FYI

My NEW blog address is
bj-sweetnothings.blogspot.com

and I have a link to where you can receive
SWEET NOTHINGS posts in your EMAIL ACCOUNT.

Please go to the NEW BLOG.
thanks, bj

Monday, June 6, 2011

~ ROSES AND STRAWBERRIES ~


The fine beginnings for a KILLER
FRENCH TOAST BREAKFAST
The price for strawberries is  still pretty reasonable.
Not cheap....but reasonable.
Do you add VANILLA  to your eggs when making your french toast?
If not, the next time you whip some up, try a teaspoon of Vanilla added...
it gives the toast a taste that  I am wondering if even the FRENCH can beat....:)
I know I've told ya'll a kizillion times that we are having a SEVERE drought
out here in West Texas....
My darling little KNOCK OUT rose bushes are trying...
they are trying so HARD to look pretty...
they are blooming but the flowers are tinier than normal, not as showy a pink as normal..
and they are a little ragged around the edges.
HOWEVER...
they still look very pretty, indeed, in their little ironstone vintage pitchers.
They are saying that the
OGALLALA AQUIFER
is dropping at an alarming rate out here on the HIGH PLAINS.
That is such a scary thing for me to think about.
The Ogallala Aquifer underlies approximately 225,000 square miles in the Great Plains region, particularly in the High Plains of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota,
and Wyoming.
In my part of TEXAS, 
it is becoming a real threat.
I'm not worried about what will happen in MY lifetime
but I am deeply concerned about what we are leaving,
or in this case,
NOT leaving,
for my grandchildren....
and my great grandchildren.
they tell us that all the ground water irrigation out here in our part of Texas,
Oklahoma and the other High Plains states are, so far, depleting the  depth of the aquifer by 100 ft.
Going without ANY moisture all through the winter
and into the summer is really taking a toll.
It's very hard to not be able to water much and you watch the lawns and
landscaping you've invested money and a huge amount of time in
just turn brown and began to dry up.
But when you are told...
stop or cut way back on watering your lawns if you want to continue to have drinking water,
all the browness  around doesn't seem to bother you nearly as much.
Please join us all out here in this part of TEXAS and other states caught
in this deep and severe drought in prayer  for God's sweet rains.
*
I am joining in with others to play in
Thanks, ladies, for hosting these fun parties.
I hope all of you will go by and see all the TUESDAY treasures featured...
xoxoxo, bj

43 comments:

BrushedByAnAngel said...

I do add vanilla to my french toast and even to our pancakes. My grandchildren do not understand why it smells so good but not so good right out of the bottle.

I hope you get a little rain soon. We thought we would have some today but it didn't make it to us and we have been dry for such a long time now.

I am having a little giveaway, please stop by for a visit if you can.
Brenda

Unknown said...

Oh BJ I am praying, praying, praying for rain for you folks. Our son is our that way too. It is still soggy in our lowlands and mosquitoes are really bad. I bet later this summer we will begin to fry too. I would love some of that French Toast but it is a no no for me these days. Can do the strawberries though and they are super big and good.
QMM

Blondie's Journal said...

I hope you get out of this drought soon, BJ. We have had an overabundance of rain and it doesn't seem fair. Sending many prayers your way.

I've never tried any type of extract in my French toast but I am excited now to try it. And I think your roses look beautiful, the ironstone, too!

XO,
Jane

Rita said...

My heart goes out to you and all o who are going through this. It seems our whole world is going though extremes; I can only imagine how this will all end.

Love to add a bit of vanilla to my pancakes and french toast and anything else I get the urge to.
After all vanilla is a good thing.
Rita

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

I hope you get rain soon BJ....

Yes, I do add vanilla to my french toast....and then sprinkle them with cinnamon when they go into the pan, right before we flip them.

I mentioned you on my blog today.
xo
Penny

Donnie said...

The drought just keeps standing out as I write this. We had a very bad one about 2 years ago but we were not at the stage you all are. I would wash dishes in a pan and take the soapy water out and water my roses. They loved it but we were afraid too much would get them so we used a lot of paper plates...also bad for the environment. I also use vanilla in my french toast. So good...

Lynn said...

Your French Toast looks beautiful BJ! I'm so sorry to hear that the drought continues! We had a severe one a few years ago, it is truly scary. I sure hope it rains soon for you:@)

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

Your strawberries look yummy, as does your french toast!
So sorry about the drought... I'll start praying for rain for Texas!
Bless your heart.
Coming to visit you like rain for my soul!
xoYvonne

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

We are very hot and dry here in Florida, too. The grass looks parched already! I love all of your yummies...they're not fattening are they? heehee! ♥

middle child said...

Leave the lawn to go dormant. It will survive. The roses, on the other hand, will need to be watered. Even If you have leftover water from boiling potatoes or other comparable things. Ok. Water in the midde of the night. You can use me as your alibi. Yes officer,....she was here with me all night.

La said...

I hope you get some much needed rain soon.

Theresa said...

Yummy french toast, I never make it but you sure make me want some:)

It is dry here too and the only things we water is the garden and a few potted plants! The lawn is dry and brittle and that is just how it will stay until we get some rain! I am praying for some rain too!

Have a blessed evening dear BJ, HUGS!

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

BJ, I am so sorry about your LACK of rain! I will PRAY my head off that God will open up the Heavens for you all! The french toast looks SO good, I think I will make it tomorrow and ADD VANILLA!!!! Thanks for the tip! XO, Pinky

Debby said...

I do use vanilla.
My father-in-law was at
Normany.

As far as the drought, very scary, I agree. What I find strange is that when I visit my kids in Colorado that everyone has sprinkler systems. (In a drought!) We do not water our yard. I don't plant much at all because of watering. We have a well and really conserve water usuage. One load of clothes a day. In the summer even less. Yes, we have had alot of rain. With our yard in dry summers it will die but it does come back. Will say some prayers for you.

NanaDiana said...

I am praying for rain for your area BJ! Tht is awful! Awful! And we, on the other hand, have had more rain than ever this Spring. It is a strange weather pattern that is visiting us all over the US.

We love French toast- I ALWAYS add vanilla AND nutmeg..Yum...haven't had any in a while but now you got me thinking! xo Diana

Vee said...

I'm sure that the media is presenting this in the worst possible light. Do not panic. God is still in control and I know that rain is coming. These things are cyclical and it will right again. Until then, I continue to pray for gentle rains to fall in Texas. It seems so strange that some areas have all the water and some areas are so dry. Hang in there.

Yes, I do add vanilla (sometimes I even use a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice...depends on my mood) and I also use the recipe in Mennonite Girls Can Cook cookbook because it is the best French toast we've ever tasted.

Tracy said...

YUM BJ, I know my invitiation for breakfast for french toast and strawberries got lost in the mail...I just know it did!
It looks scrumptious and how's come it always tastes better when someone else fixes it?
:)

Ralph said...

The weather everywhere is subject to change - we hope for the same for TX, the change to a rainy period. But not so much that the water run off the dry ground. A gentle soaking is what we hoe God allows yo occur...

Happily, the french toast is divine, the meal of simple pleasures but here with an elegance, style and taste that we crave!

Unknown said...

Hi BJ
This was a great post.
The weather is so weird all over the country right now... here in AZ it has been so mild. Hardly even over 100. Usually by now we are at 115. And lots of wind too. I sure hope you get that rain soon. :)

Have a great week!
~Liz

Honey at 2805 said...

I know you are in dire need of rain. And the fires have been devastating too! We need rqin here to...it's so dry an hot, 101 today.

But that aside, the french toast sounds great.

Liz said...

That looks delicious.

My entries:
Moms...Check Nyo
Yummy-as-can-be

PAINTORDIG.blogspot.com said...

We are in a drought here in my part of Mississippi too-and watering with city water just turns everything yellow. Praying for rain for both of us. I do put vanilla in my french toast, and I think I will make some tommorow your post has made me hungry for it.

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

I had forgotten today was D-Day. I guess it was fitting,then, that I chose this day to visit the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.

COLOR DILEMMA

Yellow or red—which shall it be?
Red for you and yellow for me?

Perhaps you’d rather have yellow instead—
Which leaves me, of course, with handfuls of red!

Whichever hue you decide to choose,
I’ll take the other—no one will lose!


© 2011 by Magical Mystical Teacher

Queen Liliuokalani

Marguerite said...

We've been in a drought for two years, so I totally sympathize with your area and will pray for rain for ya'll, as well. That French toast has me wanting to get in the kitchen and your roses are lovely!

Jama said...

Hope you get your much needed rain soon, over here it's always sunny with some rain here and there. Just last weekend, we had the most rainfall in a single day which resulted in floods in some low lying area for a couple of hours.

Anonymous said...

Strawberries look soo yummy!:)
Have a nice day dear,kisses:)

Fresh Garden said...

We all are here to support you.

Shortbread and Ginger said...

We don't have a drought problem here in Scotland - in fact we've had rain just about every day for the last couple of weeks! Your toast and strawberries look lovely.
Liz

Yannie said...

I love your photos... so sweet to the eyes


My RT entry The Porcupine Flower

Hootin Anni said...

First off, LOVE your summery light and refreshing blog layout!!! And yes, we here are also in a severe drought. It's hard to keep everything green. I'm afraid that with the extreme heat and gulf temperatures, that we're in line for a huge tropical storm heading our way before the hurricane season is over.

Love all the strawberries and roses...my favorite is the lone blossom in the coffee cup.


WINGS!! [a short, slideshow video of hummingbirds feeding and playing]

Have a great Tuesday. Hope you can find time to stop by and shout out a 'howdy do'.

Unknown said...

Praying for your rain BJ! We are having a slight drought here too...yard looks pretty bad!

Your photos are amazing as always...and thanks so much for linking to 2nd Time Around!

Christine Gail said...

Strawberries! YUM!!!
your photos have made me hungry :)

Christy

http://christinegailphotography.blogspot.com/
http://rainbow-glasses.blogspot.com/

Donna said...

Hi BJ, I'm praying rain will come your way. We are very fortunate that we've been having rain on and off during this hot weather.

Your french toast looks yummy, and no I've never added vanilla to my eggs ~ must try that!

Enjoy your day,
Donna

Patti said...

Wow, BJ, the drought sounds horrible. I pray you get plenty of rain in your neck of the woods and soon.

I haven't made French toast in quite a while, but I do add vanilla. I'm into making blueberry pancakes lately. ;-)

Beautiful reds in your strawberry and rose photos. And I love the pretty header on your blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

Yum! I think I will fix this up for Miss Gabi's breafast!

Beautiful post, BJ!

forgetmenot said...

I think I will go "whip up " some French toast for breakfast--you made it look sooooo good. I hope you have some rain soon--there are so many parts of the country that have had "extreme" weather lately and lots of problems from it. Your roses are lovely and bring some color and joy into the world. Have a lovely day. Mickie :)

Beverly said...

BJ, I will pray for rain for your area and all of the areas in such desperate need.

We desperately need rain here, too. We are so far behind that it is scary. We can't water outside either. We have rain barrels for collection, but they are just about empty.

deb said...

YUMMY!!!

Sure hope you receive rain soon. No fun to go thru a drought. I think we may have been having your rain! Unusually wet for us...I'm going outside to blow real hard towards you! LOL
*hugs*Deb

Anonymous said...

YOU'VE SERIOUSLY GONE AND MADE ME HUNGRY!
I am in love with your dreamy photos in this post...strawberries are my favourite and yes, I do add vanilla flavouring...it is theeeee best, nothing beats it!

ciao bella
I'm off to find something in the kitchen to eat!


creative carmelina

Zsóka said...

Nálunk egész éjjel esett az eső, villámlott és dörgött az ég. Küldtem egy imát, hogy nektek is legyen jó áztató csendes eső. Az én kedvencem is a rózsa és az eper.
Üdvözlettel: Zsóka

Anonymous said...

It is lunchtime here and hot as Texas! You've given me food for thought and a hankering for French toast. I do have all the fixin's, including that vaniller.

Six Sisters said...

This looks so good right now! We found your blog through a link party and are your newest followers! We would love to have you follow us back!

www.sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com

Katie @ This Chick Cooks said...

Oh my! That french toast looks amazing and is making my mouth water! Your roses are so pretty :) I wanted to invite you over to show off your recipe at These Chicks Cooked Recipe Spotlight today. Have a blessed day!

Katie