Miscellaneous

Chocolate-Sunbutter
Ice Cream
Peanut flavor / peanut-free!

This is the best and creamiest ice cream we have made in our ice cream machine yet. It is absolutely delicious. It tastes a lot like a very popular candy bar that is chocolate with peanut butter in it. Only, there is NO peanut butter in our recipe because my husband is allergic to peanuts. If there is no peanut allergy in your home, you could substitute Peanut Butter for the Sunbutter. You would never know the difference, tho, as sunbutter tastes so much like peanut butter. We had to go easy on the sugar because he is also diabetic. Copyright: Dan and Marlene Gilliam 2013

1/3 cup sunbutter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup splenda
1/2 cup brown sugar
8 large egg yolks
1 pinch salt
1 quart half-and-half
2 tsp vanilla

Beat 8 egg yolks with half of the sugar and set aside

Heat one quart of half and half over medium heat till nearly boiling.
Add the remaining ingredients (Cocoa, Sunbutter, remainder of sugars, salt and vanilla) and stir till well mixed. Add a cup of hot mix to egg yolks very slowly, while stirring. Then stir the egg mixture into the pot of hot milk mix slowly, while stirring and continue to stir until it thickens to a custard texture. Remove from heat and cool pan in bowl of iced water till mix is cool.

Place in ice cream freezer and process until frozen.

NOTE: You can also substitute more of the sugar with sweetener if you want. And substitute the Sunbutter with Peanut Butter if no one in your family has peanut allergies.

Dan and Marlene's Nutrition Plan

There are great things happening in the Gilliam household regarding health.
Check out our Nutrition Plan, developed after many, many months of research on how to get healthy.

Side affect can = weight loss.

We love to lose! That is why we keep doing it. On this plan, Dan has lost over 180 lbs; and, Marlene has lost over 90 lbs. Here is the main gist of Dan and Marlene's Nutrition Plan:

Every person needs to adjust this plan according to their own waking hours and medical needs. For instance, some people are up very, very late, but also sleep later. Their noon, therefore, is not 12:00, but, rather, more like 2:00 p.m. If you are an early to bed, early to rise person, your noon may be 10:30 or 11:00. I hope this helps you to understand how to make the plan fit your own lifestyle.

BREAKFAST = BREAK FAST

Breakfast is actually a word that means what it says, breaking the fast. Did you know you were "fasting"? Well, when you go for more than 3 to 4 hours without eating, your body registers that you are fasting. So, when you begin your day with break-fast, you are breaking the nightly (or daily if you work night shift) fast. That is one reason that it is so very important to eat breakfast. DON'T SKIP MEALS unless you are on a Biblical fast.

Think of it this way. If you ever knew what it was like to live before everything was automatic, back when you had to build a fire for heat, then you know that, during the night, the fire often went out...or at least so low that there was little or no heat left. That is what happens to your inner furnace during the same time. First thing you need to do, if you want to lose weight and get healthier, is to stoke up the fire. EAT! Now, what happens if no one keeps the fire going during the day...no one puts any more fuel on it? It will go out or get too cold to profit anything. Your inner furnace is the same way. You have to fuel it if you want it to burn. AND...YOU DO WANT IT TO BURN...BURN ALL THAT FAT OUT OF YOUR BODY. So, in order to keep the furnace burning up that fat, you have to EAT! In other words, if you want to lose that fat, you have to BURN it with your body's furnace. If you want to lose weight, you HAVE TO EAT!!! You should eat something about every 3 hours --- YES...3 hours. But, it's not only how often you eat...it's WHAT you eat!

If you make the right food (fuel) choices, it would be better for you to eat ALL day than it would for you to eat once per day. Keep your fat-burning furnace going...EAT! EAT MORE OFTEN = LOSE MORE (If the choices are healthy, proper ones)
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BREAKFAST: (eat within 1/2 hour of rising) - From the time you get up, until within 1/2 hour or so of your lunch time, eat fruit...all the fruit you want...any fruit you want. Your breakfast can be a smoothie made up of various fruits. See Recipe in the right-hand column.

REMEMBER: The juicy types of fruit do not make you feel as filled, so I recommend that you eat a banana as your last fruit; because, it holds you longer. Fresh fruit is always the best. I do not recommend dried fruits, fruit juices or fruits packed in syrup. The sugar defeats the purpose. Do not eat fruits with other food types.
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SNACK: If you are not ready for lunch eat a snack. The snack can be fruit or vegetables and proteins.
Four Examples:
1. Tablespoon of peanut butter;
2. Small handfull of nuts;
3. Smoothie (if you had banana at breakfast, do not include one in this smoothie;
4. Small salad with salmon
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LUNCH: Eat carbs (vegetables) (except white potato) with protein (if you want protein).

For this purpose, carbs are: ALL green, red, yellow, the more color, the better vegetables.

Proteins: Meat, cheeses, beans, yogart, anything protein. This does NOT include processed meats. If you are going to eat meat, make it real meat, unprocessed other than cutting and packing. Processed meats contain many ingredients that you DO NOT want to put in your body...we are talking about health, here. Eat REAL MEAT, freshly cooked. Try to choose a variety of meats, less red meats than other meats like chicken, turkey, venison, etc.
----------OR----------
Eat carbs - vegetables as listed, above, (including potato if you want it) with starchy carbohydrates (if you want the starchy carbs). This can be pastas, potatoes, breads, etc., and can even include desserts. But, remember, the sugar is a MAJOR ENEMY of your health...so go with homemade desserts, when possible, made with Stevia or Splenda (Stevia is a natural, healthy sweetener, available in many flavors; and, it can be purchased at the grocery or health-food store.
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SNACK: If you are not ready for dinner (or supper, whichever you call it) eat a snack. The snack can be fruit or vegetables and proteins.
Four Examples:
1. Tablespoon of peanut butter;
2. Small handfull of nuts;
3. Smoothie (if you had banana at breakfast, do not include one in this smoothie;
4. Small salad with salmon
****************
DINNER: Eat carbs (vegetables) (except white potato) with protein (if you want protein).

For this purpose carbs are: ALL green, red, yellow, the more color, the better vegetables.

Proteins: Meat, cheeses, beans, yogart, anything protein. This does NOT include processed meats. If you are going to eat meat, make it real meat, unprocessed other than cutting and packing. Processed meats contain many ingredients that you DO NOT want to put in your body...we are talking about health, here. Eat REAL MEAT, freshly cooked. Try to choose a variety of meats, less red meats than other meats like chicken, turkey, venison, etc.
---------OR----------
Eat carbs - vegetables as listed, above, (including potato if you want it) with starchy carbohydrates (if you want the starchy carbs). This can be pastas, potatoes, breads, etc., and can even include desserts. But, remember, the sugar is a MAJOR ENEMY of your health...so go with homemade desserts, when possible, made with Stevia or Splenda (Stevia is a natural, healthy sweetener, available in many flavors; and, it can be purchased at the grocery or health-food store.
****************
SNACK: The snack can be fruit or vegetables and proteins.
Four Examples:
1. Tablespoon of peanut butter;
2. Small handfull of nuts;
3. Smoothie (if you had banana at breakfast, do not include one in this smoothie;
4. Small salad with salmon
****************
NOTE: PASTAS - I recommend GLUTEN-FREE pastas, breads, etc. Gluten is a hidden enemy of many peoples' health, unknown to them. If you want to know if it affects you adversely, try going GLUTEN-FREE for 6 weeks. You may find a world of difference in bloating, joint pain, arthritis inflammation, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. For millions of people, wheat inflames the body...it is an inflammatory. Many physicians believe that inflammation causes many of the major diseases of the body, including cancer and autoammune diseases.

****************
GET IT? The whole idea is to have fruit in the morning; then, DO NOT MIX STARCHY CARBS WITH PROTEINS AT ANY OTHER MEAL while you eat about every 3 hours. Eat REAL, wholesome foods, as fresh as possible, and organic, when possible. Don't eat highly-processed foods or pre-packaged, prepared meals.

NOTICE: Believe it or not, it is important that you have a "CHEAT" day every once in a while. I understand that it "Shocks" your body and actually causes more weight loss. Now, this does not mean every other day or even, necessarily, every week. And, if you have "A" cheat day, it does not mean you have more than one at a time. After ONE CHEAT DAY, get right back on the nutrition plan.

The new recipe, above, for ice cream could be on your ONE CHEAT DAY!!! It is NOT recommended as part of the nutrition plan!!!

Why does this work? From research we have done, our understanding is that it takes one kind of acid to digest starchy carbs…and another type to digest proteins. When you combine them, neither is properly digested; and, therefore, you are not getting the full nutrition from any of it. Now, I know that veggies are carbs…but, except for potatoes, they are mostly water and they are NOT CONCENTRATED carbs. So, those mostly-water veggies can be eaten with either one, whether it be concentrated, starchy carbs OR proteins. But, the concentrated, starchy carbs and proteins should NOT be eaten together, in the same meal or snack.

Dan and I are proof that it works. And, his diabetic meds have been decreased from 6 to 4 per day, with plans on eliminating two more very soon and, eventually, all of them.

We have been on probably every DIET in the world and failed. We, obviously, are NOT FAILING at this new nutritional lifestyle.

UPDATE ** UPDATE
Dan is now down to 1 1/2 diabetic PILLS per day...and over 200 lbs total weight loss.

PLEASE SEE NEXT COLUMN FOR DISCLAIMERS ON INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN!

Sample Menu

This is an example of a typical day on the nutrition plan. This day is higher in protein than carbohydrates. On a higher-carbohydrate day, you might choose something like pasta with meatless sauce with lots of vegetables as one of the meals or a baked potato with lots of vegetables or salad with bread. If you have questions as to how you would do this, feel free to contact me.

8:00 - Morning Shake

You can get protein powder in many flavors. The recipe I use for my morning shake is at the top of the right-hand column. It makes about 2 shakes, one for Dan and one for myself. The thickness is up to you, and depends on the amount of ice you put in.

Snack

Now, if your shake does not hold you until lunch, you may fit in a snack, here. Myself, I usually can't eat anything between the two because the shake fills me up and holds me for a while. Remember, I have been on this for a while and just can't eat as much as I used to be able to eat. When I first started out on this nutrition plan, I would eat at every opportunity because I had not been getting the nutrition that is available in this plan. But, if you want something, have a snack.

11:00 or so

Mediterranean Omlet with Bacon

This represents a 2-egg omlet with 2 strips of bacon. Stuff it with all the vegetables you want. This one has spinach, feta cheese and tomatoes. You could use other cheeses and sour cream if you like; and, you could add other vegetables of your choice as long as it did NOT include potatoes or other starchy foods. NO BREADS, either.

2:00 Snack

After that big breakfast, you don't need much of a snack. But, you should have some nuts every day, so this is a good time to get some into your diet for the day. Just a small handful is all you need to get lots of good Omega 3s. If you would rather, you could have a tablespoon of nut butter here. There are LOTS of varieties of nut butters available.

5:00 Evening Meal

Now, you get lots of veggies (basically, all you want of non-starchy veggies). This is a broiled or roasted piece of chicken breast with various salad veggies. I like to put my home-made salad dressing on mine. (Healthy Foods in right-hand column) It makes the salad absolutely delicious. And, this is a filling meal, yet, very simple. My favorite salad contains lots of lettuce (not iceburg alone because it has little nutritional value) and/or other mixed greens, boiled egg, tomatoes, green onions, beets and grated or feta cheese with my home-made dressing. YUM!

Snack - 8:00

Popcorn is a good snack as long as you don't load it down with lots of butter and salt. So, go light on both. If you are going to use microwave popcorn, which I do not suggest, then use a mini pack for an individual snack. (I don't like the use of the microwave for preparing or reheating food because I read that it changes the molecules of the food.) Besides, I think it is ALWAYS best to make your own fresh foods.

Diabetics

In the research I have done, I understand that diabetics should have a carbohydrate before bed to help stabilize their blood sugar level during the night. So, tho it is better if you do not eat after 8:00 for most, my husband, who is a diabetic, has a few crackers or a slice of our home-made bread around 10:00. If you are not diabetic, then you can choose whether or not you want to add this carb to your nutrition plan. Our home-made bread has a total of 2 tablespoons of honey for both loaves and no sugar in it, so it is a healthy choice. And, it is gluten-free.

See warning disclaimer in next column!

HOMEMADE YOGURT

Why pay those high prices for yogurt when it is so easy to make at home...and so much less expensive? Basically, it costs the price of a gallon of milk to make your healthy, delicious homemade yogurt once you have made your first batch; because, you save a starter from your first batch for the next one. And, it is so much better. It doesn't have the "sour" taste that store-bought yogurt has. And, you know EXACTLY what is in your yogurt because YOU made it.

Give it a try and let us know what you think of it. And, be sure to share with others. You can give them the recipe with a starter as a gift.

Delicious Homemade Yogurt

1 gallon milk, whole
1/2 cup yogurt

Heat milk on stove to 180 degrees F. It is best to heat milk slowly (best in double boiler but not necessary if you keep it stirred) over medium heat (preferably in stainless steel) stiring
almost continuously. It begins to froth around edge when ready. You will see bubbles.

Take off heat and cool for 30-40 minutes to 120 degrees.

Add plain yogurt as a starter. Unless you are using your own starter, be sure container from starter yogurt says it contains LIVE CULTURES. Make sure to stir yogurt into warm milk until fully dissolved.

Place in oven (off) and leave oven light on for 8-12 hours.

Gently move to fridge for 12-24 hours.

Use within about 2 weeks.

Try it with fresh fruit or preserves.

NOTES:
We made it in the evening. I poured the mix into clean jars that I sterilized in microwave for two minutes with a couple teaspoons of water in them (don't seal them). I washed the pan and stood the jars in the pan, covered it, and placed it in the oven to cool SLOWLY overnight. By moring it had thickend considerably, but not like it will be after refrigeration. It gets even thicker after a couple days. If you desire Greek Style yogurt, you can place it in a strainer with a coffee filter liner and allow some of the whey to drain off.

Be sure to save some of your nice fresh yogurt as a starter for your next batch.

Do not do more than 3 or 4 batches from your saved starters or the yogurt will begin to have the "sour" taste. Every once in a while, get a fresh starter.

Healthy Smoothie and
Additional Nutrition Information and
Disclaimers

Want a healthy smoothie as Breakfast? Hungry after dinner?  Need a snack? (Try not to eat within about 3 hours of bedtime) Grab vegetables or fruit.   Or, make this great smoothie:

1 Banana (One per day. If you already had a banana, use another fruit, or a number of other non-citrus fruits.)

1C Almond Milk

1/2 C Plain, unflavored (LIVE CULTURE) Yogurt
(Make sure it is LIVE CULTURE. It should say so on the carton.)

1 or more trays of ice

Put ingredients into the blender.  Add ice until the drink is thick.  Drink it.  It is both delicious and filling.  We put our fiber powder OR protein powder in ours.
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ALWAYS TAKE A GOOD QUALITY MULTI-VITAMIN UNLESS YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CAUSE THAT WOULD PROHIBIT ONE.
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Dr. Becker, "Your Health" at 12:00 Noon on the Dish Network, Family Net, recommends that a diabetic needs to have a carb before bed.  It can be a slice of toast or a few crackers, etc.  Something rather minor, but still a carb.  Its purpose is to stabilize the sugar during the nightly "fast".

Now, you do not have to eat the same choice for both lunch and dinner, as long as there are about 3 hours between them.  You might choose the veggies and protein for lunch and the veggies and carbs for dinner, or visa versa.

WARNING!!! and DISCLAIMER!!
WE ARE NOT DOCTORS OR NUTRITIONISTS; BUT, THIS HAS WORKED FOR DAN AND I.  HE HAS LOST OVER 200 POUNDS AND I HAVE LOST AROUND 90 POUNDS. DAN HAS GONE FROM 6 DIABETES PILLS PER DAY TO 4 PER DAY; AND, HE MAY BE ELIMINATING 2 MORE OF THEM AT ANY TIME NOW.  OUR DOCTOR BELIEVES THAT, IF WE STAY ON THE DAN AND MARLENE'S NUTRITION PLAN, DAN'S DIABETES COULD BECOME NUTRITIONALLY CONTROLLED RATHER THAN CONTROLLED WITH MEDICATIONS.

BECAUSE OF TODAY'S SUIT-CRAZY SOCIETY, I MUST "COVER MY ANATOMY" BY SAYING THAT DAN AND I ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYONE WHO CHOOSES TO TRY OUR EATING PLAN. NEVER START ANY NUTRITIONAL PLAN OR DIET WITHOUT CONSULTING YOUR DOCTOR.

IF YOU DECIDE TO TRY DAN AND MARLENE'S NUTRITION PLAN, YOU ARE STRICTLY ON YOUR OWN, BY YOUR OWN FREE WILL, AND TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS AND DECISIONS. YOU AGREE THAT YOU WILL NOT, IN ANY WAY, HOLD DAN AND/OR MARLENE LIABLE.

WE HAVE MADE NO MONETARY CHARGES FOR THIS INFORMATION.  IF I COULD, I WOULD GATHER UP EVERY OVERWEIGHT, UNHEALTHY PERSON I COULD FIND AND HELP THEM CHANGE THEIR LIVES, FOREVER (AS LONG AS THEY CONTINUE TO EAT HEALTHILY), THROUGH THE DAN AND MARLENE'S NUTRITION PLAN.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS; OR, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOUR TESTIMONY ON HOW THIS PLAN HAS HELPED YOU, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT:  nutritionplan@marlene.org

Thanks. I so much hope this information is helpful and healthful to you. I would love to hear your success stories.
Marlene

Actually Soft, White, Tasty
Gluten-Free Bread

If you, like me, have tried many of the gluten-free breads from the market, you know how nasty they can be. I was sure that some of it was really sawdust, glued together and painted. (OK...I knew better, but it wasn't easy to be sure).

Well, guess what, Dan has a Gluten-Free recipe for White Bread that will blow you away. It is soft and is the best one I have ever eaten. Dan and I make it about two times per week. I have been known to share some, too, with those I love. If anyone finds one that beats this one, please let me know; because, I would just have to prove it to believe it. And, toasted ..WOW! It is, in my own expression, "Too good to eat!"
So, here is the recipe: This bread is prepared as three separate components that are then added together and mixed.

The three parts are:
Yeast Mix
Dry Ingredients Mix
Wet Ingredients Mix
----------------------

Prepare the YEAST MIX first:
In a bowl or large measuring cup, stir together

1/2 cup hot tap water
2 teaspoons sugar or honey
4 teaspoons dry yeast granules

Let this sit and rise while preparing the other ingredients.
---------------------------

DRY MIX:
Into the bowl of your mixer, add and mix

2 cups of Brown Rice Flour (or White Rice Flour)*
1 cup Tapioca Flour
1 cup Potato Flour (Not Mashed Potato Mix)
1/4 cup Powdered Stevia or Splenda Sweetener, or sugar if preferred
2/3 cup dry milk
4 teaspoons Xanthum Gum
2 teaspoons salt

(For uncommon ingredients, see notes below)
Brown Rice Flour is recommended for diabetics
---------------------------

WET MIX:
In a large measuring cup or bowl, combine and stir

1 and 1/2 cups hot tap water
1/4 cup oil (we prefer olive oil), or you may use butter
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3 eggs

No need to use warm eggs when you use warm water.
--------------------------
1. In mixer bowl, combine dry ingredients thoroughly.2. Observe the yeast mixture. It should have AT LEAST doubled in size. If it has, combine the WET MIX and the YEAST MIX. 3. Turn on the mixer and slowly add these wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Allow to mix on low until all of the mixture is wet. 4. Mix on high for two minutes (very important that it is at least 2 minutes)
5. Divide contents into two medium, greased loaf pans. Oil a spatula and smooth top of loaves. Place in a warm, draft-free place until risen. Normally, this takes 60-90 minutes.
(If your oven has a warm setting that is around 170 degrees or less, put pans into oven and set at the minimum temperature to rise)

6. When bread has risen, bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Crust will be a golden brown when bread is ready.

7. Remove the pans from oven and the bread from the pans. Place bread on wire racks to cool.

OPTIONS

Donut balls: To mixture, add extra 1/4 - 1/2 cup of sweetener, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Drop by teaspoons (or 1 oz melon baller) into 350 degree oil. This is easier if you dip the spoon or scoop into oil, first. When ready, top with dusting of sweetener, or granulated or powdered sugar, as desired.

Sandwich Rolls: Place mixture into greased mini pie tins (4 inch size) to make rolls. You will need to use well-oiled hands to form rolls, if desired. We just drop the dough into pans and smooth with oiled spatula. Makes about 12 burger or sandwich buns. Bake for 20-25 minutes or till browned.

Cinnamon/Raisin Bread: Use half of the batter for first loaf and then add raisins (1/2 cup or as desired) and cinnamon (I like lots so we use about 2 tablespoons) and some additional honey or sweetener. It, too, is absolutely wonderful toasted, especially in a skillet.

NOTES
If you prefer, omit the potato flour then double the tapioca flour.

Most ingredients are available at Wal-Mart; but, some might only be available in your local health food store. For your convenience, some ingredients may be purchased online.

Examples of these ingredients are viewable on these links:

(Keep in mind, these are for example. Your size package might vary. Each link will open in a new window):

http://www.bobsredmill.com/potato-flour.html
http://www.bobsredmill.com/brown-rice-flour.html
http://www.bobsredmill.com/tapioca-flour-mtx1532.html
http://www.bobsredmill.com/xanthan-gum.html
http://www.bobsredmill.com/active-dry-yeast.html
http://www.bobsredmill.com/non-fat-dry-milk_powder.html

If you have any problems with this recipe turning out right, please let us know and we will try to help. I don't know if altitude makes any difference or not. We are at about 4,000 feet.

I would love to hear from you after you try this recipe. Dan and I love it.

Guess what, our bread recipe works in a bread machine, too. We just used 2/3 of each recipe ingredient in our 2-lb loaf bread machine. We are going to try full-sized recipe in ours soon and will advise. ☺ Bread machine says to use butter rather than oil.

Above is the Bread Machine loaf. Notice the beautiful texture, it's perfect.

Healthy Foods

Let's talk a little bit about healthy foods. Again, I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. But, I have done a lot of research; and, I have found a lot of information on what is considered "healthy" food, and what is considered "junk" food.

I think you might be really surprised at some of the information I found. For instance, you should use real butter rather than margarine. Healthy oils include olive oil, coconut oil and butter.

Would you like a very simple, yet delicious, salad dressing? I make my salad dressing by combining olive oil and vinegar; and, I added in some dry Italian seasoning. Put them in a container and let them steep for a while. You won't find a much healthier, and yet enjoyable, dressing.

If you like your food to be sweet, the most acceptable sweeteners are Stevia and xylitol. On occasion, you might want to use real maple syrup.

Do you like chocolate? Then have some. Just make sure that it is dark chocolate or pure cocoa. Some believe that you should have chocolate every day.

I have also heard it taught that you should have a small handful of nuts every day.

NEVER eat products that are labeled, "diet" without carefully reading the labels. If those labels say that the product has a lot of flavorings, preservatives, or long, multi-syllable words, you don't want it. Many diet products are ladened and with sugars and salts, much more than you need in your diet. You are much better off making your own food from good, fresh, real ingredients.

Speaking of fresh and real, whenever possible, eat real food. That means not processed, not precooked, not canned – but, real, fresh food. When fresh vegetables are not available, we try to always use frozen.

You may have noticed that I have not included sodas anywhere in this nutrition plan. That is because, in my opinion, from what I've studied, there is no place in a nutrition plan for sodas. If you don't like plain water, there are many flavors of Stevia available, which will help make the water more enjoyable. Green, white, and other herbal teas are also very good in flavor; and, will give you alternatives to drink. I, personally, drink a cup of regular coffee in the morning, a cup of herbal tea in the afternoon, and a cup of decaf coffee in the early evening. The rest of the day, I drink many glasses of water with about 6 drops liquid Stevia. My favorite flavor of Stevia is Chocolate Raspberry.

In my nutrition studies, I have found that it is suggested to use sea salt in place of regular iodized salt. Sea salt is available in iodized form.

Dale Hawkins

Who is this handsome gentleman?

Exciting News! I have been in contact with, and met, Dale Hawkins, the son of the late, great, Hawkshaw Hawkins.

There is no question who he belongs to. He is the spitting image of what I believe our Dad would have looked like at Dale's age. If you saw that big "Hawk" smile and heard his voice, you would know for sure. And, he wants to be my brother, "Blood" or not!

Of course, as you might expect, he is also a singer/songwriter and musician. Wouldn't you know? I am, also, looking forward to meeting my niece. You'll never guess, she is a singer, too!

And, I have to thank Dottie Lineberry, our friend, for finding both of us and bringing us together. There is no way I could ever repay she and Jack for their generous and loving hearts.