You Are a Christmas Cake

I was searching around for a cake recipe and pulled out my mother’s The Treasury of Newfoundland Dishes cookbook (published by Maple Leaf Mills Limited, Newfoundland, millers of Cream of the West Flour, Seventh Edition 1971). I had never noticed this one before. I’ve seen a number of recipes like this, but this one’s a little different.

You Are A Christmas Cake

1 cup of butter of faith – to make life run smoothly.
1 cup of sugar – life needs its sweetness.
5 eggs to make it light – this is prayer, which uplifts.
½ pound of nuts – humour. Nuts to crack like good humour – be sure they are clean!
¼ pound of cherries – colour the cake like music on a dull morning.
1 pound of raisins are old friends, always a delight.
1 pound of currants are new friends, always interesting.
¼ teaspoon of allspice puts tang in it like initiative.
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon is ambition.
2 teaspoons of baking powder to make it rise. This is the Holy Spirit.
½ cup of pure fresh whole milk – the perfect food which is the Word of God.
½ teaspoon of salt called Wisdom.
3 cups of four sifted finely to fold the whole cake together – Love blends all life into one.

Method: Mix all well together and bake in the slow oven of experience. When well done, allow to cool. Add frosting to surround it with beauty. Add red candles to light for all to see; then slice the cake and share it with others.

There is a note from the publishers at the end which says, “We thought the recipe itself was quite delightfully phrased, and it produces a very nice cake indeed.” Sally West.

Too holey?

I have a wee bit of a dilemma.

I have a few piercings. Okay, strictly in my ears. 7 to be exact. 2 in my right ear, and 5 in my left. Why the lack of balance? I'm not sure whether there's a reason or not. Hey, it was the thing to do! The thing I did, anyhow.

So I found a bunch of these nice, thicker guaged, sterling silver, sleeper hoops at Shoppers Drug Mart. I was having trouble with regular, thinner earrings making my holes (how else am I supposed to say that?) get infected - these thicker earrings worked like a charm. However, while I was pregnant, most of them became badly tarnished to the point where the finish was gone. Nothing I had would clean them up. So I went out and bought more. Yes, 7 more. Within a short period of time, they became badly tarnished as well.

I asked a couple of people what they thought about it. My hairdresser felt that the earrings in my left ear were placed in such a way that they touched the skin just behind my ear (the ones on the right weren't as bad as those on the left). She said there's a gland behind there and perhaps the pregnancy hormones were killing my silver. She suggested trying stainless steel. I found a store that sold stainless steel, but they were way too heavy a guage, more meant for funky piercings, not so much ears. It was suggested I try another jewellery store. I found and spoke to the manager of this jewellery store (more of a costume jewellery type shop, not the real good stuff). I told her about the problem I've been having and she proceeded to tell me about a relative of hers. This relative could not wear either silver or gold without it tarnishing. She figured I was in the same boat.

I decided to do a little experiment of my own. Mom had a couple of gold studs around that she let me borrow. They've been in my ears for weeks now and not a problem to be had. That got me thinking....I'd rather stick with the silver colour.....what about WHITE GOLD!!!!

I splurged. I bought myself a REALLY nice pair of white gold hoop earrings. Yes, they were expensive.

Okay, I tell you all of this as an introduction to something else.

I just turned 35 and I've got all of these holes in my ears and my skin is tarnishing all of the cheap stuff I get. Should I spend some bucks and replace all of my silver with white gold? Or should I bite the bullet and let them all go except my very first 2 original holes (well, and the one through the cartilege at the top of my left ear). Does it look stupid in this day and age for a regular Jane like me to have 7 holes in her ears??? Will I lose my youth, my cool, forever if I let them grow over?

Has anyone else been there and done that? I'd love to hear some opinions, thoughts, ideas and stories. What did you do?

Making Connections

Does anyone within my local readership have the book, “Make the Connection” by Bob Greene and Oprah Winfrey? I would love to borrow it, if it’s available.

Who has read this book? Was it helpful? I’ve seen the video and it was good, but not quite enough to make a connection for me. (I want to dig in a little deeper)

If you have it, please let me know if you’re willing to give it up for a little while.

If you’ve read it, please tell me your thoughts.

I’ve got four books waiting for me to read them – and quite the array; Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing - so if everyone thinks Make the Connection is utter crap, I’d rather just move on and forget about it.

Thanks guys!

Short for Tornado

He came along at a time when I really needed a distraction and some unconditional love. Little Toro, the runt of the litter, born with a harelip.

The breeder’s husband and vet both thought Toro should be put down. They thought he’d never survive. But Jane, the breeder, must have seen Toro’s spunk early on. He managed to find a way to eat and drink, despite the harelip. He held his own at playtime too. The first time I held him he just snuggled into my arms and took a nap. He was so sweet. When I brought him home he weighed barely 2 lbs. and fit into the palm of my hand. He was my baby. I even took time off work to stay at home with him while he got used to being in a new place. I carried him around a lot because he was so small I was afraid he would get stepped on. He still loves to be carried around. Mister, the family Schnauzer, taught Toro how to bark, and did he ever teach him well. Mister also taught him how to howl, a surprising trait in a Shih-tzu.

Toro has put up with a lot of ridicule over the years, mostly due to his harelip. It makes me sad when I have to defend him on this. He’s a quirky little guy, but that’s what makes him extra-special. Jane taught him to drink from a water bottle, the kind rabbits and guinea pigs use – it keeps their furry little faces dry! He attacks his bowl of food like it’s waiting to be killed, growling at it, slamming it against the wall, and pushing out all of the food onto the floor. I think he’s artistic. He picks up a piece of food, walks away and places it down, just there. Then he gets another piece and carefully places it in the vicinity of the first one and this continues for several more pieces. Sometimes he’ll pick one of the pieces up and move it just slightly. He does it so deliberately; I swear he’s creating art. He goes crazy over his squeaky toys. You should have seen his reaction to the new toy he got from Auntie Krista last Christmas! WOW! Look out! He loves to play fetch. He sleeps on pillows, whether it’s his head, his whole body, or just one rear paw, there’s almost always a pillow involved. Toro loves fruits and veggies and popcorn, and waits so quietly and patiently for a piece of Sunday roast beef to fall his way. Toro knows I’m boss, and still follows me around like a puppy. Sometimes (if I’m lucky), I just have to give him a look to get him to behave. But other times nothing works.

He was my only child for 8 years, until Miles came along. Toro has done so well with two little boys taking over the house. He’s a little freaked out when Jonah follows him around, but you can see that he wants to play with the boys – he already drops his toys in front of them hoping they will throw it for him to fetch. I’m proud of him for having patience.

I hesitate to even put this into words, but I really hope he stays with us long enough for Miles to grow up a bit more and become Toro’s boy, and best friend too.

Dogs and Babies

There is some kind of bond going on here that I didn't even see coming.

Tonight, I was sitting on the couch, watching TV when my dog, Toro, started barking.

"Toro, no!" "Toro, no barking!" "Toro, quit it!" "Toro, that's
enough!" "Toro, SHUT IT!!!"

It gets quiet for a moment, then I hear it....Miles is crying. I run up the stairs telling Toro to keep it quiet, and tend to Miles. A bit of a tummy problem tonight it seems. I return to the couch and TV. Glenn and Sherri soon join me on the couch. I tell them about how Toro told me that Miles was crying. Before I even finished telling the story, Toro starts barking again. This time I get up and turn on the baby monitor. Sure enough, Miles is crying again! This time I climb the stairs thanking Toro for letting me know.

Now I know that dogs and children can be the best of friends, but I honestly didn't believe that Toro had it in him. Nor have I seen him show any kind of concern when Miles is crying. He's really been quite good with both the boys so far. It's got to be tough on an old pooch when the youngsters start chasing him around the house, poking around his food, and trying to play with his toys! We keep a pretty close eye on Toro when he's around the boys, because even though he's smaller than both of them, and has crappy teeth (there will be a post dedicated entirely to Toro in the near future), he is an animal and a potential threat. Albeit a compassionate one - he always shows up at my side when I'm crying! I'll stop there and save the rest for Toro's post.

I know there are thousands upon thousands of amazing pets out there. What has yours surprised you with? (and I'm not talking about puppy or kitty "treats" left on the front door mat...)