Both of my grandmothers were great in the kitchen.  I loved the smell of their homes especially when either one of them had been preparing a meal.  My grandmother, Bonnie Cannon, was the typical housewife that prepared freshly grown goodies in her own unique style….. a little of this or that and then cook it alllllll day.  My granny, Aline Cornett, was a little more likely to follow recipes and has been known to correct them if they weren’t as pleasing to the palate as she had hoped.

It was from Granny that I inherited the surmountable boxes of newspaper “recipe” clippings, countless recipe cards that were handed down from generation to generation, and stacks of cookbooks.  Most of her cookbooks were pamphlets that she had picked up from here or there.  Some of the books were from church groups, co-ops, and county fairs….. of course they all were “prize winning” recipes….. especially after she had corrected one or two…….

Among all of the recipe books, I discovered a treasure….. a first edition (second printing) of the Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book.   The copyright is 1950 but according to Granny’s post-it note it is the original 1947 Betty Crocker.  {You must understand…. Granny labeled everything with a post-it note…..it is so her!!}

This jewel of a cookbook is absolutely priceless.  Shall I quote Betty Crocker from the dedication page…….

“We dedicate it to the homemakers everywhere, –to all of you who like to minister to your dear ones by serving them good food.  That’s the age-old way to express love and concern for their welfare.  And it’s just as important today when we make use of the latest short cuts, equipment, and prepared foods as it was when women made their own bread, butter, cheese, –all the foods their families ate.”

What a unique way to be considered…. a minister to your dear ones…..

So, I got to thinking…. I know… I know…. it is dangerous!!  Who exactly was this Betty Crocker???  I need a picture to the name…. ya know what I mean???  Betty has been a staple name for decades now and well, I would love to be introduced……

The idea of “Betty Crocker” was the brain child of the Washburn Crosby Company in 1921.  The idea was to personalize the answers to the housewives cooking questions.  ”Betty” was chosen because it was a “cheery All-American name.”  Because all us housewives are so cheery!!  ”Crocker” was the surname of a director of the Washburn Crosby Company….. a William Crocker to be exact.

The “Betty Crocker” brainchild became the handy work of  Marjorie Child Husted, a home-economist and business woman.  Her job was to establish and maintain the image of Betty Crocker. In 1921 the Washburn Company merged with other mills to form General Mills.  Then in 1929 Betty Crocker coupons were placed in Gold Medal flour.  The coupons were to reduce the cost of flatware.  In the 30’s Betty Crocker coupons were all the rage and made the Betty Crocker Catalog popular with the clip and save up method to redeem for cool products.  In 1945 the idea of “Betty Crocker” was the second most popular woman…..just under Eleanor Roosevelt.  In 1949 a face was given to Betty….. the actress, Adelaide Hawley Cumming.  She stared in CBS’s first in color commercial by baking a “mystery fruit cake.”  She was the face of Betty until 1964.

Today, Betty’s image is still upholding the knowledgeable and caring character as she did back in the 1920’s.  Betty Crocker has been the staple for many over the years and yet we still continue to look to her for the best tasting recipes.

Betty, if you are out there….. may I say… it has been delightful getting to know you and in the weeks to come, I will be blogging about your wholesome, caring knowledge…….until then…..

God Bless…..

Okay, before I get started on the whole devotional listing….. I just want to take a moment to make a shout out to the Lord!!!  Some have thought I am completely off my rocker for wanting to follow what the Pope in the 1400’s as the Lenten “No No” list.  It has been a challenge to give up meat, eggs, milk, and butter along with fasting for one meal each day.

Leaning much upon the Lord has wonderful benefits!!  As of last Friday, I have lost 10 lbs since Ash Wednesday.  I am at the half way mark and I haven’t felt this good in years.  I no longer feel sluggish.  According to my daughter, I am happier.  And I haven’t had any “digestive” discomfort since the first few days.  I really feel great.

So what exactly am I eating????  Lots of fresh spinach, peppers, lettuce, apples, raisins, nuts, cranberries, beans, and drinking lots of chocolate soy milk.  This has been quite the adventure and I am thinking about…. perhaps…. continuing this after Lent.

The Devotionals…. as promised…. are based on the booklet “Coming Home to the Lord” by Patricia Fosarelli….

Monday, March 8, 2010

Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Matthew 9:13

God wants people to be merciful instead of just offering a sacrifice to him.  When we are merciful to others we are imitating God’s mercy.  We treat people God made and loves very much in the way that God wants us to treat them….. and you know what???  That pleases God more than any sacrifice we could offer.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Should you not have a mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?  Matthew 18:33

In the story found in Matthew 18, a man owed his master a lot of money was forgiven his debt.  The master showed him mercy.  But then the man turned around and immediately went out and did not forgive someone’s smaller debt owed him.  The master heard about this and became very angry.  Sometimes we owe others much more than we are owed.  We need to remember that  when we demand others to pay their debts to us.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Every seventh year, you shall grant a remission of debt.  Deuteronomy 15:1

Back in the day…. Israelites forgave debts every 7 years so that people would not always be in debt or in slavery.  They believed that those who had wealth should be willing to show mercy and forgive debts.  Today, many people wish their debts could be forgiven in 7 years…..We just need to be reminded that everything we have comes from God and not act as if what we have is something that is OURS.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  Nehemiah 9:17

God is good all the time….. All the time, God is good.  God offers his own love to us even before we offer ours to him.  God made us and he knows us better than any one.  That is why he is so ready to embrace us and welcome us back to his fold…. even when we do things that are wrong or fail to do what we know is right.  We are precious to God….sadly we don’t always remember that…..

Friday, March 12, 2010

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive us our sins, for your name’s sake.  Psalm 79:9

God is always there to show mercy and to forgive us.  We should never be afraid to turn to Him when we need his help and when we need forgiveness.  Although we sin on a daily basis, God’s mercy will always deliver us from ourselves.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

[Jesus said,] “Which [one] was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”  Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”  Luke 10:36-37

The story of the Good Samaritan is one of my favorites.  A man was robbed and left to die along the road.  Two men passed him by.  The only one that stopped was the Samaritan.  He showed mercy to the man and helped him… becoming his real friend.  We can’t always know who will be our real friend during a crisis.  God asks us to be kind and have mercy on others all the time.  We should ask Him to help us see God in everyone so that we treat them with respect and mercy.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.  Romans 12:11

Because God has shown us mercy and forgiveness, we should do the same.  We should want to serve the Lord because we love the Lord and are grateful for what He has done for us.  Paul encouraged believers to have the zeal for the Lord…. he wanted us to be excited and to tell about our faith!!  We should shout from the top of the mountains how good God has been to us.

God Bless…..

A couple of weeks ago, my 13yo and I were doing our usual volunteering at the Humane Society.  We brought along Grandma who was visiting from the Northeast.  Grandma likes to have a picture in her mind of our surroundings when we are talking about the places we go and the things we do.  She came along for the ride and, boy, did she have her eyes opened!!

We hadn’t been there very long.  It was a busy day of showing off the doggies and kitties to promising families.  Grandma had lint roller duty……stacks of surgery cloths needed a good lint roller session…..  My 13yo busy doing what she does best:  working with the animals and helping the staff get their jobs done.  I was answering the phone and showing the animals.  Just your typical day!!

A lady showed up with a box.  That is one of two things:  kittens or puppies.  Her facial expression was mixed with heartbreak and disgust.  She explained that someone threw a trash bag along side her driveway…. take a look at what was inside……

that is right…. 6, not even a week old, puppies……….heartbreaking, isn’t it??

They looked pretty healthy.  Immediately, the director, Ann, jumped on the phone and called a volunteer who graciously takes in these little angels to bottle feed around the clock (every three hours).  But until she could arrive to take the sweeties home, we got to bottle feed them.

They were only the size of my palm.  We wrapped them in a cloth, turned them back like a baby, cradled them and kept them from squirming…. all the while using a syringe to give them puppy formula.

Grandma feeding the little thing…….she almost put it in her purse to take back with her…..

They were so tiny!!  So sweet!!  And they are God’s creatures!!!!  Please prevent a litter….. fix your critter!!

I am happy to report that the volunteer came in last week….. they are all thriving and are beginning to open their eyes…… hopefully within a couple of months they will be available to adopt……spayed and neutered.

God Bless……

The sun has set.  The sky is sprinkled with twinkling stars.  Soon we will be tucked into bed and closing our eyes to this day.  But before you do…. think about the idea today is March “Forth.”

Before you end your day or before you start tomorrow, take a moment to think about the significance of “marching forth” down the pathway God is or has been beckoning you to follow.

The majority of folks that have slacked off from their New Year’s resolutions can take this day “March Forth” as a new beginning.  If you are feeling discouraged with the slacking, brush it off, pick up your head and “march forth.”

If you are feeling like you need to “rethink” your financial situation, take the measures to “march forth” towards the freedom of being debt free.

March forth……take one step towards a better life… a God filled life….

God Bless….