Happy September, Harvey, A Sweet Find and A Tip or Two

Happy September1st Y'all!!!    What the bleep!   hahaha     Yeah, I said bleep.    hahaha    Where in the world has the first 8 months of 2017 gone to????     Oh my goodness, the year is more than half over and I'm not ready for Winter to be rolling in.     I know, I know, we still have Fall to get thru first, but with as fast as Spring and Summer has flown by, we'll sleep right thru Fall one night and wake up with Winter on our calendars.      It has been flooding this morning, (more on that in a bit) really early, even before we got up.  I think they are calling it the effects of Hurricane Harvey.    Everything looks so green around here.   Just about time we think stuff will start turning off dry, it rains again.     Our gourd plant loves it!!!    I was somewhere last year and they was selling gourds.   I bought 3 for a dollar.    They were called egg gourds.     I remember as a kid, my grandmother had some of those egg gourds in her hens nests just so the hens would lay eggs in the nests.     It was kinda tricky, you would think you was getting an egg and your be picking up the gourd instead.     I was thinking about that here back and wished that I gotten those gourd eggs before her farm sold at the estate sale.    I don't know if they are still up on the hill now or not.     If the corn crib is still there, the hens nests were on the backside of it.    Any way, back to our gourd plant.     I thought they would be thicker skinned/shelled gourds than they were.    When I seen they were thin skinned, I tossed them in the gravel at the back of the deck with the plans of picking them up and putting them in the garbage can.      Well some critter carried off one or two of them and cracked the other one.    One of the seeds took root this spring and it has just about covered the whole back yard!!!!     The season has been perfect for them.     Every time we walk  by it, one of us says "it's a shame it's not a watermelon"!!!!      But the seeds from the original gourd does not produce gourds that look like the original gourd.   The original ones was oblong and smooth, and quite a bit larger than an extra large hen egg.     These are almost the size of a saucer at the base and come up a bit smaller at the stem end.     They are kinda bell shaped and a little knotty.     Really weird how they look.     I hope they are thicker than the originals, or this whole process will have been a waste of time.    We'll see.

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Well, we have flooding from Hurricane Harvey today.    It's certainly not to the extent of the folks in Houston, for sure, but for those dealing with it here, it's still flooding none the less.     I know homes have water in basements, roads have been flooded, businesses and so on.    There has been lots of flooding on up in southern Ky too, where most of our family is.   They are all safe, praise God and hubby and I are too, and praises for that.

This is down on North Main at one of the entrances to the Green way.    In this particular area is a foot bridge across the town creek.    The top of the rails of the bridge is about shoulder height on me and there is NO sign of a bridge there anywhere.    It is about 50 feet or so in length, but it is just disappeared under the torent of water.

This is 431 in front of the Farmers Market on the bridge.    The chain link fence sticking up has debris all the way to the top.   Right at the tree in the farthest right hand corner is where you would be able to see another portion of the town creek.    It is the area where the old Water Plant used to be located.    Part of the Green Way goes under this bridge and just down from the side where I took the picture is a mini park of sorts.   It has seating  and a nice place to sit and enjoy the view, but it is under probably 15 to 20 feet of water, maybe more.   Plus, earlier in the day, where hubby and I are setting in our vehicle was more than a foot under water.    It was over the road!!

This is on up the road just a bit, but still in front of the Farmers Mkt buildings.   You can see a little building on the left hand side that the water swept and turned over.    It is a building used during the Fair and other outside events at the Fair Grounds.

This is another shot, just a diff location, looking back towards the city creek and where the little sitting area is that I was talking about a pic or two back.    Looks like an ocean.

This is just a wee bit on up the road and looking back with a slightly diff view of the Farmers Mkt.   You can the Evergreen trailer was swept away and in the background is more of the little buildings that was tossed like kids toys and you can see all the debris on the chain link fence.

More of the little building that was floated by the flood.   Look at the chain link fence in the mid section to the left of the pic.   It is completely down in one place with something, I couldn't tell what it had been.    Then there is also a section of a gate or something between the little buildings that had been washed up on the parking lot.

This is a section of the Green Way that is in low lying land.   There is a pretty steep drop off from this place down to the walking trail, probably 15-20 feet and the water is almost up to the parking area.

 This is another view of the walking bridge across the town creek.   Or I should say, covered by water, walking bridge.    There is no evidence of a bridge.    Water was over this section of the road this morning.   All of this looked like an ocean.  

This is across the road from the Fair Grounds looking back to Legion Field where they play a lot of baseball.    That area is the ball field.    It is totally under several feet of water and so is the buildings on the property.     Some were swept away.     All of this water had connected with water in the previous pics at the Farmers Mkt and made for an ocean effect.    The other pictures I had seen was really frightening.  

I wish I had put the picture up that showed tractor trailers standing in water, even though it had subsided, they was still standing in lots of water and I know that they had been flooded on the inside.
I hope and pray that the flooding stops soon and that everyone can get things back to a somewhat normal way of life again.   Like I said earlier, our flooding is a drip in the bucket compared to others, so I am praising God and praying for everyone that has felt the effects of Hurricane Harvey.

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There is a lot of unrest in this country today, and it's not just here, it's a global unrest really.     Hard hearts and hard heads are prevalent.     There has always been and will always be those that want to stir up trouble.    

  

One of things I have said on my blog, and to the best of my knowledge, it's my own original quote.   "People looking for trouble will find it.    If they don't find it, they will create it!"     There is more truth to this statement than ever before.    I have said it before and I will say it again.    All lives matter.     All lives matter to God.     God does not look at the color of our skin.     God looks at the intent of the heart!!!!    A heart filled with evil intentions is a heart looking for trouble and it will always find it.

If you want to make a difference in your circle of influence, the next time you see a person in uniform, someone serving our country, from police officer to fire fighter, to national guard to one of the highest decorated soldiers, thank them, publicly thank them, hug their neck and tell them you pray for them daily!    Thank them for keeping you safe and those you love safe.    Ask them how you can help make their jobs, service and sacrifice easier.    God knows they need help and it starts with each one of us, at a personal level.   What is the intentions of your heart?     Your intentions will always make themselves known.    Either thru the company you keep or the actions you take.

Most of us can get stirred up pretty easily, at the drop of a hat.    So, the next time we hear of an unsettling event taking place, whether in your hometown or a couple of cities or states over, ask yourself how you can best serve your family, community and country.     Chances are, the answer will be to stay home and make a better home for your family, find a useful way to serve your community, such as pick up trash on the side of the road or greet people with a heart felt smile,  and that in turn will be serving your country in a useful way.   It does not take big actions to make a difference.    But a bunch of little heart felt acts add up to quickly to make a big difference.    It all boils down to the intentions of the heart.     What does your heart want to do?

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One of the things that I have seemed to notice is this.     We get stirred up over the wrong things.     We get stirred up over divisive things.      There is stuff in everyone of our own personal history that just needs to be left there.     If we dig in it, we need to dig in it , ONLY, with the blood of Jesus Christ covering it!!!      If we go there and dig around in it because the enemy has stirred us up, we WILL make a mess!     Every time, we will make a mess.    Just that simple.      

So, we start digging around in history that you or I had no hand in creating.     And we start tearing down and destroying, not only in a metaphorical sense, but physically.     We take 2 steps forward, and then 50 years backward.      We get our heads and hearts focused on the wrong things.     When we get focused on the history, our history, then our eyes are NOT on the here and now and we are not thinking on the future.     When we mess with history, we mess with stuff that we can't change.     We cause pain, we cause strife, we rile peoples anger, we get people stirred up.     God does not look at us and see color, He DOES NOT.      He looks for the evidence of His Son in our lives, He looks for the blood of His Son covering our sins.      I have to ask myself, when I am angry and riled, can God see the evidence of His Son in my life?     Not if I am causing some of His other children pain.      If I am causing others pain, then that is not an evidence based life.     And on the other hand, if someone else is causing me pain, that too, is not an evidence based life.    I have to believe that it hurts God.    I don't know about anyone else, but I do not want to hurt the cause of Christ by purposefully hurting others.

I started this thought with the phrase, "One of the things that I seemed to notice", well let me add more to that now.     One of the things that I have noticed, is that when we get wrapped up in all the wrong things, God has a way of allowing us to be re-focused.     We beat others up, we fight others, we kill as many as we can, and just like a hurricane coming in off the Gulf Coast, God allows our focus to be re-directed.      Now, guess what, we are once again brought to tears by the images we see on our tv screens.     This time, we are not crying because of the hurt and pain being caused by other people.    No, this time we are crying due to all the heroism we are seeing.     I hate to see my brothers and sisters anywhere hurting.     But I do love to see my brothers and sisters putting it all on the line to help others.     I never seen anyone refusing to help someone because of the color of their skin or their ethnicity.     I just seen people helping people.     When you see people stirred to action, to reach out and help others, it is very humbling.      It is such an awesome thing to see.     I just have to believe that God knows what He is doing.     I do believe "Loving God and loving others" sums it all up.     That's what Jesus said anyway.       

I hope and pray that Texas recovers in the days and years ahead.     I also hope and pray that the people that make up the United States of America will also recover in the days and years ahead.    It is possible, for sure.     We just have to have our head and our heart on the same page at the same time, hopefully,  on a page from God's Holy Word.      I pray that we can move forward in unity and love. 

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As most of y'all know I am on a trek to get healthier, to put healthier food in my body and to feel better.    Well, how's that "wurkin'" for me?    hahaha      Sometimes I feel like I step 2 steps forward only to find myself 10 steps behind.    hahaha       I was searching for for some information on some stevia products.     It's hard to find what I need around here, so I was looking on line.     Looked at some of the popular online places to order supplements and stuff like that.    I won't name any names, because, lawdy, I don't want to be sued!     Does "you can't get blood from a turnip" ring any bells?     hahaha Well, in my search, I found a product that was kinda interesting and I almost ordered it.   Then, I got to thinking about checking the list of ingredients.     It just had a few ingredients, maybe 3 or 4, but it was the final ingredient that had my brain a buzz.     It was, and I quote, "and other natural flavors".     Ok?    Ok!     Ok......what the heck is "natural flavors"?       So, I thought about it for a split second and then I found the "contact us" info and guess what, I contacted them.   Yes I did.    hahaha    Well, I heard back from them within an hour.     This person said that since it was a product "not" made by this company selling it, that he/she contacted the manufacturer.     The manufacturer said that it was a particular scent, gave the name of the family that scent was from, and said that "it isn't actually added to the product, it's just a scent".     Ok?    Ok!     Ok.......how did they do that?    How do you put a scent in something without adding it to what ever it is.    The scent is exposed to the product in some way.     

So..........for my next question, what in the heck is all the other "natural flavors" that we see on all the packaging?     If it's in the product, if the product has a particular smell, if it's listed on the pkg as "natural flavors", then tell us what the natural flavors are!    You know what, a stink bug could be classified as a "natural flavor", that don't mean I want to smell it in a food product or eat it a food product.   Yeah, I know, I've probably eaten worse and not known it, but if I have the choice of knowing, I won't eat it.     Oh my garsh, only God knows what all we really eat, because the manufacturers are not gonna tell us!!!!   There needs to be "full disclosure" on everything!!!!    If it's in the product, list it in the ingredients as the ingredient it really is, not just   as a "natural flavor".    If they don't want to list, it doesn't need to be in the product.   Just my 2 cents worth.   Natural flavors---hummmm, my dirty socks are a good source of a natural scent, don't mean I want 'em added to  anything I gonna eat!!!!   Hey, smell these socks!!!!     hahaha       Oh my gosh, I done went and lost my mind!!!!

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So, I have another recipe to share with y'all.     I have no idea where the first muffin tin breakfast recipe came from.     I just know that a lot of the recipes like this that I have seen in the past have had a list of ingredients as long my as my short legs, and I don't do long recipes.   I fall asleep before I get them read.    hahaha     So, here is my short recipe for this breakfast in a muffin cup.

Breakfast In a Muffin Tin

preheat oven to 375*/400*       Spray small, 6 muffins, muffin tin with non stick spray.  

1 1/2 cup frozen shredded potatoes, thawed a little
2 eggs, beaten- set aside
4 sausage links, thawed and cut into 3 pieces each, total of 12 pieces
3 tablespoons diced bell peppers
3 tablespoons diced onion
3 tablespoons shredded cheese, your favorite

Divide the shredded potatoes evenly between the six wells in the muffin tin, probably a couple tablespoons or so in each..
Put 2 pieces of sausage in each muffin tin.
Put 1/2 tablespoon of diced bell peppers,
Put 1/2 tablespoon of diced onion,
Put 1/2 tablespoon of shredded cheese, layered in the muffin tins.
Lastly, divide the egg as evenly as you can between the 6 wells of the muffin tins.

Pop in oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or bake till lightly browned and aromatic.    Loosen muffins with fork or offset spatula, plop out on a saucer and devour!!!   2 or 3 per serving.  

My tip for this recipe is to use Turkey sausage links, lower fat cheese, and liquid egg replacement .     All of these would be healthier choices and fewer in calories.  

I don't even add any salt to it because the sausage and cheese has salt, but you can sprinkle salt and pepper if you wish.

Another tip for this recipe.   The next time I make these, I will try using cupcake liners in the muffin tin.    That would be a great way to serve them at a brunch or a luncheon.                 ((((So,a week or so later, I made these in the muffin liners and I was not pleased with the outcome.   I may try it again, but I think for now the best thing to do would be to use a non stick muffin pan.  The cheeses has a tendency to stick, so it would come off better with a non stick pan.))))

As you can see, this is quite a low fat, low cal option for a pretty hearty breakfast.     And hubby said it was Fan-Tas-Tic!!!!!    So, I  take that as the highest form of praise!!!      These are good, so if you try them and tweak them, share the tweaks.   hehehe

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I have been working hard on getting my craft room straightened up.     The last time I was in there a week or so ago, it looked like Joanns, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby had all gotten together and had a knock down, drag out, street  brawl!!!    And I was left with cleaning the mess up!!!!     hahaha      It is so easy for it to get outta control, and it had.     It is looking better now.     You know what, I found stuff that I don't remember having.    Yay!!     I have a toss box, a keep box and a give away box.     If it doesn't go in either of those at the moment I pick it up..... when I remember where it goes, I  put it up then and there.    If I can't get to it's proper home in a drawer or shelf, I put it in the keep box for later.  I still have a long way to go, but I will be so happy with all of the hard work when it's done!     One of the things I found was beautiful piece of art from +Heather Kraafter !!!!     I had forgotten that she had sent this to me!!!    It got buried under a massive eruption of "stuff".     When I came up with it in my hand, I started crying!!!!     I remembered sitting and staring at it and thinking it was the most beautiful piece of art I had seen!!!     I am so grateful to have been blessed and fortunate enough to have received 2 spectacular pieces of art from this lady and friend.     Love you +Heather Kraafter !!! Thanks for all you do for the crafting community!!!     Lets see if anyone else remembers this KIL session.

My Hope is in the Lord!

The colors  are so beautiful!!! Look at the detail!

To me, this is pure perfection!   Lovely!!!

This is an 8 inch x 8 inch piece of water color paper.     Is this not one of most gorgeous things you ever laid eyes on!!!!     I am gonna make a little rustic frame to put it and display it proudly on my wall so I can enjoy it every time I am in my craft room.     When I get it done like I want it, I will take another picture of it and share it.     Thanks again Heather, you are an amaZing artist!!!!

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Well, that's about for this rainy and wet Friday.    I pray that you have an awesome rest of the day and that you make Jesus a part of it.     Tell someone you know that Jesus is what it's all about!!!!     It's not about anything else, just Jesus!!!     I hope y'all stay dry and safe.    I hope that we can all find some way to help those that are in need.     

Father we pray for Your protection over those that are without a home or anything else to call theirs.   We pray that You will continue to bless and strengthen those who are helping others.     We pray for Your floodgates of mercy to rain down on those who are hurting tonight.     Comfort Your childern, the young and old alike.     We pray that You will show each of us how we can help those who are hurting.    We also pray for hearts to be tendered towards you and for spiritual eyes to be opened all over Your planet.     Help us to love one another as You love us.     Amen and Amen.

Stay safe out there and remember that God loves you!!!   I do too.    Till next time, hugs and love, Patty