What If..........

                                                             What If..........

all the things you've worried about, never happened?

all the things you've worried about, do happen?

all the scars you've carried all your life were suddenly removed?

all the scars you've carried all your life were suddenly multiplied?

we can't  change anything?

we can change everything?

we spend our days in fear?

we spend our days in praise?

God doesn't answer our prayers?

God does answer our prayers?

praise really does change things?

praise shifts our perspective from fear and darkness to calmness and light?

we have nowhere to turn in our time of need?

we have Jesus and we know that He is enough?

there was no birth of our Savior?

there was no Cross in His future?

now is the best time to thank Jesus?

now is the ONLY time you'll have to thank Jesus?

what if................what if....................what if..................

These were some of the "what if's" that was like a swirling mass in my mind while I was preparing our meal today.         There was a few I left out, but you get the picture.         We/I spend so many of our/my hours thinking about the "what if's".            "What if" I forget all about those "what if's" and live life thinking "this is the day the Lord has made and I will be glad and rejoice in it."  

I'm so thankful that we have a Savior that made Himself known to the common, plain, ordinary people.  How much more common, plain, and ordinary can you get than sheep herders?          The multitude of angels appeared to them and heralded the birth of Christ.             The multitude of angels appeared to lowest of the low, because sherherds were the lowest of the low in that society.            What if............the angels had went to heads of state and made that great announcement?              Do you actually think we, the common, plain, ordinary, lowest of the low would have ever heard that we have Hope in Jesus Christ?          I can assuredly say, No, we would never have heard about the Good News of Jesus Christ had the angels made the announcement to the heads of state.              Good news though, we know that He came for us!!!          And we know that He knows about every one of our "what if's" and He loves us anyway.   

He knows about every one of your "what if's".              He knows about everyone of my "what if's", those mentioned and all those I purposefully left out.           So, as we continue to contemplate all the "what if's" that come to mind, let's quickly give them to Jesus.         Let's be quick to relinquish anything and everything that we can't do anything about.        Truly, that's most everything we think about.        As we do contemplate those things, I try to be ever vigilant to thank Him for all He's done for me.       "What if"....................He had not been born to be our Savior?       "What if"............He isn't fully God?         "What if"...........the Cross wasn't His destiny?         "What if"............the ressurection never happened?         "What if".............we have no one to help us.

The truth of the matter is this: He was born to be our Savior!!!         He is fully God!!!       The Cross was His destiny from the very beginning of eternity past!!!        The Cross wasn't the end because He is resurrected from the grave and He lives forever and forever!!!         Jesus Christ is our help!!!    

I hope and pray that sometime during this season that we celebrate the birth of our Savior, that we'll think about some of this stuff and that we'll take the time to thank Him for all He's done for us.    He changed the world.          He certainly changed my world.         He changed my world just recently by answering some prayers.          Not just in the way I wanted those prayers answered, because I had done submitted myself to whatever I was going to have to do.        But I poured out my heart and soul to Him, the only One that could make a difference.        He made a difference.        He heard those prayers.       I'm so thankful and grateful to Him for that.          I don't know what's waiting in the future, but He does, because He's already there making a way for those of us who know Him.         If you know Him, thank Him.          If you know Him, praise Him.          If you know Him, share Him.        If you don't know Him, why not?             There's no time like the present.             There's no better gift to give yourself than the Gift of Him, a Savior, Jesus Christ.     

This isn't much of a Christmas celebration, but I hope you can find Christmas in this.       "What if"....................salvation is a gift?             It is!!      It's bought and paid for by the One who's birth we are celebrating.          Merry Christmas!!!!       hugs, love and blessings, patty    (pjg 12-25-22)

Good Morning. New Recipe to share.

Good morning dear friends.       I hope and pray that this finds each and every one of y'all doing great.    I hope that your December is the best one yet.       I pray that in everything we all do, that we keep Christ first and foremost.      There is a lot stuff happening across this globe that we live on and I have to say that most of it is not worthy for Christians to be a part of.      I pray that we all take that into consideration.       We need to try to be the hands and feet of Christ at all times.      It is difficult to say the least with all that's going on.        This is the time to lean in closer than ever to Jesus.       It's also the time to keep your eyes to the eastern sky.       I do believe we'll see Him coming again in the clouds just any time and day.        I pray that we're all ready for that grand event.     

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I like to do what I call "2 minutes in the kitchen with me" from time to time.        That's what we're doing today.       I have been seeing people make a bread replacement from lentils.       Well, yesterday was the day I finally tried it.      I'll say right up front, that this is NOT for everyone.       But, on the other hand, I'll also say that if you happen to be someone that needs a bread alternative for what ever reason, then this is something you may need to try.        It is really simple.        It's basically 2 ingredients, lentils and water.         That's it.      For real, that's it.      So, lets get started.

The recipe I done was 1 cup of lentils and 2 cups of water.      As you can see, it's a one to two ratio.    This is my first batch and I was going to scale it down, but.................I forgot!!!       hahaha        Yeah, I simply forgot.      So, I would definitely recommend scaling it down the first time or two you try it.      Just so you won't have a lot of waste or a lot something that you're not crazy about.      

So, wash your lentils good in a fine mesh strainer.         Then put them in a container of some kind and then measure your water to go over them and let them sit for NO less that 4 hours, overnight would be optimum.       I let mine sit for about 5 hours.         At the time you're statring the blender process, plug in your griddle and get it up to temp.        If you do that, your first batch may look better than my first batch did.        My griddle is well over 20 years old, closer to 30 years old and I know it doesn't heat as well as it used too.        I may need to consider getting another one pretty soon.         Of course you can do these on the stove top in a skillet.         I just opted for the griddle because I can get more done at a time.

This is what they looked after about 5 hours.        You can see they soaked up a lot of water, like they're supposed to do.

                                                 

Next, dumped it all in the blender base.          You can clearly see how much water is left.

                                                                              

This is what it looked like after about 10 or 15 seconds of blitzing in the Nutribullet, in the pic below.        You want the thickness of pancake batter, maybe a touch thinner.                                                                                  

This is with 4 pretty good sized dollops on my griddle.        Do preheat your griddle or skillet.       Just like pancakes do, they will get the bubbles that pop.       Since this was my first batch, I didn't add any extra liquid to the mix, next time I will.  I would love for them to flow and level up on their own.       I had to take my spoon back and level them up as well as I could and I'm not happy with how unlevel they are.        I let them cook for 2 or 3 minutes, and then flipped them.                                                                              

As you can see, there is not hardly any color.          The next batch had better color.           It's very much like making pancakes on the griddle, the first ones are not as dark as I like.                                                                                   

But as you can see below, these have a nice color on them.      Plus, I made these a little smaller and I liked the looks of them much better.         These were my experimental batch anyway.                                                                                                                                                         

For the last batch, I actually put about a tablespoon more of water in them.         I also put about a tablespoon of nutritional yeast flakes for added flavor.         And, I also sprinkled some Cavendars Greek seasoning in them.         That made them very tasty.        And you can aslo see that the color on these are better too.         Not because of any seasoning, but the griddle was completely up to heat.      You can also tell that these are even smaller than the second batch.        This will probably be the size I make from now on.

                                                                                

As you can see, that batch made a LOT of lentil bread.          You can see the stack of the first ones I made and tore pieces from it.           Those were ok.         They were just too thick.       Kinda gummy and really beany tasting.        And that's ok, because that's what it is, lentil bread, so they should taste like beans, well lentils.         The second stack at the upper right of the plate was the second batch that I made smaller, they were better than the large ones.          Getting a good color on the outside definitely adds to the flavor of them.            Then the smaller ones scattered over the plate are the last ones that I done and they were really good.          My sweet hubby even said they were good.        So, that's a definite sign of approval.                                                                                

So my take away and some ideas about this is:   

1. They are worth the effort, because it's actually very little effort and very little expense.  

2.  I would definitely start out with 1/4 cup lentils and 1/2 cup water for my first batch, and that may be the way I do them from now on anyway.

3.  I will replace the water with some kind of stock to see how much that adds to the flavor.

4.  I will add onion and garlic powder and maybe some other spices as I go along.        I wouldn't get too crazy with adding a lot of stuff because we might want to keep this on the healthier, better for you side. 

5.  I will thin the batter down some in order to get the bread to flatten out better on it's own.      The thick places in them was rather unpleasant.

6.  I popped a couple of the smaller ones in the toaster oven and they crisped up a little more and they were so much better.       I'm pretty sure the large ones will crisp up in the toaster oven too.    I'm thinking they will reheat in the microwave to give a softer texture, maybe for a wrap or something.        They are very flexible and don't break like a lot wraps do.       If you try these in the microwave and they don't remain soft, just take out a serving of them and let them come to room temp.   Also, I don't think they  would be good for a wrap after being in the toaster or toaster oven though.    

7.  So for this experiment, I give it 2 thumbs up and so does my husband.

It seems like there was something else I wanted to add, but I don't remember what it was.        That's the story of my life.        hahaha        But, anyway, here we have it, the experiment and my thoughts on it.  

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I hope this is a help for someone who needs or could benefit from a bread replacement.        It was a good experiment.        When I make more, I will try to remember and share with y'all what I do.      It will be a fun, ongoing experiment.      

I guess I'll wrap this blog post up now.         I pray that each one of us will keep Christ first place in our lives and remember all He's done for us.        Remember too that Christmas isn't about going into debt, it's about the love of God for us, so much so that He gave us the ultimate gift, a Savior.        We have to acknowledge we are sinners and repent of our sins.     We have to accept Him as our Lord and Savior.    I hope if you haven't done that yet, today will be the day.       If we have accepted Christ as our Savior, God loves you!!!         So do I!!!!       blessings on all today and every day.     hugs and love, patty     

Resolution, "cut the garbage out"

Good morning beautiful friends.        I hope and pray that where ever y'all are on this big globe that you are happy, healthy and in a wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ!!!         He should be our all in all and He is mine.        I'm sure I don't love Him as perfectly as He would like or as perfectly as I would like.      One thing I know, He's not looking for perfection, He's looking for our heart.      I pray He has your heart and mine.       

While I have ignored my blog, I have been struggling.       Health issues, back issues, arthritis issues, inflammation issues, and a host of other issues.          I have been discovering that my issues are my fault!!!          That's true.        While most of us don't aim to hurt ourselves purposefully, sometimes we do.        Oh, a bite of this won't hurt.         Just a little nibble of that won't hurt.         Here, doesn't this smell divine and one little piece will surely be ok.        Do any of those sound familiar?         Maybe you have others that you could add to my list.        Anyway, the sad thing is that most of us do this and we don't even realize the detrimental affect that these nibbles, bites and pieces are having on our bodies.     

As I was walking this morning in the the 35* weather, I was praying and crying a little too.       Asking God to show me what I need to see.        My health has been a struggle for a long time.        If you're in the same situation, start doing something right now.       If you're a young person, it's imperative that you take control of your life situation right now.        I could not be more serious.        If I had known 30 - 35 years ago, what I know now, I truly don't think I'd be in the mess I'm in now.       

In all seriousness, I've been getting a little healthier over the last 5 to 7 years just by changing a few things in how I cook.         But, there was still LOTS of room for improvement.        Some of the changes I've made over the years is I started making my own greek yogurt.       Beneficial gut health.    I started making my own Kombucha, more beneficial gut health.        I've started making ferments, again, beneficial gut health.       I use my air fryer a lot and cook from scratch in it.      I've gotten rid of all oils except avocado oil.       I use real butter.       I bake all of our bread from scratch.        It's usually just 4 - 6 ingredients and nothing that I can't pronounce or spell.      And other steps have been taken also, to try to improve my overall health and the health of my husband.       I make my own bone broth to cook with, among other things.

While I have helped some areas of my health, other areas are still crying out desperately for health.     That's what I've been trying to listen to here lately.         Doing a little research and I find that there's lots of contradicting info out there.          What one has to do is see what's affecting you, personally.    

So,  while I haven't been 100% compliant with my eating, I have been at least 80% compliant with Whole 30.         I have lost a little weight,  I have no idea how many inches I've lost because I didn't measure anything.          I honestly didn't even weigh myself at home, but going by the scales at the drs office I have lost a few lbs.         No ways near enough, but it's a start and I'll take it.

I had cleared out enough inflammation that it's been making a difference.        My main problem, and this is what I was talking to God about, is that I have a problem with snacks and snacking.        I cave too easily, I give in to the craving too easily.        I asked Him to help me.        I pleaded with Him to help me.         I know He can and I know He will.         Now, am I gonna be ready to take His help?         I pray that I can and will.

So, we have a made a pact, my husband and I, no snacking for a solid month.          Fresh fruit and fresh veggies is always good and it's not including those types of things.         We was out yesterday for a few minutes and we went into a store and I was looking for good healthy buys.        I found some sesame crackers with a honey glaze, I wasn't looking for them and I wish I had left them in the store.         The ingredient list didn't look to bad, so I got them.        Thinking they would be a good snack.           After lunch, I got us about 1/4 cup for each of us and they were really good...........for the moment.          In an hour or so, I could hardly walk, both of my ankles were hurting so bad.         My trigger finger was flared to the point that I could hardly open or close my left hand.         I have a major back issue that I've been dealing with for many many months and within that same hour, my lower back and sides, from one frontal hip bone around to the other side frontal hip bone, was in so much pain that I thought I was going to have to go to the dr yet again!!!!!        I'm telling you, I done that to MYSELF!!!!!          I didn't realize that it was the snack, but it WAS!!!!!!!          

It is so frustrating that we live in a day and age where the manufacturers and the govt are doing everything they can to keep us sick and in desperate need of meds.         Just throwing a med at each symptom instead of getting to the bottom of the problem.          They all know what the problem is, but healthy people doesn't produce a cash cow for the drs and the drug manufacturers and the govt is bought off by big business and all the hospitals have become all about profit.        We want your money, we want it all, and we want it NOW!!!!!!!!!         Yes, that is their attitude.          If I sound a little ticked off, well let me just that I am.         

We live in an upside down perverted world and it won't get any better.         But I've got to do what I can do to ensure that my senior years look as good as they can.          Every time you turn a tv on or watch you tube videos or anything, there's all these commercials for all this food stuff that's actually as deadly as rat poison.       It's just a slow release rat poison so they can get as much money out of you as possible, trying to slow down the "bleed out process" of rat poison.        Read labels and find out what some of the ingredients are that's in our "food".      

So, I'm trying to share a little of my back story here in the hopes that one person will read this and think that some of this sounds like me.         Maybe there is something I can do.         Check out Whole 30 and Autoimmune ways of eating.         Start with whole ingredients.         Nothing processed if at all possible.        Cut out sugars!!!!!       That is the main culprit for most of us!!!      Cut out the terrible, unhealthy snacks.          Prepare as much as possible from scratch.      I wish I had more, real tips and ideas for all of us.         I don't, because right now, I don't trust myself to share the right things.         I guess more than anything, I wanted to share my frustration at how food has made feel for so long and I hadn't made the connection that it's garbage food that has made me feel like garbage and not the wholesome, good food.         So for me, I'm gonna say "cut the garbage out!!!!"         I pray that I can follow my advice of cutting the garbage from my own diet.         I don't want to find myself in a wheelchair someday just because of all the garbage I've filled my body with.         And I truly believe that that's one of the problems  that most of us who partake of the western diet are dealing with.         Let's cut the garbage out and do better and feel better.          That is my resolution, cut the GARBAGE!!!!!!!   

I pray that if you found this something that you need to think about, that maybe you'll share it with someone else that maybe needs a kick in the seat to start them thinking about this too.         I pray that if you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that today would be the day that you would ask Him into your life.  Believe in Him and repent.      I know that the upcoming days are going to be hard for me and I couldn't do this without Him in my life.       I pray that you have a wonderful rest of the day.        Blessings of love, joy and peace be yours today and everyday.      hugs, patty

Long Time Over Due Update, hahaha

Good morning Precious Ones!!!       I hope and pray that this blog post finds y'all doing well and joyful in service to the Lord where ever you are.      Joy comes from knowing the Lord.     Happiness comes from our circumstances.       The Lord never changes.       Our circumstances can change with each breath.      So, I will say again that I pray y'all are joyful in your service to Lord today, whatever your circumstances may be.       I know for a fact that a lot of people are hurting today.       You know people who are hurting.        How can we be a light or a lifeline to those who are hurting?       Sometimes they just need a smile, or friendly word, maybe a hug.       Other times they may just need an ear to hear them out.     They may also need some sound advice, rooted in the word of the Lord.      Always let our advice be rooted in the word of the Lord.        The world is good at throwing a lot of advice that's evil and wicked at it's core.      Our advice, any words we may offer to someone always need to be seasoned well with  scripture.      We may not know everything about the Word, but we know enough to say "let's see what God has to say about that".       If you need to get help, get help.       I've had to get back with people on things that I couldn't help them with.       We all should have a person or two that can help us with digging thru scripture.        And we need to leave our opinions out of it.       The only opinion that ever matters is Gods opinion.       If mine doesn't line up with His, then someone is wrong, and I can assure you, it isn't God.        So as we go joyfully about serving the Lord, lets be on the lookout for those who are hurting and see if we can be a source of truth and encouragement for them.   

Here it Sept. 6th and the weather in my neck of the woods is finally taking a turn towards cooler temps.   I don't know if anyone else is ready for it, but I sure am.        Sadly, winter will be here before we know it and I'll wishing for some of these abnormally warmer temps.       I just know I will.      hahaha        I'm not crazy about heat or cold.        I told someone here back, in the summer, that I would be happy with about 5 months of Spring and 7 months of Fall.      hahaha        Yes, that would be my ideal temps.        I love the awakening that we have in the Spring with all the lush green coming back and I love the turning of Fall and all the beautiful colors that go with it.       I know that we can't have the reawakening of Spring without having first gone thru the long Winters night.      But also....the sad part is, in reality, Winter is what's best for my outdoor, seasonal allergies.        So, after the  first frost, I'll be able to get back out and enjoy taking our walks again and enjoy just being outside.      That's what I really miss in the late Spring, Summer and early Fall, just being outside and loving it.

I still do a little gardening, even with all my allergies, I just have to wear a mask and limit my time outside.       Back in the summer, I was out for about 3 hours on one of those exceptionally HOT days with the temps at or above 100* and it almost done me in.       I didn't hydrate at all.       I was sweating profusely, but taking in nothing.      I didn't even realize it till it was too late.       By the time I got in, I knew I had overdone it big time.      It took me about a month to recover from that and that's when I had to stop walking with my husband.         We would go to the greenway and walk, but I just couldn't do it any more and I'm really praying that when it gets a little cooler, I can get back to walking.       Lord knows my body needs it.       I've done quite a bit of house walking, but it's not like walking the greenway or walking outside in general.        So, I am looking forward to walking again.

Speaking of gardening, hahaha, I sure do enjoy that now.         I'm not a good gardener at all.       I'm really not.       But I am open to learning bits and pieces at a time.        And I learn by doing.       I can't explain anything to you that would make sense of anything I have learned.        I couldn't put it down on paper if I had too.       But it seems each year, I learn a little more and a little more.       I guess it's like cooking, I can't explain the science behind cooking either, but I know it works and the more you cook, the better you get.      hahahaha      "Hopefully, maybe, kinda, sorta."        hahaha        That's how my husband gets himself out of a pickle, by using those non-definite words.    hahahaha        He's wearing off on me. 

I do a lot of dehydrating.        I don't like waste of any kind.        So, if it's produce, I'll dehydrate it to preserve it to use later.       I do take lots of pictures.        I can't remember how much I have shared on here in the past, so I may share the same pictures.        At some point in time, a lot of it starts looking almost alike.      Because it's mostly the same things that I dehydrate.         I keep a lot of fresh produce in the fridge and before it even starts going bad, I dehydrate it.        A lot of onions, peppers of all kinds, celery, carrots, green onions, leeks, potatoes, squashes and tomatoes to name a few.      It's fun and it's very worth while.

Over the course of time I have changed my temperature setting to accommodate an idea I had and to prove a theory for myself.       All manuals and most people will say that you have to use a certain temp for certain categories of food preservation.       That's true.       There are things that you will NEVER see me dehydrate because of the dangers involved.       Meats, eggs, dairy are the 3 main food groups that you'll NEVER see me doing.       These, if not done right, are deadly.       You may not live to tell someone to not do that.        So, if you are looking for info about any of those, here on my blog, you'll not find it.        Avocadoes and anything that has oil in it or on it can't be dehydrated.      You should NEVE put anything on your dehydrator that has oil in it or on, because it will go rancid, more then likely, even before it comes off the dehydrator.       Honey is another one of those odd things that you just can't dehydrate.          Honey is hydrophobic.         It's always looking for water.        You can never get the honey dehydrated, because it will always be pulling moisture from the environment into it.      If anyone tells you did, they are telling an untruth.       There is "honey powder" on that market, BUT, that's not even honey.       It's a sugar product with honey flavor in it.        I honestly don't even know if honey could be freeze dried because as soon as it comes from the machine, it would start pulling moisture form the air and get sticky long before you could get it packaged.        There is no reason to want to dehydrate honey in the first place because it never goes bad.       Enough about honey and stuff that I don't/won't dehydrate.            

Back to produce, I have learned that lower and slower is much better.      Why is that?        Most produce has natural sugars and starches in them.        When a manual tells you to dehydrate tomatoes at 130 - 135* for a certain amt of hours; #1, they're not taking in to account the level of humidity in your personal area and #2, they're not taking into account the level of moisture in your produce.       Those are just 2 factors that can't be known.       No manual, or people that wrote the manual can tell you down to the very minute how long it will take to dehydrate something.        That's why you'll never hear me say  to dehydrate something for so many hours.        I will always say to dehydrate at such and suh temp till it is cracker crisp.        Cracker Crisp is goal, always!!!!    So, I have learned to dehydrate all of my produce; veggies and fruit; at 115* for the length of time t takes to get everything cracker crisp.       If your produce is not cracker crisp, you risk mold in your long term storage.        I've seen it happen way too often and it doesn't have to happen.        If it takes 96 hours for your dehydrator full of tomatoes to dehydrate at 115*, then that's how long it will take.        You won't risk burning the natural sugars in the tomatoes, therefore, they will maintain their beautiful color for 5 years or more in storage.        The same with every other type of produce you can mention.       Before I found the "sweet" temperature for me, I was always having foods loose their beautiful colors.        Now, this is my opinion, but I also believe that the lower temps will help preserve more of the nutrients.       A lot of the produce that I dehydrate will and can be eaten as snacks.        And I can tell you that a few pieces of dehydrated apple and banana is better for you than that candy bar, and will taste amazing.    

This is just a few pictures I want to share with you today.       I'll try to explain a little about what they are.

This is a half gallon jar almost full of diced onions.        That jar smells so wonderfully divine.     hahaha       The next jar is sweet bell peppers.         They are pretty awesome too.        And the last jar is potato cubes.        I want to get more of these done.         Maybe in the winter I can add to thses. 

This next row of jars is carrots.        These were an excess of canned carrots and I had about 15 cans that I ended up with and they was taking up a lot of room.       When I got them all done, that jar was almost full.         The next little jar has Chinese 5 color peppers in it.    They are HOT.       The next jar is potatoes, think bought boxed for scalloped potatoes.       I think that's just about the most satisfying jar I have because it's so beautiful.        Potatoes can be hard to work with and it takes a lot of time and effort.        The last little jar is of my lemon squash from last year.       These are good as a snack with a good dip.

This picture is looking down in my potato jar.       I think it's such a beautiful sight.        These potatoes are almost "see-thru" and that's exactly what you want.         Anyway, this is just a few pics that I have and will hopefully share more later on.         Don't hesitate to ask me a question if you need to.        I'll be happy to help in any way I can.

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What was you doing 43 years ago today?        Can you remember what you was doing?         Any other day of my life, no, I can't remember.        But this day, 43 years ago, I remember very well.      I was getting ready to walk down the aisle with my best friend and the love of my life.

This is just a little something that I  wrote for our anniversary a few years ago and it is still true!!

I hope and pray that today is a special day for everyone.       It is a special day for me, for sure.      43 years ago today, I married the man that God had set aside just for me.       No, he's not perfect, but he's perfect for me and God knew that!!         No, I'm not perfect, but I am perfect for him and God knew that!!         I am still of the mindset, that when we ask God to be our decision maker, He always does excellent.             He can dream much larger than we can. His ways are perfect.           He always has our best interests at heart.           Always!!           And He is always ready and willing to help us make wise decisions.            He certainly helped us!!!             We both have a tendency to be bullheaded, but we learned early on that it's not about our story, it's about God's story and our place in His story.       So, as our story continues, we continue to place each day in God's hands, knowing that He sees the big picture and knowing that He will continue to work in our story as long as we keep Him first place.     It's not always been easy, but it's always been right.

So, I just want to thank God for all the ways He has worked in and thru our lives as individuals and as one with Him in our marriage.             I pray that God will continue to bless us. I pray that we will continue to have thankful hearts that are full of love for God and for each other.             And I pray that God will give us new adventures each day and that He continues to be the guiding factor in our story together.

 
Who are those kids?

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Well, I guess that's just about it for this update.         I pray that seen or read something here today that makes you smile or that makes you want to know more about something.       I hope that if you know the Lord as your personal Savior that you have joy unspeakable in your heart.       I hope that have planted a seed this year and are reaping some from harvest, with the intention of planting more next year, if the Lord blesses you with another year.       I hope that you have a blessed rest of your day and that you have a wonderful, restful night of healing sleep.      And pray for your tomorrow to be filled with lots of promise and adventure.      God loves you and I do too.       hugs and love, till next time, patty

Almost the middle of July

Wow, wow, wow, where has this year gone?       Time seems to be passing so quickly as one day runs into the next.       With the passing of time comes the contemplation of how one has spent that time.        We take each day as it comes and deal with each problem or item on the agenda and at the and of each day, we praise God for it.         The day may not have turned out as we would have liked.        We may not have gotten as much accomplished as we wanted to.           Some days, we even accomplish more than expected.           The simple fact of the matter is that if you or I got to participate in the day, we truly are blessed.         I try to remember that any day my feet hit the floor, it's a blessed day, it's a good day, it's a day to praise God.          So, I'd just like to thank God for His awesome presence in my life, with each breath I take.         He has authority over every second of my life.         And for that, I'm truly thankful.

The summer has turned off to be a hot one this year.           We finally got an inch of rain over the weekend.         It was desperately needed.          I truly pray that it helps our farmers and that they get more well needed rain.         The farmers are truly in the hands of God and I pray that He prospers them in spite of what the enemy is doing.         

During the dry spell, I have been watering my little deck garden and it is coming along pretty good.        I've go a bunch of strawberries.       They are doing pretty good.          They are an everbearing kind, so they will set fruit, and then after those come off, they set more fruit.         We're on the second set of fruit and I'm hoping for a 3 set.        I believe they will actually set that 3rd set of fruit this year.          I have several tomato plant and peppers, some okra, just saw some blooms on my fingerling eggplants, beans, cukes, zucchini, yellow squash, red beets and orange beets and I can't remember what else off the top of my head.        I have been harvesting steadily.           Not a whole lot of produce, but something is better than nothing.           And it's a delicious.         I think it's more delicious when you grew it yourself.         I may be a little biased on that opinion, but I still believe it.      hahahaha

What we don't use immediately, I will dehydrate and have for later use.           I have several zucchini and yellow squash dehydrated and ready to use for fried squash, like fried green tomatoes.        Speaking of fried green tomatoes, I have several pkgs of those in the freezer.          We went to a local farm store and got the green tomatoes and then I sliced them and done my usual dredge on them and froze individually and then wrapped 6 or 8, depending on size in freezer paper.           I will air fry them and they are so good!!!!           That's the only way I'll ever fix them again.           No grease is always the way to go, especially for us.   

Well, I don't have much more to write about right now.            I sure wish I did, but I don't.         I do want you to know that God loves you so much.         Enough so, that He provided a way for us to be in right relationship with Him and that's thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ.          You'll have no better friend than Christ, ever!!!!           He is always with you, but you have to believe in Him and accept Him as your Lord and Savior and repent of your sins.            Once you do that, instantly you are in the family of God thru Jesus Christ and you'll never spend another second alone or lonely.          All you have to do is call on Him and He will be with you.             I pray that if you haven't accepted Christ as your personal Savior that you will consider today the day of salvation.         You won't regret it.      

As I leave you, let me just that I love you all and Jesus loves you more!!!!   blessing and hugs, patty

  

Long time, no post

Good evening dear friends and loved ones.      I'll have to apologize right off the front end for being absent.      I truly have no real excuse.      Unless the hurting and longing in my heart can be an excuse.     It's about the best I can come up with.      But when the heart aches for things that will never ever be again, it's hard to soothe.        I've never known times to be quite like they are and have been for a while.       I've never seen the hearts of humanity as full of bitterness and evil as much as we're seeing now and have seen for quite a while.       I have remained silent, because I didn't feel I had anything to say that would be uplifting at all.       And to be honest, I may not now.      I'll just have to see how the Lord directs my heart and mind in this matter.      I pray that He will give me some clarity and if I can't get clarity, then I will trust Him for peace in the midst of the storm.

I don't have any say over anything.     All I can do is try to protect how I respond to everything.    Sometimes, I let the devil throw me for a loop.      I take my eyes off Jesus and see what the devil is doing.       That's all on me and that's why I said I try to protect how I respond to everything.    My reactions can be very damaging to my witness and walk in this life.      That's truly the only thing I have that's mine and the Lord's and I don't want to be an embarrassment to Him.    I also don't want my weakness to cause another person to sin or struggle.      And, I don't want my shame and weakness to be the thing that someone uses to judge Christ as unworthy, because of my actions, deeds or words.     I'm still just a struggling, sinning sack of flesh and bones.       I'm saved by the grace of God and the blood of my Savior, Jesus Christ, but I still sin.     I'm not proud of that.     I struggle with sin every day of my life.      Sometimes it's the thoughts I have.     Sometimes it's the things I say.      Sometimes it's lack of empathy for my fellow human being.      Sometimes it's the things I do.     Other times it's the things I don't do.      If I didn't put enough emphasis on the fact that I struggle with sin on a daily basis, well I do!!!!!       I'm very ashamed to admit that, but Jesus knows it, because we talk about daily and yet, I still struggle.

I wish I had answers for all my heart aches.       I know as I type this that I'm not the only person in this dilemma.      And I'm sorry that I don't have the answers.      But, I believe Jesus does have all the answers.      I'll probably never talk to any one who reads this in person, so this will probably be as close as it gets for us to communicate, so let me just say that if you don't know Him, now would be a good time to draw near to Him.      There have been several times in my life that I've asked God to break my heart for the things that break His heart.      When I'm serious about it, He shows me what breaks His heart.    And it's very painful to look at what He shows me knowing "this breaks God's heart".       There is a lot of stuff going on that is breaking His heart.       I see it, but there's not a lot that I can do about, other than give it back to Him and that's what I do.       You see, we live in a time in which the battle is between darkness against light.      Darkness doesn't want it's sin exposed to light.      Light brings clarity of eyes and minds.      Darkness allows us to stumble around and sin and wallow in it and sin more.       Light exposes sin and filth and rancor and rot.      Every time we turn the tv or or listen to the news, we see darkness and when someone wants to expose that darkness to light and truth, then war rages on.      To be honest, I've seen about all I can stand.       I've lost all hope in humanity.       I see continually how people are sold out to the devil.       They willfully do his work.      They happily serve their evil master.       Thankfully, my hope is in the Lord.      So, I keep leaning in to Him closer and closer every day.

I have decided that this world is not my home, I'm just passing thru.      And with each passing day, I long for Beulah Land, Sweet Beulah Land.      While I long for heaven, I realize I still have to live in this life that God has blessed me with.     So, to the best of my ability I will keep relying on Jesus to help me make thru each day.       Study His word and lean in to Him.      Those are the two things that I would suggest to you to help you make in this world too.       We have to keep serving Him till He brings us home.       And He will bring us home, be rest assured in that.

I love watching the Gaither Homecoming Videos and this afternoon I watched the latest one that came out this weekend.       It was on youtube and it was about Heaven and the longing that Christians have for home.      I wept like a baby because it was what I needed.        I needed to see people that love the Lord singing about going home to Him someday and how joyful that  event will be, if we know Him.   The bible says that every tear is counted.      I shed a bucket full at least and there's still 3 or 4 buckets to go.     I can't stop crying.     I've reached my breaking point and something broke.     I don't really think it needs to be fixed.      I think I need to let Jesus get me thru this and not look back on for a long time.      I'll never be the same.        But hopefully I will be a better me than I've ever been.       If I'm not, don't blame Jesus, blame me.       Don't hold anything about me against my Savior.      He's righteous, He's worthy, He's honorable.       I'm none of those things, so blame me, not Him.

I don't know what else to say.      I don't know if I should have even said what I did, but it's here, for better or worse.      I will say that Jesus loves you and wants to be in a right relationship with you.     It's the best relationship you'll ever be in.      I can promise you that.

One of the things that was said in the Gaither Homecoming Video that I seen today was, "I'll see you at the House".       I loved that so much.       So, as I leave you this evening, let me say that God loves you and so do I.  love, hugs, and blessings and "I'll see you at the House y'all!"  patty

Reminiscing

Happy Monday Y'all!!    I hope and pray that wherever y'all are that you are enjoying the blessings of this most beautiful day.    I have been reminiscing and written it down and thought I would share it here so as not to forget it.   I hope you enjoy reading this.    As much as anything else, I hope it makes you think about the loved ones who have recently gone on.  Maybe think about your generation a little more.   For me, my generation is "old" generation now.  Funny how when it's us, we don't consider ourselves old.  In reality we are.   It hits home hard some days.   But don't stress out on that.   Focus on the good and fun times and share those time with the younger generations.    And any real history, share that too.   Events that are important, share those if you can at all.   I may be adding more to this in the future, I don't know.    But this is a start for now.

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The older I get, the more I think about my generation of the family.    My precious Momma is the last one standing for her generation on my Momma and my Daddys side of the family.    Daddy and all my Aunts and Uncles have done left us.   With so many long gone, it makes you start thinking about your own generation and the family left standing.

Momma had a brother, Uncle Robert.  He was a few years older than Momma.  He served his country well by serving in WW2 and also Korea.   He married my Daddy's sister, Aunt Wanda.   They had 3 children, Lynn, David and Carol.   Lynn was a sweetheart if ever there was one.   She was their oldest child.  She was actually between my oldest brother and next oldest brother in age.   One of my most favorite memories of Lynn is when we was all younger, they came down for a visit and she was sitting by one of my brothers and he stuck his thumb up and she put hers up beside his and it was so funny to see that.  My brother has these massive hands, even as a teenager and Lynn was a very petite young lady and it looked like matchstick beside a tree and she laughed and laughed.  She thought that was the funniest thing ever, and it really was.  We all did and I still laugh when I think of Lynn.  She got sick a few years ago and passed away and that left a huge hole in their family.  We all have missed Lynn terribly.   David was the middle child.  He was in the military and he served his country well.  I remember when they came in one time when we was all young, David and one of my brothers was messing with a knife.  One of my other brothers had killed a squirrel and and was cleaning it to put in the freezer.  When he got it skinned David and Wally was messing with their knives and trying to cut the squirrel tail with it.  Just holding it out in the air, one hand on each end of the tail.  David took a really hard swing with the knife towards the tail and missed the tail, but almost cut Wally's finger off.  There was a big chunk of hide that just sliced down that finger.  Oh my gosh, you talking about some "hot under the collar parents"!!   They all were.   But Momma the miracle worker to the rescue and she got the situation taken care of.  Recently, David got sick.  He had worked in granite all his life and that work had all but destroyed his lungs.   He went to the hospital, hoping for treatment.   Treatment didn't help him and left us on Feb 16th 2022.  He fought hard to stay with his family, but it wasn't meant to be.  His sister Carol and her children was by his side during this battle.  The battle was too great for him to overcome.   Now Carol is carrying on with her family.   She has had a few major struggles in her life and has fought hard to be where she is now.   She is the same age as my youngest brother, well actually a month younger.   When we was all younger they used to come in, I remember one time Carol went to the back of my grandparents house and opened the back door and shooed all the chickens from the back of the house all the thru the house and out the front door!!  She done that.  hahaha   Everyone was out front sitting on blankets and chair under the big silver poplar in the front yard and she had gone missing.  All of a sudden, we heard a ruckus coming from the front door and looked around and here comes about 50 chickens thru the house and out the front door.   I laugh every time I think of that episode.

Momma also had a sister, Aunt Dovie.   She had 2 children, Edith and Donald.   I was very young, maybe even too young to have real memories of Edith, but she got killed in a car wreck when she was a teenager.  Her brother Donald, served his country well in Vietnam and came home and lived a quiet life until he left us a few years ago.  He was a fantastic artist and the world missed out on his talents.   She also had 2 other daughters, Martha and Thressa, who are alive and well with children and grand children of their own, living in different areas of the US.  

Daddy's oldest sister, Aunt Mildred had moved away and didn't come home very often.  I remember seeing her only 3 or 4 times at best.   She had one child.   I never seen her when I was a child, that I remember.  When she grew up and married, she lived in Nevada.  So we never seen her much at all.  I think I remember her coming home sometime after I was married.   I know my Momma, Daddy, and another aunt and uncle made the drive out west to see her a few years ago.   Aunt Mildred passed away when I was in my early teens.   When we went to Ohio, we would go see her and I always enjoyed visiting with her.

Daddy had an older brother, Harding and he served his country well during WW2.  Uncle Harding and Aunt Nellie had several children.  They had a son but he passed shortly after his birth and so did another baby girl.  Melba, Nelda, Wilda and Hilda are the ones who survived.   They grew up living closest to us, so we seen them more often.   Every one of them could sing like angels and I loved to hear them use their talent.  I always loved being around all of them.   Aunt Nellie played the piano like nobody's business and NO ONE could ever play the great old hymns of faith as well as Aunt Nellie.  She could make the piano sing.  Melba and Nelda were older than me and older than my oldest brother.  So they were both married when I was a kid.  Melba got sick a few years ago, maybe 10 or so, and went home to be with Lord.  The other 3 sisters are still with us.  I rode the school bus for many years with Wilda and Hilda.  Hilda was the same age as my youngest brother.  Since I didn't have a sister, Hilda was the sister that I never had.

Daddy also had another older sister, Aunt Nell.   She and Uncle Bud had 4 children.  Susie, Maxine, Michelle and Bobby.  Susie may be my oldest cousin on my Daddy's side.   I just can't remember for sure.  She was always fun to be around.  She was married when I was little so I don't have a lot of younger memories of her.  Maxine and Michelle and Bobby are the ones I remember so well.   Maxine and Michelle would always play beauty shop with me and I loved it.   They always experimented with my hair and gave new hairdos about every 15 minutes.  They was into dancing and pantomiming, if anyone remembers that.  They would put on shows for all of us from time to time.  They were true entertainers.  Sadly Michelle left us just shortly after her high school graduation when she and some friends went on a cross country trip.  She actually drowned in the Colorado River in the early 1970's.   It's hard to think of her being gone this long but it's true.  Bobby always loved coming to visit.  He got to hang out with a bunch of guys and he loved it.  He got to romp the hills and hollers and go hunting and fishing and do stuff that he didn't get to do with his sisters.  Bobby actually came down stayed with our Grandmother for a few months after he graduated school. 

I will add here that my Daddy also served his country well.  He joined the army and was getting ready to be shipped over seas when WW2 ended.  He had already been sent to California and was awaiting the next ship out when they got word that it was over.  Daddy served 4 years in the army and came home married my Momma.  Momma and Daddy had 6 "chidlers".   5 boys and 1 girl.   They will always have at least one fan, because I have always been their number 1 cheerleader.  Momma had 6 babies in 7 years and she grew up with us.  No parents has ever worked any harder than mine has to rear their family.  There are lots of stories that could be told.  The greatest story that I can tell right now is how, by the grace of God, all my brothers and I are still together in this life.  Only by His grace and we don't take that lightly.  We know that at some point in time, death will take one of us.  And I guess that's why I have started thinking about our generation more than ever before.   I laughed and told my Momma on her birthday that all of her children had caught up with age wise.  We are all just a bunch of old geezers with young hearts and young memories.   We pray that the memories of those we have lost way too soon of this generation and those of my Mommas generation will continue to live on in the generations coming up thru the stories and memories that we can pass on to them.  While we still have time and while we still can, share the fun stuff.  Share the good stuff.  Share the hard days.  Share the old ways.  Share what you know with the next generation so that we all can live on in the lives and the memories of these we leave behind.  I dedicate this brief history of what I remember to those in my family who have gone on before us and may we remember you all with love and joy and know that our lives would have been quite different without having you in our lives.  You made a difference to all of us.  We love you all!!  Edith, Donald, Lynn, David, Michelle, Jerry Otis, Martha Marguerite and Melba, you may be gone from us, but you are not forgotten.  

Blessings on one and all today and everyday.  Remember that God has made a way for you to be in right relationship with Him thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.  He loves you that much.   This too, needs to be a part of the legacy that we pass on from one generation to the next.  Knowing that God has made it all possible and that we have made Him a priority in our lives by choosing to accept Christ as out personal Lord and Savior.    love and hugs and blessings be yours till the next appointed time, patty

Welcome 2022, Power and Strength

Good morning Blessed Ones of Christ.     January 3rd of 2022 has found us with some snow this morning and freezing temps.      It finally feels like winter here in my neck of the woods.       But I'm not  complaining about that at all.       Now, it feels like winter and I'm not complaining about that either.      I was actually thinking about getting some seeds started on Saturday, so I'm happy that was just a fleeting thought.      I knew winter was around the corner.      I will start some seeds around the middle to the end of January.      I can't wait to get my hands dirty again.       And see some green life starting to grow again.      I'm honestly not much of a gardener, but I do love seeing how God helps me and blesses my efforts.       So, I'm looking forward to another year of trying to grow more.       As usual, I plant and pray, and I pray for God to bless my efforts.       He is faithful!!!       I can count on that.

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The new year is here.       I quit making resolutions years ago, because no sooner than I made one, I broke it.      So I felt like I was lying to myself and to God.      So what I have been doing is letting God show me what He wants me to focus on for the year.       Sometimes I share with others what my focus word for the year is, and sometimes I don't.       It just depends on how personal it is.      As I was praying before going to sleep last night, God gave me the words.       They kept being the words that was just coming from my mouth about Him.      That's when I knew what my words for the year would be.

Power and Strength.      Those are the words that kept coming over and over last night while praying.  His power and strength, not mine.      If you want a good Bible Study, just do a quick search on "the power and strength of God".      You will find out just how awesome our God is.    

As I was praying, I kept seeing my weakness in everything.      But I also kept seeing how God goes before me.      If I put my faith and trust in Him, then He is my power and strength.       I think the last 2 years have shown me just how miserable the human race is and can be.      It has shown me that not everyone who professes Christ, really know Him.       It has shown me that we can fool some of the some of the time, but we can't fool God at all.      A lot of people have fooled a lot of us, but they haven't fooled God.       I ask God to help me keep my eyes open and stay focused on Him.       And to let Him be the filter in which I view things.       If someone says things and then acts differently to what they say, I want God to show me what I need to see.      I need to view the world around me thru the filter of God's view.       If I don't do that, I will fall victim to the wolves in sheep's clothing.      

There is no power or strength in me at all.      This is what God keeps showing me.       All power and strength comes from Him alone.        There is no other source.      There are lots of self help gurus and some even claim to be preachers that tell you, you are the bees knees, you are your own strength, you have the power to overcome, you have the power to achieve, you have to power to change your life, you have the power to achieve great things, you are special, you are in charge of your destiny.      It's all about you you you you you and nothing about God.      When we take God out of the mix of our lives, that's when we fall for the lies of the enemy.       We easily succumb to the enemy.       When we live for self, we are living in dangerous territory.        God has shown me thru the study of His word, that my life is not mine.        It's His.      I can't live this life of mine without Him at the forefront.       Life has changed a lot over the last 2 years.        People that I thought were life long friends, are no longer in my life.       But God is there.       He hasn't waivered one little bit.       Scripture tells me that there is no shadow of turning in God.       He's the same yesterday, today and forever.        He's not going anywhere.

So, while I face 2022 on what I call shaky ground, God is here.       He goes before me.        He opens my eyes to see and ears to hear.       In my powerlessness and weakness, God is my power and strength.   I can't make it one breath without Him sustaining me.       

So, as I face 2022, I pray that will show me more of His power and strength.       I believe He will.      And I hope He allows me to share about some the ways He does this in the year ahead.       Even if He doesn't show me anything, even if He doesn't provide, even if He doesn't meet my needs, He is still great and greatly to be praised.        I will praise Him.      I will praise Him.      I will praise Him.      That is my goal for 2022.       I will praise my Redeemer.        I will lift His name high.       Lord help me in this endeavor, to allow you to be my complete power and strength.       I submit to Your power and authority over my life.       I also live with great anticipation of seeing Your Hand in all that I do.      I pray that each day reflects You in my life.        Thank You Father for what You are doing right now and for what You are going to do in the days ahead.  

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So, I just wanted to share an experiment with y'all.       My  husband had  mentioned "banana pudding".    Well, I got to thinking about that.      I knew I didn't have any bananas, or did I?   No fresh bananas, but I did have some dehydrated bananas.         Challenge on.         How do you make a banana pudding with dehydrated bananas?       I set out to find out how to do it my way.      I had a box of mini vanilla wafers, 4 vanilla pudding cups and a box of cool whip.       I got my jar of dehydrated bananas and got about 25 or 30 slices of dehydrated bananas and broke them up in bowl and poured boiling water over them and let them set for a while, then added a little more water.     I wanted them to have a little extra liquid so they would thin the pudding down some.        I popped them in the fridge to cool them down.         I then mixed the pudding cups with rehydrated bananas and then added some cool whip, next I added in the vanilla wafers. got it all mixed up and put it in the bowl, put the rest of the cool whip on top and crumbled a few of the vanilla wafers on top. let me just say this.       No, it's not a banana pudding made from scratch, but it is VERY good.      No more of the banana slices than I used, it is very banana tasting.       It's good and it won't be the last time I make this. I see more dehydrated bananas in the near future.     I'm always thinking about ways to use my dehydrated goodies and I hope y'all are always thinking about how to use your goodies too.        Sometimes we have to think outside the box.         It was better the next day, as the flavors had more time to really come out of the bananas into the rest of the mixture.        

This is a jar of my dehydrated bananas.  they are so good.

This is what my finished banana pudding looked like. 

This is a side view of the banana pudding.

If you dehydrate produce, look for more ways of incorporating your bounty into your every day life.    We need to use it.      We need to look for ways to add those lovely nutrients to food and let our bodies be the benefactor of all that goodness.        Granted, a banana pudding wasn't the best use of my dehydrated bananas, but it still was a way of using what I had.      I don't make a lot of desserts just because we don't need them.        But a little bit, every once in a while, hopefully it won't hurt too much.

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Well, that's about all I have today.        I pray that your New Year will be a wonderful time to start fresh with a new commitment in living your life with God being the determining factor in all that you say and do.       I hope and pray as the year rolls on that He shows me more and more about His power and strength in my life.       He is faithful.      I hope you seen something here that makes you think about Him a little more.       I hope you seen that there are different ways of using our dehydrated goodies and that if your aren't a dehydrator yet, maybe this sparked an interest.       If you seen something here that you liked, tell a friend.      Also tell that friend that God loves them and would love to be in a relationship with them thru the shed blood of Christ.     That is the only way to the Father, is thru the Son.      Blessings of a prosperous year in the Lord.        hugs and love to all, patty