What you see on the outside isn’t quite what I look like on the inside. While time marches on, offering no free rides or even discount coupons for the journey, this body of mine has seen its battles… some only small skirmishes, while others were devastating battles, leaving costly scars.
On the outside, many of my scars have faded into wrinkles and laugh lines, to be forgotten, or simply overlooked by those that I encounter… but, there they remain, none the less.
On the inside, however, who I am is far different from what many are allowed to view. I am still that wild, and indestructible creation that my heavenly Father created with painstaking detail.
I was created in the image of God, which is nothing less than beautiful!
I am a warrior for God… me!
A life begun in wickedness and shame, transformed into that which reflects Grace, Redemption, and so, so much mercy!
You know, I’m glad for all my scars, as they remind me of where I came from, and all the lessons learned from the journey.
I believe that when we give all our hurts over to God, those bruises and scars transform into armor! Not just any armor, though, but the armor of God! Etched within all those scars will be found verse after verse of eternal truths, put there by the very hand of God.
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).
Cookie?
Today, let’s all try to Bee positive!
… even if the world stings, honey, life can still taste sweet if you work toward the good of the hive, pollenating those around you with the fragrance of goodness gifted you by the Master Bee Charmer, himself…
As you must know by now, I’ve had to go ala natural with my foods. This means having to rethink every single thing I eat, from the ground up!
Baking sweet things has been my passion from the time I was a small girl, as I talk about my Easy-Bake Oven at every opportunity. Being the tenacious cookie monster that I am, there will be no white flag… no meek signs of retreat, no, no!
Seeing’s as it’s already heading into the holiday baking season, we’ve been afforded the opportunity to begin displaying our favorite sweet treats… even if it is Gluten, and mostly, Dairy Free (I can still bake with eggs, even if I can’t eat them on their own).
For now, I shall bring you a new recipe each Saturday that can replace an old one, thereby, allowing continued baking success for this Wiwookie Monster (I know, that was worse than a bad Dad Joke).
I know that I probably told you about my first successful Banana Muffins adventure, but it was a bit like cheating to be honest. I simply bought a box mix and added water, in a manner of speaking. The point is, it wasn’t homemade the way I’ve always done in the past.
I’m not about to be bested by something as silly as flour or milk, are you kidding me?! No way…
I found a recipe on Pinterest that I’ll share for anybody that’s interested, because it came out so good that you’d be hard-pressed to consider it Gluten Free.
A moist and flavorful gluten-free banana bread recipe that even picky eaters love.
Total Time: 75 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf
Ingredients
Scale
3 medium overripe bananas
2 large eggs
1/3 cup neutral oil (or melted butter)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
Mash the bananas in a large bowl using a fork.
Add eggs, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract; stir well.
Add gluten-free flour blend, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix until almost no powder remains.
If using, fold in nuts or chocolate chips now.
Pour the mixture into a greased or parchment-lined loaf pan.
Bake at 350°F for 55 to 65 minutes, starting to check at 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the bread sit in the pan for 10 minutes, then cool on a rack before slicing.
I only had two overly ripe bananas and one that was fresh and new, so she suggests that you can add several tablespoons of raw honey to add more sweetness. Besides adding three tablespoons of raw honey to the mix, I opted out of the nuts and chocolate morsels, so as to get a true taste of the banana. I used everything else per the recipe, aside from adding a sprinkling of brown sugar across the top, for that crunchy crust that I especially love.
It rose just as much as a normal gluten bread…
And it was very sweet, moist, and had a bready texture as one would expect from a sweetbread…
I give 5 stars to this recipe, as I only had to add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 3 Tbsps. of raw honey, in order to achieve a Banana Bread Lover’s melt in your mouth sweetbread!
Definitely, two thumbs up!
Tune in next Saturday for the next scrumptious scientific survey of sugary sweets, or possibly savories, or maybe even some soul foods. If you’ve suggestions for any specific scientific surveys you’d like me to try my Easy-Bake hands at, shout it out!
Have a blessed weekend, my sweet WordPress Family.
Remember that God loves you very much! And, so do I…
(I’ve added the photo, but the content is in it’s original form)
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24
If I woke one morning to find myself standing at the finish line of a race, with a trophy in my hand and a bunch of people cheering, I would be quite confused. I would be wondering why it was such a big deal and would feel kind of funny standing there with some silly little trinket in my hand. The blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to run that race are what makes the finish line so valuable, and what gives that trophy such importance.
There are so many times where I think I have it figured out and then things go in a completely different direction. It reminds me that He is God and I am not. I always look back from the other side of things and see so clearly how things went the way they did and why. I think, how did I not see that, because it is so obvious. I am realizing that I do not have nearly the patience and faith that I think I do. There is so much less fear and frustration when I do not seek beyond one day at a time. Tomorrow is never certain so why waste my time worrying over what is not here yet. If I focus on what I choose to do, say, and feel in today, I am much more content and I see more of what He wants of me.
The journey is where we find value, making us who we are. I think I want to look to my finish line and see my Heavenly Father waiting for me with love, hope, and open arms; then I can strive everyday to find joy in my journey and finish well!
Many will say that my choices of Love, Life, and Laughter, aren’t really jobs. Some will say that my answers are more emotions instead of careers. Well, let’s think on that for a moment…
Take love, for instance! If you’re the one pursuing love from another, I bet you’d argue that money comes into play! Don’t get me started on the average cost of a wedding! As a woman, I’ll be the first to admit that if money were no matter, my wedding would be over the top! Just sayin.
After Love comes Life…
Children have to be some of the most expensive things on the planet, aside from a space shuttle, maybe. There are hospital bills, college funds, and 18+ years of financial responsibility. I haven’t even begun to touch on the cost of feeding said passel of hungry mouths, nor have I had a chance to expound on the amount of cleaning, teaching, disciplining and raising up of those little beans.
This is where the Laughter arrives! How many can say that their careers bring them joy, like holding one’s baby for the first time, or watching their prodigy butcher a musical piece of Mozart at a piano recital. Both activities bring forth joy and laughter that cannot be bought with gold or silver!
The careers of Loving, Living, and Laughing are quite far away from being free, nor inexpensive, but oh so worth it! I’ve given over 35 years to loving, living, and laughing. I sacrificed the money, time, energy, emotions, blood, sweat, and tears to fulfill those three careers, with few regrets… and none of them were my loved ones!
I was conceived in wickedness, born in the midst of evil, and have been a wanderer all my 56 years of existence.
No one claims me, my bloodline, nor my destiny!
I was cursed with death before I took my first breath.
The me that was born into that life held no value, to anyone, aside for the men who helped themselves to that which was not theirs to take. My mother was so consumed with her own trauma and grief that she failed to protect any of her children, eventually dying of severe Dementia before I was able to tell her that I understood.
Perhaps this question would have been more valuable, were I to have the memories and life lessons handed down from a healthy, normal background and cultural heritage. But, I don’t. Therefore, this prompt might be considered a waste of time to answer.
By grace, mercy, providence, and purpose, you don’t have to accept the prompt response of the me that died, some time ago, in fact.
This is the me that was brought from death to life, and who stands before you now…
I know who I am
I am a child of God
The kingdom of heaven is my culture, my eternal heritage
I am born again
Chosen
Set apart
Written in the Book of Life
Bought
Paid for
I am free…
You better not forget your cookies! I worked all morning on them…
I wanted to say “Eat, Pray, Love” but Julia Roberts already took that one. No fair!
Well, I can still tell you that I could be eating more, as I just got off the phone with my nutritionist, and she’s concerned that I’m not eating enough calories.
And, I can attest that we all should be doing more praying, of late.
Also, there is never enough love to go around, these days.
Now do you see why I wanted to use that title so badly? It was just perfect, but I’m not one to steal from another, so Julia wins this time.
Hmmmmm… I could have used Shake, Rattle, and Roll, possibly. Then there’s Live, Love, and Laugh, or maybe even Take a Walk on the Wild Side, but they just don’t sound the same, you know?
I awoke this morning, to questions that don’t seem to have satisfactory answers, as far as deciding on what to write for my normal Friday post. I’m going to be fully honest when I say that Barnyard Business episodes may not be the right fit for WordPress.
While my heart wants to continue with the stories, the response on WP has not been what I’d anticipated. Now, don’t go getting your feelings hurt or anything, because I’m certainly not blaming any of you.
The imaginative stories I come up with are really meant for children, and let’s face it, there aren’t any little ones knocking on my WP door. If folks are reading any of them to their children, I’ve never had any comments or such that might reflect someone’s interest.
I published a children’s book, but it was mainly for testing the waters. I think I’ve sold one copy, but I wasn’t surprised. My books are meant for children’s hands, not in the form of a futuristic Etch a Scetch!
This will be my third Christmas spread that I’ll be putting together, and as you already know, nobody ever seems to show up for the party. You can be butt hurt about this statement, or you can simply accept it as truth. You all have busy lives, I get it! Plus, the bottom line for this site is to reach hearts, not collect back pats and overly wordy accolades… it’s not about me!
Unfortunately, I have a tendency to make it more about me than about sharing the Gospel. Maybe it wasn’t my primary reason back when I started… but it is now, more than ever! I try not to overdo it, but let’s face it… that’s what the cookies are for, right?
As I am the president of my own Overthinkers Anonymous Club, it’s important that I make no rash decisions about a thing. Prayer comes first, then looking at said thing objectively, follows. After that, I write my thoughts down, usually here on WordPress. Any following steps come into play, once I receive your feedback. You may or may not even realize how important you are, in terms of what I write, how I write it, and when I publish said thing.
You are my family, and your thoughts matter to me, especially when it comes to what I put on this website. Why? Because you are important to me… very important!
I really would appreciate your feedback, as to whether or not I continue with any of my children themes, here on WordPress. It may be a situation where I simply journal on WP, but pull all of my main character episodes to a different venue. My desire is to write that which is useful for your edification, inspiration, encouragement and overall blessings. If it needs changing, so be it! I love you enough that I’ll write however I must, if God can use it to reach your hearts!
Journey With Me! 