The Weekend....that was!!!

When talking about the weather in Oklahoma, Will Rogers coined the phrase, 

"If you don't like the weather just wait a minute, it will change."

That was especially true over the weekend!  

We had a storm move through Saturday evening, that included hail like I have never seen before! It started off with a light rain, that soon progressed to small pea size hail, that increased gradually to sheets of rain with golf ball size hail. The temperature dropped about 28 degrees in a period of about 30 minutes. Which caused such a difference between the air temperature and the warm ground temp, we had a thick fog form and you could not see a thing. All this happened just before sunset and continued off and on to about 9:30 p.m. During that time it hailed steadily for at least a half hour. Normally, we might get hail up front of a storm and it last 3 or 4 minutes.....this was so different, so unusual.

Sunday morning, we had

limbs down and a carpet of green leaves everywhere.

The good news (besides the fact that the rain left water puddles everywhere!!!)....

Honey-hunk had planted turnips on Friday afternoon in the pasture garden.  They really got a nice soaking!

We love TURNIPS!

And so do the deer.....it is interesting how they can jump the fence, walk through the plants, nibbling turnip greens and manage to never

step/mash a single plant!  Besides being graceful, they must be light on their feet.  LOL

I am going to be making some lists...trying to get better organized.  Do you realize it is only about 67 days until 2012?

I want to start the New Year with a clean slate (sorta speak)....at

least with a clean house!  But there are several things that we need to do, both outside and inside.

And I am also still looking for some unique gifts to make for the Holidays ...... I've already started posting a 

few ideas, just scroll down a couple of posts.

Why not join with me....we'll work together and be ready for the holidays and for 2012!

(Besides, making lists is fun....the work comes when trying to follow your lists! LOL)

By the  way, I made the quickest, easiest coffee cake over the weekend.....it was so simple and delicious!

Image borrowed from the internet!

I was in a hurry....so I did not measure very closely...I was making two and both came out wonderfully!!!

Recipe:

1 box yellow cake mix

approximately 2/3 cup of brown sugar

1 box  instant butterscotch pudding mix

liberal amount of cinnamon 

Mix cake mix according to directions on package, but use a little less water (decrease by about 2 Tablespoons).  Spray baking dish with non-stick spray.  Pour a little over half the batter into your baking dish and spread smooth.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and half the pudding mix and half of the brown sugar.

Next add the remaining cake batter (I just dropped by spoonfuls and spread the batter as best I could).  Again, sprinkle with cinnamon and add remaining pudding mix and brown sugar.

Bake according to directions on cake mix.  I baked ours for about 34 minutes at 350 degrees.  

This was so good....and smelled wonderful while baking! 

If it had just been for me and Honey-hunk, I would have also topped with a few chopped walnuts, but I have some of those critters who claim not to like nuts.

Welcome to the new followers....so glad you are here.  I have trouble imagining anyone following me, especially during the time I took a month off!!!  But, I like to run my mouth  I enjoy getting to know everyone and visiting with YOU!

This coming week, I will try to get out and come by your blogs....little by little.

Blessings,

Cheryl

P.S.  Beth, if you read this....have a wonderful time at Relevant!  Say hi to Stacy and give her a hug!  I know you two bloggers are going to have fun!
 

Saturday and Where is spring?

Wishing for this!


Receiving this!


It’s Saturday! Shalom! Peace, sweet peace and quiet...almost! After having a grand total of all 11 kids for a little over 24 hours, having had many in and out over the past week, we are down to two! Amazingly, two kids are pretty quiet after having a houseful.

The good/bad news is – the last two days have been beautiful, but it started raining last night. Not just raining, but a huge spring thunderstorm with lighting, pounding rain, etc. Today it is *warning, four letter word *ahead* snow! It is March 20th - -snow?! Not just snow, a 24 hour blizzard. Well, that’s just great. Isn’t it the first of spring? I mean we are six weeks (and then some) past Ground Hog Day.

Actually, the ground is so warm, even if it snows it’s heart out, how much snow will remain on the ground for longer than a few hours, days? But that brings up another *word* mud!

As I was dusting today (I do that occasionally), I was musing over the fact that living in the country, I am always fighting either dust or mud. For when we have mud is the only time we don’t have dust (well, nearly). Of the two, I prefer dust. Why, because if you keep the mini blinds closed and the lights low *candles are good here* you have a more difficult time seeing the dust, unless some smart aleck writes his name in it.

Yesterday morning for breakfast I cooked 1 pkg (12 oz.) of bacon, 1 can of spam (special request from one of the grand-dudes), and 1 package of beef smoked sausage (some of us are trying to give up pork). Along with that they consumed one dozen eggs, 2/3 of a (large) box of Rice Krispies, 1 gal. of orange juice, 10 bananas, at least 4 oranges, and toast. I felt like I had fed a small (but determined) army! Imagine my surprised when 45 minutes later they wanted to know if they could go on a picnic. I made them wait 2 hours. It was torture, but I did it anyway (and loved it).*

*Beth* pay attention (just kidding you!) – they needed the red food coloring to make it appear to be fire coming from the volcanoes. And yes, they did it again yesterday, when one cousin showed up that was not familiar with the fine art of making volcanoes. (I figure at least they will know how to freshen plumbing drains when they grow up, so it wasn’t a total lost. As a matter of fact, (being the home school person I am), I could list this under *creative play* - *life skills* - *simple science* (well, you really get a chemical reaction) or under a number of other subjects! At least, they came up with the idea on their own - *maybe creative thinking skills*.

Anyway, nine went home last night, and it is quiet and I miss them. But so glad I am not going to be cooped up in the house with all of them if this snow really gets going. I’d have to loot a grocery store!

*My Health Walk* ***Warning, gross conversation ahead***

I gave up on my fast for this week. After making a million P&J sandwiches (and having to lick the knife before putting it in the sink), I figured I was fighting a loosing battle. But I did try to work on the candida cleanse – avoiding sugar, wheat, starch, etc. Interestingly, the candida cleanse I am using has several herbs that are somewhat drying. I have also been taking a product called Lungs Clear, trying to dry out the last residue of the crud. I really didn’t consider the affect of taking both herbal combinations at the same time. (Probably why it isn’t always a good ideal to be your own doctor.) But for the last couple of days, I have itched like crazy! So I upped the amount of Omega oils I was taking. Last night my hands itched so bad, I got up and mixed olive oil with some lavender essential oil and messaged into my hands to get some relief. I slept wonderfully afterwards. *gross part* I went to the bathroom this morning to do my morning *umhm* thing, and passed a parasite! Lands, I was shocked, because I wasn’t doing a parasite cleanse, but the combination I was “accidentally” taking evidently dried the poor critter up! Glad he is no longer a part of me.

BTW – for what it is worth, everyone should do a parasite cleanse twice a year.

Going to work on the fast starting this coming Monday.

*The Promise, My Spiritual Walk*

With the sighting of the New Moon and the barley being ripe in Israel, we begin a new Biblical year. It is an exciting time as we move closer to Passover (and closer to the Sacrifice Yeshua (Jesus) made for each of us). May this year be one that brings each of us to a deeper revelation of His presence!

Last night (Friday) at sundown began the Biblical Sabbath and the Parsha study (Torah portion) for this week, which is from the first five chapters of Leviticus and is titled Vayikra, which means “And He Called”. May your heart hear His call and may He shower each of you with blessings!