Choose Life

We live in a time where children living in the developed world live in abundance, and yet they contemplate death in numbers greater than ever before – why?

We live in a time where living well is defined by things and our ability to accumulate more things to us.  We are a society where we have let television, advertisers, dictators, war lords, magazines, and the 1% of the world population define who we are.

We live in a time where we are eager to have others define who we are for their personal gain.  They sell us a definition that is empty of spiritual value, a goal that can never be achieved.  And we co-operate in the building of a world where the gap between the rich and poor increases daily and children contemplate death.

This is not the what God desires of us.  God desires we live lives full of love, community, peace, balance within creation, and in the knowledge that we are beloved children.

To choose a life that contains not things but moments full of love, purpose and knowing ourselves and our place within God’s creation.

Choose Life

Grandma Snyder

Lectionary readings Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 119:1-8, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Matthew 5:21-37

Mallard Ducks in Winter

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Sulfur Springs 

Ancient Grain Tuna Salad

Today’ recipe had it’s beginning in a bag of fair trade Aromatic Heirloom Rice  that we purchased at our local Ten Thousand Village  Sale in November and mother’s homemade mayonnaise.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cooked Heirloom Rice
• 2 cups finely chopped vegetables.  We used carrots, radish, celery, yellow or red bell pepper, onion, frozen peas
• ½ cup mother’s mayonnaise
• 1 cup canned tuna
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook and cool the grain/rice being used
2. Chopped all vegetables
3. Mix grain/rice, vegetables, mayonnaise and tuna
4. Salt and pepper
5. Serve.

This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

From our table to yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Life Happens

Home Made Mayonnaise

Great Aunt Marjorie’s homemade mayonnaise always made sandwiches and potato salad a treat and growing up our mother always made this mayonnaise when ham was on the menu for Sunday dinner.

We have changed Aunt Marjorie’s recipe.  We have found that we could reduce the amount of sugar by ¼ of a cup with out changes the flavour.  In the picture of mother’s recipe book there are three recipes.  The first uses a tin of condensed milk, third is a larger recipe of the one we used today.  

We did not try either of these at this time and have included them so that you can try if you want.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup of white sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup vinegar
• 1 tbsp. flour
• ½ tsp dried mustard

Directions:

1. Wisk together all of the ingredients
2. Over medium high heat stirring constantly until the mayonnaise thickens
3. Remove from heat and keep refrigerated.
4. Use the mayonnaise within one week.

From our table to yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Ontario Winter Shoreline

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

What Does The Lord Require?

Going back up for my second cup of coffee I turned and was shocked to be looking at a face so damaged is shocked me.  The entire left side of the face was a mass of scars, a sunken socket where the eye should have been a nose and mouth grossly misshapen by scare tissue.  So shocking was the face that without conscious thought monster is what I saw.

This took less than 2 seconds and hurriedly I turned and returned to our table that sat around the corner from the service line.

“Grandpa, Grandpa are we still going to feed the horses” and the joy in this child’s voice was followed by a beautiful base voice full of love “Yes as soon as we get our breakfast we will feed the horses” and the child responds “Let’s go, let’s go!”

So joyous was the child’s expectation I looked up to a glimpse of this wonderful child and his grandfather and into my view walked the “monster” cuddling his grandchild into the broken side of his face and the child beamed with happiness, love and joy.

What does the Lord require of us?

That we walk humbly through our lives, looking beyond our prejudices, preconceived ideas, and our first impressions. 

That we see our world and the people around us through God’s love, hope, promise and joy.

That we don’t see monsters in the people around us that we see love and the potential in each other.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Lectionary readings: Micah 6:1-8, Psalms 15, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Matthew 5:1-12.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Fudge Cake

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

The Beauty of Winter

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Free Cable Knit Dog Sweater Pattern

This is a Drops Design pattern #102 -43 

Click here to be linked with the pattern

This pattern worked up quickly and was easy to follow.

We doubled the length of the turtle neck and added 4 inches on to the end of the sweater so that it would fit our granddog Toaster.

We would recommend that if you are going to make this dog sweater that you create a 5 stitch button hole at the center back at the end of the turtle neck in the row prior to starting the cable.

We did not do this and our son asked that a hole be made for the lead to attach to the dog collar, so we cut and stitched a hole into the sweater – that was a few tense moments.

We are very happy with the result and recommend this free pattern by Drops.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

When Storms of Life Rage

2016 was a year of emotional storms, where at times it was hard to find that calm inner place. 

To find our spiritual centre, that place where no matter what is happening around you, you know yourself to be and to be loved.

January 10^th 2016 the storm targeted the life of Audrey a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, sister, cousin, life partner and friend and just as a tree with dying roots struggles not to fall in the face of the storm surge we struggled against the knowledge that our family was in the process of forever changing.

On December 4^th 2016 the storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

Our family had changed forever yet it remained the same.

The Dalai Lama describes how the waves on the waters surface can rage with the violence of creation, yet in the depth of that same ocean all remains calm, undamaged by the tempest above and this is how 2016 has felt. 

We survived as individuals, as a family, but were we unchanged?  

The shape of our family has changed, our shoreline changed yet the depths of who we are as individuals and as a family remains unchanged.

When emotional storms appear on life’s horizon prepare yourself with signs that will guide you to your spiritual centre.

Take into the storm things that will help ground you in the present moment and transport you to that calm place. 

Be mindful in advance of what you will need to not be sweep away into the storm.

Be deliberate in your planning and selfish in your protection of the time you will need to retreat to your spiritual centre.

Know that the storm will pass and you will walk once again into the sunlight to continue your life’s journey.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Light has dawned

And that light shines forth with

Love

Tolerance

Service

Peace

Acceptance

Inclusion

Hope

Charity

Reconciliation

and

Forgiveness

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Lectionary readings Isaiah 9:1-4, Psalm 27:1, 4-9, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18,

Matthew 4:12-23

Miracle Whip Chocolate Cake

In memory of Mother we are posting recipes from our childhood made with love for us.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Hope

Aging is full of hopelessness!

Overpowering, ever present and culturally embedded hopelessness.

To grow old in this consumer product driven society is to return to a state of dependence and end our lives as we began them.

Not all seniors will accept this thankfully and I want be part of this group.

The issue is how to fight against this culturally accepted outcome.

 The answer came in a personal epiphany.

Hope begins in the heart, whereas hopelessness anchors in the head.

To find Hope in the process of going old, keeping the heart open is the first step.

Open to all of the possibilities the endless possibilities ahead of us.

Hope is the path that needs to be walked as we look forward to aging.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

A Winter Drive in Ontario

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Come and See

Unconditional love, care and service are the words of the new song.  We sing this new song so that our families, friends, community and strangers know God within us.

This is the path that Christ walked and the song he sang in service for those who needed him most, the outcasts, unwanted, ill, poor and hopeless.

We are God’s children and within each of us he has placed his new song.

When we serve each other, through unconditional love, God’s love shines through us and into the world.

Let the world know God’s love.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Lectionary readings Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalms 40:1-11, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-42

Practicing Retirement

What is a workaholic supposed to do when retirement looms ahead them?

This question has plagued me for the past year, when my early retirement date came and went.

Many find it very difficult to understand my none retirement, my reluctance to walk away from an 8:30 to 4:30 job into the amazing world of, do what you want when you want!

And here lays the horror of retirement for a workaholic, what do you do with all that time?  Sitting around knitting sweater after sweater does not sound like fun and while knitting is both relaxing and enjoyable life is fuller, holds more meaning now.

There is purpose and meaning in a career, order and routine, engagement with new ideas, people and learning.

These are things that have brought meaning to much of life for the past 30 years.

Yes, family, friends, community and church are also part of what bring meaning to life however we are not expected to enjoy saying good bye to these when we turn 55, 60 or 65.

Retirement, however is not something that can be put off forever, eventually aging will overcome ability and the value we offer our employers diminishes at which point we are asked to leave.

Forced retirement is not what is desired either.

Retirement counselors all ask the same questions, what new new goals do you have, what new challenges are you ready to tackle?

Here is the second horror of retirement, I don’t know what I want to do! 

I do not have a bucket list!

When I shared my predicament with a wise woman she laughed, “Practice retiring.”

Practice retiring?

I was challenged to look around my community, find classes, groups, social clubs and explore them to determine if they will bring new ideas, people and learning into my life.

So it was that I found myself in a watercolor class today at our local library and who knows maybe I might become an artist.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Beet Brownies

In the long cold dark Canadian winters root vegetables like beets sustain us and remind us of our summer gardens.

Beets are more than just a side vegetable they also add flavour and nutrition to many salads and desserts, like today's Brownie recipe.  When there are leftover cooked beets we shredded them in our food processor in 2 cups containers for use in soups, salads or desserts.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cups Coco powder
• 2/3 cup butter/margarine
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups cooked and shredded beets
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Shift all dry ingredients together
3. Beat together butter, eggs and vanilla
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry
5. Add beets
6. Add chocolate chips
7. For thicker brownies spread the batter on an 8 x 8 baking dish lined with parchment paper
8. We prefer thinner brownies so we spread our batter into a 9 X 12 pan lined with parchment paper
9. Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted.
10. Remove from oven and sprinkle 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top of brownie and spread as they melt.

From Our Table to Yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Flowers of Salt Lake City

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

What makes a great parent?

For that matter what makes a great Grandparent?

They are the same things that make a great teacher.

These are individuals who are able to

empower, motivate and cultivate:

curiosity,

independence,

 sense of belonging and 

responsibility to the family/community.

Be mindful in how you parent and instruct young minds.

Challenge yourself to explore the words of Lao Tzu

and understand them in the context of how you parent.

We do not have quick and easy answers to give you.

We are the same path as we daily seek to parent, 

instruct and live our lives through these words of 

Lao Tzu.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

The heavens were opened

And God Blessed His People with Peace

What is the peace that we are blessed with?

It is not the absence of war, for many people live in war torn countries and humanity is bent on settling disagreements through conflict of one sort or another.

And peace is also defined as a state of tranquility or quiet a reprieve from the troubles and surround you.

Over the past few months, God’s blessing of peace has entered our lives through the actions of friends, strangers and the dying.

God visited peace on us in the depth of our grief, when a beloved Great Grandmother, summons all of her strength to smile and kiss her infant Great Granddaughter and when the child said more, another kiss was summoned and we in the room knew peace and a sense of family in that moment.

God visited peace upon an exhausted woman weary from working all day when a tattooed and pierced teenager stood up and offered her his seat on the bus.  They smiled at each other and she knew peace and a sense of community in that moment.

God visited peace upon an anxious panic stricken mother when in her frantic search for a missing purse is tapped on the shoulder by a homeless man, “here is your purse it dropped out of your stroller” he turns and walks away, to have the mother hurry after him to say thank you.  In that moment they both knew peace and sense of community.

 The heavens were opened and the spirit of compassion, family, service and connectedness descended on humanity.

We experience God’s peace in relationships with each other, in the care we offer and receive.

There is no exclusivity in God’s peace and nor should there be in our care for each other.

Acts 10:34 “I now realize how true it is that God treats everyone the same”

  

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls

Lectionary readings: Isaiah 42:1-9, Psalm 29, Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 3:13-17.

Beet Muffins

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2017 twosnydergirls