HINTS AUNT IRENE EMAILED TO ME

Our poor mom is still holding on and it is so painful to watch. Naturally, we are staying at their home now and Andy is flying in tomorrow. I talk to Chris several times a day and she has brought food over for us. Plus, like I said before, anything we need all I have to do is call her. Plus she lives the next street over. I talk to my stepmother, Marie, every day and she is doing great after her surgery and we are so happy about that. I haven't been online too much because my concentration is not there. However, here are the tips I said that I would put in that my Aunt Irene sent to me.

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

If you accidentally oversalt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant 'fix-me-up.'

Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

I don't know when I will be back on, but, please keep my family in your prayers. Have a great week!

NOT BEEN ON FOR AWHILE

My life has been hectic and full to say the least. Because of it all I have not been online too much. Everything going on from trying to get taxes together for the 4/15 deadline, my stepmother having breast cancer surgery and now my poor mother in her final days. We have been by her bedside since Saturday knowing the time is coming anytime now. Alzheimer's has finally taken it's toll on her. Chris gave me a beautiful angel the other day that is on the tray table by her bed. Chris, also, came over to visit and to bring some food for us. She lives the next street over and is available for us to call if and when we might need something. Ricky and Annie are absolutely fantastic with our mother. Roxy came Saturday with Rikki and Jarritte. Marcy and I will go home and shower and change and come right back over.

Wednesday Marcy and I drove to be with Marie, our stepmother, for her surgery. She is amazing and came through with flying colors and is doing great. In fact, we said we are going to get her a t-shirt with a big W on it for Wonder Woman. Since she was doing so good we came back home that evening. Her cousins were, also, there with her. Plus, my granddaughter, Tamisha, came to the hospital after work and stayed until we left. Ricky surprised her and drove there to give her a hug and kiss before she went to the hospital and rushed back home to be be with our mother. Rick's son, Phil, drove her and her cousins to the hospital and he stayed until he had to pick his kids up from school. He was back the next day to take her home. As you can tell, she means a lot to us, also.

Yesterday because of mom's condition, Sue, Otis, Tamisha, Quentin, Quentin, Jr., Tamika, Darionna, Will, Jackee, Irwin, Dominique, Tyler & Phil came. Bill came back over after church. Sean, Taliyah and Davon had stayed overnight like Marcy, Roxy, Rikki, Jarritte and I.

My sweet aunt, Irene, who reads this everyday sent me some tips that I am going to put on here later today if things go okay. After I go home and come back I will get back online and put in the tips. I hope you all have a great day. Please include my family in your prayers.

SHE CRAB SOUP RECIPE

Town Tavern Restaurant--Augusta, Georgia recipe from the Master's Golf Tournament cook book.
2 T butter
2 T plain flour
1 qt. milk
2 cups white lump crabmeat
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
4 T dry sherry
4 hard-boiled egg yolks, finely crumbled
Melt butter in top of double boiler. Blend in flour. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly. As mixture begins to thicken, add crabmeat, salt, and pepper. When soup is of preferred consistency, remove from heat. Add sherry. Garnish with egg yolks. Yields 1 quart.
You really can make this in a sauce pan, 1 1/2 to 2 quarts is good. Just start at a medium to low- medium heat. The butter and flour should be blended as a paste and the milk will slowly thicken, stirring with a wire whisk to blend all lumps out. Take your time and it will turn out great. Once you have the butter, flour, and milk combined and thicken, add the crabmeat, salt, and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients and it will be wonderful. I like easy and this is a very easy recipe. I am not a cook and really don't like to cook, but I can make this soup. This is not a cheap recipe (ingredients), it is worth the money and time. I am off for dinner with Natalie and Ray. Now Natalie is a very good cook and I am looking forward to this meal. Ray and Natalie, also know Jackie and Bill. We were all in the Philippines together and played a lot of poker. Over the years we have all remained great friends and see each other at cook outs. Have a good night and relaxing Sunday. Watch the Masters Golf Tournament if you get a chance. The scenery is beautiful at the Augusta National. Worth a look see!

GEORGIA PEACH FUZZ BUZZ Recipe Drink

Here is another drink recipe from my Masters Tournament cook book.
1 large ripe peach, chopped
6 ounces gin or vodka
1 6-ounce can frozen pink lemonade concentrate
2 cups ice, cracked
Put all ingredients in blender, blend well. Serve in champagne glasses. Yields 5-6 drinks.
Yesterday brought on more challenges and my new out look is, I will handle it or find someone who can help me. Don't be afraid to ask for help, friends are there for you. My son and son-in-law are very knowledgeable but don't live here. Wish me luck and patience................

ICED SPICED TEA DRINK RECIPE

The Masters Golf Tournament is being played this week. I thought I would give recipes to you from the Tea Time at the Masters cookbook.
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 quart hot water
8 tea bags
2 quarts cold water
2 cups orange juice
3/4 cup lemon juice
mint sprigs--garnish
Boil sugar and 2 cups water for 5 minutes. Add hot water and tea bags. Steep for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags and add remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Cool and serve over ice. Garnish--yields 1 gallon. Rum would taste good in this tea. Just a suggestion. Dealing with problems yesterday was overwhelming. Once I sat down and listen to the 11:00 news, I was ashamed that I thought I had problems. Smile!

Garage Floor and Motor Oil Hint

Yes, I am back to hints and will be gardening around the snake, if possible.
Motor oil on garage floors can be covered with cat litter to absorb it. Grind it in wearing an old pair of shoes. Let it sit for a while, then sweep up. Scrub with a stiff brush and a little dish washing liquid in water.
Did a little work outdoors and worked on cleaning up the garage today. My husband hates when I organize the garage. Hope your day went well!

SNAKE

I will be returning to helpful hints and recipes for now. My gardening days have been suspended. I had a snake experience and he wasn't afraid of the water hose or me. The only yard work I will be doing, is from the riding lawn mower. Any suggestions besides the mothballs, PLEASE HELP! Hope your day was snake free. P.S. George the dog was hiding and no help.............

I'LL LEAVE THE MAJOR GARDENING TIPS TO CHRIS

Before I learned there was a snake presence around our "space" I used to have a nice little vegetable garden and planted some flowers around the house. I bought gardening books and was all into it. Now the thought of snakes kills any gardening thoughts I might have. I just plant my herbs in pots outside and I have a small little garden by my driveway. Last year I had hanging fern plants on my front porch and birds kept making nests and laying eggs in them. A couple of years ago Annie had given my granddaughter, Dominique, a strawberry pot because she loves strawberries. Dominique and Tyler spend their summers here. I sat it on our front porch and as soon as a strawberry grew it was gone. There was a squirrel that was coming on the porch and eating it. It was funny when I moved it and he came to look for it and couldn't find it. Anyhow, I will leave the major gardening tips to Chris and I will put it whatever tip, recipe or stroke of genius that comes to my mind.

Yesterday and today I was busy with our church's resale shop. We were open from 8a.m. to 12p.m. and we did really good in sales. We were busy both days. Great donations are given to us by the community and we sell it at very, very low prices. And the stuff we sell is not junk. Yesterday we sold all clothes (including coats and jackets), shoes and purses for 50 cents each. If it was a suit it was still 50 cents. Today we sold all at 25 cents each. Some of the stuff still had their original price tags on them. We called it our rain sale since it was pouring outside and we had tornado watches. The money taken in goes to help the needy in the parish. Plus if anyone need something they can just contact the people in charge of the shop and come to the shop and pick out whatever they need. It's fun helping out there and mentally rewarding.

I went to see my mother yesterday and she wasn't very responsive. I felt that she could tell it was me when she looked at me, though. Ricky got a toy poodle for her quite awhile ago which she adores. A doctor had suggested it and that was a fantastic idea. Cosmo could always cheer her up. It is an older dog that he got from an animal rescue place. I swear Cosmo was made for our mother. He has always listened so well. And he instinctively knew that he was her dog. Ricky even bought the doggie steps so that he could go to bed with her because she wanted him with her all of the time. Now Cosmo goes up those steps walks up and looks in her face for a second and then just goes and lies down by her. It is the most touching sight. Sometimes when she is a little bit more responsive it brings a smile to her face. She can't pet him or anything now because she can't move her arms to do so. I know even though her eyes might not be open she knows he's there and that makes her feel a bit better.

Well, now I am going to get some things done and get ready for church in the morning. I hope you have a peaceful, restful night!

Hint for RABBITS IN THE GARDEN

Rabbits in the garden can cause a lot of damage to your plants. They are very cute and we don't want to hurt them. Here are some tips that may help us all...
#1. Fill a 1 gallon glass jug with water and place it next to the rabbits favorite snack. The jars reflect the light and scares the animals. This is a new one for me. I would think it would be a problem finding a glass gallon jar.
#2. Put plastic milk jugs with their bottoms cut out over seedlings in the spring. As always remove them during the hottest part of the day. I have done this and the rabbits come around at night when the jugs are in place. Right now my husband has plastic around the tomato cages for warmth on those cold nights.
#3. Set an old pair of shoes or sneakers among the rows and beds to give the garden a human smell.
Most animals are doing what is natural to them. I have a squirrel problem at my bird feeders. They are taking over and I took down 2 feeders already. It's war because they can cause other damage in the yard. They chewed all the cushions of my friends garden furniture. They still have to put them away at night. George our dog does keep them at bay, sometimes. I found the squirrels coming up on my front porch and I put a fake cat on the bench. So far they have not returned. D.J. the 16 year old cat, sleeps on the front porch. The porch is a large southern porch that is covered, so he is very happy in his house at night. The squirrels don't want to come face to face with D.J. Wish me luck!

OLD TIME HINT FOR ROSE CUTTINGS

My Grandfather was a very successful gardener. In spring he would take a glass jar and put it on top of a rose cutting.
#1. Take the cutting of NEW growth and push it a few inches, directly into good soil in your present garden.
#2. Cover it with an up side down glass jar. The jar is like a small greenhouse.
#3. By placing in your garden, you will keep a good eye on it progress. Water along with your other garden plants.
#4. The other plants will soon help shade the small greenhouse. Once it gets a good root system, you can move it to a permanent place. In some areas you need to watch your small greenhouse, days are getting warmer and the jar might need to be removed during the day light hours.
This system can be helped with a root powder you can find where plants are sold. Just use your good garden sense and you will be successful like my grandfather. Good luck and I will let you know, if I have good luck with this old time procedure.

PLANTING SEEDLING TOMATO PLANTS

To aid your seedling to turn into a strong mature plant you should pinch off the bottom set or two of leaves. Then plant it deep enough that this part is below the soil level. This helps to root it better and make a strong base for the plant.

My brother, Andy, is going to come around the end of the month. It is not a happy occasion that he is coming for, but, I will be glad to see him. The last few times I visited our mom she hasn't been conscious. He is feeling better and I hope he continues that way.

I am not going to stay online long because Bill wants to get on and TurboTax our taxes. He has been keeping himself a bit busier than usual and I am glad. I think it makes him feel good, too.
Anyhow, have a great relaxing evening. I plan on watching Barbara Walters special tonight on "Live to be 150.....can you do it?"

Garden Tools

WD-40, keeps all your garden tools rust free. We have tools from over 25 years ago because of taking care of them. I know that handles on the shovels and rakes go first for our household. We have 5 acres to keep cut, raked and weeded. After Dennis retired 3 years ago, he was in charge of the yard and vegetable garden, I did the flowers. Dennis went on a consulting job, so I will be back on the lawn mower for a couple of months. I did it for 15 plus years, so it will be like riding a bike. The bad thing is I am a lot of years older. Today I did a lot of errants. I try to do them all in one trip. It really helps on the gas being used in my Jeep. Have a good night!