How to Bake a Cough Syrup Cake

Okay, there is a contest going on at Mayhem & Moxie to give away a great mixer they have named Bertie!! I want (and, let's face it, NEED) that mixer so much I can hardly bear it!!
It is bad enough that, despite all my recipes for cakes that should melt in your mouth, my cakes have disgraced every grandmother in America!!! I have not one cake wreck to post about, but enough to publish quite a large volume. I have wasted the entire morning deciding which one deserves a spot on my little ole' blog. I can cook anything except cakes and I just know that mixer holds the magic key to baking the perfect cake!! Besides, I have never owned anything other than a hand mixer in my life!!!
More years ago than I care to think about, my oldest son had a number of his best buddies invited for birthday cake and ice cream and a night of staying up late watching scary movies and eating popcorn since the weekend started the next day and the little party goers could sleep in as late as they liked.
I had to make a run to the store for cold medicine for my daughter, so I picked up a few special ingredients for what I hoped would be a birthday cake the kids would never forget.
I set my few purchases on the kitchen counter, grabbed the flour, sugar, eggs, butter and whatever else goes into baking the perfect cake.
I retrieved my trusty hand mixer from its spot in a kitchen drawer, my large mixing bowl and began what I knew would be an award winning cake if it were to be in a contest!! I had everything mixed, lastly adding vanilla and melted butter. I was always in a hurry, considering I had 6 little ones, a husband to feed and never knew how many kids I would find here and there each morning!! I swear, they would be in sleeping bags, on the couch and any other place a tired child could curl up comfortably and sleep. I never minded. I loved it, wish I could bring back those days, but ... oh, well, enough of that!! Back to the cake!! After the pans were safely in the oven, bowl and beaters properly licked and put into soapy water, I set about putting everything away. To my great shock I discovered in my rush to get the cake baked, I had poured in cough syrup instead of vanilla!!! I was absolutely horrified!! Another perfect cake, destroyed again!!!
As I sat quietly, confused about what I should do, I heard sniffles and then ... yes, there it was again!! Coughs!! Most of them had colds anyway and I knew a little cough syrup never hurt anyone. With all the extra special ingredients, plus the fluffy frosting I had planned, they would never know the difference, in fact it would do them good!! And so it did, not a cough was heard for hours after our feast of cake and ice cream!!! I don't think I ever told anyone ... no need to. Now, after all these years, I've told everyone!! So good to get that off my chest, guys!!
Be sweet!!!

Ten Simple Sayings

1. Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
2. Other people’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality. ~Les Brown
3. The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” ~Scott Hamilton
4. A true friend is someone who holds your hand in difficult times ...
5. The secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life, and in elevating them to art." -William Morris
6. Faith is daring the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see.
7. All things grow with love.
8. Cherish the Simple things.
9. There's no better place than your own back yard.
10. Don't ask what the world needs- ask what makes you come ALIVE and go do it! Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. -Howard Thurman

I love reading words written by others that are so simple yet so full of meaning I am taken aback!!  Such simple truths ....

Be sweet ...

Chocolate Cherry Bars and a Tiny Chubby Cherub

All children and lots of us older children have a sweet tooth, a craving for just a bit of anything that has that touch of sweetness ... we know it's not good for us , but does little harm for a child or a grandma to have an occasional "something".  Doesn't seem to matter too much what it is, just as long as it is sweet!!!  This is a perfect little recipe for just such an occasion, when we can't go another day without that special little treat so loved by grandmas and little ones!!

This is perfection at its best:

Chocolate Cherry Bars

 

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cup graham crackers crumbs

14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

12-oz. pkg. milk chocolate chips

10-oz. jar maraschino cherries,

     drained and chopped

 

Spread the melted butter evenly in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.  Stir in the graham cracker crumbs.  Press down to form a crust.  Pour the condensed milk over the top.  Sprinkle with the chocolate chips and the chopped cherries.  Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes.  Cool completely.  Slice into bars.  Makes about 2 dozen bars

 

These are wonderful as a special little treat.  The combination of the chocolate and cherries is sooo good!

 

Think I better check my pantry, hoping it doesn't look like Mother Hubbard's and maybe just whip up some of these guys!!

 

Oh, I went to see little Morgan yesterday and she is getting sweeter and prettier by the day!!  She is a perfect chubby little cherub!!!  Her mommy had put her in a tiny little red thingie with a strawberry on the front that said "I am berry sweet"..  Her little feet had white socks on them and except for the curl on top of her head, she looked like a tiny teenager ... She nuzzled around for a while making those little sounds, then settled down, became still and went fast asleep in my arms!!!  I love that little bitty girl so much!!  I can hardly wait till she is big enough to really play with me.  We will make the chocolate cherry bars, sit on the deck in the shade and eat our sweet treats.  We just will not tell her mommy because everyone knows that if grandmas let little girls have candy, great grandmas just can't be trusted!!!

 

Be sweet!!! 

That Sun Just Keeps On Shining

I tried!!  That's all I can or will say.  I was unable to help the young man and knew deep down I couldn't, but nevertheless felt I had to try.  This morning when I awoke, pillows were stretched out on the sofa and a quilt thrown over them as if someone was sleeping there and my son's X Box was missing!!! One of my boys said I had used bad judgment, to which I replied, "If there is anyone in this world who has never used bad judgment, they can tell me that!!"
Anyway, even though it hurt me to do it, I had to track him down with the help of our local police, not just to retrieve my son's X Box, but to also let him know this is not how you treat people who have helped and befriended you!!!  At least not me!!  I tried the best I could and expected the same from him and I had to let him know!!  You DO NOT treat other people like this, illness or no!!!!  There are consequences to every action, good or bad and you should choose your actions carefully..  They were unable to help him at day treatment, I was unable to help him.  I had no intention of pressing charges against him, although I was urged to by both police and day treatment staff.  The only way he will get the help he so desperately needs is for the state to take over and force him to go to a hospital for treatment.  I was trying to make the right decision when it was taken out of my hands (thank you, Lord, that I did not have to be the one).   He lied about everything and did so until the police handcuffed him and he finally admitted taking the game console.  It was hidden behind some iron gates on the university grounds and he was planning on selling it when game stores or pawn shops opened.  They had to run his ID some way and, of all things, he had a felony warrant in a neighboring state.  So, it was taken completely out of my hands.  They had to take him to jail for extradition.

The whole ordeal has been a little unsettling, but if nothing any worse than that ever happens, I guess I am in pretty good shape!  The sun will still come up in the morning shooting rays of sparkling light ... the earth will keep right on rotating ... roll with the punches ... if you should trip and fall, get right back up and keep on going, one day at a time!!  I do not feel I failed ... I do not recognize failures, only learning experiences.  I learn something new every day and have found the saying "you never get too old to learn" to be true!!!!!

You know by now I just gotta' say it ... be sweet!!!

Life Blessings

I have had a life filled with blessings!! The latest and newest blessing is little Morgan Lynne, my fifth great, great grandchild, so tiny, chubby and sweet, so perfect. She has a little curl on top of her head and makes "Miss Piggy" sounds when she nurses!! I love her so much, I wanted to pick her up and just run with her! HAH! As if I could run anywhere any more!! Lots of pictures were made and my daughter, Debye, Morgan's Nana, will email them to me. I will post them here so I can look at her and play with her in my computer until she is big enough to really play with me. She has a big sister, Abigail, who will love little Morgan so, so much. I can hardly wait to see the two of them together. Sisters have a special bond, so I am told. Brittany and Nathan are her proud parents. Brittany is my sweet grand daughter and Nathan is very sweet and good to her, for which I love him dearly. I would hate for someone to mistreat her, for they would not want to deal with me!!!

I have recently made a decision I had to consider at great length. I took in a young man who has a major mental illness, lost touch with his family when his mother died. He had wandered aimlessly. living in shelters, alone and afraid, delusions and hallucinations often tormenting him. My heart ached for him, for I have two adult children with schizophrenia and some people would say I have given up everything for them, but I have gained far more than I have given up.  I wanted them to have a home, to feel safe, to be protected and cared for, to know they were loved unconditionally.  It has not been an easy road to travel, but so many blessings were along the road side, seeming to be waiting just for me. I have two more adult children who are disabled by an anxiety so crippling it is often impossible for them to function, I lost a son at the young age of twenty.  I am very thankful my oldest is healthy with a wonderful family. I was afraid for  him when cancer was discovered in a kidney and doctors removed the kidney, but had been unable to remove all the cancer cells. He was scheduled to begin treatment with chemotherapy when the Lord saw fit to reach His loving hand down and heal my son, for the cancer had disappeared with no explanation after world reknowned doctors had seen it there!!

God has been so good to me, despite the heartaches. I like to say, here I am with 6 children, those beautiful grandchildren and now, FIVE great grand children. Some people do not have any and I feel especially blessed that God saw fit to let me be a mother, grandmother and great grandmother.
I do have a sense of humor, maybe not as much as I once did before I became so sick, but it is still there, just not as close to the surface.

For some weird reason I always have to end everything with these two words .... Be sweet!!!

GRAND DAUGHTERS (and daffodils in the snow?)

Aren’t’ they the spittin’ image of me?  I sure like to think so.  They are the daughters of my oldest son, Keith and his little wife, Carol.   They also have one son, Eric.  My grand daughter, Brittany is due to give birth to a new GREAT grand baby next week and I am as excited as if I were giving birth myself!!  I have to be there when the baby is born!  They will get her all settled in and come get me!!!!!!  I said half heartedly that I would wait till the baby was born and let the new mom, dad and nana have time with her before I take over, but they still said I have to be there right when she is born.
Kristi, in the scrapbook page above, has two children, Anna and Christian.  Brooke says she is not having children, but she stays busy with her little step daughter, Jordan, and her nieces and nephews.  She is like a mother hen taking care of everyone!!
Can you believe they are saying it may snow this weekend??  Spring is almost upon us and Brandon (my grandson) picked a daffodil for me today.  I put it in a glass bottle with a small neck and it looks beautiful.  Wouldn’t it be the neatest thing if he could see them peeking out from the snow by the end of the week??  They are saying “flurries” but usually when they say that, it “flurries up under the window sill!!  If it does, we will just wrap up, watch old movies and make homemade caramel popcorn.  I won't mind at all.
Be sweet!!!

Strawberries In A Cloud

It will soon be strawberry season and if you are anything like me and love the taste and appeal of a good ole' strawberry dessert any time of the year, then this one's for you!!!  Easy peasy with a melt in your mouth goodness and you will have guests or family members coming back for more!!
When fresh strawberries are available, you may use those instead of the pie filling and tuck a few in the Cool Whip and it is absolutely heavenly. Just pour a little sugar over the berries first to bring out their natural sweetness.  I can almost taste it now.  Think I will check for ingredients and if any are lacking, I'll make a quick trip to the grocery store and make this baby tonight!  Boy, it's so easy to fool everyone into thinking you are an awesome cook when all you have to do is follow a few instructions.  Give me a recipe and I can make anything!!
Here it is.  I hope you will give it a try.  I promise, you will not be sorry!!  Personally, I remove the calories from mine before refrigerating!!LOL

Strawberry Cloud

2 boxes Twinkies
1 large box strawberry gelatin
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
1 can strawberry pie filling
1 container Cool Whip
Pecans

Line a 13 x 9-inch pan with Twinkies. Mix gelatin according to package directions and pour over Twinkies.

Prepare pudding as directed and pour over gelatin. Cover with pie filling and then top with Cool Whip. Sprinkle with pecans. Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Serves 8 to 10.

Be sweet, Dearies ... with one bite of this dessert you don't have an option!!

Sunshine And Smiles

This is a little poem that I love and wanted to share with you.  It is so true, the few words of these lines.  We love our family, no matter what and, no matter what, they love us back.  Words said in anger or frustration can never be taken back, but we have to remember the words spoken are not who that person is and, more often than not, they grieve more over their hasty remarks than we do.  It is easy to forgive and forget ... it does remarkable things for us as well as those who have hurt us.  Such a toll is taken on our mind and bodies when we carry a grudge, energy that could be spent enjoying the moments of happiness in our lives.  Life is short. Kind, loving words along with a bright, sunny smile make us happy as well as those around us.  What you give will come back to you ... love and you will be loved, laugh and others will laugh with you ...


There's one sad truth in life I've found
While journeying East and West,
The only folks we really wound
Are those we love the best.
We flatter those we scarcely know
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal many a thoughtless blow

To those we love the best.

- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Have a happy, peaceful, sunshiny day and ... be sweet, Lovey!!
.

One Terrific Tuesday!!!

Three awards, count 'em, three from my new blogging friend, Xmas Dolly!!  I stuck them all together because I am not as savvy as some of you about correct placement, etc. I felt a little foolish when I left a comment on her blog that I wasn't sure which one was for me to put on my little ole' blog and she (calling me baby girl in the process when no doubt I am twice her age ...  that's why I like her so much) informed me that they were all for me!!  Now, good golly, Miss Molly. I was humbled, tickled and the whole nine yards.
The first means just what it says, "you're going places, baby." Recipients of this award have to tell where you see yourself in 10 years.
In ten years, I will have met a very rich old man with poor vision and given my grand kids not only a new grandpa, but every other thing their little ole' heart desires!!!

Second award I am supposed to tell you 7 things about myself so: 1. I just love twisting the tops off Oreos and eating the inside first,  2. My favorite thing to do is make scrapbook pages of my great grand children.   3.  My daughters got me purple pajamas that I am so crazy about and sleep in them all the time. 4.  I wish I had red house shoes to wear with my purple pajamas. 5.  I have gotten into the declutter thing and declutter a few minutes every single day.  6.  I am making no progress whatsoever at my decluttering because every time I throw away 3 things, I bring in 5 more! 7.  I am going to be a great grammy for the 5th time in about 3 weeks.

Last is the Sunshine Award, which must be passed on to 12 bloggers, so I am doing what Xmas Dolly did and pass all 3 awards to these 12:
Evelyn from Evee
Rhonda Sue from Craftymumz Creations
Garden Gnome from Mom's Cafe Home Cooking
Kaye from Random WAHM Thoughts
Sara from The Breathing Post
Marilyn from Marilyn's Money
Pehpot from Bee Mommy
Tammy from frugal southern mom
Loree from Stories and Scribbles
Bill from Oregon Art Guy Blog
Kirsten from Gardenvibe
Okay, guys, get these 3 awards posted on your blog and pass them on to other bloggin' buddies!!  It is hard to stop at just 12 because there are sooo many more deserving these awards .  I read so many outstanding blogs.  Lots of creativity out there.  Just remember, whatever you do, be sweet!!!!!