"The proof is in the pudding".

 I'm going to confess something. I have a slight addiction to recipe videos. I'm admitting that, not only do I watch them, I waltz into the kitchen and actually attempt to recreate the culinary feat, just observed. 

I am particularly attracted to simple recipes. My favorites are the "three ingredient" desserts and casseroles. I like to keep extra boxes of cake mix, cans, etc. in the pantry, because most of the recipes, that interest me, include pre-made ingredients. Measuring is essentially "too exact" a science for me.

The videos always begin with the cook pouring the box's ingredients into a bowl. That makes me laugh, because the cook almost always dumps the paper lining into the bowl, along with the mix. I mean, how stupid are they? Don't they ever rehearse? Everyone who has even used a box mix knows that that the paper liner is in there, and it's going to fall out!

In the next shot, the liner has been removed. You never see the cook actually remove it, but it's always gone. The video continues. Now, if the recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk, the video then shows the cook, pouring the contents of the can into the mixing bowl. It's always a slow, sensual pour. Again, anyone who has ever opened a can of sweetened condensed milk knows that half of the sticky contents of the can, will not "pour" out of the can. Your have to scrape the goo out of the can, lick your fingers, and scrape some more, before the can is empty.  

Continuing along. Ingredients mixed, I watch them attempt to pour the mixture into the pre-prepared baking dishes or cupcake liners. Maybe an assistant does the prepping beforehand. The video never shows where the cook sprayed Pam on the counter missing the cake pan, the flour that accidentally got dropped on the floor or the contents of the cupcake liner container that spilled liners all over the countertop.

Well, the results are always worth the wait. Perfectly rounded, equally filled cupcakes. Evenly balanced cake-to-filling sheet cakes. That's what happened in the video....., not exactly what came out of my oven.

....................................................................................................................................................................

Dear Lord. We all try to be good stewards of Your Blessings. Some of us succeed better than others. Guide us and show us Your way along life's path.

 

 

Lessons Learned

Just having had yet another milestone birthday, I have decided it's time to reflect on my "Philosophy of Life".

• Aches and Pins......Quoting my mother....."If it hurts when you do that....Don't do it!"
• Denying myself little pleasures and treats....(Like flavored coffee creamer and red shoes) Buy them....now. How many more chances are you going to have?
• Opinions........no one, but you, really cares about Your opinion. If you attempt to offer it, prepare for rejection.
• Emotions......not worth hiding. If it makes you happy, laugh. If it makes you sad, cry. (Although, I sometimes cry, when I'm really happy.) 
• Fashion.....just wear something. No one remembers what you wore yesterday, or a week ago, or ten years ago. Leaving the house naked is not an option.
• Innovation.......Everyday try something new and maybe a bit scary. It probably won't hurt. It might, but at least you tried it, once. Regret is more often a result of what you have Haven't done, not what you Have done.
• Fatigue......take a nap. A true friend will never judge you. 
• Worry.......it doesn't do any good and your worrying annoys everybody (even those that you worry about).
• Hug people....if you think about it and then decide not to do it.........you've missed a chance to make someone feel loved.
• Pray 

 

 Nancy Keller Kincaid 

       9/24/26 

" Up at Lawrence on the Kaw"

 

Whilst (I love this word and I use it when I can. It's archaic and it's the perfect word to draw attention to some equally archaic fact, I can't wait to divulge) driving by the city of Lawrence, Kansas, I mentioned the infamous raid of William Quantrill. Well, the person to which I was addressing my comments, in spite of being a Kansas Native, knew nothing of Quantrill's Raid, or so he said. Frankly, as soon as I opened my mouth, I realized that he didn't care to hear any of the historical knowledge that I was about to impart. But, I proceeded anyway.

Back in the Civil War Era, William Quantrill, was a pro-Confederate sympathizer. In the early morning hours of August 21st, 1863, he and 400-450, of his mounted Missouri "Bushwackers" raided and ransacked the border town of Lawrence, Kansas. Included in his group, were the future outlaws Frank (age 14) and Jesse (16) James. Lawrence was their target, because it had been settled in the pre-war years by pro-abolitionist folk from the Northern U.S. They were "Free Staters", settling in Kansas to make it a Slave Free State. Their attack was supposedly in return for raids into Missouri, by Union-sympathizer "Jayhawkers", and a jail collapse in Kansas City.

Anyway, the raiders succeeded in killing around 180-200 men and boys, burning their bodies and most of the town. Dozens of women were left widows and their children, fatherless. The raid caused around $2,000,000 in damage. Two of the preachers in town survived, and one of them the Rev. Richard Cordley, wrote two books about the event. If you are interested, check out his book, Pioneer Days in Kansas, it's a good read, and a rare first-person account of the event.

Now, I hope you've enjoyed this history lesson. At least, you will be knowledgeable about the term "Border War" (usually used in reference to those Odious Missouri Tigers, playing the Glorious Kansas Jayhawks, in sports). You'll know from whence the rivalry started.......and continues.

......................................................................................................................................................................

Lord, You are All-Knowing. We are not. Life is Ever-changing and we should be Ever-growing in  Knowledge and Understanding. Teach us to be kind. Help us to understand the needs of others.

 

 

 

Mobility Issues .....

 

Since returning three years ago, to reside once again in the state of my birth, I find myself musing, more and more about my youth, in the great state of Kansas. 

We were a "bike riding" bunch of kids, between ages 8-14. We rode everywhere we wanted to go. No one asked their folks for a ride and no moms ever had to organize carpools. My friends and I were our own activity planners. Three or four of us would ride our bikes to school, the movie theater, the public swimming pool, the library, local parks and each other's houses for entertainment. If we had been so inclined we could have ridden from one end of town to the other and back, in about an hour's time. But we never did, because there was always something interesting to do, along the way.

There were no designated "Bike Lanes", in ancient history. I don't recall any really awful accidents involving bicycles, in my youth. I'm sure there were some, but for the most part we traversed the town using the side streets and alleys. It worked. We were mobile and we watched out for any traffic that would impeded our progress. Perhaps we were aware of the traffic rules......and just maybe we were incredibly lucky!

Things changed, when we all turned 14. In Kansas, believe it or not, a legal Drivers License could be attained at the ripe old age of 14. Now that I am older and wiser, it occurs to me that no 14 year old has any business, behind the steering wheel of a car. But, I did it and so did most of my friends. However, only one of my girlfriends and a couple of boys had their own cars. The rest of us had to get in line to "borrow" the family car, because we certainly to "old" to be riding bikes!

.......................................................................................................................................................................... 

 Dear Lord. We all have our ages and stages. Aging isn't easy, but one of the many joys we have, hopefully, is remembering the good times. Thank you for staying with us, along our journey through life.

 

 

Boomers

 As long as I can remember, I have heard the phrase "Post-War Baby Boomers". It began appearing in print and in conversations even before I understood or could read anything. The term refers to the historical period between 1946 and 1964. 

Nancy Ann and a humongous number (76,000,000) of other folks were born in that era. Imagine the United States in 1946-1947. Thousands of young men and women were returning from service in WWII.  The war was officially over, with the surrender of Japan, in September of 1945. Life was looking good. Needless to say, my graduating class of 1964......eighteen years later and the class of 1965, were the largest, on record, to date. Now, you  know why there appears to be an immense number of eighty years olds, these days. Everyone knows someone....

Along with the boom came a need for more schools and added classrooms. We had a surge of 1950's and 1960's suburban housing development. World wide economy took an upward turn. Jobs were plentiful. Then, as we aged, advertising began focusing on the huge number of teenagers. Then came the "hippies", and in a few more years, another "baby boom". Fast forward fifty years, and now, we have a enormous number of Seniors. Senior housing is popping up everywhere. Healthcare costs are rising. Boomers are aging and passing.

Well, there you have it. I guess I'm proud to be a Boomer. The Gen-Xers, Ys and Zs, blame us for a lot of their current woes. What do you think? I say... Bring it on Guys (actually I am not a guy, never have been, and I abhor that stupid, general term).  Boomers are tough. We drank out of garden hoses, rode bikes without helmets, and paid for our children's braces! We can take the whining.

........................................................................................................................................................................

Lord. We are all different. We have different challenges, daily. But, we have You as our constant. Continue to watch over all of your creatures. Guide us. Hold us in the palm of Your Hand.

 

Act 2: Scene 2...sniff, sniff.......

 Whilst perusing the Internet today, I happened upon a pair of really snazzy pair of dressy shoes. Stylish Mary Janes, of course. As I continued to read more about them, I discovered that they were constructed of Vegan Leather. What, I asked myself, is Vegan Leather?  

Is Vegan Leather produced naturally by animals that disdain the consumption of meat or any animal products? Cows, for instance that feed entirely on grains and vegetables. Because the price of these Vegan Leather shoes was within my budget, I decided to do more research. I found the label very interesting. After all, I have friends and acquaintances that are vegetarians, vegans, gluten free advocates, etc., etc., etc. My interest continued to peak.

Well, wouldn't you know it! It's a type of man-made plastic folks, or it can be more accurately described as a plastic material made from plants and/or chemicals. Now, I am not against coining words. I do it all the time. But Vegan Leather? Talk about "up scaling" your products. 

It was in the 1500s, that a more ancient Greek phrase was translated as "Call a spade a spade." Bottom line, not buying those cute plastic shoes. 

........................................................................................................................................................................... 

 Lord, You are the Real Thing. Our Faith in You keeps us going. We thank You, today and forever, for our many Blessings.

Hacked

 But it was a GOOD thing. Hack has many meanings, it seems, and I have found this particular...about to go viral (with you, my readers) Hack......something to write about. 

It's a kitchen/baking Hack. My wise and wonderful daughter told me about it. I tried it. "Seriously" I said to myself, "Nancy, how come you're just now finding out about this simple trick?"

So, picture this. You are whipping up some fabulous cake or bar cookies. The item/items are in the oven and you start to clean-up the preparation mess. There's a sticky bowl, the beaters from the electric mixer, a couple of spoons, a spatula and 2 or 3 measuring items. Into the sink they go and you start to wash it all with hot,  soapy water.  The items are sticky and it takes some degree of effort.

STOP RIGHT THERE. The mess is hard to remove, because HOT water cooks the residue and it adheres to the pans, etc. Rinse with COLD WATER instead. Then proceed with the hot soapy process. That's the HACK. Easy Peasy gunk removal!

You're welcome.   🍰 .....................................................................................................................................................................

All knowing God. Sometimes it just takes one small thing to remind us how incompetent we really are. We are never to old to learn new and wonderful things. Your Power and Wisdom are awesome. "Trust and Obey", for there's no other way.