Good Friday/ Holy Friday

Today is Good Friday. This is the day that Jesus Christ paid for the sins of all humankind on the cross.

Tradition in England (and other places) is to make Hot Cross Buns on this day.

Here is a little information from Fabulous Foods that I find so interesting!:
A traditional favorite on Good Friday in England, Hot Cross Buns are a spicy currant or raisin studded yeast bun, topped with a "Cross" of lemon flavored icing. While Christians have adopted the cake and the symbolism of the cross, it wasn't always so. To Pagans then as now, the cross was symbolic of the sun wheel, which symbolizes perfect balance at the time of the Spring Equinox.

Hot Cross Buns were probably originally used in ceremonies and rituals and the Christian Church attempted to ban the buns, although they proved too popular. Left with no alternative but defeat, the church did the next best thing and "Christianized" the bread with Queen Elizabeth I passing a law which limited the bun's consumption to proper religious ceremonies, such as Christmas, Easter or funerals.


Here is a recipe that we will be using today: (from FabulousFoods.com)

1 C milk
2 T yeast
1/2 C sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/3 C butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
4 eggs
5 C flour
1 1/3 C currants or raisins
1 egg white

Glaze
1 1/3 C confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped lemon zest
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1- 2 T milk





Makes 2 dozen

In a small saucepan, heat milk to very warm, but not hot (110°F if using a candy thermometer). Fit an electric mixer with a dough hook. Pour warm milk in the bowl of mixer and sprinkle yeast over. Mix to dissolve and let sit for 5 minutes.

With mixer running at low speed, add sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Gradually add flour, dough will be wet and sticky, and continue kneading with dough hook until smooth, about 5 minutes. Detach bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough "rest" for 30-45 minutes.

Return bowl to mixer and knead until smooth and elastic, for about 3 more minutes. Add currants or raisins and knead until well mixed. At this point, dough will still be fairly wet and sticky. Shape dough in a ball, place in a buttered dish, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator (see note at right if you're in a hurry). Excess moisture will be absorbed by the morning.

Let dough sit at room temperature for about a half-hour. Line a large baking pan (or pans) with parchment paper (you could also lightly grease a baking pan, but parchment works better). Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (in half, half again, etc., etc.). Shape each portion into a ball and place on baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.



In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 400° F.

When buns have risen, take a sharp or serrated knife and carefully slash buns with a cross. Brush them with egg white and place in oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° F, then bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack. Whisk together glaze ingredients, and spoon over buns in a cross pattern. Serve warm, if possible (Hot Cross Buns).


What a wonderful and Blessed Day for all Humankind!!!!!!!

Easter

I thought I'd share a couple of our traditions for Easter.

The way we teach our children about the Easter Story is using the Bible and Resurrection Eggs.

Here is a link to where you can buy them:
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=297220&kw=resurrection_eggs&event=PPCSRC&p=1018818&gclid=CNyl2IyknJICFRkTIgod0Qir7A

Sorry I don't know how to create a link in my blog. You can cut and paste the link.

We do dye eggs, and have some candy. However that is done on a day other than Easter Sunday. Many years it is done on Spring Equinox, but with both myself and my husband working outside the home, if Spring Equinox is on a weekday, it is too hectic to do it then. This year we will do the eggs/baskets on Saturday. We always have clues, maps or riddles for the children to follow in finding their baskets. We also use natural dyes for our egg dying. We experiment and create our own and it is really quite fun!! (more fun than using the commerical packaged dyes!)

This year, I'm going to also add in this:
http://blessingsforlife.com/recipes/holidays/resurrectionrolls.htm

We will go to church on Sunday. We are still searching for a home church to settle down in.

I love Holy Week.

Michelle

Today the temp is in the 50's!!!!! WOW!

Today is a beautiful day here in central Wyoming. Spring feels like it is very very near.

Today was my day at the Christian Storehouse and each time I serve there, I am just so very blessed. There is something that I can not explain in words about serving the "least of these" in the community. Life gets down to the basics when I am ministering to these folks. I had to leave early to get my car in the shop so I was not able to lead the public devotional and prayer today, which I enjoy so very much. If you are having a problem or struggle....go find someone to serve who is in a worse situation. You will gain a new perspective.

Still no job contracts yet for either my husband or I. Hopefully we will soon know where we will be employed for next school year.

May God bless you during this Holy Week......

Affordable body wash

Last month, after reading a product review, I purchased an overpriced 8.5 oz bottle of Neutrogena's Shower and Shave Wash (blue stuff...$8 in most stores). It was really nice and I enjoyed using it, however it has an ingredient list that I can't pronounce and the price tag is a bit steep for my budget on a regular basis.

I started thinking about how to make my own. I saved the empty bottle that the Neutrogena stuff had been in.

I think I have commented about how I've been making my own cleaning products for years now. Well, one of the main ingredients I use is the liquid Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps which is a 18-in1 Hemp Pure Castile Soap made with Organic Oils. I like the peppermint scented for most of my cleaning products, but I also use the lavender scent for some things.

I decided to use this Dr. B's soap to make a body wash. Here is what I did with the recycled Neutrogena 8.5 oz bottle:

1. Fill the bottle most of the way full with purified water.
2. Then add the liquid Dr. Bronner's

I do turn the bottle upside down one time before I pump it out onto a washcloth to use in the shower. It works wonderfully!!!!

I am not sure how to figure out how much it costs to make, but it can't be more than a couple of quarters.

Give it a try if you want! You will have a natural bodywash that costs less than even the White Rain brand body wash. (which has a ingredient list that I can't pronounce)

By the way, I can pronounce all the ingredients on the Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap!! It is also Certified Fair Trade and is not tested on animals.

On top of that...if you already have the Dr. Bronner's on hand, you may decide to give making your own cleaning products a try!

Have a Blessed Day! That is all for now...I need to do some chores around the house now and enjoy just working in my home. (which I love)

What an experience! I found "my people".

I'm being slightly sarcastic in the "I found my people" line, but WOW! The Democratic caucus was really something else. There was a great deal of diversity, but I couldn't help but be drawn to seeing how many people there were like me.


I saw more active fleece in that line than in all the Old Navy commercials ever made. Eccentric people were there! I saw dreadlocks (which I think I'll try), facial piercings (already have), old hippies and intellectual types, environmentalists, birkenstocks, running shoes, fanny packs, hats like I wear....heck, people looked like me to a great extent! I have no idea where all these people came from. Probably Lander (NOLS) and Dubois!! (ha ha...you will understand that comment if you live here and know me well) Even the vehicles were different. I did not see any jumbo sized, jacked-up, big-tired, full-size pickup trucks. Except for the one that went tearing through the parking lot and right back out, which brought many comments from the waiting crowd that could have been spoken by me. (My People!!!) I did not see any Hummers, and very few earth killers from other companies.

You can not possibly understand this blog entry unless you are someone very much like me living in a state where you are a very obvious minority. I love who I am and am solid and confident in my own self....but I can't help but say how neat it was to see that I was not the odd one in the gathering!

Politically speaking, Republicans outnumber Democrats 2 to 1.

There were also many working class folks and other folks who generally make up the democratic party. But my eyes were drawn to people who were a closer reflection of myself. I saw myself in 20 years in some of those faces....it was cool.

At the caucus where I went, we were told that the last caucus drew 30 Democrats out to caucus. There had to be at least 1000 people in that high school yesterday. It was a great experience. I also realized that I need to commit to caucus each time I have the opportunity...this is a right I have as a American and it is something I have never done before. Something that people in other nations who do not have the blessing of freedom that we have would probably never take advantage of.

I was able to see the returns on TV. Since it was a Saturday afternoon, the only news channel I could find that was covering it was Fixed News (aka Fox News) and although I had to sit through hearing many insults towards Wyoming Democrats, it was cool to see the numbers coming in. Obama easily won.

It was a day that I will remember.

Democrat Caucus Tomorrow

If you are in Wyoming and are a registered Democrat, don't forget to caucus tomorrow! If you never have, this is a very important year to do so! Wyomings delegates (12...I think) are really quite important in this election cycle.

Lander Valley High School is where folks who live around me need to go. They lock the doors at 10:00 a.m. (stupid, if you ask me...how democratic is that????) so be there by 9:30 a.m. at the latest. We are going to be there at 9:00 a.m. (I'm actually not sure what my husband is registered as....he may be an independent and if so, he will just go along for the ride and to keep me company)

Here is a interesting article about how Wyoming really is important this year for the caucus. Not since 1960 has Wyoming actually had any pull in the nomination. (in 1960 Wyoming pushed JFK over the top to be the nominee)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-wyoming-democrats,1,6986401.story

Zakk tattooing his first customer on March 1, 2008!! It was a pretty large tattoo and it turned out really really well. The guy is coming back in for Zakk to touch up his other tattoo and the guys friend also promptly scheduled his own appointment with Zakk to tattoo him! I'll post a image of the tattoo as soon as I can.

Way to go Zakk!

BYOB

Noooo.....I'm not thinking about "Bring Your Own Beer" in my title, but rather "Bring your Own Bag"!

I learned something new today while at the grocery store. (Smith's for my local friends who read this blog) If you take in your own cloth grocery bags, the checker should take five cents off per bag that you provide! I had no idea that stores actually charge the customer for those plastic bags! That is what I learned today. I plan on reminding the checker each time and I will be inquiring at the Evil Place (aka Wal Mart) and Safeway to see if they will also give me a credit for providing my own bags.

I hope to come back and finally add in the photo of the cloth bags I made. However, my son has the digital camera at the tattoo shop today and tomorrow so he can make sure to get photos of his work to go into his portfolio. He was tattooing his first customer today!!!! I did take a photo of him doing it and I'll also add that in another blog when I get the camera back.

Have a Blessed Day!