HAPPY BIRTHDAY

My niece has just had a birthday. I won't tell you how old she is - but she and my daughter are only a few weeks apart. Hope you had a good Birthday, Karla.

If I can find and scan the picture of you and Stephanie in the old fashion buggy that I just saw at you Moms - I will send it to you.

Wow! It seemed like my birthday! I was on my blog working and suddenly I saw my counter. I showed it to Uncle Silas, got back on there and low and behold - my beautiful background was back. Thank you so much! I know you are very busy and I really appreciate it. Love you, Aunt Lene & Uncle Silas

A BLESSED AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS, MAY YOU HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND A BLESSED DAY FILLED WITH THANKFULNESS TO THE ONE WHO GIVES US ALL THINGS. THE LORD HAS BEEN RICH IN HIS BLESSINGS TO US THIS YEAR.

THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS

Just wanted to let all of you that were praying for me that I did get through the MRI and Lung Function Test . When I was taking the MRI I felt your prayers and thanked God for each of you. I won't get the results until December 4th but I am trusting the Lord that they will be okay. Since I have been off the medicine I am feeling much better. Now I have another prayer request! I have just found out that my Mom was taken to the hospital sometime today. We won't know anything until tomorrow. She couldn't move her legs and I suspect she has had a mild stroke. I noticed when I was there last Thursday that she did not seem the same. I remarked about it to my husband. She will be 89 years old on Dec 6th. She has suffered a lot of pain the past years and I know she is ready to meet the Lord - so if it's His time I know His grace will be sufficient. But she has been a very independent little lady and always wanted to wait on everyone else. Who knows - she may be home before long. But I'm sure not by herself any longer. So there will be decisions to make. Just please keep her in your prayers. I love you girls and it made me feel good to know that a few of you were praying for me. Until I hear more I will get to bed and try and get some needed rest.

PRAYER REQUEST

After three days on the medicine for Sjorgren's - I find that I cannot take it. I have been so weak in my muscles, heart rate up to 130 even when I am resting, head ache and achy all over. I am sensitive to so many meds. My Family Dr. says she has not seen anyone being so sensitive to so much. I will call the Rheumotologist tomorrow and see what he wants me to do. I also have to have an MRI Tuesday - so please pray for me this week that all will go well. I am not anxious to take the MRI. I can't stand closed in places. But I really need a touch and I know Jesus is the Great Physician. I know you will pray. I will let you know how all comes out. In Christian Love, Aliene

Sassafras Leaves and Roots

Since I mentioned Gumbo in the other post for today I want to tell you about what we use in gumbo after it is cooked. It is called File' We all have heard the song: Jambalaya ,Crawfish Pie File' Gumbo That's about all I know of the song. The File' is what I want to tell you about. You pronounce file' -like fee-lay. Grandpa John, who was my husband's grandfather, use tomake file'. It comes from sassafras trees. He use to go out into the swamps and gather leaves from the sassafras trees, bring them home and spread outside on a sheet made of feedsacks sewn together. Grand mother had a bamboo rack she would stir them with every day. They did this until the leaves were dry. They then would take all stems out. Grand Father had a home made box that was tapered, about 8 inches square at the top and four 4 inches a the bottom. He would fill the box with leaves and then pound it with a homemade tool until the leaves were powder. He then put the power file'into empty medicine bottles that all the neighbors saved for him. He sold them for 5 cents a bottle. That was back in the 1940's. Now you can buy File' in the grocery store. You may be wondering what file' does. It is a thickener for gumbo. If you used too much it will be slimy. But it sure does give flavor. Now, down to later years. This goes way back!~The boys would go into the woods and get roots from the sassafras trees and bring them home and boil them. The liquid was then made into a drink that taste like root beer. I'm sure there is a medicinal purpose for the drink but I not old enough to know what. Maybe some of you will know! Now go back one more post and you will see the Turkey.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY

I just read Nina's blog about cooking a turkey last year. Go over and check her out Portualbound.blogspot.com. Since my husband was in the kitchen cooking up the seasoning to shoot up a turkey - I thought I would tell you how I cook a turkey. I DON'T! Here in Louisiana we get about a 12-14 pound turkey. About three days before you cook it you shoot it up. Here is what we shoot it up with. First you have to get the marinate syringe from the grocery store. In a good size pot put: 4 and a half cups of water 4 TB Chef Paul,Poultry Seasoning 4 TB Tony Chacherie Seasoning 1 tb Cayenne Pepper 1TB garlic powder 1 Stick Oleo orButter Boil for 5 minutes. Let cool and inject all the mixture into the turkey with your marinating needle. Place in a long pan and cover with foil. Let it marinate for a couple days in Fridge. When you are ready to fry: Set up your propane cooker, put enough peanut oil into cooker to cover turkey. Deep fry OUTSIDE @ 300 DEGREES 4 minutes per pound of turkey.

Put it on a big platter or long pan with paper towels or brown bag to absorb grease.

(The next step is my favorite: Pinch off the crisp edge and sample.Then do it again until you are caught.) It taste like cracklins. When time to serve - slice like you ordinarily do. Most of the seasoning is native to Louisiana but I'm sure you could improvise. After Thanksgiving there is most always some left. You then take the left over bones and meat and boil. Take bones out and make a good gumbo. Don't know how? Let some of us Louisianians know and we will get you a recipe posted. Now: Head over to KJVBLOGS.BLOGSPOT.COM. This is a fairly new blog set up by Deborah @ lyricdevotions.com You will find a variety of subjects and different writers each day. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

My wonderings are almost to an end!

Yesterday I went to the Rheumotologist. Seems I've been going around in circles for months trying to find what was wrong with me. You know the saying "blessed are those who go in circles, for they shall be called a big wheel?" Well, frankly, I'm dizzy from going in circles. I don't want to be called a little wheel, much less a big wheel! I just want to feel better. At any rate, I have gone to six different doctors and still have another appointment today. They finally figured out I have Sjogrens (show-grins) Disease. Never heard of it? Well, don't feel bad - neither have I and most people will ask, what in the world is that? It's just another way of saying that your own body will attack your own immune system. It can attack the lungs, the pancreas, whatever! So I was put on medication. But I can't get it filled until I go to my eye surgeon. Now that is the pits! Sometimes I think the doctors are going in circles. I just went and had my eyes checked a couple weeks ago. Got new glasses! Now I have to go back to see if I can take another doctor's prescription! Sometimes you wonder if they really know what they are doing. I really think they know what they are doing, but sometimes it gets to be too much. I had to give them 12 tubes of blood. Can you imagine! Why won't one big tube do? Guess I will find out. I just ask that each of you will pray that the medicine will work! I am so sensitive to medications and have so many side affects until I am almost afraid to start it. But I know God is in control and I have so much to be thankful for. They could have said cancer or something far worse. I guess I have vented enough! I'm tempted not to even publish this - but I do need prayer and who else to ask but my sisters in the Lord? Thank you!

50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Fifty years is half a century

For most good things to last.

But we're still together and still in love,

And share a wonderful past.

Memories sweet, old and new

Are in our hearts to stay.

We give our Lord the credit

For this wonderful day.

Down memories lane- as we go back

We know that God ordained

Marriage as a Sacred Trust,

Come trials, heartaches or pain.

Today we celebrate fifty years

And remember as we became one,

It has always been Each for the Other

And both for the Lord.

We hope you as our friends in the Lord will celebrate with us. All of you have grown to mean a lot to us on our blogging journey.

Veterans Day Poem

I found this poem in the old scrape book and thought it was appropriate!

It came out in the Indianapolis News - way back when.

The Service Flag

Dear little flag in the window there;

Hung with a tear and a woman's prayer;

Child of Old Glory born with a star-

Oh, what a wonderful flag you are.

Blue is your star in it's fields of white,

Dipped in the red that was born of fight;

Born to the blood that our forbears shed.

To raise your mother, The Flag, o'er head.

And now you've come, in this frenzied day;

To speak from a window - to speak and say,

"I am the voice of a soilder son,

Gone to be gone till the victory's won.

I am the flag of the Service, son;

The flag of his mother, I speak for her

Who stands by my window and waits and fears,

But hides from the other her unwept tears.

I am the Flag of the wives who wait,

For the safe return of a martial mate,

A mate gone forth where the war gods thrives

To save from sacrifice other men's wives.

I am the Flag of the sweethearts true;

The often unthought of - the sisters, too.

I am the flag of a mother's son

And won't come down 'till the victory's won.

Dear little flag in the window there,

Hung with a tear and a woman's prayer;

Child of Old Glory, born with a star

Oh, what a wonderful flag you are.

Upn'Atom

Good Morning! It is a beautiful day to get something done besides sitting at this "gizmo". I am feeling much better - although we still have no idea what the problem is with the swollen glands. I thank the Lord that with a bioposy, cat scan, blood work and x-rays they have ruled out Sjogren's Disease. That is an auto immune disease that attacks your bodies immune system. I am to go to a rheunotologist next week. Whatever for, I don't know except maybe he might see something that the others missed.

I had the biopsy inside the bottom lip. Nothing to it or so they said.

But the stitches got infected and I had to start on a round of anti-biotic. I hate to take that stuff but being a diabetic I thought I had better take it. I have had this problem of dry month and lips and swollen glands off and on for a almost a year. I am taking several natural supplements for it. The chiropractor I went to said that I had mercury poisoning. He is a naturopath, also. The supplements I need to take for 3 months. This is my 6th week. So we will see.

If anyone out there has heard of sjogrens or mercury poisoning let me know. In the mean time I am upm'atom. That means get off this gizmo and do somthing in this house. I don't remember who wrote of "Dust Bunnies" in their bl0g, but I think they jinked me. I see some hanging. Strange I never noticed them before.

Great Give-a-Way

I thought I had better post something or you might forget me. I have been posting on KJVblogs.blospot.com. This is a new blog that Deborah has set up.

Hop on over there and see what you can find. There is something new every day. Different subjects and writers. Hop 0ver there and check it out.

Deborah is having a great give a way for Christmas. Go to http://www.lyricdevotions.com and read her Songs From my Journey.

Go to Christmas Give a Way and see what she has and leave a comment. She will be glad to hear from you.

Went and voted this morning. It's in God's Hand now. As a citizen you need and ought to vote. Need to play catch up. I am kinda like a teacher that was at our 50th class reunion from school. The teachers all had a little something to say;

She said"We've been traveling a lot. From one doctor to another." That's about the way I feel.