The Jewel Inside

Many, many words have been written and spoken about this ...... never judge a book by its cover ....... but we all need a little reminder once in a while to look beyond the outward appearance, make no judgement with our eyes; look further and see with our hearts till the gem inside shines through.

My daughter sent me a story about a man who found a canvas bag in a cave by a beach. The cave was filled with clay balls. Just plain, round clay balls. So the man began to toss them into the ocean. He continued till he dropped one and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
The man became very exited as he broke open one after the other to find they all contained a similar treasure.

He had thousands of dollars worth of precious jewels in the few clay balls he had left. He had thrown away lots and lots of them with their hidden jewels into the ocean!! Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands but had thrown it away, not realizing what was inside the plain little clay balls.

Take care, Friends and be sweet!!

A War Story

This was sent by my daughter, Debye, and my daughter in law, Carol.  Don't remember who sent it to who first, but one of them sent it to me and I feel the picture alone speaks to us , but once you read the story behind it, you realize how powerful the message really is.  This is a  story that should be shared with as many as possible.  I will share it with you and feel free to pass it on. 
 
 
This needs to make headline news ..... not some of the other junk that makes the news these days! Like the Rosie O'Donell war of words ... celeb weddings ... who's not wearing undies ... etc.

                                              An Iowa Boy

John Gebhardt works at the Cargill plant in Eddyville, Iowa.
  
It's a tough, but heartwarming story ... with a picture of John Gebhardt in Iraq.
John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head ... but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing. He is a real Star of the war, and represents what America is trying to do. 
 
This, my friends, is worth sharing. Go for it!! You'll never see things like this in the news. Please keep this going.  The American public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize that what we're doing over there is making a difference. Even if it is just one little girl at a time.. 
 
James Gates
U. S. Navy

Momma's Been Busy (and I don't mean me)

Can you believe it!?  When I looked at my little blog this morning,  I could hardly believe my eyes.  Momma at Momma Young's @ Home has been helping me fix my blog  and I finally said to her  "you do it because I don't know how or even where to begin if I did know!"  Thank goodness I did!!  I struggled and struggled to get thingies on there and plodded along, wondering how in the heck those girls did this or how they did that.  For days I tried to put buttons or badges on, but I swear sometimes I could and most of the time I could not!  Poor little Kaye at Random WAHM Thoughts tried and tried to tell me how to add a button to my page, even going so far as to make a tutorial for me to follow.  I finally did it one time, paying close attention to her tutorial.  Notice, I said ONE time.  Next time ..... impossible!!  You may can teach an old dog new tricks, just not too many at one time.  I am so thankful for the kind hearted souls who take precious time from their own busy schedule to care.  It actually does take, not just thought, but time, to care.....especially enough to take action.  Momma Young is planning even more surprises for Angels.  I believe she is going to make a slide show with some pictures of mine.

  I feel sort of silly, calling her Momma, since she is about 1/3 my age, but, in this case, she is the teacher and I am her good little student!!  

I should have just let my kids think "Oh, my mom is so smart.  Just look what she has done."  I admit I kind of wanted to, but just can't take credit for it, when my sweet little friend did it for me.  

Be sweet, now.

How To Make Flavored Vinegars

Flavored vinegars are so good and make a wonderful gift when they are put into a pretty or odd shaped bottle.  Attach a home made gift tag with jute or  an earthy fiber, maybe a recipe and voila!  Another handmade gift, so very simple and so heartfelt.  I had to share this with you when I found this article on Wiki How.  If you come up with other combinations, let me know and we will share it with everyone.


Do you ever stroll down the specialty foods aisle and eye the pretty bottles of vinegar filled with sprigs of herbs but you never buy them because they are so expensive? Well your instincts are good. They are too expensive. However, you can create the same thing personalized for your particular tastes for a fraction of the cost. Here's how.

Steps

1. Open your food processor and fill the cup 3/4 the way full with your choice of fresh herbs.
   
2. Pour in about a cup of vinegar.
   
3. Close the food processor and turn it on high for about 30 seconds. Add more herbs and another 2 cups of vinegar. Pulse for another minute or two.
   
4. Line a sieve or tea strainer with a coffee filter and slowly pour the herb and vinegar mixture through the coffee filter and into a bowl. Carefully press the herbs against the filter to press all of the vinegar out of the herbs.
   
5. Re-line the sieve with another coffee filter and pour the vinegar in the bowl through once more to catch any loose herbs.
   
6. Store in a clean jar with a tight fitting lid.
   
7. Add whole herbs and spices of your choice. The longer your vinegar sits the stronger it gets.
   
8. If you begin to run low on vinegar, add a little wine and let it sit for a week uncovered.
   

Tips

• Some Herb Combinations to Try
  
• basil, oregano, onion, garlic
  
• sage, dill, coriander
  
• sun dried tomatoes, basil, onion, garlic
  
• lemon rind, dill, fennel
  
• rosemary, thyme, garlic
  
• pine nut, basil, onion, garlic
  
• garlic, onion, hot peppers
  

Warnings

• Use good vinegar - The better the vinegar the better the finished product.
  
• Experiment - there are all sorts of vinegars - rice, cider, red and white wines, and even champagne vinegars.
  
• Use fresh herbs when possible because they will produce the strongest, best taste.
  
• If you have never use an herb before and have allergies, consult your physician to make sure that you can use it without a reaction.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Make Ginger Garlic Paste
  
• How to Make Mayonnaise
  
• How to Make Simple and Fresh Strawberry Jam
  
• How to Make Sweet Onion Marmalade
  

Article provided by wikiHow 
.

Odds and Ends

I love the button Kaye of Random WAHM Thoughts and WAHMaholic made for me!  It is so pretty.  I have got it on my sidebar, but, for some reason, I can't get it straight!  She is such a sweetheart that she made a header for me to match the button.  I tried and tried tonight to grab her button but I can't get all the code underneath all copied.  When I paste it on, it isn't all there! Bless her heart, she is probably sick of me!!  I don't know enough about what I am doing and I make some pretty big mistakes.  I say if your going to make a mistake, you might as well make a big one, right?

Anyway, be sure to check out WAHMaholic, Kaye's new site.  It is a good one.  She really tickles me with that sense of humor.

Also, drop by Sara's blog, The Breathing Post, and see the pictures of the new baby!  He's cute as a button.

If anyone has an idea what I could be doing wrong to not get all the code copied on a button, will you let me know?  You can leave it in a comment or email me and I will dance at your next wedding!!  I know Kaye will help me.  How embarrassing if I have to get her to put her own button on my site because I couldn't!!  Oh, well.

I almost forgot, but I saw Michelle Duggar and her three oldest girls at the grocery store the other day.  She is the one who has the "Eighteen Kids and Counting" program on TLC.  She and her husband and all the kids have been on Good Morning America and others, as well.  They are absolutely amazing parents.  That is a lot of kids to take care of, feed and keep up with, but they use "the buddy system", where one of the older children looks out for one of the younger ones. They have a loving home and a very organized home, with everyone working together as a team. All eighteen children have a name that begins with the letter "J".

Last I have a money saving pre wash spray, simple to make and cheap, cheap, cheap!!

 Pre-Wash Spray 

1/2 C. Household ammonia
1/4 C. Baking soda
1/2 C. White vinegar
1/2 gal. Water 

After mixing this solution, put part of it in a smaller spray bottle to keep handy by the washing machine when doing laundry. Spray liberally onto clothes where needed

Later.  Be sweet.

 

Everyday Chocolate Recipes Free to Download

These are just a few of my favorite chocolate desserts recipes that are easy to prepare with mostly simple ingredients.

Don't you just love chocolate?   Peanut butter is another favorite of mine.  I know fruit desserts are much more healthy, but the ooey gooey buttery calorie filled treats taste so good and remind me of my southern upbringing.  When my mom, grandmas and aunts made their way to the kitchen, pots and pans began to rattle and you could soon hear wooden spoons scraping the sides of enamelware bowls.  You already knew when they finally emerged , wiping the flour from their hands on the frilly little aprons they wore, desserts that were almost sinful waited patiently to be devoured!!

When you were so full you knew without a doubt that one more bite would cause you to explode, one of them would be sure to say, "Are you sure you've had enough?  Here, have some more!"

Download the little ebook here.

Oh, Lord, I better go for a walk.  I think I have put on 10 pounds writing this post. 

Be sweet and be good!

You ...In a Blog

Well, I was tagged with the 8 Tag by Momma Young's at Home so that is one I've already completed.... Now, Anish of Actuate Life has awarded me the Worth Following Award. This is the second of those I have received, so I would like to pass this award on to every one of my bloggin' buddies and every follower.

Gosh, so many are "worth following" that It would be impossible to choose just a few to award this to. Anish is a very dear friend and I gave this award to him, bless his sweet little heart....he turned around and gave it back to me!! The same is true of Momma Young. I tagged her with the 8 Tag and before she was notified, she made a comment on a post that she had tagged me!

Every blog I read has a bit of the owner hidden within each post. You can catch little glimpses of personality traits and inward feelings begin to emerge until soon you feel a kinship of sorts. There is a common thread holding us together. It is somehow easier for most of us to write our true feelings than it is to express those feelings aloud.
We laugh with those who laugh, try to cheer those who cry, encourage the discouraged and give hope to the hopeless. Faces spread across the globe, people miles apart, united in a protective community, with each member supporting the other.

Be sweet, Bloggin' Buddies!!!

Tagged Twice with the 8 Tag

That Sara has tagged me again!! Sara's blog is The Breathing Post and I. along with who knows how many others, am anxiously awaiting the birth of her first baby.

I also got this tag from The Great Retired One, who writes a hilarious blog, The Retirement Chronicles.  

This is called The 8 Tag, so here goes:

The 8 Tag

8 Things I'm looking forward to:

1. Seeing my great grand daughters.
2. Welcoming my new great grand child, due in a few months.
3. Visiting my son and daughter in law who live in the opposite corner of the state.
4. Hearing my brothers' voices when they call.
5. Pink blossoms on the little flowers at the foot of my big oak tree.
6. Getting scrapbooks completed for my children and grandchildren.
7. Standing in my oldest son's garden and eating a ripe tomato right off the vine.
8. Getting new pictures of my three littlest angels.

8 Things I did Yesterday.

1. Took a nap.
2. Made homemade ranch dressing.
3. Read a craft magazine.
4. Aggravated Pepper, my sweet little doggie.
5. Missed my family who do not live close enough to see and touch.
6. Wished I were not such a procrastinator.
7. Decided life is too short to worry about procrastinating.
8. Aggravated Pepper some more (just kidding...actually played with him).

8 Things I Wish I Could do.

1. Mow the yard.
2. Go to Northeast Arkansas, then South Louisiana then Kentucky then home.
3. Rest one week and head out to North Dakota.
4. Have the will power to eat right, exercise more and lose weight.
5. Stand on a street corner and give out hundred dollar bills the week before Christmas.
6. Sing and not be afraid for people to hear me.
7. Be twenty and know what I know now.
8. Make a difference.

8 Shows I Watch

1. The Mentalist
2. Diners, Drive Inns and Dives
3. 20/20
4. Dateline
5. Larry King
6. The View
7. 48 Hours
8. 60 Minutes

8 People I Tag

1. Pehpot of Make or Break

2. Kaye of Random WAHM Thoughts

3. Glynis of Scribbles

4. Momma of Momma Young's at Home

5. Melissa of Real Parenting For Real Kids

6. Jlo of [zany life = crazy faith]

7.Julia of Everyday Mom Ideas

8.Pattye of Two Greyhound Town

Don't feel pressured to participate and most of all,     be sweet!!

Happy Easter Friends

Be sweet!

The Pills For Our Ills

My daughter in law found this poem in a local senior citizen's newsletter and brought it to me.  No author was given....not even a name for the poem, so I don't have a clue where it originated.  I knew immediately it was something I had to share!  You know, I just can't keep a good or funny thing to myself.  I will probably wake up in the night, think of the blue pill, sit upright and begin to laugh hysterically.  I only hope my poor daughter doesn't call the men in the little white coats!

 

A row of bottles on my shelf

caused me to analyze myself.

One yellow pill I have to pop

goes to my heart so it won't stop.

A little white one that I take

Goes to my hands so they won't shake.

The blue ones that I use a lot

tell me I'm happy when I'm not.

The purple pill goes to my brain

and tells me that I have no pain.

The pink ones tell me not to wheeze

or cough or choke or even sneeze.

The red ones,smallest of them all,

go to my blood so I won't fall.

The orange pills, so big and bright,

prevent my leg cramps in the night.

Such an array of brilliant pills

that help to cure all kinds of ills,

but what I'd really like to know

is what tells each one where to go!!

____________________________________________________________________

Now is that not funny?  I believe I have more stashed here and there, some I've written myself back in the day.  I think I will begin to drag them out now and then 'cause there's nothing better for your health and well being than a really good laugh, it sort of reminds us that it is usually the simplest things in life that bring about the biggest blessings.        You be sweet, now!!

Where To Find The Best Easter Cake Recipe

I have found the most wonderful easy Easter cake recipe with complete instructions on Insightful Nana's  blog.  She has photos of all the ingredients and step by step directions plus a picture of the finished cake, which is so much like Easter with jelly beans decorating the top.  There is even a video of her making the cake!  I am going to get jelly beans tomorrow because I am going to make that cake.  It will be the perfect dessert after the holiday dinner or for afternoon snacking after all the eggs are found and the little ones are worn out from a day of searching to see who could fill his basket first.  She also has a really great caramel popcorn recipe.  Be sure to check it out.  What a fun site, even a newsletter and free printables.  

 Be sweet and good!

Easy Bread Recipe (or rolls and cinnamon rolls)

No Knead Batter Bread                                           

6 1/2 C flour

2 pkg. instant yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp)

3 T sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3 C warm water

2 T melted butter

Put 3 1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt into large bowl.  Mix all together and add warm water and melted butter to dry mixture.  Blend together till moistened and beat well to incorporate air into batter.  Gradually add remaining flour a little at a time until you have a stiff batter.  It may not take the full amount depending on weather, etc.   Cover and let rise in warm place until double.  This takes about half an hour.  Stir the batter down and spread in greased loaf pans.  Be sure to grease around the rim of loaf pans as well.  Cover and allow to rise till batter reaches the top of the pans. Also about half an hour.  Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.  I hesitate to give a baking time as ovens vary so much.  Just watch it the first time, then you will know.  Mine takes about 20 minutes.   Brush tops with butter as soon as you remove loaves from oven, then carefully remove from the pans.  If you do not have a wire rack to cool them on, put them on 2 or 3 layers of paper towels.   You need a good bread knife to slice with and it is better to wait till completely cool before slicing. 

If you would rather make rolls, just add enough flour to make not just a stiff batter, but one you can form and shape.  They are pretty when you put 3 little balls in each well of a muffin tin.  They are good just made into rolls and plopped in a cake pan till it is full!!  I had rather make rolls than loaves, don't know why....just a preference.

You can also make cinnamon rolls with half of the dough you made for rolls.   Just foll out dough into a rectangle, brush with melted butter and sprinkle generously with sugar and cinnamon.  Roll into a log, like for a jelly roll and cut equal slices of the log, place cut side down on baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees till brown.  Glaze with a powdered sugar glaze or mix a little white corn syrup with canned frosting, whatever your little ole' heart desires!

Oh, I almost forgot.   If you are using self rising flour, be sure you omit the salt!!!   You do not have to use plain flour, even though most yeast recipes say plain.  You can use self rising, but just do not add salt.  I almost always use self rising for everything.  It is just easier not to add the salt and baking powder.  Besides the baking powder in self rising will only help your bread or whatever to rise.

Be sweet!