But God gave me the most precious thing in my life, my son, whom, without, I couldn’t have made it six years! I didn’t want another try at marriage but one day a man came into the Restaurant who had recently lost his wife tragically to cancer!  My heart went out to him because he was the saddest man! I started to make conversation with him by just asking him how he was doing, how was his day, etc.  Then one day, months later, he brought his daughter, who was fifteen at the time, and his son, who was ten. We clicked immediately. His daughter was the sweetest girl in the world. His son held back because he was only 10 years old and was very close to his mother!

Well, to make a long story short, we were married a year later than his wife’s death!  We got back in church right away and stayed there for 10 years, he as assistant Sunday school attendant, both as Sunday school teachers, and both in the choir. We had a seemingly American dream life.  Oh!  We had our share of ups and downs . Who doesn’t ? With three children, five years apart.

When the kids all were in school, I decided to go back to work in the Restaurant, because there just wasn’t as much to do and I was fidgety and lonely for my family!  My husband didn’t like that much at the start! Everything seemed to be going along alright. But when we had been married ten years,  the oldest was married and the middle boy was engaged.

I started noticing a definite change in him!  Then people started telling me things about seeing his secretary sitting with him at ballgames. When I would ask him about it, he would laugh and tell me, she was just an employee! I believed him because of his integrity and his walk with the Lord!

I will not get into the ugliness that followed in the next year!  Then he told me that he wasn’t satisfied with his life, that I was, but he wanted to be someone important.   When I couldn’t stand the hurt and loneliness any longer, we separated! From that day on I had to live with “I saw your husband and his secretary such and such a place and they were holding hands”.  I wonder if people understood what that did to me!  But one day my Pastor Eugene Land asked  me to pray and  ask God to take away all the love I had for my husband and replace it with more love for HIM.

When I prayed that prayer the healing began.  Kevin and I started a new life and we were there for each other, each step of the way!  God saw I would be needing someone to help me through all this and he gave me the sweetest son in the world! His two children decided they needed their father more than they did their step mom!  That hurt as bad as losing their daddy!

What started this blast from the past?  My friend Juanita and I were in Shelby and just happened to be on the road that his business is on!   He would NEVER let our kids have a dog, but there she (the secretary and his current wife) was, outside walking her dog around!  The devil jumped on my shoulders and said “LOOK, SHE”S GOT A DOG!”  I felt the heat starting along the roots of my hair!  But you know what!  The lord whispered to me and said “REBUKE YOU SATAN, FOR GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN ME, THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD!!!!  That’s all I have to remember!  God has been with me through everything I have had to deal with in this old world and He will be there when he takes me home to Glory!

I praise him for my life now! I have scores of friends and lots of love from them and my family!  I have a ministry of my own, helping to look after my friends here at K.M.Manor. We are all about the same age.  Some are in good health and some aren’t !  But we try to look after each other!   My son has found the love of his life!  They live in St.Petersburg,Fla. and they are trying to get into the music industry!  They love each other so much and I think they have found all they need in each other. One day you might see them singing and playing for God on T.V. or some big church!   Who knows?  We serve a great big GOD and He is GOOD!

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 Cup oil
• 4 eggs – well beaten
• 2  tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup copped pecans
• 3 cups carrots-grated

Directions:

Mix  sugar and oil together.  Add eggs and mix well. Combine dry ingredients and stir into sugar mixture. Mix until smooth. Add pecans and carrots. Bake in 3 greased 9 inch layer cake pans at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes!  Cool and frost.

Frosting:

• 1 box powdered sugar
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 tsp. lemon extract

• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped pimento
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1  7- oz. can  sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 2  Hard boiled eggs,chopped
• 3/4  cup mayonnaise
• 2 cups crushed potato chips

Directions:

Combine chicken, soup, onion, pimento, celery, almonds, water chestnuts, eggs and mayonnaise in bowl; Mix well.  Spoon into baking dish. Top with potato chips. Bake at 450 degrees until brown. yield: 8 servings

• 2 lbs. Ground Beef
• 1 Tablespoon shortening
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 6 or 8 medium potatoes, sliced
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

Brown ground beef in shortening in skillet, stirring until crumbly; drain.  Put onions in skillet with the same grease from hamburger!  Cook until soft, then drain. Mix with ground beef. Mix soup and a small amount of boiling water in bowl. Layer potatoes, ground beef  mixture and soup mixture 1/2 at a time. Sprinkle half of cheese over all, then layer other half  and sprinkle with rest of cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  May add more water for desired consistency!

I developed this recipe for Peggy’s Restaurant one day and it caught on pretty quickly! My sister Sherry just loved it and begged me to make it again. I hope  you try it .  Enjoy!

In processor, process the corned beef, eggs and onions. Add pickles and mayonnaise.

Absolutely delicious!  This is one of my favorite recipes!  My sister Loretta and I used to fix this spread often.  Enjoy!

• 3 cups medium shell macaroni, uncooked
• 1 pkg.(6 oz.) fresh baby spinach leaves
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups Finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

1.  Cook macaroni as directed on pkg.,  adding spinach for the last minute. Cook bacon in large saucepan. Remove bacon; save drippings in pan.

2. Add flour to drippings; cook and stir until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 3 to 5 min. or until thickened.

3. Stir in 1 cup Cheddar and Parmesan; cook and stir until melted. Add bacon and macaroni mixture; Mix well.

4. Spoon into a 1-1/2 qt. casserole, top with remaining cheddar.  Bake 20 minutes.

• 1 cup Orange Juice
• 1/4  cup sugar
• 1/3 cup powdered instant tea
• 1 (10 oz) pkg frozen strawberries, thawed
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups crushed ice
• Fresh lemon wedges (optional)

Directions:

In a blender, combine orange juice, sugar, tea and strawberries;  blend until smooth. Pour mixture  into a 2 quart pitcher; add water and ice. Serve tea in tall drinking glasses and garnish with a fresh lemon wedge, if desired.

• 1 pkg.Cream Cheese (8oz)-softened
• 1/2 cup Butter -softened
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4  Cup confectioner’s sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Brown sugar
• 3/4  Cup  miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 Cup finely chopped pecans
• Graham crackers

Directions:

In mixing bowl mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars, beat just until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Place Cream Cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap,  shape into ball.  Refrigerate 1 hour. Just before serving roll cheese ball in pecans.  Serve with graham crackers.

• 1/2 cup Crisco
• 2 sticks butter
• 2  3/4 cup sugar
• 6 Large Eggs
• 3  cups sifted plain flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4  cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4  cup undrained crushed pineapple

Directions:

Cream shortening and butter: add sugar.  add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sifted flour with baking powder, alternately with milk. Add vanilla. Stir in pineapple and blend well. Pour into greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Place  in cold oven and set oven to 325 degrees. Cook 1- 1/2 hours or until the top springs back.  Let cool 5 minutes. Then run knife around pan and remove.

Glaze:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1  1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup well drained crushed pineapple

Place pineapple in blender for a second or two.  Combine with other ingredients and pour over cake while it is still hot!

• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 Vidalias sliced in 1/4 inch rings
• 15 Saltine crackers (crushed)
• 1 can mushroom soup
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 1/2 to 3/4  cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in pan over Med. heat and cook onions until clear.  Reserve 3 Tbsp. of crumbs for topping and place remaining crumbs in the bottom of greased 2 qt.casserole dish. Remove onions from pan with slotted spoon. Add soup and onions  in alternate layers until full.

Combine eggs and butter, pour over onions. Top with cheese and remaining crumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Serves 4 to 6