My Own Thoughts

Category: Life in General

  • Country Club Muffins

    I attended the Abilene Women’s Club last month and had wonderful little bread/muffins, that tasted more like cake (imho). This month, they were served again. This time, I asked about them and Jean G agreed to send the recipe! She came through with that promise and I am putting the receipt here. Abilene Country Club…

  • Dream House

    Found a remodel project that could have been my dream home–mostly untouched (though some ugly stuff) for 90 years… But the lady they brought in to do the auction bid it out from under me. Here are pictures of what I would like… Though I didn’t know I would love the sleeping porch, but I…

  • Balloons = Decorations

  • Zucchini Bread

    This is Bev’s recipe for dense zucchini bread. Zucchini bread – dense version 2 eggs 2 c. sugar 1 c. veg oil 2 tsp vanilla 3 c. flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 3 cup zucchini, grated 1 c. nuts, raisins, coconut or combo (optional) Put…

  • Raquel’s Sandies

    NOT DRY AT ALL. This is Raquel’s (from TCK) recipe. Sandies Ingredients 1 cup butter, softened 2 1/4 cups flour, divided 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup pecans,chopped 1 tbsp water/milk 1 cup powdered sugar Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit (180 degrees Celcius. Cream butter for about 1 minute, just…

  • Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

    Stolen off Facebook. This is our Austinite fire-fighting, homeschooling dad, missionary friend’s recipe. He says they are easy to overbake, which will make them crunchy. Makes 6 dozen cookies Preheat oven to 375°F Beat until creamy: 3 sticks (12oz) softened unsalted butter Add and beat until fluffy (about 3 minutes): 1½ cup light brown sugar…

  • Europe v Americans

    “In Europe 100 miles is a long way. In the US 100 years is a long time.” That says a LOT about the differences we are finding here.

  • Grins

  • A Different Take on a Blessings List

    For several years, I kept a blessings list where I wrote down each day something I was grateful for. I still wish I had done it every day. Today (just past the first day of the new year), I saw a video on the 365Grateful campaign from the woman who started it all. She took…

  • TedxSF

    You protect what you fall in love with. A ten-minute video from Louie Schwartzberg who has created time lapse photography for 24/7 for the last 30 years. “Happiness Revealed” from 3:45. Imagination…you want to go deeper in. Today is the one day that is given to you. It’s given to you. It’s a gift. It’s…

  • Men, Premarital Sex, and Divorce

    National Survey of Family Growth The researchers released information about the effect of having sex before marriage increasing a woman’s divorce rate. Clearly this study doesn’t show causation, but simply correlation. However, the researchers didn’t say anything about men and their relationship to premarital sex. This survey (2006-2010) did not ask men and women the…

  • Prayer and Rhetoric

    I began reading Spiritual Modalities: Prayer as Rhetoric and Performance by William FitzGerald. It’s a fascinating book and I am highlighting too much. I thought I might put it in some of the things I highlighted that I want to ponder more. Maybe I can do that here in this space. “the most profound problem…

  • What about Abilene is Fun?

    What about Abilene is fun? Searching for new things to do and trying to find out what Abilenians might be doing this weekend. Found the Garageband Woodstock 4 that way. Went to the Cowboy Action Shooters’ Christmas in July shooting at the range, where I shot pictures. Good Shakespearean plays at ACU, done as musicals.…

  • Banana Pudding Poke Cake

    This might be good to make for my dad. Banana Pudding Poke Cake~ Ingredients: 1 (10 oz.) box yellow cake mix ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil & water) 2 (3.4 oz.) packages instant banana pudding 4 cups milk 1 (8 oz.) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed 20 vanilla wafers, crushed Directions: Prepare cake…

  • Cordon Bleu Chicken recipe

    from WeightWatchers Ingredients 4 spray(s) cooking spray, or enough to coat chicken 1 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), four 4 oz pieces 3 oz cooked lean ham, four 3/4 oz slices 3 oz low-fat Swiss cheese, four 3/4 oz slices 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour 1/4 cup(s) honey mustard 1/2 cup(s) seasoned bread crumbs, Italian-style…

  • Pineapple Cheeseball Recipe

    Wonder if I can make it without the green peppers? Holiday Pineapple Cheese Ball Serves 4-5 16 oz cream cheese 2 tbsp chopped green onion 2 tbsp chopped green pepper ¼ c drained, crushed pineapple 2 tsp seasoned salt 2 c chopped pecans Soften cream cheese. Add onion, pepper, pineapple, seasoned salt, and one cup…

  • Life

    I was going to write “Stressed” as the title, but I’m not generally stressed. I’m just stressed right now. M sold his stock and made $$$. He’ll have enough to pay for 2.5 years of grad school, if they don’t keep upping the price too much. Our house was looked at twice this week, but…

  • Words of Wisdom from Seth

    Apparently there is someone out there blogging as Seth (perhaps Seth?) who is saying things I should have thought of or am thinking of or am glad to be pointed in the direction of thinking. Here are just a few of the more recent nuggets of wisdom. A friend asked me the other day, “…given…

  • Thanks-Giving: X, Y, Z

    xylophones and xrays experts and expats you yellow yawns yards youth young yodels yarns zingers (the orange/yellow ones) zoos, especially ones with trains you can ride around in zeros, easy to grade

  • Thanks-giving V and W

    V: violets violins, especially when they are fiddles violas volunteers Vues (Saturn Vues) views, out the window, of the world, of the sky and moon and trees… variables, so that not everything is the same variety (see above) W: windows willows weeping willows weeping cherries Wonderland Williams family warriors women wilderness welcomes winter whispers whistling…