew, things happened that changed all that. Life became far too serious. Our adventurous spirit was squelched and our free-wheeling, spur-of-the-moment ways came to a screeching halt. Life became hard and it became even harder to understand why. The enemy had had his way.

The ties that bound us together were stretched beyond capacity and broken. No more living life with abandon. Now just abandonment...lost in the endless pursuit of money and things...things that mean more to some than family loyalty.

It's sad, yes, but we're tired of being sad...tired of trying to figure it all out. Life's too short!

No matter what choices others choose to make, my husband and I are renewed and refreshed. We are committed to rekindling our spirit of adventure and to living out the lives that God created us to live...with abandon!

Stop!

Until next time.
~Rebecca

Celebrating Purim

King Ahasuerus and Queen Esther

This evening we were invited to celebrate Purim with our daughter, Amber, son-in-law, Patrick, and our grandchildren, Audrey, Silas, Isaiah, Esther, and Mercy. Our youngest son, Anthony, and his girlfriend, Nicole, and our daughter's uncle and his girlfriend joined us, as well.

Amber made a delicious feast...soup, vegetables, challah bread, and hamantashen (Haman's Hats)...and Patrick read the beautiful story of Queen Esther from the Bible. After studying the holiday, and in keeping with Jewish tradition, every time Haman's name was read aloud, the children (AND the adults) would stamp their feet, shake their graggers, and boo the villainous character. It was a lot of fun!

The Evil Haman

To learn more about Purim and the story of Queen Esther, I suggest reading the book of Esther from the Holy Bible. The book tells the story of a young Jewish girl named Hadassah who is taken from her guardian, Mordecai, and forced to compete for the affection of the king. Hadassah wins the contest, is crowned queen of Persia, renamed Esther, and in the end, saves her people from certain death. Purim is still celebrated today to commemorate the defeat of Haman's plot to massacre the Jews as recorded in the book of Esther.

The Faithful Mordecai

  "For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)

Letter From A Reader

I received the following e-mail in response to a Five Minute Friday post that I had posted months ago. I feel that the author makes some valid points and I want to pass on her thoughts to others who might be struggling with some of the same issues. I also encourage all of us to heed her admonishment to be careful of the way we treat others...especially the strangers that we meet along life's way.   

My Own Five Minute Friday - 

by an anonymous Hearth and Home reader

This is just a rambling from an overflowing spirit that needs perspective. It could be that I have been short on patience lately or that I am continually baffled by our society. But it seems every time I venture outside my door I find myself longing to be back home with my family so that I can shut out the madness and feel “safe”. Am I beginning to sound like a crazy?

I think that we underestimate the affect that we have on people, even strangers, by our words, attitudes and conduct. We live in a selfish, me-based society that seems to be getting worse. And the things that seem deplorable or that once were deplorable are becoming the norm and accepted, while the old fashioned values and salt of the earth people seem to be treated hostile.

I have had several experiences lately, all similar, and rudeness seems to be the new norm. We have a large family, not large compared to a lot of the people I know, but large for today's standard where the average for an American family is 1.9 children. (Don’t ask me about the .9 I have no idea.) 

I try to not be a super sensitive mom that won’t take criticism about their children. And if a child is misbehaving I agree that they should be corrected. But my older children are very responsible in stores and my younger ones are still in training and stay with me. If they misbehave their father or I take them outside to the van and they don’t get to be in the store.

Despite however hard I try I still manage to have someone from the store approach me and make comments such as “children need to remain seated while in the cart” (while I am taking care of the problem) or “you need to have your children within an arms reach of you!” or someone yelling across the room at me “don’t let your children in the clothes rack!” 

I don’t mind someone correcting my child, but in most of these cases we were just quietly shopping in the store and they made me feel bad for even walking in with my children. The topper was one thrift store that supports animals, which I am fond of...had cats roaming around the building...cat hair on items....and the cats were acting like animals, if you know what I mean. I look up on the wall and there is a sign...Animals Welcome...please keep children on leashes.

 

Animals are more welcome with all their animal tendencies than a child is. It makes me wonder about the hearts of these people. But for all this the verses come to mind how our words matter. Proverbs 12:18 - There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword...Proverbs 15:1 - A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Proverbs 18:21 - Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue:

 

We can make someone’s day or we can be that final nail in the coffin that sinks their countenance and ruins the day. All this negativity has made my soul to look up and ask that the Lord would make me to be a blessing to those around me. I don’t want to be affected by the negative attitudes of those out there. I am going to memorize and meditate upon Proverbs 16:24 “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

 

So, next time you’re out, try to think of something encouraging to say to that stranger. They just might be needing to hear a word of encouragement and that would make all the difference.

Five Minute Friday - CONTROL

Five Minute Friday- a free write, which means, as our hostess, Kate Motaung, says, "...no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write."

This week's prompt is: CONTROL. 

Go!

Sometimes it seems that life is totally out of control. Things don't go the way that we would have liked for them to go or, at least the way that we thought they would, and our world is shaken.

Some days distractions come at us fast and furious from every direction leaving us mentally weary and just flat tired at the end of the day, our to-do lists undone and us too tired to care.

Maybe it's time to slow down, take a step back and look at our priorities...take a look at what we're allowing to control our lives.

In my own life, I see that, for far too long, I've been stuck between where I used to be...five, ten, even twenty years ago...and where I am right now. Hard as I've tried to hang on to the past, the truth is, where I was then, isn't where I am today and what I was doing then, isn't what I am doing now.

I am one that is very slow to accept change, but, am realizing that if there is going to be any forward movement on my part, I must accept the changes that have taken place, embrace this season of life that I'm in, and move out of the stagnancy that I have been stuck in for far too long.

Stop!

Until next time...
~Rebecca

Burns Night 2017 - Recipes For Crockpot Haggis, Tatties and Neeps, and Scottish Oatcakes

Robert Burns - Scottish Bard

Celebrating Burns Night has become an annual event in our home. It started back in 2012 when I was browsing Facebook and something came up on one of the Scottish groups that I was in about Burns Night (an annual celebration in Scotland commemorating the life of bard, Robert Burns, who was born on January 25, 1759). 

After doing a little research, I decided that, while it probably wouldn't be traditional by UK standards, we were going to celebrate Burns Night anyway...American style!

I discovered that the Burns Night supper traditionally consists of haggis, tatties, and neeps. I searched around online and came up with a recipe for haggis made in a crockpot. I tweaked the recipe a bit, made it my own, and have made it this way annually ever since.

In addition to the crockpot haggis I also make the traditional tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (mashed turnips), and have added my own favorite version of Scottish oatcakes to round out the meal. It makes for a delicious meal...one that we look forward to year after year.

Up to now we have always celebrated Burns Night on January 25th (Robert Burns' actual birthday and traditional date of celebration in the UK), but, this year, I had to be out of town for training with work on the 25th, so we decided to celebrate a day early and do it on the evening of the 24th.

My cousin, Dave, who just happens to share a birthday with the beloved bard of Scotland, joined us for our celebration this year and enjoyed his first Burns Night by partaking of a fine Scottish meal (at least the American equivalent thereof) and listening, with us, to two of our favorite works by Robbie Burns...Auld Lang Syne and Address To A Haggis (which I absolutely adore!).

Should you and your family decide to celebrate with us at any point, here are my traditional Burns Night recipes to enjoy. <3

Crockpot Haggis

Tatties and Neeps

Scottish Oat Cakes

CROCKPOT HAGGIS

2 pounds lean ground turkey
1 large or two small chopped red onions
2 cup whole oats
a couple of pinches each of nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 egg
1 cup chicken broth (I add more as cooking time progresses)

In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients, minus the broth, the same way you'd make a meatloaf. Plop it into your crockpot that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Press meat down to form in the shape of the crockpot. Pour broth over top. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, or on high for about 4. This is cooked fully when it has browned on the edges and is beginning to brown on top. Don't overcook and risk drying out. Using a large spatula, carefully remove from crockpot and place on cutting board (I loosened ours by running a table knife around the edges first and it came out beautifully). (Save broth to serve over top.) Let rest for 30 minutes before slicing.


TATTIES AND NEEPS

1¼ lb. potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1¼ lb. turnips, peeled, roughly chopped
A generous pinch of grated nutmeg
4 tbsp milk
4 tbsp butter
Sea salt and pepper

Tatties - Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt, cover the pan with a lid. Bring the potatoes to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender (approx 20 mins). Drain the potatoes and keep to one side. Add half of the butter and half the milk to the pan the potatoes were cooked in. Melt the butter and warm the milk, add the cooked potatoes and mash. Add the nutmeg and stir well to create a smooth, creamy mash.  

Neeps - Place the turnips in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt, cover the pan with a lid. Bring the turnips to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender (approx 20 mins). Drain the turnips and keep to one side. Add half of the butter and half the milk to the pan the turnips were cooked in. Melt the butter and warm the milk, add the cooked turnips and mash.


SCOTTISH OATCAKES

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. light butter
1/2 c. water, or more if needed

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With a fork, stir in the water. Dough should just cling together. Divide into 3 portions.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion as thin as possible. Cut into triangles. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Oatcakes should not be brown but be still quite blonde when done.

Happy Burns Night!

~Rebecca

Five Minute Friday - REFINE

Five Minute Friday- a free write, which means, as our hostess, Kate Motaung, says, "...no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write."

This week's prompt is: REFINE. And, yes, I'm a few days late, but that's how it goes sometimes...well...for me, most of the time...anyway...

Go!

I'll be honest, this week's prompt has really had me stumped and I've hardly known where to go with it. 

I looked up scripture verses, but nothing struck me, so I turned to the dictionary. 

Refine - to remove impurities or unwanted elements from, to purify, to improve something by making small changes, improve, perfect, hone, fine-tune, to free from impurities or unwanted material, to improve or perfect by pruning or polishing...

Ah! Pruning! Now there is a word that strikes a chord!!!

The word refine conjures up images in my mind of a perfecting process that takes one through steps that, with each one, things get better and better...which is true...that's what it does...or, at least, that's what it's supposed to do. I think that some refining processes...like the one they use to refine sugar, for example...takes out the most important parts, leaving behind something that is not only less than what it should be, but is right down dangerous...but that's a whole 'nother matter altogether...so skip that...

But, pruning...now there's a process that sounds painful And it is...especially when you're the one being pruned!

Pruning involves cutting back the parts that are overgrown and out of control or cutting away the parts that are dead. But why? To increase fruitfulness. To increase growth. 

And in the end...refine.

Stop!

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).



Until next time...
~Rebecca