Recipe Day!

Quick Chocolate Softies   

Preheat oven to 350*

• 1 package of devil's food cake mix (any cake mix will do)  
• 1/3 c of water
• 1/4 c butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 c of white chocolate baking chips

Combine cake mix, water, butter, and egg in large bowl.  Beat until moistened.  Stir in white chocolate chips.  Mix well.  Drop by rounded teaspoon onto cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  Makes about 4 dozen.

"Train up a child in the way he should go..."

                                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Drew! Drew, where are you?"  

Drew snickered quietly.  His little five-year-old body was wedged underneath his bed, hidden by the mess which was littered all around him.

"Drew!"  His mother's voice became more austere.  "Come to me this instant.  You'll be in big trouble if you don't come right now."

Footsteps sounded in the hallway and entered his bedroom.  "Look at this mess!"  She kicked a ball out of her way.  "Drew, come out now."  The command in her voice almost made him give in.  No.  He shook his head defiantly, almost bumping against the wall.

Achoo!   Drew clamped his hand over his mouth, eyes wide and frightened.  His mother's face appeared.

"You're in big trouble, young man."

Drew slowly crawled out from underneath the bed.  His eyes were downcast and his body slumped.

"Why didn't you come when I called?"

Drew gulped.  "Because I didn't want to,"  he whispered, tears gathering in his eyes.  His guilty conscience told him he had done wrong.

"Okay son, you know what to do."

Drew nodded glumly.  He walked into the living room and found the wooden spoon.  He eyed his enemy warily.  If only he could show it how much pain it inflicted!  Oh, he'd show it good!

He plodded back to his room and handed his mother the spoon.  He bent over, resolutely.

"Drew,"  his mother's voice was gentle.  "You knew the punishment if you disobeyed."

One. Two. Three. Four.

Drew winced as the tears fell down his cheeks.  He turned and looked into his mother's loving eyes.

"Next time, come immediately when I call, understand?  Remember what the Bible says, 'Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.'"

Drew nodded as he wiped the tears from his eyes.  He hesitated and bit his lip.  Suddenly, he threw his arms around his mother.  "I'm sorry, Mommy!"

His mother held him tightly.  "I love you, Son, that is why I must punish you.  The Bible commands parents to do so.  One day you will understand."

Drew buried his face in her neck.  "I love you too, Mommy! he whispered.

                                                                   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 "My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of His correction: for whom the LORD loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."  ~Proverbs 3:11,12

Raising children can be tedious, I'm sure.  However, as I have yet to experience it myself, I cannot properly say.  I do come from a family of eight children, so I've experienced the opposite.

All I know is from my parents' example and what I've read in the Bible.  I know that "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes." (Proverbs 13:25)

The Word of God tells us plainly:  "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying."  ~Proverbs 19:18

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."  ~Proverbs 22:6

"Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell."  ~Proverbs 23:13,14

Not to make a mistake here.  This does not give parents the right to continually beat their children on a daily basis.  Punishment for disobedience and sin is one thing; continued beatings just because the parent may be a bully is another.  A true parent is someone who has the best interest of their children at heart, like God does with His children.  Punishment is necessary for correction, not to satisfy a parent's anger.  Love is to rule over all. (1 Corinthians 13)

There are three extremes: those that rule in anger and force, those that rule in love and correction, and those that rule in indulgence.  Those who rule in anger take punishment to the extreme, acting as if their children were a curse.  Those who rule in love follow the Bible's commands to train up a child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

But then there are those who rule in indulgence.  They don't believe in "corporal punishment."  The very idea of whipping a child horrifies them.  The very idea!  Therefore their children are wild, ungrateful brats (literally) who know how to get their own selfish way.  Their parents then sit back and wonder "what else can we do? We've given them all they want, we've never used the rod, what else can we do?" (what about giving them a sound thrashing?)  They even come to admit that their children are devil terrors.  Parents are to be firm, yet loving, but they most assuredly are not to leave their children on their own.

If parents knew how to control their kids, if they would only follow the Bible's wisdom, the home could once again become a state of self-control, not wild and rambunctious.

"The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."  ~ Proverbs 29:15

                                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Drew grew up to be a fine young man.  True, wen he was young, he had to be punished.  But that strengthened his character.  He determined in his heart to one day teach his own children the same biblical teachings his parents taught him.

Then came that day when his own son was seemingly nowhere to be found.   "I wonder...."

                                             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Random Rambling

I think I've decided to use Mondays as my rambling day. (but then again, a while back I had decided to write on Tuesday, post pictures on Thursday, and write a book review on Saturday.  Yeah, I've stuck well with that.    ...Don't you just love irony?...)

I'm constantly changing aspects about my blog.  I've never been sure of what to stick with.  I've wanted certain themes to abide by, but nothing has stirred a particular interest.  Finally now, I believe I have it!  Of course you've noticed my background.  See all those books?  How could you not miss them?! *sigh* Ah books!  How I love thee!  How I long to read thee all day!  I am am restless until I rest in thy embrace!   Oops.  A little of track there.  But hey, what is random rambling for, anyway?

Back to what I was saying.  I found the best background, the-one-I've-been-searching-for-all-this-time-only-I-didn't-know-it. (it was right in front of my eyes and I didn't even see it.)  The books were the main cause of my interest being sparked, but another aspect that snagged my attention was the title: lost in Jane Austin.  I've finally found the one! was my exuberant thought.  So I spruced up a header and now! I am content.

Besides, my background finally matches my reading and writing passion.

(By the way, if my topic suddenly differentiates suddenly from paragraph to paragraph, it is because that is the purpose of this post.  See, Random Rambling.)

After all the snow we received on Friday, we now have nothing. nada. zilch. (sometimes I wonder what the source of my wording is...I need a dictionary for a brain.)  Our snow has completely vanished.  Now blue skies have appeared; small wisps of white clouds come and go; the dirt soil is just as red; the grass and trees, dead from the winter, will be turning green again; birds are about; the sun is shining brightly.  All in all, a very lovely day. (We'll see how tomorrow is...)

As much as I loved receiving some snow, I most assuredly am ready for warm weather.  The flowers will be blossoming, the trees beginning to bloom, wild berries will ripen, birds will sing, the soft, spring rain will fall, the wild animals will once again resume life after hibernation, the bees will buzz, and the farmer's crops be planted.  Spring and Summer seem displays of new life.

As a writer, many things pierce the heart.  Some things go deep.  Have you ever seen a movie that seemed to stir your very soul?  You live inside the story.  Tragedy occurs: you weep.  Joy is experienced: you laugh.  Into the very depth of your heart, you are pierced with sorrow, longing, peace, happiness, anger, contentment or discontentment.  Then, when the story finally ends, emptiness leaves you feeling lonely and puzzled.  Lost.

Stop!  No more!  I'll never watch another movie, I'll never read another book!  The story seems so real.  You are caught right in the middle of it.  When it finally ends, those feelings seem to stay with you and you wander around aimlessly, wondering why you feel that way...

P.S. This post was meant for earlier in the day, (explaining my description of the day) and will be continued next Monday, if you think it leaves you hanging.

A Winter Wonderland

I just had to post a quick little entry about something spectacular that happened yesterday.  Here it is in February already, and although we have had a pretty cold winter, there has been no snow.   Then, suddenly, in the middle of the day yesterday, snow started falling!  An eye-opener!  It continued falling until night when at last we received a total of 4 INCHES!  That is absolutely shocking to Southerners!  Of course we all took many pictures.  After all, when does it snow in Georgia?!

The start. Not much of course, but some of us were still excited...

 

*singing* "snow flakes keep falling on the ground..."

The snow started to fall heavily!

  

Blue sky this morning!

"I'm glad I live in the land of cotton, old times there are not forgotten, look awaaaaay, Dixie land!" :P

 

Trees heavy-laden with snow

 

  

Isn't it a wonder? =)

The birthday of a hero? I think not...

(Picture credibility goes to my sister, Kirstie, an amazingly talented artist.)

Today being Abraham Lincoln's birthday, I thought it appropriate to post a link to my article I wrote on him awhile back.  You can read it here.  If everybody knew the truth about Lincoln, we might have a mighty change in certain areas...