Everything went OK yesterday, the turkey was a hit. I saw on one of the shows on the Food Network, they put a sliced orange and a sliced lemon in the cavity of the turkey to help it stay juicy. Well it worked! I also used some cajun injector for seasoning the inside of the meat, that too adds so much flavor. So it was a hit, thank you God, lol.

I, as usual, made too much food. I sent some home with my daughter, fed some inlaws, twice, ate supper, fed strangers that stopped by to say hello, and STILL had tons of food left.  The strangers were only strangers to me, my dh knew these men from work. Grinding keeps going on 24/7 here, there are no holidays as for as the mill bosses are concerned. Things keep running. So there were truck and tractor drivers that were stopping by the house to say hello, and I felt bad and fed them.  My husband did put his foot down on not giving away the coconut cake tho, lol.

So what do you do  with all the cornbread dressing you have left, you eat some of it for breakfast.........and lunch.............and supper. If there is any left by the end of the day, I may have to give some it the cats. LOL

I will be heading out later to face the crowds at Wal-mart, ONLY because I need a new toilet seat and some packing tape. Otherwise, I wouldn't face the crowds. I'm not one for all this shopping madness. Besides, I looked threw all the sales papers, and there wasn't anything that I wanted, lol.

Have a good day, and be safe if your out in the craziness.

As some of you know my lovely little grand daughter, Velvet Rose, age 11, lives with me. She has been here since around the first of the school year. Velvet suffers with Bi-Polar Disorder, ADHD and ODD. In early Sept. she was hospitalized for being suicidal. When she was released she came home with me instead of her parents. She has made great progress here with her grandpa and I. But on Tuesday she had to admitted to the hospital again.

She has been having bouts of very manic behaviour followed by severe depression. This is a way of life for those having Bi-Polar disorders.  She is a precious little girl who loves Jesus and her family very much. Please help us pray for her to be healed. I know God wants her to have a more stable life.  She needs peace of mind only He can give her.

There is a little Booger in our house tonight. He is tiny, all

black except for a tiny white splash on his chest, little

bright eyes, cold nose, lots of puppy kisses, and I have to

admit, he is very, very smart.
I had watched the old stray pregnant dog for a long time,

watched her tearing into trash along the road on my way

to work. You could not catch her, she had made a home

under someone's house, and would run away. Finally, after

a couple months, I would notice her on my way to work,

there were four tiny black puppies following her. I had

talked to Benny about trying to save one of them, I knew it

was a matter of time until the dog catcher would find her.

She has lucked out so far, but for how long, I do not know.

Finally, she was down to just two cute little puppies. I had

talked to some friends in the neighborhood about the

puppies, and had made an attempt to catch them once, but

I could not get to them. Then, there were no puppies at all,

so I assumed they had all found homes, or were just gone.
Today, I received a phone call from a friend. "You

remember those cute puppies?"  ...."Yes"......"well, our

grandaughter got one of them and the landlord told her she

has to get rid of it now"....."Can you help in any way?" "It

is a cute little boy puppy".....and of course, you know my

immediate answer....."I will send Benny to get it right now"

I had to leave for work, so he would have to be the one to

collect the little Booger. I could not wait to get home

tonight. When I got in, guess what the scene was in my

bedroom ? Benny was asleep, his reading glasses hanging

off his nose, the reading light was still on, and in his arms,

a little black puppy was laying on his back, with four paws

up in the air, sound asleep.....the guys in my life were in

dreamland ! We will have to adjust to having a dog in the

house again....someone asked me tonight what kind of dog

it was....I replied it was a "Sooner" dog  ...."A Sooner dog,

what kind is that ?..."Well, it is just as soon one kind as

another"....He does resemble a black lab, but the mother is

a small white terrier.......we will have to wait and see.....

          


    

                     DRINKING FROM MY SAUCER

                         I've never made a fortune
                         And its probably to late now,
                         But I don't worry about that much
                         I'm happy anyhow.

                         And as I go along life's way
                         I'm reaping better than I sow.
                         I'm drinking from my saucer
                         'Cause my cup has overflowed!

                         Haven't got a lot of riches
                         And sometimes the going's tough,
                         But I've got loving ones around me
                         And that makes me rich enough.

                         I thank God for His blessings
                         And the mercies He's bestowed.
                         I'm drinking from my saucer
                         'Cause my cup has overflowed!

                         Oh, I remember times when things went wrong
                         And my faith wore somewhat thin.
                         But all at once the dark clouds broke
                         And sun peeped through again.

                         So Lord, help me not to gripe
                         About the tough rows that I've hoed.
                         I'm drinking from my saucer
                         "Cause my cup has overflowed!

                         If God gives me strength and courage
                         When the way grows steep and rough,
                         I'll not ask for other blessings
                         I'm already blessed enough.

                         And may I never be too busy
                         To help others bear their loads,
                         Them I'll keep drinking from my saucer
                         'Cause my cup has overflowed!

             From a song by: Michael Combs
     
     Therefore; Thanks be to God for His wonderful
gifts.  For through Him all blessings flow indeed.  Amen!        
                              ( 2 Corinthians 9:15 )

Happy Thanksgiving to all my dear friends here on the blog. Have a love filled day........Kitty

It's the busy time of year....the most busy time we have all year long. While it can be tiring, it's also lots of fun. I LOVE this time of year, for the weather change, the beauty change and the excitement of all that's going on!

Here's our past week in photos...

First, Thomas went hunting with our friend and neighbor...

Here they are going up our hill...

Nope, they didn't get a deer...maybe on Thursday when they go again? Maybe if the yahoos in the field behind us are not buzzing around on their 4 wheelers with their guns out....maybe they'd be able to get one!

Our dachshund, Penny, gave birth to five beautiful puppies!!!

Rebecca used the Knifty Knitter and made Mary a hat....she's working on other projects with it now...

We made root beer! Now, this did not save money at all...but you know how I like to make things myself...  It was neat to do and tasted wonderful!!!

Here are all the supplies...

Here I've poured the root beer flavoring into the sugar...

Here is the combined flavoring and sugar, as well as the yeast that has proofed...

And here is the final result!

We have 5 gallons of root beer to drink! The box says to store it on its side for 1-2 days, then store it in the frig for 3-4 days...consuming within a week. Guess we have alot of root beer to drink, eh?! Toby stopped at the store and bought a huge container of vanilla ice cream..can you say "root beer floats all around"?!

Craft day for Thanksgiving...here are Natalie and her dog, Bean, as pilgrims. (No, I'm sure the pilgrims didn't wear yellow hats..bonnets..what were they called?! But, it's the color we had on hand and I didn't want to ask Honey to make yet another stop at Wal Mart on his way home...)

It's been a fun filled, busy week in our home. We have baking to do today..along with a run to pick up milk. We are planning a quiet day tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Hope you enjoyed our week in review!!

You panic! That's what I did.

Here's the story. Years ago when my youngest son was still attending public school he made  a friend. The cutest little black boy named Kia. He  spent many nights and weekends at our house for  years. He was a good child to say the least.  He is one of three children that his single mom is trying to raise. I had no problems with him at all. Then once I took Zack out of school we didn't see the little fellow as much. But they still talked on the phone from time to time. I was sad that they didn't remain close close.

Then last night around 8:45 there is a knock at my door. I freak, as I ususally do when there  is a knock late at night. You always fear the worse for a moment. He had grown a good bit so I didn't recognize him at first and was wondering what the hey is this kid that I don't know doing at my house this late. Then when he said my name I realized who he was. He was crying and informs me that he had ran away from home. His story was unclear about why he was doing this, buy I did get that his mom would be very very upset with him for something that he had done and in his words, "kill him". At first I thought he was exaggerating, but through more conversation with him I found out, if his story is true, that his mom is abusive to him, he even mentioned a baseball bat.  To see this women, whom I never really got to know all that well, you wouldn't think she would do this. But as my husband said, "you never know what people are truly like behind closed doors."

So as we sat on the front porch swing I prayed for God to help me give this child the right words. I told him that he could spend the night here with us IF he called his mom and let me speak to her. He didn't like that, he didn't want her to know where he was. The child was really frightened of what he was facing.  I offered to bring where ever he wanted to go. His grandfather lived not too far from my home. He said no. I offered to call anyone he thought might help him, a friend, a relative, a teacher, a pastor, anyone. I didn't know what to do for him. I didn't know where he lived since they had moved in the past year, I didn't know any phone numbers or even names of his relatives. I felt useless and helpless. He had come to me and I was not helping him.

After almost an hour, he promised me that he was going to go straight to his grandfather's house, but I knew better since he wouldn't allow me to bring him there. I prayed for him, hugged him and watched him walk down my dark road.

I cryed and then decided to call the police. After about 20 minutes of them trying to decide what department to give me and my problem to, they told me thay would send out a car to look for him. They also told me that they would contact me with any more info on him. I stayed dressed and up untill the wee hours of the morning, and never heard from anyone. And as I said I don't have any phone numbers to call and check up on him.

 I pray that this child was helped in some manner by someone. I felt helpless in the whole situation. I wanted to just invite him into my home and let him stay forever if  that's what he wanted. But that wouldn't have been fair to his mother. And I also didn't want to cross any legal lines, you know how thin those lines are now days.

I just hope God is watching over Kia today and always. Could I have done anything different?

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let Israel now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
I called on the LORD in distress;
The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
The LORD is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in princes.
All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
They surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
They surrounded me like bees;
They were quenched like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the LORD helped me.
The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the LORD.
The LORD has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them,
And I will praise the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD,
Through which the righteous shall enter.
I will praise You,
For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation.

The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the LORD’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Save now, I pray, O LORD;
O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
God is the LORD,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

Cookie Balls

I don't know why I have to laugh when I read that
title, but I do. I was thinking about the Holidays and
all the good cookies, candy, cakes, and pies. The stores
are already playing Christmas music and the turkey
has not been picked out yet for Thanksgiving. However,
when it comes to Ghirardelli chocolate squares, the ones
with the ooooooozy, yummmmmy Caramel filling, I am
already buying them. I love that candy...so decadent.This
recipe has to be good, anything with peanut butter...and
chocolate. Here are some cookie ball recipes.......(smile)

Nutter Butter Truffles:

1 pkg. Nutter Butter cookies (broken… use cookies
 with the cream center)

1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)

chocolate bark
 
1. Finely crush all but 5 cookies in a food processor
or place them in a ziploc bag and crush into a fine
 consistency.
2. Combine with cream cheese. Use the back of a
large spoon to help mash the two together.
3. Roll the mixture into 1" balls and place on wax
 paper covered cookie sheet.
4. Melt chocolate as directed on the package and
then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set
 aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.
5. Once dry, refrigerate and enjoy!
-----------------------------------------------------------
Oreo Candy Bites

These are easy no bake cookies.

1 pkg. oreo (do not use double stuff)
1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese
white or reg chocolate for melting

Crush Oreo's in a blender
Add cream cheese at room temp. to
crushed oreo's and mix together.
Roll into 1 inch balls, and coat with
 melted chocolate. You can also use
other kinds of chocolate or drizzle white
chocolate  on top.

Drop onto waxed paper and refrigerate.

Very easy and good. Enjoy

--------------------------------------------

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:
1 cup graham crackers
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chocolate chips

Crush graham crackers into crumbs and mix together with 1/2 cup butter, powdered sugar and peanut butter.
Press mixture into an ungreased 9-by-13 inch pan.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, milk and 2 tablespoons butter. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
Remove mixture from heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until smooth.
Spread chocolate over graham cracker layer. Chill and cut into small squares.
---------------------
Peanut Butter Balls for Reindeer Poop
 
2 cups Jiff creamy peanut butter
2 cups of powdered sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
¾ stick of room temperature butter (salted)
semi-sweet chocolate chips (quite a bit of them)
 
Blend first four ingredients until thoroughly mixed, and roll into walnut sized balls. Freeze until hard. Melt chocolate chips in microwave or double boiler. Stir chocolate until it is smooth.
 
Roll or dip peanut butter balls into the chocolate until they are completely covered. Then freeze them again. You can move them to the refrigerator once hardened. Always keep them cold. Line containers with parchment or wax for easily removal.
 
 
Reindeer Poop Poem:
 
Christmas is coming,
Along with Santa and his deer.
Listen closely on Christmas Eve,
And maybe you will hear.
 
While Santa leaves gifts,
Tied with ribbons and bows,
The reindeer leave these droppings,
In neat little rows!