Daily Thoughts

Faith & Failures

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

Last week my mom, age 92 passed away. Very peacefully, with no suffering. Knowing that I wanted to write about her life, I had to give it some thought as to what to say. Being an only child, my growing up years were filled with lots of memories of people coming to live with us. There was always someone at church that, for many reasons, needed a place to live for a while. We had cousins from Michigan, missionaries, her Mother-in-law, my Aunt Gladys, after losing her husband. The list goes on and on. I felt that the extra bedroom, was always filled with someone. There were years that I know my parents really struggled financially, relationally and physically. Growing up, I remember thinking that when I was married with children, I would do everything totally different from how my parents did. Probably every child thinks that. My parents were always involved in church activities and I have such sweet memories of parties that were held at our home, which always involved lots of food. My parents loved God and even though our home wasn’t always as peaceful as it should have been, there was always the knowledge that was imparted to me that God was always to be first in our lives.

Over the last week, I have thought back to some of the things which my mom taught me, which at the time, I felt that she was just being “silly” and didn’t think she knew what she was talking about. As I have matured, I have often thought about her trying to instruct me in following God’s path for my life. It was sad that my mom spent many years as a very unhappy person.  Looking back, sometimes I feel that maybe she always wanted people in our home so that she wouldn’t have the time to think about her situation, or having to deal with it.

The last few days I have heard some sermons on forgiveness, which was what I have been dealing with for many years regarding my mother. She was a good mom, and did the best she could. It became apparent after hearing these wise men preach that I truly had never forgiven her. It was always important to me that people know that there was another side to my mom which most people never saw. Now it has made me realize even more that God uses the ones who are available and willing. That we don’t have to be perfect for Him to use us. In spite of our failures, we can still be used to help others and to glorify Him. Even though I spent most of my life being emotionally afraid of my mom, I can still thank her for some of the things that are so important to me in my life and how I want to live. As Tony Evans says, “you can allow the “dents” that people put on your life and walk around mad every time you think about the hurtful “dent” or you can forgive them and walk around with an uninterrupted fellowship with God”. Isn’t it amazing how God places stories and sermons right in front of you at just the right moment.

Here are a few of the things that my mother tried to teach me.

1. She wouldn’t let me play with a ouigi board because as a Christian we are not to have anything to do with anything that has to do with “spirits”. I told her that she was being so silly, it was just a board game. Later, I understood what and why she was trying to teach me.

2. If you are well enough to go out to do anything, you are well enough to go to church.

3. Give God the first 10% of your income, 90% will go further, giving God what is due Him than 100% when you don’t. Years ago, she relayed the story of how one week, she and my dad were really broke and agreed not to tithe. That same week, their car broke down and the amount to get it repaired was the exact amount of what their tithe should have been. That was the last time they didn’t give their tithe.

4. People are right when they say that kids learn by watching, not just listening to words. I wish I would have learned that a little earlier than I did, not after my children were all grown.

5. To always keep the Sabbath holy. We were not allowed to go to movies or shop on Sunday, in fact, it wasn’t until later years that my parents would even go out to eat on Sunday, as they felt guilty making people work on. This is one of the rules I wish I had taught by “example” more when our kids were growing up.

6. To read my Bible daily and have personal prayer time.

Yes, my mother wasn’t perfect, in fact, sometimes she was truly very hard to get along with. But she loved God and she loved me and I just want to tell her thank you for being faithful to what she felt God had for her. She, like myself, failed many times, but her faith was strong and no matter how bad her mind got at the end, she could always recite scripture. Thank you Lord for being faithful to her and thank you mother, for passing on your love of God to me!

Cookies · Desserts

Honest To Goodness Awesome Oatmeal Cookies (and gluten free no less)

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

A friend of mine brought us some of these cookies to the luncheon where I took the shrimp salad. I was starving when I got there so before the blessing was said and we began to fill our plates with fruit and shrimp, I saw these little gems and had to have one. After the first bite, I was stuffing the rest of it in my mouth, when Cricket said, “aren’t they delicious? and they are even gluten free?” WHAT???I couldn’t believe it. Seriously, they were some of the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten and to think that there is no flour in them, well you don’t have to ask me twice to eat 10 of them…and to think they are healthy! Is life good or what? This precious friend who made them brought me my own bag of Trader Joe’s Rolled Oats this morning. I never knew that some oats had gluten in them, did you? So as soon as I post the recipe, I am headed to the kitchen to mix up a batch of the “best little gluten free oatmeal cookies in Texas”

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 teas baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

3 cups Trader Joe’s Rolled Oats

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3 to 4 oz mini chocolate chips (the recipe calls for 6 oz, but Cricket said that she halved that as the 6 oz were to many)

2 eggs, room temp

1/2 cup nuts, such as walnuts or pecans

1 teas vanilla

1 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar and butter. Beat until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla and baking soda and mix well. Add peanut butter and mix. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts. Place teaspoon full of dough on a lightly greased baking sheet about 2″ apart. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly brown around the edges.

Thanks Cricket for sharing this with us. Just another fabulous cookie for me to get addicted to!

appetizers · Fish · Salads

Shrimp Salad

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Yesterday I wrote that I would post the Shrimp salad if the ladies liked it. It was a success. In fact, it really was such a hit that one of the ladies took the rest of it home.

I ended up serving it in hollowed out avocado and it was such a refreshing summer salad.

1 lb of large shrimp, cleaned, deveined and peeled, cut into pieces

2 tables mayo

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup celery, finely diced

1/2 small red bell pepper

3 green onions, green stalks included

4 large avocado, halved and seed removed

McCormick Lemon Pepper

Seasoned Pepper, Onion powder and dill

After shrimp has cooked and cooled, I cut each shrimp into about 3 pieces.

Mix your mayo, sour cream, and seasonings, Add to the cut up shrimp and place in fridge for at least 4 hours. I mixed it up the night before giving the flavors a chance to blend.

Use the lemon pepper, dill, and onion powder to your liking. I love to add a little more dill and lemon pepper.

This would actually fill about 5 avocado which have been cut in half!

Daily Thoughts · Salads

Slips & Salads

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Being responsible for lunch today for a ladies Bible study, I decided to make shrimp salad and tomato mozzarella salad. At the last minute, I decided instead of making shrimp pasta salad, I would stuff avacados with the shrimp, so ran up to Kroger to buy avacados about 9:30 this morning. Being sure that I looked around for just the perfect soft ones, not to soft, not to hard, I found just the perfect ones that would allow me to cut them in half and scoop out of the shell. I turned to go get a plastic bag to put them in when I walked across some water on the floor by the strawberries. Of course you know the rest of the story, having my cutsie little sandals on with lots of bling, I fell down on my left knee with my right leg going in the opposite direction landing on my rear. The produce guy ran over to help me up and acting like I am a senior citizen, he kept asking me if anything was broken (besides my pride) and thank goodness, he was a hefty little thing, so was able to pull me off the floor before to many people walked by snickering.

Upon arriving home and knowing that this was probably good enough to get me some sympathy from Mr. Great Bedside Manner, I came in from the garage limping and looking like I had just been in a 3 car pile up. He comes over to me, and ask if he can get me anything. I tell him, yes, I would love a tall glass of iced tea and an Advil. I proceed to go sit on the couch and wait for my precious hubby to come bring my tea and pain med. Knowing that maybe, just maybe this would get me dinner out tonight so I wouldn’t have to stand on my already swollen knee, he hands me the tea and says, “isn’t it great that you weren’t on the liquor aisle? They would have just thought you were drunk!” And that my dear friends is about all the sympathy I received. Well, along with, “maybe “we” can just make it an easy dinner tonight since your knee looks pretty swollen, what about just “fixin” meatloaf, baked potatoes and green beans with bacon. I bet there is a couple of slices of butter milk pie left over from yesterday, so just don’t feel like you have to bake something tonight.”

Is he not the greatest and most thoughtful of husbands?

I am so glad I bought a couple extra avocado so I can throw one at him.

But in the meantime, I made a salad of cherry tomatoes with mozzarella balls and put sea salt, olive oil, mashed garlic and fresh basil to go along with the shrimp salad which I will post after I see how the ladies like it.

Daily Thoughts

Princess On The Porch

Chocolate Castles5 Comments

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It has happened. Princess On The Porch has been published by Westbow, a division of Thomas Nelson. It is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and available for Kindle.

There are several precious friends who helped make this a reality.

Amy and Kathy Duncan (mother and daughter), Peggy Stodola & Cora Wilkinson, I owe you so much for the time and effort that each of you invested to help me complete the book.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers, encouragement and love. Randy, your sense of humor and love gave me so much material to write about. Thank you for loving me and for continuing to hold me accountable to finishing what I felt the Lord had lead me to write.

It is now a reality and a dream come true. Time to start on the 2nd book which will be all desserts, plus more stories that will hopefully bring a song to your heart and a smile to your face.

appetizers · Beef · Dips · Meats

Pimiento Meatballs With Olive Tapenade

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Meatballs With Tapenade
Meatballs With Tapenade

Taken from Food Network Magazine from a couple years ago, these meatballs will be a hit at your next gathering!

For the Tapenade

1/2 cup pitted green olives

1 cup fresh parsley

5 scallions, roughly chopped

1 1/2 tables capers, drained and rinsed

1 small clove garlic, minced (more if you like it a little more garlic)

2 teas Dijon mustard

2 tables olive oil

Meatballs:

1 pound ground beef chuck

1 (4 oz) jar pimientos, drained and patted dry and chopped

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Kosher salt

2 tables olive oil

2 tables tomato paste

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 tables packed light brown sugar

1 teas red wine vinegar

Prepare the tapenade: Soak the olives in warm water about 5 min and then drain. Combine the olives, parsley, scallions, capers, garlic, mustard and olive oil in a food processor and pulse several times. Set aside

Meatballs

Put the ground beef in a large bowl and add 1/4 cup of the tapenade (reserve the rest for serving along side them)

Add the pimientos, breadcrumbs, egg and salt; mix with your hands until combined. Dampen your hands and form into  meatballs 1 1/2″ (I have a meatball scoop that I use). This will make about 24 meatballs.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the tomato paste to the skillet and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, brown sugar and vinegar and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Return the meatballs to the skillet; reduce the heat to medium and simmer, occasionally spooning the liquid over the meatballs until the liquid is reduced by half and the meatballs are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve with the reserved tapenade.

Daily Thoughts

4th Of July!!!!

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I love fireworks, I love what they stand for. We have had a whirlwind of company the past 2 weeks with more family coming in from Austin today. I just made the pioneer woman’s incredible chocolate sheet cake. My son coming in from Austin is bringing his new “friend” for us to meet. I have seen pictures of her from FB and some texts that they sent us when he went to Chicago to visit her. But getting to meet her has brought up many memories. I remember meeting my husbands mom and dad and how nervous I was. What would I wear, would I have a good hair day? Would I sound silly or be able to act the way I felt they expected? Is all this going on in her mind?

It is so different to be on the other side of the “meeting the parents” day. I got up, showered, put on shorts, flip flops and thought, “oh well, my hair looks good enough”. Or wait, does it? Should I iron the shorts and make them look nicer? Should I put on my whole face, with eye makeup and all? Do I go ahead and wear perfume? What if she is allergic to perfume? What if she is allergic to nuts that I put in the chocolate cake? I need to dust and sweep and clean the bathrooms before they get here.

I guess it really isn’t much different. No matter the age, no matter the circumstance, we all still feel that we need other’s approval. As we age, the approval doesn’t seem as intense, but we still want everything to be perfect for meeting people that might be a very special part of our family.

So we have cleaned the house, baked favorite dishes for our son and will hopefully make her feel most welcome. We have a sign over our back door that says, “Enter as Strangers, Leave As Friends”….that is what we hope will happen this weekend.

Have a glorious 4th and remember to stop, pray and thank God for the freedoms we do still have and for the families that still sacrifice so much for us to have those freedoms.

America, God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!

Daily Thoughts

July 4th & Just Some Thoughts

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

We are sitting here, watching news before heading out with some of our kids to watch fireworks. We love fireworks and picnics. It is truly one of the most fun activities that I look forward to every summer. As we were watching the news and listening to warnings regarding possible threats by terrorist across the country, we are reminded to be aware of our surroundings, and report any suspicious behavior.The last several years, it has been such a  heavy thought to me that our leaders choose to not see how our country has spiraled down to become a country that sees more and more violence. They try to tell us that it is because we need more “programs”.

We have continually pushed God out of our country, our schools and our families. We then wonder why we are seeing more school shootings, more violence against churches and constant rising in crime across our land.

Talking to teachers, we hear that things are very different now. Years ago, when they talked to parents regarding discipline problems they are having with the child, parents use to ask what they could do to show support to the teacher and offer their help in disciplining the child. Now. more times than not, when teachers have to have a parent teacher conference, it results in the parents placing blame on the teacher, because “the child certainly is not to blame.”

Times have changed. We no longer have the freedoms that we once did, because everything we say or do seems to violate another person’s comfort or “rights”. The days we live in seem to have escalated into days of people having no respect for themselves or others. Children are not taught boundries.

When we look back over the last 10 years, it is easy to see the results of a nation which doesn’t allow discipline in schools. We are no longer teaching our children to honor the real heros. The heros that the children hold in high esteem, seem to have no morals themselves. It amazes me that our leaders all over the country do not recognize that when discipline left the schools, new problems arose. We have more gangs, more drugs, more children being bullying, more kids ending up in prison. Families have changed. Because of the times which allow any thing that seems ‘right” we have a nation that confuses truth with “rights”.

This post might sound pretty negative, but our nation is no longer a nation “under God”. As we continue to spiral down, troubles continue to spiral out of control. News is full of stories of people being killed, some by even family members

.Our wonderful Nation that was formed by men who truly were heros, knew that sacrifices were being made for others. Their Godly convictions were convictions that were based on God’s truths, that we were given to guide us.  If we followed those laws and commands given to us by our Creator, our Country would still have problems, but we would be a blessed people, with God as our model.

Why, in the 40’s and 50’s when we allowed God in our schools and taught respect in our homes, did we not have the problems which we have today? Hum….

It is with these thoughts that I thank the many many people who have sacrificed so much for the freedom that we still celebrate. It breaks my heart that the Country which they have fought for has abused so many of the freedoms. That America has become a country full of people who feel entitled to “things”, which in the past, people worked hard to receive. This has created a generation of people who don’t like to work or respect those who do.

It is great that our forefathers cannot see what American has become. America, from sea to shining sea….let’s realize our mistakes and turn our country back to what it is suppose to be, One Nation, Under God!

Cakes · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake

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Love, love, love blueberries! This recipe is taken from Food Network Summer Favorites!

Cake:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp, plus more for the pan.

3 cups plus 2 tables all purpose flour

2 1/2 teas baking powder

1 1/4 teas salt

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs, at room temp

1 teas vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 cups fresh blueberries (about 1 pint)

For the toppings

1 pint strawberries, halved or quartered

1 to 2 tables sugar

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 tables unsalted butter, at room temp

4 to 5 tables milk

To make the cake, preheat oven to 350. Generously butter a nonstick 12 cup bundt pan.

Whisk 3 cups flour, the baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat 2 sticks butter, the granulated sugar and the oil with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in vanilla. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk, beating until incorporated. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture and the remaining buttermilk. Beat, scraping down sides as needed, until all is combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat 30 seconds. Finish blending the flour to avoid overmixing.

Toss the blueberries with the remaining 2 tables flour in a bowl. Spoon 1/3 of the batter evely into the prepared pan. Sprinkle in half of the blueberries, then top with another 1/3 of the batter. Scatter the remaining blueberries on top and cover with the rest of the batter, smooth the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and tests done by inserting knife in center of cake and it comes out clean. It will bake about an hour to hour and 5 min. Transfer to a rack and let cool 30 minutes in the pan. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake, then invert onto the rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the toppings; Toss the strawberries with the granulated sugar in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes.

Just before serving, make the glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar, butter and 4 tables milk in a bowl. If glaze is still to thick, add up to 1 more tables milk. Pour the glaze over the cake. Serve with the strawberries and their juices over cake.2015-07-03 10.01.44

Uncategorized

Randy, Peter & Frosty It’s All About You

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Today my sweet husband turns a year older. As I stated in a previous post, it angers me that we eat the same foods, yet he is healthy as a horse. He just returned from getting pictures taken of his heart to find any plaque that has accumulated. Any number under 5 is good. His number was 1.35….HOW DOES THIS WORK? I’m sure if I got up the nerve to go have the same test, my number would be 10, (but hey, I will take being a number 10 anywhere I could get it, even if it means plaque build up in my heart).

It seems that the older he gets, the healthier he gets. The older I get, well….let’s not go there.

He requested his traditional birthday dinner of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, hot rolls and German Chocolate Cake. He will sit and digest several plates of this food, along with the cake and ice cream, wake up, stand on the scales and probably find that he has lost a pound or two. I will wake up and find that not only will I not fit in anything that is in my closet, but will certainly have added 25 points to my cholesterol count.

At least he apologizes now for being so healthy. During the first 10 years of our marriage, he would come in the door smiling, after his yearly check up and throw down  in front of me,all the Dr reports, telling how great all his numbers were, “yelling, “boo ha….beat these numbers!!!” It was then than I began to change my will and begin to add a stick of melted butter to his morning “health shake”. After all, I can’t let him outlive me long enough to find some little 70 yr old to begin enjoying senior aquatic swimming with.

So besides our birthday celebration with family coming over this evening, we will sit and plan our next adventure for this coming year. We have done this traditionally in the month of July, since both of our birthdays are in the same month. Lord willing, we will be going to Italy for a few months hoping to experience “life in Europe”. It will be so exciting to spend our next birthdays there. Since I won’t be able to get my daily Dr Pepper or bake, maybe by the time we get back to the states, my numbers will have fallen into at least the high normal range, and we will have a little more in common.  Not that I have any hostility towards this very healthy precious husband of mine, but I have already planned his tombstone to read, “Here lies Randy, with no plaque in his heart, his cholesterol count shows good on the chart. There is no cellulite to be found, so then why in the world is he laying here beneath the ground?”

Happy Birthday to the best husband in the world, even if your numbers make mine look bad.

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