Is it time yet?How about now?Is it finally time?Can we PLEASE do it now??
Yes Helen,
now we can bake.
January’s Cookie will be:
The Pepparkakor!
The Pepparkakor is a Swedish Cookie we learned to bake when our daughter, like many other young girls her age, was an admirer of The American Girl Doll Collection. Always inquisitive our daughter was more obsessed with trying to learn as much as she could about each of the dolls in the collection, than her desire to own one! (Although she did, after two years of deciding which was the ‘one for her,’ place Samantha on her birthday wish list.) Through her searches in libraries, book stores, and The American Girl Doll Catalog she discovered so many wonderful historical and cultural things, even the foods they would have eaten in their time period and world location. And this is exactly how we discovered the Pepparkakor cookie, where the recipe was tucked into a cookbook of an American Girl doll!
Soften the butter. Measure the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves into a sifter. Sift ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Set the bowl aside.
Put the sugar and softened butter into a large mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon to press together & stir. Add the egg, maple syrup, and water to the butter & sugar mixture. Beat until fluffy.
Stir the dry ingredients into the mixture 1 cup at a time. Mix well after each cup.
Cover the bowl with a plate, and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour to make the dough easier to roll out and handle.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Have ungreased cookie sheets ready to use.
Sprinkle flour onto a table or counter. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Try to make the piece about 1/8 inch thick.
Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes . Put the cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are lightly browned on the bottom. Watch the cookies carefully. They burn easily!
What shape to choose?
nibble, nibble, nibble…
crumbs on the plate.
nibble, nibble, nibble…
it’s almost too late!
Hurry-Up!
Or you’ll miss the last bite
of something that is great!
It is exhausting to sit around and wait all day!
hugs n’ blessings are being sent no matter what shape you are!
And it’s another Wednesday for Saint Maria Faustina KoWalska (what else,)
with a brief reflection on the Divine Mercy of God:
In Cracow-Pradnik, June 2, 1938, the Lord Jesus directed a young Polish Sister of Mercy on a three-day retreat. Faustina Kowalska painstakingly recorded Christ’s instruction in her diary that is a mystical manual on prayer and Divine Mercy. Having read the Diary I was mesmerized by the unique retreat that Christ gave on the subject of spiritual warfare.
Here are the secret whispers of Jesus to his little bride Faustina on how to protect herself from the attacks of the devil. These instructions became Faustina’s weapon in fighting the good fight.
I personally have gained great strength from them in my own battles. They have helped to clothe me in a coat of protective armor & have maintained peace in my heart in times of great temptation to retaliate in a way less pleasing to my God. I am grateful for the guidance His whispers have provided and seek fervently to follow them better. I pray you find a mighty protective message from them too and may they open wide the doors of Mercy that await for you.
Jesus began, “My daughter, I want to teach you about spiritual warfare”(1760). (The Lord’s words are in bold text; comments from Kathleen Beckman, President and co-founder of the Foundation of Prayer for Priests, follow.)
1.Never trust in yourself but abandon yourself totally to My will.
Trust is a spiritual weapon. Trust is part of the shield of faith that St. Paul mentions in chapter six of Ephesians: the armor of God. Abandonment to God’s will is an act of trust; faith in action dispels evil spirits.
2.In desolation, darkness and various doubts, have recourse to Me and to your spiritual director. He will always answer you in my name. In times of spiritual warfare, immediately pray to Jesus. Invoke His Holy Name that is feared in the netherworld. Bring darkness into the light by telling a spiritual director or confessor and follow his instruction.
3.Do not bargain with any temptation; lock yourself immediately in My Heart.
In the Garden of Eden, Eve bargained with the devil and lost. We have recourse to the refuge of the Sacred Heart. In running to Christ, we turn our backs on the demonic.
4.At the first opportunity, reveal the temptation to the confessor.
A good confession, a good confessor, and a good penitent are a recipe for victory over temptation and demonic oppression—without fail.
5.Put your self-love in the last place, so that it does not taint your deeds.
Self-love is natural but it should be ordered, free of pride. Humility defeats the devil that is perfect pride. Satan tempts us to disordered self-love to lead us into his pool of pride.
6.Bear with yourself with great patience.
Patience is a secret weapon that helps us to keep our peace of soul even in the great storms of life. Bearing with oneself is part of humility and trust. The devil tempts us to impatience, to turn against our selves so we become angry. See yourself from God’s view. He is infinitely patient.
7.Do not neglect interior mortifications.
Scripture teaches that some demons can only be evicted by prayer and fasting. Interior mortifications are weapons of warfare. They can be small sacrifices offered with great love. The power of sacrificial love evicts the enemy.
8.Always justify to yourself the opinions of your superiors and of your confessor.
Christ is speaking to St. Faustina who lives in a convent. But we all have people in authority over us. The devil aims to divide and conquer so humble obedience to authentic authority is a spiritual weapon.
9.Shun murmurs like a plague.
The tongue is a powerful vessel that can do great harm. Murmuring, gossiping, is never of God. The devil is a liar who stirs up false accusations and gossip that can kill a person’s reputation. Shun murmurs!
10.Let all act as they like; you are to act, as I want you to.
To mind one’s own business is key in spiritual warfare. The devil is a busybody attempting to drag everyone down. Please God and let the opinions of others go by the wayside.
11.Observe the rule as faithfully as you can.
Jesus is referring to the rule of a Religious Order here. Most of us have made some vow before God and Church and we should be faithful our promises—i.e. Marriage vows and baptismal vows. Satan tempts to infidelity, lawlessness and disobedience. Fidelity is a weapon for victory.
12.If someone causes you trouble, think what good you can do for the person who caused you to suffer.
Being a vessel of divine mercy is a weapon for good and for defeating evil. The devil is about hatred, rage, revenge, and unforgiveness. Others have hurt us all at some time. What good can we do in return? Returning a blessing breaks curses.
13.Do not pour out your feelings.
A talkative soul will more easily be attacked by the devil. Pour out your feelings to the Lord only. Remember, the good and evil spirits hear what you say aloud. Feelings are fleeting. Truth is the compass. Interior recollection is a spiritual armor.
14.*Be silent when you are rebuked.*
Most of us have been rebuked at some time. We have no control over that but we can control our response. The need to be right all the time can lead into demonic traps. God knows the truth. Let it go. Silence is a protection. The devil can use self-righteousness to trip us up also.
15.Do not ask everyone’s opinion, but only the opinion of your confessor; be as frank and simple as a child with him.
Simplicity of life can drive out demons. Honesty is a weapon to defeat Satan, the Liar. When we lie we put a foot in his camp and he will try to seduce us all the more.
16.Do not become discouraged by ingratitude.
No one likes to be taken for granted. But when we are met with ingratitude or insensitivity, the spirit of discouragement can weigh us down. Resist all discouragement for it is never of God. It is one of the devil’s most effective temptations. Gratitude in all things wins the day.
17.Do not examine with curiosity the roads down which I lead you.
The need to know, and curiosity about the future is a temptation that has led too many people into the backrooms of psychics, witches, etc. Choose to walk in faith. Decide to trust in God who leads you on the path to heaven. Resist the spirit of curiosity always.
18.When boredom and discouragement beat against your heart, run away from yourself and hide in My heart.
Jesus delivers the same message a second time. Now He refers to boredom. Earlier in the Diary he told St. Faustina that the devil most easily tempts idle souls. Beware of boredom, a spirit of lethargy, or acedia—the noonday devil. Idle souls are easy prey for demons. Be about the business of God.
19.Do not fear struggle; courage itself often intimidates temptations, and they dare not attack us.
Fear is the second most common tactic of the devil (pride is the first). Courage intimidates the devil—he will flee in the face of persevering courage that stands on Jesus, the rock. All people struggle, God is our provision.
20.Always fight with the deep conviction that I am with you. Jesus instructs a Sister in a convent to “fight” with conviction. She can do so because Christ accompanies her. Christians are called to fight with conviction against all demonic tactics. The devil tries to terrorize souls, demonic terrorism—resist! Invoke the Holy Sprit throughout the day.
21.Do not be guided by feeling, because it is not always under your control; but all merit lies in the will.
All merit lies in the will because love is an act of the will. We are completely free in Christ. We must make a choice, a decision for good or evil. What camp do we live in?
22.Always depend upon your superiors, even in the smallest things.
Christ is instructing a Religious here. But, we all have the Lord as our Superior. Dependence upon God is a weapon of spiritual warfare because we cannot win on our own. Proclaiming Christ’s victory over evil is part of intentional discipleship. Christ came to defeat death & evil. Proclaim Him!
23.I will not delude you with prospects of peace and consolations; on the contrary, prepare for great battles.
St. Faustina suffered physically and spiritually. She was prepared for great battles by the grace of God who upheld her. Christ clearly instructs us in scripture to be prepared for great battles, to put on God’s armor and resist the devil. Be vigilant and discerning always.
24.Know that you are on a great stage where all heaven and earth are watching you.
We are all on a great stage where heaven and earth are watching. What message is our life giving? What radiates from us—shades of light, darkness or grey? The way we live attracts more light or more darkness. If the devil does not succeed in pulling us into darkness, he tries to keep us in the category of the lukewarm, which is not pleasing to God.
25.Fight like a knight, so I can reward you. Do not be unduly fearful, because you are not alone.
The Lord’s words to St. Faustina can become our mantra: Fight like a knight! A knight for Christ knows well the cause that he fights for, the nobility of his mission, the King who he serves, and with blessed assuredness of the victory, he fights to the end, even at the cost of his life. If a young, uneducated, simple Polish nun, united to Christ, can fight like a knight, every Christian can do the same. Trust is victorious.
Quotes from the Diary of St. Faustina are copyrighted by the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, Mass.
these hugs n’ double-door blessings are for you…may you run across the threshold to receive them!
The mail comes routinely at 4:30pm every afternoon. And no matter where we are in the house both Helen & I can hear the mailperson deposit the daily delivery through the mail slot; which then is quickly followed by the sound of each item slidding across the top of the still present 1950’s milk-box, before they then cascade in a stream onto the floor below. The clink-clunk of the brass mail-slot cover closing behind the mayhem, now puddled all together, is a call for us to discover what has been left for us today. Somehow though, when Cuppycake is home, he never hears any of this. (Hello???)
At some point in time, I believe around the mid 1980’s, I became the unofficial unsolicited poster child for: Catalog Queen! Oh, lucky me!! I know there must be some perpetual list out there where my name may never be removed. Truly….it is as if I am at the top of every catalog distribution list. And if it were ever to be permanently erased I do believe a complete collapse of Catolog distribution would occur. TRUST ME! No matter how many times we have moved…the catalogs follow me. Phone calls and on-line opt-outs help for a period of time to slow down the delivery traffic; however, some anxious, antsy, higher-catalog-power relents under pressure and I am somehow back on the distribution list once more, so that balance may be restored.
I always feel sorry for our mail delivery person too and frequently find myself apologizing for the large bundle they must lug around in their mail sack until they at last approach our door. I’ve left Massage Therapy gift cards as a means of Care & Concern. I absolutely hide on the day the thick enormous Restoration Catalog is delivered!! Some days they relent by rubber-banding the large pile together to be left lumped outside on the ground below the slot or have, on occassion, opened the exterior door to the milk-box & slid the 8 inch high pile inside. (It only took a 3 day supply to fill the box!)
I am sure you are curiously wondering, “Do you look through all these many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many catalogs each day???”
No.
Well…not all of them.
Just a few.
Especially the thin ones. It’s easy to flip through those while I’m standing over the pile and Helen is sniffing through the puddle, sorting them for me down below. OCCASSIONALLY, in one of those flipping through moments, my attention is caught. I may put that catolog aside & dog-ear the page to look at more closely another day. And then of course there are those times, where as I am flipping through, suddenly….the world stops spinning for just a brief second…and everyone can hear my squeal of delight!
I’m sure you ALL heard that moment when it happened yesterday, right? Please, oh please, I pray at least my Cuppycake did! (Hello????)
This would be the moment I discovered, in one of these cursed Catlogues, that…
LONG JEAN JACKETS are COMING BACK in Style!!!!
The most PERFECT gift for someone turning 50 this year, don’t you think!!!
The long jean-jacket was my most coveted piece of clothing in my late teens! I worked 3 retail jobs when I first became of working age. Most of my earnings went to savings, gas for my beloved rust-bucket car, and auto-insurance. But I will never forget the day while working my shift at a popular clothing store in our local Millcreek Mall, Foxmoor’s, when I was unwrapping the day’s inventory boxes which contained…the Long Jean Jacket(s)!!!! I had never seen anything so cool and chic! I wanted one sooooo badly. I knew with some over-time at one of my other jobs and some penny pinching in other areas I could manage (what was for me,) a splurge-purchase. My retail manager gave permission to put one in my size aside and it took me 3 pay periods, with the little I could put aside at a time, to finally pay it in full so that at last…I could wear it home. Magically, (I believed) it went with EVERYTHING!!
Who knew the fashion world would come full circle to spread that same
long-jean-jacket-designer-magic again?
And I’d have never discovered this…unless a pesty-little catalog company hadn’t persited in continuing to spill through my mail-slot, despite my annoyance.
Now I just have to hopity-hope….“Cuppycake…are you listening?” (Hello????)
hugs n’ happy surprise blessings to everyone who is listening!!!!
hugsnblessings 