They’re joking, right?!
Why would I pay someone money, if I had any to throw around, to get flung into outer space, with the risk of running out of oxygen… or better yet, simply implode?!
The mere thought of either scenario, makes me feel a bit ill. However, for the sake of adventure and all that, I’d consider the mission if someone wants to pay me to do it.
I’ll fly to the moon for no less than a thou… a hundred tho… ONE BILLION Dollars… yup, that feels about right!
Here, have a space cookie…
While I can make a pretty mean chili, salsa that can melt the paint off a house, homemade soup bowls to fill with dreams, and a good many other dishes I picked up along the way… baking is my passion!
Not just baking, but desserts mainly… and not just desserts… I LOVE COOKIIIIEEEESSSSS!
I am well versed in baking most types of cookies, but my most highly prized handheld delight would by my secret recipe of ………………..
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are not just anybody’s cookies, but my own twisted version. While I won’t tell you the exact recipe, I will say that it mostly has to do with HOW I bake them, more so than all my secret stuff I throw in before baking the dreamy mouthfuls.
Let me just say that I have perfected the art of perfect oven temperature, yummy ingredients, and a sore back from standing bent over in front of the oven, and watching for the perfect moment to pull em…
They come out golden brown and crispy on the surface, but when you break them open they are perfectly ooey gooey on the inside… A tall glass of milk is a must for these, as I forgot to mention that I make them about the size of an open hand, not a child’s hand, no no no, but a grown up people size hand…
They were Huge!
When my girls were small, we spent a great amount of time involved in church. Every spring the church would do bake sales to raise funds for our Children’s Ministries. I would make a triple batch of my cookies, wrap them individually in colored cellophane and ribbon, set up a spot on the church bake sale table, and watch the cookies disappear within less than a half hour. That’s a lot of cookies people, A LOT!
When I refused time and again to give up my recipe to some of the moms, I seriously worried for my safety a few times… lol… just kidding!
I did often jokingly say that my recipe was a Government Secret and if I told them the recipe, I would have to make them disappear… that always got some laughs.
So there you have it folks, hot off the press… we can bake cookies pretty good!
**The original cookies had mold all over them, so, as per my commitment to quality… These are fresh!
I suppose if I’m to think of the biggest dish I’d like to bake, it would be Baked Pterodactyl… you know, like a Turkey but bigger!
If a Turkey dinner could feed a family of 5 for several days, then why not use a bigger bird? And, as I’ve no desire to eat any of the pretty birds like Ostriches, or Big Bird, for that matter… we’re left with the Pterodactyl.
The down side is, I’ve heard that Pterodactyl meat shrinks in the oven due to being rather dry.
Maybe I should just stick with Turkey…
Yes, I understood what the prompt was actually asking, but as I’ve no risks that need taking, I went with the birds.
Oh, and don’t forget your cookies…
Now, I’m not saying someone did something wrong, or anything, but they sure made it confusing for us young readers.
Driveways, Parkways, Freeways, Doorways, and such, all share the Way part… but that’s where any normalcy ends. I get the meaning of way, because it’s describing the meaning of passing through, or
Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more
noun: way; plural noun: ways
- 1. a method, style, or manner of doing something.”there are two ways of approaching this problem” h Similar:methodcourse of actionprocessproceduretechniquesystemplanstrategyschememeansmechanismroutinemannerapproachrouteroadmodus operandi
There was more detail in the definition, but I’m only interested in the first part, which is simple enough to understand.
I understand the definition of Way… but that’s the only part that makes sense. It’s the other half of the word never makes much sense…
Why do they say Driveway, when we park there, but call it a Parkway if we drive on it? Have you ever been given gifts or complimentary packages while driving on a Freeway? Doorway makes sense, because it’s a door that you pass through, right? I don’t want to guess what a Highway is supposed to offer, verses the rest of the Ways… sheesh!
I think grown-ups make these word things a lot harder than they should be, if I’m being fully honest. In truth, I’m fairly certain that we all do this at times. I think it’s in our nature, or something like that…
The problem with asking the same question year after year is that I’ve now run out of secrets.
Duh! Blogger, here! Before finishing my second cup of tea each morning… I’ve already overshared something!
Just be glad that I try to use some form of discretion, or things could become quite awkward.
Cookie?
Lazy days, for me, are a far cry from being unproductive! Are you kidding… while I might be resting in my favorite chair, I’m busy saving lives! If the world ever has a zombie outbreak, my services are going to be in high demand.
Do you even realize how much laziness I have to endure, just to keep my trigger fingers in good working condition? Are you going to know how to zombie proof your safehouses? I bet you never thought about that!
Then, there’s figuring out how and where to get food, fresh drinking water… and bullets! I’m forever in search of more bullets… oh, and repair kits. You’d be surprised how often your weapons need repairing.
Then there’s zombie proof clothing (that’s armor) and antibiotics! Don’t let yourselves get bit, or anything. I’d hate to have to shoot you!
Yep! You’ll all be thanking me…
Want a cookie?
Just kidding!
I’d at least pick the cookies up first, just to flick off anything unpleasant! I’m not a monster… just a survivor! Now eat your cookie, and don’t ask what’s in the ingredients…
What a silly question! Are we really so far gone as a society that we need to even ask or answer this question?
Doesn’t everyone pretty much hope for a neighbor that’s quiet, friendly, and unobtrusive? Maybe a few of us that run a bit on the wild side might dream of joining things like neighborhood barbecues, yard sales, and kid’s sports events. But, honestly, does anyone actually invite their insurance agents to their weekend lawn clean-ups?
I would truly love to meet those who have such a close relationship with their insurance provider, they’re frequently given things like free babysitting, house watching, and providing cups of sugar, when we’ve run out of what’s in the cupboards!
Personally, I’d be far more willing to let my neighbor into the back yard than I would an insurance agent. I stopped letting salesman enter my home years back when a carpet salesman threw coffee grounds on my living room carpet and then tried to vacuum them up with his fancy machine. Whose bright idea was that? The company had to pay for the spot to be professionally cleaned.
Years ago, when I was heavily pregnant with my second child, the pump went out, flooding our entire basement with that which we shall not ever mention… it was horrific! We had little money, and no idea what to do. Until our neighbor from across the street, along with several other neighbors, completely repaired, replaced, and re-sanitized the entire lower level of the house, while I simply sat dry-heaving in the front yard. If your insurance agent provides this kind of neighborly service, would you please send my their telephone number, cause our truck is about to throw in the towel!
Maybe it’d be easier to answer this prompt if we opted to use the word brother instead of neighbor, or, for that matter, insurance agent? Why? Because, when you consider what to expect from a family member, can’t your neighbor simply become an extension of that? Or better yet, switch this whole prompt to What Makes a Good Human Being. Let go of names, titles, and relationships… just focus on your fellow humans.
I believe that you should treat every other human being in this world with the respect, love, and kindness that you seek for yourself. Scripture says that we should treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated. I can certainly attest that I strive to never do to others, that which was done to me. Note that I said strive… I’m far from being flawless!
What I am, however, is forgiven, and redeemed; bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ! Therefore, I am called to love my neighbor, my brother, AND my enemies, as myself… Just sayin.
Cookie?
Too bad you aren’t my actual neighbors, or you’d be getting the real thing…
Doesn’t Fall always give birth to nostalgia, or am I the only one who thinks this way? Every year, just as the weather begins cooling, I find myself digging through the archives, and pulling out some of my old articles to read. Though I realize this site has an archive page, but many readers don’t have hours of free time to go digging through all that stuff.
That’s why you’ll occasionally see them re-posted, because the more recent readers might not have read them, yet.
From now on, if you see (20__) on an article, those will all be called Tuesday Thoughts and Things, like this one. I will be pulling up some of my favorite goodies from the archives, going all the way back to when Journey With Me began, in 2016. Yes, you get to see all my typos, commas,,,,,,,,,,,, and poor sentence structure, but hey, I’m still learning. If nothing else, we can all see how my writing skills, and style, have changed over the years.
So let’s do this!
This came from October 24, 2023…
I was going to post a picture of my plant today, but found this while searching my photo files… I figure that the plant can wait a few days. Have you ever been in a place where you see something you yourself have done, written or said… but it seemed as if someone else did the writing or saying, though you know it was you?
I guess I write so much, I occasionally find myself surprised at things I myself wrote. It is not a disappointment, nor something to be proud of necessarily, but it makes me happy inside for some reason. Perhaps I am able to see my true reflection in the words written for others…
I think all too often in life, we do and say mostly what the world will accept of us, or what we perceive the world might accept from us.
I think I like the way I write better, when I don’t care what the world thinks, but more so what I think or even better yet, what God thinks… in my opinion.
Maybe reading old writings of my work, encourages me, because it reflects a spirit of healing, growth and faith, which had not been there for so much of my life. Our human propensity to overcome, rise above and walk on, always amazes me… that comes from God folks, not us, but the one whom we were designed after. We are all made in His image, and therefore by design, are fully capable of tapping into this part of our spirit.
It comes down to Freedom… freedom of choice! God has given us all we need to get this life done, we need only accept the tools given and get it done! Will it be easy? Is it ever? Life interruptus happens for everyone.
Choices, choices, choices… what we do with what we have is what makes us who we are… Period!
When I look back over the things I have written over time, I clearly have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of my choices, as well as the lasting scars of the choices made by my predecessors. I have also witnessed a resilience within myself, that has apparently always been there, but had been obscured by my attempts to just survive!
Perhaps I have simply arrived finally, at the cross roads of Too Damn Tired and Suck It Up Buttercup! Whatever it is, I like it! When someone came up with the phrase, “What don’t kill you makes you stronger”, I now have a full understanding of what they meant.
When I read that poem I wrote a ways back, it resonated with me, as if a stranger had written it for me to read, and not the other way around.
That folks, is growth! As I heal and grow in my walk with God, the words that begin flowing onto the page are actually quite beautiful, and I can say that without pride, as I think they fully come from God… maybe not for you, but rather, for me…
Undoubtedly, most everyone has a mental list that they’ve probably carried with them since childhood, filled with possible adventures, achievements, hopes, and dreams. But, as most of us discover over time, that mental list morphs into three… would you, could you, or should you!
Take for instance, surfing… surfing, or any water sport, for that matter, could have been something worth trying, but not only has it now turned into a question of whether or not I should, but also aligns with the reality of would I even want to try it?
The answer, in this case would be that while I could have tried a number of open water sports, I wouldn’t have… are you crazy? There’s sharks swimming out in those waters, so I’ll stay on the boat, if you please! Not only that, but at this point in my journey, there’s no way that I should try it… not without breaking something!
I shall now try to write a new list of things that I could, would, and should try for the first time. It’s not nearly as easy as you might think. For example, there’s Karaoke, which is something I always thought I wanted to try. It is something that I can say I would try, and even go as far as to say that there’s no reason why I shouldn’t try it, but the trouble now is that I’m not sure I could! Perhaps what I should try for is the confidence needed to get up in front of people. Will I ever find the courage? Probably not, lol!
Before you start thinking that I’m just a coward, and am too scared to try new stuff, let me remind you of what I have tried…
Modeling, College degree, dog breeder, bird breeder, the entire field of equine husbandry, and horsemanship (dressage, vaulting, breeding, and showing), Mother, Bible Seminary, global travel (England and Ireland), camping, hiking, driving in a semi with my husband for 3 years, painting, pottery, ceramics, crocheting, sewing, becoming a blogger, publishing a book, and soon to be a Grandmother of 8 + my Godson, Peapod!
So, as you can see, I have always had a list, along with every other human being. Who knows how many more years I have left on this beautiful planet, but I don’t ever want my list to stop growing, not ever! I’m fairly certain that I’ve caught God writing on it, though He is rather sneaky about it… He absolutely loves to give me gifts and surprise me with things. I’m not gonna give that up, are you crazy? Don’t ever give up on your list, because that’s where God gives you purpose, my friends.
Don’t forget to try these new cookies for the first time…
I’ve had sort of a rough week when it comes to food, so I want to give a disclaimer, here. **All testing and results may vary, as I’m not certain if my skills, my stomach, or my taster were behaving properly!**
My baking adventures started out seemingly normal. I gathered up all my ingredients, recipes, and cooking tools…
And, yes, you heard me correctly when I said recipes, plural, meaning more than one…
You see, I found this recipe for a delicious looking Pumpkin bread, but then also saw a recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting. Unfortunately, I can’t have dairy. So, I had this notion that maybe Tofu might work as a comparable substitute for the cream cheese.
There’s a huge number of frosting recipes available using Tofu as a substitute for the cheese, so the assumption was made that it should be a success… right!?
Wrong!!!! I’ve never smelled something this vile in all my days, aside from Salmon, Slime, or that Vietnamese fish sauce stuff. Now, I don’t know if it’s just me, what with my health issues, or if it was truly that rank! I didn’t have the heart, nor the stomach to ask my husband to sacrifice his taste buds… so I tossed it! It smelled like a combination of playdough and that Paper Mache glue we used in elementary school.
I went ahead with the Pumpkin bread idea, opting for a simple maple glaze of my own creation. I’ve shared the bread recipe I chose, below…
Homemade Pumpkin Bread is a favorite Fall recipe that’s loaded with warming spices and packed with tons of pumpkin flavor. It will make your house smell so good that you’ll forget you just bought a pumpkin spice candle! This delicious pumpkin bread recipe is super moist and both gluten-free & dairy-free.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr
Cooling Time10 minutes mins
Course: Bread
Cuisine: gluten-free
Keyword: pumpkin bread
Servings: 2 loaves
Author: Thriving Gluten Free (thrivinggluten-free.com)
Did you know that those plastic Ice-cream tubs work great for mixing bowls? Use it if you got it… that’s what I say!
Anyway, I followed the recipe verbatim (exactly as was written), except that I used Olive Oil. Well, I did also switch out the two bread pans for a single 12 inch spring form. (Some of the best places to find specialty cookware is Goodwill, believe it or not!)
It did have to be baked for 80 minutes, in contrast to the 60 minutes for two bread tins that the recipe reflects…
Voila!
Now, I must confess that I used my husband as my taste tester this week… don’t blame me, blame the Tofu! You guys, I couldn’t get that smell out of my head, or out of the apartment for the entire day. It was awful!
To be fair to vegans around the globe, I think that I may have an aversion to Tofu, along with the Salmon that I mentioned earlier. Memory has a funny way of messing with you, sometimes. And, many people use Tofu in a number of ways, swearing by it! So, if you would, kindly go easy on the Tofu community. Let’s just call this one Operator Error, and move on.
All that I did here as a substitute for the frosting, was to make a simple drizzle with 1/8 cup Maple Syrup (any brand will do), 1 cup powdered sugar, and 2 tsp of lemon juice.
My husband gave it 2 thumbs up, and if he likes it gluten-free, you will too!
As for me, maybe it was the Tofu, or quite possibly the Barium sludge I had to swallow the day before, but I don’t know if pumpkin and I can ever be friends again, seriously!
Next week should be far better, as I’m going to tackle a gluten-free, dairy-free, cinnamon roll, or sweet buns, if you like. I’ve never worked with yeast in gluten-free baking, so it’ll be a bit of a learning curve.
Hey, if you’re game, I am! Why, a young King David slew Goliath, with not but a stone and sling, so I am confident that I can challenge a loaf of bread, with not but Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour!
Gluten-free bread baking, here I come. Wish me luck…
Journey With Me! 