My flower garden

These are some pictures of my flower garden around our home.  I just love the red bricks for edging.  I know that this is pretty old fashion and no one uses that anymore but I love it.  The bush on the end is a snowball bush, next is an oak leaf hydrangea, the last is an old climbing rose bush.  I hope to get more bricks this summer and finish edging the flower bed. 

The first pictures are an area under some trees north of our house.  I am going to do something different with it.  Haven't quit decided yet exactly what I'm going to do but will post as it comes together. 

Smart Meters

We have been led to believe that Smart Meters on our gas meters and electrical meters will save us money, be more efficient and meter readers can read the meter from their car without getting in your yard. 

I really don't know all that is involved with these new meters and I can only speculate what the underlying motive really is, but I'm trying to stop making assumptions (remember....one of the four agreements in the book The Four Agreements.)

I was hoping the utility companies would some how miss us and up until about a month ago we still had our old meters.  Early one Saturday morning, I was working in my garden and looked up to see a man crouched in front of our gas meter.  It was Saturday so I knew they were not reading the meter.  I walked over and started talking to the young man and he was very polite and told me they were switching out our gas meter and putting in a new smart meter.  He was very excited for me, like this was great and I would be excited to get it and I told him no, I don't want that.  I want to keep my old meter.  He said, "he had to switch it out, that I didn't have a choice."  I told him this is my property and I don't want the new meter.  He called his supervisor and the supervisor told him he had to change it.  I inquired to my rights as a homeowner, don't I have any say in this.  I should have a choice.  I told him I wanted to wait until Monday, when I could talk to my gas company. 

It turned out that there was a pipe in front of the meter and he couldn't move it and he couldn't get the old meter off to put on the new meter.  So he went on and I was hoping that would be the end of it.  But later in the afternoon, his supervisor was knocking on my door.  I answered and he told me who he was.  They are a company out of Houston that has been hired to replace all gas meters in the state of Oklahoma. He was very polite and he understood my concern.  My concern is the radiation that is emitted by these new meters.  He told me that I didn't have a choice, either the meter would be changed or the gas company would come out and pull my meter and I would be without gas.  He also admitted he knew about the radiation emission and said that the gas meters were not as bad as the new electrical meters.  He said, "the electrical meters emit a lot of radiation."  I ask if he would be changing out the electrical meters and he said they had not been hired to do that. WOW,  We think we live in a free country and have a voice!!!

After the earthquake in Japan and the nuclear reactors went down and all that radiation was going into the atmosphere, I started doing some checking on what my family could do to protect ourselves from radiation exposure.  We already get a lot from TV, all the electronic stuff we are around on a daily basis, cell phone towers.  My daughter can see a cell phone tower from her living room now in the new home she just moved into. 

There are some essential oils that will help protect your cells.  Longevity 1-2 capsules twice daily and Melrose 6-20 drops per capsule or in kefir or yogurt 1-3 times a day to prevent radiation damage to normal cells.  You can also diffuse sacred frankincense and in another diffuser diffuse Melrose, that's if you have two diffusers. You can also diffuse palo santo in one diffuser and purificantion in another diffuser.  Melrose is a particularly powerful blend because it contains two melaleuca oils that may protect cells from radiation damage according to Dr. Daniel Penoel.

If you have an incense burner, burning frankincense resin, an ancient method of purifying the air, will help you to further protect your home. You can alternate different oils in the diffuser and alternate diffuser with incense burner.  We cannot do too much to protect our homes!

I also want to tell you about something else I do.  I try to swim at the college pool in Chickasha at least four times a week, some months I do really good, other months I don't :(  .   I was a little concerned at being in that chlorine every day.  I found that using purification oil, rubbing 2 drops on the bottoms of both feet would protect my cells from the chlorine.  This was amazing to me because the first time I did this, I was wondering if it would really work.  Once applied the oils will be in every cell in your body in 20 minutes.  I jumped in the water and was swimming and I started smelling the oil.  In all that chlorine smell with my feet deep in the water I was smelling purification oil.  It was working! I feel a lot better about swimming on a daily basis now that I can use this oil to protect my body.  

If you are interested, you can contact the Doorway to Health on Broadway in Edmond, Oklahoma and they can get the phone number to a business that carries devices that you can put on your TV, cell phones, computers, and all electronic devices to protect you from the radiation that is emitted from these electronics.  One thing I never thought about is the digital clock that is on your night stand. 

Surviving

Surviving is important .................Thriving is elegant.                   

Maya Angelou

A little of this and a little of that!

I'll start with my garden.  I have been decorating the garden, just some little touches here and there.  A couple of repainted bird houses, a wooden picture that a dear friend gave me for my birthday last year, and a garden sculpture. I have planted zinnias behind the garden sculpture.  The sugar snap peas are coming right along.  I'm not sure how they are going to do with the heat.  I am usually harvesting them right now.  But I was late getting everything in with the cold weather, I'll just have to see how it goes.  I planted 18 tomato plants.  I wanted to have enough to do a lot of canning.  My daughters and I use a lot of tomatoes and this year I am going to teach them how to can tomatoes.

My lavender is beautiful and those spikes not only smell wonderful but feel like velvet.  This is a different variety not the normal English lavender.

Last but not least is again the lemon curd cheesecake.  We celebrated our youngest son's birthday yesterday and cheesecake is one of his favorites.  I knew he would love this so I made this for him.  I posted this for the bridal shower I helped with and decorated it with pansies.  The original recipe used candied lemon slices so that is what I did for this cheesecake.  Again, the recipe is at Southern Living. com and it is called Lemon Bar Cheesecake.  It is a wonderful cheesecake!

Strawberry Lime Green Tea Cooler

Pour 3 cups boiling water over 2 regular size green tea bags; cover and steep 5 minutes.  Discard tea bags.  Stir in 1 cup cold water.  Cool 30 minutes.  Process 1 (16 oz) container fresh strawberries, hulled. 1 (12 oz) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed and 1/4 cup honey in a blender until smooth.  our into a pitcher.  Stir in tea, serve on ice.      Makes 8 cups.

You will love this, it will become your new summer drink.  Refreshing, not to sweet and has a wonderful flavor.

Mother's Day Dinner

This was an amazingly delicious dinner.  I told Gary on the way home, if you don't cook, you have no idea of all the time this takes. He has lived with me for 30 plus years so he knows how much time it takes.  I was telling my daughters today of my first experience after I was married of having all the family over for dinner around the holidays.  My parents had out of town relatives visiting, it was my cousin's birthday and I had recipes I had gotten from a magazine to fix for dinner.  Not having much experience under my belt, I had no idea how long it would take me.  I had a 3 month old baby, I had taken a cake decorate class and I thought I could bake and decorate a cake and cook dinner for 12 people in an afternoon. I'm glad I don't have to relive that.  Everyone was gracious, the cake looked like a disaster but tasted ok and dinner was not what I thought it would be.

My youngest daughter did most of the cooking and she kept saying, this took longer than I thought. When we arrived she was close to being finished and the food was excellent.  I want to share the recipes with you.  The menu was Caramelized Onion Flatbread, Zucchini Mint Pasta, Coconut Pineapple Cake and Strawberry Green Tea.  You'll love these recipes!

Caramelized Onion Flatbread

1 large sweet onion, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 lb. bakery pizza dough
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Saute onion in 1 tablespoon hot oil over medium high heat 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Press dough into a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan, pressing to about  1/4 inch thickness.  Press handle of a wooden spoon into dough to make indentations at 1 inch intervals, drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, rosemary and caramelized onions.  Bake at 425 on lowest oven rack 20 minutes or until lightly browned. My daughter found pizza dough that she could buy at The Wedge on north Western.  Mazzio's and Pizza Hut would not sell their dough.  It's important to put the dough on the lower rack because it makes it crunchy. 
All of the family loved this and we were all talking about variations of this recipe.  This would also make great appetizers with drinks.                     Serves 8

Zucchini Mint Pasta

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots diced and sauteed
1 1/2 pounds small zucchini, sliced and sauteed
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1- 9 ounce package refrigerated fettuccine pasta or 1-8oz. package pappardelle pasta, cooked
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Melt butter and olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, add shallots and saute 2 minutes.  Add zucchini and saute 5 minutes or until zucchini is tender.  Stir in minced garlic and cook one minute.  Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Toss in cooked pasta, fresh mint and walnuts.  Add fresh Parmesan cheese and crumble feta cheese over top just before serving.

My daughter used pappardelle pasta which she found at Urban Agrarian at the Old Farmer's Market. They sale mostly all made in Oklahoma products. They also sale free range chickens and grass feed beef. 

For a heartier main dish she added baked chicken breast cut in chunks but you can add white beans for a heartier vegetarian option. I loved this and I will be making this a lot.  All the family loved it too.  Some like the walnuts other didn't, it was divided down the middle.  I like them. :)
This recipe will make 4-6 main dish or 6-8 side dish servings.

Last but certainly not least was this wonder pineapple coconut cake.  It won Southern Living's dessert of the year several years ago.  Katie did a wonderful job making this.

1-15 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 1/2 cups butter softened
3 cups of sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 cup lemon-lime soft drink
3 cups cake flour, sifted
1 teaspoon of lemon extract
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Pineapple filling
Cream cheese frosting
1-6 ounce package frozen flaked coconut, thawed
Garnish, with fresh mint sprig

Grease and flour 3-9 inch round cake pans.
Drain pineapple, reserving 3/4 cup juice.  Remove 1/4 cup reserved juice for cream cheese frosting and reserve crushed pineapple for pineapple filling.
Beat butter at medium speed with electric mixer until creamy, gradually add sugar beating well.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
Combine 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice and soft drink.  Add flour to butter mixture alternately with juice mixture, beginning and ending with flour.  Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.  Stir in extracts.  Pour into prepared cake pans. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.   Remove from pans immediately, cool on wire racks.
Spread 3/4 cup Pineapple filling between cake layers and remaining filling on top of cake.  Spread cream cheese frosting on sides of cake, pipe border around top, if desired. Sprinkle with coconut.

Pineapple filling
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup reserved drained crushed pineapple
1 cup water
Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan.  Stir in pineapple and 1 cup water.  Cook over low heat stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until very thick.  Cool, makes 3 cups.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1-3 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1-16 ounce package powdered sugar, sifter
1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until blended.  Gradually add powdered sugar, juice and vanilla extract mixing well.  makes 2 cups.

This cake is so rich and delicious. It takes a very small piece to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I don't have the recipe for the strawberry green tea but I will get it and post it for you later.

Mother's Day

I have had a wonderful mother's day and I am very thankful that I have four amazing children who love me.

I have been humbled by their kind words and the affection they have shown me today.

I was thinking as we drove home this evening after a wonderful day with our children, my prayer for my children has always been that they would see humanity through God's eyes and that they would have His love for mankind. I would have to say that God has heard my prayer.  I could not ask for children who are more loving, giving, generous in their giving, considerate of others and loving the unlovely. They often times, by their example and insight, challenge and teach me to love more deeply and to look beyond the physical form. I'm thankful they are my children, but I would never, not for a minute take credit for the men and women they are becoming.

I'm thankful I have the privilege to be their mother.

It's been a wonderful day!

Hummingbirds

I get so much enjoyment out of watching these little guys.  Does that mean that I'm really getting old when I'm content sitting and watching hummingbird?  I hope not. At the first break of day, they are busy getting their first drink of sweetness.  I have a huge window to the north and this beautiful feeder hangs in the middle of the window and my favorite chair faces that window. I also have a beautiful green glass bird feeder that hangs from a tree that is easily seen from this chair also.

If you would like to find some beautiful bird feeders and hummingbird feeders go to my favorite place, Wishire Garden Market.  My bird and hummingbird feeders were gifts from there.

My hummingbird feeders were not up 5 minutes when the hummingbirds started feeding.  I have one that hangs by my kitchen window also.  I really enjoy watching them. 

I use 2 cups of water to one cup of sugar and heat it until the sugar dissolves almost to boiling.  Let it cool and then fill your container.  Don't add red food coloring, it's not good for us or the birds.  If you have a clear container that is not colored paint a flower on it but don't add food coloring.

Dolly Parton's Cabbage Soup

A dear friend on facebook had posted this soup and I had mentioned in another post that for some reason I have been craving cabbage, so I had to try it. This recipe is very healthy and it is good.  This would be a great soup to have on hand if you are dieting.

1 small head of cabbage, chopped
3-4 ribs of celery, diced
2 green peppers diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 large can diced tomatoes
1-2 cans of chicken broth, (I thought you could use vegetable broth also)
water
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste

Cut all veggies into bite size pieces. Put in a large soup pot with just enough water to barely cover the vegetables and cook until tender, about 30-45 minutes.

I changed up the recipe a little.  I used about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and put all the veggies in on the oil with the garlic and salt and pepper and sauteed the veggies for about 4 minutes turning often then I poured the broth and water over the veggies and cooked them.

My Oldest Dear Friend

After a busy day yesterday, I arrived home to find a big package by my front door.  I hadn't ordered any thing so I quickly looked to see who it was addressed to.  It was for me :) from my oldest dear friend. 

We have been friends since we were 4 years old.  We grew up together on the same street just three houses apart. Our birthdays are both in November and she just lacks about a week being a year older than me. When we were growing up she was very good at always reminding me that she was the oldest.  Now she would like to forget that she is the oldest.  :)   We both had unusual names.  She grew no taller than about 4'10" and I was 5'10" and didn't think I would ever stop growing.  She has a great sense of humor, very quick on her feet, very smart, caring and loving person.

She married after graduating from high school and moved to Texas and went to work in the accounting department at Johnson's and Johnson's. In those days, I was busy with boyfriends and college but she remained a faithful friend with cards and phone calls and visits when she was in town.  I'll always be grateful to her for that because at that time I wasn't much of a faithful friend.

It is so true that the people you associate with have a profound impact on your life for good or bad.  Over the last several years, as I have listened to successful people lecture they always emphasize,"what type of people are your friends." My dear friend always inspired me to strive for excellence, encouraged me to run for class vice president in junior high and I won.  She helped me with my campaign speech before the whole school.  She was in drama and speech and competed and always won.  I spent many evenings in her bedroom listening to her practice for her competition. I will always remember her portrayal of A Patch of Blue and the Glass Menagerie.  It was moving!

Our nick names for each other are; hers is Burt and mine is Miss America.  There were five of us kids who would play together in our neighborhood.   We would get in my back yard and play Miss America.  My friend was always Burt Parks (speech, drama coming out) the rest of us girls would dress up in old formals and come strolling out of the garage and Burt would be narrating as we walked by and she always let me win!  I'm laughing as I write and remember this.  Then there was the time we rented a 2 seater bicycle for the day and rode all over the south part of Oklahoma City and when the dog started after us I was the one doing all the peddling.  She had her legs straight out.  I yelled get on the peddles, she said, I can't go that fast.  Laughing and Laughing.  It wasn't too funny at the time.  So many slumber parties, nights in her parents cellar when it stormed, trick or treating together, walking to grade school, I could go on and on.  So thankful for the wonderful memories.

I am so proud of her.  She went from working in the accounting department to being the person right under the head of the IRS. I forgot her official title. She moved to Washington D.C. but after several years decided that wasn't for her.  She loves traveling and lecturing for the IRS and does teaching at Auburn University with no college degree.  Actually, I always tell her she missed her calling.  She would have been a wonderful actress or comedy writer for a sitcom.  She's never lost her sense of humor.  

I excitedly opened my package filled with wonderful gifts from her and a very heartfelt mother's day card and note. We share so many wonderful memories.  I can sit back and remember and laugh and cry. 

So to my dearest old friend who is a wonderful wife, mother, sister and friend, have a beautiful day with your exceptional daughters.

Always love to you Burt,

Miss America

Give the Gift of Flowers from Your Yard

These flowers remind me so much of my mother.  This time of the year our home was always filled with fresh flowers. I'm going to visit my daughters today and I'm taking these bouquets to them.   Passing on the tradition.  :)

I wanted to pass on a little tidbit of information.  This may not be news to some of you but it has been to me.  As I have watched my favorite cooking shows, time and again I always hear them say to use eggs, milk, butter etc. at room temperature.  I really wondered if it made a difference and I have been experimenting to see if it did and it really makes a big difference.  My big problem is, I'm usually not thinking that far in advance, that I think of taking out butter or eggs to let them get to room temperature before I start baking. I'm working on changing my ways, it's worth it.  Cookies and cakes are lighter and fluffier.

Have a wonderful day!

Does Your Home Reflect the True You?

Recently, while at Barnes and Noble I picked up an interesting design book, Style Statement: Live By Your Own Design.  It contains questions, journal exercises and real life examples.  You will answer questions that in turn give you words that describe you and will help you to make choices that better align you with who you really are. When you better understand yourself, it will make you more confident in making choices not only in the style of your home but also in your wardrobe.

Instead of getting pulled by what the neighbors have, this book will help you on your road to creating the life that reflects the true you! I believe that's what we all want in our lives.  I thought it was a great little book.

Be You tiful!

I cherish what this has to say.  A large part of my life was lived trying to be like other people instead of being me. I love the scene in the Runaway Bride where Julia Roberts has made all these different  egg dishes trying to see which one she really likes because she has always eaten what her boyfriends preferred rather than what she liked.

I know, I am not isolated in what I have dealt with in my own life, most people are afraid to be who they are for fear of rejection.  Everyone wants to be loved and accepted.  What we all need to realize is the beauty in each of our lives that is manifested when we are being who God created us to be.

Some time I will tell you the story of Sweet Betty.  Sweet Betty was a little stray dog who came into our lives for a short time and taught me to love and accept myself for who I am.  I think it is a beautiful story.

In the meantime, find out which eggs you really like and be YOU!

This is what I did!

For those of you who are interested, I talked to our county extension agent in Chickasha this morning and she thought covering up the tomato plants with plastic trash bags and coffee cans was the best idea.  She thought digging them up, even though its been just a week, would disturb the root system to much.  So here is what I did.

What to do?

I'm sitting in my favorite chair this morning watching several little hummingbirds hurriedly grab a drink and fly off to a safe warm place ( I hoping).  They are probably thinking they took the wrong turn, how did we end up in these freezing cold temperatures.  Tonight it's going to be freezing cold.  I'm not sure how the cold weather will effect these little beauties. 

I'm also trying to decide what to do with my 18 tomato plants that I planted a week ago today.  I've thought of putting a coffee can over the ones that are that small and then straw over the coffee cans.  I have some five gallon buckets for the plants that are larger.  I also thought of making a tent with a garbage bag.  Putting the garbage bag over a tomato cage and putting straw all around the plant and then covering it with the tent.  The final idea is digging up each plant keeping a good amount of soil around the root system and putting them all in a large galvanized tub and putting them in the well house where there is a small gas heater. ????????  WHAT TO DO!

I have some beautiful iris and my lilac bush is in full bloom.  I'll be spending the morning outside picking flowers and taking care of my tomatoes and pepper plants and I forgot eggplant, everything else is in the ground.

I'm going to call the OSU extension center and see what they suggest first and I will make my decision from there. 

The picture today is a lovely flower from my chives.  Isn't it beautiful!