Mississippi Memories

This is a photo of me, my mom, sisters, cousins and my grandmother standing in the background.  Every summer we would go visit my dad's family.  I remember traveling late at night.  Everyone in the car would be sound asleep and I'd open my eyes and watch my dad driving.  It would be hot and muggy.  Cars in the 1950's had no AC so we would have all our windows rolled down and it was miserably hot.  After several hours of traveling dad would stop the car at the gate. He'd have to get out, drive the car through, stop, and go back and shut the gate.  Then we would bump along down the long, dirt road to my grandfather and grandmother's house.  Everyone would be awake by now.  Our grandparents would come out to greet us and show us to our big feather beds.  I always loved them because they reminded me of big, white, fluffy clouds.  We'd fall into them and soon be fast asleep.  In the morning we would awake to the smell of bacon frying, biscuits baking and coffee perking.  It was time to enjoy grandma's cat head biscuits (this is what my dad always called them).  Hot out of the oven, we'd cut one open and put in a big glob of creamy, yellow, home churned, cow's butter.  My mouth is watering now!  After breakfast it was outside to play with my cousins who lived on up the dirt road.  They had cows, chickens, horses, peacocks, goats, pigs, dogs and kittens.  It was fun playing with our cousins. There was as many of them as it was of us, which was a lot! They would show us the new litter of pigs and the little runt, trying to root it's way in for some much needed nourishment.  We might take a ride in the red goat cart, or look at the fish swimming in my aunt's little pond she had made from an old rubber tire placed in the ground.  We would make mud pies or chase chickens around the yard.  Later that evening we would catch fireflies until it was time to go inside.  Then grandma would tell stories with her slow, southern, Mississippi drawl.  Sometimes my dad or uncles might tell a ghost story or two.  As we sat around the living room listening to the adults talking I was busy watching my Uncle Arthur making his homemade cigarettes.  It was almost like an art and I was always fascinated by this.  Soon it was late and time for bed.  My cousins would go home and we'd all fall into our fluffy, white marshmallow beds and sleep soundly (unless there was a tornado) and then it was a mad dash for the storm cellar!  

THROUGH IT ALL

The above video is of Andrae Crouch singing the beautiful song he wrote entitled, Through It All.  Many of you from my generation will remember this song.  It sums up how I feel tonight.  

The past few months have been particularly hard, as life often is.  In October my husband went to have cataract surgery and they discovered something wrong with his heart.  They sent him for tests and he was admitted to the hospital.  He stayed there for three days but came home better, Praise the Lord!  In December, he had his cataract surgery and no longer has to wear glasses.

Also in December, a few days before Christmas, a friend of ours was admitted to the hospital and placed in ICU.  He could have died, but thank God he didn't and came home finally on Christmas Eve.

Then two weeks ago my husband's sister was brought to the emergency room having violent seizures.  We thought she was going to die that night, but thank God we had a few more days with her before she passed.

  Her funeral was so beautiful.  Her brother, (my husband), preached her homegoing and our daughter sang the most beautiful, comforting song.  Friends and family were there to celebrate her life.  It was too short, as all of ours will be, even if we live to be 120.  The Bible tells us that man's days are as a vapor.  It is true.  Life is short, but eternity is long.

I've had several people remark to me in the past few days that there seems to be death and troubles on every hand.  I must admit it does seem that way.  This is why I like this song by Andrae Crouch.  It reminds me that through it all we can trust in Jesus.  We rely on Him.  Jesus said He would never leave us or forsake us and that He would go with us to the very end!  He will do what He says He will do.  He cannot lie.

So through it all, let us trust in Him!

Barbecue Sloppy Joe's

Hi everyone!  It's been a while since I've posted anything due to a death in our family.  My husband's sister passed away.  She was a wonderful sister-in-law and will be greatly missed.
I want to share a recipe with you that my husband loves and it's very easy.  My mother got it from a coworker when we lived in Arkansas and I make quite often because it's so simple and good. 



Barbecue Sloppy Joe's


1 pound ground chuck
1 medium onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
2 T. cooking oil
1/4 t. garlic salt
1 jar Barbecue Sauce
American cheese slices
hamburger buns


Finely chop bell pepper and onion.  Heat oil in skillet.  Add bell pepper and onion and cook until onion is translucent.  Add ground chuck.  Season with garlic salt.  Cook until meat is brown.  Drain fat.  Add 1/2 of the bottle of barbecue sauce and mix well.  Arrange 1/2 of each bun on a large baking sheet.  Spoon about 2 T. of meat on each bun.  Add a slice of cheese on top.  Bake in 350o oven until cheese is melted.

My Strength

Life can be stressful most of the time.  The Bible calls it the 'cares of this life' that seem to weigh us down.  There's always something that needs to be done or someone that needs our help.  You wash the clothes on Saturday and by Tuesday you have another 2 or 3 loads.  Ladies you know what I'm talking about.  As soon as you put the dinner dishes in the dishwasher and are ready to relax, your husband wants you to bring him a snack or it's time to fold the laundry, or mop the floor, or go to the store, or.....on and on and on. It's exhausting!

You try to take care of yourself, your husband, your kids, your grandchildren, and everybody else that needs you.  You fall into bed at night and think, finally! And then you can't sleep! There seems to be no end to the madness.  But slow down and listen to this scripture, "He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak." Isaiah 40:29  Meditate on the Word. 

I have no strength, but "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13

Just like the old song says, "I am weak, but He is strong."  Go in the power and strength of His name.

SHOW ME YOUR LOVE!

If ye love me, keep my commandments. 
John 14:15


Jesus is saying if you love me, show me by doing what I say.  You can't just talk the talk, you have to walk the walk.  As the old saying goes, "talk is cheap."  


Women, if a man loves you, he will show it, right?  He doesn't just use words!  He buys you flowers.  He doesn't forget your birthday.  He helps around the house.  In other words, he shows his love. 


And this is what Jesus is saying.  Show me you love me.  Faith without works is dead.  Don't just talk about doing good things, do good things!

DYI

I like DIY projects.  There's just something rewarding about crafting and creating.  I think that's why Pinterest is so interesting, because there are a lot of creative ideas on it.  

This is a picture of my kitchen table and chairs.  I've had the table for over 30 years.  When the chairs that came with it begin to wear out and break, I ordered this from eBay.  They came with green fabric, which I didn't like, so I recovered them with some fabric I found at our local Walmart.  Before I covered them I refinished them to match the table.  I was pretty well satisfied with the outcome.

I really believe that when God breathed the breath of life into man, He gave man that creative ability that God himself has.  Man is a created being and he has the creative power of God within him.  

Think about it.  Do you agree?

Seven Layer Tex Mex Dip

Well, I said I was going to put some recipes on here and to date I've only put one, my "Yummy Lemon Dessert", which is truly "yummy".  This recipe is called, Seven Layer Tex Mex Dip and it's one of my personal favorites.  Not only is it delicious, but it's very colorful!  Every one seems to really like it.  I always get comments about it being good and there's hardly ever any left over (a good sign:)  Anyway, here it is and I hope you enjoy it.




Seven Layer Tex Mex Dip


INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 cup guacamole
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 ( 1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup black olives, drained


DIRECTIONS:


1.  In a large serving dish, spread the refried beans.  Layer the guacamole on top of the beans.


2.  In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and taco seasoning mix.  Spread over the layer of guacamole.


3.  Sprinkle a layer of cheddar cheese over the mayonnaise mixture layer.  Sprinkle tomato, green onions and black olives over the cheese.


Recipe yields:  7 cups

Our Family

My family standing on our front porch for a Christmas photo for our Christmas card.  None of us were dressed up.  It's very unprofessional, but it's us.  I love my family and I think it turned out okay.

Keep Your Blinders On!

I was listening to the Minister's sermon this morning when he said something that really touched my spirit.  I've thought about it before, but for some reason it struck a chord with me and my mind began to race.  What he said was something to this effect:  Jesus was born to die.  He lived His life to die.  That's why He came and then he admonished us to keep our blinders on. This is so true.  Jesus did come to die.  To die for us and our sins.  He was born for that purpose.  He knew He was facing the cross and He lived His whole life that way, facing the cross.  The Minister exhorted us to keep our blinders on, inferring to a horse with blinders.  We too are born to die.  We must live our whole that way.  I'm convinced that man cannot really live, until he faces the fact that he is going to die.

I remember when I was a little girl, my grandpa would put blinders on his horses when he would use them to plow.  That way they would not be distracted by anything in their view.  They would look straight ahead to the task that was before them and stay focused.  Proverbs 4:25 says it like this, "Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you." 

Oh, how many times do you and I get distracted in this life!  And it's by the little things that don't really matter one iota.  We begin to look at the things that are not important and forget about the things that are important.  We get so caught up in the cares of this life, like our jobs, other people's opinions, material things, our looks and on and on.  These things are not what really matter.  It's God, family and others that are important.  Just like Marley tells Scrooge in Charles Dicken's , A Christmas Carol,  "mankind was my business!" and it's so true.  Mankind was Jesus' business and it should be our business too.  

This is exactly what we as Christians should do.  Keep focused and looked straight ahead to the task before us, because actually we are born to die also.  One day we will all stand before the Judgement seat of Christ and be judged for how we lived our life here on earth.  This life is so short.  The Bible compares it to a vapor or a flower that is here today and gone tomorrow.  It is so true.  Life is short.  We are only here for a little while, so just like the Minister so aptly stated in his sermon, "keep your blinders on!"

Listen to this song by Evie Tornquist that tells us what really matters. 

It's Been Awhile

It's been awhile since I've posted anything.  Did you miss me?  I was very busy during Christmas as I know you were too.  We actually have two Christmases.  One with my daughter and her family who live in the same town as we do and another one when my son and his family come home, which is after Christmas.   So Christmas is kind of stretched out and last longer for us.


We did have a wonderful Christmas.  It's always nice to have all the family gathered around our big dining room table enjoying delicious food, watching the grandchildren playing with each other, playing games together (like spoons and Black Magic), and singing Christmas carols together.  I'm always so thankful that God has blessed us with family and good health.  He is truly an awesome God!


Now, it's 2012.  A new year with many possibilities.  The older I get the less New Year's resolutions I make, but I did make 2 informal resolutions to myself.   I haven't shared them with anyone except one of my friends I work with, but now I want to share them with you.


One resolution is to save more money this year.  I don't know why but it's so rewarding to me to save a little money.  Are you like that too?  For instance, using coupons, buying the cheaper brands, making things instead of buying them, etc.  It's just a good feeling to save money.  I believe we are to be good stewards of our money.  It's Biblical, you know.  The Bible is full of good financial advice.  If you want to know how to handle your finances, just read the Bible.  Some people are surprised by this, but the Bible talks a lot about money.


Another one of my resolutions is to read the Bible through again this year.  I've read it through once, but I want to read it again from cover to cover.  The Bible is a really good book.  It's a story all about Jesus from Genesis to Revelation and it's very interesting.  Plus, the Bible is alive.  It's the Living Word of God and because it is alive it gives you and me life!  The more you read, the more you want to read.  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  He is the Giver of life!  I want that abundant life, don't you?


I want to wish everyone who reads this a Happy New!  God Bless!!