Friday, March 29, 2013

Chasing that sunshine...


On this Good Friday...

     We reflect and pray our thanks to Jesus for the sacrifice he endured for us all.  Every single one of us.


     We spread encouragement for those in need of help and we love with unwavering compassion.

     And we do all in our Lord's name...offering up even the slightest of troubles.

************


I woke yesterday morning to this lovely shade of light.  It brought the wooded area to a calm "glow" and instantly made my heart melt...


I played this song a few hundred times in celebration...
(my play list -under the last post on the page- has this song in the first slot)

I've been here so long
Think that it's time to move
The winter's so cold
Summer's over too soon
Let's pack our bags and
Settle down where palm trees grow

~

I've got some friends
Some that I hardly know
We've had some timesI wouldn't trade for the world
We chase these days down with talks
Of the places that we will go

~

We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor, I'll slave 'til the end
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand

~

I'll show you mine
If you show me yours first
Let's compare scarsI'll tell you whose is worse
And let's unwrite these pages

And replace them with our own words

There is most likely not a single song around that could fit my life more perfectly.

And then, when the day was almost complete...I went to the other side of the house and 
snapped this picture...


That gorgeous pink and purple Michigan sky.

I had to "reset" myself yesterday from all the chaos on the web this week.  There was too much boiling over the pot in terms of frustrations and I did not want to take it out on my blog...and you folks ;)

It's a short post today. But I hope you all stay well and keep those blessings of yours close during this Easter weekend... 

and always...

Take care,

-Michelle

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”

-C.S.Lewis

There has been a lot of hate floating around the social networking world lately....and, yet again, Christianity gets thrown around...called out to be responsible for being the root of all of this "hate".
(I really hate it when that happens).




This was the photo covering Facebook and a few other sites.
It went viral, acknowledging gay marriage cases before the Supreme Court this week.

Now, I have (even after throwing a hissy fit a few months back and deleting about 30 to 40 people) almost 200 "friends" on Facebook.  I did not once comment on what was going down in that town...but I did witness a lot of harsh criticism going both ways.

To each their own, I say.  God did not put me here on this earth to judge man.  He didn't put me here to judge at all.  Piousness, Pride...these vices give breath to all other vices.

The best sort of advice I would give critics of the Catholic religion would be to visit the virtues that Christians  hold dear before a faithful following is to be stoned for being "hateful".


122. What is faith?

Faith is the virtue by which we firmly believe all the truths God has revealed, on the word of God revealing them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.
Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29)

123. What is hope?

Hope is the virtue by which we firmly trust that God, who is all-powerful and faithful to His promises, will in His mercy give us eternal happiness and the means to obtain it.
But hope that is seen is not hope. For how can a man hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:24-25)

124. What is charity?

Charity is the virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.
If I should speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have charity, I have become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, yet do not have charity, I am nothing. (I Corinthians 13:1-2)
(site found here for further reading)


Now.  My gripe with accusing Catholicism of being a "hateful" faith is this:  We are taught to live in humility.  We are taught to love everyone.  We are taught to be merciful, kind, generous....

...and not solely to other Catholics!  But to everyone!

To say that we practice a hateful religion is absolutely ridiculous when you actually look at what the heart of our faith pertains to.  We are here on this earth to set ourselves up for the next life.  We are not here to be of this world, but of the next.  We are here to get our souls to Heaven.

I have a "right and wrong" set in my heart.  I know what I should do and what I shouldn't do.  I also know that I'm not responsible for getting you to Heaven.  And, likewise, no one else is responsible for getting me to Heaven.

We were blessed at birth with free will.  I can't control how wrong society might seem to me now-a-days. I can't accept praise if I win a battle I believe in either.  I wasn't meant for this time.  I am here to get to the eternal life that God gifted to me...if of course, I am deserving.

I must be a respectable representative of my faith too...a good example...and blasting people on Facebook or anywhere else is NOT what I was meant to do.  I can tell you that right now...and I'm a Catholic.

Thanks for the read.

(This is not a closed off topic to discuss with me...I will always take in anyone's thoughts)


Take care,

-Michelle


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Meanwhile, here in Michigan on the 25th of March...


we welcome into our home the first Oberon of the season.

Happy Oberon Day to those who enjoy this fantastic brew!



KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Oberon lovers gathered at Bell's Brewery Inc. to raise a glass to a seasonal rite: The annual release of kegs of the summer beer. 

The Kalamazoo Gazette reports 51-year-old Brenda Mulder showed up a half hour before Bell's Brewery opened at 9 a.m. Monday to keep her record — three years in a row — of enjoying the first Oberon served at the brewery during its annual release. 

Michigan saw freezing temperatures on Monday. But Mulder says Oberon Day is "a holiday" and makes her feel as if summer is on the way.  Dozens of Oberon kegs are ready to be tapped at the Kalamazoo brewery. The beer is sold seasonally in most markets, but is available year-round in Florida, Arizona and Puerto Rico.

Read more at: www.monroenews.com

For a bunch of us Michiganders it means spring and"opening day" for the Detroit Tigers is quickly approaching.

I'm not a beer drinker...
but I'll find a way to celebrate this special day...



Oberon Beer Bread! 
 A fairly standard beer bread recipe with cheddar cheese and chives added to the mix.
A-freaking-mazing stuff, guys!

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd...

(recipe linked above)
(My cupcake above, made with the yummy, citrusy beer)

The cupcakes turned out really soft and moist with just the right amount of sweetness and the perfect accent of orange flavor.

If you like you some beer...and like to try out new recipes and such...I totally recommend checking out the Michigan Beer Blog recipe section.  I'm not even that big of a beer fan and I still want to make everything listed!


That will wrap it up on the release of this product...
(as I have a Red Wings game going into the third period :)

Take care,

-Michelle 



Monday, March 25, 2013

"You have no power here! Begone, before somebody drops a house on you, too!"

-Glinda, The Good Witch of the North




The Wizard of Oz was a childhood favorite of mine.  I remember the first time I watched it, sitting on the living room couch, and being completely captured by the story.

(It was also the movie where my fear of tornadoes quickly evolved.  I would close my eyes every time the scene of the nasty twister would play on the television.  I'm not kidding...it scared the heck out of me!)

I don't know about you guys, but upon watching "Oz the Great and Powerful"...

I wished with all my might...

for a glimpse of a second...

that I could have been witness, in person, to Michelle Williams playing "Glinda the Good Witch".

I personally think she nailed the character.  P-E-R-F-E-C-T-L-Y.

So much so that I would visit the cinema again to watch it.

Don't get me wrong.  There were several points in the film where my criticism crept in and needed to be pushed out of my mind so that I could enjoy the rest of the movie.  I tried to keep the moments of nagging, negative opinions from ruining this extension of my childhood favorite before it reached the credits.

In all that, Michelle carried (my thoughts) a strong and much needed point for the character of "Glinda"...

...which was humility.

Honesty. Bravery. Beauty in the desire of happiness and well being for her society of mismatched people.  Sure, the idea of these characteristics can be spoken moments from reading the script (uh hem...like Kristen Stewart fumbling through her "innocent" and "pure" delivery of Snow White...which was entirely unconvincing and disturbing).  They are however truly convincing when you stand firm in the virtue of humility.

(This is my favorite sort of fairy tale.  I will speak passionately about it.  Even if it makes me look like a silly day dreaming fool.)

The magic of The Wizard of Oz that I felt when just a child was delivered beautifully in Michelle Williams approach to this "good witch".  I really am not sure that this sense of humility and bravery could have been executed in such a way by anyone else.



All in all the film had it's quirks.  There were several times that I felt too old for it and other times that I just down right fell in love with it.
~~~
If you have seen this film, what were your thoughts regarding it's making and it's other 
members in how they brought their character to life? 







Thursday, March 21, 2013

Well my peeps...

...you are all soon to find out that I LOVE personalizing and fiddling with my blog like crazy.

(I will do my very best to keep that to a minimum and stick with the header I have now so I don't drive y'all crazy ;)

The sites where I pieced together my header can be found here:
PicMonkey
irocksowhat
and blogguidebook is an amazing site to check out as well.

(That cute puppy picture IS mine.  Folks, I'd like you all to meet Ms. Mikayla.  She is my parents Husky pup!)


.~~~.

I have been a busy little girl today.  Fantasy Hockey has me perked back up a bit...because I am not getting creamed, points wise,...this week.

A plethora of crazy awesome blogs were found, bookmarked, (a gazillion handwritten notes were made out too), several (S-E-V-E-R-A-L) sites read through and through...all concerning how to enhance any and all parts of a blog.  I am nursing a headache at the moment from staring at the computer screen for what is now noted as "too long".

Fixed up another batch of lemon bars...from scratch...because I just can't get enough of them. I will forever  be doomed now seeing as I braved my insecurities and figured out I CAN make them...and fairly decently at that.

I even got my crochet hook out today and stitched up a fancy coaster for my coffee mug...
...because it needed to be dressed up a bit too...

(please don't laugh).

Anyways...I'll catch you all soon!  I want to get my post on the "Blog Blitz" out soon.  Like "tomorrow" soon.

Take care,

-Michelle

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Because...sometimes girls...

...ya just need to throw on a new coat of nail polish...

(forgive the "paint job"...I was very adamant about getting the color on)

...run up to your favorite gas station for that new flavored hot beverage
so rightly named "Mocha Charge"...


...get back home, throw on a comfy pair of slacks...

 ...become lost in an unknown tale or two...


...and forget that this day was brought to you from the dreariest and darkest ends of the world.

I don't pretend to live in a world full of lollipops and unicorns.  But I will be damned if I don't at least try to brighten a damp and dark day with that which will undoubtedly create a little sparkle that wasn't there.


...



Just some little antidotes (or silliness) for encouraging a bit of personal magic
for the suck-i-est of days...

Take care,
-Michelle

St. Patrick's Day, 2013.

And a reluctant companion was I to it's festivities.

Yup.  I'm not hiding that fact!

See...I was not emotionally or mentally prepared for the bar scene this time around.  I don't much like going to the bar anymore as it is.  I had my time with that sort of fun.  I am turning 30 this August and deem what would seem "lame" and "boring" as a dream come true... adventure wise...for a weekend night out.

When I say that I am turning 30...it is NOT meant to make the point that I am becoming "too old" or that I "can't hang".

It's that I literally HAD MY TIME with the bar scene and it has exhausted all it's excitement to me at this point in my life.

My fiance and two of our friends have been doing the "weekend movie" thing and that is quickly becoming the sort of fun I delight in.  I am an avid book reader and movie lover.  Going to the cinema to watch a movie is like escaping this reality and participating in a dream...while awake. 

 I love it.


I thought it was funny to find all the "St. Patty's Day" remnants bunched
 together on the table this morning.
Really people...what do you do with these "badges of honor" 
once the day is over and gone???



Now this is my kind of night out.
I mean, come on...who wouldn't get excited about being able to 
have their picture taken on short section of fake yellow bricks???

(For just a split second...as I stood there smiling for the picture...
 I fled back to my five year old self and relished the 
romance and wonder I felt when I watched The Wizard Of Oz for the first time)

~Forgive me, Ryan.........for being the goof that I am.~

He really does willingly, and well at that, put up with a HUGE dork.

I leave you all now as I ready my next post for viewing eyes.

Take care,

-Michelle

Monday, March 18, 2013

A-Z Challenge, 2013...

...will be the first time I am participating in this challenge!

With that said, I will be "bloggin it up" like a psycho, wandering the links of the blogging communities for researching purposes.

I decided to not pick a theme (though three were so close to being chosen) because I didn't want to overwhelm myself.  I'm already committing to blogging almost every day! (hahah ;)

So, if you land here in your journey of meeting all the other participants, please feel free to introduce yourself and share any ideas/strategies regarding this challenge.

I'm very much excited about all the the new blogs and peeps I will get to meet!

I think this picture speaks volumes for this year's challenge...what do you think?
(website to picture above is found here)
(Also, I must mention that I think I found the perfect swim suit on that site for this summer)
(Check it out...if you are looking for a more decent cut and absolutely adorable bathing suit)


Take care, my friends!
-Michelle



Friday, March 15, 2013

On "becoming"...



So this is what "new" feels like!

A blank page...a precedent to being branded.  Becoming.

I have no way of telling my personality in just one entry.  Oh how I would love to delve into the middle of that sea and swim with all my might to some shore to show you all what it is that makes me "me".

But I can't. You will just have to stick it out for a few with me, dear reader, as I spell it out day by day.

For those of you who already know me a bit...please remain generous in your attendance...I beg it of you!!!

I leave...for now...with a little something I found in a book I possess called
"Verses of Encouragement"...(it made me smile so I thought I would share it with you all :)...

~If~
 
If any little word of mine
May make a life the brighter,
If any little song of mine
May make a heart the lighter,
God help me speak the little word,
And take my bit of singing
And drop it in some lovely vale
To set the echoes ringing.
 
If any little love of mine
May make a life the sweeter,
If any little care of mine
May make a friend's the fleeter,
If any lift of mine may ease
The burden of another,
God give me love and care and strength
To help my toiling brother.

A new beginning...

...A bit of sadness hits me as I type the first words to this brand new blog of mine.

I am very excited about starting out "new" and very much looking forward to seeing this blog evolve over the next few months and/or years...

...but as I start out...I am officially laying to rest a previous five years well spent with my personal blog...which is being retired to my bookshelf.  (There are a bunch of services that offer deals on printing and publishing your blog...did you know?!)

There was so much history in those short five years that was jam packed into my first blog.  The decision to start out fresh and all over was well met with eagerness on my part as I realized what needed to happen in order to branch out further into this savvy social networking world.

So, I hope as I begin from scratch that welcoming eyes greet this silly little baby of a blog...encouragement is always received with a smile around these parts! 

My intro to this blog is in the "whats and abouts" button towards the top of this page.

Take a look!
 
Thanks for the read!
Take care,
 
-Michelle