A Southern Life

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD!
Psalm 33:12

So glad to be an American and for all of our shortcomings, I love this nation! From May 25th of this year for Sunday Favorites and Spiritual Sunday:

Southern Patriotism

As you know, we walk every morning in our neighborhood. Took the camera along this week and took pictures of the Stars and Strips flying in the neighborhood. I love the colors of the flag with the early morning sun shining through. Because it is the week before Memorial Day, I thought this would be a great time to post these pictures!

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Today’s Lagniappe: Strawberry Shortcake

Add some blueberries to make this a patriotic red, white and blue recipe!

Filling:
* 1 quart strawberries, rinsed, hulled, sliced
* 1/3 cup sugar

Shortcake:
* 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup shortening
* 1/3 cup butter
* 1 cup milk
* melted butter
* whipped cream, sweetened with a little sugar if desired

Place strawberries in a large bowl; sprinkle with 1/3 cup of sugar. Let stand, covered, for at least 1 hour before serving.

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening and butter until mixture is fine. Add milk; stir with a fork until all flour is moist. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently for 20 seconds. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Gently roll out or pat each portion to fit a 9-inch round cake pan. Place each portion into a lightly buttered pan; press edges to form a slight ridge. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 450° for 12 to 15 minutes. Brush each layer with butter. Spoon sweetened strawberries and juice between layers and on the top. Serve warm, cut in wedges, with whipped cream.

join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday!

**

The time to plant seeds indoors to get a jump on the season will be here before you know it. Many seeds should be planted 4-8 weeks before the last frost inside and then transplanted outside when danger of frost has passed. If you don’t know your last frost date, check your state’s extension service. You may have to search around a little bit, depending on your state.

I also like to plant according to moon phases. You can check the moon phases here or check planting dates with the Farmer’s Almanac here. My grandmother was good about telling the weather by looking at the sky or the trees or the sun. She grew up on a farm and they didn’t have the methods we have now. I learned that she was usually right and it gives me a sense of peace to watch nature to see what it is trying to tell us.

Anyway, if you plan to plant anything from seed the time to order is now, if you haven’t already. If you haven’t ever grown anything from seed, try it. It is very special to put a seed in soil and watch it sprout into a full grown plant and then  into something that actually bears fruit. It happens in gardens and fields all over the world every year, but to me it is always a miracle.

Gardening can really be a great source of therapy. Watching the cycles of nature. Nurturing plants and seeing them grow. It’s downright addictive.

Today’s Lagniappe: A Pepper Tidbit

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.  Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.  It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.