Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Helpful Hints

Ever wished there were simple solutions to some of life's mishaps?  Well I have done my research, mostly thru experiences and here is a list of helpful hints and hope it helps someone!  If you know of additional solutions to little or big mishaps, please email me, or post a comment.. 

To cut fresh baked bread easily, use a hot knife....

When cream will not whip, add the white of an egg to the cream, chill it, then whip it...

Is your brown sugar too lumpy?  Heat oven to 350, place sugar in pan or baking dish and put it in oven.  In a matter of minutes it will be as soft as when fresh.  Watch that it doesnt melt.  Break it up with a fork as it softens. 

Sweeten whipped cream with powdered sugar if dessert serving may be delayed.  Whip stays fluffy longer then if you use granulated sugar. 

To correct a too salty dish; Place a cloth over the boiling pot, sprinkle with flour, and leave for a short while.  As the steam comes in contact with the flour, it will remove the salt....

For moister cakes, bake them in a metal pan.  Glass pans hold the heat longer and continue baking after removing from the oven, creating a dryer cake. 

Being a Witness

My post today was planned to be about another topic..  However last night at work, some of the nurses were sitting around on break and talking about the Bible.  At first I sat there just listening to their views on certain scriptures, and their opinion of how things really were...   Then the question came up, "how do we know that what the bible says, is really true" " How do we know that it isnt just a fiction story?"

I thought about this for just a few seconds and then replied, "All scripture is given by the inspiration of God....  further more I told them that in my opinion that it is faith based...  You will have to experience salvation for yourself to truly know without a doubt that the bible is true, and that God, the birth of Jesus and all that is contain in the scriptures are God's divine word.

Since our conversation, I have been thinking, How many people really believe that the bible is just another story book.  Do we truly believe that each story in the bible are true accounts, and that only the most important things were placed in the bible.  I am so thankful for my raising, my parents taught me early in life about the bible, to love, and trust God through all things in life.  I have never doubted, or questioned God's word. 

I believe it is our duty to be a witness to those around us, you never know who is watching you. People hear your words, but more importantly they see your actions, and how you live your daily life. 

Who's witness are you?

The Shocking Truth

I was shocked, confused, bewildered As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all, Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners, The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade Who swiped my lunch money twice.
... Next to him was my old neighbor Who never said anything nice.
Bob, who I always thought Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine, Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal? I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here? God must've made a mistake.
'And why is everyone so quiet, So somber -give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock. No one thought they'd be seeing you

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Growing Up

I was raised in the Piney Woods of East Texas, in a small town called Karnack, located just miles from the famous Caddo Lake.  My parents are the best, dad worked hard for our family, but always had time to spend with us.  Dad was a logger by trade, working many days from sun-up to sunset.  My mom was a home maker, tending to us, and the house all day. 

My older brother was mainly into cars, my sister, loved books, or spending time with our cousins, my brother John, well he was always into mischief, or following dad around as he worked on his trucks. As for me, I was the animal lover, always bringing home something.  I am thankful for parents who allowed me to do so, I always had chickens, ducks, geese, goats, dogs, and more..   To others we may not have had much, but to me, we were the richest. 

We were raised in a conservative home, as children we didnt have TVs, video games, or such.  We spent our time playing outside with cousins, making up our own games, or playing old favorites. 
However, our life wasnt all play, we had chores to do as well, In the spring we help mom with the veggie garden, when we had one, summer time we either helped inside, or cleaned yards, in the Fall we would rake the massive amount of leaves that fell from the many oak trees in our yard.  Raking was not a favorite of any of ours, but we did it, often making big piles and jumping into them..  I remember several times our black lab dog would join into the fun.  The Winter in East Texas can get very cold, we normally always had ice storms, everything would freeze over, and we would be stuck home..  One year I remember we were without lights for two weeks, thankful for gas heat. We would all bundle in the living room to sleep at night. 

Then when I was just twelve years old, my father had a sudden heart attack and passed during the night, this sparked a new chapter in our lives.  Being so young I simply wanted to believe it was a bad dream that I would wake up from, but I never did.  It was during this time, that I learned the true meaning of having a loving family.  Everything that I had learned in my short life, would help me to become the person I am today.  Being the oldest child at home, and with my mom having to take work outside the home to make ends meet, I stepped up and helped with home duties.  During the following years after my father passed, my mom's sister moved in with us, she help tend to our home and us kids while mom cleaned homes for other people.  I was determined to make the best of this time, and do my part.  My aunt taught me to cook, clean, and how to do so much more.  God was great to us.  Most of all my family stayed together, it was a hard time for all of us, especially my mom, but she never blamed God, she would take us to church each week, and made sure we knew that all our blessings where from God. 

I am thankful today for all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and the many friends we have that helped us during these times, but most of all, For my God, who kept his hand on us, and always met our needs! 

Sincerely,

Jesse Adams