Hey Chinchette, see that was fun huh? My son lived in Clearwater and he and his wife attended Clearwater Christian College.I loved going across the state to visit him . We rode bicycles to Safety Harbor,garage saled and I loved that Christmas STORE and Paradise diner!! Please don't be afraid to garden in the shade. The lettuce seem to really do fine in it as well as radish and onion. I have sweet potato vine a couple roses, and other things that seem to be be thriving under the shade of a a tree. In fact my cuttings I start are especially happy in the shade but be sure to add all kinds of goodies to the soil or no amount of sunshine will help! Ill post a few of my albums and LONG shots too. Tanya

For those following that have not seen her new post; link is below. Posted by emeraldisle624 (My Page) on Mon, Feb 11, 13 at 18:34 Hi everyone, I know I haven't posted much lately but I am here at least once a week seeing what you are all up to. I feel like I have been wishing the days away, trying to keep my mind busy and letting my body and medicine do it's thing. It's been a long 7 months since the endometrial cancer was first diagnosed. I had my 3rd and final d&c last week at MGH in Boston. Everything about the procedure went like clockwork, unlike the last time. I was the FIRST patient allowed into pre-op in what seemed like hundreds that showed up at 5:30am. The lobby at MGH was seriously like a bus terminal, never seen anything like it. I wasn't the first one to show up nor was I the first one to see the people in the surgery check-in lobby but somehow I got to be the first sent down to the nurses in pre-op and get a room/prepped for surgery (everyone else had been told to take a seat and they'd be called soon). Then I was the first one wheeled to surgery and then the first one discharged! I swear God was holding my hand and making things as easy for me as possible, I had an aura-type feeling about me all day. If it was just my imagination, it's ok I'll take it! I never saw or talked to my doctor, I think it was because everything was on schedule (or maybe even a bit early as my husband got the call at 8:30am that I was on my way to recovery) and they had me knocked out when she arrived. Breezed through recovery, out in record time just to go home and wait 7-10 days for the results. I had such anxiety leading up the surgery that my whole body hurt. I swear I hurt even more in this past week waiting, like I tensed up while sleeping or something. I didn't feel too stressed during the day while awake as I have been pretty good at going with the flow and trying to put my trust in having everything work out the way it's destined to. Since tomorrow is day "7" of the 7-10 days I was going to email the nurse and ask if any results were available yet. She knows I am anxious and that I would be waiting every last minute. Depending on the results, I'd either be scheduling an appointment with the fertility specialist or to have my inevitable hysterectomy. I got a call this afternoon that said "blocked" on my cell phone. My stomach dropped as I knew who it was going to be, the doctor or the nurse with my results. I just wanted to update you all that I will be calling my FERTILITY SPECIALIST to make an appointment to get in there as soon as I can for the next step. All of the pathology came back with no malignancy found! I even had her email me a copy of the report because I was so afraid that she called the wrong person and was giving me someone else's information! I have it in black and white, NO MALIGNANCY FOUND, in 2 different places next to my name! I of course couldn't stop crying and I was waiting for my husband to get home. He got home and the dog ran outside with him. He's getting the mail, chasing the dog, all these things while I am just patiently waiting for him to come in. And I told him the doctor's office called and quickly went to add that the cancer was gone, I am to stop my meds and get in touch with the fertility doctor tomorrow. I felt like I was dreaming. I thanked God so much for answering all the prayers that were said for me and for giving me this opportunity. I still have a long road ahead of me and there are absolutely no guarantees of anything. But I am going to try my hardest to make our dreams come true. I am so very thankful and humbled by everyone in my life (online and in person) who have reached out to me and helped me more than they will ever know. Please continue to keep me in your prayers, I hope there is a miracle in the making. I am on a short timeline and I should have a better idea after seeing the fertility doctor again soon. (I think the meds have to be out of my system 30 days but I don't recall exactly.) Sorry for the long post, I didn't want to leave a word out in case this and my other posts ever help someone else. I hope you are all doing well and please know I think of you all often. Your prayers and healing messages changed my life and today is living proof of that. I am by no means cured of cancer, in case anyone just diagnosed finds this thread by googling or whatever. The only thing that happened is the medicine counteracted the hormones and, in my fancy medical terms, chased the cancer cells down and ate them. So, slowly but surely, since I am no longer taking the hormones, the cancer will slowly grow back and there is no way to know how fast or slow that could happen which is why time is of the essence to get pregnant now. When/if I get pregnant, my body will naturally make huge doses of that missing hormone and actually protect me from the cancer during pregnancy. I will have to have a hysterectomy within a few months or after pregnancy no matter what due to the cancer risk. I can't grasp how remarkable our bodies are. Thank you again. emeraldisle624 Here is a link that might be useful: Just a quick update!

You are absolutely correct. I don't process my dills. I make sure the jars are as hot as can be by using the dishwasher on the sani cycle and then placing them in a 150-200 degree oven while I can them. This assures a very crisp pickle. However , many people are uncomfortable with this so I tell them to process as you would any pickle in a vinegar brine solution. When I posted the recipe on AllRecipes it went viral with great reviews. Somewhere along the way AllRecipes modified the recipe to add a hot water bath...from that point on there were many complaints that the pickles were not crisp. I don't advocate that anyone use the original recipe but this is about my 40th year plus making them this way. For anyone interested here is the "Cadillac" version of the recipe that I( posted several years after the one Ann posted. Mrs. Jack's Dills Here is more information about Dills than you ever wanted! I have no idea what exactly makes these pickles so good so I am religious about following the steps to the tee! I make these a bushel at a time, each bushel yields about 50 jars. If using less than a bushel you can usually count on between 6-8 dills(cukes) per 1 quart jar, depending on size. Use 3" to 4" cukes that have just been picked. I get mine at the market and always insist on cukes that have been picked that morning or the day before at the earliest. Place the cukes in ice cold water (I use my bath tub!!) and add a bag or two of ice to the water. The cukes should stay in the ice water for a minimum of 2 hours but no more than 8. Refresh the ice as required. I make the brine in great big batches using this ratio: 2 cups white vinegar 6 cups water 1/3 cup coarse pickling salt For each jar of dills you will need 2 nice size garlic cloves peeled and cut in half (4 pieces) and two dill florets. Use the dill heads not that fluffy stuff! So if you are doing a bushel....that is 50 jars so you need 100 dill florets and 100 garlic cloves. Leave the cukes whole. Now here is where the canning police and I part ways. This is how I do it and have for 30 years but it is not according to the guidelines . You'll need to make your own choice but I am convinced this is why they are so crisp. I sterilize my jars using the sani cycle of the dishwasher (you could boil the jars instead) When they are really hot, almost at the end of the cycle I place them in a oven at 150 degrees to keep them good and hot. Make the brine and bring the brine to a full and rolling boil. Place the rings and lids in a large saucepan with water and bring them almost to the boil. Then turn down but keep them hot. Place the cukes, garlic and dill in the hot jars. I do garlic, dill, cukes, garlic, dill. Pour brine over the cukes. Only do 2 jars at a time, leave the rest in the oven to keep them hot. Wipe the rim really well, this is critical to sealing, and place lid and ring on and screw to finger tight. Let sit 6-8 weeks before eating! Here is what I think is most critical: Fresh cukes Ice bath Boiling hot brine Very hot jars Clean rim So as a recap of ingredients 1) Make the brine in the quantity you need , just keep making it 2) Count on 6-8 medium size cukes to a jar 3) 2 large florets of dill to a jar 4) 2 large size garlic cloves, cut in half, ( 4 pieces) per jar

Hey guys! Sorry that I haven't been here in a while! Work has been keeping me busy! Yes!...you will be keeping me busy, but I'm more than happy to share recipes. I'll write recipes bit by bit so that you guys don't get completely inundated with recipes all over the page!! I actually don't make my own garam masala...I find it too be too much extra work! (so sue me I'm lazy!!)...but here is a good recipe you can use.. Garam Masala Cumin Seeds - 7 tablespoons Cardamom - 3 1/2 tablespoons Black Pepper - 3 1/2 tablespoons Fennel (Saunf) Seeds - 2 tablespoons Black Cumin Seeds - 2 tablespoons Coriander Seeds - 2 tablespoons Cloves - 1 tablespoon 1" cinnamon stick Bay Leaf - 1 tablespoon, crushed...about 2 leaves Ginger Powder - 3/4 tablespoon (crushed dry root) Mace - 1 tablespoon Nutmegs - 2 (broken) Procedure Dry grind all ingredients except (if using) powdered ginger. Do not roast. Mix in the ginger powder well. Store as general. Makes: 1 1/2 Cups. Hope this helps guys! I think if you were to use garam masala bought in the Indian grocery stores, it would be just as authentic and would save you gobs of time! I'll be writing more recipes later! Next...aloo mattar...by the way, do you want these recipes to be vegan? or lacto-vegetarian...I can give substitutes for dairy for those who are vegan! Happy eating for now!! Savita