Fervent

It's been a busy day and I'm running late, but I'm here with the sixth installment of our Food for Thought look at the instructions on love given in Romans 12. Our word for today is "fervent" because it tells us in verse 11 to be fervent in spirit. What does that mean? Fervent means warmhearted, passionate, eager.

That seems a little too vague to put into action, so let's look at Acts 18:25-26 to help us understand a little better what being fervent in spirit entails. "This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldy in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately."

Verse 25 shows us being fervent means "speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus." Verse 26 goes a step farther. How did he speak out? Boldly. How does this relate to loving each other? If we love each other, we should be bold enough to speak to each other and teach each other. Loving each other means helping each other to grow.

And notice something else from these verses, and if you read on down a couple more. This man was fervent in presenting the little bit of knowledge he had. When he did that, God made sure he was given more and more knowledge so he could continue. His fervency to share God's love with others ended up increasing his own.

It doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian, or how confident you feel, you have something wonderful to say. Say it. Fervently--in a warm and friendly way, passionately (not apologetically) and eagerly. You'll be amazed to find that God meets you at the little bit you have to offer and strengthens you and increases your knowledge. Like the man in Acts, you'll be surprised at the places you'll go and how powerfully God will use you.

Shopping, Be-Bopping, and Being Thankful

Hi y'all. I think I finally finished up the back to school shopping yesterday. They must like their new stuff, I've already had to make one of them go change clothes this morning. "It's for school. Were you wanting me to drop you off there today? It'll be lonely." Hello Kitty lunchbox is at the ready. Backpacks are packed. PTO stuff pretty much done. I think we're ready.

Let's don't forget, amid the busy-ness of it all, to stop and be thankful.
1. I'm thankful that I found everything that I needed. (All 50 billion things.)
2. I'm thankful that I could buy all the things I needed.
3. I'm thankful that almost everything I had to get I found on sale.
4. I'm thankful for the great attitude that my kids are having toward school.
5. I'm thankful for wonderful schools to be a part of and caring teachers. They make the experience so much better.

Are you ready for heading back to school?

Coloring Outside the Lines (I mean bag)

We're off to spend the day with Granny today and hopefully finish up the school clothes shopping. How nice it is for her to live around the corner from an outlet mall. Nice visit, nice prices.

I thought I'd share with y'all a little something I'm working on for the PTO. We're having a PTO breakfast on the first day of school for the kindergarten and pre-k moms. It's called the BooHoo WooHoo Breakfast. I drew a little picture and we're putting it on notepads to go in their goody bags. Me and my obsessively match-y tendencies just has to draw the pictures on the goody bags too. I thought they turned out cute. I did them in sparkly crayon on little brown lunch bags. Have a great day!

It's Me Again Margaret

Just like the song, I'm on the other line again--not just in blog world but in radio world too. I'm going to be on this time talking about getting ready to go back to school. Sheila's calling in a few minutes to do the interview. I'll let you know when it airs. Thank you for all your sweet comments from my last interview.

I did want to let you know about the recipe I tried last night. It turned out great, but (of course) I didn't leave the recipe alone. I left out the thyme, added more honey mustard to equal 1/4 cup and added 2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce to the basting sauce. It was really good and the sauce stuck a little better since it was thicker.

I seem to be on a roll with my mishaps. Today I spilled chicken noodle soup in my shoe. I just can't wait to see what tomorrow holds (not).

The Recipes

Here are the recipes I didn't get around to on Friday or this morning.

Marinated Lemon Chicken Breasts
We're trying this one together. I clipped it out of an insert that came in the newspaper. It smells good so far.

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp. fresh thyme
2 tsp. finely grated lemon rind
3/4 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 tsp. salt, divided
4 bone-in chicken breasts, cut in half (I'm just using 8 boneless)
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. honey mustard

1. Combine garlic, oil, sugar, rosemary, thyme, lemon rind, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl; add chicken and toss to coat. Cover & refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

2. Preheat grill. Place on grill and cook for 16 minutes, turning once (you may need to decrease the time if you use boneless).

3. Meanwhile, combine lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, honey mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl; whisk.

4. Baste chicken with lemon juice mixture. Cook 8 minutes more, turning and basting twice. until thermometer reads 165F.


Pepper Steak and Rice
Can't remember where I got this recipe, but it sure is good. It's also a little different so it would be great to serve company. Add a salad and you're good to go.

1 lb. round steak, 1/2" thick
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. beef broth
1 c. green onions with tops
2 green peppers, cut in strips
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 c. cooked rice

Cut meat in strips and sprinkle with paprika; let stand 30 minutes. In a large skillet, brown meat in butter; add garlic and broth. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add onions and peppers, cover and cook 10 minutes more. Pour in water and soy sauce; stir and cook 5 minutes more. Serve over rice.


Roasted Red Pepper Spaghetti Sauce
This recipe is my own creation. We liked Emeril's spicier spaghetti sauce, but it was never on sale. You know I like to be thrifty, so I just came up with my own version.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 oz. roasted red peppers
1 tsp. onion powder
1 clove garlic, minced
10 3/4 oz. can tomato puree
16 oz. can tomato sauce
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. oregano
3/4 tsp. italian seasoning

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute peppers, garlic, and onion powder 3-4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer one hour.

Monday Mess-Up Confess-Up

It's rose petal jelly...no, it's rose petal syrup...no, it's rose petal water...no, it's down the drain.

That's right. I totally messed up somehow on my jelly. I got up early Saturday morning and picked my roses for the jelly, pruning my rose bushes while I was at it. I came in and got started on the jelly. Somewhere between prepping my jars, supervising the boys' weedeating work, talking with the census worker, and fixing kiddie breakfasts, I did something wrong with the jelly.

It looked great, it smelled great, it had such a pretty color. I poured it in the jars. All the little tops popped like they're supposed to. Then I noticed that it wasn't as thick as I wanted. Later I consulted a canning expert (aka my mother-in-law). She said some things that don't have a lot of natural pectin require longer cooking. She suggested cooking it in the jars a little longer. The result, the runny jelly became pretty colored water. I think I cooked a little too long.

The moral of the story: Never promise jelly until you have said jelly already done and, never attempt jelly making on a Saturday morning. Never fear though, I'll try round two.

The weekend wasn't a total loss though. I did manage to put a big batch of pears in the freezer. And, I dabbled in being a bit creative. I was inspired by Sherry over at Blessings from our Nest. I added her great blog to my list of Favorite Things. You can link to it over on the right. I'm not a scrapbooker, but I do have some scrapbook supplies that I used to snazz up my PTO manual and customize Jack's notebook for school. We could only find white in the size he needed and I couldn't stand it being that plain. Thankfully we had some papers that were the school colors. I thought it turned out great.

The menus for the week:
Monday--Marinated Lemon Chicken, Garlic & Herb Pasta, Hidden Pear Salad, Rolls, Peas
Tuesday--Ham, Creamed Corn, Green Beans, Sliced Tomatoes, Rolls
Wednesday--French Toast, Sausage, Scrambled Eggs
Thursday--Cranberry Glazed Pork Loin, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Carrots with Honey
Friday--Chili Dogs, Macaroni & Cheese, Fresh Fruit
Saturday--Pizza
Sunday--Leftovers

I'll be back later today with the recipes...off to the pool.

Food for Thought--And Tummies Too

Today's the fifth installment in our Food for Thought series. We're looking at Romans 12:9-21 and finding specific ways to show our love to one another. We're up to the first part of verse 11--"not lagging behind in diligence".

This is one of the easiest ways in which to fail. How many times have we said, "I meant to call and check on Mrs. So-and-So but I forgot"? That, my sweet friend, is lagging behind in diligence. Every time we say "I meant to" is just saying "I didn't" but trying to make ourselves feel better. I am firmly convinced that, when God brings someone to mind, it's for a reason. If you think you need to call, stop what you're doing and make it happen. If a friend has a problem in her life that you've dealt with before and you keep thinking of what you ought to tell her, stop to write a note and tell her. It's amazing the number of times I've actually done that and had the person say how much it meant for me to say that at that specific moment. God's timing is always perfect, and our part in it is not trivial.

Be diligent. Don't lag behind. Most of sag behind, that's enough for one behind to have to do. =)

I've got a couple recipes for you too, but I'll have to check back in with those a little later.

Attack of the Giant Flower Header

I finally stopped for a second and figured out how to get a picture behind my title. I used the one I'd taken the other day because I really liked it. I was feeling really good about the whole thing until it showed up so big, and no amount of playing around with it can make it be smaller. Oh well, without it being so big I never would have noticed the little design on the bud. Can you see it down at the bottom? It looks like a little starfish. Our world is so amazing if we would just slow down and pay attention. And speaking of that, let's slow down and give thanks for the things we have seen. Here's mine:

1. Fresh cut grass. Love the way it smells, loves the way it looks, love that I'm not the one who has to do it.

2. A little girl's first school lunchbox. It's Hello Kitty. She's so excited. We had to get a matching metal thermos to keep chicken noodle soup in. There's never beeen anyone who loves that soup more, and she was worried about not being able to get it at school.

3. The excitement of reading a new book.

4. Tackling something I've been procrastinating about. I've got more of that to do. PTO sponsor calls here I come.

5. Coffee with friends. How sweet it is to sit and enjoy a moment with those you treasure. Be sure to visit Debbie over at http://flittingandflying.blogspot.com

What about you? Be sure to take a good look around today. Notice the small stuff.

Hello Honeybun...

Good morning! This morning I'm having a special treat, a visit from two of our friends--Ruth and Debbie. We'll have some coffee, a piece of honeybun cake, and a good time together. I'll share the recipe with you--wish you could join us.





Honeybun Cake
I got this recipe from my cousin Patricia many years ago. It's a really good one to take somewhere since it makes a lot.

1 box yellow cake mix
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. milk

Stir cake mix, sour cream, sugar, oil, and eggs well. Pour half of batter in a greased 13x9 cake pan. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Top with remaining cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Make a glaze with powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk; spread over cake while hot.

Last Call for Jelly

Okay, since things have been out of sorts and I haven't gotten the jelly made yet, I thought I'd give y'all one more chance to sign up. I'm making rose petal jelly and giving it away to all my followers. If you'd like a jar of your own, simply sign on to be a follower. If you're already a follower and haven't given me the address to send it to, please do so by the end of the week. Thanks. Hope you like it!

Don't forget the recipe for tonight. I don't remember where I got this one, I've had it a long time.

Creamed Chicken & Biscuits

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. season salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. milk
1 c. cheddar cheese, divided
6 frozen biscuits, thawed

In a frying pan heat olive oil. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt. Cook until browned on both sides then chop. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 11x7 dish. Heat butter in skillet on med-hi until melted. Stir in onion; saute until tender. Combine onion, chicken, soup, sour cream and milk. Mix well. Spoon into casserole dish. Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle with 3/4 c. cheddar cheese. Top with biscuits. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until biscuits are brown, approximately 20 minutes.

Serves 6

Me,me, me, me, me

Of all the things that ever were

or evermore shall be,

I think the greatest thing of all

is simply to be me.




I don't know why I'm waxing poetic this morning. Maybe it's because I was visiting some other blogs. I love to see what other people are doing, creating. I think I'm somehow looking for some other person that I can say, "Yes, that's exactly how I am!" Butut, I often end up feeling over my head in blog land. Everyone is so talented and crafty (and apparently sleep deprived with all they do).

But, I can't, and you can't, get caught up in all that other people are doing. Maybe their calling is to be wildly creative. Maybe you are. Maybe someday it will be my calling too. Today I am called merely to windowshop in that realm, storing up ideas in the back of my mind. Today I am called to relish the small things, to find my muse in what others would consider mundane.

I will simply enjoy each step of my way and, in the end, I may look back and realize that I have climbed mountains.

And it makes me glad to simply be myself.

And you should be too.


Enough about me...let's plan us some menus for the week.

Monday--Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta, Salad, Orange Jello with Mandarin Oranges
Tuesday--Creamed Chicken & Biscuits, Green Beans, Carrots
Wednesday--Spaghetti with Roasted Red Pepper Spaghetti Sauces, Garlic Bread, Salad
Thursday--Pepper Steak & Rice, Fruit Salad
Friday--Honey Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, New Potatoes, Creamed Corn, Sliced Tomatoes
Saturday--Homemade Pizza
Sunday--Leftovers

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

This is one the kids especially love, and it's easy to throw together.

8 oz. pasta, tube or small shells
1 lb. ground beef
6 strips bacon, diced
1 can tomato soup
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta. Meanwhile, cook beef over medium heat; drain & remove. Cook bacon until crisp; drain. Mix pasta, meats, and soup. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook until cheese is melted. Serve with barbeque sauce.

It's Friday, Let's Celebrate

Friday's here, the end of another week. School's just around the corner way down here in the South, so I figured we'd better celebrate summer while we still could. This is when the kids were celebrating the dog's birthday, but I thought they could help us celebrate summer too.

We're back at it this week, and that means were back at our Bible study on Fridays. For those of you just joining us, it's week four. They're labeled so you can go back and see them all if you'd like. They are short and simple, a quick pick-me-up for the end of the week. We're on our fourth instruction from Romans 12:9-21, "give preference to one another in honor." By the way, I'm quoting the New King James version for this study.

Where do you prefer to be when it's church time? Are you going to worship willingly or out of duty? What about other days? Who do you prefer to be around when you're having a good time? Take a look at Philippians 2:1-3. "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves." When we honor someone we have great respect for them and we regard them as more important. And, we can't have "humility of mind" when we are selfish and conceited.

Why do we have to show them honor and preference anyway? Verse 2 in Philippians tells us it's because these people have the same love, the same spirit, and the same purpose. How do we show preference? Go up to the beginning of the passage for some ideas. We should do it with encouragement, consolation, fellowship, and affection.

Church shouldn't be our duty, it should be our preference. We shouldn't have our "church friends" on one side and our "real friends" on the other. We should prefer to be with those we fellowship with. And when we tap into the joy and love available to us in other believers, or non-Christian friends will be more drawn to find out what they're missing.

That's all for now. Have a wonderful weekend!

Remembering to Give Thanks

I'm getting back at it this week, and that includes having a Thankful Thursday. We've had a lot to be sad about lately, but we've also had lots to be thankful for.

1. I'm thankful for the family God has blessed me with. I treasure the ones I have now and am forever grateful for the ones who are gone.

2. I'm thankful for the reminder of how many people really do love you, just when you need it most.

3. I'm thankful for waking up to flowers on my doorstep from thoughtful friends, for phone calls, for sweet notes, and especially prayers.

4. I'm thankful for the laughter of children that can brighten any day.

5. I'm thankful for Banana Pudding Ice Cream from Blue Bell (which happens to be on sale at Harvey's this week)that can offer a sweet moment--if only that scale wouldn't sass me.

Pix from a Party

I thought I'd show you all today some pictures that I'd taken to put on here a couple of weeks ago. The Fourth may be over, but it'll give you some ideas for next year. But I like Americana anytime. Don't forget supper--for a yummy pork tenderloin, just sprinkle generously with garlic powder, Lawry's season salt and a little pepper and bake according to poundage. You don't get easier than that!



Here are the flower arrangements that Meredith and I fixed with flowers from the garden. I made the big one, she did the little one to go on the kid table.


I picked up these napkins at a discount store when it wasn't the right season. Keep your eyes open for seasonal stuff when it's at a discount and stick it back for the next year.


This was a last second thing--and one of my favorites. Don't buy fancy cups, use the cheaper clear ones and add your own touch and the person's name. It's personalized and fun. All you need are some permanent markers and imagination.

Six Little Feet

Better late than never, I guess. I've been thinking on parenting. The ones I have and the one I am. I've also been asked by our friend Sheila at our local Christian radio station (you can listen at www.waft.org) to contribute to a panel on parenting for their morning talk show. I don't know how much wisdom I offered, but I gave my two cents.

Anyway, all this parenting talk reminded me of something I have. I thought today I'd share a sweet little poem that's framed and hanging in my hallway outside my bedroom. It's a good reminder to me as I start my day. I actually found it at a yard sale. When I saw it, I knew it was meant for me.

Six Little Feet

Six little feet came in from play
and tracked the kitchen floor,
to the shelf where stands the cookie-jar
then pattered out the door.

Six little feet ran over the porch
and down across the lawn,
six little feet ran here and there
and on...and on...and on.

Six little feet grow tired at night,
so I tuck them into bed,
and they lay all snug on the cool sheets
after the prayers are said.

Oh I cook and dust and sweep and scrub.
My work is never done!
But what would I do with my heart and my hands,
if the six little feet were gone?

Jan Holer

As Normal As I Can Get It

I'm trying to get things back to normal today, as normal as I can get it. Things won't ever be quite the same, but I think doing everyday things helps everday to be a little better. Thanks for waiting patiently for me.

Speaking of everyday things, let's get our menus for the week. I'm feelin the need for some comfort food this week. What do you say? Maybe I'll even bake some cookies today. Tonight we'll start with a roast. It comes from the cookbook Top Secret Restaurant Recipes. There's a series of the Top Secret cookbooks. They're packed with great recipes. I'm not sure if they still have them, but a friend said Kohl's was offering them for $5 each as part of their Kohl's program that they always have right at the front of the store. There's always great stuff there. If they've still got the books, I'd definitely recommend picking them all up (I think there's three). Now for the menus.

Monday--Shoney's Slow-Cooked Pot Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Cheddar Garlic Biscuits
Tuesday--Grilled Chicken Salad, Nectarines
Wednesday--Baked Pork Loin, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Rolls
Thursday--Beef Tips with Mushroom Gravy, Rice, Corn on the Cob
Friday--Homemade Pizza
Saturday--Out to Eat
Sunday--Leftovers

Shoney's Slow-Cooked Pot Roast
This one takes a little extra work, but it's well worth it.

2 Tbsp. butter
1 4 lb. roast
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
20 whole peppercorns
1.2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. parsley
2 c. beef stock
1 tsp. salt
4 carrots, sliced

Gravy:
2 c. beef broth
1/3 c. flour
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter and sear meat on all sides, 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Remove meat to a plate. Add onion, celery and spices to pot. Saute for 5 minutes until onion browns. Add beef stock. Put meat and carrots in baking dish. Pour stock over roast. Cover and cook 4 hours, basting occasionally. Remove roast and carrots, strain liquid. Cut meat in chunks. Pour stock over meat. Return to oven 40 minutes. Strain stock and combine with more to equal 3 c. Sprinkle flour in saucepan and stir in stock. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Serve with potatoes, biscuits, and applesauce.

Thanks

I wanted to say thank you to all of you for your sweet thoughts, prayers, and visits as we lost Daddy/Grandaddy suddenly this weekend. What a wonderful example he leaves for all of us to love unselfishly, not because of responsibility but by pure choice. He loved us all so very much and we were priviledged to have him. He always liked to sneak a look at the blog. I know he'd like our remembering him together. I will talk to you all again soon.

Honey, I'm Home...

Oh, how glad I am to be back! I missed you all. I've started to tell y'all things and then remembered about my computer. I sure did have the urge to hug my UPS man. You'd have thought it was my birthday when that package came.

Anyway...I've kept busy with housework, kid stuff, and pulling off some old wallpaper in my bedroom. We also had company over last night. It was lots of fun, we did breakfast for supper. Don't know what you'd call that--brupper or supfast? Meredith and I picked flowers for the centerpieces. I took pictures and I'll show you them tomorrow. I know, I don't normally post on Saturdays, but I've got to make up for lost time.

One of the things we had last night was Blueberry Crunch. It's something I like to serve at a brunch, so I figured it'd work well for brupper/supfast. It would be yummy to take as a dessert to your 4th of July cookouts as well, very easy to do and always gets lots of compliments. The recipe came from a lady I used to work for, she was an excellent cook.

Blueberry Crunch
You know I can never leave things alone. The recipe calls for adding the pineapple, but I don't. I don't like the mix of pineapple and blueberries together. I use chunks or rings instead of the crushed pineapple. I only add the juice and then serve the pineapples on the side. I used rings this time and am saving them to grill to go on top of our burgers for the 4th. I add a little extra blueberries since I leave out the pineapple, closer to 4 cups.

1 (20 0z.) can of crushed (or chunks) pineapple with juice
3 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 c. sugar, divided
1 bx yellow cake mix
2 sticks (1 c.) butter, melted
1 c. chopped pecans

Butter a 9x13 pan. Layer pineapple (or juice only), blueberries, 3/4 c. sugar, cake mix, melted butter, pecans, and 1/4 c. sugar. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until the top is browned.

P.S. It's also good with vanilla ice cream.

And don't forget, since it's Friday, it's time for our mini Bible study together from Romans 12:9-21. This is our third week and we're to the command to "be devoted to one another in brotherly love". What's that? We should be dedicated and loving to each other. There are several reasons for this. To find out what they are, we need to do a little flipping of the pages in our Bibles. I'll write out the passages in case you don't have one handy.

The first passage we need to turn to is in the book of John, chapter 13. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35 We do it, first and foremost, because Christ commands it. He also tells us to love as He has loved us; that's a big order (not with a passing nod as we go about our own business). And, He tells us that when we do love people with His kind of love, it'll be a witness to the watching world that we are His disciples.

Go now to I Thessalonians 4:9. "Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other." How are we taught to love? We are taught by God Himself.

Keep going on over to Hebrews 13:1-2. "Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Our devotion should be continuous and should include hospitality. We shouldn't be Sunday morning Christians only. Our church family should be included in our everyday lives. And, our doors should be open to show God's love, sometimes with the most spectacular results.

It's so good to spend a few minutes with you. I haven't forgotten about the jelly. I'm making it next week, so anyone who still wants to get in on a jar needs to join us as a friend. Have a great weekend!

Don't you love this pretty plant? It grows really tall in the summer. I got it from a small cutting from our friend Ruth. She called it Turk's Cap. My aunt Betty calls them Flordia Bells. Whatever you want to call them, they're pretty.