Quick Apple Dumplings

I had a chance to make another Apple dish to take to a dear friend's Birthday party this past weekend.. I love apples this time of year.. they are fresh, crisp... and oh so tasty.. they are all fall-ish and yummmy..
here is the recipe.. you may want to research other variations of this on the net.. I found one that used pecans and orange juice..
Enjoy !!!!

Quick Apple Dumplings....

Preheat oven to 350'.

2- tubes of refrigerator crescent rolls

2- large apples, some folks like Granny Smith, I prefer Gala, peel, core and cut into 8 slices..

2- Sticks butter or Margarine

1- 1/2 ( one and a half ) - Cups White Sugar

1- teaspoon cinnamon.. I use cinnamon sugar...

1- can of Sprite or Mountain Dew

Pinch of Salt

1- teaspoon vanilla

cut the apples into 8 slices, separate the crescent rolls. Roll up one apple slice in each crescent roll starting at the wide end, seal edges. Place in a "sprayed" 9 x 13 cake pan side by side. sprinkle cinnamon over the top of the rolls. I sprinkle the cinnamon sugar here... In a saucepan melt 2 sticks of butter, add the sugar. stir just till sugar melts. (should look grainy) remove from heat, add vanilla and salt.. stir.. pour over the rolls in the pan.. pour 1 can of pop over the rolls, then bake 30-45 minutes till the crescents are golden brown and crusty.. may serve with Ice Cream.. I always pour the extra sauce into a serving bowl after removing the rolls from the oven.. I find that leaving the sauce in the pan sometimes makes the bottoms of the rolls soggy.. you can spoon the excess sauce over the dumplings and or over the ice cream you serve with them..

Help Me, My Facebook Page Will Not Work

Oh My Goodness, I'm having a meltdown.. well, not really, but I'd sure like to .... You May be asking yourself " What Vile, horrible, despicable event could cause me to want to throw a tantrum of epic proportions.." Well, I'll tell you.. It has been a week since I could get my facebook page to load properly. Oh, it will load, and I can read the feed wall.. but I can't post any comments, tell anyone what I'm doing, play mafia wars, farmville, post notes, etc.. I am at a loss.. I have gotten use to posting stuff on my fb page. let me explain.. so many of my friends, family, and Church family are on fb, it's easier and quicker for me to contact them through facebook. I just post whatever and they all see it.. how cool is that.. much quicker then emailing. I don't have emails for all my friends on facebook.. I don't need them.. I just post what I want them to know... and they know... Well, not any more.. now I'm sitting and wondering who and what I need to email to people.. egad.. I don't know if I remember how to email.. And let's not even talk about my mafia wars game.. I'm loosing out on special loot items, jobs, etc.. cause the page won't load.. oh, I can look at the page... but it won't let me click on anything or do anything.. And don't even get me started on farmville.. my crops are rotten.. my animals are probably all dead, and well, It's just to sad to speak about...

I remember a life before facebook, before myspace (which I gave up on cause the pages took so long to load), before email, before text messaging, before computers. I was fine, I was rational, I was a normal person.. If you told me to google, I would have thought you wanted me to look really hard at something... LOL But now, I'm hooked.. I want to know what all my FRIENDS are up to, I want to jet off to Moscow and do some jobs and get some loot.. I want to harvest my avocados, plums, bananas, and gather the feathers off my ducks.. I want to let you know I am eating sloppy joes for supper..

So for now, I'll just quietly meltdown.. I'll try to figure out why I can't get the crazy thing to work.. I've cleaned out my cookies, rebooted a billion times, I've even changed my password... all to no avail.. if you have any suggestions as to how I may regain my sanity and get my facebook to work again.. feel free to email me... wait.. email.. what is my email address...egad.. just post a comment... I'll be checking... I'll be hoping that you know how to help me function again as a normal fb person..

for now, I will play jungle jewels, the only game I can get to load on fb.. I'll check my feed wall and will see all the fun things my friends are doing.. though I won't be able to wish them happy birthday, cute pictures, congrats on your new baby, home, or job... No, me, I'll be watching tv, reading, and trying to remember how to email folks again...

As Fall begins to sneak in.. I am ready to make some great fall food. One of my favorites I fixed last night for supper.. Pork chops with Apples.. we also had macaroni and cheese, green peas, white beans, cornbread, and apple crisp.
thought I would share the pork chop recipe.

Pork Chops and Apples:
6- Pork chops.. any kind you prefer.. I had some really big ones and a few smaller
3- 4 unpeeled Apples, they need to be cored and sliced. I used Gala
1/4 cup brown sugar packed
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2- Tablespoon Butter
Heat oven to 350 degrees, Brown the pork chops then set aside. Place the apple slices in a greased baking dish. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. sprinkle the sugar mixture over the apples. dot with butter. Top with the browned pork chops. cover. (I use a large glass casserole covered with foil)
and bake for 1 hour.
enjoy...

the Last Of The Flowers

These are the last holdouts before the frost hits. It will be in the 40's this week, so no fear of their demise yet. My last rose bud bloomed last week. The flower stayed out one day... They will be a welcome site next spring. The bud above is a "moon flower" vine. you can see what the open flower looks like below. When I purchased it I was thinking of the moon flowers my grandmother had in her garden. This is NOT the one I remember, but it's very pretty. When I planted it I did not think it would make the vine it did. If it comes back next year, I'm going to make sure it has a trellis or some string to climb on. It only blooms in the late afternoon. The bloom has a very pungent sweet perfume smell. You can smell it long before you get to it. The bloom is very delicate. It will be shriveled and dead in the morning.. all that work to bloom in the evening and then die in the dawn of the day.. kind of sad.

Below is another photo of the mum plant we put in last week. it is blooming like mad. I bet there were 200 buds on the plant. It's a Belgian Mum, Padre Yellow... after checking the Internet I find that this mum is unique in that you don't have to pinch the tops off in the spring.. it will come up and will flower just like it is now next September... The only preparation I have to do is to cover it with mulch before the winter hits.. Then in the spring scrape off the mulch.

The last photo is of my Little blue plant.. not sure what it is. Husband calls it a "wild Jew plant". I love it and wanted to put it out in the flower bed.. I was informed by hubby that this is a prolific weed and is to be stomped out at the first opportunity.. I'm leaving it.
It's in a part of the old gymnasium here. it's contained and grows up the wall.. We use to throw out our dish water in this area.. maybe that has helped it take hold.. Husband says it can stay there.. but is watching to make sure I don't get a shovel.
This week we'll move the peonies. There are two.. a pink one and a red one. both are in places where they no longer have the sun they need. I'm hoping we can move them without much trouble. I'd like to put the red one in the new flower bed with the mums. Unfortunately husband gave me the old "don't ask me to plant another thing in that bed. And don't want another one up in the "root" forest" lecture already. He was serious.. 5 hours to plant two mum plants. It was Root city there for sure... I would like the red peony in the bed, but will be happy to put it out in a row of peonies I have out toward the barn. I hope you are enjoying your last flowers of the season...

The last days of Summer...

As you can see the summer sun is setting.. The air has a slight chill. The squirrels are making off with the acorns and black walnuts.
The last of the butterflies are preparing to travel. The migratory birds have left. Pumpkins, gourds, and corn stalks are decorating the neighbors porches. It's the last days of summer. I am feeling melancholy.. I think melancholy is the right word.. kind of sad and contemplating what has past... if that's melancholy that's me today... In the photo above you see our chairs out under the hickory tree.. we sit out there in the evening.. our front porch faces the west and has full sun until the sun sets.. to hot even in the waning days of summer to sit there.. so head out to the hickory tree and the shade it provides.

I walked around outside today... and took some photos.. the last of the summer.. as you can see below these Hybrid poplar trees have lost most of their leaves.. We plan on taking them down this fall. They are not good trees to have by the driveway. A few weeks ago during a storm, the top came out of one. I had just moved my car. whew, that was way to close... when we planted them I needed shade.. quick shade.. they worked for a while.. now they are nothing but a pain.. We have lots of trees now and lots of good shade.. so they're out here..

Below is the photo of the New birdhouse we put up this spring. As you can see the lilacs, and rose of Sharon bushes fared well. The bluebirds are gone for this year. I'm not really sure if they leave or not. I know I've seen them in Feb. watching the birds at the winter feeder... They don't do seeds.. I have a feeling they may head farther south where the bugs still roam around.

We'll be moving the peonies this week. Today it's off to the health dept. to get our flu shot. Husband wants to go look at riding mowers. Our old one blew up last year. He got one running but today after driving 30 miles to get a pin for the deck, he returned to find that after finishing what he'd started mowing yesterday something gave up the ghost. Mind you the mower hasn't been run for a good 10 years.. but he is irritated and I think we'll be checking out the end of year sale on riding mowers. I told him he can get one if it's cheap.. really cheap.. so it's the end of summer.. Fall has begun. Leaves will need mulching soon.. little gremlins will find their way to our front porch for treats.. hopefully no tricks... I am looking forward to my first glass of apple cider and my first Carmel apple.. our first fall bon-fire, and our trip to the orchard for some apples and cider donuts.. still warm.. yummm... A little melancholy today.. but so glad we got so spend the last of our summer days looking out from our little cabin on the place we love best..

Whose Loading Your Camel ?

I have come to realize this week that I have a Camel. I like Camels. They are kind of cute.. in a homely, only your mom could love that face, way.

I think a lot of us have camels. I think my Camel's name is Clyde.. LOL I just remembered a Ray Stevens song from years ago.. the Camel's name was Clyde.. a good name for a Camel, I think..

Well to continue.. Our Church is going through some changes. It has been going through the changes for a year or so now.. New Pastor, New people, New ideas for ministry.. As with all change, it's difficult. Some people have more difficulty then others with change. I don't do well with it at all.. 


It kind of reminds me of the Israelites and the Wilderness.. Moses takes them out of slavery.. God has delivered them through some Mighty Miracles.. They are God's own chosen children.. and after just a bit, they are whining and crying and wishing they were back in Egypt with their slave masters.. They didn't like the change.. it was scary, it was unknown, at least slavery was a known thing.. 


Some of them would have gone back. That just amazes me. Then I look at my life and see that there are times when I would choose the familiar even when God is clearly calling me to change, to a new thing, a new way, something unknown.. He gently reminds me that He is with me.. so I will follow.. sometimes kicking and screaming.. and throwing a fit.. kind of like the Israelites.. but I go..

Apparently when I left Egypt.. the place of sin and slavery.. I took a Camel.. Clyde.. maybe God thought I needed him for the journey.. anyway.. Clyde and I travel this road together.. 


As part of the change at Church God has led some folks to other Churches and other places of Service. It is painful and joyful to me. Painful in that I have seen the burden of the decision to move to another place of service. Painful because there are hurt feelings, feelings of fear and even anger. Painful because I love my Church family and I know for some this was not an easy decision. Painful because I will miss serving with them, but Joyful too as I see how God is using their gifts and talents in new and exciting ways in their new places of service..

I was sharing with one of my mentors in the Faith. Glenn is one who speaks God word to me. I always check with God, to make sure the interpretation is correct. Glenn has been a fellow Christian that I can pour my heart out to and He will pray with me, and give me a word.. As I was sharing my burden for my Church family, our Church, Our direction.. with Glenn this week.. I told him how painful some of the recent events have been to me.. and how I am so burdened with some situations..

Glenn asked me a question.. Who's loading your camel? Of course I had to shut-up and think about that for a minute. "Well, I am," was my reply.. Glenn then asked.. who was responsible for the folks that I'm so burdened for.. well, God is of course.. they are His kids.. (hand slapping head "big duh" moment) God is.. not me.. I'm loading all this stuff, peoples problems, concerns, squabbles, unrest, uneasiness, all their stuff on my camel.. just like it's mine to deal with and mine to fix.. I load up my camel and then try to continue on my journey.. I've loaded up all the stuff that will not benefit me.. and all the stuff I can't do a thing about.

I unloaded my camel Clyde this week.. I'm making room for the stuff that God has given me to carry.. and it's not much.. Jesus already said to cast all my cares, burdens, concerns, on Him.. Jesus also reminded me that His load is easy, His burden is light..

I'm so glad that God is the one who has to keep it all straight..

Glenn also reminded me that God has called me to be a prayer warrior.. I am to pray about the situations and concerns of my Brothers and Sisters in Christ.. that's it.. God will deal with them, He will fix them.. 


God is leading us in some new directions. It's kind of scary.. we haven't been this way, We haven't followed this leader, what if we make a wrong turn, what if our leader is a nut, what if we run out of food or water, What if we are asked to make a commitment of our time, or our money, what if we have to give up something we love, What if we can't have our way or be in charge, 


what if People are saved, what if we are on the path that God has been waiting to put us on, what if we repent and follow, what if we become the people of God that we are meant to be? Lots of what ifs and lots of unknowns.. But you know what .. It's all in God's hands. It's His business, we are His kids, He knows what He's doing.. I don't have to worry about it..

Clyde and I are happy again.. free again.. free to follow the road, the path, the way that God is leading us.. I will be praying with passion, and heart, with love and concern for all my brothers and sisters in Christ.. 


I am also praying with the same love and compassion for those who Do Not Know the Love of God or the Forgiveness of sins. I'm praying that God will use Us, That He will use Me.. To touch hearts so He can Change lives..

So my question to you today is this.. are you burdened, worried, overwhelmed?

Whose loading your Camel????

Happy Fall Ya'll

I can't believe it's fall already. wow, did the summer fly by or what.. I don't know about you, but I almost missed the whole thing. I think part of the problem was the lack of Summer type weather. It was only hot and summer like for a week in June and about a week in August.. Now it's time to dig out the sweats. Don't get me wrong, I like fall. I like the crispness that begins to fill the air. My papa would say it was fresh. I really like to head out to the orchard and buy some apple cider donuts. I especially like the warm ones, And I L-O-V-E... hot apple cider. I always buy a couple of gallons so I can make cinnamon apple cider jelly. I add it to the Thanksgiving boxes I pack for my special "adopted" Soldiers. It's a little taste of fall that is good when you're far from home.

I love the smell of burning leaves. It's been a while since I've smelled leaves burning cause they just don't let you do that in the city anymore. I don't know if folks out in the country still burn them or not.. I know kids still love jumping in a huge pile of leaves.. And then there are the scarecrows. I love them.. all fat and full of straw with a favorite flannel shirt and an old pair of overalls. I saw some really cute ones at the super mega store in town. 

Apples, lots of crisp juicy apples, and at our house apples mean pie.. and baked pork chops with apples. fried apples, and if he is lucky, husband will get a few fried apple pies.

Another thing that means fall to me, is a trip "up North".. to a small town with friends. We walk the woods, and hit the quilt shops. I love quilts. they remind me of good stuff like grandmas, feather beds, fall, warmth, and love. I took a quilting class a few years ago. I have some material set aside to make another quilt. Every fall I consider getting the stuff out and working on it.. especially during the long cold days of winter. but with computers, activities at Church and the VFW, I never seem to find time to work on that quilt. I think I'll try again this year. Maybe things will be less hectic..

that's another thing.. Fall quickly leads to Halloween, then there is a rush of only a few weeks and it's Thanksgiving and then all races toward Christmas.. Whew.. But we were talking about fall.. so let's not head out toward Christmas just yet..

Fall means the days will get shorter. the nights will get chilly, frost will leave it's imprint on my lawn and my windshield. It's time to dig out the sweats, the sweaters, the long sleeve stuff, all the winter clothes. It's time to start packing away the summer stuff. The lawn chairs can stay out for the bon-fire, but will be put away soon after. The BBQ grill will be used for another week or two, then out to the barn for the winter.. Beach towels, flip-flops, and sandals will be gathered up and packed away till next spring.

Fall means big pots of homemade soup, homemade bread, stews, and chili. It means apple and pumpkin pies, and loaves of pumpkin and banana bread. The oven will be used on a regular basis again. Fall, means pumpkins and squash, gourds and indian corn, and corn stalks for decorations.
I wish ya'll a very happy fall...