Bible Study and The Little Donkeys

good morning faithful followers of God.        I hope and pray that we all have a great day today.        I don't have any plans for the day, yet.        I may get my bread machine out and make some brioche rolls, dough balls, for the freezer.         I need to keep those made up and when we use them as buns for hamburgers, as we do frequently, we really plow the brioche buns.      I may end up having to go to the dr with my knee.         I rolled over in bed and tweaked it pretty bad, so we'll have to see how it feels later on.        if it's not one thing is another.        but hey, I got up, so that's a blessing and I'll treat it as such and pray for God to lay His healing hand on my knee.        I know He can heal it.        I also know that I may end up having to go to the dr.       so, we'll see.        either way, God gets the glory, even right now, I praise Him for what He is doing and will do.        so, thank You God, for all your many blessings on me over the course of my lifetime.          You've been so faithful, I haven't, but You've always loved me in spite of me.        Thank You!!!!!!

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this is a little story I wrote a few years ago and remembered it, so I thought I would share it again as we go into this particular time and season of the year.       I've shared it a time or two.     this is all just my "imaginings", and I know some of it is factual and some may not be factual.       it's not meant to be anything other than a story to maybe read to your children and then look up the scriptures that co-inside with the different parts of the story.    

The Little Donkeys, I can just imagine

The donkey is a lowly little critter.     It's been called a little stubborn and ornery, among other things.    It's a small little beast of burden.    It has been known to be a pack animal, carrying big heavy loads.   Oh, it's not uncommon to drive around in the countryside and see a donkey in the field, among some of the other more favorable animals.   I've heard it said that a donkey will keep predators away from other animals and that's why you see them on farms sometimes.  Who determines what an animals duty in life will be?  Who assigned their particular roles?

Donkeys have been used as work animals for more than 5000 years and there are more than 40 million donkeys in the world today.    Working donkeys were associated with those living at or below poverty level.   In some cultures they were also associated with wealth.    They continue to fill important roles in many places around the world today.   Donkeys live and thrive in climates and places around the world that a horse can't survive in.    They were used in early days as a means of mobility for cultural survival, being pack animals.     Man and donkeys have worked together side by side for many many years.   Donkeys adapt to the land and the job they are to do.  They are surefooted and can climb and work in just about any terrain.    Donkeys have been known for their stubbornness and this can be associated with their strong sense of preservation and a weaker connection to human beings because people have always chosen horses over donkeys.   But still, there are things a horse can't do that a donkey can do.   Studies have shown donkeys to be quite intelligent, cautious, friendly, playful and eager to learn.  

They are mentioned all throughout the Bible.   There are several stories in the Bible in which a donkey plays a key role.    One of them is in regards to Balaam's donkey.    It is of importance to note, I guess, the cross shape on the back and shoulders of donkeys in black hair.   Some see that as the symbol of Christ riding on a donkey.    There are lots of sayings and insults attributed to the donkey.  I'll let you search for those.   They are also associated with politics, but that's another story altogether.

The lowly donkey.    A stubborn little thing.    It's sure footed and can carry most anything you place on it.    If you scare it, it will stand there and stare you down.    Curiosity is one reason they are called stubborn.   Because they are not afraid of much.    At one time, most everyone had a donkey.   If you traveled, you had a donkey to carry your belongings.    Even today, in parts of the world, a lot of travel is still done with donkeys. 

I can just imagine the donkey that Mary rode on when she was great with child and she and Joseph was going to be counted in the census.   I can just imagine that lowly little creature realized that he was carrying God's Son on his back when Mary was riding the lowly little donkey.    I can just imagine here a little bit too, because we don't know what the donkey thought or knew.   But them being perceptive animals, I can just imagine that the donkey knew he was carrying Precious Cargo.   I can just imagine that he, this donkey, was a little more sure footed than usual.   Since Jesus and John knew each other in their mothers wombs, I can just imagine that Jesus communicated with the donkey while still in His mother's womb.   Far fetched thought I know, it actually is far fetched.   But I can just imagine that if He had wanted to communicate with the little donkey, that He certainly could have.   And just because there is no record of it, doesn't mean He didn't.

I can just imagine that this donkey stepped a little differently after his task of carrying Mary to Bethlehem.    I have always imagined it just like this, that the donkey carried Jesus to His birthplace, by carrying His mother, Mary to Bethlehem.    I can just imagine this.    The King of Kings and Lord and Lords came riding in to His kingdom on a lowly donkey.    When we think of kings and lords we usually associate them with royalty and military.   Neither of those words describe our Lord and Savior.   Oh, to me, those words don't even do Him justice, but the world has never seen Him as anything but someone who is a disturbance to them and their sin.    But, He is my King and my Lord and far greater than anything this world will ever know as king and lord.    And I can just imagine that Jesus meant a lot to the little donkey that carried Him in to Bethlehem to be born.    I would love to know how he communicated with his donkey friends about the task that he had been chosen to do.   I can just imagine that he told his story as humbly as a little donkey could, while trying to keep his pride from getting the best of him.   But, in all honesty, he could be very proud of the task that he had done.    After all, no one else would ever have such an honor as his.

No one, except the little donkey chosen to carry Jesus to His death.   I can just imagine this little donkey probably didn't have any choice over the task at hand either, any more than the one that carried Him to His birth.   But, I can just imagine, that he done his job just as noble as the first little donkey did.   Jesus may have told this little donkey what was going to happen.  I can just imagine that it is possible that this little donkey was a relative to the one that carried Him to His birth, but, I don't know.   When we are just imagining, I guess anything is possible.   Can you just imagine the importance of the task at hand?    This little donkey would be fulfilling prophecy in the Old Testament.   I can just imagine that with each step up the palm branch laden road that this little donkey felt a little more heart pain with each step.   Oh, I don't know if donkeys have broken hearts or not, but I can just imagine if Jesus communicated with him in any way about the mission that this little donkey had been called to do, that he took this task seriously. 

 What would this little donkey say to you or me if he could talk and tell us about his experience?  Do you think he would tell us that it was an honor to carry such a person on his back?   Oh, I can just imagine he would.   I can just imagine he would tell us about all the obstacles along the way that he avoided just to keep our Savior safe while on his back.    I can just imagine he would tell us just how broken hearted Jesus really was at what was happening and going to happen shortly.    This was the mission of Jesus and He knew that, but can you just imagine being in His shoes and knowing what was ahead of you in the all too near future.   I can just imagine that the mere act of sitting on the donkey allowed the donkey to feel some of the impending danger and doom that lay ahead for our Savior.   I can also just imagine that for one split second that little donkey wished he was a very large fast stallion, so he could wisk our Savior away to safety.   I can also just imagine that is probably why a small slow donkey was chosen.  So the will of God could be carried out so perfectly, with our Savior being our perfect sacrifice for our sin.   This little donkey fulfilled his calling in life by being the transportation that our Lord and Savior rode to the cross on.    He done what he was destined to do.  They both did.    The first donkey carried our Savior to Bethlehem to His birth and the second donkey carried our Savior to His death on the cross.  

I know that none of my imaginings about these two little donkeys is factual other than the fact that they did what they did.   They were the chosen transportation for our Lord and Savior.    But, you know what, this is some of the things that I have just imagined over the years when I think about those little donkeys.   I have a deep love in my heart for these two little creatures that were chosen for their purpose.   I hope that if you have never thought of them like this, that maybe, just maybe, you will now.

And we know the next time our Lord and Savior rides on the back of an animal it will be a strong and mighty beast, a white horse, created for it's mission and purpose.  To bring the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to claim His own!!!   Praise His mighty and holy name!!!!    Three creatures created for the sole purpose of carrying our Lord and Savior.   One to His birth, one to His death and one to His triumphant return!!   I can only imagine this is the only factual statement in this whole scenario.   This has not been to mislead anyone, it's just where my mind goes when I think of the little donkeys in our Savior's  story.   I don't know that my thoughts are true, but I don't know they aren't either.  I just know that I have new found respect for the little donkeys, I can just imagine you do too.  

written by: pjg 03-17-19

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giggle for the day:

Q - How does a cucumber become a pickle?

A - It goes through a jarring experience.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

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picking up with Hosea Chapter 4,             this chapter shows us that there are consequences when we turn away from God, individually and as a society or nation.        we should have a desire to know more about God and to love Him more.         Israel lacked faith, knowledge of God, love, and keeping God's law.          they were rotting, decaying morally.         study God's word and keep seeking after the heart of Him daily.         sin is destructive in our lives and in our communities.        pray for leaders that we know who do uphold biblical truth.         get rid of any idols!!!!        make a commitment to being faithful to God alone.          pray for a hunger for the word of God and a deeper understanding of Him.        

Chapter 5,          there are severe consequences for turning away from God.        but even in the midst of judgement, there is hope for repentance and restoration.        our spiritual leaders; preachers and teachers,  are supposed to guide our communities in truth and righteousness.         if there is sin in our lives, we need to embrace the need for repentance and run towards it as fast as we can.         make  it a point to seek the presence of God in our lives daily.         seek a deeper relationship with Him through  reading His word and praying.     

Chapter 6,          we need to realize that God wants His people to return to Him with true devotion and love for Him.         look at our lives and see if there is any way that we are falling short of our love, trust and devotion for Him.         if we are falling short, we need to repent and return to God.        we need love and knowledge of God more than we need fake rituals and fake sacrifices.        do you serve God because you love Him and you want to know more about Him, or do you pretend to serve Him out of obligation?          our top priority should be to draw strength and guidance from God on a daily basis.       pray for God's healing in your brokenness.           may we continue to seek after the heart of God daily in all we do.

Chapter 7,          sometimes we need to stop and really look at ourselves.         if we seen ourselves the way God sees us, it would necessitate a need for repentance and reformation.         we can't see who we really are and keep doing the same old same old, expecting a different outcome.         God's number one goal is for redemption of His people.         we need to confess our sin and beg for God's forgiveness.       when we are grounded in the word of God, we can tell the difference between truth and lies.        pray for the strength to trust God's plan and His purposes.             may we have a longing in our hearts for spiritual renewal.

next time we'll pick up at Chapter 8.

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I hope and pray that we all have a great day today and that we will keep seeking after the heart of God in all we do.         blessings of repentance and restoration be ours today.         it truly is a blessing from God to be able to repent and be welcomed back into His family with Him remembering our sin  no more.

hugs and love, patty

Continued Prayers, Bread and a Story

good morning loved ones.           I pray that you have a wonderful day today.          it's another chilly day in my neck of the woods.          as I think about it, I'm still thinking about all the ones who lost loved ones and homes and businesses on Saturday.         I'm still praising God that it wasn't any worse than it was and so thankful that on that day, He spared my husband and myself, yet again.         but as we see some of the pictures coming in from the devastation, we can see His hand of protection over the whole situation.   

I'll be the first person to say that I really don't understand why some were spared and some weren't.    I just know that God always does what is right.       that's still not an asnwer as to why some got killed and others didn't.         I just think about Job in times like this.        Job questioned God.      God finally asks Job some tough questions.     "where were you when I, God, created everything?"         and the questioning keeps going on for quite a while and Job realized he was nothing or noone to ever question God.         

but, this is just me and my thoughts, I may be totally off base.        God will never turn away serious questions.      I truly believe He wants us to bring our problems and questions to Him.          we'll always find answers in His word for what ever our questions may be.       years ago, I found a verse in Genesis that says something to effect like this, "shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?"         God is the Judge of the earth and He will always do what is right even though we don't understand it.         I personally, need to remember this.        especially in the hard times like this.           

so while I still don't understand and never will, I just lean into Him and know that He will do right in all situations.         and when we pray for others and help others in whatever ways we possibly can, then we are being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in a real way and making a difference.          praying for those out in the cold doing the cleanup, getting electricity back on for folks that have been without, getting the internet back up for those without, getting homes repaired, getting businesses repaired..........it's a daunting task for my little community, but we have the "can do" attitude.       while all the hustle and bustle goes on around here, I'm still praising God that no one in our little community lost their lives.     that alone is so incredibly miraculous!!!!!!!         I cry at how we truly were spared, our whole community!!!!        people were praying!!!!          people were praying for us from all over the country and God heard those prayers.         

please cntinue to pray for those who are hurting today from loss of family and friends.       I can't imagine the heart ache.        please pray for those on the front lines of cleanup all around us.       please pray for those coming from other states to help with the cleanup.         pray for the small businesses that are stepping out in their communities and feeding those who are helping in any way and feeding those who have no way to prepare food for their families.        just pray as the Lord leads in this situation.

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what about 2 minutes in the kitchen with me yesterday morning?          let's do it!!          these are the rolls I baked some time ago, not the ones I made yesterday.         I still wanted to share thes and now is as good a time as any.           these are Honey Oatmeal Flax Rolls.           they are quite delicious.         I love using flax meal in my bread, but if you've bought it, you know that it can go rancid.          the last flax meal I purchased was already rancid when I got it home!!!          it stinks, literally.           hahaha

anyway, I love it, but I don't like buying something that expensive for it to already be bad.           so, I bought a 5 lb bag of flax seed at the local Amish store and grind my own.         a 5 lb bag has lasted me several years.          I store it in the freezer and take out what I need at a time to grind and then store the ground flax in the fridge.           no more rancid flax meal.          flax seeds are really good for you, but you don't get the health benefit from them unless they are crushed.            so, that's the  main reason for grinding them.          I don't use it in all my bread, but sometimes I just love to put some ground flax in my bread and it makes it really beautiful.   

I hope you'll try it sometime.

don't they look nice.          they are really good.

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todays offering from the kitchen.       cornbread swirls.         they are just so good.        these are really fun to make.           we really enjoy these.            when I took them from the oven, I brushed them with a little melted butter and that just seals the deal every time.          hahaha           they will go really well with my split pea soup.        yum y'all!        this is the recipe I use if you're interested:

1/2 cup milk  (I use powdered milk and water)

1 egg

1 box jiffy cornbread mix   (you can also make your own mix, so use the equivalent of 1 box of jiffy cornbread mix)

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp yeast

1 tablespoon butter 

2 tablespoons sugar-optional (it is better with it)

pinch of salt

I mix this in my bread machine and I always start with liquid, wet ingredients, adding dry ingredients and the yeast last and on top.  

heat milk to luke warm (water), add in butter, egg and the rest of the ingredients, with yeast being the last ingredient and keep it away from the salt.          I put it all in bread machine for about 25 to 30 minutes, but if you don't have bread machine, put it all in stand mixer or food processor and mix, or work it up manually.         once mixed really well, I take it from the bread machine to my silpat or bread board with cornmeal on it and roll into a rectangle.           try to keep all sides as straight as possible, about 7 x 14 inches or so and about a half inch thick.              

I use a pizza cutter to cut it with and kitchen skewer as my straight edge and work my way across cutting about 3/4 inch to 1 inch strips.          once all the strips are cut, just roll loosely into a swirl and put it on a baking sheet to rise for a couple of hours or even more then bake in 350* preheated oven for about 15 minutes, till desired browning.         if you roll the swirls too tight, they won't rise like they should.        I've had some rise to a peak on the top.         they should expand outward instead of upward.    hahahaha      just before they come from the oven, melt about a tablespoon and a half of butter and have that ready to brush on them when you take them from the oven.         let cool and ENJOY!!!   I store them in the fridge and when I get ready to fix them for our meal, I will pop a couple in my counter top oven and heat them up and they are just like fresh baked.  

when I first started making these, I tried rolling them jellyrolly fashion and slicing off swirls, they were really wonky and misshapen, so I started using the pizza cutter and skewer to get them straight.        it works for me.        hahaha        you can roll them however you wish to them.          I have even made bread sticks from them.         no matter how you make them, they are a wonderful addition to your bread rotation.

these are about as good as it gets.          sometimes I'll put minced onion and garlic in them.          I also have mixes of lots of dehydrated veggies that have been made into powders and flakes and sometimes I'll use a tablespoon or 2 of that in my swirls to give it a completely different taste.        plain or perked up with what ever you want to put them, they are ALWAYS wonderful!!

I hope you'll give these a try.

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let's do another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".             we love fried green tomatoes.  well, I should say that we love "air fryed" green tomatoes.           in 2021, I put up several pks of ready to air fry green toamtoes and we have enjoyed them every so often.          this may have been my last pkg.       boohoo  anyway, the pictures tell the story.          

when I package them for the freezer, I take 1 good sized tomato and slice it in about 1/4 inch slices.  then dip in egg wash and then into cornmeal seasoned with a salt and pepper.            I tear off a portion of freezer paper and lay out 3 slices, make a roll then put 2 or 3 more slices and then make one more roll and put the rest of the slices on top and then roll and fold and tuck all the edges and tape the bundle and pop in the freezer.  

when I take the little bundle out, I unwrap it and they aren't stuck together or covered in frost, which can and has happened in the past.             wrapping the coated green tomatoes with a layer of freezer paper between each layer assures me easy unwrapping.            when I get them unwrapped, I leave them on the freezer paper for a minute while I spray all the pieces with just a dab of avocado oil, then I flip the pieces and spray the other side.            this is what helps with browning.   

I put them in the air fryer set at 400* for 12 minutes.           when it goes off, I gently turn the tomatoes and set for another 8 minutes.            20 minutes and these are about as close to perfect as I would hope for.           these are delicious.          this is what we look forward to in the coming months.        more green tomatoes.           now, air fried green tomatoes, get in my tummy!!  

this is the easiest way I've found to put these up in the freezer.          just always mark what it is and the date with a permenant marker.

so when I get them opened up, I just use the freezer paper as my staging area for spraying them with the avocado oil.          this is only one green toamto.           we both could our weight in them, but.......we try to go easy on them, just to make them last longer.        hahaha

it's hard to believe that you can actually get browning and a good crust like this by using the air fryer.    I'm here to tell you that you can.          and what's so great is that there is no grease from skillet frying.

preheating your air fryer helps a lot, but you really don't have to.         just make sure you leave them in the air fryer long enough.           and, make sure you spray both sides with a non aerosol oil.       I have a pump sprayer that I keep avocado oil it.        it's the mildest flavor.         olive oil can be too over powering for my taste.        we prefer to taste the green tomato, so I use avocado oil.

I can't believe I didn't get any more green tomatoes put in the freezer this summer!!!         when you eat last pkg of anything that you really enjoy, it's heart breaking.          the goal for this coming season is to get MORE green tomatoes in the freezer!!!!

I'll let you in on another secret too.         we love fried okra.       but thru the years, we haven't a lot of the stuff that required skillet frying.       we can't handle the grease.        I can't handle the expense of using a half bottle of oil for only one thing and then throwing the oil out.     so we have done without.  not any more.      

I don't have pictures of the okra, but it looks as yummy as the green tomatoes do.          I get those bage of ready battered okra at Kroger and I'll dump a bag out on a paper plate and spray them with the avocado oil, stir it around on the paper plate and spray it again until it looks it's all coated.      remember, the oil is what helps the cornmeal coating brown.       and I'll transfer the okra to the preheated air fryer and give it about 20 minutes in the hot tub and they are pure perfection.       I just air fry them at 400* for the 20 minutes, give or take a few minutes.        just get them to the darkness that you like.          

if you like fried okra and fried green tomatoes, but don't like all the grease that usually comes with it, then this if for you!!!!         try it, you won't be disappointed.       

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Cheating  and Unrepentance, My Story

well, it started many years ago.         it was love at first bite.           what can I say, it really was!!!  cheese!!!!          just about any cheese!!!!           you name it, and I, at least "strongly" like, if not flat out L-O-V-E it!!!          for years, I have been faithful to my love.          come on, who doesn't have their cheese from time to time????         some people have other vices, cheese WAS my vice.       up until this week, that is.  

 

so, let me tell you how the fall from cheese actually started.          I've shared a little with y'all about my journey into dehydrating.          I have dehydrated produce of all kinds for many years, 25 or more.      it's fun to do, plus you cut down on waste and then you have lots of non perishable foods and even quick, fun snacks. 

 

the fall of  2019  was when my dehydrating addiction actually kicked in again.       I started dehydrating a few things, just for fun and to have something to keep me busy.           next thing I knew, I started dehydrating everything that didn't run when I reached for it.    hahahahaha  

it wasn't long till I had several glass jars of dehydrated produce.         as I got different veggies, along came more jars.          small jars, tall jars, skinny jars, fat jars.          I'm not a jar snob.   I don't care what it looks like, if it had something edible in it, and if it came from my kitchen, I can reuse it.        all jars, small, tall, skinny and fat.       they work for me.

I had all these jars of delicious dehydrated little nuggets of goodness.        TOO many!!!!       oh, I can't believe I just said that, but alas, I did.          hahaha           some of my jars just had a little bit in them and some had more.         jar after jar after jar.          so, after developing claustrophobia from all the jars, I brought out the big guns, my nutribullet rx blender.           I started emptying jars, one by one, and making powder.           I had a big bowl that I was dumping all the powders into.    

2020 was the perfect year to do this!!!!   trust me when I say this, you DON'T want to do this without a mask.       hahahaha   just take my word on it!!!            I would sift out any larger pieces and put those back into the blender.         blend and empty, blend and empty......that went on till I had 17 empty jars!!!!           yeah, 17 jars!!   hahaha            it was a beautiful sight to see all those beautiful powdered veggies waiting to be mixed together and then stored in 2, 1 quart mason jars.   

the colors were amazing!!!   again, I'm so thankful I had some masks to wear.         because as beautiful as it was, you couldn't inhale a lot of it because there was some HOT pepper in it.         hahaha       when it was all blended together then I filled 2 quart jars 3/4 full.        that gives me some shake room, to shake it all up and break up any clumps just from setting in the jars.

well, by now you are probably wondering how I cheated on cheese.            I had been using this a lot as it was.......then THIS happened!!!         I love yellow squash.          my husband, not so much.        so, when I get yellow squash, they are all mine.         woohoo!!!           anyway, I cooked my squash with a lot of onion, a lot of onion, did I say a lot of onion??        hahaha           when I got the squash and onion cooked, at this point, I would normally drain off a little of the liquid so I could grate some extra sharp cheddar and put in my squash.   

my jar of mixed veg was sitting right by the stove and I caught a glimpse of this very familiar and pleasing sight from the corner of my eye.         that's how it always start, just an innocent glance.      and just then, I had a thought and that's when I made the decision to cheat on my cheese!!!        

I didn't drain the squash, OH MY GOODNESS, instead, I put in 3 tablespoons of this beautiful mixture!!!         oh my, what have I just done?!?!           I felt a pang of guilt set in.         I thought I actually heard my cheese cry from inside the fridge.        too late.         no turning back.       deed is done.   

and thus my new love affair with the 17 veg mix powder has begun.         move over cheese, find a new dish, just get out of my way.         hahaha          there is a new jar in town and it don't have cheese in it!!!   

 

well, here I am now, telling y'all how the cheating started and I'm not repentant at all.         my cheese will just have to get over it or move on!!!            especially since I will be searching for new veggies to dehydrate and add to my powdered stash!!!         well, that's how it started y'all.       just by one little innocent glance and a small pang of guilt.        but I must say that I have recovered quite nicely from the guilt.       hahahaha 

  

so, how's this story for the first day of Spring, 2021?  anyway, hope you enjoyed reading about this non-cheesy event in my life.   

hahahaha, hope you enjoyed that story.          it's fun to go back and reread some of the stuff I've written over the years.   

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that's about all I have for today.          I hope your day is filled with praise for our loving God who has provided the only way to be in right relationship with Him, thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.          be blessed today.         may your day be filled with love, joy and peace, patty

2 batches of bread = Done and Breakfast made easy

good morning y'all.        it's another pretty dreary day here in my neck of the woods, but that's ok, because there's always stuff to be done inside.       yesterday, my goal was to get at least 2 batches of bread done and I did!!!       so, yay me!!!        I got the 2 main batches done that require the use of the bread machine and that was my main intention.         I didn't get the cornbread wedges made with my lodge wedge pan.        it just didn't happen and that's ok.       I aim high sometimes, but it's always good to have a goal.        I could have gotten them done, but I have learned to put myself on my list too.      so when I realized I was beat, I said the wedges can wait and I rested.       yes I did and I'm not one bit ashamed to say that.      I got a good nights rest last night, better than I've had in a while and I believe that's partly because I didn't put myself over the edge.     

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I just now took another bag of dehydrated cranberries off of my dehydrator, and a container of cherry tomatoes.           that's how easy it is to start building a stash of dehydrated goods.          just adding to jars a little bit at a time will quickly add up.          I have 3 more bags of cranberries to get dehydrated, so I'll probably work on getting those cut up today too.       I'd really like to get them done and outta the way.         we'll see what I get done.

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so yesterday was my bread baking day using my bread machine.        I made a batch of my cornbread swirls and a batch of rolls/buns from a basic bread recipe.        I always add whole wheat flour, wheat germ and a little vital wheat gluten to rolls/buns.         we love bread, what can I say.         I'll also make a batch cornbread wedges in lodge wedge pan.     (this didn't happen, but who knows what today brings.)         so I'll have a little bit of bread on hand for about a week.          I store all my bread in the fridge and when we're ready for it, I'll pop it in the counter top oven and heat it while I'm fixing everything else and it's as good as fresh!!!         storing it in the fridge, I never have any bread that goes bad.   

I took pics as my breads got done.       one of these days, I'll try to remember to take pics along each step of the way.         but I just forgot to take pictures until after they were done.  

   

yummy!!!!!           this was 17 or 18 cornbread swirls from my batch that I made up in the bread machine.          it sure makes easy work of a "hard for me" task.        I'm so thankful that I have it and I sure do use it.          it's a Cuisinart brand, if anyone is interested.

these are so good with the corn chowder that I make, I make these on a weekly basis.         I'm still tweaking my cornbread swirls recipe, trying to get it to perfection.         these done better this time than they have in a long time, so I hope maybe I'm getting them to be a little more consistent.          I'm almost thinking that the ap flour I've been using is not as good as some that I've used in the past.        that's the only thing that changes and when I use a certain brand, they don't do as well.       but these done better, so I'm hopeful.        we just love them.         I may have already shared my recipe on here somewhere.       if I have, you should be able to find it with the labels that I use to tell what ever I have talked about in the blog posts at the end of the blog.

this is the second batch that I made in my bread machine.         this a just a simple recipe for a loaf made in the bread pan of the machine.         we liked the bread well enough that I just make rolls/buns from it and they turn out delicious.           I recently got the red silicone pans that you see.        there is only 1 in the picture, but I got 2 from amazon.        each bun measures 4 inches across.

so I get the dough made up and take it from the bread pan and put it on my scales and weigh the dough in grams and then I portion it out in 16 to 18 equal size balls in grams.        this particular batch made 12 buns and 4 rolls.          I usually just make the dough balls round and then flatten them with the palm of my hand.          but with these pans, I put a dough ball in and flattened it out as good as I could and then let them rise till they doubled in size and then baked them.          as you can see, they are really uniform in circumference.

don't they look pretty nice?             I was really happy with the outcome.           when the bread is done, just let them cool in the  pans for a few minutes and then I just turn them over on the clean stove top and they fall right out.          if they don't fall out, they are easy to push right out of the pans.  

in this picture, there are 2 rolls on top of each rack of buns cooling.           I plan on the buns being for breakfast for my husband.

so after a little bit, I'll get in the kitchen and bring out those red pans again and start working on my "breakfast made easy" for my husband.          my husband eats an egg, cheese and sausage on a homemade bun every morning.       he loves it, so that's what he gets.        so I plan on making both of these full with the eggs, cheese and sausage cooked together.         I've already done an experiment and he had one yesterday morning and this morning and it's a 2 thumbs up from him.           so I'll get several of the eggs, cheese and sausage patties made up and pop them in the freezer, 2 at a time and then it will be easy to pull 2 out.         one for one breakfast and then one for the next morning.           it will also be good to have them on hand for a quick lunch too.        

anyway, that's what I've done and also what I hope to do.          I'll try to remember to take pictures of the finished product and share.        

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let's do a little bit of story time.         

I just took a sack of garbage out to the dumpster behind out garage.     when I came back up on the deck, I seen the inside door had eased itself shut.        when that happens, if you just grab the stormdoor handle and open it, that will form a suction and shut the inside door.         if one has regular doors with regular locks, that's ok.        but it's not ok if you have set the regular lock set to actually lock when the door shuts.         that's what I had happen previously on the incident I'm about to share with y'all.        this happened about 13 or 14 years ago.

I had been cleaning house all day, at least ever since my husband had left for work that afternoon.        it was in the summer and it was hot and I was sweaty and stinky and soooooo looking forward to getting in the shower and getting all the dust and grime and itchies showered off me and getting my head of hair washed too.        understand this, I was a fright of a sight!!!!!!         I was!!!!!!!        I had put on the cruddiest clothes I had because I was gonna be doing a cruddie job, so I wasn't looking to win any best dressed prizes.          my hair had not been combed or brushed since I started the job, just pushed up and clipped.      on top of all of that, I smelled a little bit foul.      hahaha    work and sweat equals foul, and I had even used deodorant.      hahaha

well, I was wrapping up the cleaning and I had said to myself, just take the garbage out and then a shower!!!        I was 2 minutes away from a lovely, hot, awesome smelling shower.        I picked up the bag of garbage and bounded down the steps and ran to garbage can just like someone anticipating a wonderful hot sweet smelling shower.         dropped the garbage bag in the dumpster and ran back to the deck and I ran upon the deck like a 10 year old waiting for a present.         I grabbed the storm door handle and pulled and at the same time, I heard this thud of the interior door pulling too!!!!!!         it was previously set so that when it shuts, it automatically locks and to get in, you need a key.        you know where my keys were, NOT in my pocket, but in my purse, inside.       yup, that's right. 

panic quickly set in.         I didn't know what to do.         finally I prayed about it and I got calm and I thought, well when I was inside just now, it was almost 6pm.           by this time, it was a little past 6pm.         so I sat down in the deck chair and just started thinking and looking around.        I thought my husband gets off work at 11pm, he'll be home in 15 to 20 minutes, so I can set here for 4 and a half hours.         I can do this.      

I started focusing on the back yard and looking at all the trees and suddenly, there was 3 or 4 rabbits playing.         ok, I can sit here and watch rabbits playing all night.          I can do this.         next thing I know, just like it would have been in the Garden of Eden, 2 little deer came out of the woods and was playing with rabbits.         they was hopping and playing and I was smiling and thinking to myself, I can do this.      

all of the sudden, something scared the deer and the rabbits and they scurried back into the woods and I was still thinking, I can do this, I got this.          all of the sudden the evening and night time insects got really bad and I was swatting and knocking at them and I was still thinking, I can do this.

well, my area is noted for bats.         not only was I swatting and knocking at insects, I was now ducking and dodging bats!!!!          a bat swoops down from the left and then another one swoops down from the right, all within a foot and a half of my head!!!!!         then 2 turns into 4 and quickly there was 8 or 10 and I thought to myself, oh heck no, I can't do this!!!!          hahaha

what I haven't told you up until this time is that my neighbor was deaf.         she could sign, and I could sign enough to ask for paper and pencil to write on.         but........she couldn't hear someone knocking on the door and they didn't have anything that would let her know someone was at the door.       she did have a dog and took it out frequently.         so I had to start stalking her and when she took the dog out, then I got her attention without startling her too bad.       I'm sure my appearance was more frightening than anything.       

I asked if she had some paper and a pen and she got some.         I told her I had locked myself out of the house and I couldn't get back in and the bats are swarming and wondered if I could come inside.      she was very warm and welcoming and always was.     she very kind and sweet.       her sister worked at the local hospital.         she said she would call her and have her take me to where my husband worked at the time and get the house key for me.       so, her sister came and picked us both up and we went to where my husband worked.         I told her sister that there was no way I could go in there looking and smelling like this and we all laughed.        so the sister said she would go for me.          so  she went to the breakroom and told someone who she was looking for and asked if they could get him, that it was an emergency.           so he came to the breakroom and she relayed to him what had happened and he gave her his house key and then we was on the way home.  

I thanked them both profusely and she went back to work and I walked on over to my house and got in.  it was about 7:30pm by now.         I got in the shower and got all the stink and funk washed off me.     it wasn't too long before the clock rolled around and my husband was home and he got his shower and we was off to bed after a good laugh at the events of the evening.

the very next morning we went to lowes and looked at locks.       we got a new door handle with a keypad on it and it automatically locks by itself after about 10 or 15 seconds.      but.........it's easy to open with the keypad.         as long as my memory stays pretty good, I'll be ok, hopefully.        

the worst thing about it, is that it has a deadbolt on it.       we are in the habit of using the deadbolt.      the problem comes in if one of us forgets that the other one is outside and we deadbolt the door.        so we are always trying to make sure that one of us doesn't lock the other one out.         hubby is the one that locked me out and I had to wait for him to get out of the shower to let me in.         hahaha  

so, now you know the story.        just beware of doors and locks.        oh yeah, and stash an extra key somewhere    hahahaha

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well, I think I will call it a wrap for today.          I hope you all have a wonderful day.        don't forget to thank God for allowing you to be a part of His creation.         also thank Him for the shed blood of His son, Jesus Christ which allows us to be in right relationship with Him if you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.         blessing, hugs and love to you all, patty

Previously shared stuff, maybe

good morning from my very cool neck of the woods.           the coolest I seen this morning was 27*, but I believe it got a little cooler than that.         I'll have to see what  the cold has done to the rest of my garden.          I have some bed covers ordered for my 4 large raised beds that have garlic in them.         I hope they get here soon.          the cold weather is not supposed to hurt them, but I will feel better if I have some protection on them.         I hope where ever y'all are today that you get to enjoy some of the great outdoors, even if it is cool.          we'll go for a walk in  alittle while and then we'll get our day started.      it won't be but just a few more walks till the month of Nov will give way to Dec.        I hope I can finish Nov strong and start Dec with a lot of energy.        I still don't know where this year has gone.         I can say that I'm truly thankful for getting this far into the year without any major events, for both myself and my husband.        lots of set backs with arthritis, back issues and other aches and pains, but I'm so thankful it's no worse than it is.      I try to praise God thru it all.         blessings on us  all as we go thru the blank canvas of this day.       may we let God paint a beautiful picture with our lives.

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I don't know if I've shared this one or not.         if I have, please forgive me.

hey y'all, let's do another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".        it's this time of year that I start looking forward to later on in the growing season.           after the garden is planted, I start checking my tomatoes.          not necessarily for ripe ones, but the good sized green ones.            we love fried green tomatoes.        well, I should say that we love "air fryed" green tomatoes.         last year I put up several pks of ready to air fry green toamtoes and we have enjoyed them every so often.        this may have been my last pkg.        boohoo            anyway, the pictures tell the story.  

when I package them for the freezer, I take 1 good sized tomato and slice it in about 1/4 inch slices.  then dip in egg wash and then into cornmeal seasoned with a salt and pepper.       I tear off a portion of freezer paper and lay out 3 slices, make a roll then put 2 or 3 more slices and then make one more roll and put the rest of the slices on top and then roll and fold and tuck all the edges and tape the bundle and pop in the freezer.             when I take the little bundle out, I unwrap it and they aren't stuck together or covered in frost, which can and has happened in the past.            wrapping the coated green tomatoes with a layer of freezer paper between each layer assures me easy unwrapping.           when I get them unwrapped, I leave them on the freezer paper for a minute while I spray all the pieces with just a dab of avocado oil, then I flip the pieces and spray the other side.        this is what helps with browning.       I put them in the air fryer set at 400* for 12 minutes.         when it goes off, I gently turn the tomatoes and set for another 8 minutes.            20 minutes and these are about as close to perfect as I would hope for.   they were delicious.           this is what we look forward to in the coming months.           more green tomatoes.          now, air fryer green tomatoes, get in my tummy!!        hahaha

don't these look yummy!!!          this really is the best way I've found to make fried green tomatoes.      they had gotten to where we both couldn't tolerate the skillet fried ones, just because of all the grease.   these have no greasy taste at all.        just crunchy and crispy and delicious.

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today is a day of sharing some of the stuff that God showed me early on.      when I came across all of this, I started not to share it.       but I believe in being honest about how I relate in this world.       it's obvious I don't relate to well to the events of the last few years.         I try to look at things thru the lens of how God looks at these events and that's not popular.      I started to ditch all of these posts that I had previously made on facebook,  but I didn't want to lose all the ways that God shown me His will and His ways.       so I thought I would go ahead and share them, real, raw, and as honest as I know how.

the next few sections below are from 2020.          each one had a particular event or happening that made me write down my take on them.        this is all it is, my take on the situations, as I try to view the world thru the lens of how God views the world.        so read on, or not.       

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###This particular message came about in the early days of covid and all the uproar of people wearing masks.       at some point in time, I'll tell y'all my real experience with wearing a mask.###

This is a long read.  read it or not, makes no difference to me, I'll never know either way.        This is just where my heart led me on this particular morning.

-Philippians 2:4 ESV   Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

-Philippians 2:3 ESV   Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

-John 13:34-35   A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

-Romans 12:2 ESV   Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

-Romans 8:5 ESV   For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

I have a lot freedoms when it comes to this life I live.        I have the freedom that comes from being an American.         I understand that things are not as grandiose as they used to be, but we still have it pretty dog gone good.           I am proud of the freedoms that I have being an American.        I have family members that helped fight for those freedoms and I don't take that lightly.         I can get up as I please.         I can go anywhere I please.        I can attain any level of accomplishment in my life that I desire.           I even have the freedom to kill babies and be in good standing with the government!         What more could anyone want?

The freedom I am most pleased and excited about is the freedom I have in Christ.         Christ alone, bled and died for those freedoms.          My greatest freedom in Christ is too love others.          Is that easy?            Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't.           There are a lot of things that I can do in my freedom as a Christ follower and be in right relationship with my Lord.   

The scriptures above is just a SMALL sampling of how we, as Christ followers, are to actually live in the world in which we do live.          We are going thru some hard times.            People are having to find new norms and it's difficult.         I admit and confess to my Lord right now, that I am struggling.    I also know that I am not the only who is struggling.          But Christ died for me and He knows what I'm struggling with.

When I read all the scriptures above and MANY more, this is where I am finding how, as a Christ follower, I should be carrying myself.

At one time, some people in KY were complaining about seeing TN license plates in KY WalMart and saying the state line should be closed  and blah blah blah!!!!            At any given time, in Springfield, you see about as many KY license plates as you do TN.  Why is that, because people from KY work in TN and people from TN work in KY.           So, before you gripe about seeing TN cars in WalMart, think about that, please.          It's easy to say that, if all your family is near by.           When I hear those statements or read them, I know that there is no compassion behind them.   

So, if and when you see me, I "WILL" have a mask on.          At least for the foreseeable future.       I will be wearing it to protect those around me from possible sickness.          I will also be wearing it to protect me from those around me that are sick and not wearing a mask and don't have symptoms yet and don't care.           I will be wearing it because I am compassionate and I do care about the people around me.              Even if I don't know your name, you're my neighbor and I try to be compassionate. 

One of the things that blows my mind is that one day you will see people thumbing their noses at wearing masks.          vowing and declaring they will not wear a mask and the very next day those same people are encouraging and asking people to wear masks to support certain businesses.         Some even said they would leave and not support a business if expected to wear a mask.        the next day they are asking people to wear masks to support the struggling businesses of their friends.        if it wasn't for their friends, they would be leaving and not supporting other businesses that ask for people to wear masks.       It's more mind boggling than what comes from the DC area.        Do we or don't we?          For some or for all?           Who knows, I'm sure by tomorrow those standards will have changed.        I think the term is a "flip flopper".          and obviously, it all depends on who their friends are.

So,  if you see me in a mask,  just know that I am not under  duress from the government to wear it, yet.          I'm not being forced to wear it, yet.         I wear it because I have compassion for my  neighbor.          I'll wear to help keep you and me safe.          There are other ways to thumb our noses at the governments interference in our lives besides putting people we love and cherish in harms way and possible death.           but evan at that, we called by God to live as peaceably with our neighbors as we can, especially when that peace depends on us as Christians.      

Now would be a good time to hone up on the Bible that those of us who are Christ followers say we live by and put them into practice.       just some of my ramblings on that particular day.

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###this goes along the same vein in which the above was written.      it was about the same time in 2020.###

this is what's on my mind this evening and thought I would jot down my thoughts.       these are just my thoughts, that's all.         but my thoughts can be dangerous for me sometimes and these were.       kinda made me take a second look at me.  the images are everywhere.          oh, you may not even pay any attention to them now, we've seen them so much here lately.          but when I see the images, I see something I don't like.         what are the images?          if you have read this far, you may be curious.  the images of the "upraised clenched fist".         when I see them, it almost makes me sick to my stomach.         and I seen an image this afternoon and it just stuck.          I knew I would have to knuckle down and make sense out of why it just makes me sick.         like I said earlier, this is my assessment and I'm not asking for anyone's approval of my thoughts or comments either.

a little digging and this is what I learned about the upraised clenched fist.      it signifies threat, rejection, arrogance, exclusion, refusal, ready to fight, anger and violence.       I think we've seen a lot of all of these traits in the last few weeks.         we've seen the clenched fists out in the streets committing heinous crimes.        I don't know about anyone else, but it has just about made me sick.  sometimes, I would like to know how people could have so much hate on the inside of them.       then, I remember that at one point in time, I had just as much hate on the inside of me as the people we've seen of late, still have on the inside of them.

then a little more digging also showed me what the open hand means.     it means friendship, help, peace, sharing, humility, communication and connection.        to be honest, that's something we've not seen a lot of these days.        that's what's missing these days.       it's not missing because the church doors have been shut due to the pandemic.        the church is not the building.       the church is each of us who claim to know Him.       where I am, there is the church.      where you are, there is the church.  that is only true if you know Him.  

when I think of an open hand, I actually think of 2 open hands.        the 2 open hands of my Savior that was nailed to the cross for my sins.       all of the sudden, that's when I realized why the clenched fist makes me sick.        go back up and read the traits of the clenched fist again.       they have nothing in common with the open hands.         other than that fact that all open hands, were indeed clenched fists until they had an encounter with Him. 

the open hands of my Savior had all the traits and so many more as described by the open hands.      I am so thankful for His open hands on my behalf.         if He would have had a clenched fist, life for all of us would be so different.        the truth of the matter, my Savior had the choice to make; clenched fist or open hands.        after all, He was fully human and capable of making a decision opposite of what He made.       He had a choice.        He chose me.        He chose you.

so, I have a choice to make and I have chosen Him.       does that make me perfect?       laughably, absolutely not.        it makes me a sinner saved by the grace of open hands.         we all have a choice to make.          it's not easy being open handed all the time because people think you are weak and beat down among other things.          but at this point in my life, I could care less what people think about me and just pray that people start thinking more about Him.         when we take our eyes off the open and nail scarred hands of our Savior, it's easy to start to getting clench fisted and full of hate again.          my hearts desire for myself is that in all my activities from this moment on in my life, I pray that my Savior sees me living my life with open hands.          that is the choice that I make, and I will fully rely on Him.         we all have a choice to make.        I can only make my choice. 

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###this is just something that came about as I was doing my bible study one morning and I'm so thankful that God showed me what He has shown me thru this ordeal.###

back on March 20th, 2020, when I was having time with the Lord, He impressed upon me a series of questions.          3 questions, as a matter of fact.           I wrote those questions down and have tried to be real with myself and answer those questions at least 3 times since the world changed.        here are the 3 questions:

Thoughts for the day   March 20th, 2020

1. What will be your greatest lesson learned from this ordeal? 

2. What will be your greatest sacrifice through this ordeal? 

3. What will be your greatest blessing on the other side of this ordeal?

those have been some powerful questions for me and really hard to answer at times.        these questions run thru my mind almost constantly.        I haven't been able to get them out of my mind.        He put those questions there for me for a reason.        as I struggle to answer them as honestly as I possibly can, I must say that it is hard!!!

for #1,  I have to say that learning peoples true nature has been the hardest for me to deal with.      there have been many wolves in sheep's clothing exposed.        the expression "fake it till you make it" doesn't work with entering the kingdom of God.

for #2,  I've always said that in all honesty, I know nothing of sacrifice.        I grew up in a time of abundance and luxury, face it, most of us did.         no, I've never had the best of anything, but that's not sacrifice, that's being petty.  

I've never had to go off to war for my country knowing that I may come home in a body bag like millions have.  that's sacrifice!!!          I've never got up and put on a uniform and walked out the door knowing that there's people on the streets that I'm charged to protect that value my life less than that of a sick stray dog.        that's sacrifice!!!         I've never walked into the hospital knowing that today may be the day that I walk out with the disease that will kill me like it has so many other drs and nurses, but it's my job and I have to do it.        that's sacrifice!!!        I've never gotten behind the wheel of a big truck hauling food and meds to other places across the country and wondering if today is the day that someone kills me because they are evil people with evil intentions doing evil things.     that's sacrifice!!!  

I could go on and on, but I won't.       most people I know are just like me, they haven't sacrificed much for this country.       and for those that have, "thank you for your sacrifice" you have my utmost respect!!  

so I guess the greatest sacrifice that has been asked of me up to this point in my life has been to wear mask to help protect other people.        I haven't made excuses.      I haven't beat my chest like a war drum screaming about my rights.        I haven't been disrupting the lives of others.         I haven't been claiming it's all a hoax.          I have been trying to do as the Lord has asked of me, to live as peaceably as I can with others, when it depends on me.         when I'm out, I wear my mask.         I haven't done a whole lot of shaming others for not wearing their masks.           I certainly could have done a whole lot more than I have, but I haven't.  

those that have been complying with being asked to wear a mask have been called sheep.        and that my friend, is one of the highest compliments that could ever be said about me.         Jesus knows His followers and His followers know Him.        what about the wolves in sheep's clothing?  well.......................what about them???

for #3,   my biggest blessing thru this and on the other side has been and will continue to be my constant.            that has been knowing that God has been in control.         God is still in control.      God will continue to be in control.           for that, I can wake up each day, knowing that no matter what my day brings, God has ushered it in for me and has allowed me to be a part of His creation for another day.          I am of the mindset that God IS our only way thru this life.        He will make a way in a barren desert.           He will make a way thru the raging river.         He will provide shelter when mountains are falling down around us.         The "I Am" will provide and make a way!!

God IS, All IS Well!!!!

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This is something I decided I would reshare with y'all.  With all the trouble in the world, I thought I'd share a short story that I wrote back in 2012.       It is based on an actual dream I had when I was 13 years old.       I don't write with proper English, I write like I talk and that ain't proper.       hahaha     So, I hope you enjoy this little short story.

The Best Day of My Life

This day started off like the life of any new day.       Just getting up and getting the day started was the first goal of the day.        For any thirteen year old, that was easy enough.      The hard part was containing the excitement that was building within.        This day had been marked in red on my calendar since the beginning of the year.       As each and every day came and went, it was marked off with a black marker.

I had first marked off days, then with the days came weeks which led into months.      The first five months of the year had come and gone with great anticipation for the month of June.      Then the days started being marked off, then very soon two whole weeks was gone.      There was one day left to mark off, and then all of the sudden, what do you know, that BIG red-letter day!        It was my birthday! Along with that event came the pleasure of doing absolutely anything I wanted to do, within reason, of course.         The first day of the year I had said I wanted to spend the day with Maw.        She was my mother's mother.        If you was a child and knew her, she made you feel like the icing on her cake.  Just imagine how she made me feel, her own granddaughter!

The time came for me to go to my grandmothers house.       I do not even remember how I got there, I just got there.        She had been cooking all morning for my special lunch with her.      Just the two of us.        You don't even know how hard that is to accomplish.       Because everyone wants to be with Maw!        But, today was my day to be with Maw!

Well, she made the biggest fuss you ever did see, and guess what, I loved every second of it!       Maw knew I loved her meat loaf, so that was the main course, yummy!         also had butter beans, mashed potatoes, and homemade yeast rolls.        She could make the best bread of all time!       My favorite dessert is "Vinegar Pie", so she made that with a candle on the side for me to blow out and make my wish.        I told her my wish was being lived out as we spoke.       I told her also that today was already marked in my diary titled "The Best Day of MY Life".       She asked me how I knew it would be that.   I told her that simply spending the day with her made it so!

After we ate lunch and got the kitchen cleaned up, we went to the bedroom where she had her special trunk.         She said she had not gone thru it in a while and asked me if I wanted to see what all was in it.        That had been a dream of mine for as long as I could remember, just to get to take a peek inside that trunk.       Now I was getting, not only to see what was in it, I was getting to touch some of it also! Another goal accomplished!         As she took out bits and pieces of materials, laces, buttons, photos, and pieces of paper you could see the sentimental value of all these little treasures all over her face. Each and every item had a wonderful story behind it.       As she sat telling me story after story, I kept wanting more.        Some of the stories were sad and you could see the sadness in her beautiful face.  But some of the stories were just down right funny, and those were the best!       Anything that made Maw laugh was what I wanted to hear.         But even if I could see a tear rise to the corner of her eye, I still wanted to hear her voice, simply because I knew my time with her would be short, even if it was a whole day, it just would not be enough!          She told me how I reminded her of my mom when she was my age.       Always wanting more stories and to see the treasures in the treasure chest.       She said my mom couldn't get enough of that, and I can't either.

She told me stories of her brothers and sisters, back in the "olden days", that was what I called it, anyway.        They had a really hard life, she said, but "I wouldn't take nothing for it.       Those days made me the person I am today. Just knowing that God was the sustaining factor in our lives, made every day worth living to the fullest, even if it was hard."         She told of her love of cooking, and sewing, and reading, and working in the garden, of rearing her children to the best of her ability.        She also threw in that she loved Paw a whole bushel and a peck, and laughed one of those laughs that I loved to hear.          I was laughing right along with her, just as loud as she was laughing, and suddenly, in the distance came an oh so familiar sound, the sound of an alarm clock!

NO! I don't want to say good bye!       The alarm clock was unrelenting and it was time to get up.      That awful clock ruined everything.        It brought me back to reality and awaken me from the sweetest dream of a lifetime!           But, one thing for sure, that dream put a smile on my heart that had not been there in such a long time.         As a matter of fact, my heart had not smiled since she went home to be with the Lord five years earlier.         I look so forward to having more of those sweet dreams of being with my grandmother and hearing that wonderful laugh and having another day with her that I can call "The Best Day of MY Life!" (written by:pjg-2012)

I hope you enjoyed this story and maybe, just maybe, it helped you remember your grandmother, or another loved one, who has since left this life and gone home to be with the Lord.        Sometimes remembering is painful, other times, it is just the thing that can cheer ones heart.        Go ahead, let yourself explore some of those memories and dreams of days gone by.       Ask God to be a part of all of it and, more than likely, it will end up being a blessing to you and those you share it with.

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this  happened a few years ago when we had to have the HVAC man come and look at our air unit.

Wanna see something fun?         Well, the ac/heat guy was at the house this afternoon just doing a tune up and he went under the house and came out with this!!!!         I went out on the deck as he was talking to my husband, and the ac/heat guy told me I wasn't supposed to see it.         I said "too late Ethel, I'd already been incensed!!"         He just about cracked up.         I said "you come out from under there with just the skin, you get yourself back up under there and don't come back out unless you have the snake in tow!!"          He didn't know whether to run or laugh!!         But hey, I was kinda serious.         I don't like the idea of a snake under my house.         Better under than in it though.           But I am wondering if I will find one in the house now!!!           If it was built the way my Dad and brothers used to build houses, you wouldn't find anything like that under a house, much less in a house.        But the way builders do today, it wouldn't surprise me to find anything in or under a house.         Anyway, if you are squeamish, "don't look Ethel"!!         Notice that the skin is as long as regular length broom!  EEK!!!

yup, that was a pretty terrifying event.          and I still think he should have went back under there and got that snake out from there.       hehehehe

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ok, that's just about it for the day.        I hope there wasn't too many repeats in this blog post.        I'm trying to share some of the stuff I took from facebook and didn't want lose.        so, if it seems I've shared some of it before, I do apologize.        but I hope there is some useful info in and amongst all of this.        maybe a funny or two here and there.        I hope you know how much you are loved by the Lord, if you belong to Him.          He loves you enough to want you to be in right relationship with Him.       now would be a wonderful time to get to know Him.      especially as the time that we celebrate His birth is rapidly approaching.        knowing Christ gives a whole new meaning to life, eternity and everything in between.   blessing, hugs and love to you all, patty

New Tip, A Blast from the Past, A Future Project

Happy afternoon Y'all!!!     I hope that where ever you are today that you are enjoying your neck of the woods.     It's a pleasant day here in mine.     A bit cooler than it has been, yay!!!!     I live in the heart of the Solar Eclipse belt 2017.    It's gonna be exciting around here.   All the motels are already booked up for miles and miles and miles around.    They are expecting hundreds of thousands of people to come from all over to be in the places that are considered to be in the solar belt that stretches all across the US.    A lot of the schools will closed, a lot of public businesses and offices will be closed that day.     They are even warning of the impending traffic jams that will come with all the people wanting to see such an event.    I think I heard them say that the next such event wasn't to happen again for 500 years.    So, what I'm thinkin' is that I "may" not be around to see the next one, what about you, you gonna be here to see next one?     hahaha      While it is exciting to think about and see, my one concern is that people will look at the eclipse and end up ruining their precious eye sight.     I will not be looking up at the sun, because if you know anyone that is low visioned or com pletely blind, think about what they would give to have their eye sight.   Is looking at the sun worth losing your eyesight or damaging it?    Beware of the scam shades that people are selling and giving away!!!!     I don't know about anyone else, but I don't trust those glasses!!!!    I don't trust anyone to have my best interests at heart, but me, when it comes to something like this.   Maybe I'm a bit silly, I've certainly been accused of much worse, but I enjoy my eyesight, I sure hope you do too.     There will be many videos on tv and the internet to watch after the fact.     What I am excited about is seeing how dark it gets at 1 o'clock or what ever time it's supposed to get dark here in my neck of the woods.    Will the chickens go to their roosts?    Will the cows come in to be milked?     Will the pigs really fly?     Oh, sorry, pigs flying has nothing to do with the eclipse, hehehe.     Just be careful and think about your eyesight.    How precious is your eyesight to you?

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I just wanted to share a picture of a future project.   I have been seeing a lot of these being made on around the web and I really wanted one too.    A bunch of gals on a private group that I am on have been making them like mad, crazy people (love y'all!!)!!!   hahahaha    They are such a lovely gift idea and I hope to get one made to enter in the county fair this time.     I really need to get cracking!!!   This is the journal on the packaging of the die itself.    There are many many beautiful journals on the internet with some really great tutorials.     Do a google of the die and you can find some decent prices on it.

Yes, you seen it here.   I am gonna try my best to get one made!!!    I hope and pray that I can make a beautiful journal.    I hope I can do Eileen Hull proud, I'm sure gonna try my "best-est" to do just that. 

I already have it started, although I'm not really keen on showing anything yet, but I will.    I may have to scrap it, so I don't want to get too attached to it yet.    Texture is the word!!!    This is the front.    (Sorry about the lights from the overhead light.)

This is the upper back.   I was just trying to show how unevenly painted it is.     It's thick and thin and the color is splotchy.     Just what I was going for.     I don't know how much of this underlayer will show on the finished project and I wanted it really messy.   Texture is the word!!!  Looks like I succeeded, huh!   hahaha

This is the journal opened up, flat out.    You can see the overlap of the spine and the holes for the threads, ribbons or what ever, to hold the signatures in.     There will be a lot of mixed media on the cover for sure.      Texture is word!!!    Ok, enough about texture.    hehehe

I cut this from cereal box chipboard and then I gessoed it after gluing the 2 pieces put together.    I let that dry over night and the next day, I put on a mix of paint that I have had for about 3 years now.     This mix of paint came about from another project where I was painting bottles, all different colors, on the inside and I had to drain the excess paint from the bottles.    I rigged up a container that I could drain the bottles into and then when they were all drained, I had this mix of paint.    Now what?    Do I toss it or use it?    Easy answer, use it!!!    And I have!!!!    I don't mind telling ya, I will be very disappointed when its all gone.     One or two more projects and it will be gone.     It gets thicker and thicker with each project and that's what I love about it so much.     It works wonderfully as a base on my mixed media projects.     So, I have this layer drying, just getting ready to start putting on more and more.     Be on the look out for more of this to show up sometime soon.    (I hope!!)

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Now...for a blast from the past.    When I started thinking about this blog post and what I wanted to share today, I started thinking about some of times we used to go fishing as a family.    All 8 of us would load up and go fishing!!    It was some really good times, until it came time to clean the fish!!!!!    hahahaha       It could be a few hours or even into the late evening cleaning fish.    Daddy would always strap on his pearl handled pistol that was in this really neat looking leather holster.     The belt part of it had loops all around the waist that held about a half a box of shells and then there was a leather strap at the bottom of the gun barrel on the holster that tied around his knee.     Kinda Indiana Jones-ish.     That was always one thing that he made sure he had.     Then, we had all the cane poles and rods and reels, tackle boxes, all different kinds of baits such as worms and minnows  and artificial baits of all kinds and maybe a piece or two of stinky meat (hahaha), and stringers for the ones that wandered off away from the rest of the gang.    Then there were plenty of 5 gallon buckets to hold all the fish and keep them cool and fresh till we got home with them.  

At the time, milk came in the paraffin coated cardboard cartons that some milk still comes in today, I think.      (What I remember about the milk cartons for our part of the country is that they also had coupons for Santa Clause Land Amusement Park up in Indiana on the backs of them.    You could cut those out, save them, and use them to gain entrance and use them for other things once inside the amusement park.)    Mom always saved the gallon sized cartons.     She would wash them out and store them until we had fish or some other meat to put in them because they stacked really well in the freezer, and therefore taking up less space.    They also held enough meat of one kind or another, for a meal.   Once the cleaning of the fish started, I was the fish runner.    The guys would be outside cleaning the fish.     Once they got a pan full, I would run that pan in to mom and she would start washing them and making sure all scales was gone and packaging them and I would run another pan out to the guys.    This carried on for for as long as it took, but with everyone helping, we got the job done.    When it was all said and done, we would have several gallon sized boxes of fish to put in the freezer and enjoy later on.    Two or three fishing trips like this in the summer kept us in fish all the rest of the year, until we got to go fishing again the next summer.   Mom would put as many fish in each box as she could, then she would fill the empty space around the fish in the box with water.    That kept freezer burn off the fish.     So, if we was gonna have fish for supper, she would set a box out of the freezer first thing of the morning and let it thaw and then the magic happened!!!    My mom is the best fish fryer there is!!!    hahaha     There would be a platter of fish on the table that was mounded so high, that I don't know how they stayed on there!!      Oh my gosh, they were the best things I ever ate!!!  I wish I had some of her fish now.     Next time I go see her, I may have to get her to fry me up a fish.    She would too, if I bring her the fish.    hahaha  

The meal with fish would usually consist of her delicious great northern or pinto beans, cooked to perfection, stewed potatoes seasoned with black pepper, 2 cornbread pones cooked in cast iron skillets and lots of onion.    That, my friend, was a meal that my family was more than thrilled to sit down too, any day, anytime!!!!      Very few scraps was left from this kind of meal.    The dogs didn't get to eat very well on a night like this, because there wasn't many scraps and you couldn't feed the fish bones to dogs.    The cats got to clean up the fish bones.    The dogs were used for hunting, so we fed them well.   They ate what we ate plus some dog food for nights like the night I just described.    They didn't like dog food though, they preferred the food we ate.    hahaha     Spoiled dogs!!  hahahah

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I have a new tip for y'all today.    I want to explain a little bit about it first.    When I started adding a tip to each post at the beginning of the year, I had no idea which direction it would take.     I was thinking crafts and then it quickly took a turn, (not saying I won't be adding crafty tips along the way, but for now, this is what it is.)    Then again, I had no idea what my word for the year would bring either.     My word for the year was and is "DREAM".     Not my dreams for me, but God's dreams for me.     His dream for me has taken me on the quest to get healthy and try to finish my days of life left on this planet serving Him in as healthy a body as I can have, with His help.       So with exercise and trying to eat a bit more healthfully, it is taking me on a journey.     I hope that some of y'all are following me on this journey.       A weight loss of 5 to 7% of overall body weight, moderate exercise for 150 minutes a week, and journaling every bite I have eaten has been the way to get me started on this healthy journey.     This is the guide lines that I was taught on my weekend taking the PT2 crash course to be a Life Style Change Coach.      I had started with some of this before I went to the PT2 training, I just didn't know it.

This year I have been watching documentaries on Netflix about the food industry, the medical industry and trying to find out more in general about getting my body healthy.    Netflix has probably got 10 or more really good documentaries that are free to watch.    About all the GMO's (genetically modified organisms) and antibiotics and other crap (technical term, grin) in our meats and grain.    So, search them out and see what you can come up with.    (((And, just as an aside, the health industry does not want us healthy.   They want to keep us sick, because there is not a continuous source of income from healthy people.    They love treating each and every symptom, not getting at the root cause of the illness.    Think about that.)))   You can find some of them on You Tube also.    In the process of all this, it has led me to some interesting websites.     I am not advocating for anyone to go vegan or vegetarian.     I'll tell you why.     I shared in the section above why and it's because I was raised in a household that hunted and fished to have meat on the table.     We was taught that "if you can't eat it, don't kill it, and don't kill it if you can't eat it", unless it was gonna harm you, ie, fox, coyote, snakes or a rabid animal.     So, we grew up eating game meat; rabbits, squirrels, deer, quail, partridges, dove, frog legs, the occasional soft shelled turtle and other animals that my dad and brothers killed and fish we caught with our own fishing poles.    We raised our own beef for many years.   My grandparents raised their own pork.    They also raised their own chickens.
 
We got to see all the processing that took place at home, on the farm.   It's a much different form of processing taking place in the meat processing plants these days.    We had some of the best meat that you can ever put in your bodies.     Free range meat is all there was back then!!!     Who knew???   We had no idea what the future was gonna hold for the food industry, but just like everything else that man gets their hands on, it becomes a nightmare.       My opinion is that the food that we had back 50 years ago was much better for us.     Number 1, it wasn't processed with all the crap (technical term, grin) that's in the meat today.    No added hormones and no added antibiotics.     No genetically modified beans and corn was in their diets, therefore ultimately, not being a part of our diets.    Number 2, my mother put a lot of love and forethought in the way she prepared our meals.     Meat was not the main dish of our meals.      Beans and potatoes and corn bread was the mainstay in our house along with the seasonal veggies and fruits from the garden or the freezer after mom had processed them herself.     Meaning that we ate mostly vegetables and some meat.      Fast forward to 2017 and meat is the main focus of any meal and its processed with crap (again, my technical term, grin) in it that was never meant for human consumption.      It's the processing of our meats that is making it deadly to our bodies, all the preservatives and nitrates and nitrites and other stuff I can't spell much less pronounce.    It is the processing or should I say, overprocessing of grain that is making it deadly to our bodies and the same with the veggies we eat.    All the fiber being processed out of grain and all the sugars we are consuming without knowing we are consuming so much.    Not to mention everything that is being made with genetically modified corn and beans that is in just about everything we eat today!!!!!      You know what gets me?     I noticed in Sunday's coupons in the paper that they are now making dog and cat food WITHOUT genetically modified organisms or "gmo's".    They don't want you feeding this to the pets, but it's ok for your children to eat the crap!!!!!     What do you think about that???

I am "now" concerned about what I am putting into my body.      The reason I say "now", is that it's better late than never.      I don't know how this is all gonna pan out for me in the long run, but I am trying to eat more healthfully and purposefully.      Back years ago, my husband and I used to travel a lot and for the life of me I can't remember where we went, but I do remember all the foods associated with the good trips!!!!    Every trip, I associated with the meals eaten, not the sights seen.    How sick is that?!?!      hahaha     Who cares where we went, the food was good!!!!      And you know what, the food was good to my taste buds, but it wasn't good to my body and I am now dealing with the consequences.     A couple of sayings come to mind.   One is, "all things in moderation".    How's that working for me?     I wouldn't say that to an alcoholic or drug addict, so I'm not gonna say that to myself anymore.     Another one is, "eat to live, not live to eat".     This is one saying that I am gonna try to put into practice.     For so long, I lived to eat.     I love the flavors of food, I do, I can't help it.    Come to find out, it's not the flavors of food that I loved, it's all the addictive additives that was in the food.    Now, I can honestly say that I do love the fresh real flavors of real food.     

With all that said and the journey I am now on, comes my tip.     On the left hand side of my blog under "places I shop" is a new category I called "Healthy Eats".     These are some places that was mentioned in some of the documentaries that I watched and some are just places that I have found on my own and wanted to save for myself and I thought I would add them here for all of us to take advantage of.   There are lots of recipes and how to add more healthy veggies to our diets and how to make healthy sauces that are void of animal byproducts.     There are some though, that I can't add.     For some odd reason I can't make it a clickable link in the column under "Healthy Eats" (it turns into gobble-dee-gook that is unintelligible, another technical term) , so I'll have to add those in blog posts and hopefully figure out how to put them all in one place.     A couple of those places that I couldn't add to my list is www.plantplate.com, once there, check out the recipe list and also https://nutritionfacts.org/.    These are some really good places to get great info.    I tried to put these in my list, but as I said, I couldn't.    I said earlier, I am not advocating going vegan or vegetarian at all, but this next place is a good place to look at some of the alternatives for meals and what can be eaten at a very low cost, so that's why I'm sharing this one, https://rawvana.com/vegan-meal-prep-1-50-day/.    This one also has the you tube video that goes along with it to show how to prep the food.    Also, at the bottom of the page on Forks over Knives, (this one is listed) look for the newsletter archives,    There are a lot of recipes in that area.

I will say this about the places I have listed.     I am not responsible for the adverts that may pop up on the websites and the other content on these sites.   There was a place or two that had some questionable ads and I did not even post them, simply because I don't want y'all to think that I advocate for some of the garbage that they was taking a stand for.    I advocate for healthy food for healthy bodies so we can use them in the service of our Lord and Savior, that's it.    No hidden agenda.    I am just trying to be my own advocate for myself and learning to make better choices for me.    I do believe in taking care of what the Lord has blessed us with, His planet.    God made everything He made to be useful to man, even animals as a source of food.    The Bible has all that info in there, so read it to find out what God says.    If I do decide to give up meat all together, it will because God has directed me to do so, but for now, I am still enjoying meats, just less of it.    If you choose to give up meats, it's because you made the choice for yourself.   (Although, watching some of the documentaries is enough to turn a weak stomached person off of meat for good.)    

So, if you are trying to get a bit more healthy, feel free to check out the websites that I have listed under "Healthy Eats".     If you have a place that should be added, than add it in the comments below, and once I have approved the comment, we can all have access to it then.     I hope and pray that this will be a blessing and some useful info for all of us on our journey to get healthy.     We'll do it together!   Yay!!!!!

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Well, that's about it for today.    I have exercise class after while and will be heading off to it.    But when I get back home, I hope to work a little bit more on my Eileen Hull journal.    Come back soon for an update on that.    I hope where ever y'all are that today is a most lovely day for you.    I hope you have some good memories of fishing in your memory bank. Also some good memories of enjoying the catch later.   Yeah!!!!    Take the dare today to start eating to live and not living to eat. Savor every healthy bite of food you put in your mouth.    Check out some of the places I listed to help you get started and to give you some good healthy suggestions.    If you have any suggestions for us on the places for healthy advice with our meal preps, please let me know.     I do love hearing from y'all and reading your comments.    Start a fun project today.    Do something just for you today, that will make you appreciate this moment in time.   Tell someone you know that Jesus loves them and is waiting to hear from them.     And take care of your eyes, they are the only ones you have!     God loves y'all and so do I!!!     Till next time, hugs and love!!!!    Patty