Fresh Hope Chat #1 Rejoicing Always

Wanted to post a quick hello and happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone! :-)

YEAHHH Family BBQ my family go do this Sunday so my mom put out veggie and fruit spread have my brother complain Mom get at stater bros my mom would response I could do get my save 10.00 bucks that shut him BIG TIME

Good morning everyone.  Sorry to be so quiet.  Just enjoy reading everyone's posts.
Lorrie, you outdoors experience is so refreshing just to hear about it!
Ruthanne, you are such an inspiration to us all.  You've been through so much and through the Lord you come out shining like a gem.  That's because you are a gem.  I am praying for your dear husband.
Anna, I reflect on what you said about the smoking.  Although, I'm not much of a clothes horse, I do enjoy buying pretty plants for the yard.  And yesterday I looked down at my receipt, after buying yet another carton of cigarettes, and said to Ed.  "If I could only be rid of this, I could buy one tree rose and 1/2 of another. ???  Or I could buy 3 meals with that amount."  Ed did give a try to quitting again, and I smoked outside, which caused me to smoke way less, and kept my home smelling good.  It lasted a couple of weeks, but he's in so much pain, he can't see straight, so he is saving the patches, the VA sent him, for when they find out what is wrong with his shoulder and neck, and maybe get some relief.  Then he's going to try again.  I sure did love the fact that my house didn't smell like an ashtray.  So, I'm looking forward to him getting treated so he can quit and so can I.  I just know that if he quits, I will be able to set them down, forever.  I want that SO much.  I understand now, how my mother could do it.  She always said "If your father would just quit smoking, I can too.  I just can't do it with smoke in the house."  And now I know how she managed.  Dad quit and within a month or less, my mother did too.  It was kinda funny, in a way.  She had one pack left, and said "this is my last pack".  One day, when she got home, she was getting out of the blazer with groceries and accidentally dropped her pack on the driveway, and they spilled out. Well, as you all know, my mother was a germophobic in the worst way.  (lol, so am I)  She was not about to put those things in her mouth, now that they've touched the ground.  So, she gathered them all up, and came into the house and threw them all in the trash.  Dad just looked at her, wondering.  She said, "I just quit smoking!!"  LOL, she never did smoke again, either. 
I keep praying that the Lord will do that for me, some day.

OK, I seem to never post anymore, and then when I do, I get to babbling.


But, I'm gonna go ahead and sign off for now.  Ed and I have a little bit of running to do, and hopefully buy some groceries, if we have enough energy left.  So, I guess I'd better get a move on.  It's getting late in the day.

Bon appetit Seven Enjoy your meal.

Onion rings and potato wedges!  YUM!!

I made a supper two nights ago that surprised me.  I worked hard on it, and hoped it would be good, but it was FANTASTIC!  LOL  I made shoulder pork steaks on the grill.  I put garlic powder, pepper, salt on one side, then loaded it up with paprika and pounded the daylights out of them. lol  Then turned them over and only used the garlic and paprika and pounded that side too, then slapped them on the grill on the lowest setting it has.  I cooked them for longer, being on the low setting.  I was trying to remember how my mother did it.  I knew she used the paprika for tenderizing, but forgot that she pounded it down with the edge of a plastic plate.  I used a meat mallet though. lol  And I must say that mine turned out better than hers, and that's saying a lot, because I always loved my mother's pork steaks. 
Then I made a potato salad, that seemed to be better than ever.  Not sure, but it was good.  Then I made a banana pudding with the Nilla wafers, the old fashioned way........except I used instant pudding. lol
My taste buds were saying more, more, more, but my stomach was crying "oh please don't do this to me!"

Then I actually used my crock pot, and it worked for me this time.  I put a pot roast in it with a homemade au jus, and made Italian beef for sandwiches for last night.  It cooked for 16 hours. lol   Today, I'm going to take the leftover meat and au jus and make a gravy with it, and put the meat into it with loads of mushrooms and serve it over rice or noodles.  I told Ed to think about it, and let me know which one. lol  It's only almost 6:30am, so he's not really thinking of supper right now. lol

Cindy, I just loved reading how you were saved.  I started my morning with that.  Good way to begin.  Well, I really never went to bed, last night, but feel rested because I did nothing all evening.  Napped in my chair for a couple hours last night, but been up ever since.  I hope I don't get back into my old routine.  I'm kinda liking sleeping at night. lol

Lulu, I hope you finally got some rain.  If I could package it up and send some of ours your way, I'd sure do it!  It finally stopped raining, just before sun up, after raining all night long.  lol, that was with a 20% chance of rain in the forecast.   My plants are sure loving it, and the ground is still soaking it up, like a sponge.  Two of my tree roses died, over the winter, so I'm still waiting for those to be delivered.  (the warranty replacements, that is)  They said to call back in a week for a ship date. :-/  They received my request on the 23rd of April.  I'm going to try something different, because these are the 4th rose trees that have died, from this company.  They ship bare root, and bloom right away and then nothing, and die.  They ship them so late that they don't get a chance to have a good root system going before the freeze, and all my other tree roses have done well, that I buy potted here locally.  Sooooo, I'm going to pot the bare root trees, and keep them potted until next spring.  During the winter I'll put them in the garage, away from the ice.  That will allow them to harden but still have a strong root system for the ground.  Maybe that will work.  I hope so, because I'm getting really tired of replacing my plants.
How did your Hibiscus fare, last year, with the seeds I sent to you?  Or anyone else, for that matter.  I know I sent out a LOT of packets, but can't remember now, who all I sent them to.  I meant to ask about it, but don't think I have.  I transplanted mine out of the grass, over to my rock garden and boy did it ever have a massive root system on it.  I thought it was dead, but kept seeing new growth, so I thought I'd dig it up and have a looksee and wow!  And with all this rain, there are new sprouts and the plant is about oh, I'd guess to be about 10" tall.


Kelly, I would check the seal on your new pressure cooker.  If things are boiling out of it, it's not sealing properly.  I hope you too, got the rain you were expecting.

Hi Mark.  I'm so happy that Shirley is improving every day!  That is so good to hear.

Hi Margie!  How are things going there in Texas?  Are you still busy with the boys games?
How's the house fixing going?

Lorrie, are you still in NC?  Or are you heading home today?




 

Kelley, saw pictures of your day at farmers market...nice stuff! I love the patio furniture! glad the day went well for you!

Cheryl, I took a few pictures of the back yard, I have to go though the whole upload and stuff at Photobucket then get them posted over here..they are coming up, no flowers as of yet though...our garden is huge...

Ruthanne, we don't have curtains either, in our kitchen we do, but none in the living room or out here in our sanctuary.

we are putting in a pork-roast right now, to cook all day for supper tonite, it's stuffed with garlic, fresh rosemary and bacon...the rosemary smells SO good on my hands...lol...it's just Ron and I, no family plans, as Matt has to work and Netty isn't even in the state right now...it's been a very nice quiet weekend, just Ron and I....

Well Happy Memorial day to Veterans alive and dead

Also Decades tv network new CBS sub channel got started today I been watching off and on Rat Patrol with future YR star Victor Newman

A red-tailed hawk, how exciting! You are smart to protect your parakeets.
He must see them as snacks in a box.
I used to see them when we mowed the hay fields. The mower cut down everything in it's
path, so there was all kinds of morsels for the hawk. We also had a kestrel who used to nest
there. I live in an apartment now, so these are only memories. Don't get me wrong I prefer the ease of living in town, but the stars were just beautiful at night.

Rat Patrol! That was a favorite.