~HEATHER'S HIGHLIGHTS~: April 2020

Today is my GG's 98th birthday, and she is
celebrating it the best way

she ever has celebrated her birthday,
in Heaven with Jesus and Pop Pop!!!
~This is GG and I at Uncle Carson and Aunt Linda's 50th Wedding Anniversary party.~

~GG and Abigail April, 2018

GG was 96, and Abigail was 3 in this pic.

Grandmother, I know there is no way that our minds can comprehend what Heaven is like. But, if it were anything like here on earth, I know that you would be helping anyone you could, lending a hand, working your head off, bringing a smile to many a face with your fun and funny ways.

And you would CONSTANTLY be working inside your mansion, shining the floors, dusting, cleaning, making everything sparkling clean, and

cooking Soppy Chocolate and Mac and Cheese to feed everyone!

Then you would move outside and work on your plants and flowers

and make everything look beautiful.

So, though, I don't know what all you are doing, I know that you are enjoying HEAVEN and worshipping Jesus and being with Pop Pop!! You have a new mind and body and are not suffering anymore.
And we are sooo HAPPY for you!!
But, we want you to know that we LOVE AND MISS YOU sooo much!!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Years ago, GG bought this sign, and wrapped it in pink tissue paper, and wrote on it,

"For Martha, Carole, and Carson to open when I'm gone. I Love all of you, Mother!"

~To Those I Love~

When I am gone, just release me let me go-

so I can move into my afterglow.

You mustn't tie me down with your tears;

let's be happy that we had so many years.

I gave you my love,

you can only guess how much you gave me in happiness.

I Thank you for the love you each have shown,

but now it's time I traveled on alone.

So grieve for me awhile, if grieve you must,

then let your grief be comforted with trust.

It's only for a while that we must part,

so bless the memories within your heart.

And then, when you must come this way alone,

I'll greet you with a smile and a "Welcome Home!"

~In Honor of GG's Birthday,

I will post her Mother,

Granny Morgan's Soppy Chocolate Recipe.

Granny Morgan invented Soppy Chocolate to feed her sweet Southern Tennessee family of 9 children and her Preacher husband during the Depression.
She made up this recipe from staples that she had in her cupboard.
We love the salty taste of the biscuits with the semi sweetness of the Soppy Chocolate.
And as Always...Enjoy!

~SOPPY CHOCOLATE~

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup Cocoa

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

Stir together dry, and add:

2 cups water

2 cups milk

Boil until thick, Stirring constantly, and turn off heat

and add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 stick butter, and stir well.

Serve over steaming hot biscuits for breakfast (or any time of the day:-) with a side of bacon or sausage, or with eggs. When I make Soppy Chocolate, I almost always make sausage gravy in another skillet to serve to my family as well.

~Piping Hot Biscuits and Soppy Chocolate...

You can even see the steam rising.~

I don't normally make "drop biscuits" with it ( I normally make regular biscuits),

but when Kimberly went to the store for me last week (wearing a mask),

all she could find was 10 lbs. of regular flour, and 15 lbs. of self rising. :-)

So, I found this easy 3 ingredient self-rising drop biscuit recipe to help use up my self-rising flour and we like this recipe. ~

I made a TRIPLE recipe for our family!

~3 Ingredient Drop Biscuits~

2 1/4 cups self-rising flour

1 stick salted butter, COLD

3/4 cup-1 1/4 cup buttermilk or milk.

(To make buttermilk, place milk in a bowl and add about 1 Tablespoon of white Vinegar, and let set for a while to SOUR your milk.)

Measure your flour into a bowl.

Cut in COLD butter with your pastry blender.

Add about 3/4 cup milk and stir in using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, not a whisk, just until the flour is incorporated, about 10-15 seconds.

Add more milk as needed.

Drop onto greased iron skillets and bake at 425 for 16-18 minutes, until golden brown.

If desired, spoon melted butter over the top of the baked biscuits.

~Family Picnic~

The Monday before IHC, our family, Daryl and Laura and their family came over and we had a fun picnic in our green space.

We so enjoyed getting to be together!

Daryl and Laura brought yummy pizza and yummy drinks...and we made the sides and desserts.

~Cousins~

~Kimberly made Grandma Bryan's yummy potato salad, and I made these chocolate cupcakes and Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies.~

~Abigail was afraid that she had forgotten how to ride a bike over the winter,

But she remembered and is doing a great job.~

~Thursday of Cyber IHC 2020~

Our family so enjoyed Cyber IHC.

The services and sermons were so good.

Some made us cry and worship Jesus, others made us want to pray and draw even closer to Him.
#IHC20
#IHCstrong
#CyberConvention

~On Wednesday of IHC, when Abigail heard that IHC needed $,

she ran to her room, found her wallet, wrote a note, and mailed $3.00 to IHC!

~On Wednesday, in between the services, K and I ran to Peebles for Kimberly

to get some groceries for our family. (Kimberly wore a mask.)

On the way we stopped at the Walk up Locust Grove Dairy Bar

and got some ice cream.~

~Bro. Harry Plank with his mask on.~

~The kids watching IHC~

~This pic popped up of Sarah, Samantha, and Kristin singing in the

Time of Discovery Youth Service last year.~

~Mary wearing her IHC pin~

~Homemade Pizza~

Josh came to stay with us on Thursday night and he and Sarah put our homemade pizza together.

~Gramp and Gram's house!~

~The next AM we left at 6:15 and drove to my parent's house.

My brother Andrew and his son Taylor were already there. They had rented a cherry picker to top off several of the trees in Daddy and Moma's yard so that when the winds and storms come,

there would be no danger of the limbs hitting Daddy and Moma's house or the neighbors' house.

My brother-in-law Daryl and Bryan also came to help us all with the cutting up of the limbs and hauling the mess away.~

~Josh was a huge help to us.~

~Cousins:

Bryan, Taylor, Elijah, and Noah.~

~Mary giving Kimberly a wheel-barrel ride. :-) ~

~They tied off many limbs and all pulled together to help them have a "controlled fall." ~

~We had a little picnic outside.

Josh and Sarah and I had made 3 lasagnas for our lunch.

My sister Laura sent the yummy salad, French bread, and...

~Whoopie pies for dessert. (Thank you, Laura.) ~

~Later I made iced coffee for a fun pick-me-up for everyone working.~

~Noah (in camouflage) splitting wood~

~Kimberly taking a little break on Gramp's tree swing.

She worked her head off all day helping haul wood,

so that Gramp wouldn't have to.

(Gramp's back was hurting him, so we were trying to get

all the wood cleaned up so Gramp wouldn't have to later.)

~Josh and Sarah burning the scrap branches.~

~It was so nice to be with family and have this work day to help my sweet Daddy and Moma!~

~Grandpa and Grandma's house~

~On Saturday morning we enjoyed my cinnamon rolls.~

~Some of our kids and Phillip went with Dad D. to help him pick up an old John Deere Tractor that was in pieces, that a friend was giving him.

The friend let some of our family and Josh drive his nice red tractor.~

~The old John Deere Tractor engine that a friend had gifted to Dad D.~

~So Fun to be with Dad and Mom again.~

~Josh and Sarah sitting on Grandpa and Grandma's front porch.~

~Abigail and I, with Abigail wearing her,

"Mom's Bestie" blouse.

~Dad remodeled their bathroom and painted it a cheery yellow and white.~

~Playing a game.~

~Grandpa and Noah visting.~

~On Sunday morning we listened to Dad and Mom's church service on a conference call.

It was a good service and we enjoyed "attending" their service that AM.~

~On the way home from Grandpa and Grandma's house we passed our BELOVED IHC convention center. Sad we couldn't be there this year, but the Cyber IHC was wonderful!~