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Sanity Garden

Spicy Globe Basil started from seeds.
Sweet Basil!
Sweet mint!

 Have you ever felt stuck? Sometimes I feel stuck. I can’t make any progress (it feels) in any direction. I have some goals and I start working on one and hit a road block for some reason so I head a different direction only to meet with a different obstacle. A lot of life is like that! It reminds me of the little activity we did at library programs where you can’t go around it, you can’t go under it, etc. You have to go through it! Much of my life has been like that and I believe that God wants me right in the middle of that situation. Most of the time for a reason beyond my grasp God wants me to live through certain situations. For the good or bad of it, I am there right where God wants me. It doesn’t mean I just sit there, I can try to learn the lessons I am supposed to learn from the situation. God loves me and is working something out in my life whether it is a situation or just a work in me. Thank you, Lord!

Esther and I built this box.
Oregano

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is how my “sanity garden” came to be. My children laugh when I tell them to come and see my “sanity garden”. A while back May 26th to be exact, I was feeling stuck. I had to do something. So I planted some seeds in a few pots and in a tiny little space we have at the townhouse. And I mean tiny! Esther and I even made a little planter box out of pieces of pallets. And I have been thrilled. Seeing even my tiny little herbs sprout and grow has given me a joy I would not have had. So if you are feeling stuck, plant a few seeds today.

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A Stain Remover that Works!

Recently I was in the kitchen dishing up plates at Emily’s Mystery Menu Dinner when I got bumped and spilled coffee down the backside of Esther’s WHITE pants. She had also dropped blue jello on her pants. I had also worn my white apron and gotten berry stains on it.  I discovered someone had washed them both.  I am thankful I found them before they went in the dryer. I decided to try a combination I had seen on Facebook recently before throwing her pants away.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons of Dawn dish soap

4 Tablespoons of peroxide

2 teaspoons of baking soda

I mixed up these three ingredients in a small jar and rubbed it on the stains and waited for a while before washing them.  I am happy to report the stains came out! I am very excited to have made this new discovery!

Let me know if you try this out!

 

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Reunion

 Two weeks ago I had the blessing to attend a family reunion. My mom, sister and I drove to Bessemer, Alabama and connected with the Brogdon family.

My parents both came from BIG families. My mom and dad both came from a family with 10 kids! What that means is I have a lot of cousins! I have at least 36 first cousins (possibly 42) on this side of the family alone. (MY CHILDREN have 2 cousins on each side!)

It was so wonderful to visit with the cousins! We shared memories of childhood. Some good, some bad, and many filled with laughter. We had the opportunity to visit with my mom and her brother and learn a bit more about their growing up years. I got to know my grandparents who died so young (in their 50’s) through the eyes of their children and those who were old enough to have memories of our grandparents. I am thrilled to see how many have overcome significant struggles and lead lives of compassion and love! Many people become embittered but they live triumphantly!

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Laundry Detergent

I have made laundry detergent a few times through the years and recently started making it again. I ran out of detergent this week and I had all the ingredients to make up a new batch. So I thought I would share this simple recipe with you. This is a low sudsing detergent. I was really surprised at how soft my towels are. It is my understanding that this is good for HE washers as well as regular.

**Here is the recipe!

1 bar Zote (grated) You can see in the picture that I used the pink bar this time.

2 cups washing soda

2 cups borax

1 cup OxiClean (optional) For extra cleaning power!

I mix these ingredients together and place them in a container. I use 1/3 cup per large load of laundry.

Here is where I found my recipe. You will find other laundry soap recipes on her site as well as this one.

https://wellnessmama.com/462/homemade-laundry-detergent/

 

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Mixed Veggie Casserole

In 1980 when I was a new bride and a college student at Freed-Hardeman College I was part of the Preachers’ Wives’ Club. We had a cookbook and it included a recipe very similar to this one. I have long since lost it but I have tried to re-create the recipe here.

20-24 oz. frozen mixed veggies (steam in the bag) Steamed according to package directions

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup onion chopped

2 cups crushed crackers (Ritz or Saltines) Ritz crackers probably add more flavor but I use whatever I have on hand.

1/2 cup butter

 

Steam veggies, mix together in a large bowl veggies, mayo, cheese, and onion. Spread in buttered 13X9 pan. Crush crackers mix with melted butter and sprinkle on top. Bake 350° for 30 minutes.

The picture below doesn’t do it justice. It is a creamy colorful dish. I wish I had taken a picture of the inside!

 

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Taffy Bars

I have been making taffy bars so long that I cannot remember where the recipe came from. Probably more than 30 years. One thing I like about this recipe is how fast it is! It mixes and bakes fast and uses just a few ingredients.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg

Topping:

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4-1/2 cup of finely chopped nuts

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Directions:

Mix together and pat crust into a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with an edge.  Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. As soon as you remove it from the oven, pour 12 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips over the crust. Let it set for a few minutes until soft and spread over crust and sprinkle with nuts. Cut into squares. I get at least 32 squares. These are rich and you may wish to cut them smaller. The chocolate needs to set a bit before serving. You may wish to cool 5 minutes in the fridge or freezer to speed this process up. 

 

Update:  My favorite pan size is actually 17X11. Here is a picture of it with the taffy bars just made.

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Jumbo Semi-Sweet Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Jumbo Semi-sweet Chocolate Walnut Cookies

My local Publix store is having a clearance sale in their baking section. It is common for them to change items frequently so out with the old and in with the new.  I love chocolate so it was very obvious time for me to try new products and stock up instead of sticking with my old favorites! I purchased semi-sweet jumbo chips, Butterfinger crumbles, and mini Hershey’s kisses. So I came up with a new recipe!

My new favorite cookie! (this week)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
2 eggs
2 ¼ all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 bag of jumbo semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

I do the one bowl shortcut method of mixing. Cream butter with sugars and then add flavorings and eggs. Mix well. Dump the flour on top and dump the soda and salt on top and slightly stir them into the flour. Mix all together until well blended. Add the chips and walnuts. I use my medium scoop and put about a dozen balls onto my cookie sheets. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Depending on your oven it may require 2-3 minutes more or less. I remove them from the oven and let them stay on the cookie sheet a minute or two before removing them to the cooling rack.

Extra notes:

You may shape these as you wish. I have a very hard time timing baked goods. I can tell by smell and sight when they are done.

 

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What Temperament Are You?

What temperament are you? Our ladies’ class is studying Spirit-Controlled Temperament by Tim LaHaye. This has been an interesting study.  First, we studied the basic 4 temperaments: Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy, and Phlegmatic. It was very easy to pinpoint which temperament my husband has but not so easy to see mine. If you are curious you can find your temperament by taking the FREE printable test found here: http://59384.inspyred.com/images/Personality%20Temperament%20Test.PDF

So what is my temperament? I am a Choleric – the test describes this temperament as focused; extrovert; goal oriented; the achiever. I found out that my husband and I have the opposite temperaments. Is that a surprise? No!  Many people marry opposites.

As we studied further we covered the 12 blends. The blends really helped me to see myself even better. My blend is a Choleric – Sanguine. My husband says it fits me well. I found the description of driving and lawn care habits of each temperament to be fitting and comical. This study has helped me to understand myself better as well as my family and co-workers. For fun and to gain understanding, you might have your teens take this test too! So far we have identified our temperaments. Next, we will study our strengths and weaknesses after that we will study how to have a Spirit controlled temperament. I’ll let you know what I discover!

If you take the test let me know what you find!

I am including a chart I found on Pinterest. I will be happy to give credit if anyone knows who should receive it!

 

 

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Lawrence and Reda

Lawrence and Reda engagement. This is the photo we sent to our parents. They had NEVER met our future mates.

When I transferred to Freed-Hardeman College January of 1979 one of the first people I met was Lawrence. He was my first date at the school and then he waited a long time to ask me out again! I got to know him through shared classes, devotionals and trying to match make him with several friends and family members. I thought he was such a wonderful guy! I still think so too!

Lawrence and I both shared an interest in mission work and still do! We were part of a group called Campaigns Northwest. In 1980 we traveled to the northwestern part of the United States to work with small churches. These works had been pre-arranged with the churches by Obert and Juanita Henderson. During our preparation meetings, camps, and travel to our locations, we spent a lot of time together. I remember taking a hike in Colorado and realizing he was for me! We were both to work with a small congregation on the Oregon coast. Ranch Road Church of Christ in Reedsport, Oregon. It was during our time serving this church that Mt. Saint Helens erupted in Washington state on May 18, 1980, and Lawrence asked me to marry him! That was 37 years ago! We completed our time with that congregation and went home and got married. And now you know a little more of our story.