Grandma's Treasure Chest

Best Ever Chili Recipe

2009-02-11T22:24:00.008-06:00

Yesterday, I decided some homemade chili would really be good. So, I got the ingredients and made it. It turned out the be the best I had ever made so I typed up the recipe and included it below. Bill really did like it, too.

Debbie’s Best Ever Chili

3 pounds hamburger meat
1 package of Carroll Shelby’s Chili Kit
(I only use the chili powder packet and salt packet from the kit. I don’t use the mesa and cayenne pepper packets.)
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 6 oz. can tomato paste + 1 can water
2 cans Ranch Style Black Beans + 2 cans water
2 tbs. dehydrated chopped onions
1 small can chopped green chilies
Salt to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Garlic salt to taste

Brown hamburger in large skillet. Drain well.

While hamburger is browning, put all other ingredients (except additional salt and garlic powder and garlic salt) in large pot. Add browned hamburger. Mix well. Bring to boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

As chili begins to heat up, taste (occasionally) to see if you need to add more salt, garlic powder and/or garlic salt. Add a little at a time until taste is right. You’ll know when you reach “the perfect” chili flavor.

Notes:
• There is no need to add the mesa. The chili will be thick enough.
• If you prefer spicier chili, add the cayenne pepper packet. It will make it really hot, though, so use caution.

Mother and Child

2009-01-14T22:16:00.003-06:00

Christmas night, Kendra, J.D. and the boys came to our home to spend the rest of the Christmas Holiday with us. Kendra and Aydan were sitting on the loveseat and I caught this great picture with my new camera. Notice that Aydan is looking right at the camera...you can tell he's thinking something.

He reminds me so much of Kendra when she was this age.

We had a great weekend. I'll post more pictures later.

Dueling Laptops....?

2009-01-08T21:12:00.003-06:00

You've heard of Dueling Banjos? Well, in this case...it's Dueling Laptops. When Bill works on his laptop while watching TV, there is another little "Laptop" competing for the right.

Gabriel feels he has to be on Daddy's lap anytime he's sitting down. And, you have to admit...they do look cute together.

You know you're in Texas when...

2008-12-21T17:10:00.002-06:00

Here it is...December 21...the first day of winter and 4 days until Christmas. Yes, it is kind of cold outside...actually it feels VERY cold. The temperature is 32, and the wind is blowing really hard out of the north causing a windchill of 21 degrees. But, you know you're in Texas when...

A few minutes ago I was busy in the kitchen when I heard a lawnmower. Yes...you read correctly...a lawnmower! Can you believe it? The man who lives next door was mowing his back yard! And...to make it even more "cute" he was weariing a striped toboggan on his head, and I'm not sure, but maybe he is wearing a ski mask, too. I told you it is cold out there. Or maybe he's just embarrassed he waited so long to mow his lawn. :)

Whatever the reason, I felt I had to blog about this. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Andrew, Grampa and Gabriel...chillin

2007-10-08T11:33:00.000-05:00

We were blessed in late September for Travis and Andrew to spend another week with us. During that time, Andrew wanted Grampa to hold him and of course, Gabriel wanted to be held, too. It turned out to be a really sweet picture though. You can tell that Andrew is really enjoying the time. Isn't he a beautiful little boy? And...Gabriel is cute, too. :)

What a cute little "skink"

2007-10-08T11:06:00.000-05:00

Saturday afternoon, we were in Kendra's and J.D.'s new back yard and just checking it all out when I saw a lizard. I showed it to Kendra and she proceded to catch him. She informed me that it was a skink. She then showed it to Dylan and he was quite anxious to hold it. I did not ask to hold it. (Shiver...ooh!) While Dylan was holding it, Bill snapped a picture of them. As, with the previous photo, I did a little enhancing and turned it into a cartoon, too. Then added a frame and here it is for you to enjoy. See the concentration on Kendra's face? She is telling Dylan to be gentle. After holding it a few minutes, they turned it loose.

And...not being a bit prejudice...aren't they beautiful, too? (I'm not talking about the skink.)

Special Time With Grampa...

2007-10-08T10:19:00.000-05:00

Goodness! It has been a month since I blogged. I don't know where the time went. But, I'm back again and just have to share a very precious photo with you. Bill and I went to Oklahoma this weekend (on Saturday) and spent Saturday night in Stillwater with J.D., Kendra and the boys in their new home. It's really nice. I'm so proud for them.

Anyway, soon after we got there, Gabriel decided he needed a "walk" and Dylan wanted to go along. As they were walking down the street with Dylan holding onto Grandpa's hand, it was more special than I could stand and decided to grab the camera and snap the picture. They were almost out of site before I could get the camera ready, but it still turned out great! I used the Kodak Easy Share program and the Corel Snapfire program to enhance it a little. This is a cartoon feature of Kodak Easy Share. It is awesome. I really think this one will have to be enlarged, printed and framed. It warms my heart to see such a beautiful site. Dylan really loves his "Grampa." By-the-way...Gabriel is already "behind the tree." He really needed this "walk." :)

Fun at Six Flags Over Texas

2007-09-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

Our Labor Day Weekend was really quite full. Jamie and Allison came down on Sunday and spent the night with us. Then, we got up on Monday and went to Six Flags. It was a fun time. Sort of hot and humid, but still a lot of fun. One of the areas has a huge chair that lots of folks take their picture in. Here is one of Bill and Jamie. A very cute Dad and Daughter picture isn't it?

Our Babies

2007-09-08T16:36:00.000-05:00

Over this past week I was able to get some pretty good pictures of our "babies."

Isn't Gabriel a handsome little boy? Don't you think Callie is a pretty little girl? We think so. They certainly keep us entertained. They actually like each other now.

Nature's Beauty

2007-09-08T12:16:00.000-05:00

I've developed this urge to take pictures of God's majesty and beauty. It is all around us...everywhere. Sometimes even when something looks plain to our eyes, when we photograph it, it seems to develop it's own glory.

Well, yesterday, I was outside with Gabriel in the back yard and there were butterflies everywhere. So I went back in the house and got the camera, in hopes of capturing one is action. I sort of got one and was able to enhance the photo a little with Kodak Easyshare program. I think it is very pretty. I may want to even enlarge this one and frame it. What do you think? Do I have a future as a Photographer? Nah...probably not. But I enjoy trying anyway.

Fun week...

2007-08-31T23:51:00.000-05:00

This has been a fun week for me. Travis had training to attend in Dallas this week and he brought Andrew with him. They stayed with us and while Travis attended his training, I got to babysit Andrew. It was a fun time. I look forward to having other grand-children come stay with us, too. (Hint...Hint!!!)

I really can bake a pie from scratch...

2007-08-31T23:14:00.000-05:00

This past January, I got in a baking mood and decided to bake a lemon meringue pie. I hadn't baked one in a long time and family was beginning to think they had only dreamed I used to bake them. So, I got all the ingredients and got busy. This is a picture of the results. Doesn't it look delicious? It was!!!!

The Long, Long Year

2007-08-31T21:12:00.000-05:00

I just realized today, that it has been over a year since we began the process of moving from Minnesota to Texas. We put our home in Minnesota on the market in June, then found our home in Texas the first week in July. Due to the housing market, our home did not sell until the end of November. We moved to Texas and closed on our home the first week of December. (Yes, we were actually homeless for a week.)

So much has happened in that time since we moved. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with my mother. She had been going down in health for quite a while, showing signs of Alzheimer's and dementia. But, I got to have her come home with us a lot between December and May. She loved coming to visit and spending time here. I would wait on her and take care of her and it made her feel so special and
loved. Here is a picture we took of her on March 27, 2007. It was her 82nd birthday. She looks really good here, and this is her natural color of hair. (I hope I have her genes.)

Then, in mid April, she began to complain of her stomach hurting and every time she would eat she would feel sick. So, she got to where she would not eat (or could not eat) very much. She began to lose weight. And, she never was very heavy. She just seemed to get weaker and weaker. Finally, my brother called me and told me he was going to call an ambulance and take her to the hospital. We both knew she would not go if we just took her. They admitted her and began to do tests. She was admitted to the hospital on April 30. They did tests and May 1 and on May 2 she was diagnosed with cancer. It was in her kidneys, her stomach, her spleen, her liver, her colon, and the lower part of her lungs. The doctor said she had less than 6 months. It turned out she had less than that. She passed away on May 23. Exactly 3 weeks after being diagnosed with the cancer. She never knew what she had.

It is so difficult to write about this, but I feel I need to. I love my mother so much and I am really, really having a tough time with her death. God gave me 6 months to spend with her before He took her home, and I am so grateful for that time. But, I still needed more time. I know that sounds selfish, but I can't help it. She was the most wonderful mother, ever. She always said, "My kids are my life." And, she meant it. She made so many sacrifices for us and we always knew we were loved. She always told us she loved us and it made it easy for us to tell each other we love each other, too.

I will try to write more later. I'm not as good at blogging as Bill is, but maybe I can get better at it. Maybe someday I will actually have some "treasures" to put on Grandma's Treasure Chest.

Sleepless In Seattle

2006-11-07T14:38:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, Bill was on a business trip where he was in three states in one week. On the last leg of the trip, he was in Seattle. As he walked through the airport on his way to his gate to come back home, he noticed that one of the shops had lots of things in regards to the movie, Sleepless in Seattle. Knowing that this is my favorite movie, he decided to bring me a couple of things. He certainly earned points for this.

He brought me a coffee mug with Sleepless in Seattle on it, and a nightshirt with Sleepless in Seattle on it. He couldn't have brought me anything that would have brought me more pleasure than this stuff.

That's just the kind of husband Bill is. I'm the most blessed woman in the whole world. God knew that he would be perfect for me and would be the only one in the world for me. I'm so thankful that God brought us together. Thank you, Lord!

National Domestic Violence Month

2006-10-31T11:19:00.000-06:00

While searching on the internet this week, I learned that October is also “National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.” This information brought back some very difficult and painful memories in my own life. I was a victim of domestic violence in my first marriage.

For a long time I felt that I was to blame, that I must have been doing something that caused the abuse. I realized later that the abuse was a result of my husband feeling guilty and insecure for his own indiscretions. He felt that in order to make himself feel better, he had to bring me down to his level. And…he did keep me very afraid, insecure and feeling to blame. I truly believe he loved me, but had an illness that prevented him from being the loving husband he should have been. And, even more sadly, he never got the opportunity to become that husband, because he passed away 20 years ago.

So, when I found this information about domestic violence, I felt I had to add it to my Blog.

It’s my hope that if anyone is being victimized by abuse, whether male or female, this information will encourage that person to get help from this terrible thing.

I did a bit more research and found some great information. First of all, though, I want to say…It’s NOT your fault! No one has the right to abuse anyone else. That includes a spouse or significant other. Remember, God made you who you are and He loves you. If you have things about yourself that YOU don’t like, then it is up to you to change. No one has the right to make you change into something you’re not.

Here are a few of the statistics I found regarding domestic violence. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence provides a fact sheet on its website and the following link is live, just click on it ... http://www.ncadv.org/resources/Statistics_170.html. Here are a few of the stats. You can download the fact sheet for yourself and much more online.

Did you know?

· 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime
· 73% of domestic violence victims are female
· 37% of women treated in emergency rooms for violent injuries were hurt by a current or former partner
· 44% of women murdered by an intimate partner visited an emergency room in the two years prior to their deaths
· 73% of domestic violence incidents go unreported
· 61% of these incidents go unreported because victims “think the police won’t believe” them
· 8.8 million children witness domestic violence each year

Yes, these statistics are alarming. And, you may think that they only happen in homes where God is not a big part of their lives. This is very wrong.

Domestic violence occurs in the Christian homes as well as the secular homes. Here is a link to another website I found on Domestic Violence: http://abigails.org. This is the website of “Abigail’s: Help for Domestic Abuse, Domestic Violence”. This website answers questions about domestic violence from a Christian perspective.

One of the pages asks, “What is the Christian answer to domestic violence?

Answer: Marriage is the first institution that God established between man & woman. Both men and women were created in His image; equal partners with distinctively different roles (Genesis 1:27). A man is to be the head, or authority of his household (Ephesians 5:23, 1 Peter 3:1). With this comes the responsibility of earning the respect of his family and community. Colossian 3:13 commands husbands to love their wives and never treat them harshly. For the rest of the article click this link… http://www.gotquestions.org/domestic-violence.html

Abigail’s offers Bible Studies and Lessons. This website is totally biblical and based on 1 Samuel 25, which teaches us about Abigail, a woman married to an abusive husband. Her story is only one chapter long, yet it says much about the struggle of women facing abuse at home. It can help women understand how to protect family and loved ones from abuse while maintaining Godly submission.

So, if you are a victim of domestic violence, or have a friend who is, please check out these websites. There is hope and help out there. You are special and created by God to be a Light for Him. You can’t be a Light if you are being kept down and not allowed to glow.

By the way – through God’s grace, He brought me a wonderful husband and now I’m glowing again!

Pink Ribbon Month

2006-10-18T19:16:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to blogging, but I'm back now.

As most of you probably know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For over FIFTEEN years a pink ribbon is the international symbol of breast cancer awareness. Wear a pink ribbon, so that people will ask you what it's all about. Do your self exams. Early detection is the best chance for a long life. If you notice anything strange see your doctor, don't wait.

Pink ribbons spread awareness and are used to raise money to fund research that will lead to a cure.

Another way to raise money to fund research is to purchase the Breast Cancer Postage Stamps from the U.S. Post Office. The cost of the postage stamp includes about $ .06 that goes to Breast Cancer research. The actual cost for each stamp is $ .45, so it is a little more than the regular $ .39 stamp. We always purchase these stamps, and feel proud to put them on our mail.

I'll be back again soon!

Grandma

The night before....

2006-03-09T21:31:00.000-06:00

Well, it's the night before I fly to Austin, Texas. And, you know what that means. I will be up most of the night trying to get packed and trying to make sure I don't forget anything. But, of course I will. That's okay. Whatever I forget, I'll buy it there or do without.

So, I'll write more later. Texas here I come.

In The Beginning...

2006-03-08T19:34:00.000-06:00

Well...I finally did it! I came up with my blog name. It took me a while, but I think it was worth the wait. I think I will like being the overseer of "Grandma's Treasure Chest."

I will be going to Austin, Texas on Friday to spend a week with Travis and Sandra and Andrew. Andrew Tate was born at 2:28 a.m. on March 7. He has already won the hearts of all who have seen him. Don't you agree that this little guy is adorable? He is definitely a treasure.

But, while there, I will get to see J.D., Kendra and Dylan. Dylan Jacob also has the heart of all who meet him. Dylan turned 2 on March 4. I can hardly believe that he is already 2. He is a beautiful treasure as well. Don't you agree?

And...yes, they do get snow in Oklahoma. It just doesn't hang around very long. You can't tell a whole lot about Dylan in this picture, but I'll be putting more on here, very soon.

These are just a couple of treasures. There will be many more in the future.

More later! Remember that God loves you!

Grandma