Taking a Stand for the Dreamers

Okay, I know this blog is usually about baking and canning and occasionally knitting or craftiness. But there has been some recent activity on Facebook that I feel needs to be addressed. If this all sounds insane or confusing, please feel free to click to a different page because I am about to go on about something I feel incredibly passionate about.

I have been writing since I was in middle school. I love the written word. I love to read it and I love to compose with it. It has been my art, my medium and my saving grace through many a dark point in my life. When I was in college, back in the early days of the internet and AOL, I began online role playing. For those of you who do not know what this is, it is best described as a form of cooperative writing. You create a character, get a few friends together, and you interact and weave a tale together. Its a great way to write, to vent and to meet amazing people. I still role play to this day with my long time partner,  Tori,  and together we have created a beautiful world that came from some of our brightest dreams and even darkest nightmares. You see this form of writing is more than entertainment or a way of creating. It is therapy. It helps to put your mind somewhere you never could in the real world and then work out whatever is troubling you in a healthy, harmless way. Sure beats drinking, drugs or injurious behavior. I would be lost if it hadn't been for some of the story lines that I had created with Tori to help me work out some of my more negative thought processes.

 Symbol copyrighted Sherrilyn Kenyon

So why exactly am I going on about this past time of mine? A little more back ground and you will understand. My dear friend Danyale recently got me into a wonderful book series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. And with this series there is a massive fan base! Beautiful, amazing, wonderful people that take time out of their real lives to create and maintain a profile on Facebook as one of the many amazing characters from this book series. And I know they are not alone. There are many character pages for various literary beings all over Facebook. Even I have one for my beloved long time role playing characters. Its amazing to interact with characters you love and see how their lives would have been long after you turned the last page of the most recent book.

But these people, these pages are now coming under attack. While Facebook is inundated with sales pitches for the latest weight loss fad, half naked young women seeking a liaison, or worse, predators seeking their next unsuspecting victim, the powers that be have deemed the profiles of book characters and role playing characters persona non grata. They have begun to, as the term goes, to flame these individuals demanding proof of their identity and shutting down their pages. Years of writing is being lost and friendships dissolved. I have seen profiles for pets, profiles for food, underage kids acting like some painted up pop star, and they are going after someone portraying a beloved book character? Where is the reason in that?! They aren't hurting anyone! In fact it is quite the opposite! They bring joy and light to the lives of fans all over the world. And the clincher, they have the support of the author. If anyone should have issue it would be her and if she's okay with it where is the problem? Disclaimers are clearly stated in all profiles that they are fictional characters and that material pertaining to the original work is copyrighted. So where is the problem? Where is the issue so huge that Facebook has deemed it necessary to target these people. And yes they are being targeted and it is time it is stopped. I am taking a stand for the dreamers, for the writers, for those that dare to reach out and interact with fans and creators and lovers of books alike.

Are they really hurting anyone, Facebook? Is it such a big deal for people to write as someone they fell in love with on the page? Why do you want to tear down this little fantasy world that we can all go for a few laughs, a few tears and ultimately an escape?

I appreciate everyone's indulgence in my slight deviation from the normal topics.

Brightest Blessings.

A Blast from the Past

When I was a little girl Summer was a time for roller skating with my friends, trips to the West Fort Hood pool, late nights of hide and seek, and an all time family favorite tasty treat: Finger Jello. The kids of the neighborhood loved my mother's famous Summertime treat that was cool, wiggly, creamy and so tasty after running around all day in the Texas sun. As we got older, moved a few times, and eventually grew up to marry and start families of our own, the joys of this simple Summer treat were long forgotten. Until now. Through the power of Facebook we have reconnected with one of the kids in the old neighborhood on Fort Hood and he went on and on about Mom's Finger Jello. This was brought up last night during a family dinner and the hunt for the long lost recipe began!

It took a while, but through some extensive searching on Google and sifting through recipe sites, I at last found the recipe. It was already planned that I was to go over to my sister Tara's house to spend the day with her and the kiddles, and our mom and her mother-in-law were going to stop in later in the evening. As a surprise, I stopped and got the ingredients to make this favorite summer treat!

To make Finger Jello you will need:
3 boxes of Jello
3 packets of Knox Gelatin
3 cups boiling water
1/2 pint of whipping cream
Cooking spray

Empty the Jello and Gelatin into a bowl and mix the powders together.

MeeMaw and Zachary helped on this part while I took photos. The surprise was mostly for our mom so it was great that Carla (MeeMaw/Tara's mother-in-law) could help!

Next add the boiling water and use a whisk to combine until the powders are dissolved.

Once the powder is completely dissolved, whisk in the whipping cream.

Spray a 9x13 inch pan or shallow dish with cooking spray and pour the mixture in.

Park in the refrigerator until it sets. It will separate into two layers, one cool fruity, other creamy dreamy.

We made peach and apricot flavors and it is just as good as we remembered! It was so much fun to make and share this treat with the kids, and certainly brought the rest of back to those days on Apache Court when the days were long and hot, and the nights were filled with fun, laughter, and a treat that crossed the years and length of the internet.

Brightest blessings!