Creativity is Play

For most people, creativity is a serious business.  They forget the telling phrase 'the play of ideas' and think that they need to knuckle down and work more.  Often, the reverse is true.  They need to play.  ~ Julia Cameron

All human beings are creative, we have adapted and survived through creativity.  And nothing reduces us to a state of abject fear and embarrassment more than the fear of having to be creative or once having been successful we fear we can do nothing will be as good.

Some where along our development we determine that there are those who are creative, and those who are not.  We have relegated creativity to a commodity that requires a monetary value to be a success and that you are only as good as your last creative success everything else is just pretending.

Children play creatively when on Christmas morning the box that the toys came in is the focus of their play rather than the toys designed to direct their play in a specific creative direction.

Creativity does not want to be directed, it wants to run free, to play, to explore and become something new without monetary value it is just creativity.

When our children are playing and being creative let’s be mindful that there are no right or wrongs, grass can be pink, sky can be green.  Let’s protect them as long as we can from understanding their creative process as a commodity to be either ashamed of or celebrated for what should be play - Creativity.

And for ourselves, well start to play with creativity do something creative every day, from the meals you make, to the doodling you do at your desk. 

Play with creativity, befriend it and have fun together.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Love Is The Test Of Our Faith

Jeremiah knew himself unworthy of God's call "Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! behold, I know not how to speak; for I am a child." 

And in response God named Jeremiah his prophet, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations."

God knew us before we knew ourselves!  Each of us has been sent to travel through a human life time, to live our lives through love and in doing so spread peace throughout the world.

God's peace, a peace that goes far beyond the absence of war.  Peace that turns the world’s order upside down, where weakness is strength and the value of a human being is not defined by status or bank balance rather it is in what we are prepared to sacrifice out of love - love of God, love of family, love of others, love of creation and last love of self

We are no more unworthy of God's call to service than Jeremiah of the old testament and like Jeremiah God will place upon our hearts and lips all that is required of us to live through love, as we travel through our human lives.

Know this that Love is test of our faith in God's call to service.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Lectionary Readings: Jeremiah 1:4-10, Psalm 71:1-6, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Luke 4:21-30

Quinoa Oatmeal Apple Crisp

Winter is once again upon us here in Canada and hot desserts are once again on the menu.  What could be better than being greeted by the smell of apple crisp fresh from the oven, after an afternoon of playing in the snow.

Apple crisp is a versatile dish in that you can experiment with ingredients and as long as you include enough apples you cannot go wrong.

Today’s apple crisp recipe was made for a Sunday evening intergenerational games and potluck night.  As always we made lots planning on have some to bring home and you guessed it, all was eaten.

Ingredients:

• 12 apples peeled sliced
• 2 cups pecans crushed
• 1 cup raisins pre-soaked for 15 minutes
• Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup apple butter
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup quinoa (cleaned and soaked for 30 minutes in hot water)
• 3 cups oatmeal
• Half a cup water or apple juice
• 1/2 cup butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F
2. In a large mixing bowl place the prepared apple slices, pecans, raisins, lemon juice, apple butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, quinoa drained, oatmeal and water.  Mix together.
3. Grease a 9x12 pan and pour the apple and oatmeal mixture into the pan
4. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes removing at the half way mark and stirring.  If the mixture appears too dry add more water or apple juice being careful not to make the crisp runny.
5. Remove the apple crisp, stir again and pat the top to make a smooth surface to this add dollops butter and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes.
6. Serve

From Our Table to Yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Children's Valentines Craft

Newspapers collect waiting to be recycled in our garage + having a very good friend Dawna P. who for years has turned old newspapers into beautiful and powerful pieces of art = our search for a Valentines craft to do with our granddaughters.

This time we found our activity on YouTube

eHow Mache Valentine Crafts: DIY Crafts. 

(click on the link to see the video)

1. Emily searched out our recipes for the Mache paste on the internet.
2. Our first paste was equal parts water and flour and being gluten free the only flour we have in the house at the time was stale whole wheat.  Surprisingly this worked well on the first layers and we would not recommend it for finishing because the rough texture of the flour creates a textured finish.  We finished using a Mache paste that was 1-part white flour to 2-parts water (we made about 8 cups of paste and to this we added 1 cup of white glue.
3. As in the video the girls each drew out the shape of their heart and cut the hearts out.
4. Next they bunched up newsprint and taped it in place using painters tape.
5. Then the fun part!  Well Emily and I had fun wetting the newspaper in the glue and placing them onto the form - Ruth was disgusted with the feel of the wet newsprint.
6. We covered the hearts with three layers of newsprint and finished with a layer of white paper towel.
7. Using tempera paints each girl mixed the colour of red they wanted and set about painting their heart.
8. Next using scrape paper they created the design that was transferred and painted onto their heart.
9. Finally using family links on Facebook we downloaded the pictures they wanted to use.  

Their hearts will hang in their bedrooms a reminder of the people who they love and consider part of their family.

Happy Valentines Day

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Remembering Summer

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Sweet Potato Chocolate Fudge Cake

January 27th Is National Chocolate Cake Day!

This year we have made a gluten free sweet potato Chocolate Fudge Cake, it has a rich dark chocolate taste with a moist fudge consistency, a little goes a long way with this amazing cake.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup cooked mashed sweet potato
• 2/3 cup coconut sugar
• 1 1/2 cup applesauce 
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
•  1 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together and let the batter sit for 5 minutes
2. Bake a 350 F for between 30 and 40 minutes or until your cake tester comes out clean

2015 Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake GF

2014 Miracle Whip Chocolate Cake  GF

Normal? No exceptional!

How often have we over heard a frustrated parent respond to the antics of a child "I just wish you'd act normally, do you see anyone else here acting that way?"

Is normal really what we want for our children and grandchildren?

The definition of normal is conforming to the standard, typical or expected.  In essence them when we say to our children could you just be normal were saying to them it would you please conform to the standard norms or I want you to be typical I want to be able to expect your behaviors – Do not stand out!

This definition of normal brings to mind the novel A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle where in Camazotz every house is the same and every child bounces their ball in rhythm to the next - there is no deviation all is ‘normal’ and to deviate from the norm requires reprogramming.

Normal? No I want exceptional!

Think of the great inventors, musicians, scientists, politicians, writers none of them were normal no they were exceptional.  They were encouraged to achieve their full potential, to standout, to dream and then reach for their dreams.  They did not fit in.

Albert Einstein had Asperger’s Syndrome, Stephen Hawking ALS, Isaac Newton epilepsy, Thomas Edison a learning disability, John Forbes Nash Jr. Schizophrenia, John Milton blindness, Ludwig van Beethoven deafness and the list goes on.

I don’t want my children and grandchildren to be normal - I want them to be all that they can be, as original, imaginative and unconventional as their abilities will allow so that they can influence their world instead of conforming to it.

I want them to bounce their balls to their own rhythm to the music of their soul not the average expectations of society.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Ask Don't Assume

We have all heard the adage never assume because it makes an ass out of u and me and yet we persist in making assumptions.  

To assume something is paramount to saying I don’t care what you actual, want, desire, or you opinion is because mine is more important and for many of us we make assumptions out of a desire to do good.

Recently a well meaning member of the community was over heard to say, “… I just did what I would want someone to do for me…”  the out come of what she thought would be an act of caring was hostility.  She is a very public person and the beneficiary of her actions is a very private person.

On another occasion an assumption was made because “… I didn’t want to bother them so I just went ahead and prepared a meal” on this occasion the meal arrived only to be politely refused the family had made plans for meals what they needed was volunteer drives.

The other excuse we often hear for making an assumption is “… I only did what had to be done!” and the list is endless.  Always the person making the assumption has placed themselves in a position of authority over the other people.

It is always better to ask the question that the assumption has been created to replaced.  

There will be times the answer will be I don’t care and then feel free to assume.  

On other occasions you will hear “I don’t know?”  Be patient at these times and ask the question again.  Sometimes you have to wait on an answer.  

Be mindful of the assumptions you make for other people!

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Good News For All Humanity

Good News to all humanity from the beginning of time unto eternity this is the gift of a loving God who rejoices for each human life from the beginning of time unto eternity. 

We live within this good new just as we live within an oxygen rich environment and just as we take the air we breath for granted we live much our daily lives unaware of the the good news God spoke at the beginning of time. 

The good news that we are acceptable in our Lords sight.  That as we are loved and seek the assistance of our Lord, we are to be servants to the poor, compassion for the captive, seek to understand the perception of the bind and restore the birthright of those who have been bruised because they are not like us.  (Luke 4:18)

“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12

It takes each person and all of the differences to realize God's love on earth.

Grandma Snyder

© 2013-2016 twosnydergirls 

Lectionaries scriptures Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21

Eatonia Electric Sewing Machine

You would be surprised how much fun a family can have with a $7.99 thrift store find.  

After visiting our youngest son Grandpa and I decided to travel to Newmarket Ontario and check out the Thrift stores.  We believe in recycling our clothing and purchasing used clothing whenever possible.  

We were at the last store the Salvation Army Thrift store when we came across and an old black suit case with a leather handle.  It caught our attention because earlier in the day we were impressed by a coffee table that had been made with an old shipping truck.

Opening the box we found an antique Eatonia Sewing Machine cira 1900's.  There was no price on either the machine or the box and when we inquired as to the price the clerk tags the box at $7.99.  

Sold!

Driving home we knew regardless if the machined worked our son-in-law would have a great time finding out.

After carefully reading the manual that came with the machine and borrowing an O ring from his antique Singer machine our Eatonia was sewing through denim, thus I have a travelling sewing machine and for $7.99 we had a laughter filled evening as Grandpa and Rob brought the machine back to life.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls 

Spaghetti Sauce

Some of best recipes are born out of necessity and just as this tomatoes paste recipe did.  Christmas Day was to have been a spaghetti dinner at the request of my mother and as life will have instead my sister and her husband drove up from the city to spend Christmas Day with her, she has such a nice visit with them. 

Having Mother and Great John for Sunday dinner has become a wonderful family routine and when we asked what she wanted for dinner she said spaghetti. 

2015 produced an abundant tomato crop to the point that we had given up on canning them and resorted to freezing them whole and so we set about making our own spaghetti sauce.  The result was a full flavoured tomato sauce and the end to us purchasing spaghetti sauce at the store!

We used gluten free paste making this a gluten free meal without anyone knowing but me :) 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• One large onion chopped
• 8 garlic pressed garlic cloves
• 2 quart jars of whole tomatoes or 24 fresh tomatoes, skins removed.
• 2 5.5 ounce cans of tomato paste
• 3 Tablespoons of fresh basil chopped fine
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon of sweetener we used blue Agave syrup
• 3 Tablespoons of your favourite Italian spice mix - we use Epicure Bolognese

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are translucent
2. Add to this the tomatoes coarsely chopped, tomato paste, basil, sweetener, lemon juice and spice mix.
3. Simmer for three hours if the sauce becomes too thick add water or vegetable broth – stir frequently.

From Our Table To Yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Crochet the December 2015 Sky

December 2015

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind

Blow, blow, thou winter wind.

Thou art not so unkind

As man's ingratitude;

Thy tooth is not so keen,

Because thou art not seen,

Although thy breath be rude.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:

Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:

Then, heigho-ho, the holly!

This life is most jolly.

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,

That dost not bite so nigh

As benefits forgot:

Though thou the waters warp,

Thy sting is not so sharp

As friend remember'd not.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! ...

~William Shakespeare 

With this crocheting the 2015 sky comes to an end, however the project is not finished as I am left with 52 granny squares that now need to be used in either a single or multiple projects and with 2016 a new project begins where I am incorporating both the sky and daily temperature into a single granny square.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

The Library

A child's hobby made with modeling clay and scraps of paper and cardboard.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Just Start

If things start happening.

Don’t worry. Don’t stew.

Just go right along and you’ll start happening too.

~Dr. Seuss

No matter how old you are 50 or 100 your children, grandchildren and if you are lucky great grandchildren are watching you.  The question you need to ask yourself is what do they see? 

What are they learning from you?

Grandparents are in a unique situation they have time that their children as the parents don’t, to mentor through example how to become success people.

The success being spoken of here is not about making money, or being successful in a career, it is being successful in living your life. 

As a child we went to visit my grandfather, he was physically disabled yet I do not remember him that way.  The legacy he left was one of starting and seeing where the path leads him.  He mentored us in living life through your abilities not being defined by a disability and having fun along the way - he taught me that anytime is a good time for ice cream!

Yet many grandparents sit in their chairs, watching life go by waiting for – I am not quite should what.  This attitude is all too often accompanied by bitterness and regret.  Which in turn lead to withdrawal from family and friends. 

There are so many things that your grandchildren can do with you, looking at old picture albums, listening to you tell stories, washing dishes, going for walks, dancing, cooking, eating ice cream, the list is endless.

Do something, anything with your grandchildren, make a start with them and “you’ll start happening too”

Teach your children and grandchildren how to be successful at life, by living your life no matter how old or able bodied you are.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

The Pictures In Our Heads

How many times in all the planning, imagining, and wanting has an important event in life disappointed because it was not supposed to be the way it turned out?

Perfect is not achievable in life because our imagined perfect moment, that picture we create in our heads is impossible to replicated in real life. 

Much of my life I lived with someone who spent great amounts of time planning for the perfect (fill in any life event), and upon the arrival of that moment was disappointed, so moved on very quickly in planning the next perfect moment.

And when they were not planning they were worrying over the terrible things that might happen. 

They spent time we could have been laughing, playing or just being together as a family consumed by a future that would never come true and always disappointed.

They screwed up their now with pictures of what should in their head.

Experience each moment for the joy that only it can bring. 

If it rains on your party dance with abandon in the rain. 

Find your place of happiness where you are now not in some future place and don’t fear what is yet to happen it comes at the expense of your safety now.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Your Righteousness Is Like The Mighty Mountain

Everything in creation is unique, there is no duplication!

By design the Creator God has attended to the creation of all living things on earth ensuring diversity.

This includes all of humanity from the beginning to the end of time.

Each person is known to God by name and through their uniqueness.

God does not desire that we be like anyone but ourselves.

I Corinthians 12:4-7
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."

God expresses his love in unique ways to each of us as our need dictates.  Just as a good parent loves all their children and changes their parenting style to meet the needs and temperaments of each child. 

Such is the righteousness of our Father that he can up hold each of us, loving our uniqueness, knowing each of us by name, and providing for us as our needs and temperaments require - just as a mighty mountain holds upon it's hillsides and summit all that would live and travel there.

It is our uniqueness that makes us precious in God's eyes for this is how he made us.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Lectionary Readings Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 36:5-10 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11

January 2016's Crochet Along Project

All last year I watched this Google+ Community as they took on a new crochet challenge each month and I was envious (never a good thing) so taking one month at a time I have decided to join in the fun and I will post pictures and a link to the pattern here for your and my future reference.

One of my key expectations is that I will use yarn from my stash so for this project I used.

Using Coral Reef the end product was very soft and comfortable to wear.  As long as you did not have to pull out your work it was also wonderful to work with.  The threads caught making rework very hard and frustrating.  I have a number of balls of this yarn having picked it up a Michael’s on sale a while back.

The pattern is called Fortune's Shawlette by Moogly

clickhere  to be directed to the pattern.

I found the pattern easy to follow and you will notice that I changed the finishing edge to scallops which consisted of placing 6 dc in every other open space.

If you decided to make this shawl, please post a picture in the comments section or better still join the community and crochet along with us.

It's January 15, 2016 and I already have one Christmas gift complete now I just have to decided who to give it to.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Pork and Mushroom Sunday Dinner

As a child Sunday dinner always involved either being a guest or having guests following church.  Most often you know how many people to expect and there was always the one time when you did not put a pot roast on before leaving for church and planned pork chops instead.  As Murphy’s Law dictates this is the time when the number of guest for dinner increases beyond the portions of meat!

That is exactly what happened this past Sunday and instead of running out to the store to purchase more meat, an option we have today that was not available to our parents I took a page out of my Grandmother’s cookbook and stretched the meat in a roasting pot.

This involves cutting your meat into stew sized portions, and adding the pieces to root vegetables that you then roast together.  In this way you stretch the meat without your guests knowing that they are eating less meat and more vegetables.

The following recipe served 6 adults and two children.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4 pork chops cut into bite size pieces
• 8 cups of sliced mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic pressed
• 1 cooking onion chopped
• 1/3 cup water
• 8 carrots cut length wise into wedges

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in an oven proof deep dish pan (we used cast iron)
2. Add to this pieces of pork and fry quickly until they begin to brown the meat does not have to be fully cooked -remove from frying pan and set aside
3. In the same pot add the mushrooms, onions and garlic fry on high until the mushroom begin to brown – remove from frying pan and set aside
4. Deglaze the bottom of the pot with the water and return everything to the pot
5. Place the carrot wedges on top of the meat and mushroom cover with a tight fitting lid or tinfoil.
6. Place in 375 F oven for 45 minutes.

Serve the carrots separately or on the same plate as the meat.

From our table to Yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Susan Le Flesche Picotte

Susan LaFlesche Picotte was born on June 17, 1865 on the Omaha Indian Reservation in Nebraska, the youngest of four girls.  Her mother Mary Gale was half French and half Omaha and her father Joseph LaFlesche was half white and Omaha.

Joseph LaFlesche played an important role in the Omaha nation and believed that if they were to survive they would need to become like the white people who were overtaking their lands.  Thus Joseph ensured that Susan received a white education and this meant being sent off reserve to attend school.

Early in Susan life she is described as witnessing the death of an Omaha person because the white doctor would not provide treatment.  Her outrage at this is described as placing her on a path that would see her become a physician at a time in history when women were believed to be unfit mentally to handle the rigors of higher education and add to this that she was aboriginal as well. 

Once obtaining her medical training she returned to the Omaha nation where she worked tirelessly as the residential boarding school physician and quickly thereafter to the people of Omaha.  In this position she earned substantially less than white doctors, and when medical supplies ran out it was from her personal earnings that she paid for needed supplies.

She married and had two sons, while continuing her medical practice.  She was active in the temperance movement knowing first hand the affects of alcohol on aboriginal families, her husband was an alcoholic. 

She was a public health activist, educating the Omaha people on how to prevent the spread of disease, in particular the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis and Susan was instrumental in building of a hospital on the Omaha reservation.

She was also a political activist, writing letters to government on behalf of herself and others on the issue of land entitlement.


There is a wonderful YouTube video called Drums of Change - a Nebraska Story about Susan LaFlesche Picotte click here if you would like to be directed to the 4 minute video produced by NetNebraska  

Susan LaFlesche Picotte is a Woman of History and her story is a powerful example to women today

Please visit these sites to learn more about Susan LaFlesche Picotte the first Native American Physician 

• http://www.biography.com/people/susan-la-flesche-picotte-9440355
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_La_Flesche_Picotte
• https://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_253.html
• http://cojmc.unl.edu/nativedaughters/healers/susan-la-flesches-legacy-lives-on

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls