Author: SaxophoneWife

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies That Taste Like REAL Cookies!

/ SaxophoneWife / Leave a comment

Eureka!

The Saxophone Player doesn’t like many sweets, but he loves chocolate chip cookies. Tonight, I have found the best gluten free, chocolate chip cookie recipe, yet.  They taste like real cookies with that wonderful “chew” of gluten, but without the awful side effects.

The recipe was inspired by a recipe from this terrific recipe website, Cooking a la Mel.  You can see the original recipe here: CLICK.  Melinda Novak has many great recipes on her website—I encourage you to check it out.  Below, is my version, with  cooking instructions that match exactly what I did for my oven and my cookie sheets. The goal is to not over bake.

Hey, if you try this recipe, let me know.  Doug says it’s an 8 on his scale from 1 to 10, so I’ll have to keep looking. For now, though, it’s a lot better than no cookies.

edited

JUST-LIKE-REAL GF CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups buckwheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. In medium bowl, whisk flour, salt, and soda together. Set aside
3. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together. Add vanilla and egg and combine well. I used my mixer, so I scraped down the sides a few times during this process.
4. Add the flour and mix well. I added the flour in four parts, scraping down the sides each time.
5. Scoop dough onto cookie sheet. I used a teaspoon-sized scoop and an insulated baking sheet lined with parchment. I highly suggest you use parchment, too. It helps keep moisture in the cookie, which is important with GF baking.
6. Bake 11 minutes at 350° F. That is what worked for my oven. I suggest you check them at the 10-minute mark. You just want to be sure the cookies tops look dry.
7. Let the cookies sit on baking sheet for one or two minutes. The longer they sit, the more they will dry out, but if you remove them too soon they do not have a chance to set. Gently remove to a cooling rack.

This made 36 cookies, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

Enjoy! 

What Else Matters, Really?

/ SaxophoneWife / Leave a comment

This song just started playing, and it hit me deep in my spirit. Does that ever happen to you? Music is so visceral, but some music is anointed. I believe this is one of the latter, because I hardly know this song, yet as it began to play I had to stop my work to listen. I didn’t even know the whole lyric, but somehow I knew this was the song of my Autumn of 2016. I searched online for the lyrics, but I didn’t really need to read them. I know the Holy Spirit was telling me, “This was you.”  Last November, I wrote briefly about what I was going through (LINK ), and my Aunt Barbara left me a very faith-filled comment that I could hardly receive at the time. The Holy Spirit brought her words back to me, as I was listening to this song.

“Sounds like God is preparing you for the next level of intimacy with Him. Hang in there and keep your heart on Him. What else matters really? You know, ‘Seek first….'”

A breakthrough did come—a milestone, as the song says—and I shared about that, too (LINK).   Now, today, the Lord has used this song to show me His hand, how He has been working right along, even in my unfaithfulness and unbelief.  I can look back at that spiritual chaos, because it is really in my past. Praise be to God.

So, I share this song with you today, for all of my Brothers and Sisters in the fight. Hold fast to Him. Everything may seem totally awful right now, but if you will just surrender and let God have His way, He will bring you through! Take Aunt Barbara’s words for yourself. Hang in there, keep your heart on Him, and seek first the Kingdom of God. What else matters, really?

“WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING (SOMETHING HEAVENLY)” by SANCTUS REAL

It’s time for healing, time to move on
It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It’s time to find my way to where I belong
There’s a wave that’s crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace
It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
But I’m giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone, time to begin again
Re-evaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills?
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything, I surrender

To whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace
And though it’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
I’m giving in to something Heavenly, something Heavenly

Time to face up, clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You’re up to something bigger than me
Larger than life, something Heavenly

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life, something Heavenly, something Heavenly
It’s time to face up, clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/sanctus-real/whatever-you-re-doing-something-heavenly-lyrics/#XQGojuXrHM67tQ2e.99

“A Woman of No Importance”

/ SaxophoneWife / 5 Comments
A video recommendation for you. This is such fine acting and story telling. It is a monologue, told over a period of months. The piece was written by Alan Bennett, from a series called “Talking Heads.” It is performed by Patricia Routledge—known best in America for the role of Hyacinth in “Keeping Up Appearances” on PBS.
 
If you have seen the film “Wit,” you cannot be blamed for wondering how much they may have borrowed from this script for that one.  “Wit” is definitely worth watching, too, but today I suggest you make time for “A Woman of No Importance.”
 

7 Questions to Ask Your Church

/ SaxophoneWife / 1 Comment

While children’s safety from sexual predators in church is always on the forefront of my mind, having a grandchild has made this issue very personal for me once again. So, I thought I would remind us all of some very important questions. This is a revised version of an article I wrote about two years ago. 

There is a good chance you attend church with a sexual predator who is targeting the children who attend church with you.  That does not mean you should be suspicious of every man or woman who walks through the door on Sunday morning, but it does mean you should question the safety protocol your church has established to protect their youngest congregants.

1. Is There A Policy In Place?

  • Is leadership prepared to give you an answer?
  • Is there a printed brochure or informational packet?

2. Is There Transparency And Accountability?

  • Will leadership tell you of any past offenses that may have occurred under the church’s jurisdiction?
  • Are recovering abusers in the congregation made to uphold a standard of conduct in the church and at church events? Are they in an accountability relationship with the church leadership?
  • Do you will feel free to bring your concerns to the leadership? Do they invite your holding them accountable?

3. Is There Awareness?

  • Does the leadership publicly acknowledge that child sexual abuse is a concern?
  • Do former victims know there is someone in leadership they can confide in and trust?
  • Does the pastor preach messages that minister to the hurting?
  • Are parents educated in how to protect their children at church, at home, in school, and in their community?
  • Are parents taught how to recognize signs of abuse? and
  • Are parents told how to report an incident to a civic authority, or does the leadership urge the congregation to “keep it in the family”?

4. Are Workers Screened? 

  • Is everyone working with minors in church, or at church events, required to have a criminal record screening for each state where they have resided?
  • Are prospective thoroughly researched online? Is their social media scrutinized?
  • Are the references for prospective church staff and volunteers required and contacted?
  • is there a waiting period?
  • Are allowances made for people of reputation or position? Pastor’s family members? Is no one exempt?

5. Do Workers Follow Proper Protocol?

  • First and foremost, is there regular training for staff and volunteers (workers), so that they know and are reminded of the Safety Protocol?
  • Are two workers present with unaccompanied minors at all times? (Husband and wife teams don’t count!)
  • Are workers prohibited from meeting with minors privately, or driving them anywhere alone?
  • Are workers prohibited from privately emailing or texting minors?
  • Is physical contact restricted? (Not prohibited, but restricted.)
  • Are workers required to dress appropriately and modestly?

 6. Are Workers Protecting And Defending?

  • Is alter ministry gender-specific, or married couples praying for individuals?
  • Are minors escorted to the bathroom, with a worker on guard outside?
  • Are minors signed-in and out of class, and only released to approved guardians?
  • Are workers trained to detect signs of abuse, and given a protocol to follow? Are workers alert and on guard?
  • Are charges of abuse reported to the proper authorities, or are congregants told to keep complaints and accusations “in the family”?

 7. Is The Whole Church Working Together?

  • Is every worker is screened, not only those working with minors?
  • Is every leader fluent in the reporting protocol?
  • Do ushers make the rounds during Sunday School?
  • Does the pastor family and follow smart practices, too? No exemptions.
  • Are church computers password protected, with porn-filtering safeguards in place?

MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Your church may not be abiding by safe practices. There may be no written safety protocol. That doesn’t mean you should leave your church. Instead, work with your pastor to make sure policies are put into place. Maybe, you can help organize a committee. Maybe, you can gather resources, or do online research. There is so much information available. Go to your church leaders. That’s the place to start. You will likely discover that one of the biggest hindrances to children’s safety in your church is a lack of workers. In that case, I hope you will consider becoming a volunteer yourself. Your efforts could save a child from a soul-crushing hurt, and protect his or her future from years of pain.

Remember: the place to start is by asking the first question. Anyone can do it, and every church member should.

The Notorious Blue Sleeper

/ SaxophoneWife / 4 Comments
Going through mementos last Autumn, I found something that made me laugh.

2016-11-15-23-09-57

It is my list of things to pack for the hospital for my delivery. However, if you will notice, there isn’t even one thing on that list for the highly-anticipated baby!  That made me laugh. I guess it explains how my little girl ended up going home in that notorious, blue sleeper.

You may be asking, “Which notorious blue sleeper?”  Well, the day before going home, I gave Doug a verbal list of things to bring back the next day. I had a specific sleeper in mind, and tried to describe it to him. The poor guy did the best he could, but I was mortified when I saw what he had chosen. It was too big, and it was blue.  Not only would everyone think my little girl was a boy (Heaven forbid!), but they would think I didn’t have properly fitting clothes for my baby.  Too bad it doesn’t hurt to be so stupid and insecure. We might get cured a lot faster, if it did! LOL

Well, along with that list, I came across the notorious, blue sleeper.  I set it aside. You see, I was going through my daughter’s “Baby Box” for a reason.  I was preparing for my daughter’s own baby to arrive.  I didn’t save all of Hannah’s baby things, but I saved some favorites—and her going home outfit. I showed it to her and told her my story. She liked the sleeper, and it fits my granddaughter very nicely. It compliments her skin tone very well!

There she is, Lucille Marlene. This was taken when she was 3 weeks, and six-days-old.

brighter

She’s pretty cuddly in it, I must say. And, that’s why the Saxophone Player originally ended-up choosing it for his daughter: it was soft and cozy.

By the way, I did eventually overcome my silliness.  Here is Hannah with her Grams, Marlene Gregan.  She is almost three-months-old in this picture.

2017-01-04-12-39-31

Bring It On, New Year!

/ SaxophoneWife / 2 Comments

As I think about the New Year, I just cannot resist the temptation to look back at 2016. I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but this past year was not my favorite. I’ve been looking forward to a new calendar!

However, I have no reason to think 2017 won’t be full of the very same challenges that kicked my tookus in 2016. Let’s be honest: our problems don’t belong to the calendar. They belong to us. And, they go with us wherever we go—new address, new relationship, new year.

There is a way to overcome our problems, though. That doesn’t mean our problems will go away, but it does mean we can overcome them. That distinction matters.

STEP ONE
If we can be honest with ourselves, the first step to overcoming our problems is taking a long, hard look in the mirror. It might not be pretty—in fact, it might be downright horrifying—but if we cannot see ourselves rightly, we’ll never make it through Step Two.

STEP TWO
For the person who believes in God, Step Two is prayer. Now, I’m not talking about prayers that sound more like begging, demanding, or bargaining. I mean prayers of repentance. Prayers that acknowledge God is The Answer: our Hope and our Help. If we’ve been trying to solve our problems ourselves, it’s time we remember that our lives are supposed to be in His hands. That is not a mystical or romantic notion. It’s surrender, and surrender is obedience.

THAT’S KINDA IT
Two simple steps. Repeat as needed. I know that may seem ridiculous, but I know it works.

There are many ways God has taught this simple method to me, but I will use one particular problem that dominated a good part of last year. It started out rather small, but it just began to escalate. There came a point when it had brought so much strife into my marriage that I really thought it might be the thing we couldn’t survive. I know you might be tempted to imagine what the problem was, but I can guarantee you won’t guess. It was something so mundane, but the Enemy caught me off-guard and found a way to use it against me, my husband, our marriage, our family, and the ministry. I would be ashamed to admit I allowed anything to do that, but Christ took my shame when I finally repented.

Repentance finally came when I “accidentally” caught a glimpse of my Self in the mirror. I had been praying about this problem, and showing me the truth about myself was God’s merciful answer.  Oy! It was bad. The image I saw in the mirror was an ugly beast of selfishness and pride. That’s not me, I said to God. “Yes, it is,” He replied.

Well, it wasn’t exactly that moment I repented. I’m a stubborn fool, and it took a few more days of me hearing the most awful things coming out of my mouth. I think the Saxophone Player must have thought I’d lost my mind. I was so convinced, though, that The Problem was the problem. But, then it happened. I was standing in our bedroom, and I finally had to admit The Problem wasn’t the problem. What am I doing?  I was the real problem. My sinful attitude. My arrogance. My disobedience. The thing I’d allowed Satan to use? Eh. It didn’t go away. It will be with us in 2017. Maybe, forever, but my sinful response and willingness to yield myself to the spirit of pride was the problem that was keeping God’s grace from abounding in the midst of The Problem.

You see, that’s what God’s about, my dear friends. His Holy Spirit abides with us, and is our ever-present help in trouble not to remove all the troubles of life, but to help us walk through them. God is not looking for us to live the perfect life one imagines their photogenic Facebook friends are living. He calls us to be perfect as He was perfect, which means we face trouble and sin not.

We serve a good and loving Father, generously giving without measure. However, He is a Father. That means He is willing to allow us to throw our tantrums and stumble as we learn to walk, because He knows it’s working something in us. He is just asking that we trust Him to know best. If The Problem remains, will we curse Him and blame Him and stop obeying? Or, will we continue to yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to do what He pleases, allowing whatever trouble or suffering He believes will best work His perfection in us? That is the kind of trust He longs for us to have in Him, and His commitment to us is to keep bringing us to those places where every weakness, every bit of doubt and unbelief, is challenged and worked out of us through repentance, surrender, and obedience.

And asking that the way you live will always please the Lord and honor him, so that you will always be doing good, kind things for others, while all the time you are learning to know God better and better. We are praying, too, that you will be filled with his mighty, glorious strength so that you can keep going no matter what happens—always full of the joy of the Lord, and always thankful to the Father who has made us fit to share all the wonderful things that belong to those who live in the Kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:11-12, TLB)

Happy New Year, my friends! I hope you and yours welcomed 2017 in health and safety, and I pray this new year brings you ever closer to the One who loves us enough to stick by our side—even through the temper tantrums of life. ❤

Colossians11.1

Madrigal’s First Christmas

/ SaxophoneWife / 7 Comments

I offer you a little Christmas cookie of a story; a bit of fiction that I hope leaves you with a happy feeling. Merry Christmas, one and all!

Ever since Madrigal moved into her new apartment, she’d been imagining how she would decorate her two rooms for Christmas. It was her first Christmas away from home. She didn’t have much space, and she didn’t have much budget, but not decorating was not an option.

Laying on her bed that very first night, she began to envision glittery swags of tinsel garland. She immediately recognized the image from her childhood: it was Gram’s house, in the great room. Tinsel garland was Gram’s favorite, and at Christmas-time she would weave it through the rails on the stairway banister, swirl it around the Christmas tree, and drape it from every window to display her many Christmas cards.

Then, in the great room, where she set-up her tree and everyone gathered for a boisterous, Christmas dinner, Gram would hang the sparkly, tinsel garland in cheerful swags across the room. She said there was no rhyme or reason to it, but Madrigal thought the seemingly endless length of spun gold was graceful and perfect. No matter how it was arranged, she never wearied of tracing its course through the room—from the upright piano, to the corner of the china cupboard, then sailing through the air, where it might be tacked to a door frame, or tucked behind a picture on the wall.

The finishing touches were the shiny, glass balls and tiny candy canes Gram would dangle wherever she thought they “looked right,” and it made the whole effect even more tantalizing for youthful eyes. In the flickering light from the tree, any childish heart could easily imagine the stars in the heavens had come in from the cold.

Now, all grown-up and standing on a chair—on her very tippy toes—Madrigal pounded nails into crown molding with the heel of her shoe. Gold garland was more pricy than she’d expected, so there was only one strand to hang. She had to make the most of every precious inch. I hope it’s long enough! 

Carefully, she measured and plotted. The drape must be just right: not too high, not too low. Securing the end of the garland with an extra twist around the last nail, she descended and took a step back to admire her work. Three gentle swags of golden tinsel presented themselves for her inspection. She had hoped for at least five, for greatest impact, but looking now she realized three was more than enough. She gazed up with awe and appreciation. She felt sure that Gram would be pleased.

Eventually, she would finish it off with bows. There was no budget for glass bulbs or candy canes this year, but she had scads of ribbon scraps from work that would do nicely. Between each bow she would display a Christmas card. It will be beautiful!

In fact, it was all ready beautiful, and she was delighted. The swags were pleasing to her eye and comforting to her soul, a little reminder of home and love and that feeling of security she always felt when Pop went around the house to check the doors and windows at the end of the day. Madrigal sighed. She remembered she had an early shift. It was time for the merry-making to stop.

She checked the clock on her bookshelf and peeked out her front door, looking across the courtyard to Lenny’s apartment. His lights were out. She would have to return his chair tomorrow.

Madrigal packed tomorow’s lunch, and tucked the extra nails into her sewing box for safe-keeping. She made sure she had clean socks for the morning and double-checked the deadbolt and chain on her door. She made sure the stick was in her window. Pop said a solid piece of wood was the best window security around.

Floating on the happy memories that flooded her sleepy head, Madrigal was in no hurry to end the day. Yet, it occurred to her, as she finally did close her eyes, that her happiest thought tonight would not be from Christmas past, but from Christmas future. Tonight, she had made a new memory.

awe-wonder

PHOTO CREDIT: STRAWBERRY PATCH PHOTOGRAPHY www.strawberrypatchphoto.com


Edit on 12/24/24: For another chapter about Madrigal, click here.

Today’s Journal – 11/12/16

/ SaxophoneWife / 4 Comments

Outside my window…it is dark and cold. That’s all I know. There is also a lot of yard work waiting for me to do, but I’m trying not to think about it (see below).

I am thinking about…everything I keep putting-off, because something more important happens.  I don’t like it.  I lack focus these days, and it’s really getting on my nerves.

I am thankful for…the endless mercies of God. The past many months I feel like all I can do is just lay myself out at His feet and beg for mercy, and so far His mercies continue.

I am reading…nothing, except the titles of the books piled by my bed. Brain is turning to mush, I think.

I am working on…nowhere near enough.

I am hoping…just hoping. Lots of hoping.

I am praying…Baby is well, and Hannah’s delivery is joyful.

I am meditating on…again, brain is mush. Just trusting God to keep me going.

lamentations-3-22-pub

I’m Alive

/ SaxophoneWife / Leave a comment

[Today is the five-year mark, since my cancer surgery in 2011. I am going to share a few posts from that year, and one other post. As you may know, the five-year anniversary for any cancer patient is a noteworthy day. So, in my own way I am marking it by living and breathing and testifying of my dear God and heavenly Father, Jehovah, who has shown me great kindness.]

sevenTH (and final) POST IN THIS SERIES: Written 10/27/11
(to begin series from beginning, click: First Post)

2016-10-27-01-28-11

10/26/16
P.S. Thank you for walking down this portion of Memory Lane with me. It wasn’t an easy walk five years ago, and not exactly fun to remember today. However, remembering the hard times is important. It gives us perspective. It reminds of the goodness of God. And, He was very good to me in this season of my life. There were exceptional acts of kindness by nurses that I will never forget. There were divine interventions, and such grace in the midst of the trial. I know what He has done for me, He is willing to do for anyone. If you are going through a hard season, I hope you will find hope in my story. I hope you will seek Him for help in your time of trouble.

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” (Deuteronomy 7:9, ESV)

Learning To Number My Days

/ SaxophoneWife / Leave a comment

[Today is the five-year mark, since my cancer surgery in 2011. I am going to share a few posts from that year, and one other post. As you may know, the five-year anniversary for any cancer patient is a noteworthy day. So, in my own way I am marking it by living and breathing and testifying of my dear God and heavenly Father, Jehovah, who has shown me great kindness.]

SixTH POST IN THIS SERIES: FIRST PUBLISHED OCTOber 24, 2011

This experience, as a whole, has really shown me how I am wasting my time—and, wasting my life. I don’t want to leave my family, yet, but the truth is I’m just not ready to meet the Lord.

If the Lord calls me home on Wednesday, I will be ashamed to stand before Him. How will I account for my life? How could I possibly? There is so much more I want to do. I want to have a splendid crown to lay at His feet.

So, I ask the Lord for more time, yet, deep inside I suspect I’m all talk. I am facing Wednesday down with all this determination and motivation, but I am also starting to look at Thursday. How will I make the most of the days that follow?

Will I make sure they count?

2016-08-29-15-01-40a

“So teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
(Psalm 90:12)