Rodeo

We had fun at the rodeo. The girls love anything to do with horses, even though we don't have any. They were a little taken aback by the "smell".

Shower

Unfortunately, I'm not posting about a rain shower.
Fortunately, I am posting about a wedding shower.


THE SPREAD

THE WATERMELLON WHALE

THE GIFT

THE COUPLE

THE CUTIES

THE REVIEW

This was a really nice wedding shower. We got to visit with family, meet some new friends, and enjoy some great food. What more can you ask for?

LONG, HOT SUMMER

The temperature on my front porch yesterday afternoon:

112º

Temperatures above 110º?--check

Plague of grasshoppers?--check

Can't remember the last time it rained?--check

Yep, we're in a drought.

Croutons 101

When I worked in a restaurant years ago, we made our own croutons. Homemade croutons are soooo much better than the rock-hard kind you buy in a bag in the store. These croutons are like little mini bites of garlic bread. Delicious in salads, soups, or just right out of the pan.

Garlic Croutons

6 slices honey wheat sandwich bread or your choice of breads

real butter, softened

garlic powder

parsley

california garlic salt w/parsley, optional

Preheat oven to 350º.


Spread each bread slice with butter. I am fairly liberal with the butter, but you can use less according to your taste.

Lay the buttered slices, butter side up, on your work surface.

Sprinkle with garlic powder, California garlic salt w/parsley and parsley. Don't us too much of the California garlic salt or your croutons will be too salty to eat.

Now stack all the slices together. Using a serrated bread knife, slice first one direction, then the other to make small squares. Your choice on the size of the squares. I make mine kind of big.

You should end up with a pile of bread cubes like this:

Place on a baking sheet. There is no need to seperate each and every cube. Unless, like me,  you have a 9 year old who is begging to help you seperate them because they will come apart as you bake and stir them.

Bake in your pre-heated oven for about 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir (this is where they will begin to seperate, if you didn't do it before you put them in the oven). Place back into the oven for 5 minutes more. Remove from the oven and stir. 

If needed put the pan back into the oven for 3 minute intervals, removing and stirring after each, until you get the toasted look you want.

Remove from oven, allow to cool and use as desired!

Garden Harvest

Mighty Hunter's mom and dad dropped off some beautiful okra from their garden to us yesterday. I think this type is called cow horn okra. It has a lovely burgandy color, instead of the usual green and the name comes from the shape.

I washed it, chopped it up, and put it into the freezer.

Good fried.

Good in soup or gumbo.

Good sauted with tomatos, onions, and bacon.

Pancakes 101

Very Best Pancakes

2 eggs
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups all purpose four
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder (4 tsp.)
3/4 teaspoon salt

Break both eggs into a heat-proof bowl. Add sugar and wisk until well mixed.

In another bowl mix flour baking powder and salt.

Place butter and milk in small sauce pan.

Heat on medium flame until butter is melted.

Now SLOWLY pour the hot butter/milk mixture into the egg mixture.

Keep stirring ALL the time until all is incorporated.

If you don't stir while pouring you will end up with scrambled eggs. 

You want to heat the eggs up gradually so the don't cook.

Now dump the flour mixture in all at once and stir just until blended.

I use scoops to put the batter onto the hot griddle. 

The larger for regular sized pancakes, the smaller for silver dollar pancakes.

Now cook on a hot griddle, until little bubbles form on top.

Flip and cook until golden on the other side.

Serve with butter and syrup.

ENJOY!!

Smoothie Recipe

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1 medium ripe banana
1 large handful frozen strawberries
1/2 cup orange juice or pineapple juice
1/2 cup plain, organic yogurt
1/2 cup ice
Water or more jucie if necessary

Place all ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth and well blended, about 30 seconds. If it's too thick, add more juice or water, a couple tablespoons at a time and try blending again.
I serve this in a large water goblet, with a straw. YUM

A Trial Song

Trials.......Hmmmm....Well, they're no fun while you're in the storm but they are somehow for our good. This song was inspired recently during a time of hard trial. I'm sure many can relate to the feeling of being lost in the gloominess and having a hard time seeing anything around you but dark clouds. The Lord Jesus always give a little ray of hope somewhere for us to find that will sustain us.

PSALM 34:19

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

TIME TESTED MEMORIALS OF GOD

JEFF, IN  SUNDAY 08-18-57

Long years ago before they had the smelters, they used to take the gold, and how they would know how it was right or not, with all the sludge was out of it, all of the iron pyrite (that's fools gold), all the fools out of it, they--beaters beat it, and beat it, and turned it, and beat it, and turned it until the beater sees his reflection in the gold.

That's the way God does His church. He gives you trial after trial, test after test, trial after trial, test after test, until the life of Christ is reflected in your life, until you become peaceful, sober, meek, gentle, humble, ready, submissive, willing, turn your head from the things of the world and looking straight to Calvary to the One Who's doing the beating. Many times you think it's strange because fiery trials, and sickness, and persecutions; it's only done to test you, to get the dirt out of you, to get the sludge out of you, to get the slowness out of you, to wake you up to the place where you can look and see the reflection--or men can see the reflection of Christ in you: Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Lost In This Storm

Lost in this storm,

And adrift on a raging sea.

I lift my head, 

And look around.

It's just dark clouds surrounding me.

But, then a ray of light breaks through.

I'm in the eye of the storm.

And His Voice, it just surrounds me...

I hear him say,

"I have redeemed thee.

I have called thee by thy name;

Thou art Mine, I am with thee,

When thou walkest through the flames.

I have loved thee all thy life.

I am right here by thy side.

And I never will forsake thee

For thou are Mine."

Why would I need a Savoir,

If I never needed to be saved?

And how would I know His sweet favor,

If everything always went my way?

Oh, I'd been lost in this storm.

And adrift on a raging sea.

I'd lift my head,

And look around.

And dark clouds were all I'd see.

But, then a ray of light broke through.

And once again I looked around.

And His Voice would just surround me...

And my heart said,

"He has redeemed me.

He has called me by my name.

I am His and He is with me,

When I'm walking through the flames.

He has loved me all my life,

And He is right here at my side.

And He never will forsake me,

For I am His.

And He is mine.

A Wedding

My oldest Daughter, Gem, got married in June.

 I have been working on the pictures from the wedding on my photo editing software. 

So far I have been mostly getting them transformed into Sepia. 

Later I want to do editing to get them the way I want them in color.

There is a little color in a few of the pictures. 

These were done with a focal black and white technique, where all the picture is black and white except the focal point you choose. 

Also a couple of my favorites are done in color with other various edits. 

I'm using a software called Picasa because they have a link to go straight to Blogger with the pictures. 

More to come in future posts.

Hope you enjoyed!

God Bless,

ME

A New Beginning

Hello, everyone! I thought this would be an interesting way to
connect with friends and family. Much easier to post whatever
is going on one time for you all to see, rather than try to email
or contact everyone individually. I had begun a blog in the past,
but with only dial up internet access back then, it was too much
of a chore.
So......here goes my second effort at blogging. Hope you all
enjoy, hope to re-unite with some friends and family that I haven't
been in contact with for a while, and hope to meet some new
friends along the way!

God bless,

ME