Saturday, June 19, 2010















I have been reminiscing, and thinking of simpler times, I can remember living on a dirt road, (giggles well I still live on a dirt road but they are far and few between now a days). I would walk uptown, go to the drugstore and get a soda, or a malt, or just sit and wait to see a friend come in, I never thought about being abducted, or molested, such a simple time it was, now I am afraid to walk alone down my street even, we never had any trouble out here, but, one cannot be too careful, I keep my doors locked even when we are home, I always say, "I don't want any surprises" Chuck laughs and says, once they see you they would leave in a hurry,  I keep a big rifle beside my back door, more for critters on 4 legs than any on 2 legs, lol. Not sure I could actually pull the trigger even if I had to.



Shooting critters and shooting a live human are sure two different things, some do not think twice before acting, but I sure would think many times, but the point being, one never can be too careful these days, back when we did not even lock our doors, the screen door would be open and never a lock on it.


It seems there is always some one prowling about wanting to steal what a man has worked so hard for, that is sad, and they have no better training than to take a mans belongings and have no respect for the other persons things. What has happened?


Well Praise God a day will come, when we will live in houses with out locks, the Lion will lay down with the lamb, and there shall be no fear of any man, for any reason. Jesus will be our leader, and he will have the whole millennium in submission, for a season. Read Isa 11 and Rev 20 these chapters really explain it well. It gives us such hope, and such promise.


I am waiting patiently for that day to come, when all things will be perfect once again, and like in the garden of Eden before the fall of man. Sin, yep that is what makes everyone fear, and that is what makes those who steal, steal, and those who kill, kill, sin, it is a ugly word, and I will be glad to be in that new kingdom where no sin will be, and we will all be just like Christ.


We need start practicing today, let us live a holy and sin free life, if we kept Christ first in all we do, and thought of nothing but him, and all he has prepared for us we could live a sin free life, he give us the way through the Holy Spirit to do that, but we do not depend on him the way we should, and most days we live a life filled with sin, (that which is not faith is sin) and filled with not trusting God for our very breath. Well I have rattled on long enough, my point, lets get back to the basics, lets look at our surroundings, and see all the beauty God has created for us to have dominion over, lets look to Christ for all our help, and let us serve him daily, wholeheartedly and with all our being. If we submit our all to him, we could see some wonderful changes in our life. God bless you my friend, and have a wonderful simple Saturday.  Lots of Hug..

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Friday, June 18, 2010

Tomatoes, Tomatoes Every Where...

Well  my Friend Carrie over at Farming on Faith asked me to explain how I do the tomatoes to freeze, well I will splain it best as I can, it is a very simple and easy process, as with corn, or beans or any veggies that can be frozen.
Wash all the tomatoes very good, in case there is some kind of spectracide on them.
Then I use my canning pot, but remove the rack.  Bring the water to a boil, drop the tomatoes in the boiling water, and leave about 2 minutes, then take them out and put in cold water to cool down, then I peal the skins off, and the boiling makes them come off real easy, remove the cores and cut or smash with hands into pieces, then put them in the containers that have been washed and dried
My Tomatoes in the boiling pot.














Tomatoes in Containers, and ready for freezer when cooled down.














Now I did my corn the same way,  I blanched and froze, some folks said you can cut the tops off of the husk and leave the rest of the husk on, then put in a shopping bag and freeze like that, I have about two dozen that way, but the other ten dozen I blanched and put in gallon freezer bags 10 cobs to a bag. You can take them out all year long, and the corn will taste just like you just picked it, I love the freezing methods, it is so much easier than canning, and you never have any that spoil in the jars either, I have had that happen and have had a real mess with it.
I remember when I first started canning, Our garden came in so well, and we had an abundance of veggies. I did about 24 jars of new potatoes, It seemed like the jars all sealed and I was so very proud, they looked beautiful so I put them all up in my cupboard that has glass doors,  I also did my tomatoes, and corn, I was canning everything back then, because we did not have a freezer. Well a couple months later I started smelling something really foul smelling, I finally hunted the smell down, and it was my potatoes, the had over flowed in the jars some way, and was dripping all down my cupboard, oh my what a disappointment that was, all my hard work, and my potato crop was ruined, only a couple of jars out of them all were sealed, and they had popped too, so I never dreamed they were not sealed. After that I never canned any thing again, I did tomatoes and put them in our fridge freezer then, But this year I have invested in a big upright freezer, and have all our veggies and fruits done now.  I will make peaches soon, freeze, and make some jam too, I am looking for ward to that. So hope this was a help to you, freezing is an effective and easy way to preserve your food for the winter. Just make sure your doors are shut tightly, and if you loose power for over 24 hours you will need to get them into another place, once thawed they will not be any good.
Love you all my precious friends, and hope you have a Fabulous Friday, and a  good weekend.
Hugs ♥
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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Thankful Thursday









So what are you thankful for today? It could be your children, or your health or a number of things, you know it does not have to be something real big and important for us to thank God for. It is being humble of heart, and thanking him for all the many little things he does for us each day, that we take for granted;

like breathing, or blinking, or clearing our throat, think about it, if we could not breath, wow how scary that can be.  I have asthma and at times I do loose my breath, I do not have a severe case where I need treatment every time, but some times I have had breathing treatments, my point is any time you cannot breathe good it scares you. 
Or blinking how many times a day do you think our eyes blink? I am sure there is someone that has recorded that, my self I do not have a clue, I know how important it is though, if we do not blink, our eyes dry out, and becomes very sore and irritated, so how many times a day do you think you clear your throat, it is automatic and seems to be just a reflex.  But it is God that created all these little helps, and it is he that keeps us going from day to day, and today that is what I am focusing on,  thanking my Father in heaven for creating me the way he did, and taking care of all these parts that work so well daily, yes he sure is a loving Father and I sure appreciate all he does for me.


Thank you Lord, thank you, thank you, thank you, I could never put into words all he means to me. I would like to thank all my friends that comment daily too, what would our blogs be if no one commented? Just a Diary I suppose, so I love the posts, just keep them coming, I look at and read each one, then pray for you as I go on to the next, God bless you dear ones today, and every day, and may our focus be on how thankful to God each of are. have a very blessed day, and may God bless you abundantly for your faithfulness to him.

Colossians 3:17 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Lots of hugs,

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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Wednesday Amazing Story

A Fishy Story

































This was such an amazing story I wanted to share it with my blogging friends.

A guy who lives at Lake Conroe (50 miles north of Houston) saw a ball bouncing around
kind of strange in the lake and went to investigate.
It turned out to be a flathead catfish that had apparently tried to
swallow a basketball which became stuck in its mouth!!

The fish was totally exhausted from trying to dive, but unable to,
because the ball would always bring him back up to the surface.
The guy tried numerous times to get the ball out, but was unsuccessful.
He finally had his wife cut the ball in order to deflate it and release the hungry catfish.
You probably wouldn't have believed this, if you hadn't seen the following pictures:

My busy productive week, after putting up the corn, I did all these tomatoes, and I still have
a 5 gallon bucket to put up and freeze, these are such wonderful tomatoes we had tomato sandwiches for lunch, then I made Tomatoes and rice for supper, yumyum oh so good.











































This Gorgeorus flower in bloom, it is a rare one, any one know what it is called,
my friend give it to me about 20 years ago, and it blooms every year around this time.
Have a very blessed Wednesday and wonderful evening too, Lots of hugs ♥




 
 
 
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

☺Tasty Tuesday☺














With Summer here, and most of us have a wonderful array of vegetables, a friend had
given me this from Mayo Clinic, so thought I would share it with you, with all the wonder
ful recipes I have, and have shared I think thiswill be a great difference, but we all like to eat
healthy, and this will help you to do it, many good choices in these below. Some are my
favorites in fact. So with our Tasty Tuesday we will share some healthy eating today, be
blessed, and have a wonderful day.

Vegetables are often relegated to the side of the plate, but they can easily stand alone or even become the featured food. Try new ways of serving up the four or more daily servings of vegetables recommended by the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid.



Vegetables are actually quite versatile, and, as a nutritional powerhouse, they can form the foundation of your healthy-eating plan. These 10 entrees put vegetables in the spotlight and add interest and color to your healthy diet.


Portobello mushroom burger. Marinate a large portobello mushroom in French or Italian dressing or make your own marinade with 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon olive oil, a clove of minced garlic, salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes on each side. Serve on a bun or alone.

Spring greens with butternut squash. Add 1 cup spring greens or leaf lettuce to a plate. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup cooked butternut squash, 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Top the greens with the squash mixture, 1/2 tablespoon sunflower seeds and 1 teaspoon honey.

Asparagus, tomato and red pepper French bread pizza. Arrange French bread slices on a baking sheet. Add pizza sauce and a mixture of diced asparagus, Roma tomatoes, red bell peppers and minced garlic. Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 F until the cheese is lightly browned and the vegetables are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.


Grilled vegetable kebabs. Brush cherry tomatoes, button mushrooms, zucchini slices, red onions and bell peppers with Italian dressing. Place onto skewers and grill over medium heat, turning often, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.


Asparagus with almonds. In a skillet, add 1/4 pound chopped asparagus and 1/4 cup water. Simmer until the asparagus is tender-crisp, about 4 to 6 minutes. Drain remaining water and stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Serve over 1/2 cup rice and top with roasted sliced almonds.


Italian vegetables with pasta. In a heavy skillet, add chopped sweet onions, red peppers, yellow summer squash, zucchini squash, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Saute until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Serve over cooked pasta and prepared pasta sauce.


Honey-glazed sweet potatoes. Peel and chop 4 large sweet potatoes. Toss with a mixture of 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet. Cover with foil and bake at 375 F for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes until the glaze is thick and the potatoes are tender.


Corn and barley salad. In a bowl, add 1 sliced cucumber, 2 cups cooked barley, 2 cups cooked corn and 3/4 cup chopped red bell peppers. Stir in the following dressing: 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 tablespoon water, 1 1/2 teaspoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Marinate for at least 2 hours before serving.


Fresh vegetable soup. In a large pot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and chopped vegetables, such as onions, carrots, green beans and celery. Saute until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, 3 cups water, sliced potatoes (peeled), and season with salt, pepper and parsley. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.


Vegetable pita pockets. In a small bowl, add cauliflower and broccoli florets, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes and cucumbers, and 1 1/2 teaspoons low-fat buttermilk or cucumber ranch salad dressing. Cut 1 whole-wheat pita bread in half and fill each half with the vegetable mixture and 1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese. Warm in the microwave about 40 seconds

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Monday, June 14, 2010

Marvellous Monday
















What we know fondly as the “Stars and Stripes” was adopted
by the Continental Congress as the official American flag on
June 14, 1777, in the midst of the Revolutionary War. Colonial troops fought
under many different flags with various symbols and slogans—rattlesnakes,
pine trees, eagles, “Don’t Tread on Me,” “Liberty or Death,”
and “Conquer or Die,” to name a few.


The first flag had 13 stars on a blue field and 13 alternating red and white
stripes for the 13 original colonies. Now there are 50 stars, one for each state
in the Union, but the 13 stripes remain. Flag Day was first celebrated in 1877,
on the flag’s 100th birthday.

It has been so busy here, not had much time for the computer, and I sure miss writing,
and reading in all the lovely blogs that I have come to love.

Saturday we went and picked 11 dozen ears of corn, we came home and husked them, then blanched and bagged them in 10 ear each bags, whewwwwwwwwwww I was so tired, then of course yesterday was Sunday and we left early for church our SS starts at 9:45 and we drive about 30 minutes from here. Last night services were so good too, we had a man saved yesterday, and young couple with two children join last night, he will be our Youth Director too. So it was a great weekend, and as you know and I posted our granddaughter graduated, and we spent Friday in Jacksonville, FL.

TODAY...Yet another busy day we are leaving about 8:00 am to go about an hours away to pick tomatoes, we can get a 5 gallon bucket for 5.00 dollars, it is U pick, then at 1:30 I have a doctors appointment with my Rheumatologist, for any that wonder I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, and see this doctor about every 3 months, I take a medicine called Metotraxate, it is a form of Chemo treatment, and has to be watched closely it can have side effects of kidney damage, so far so good. So that is the plan, and I see it to be way late in the after noon before we ever get home, and I will probably wait until tomorrow to put the tomatoes up. (Blanch and Freeze) I do not can much any more, freezing is so very much easier.
So that about winds it up for me today, not much to chew on but praise God for a busy life, and being able to do all things needed to be done, right??? Hope you have a wonderful Monday. Lots of hugs and
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