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Happy 4th of July!
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I don't know about you, but I love the 4th of July. Even with
all the blazing heat and stifling humidity that
Mississippi has to offer this time of
year, it's still one of my favorite holidays. I love getting together
with family, cooking out on the grill, shooting fireworks, and catching
fireflies with a Mason jar at dusk (with my grandkids, of
course).
But most of all, I love the 4th because it's a celebration of this fine
country and our God-given freedom. And yes, I'm one of those who tear
up when they hear someone belt out the Star
Spangled Banner, who gets goose bumps when they hear a
marching band playing America, the Beautiful, and who thinks
the sight of Old Glory flying in the breeze is a most regal sight. I
know this country is far from perfect, but I'm perfectly pleased to be
called an American.
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Pineapple Delight Cake
Here is a yummy cake recipe that I
recently came across at a shower we held here at
Palmer Home.
I’m embarrassed to say, but I kept going back to sample more,
and was surprised to find out that it is also diabetic friendly. It's
light, delicious, and easy. So I thought you might like to try it,
too.
1 yellow cake mix
1 diet
lemon-lime soda (12 oz.)
Mix these two together (add nothing else). Pour into greased 9 x 13
baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. It will not be
brown. Let cool.
Meanwhile, mix together:
1 (4 serving size) instant sugar-free vanilla pudding
1 regular size can crushed pineapple (in its own juice).
Then add this mixture to:
1 regular size sugar-free Cool Whip
Spread on cooled cake and refrigerator.
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Check
out Palmer
Home’s
web site at
www.palmerhome.org
for more interesting
facts about us!
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Lisa Langley of our Hernando campus, was driving six
year old Rebecca home from Girl Scouts one night. She asked Rebecca
what she had been doing lately. Rebecca told her that they had been
doing "debotions" in their cottage. Lisa
asked, "Oh? What was the last "debotion"
about? Rebecca replied, "It was either about Adam and Eve or
Mary and Joseph. I don't really remember, but they were both
naked!"
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Rebecca
with her twin, Jonah
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I don't get
out on campus often, but recently I was outside re-potting some plants, and
one of our little boys came up and asked if he could help me. At first
I told him no thanks, because I was in somewhat of a hurry. But the
expression of disappointment on his face caused me to rethink my answer.
"Okay", I relented, "You can help me." His face lit up,
and
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Rain
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he began to help me heap soil in the pots
and transplant the seedlings.He was giving it his all. When we finished, I
said, "Thanks so much for your help, but now I have to go water
them.” I reached for the pot he was holding, but he turned and
started walking away with it. “Come on,” he said, "I'll go
with you." So I followed him. I had no clue where the water faucet was
anyway, and from the confidence in his walk, I felt sure he knew. Sure
enough, we ended up at a water faucet. He squatted there, and began to take
each pot and water them. "I need them thoroughly wet, you know",
I instructed him, "and that means they need to be dripping water from
the bottom of the pot." He never looked up, but he said, "It's
works better if you water them in the middle".
I couldn't remember his name (blame it on old age), so I asked, "Hey,
what's your name?" He answered, but I couldn't understand what he
said. So I asked again. He answered again.
"Did you say Wayne?" I asked.
"No, it's Wayne", he replied.
"Right," I said. "Wayne".
"No", he said emphatically, "Wayne. Like what comes from the
sky."
Today one of those plants sits on the window sill
in my office. Each time I look at it I think of Rain, and I smile.
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Ranch News:
We’ve been really busy at the
Ranch. Many of our work groups who come to Palmer Home in the
summer as a missions trip have been working at the Ranch, and
accomplishing great things for us. They have re-roofed and
put up fiber cement siding at Oakridge Home, and they have done some
painting at Kelly Home. It has been necessary to do all this work,
not only because the repair was needed, but because we have a cottage
from the Columbus campus that moved to the Ranch several months ago, and
another one will follow in July.
We’ve also got quite the collection of
“critters” at the Ranch now. In addition to our horses,
and thanks to Sheriff Melvin Brisolara, we now have approximately 70 head
of cattle. We also have chickens, a couple of pigs, wood ducks,
goats and 2 Shetland ponies. And let us not forget the beloved pet
basset hound and Chihuahua.
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Tony
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Tony Gillis, who came to Palmer Home
twelve years ago when he was six, left this week to go work in
Florence, MS where he will be training with horses. Once his
training is complete, he will be employed at Parchman Penitentiary
working with their equine program. (Tony wanted to be sure you all
know that he will be working outside the penitentiary, and will
not be in harm's way). When they announced at lunch recently that
Tony would be leaving, I remembered a funny story about Tony shortly
after he came to live at Palmer Home: He had just gotten off
the school bus as I was crossing campus one day, and I stopped to ask how
he had been doing. He launched into a long tale about a fishing
trip he had been on and how big the fish was. As he was still
sharing the fish story, another child fresh off the bus, stopped by and
began his chat. Tony, obviously a little ticked off by the
intrusion, tugged on my sleeve and said, “Hey lady, I wasn’t
finished talking.”
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