HOT AGAIN!

Had two requests for the laddie cookies in the past 24 hours, so I posted the Neiman Marcus/Laddie Cookie recipe on the recipe tab (to the right on the blog).

Another hot day--90 degrees is just too warm unless at a pool or the lake. When is the weather going to break? It is a yucky feeling to wish that it wasn't hot and summery all the time! I love summer, but am ready for a heat break.

Spent the whole day working on finding a recipe for canning jalapenos yesterday, just to semi-figure out that you HAVE TO pickle them. I guess there is some sensitivity with jalapenos and they are at higher risk of botulism....WEIRD. The odd thing is, you can purchase canned chiles in the grocery store that don't have vinegar in them. Shouldn't you be able to can them too??? I don't get it. Spent most of the day researching it because I have 22 jalapenos from my garden and I am unsure what to do with them all!!! My freezer already has several bags full, so I feel like I should be doing something else with the rest of the peppers.....But I am not in the mood to can salsa.......If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Off to work on Trifle....And figure out dinner.

One of the posted pictures is of the lake kitchen (where the windows are) and part of the family room (where the guy is working). The other picture is of Lily and I in the front lawn, by the bell, on the new lake lot.

Mid August

My poor garden is starting to fade. My squash is looking sad and my cucumber plant is almost dead. This constant heat is finally making them cave, I think. I am considering planting a fall harvest of a few vegetables. Possibly lettuces again and peppers. I heard of a girl doing that and she said it did well. I am not sure if it is going to work....And I am concerned about the nights in the fall that it frosts! We'll see how it goes. I need to get them planted soon though, I would think.

I am getting caught up from being gone....Paid all the bills and did paperwork today. However, tomorrow I need to work on Trifle's books.

Heard this weekend that one of Matt's high school friends lost a baby--a few days from the baby's due date and it was stillborn. I just try to shake it, but it is hard to not get overwhelmed with sadness for them as they start their mourning journey. To think they don't even get to meet their child that they were expecting any day. Also the fact that it is unpredictable....Our situation was high risk. I knew as I was on bedrest that delivering early was a possibility. I still didn't think it would happen, but I knew it was possible. They probably had no idea what was in store. Had a hard time sleeping last night and then I remembered something that happened while Daisy was in the hospital. I had a couple of people come up to me and tell me they were having a hard time sleeping because Daisy was on their minds and they would pray in the middle of the night for her. It was such a comfort knowing they were praying while I was sleeping. So, last night as I couldn't sleep, I prayed that they would not become bitter towards God, but they would see this was part of His provision. And, I prayed that God would comfort them.

Seems like there are many babies dying. Is it more than normal or am I just noticing it? Not sure which is true, but sad for them all, nonetheless.

I feel as though I cannot take on too much of their grief because I feel as though I myself am still overwhelmed with my own. What is the right balance? I just don't feel like I can allow myself to dwell on it much; and yet, am I supposed to be there for them if they need me??? Is this what God wants me to do? I just don't know the right answer or how to even go about contacting people that I have never met, and yet are part of our church/(former) school community.

Off to finish dinner. Homemade chicken pot pie and possibly a salad of some sort.

Butternut Squash from our Garden!

So rewarding to get items from the garden, then cook with them. Candace and I are cooking meals tomorrow. One of our meals calls for roasted butternut squash, so I went to the garden, picked them, cleaned them, and put them on a baking sheet! Voila! Ready for tomorrow as far as butternut squash goes.

Finalizing Daisy's tombstone wording tonight. Can you believe the concrete base was JUST POURED a couple of weeks ago? It is seven months later and we still don't have a marker for her plot done. However, once we finalize, it will be probably set within a week. Once it is set, I will want to go see it....But I think it may seem so final. Tomorrow is 7 months since her death.