Faith

There are no words necessary for this little picture!!  Don't you think the title says it all?
Be sweet!!!

Gifts We Feel In Our Hearts

Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving, may you enjoy the holiday and may we all be more aware of what we truly are grateful for.  It isn't tangible 'things' but the love of family and friends, the gifts we have so freely been given are gifts not seen by the human eye, but ones we feel in our hearts each and every day, not limited to a single day.
Be sweet, angels are walking by your side.

The Loves Of My Life

My great grand children

These are truly five precious little angels and they DO make my heart sing!!!  Every time I look at their sparkly little eyes,  their sweet smiles, my heart swells with such love I think it will surely burst.  I wish I could grab them up in my arms all at once and hold them tight!  I held their mommies and daddies, rocked them, loved them and now, the great grand babies!!! I wonder daily what  have I done in this life that God has seen fit to let me be a great grammy, that, to me, is the highest honor a woman can hope to achieve.  A great, great grand child?  I hope so.  My feet would never touch the ground!!!!!

November ATC Swap

Hi Friends!  I am posting November's ATC's on Backporch Graphics this month as I feel it is more appropriate so if you would like to take a peek at them you can click on the link.  I am warning you, the card I received from Penny Plum is awesome and I love it, love it, love it!!!

Make Your Own Stove Top Stuffing

With the holidays upon us in full force now ... I do mean FULL FORCE, as I tried shopping for last minute Thanksgiving items, I was shoved, pushed, almost trampled and swore never to get out of the house again till after New Year's Day!  Ha!  I expect that to last maybe through the day, possibly into tomorrow.  I forgot to get sage!!  I blame all the confusion at the grocery store on my sudden loss of memory.
In fact, I am sure that was it.  I always have sage in my pantry, but now that it is time to begin preparation for what I hope will be a feast for my family to remember forever, there is no sage in the house!
I lay awake for quite some time last night trying to imagine how a stuffing would taste with no sage.  I simply could not come up with anything good, so I suppose I will brave those pushing, shoving crowds again to make yet another trip to the grocery store for a single bottle of sage!
I am hoping as I stand in line without a shopping cart, holding my lone bottle of sage, someone will be gracious enough to let me go first!
You would not believe how big burly husbands with overflowing grocery carts stand their ground, turning around to stare at you with a single item and not feel an ounce of remorse that they do not offer to let you go ahead of them!
I can only think they possibly are getting even with their wives for sending them out for chocolate chips and a hundred other things the lady of the house had realized she did not have!
I have a great recipe for make ahead stuffing that so resembles Stove Top, it can be used in the same way and also substituted in any recipe calling for Stove Top Stuffing.  It is really good.
 As soon as I get enough nerve to go to the grocery store again, I plan to make it.

Stove Top Stuffing Clone

30 slices firm bread (I use a loaf of sandwich bread)
3 Tblsp. minced onion or onion flakes
2 tsp. garlic salt  (or powder)
1/2 tsp. seasoned pepper
3 Tblsp. dried parsley flakes
3/4 tsp. ground sage
1/3 cup cooking oil (or olive oil)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Cut bread slices in 1/2" cubes and place
in two 9"x13" baking pans.  Toast bread cubes for about 45 minutes. (Mine doesn't take this long, so be
sure to check them often).  Stir once in a while.  Remove from oven when toasted and cool slightly.  Mix remaining ingredients together in a large bowl.
Lightly toss bread cubes with seasonings to coat. (I found I had to add more oil for the seasonings to stick well.  You can play around with it and find what works best for you.)
Place in a large airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to two months or you can freeze it for up to six months.
This recipe makes about twelve cups.

It is great to have on hand during the holidays.  I make cornbread dressing and adding a couple of cups
of this along with the cornbread makes for a yummy dressing!!
Be sweet and may you always walk with angels.

Will The Fat Lady Sing?

Yay!!!  I went for my check up last week and, for a reason I can't for the life of me figure out, I had lost 8 pounds in just a month!!  Not only was I in disbelief, but my doctor was almost in shock, I do believe. 
I have steadily gained for almost 3 years, ever since I survived the sudden cardiac death.  For some reason I began to gain weight when I used to drink milk shakes to try to gain because I was so skinny.  Well, let me tell you, almost three years and a lot of pounds later, I avoid milk shakes like the plague!  I underwent a huge personality change also and I am told that is quite common.  Thank goodness!  I was beginning to think part of me had not returned when I was shocked back, that a part of me remained and would not come back with the rest of me even when I "died" a second time on the way to the hospital ... no pulse, no heartbeat, no blood pressure, clinically and legally dead.   My kids were not given any hope and gathered in the chapel of the hospital.  I actually have no memory of any of it.  I only remember putting on my clothes one morning and the next thing I actually remember was days and days later when I slowly opened my eyes, to see my daughter sitting beside me in a hospital bed with tubes and things.  I had no clue what happened or how I got there.  I had been on life support and in intensive care and didn't know a thing about it!!!  I fooled everyone!  A cardiac death has a 5% survival rate, (only 5% are successfully shocked back to life). 
I will say my brothers must be right.  They both say I am tough as a pine knot!  I have twice been given not much of a chance to survive, but I am sure not going down easy!  I want to see my great grand children get married and that will be several years from now.  I just have too much to do to die, to put it bluntly!!!  I simply do not have the time.  I may get around to it one of these days when I have done all I would like to do.  I know that sounds a little presumptious, but I just refuse to accept what the doctors say and do not hesitate to tell them so!  I tell them I will out live them and I fully expect it to be true!!!
Now, the holidays are fast approaching and I am determined to keep off that 8 pounds plus lose more before I go back in January for my check up! 
I also am determined to cook up all the calorie laden goodies I can think of and eat my fair share of pumpkin pie, turkey, dressing, gravy and all the holiday cookies and candy I can force myself to prepare.  The only thing I can think of to keep that weight off and lose more, yet still eat myself silly, is to exercise like crazy in between bites and try to get in a good walk early every morning.  It is more and more difficult to walk, but I plan to make myself do it anyway.  I figure the more weight I take off the easier it will be.  I bet by summer I will be drinking those milk shakes again!
I plan to share some great  fattening recipes, that's for sure!  So if it is healthy eating you are looking for, you won't find it here.  I use loads of sugar and butter, fry everything instead of steaming as I once did.  I pile on the sour cream, the cheese, all the extras that contain the real calories!!
So we'll see how it goes the next couple of months, with me eating like a piglet and trying like a crazy woman to lose weight at the same time ... it just might work!  Boy, Dr Taylor will fall out of her chair if I have lost  more weight after the holiday season!  I fully expect to and can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees those scales!!!!!
Be sweet, eat all the candy you want and walk among the angels with a candy cane in each hand!!!

Lovely Blog Award

I strive to remain an award free blog, however I received another award anyway!!   Thank you, Aries, from Krazy Monkey Tale.  This is an award to be passed on to 15 other bloggers whose blog you have newly discovered.  I love so many blogs and discover new ones almost every day, so if you are reading this, please consider yourself a recipient of this Lovely Blog Award and post it on your site.  We are a big loving and happy family and I cannot, for the life of me, just choose 15, so I want all of you to have this award!!!
Thank you, sweet little Aries for this beautiful and thoughtful award!!
Aries lives in Malaysia, where she writes her blog and is the mom of 2 teenage boys.
Thanks again, Sweetheart!  I am happy you think my little blog (even though I can't even control the size of a font) worthy of an award such as this.  I am humbled.
Stay sweet and angels will find you!!!!!

Easy Chili Recipe Takes The Chill Out

  

Chili with sour cream and shredded cheese

I am trying again to see if I can post in a normal sized font!!!  It appears to be working, so my fingers will be crossed as I hit "publish post"!!  I don't know what in the world I did or did not do on the previous post.

Easy Crockpot Chili

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 med. bell pepper, chopped

1 small to med. onion, chopped

2 cans (15 oz) red kidney beans, undrained

2 pkgs chili seasoning mix (Williams is best, but I make my own)

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilis (Rotel)

shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped onions ( these are optional toppings)

Brown ground beef, pepper and onion in skillet and drain well.  Place in crock pot

and gently fold in remaining ingredients except the optional toppings.

Place lid on crock pot and cook on low for about 6 hours or on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Serve directly from slow cooker and sprinkle with any optional ingredients, or others
of your choosing. 


Okay, I am about to hit "publish post", so I need a prayer or two right about now!  I f you have any ideas what I have done previously, PLEASE let me know!


Be sweet as always and may you walk among angels. 

  

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

Hot Chocolate Topped With a Dollop of Whipped Cream and a Sifting of Cinnamon

Oh, I can hardly wait for the weekend!!!  Guess I am about half nuts (or all maybe) but it is supposed to be a rainy, chilly weekend after the unusually warm week we have enjoyed so far!  I believe it is still called Indian Summer.  However, I am actually looking forward to the coming cold front.  There is nothing so comforting as wrapping in a soft blanket with a good hot cup of hot chocolate on a dreary chilly night,  watching favorite TV programs that have long since left prime time!  I am sharing a very good homemade hot chocolate mix with you and I believe it will be a keeper.  It is a little different than the ordinary ones.  This makes a lovely gift when packaged as a gift in a jar, serving instructions handwritten on a whimsical little tag cut from a plain brown paper bag and tied with jute, twine or a country ribbon.  Place this in a basket lined with paper shreds, mugs, marshmallows and a shaker of cinnamon and VOILA ... a gift suitable for Queen Elizabeth herself!!  I am sure she would curl up with a blanky and cup of steaming hot chocolate if given the opportunity!!!  

Here is your recipe.  I hope you enjoy making this and keeping it on hand for the coming months.

Hot Chocolate Mix

1 (5 or 6 Qt.) box instant milk

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup Nestle's Quik

1/2 cup powdered creamer

1 box instant chocolate
1/4 to 1/2 cup cocoa

Mix ingredients well and package in        airtight container.Use 1/3 cup mix to 1 cup hot water.

Be sweet, may you always walk with angels and keep plenty of marshmallows and whipping cream!!!!
(I have no idea what I did, but I can't make the post smaller, the font won't change.  I am just struggling trying to figure out everything as I go!!!  One thing for sure - you don't need glasses to read this post!!!!)