Peach Cobbler and Tropical Delite

Good Tuesday morning!

The Gallery Pics this morning are from Austin's JSU moving day. His dorm room was originally designed for TWO people, but has since been renovated for one. He still has two desks, two desk chairs, two sets of closets (plus a single shelved closet in the middle of the two), a private sink and a shared bathroom with his roommate from last year. His roommate has the same set-up on the other side of the bathroom. Talk about roomy! He's taking a recliner and a small entertainment center back this weekend. He'll be a happy camper!

And here's the really great part. On Friday nights before some of the home games, Josh and his cousin, Brad, can spend the night in the Big Ol' Dorm Room and meet us to tailgate before the game. There's plenty of room for two air mattresses. The guys are really looking forward to that... and so am I.

RANDOMNESS - I'm cheating today. I was wondering what I was thinking about a year ago, and when I went back to this date in the Archives (August, 2009) I found a little something I thought might be worth sharing again. You know... for Newbies!

Earlier this year, I suggested a book by Vicki Courtney called Your Boy. (She also wrote Your Girl.) She gave this book to her publisher a couple of weeks before her son became a senior in high school, and in Chapter 12 of her book (Passing Down the Formula for a Virtuous Wife), she wrote some VERY wise words. I would like to share some of these thoughts with the "boy moms" out there. And being also blessed to be in the "girl mom" club, too, she offers advice for girls, also. (Code for DON'T SKIP THIS SECTION BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE SONS!)

"Come graduation day, make sure your son is well versed in the passage (Proverbs 31) and doesn't leave home without it! I have included key questions for your son, should he be open to measuring potential brides against God's standards for a virtuous woman. (Also note, if you have daughter, this is a great chapter to go with them to ensure they are in the process of becoming virtuous women.)

"'A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.' Proverbs 31:10.

"Our sons should be made aware of how rare this type of woman is and should be encouraged to hold out for the best... God's best. If they find her, they have found a treasure. She is not like most other girls (including Christian girls) who have conformed themselves to the culture.

"Key questions for your son: Would this young lady be described by others with words like 'virtuous,' 'moral,' and 'noble'? Even if she has a past, would these words describe who she is today?"

Wow! She's good, isn't she? I have a little story of my own to add here, if you'll allow.

When I was still living at home, I dated a young Christian man. He had grown up in church, and he had a fine testimony. We had been going out for some time when things began to change. I remember one night he picked me up to go to a party. I had not asked a lot of questions regarding the party because I assumed it would be with other church friends (as it had always been before).

I was very surprised when we arrived at an apartment on Southside with lots and lots of cars parked all around. Loud music was pouring out of two of the apartments, and it was apparent this was not your typical Sunday School party. "What's going on?" I asked.

"It's a friend of mine from work. I told him we'd stop by. We'll stay for a minute or two and then we'll leave," he replied. I sat in the car while he walked around to open the door.

"What kind of party is this?" I naively asked.

"It sounds pretty fun, doesn't it?" he replied.

I slowly got out of the car and followed him up the stairs and into the first apartment which was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people dancing and drinking. "Take me home!" I yelled over the music.

"Just a minute. Just let me say hi to my friend, and we'll be out of here," he yelled back. And then he disappeared into the crowd. I stayed outside for several minutes, and then I decided I had experienced enough fun.

Now remember, this was before cell phones. I walked into the party and began searching for a telephone. When I finally found one, thankfully it had a cord long enough to reach into the bathroom where I shooed three people out and locked the door. I started dialing, but didn't finish before someone starting banging on the bathroom door. It was my date... soon to be ex-date.

I opened the door a crack and held the phone up to my ear. "What are you doing?" he yelled over the noise.

"I'm calling my Dad, and when he gets here he is going to KILL you," I calmly replied as I shut and locked the bathroom door.

The phone was ringing... the door was being knocked on LOUDLY. "Wait a minute," my soon-to-be ex-date yelled again. Luckily for my soon-to-be ex-date, my Mom and Dad had gone to a friend's house, but I was quickly dialing that number when I cracked the door one more time.

"I told you we were only staying a minute," he yelled angrily.

"Oh. Are we going now?" I asked, still holding the phone.

"No. I just need five more minutes, and then we'll leave."

"No hurry," I replied... closed the door... and began dialing again.

"What are you doing?" he screamed through the door.

"I'm calling my Dad, and when he gets here he is going to KILL you," I reiterated once again, very calmly.

"Okay. Okay. Let's go," he said through the door. I hung up the phone on the second ring, walked out of the bathroom and out of the apartment without even looking back. I knew he was right behind me.

He had the nerve to be furious with me, and we drove back to my house in silence.

"Are you going to mention this to your parents?" he asked as I got out of the car.

"Oh, yeah. And if I were you, I'd start driving right now, because when I tell my Dad, he's going to come outside and KILL you for taking me to that kind of party." And then I turned around and walked into the house.

See... That young man wasn't worthy of a virtuous young woman. Not at that particular time of his life.

I've told that story to Roxie so she can know exactly what to do if she is ever in a similar situation. But I've also told the boys that story so they will know a Godly young man should NEVER put a young lady in that kind of situation either. And they should not be dating someone who would not object to that kind of party. It's a two-way street.

Peach Cobbler

I have a simple, but great, recipe to share with you today. As with many of my recipes, I borrowed it from my friend, Julie Tuggle.

You will need the following:

1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups fresh ripe peaches
1 package sugar cookie dough

1. Mix and pour the first five ingredients in a baking dish.

2. Slice and place cookies over peaches.

3. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

4. Serve with ice cream.

If that isn't simple enough for you, I don't know what else to do. Oh, except give you the BONUS RECIPE from another blog which I promised to share today! That's TWO simple recipes in one day!

Tropical Delite

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's blog under her Tasty Kitchen section. It came from www.smalltowngirl.com, and it sounds divine! I love making cakes that start with cake mixes. So easy!

You will need the following:

1 box butter cake mix
2/3 cups pineapple juice
3 whole eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 15-ounce can Cream of Coconut
1 8-ounce carton Cool Whip

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix cake mix, juice, eggs and butter together.

3. Spray Pam in a 9" x 13" cake pan and bake according to cake mix instructions. (Typically, this is 350 degrees for 30 minutes.)

4. When cake is done, allow it to cool for a few minutes. Poke holes all over cake using a large straw.

5. Pour the Cream of Coconut evenly over cake (into the holes). Let the cake cool a little longer (20 minutes or so). You want the cake to be completely cooled off before you begin the next step.

6. Spread Cool Whip on top and, if you are so inclined, sprinkle some coconut flakes over the Cool Whip. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Have a great Tuesday. I'll tell you now... the humidity is 110% in Alabama! I had flashbacks to Amelia Island when I was walking this morning. Wednesday's post is full, full, full of fantastic (and simple) Wisdom, Traditions and Randomness. Trust me... it's worth coming back to sneak a peek!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda