Let the butter and flour mixure cook for about a minute before adding half and half. 

Add carrots and chicken in to the roux. 

I used a rotisserie chicken. 

Add chicken broth and while it is thickening,cut up your fresh spinach. 

Cook Gnocchi according to package and add to soup along with seasonings. 

Once the mixture thickens again, add the spinach and salt and pepper. 

Once it is heated through it is ready to serve!This is a delicious thick, hardy soup. I served with bruschetta! ( recipe coming soon)If you like Italian, you will love this.****************************Ingredients needed:1 tbsp.  Olive Oil (Extra Virgin)4 Tbsp.  butter4 Tbsp.  Flour1 quart Half & Half1/2 Cup Celery (finely diced)2 minced garlic cloves(I used minced garlic spices)2 14 oz.  cans of Chicken Broth1 Cup Carrots (finely shredded)1 Cup Chicken breast, cooked and diced(You can use Rotisserie Chicken)1 pkg.  of mini Gnocchi cooked(located in pasta section of grocery store)1 Cup Spinach (coarsely chopped)1/2 tsp.  Salt1/2 tsp.  Thyme1/2 tsp.  Parsley1/4 tsp.  nutmeg*******************************Prayer RequestPlease say a prayer for my Mom!  Bless her heart. She has a had a rough year. Now she has pseudo gout in her wrist!She is in a lot of pain. As far as her back surgeries, she is doing great!Your prayers got her through that! 

Sunday, March 24, 2013

I went to visit my Granny again today.  I wanted to stay longer than I usually do so I brought my quilt that I am trying to finish.  As I have told you before, this quilt is 25 years old and still not finished.  There is a story there and when I finish it, which will be soon, I will tell the story behind it.  Anyway, I am removing all of the hand quilting that I have done and am doing it on the machine.  Granny was impressed with it.  I don't know why.  If she could see good, she would see all of the imperfections.  But thats ok.  It is my first quilt and I am going to be proud of it.  Anyway, enough about my quilt.  Granny was working on one too.  She thinks when someone comes to visit that she should stop sewing and talk to them.  I told her lets both get to work.  So she sewed and I ripped out my hand quilting.  It is so quiet there.  I was on the couch and she was at the sewing machine.  She doesn't watch t.v.,  so there was no noise.  As she worked, I noticed a pattern.  As she sewed, there would be a GRUNT, then a SIGH, and end with a WHISTLE.  Over and over again.  It was so cute.  She was concentrating so hard.  I loved being with her today.  My dad came in and brought her some pear preserves and I was telling him about the sounds she makes and he knew exactly what I was talking about.  I always take pictures while I am there.  It drives her crazy.  It seems that I post about my granny a lot, but I love her so.  She is precious!  I wonder if I make sounds when I am working on a quilt?  hhhhmmmm......

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

They were telling that more Mommies today are taking anti anxiety pills and

sleeping pills to help them cope with the every day life of raising children. 

You trust your doctor!But your doctor suggests you take a pill to help you cope or to help you sleep. 

I do know that medicines used properlyare good in most cases. But to suggest that young mothers take pillsto cope with everyday life just made me sick. 

They made it sound so good on the show!There is more than just street drugs that cause addictions!Prescription Drugs ruin lives every day. And they are legal! 

They forgot to tell the bad stuff on the show. They forgot to tell them they could get physically dependant on these. They forgot to tell them that their body would eventually need more. They forgot to tell them that these "medicines" change the GABA receptorsin your brain. They forgot to tell them that when they realized how bad these drugs werefor you and you decided to get off of them that you have to taper offand will experience very bad withdrawal symptoms. They forgot to tell them that your skin would burn, you would have palpitations,chest pain, pain in your head, stomach issues, more anxiety, hair loss, depression, insomnia, etc.  etc. 
*******************************Can you tell that I didn't like that news report?It scares me that they make these drugs sound so good. I just pray that young women that heard that show will not think that the "Mommy Pills" sounded good to them. I pray that they reach out to their family for help instead of pills. What is this world coming to?Seriously!Sorry, just had to vent! 

Monday, March 18, 2013

My Best friend, Vicki made these dish cloths for me!I just love them!  Notice the "V"....she didn't plan that! 

She also brought me this for my shoulder. It really has helped a lot! 

She brought me another project to work on too!I hope I can do this. It will look so cute in my kitchen! 

Look at this beautiful chicken scratch that Vicki is working on. She is on her 4th block now!Isn't it gorgeous?Her plans are to make a quilt out of these blocks. I cannot wait to see this quilt!*********************Yesterday was family and friends day at Church. The message was about the man on the bed that was lowered downthrough the roof by his friends so he could be healed by Jesus. Our Pastor told us that if we had friends that would do that for uswe were truly blessed.  I know that Vicki would help to get me on the roof and lower me down so I could be healed. It means a lot to have a friend like that. This post is about Vicki, but I have to tell you thatmy friends Rachelle S. & Florene G. & Retha B. would be there helping too!Without a doubt, I am blessed.**************************************** 

John 15:13 - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 

Sunday, March 17, 2013

I went to see my Granny again the other day.  I found her in the kitchen cooking her a little lunch.  She had a little pan of okra frying on the stove and was making herself a little salad.  She was very glad to see me.  She had made me something.  Well, actually it was for "My Sweet Baby Grandson" that is due in December.  She had made a baby quilt for him.  She asked me to give it to "My Sweet Daughter, Mandy" for her.  It is so beautiful & simple, but just to know that she made it means the world to me.  Granny is about to turn 95 next week and still quilting!  Mandy came over today.  I haven't got to see her in a couple of weeks.  She is so cute.  She hasn't put hardly any weight on at all.  She is all baby.  He will be here before we know it.  I gave her the quilt and she was so excited.  My Granny made this little quilt in about half of a day.  Just think, my 95 year old granny made this baby quilt for her great, great, grandson that is not even born yet.  She is really amazing! 

Friday, March 15, 2013

My Mom is doing so good since her 2 surgeries!I invited her to lunch and when I got thereshe asked me if I wanted her to drive!Yes, she is driving!!!Thank the Lord! 

She suggested a place called Soup or Salad!(might not be the name exactly)But it was so good!Salad, pasta salads, soups, macaroni & cheese, etc. The mac & cheese was the best!!! 

After we left there I was telling her about a couple of things I needed for a recipe I was going to make. G.N.O.C.C.H.IThats how I told mom what I needed. She immediatley pronounced the word correctlyand told me that she knew exactly where to go. 

I also needed Bruschetta bread!She took me to a Fresh Market to get both of these! 

Then after shopping at JoAnns and Hobby Lobby,we went back to her house and she had this magazine laid outfor me with the most beautiful table runner in it with instructions how to make it!It will be perfect for my farm table! 

Also, laying on the table was this picture. It is my Mom at her first piano recital!I hope she does a blog on this and tells the story behind it. I LOVE this! 

She also had this picture for me. Isn't she beautiful?And you can't see me in this picture butI was in her tummy!!!!Thank you Mom for these pictures!They are priceless to me. It was a wonderful day with my Mom! 

The next day I spent with my other Mama!This is my Mother In Law!We call her Grandmother. She just moved in her condo this past weekend. She is so excited! 

She is 82 years young and is a wild thing!She keeps us all hopping!She wanted to go shopping for a few thingsthat she needed since she moved. 

Oh yes!  I almost forgot!  She wanted to get her hair cut!I'm telling you....it wore me out!Grandmother was in a shopping mood!!!  lolBut I am so thankful for both my Mom's!They are so good to me!****************Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Exodus 20:12

Granny's PERFECT Quilt

It is PERFECT.  Perfectly PERFECT.  Oh I don't mean perfect stitches, or perfect seams, or perfectly square.  It is PERFECT for snuggling under on a rainy, dreary day.  It is PERFECT for wrapping up a grandchild who is spending the night.  It is PERFECT for making a house when draped over a chair & an end table.  It is PERFECT for winding around and around a doll.  It is PERFECT for covering up in the car when the air conditioning is on full blast.  It is PERFECT for laying on the carpet and putting a baby down for his nap.  God has touched Granny's heart and her hands, and her life.  He has made her an artist.  He has given her the gift of PERFECT quilts. 

Written by Marlene B. about the quilt she bought from Granny. ( Excerpt from Oct. 7, 2009 post on her blog)

Our Forever Farm

Our Little PEACE of Heaven

"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is place in her bosom to be nursed and trained!  Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into it's soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no others hands the sacred and holy trust given to her."  -JR Miller

Our Prayer

Lord, help us to PLAN, PREPARE, & PLANT what you would have us to.  Help us to WEED out of our lives what should not be there.  Lord, help us to GROW through you in our relationships, our attitudes, and our lives, always being in your will.  Help us to always walk with you.  Let us always be thankful and content.  Amen