Lynda by the river: November 2016

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Thanksgiving

early morning by the river

THANKSGIVING

Author Unknown

Perhaps we have not counted

Our blessings one by one;

Perhaps we have not bothered

Rememb’ring whence they come;

And maybe we have taken

For granted all the things

The good Lord has created,

And by His hand He brings.

The autumn hills all glorious,

A golden field of grain,

A sunset’s dazzling splendor,

The Milky Way’s great plain,

The starry sky’s sublimity,

The ocean’s mighty power,

The wonder of creation in

The petal of a flower.

If we’ve failed to clearly show

By word or act or deed

A thankful heart unto Him

Who fills our daily need,

May we show our gratitude

Today – and count the sum

Of all the blessings that we have

And name them one by one.

Although we do not generally celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia, I wish those of you who do...

A happy and blessed time with family and friends!

And remember to find something everyday to be thankful for :)

Thursday, November 17, 2016

outside/inside

Spent an hour and a half in the garden earlier this morning trying to tame and cut back some of the rampant spring growth...

When it got too hot, I came inside for my morning coffee, toasted sourdough and Castello blue vein cheese, and browsed my new mags I bought this morning on my way back from my river walk...

Started with Victoria magazine...

such lovely well written articles and beautiful photos

I thought of you Lisa as I read this one by Frances Mayes :)

On the Yarn Along front...

Sewing up the hem on an op shop skirt (I shortened it a bit)

remember this linen tea towel I bought recently?

It's now a cushion cover!!

Continuing to work on my baby blanket...

And reading from Streetlights to Stars and finding it very interesting and enjoyable!

My friend Debbie wanted my tomato sauce recipe. Actually it's my friend Lyn's recipe, but I'm sure she won't mind me sharing it...

Lyn's best ever tomato sauce recipe

3kg/6 1/2lb tomatoes

250g/1/2lb onions

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon curry powder

200ml/ 7 ounces apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons golden syrup/molasses

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

500g/1 pound sugar

Chop the tomatoes, onion and garlic roughly with a Bamix (a stick mixer), or put in a blender (or food processor) – in batches - (which is what I did as I don't have a Bamix).

Put tomato mix and all other ingredients into a big pot and boil till desired consistency is reach. I think I boiled for a few hours – it depends how think you want it. Bottle and seal while hot.

I added some extras to Lyn's original recipe – cardamom, cumin, Tabasco sauce, allspice, bay leaf.

I also used white and brown sugar.

I didn't sterilise my jars/bottles, but washed and dried them and heated them slightly in the microwave (you could use the oven) before pouring the hot sauce into them and sealing.

My sauce/relish was quite spicy, but have had lots of positive comments about it :)

Enjoy!

My head is aching a bit today (due to weather fronts/troughs coming through), so think I'll need to take one of my migraine meds and take it easy for a bit. Not that that is any hardship... :))

Enjoy your day...whatever season (of the year, or life) you are in!!

Friday, November 11, 2016

It's a date!

Date slice that is...

My friend Brenda asked for my date slice recipe...

It's actually Valerie's recipe with a few changes on my part. Here's the original recipe:

Valerie's Date Slice

4oz/125g melted butter
4oz/125g sugar

Mix butter and sugar together.

Stir in 1 beaten egg.

Add 1 cup of chopped dates
And 1 cup of self raising flour

Spread in greased and/or lined baking dish/tray and bake at 350F/180C for 15-20 minutes or until cooked and slightly browned.

So simple!!

Lynda's version: I only used 100g of brown sugar and substituted some of the flour with ground almonds. I also added some cardamom, allspice and ginger to the mix.

Enjoy!!

For Yarn Along this week...

Decided to work on some crocheted baby blankets. Quite a few of the ladies in the Mennonite church are having babies soon, so doing one in cream/blue/yellow, but will also do a cream/pink/green.

And I found this little bear pattern HERE, so thought I'd make some to go with the baby blankets, and also they would be a good size to go in the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, and the pattern could be easily adapted to be a little doll too. I'm a bit late for this year, but can make a start for next...

Browsing and enjoying this book about Beatrix Potter.

Lunch time...chicken soup! Then some crochet time with a cup of tea, and some letter writing.

My head (migraine) is not too good today so am having an easy, inside day.

Enjoy your day!

More on the Mennonites

I'm publishing a comment here that I received about THIS post, because perhaps not all of you read the comments and I thought these thoughts were interesting:

Hi there Lynda,
I wouldn't lay a foot next to their church or fellowship. They look good on the outside but nasty on the inside, many people have been hurt by the Mennonite because they are closed in group and because they make themselves look good on the outside. You said something about intimidation, my thats terrible if you felt that at first.
We are not all perfect but I would use wisdom going and fellow shipping with people like these. I attend a Baptist Church and the Baptist have many errors but I prefer to attend a Baptist then Mennonite and some way the Baptist seem different and I think Baptist are more spiritually right. I am not arguing here but I feel you need to know about this group.
Many blessings!

And here is my reply:

Hi Anonymous - I have to disagree with you. I have known these people for 4 years now and have found no 'nastiness' in them. And the intimidation did not come from them...it was all self imposed.
I have also studied them (and other Anabaptist groups) for about 10 years, so have a good grasp of their beliefs.

I'm sure there are good and bad Mennonite fellowships as there are Baptist fellowships...after all the churches are made up of fallible humans.

I am aware of their beliefs, and they do follow the Bible quite literally, which I know can cause problems for some people, but I guess it is up to us to search our hearts (and the Bible) and with the help of the Holy Spirit discern what God's will is for our own lives. I know the Mennonite church would not suit everyone, but the choice is ours.

I do not think their beliefs are unbiblical, although some of their individual church rules can be a bit of a stumbling block for some, especially those of us who did not grow up Mennonite. The church here is quite conservative compared to some other Mennonite fellowships.

There are 'degrees' of conservativism (is that a word?) in all denominations, I guess we need to find one that suits us.

As I said...I do not find their beliefs unbiblical, difficult yes...but then no-one ever said being a Christian was easy (least of all me!)

I appreciate your comments.

Blessings to you!

Feel free to add your thoughts!

Monday, November 7, 2016

Crossroads

These Bible verses have been on my mind lately:

Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls...

and

Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Yesterday (Sunday) I attended the Mennonite Church. It has been about 3 years since I was fellowshipping with them. It was one of a number of reasons for moving from Stanley to Deloraine, to be able to attend church with them. After 6 months I decided I could not fully commit to joining the church, although all the pressure to 'join' was coming from me...and not from them.

So I've been attending another church since (and have been happy there) but keeping in touch with Mennonite friends and attending some functions and celebrations with them.

It was so nice to be back with them yesterday. I don't think my heart really ever left :).

So...here I stand at the cross roads (again!!) But this time I don't feel the same pressure I did last time.

So I will look, ask, walk...and (hopefully) find rest for my soul. All in God's timing...

I also just came across this interesting article and would urge you to read it.

I'm looking forward to seeing where the path leads...

Addendum

We've had the Tasmanian Craft Fair on in Deloraine over the last 4 days. The weather has been pretty horrendous. Gale force winds the first 3 days, and rain today...