Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Paleo, Gluten-Free Muffins - Carrot, Banana, Date

Moist Carrot Banana and Date Muffins
for the Paleo Inclined
They're Grain-free and Gluten-free

For everyone who loves a tasty, moist muffin without a grain-based flour, these are the best I've ever eaten. In fact, I like them better, because wheat flour always leaves me wishing I hadn't eaten it.

My daughter sent me this recipe which she had recently tried. Her husband had announced that it was the best thing she had ever made! That's quite an endorsement, so I had to give it a try. They are delicious!

This recipe makes a dozen medium-size muffins. I used a non-stick spray on the non-stick muffin tin before spooning in the batter. Alternatively, you can use the paper liners. I just happen not to like those.

Yes, there's sugar in the fruit used, but no additional sugar.

One more thing: I've seen 1# of Bob's Red Mill almond flour at my local grocery store for $14.49 (no kidding), but also found it somewhere for $10.49 and bought it there. One can also check out Amazon.com or Vitacost.com.  Then again, I can purchase almonds when I find them at a good price  and run them through the food processor. Not a bad idea.

Update:  I just bought a pound of raw almonds for $5.49 at Farm & Fleet. This weekend they're going to be on sale for 2 bags for $9.00 (They won't work for people with an actual gluten intolerance, cuz they're processed in a plant that also processes wheat products - but perhaps those with a wheat sensitivity will be fine with these). For me, they work fine. I'll put them in my food processor. A pound is a pound, and I don't care how cute the packaging is, I'll never spend $14.49 on a pound of almond flour.

Paleo, Gluten-Free Muffins Recipe - Carrot, Banana, Date:

Ingredients:

2 c. almond flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. sea salt (next time I will leave out the salt. I felt they didn't need it)
1 T. cinnamon
1 c. dates, pitted (and yes, you can use dates you find in little vacuum-packed bags in the bottom your freezer, even if they've been there for 5 years. Remember my Woolly Mammoth Story??
3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 t. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 c. carrots, shredded
3/4 c. finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In a food processor, combine dates, bananas, eggs, vinegar, and oil.
Add mixture from food processor to dry mixture in the large bowl and combine thoroughly.
Fold in carrots and nuts.
Spoon mixture into the muffin tins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit in muffin tin for about 10 minutes before turning the muffins on their sides (still in the tin). Okay, maybe it makes no sense to you, but I like to turn them before they get stuck to the tin. I'm tired. I'm sure there's a better way to explain this...or maybe not necessary to even try...

These would probably have stayed moist for a week, just sitting on the counter with a sheet of plastic wrap placed loosely over them. I'm not totally sure, however, for they were gone in a couple days.

Don't make these just before starting on a diet. It's impossible to leave them alone.



***


'Fig & Brown Sugar'
Natural, Handcrafted Vegan Soap

...and more! Check out all our handcrafted soaps at



This post may be linked to some of the following: Mop it Up Monday  and Get in My Tummy and  Cure for the Common Monday and  Clever Chicks Blog Hop and  Barn Charm and  The Marketplace  and  Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and    Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and le chateau des fleurs and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and   You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and Memories by the Mile and  Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday  and Love Bakes Good Cakes  and Overflowing With Creativity and Mom on TimeOut  and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and   Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday  and Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and  Thursday's Inspiration and  The Self-sufficient Home Acre and  I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and   Mandatory Mooch   and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and  Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday  and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and  A Favorite Thing Saturday and Share Your Creativity and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and  Market Yourself Monday and  Saturday Nite Special

Monday, April 29, 2013

Lavender Soap, Vegan, Homemade, Lavender Bud

'Lavender Bud'
Handcrafted, Natural Vegan Soap
    
Springtime is finally upon us, and we've got a number of new natural, vegan soaps at both our Etsy Store and our website. (See links below.)  If you're looking for a visually interesting and fragrant bar of homemade vegan soap, our Lavender Bud definitely fits that description!

This beautiful bar of Lavender Bud homemade soap has the same great, silky and moisturizing lather of all our handcrafted, vegan soaps. Always mild, this particular soap has an amazing lavender and vanilla, plus slightly woodsy and earthy fragrance, accomplished by a combination of Essential Oils and Quality Fragrance Oils. It's luscious!

Real lavender buds were sprinkled on and embedded in the top for an exotic touch and extra fragrance.  Avoid the harsh, drying chemicals of mass-produced, store-bought soaps. Treat your skin to beautiful natural goodness!

Each fragrant bar of Lavender Bud homemade vegan soap comes wrapped in its own distinctive label and enclosed in a clear cello bag - ready for gift giving.

100% Natural Base Oils, Vegan

Appx. 4.5-5.0 oz. per bar.

Check it out!




'Lemon Verbena'
Another Natural, Handcrafted Vegan Soap

...and more! Check out all our handcrafted soaps at


This post may be linked to some of the following: Mop it Up Monday  and Get in My Tummy and  Cure for the Common Monday and  Clever Chicks Blog Hop and  Barn Charm and  The Marketplace  and  Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and    Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and le chateau des fleurs and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and   You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and Memories by the Mile and  Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday  and Love Bakes Good Cakes  and Overflowing With Creativity and Mom on TimeOut  and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and   Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday  and Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and  Thursday's Inspiration and  The Self-sufficient Home Acre and  I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and   Mandatory Mooch   and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and  Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday  and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and  A Favorite Thing Saturday and Share Your Creativity and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and  Market Yourself Monday and  Saturday Nite Special

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Cecil B. Demille Introduces the film, The Ten Commandments

Charleton Heston as Moses in
The Ten Commandments

I read a short but interesting article on American Vision this morning. Here's a short clip of Cecil B. Demille introducing the film, 'The Ten Commandments' when it first came to the theater in 1956. Kevin remembers being at the Majestic Theater in Barron, and remembers that introduction by Cecil B. Demille. Unfortunately, Demille's introduction is not included in the televised version of the movie.

From American Vision:

The official souvenir book produced at the time The Ten Commandments was released expressed DeMille’s understanding of the importance of God’s revealed law:

“The Ten Commandments are not rules to obey as a personal favor to God. They are fundamental principles without which mankind cannot live together. . . . THE TEN COMMANDMENTS are not laws. They are THE LAW. Man has made 32,000,000 laws since they were handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai more than three thousand years ago, but he has never improved on God’s law.”

I encourage you to read the article in its entirety on American Vision.




Cecil B. Demille
introduces The Ten Commandments
October, 1956


This post may be linked to some of the following: Mop it Up Monday  and Get in My Tummy and  Cure for the Common Monday and  Clever Chicks Blog Hop and  Barn Charm and  The Marketplace  and  Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and    Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and le chateau des fleurs and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and   You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and Memories by the Mile and  Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday  and Love Bakes Good Cakes  and Overflowing With Creativity and Mom on TimeOut  and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and   Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday  and Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and  Thursday's Inspiration and  The Self-sufficient Home Acre and  I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and   Mandatory Mooch   and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and  Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday  and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and  A Favorite Thing Saturday and Share Your Creativity and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and  Market Yourself Monday and  Saturday Nite Special

Friday, April 26, 2013

Wensleydale Creamery at Hawes - Anglophile Friday




The words, 'rennet' and 'bacteria' and 'sour' and 'fungus' and 'coagulate' don't sound very appetizing, do they. Isn't it amazing that they are part of producing an exceptionally delicious product!

It's been a while since we spent time in Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales. What an interesting and fun way to spend a day!


Wensleydale Creamery employees hard at work...

...for the final delicious product!
Free samples, yea!



I'm posting these photos although it was a dreary day in Hawes when I took them. I'd love to someday take this trip again with my new camera, because it seems to be more able to bring in the necessary light, even on a darkish day. Someplace I read that you should not post sub-standard photos on your blog. Then again, if I didn't post these sub-standard photos, I wouldn't be posting any photos at all. So, because I'd like to give you an idea of what the little village of Hawes (where the Wensleydale Creamery is located) looks like, I'm including a few photos I took.


Look at that beautiful brick street. This is definitely a place to wear comfortable shoes.


Is this what they mean by 'a one horse town' ??
Barn and pen right on main street, or at least what seemed like the main street.


The rushing stream in March
People seem to maneuver their cars into every possible nook and cranny.


Evidently we beat the hoard of bikers to the cheese samples.


And I don't think they were headed to the Tea Room.
I'd love to rent a room at the back of that tea room.
Look at the view I'd have of the hills behind.


Herriot's B&B in Hawes

If you have plans to visit Hawes any time soon, be sure to book rooms at Herriot's B&B. Check it out.  And don't forget to stop in at the Wensleydale Creamery to sample those delicious cheeses - and to buy a Wallace and Gromit poster, of course!




***


'Lady Mary'
Inspired by 'Downton Abbey'
(quite a long way from Hawes)
Natural, Handcrafted Vegan Soap
A combination of Amber, Vanilla, and other remarkably delicious fragrances!

...and more! Check out all our handcrafted soaps at



This post may be linked to some of the following: Mop it Up Monday  and Get in My Tummy and  Cure for the Common Monday and  Clever Chicks Blog Hop and  Barn Charm and  The Marketplace  and  Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and    Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and le chateau des fleurs and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and   You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and Memories by the Mile and  Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday  and Love Bakes Good Cakes  and Overflowing With Creativity and Mom on TimeOut  and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and   Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday  and Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and  Thursday's Inspiration and  The Self-sufficient Home Acre and  I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and   Mandatory Mooch   and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and  Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday  and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and  A Favorite Thing Saturday and Share Your Creativity and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and  Market Yourself Monday and  Saturday Nite Special

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Creeped Out!


I don't mind getting an electronic birthday wish from anyone who has a subscription to Jacquie Lawson cards. I don't even mind getting an electronic card from the dentist. But, please...

Yesterday was Kevin's birthday, and when he opened up his browser, there was Google with all those cupcakes and candles. Hmm. What a coincidence, he thought. Wonder what famous person shares a birthday with me. But when he moved his cursor over the cake/candles, there it was: 'Happy Birthday, Kevin!'  We were not just a little creeped out!

Maybe other people like to get birthday cards from Google, and maybe people like it that the Census took GPS coordinates of all our homes last time around. And maybe people are glad that Google has street views of their homes. Maybe others like it that Google is collecting all this information on us.

I don't.

I think it's getting just way too creepy that Big Brother, along with their friend Google, is watching everything, managing everything, protecting us, helping us, making our lives 'more convenient,' making us more dependent upon them, etc. etc. and, not least -  wanting us to believe that they're our best buds.

Besides, all this information Google collects...with whom are they sharing it?? And please don't try to convince me that they'd never think of sharing it.

So don't send me a birthday card, Google. I don't want to be your friend!

---

Am I the only person bothered by this stuff??

***
Life in the Hutch
 'Did you hear what Google's up to, Henrietta?'
'Oh Milton, I'm so thankful that I'm just a little birdbrain and
don't have to think about things like that.'


***

'Southern Magnolia'
Natural, Handcrafted Vegan Soap 
With a Fresh Magnolia Fragrance

...and more! Check out all our handcrafted soaps at

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Barn and Silo on SS, Barron County

Silo on SS, north of Cameron

I've always wanted to get a photo of this silo, because of its wood shake shingle roof - or what's left of it. It's very unusual, probably constructed nearly a hundred years ago. As you can see, it has a stone foundation.

Barn/Shed/Granary ?
Or maybe I should use the more generic term, 'outbuilding'
On that same property

Nearby is this building. I don't know why it has such an odd roof line. Kevin thinks it's so that they could put a door on this (east) side. 

So then why didn't they just build the sidewalls higher in the first place? 

Who knows. Money? 

Frugality was much more common in that generation. 

Can't you hear Grandpa Walton saying, 'Why spend money you don't have, to buy something you don't need?!'   



That was the generation that lived through the WWI, the Influenza Pandemic of 1918, The Stock Market Crash of 1929, The Great Depression, the Dust Bowl,  WWII, The Korean Conflict, and The Viet Nam War. They lived much of their lives before rural electrification, and went from the era of horse and buggy travel to jet airliners.

And I don't remember my grandpa ever complaining about snow.

***


'Patchouli Incense'
Natural, Homemade Vegan Soap
...and more! Check out all our handcrafted soaps at


This post may be linked to some of the following: Mop it Up Monday  and Get in My Tummy and  Cure for the Common Monday and  Clever Chicks Blog Hop and  Barn Charm and  The Marketplace  and  Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and    Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and le chateau des fleurs and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and   You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and Memories by the Mile and  Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday  and Love Bakes Good Cakes  and Overflowing With Creativity and Mom on TimeOut  and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and   Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday  and Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and  Thursday's Inspiration and  The Self-sufficient Home Acre and  I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and   Mandatory Mooch   and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and  Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday  and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and  A Favorite Thing Saturday and Share Your Creativity and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and  Market Yourself Monday and  Saturday Nite Special


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Happy Birthday

Life Lessons From Grandpa

It must be tough to be little. Just when you think you've got it figured out, you now have to hold up three fingers instead of two - when people ask how old you are. Sigh. Life is so tricky.

We spent Sunday in the Twin Cities with our oldest son's family. Both Glenn (turned 3 on Sunday) and Grandpa (turns way-past 3 on Wednesday), were birthday boys.


How'd you do that again, Grandpa??



What could be better than John Deere Wellies!

***

To all of you who gave me much-relished sympathy over our horrid weather (more snow as I write), I want you to know that the forecast for the weekend is temps in the 60s. I think everyone in Wisconsin is overjoyed to know that spring, indeed, (contrary to all the current signs) is COMING!

After all, who would want to be anywhere other than Wisconsin in the month of May:




May

***


'Sweet Baby Calendula' 
All-Natural, Handcrafted, Vegan Soap

...and more! Check out all our handcrafted soaps at


This post may be linked to some of the following: Mop it Up Monday  and Get in My Tummy and  Cure for the Common Monday and  Clever Chicks Blog Hop and  Barn Charm and  The Marketplace  and  Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and    Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and le chateau des fleurs and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and   You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and Memories by the Mile and  Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday  and Love Bakes Good Cakes  and Overflowing With Creativity and Mom on TimeOut  and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and   Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday  and Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and  Thursday's Inspiration and  The Self-sufficient Home Acre and  I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and   Mandatory Mooch   and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and  Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday  and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and  A Favorite Thing Saturday and Share Your Creativity and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and  Market Yourself Monday and  Saturday Nite Special

Monday, April 22, 2013

20 North Ora

Strolling through the woods

I can't tell you how delighted I was when I received a package in the mail from Judy of 20 North Ora and found these darling little ceramic birds inside!  Aren't they the cutest ever??

I let them wander around the yard and house to get accustomed to their new home, then put them into the hutch for safekeeping.



'Must we live in the hutch??'

'Yes, it's for your own good,
but you'll frequently be out on display.'

***

Be sure to visit Judy's Etsy Shop, '20 North Ora.' She's got lots of pretty needlecraft and vintage items for sale there!

But don't bother to look for these sweet birds... :-)



Just a few of my favorites from Judy's Etsy shop, 20 North Ora.

Be sure to visit her blog, as well!



Photobucket

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Horses and Fences on a Sunny but Windy Day

Trying to ignore the wind
by facing away from it

Same pasture
Horses are just to the right of this photo

I took these photos on a sunny, windy day in March. So glad that wintery March weather is over...


...so we could enjoy the springtime weather of April!
  Photo Taken April 19th
I am not kidding.

And now it's the 21st. Snowing again.

Someone, please rescue me!!! 

***

Update: It's now 8:30 PM, and raining like crazy.
Hopefully I will awaken tomorrow to a snowless landscape.


***




'Vanilla Bean & Cocoa'
Handcrafted, Natural Vegan Soap

...and more! Check out all our handcrafted soaps at

This post may be linked to some of the following: Mop it Up Monday  and Get in My Tummy and  Cure for the Common Monday and  Clever Chicks Blog Hop and  Barn Charm and  The Marketplace  and  Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and    Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and le chateau des fleurs and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and   You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and Memories by the Mile and  Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday  and Love Bakes Good Cakes  and Overflowing With Creativity and Mom on TimeOut  and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and   Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday  and Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and  Thursday's Inspiration and  The Self-sufficient Home Acre and  I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and   Mandatory Mooch   and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and  Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday  and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and  A Favorite Thing Saturday and Share Your Creativity and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and  Market Yourself Monday and  Saturday Nite Special

Saturday, April 20, 2013

An Inconvenient Truth


From Philly.com:

"He is known only as "Baby Boy B," a fetus estimated to be 28 weeks old, found frozen in an altered one-gallon plastic water jug in Dr. Kermit Gosnell's West Philadelphia abortion clinic. 

"Gosnell, 72, is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, seven infants allegedly born alive during abortions and killed by cutting their spinal cords with scissors. If the jury finds him guilty, Gosnell could be sentenced to death."  (Read remainder of the article HERE.)

If you can stomach this article, you may find it ironic, as I did, that at the end, the writer is trying to contrast the horrific practices of this baby killer with a more 'respectable' baby killer, Charles Benjamin, another man who has performed over 40,000 abortions. Evidently because Benjamin, (who performs abortions at Einstein Medical Center in Logan and Planned Parenthood's Center City clinic) had a cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing environment, and kills the baby when it is still in the womb, the murder is considered more acceptable. 

The end result is the same: a formerly-alive baby is dead.

From the UK Telegraph, regarding the Gosnell trial:

'Beyond breaking the 24-week limit, the implication of a guilty verdict is that those were not just “parts of a woman’s body” but human lives that Kermit casually snipped away with a pair of scissors. That they only became human lives the moment they left the mother’s body is an absurd proposition: the issue here is clearly age and development of the fetus. Inside or outside their mother, a guilty verdict suggests that they had reached the point of becoming human beings with rights.

' To quote columnist Kirsten Powers:
Regardless of such quibbles, about whether Gosnell was killing the infants one second after they left the womb instead of partially inside or completely inside the womb — as in a routine late-term abortion — is merely a matter of geography. That one is murder and the other is a legal procedure is morally irreconcilable.'


What have we come to, that we are killing our own children because we find them inconvenient.

And don't you wonder why the mainstream television news has been virtually silent on the ongoing trial of Kermit Gosnell.  Even before the horrible events in Boston and Texas dominated the news, I had never heard of this until I read about it online. It certainly seems that a story like this should be covered by all of the major TV networks.

There has been a justified outpouring of rage and grief over the massacre of the children at Sandy Hook Elementary.  What about the others, 'the most vulnerable among us,' who are murdered while we deliberately look the other way and say nothing...

As someone has recently said,  'If there’s even one life that can be saved, then we’ve got an obligation to try.'

To view what state policies are regarding late-term abortion, study this chart from Guttmacher Institute, State Policies on Later Abortions.   Dr. Josef Mengele would have been proud.

***


Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
    before you were born I set you apart
 Jeremiah 1:5a


Jesus said, Let the little children come to me,
 and do not hinder them, 
for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
Matthew 19:14


If anyone causes one of these little ones-
those who believe in me- to stumble,
it would be better for them to have a large
millstone hung around their neck
and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Matthew 18:6
 


Photobucket

Friday, April 19, 2013

Tontine Hotel, Ironbridge, Shropshire, England - Anglophile Friday


Tontine Hotel, Ironbridge, Shropshire

After landing at the Manchester airport, the first thing we did was drive south to Ironbridge. There on the bank of the River Severn  sat the Tontine Hotel. It piqued my curiosity because that was only the second time in my life that I'd heard the word 'tontine.' And where was the first? On a Miss Marple movie - '4:50 From Paddington.'

So, what is a 'tontine'??

From:  The Free Dictionary

"An organization of individuals who enter into an agreement to pool sums of money or something of value other than money, permitting the last survivor of the group to take everything.

The holders of tontine life insurance contracts enter into an agreement to pay premiums for a certain amount of time before they gain the right to acquire dividends. In the event that a policyholder dies during the tontine policy, his or her beneficiary will be entitled to benefits, but no dividends. The earnings that ordinarily would be used to pay dividends are accumulated during the tontine period and subsequently given only to policyholders who are still alive at the end of the term. This type of policy is known as a dividend-deferred policy..."


*Underlining is mine. You can see that this would be a good setup for a murder mystery, right?

 Joan Hickson as Miss Marple
4:50 From Paddington, one of my favorites!

From Wikipedia:

"Elspeth McGillicuddy has come from Scotland to visit her old friend Jane Marple. On the way, her train passes another train running parallel to her. Then, a blind in one of the compartments flies up and she sees a woman being strangled to death. Only Miss Marple believes her story as there is no evidence of wrongdoing. The first task is to ascertain where the body could have been hidden. Comparison of the facts of the murder with the train timetable and the local geography lead to the grounds of Rutherford Hall as the only possible location: it is shielded from the surrounding community, the railway abuts the grounds, and so on. Lucy Eyelesbarrow, a young professional housekeeper and an acquaintance of Miss Marple, is sent undercover to Rutherford Hall.

Josiah Crackenthorpe, purveyor of tea biscuits, built Rutherford Hall. His son, Luther, now a semi-invalid widower, had displayed spendthrift qualities in his youth. To preserve the family fortune, Josiah has left his considerable fortune in trust, the income from which is to be paid to Luther for life. After Luther's death, the capital is to be divided equally among Luther's children. Luther Crackenthorpe is merely the trustee of Rutherford Hall and hence, according tp the will, cannot sell the house. The house itself will be inherited by Luther Crackenthorpe's eldest surviving son or his issue."  - in other words, a 'tontine.'



So, evidently, in this case, the last surviving shareholder got... a hotel.



From The Tontine Hotel's website:

The Tontine Hotel was built in 1784. Erected by hard-headed Ironbridge shareholders, it is rich in character and of historic interest. The exterior has changed little since the exciting days of the Industrial Revolution. In the hotel foyer there is a quite magnificent tiled floor (made by Maw & Co. of nearby Jackfield) which is splendidly preserved.

***

You can find 4:50 from Paddington on Netflix. I wouldn't bother watching any version other than the one with Joan Hickson. She is perfect.

***

Two years ago I wrote a photo post about Ironbridge, Shropshire, including photos of the actual iron bridge, after which the city is named. If you like Dark Satanic Mills, the River Severn, and iron bridges, you might enjoy that post.

***

'Green Tea & Ginger'
Natural, Handcrafted Vegan Soap

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at



 This post may be linked to some of the following: Mop it Up Monday  and Get in My Tummy and  Cure for the Common Monday and  Clever Chicks Blog Hop and  Barn Charm and  The Marketplace  and  Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and    Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and  Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and   You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and  Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday  and Love Bakes Good Cakes  and Overflowing With Creativity and Mom on TimeOut  and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and   Cast Party Wednesday and  We Did it Wednesday  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday  and Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and  Thursday's Inspiration and  The Self-sufficient Home Acre and  I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and   Mandatory Mooch   and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and  Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday  and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and  A Favorite Thing Saturday and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and  Market Yourself Monday and  Saturday Nite Special

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