Salmon Stew

2 packages of salmon - deboned and skinless 4 1/2 cups of water Boil 5 minutes. Add in 1 1/2 stick of butter Salt 6 cans of evaporated milk 6 cans of water 3 cups milk Boil and eat. Make sure we have plenty of Texas Pete, ketchup and crackers.

God is so good!!!

Artie and I have dreamed about living in the country for more years than I can count.  Raising seven children in a close neighborhood isn't easy.  We are loud and we take up a lot of room!!!  :-) 

We have been blessed and have bought a small piece of land that is perfect for us.  It is in the country about ten minutes away from town.  We are so excited!!! 

This is Bobby out exploring...

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:4

About half the property is wooded...

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1:17

I see gardens waiting to be planted...

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  Psalm 37:5

I love this picture with the sunbeam shining through.  Sunbeams always make me think of Jesus shining down...

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

There is plenty of room for the children to play...

Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.  Isaiah 43:18-19

God saw all that He had made and it was good.  Genesis 1:31a

This is the road leading up to our land.  Ours is on the left of the road in this picture...

But I trust in your unfailing love, my heart rejoices in your salvation I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.  Psalm 13:5-6

The Will of God

I was reading Passionate Homemaking and came across this wonderful quote:

The will of God —

nothing less, nothing more, nothing else.”

— F. E. Marsh

Love it!!! 

Though None Go With Me

Great movie find.  Walks through a life of tragedy and shows how God is right there and always has a plan...

To my children...

Above All Else
by Debby Boone

So much to say and just a lifetime left to say it.

How quickly time passes.

If I had my way, I'd keep you safe within my arms

While the storm of life crashes.

I won't always be with you, my child,

But words I can give.

When the winds of hope are dying down,

These words will live.

Above all else, know God's the One who'll never leave you.

Look to Him above all else.

He is love you can depend upon, a heart set to care.

If in the darkest night you should be lost, He will be there.

He’s the Everlasting Father,

In His hands you’ll never fall.

He’s the One who holds it all,

Above all else.

He’s the Author of your laughter,

He’s the Keeper of your tears,

He’s the One who you must fear

Above all else.

He’s the Giver of the kingdom

Bought for you right from the start,

And He’ll ask you for your heart

Above all else.

So much to say

And not enough time left to say it.

Just love the Lord

Above all else.

Not for all the chocolate in the world...

"I wouldn't give up my family for anything - not for all the chocolate in the world." Charlie, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Lunch Money

One of my favorite finds last year was mylunchmoney.com

Lunch money has always been so hard for me. More times than I can count I've ended up at Wal-Mart on Sunday evenings trying to get ones for a twenty. I love Wal-Mart, but they are a little stingy with their ones. Seems they think moms should be more prepared and stop by the bank to get the change they need - each week!!!

Due to the ages differences, the most we've ever had in school at one time was six. Those six were divided into three different schools and six homeroom teachers. Separate lunch money was a killer!!

Add in on that, I'm a scattered person and often just plain forgot to send it!!!

In came My Lunch Money to save the day. You can set up accounts for each child at each individual school. Set a minimum balance and when their account drops below, it automatically refills!!!

Yeah, no more calls from the lunch lady!!!

Taco Mix

So, I'm jumping in here from out of the blue. There are so many things to catch up, I might not ever.

Still unsteady from Bobbie's death but one thing I was sure of sitting in her funeral, I want to blog again. I want my children to have my words - good, bad, silly and wise. I want them to know what I was thinking when I did ... whatever, and how God always is faithful.

I want to give them what I wish I had from my mama....

So, I am gonna try my best to give it another go round. Posting little bits here and there, maybe... maybe not..., but I'm gonna try.




Here is a mix recipe for tacos that we have used for years. It came from the book Miserly Moms.

1/4 cup red pepper flakes or chili powder
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup oregano
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup onion powder

2T cayenne pepper
2T salt
1T cloves

Mix well and store in sealed container

For tacos: add 2T to 1 pound of hamburger. Cook together and then drain. Or in our house add 10T to five pounds of hamburger...

For Dips: add 2T to 1 cup sour cream or yogurt

For Mexican Beef: add 2-4 T over a roast and cook in crock pot for 6-8 hours. Shred and serve on soft taco shells with fixings

Banana Cream Pie by Woman's Day Magazine

Bobby made a great springtime dessert for us tonight. (too bad it turned cold and rainy today - but I sure can imagine eating it on a pretty summer day)

Banana Cream Pie

1 9 oz graham cracker pie crust 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/8 t salt 2 cups whole milk 1 cups heavy cream (1/2 pint) 4 large eggs yolks (Bobby learned how to seperate eggs) 1/2 t vanilla 2 large bananas + 1 for decoration 8 oz cool whip In a medium saucepay, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the milk and 1 cup of the heavy cream and whisk until fully incorporated; whisk in the egg yolks. Bring the misture to a simmer. Gently simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour half the pudding mixture into the pie crut. Slice the bananas crosswise 1/4 in. thick and arrange in a single layer on top of the pudding. Top with the ramaining pudding and smoothe the top. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. When ready to serve, spread cool whip over the top of the pie. Makes 8 servings (This isn't exactly the Woman's Day recipe but our rearranged version.)

Cream of Broccoli Soup (from the Foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients:

2 T butter

1/2 cup cream, heavy or light

1 onion, chopped

half n' half

1 russet potato, peeled and chopped

nutmeg to taste

6 cups canned chicken stock, warmed

salt

3 cups chopped broccoli florets and stems

pepper

Directions:

In a large pot, melt butter and cook onion until tender over medium high heat. Add potato and toss to coat with butter. Add hot stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in broccoli and return to a simmer. When potato and broccoli and tender, puree in batches in a blender or food processor. Return to pot and add cream. Season to taste and serve warm.

Yeah, It's time....

Holiday Grand Plan

Yeah, the Holiday Grand Plan started this week. I love it. Lists, list and more lists!!!

Troy and Artie

Reading...

I just finished reading Rose Galbraith. Once again, Grace Livingston Hill doesn't disappoint. It took a little while to get to the good part, but she just had to set the stage...

Currently I'm reading Afternoons with Emily - seems totally different than anything I've read before....

Warm days can leave the house seeming a little sniffy and stuffy, so offset this by mixing up an oh so Summery air freshener using 30 drops ofpeppermint oil, 30 drops of lime oil and 35 drops of grapefruit oil in 40z of water. Shake and leave to blend for a day or two before spritzing into the air as often as you see fit.

From Brocante Home - Puttery Treats for Summer Days

I'm loving my bottle of summer....

The Telling

I just finished the last book in the Seasons of Grace trio - The Telling. Beverly is as good as ever!!!

First Day of Autumn

First Day of Autumn
Days until Thursday, September 23rd, 2010 56

Dr. Doolittle

Brenda trying to rescue another bird....

Cracker Barrel with Granny

Today's Harvest

July 1st - Gamecocks Baseball National Champions Day!!!

Sanford to raise USC flag above

State House

"Gov. Mark Sanford said he will raise a USC flag above the State House on Thursday "in tribute to the team's amazing season and dominant performance over the last few days in Omaha."

He also is declaring that July 1 is Gamecocks Baseball National Champions Day."

TheState.com