You can thank me later! Tuesday morning began like any other day. I got up, opened up my Diet DrPepper and sat down to read my devotion of the day. Decided to then make breakfast for Randy and I before heading to the Dr to see about a problem I have been having with my hip. Since I knew I would have to get on the industrial scale the dr has installed that looks like and is almost large enough to weigh an 18 wheeler, I decided to eat light that morning . I didn’t want the Dr fussing at me for gaining weight these last 6 months! So we ate a light breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese. Toast (but without jelly, trying to stay “light”), sausage patties and juice. We skipped fried potatoes that morning. Didn’t want to take any chances of adding a pound or two. Feeling pretty cocky and Positive that I could still zip my jeans to dress nice for dr appointment. I drove to the appointment feeling pretty spiffy that Dr would look at me and say, “trudy I’m so proud of you, you did great these last 6 months and didn’t gain the Covid weight most people have gained!” When the Dr assistant came to walk me back, we chatted and she stopped me in front of the heavy metal floor scale that weighs folks! I told her it would take me a min to disrobe all the unnecessary cloths that I knew would add pounds! So I proceeded to take off my coat, my vest, my earrings, my bracelet and shoes! When I began to remove my mask she stopped me and said, ” oh Ms Trudy, you have to keep your mask on”. What??? But that is unnecessary baggage and might effect the scales! So very unhappily leaving the mask on, I glanced to the image the red light was projecting on the wall from the scale! Lo and Behold, just as I had warned the lady who was writing down the info she was seeing, the masks had indeed caused a 10 lb difference since last dr visit! So please ladies and gentlemen, be careful which mask you wear to weigh in. Some of them have hidden weights in them. They might look small and flimsy but beware!!! They are not what you want to be caught in when having to weigh in at dr office! Be sure and choose a mask that does not have these weights! No matter the light versions of meals you consume before going will not be enough to keep the scales down if you are wearing the wrong masks!!!! Please pass this on so others will be in the know! And to think that Randy and I went without the normal large order of French fries that we have along with our double double hamburger at In and Out the night before the appointment! If I had known about this we would not have sacrificed the fries! This is so sad that we were never warned about this! Am now on a search for a new masks that has no writing or pictures or any weights secretly sewed in them. And by the way, all of you who were mailed pretty little lime green masks that has Humana written in large white letters….that screens “I am A Senior Citizen”, throw that one out also!

Tis So Sweet is now available on Amazon $12 and is full of wonderful testimonies from woman who have so sweetly shared their hearts! Bake a cookie, scone, pie or cake, from the many recipes in the book! Sit and read stories of Gods faithfulness to women, who have gone thru a difficult season but chose to put their trust in the One who gives us hope and peace! Thanks to Barbi Wright Briscoe, Becky Frame, Christi Schwalk, Debbie Stuart,Dee Smith, Dianne Bryant, Haley Stuart Taylor, Holly Hawkins Shivers, Linda Perry, Simone Monroe, Sylvia Gilmour and Wyndi Geren for your willingness of opening up your heart to us! May God be glorified through these declarations!

Well, I did it again, Sunday, when closing the video of making roast for dinner, I signed off with “bye, love ya’ll” Randy looked at me and said, “love y’all?” I am in such a habit of always ending phone conversations with our kids and family (and yes, even friends) that it just comes out before I think. Randy reminded me after he shut off the video of the times past when, because of this habit, a repairman thought I was after him. As the man (who I had never met before) left the kitchen, headed for the front door, I thanked him and said, “love you”. When he turned around and looked at me, I started laughing and told him I was sorry. That I was just in the habit of saying that to our kids each time they left. Thank goodness, Randy was home to back up my story. Then there was the time when I was trying to get the City of Pasadena to start our water service when we had moved out there. Because Randy knows that I am patient enough to stay on the line when they put you on hold, he figures that it is best to let me do the phone calling for new service so he can just sit and drink his coffee. So at the end of the conversation, I had not only thanked the man for his help, but I ended with “thanks so much and I love you.” Before I could explain, the guy hung up the phone and Randy just looked at me and said, “you know, we have a chance here to begin a whole new life. A life that doesn’t include you telling every person you know that you love them and making them wonder if California doesn’t have another weird stalker moving in.” I gave Randy the evil eye and said, “what would Jesus do?”

A few years back when email was pretty new, I had my son come over and help me get an email address and show me how to customize a signature. It was so exciting. Because I had never emailed anyone before, I guess I thought what reason would I have to email anyone besides family, so I customized my signature with “hugs and kisses, Trudy”

Well some time passed and as with all new things, the email caught on and we, like all of you began to use it to correspond with friends and people who we learned also used email. One Sunday after church, Randy and I talked on the way home about how awesome the choir sounded that day and I told him that after lunch I was going to sit down and write an email to the choir director telling him what a blessing it was to have this beautiful choir lead us in worship. Forgetting about my customized signature, I sent off an email to him forgetting that it was signed with “hugs and kisses, Trudy” Of course I never received an email back. The poor guy was probably scared that there was a stalker in the congregation and that stalker happened to be a lady who had had his wife in her home for lunch more than once. As soon as I could, I changed my signature and wrote to his wife and explained the situation. I didn’t want her to think that I was after her husband and might slip something awful in her food, next time she came for lunch.

One of our family members who will remain anonymous, use to kid me all the time about me calling everyone honey. He told me I would make a great waitress in a southern restaurant. Bless His heart, I told him I loved him before hanging up on him. So maybe it is best for me to live in the South, instead of California or Arizona….love ya’ll!

On Sunday, I posted a video of this wonderful roast that has been on our tables since the 70’s. Our families have loved it and everyone who has been in our home have told me that it is great. Because it makes such a thick rich gravy, you don’t have to worry about making a gravy or adding a packet of brown gravy. It makes it’s own. Give it a try and let me know what you think. It is easy and always turns out great.

1 chuck roast (I always use chuck roast as it has such a great flavor and it more moist than rump roasts)

1 can (10 1/2 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1 can (10 1/2 oz) French Onion Soup

2-3 tables Kikoman Soy Sauce

2 teas dried parsley flakes

Garlic Powder and ground black pepper to taste

In a roasting pan or Dutch Oven, which has been sprayed with Pam, heat 2 teas olive oil and then add the roast to the heated oil. As you brown one side of the roast, sprinkle the pepper, garlic powder and half of the parsley flakes on the top side. After a few minutes, turn the roast over to brown the other side, adding the rest of the parsley, garlic and pepper. Before pouring the soups over the roast, sprinkle the Kikoman sauce over the roast then add both cans of soup to the pan, being sure the roast is covered with the mushroom soup and some of the French Onion soup. The French Onion soup will spill over to the sides of the roast. Depending on the size of the roast, add anywhere from 1/2 can to a whole can of water to the pan. In the small roast I made Sunday (was about 1 lb for the two of us), I used about 1/2 can of water. Do not add any salt to the roast as it has plenty from the soups and Soy Sauce.

Place lid on baking pan and Place roast in a preheated 325 oven. Check the roast after about 1 1/2 hours to be sure you don’t need to add water. I added about another 1/2 can when I added 6 carrots to the roast after baking it for 1 1/2 hours. Then continued roasting it for another 2 hours. Depending on how large your roast is, will depend upon roasting time. The soups along with the Kikoman sauce make a wonderful thick gravy that you will love poured over mashed potatoes.