More stuff:

Copper round (Jello type) mold.

Bunches of Bible study books from IV, Zondervan, NavPress, etc.

"Experiencing God" video set.

Used size 11 Nike soccer shoes. Tall dude with big feet shot up to size 15 so there should be some good life in them still. --TAKEN

More giveaway things:

Black twill slipcover and two round black twill tablecloths. They would need dry cleaning or you could attempt to wash them perhaps. I made them and the slipcover is a massive piece offabric that you would need to hand tuck around your cushions...but hey, the price is right.

Two boxes of Littermate automatic cat litter box receptacles.

More Stuff to Give Away

HDPE bottles and tops--I have what look like probably 2 oz sort of heart shaped bottles (not pointy on the bottom that one of my soaper or candle friends might want for various products. They have a fairly large area you could use for a label. I bet I have a couple hundred of them. I bought them long ago on some closeout from "Stuff Julie Likes" (that lets some of you know how long it's been, ha!). Anyway, if you're interested let me know and I'll put up a pic.

A bunch of purple and yellow embroidery floss.

Innerfuse purse kits. Make various purses including a cute chinese takeout style. Again I can post pics if there is interest. Does not come with fabric, comes with pattern and innerfuse.

Radio Shack Sleep Machine. Provides six different soothing sounds for sleeping. Say that three times fast. ;-) --TAKEN

You know the drill. Please pay shipping if you want it sent to you...I'll set aside a box with your name on it and send it to you when it's "full up" if you want.

The price is FREE. :-) If you want to make a donation to Southeast Nashville Flood Relief, I'll certainly take it, but it is NOT necessary. I know that some of you are collecting up things for other folks in need, and that is TOTALLY cool. If you need something in particular for those folks let me know. I'm not saying I have it, but I may...

Several years' worth of the Augusburg Christmas Treasury books.

The Book of Candlemaking by Chris Larkin.

Fitting Finesse by Nancy Zieman.

Metro No Longer Surprises Me...

We have a young friend who is a freshman at a local school that prides itself in its International Baccalaureate program, and its number of AP classes.

They informed me that they did not have a textbook for the first month of class. I understand that people are not good about registering their kids ahead of time, and Metro doesn't always know how many students are showing up. I have also been told by folks on the inside that Metro has a hard time getting textbooks from vendors because they're not very accomplished at paying the bills.

The student said that for their AP class they had spent the month coloring in maps. The Honors level class in the same subject, as compared to the supposedly higher level AP class, is apparently taught by someone who had a little more gumption. That teacher assigned what sounded like fairly strenuous term papers.

I've had several students, and their parents, tell me that our high school of zone collects up all the textbooks a month before school ends. So two months without textbooks in this scenario is maddening to someone who pays taxes to educate children and sees the dismal results. When I see ten kids lined up for the high school bus in the morning, only about six of them will graduate. Sad indeed.

I had no idea the Upper Midwest educational systems were rated so highly. I grew up in one of those states, regularly in the top five nationally. I guess it's just that the other states are doing so much worse.

It was just a given that we worked hard in school. My parents made sure of that. But many parents don't, and many schools don't hold up their end of the bargain either. The big losers are the kids, and society on the whole.

Giveaway Stuff

Probably fifty one ounce fragrance oil samples from various suppliers. Some are from folks like Shaw Mudge so not what I would consider a viable test list for you folks who make and sell candles/soaps. More for hobbyists who would like them. I can't post a list (just too many to list) but you'll enjoy them.

I'll probably have some one pound bottles of scent to relinquish but I haven't inventoried that yet.

Copper molds...one ring mold for jello or etc. and a couple small ones.

Used candy/soap molds. On the small side.

Joyce Meyer teen book. I'm over her, so if you aren't, have at it! :-)

***TAKEN***Electronic chess game.

Yarn and fabric; I know I'll have some more for you junkies out there so bear with me as I go through it.

Paper you can run through your laser printer and personalize for letterhead or etc. I have quite a bit if you are interested.

Crochet thread if you like that kind of stuff.

You know the drill. Please pay shipping if you want it sent to you...I'll set aside a box with your name on it and send it to you when it's "full up" if you want.

PROBABLY will have leftover oops paint when the painting is done. If you like to paint, PLEASE come over. I'll love you forever. Well, I will either way. :-)

The price is FREE. :-) If you want to make a donation to Southeast Nashville Flood Relief, I'll certainly take it, but it is NOT necessary. I know that some of you are collecting up things for other folks in need, and that is TOTALLY cool. If you need something in particular for those folks let me know. I'm not saying I have it, but I may...

You can watch nashbabe.blogspot.com to see what I post for giveaway. Twenty two years of living in one place results in a lot of stuff...and stuff we really don't need any longer.

If you live here in town, I am planning to do a weird yard sale after the 15th or so. What I mean is, I plan to pile up a bunch of stuff I want to get rid of in the garage and invite people to come over to take what they want. Free is fine with me, or if you want to donate to Southeast Nashville Flood Relief in exchange for stuff, that's fine too.

I know a couple of you don't live in town and I think your main interests are yarn and fabric, so if you remind me I will shoot pics of it. All I ask is that you pay for shipping to your abode. I can stuff lots of stuff in those priority mail flat rate boxes. Sometimes parcel post is cheaper, but not much. There's a UPS store right down the street too.

I will have an electric stove available in the next week or so. It's old, and needs a good cleaning, but is quite functional. I have to replace it so all the appliances are black, not because it doesn't work.

I will also have a queen sleeper sofa to give away once the house sells.

I have a fridge in the garage but it would need a new seal. I plan to just put it out on the bulk pickup. It would need a bunch of cleaning because it's been in the garage for six months and would be a gross job to do so...

Once I'm done painting (I'll probably invite anyone who likes to paint to my house soon because I have to paint pretty much the whole interior due to water damage from the May rains/flood) I may have a fair amount of paint left. I bought a whole bunch of oops paint for $5 a gallon instead of the standard $25-$35 a gallon, so I imagine some will be left. But I'm giving my neighbor some of it.

It's a challenge and I can get through it

...somehow, with God.

The despair about tall dude with big feet has consumed both hubs and myself. It's like the guy is under house arrest, of his own assent. I have seen too much of that situation myself, and continue to pray for the prodigal to come home.

Prep for moving is quite overwhelming. The house wasn't clean to start with. Twenty-two years of stuff is a lot to go through. I feel like I'm treading water and not moving ahead most of the time. Hubs has been so supportive. He doesn't want to stress me out about getting there fast. I know he wants me there, and as soon as it is humanly possible, but he knows the heavy weight of mourning I carry, and he has been very considerate.

Working through the FEMA/insurance/SBA stuff is a hassle; I am hoping it helps us with getting stuff fixed from the heavy rains/flood situation we had here in Nashville. Lots of paperwork, and I think all the on site inspections are over now. There are a lot of things we didn't do over the years because of the costs involved with tall dude with big feet, and I am trying not to kick myself about this. We were obedient, and that is all we could do. I am very thankful that we will be walking away with decent equity even so. Many people are upside down in our houses...not us. I am grateful for that. I have to trust that God will keep pursuing the tall dude with big feet. Intellectually, I know that is true. Emotionally...hey, it comes and goes. No big surprise there.

Killer Pimento Cheese

As in, it would kill you to eat all of it. So share it with friends. Keep a dollop of it for a fabulous omelet or a grilled cheese sandwich. I may be Northern, but my Southern friends lapped it up contentedly (and quickly).

No substitutions on the ingredient list. And grate the cheese yourself...it's nice and moist that way.

Views from Kansas

Lemon Pound Cake

Blasphemy! I didn't make it from scratch. But the teenager that was doing our yard work was bathed in sweat today and I felt a "tip" was in order. He loves lemon pound cake, and I used what I had. Well, I had to buy a box of lemon pudding mix, but hey...

Now I NEVER make a cake mix just the way it says to make it. I ALWAYS add an extract. Makes it taste more like home made. For some cakes, it's vanilla extract. But in this case, I had a bottle of organic lemon flavoring (go figure!) and tossed some in.

He told his mom "it's really bad for you, you shouldn't eat any." I guess that meant he wanted to save it all for himself. And that's probably a seal of approval. ;-)

Honestly, this cake does NOT measure up to pound cake at least in ingredients...not enough oil and no butter. But hey, I didn't taste it, I gave it all to the lawn dude.

Also, I never used canned frosting. Eeeew. A dusting of powdered sugar is plenty on this one. MAKE YOUR OWN FROSTING. It's just softened butter and powdered sugar, after all, with maybe a little something extra. Anne Byrn, the Cake Mix Doctor herself, preaches the no-canned-frosting gospel, and I have bought into it hook, line and sinker. ;-D

Cake:
•1 pkg Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe® Lemon Supreme Cake Mix
•1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant lemon pudding and pie filling
•4 large eggs
•1 cup water
•1/3 cup vegetable oil
(added lemon flavoring--extract)

1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan.
2.Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Pour into pan.
3.Bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 minutes. Invert onto heat resistant serving plate. Cool completely.
4.For glaze, place frosting in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power 10 to 15 seconds. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/cakes/dh/lemon-pound-cake

As I have said before, I keep trying to tell God that I'm not worthy to handle this life. I guess He knows that. I am not worthy to share in His sufferings, but they're deep. This week I have learned about being bitterly betrayed; beyond what I ever imagined. And I thought I should be immune from that. Scripture talks about how we shouldn't expect to have it any easier than Jesus did...okay, I get it. Test over? No, I don't think so.

Hello Hurricane lyrics (by Switchfoot)

I've been watching the skies
They've been turning blood red
There is not a doubt in my mind
There's a storm up ahead

(Chorus)

Hello Hurricane
You're not enough
Hello Hurricane
You can't silence my love
I've got doors and windows boarded up
All your dead end fury is not enough
You can't silence my love

Everything I have I count as loss
Everything I have is stripped away
But before It started building
I counted up these costs
There's nothing left for you to take away

(Chorus)

Hello Hurricane
You're not enough
Hello Hurricane
You can't silence my love
I've got doors and windows boarded up
All your dead end fury is not enough
You can't silence my love

Im a fighter fighting for control
Im a fighter fighting for my soul
Everything inside of me surrenders
You can't silence my love
You can't silence my love

(Chorus)

Hello Hurricane
You're not enough
Hello Hurricane
You can't silence my love
I've got doors and windows boarded up
All your dead end fury is not enough
You can't silence my love

I said Hello Hurricane

these lyrics are submitted by Crazy Fan

Trees

I’m still not used to trees.

Mind you, I LIKE trees. But twenty-some years later, I still think of the glacier-scraped-flat-trees-only-planted-in-straight-lines of my early years. Not many trees on the plains, or hills, or much of anything. Stark, open, easy to see, austere. Driving as an adolescent was extremely easy…nothing to block my view!

When I moved to Nashville, the most striking thing to both hubs and myself was the vast number of trees. They were positively EVERYWHERE! And hills. Lots of hills. A wee bit claustrophobic, we were.

Nowadays I drive through areas filled with trees for hours and hours each day. Whether doing the school route to the high-rent (and, as a result, still heavily wooded) part of my city, or driving to Teleios when I can, trees are everywhere. And I’ve started to notice them.

In the spring, summer, and fall, they are lush. There’s little or no snow here, and a very long growing season compared to the should-I-get-air-conditioning of my home state.

Trees adorn the landscape, clean up the air, do a lot of great things. When they are laden with foliage, they cushion the visibility, blur the lines a bit, obscure some places.

It’s winter. All the leaves are long gone. And I can see a long, long way. In the rich part of town, I can see beautiful homes that were not visible the other three seasons. Animals (including deer that nearly collided with my vehicle) peek out of the branches. In a snowstorm or visitation of ice (not an everyday occurrence around here in winter), they are especially striking.

Teleios is on top of a mountain, but isn’t far from some “hollows”, where often folks live in old homes, some in disrepair. The other three seasons, things look fairly normal. When the leaves drop, the piles of hoarded junk and dead cars can become painfully obvious.

In both cases, there’s a whole lot more than meets the eye, for good or ill.

In the last year or so, many of us have seen the leaves of our “trees” dry up and blow away. I know of many who currently seek jobs, or try to get things back to “normal” (whatever that is) after an extended period of unemployment that has recently ended, or see their retirement savings dwindling and have decided to go back to work. It’s particularly stark out in the forest of each of our existence these days. Even if we ourselves are moving along with little adjustment needed (are those folks even out there now?), we all know others who are dealing with lives that have lost a lot of their “greenery” and are struggling mightily.

An ancient story speaks of a really great guy who totally had it made…rich, great family, strong spiritual life, you name it. Justifiably, the question was asked: is he the wonderful, spiritual person he is just because his forest is in all its glory? Not surprisingly, the guy’s forest eventually dropped the leaves. ALL of them. He went through hell right here on earth. All the stuff he had, and all his kids, were dead and gone.

In the starkness of that experience the guy learned what he really had, and embraced it fully. Eventually his forest sprouted leaves again, after he had learned hard yet extremely valuable lessons.

The starkness of “winter” in my life has taught me a great deal. I learned how much more I had than I thought. The losses hurt deeply, but made strong, downright “wealthy” areas of life more visible. I had things to celebrate that I didn’t consider fully till the leaves dropped. Additionally, there were piles of “junk” that became more visible amongst the empty branches. As I work on getting them cleared out, I have a sneaking suspicion I’m getting a wee bit stronger. Or maybe a lot.

Here’s hoping there are great things for each of us in the middle of the bleak, austere forest, and that we can help each other out along the trail.

Letter in the paper: "Let me get this straight. President Obama in his arrogance gives himself a B+ grade (my son would love a grading system where he could grade himself). However, the last poll I saw had his approval rating/grade under 50 percent. That is an F at my son's high school. In fact, it's not even a high F. Guess who gave him an F: the folks that elected him, and that is the only grade that counts."

They stopped taking enrollments for CoverKids and CoverTN on Monday. Tennessee is now the only state that has stopped signing up eligible kids for SCHIP (which is where CoverKids funding comes from). What is especially sad, to me, is that only about one third of the kids who needed the insurance got it. The rest of them had parents who apparently didn't bother. Did I mention that coverage was FREE for a whole lot of those who didn't bother, and unbelievably cheap for the rest? I'll wager that most of those people have late model cars and cable...can't go without that, ya know. *shaking head*

I just told Jesus that I really don't think a person like me deserves to share in His sufferings. I am weak, and whiny, and lack faith. I know He dealt with much worse situations than I am at present.

Fall Farmers Market Finds

I have been given a bunch of organic butternut squash by some fabulous people at market. There's a few acorn squash in there too (which will be used in the squash rolls that were so popular last Christmas), and a couple cans of pumpkin on the shelf as well; not from the market, of course, but fall/squash-y nonetheless. The ever increasing stash of sweet potatoes are destined at least in part for a Martha Stamps biscuit recipe that sounds lovely.

Offhand I can't recall where I found the following recipe. I don't plan to use it in it's original form. I thought putting the mixture in an ice cream freezer would be a lot more interesting. I can envision pumpkin being interchanged for the butternut squash. I also want to try perhaps soy milk, hazelnut soy creamer, or perhaps rice milk instead of the cream. But I think, as a shrink would likely say, I will only change one ingredient at a time. ;-)

Butternut Squash Ice Pops

Cut a butternut squash into quarters and scoop out the seeds. Boil, bake, or microwave the squash until it's soft. Let the squash cool a bit before scooping the flesh into a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup maple syrup, 2/3 cup light cream, and 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. nutmeg. (Doesn't the thought of freshly grated nutmeg sound good?) :-D Mash everything together with a potato master. Spoon into icepop molds, add sticks, and freeze for at least 6 hours before serving.

The next segment of the beginning of the end, or the beginning of the beginning...

It's a momentous occasion. The little kid who pounded on our door eleven years ago is on his first college visit. The kid's no longer little, though; they tower over us. Based on their test scores, at this school I think--hope--pray they would get a lot of scholarships if this were the choice. They will have to. God, I (try to) leave the outcome in Your capable grip.

And to think Metro said they would likely never read. HA!

I'm giggling a little as I wait for them to finish the tour and their interviews. At the beginning of the visit, I asked kiddo if they wanted me to go into the admissions office with them; they said yes. However, I also told kiddo they should come up with a "code word" they could say to me to get me to "disappear" so they could do the college meetings by themselves if they wanted. Wasn't only a few minutes after kiddo finished the paperwork that they whispered that very word; and I left them with the admissions rep for the tour.

Roots, and wings. May they both be strong, and sufficient for the journey ahead. Amen.

Tomato Herb Biscuits

I made some sundried tomatoes this week. Well, they weren't really sundried. I cut romas almost in half and opened them up like a book. Then I placed them on racks (baked good racks) on top of cookie sheets and baked them in an extremely slow oven (200 degrees) for seven or eight hours. My experience is that you should periodically check them and take out the smaller ones as they get dried but not crispy (you're aiming for raisin-like quality). Pack them in olive oil, but I would definitely refrigerate them. I just packed them in a jar and put them in the freezer for future use.

Here's a lovely use for them;

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In med bowl combine 2 1/4 c. all purpose baking mix, 1/4 cup drained and finely chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes, and 2 T chopped parsley. Stir in 2/3 cup low fat milk. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons 2 in apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or till golden. Cool slightly on wire rack.

Flourless Nut Butter Chocolate Cookies

I have no idea where I found this one. I would suggest you use a natural nut butter for this one. Options might include peanut butter, sunflower butter, or almond butter. Usually almond butter is way too pricey, but Trader Joe's has done a good job of cutting the price substantially, and Whole Foods has had to follow suit. Five bucks a jar is still pricey, but is's not the nine to eleven bucks K-Roger insists on charging. Sometimes I swear that they buy their specialty stuff at retail and then keystone it from there. ;-)

1 c nut butter
3/4 c sugar (I'm gonna try honey as well, but I imagine I may have to tweak the amounts).
1 lg egg
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

sir together first five ingredients till well blended. Stir in chips. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls two inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or till puffed and lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets on a wire rack five min, and then remove to wire rack. Makes 2 dozen.

Interesting Cookbook

I found this cookbook online. It is filled with recipes from native americans. Some are southwestern in nature which look interesting (haven't tried any yet). In addition, it covers use of commodity food from the government; in these times I think anyone can probably find something in here that would help us all save some bucks.