YOU CAN'T ASK TOO MUCH OF MY GOD
by One Accord

When David gathered a handful of stones,
Where the soldiers had fallen he waited alone;
With a prayer and a little rock,
The giant fell right on the spot;
That's what David prayed for and that's what David got.
And you can't ask too much of my God.
No, you can't ask too much of my God.

There was a woman drawing water from a well,
She had so many regrets, so often she'd failed;
But Jesus knew where she had been,
Still He forgave her of her sins;
And her life began to flow living waters for the soul.
And you can't ask too much of my God.
No, you can't ask too much of my God.

When you're broken and you cannot find,
The piece of mind,
That seems to leave you behind;
Have you spoken to the God of Abraham,
The Great I Am,
He's greater than any problem you've got.
And you can't ask too much of my God.
No, you can't ask too much of my God.

Upon the three Hebrew children God smiled,
And when Sarah was ninety God gave her a child;
I believe that just as then,
He's here to move like that again;
He has a miracle to do He only needs to hear from you.
And you can't ask too much of my God.
No, you can't ask too much of my God.

When you're broken and you cannot find,
The piece of mind,
That seems to leave you behind;
Have you spoken to the God of Abraham,
The Great I Am,
He's greater than any problem you've got.
And you can't ask too much of my God.
No, you can't ask too much of my God.

And you can't ask too much of my God.
No, you can't ask too much of our God.

Ingredients


4 tablespoons Butter
2 Each shallot, finely chopped
1/4 pound Mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup White wine
2 cups Brown sauce
2 tablespoons Tomato paste
1 tablespoon Parsley, chopped
3/4 teaspoon Tarragon, flaked
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper, ground

Preparation
1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in medium sucepan. Cut remaining 2 tablespoons butter into pieces; set aside.
2. Stir shallots (may be substituted by 1/4 cup finely minced onion) into melted butter. Saute until soft but not brown.
3. Stir in Mushrooms. cook over high heat 2-3 min until tender.
4. Pour in wine. Boil until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup.
5. Stir in basic brown sauce (may substitute with brown demi-glaze) and tomato paste. Bring to boil, stirring often.
6. Remove from heat and whisk in butter pieces, parsley and tarragon.
7. NOTE: DO NOT BOIL SAUCE AFTER LAST ADDITION OF BUTTER!!!!!!!

As an appetizer or snack
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients:
4 cups of pecan halves
2 Tbl of butter or ghee
3 to 5 packets of Truvia (To your taste or that of your guests. For me, I only use two packets of Truvia. I am banking that you will be serving these to folks who have not done the diet, therefore I am predicting at least the first batch they will like them sweeter but I will leave that judgment call up to you.)
4 tsp of cinnamon
½ tsp of salt
Wisp of cayenne (or more to your taste)

Instructions:
Melt the butter or ghee in a large skillet. Add the pecans and cook for 2 – 3 minutes to coat the pecans. Stir often. When a few begin to brown on the edges, quickly take them out of the pan and put in a heat proof bowl or other container. Add the other seasonings. Stir.
If you like the idea of zippy with your sweet you can add more cayenne.
These will keep very well in an airtight container so you can make a big batch to last through a long holiday weekend.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE





You've no doubt heard about people who have been abducted and had

their kidneys removed by black-market organ thieves.



My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years

ago. I went to sleep and woke up with someone else's thighs.

It was just that quick. The replacements had the texture of

cooked oatmeal. Whose thighs were these and what happened to

Mine? I spent the entire summer looking for my thighs.

Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to living out my

life in jeans. And then the thieves struck again.



My butt was next. I knew it was the same gang, because they

took pains to match my new rear-end to the thighs they had

stuck me with earlier. But my new butt was attached at least

three inches lower than my original! I realized I'd have to

give up my jeans in favor of long skirts.



Two years ago I realized my arms had been switched. One

morning I was fixing my hair and was horrified to see the

flesh of my upper arm swing to and fro with the motion of

the hairbrush. This was really getting scary - my body was

being replaced one section at a time. What could they do to

Me next?



When my poor neck suddenly disappeared and was replaced with

a turkey neck, I decided to tell my story. Women of the

world wake up and smell the coffee! Those 'plastic' surgeons

are using REAL replacement body parts - stolen from you and

Me! The next time someone you know has something 'lifted',

Look again - was it lifted from you?



THIS IS NOT A HOAX. This is happening to women everywhere

Every night.



WARN YOUR FRIENDS!



P. S. Last year I thought someone had stolen my Boobs. I was

lying in bed and they were gone! But when I jumped out of

bed, I was relieved to see that they had just been hiding in

my armpits as I slept. Now I keep them hidden in my

waistband.



I thought this was too 'important' not to pass on. Have a

wonderful day - with a joy filled heart. Always remember to

Laugh!! Helps the heart AND the wrinkles!!



P.P.S. Those same thieves just came into my closet and shrank my clothes!

How do they do that????

Job 2:2 – And the LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

I love my attorney








After living what I felt was a 'decent' life, my time on earth came to the end.



The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house.



The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table.



As I looked around I saw the 'prosecutor. '



He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen.



I sat down and looked to my left and there sat My Attorney, kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him.



The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes.



He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room I couldn't take my eyes off of Him.



As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, 'Let us begin.'



The prosecutor rose and said, 'My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this man belongs in hell.'



He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and In the past when I cheated others. Satan told of other horrible perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank.







I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about.



As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all.



I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I'd done?



Satan finished with a fury and said, 'This man belongs in hell, he is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise.'



When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward.



As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in His full splendor and majesty.



I realized why He seemed so familiar; this was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior.





He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, 'HI, DAD,' and then He turned to address the court.



'Satan was correct in saying that this man had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this man deserves to be punished.'



Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, 'However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and he has accepted Me as his Savior, so he is Mine.'



My Lord continued with, 'His name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch him from Me.



'Satan still does not understand yet. This man is not to be given justice, but rather mercy.'



As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, 'There is nothing else that needs to be done. I've done it all.'



The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from His lips.....



'This man is free. The penalty for him has already been paid in full. Case dismissed.'



As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, 'I won't give up, I will win the next one.'



I asked Jesus as He gave me my instructions where to go next, 'Have you ever lost a case?'



Christ lovingly smiled and said, 'Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you, ~Paid In Full.'



If you do not pass this along to 15 people immediately, absolutely nothing will happen .



Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend,

(as I have done here), will bless you both.



'Stop telling God how big your storm is

Instead, tell the storm how big your God is!'

I Believe...

That just because two people argue,

It doesn't mean they don't love each other.

And just because they don't argue,

It doesn't mean they do love each other.



I Believe...

That we don't have to change friends if

We understand that friends change.



I Believe....

That no matter how good a friend is,

they're going to hurt you every once in a while

and you must forgive them for that.



I Believe...

That true friendship continues to grow,

even over the longest distance.

Same goes for true love.


I Believe...

That you can do something in an instant

That will give you heartache for life.


I Believe....

That it's taking me a long time

To become the person I want to be.


I Believe...

That you should always leave loved ones with

Loving words. It may be the last time you see them.



I Believe....

That you can keep going long after you think you can't.



I Believe....

That we are responsible for what

We do, no matter how we feel.



I Believe...

That either you control your attitude or it controls you.



I Believe...

That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs

to be done, regardless of the consequences.



I Believe....

That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.


I Believe....

That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down

will be the ones to help you get back up.


I Believe...

That sometimes when I'm angry

I have the right to be angry,

But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.


I Believe....

That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had

And what you've learned from them and less to do with how many

birthdays you've celebrated.


I Believe....

That it isn't always enough,

to be forgiven by others.

Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.


I Believe...

That no matter how bad your heart is broken

the world doesn't stop for your grief.


I Believe....

That our background and circumstances

may have influenced who we are,

But, we are responsible for who we become.


I Believe...

That you shouldn't be so eager to find

Out a secret. It could change your life Forever.


I Believe....

Two people can look at the exact same

Thing and see something totally different.


I Believe...

That your life can be changed in a matter of

Hours by people who don't even know you.



I Believe....

That even when you think you have no more to give,

When a friend cries out to you -

you will find the strength to help.



I Believe...

That credentials on the wall

do not make you a decent human being.




I Believe...

That the people you care about most in life

are taken from you too soon.


I Believe...

That you should send this to

all of the people that you believe in.



'The happiest of people don't necessarily

have the best of everything;

They just make the most of everything they have.

i do not like my life

TOMATO GRAVY


Pan drippings

3 to 5 heaping Tbsp plain flour

2 to 4 fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced or 1 can diced tomatoes

1 can evaporated milk (this gives the gravy richness)

16 oz milk, whole or 2%

Water as needed

Salt and pepper to taste



1- Gravy is best when you start with “pan drippingsâ€� in a hot skillet. For example, the oil that you would fry breaded chicken or steak in, which would have some browned flour and pieces of the breading. If you don’t have pan drippings, use canola oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan about ¼ inch deep.

2- Pan and oil should be hot, and stove burner on medium high. Add flour 1 heaping Tbsp at a time. I use about 4 Tbsp, but it does seem to vary according to location. When I lived in IL, it seemed to take less flour. I’m assuming this has to do with altitude. You can always add more liquid if the gravy is too thick.

3- The flour should be completely blended in liquid oil, and not be a thick paste. Heat until flour is browned but not burned, stirring constantly.

4- Add tomatoes. They should sizzle. “Stew� the tomatoes on medium high for a minute or 2.

5- Reduce heat. Add half of the milk quickly, stirring vigorously. It will thicken up quickly. Blend in the remaining milk.

6- Add additional milk or water as needed to have a nice consistency.

7- Season to taste with salt and pepper.

8- Simmer on low for 5 to 10 minutes.

9- Serve over grits or biscuits

Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him... I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)

Just A Pinch Recipe Club® :: Kahlua Cake :: Lori Powell [lorias2433]

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to batter; beat at low speed until smooth.
In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter just until butter is melted. Gradually add to batter; beat just until combined.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 13-by-9-inch or bundt baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes (45 minutes if using a bundt pan) or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Makes 12-16 servings.

its snowing again. its strange how it has snowed this year. jonah hasn't has a full week of school since before Christmas. last week, he had 4 days before being out again on friday. the way that it gets down to 20-30 degrees with the river and all the waterfalls around here freezing up, then the following week it all thaws out from the temps being up in the 40s and 50s-i swear, its almost enough to convince me that HAARP up in alaska really is playing with the weather.
one thing that is making this easier to deal with, is some friends of ours, david and debbie, are staying with us while in between homes. it feels good to have friends like them. i met them while at the flea market i shopped at almost every weekend while i lived in sevierville. whats funny is that i almost didnt stop that day. i had a visit with jonah while he was in residential care at Camelot . i had my wedding dress almost finished and wanted to show it to "coyote", the man that was such a great mentor and help with it. i almost went on home because it was an hours drive one way, so i had been gone ALL day, but at the last minute as i was driving by, i wheeled in. deb and david were there with some of their friends, just seeing what they could find in the line of native american craft supplies, etc.
i think that was what you'd call another "God" thing.
we exchanged stories and phone numbers, and i told her that i'd call when joel and i got moved after our ceremony. after we'd gotten moved in, we went to the powwow in spruce pine, and darned if we didn't see them there with the dance group. anyway, i introduced them to joel, and joel and david hit it off just like debbie and i did. what good friends that the Lord has blessed us with. we have been able to help them with their move, and they have in return, helped us with their company. joel and i really enjoy the dance group, and are learning so much. i get frustrated so easy though, when we have the couples dance. we had hoped to "switch out" partners, but david and debbie weren't able to go last week, so we had to struggle through it. i ended up leaving the floor and sitting down. i am so hard on myself that i got really frustrated. i hope the next meeting goes better.
yesterday, debbie and i went to newland and did a little shopping. nothing big, just dollar store stuff, but we had a girls day out and it was a lot of fun. she is so funny-mom always told me that great minds think alike. we have laughed and laughed.joel has had david helping him this week, and im so glad. david is a good friend for joel.today, they handed out some of the cards and flyers that joel put together, and seemed to feel really good about their prospects. debbie and i made reuben sandwiches for supper and the men really smacked their lips! it feels feally good to have people enjoy your cooking.
i'm up by myself now. david and deb went to bed early because he and joel have to get up early and head out. joel laid down on the bed and fell asleep after talking with his mom. i got jonah to bed a few minutes ago. he is out of school again tomorrow. they dismissed at 11:30 today so that wasn't a surprise. just another day that will have to be made up. i just don't think they'll be getting a spring break this year.
  well, i think it bedtime for angelia. good night.

took a day off Current mood:  contemplative today, being the Lord's day, i took the day off from packing and trying to straighten up. you can tell by looking at my house too!  back at the grind tomorrow though. i'll be glad when this moving is completed. i'm up alone now. my son-in-law's daughter is spending the night here with her dad. my son is sleeping in my bedroom floor, and samantha and bobby are asleep as well. i have mandy moore playing on windows media. i had ordered her new cd through her website, and i just love it. i keep playing it over & over! it's times like this that i wish my mother was still here. goodness, how i miss her at time. i remind myself that she was saved as a teenager, and as i believe whole heartedly that salvation is eternal, i know that she is no longer in pain. how she suffered. sometimes when i think about those last months i fell sick to my stomach. please, if you ever have to deal with a painful disease/illness, be persistantly aggressive in communicating with your doctor. don't just suffer through the pain when there are so many safe and legal medications available to help us. there is no need for anyone to suffer horrible pain. i think of my mother doubled over, crying, with the tears streaming down her face. i was with her the day the oncologist looked through her chart and said that there was nothing in her chart that would show why she was having the pain that she claimed. sometimes it makes me so very angry. the signs were all there, but two doctors, one in particular, implied that the pain was all in her head. i knew that it wasn't, but i could only give her the meds that they prescribed. they had told her she would have quality of life after her chemo, but how many times she told them that "this is NOT quality of life". i have solace in the fact that i took care of her to the very best of my ability. i cooked anything she would and could eat, kept her hydrated, got her out on a drive whenever she felt like getting out, and gave her meds when she needed them. how my heart grieves for the pain that i know she was in. how i am moved with compassion  for all that suffer with the pain of cancer. she finally found one doctor at her family physician's office that really LISTENED.her doctor was out that day, so she saw a partner. he felt the knots in her stomach and all around her abdomen, and wouldn't let her go home until she had some tests run and he got the results back. this was on thursday. we were hoping for at least a couple of good weeks,  two, maybe  three. we got one day. she went into the hospital and i knew she wasn't coming home. for 5 days, i only left to pick up my son from school, and to get a change of clothes for the next day. she died the following thursday morning about 6:15. she no longer hurts. but it will be maybe 40 years before i get to see her again. the morning i took her to the hospital, she told me that she was trying, but she didn't think she was going to make it to my graduation. if you still have your mother, be sure to cherish the time that you have together. and even though you will be upset with her at times, just like we all do, keep in mind that it won't always be this way. there will be a day that you don't have her anymore. don't just tell her you love her, show her. the little things that you do for her now, will be a blessed consolation when you are alone. the hot coffee, or the cold coke, helping her wash her back in the bathtub!... lotion on her feet and back-her skin was so dry and delicate from the chemo-...i found out that pomgrante juice is good to keep you from getting shingles (from the produce man at the fresh market) which is something she'd had more than once, and i made sure she didn't run out of it! she liked it better than grape juice. it's these memories that bring me such a wonderful consolation now. blessings, angelia

 this is a myspace blog posting that i had forgotten about. thought i'd post it here for when i feel like i need to write something but can't think of anything.

21 More Ways to Start Writing
I give assignments in my writing classes because it's hard to make something up out of the clear blue sky. Two pages is all I ask, and it doesn't have to be a story. It doesn't have to be an anything. I have learned we do better when we're not trying too hard—there is nothing more deadening to creativity than the grim determination to write.

1. Write two pages of apologies.
2. Write two pages of instructions to the child you once were.
3. Write two pages in which something is broken.
4. Write two pages about an unwelcome surprise.
5. Write two pages about a jinx.
6. Write two pages in which something is too small.
7. Write two pages about a proposal of marriage.
8. Write two pages in which you do something wrong you do not regret.
9. Write two pages about an untrainable animal.
10. Write two pages that take place in the woods.
11. Write two pages in which you were unmasked.
12. Write two pages about scolding a child.
13. Write two pages about sitting in someone's lap.
14. Write two pages on being too cold.
15. Write two pages on a tantrum you regret.
16. Write two pages on taking your time.
17. Write two pages about a bad haircut.
18. Write two pages in which someone kills something by accident.
19. Write two pages that end "I could go on and on."
20. Write two pages in which a child comforts an adult.
21. Write two pages on what you can't remember. My father, Lewis Thomas, began his memoir, The Youngest Science, "I have always had a bad memory; as far back as I can remember. It's not that I forget things outright; I forget where I put them. I need props."

Abigail Thomas, author of A Three Dog Life and Safekeeping, teaches memoir-writing seminars nationwide. This article is adapted from Thinking About Memoir (AARP Books/Sterling, 2008).
For black-and-white reprints of this article call 866-888-3723.

The UnValentine Grumpy Meme
1. I, Mimi Pencil Skirt Peace Woman, have officially declared war on Valentine's Day. If I see one more chocolate rose covered in stupid red tin foil paper I'm gonna have a fit. What did you get for Valentine's Day?
my husband bought me a little box of "turtles", one of my favorite candies, and a 1/2 dz roses. my son bought me a card

2. What will you miss most about Valentine's Day? buying my mother flowers

3. What could you have done differently yesterday to make the day sweeter? nothing except take my mother some flowers to the graveyard

4. How many roses make a dozen? more than what i have!

5. You and your love are getting matching tattoos for Valentine's Day. What will they be? he probably wouldn't like what i would want...i would absolutely LOVE to get a floral ring around my ankle!

6. My kingdom for a man who can spell. I am so tired of getting text messages from college educated 45 yr old men like .....I miss u ....wat up?.... B there by 8... or the ever popular U home? Does your significant other have an annoying cute little habit you'd like to break? God yes!! he walks abound the house in his thermal underwear.



7. What did you get someone for Valentine's Day, if I may ask? nothing.
8. No one is looking. I promise.
Write one word on this candy heart you've been dying to say to a romantic connection from your past. I will not tell. it's a good thing you didn't ask for details.
 

9. Be a poet. Write a 4-line poem starting with Roses are red....roses are red, my jonah is crazy, instead of red rozes, he brought me a yellow daisy
10. What song best describes your Valentine's Day experience this year?the same song that describes my valentines experience 24 yrs ago. "the greatest love of all" by whitney houston

11. I, Mimi Grumpy Skirt, am so glad this meme is almost over. This is my final question. I made it eleven questions in honor of the 11 roses I didn't receive. Aren't they lovely? This is my final final question, Regis:
Two cupids are in a knock down drag out fight on the floor of the Senate. One is a constituent from Venus, the other from Mars.
What is the name of the legislation are they fighting over? great boyfriends have to make great husbands.

i am not happy.  i really thought that he was commited to our relationship-he worked harder at cultivating and maintaining "us" when we lived 135 miles apart than he does now that we live together. its almost like now that i'm here, he doesn't have to put any effort into the marriage.

i am hurt. so very hurt. do disappointed. i have been married 3 times before and after the last divorce, joel was such a promise of a good relationship. i thought that i had found someone that would cherish me like the Bible says that a man is to do for his wife-someone that i would love to honor like the Bible says for a wife to do for her husband. our house is not a home. its just a house that we live in. i guess i saw what i wanted to see, but i really thought he was the answer to my prayers. a loving, caring husband, who also seemed to be the strong father figure that jonah needed. i did not marry joel because of jonah, i wasn't looking for a daddy for him. i married joel because i loved him. i honestly believed that he was the man that God had had me waiting for,  for the last 5 years. i know that no relationship is perfect-there are always times of hardship, when the going gets rough, but...suddenly it all has just gone *POOF* into thin air.

i've tried to talk to him, to tell him how i feel and he always apologizes, blaming it on being stressed about the bills-he had lost his unemployment there for a while-i havent found a job yet, which i feel that he resents, he was really upset that i didn't take the job at fabio's in newland, it would have been a hot foods job, and i wanted to go into baking. if i had known that it would've been so hard to find a baking job, i would have gone to work there. now, i just feel like i have been such a disappointment for him too. he hasn't said that in so many words, but its something that i feel i hear loud and clear. all the marriage is now...is just 2 residences combined into one. roommates is all we are.  i remember deannah telling him after the trip to ohio that soon i would find out how he treats women-that he would hurt me just like he had hurt diane AND donna. i haven't talked to diane, but donna said that he treated her the exact same way.

1 c tomato puree
1/3 c light corn syrup
1/4 c white vinegar
2 t dried minced onion-(dehydrated)
2 t granulated sugar
1 t salt
1 t lemon juice
1/8 t garlic powder

Whisk together all ingredients in a small saucepan & place it over
medium/low heat. When mixture begins to bubble reduce heat to low & simmer
uncovered for 30 minutes. Cover & cool, then refrigerate until cold.
makes 1 cup.

to make seafood cocktail sauce
stir in 2 t of prepared horseradish
when the sauce has cooled. cover & chill until needed.

lately at night after i go to bed, i have lain awake, thinking of mom. i know that people have dealt with losing their mothers since the beginning of time...but that doesn't seem to make it any easier for me. hopefully-and i will say "knock on wood" here-it will be many years before i pass away and samantha has to deal with that, but when i think that way, i realize that how ever many years samantha still gets to have me here, it will be that many years before i get to be with my mother again.
i have decided that i kind of want to use this blog to write about memories of growing up, to give samantha glimpses of events that have helped carve my personality-who i am and how i got that way, to help her to better know my grandparents, and what it was like growing up in the late 60's and 70's in the small town of lake city, tn. along with that, maybe some comfort for loss of her mamaw.
i know that what i write will not be in chronological order, so i will try to estimate the times as best i can.
i have thought a lot lately of when mother married her second husband, oscar cox, and the feelings she had to have as a young woman. i know the excitement of finding someone to fall in love with, making the decision to marry, all along believing he is the person that you will spend the rest of your life with.
it was 1971, and mother was in school at the jacksboro vocational school   to be an LPN and i was in 2nd grade at lake city elem school when she started her clinicals at the old lake city hospital. she met oscar cox, who was an ambulance driver there in town. they fell in love, and were married in july 1972. i was 9 years old.
my dad had married janie when i was 6, and promptly ceased to exist for me. evidently, mother was dead set on him not being a part of my life, that when my sister was born and my dad wanted his child support lowered, she made him agree to give up his visitation rights. to hear her tell it years later, she didn't have much persuading to do-he gave them up rather quickly, and willingly. i remember sitting outside of my grandmother and papaws house on friday afternoons, waiting for my dads car to come around the bend, being disappointed every time i heard a car coming that turned out to not be him, and crying when it came time to take a bath and go to bed.
so i think mother thought that she had found a suitable replacement for my dad, and by that time, i guess i thought so too. i'm sure that things were starting to look up for mother. she had graduated and was an LPN, had a job at the local hospital, and was a happy newlywed, looking forward to a new beginning.

Chocolate Caramels
This recipe appeared in The Times in an 1881 article titled “Receipts.” The recipe was signed “Fanny.”
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the baking dish
41/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup molasses
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Softened butter, for cutting the caramels.
1. Butter an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of a medium, heavy saucepan. Combine the butter, chocolate, milk, molasses and sugar in the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees on the thermometer. Do this slowly, scraping the bottom of the pan with a silicon spatula (or a wooden spoon) so the mixture doesn’t stick and burn.
2. Wearing an oven mitt, remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla to the hot mixture. Give it a quick stir, then pour the mixture into the buttered baking dish.
3. As soon as the caramel is cool enough to handle, transfer it to a cutting board and use a buttered chef’s knife (or scissors) to cut the caramel into ¾-inch-wide strips, and then crosswise into ¾-inch pieces.
4. When the caramels are completely cool, wrap them individually in wax paper, or layer in parchment paper in an airtight container. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month. Makes about 100 pieces.

I think the liquid is cheaper than the dry and liquid dissolves so much better as well. The liquid for 5 or 10 gallons will only cost you about $2.50 and you'll have plenty of washing soda and borax left over to make more.

Here's my Homemade Laundry Soup Recipe:
4 cups hot tap water
**1 Fels Naptha Soap bar
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 cup 20-Mule Team Borax

**you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote Bars instead. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps!

Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium Heat until soap dissolves and is melted. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. Stir and fill a used clean laundry soap container half full with the soap and then fill the rest of the way with water. Shake before each use as the soap will gel.

Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons once the soap has cooled.

Yields: 10 gallons liquid soap

Use 1/4 cup per load unless you have soft water. If you have soft water use just 1 Tablespoon per load.

This works very well and lasts a long time!
**I only make 5 gallons and use 1/4 cup per load because most of my laundry is pretty soiled (4 young kids)
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Another
* Shave one bar of soap into the large Folgers or Maxwell House Coffee Can (plastic with lid) Add 1 cup of Borax, one cup of Sun bleach for colored cloths or clorox bleach for colored cloths.
* Add one cup of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (from Publix, ask for help if you can't find it)
* Add one cup of baking soda.
* Stir it all up. Add two big tablespoons to a large load of laundry detergent.
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Use:

1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax
1 cup of your preferred laundry soap.(this write uses Tide for cold water, coupons this weekend!)
Heat in four cups of water: add water if needed as it is cooking.
When completely heated and the powder has turned into a cloudy liquid, turn off heat and go one to next step.
Dilute this cooled mixture with two gallons of water in a five-gallon bucket and let sit over night.
In the morning, this mixture may have a thick film of soapy goop on top. Chop it up and stir it in. This process occasionally requires a blender to get the largest chunks to blend smoothly into the rest of the mixture.
When it is completely blended to your satisfaction, (this does not have to be perfect but it is up to you), add your favorite dishwasher soap to the cooled mixture. Vigorously stir with a whisk to make sure the blending is complete.
Once complete, put into bottles of your choice. Large seltzers bottles or recycle those single-serving water bottles for this application but you can also use leftover recycled laundry soap or dish soap bottles as well. Tip: It is easier to pour from the single-serve water or soda bottles.

This recipe makes two gallons. You will not need more than that in two-three months depending on the size and frequency of your dishwasher loads. You can see why this recipe requires only 4 boxes or bottles of your favorite dishwasher soap per year.

If this recipe does not work in your household, you may have extremely hard water and you will need to cut back on your dilution. If you do not want to waste what you have already made, simply add another box or bottle of your favorite dishwasher soap to the mixture this time and when you make it again, simply do not add as much water to the recipe. (Cut back on the dilution with water by half to start)