My 7-year old granddaughter, Sweet Stuff, has had a rough couple days. Last night she woke up in severe pain - writhing around on the floor in pain and moaning so loudly that her parents literally ran up the stairs to her room when they heard her. They immediately carried her to the car and the emergency room. The emergency room doctor diagnosed a bad kidney infection, gave her antibiotics and a painkiller and sent her home. At no time had she run a fever. This morning she started running a fever - and nothing they did would get the fever below 103. They called the doctor who sent them directly to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. On the way to the hospital, they had to pull over to the side of the road while Sweet Stuff threw up.

For awhile they thought she might have a kidney stone because of the severe pain - and the quick onset of pain - although she’d had bouts of milder pain off and on the past couple weeks during which a trip to the doctor resulted in nothing conclusive and the doctor made my daughter feel hypochondriacal for even bringing Sweet Stuff to the doctor since she hadn’t run a fever.

A CT scan at the hospital awhile ago ruled out a kidney stone and several other really “bad stuff” diagnoses. The final diagnosis is tentative - that she has both a kidney and bladder infection and possibly a viral something-or-other going on. She was sent home with instructions to see their pediatrician tomorrow for further follow-up.

On the way home from the hospital, my daughter and son-in-law asked Sweet Stuff what she’d like to eat - basically telling her that anything she wanted to eat, they would get for her. What did she want? She wanted a Bento Box from the local sushi restaurant. A Bento Box is a staple in a Japanese restaurant. It has a combination of dishes - a sushi roll, some rice, usually some tempura and other dishes.

Bento Box

Sweet Stuff’s younger sister, Sunshine, had spent the afternoon with us, and so when we took her home awhile ago, there was Sweet Stuff - sitting on the sofa. Pale, dark circles under her eyes - eating the crunchy shrimp sushi roll.

If I were thinking of what kind of food would be the best for someone recuperating from nausea and major pain, sushi would likely be at the very bottom of my list. The sushi roll Sweet Stuff was eating had no raw fish in it. Nevertheless, she seemed to enjoy the sushi and was eating it with more gusto than I would have imagined considering how sick she has been.

All prayers for Sweet Stuff’s speedy recovery are welcomed and appreciated.

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Lighting the first Advent candle
Sunday, November 30, 2008

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. The first candle on the Advent wreath symbolizes prophecy. The prophets of Israel spoke of the coming of Jesus, of how a savior would be born - a king in the line of David. They spoke of how he would rule the world wisely and bless all nations. Christ’s birth in Bethlehem fulfilled that prophecy.

Scripture: Isaiah 60: 1 & 2 - Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the people; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.

The first candle of Advent also symbolizes hope. As followers of Jesus, we have hope as we await His return.

Scripture: Romans 15:13 - I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The first candle of Advent is purple to symbolize Christ’s royalty as the King of Kings.
We light this first candle of Advent to remember how Christ fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament, and to remember how he brought hope and light to the world. (Light the first candle)

Light the first candle of Advent

Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for your gift of hope in Christ. Help us to thank you not just with words, but also with deeds. Help us to meet our friends with understanding, our responsibilities with willingness, and our worship with humility. Bless our service here this morning. Help us to be quiet - to kneel and bring ourselves to you. Amen.

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This is a delicious cake - one of my all-time favorites. I am quite proud that I only ate the equivalent of one slice over the Thanksgiving holidays. I had a “sliver” (i.e. half a slice) immediately after Thanksgiving dinner. Then later that evening had another sliver. RT’s mother asked about wrapping up some for me to take home today, but I declined. So YEA for my willpower. The lemon filling is what makes this so delicious. Here’s the recipe.

Coconut-Lemon Cake

Coconut-Lemon Cake

Direction for the Cake
1 Duncan Hines Butter Recipe yellow cake mix
1/4 cup sour cream

Mix the cake according to the directions on the box. Add the sour cream to the batter and mix well. Divide the batter evening between three cake pans. Bake according to the box directions.

Lemon Filling
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
3 egg yolks lightly beaten
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons of butter

Combine sugar and cornstarch in double boiler, stir in boiling water stirring until sugar and cornstarch dissolve , then gradually stir in beaten egg yolks stirring constantly, stir in lemon juice and zest and butter and cook til thickened. remove from heat cool stirring occasionally. When cool put between layers and on top of cake.

Coconut Frosting
1 8 oz. tub Cool Whip
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups flaked coconut (divided)

In a mixing bowl, combine the Cool Whip, powdered sugar, sour cream and 1 cup of the coconut.
Cover the cake with the coconut frosting on sides and top of cake leaving small amount of lemon filling showing on top of the cake. Sprinkle the remaining coconut on the sides and top of the cake.

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I learned a little horticultural information today. In Lillian’s yard, she has a Sasanqua bush - which is a type of camellia, I believe. It is also a plant I’ve never heard of before. I don’t recall even seeing the word “sasanqua” before. Here is a photo of the sasanqua blooming in her yard now.

Lillian’s Sasanqua

And here are some more pansy photos to enjoy.

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My niece, Molly, made buckeye candy that was a hit with the peanut butter lovers in the family. Molly says this recipe is child-friendly. Her 8-year old daughter helped her make these. Except for melting the chocolate, there is no other cooking involved.

Molly’s Buckeyes

Molly’s Buckeyes
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter (softened)
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 bag wilton cocoa candy morsels

Mix the peanut butter and butter in a large bowl until creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar until mixture holds together and is moistened. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for one hour.

Melt the cocoa candy morself in a Wilton melting pot or in a double boiler.

Dip the peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate using a toothpick. Leave a small portion of the center uncovered. Place the dipped balls onto waxed paper. Let sit until the chocolate is firm.

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My niece, Molly, made this delicious salad for today’s Thanksgiving dinner. It was very tasty, and I plan on making it myself for our family Christmas get-together next month. Here’s the recipe:

Fluffy Cranberry Congealed Salad

Fluffy Cranberry Congealed Salad
1 6-oz. pkg. strawverry jello
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 16-oz can whole cranberry sauce
1 14-oz. can crushed pineapple with juice
1 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 small tub Cool Whip

In a large bowl dissolve the jello in the hot water. Mix the cranberry sauce and the pineapple into the jello mixture. Pour the mixture into a 2-quart glass dish. Refrigerate until the jello is firm. Put the jello into a large bowl and stir until it is mixed well. Stir in the pecans and marshallows. In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream and Cool Whip. Then combine the two mixtures and stir until fluffy. Spoon into a decorate bowl and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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I’ve enjoyed taking some photographs the past couple days while I’ve been in Georgia. I plan to take many more the next two days as well.

A mirrored lake
I took this photograph just this afternoon. RT and I were taking a walk on his land. This L-shaped lake is on the property. The mirroring immediately caught my attention. Isn’t it beautiful?

RT’s mother, Lillian, has a green thumb. Tomorrow I’m going to take a walk all around her yard and take pictures of all the gorgeous plants she has. In the meantime, though, look at these two photos from her yard:

Pansies along the driveway

Persimmon tree loaded with fruit

Here are more pictures from RT’s and my walks:

The Forked Tree

X marks the spot

This next photo is my favorite. RT and I were driving down the dirt road next to his property when I saw this tree. The branches were covered with moss and it looked like octopus arms sticking out from the trunk. Of course I decided to call it the octopus tree.

Octopus Tree

Pine Cones

Red Berries

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RT and I are visiting in mother in a small town in middle Georgia. RT owns some land here, and each day we’ve gone out in the woods and done some hiking. It has been a lot of fun. I have to say, though, that it has been so nice having his mother cook for us. Last night she made country fried steak with mashed potatoes, cornbread, cooked cabbage and rutabagas. The rutabagas didn’t tempt me at all. Ron loves them, and I let him have all he wanted. However, the rest of it was wonderful.

Today I helped Lillian get ready for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving meal. I learned one of her secrets. She asked me to make the layers for her coconut cake. I LOVE her coconut cake, and so you can imagine my surprise when she indicated a box of cake mix. Duncan Hines butter recipe golden cake mix. Yes, she used a cake mix. However, when I had followed the directions on the box, she added a quarter cup of sour cream - her secret ingredient to make a cake mix taste homemade.

Add 1/4 cup sour cream to a cake mix

The sour cream made it light - and the mix made three layers for her coconut cake. The frosting is thin - just sour cream, whipped cream, sugar and coconut. Here’s Lillian frosting the cake:

Lillian frosting the coconut cake

There was so much frosting left over, Lillian said, “Let’s make another cake!” So we did. For the second one, she switched it around a little bit and made a lemon cheese filling for the cake. Here is the final product for that endeavor:

Coconut Cake with Lemon Cheese Filling

I have to admit that I’m a sucker for my mother-in-law’s sweet potato souffle’. I’ve written about that souffle’ before - twice, as a matter of fact. So I asked Lillian if she planned on making sweet potato souffle’ for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner. She said that my niece’s aunt was going to make it. After I waxed eloquently for awhile about how it was my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal, she said that she might just make one herself, too.

She did. Fortunately for us but unfortunately for the Thanksgiving meal, the sweet potato souffle’ she made didn’t last the night. When she took it out of the oven, I asked her if I could go ahead and spoon out a little bit so it would look better for the photograph I wanted to take for this blog. And once that spoonful was taken out and put on a plate, we ended up adding it to tonight’s menu. It was right there, after all, and it looked so good, and there would be another one at Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow anyway.

My son and his wife arrived this evening to visit for a couple days, and he immediately had a couple of helpings with his dinner, and then took all that was left over with him to the barn apartment where they’re staying to eat for his breakfast tomorrow morning.

Sweet Potato Souffle

As I sit here writing this post, the turkey is in the oven, and there is that wonderful aroma permeating the house. Outside in an electric smoker, my brother-in-law Larry is smoking a couple of hams for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving meal. Earlier in the day - when I took the photograph below - there was also a small turkey breast in the smoker. The turkey breast was small enough to come out and go in the refrigerator until tomorrow. The hams are still smoking.

Hams and a turkey breast in an Electric Smoker

Here’s to Thanksgiving and all the delicious food!

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Am I the only female in the country who will definitely NOT be out shopping the day after Thanksgiving - known as “Black Friday”?

Shopping on Black Friday
Someone would have to pay me big bucks to entice me to brave the crowds and the traffic to shop on Friday. I can think of few things I dislike more than shopping in a crowded store and battling traffic.

I do my Christmas hopping either online, or else I will choose a Tuesday or Wednesday evening before Christmas, and do my shopping then. Anything I can buy online, I do.

Shopping on Black Friday? Nope, not going to do it.

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My Cotillion sister, Cat, over at Cat House Chat will be hosting a “Carnival of Christmas.” If you have a Christmas related post, give Cat a yell.

Carnival of Christmas

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