Be Still and Know...

Project 365 ~ Week 4…yup only two day this week

2012-01-29T07:32:00.001-05:00

It’s cold and very early and my family is all still snug in their beds! But I got up early to try to knock this post out before I wake the family and get myself off to church.

Truth: I enjoy the peace of my house in the wee hours while everyone is still asleep!

I knew it was going to be an off week but sadly I only got two days recorded this week.

But for all my lack of photographic evidence it was a relatively productive start to the week.

So here goes!

Monday, January 23

In last weeks post I shared with you about the impact that the show the Big Waste had on me. I am still pondering several aspects of exactly how much food we toss in the trash as a nation. One of the things that I started doing several months ago was a very simple one. If your a foodie and you love to cook then you will know that celery, onion, carrot and garlic are a very common staple item. I began to save up all the ends of all the veggies that I cut up in zip lock freezer bags. Plus every time I cut up a chicken instead of tossing the sections that normally end up in the trash I froze them in bags a swell. I kept them all in a small drawer at the bottom of my freezer. I was not sure how this was all going to tune out, having never done it before but I was very pleased with the result.

I made a huge batch of chicken stock with all my leftover veggies and chicken parts and it was awesome.

I tossed the frozen veggies and chicken parts in my big stock pot, tossed in a few bay leaves, a head of garlic (cut in half), a small handful of peppercorns and some kosher salt and let it simmer for a few hours and it was the beast pot of stock I have made in a long time….

I have three bags of stock in the freezer and I even took some and froze it off in some ice tray for those time when you just need a small amount. You can now call me thrifty……..Thank you I accept!

Later I made Chicken and Dumplings and they were really good as well.

Here is a little before and after of how puffed up the dumplings get!

Another finished prayer shawl.

I don’t know what it is about Sunday evenings but I finished this latest last night. I have learned that trying to get a good picture of a prayer shawl in the evening is just not a good idea. This one was a super quick project but it turned out well and again got snapped up as soon as I turned it in.

Tuesday, January 24

Am I obsessed with flour?

I think maybe so when you factor in how many different kinds of flour I have in my pantry. I did a bit of re-arrange in the pantry to try and better accommodate my stash. I am hoping that this new arrangement may be the solution. From left to right I have first, the reserve bags pending, I always try to keep at least one bag of all purpose, one bag of bread flour (sometime two of the bread flour, if it is on sale) pending. Then my container of bread flour, whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, the small container on top of that is the cake flour, then there is my self rising flour.

Why so many? Well after more baking disasters than I care to admit to I have come to the understanding that it is just easier to make sure you follow the directions and use the exact ingredients. I know there are some out there that say that you can substitute self rising for all purpose, and yes I do do it from time to time. However I learned a very valuable lesson about baking disasters and I now make sure I use the called for flour and save myself the mess and toil of ruined results.

I cut the label off the front of the flour bag and tuck it down inside the container so I know what kind of flour is inside each container.

Well that was my week such as it was.

Y’all head over to Sara’s and link up.

Blessings and I hope you did a better job of keeping up with you week than I did!

Talmidim…Come and Follow Me!

2012-01-24T12:26:00.001-05:00

I read an article the other day that reinforced something that I really already knew. However it is so typical of human nature that we simply don’t like to think about the areas of our lives that need improvement. Out of sigh out of mind, that is until reality bites back and you have a shovel full of nasty heaped up in your life. However it really does not have to be that extreme. I know I can avoid dealing with the huge obstacles in my life with the best of of them. But what about the smaller issues, the stubbornness of my willful behaviors that I just chalk up to old age or even the more unpleasant label of lazy!

I have to share with all y’all that for as much as I struggle with my aversion to all things historical I can feel God’s magnifying glass bringing certain things very clearly into focus for me.

When I have a full grasp of exactly what the original hearers would have understood Jesus' words to mean they really do take on a whole different perspective.

First some facts that you may or not be aware of.

I copied this directly for an article that I read in gathering information for my class on Wednesday.

Check this out:

“On the first day of class the rabbi would take honey and would cover your slate, your personal chalk board, where you would write. Honey was a sign of God’s favor. There was nothing finer, nothing sweeter, nothing more full of pleasure than honey. And he would rub honey all over your slate. And then he would say, “Now class, lick the honey off the slate and off your fingers.” And so now you also can lick the honey off your fingers. And as you did this the rabbi would say, “May the words of God be sweet to your taste, sweeter than honey to your mouth” (Psalm 119:103). May the words of God be the most pleasurable, the most enjoyable thing you could even comprehend.

And so as a child you were introduced to the Scriptures as there was nothing more enjoyable in the entire universe than tasting, receiving , accepting the words of God and making them a part of your life. This is how Jewish boys were introduced to the Scriptures. From ages 6-10 they would memorize Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. By age 10 they had memorized the entire Torah and completed Bet Sefer.”

Read that last line again. By the age of ten years old a child had memorized the entire Torah!

Y’all the mind boggles at this little tid-bit of information. Ten years old, the entire Torah! It certainly puts my stubborn unwillingness to memorize scripture in a very different arena, willful disobedient is a more accurate assessment of my behavior. Having that image of the sweetness of honey in relation to God’s words just blows me away. When I think about memorizing scripture, confession here, the images I come up with relate more towards banging my head again a brick wall rather than enjoying the sweet taste of honey! Frustration, laziness, bemoaning and just plain willful disobedience is more like it.

As a child I was not raised in the church so I had no real foundation for who God was, I had never read the bible until I was almost 30 years old. The idea of having the entire Old Testament memorized is overwhelming. I’m 52 now and I have to take things in more manageable chunks. I am trying to get better at scripture memorization, is there room for improvement? I am laughing at myself as I think about this. The mental stumbling block in my short term memory is as massive as Mount Everest but with God all things are possible.

So am I convicted by this, the answer would be YES!

Setting my willfulness aside for a minute I continue, after the age of ten the children would move on to what is referred to as Bet Talmud.

“Now the best of the best students would continue on. The next stage was probably called Bet Talmud. Bet Talmud meant house of learning. Roughly from ages 10-14 in Bet Talmud you would memorize the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures all the way to Malachi. OK? By 13, 14 years of age you had the entire Hebrew text memorized. Even today in Jewish seminaries they still do this.”

After this comes Bet Midrash

“Now, at the end of your study at Bet Talmud, when you were around 13-14 years old, if you are the best of the best, then you would go and present yourself to a well-known respected, powerful rabbi. And you would say, “Rabbi, I want to become your disciple, your talmudeen, your student. Please let me in your Bet Midrash, your house of study.” And so the rabbi would say, “OK.” And the rabbi would ask you lots of questions, to find out if you are the best of the best. Because each rabbi wanted to teach his thinking, his philosophy, his interpretation of Scripture. Do you know what this was called? It was called his yoke. This rabbi wants to know, when he is questioning this possible disciple, “Is this boy able to become a rabbi himself and to teach and spread my yoke?” So the rabbi would ask all kinds of questions.”

And if the rabbi believed that you were the best of the best, that you were able to become a rabbi, He would say, “Lech Acharai – Come, follow me.” And you would leave your family. You would leave your family compound. You would leave your village. You would leave the local synagogue where you had been studying. You would leave everything and you would follow that rabbi. You would become a talmudeen, a disciple, a student. You would give your life to being exactly like that rabbi. And you would follow him everywhere.”

But here is the interesting part. Not everyone was chosen.

“But for some Jewish boys when the rabbis quizzed them they did NOT say, “Lech Acharai – Come, follow me.” But instead they said “Ah, my son, you do know Torah. And you know Torah well. But you are not able to be my talmudeen, my disciple, my student.” So the rabbi would say, “Go, home to your village. Make babies. Pray that they become rabbis. Go home and learn the family business - fishing, farming, carpentry. Because you won’t be studying to be a rabbi.”

Who were called to be Jesus' Talmidim? Did he choose from the best of the best?

Jesus was calling those who had been sent home to learn the family business.

Matthew 4 tells us that Peter and Andrew were……fishing!

^{MT 4:18 – 20}

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.

When I know the meaning behind the words they have a much greater impact on my life.

Jesus chose from those who had been rejected by the best of the best and look what happen to the world.

I don’t have to be the best of the best, I just have to keep trying. I still need to memorize scripture, but setting the goal of memorizing the whole bible before me is setting myself up for failure.

Jesus chose from those who had been sent home to learn the family business.

My choice to “Follow Him” is a decision to lead a life that is not of the world but I still have to live in the world. What better tool to have under my belt when facing the evil that the world throws at me than a ready supple of the truth of God’s word.

Y’all I know this already, I can hear it in my head…. “Bless her heart, she’s just as stupid as she can be……..”

Having been convicted afresh about my less than diligent practice of scripture memorization I recognize that I am a flawed and sinful ~~old~~ woman who has a deep desire to grow closer each and every day to Christ.

Today I am thankful for grace, forgiveness and for the new opportunity I have every day to enter into His presence.

Blessings

I love God’s Word y’all! I just doesn't get any better that that!

PS: I am not sure which is the correct spelling of Talmidim or Talmudeen, but however you spell it if you are a believer in Christ and you are following Jesus then you are Jesus’ Talmidim!

My House Is Quiet…

2012-01-23T09:35:00.001-05:00

So here’s what happen yesterday……..

We have to take separate cars to church on Sunday due to the DD having choir practice right after church. I usually take my bible study and get a head start of my prepping for my Wednesday class. So I have set myself up with my laptop and various books at a table and I am getting down to work.

The hubs is in conversation with a friend and I see him across the family center. Love it when the men have the reputation of being bigger talkers than the women, but I digress. He concludes his conversation and comes into the cafe where I have set up shop,

“Is there anything I can do for you when I get home?” The Hubs asks as he gets ready to leave church to head home.

“Yes! Can you stop and pick up a gallon of milk on your way home?”

I pass off a $5.00 bill as the hubs is out of cash and off he goes on his way home.

So after nearly 30 years of marriage it still happens. My expectations and what really happens are two different things.

Later that afternoon I open the frig and notice that the hubs did in fact stop and get a gallon of milk, however what he did was stop at the drug store at the corner, which is on the way home, rather that actually driving maybe half a mile out of the way to the grocery story.

We now have a gallon of whole milk in the frig, which no one but him will drink, and with his cholesterol issues he should not be drinking, sitting in my frig!

Gotta love that masculine perspective.

He was tired, hungry, ready for that afternoon nap and this was easy and right on the way home…..

I love my husband BUT after almost thirty years of marriage I still can’t send him to the store for milk!

Blessings

PS: I did make a mug of Hot Chocolate with the full fat milk…..can you say good! Again FAT = FLAVOR!

Project 365 ~ Week 3: Teenage Girls Being Teenage Girls, More Cleaning and Apple Crumble

2012-01-22T06:56:00.001-05:00

It was a normal week around here, no drama although the weather has been a bit dreary, cold and wet. Good days to be inside snuggles up with my Kindle in front of the fire.

So here is my week!

Sunday, January 15

Since it was a three day weekend the DD had a sleepover. Combine two best friends, a sever case of boredom, more make up than you can shake a stick at and what to you get….some very colorful moments.

The went Goth, they went Punk, they went…..well you name it they emerged from the bathroom sporting a multitude of new looks!

Thankfully it all got washed off and they were returned to their normal natural radiance by the end of the evening.

No pictures on Monday, January 16

Tuesday, January 17

My crochet time has been greatly diminished. I think I started this project back in October. Under normal circumstance it does not take me four months to finish a project, however factor in the holidays, Christmas hat’s and scarves and other distractions I am just thankful to have this one finished. Now I have moved on to my next unfinished and more difficult knitting project that has been left unattended since before October. Hopefully now that life has returned to normal I can knock this one out soon.

I love the colors on this one. Note how wonderfully it goes with my living room furniture, and yes I did struggle to turn this one is as it did make a wonderful accent again my oversized chair.

Wednesday, January 18

This is my view (if I am obedient to my exercises) every morning and every evening. So picture me laying on the floor in various positions all the while the dog (and husband and DD) watching me with a confused look upon his face.

After I got up off the floor I set myself to the task of finishing what I started last week. The Tupperware cabinet and the kitchen gadget drawer. How may times have you filled up a plastic containers only to go in search of a lid only to realize that you do not have a lid to fit that particular container. One gets melted by the dishwasher or mysterious disappears and you find yourself with random containers with either no lid or lids galore with no matching container.

Well I pulled it all out and set to matching up the lids with the containers.

I can state with complete certainty that as of this moment in time I have a lid for every plastic container within my kitchen….at least for now anyway. Getting to those long awaited tasks that I always put off feels really good.

I also added to the yard sale pile. After cleaning out the gadget drawer I found several things that I did not even remember that I had. I figure if I did not even know that I had it and I had not used it in forever then I probably have no need for it any longer…..

Thursday, January 19

I watched a show on the Food Network a few days ago. It really has left me with a huge burden, only I am not sure what to do about it. Did y’all see the show called “The Big Waste”? Well you can click here to read some of the responses to this show if you like. Basically the premise of the show was a challenge to Chefs Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, Anne Burrell and Alex Guarnaschelli to create a menu for a large group of food experts, the only catch was they had to use only the food they found that was being thrown away by the grocery store, produce, meat, bakery and other vendors.

I was shocked and astounded at the level of waste that was highlighted. Thousands of pounds of food not to mention how much money is lost because of waste. Most of it was due to legal issue of not begin able to sell something after an expiration date. However you and I both know that food that is one day past it’s expiration day is perfectly fine to be eaten. However because of government regulations it has to be tossed in the trash.

As consumers we have set a standard for what we think is acceptable. I know I have done it many of times. I will pass over an apple if it has a small blemish, or overlook produce it it does not look appealing. I can tell you I heard all the chefs confess that they would be seriously re-thinking there standards when they saw the level of waste they witnessed.

When I think of the millions of hungry people who have no food every day and then I think of all the food that get tossed in the dumpster it makes me crazy.

Well I say all this to share with you a small decision I made. The grocery store I shop at will from time to time mark down their produce. I picked up two bags of marked down apples. They had a few bruises on them but the majority of them were perfectly fine. After they had been peeled and sliced up they made a wonderful apple crumble.

I am still thinking about all that horrible wasted food just getting tossed out every day and then I think about our local food co-op that struggles just to keep food on the shelves and I wonder if there is not some solution somewhere in the middle.

No pictures on Friday, January 20 or Saturday, January 21

We did watch a really cute move on Saturday night. Great family film but also very entertaining. Sweet, funny and based on a true story. If you get the chance to rent it I highly recommend it!

It was so dreary and rainy on Friday and Saturday that I spent the majority of my time just hibernation. I balanced the check book, started a new prayer shawl and read but found no photo op’s that struck me a worthy….so……..that was my week!

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings

The Kindle Fire….It get’s and A in my book or maybe I should be politically correct and say E-Reader

2012-01-20T13:03:00.001-05:00

If you are a regular here then you will remember several weeks ago I won the new Kindle Fire! So far I have thoroughly enjoyed it! I have discovered several websites that offer free books every day and my library is growing daily. I currently have about 50 books. I have read three and I am currently working my way through The Count of Monte Cristo.

Pixel of Ink is a great site, if you join their Facebook page you receive daily updates of all the free books they are offere for the day.

Another great site is Ereader News Today, they offer free books as well.

Inspired Reads is a great site for Christian book for free also!

So being link up through Facebook with all three sites give me a wealth of daily choices for tons of free books.

Amazon.com also has a lot of free downloads as well. Most of the free offerings are all books that are under the public domain such as most of the classics. So far I have read Frankenstein and I have lots of other classics that I have always wanted to read! Jane Ayre, Pride & Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, Tale of Two Cities to name but a few.

The delivery time of these books is nearly instantaneous. I click on the deliver button and then within a minute or so I have the book delivered to my device. AWESOME. I have a friend who received a Kindle for Christmas and she is exploring getting books from the library. So far I have not availed myself of this. But the option is available if you want to borrow a book from the public library.

I give a thumbs up to the linked dictionary. I love begin able to get the definition of those words that you come upon and may not know the meaning of. However I have found that at times this function is a bit glitchy. It has moments when it does not work.

You can make notes and save pages with a book mark and highlight text.

The other functions of the Kindle Fire, well you can store pictures, watch movies, listen to music, check you email, play games and surf the web. I can check my facebook page visit all my favorite blogs and check the weather all without powering up my laptop.

There are also a ton of free apps available. Games, social networking apps, lifestyle apps, you name it they have an app for it. I love the You Version Bible App. t was free!!!! It gives you access to tons of different translation and daily reading plans……LOVE IT! The Amazon store offers a free app each day. The one tip I will giver you is that if you save the app instead of installing it, you will loose the option of getting it for free. Going back to it later it then reverts to the original price. So if you think you are at all interested in the app go ahead and download it.

I had a few saved and when I went to take a look at my saved list and the apps were no longer free. Live and learn.

I am still on the fence about whether or not I will avail myself of the Amazon Prime function. A years subscription is $79.00. They give you a free month of this service when you activate you Kindle. It allows you access to tons of free streaming movies and television shows (one of my weaknesses y’all) The also have what they call the Kindle Owners Lending Library, this allows you to borrow one free book a month. I read Water For Elephants for free and that was a $5.00ish download. Some downloads are in the $5.00 range but other more mainstream bestselling authors can be as expensive at $15.00. As well as all the free movies and books you also get free shipping for anything you may purchase from Amazon through out the year. I am not sure if $79.00 is worth 12 free books and free shipping for a year, but if you factor in 12 books at $12.00 an download then it would be well worth the price, not to mention the free shipping. I am still pondering this one. My 30 days is drawing to and end very soon.

The last few things are really a bit of a non issue but I will say that the Kindle is kinda heavy. If I have it in my purse I can really feel the difference. Plus at times there is a bit of a glare on the screen but that is only when you are watching a move and the picture is really dark.

The battery life is very good. On average I think I am charging every other day. However if I have used it consistently all day long then I will have to charge it at the end of the day.

So far I have downloaded one book for .99 cents and spent about $30.00 on a case to protect the screen. It is made out of glass and needs to be protected from scratches.

I have found it to be very user friendly and I have not had any instances where I had a technical issue!

So there is the long and short of it.

Blessings

If you have additional questions give me a shout out!

My House is Quiet….a new normal for one of my favorite people…..

2012-01-17T12:53:00.001-05:00

The hubs is out of town, thankfully the DD went back to school this morning and the dog is curled up sleeping in the crook of the sofa. It is a bit windy, chilly, rainy and dreary outside. I am thankful for a hot shower I just had and a nice good cup of coffee.

I am almost finished with my bible study prep for tomorrow but needed to take a break as the word were beginning to blur together.

I was surfing around the internet this morning and came up on all the latest news about my beloved Paula who has recently been diagnosed with type II diabetes. My heart goes out to her. I know that with this will come a lot of ridicule and nay saying about her. I will say I am not surprised given her love of all things southern, butter, mayonnaise, sour cream, potatoes, sweet tea and the like. It certainly will be interesting to see how they handle this from the perspective of her television show.

From my perspective I can only imagine the changes that are going on in her life. I do not have diabetes, however I have had a struggle with maintaining a healthy weight all my life. My weight verses my desire to enjoy a good meal. Try as I might the battle to come up with tasty alternatives to delicious dishes while cutting out the fat is very difficult. No matter what the diet experts say the fact remains fat equals flavor. You take out the fat and you take out the flavor. Granted there are some small changes that you can make however sometime there is just no substitute. You take the skin and the bone off the chicken breast and toss it on the grill and see what happens….y’all know what I’m talking about! D.R.Y. and Y.U.C.K!

Unfortunately I have yet to find a sugar substitute that did not leave behind a massive headache as an after affect as well as just tasting awful. Sometimes you really are better off getting the full fat version and just cutting down on the portion. When the fat is removed they have to pump up either the sugar or salt content to make it palatable. Check the carb content on any Fat Free whatever and see if it isn’t loaded down with carbs to compensate for the loss of fat!

I have learned a few tricks.

First, you can almost always cut back on the oil required for a recipe, sometime by as much as half. The Focaccia bread I just made a few days ago called for a full cup of olive oil….no wonder it was delicious. I am sure it will be just as delicious with half that much oil.

Second, my afternoon latte’s actually work better made with skim milk. Skim milk or 1% milk makes for a much frothier foam than the fattier 2% or higher fat content. Go Figure…..it just works better!

Lastly, and I hate to even admit this. Y’all I think I may have the tiniest bladder know to man, but when I maintain my hydration, drinking lots of water, I am not near as hungry. One of the things I learned in First Place is that sometimes when you are feeling hungry, what is really happening is you body is sending you a signal that it is thirsty, Your body or growling tummy may tell you it’s hungry when in fact what you really need is a tall glass of water. I hate that but it really is true.

Why can’t they make Doritos flavored water, or Oreo flavored water.

Y’all I could whine about this all day.

There is no such thing as good fat free ice cream or fat free half and half, there just isn’t! I question exactly what they have to do to fat free half and half to make it fat free half and half. I mean really if I can’t pronounce it or I don;t know what it is then why do I want to be stirring it in my coffee…..

Here’s a thought…..just learn to like black coffee………I feel a shut up coming on!

I mean seriously folks, let’s get real here!

I’m feeling your pain Paula!

Good Luck as you move into a new normal.

Blessings

On a more positive note, I am starting to get some relief from the exercises the doctor gave me to do for my bum knee and Plantar Fasciitis. I hate it when doctors are right don’t y’all. Exercise really is the best thing for so many ailments…hate that reality too! Hopefully I will be back in the walking saddle very soon. Now if only I could convince my husband to join me…….

Project 365 ~ Week 2: Focaccia, Junk Drawers, fine Print and a Shot in the Knee

2012-01-15T15:14:00.001-05:00

Hey there y’all!

Some folks get a spurt of energy at the beginning of spring. Mine usually comes at the first of the year. That trend to make an assessment of the things that did not get done last year and the things that I want to get done this year. The things I have been putting off because I just don’t want to do them. Well it was a week filled with some small projects, I tackled two of them and still have two pending.

Sunday, January 8

I am still loving my new Kindle. Each day they offer an app for free. Some days it is some silly game, mostly I just pass those over. I am not a huge game player. However this app was intriguing. It shows you the phases of the moon for your location. Kind of cool I thought! You can even take your finger and drag it across the moon on the screen and change the phases.

Monday, January 9

The hubs is so sweet. This was under the Christmas tree this year! I have been wanting a second mixing bowl for my Kitchen-aid for a long time. I always regretted not getting the model with the handle. I LOVE IT! Not only do I love having a second bowl, now I can make two batches of bread without having to wash my mixing bowl, but I love the new bowl shield with the pour spout. No more flour getting tossed out all over the place. LOVE IT!

Y’all can check out my post about my Focaccia Bread here! You can get the recipe here.

It was in a word AWESOME!

It was the perfect accompaniment of the 15 bean soup we had for dinner!

Tuesday, January 10

The other thing that happens at the new year is the inevitable decisions to try to do a better job of all sort of things. Skin care for example. I have never considered myself to be overly focused on my appearance. However, the battle against those lovely dark age spots that pop up REALLY get on my nerves. I have been trying out different products. Sadly I have found that my resolve usually falls off after a few weeks and almost all the packaging states that the product must be used for at least 8 weeks for good results.

BUT, that is not what these pictures are all about. Needless to say that since this product is for correcting AGE SPOTS it would stand to reason that most of the buyers would be of the more mature age range.

So there I am standing the the bathroom. Why isn’t this working?????? I can not get the cap to screw on nor can I get the cream to come out of the tube. What’s this I see a small gray smudge on the lid, why look closer it’s a sticker on the lid and there is a small ring about the size of a pea…on closer inspection it seems that you have to remove the ring then fully tighten down the cap which then punctures the tube enabling you to get the cream out of the tip of the tube.

Y’all see that small gray smudge and pea sized ring……..look closely!

Can ya read it now??????????

How bout now?

Age spot correction cream with instructions written in type so small that only an eagle could read it makes perfect sense to me…NOT!

Does this happen to your drawers. From left to right we start with my kitchen gadget drawer, my Tupperware lid basket and our medicine chest.

My goal is to get this all sorted out over the next few days and try to bring some order to the chaos. Yea sure it will eventually get all jumbled up again but at least for now my Band-Aids, Pepto-Bismol and cough syrup are all organized. Not to mention that you have to go through it all every now and again just to toss out that bottle of Nyquil in the back that expired in 2008…..there were a few of those lurking in the back.

A favorite around our household, but I hardly ever make it. Shepherds Pie. It was good y’all! Comfort food for sure!

No pictures on Wednesday, January 11

Thursday, January 12

I have been struggling for a while with some fairly difficult pain in my knee and foot. Getting older at times is not a fun thing!

I had a terrible issue with my knee while we were on vacation. The hubs was very patient with me but I felt bad because there were a few things that I wanted to do but my bum knee was a HUGE issue. Well after getting a few more pressing issues like mammograms, colonoscopies out of the way I promised to address the issue with my doctor. He referred me on the an orthopedist.

The diagnosis, the left foot is Plantar Fasciitis and the right knee has the beginnings of arthritis as well as some issues with a small bone spur. Well he shot up my knee with a nice dose of cortisone and handed me a packet of instruction for some exercises.

Yea for me!

Y’all pray for me that I can remains diligent with my exercises. It has been a struggle for me to maintain any consistent form of exercise. However the Plantar Fasciitis is so very painful that I am really motivated to try to get it to a manageable state so I can at least make a run to the grocery store without having it bringing me to my knees when I get home.

Did I mention that getting older is no fun!

No pictures on Friday, January 13

Saturday, January 14

This is the drawer on my side of the bathroom. It is the depository of all things that I just don’t know what to do with. Since I was on a roll where my junk drawers were concerned I felt that it needed to transfer to the bathroom as well.

I have enough of these little bags of buttons left over…do people really ever use the extra buttons that come with blouses or sweaters. I think in all my days I have never used one…..but I keep them any way, what about y’all? Save em or toss em????

Look at this pristine drawer!

Well that’s it for my for week two!

For more P3645 y’all head over to Sara’s and link you!

Blessings

What were y’all doing at 6:20 this morning?

2012-01-11T07:44:00.001-05:00

It was 6:20 A.M.

I am warm and snug in my bed and I feel a light touch on my shoulder.

“Mom, It really thundering a and lightening outside, Can you give me a ride to the bus stop?”

I stumble out of bed and get dresses. I am thankful for my coffee. We hop in the car a few minutes later. It was coming down really hard and there was some pretty nasty thunder and lightening lighting up the skies.

The bus rounds the corner and comes down the street. The DD hops out of the car and makes her way to the bus stop. I could have put the car in drive and made my way back home but I stayed for a few minutes and watched her standing there in the dark. The rain had lessened just a bit and there were two more teenagers approaching the bus stop.

I sat in my warm dry car sipping my coffee and I had one of those memory flashes.

How many times did I stand watch over the bus stop when my children were little. Sometimes chatting it up with the other mom's in the neighborhood. Other times just watching from my bedroom window or just sitting quietly on my front stoop.

I could have just dropped her off and driven back home but instead I decided to wait. I sat and watched my daughter standing at the corner. I observed that the other two teenagers who arrived were young girls. All three of them had gone to great length to protect their hair from the rain. Gotta love teenager girls….protect that hair!

I had so many images pass through my memory. All of them surrounding a curly headed little boy kicking the rocks in the dirt and then a few years later a little girl with pig tails and her book bag on her back bending over to pick a dandelion from the grass for the bus driver.

She got onto the bus and I drove back home.

It was a sweet memory.

Good Morning Y’all

Blessings

Random Ramblings

2012-01-10T16:07:00.001-05:00

Well I swept up the sugar that was all over my kitchen floor.

I was thankful that my water crisis was only a crisis in my over worked hormonal imagination.

I ended the day on an up note!

I saw Ann Burrell on Secrets of a Restaurant Chef the other day. She was making a pot of chicken noodle soup and she made a big pan of Focaccia Bread. For the spelling challenged which is me I have missed spelled focaccia almost ever time I type it out….

Y’all know me and bread. It looked simple enough and well the next thing you know I was asking my favorite question….

How Hard Could It Be?

Y’all check out the recipe here!

It was super easy and if I do say so myself it was awesome! Every time I try a new recipe I have learned to follow the recipe to the letter the first time and then once I have it figure out then I can begin any tweaking I might feel necessary

The bread was awesome……but I think any recipe that calls for one full cup of olive oil stands a really good chance of being really good. It did not disappoint. It was super yummy for sopping up the 15 bean soup that I had made for supper!

However I really do feel that when I make this the next time I will cut back in the olive oil just a bit. I am all for a good dose of olive oil but I think maybe it could have been decreased by almost half and been just as good!

Blessings

Random Ramblings…a hormonal tale of woe

2012-01-09T14:22:00.001-05:00

I pulled up in my drive way after a marathon grocery shopping excursion. I notice a county water truck across the street. I think to myself “Self have you paid the water bill this month?”

Given the less than reliable state of my memory during this time of my life it is entirely possible that I have forgotten an odd household utility bill. I have an irrational fear that due to my forgetfulness I will at any moment have all my household necessary function shut off. I have a basis for this fear due to the reality of having my gas cut off a few years ago simply because I forgot to pay the bill. I had the money to pay it, it just did not get done. Ever since that shameful occurrence I have had this lingering fear that I am forgetting some odd bill that has fallen down behind my computer desk. I saw the utility truck parked on my street and I immediately think…..”Did I pay the water bill????”

I hop out of the car and grab a few bags of groceries and head to the kitchen. I check the faucet…thank you Jesus the water is still running.

I have a small glimmer of a memory receiving an email from the county website saying that the online account I had set up is about to be deactivated due to inactivity. Hmmmm I sort thought the big pile of bills and find an old water bill. I log onto the account and make sure it does not go inactive. I also give my account a look-see and not only is my water bill current but there is .39 cent overage.

So I was freaking out that my water bill was past due when in fact I have overpaid by .39 cents!

.39 cents to the good!

I should be working on my bible study but as well as thinking I had forgotten to pay the water bill I am also working on a real good case of the C.B’s (Cranky B _ _ _ _) so I decided that after I got the groceries unloaded I would just sit for a bit and pout about what a bad mood I was in.

My new mattress, well let’s just say that no matter how long you send lounging around on a mattress in the store it simply is not a true test of how comfortable that mattress will be during a full nights sleep. The jury is still out on how long this mattress will remain in residence. That kind of bugs me too. I was so wanting something in my life to be simple.

Not to mention that I still need to find new phones. Data plans, how much data, keyboard, no key board, touch screen…YIKES!

Mattress shopping, phone shopping, y’all I HATE shopping!

I had a few other things I was prepared to rant about but they seem to left my brain!

At least I have running water and a full pantry!

Edit: Now I remember, the bag boy at the grocery store put a rip in my sugar bag and as I was unloading my groceries I got a wonderful layer of sugar all over my kitchen floor.

Project 365 ~ Week 1

2012-01-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey there y’all! It’s the first official week of the new year!

The fact that day one of the new year actually lands on a Sunday fulfills some need in me to keep things in order. Now if I could just expand that need for order to the rest of my life I’d have it made…sadly I still lack the gene that enables me to stack my post concentrically or attend to the mail in a timely fashion. Goals I am planning to work on the year……

Sunday, January 1

Every year the church placed poinsettias in the sanctuary. The congregation has the opportunity to purchase the poinsettia in either memory of in honor of some.This year one of the members of the bible study I facilitate purchased a poinsettia for me. She told me to make sure I took it home with me on Christmas eve….did I remember….that would be a big no!

I was fearful that by the time I did make it back over to the church it would have wilted or all the unclaimed Poinsettias would have been dispersed to the various hospital and nursing homes in the areas as the church sometimes does after Christmas.

Thankfully there was a large number that had been forgotten. We have such a wonderful maintenance staff and they even remembered to keep them watered. I brought home my beautiful poinsettia and it is sitting on my kitchen counter!

Monday, January 2

I was doing a bit of catch up work on my bible study as we start back on Wednesday. One of Busters favorite things to do is to catch a nap in the warm sun. He has a spot outside that is up against the house and it gets wonderful sun. However it begin very cold today he opted for the indoor versions of his sunny spot. I love the way he situated himself directly within the path of the warmth….very smart I think!

Tuesday, January 3

Ooooooopppppsss! My first omission for the year, but I am sure it will not be the last!

Wednesday, January 4

Well here is the photographic evidence of the hellish morning I had. You can click here to read a blow by blow account of our unpleasant adventures for the morning

Before

Muffinhead all snug in her car seat, bundled against the cold with her new scarf. Coat all buttoned up and ready to go to McDonalds' for the promised pancakes!!!!!

During

Muffinhead enjoying the pancakes…..she ate about half of what is on her plate y’all. She is a pancake loving girl!

After

This is the massive pile of baby wipes, tissues and the flannel pajamas that I snatched out of her book bag that I used to clean up the you know what that was all over her and all over her car seat!

Later back at home all cleaned up and enjoying her paci and blanket resting watching sesame street! Thank you Jesus that I have several episodes saved on the DVR!

I have a neat alarm clock on my bedside table. It’s an Atomic Projection Alarm Clock. It receives a signal that automatically updates the time. It also had an external sensor that receives a different signal that tells me what temperature it is. The time and temperature are then projected on the wall so when it’s dark outside in the morning I can just roll over and see projected on the wall what time it is and what the temp is out side. I have had it for a very long time. I posted about how great the clock was here if you want to go take a look at the clock. Well after many long years of service the outside sensor just gave up working. The hubs fiddled with if for a few day with no luck so we eventually determined that it had just stopped working. He got me a new one for Christmas but after having used it for a few day we determined that we really did not like it as well as the older one. I did a bit of internet surfing and found a newer model at Amazon.com and ordered it. It arrived today. I am so thankful that I have a new one. I had missed being able to see how cold it was outside before I stepped out of bed each morning. Silly I know but I think it helps in preparation as you ease out of bed and get ready for the day……

Thursday, January 5

Why I sometimes HATE my kitchen counter!

Why I LOVE my kitchen counter!

Friday, January 6

Well it’s HERE! Our new bed!

Along with the bed Sears was running a promotion that went along with the sale they were having. When you purchased one of the Sears brand mattresses you received a Free IPod Nano! Well I got all the paper work filled out and in the mail today. I await my new IPod, which should arrive in 8 or so weeks. I am not exactly sure what I am going to do with is as I am not much of a music aficionado but…it was free! So why not!

Saturday, January 7

When my son was a little boy we had the hardest time with him and his toys. If there were visible screws that he could see it tormented him! Once he could see the screws he knew that there was something behind that screw and he could not rest until he figured out some way to get to the internal working of what ever toy it was.

I walked into he kitchen and found this on the kitchen able. Hmmmmm like father like son! We were in hope that the new sensor for the new alarm clock would work with the older model. That would allow us to put the ole one in the DD rooms. However it seems that the frequency of the new model is not working with the older model. The hubs has pulled all his gadget out of his tool box and is determined to see if he can find a solution so that the older model well work with the new sensor…….

He never fails to amaze me in his fearlessness in taking anything apart to see if he can fix it! Like I said, like father like son!

Do y’all have your new one yet. I stopped at the Office Depot and got my 2012 calendar for the refrigerator door. Now it’s official. 2012 can begin as I now have all the important dates marked on the new calendar and it is installed on the front of the refrigerator!

Well that’s it for me and my week. For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

If you have never participated in P365, well I highly recommend it. Not only is it a wonderful way to chronicle your life, it also connects you to so many other amazing people! It really is like sharing a cup of tea each week with close friends and catching up on the weeks events!

try it you won’t regret it!

Blessings

Word Junkie: Under The Weather

2012-01-06T11:40:00.001-05:00

We all use them. The common place expressions and phrases! I found a really great website that has the origins to all of those phrases we say and where the origins of the expressions came from.

I find it fascinating to find out just where certain expressions come from.

Having just dealt with a sick grandbaby and having a slight tinge of her tummy bug myself I was thinking about the expression Under the Weather. Thankfully I only felt a little under the weather and did not experience the unsetting side effects that Muffinhead did in the back of my van. I did however feel not exactly well later that evening and the next day I was feeling a bit icky! No matter how hard you try to clean things up it is nearly impossible to be completely thorough especially when you are have unpleasant substances all over your hands…..but thankfully my sufferings were minor compared to Muffinhead’s!

Here is what I found!

Copied from The Phrase Finder

“What is the origin of the phrase, "I'm feeling under the weather" to imply that one is feeling sick?

UNDER THE WEATHER - "Ik Marvel, a pseudonym that resulted from a misprinting of J.K. Marvel, was the pen name of American author Donald Grant Mitchell. In his 'Reveries of a Bachelor' Ik Marvel is the first to record 'under the weather,' which has been a synonym for everything from 'ill and indisposed' to 'financially embarrassed' and 'drunk,' and has even been a synonym for 'the discomfort accompanying menstruation." From "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).

To be under the weather is to be unwell. This comes again from a maritime source. In the old days, when a sailor was unwell, he was sent down below to help his recovery, under the deck and away from the weather.

You're right, that explanation sounds better. Here's a similar one I found: "Under the weather. To feel ill. Originally it meant to feel seasick or to be adversely affected by bad weather. The term is correctly 'under the weather bow' which is a gloomy prospect; the weather bow is the side upon which all the rotten weather is blowing." From "Salty Dog Talk: The Nautical Origins of Everyday Expressions" by Bill Beavis and Richard G. McCloskey (Sheridan House, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., 1995. First published in Great Britain, 1983).”

Here is the link to Phrase Finder!

I love it for looking up all this things we say and really have no idea where they came from.

Blessings

Pancakes and Vomit…..Y’all it was one of those kind of mornings!

2012-01-04T16:11:00.001-05:00

Keeping it real and sharing the love…….vomit and all!

5:37: Muffinhead gets dropped off!

5:40: Have an early morning snuggle with Muffinhead in a warm snuggle bed.

5:50: Muffinhead falls fast asleep.

6:10: I gently ease out of bed and settle in with my coffee and my new kindle for my Joyce Meyer reading plan…I am currently on day 5…

6:35: Wave goodbye to the DD as she heads for the Bus stop, did I mention that it’s 24 degrees outside!!!!!

7:15: I wake Muffinhead up and get her dressed, I have my first bible study this morning. We have been off since before Christmas!

8:00: Pull into McDonalds with Muffinhead for Breakfast!

8:05: Order pancakes and apple juice for Muffinhead!

8:30: Pull out of the McDonalds parking lot and head to the drop off day care center and then on to bible study.

8:45: Realize that I left Muffinheads backpack on the sofa at home.

8:46: Turn the car around and had back home to get the backpack.

9:01: Get backpack and head back to the drop off center.

9:10 Realize that I left the DVD I needed for my Bible Study at home still in the DVD player.

9:15: Arrive at Drop Off child care place and hop out of car to get Muffinhead out of her car seat.

9:16: As I am unbuckling her from her car seat Muffinhead throws up the pancakes she just ate at McDonalds all over her and all over the car seat.

9:17: Use the remaining wipes and half a box of tissues to try to sop up about a gallon of vomit that is now puddle in the bottom of the car seat and all over Muffinhead.

9:18: Tell the folks at the Drop Off Center what has just happen. “When mom gets here to pick her up please tell her she is with Grandma!!!”

9:19: Made emergency phone call to Skoots1mom

9:20: Praise Jesus she picked up her phone!

9:21: Skoots1mom checked the Disciple closet and found another copy of the DVD I left at home…..GOD IS GOOD!

9:25: I buckle Muffinhead back in the car seat which is still puddle with vomit and head over to the church.

9:26: Have an emergency phone conference in route with one of the members of the bible study so they can regroup and facilitate for me.

9:30: Arrive at church hand off some facilitation information and a few handouts and some last minute instructions.

9:35: Head back home.

9:55: Arrive back home, pull Muffinhead out of the car….car seat is still puddle in vomit. Her coat is soaked, her scarf is soaked, her jeans are soaked and I am all out of wipes and as I am getting her out of the car she throws up again……

10:00: Strip Muffinhead down and put all her cloths in the washer and then try to remember everything I touched in the last 15 minutes so I can go back and disinfect it so no one else get sick.

Y’all I am thankful to say that once I got her back home and cleaned up she did not throw up again. She did ask for more pancakes with I emphatically refused……

I have also successfully taken the vomit soaked car seat apart…that was loads of fun and the padding and straps are now now being sanitized in the the washer and dryer.

So the high point of my day: Having breakfast with Muffinhead!

The Low point in my day: cleaning up a vomit soaked toddler while standing in the parking lot of the drop off center in the freezing cold and then taking apart a vomit soaked car seat that has now had time to sit a spell while I tended to Muffinhead…the things ya do for love!

Mom just picked her up and is off to the pediatrician….now I am going to wash my hands again!

Blessings

It’s Tuesday and I’m waiting on the Kettle to boil! No really that’s what I'm doing….2011 My Year End Review....

2012-01-03T13:46:00.003-05:00

It’s really cold today, but knowing that this is just the beginning of the cold weather is a bit daunting. I have set my kettle on the stove anticipating a nice hot cup of tea to help take the chill off my frozen tootsie's.

I have taken a break from my bible study preparation, we start back tomorrow and I think it would be bad form for the facilitator to show up unprepared. However sometimes you just have to step away for minute. I recognize the signs when the words on the page blur together and my mind starts to wander off and I begin to make my grocery list in my head.

Still waiting on the kettle to whistle……

Anyway, one of the things that happens to me at the beginning of a new years is sort of an odd mix of O.C.D. and self loathing. I begin to look about my house and I recognize all the things that make me crazy. It doesn't help that I have just retuned from my sisters house where every room is awesomely decorated and all her sink fixtures and light fixtures coordinate with each other. I woeful lack the decorating gene. The fact that I have three bolts of fabric leaning against my bedroom wall right now is sending me into a mode of indecision as I contemplate all the infinite possibilities that await me as I begin the process of redecorating my master bedroom. It make makes head hurt y’all! However for as much as it makes me nuts I am looking forward to chucking the pitiful excuse for a master bedroom for something that actually has some semblance of a plan. I might even buy a dresser and some bed side lamps…..somebody stop me before I turn into an episode of Devine Design……

The other thing that happens at the beginning of the year are the inevitable regret, those things that you were going to do last year but never did.

My kettle is whistling……be back in a minute.

I love Chai y’all!

Anyway back to the regret. What about the pounds I was going to loose, the projects I was going to finish, the books I was going to read, the exercise program I was going to start, the cookbook I want to write, the bible verses I was going to memorize, the fill in the blank with whatever else I can think of!

Isn’t it the way of things that at the beginning of a new year we always have a tendency to look back as see the things we did not get accomplished rather that focus on the good things that may have happen.

Some of the wonderful things from last year….We went on a awesome vacation, I learned how to make sushi and Orange Marmalade, continued to ask the question….How Hard Can It Be?, completed another year of P365, laughed at myself, got to meet a fellow blogging pal, celebrated a sweet sixteen, made a few prayer shawls, cooked a lot of wonderful food, made a few new friends, spent time with Muffinhead, explored God’s word and lived another year of life. I’d call that a good year……..

Well now that the Chai is making it’s way down to my toes I am pondering what this year will hold. Maybe the key is not to make a lot of plans and just let life unfold. Maybe the secret to life really is about cleaning out the junk drawer in the kitchen and trying to keep the pantry stocked and begin thankful for God’s provision.

They reported on the news the other day that Prince Harry is making plans to climb Mount Everest. I can safely say that I am not worried about adding this accomplishment to my list. Harry can have the danger, the freezing temperatures and the glory of life and death. I think I will just keep it small and bask in the simplicity of begin able to measure the rainfall with my new rain gauge.

My goals for this year…..well I have downloaded a ton of classic literature on my new Kindle (which I am loving by the way!!!!!) and I am well into Frankenstein. I tried to start The Scarlett Letter but I quickly deduced that the more difficult old English was thence becoming sufficiently dissaccomidatating to the forthcommingness of my mental acuity….or maybe I just didn’t get it y’all!

I am going to reorganize my kitchen gadget drawer, right now it look like a mass of twisted metal and I can find nothing.

The Master bedroom…..well I will spare you the painful process of me banging my head against the wall as I make all the decisions and just remember to take a picture of the end result!

Which leads me into P365, I’ll be tossing my pictures upon the heap with all the rest of you this year as well!
There may be a vacation in the works…the hubs has got a bit of wanderlust in his older years and I have to admit I am beginning to see the appeal of travel. The more of it I do the more I put that travelers anxiety behind me…..hmmmmm where to next……

Well I’ve got to get back at the bible study or I will really not be prepared for tomorrow!

Happy New Year y’all!

I can’t believe I will celebrate four years of blogging in a few months….whoda thunk it!

Well y’all my new goal for 2012 is to continue the Be Still and Know pledge to keep it as real as I can. Life really is what happens to you while you are making other plans and if you aren't careful you will miss the wonderfully important things like Updates from the Board of Household Affairs or another riveting episode of Kill The Wabbit!

Blessings
R

What are your goals and dreams for this new year?

Project 365 ~ Week 52b….

2012-01-01T15:16:00.001-05:00

I wish I could come up with something poignant to end the year with however having just returned from a harried jaunt around the neighborhood in search of a wayward dog I find that I can only muster is a “Praise Jesus!” that we found him. On our collective list of things to do this year will be obedience training for both dog and owners……

Well let’s get at it for the last week of 2011!

Sunday, December 25 ~ Christmas Day!

We had a wonderful Christmas day.

My fingers were busy and every one received hat’s and scarves!

Muffinhead is into all things Tinkerbelle so NOW I can show you the costume I made for her! I think she was pleased and since I totally over bought the supplies I have enough material to actually make a second costume for her to have at my house. I may make a few alterations to the second one having struggle with a few minor flaws in the first one. However I think it turned out OK!

Brunch and the Christmas Day Sticky Bun Disaster of 2011, you can click on the previous link if you would like a blow by blow account of how I almost burned the house down on Christmas morning…….but aide from that it was a good day!

Monday, December 26

I think it is the small simple things that I enjoy the most. My favorite gift I received this year is my new rain gauge. One of my closed friends has a rain gauge in her back yard and every time she tells me how much rain they received I found myself wanting……wanting to be able to measure the rainfall in my back yard. Why you ask? No reason beyond I just wanted to have one.

Tuesday, December 27

The Lord clearly endorsed the addition of my new rain gauge in the back yard by sending a nice long rain shower the next day! 1.25 inches of rain! The fact that I can share this small tid bit of information with all of y’all fills me with gardening joy! Y’all I can measure rain…..life is good!

Wednesday, December 28

On Tuesday we went mattress shopping. There may be an additional post pending on the delicate process of how one goes about selecting the perfect mattress….however the first things you need to do is dip into your retirement and then have a stiff drink to help with the sticker shock! We returned home from a full day of mattress comparison with our head swimming and our spirits slightly deflated at just how expensive mattress are!

On a lighter note one of the benefits of peri-menopause and the related short term memory loss is that I often find myself with unexpected blessing that I did not even remember. A very long time ago I made plans to redecorate my bedroom, the master bed room in my old house! Not long after I had gone through the painful process (for me anyway, shopping and decisions making being a less that pleasant experience for me) we made the decision that it was time to move. Being on the thrifty side I could not see going to the trouble of making window treatments for windows we were not going to get to enjoy. Nor did I want to make a new bedspread for my old bed, which was going to get replaced with a new one when we moved into our new home.

Well it’s been over five years. We did manage to get new living room furniture and a new kitchen table and chairs but isn’t it the way of things. The money never goes quiet as far as you think it will. All the additional expenses that pile up when you move into a new home and all of a sudden our furniture budget was gone with the wind. Sadly there was no new bedroom furniture.

Well the fabric I had purchased found a home in the very back of a closet and there it has stayed…out of sight out of mind. I began to think about bringing the new mattress into the bedroom and getting rid of our old bed and mattress and then it hit me….I still had all that old material that I never used. I went and pulled it out of the back of the closet and I even found a whole bolt of left over fabric that I may be able to utilize in some accent pieces.

I have not totally decide what I am going to do or how I am going to put it together but I am so thankful that all I have to do is get a few small things, thread and other supplies and then I can get to work on decorating my bedroom.

This close up show the embossing of the yellow fabric…….

The red I had left over from that last time I recovered the sofa and love seat. I may use it in some throw pillows or maybe some cushions for a small wicker love seat….still pondering.

No pictures on Thursday, December 29

No pictures but we did actually find a mattress that we both agreed upon.

Friday, December 30

I had some Kohl’s cash from some shopping I did for Christmas and then I received a 20% off coupon in an email so I headed off to Kohl’s end of the year clearance sale. I came home with a new mattress pad, some 700 (yes that’s 700) count Egyptian cotton sheets, a fleece blanket and a down alternative comforter. I got some really good deals. I’ll be making a duvet cover for the down comforter…maybe a two sided one.

Suggestion welcome…what do y’all think?

Saturday, December 31

We headed over to my sisters house for a post Christmas family gathering. Now that they live a bit further out we do not get to see them as often. The DD usually takes advantage of her time with her cousin’s.

Muffinhead was enjoying taking pictures of the cat…..but mostly all the picture were of her fingers over the lens of the camera! She had fun though….“Say cheeze Grandma!”

Well 2011 is in the record book y’all!

When we all began this years edition of P365 it’s so difficult to think all the way to the end. There are weeks when the last thing you want to do is get the camera out and then there are weeks when it just doesn't happen. However I will say that looking back I am so thankful that I have been doing this. Not only does it connect me with all of you but it gives me a window into my life when I look back. It may not seem important now but think of all the small things that will be remembered, all the funny things that would ordinarily go forgotten, the window into lives, friends and what happened to us each day!

Now it begin again!

2012 starts off and we all wonder what will happen, where we will go, who we will meet, the fun things that will happen, some sad things too no doubt!

Happy New Year y’all!

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up. If you have never participated in P365 then give it a go! Life in pictures and when you look back it’s a good thing!

Blessings

The Christmas Day Sticky Bun Disaster….an epic failure and I’m not the only one out there!

2011-12-27T17:27:00.001-05:00

Well in hindsight I think I may adopt the no new recipe’s during the holidays rule that Paula advocates. Live and learn. All I can say is that I feel a bit vindicated when I scrolled through the reviews of the recipe and found several very negative comments

Needless to say I had a a good laugh at this comment about this recipe being a fire hazard……..had I read the first comment listed below I may have thought twice about putting my family and Christmas all together in jeopardy for the sake of a sticky bun.

Copied straight from the Food Network Website: “Fire hazard.. do not make. I followed this recipe exactly.. 400 degrees for 30 minutes. 15 minutes into the baking the brown sugar and butter was scorched and the whole house was filled with smoke. If I were you I would not make this unless the oven temperature is reconsidered. A epic failure of a recipe.”

In any event I followed the direction exactly!

My first indicator that things were not going well was that the puff pastry seemed to melt back down into the butter sugar mixture in the bottom of the muffin tin. This in turn began to push the buttery sugar mixture over the edges of the muffin tin and then it began to spill over the edges of the pan onto the cookie sheet. Thankfully I had lined the cookie sheet with parchment paper. On checking the oven I noticed the edges of the parchment paper beginning to tune a very dark brown, The sugar mixture was beginning to bubble and smoke. The puff pastry did eventually begin to puff out of the muffin tins but the portion of the pastry that was still down in the muffin tin was not cooking. The tops were puffed out and crispy and golden brown and at the end of the cooking time I pulled out the muffin tin. I followed the directions of letting them sit for 5 minutes then inverting them out onto the parchment paper. Well as soon as I tiled the pan they all came tumbling out. The caramel spilled all over the place the buns began to unwind and the nuts and raisins were tossed every which way. The tops were done and the interior was raw. The sugar that had bubble out of the muffin tin was burned and stuck to the muffin tin…..yeah just what I wanted to clean up on Christmas morning.

Now I am looking at a mess of soupy buttery raw pastry dough. I thought about just tossing it out but decide that rather than trying to put all this lovely mess back into the muffin tins I would just pop the cookie sheet back in the oven to see if the raw parts would finish baking.

We sat down to eat a leisurely brunch. The next thing I noticed was an unpleasant smell and then the kitchen began to fill with smoke. I hopped up from the table and looked in the oven to watch in horror as the sugar/butter/caramel combination was bubbling over the edges of the cookie sheet and dripping down into the bottom of my oven like an erupting volcano. The scorching hot sugar mixture was running over onto the bottom of my oven and flames where shooting out and jumping up and trying to catch the parchment paper on fires as well. At this point I am doing some serious praying that my house does not burn down on Christmas morning…….well Officer, you see it was the sticky buns……….they just burst into flames and before we knew what what happening….

So there we all are the three of us, Me, the Hubs and my son, smoke is billowing out of the oven and I am trying to decide how to get the smoking tray of smoldering sugar out of my oven without making a bigger mess. The Hubs and son are at the oven door working in tandem trying to reach in and avoid the scorching hot sugar that is sliding all over the place. They both got a bit smattered with hot buttery sugar…..NOT FUN!

Finally they were able to get the cookie sheet out of the oven and I was able to grab the box of baking soda out of the cabinet and tossed in a generous helping over the open flames that was dancing around the bottom of my oven.

It was a mess y’all. I was only after the scorched, raw/burned/smoked sticky buns had been deposited in the trash that I had the after thought…..pictures! Who stops to take a picture when your kitchen is in the process of burning down? I had vision of standing outside watching my house erupt in flames….and it was all Ina’s fault!

Just what the hubs wanted to do on Christmas Day!

Y’all know me, ever since this epic sticky bun failure it has been a nagging tick in the back of my mind. I even went back over to the Food Network and watched the video where she demonstrated how to make them. I thought that maybe she had used the extra large muffin pan but upon watching the video a second time it looked like a regular sized muffin pan to me! I’m not an idiot in the kitchen but I did feel somewhat vindicated when I read several very unfavorable reviews all speaking about the various flaws of this recipe!

I did not scroll through all the reviews but here is a small sampling of some of the bad reviews. There were about as many bad revies as there were good ones but I have to say I will not be making this one again, or if I do I will make some major revisions…..

“Sad to give this 1 star. Temp to hot.... burned. To much butter, to much sugar, while baking & after taking them out to cool a little, sugar turned in to rock pecan brittle. Made 2 times, don't think I'll make again so disappointed. So excited to try them, sorry Ina.”

“the cooking temperature is way toooo high...they turned out terrible!”

“This recipe is absolutely terrible! Way too much butter, and the cooking temperature was much too high! While removing them from the pan, the filling fell out of them! These we supposed to be a morning treat for my husband!”

“This recipe needs to be amended! I made these easy sticky buns according to the recipe and was very disappointed. Way too much butter as puff pastry already has layers of butter. These came out soggy with butter, had to pitch them out. I am not sure why there is a need for so much butter. Next time, I will not brush on the butter over the pastry and will use just a little butter in the bottom of each muffin cup.”

“First off, I LOVE Ina and most of her recipes, but I have to say --this one let me down.
When trying a new recipe I always follow it by the book and then down the road I may alter it. This recipe seemed nice and simple at first, smelled great while in the oven. However, I noticed when peeking in and rotating the pan during baking that they almost appeared to be floating in the butter/brown sugar in the base of the muffin tins. I thought maybe they would set up and all would be well afterward, but that was not to be. ( I do LOTS of baking and my oven is in decent shape, btw.
This recipe is in need of some serious altering so maybe I'll read through even more reviews and see if there are good tips to salvage it. Otherwise I'm sorry, this will be out of my recipe collection.

Project 365 ~ Week 52………..Random Salad Greens, a Sweet Fury House Guest, Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, Cookies and Baked Oysters!

2011-12-25T16:49:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

I just popped my ham in the oven and my house is nice a quiet after a whirl of family activity. The highlight of the morning was when I set the oven on fire making my sticky buns. Regretfully we were to focused on putting the fire out to get any pictures but I did however snap a few of the aftermath…needless to say Ina would be horrified at the end result. I am scratching my head trying to figure out exactly what went wrong with this recipe, it seemed fairly straight foreword however it was far from the wonderful sweet sticky puffy creation I watched her make on television………Y’all will just have to wait until next week for a full blow by blow account of the Epic Sticky Bun disaster but all is not lost and Christmas was not ruined.

Looking back in the past week I will say that as weeks go it was a very nice week full of wonderful surprises.

Sunday, December 18

Being the novice gardener that I am I was unaware that Lettuce is a fall/winter crop. When I was planting all my spring veggie I tossed in a few rows of lettuce seeds! One of my dear friends who is a seasoned gardener eventually explained to me that you don't plant lettuce until the fall. Well when I cleaned out my garden after the first frost and tuned over the dirt and raked it all out flat to get the bed ready for winter, well a few days later I saw some bright little green shoots popping up all over the bed. I guess the lettuce seed had been dormant waiting on just the right conditions.

In any event we enjoyed a lovely salad with fresh picked greens….and we can keep enjoying the lettuce all winter long form what i understand! Who knew….not me!

Monday, December 19

I was unloading my groceries on Tuesday afternoon when this little guy wandered up in the driveway. Thankfully he had a tag. We were able to contact the vet’s office and they were able to call the owners. The lived right in our neighborhood. For such a small sweet furry little thing he was full of you know what! He felt less than agreeable to make new friends. Let’s just sat that Buster and fuzzball did not get along……and I was more that glad when the owners turned up to claim little mister disagreeable!

I know I don't have to tell y’all who Dave Ramsey is. Well I was listening to his radio show the other day and he was explaining that all during the month of December he is giving something away on his website. I am also linked up to him through facebook. Well I saw that they were giving away 5 Kindle Fire’s on Monday. Well I was highly motivated so I set to work submitting entrees. You could enter as many times as you liked and believe me that’s exactly what I did! All my diligence paid off…………I WON! I was super excited!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, December 20

It was pie day….pecan for my husband!

Wednesday, December 21

It was cookie day.

I did a bunch for the hubs to take to the office and several smaller gift bags for friends as well! I made Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Toffee Crunch, Oatmeal Raisin and Cranberry Christmas Cookies!

Y’all the email said five to seven business day but look what showed up in the mail this evening!

I was shocked that it came so quickly but over the top that I was able to begin exploring my new toy!

Thursday, December 22

Trying to keep it homemade…..I made an attempt to make some homemade gift bags. These brown paper grocery bags worked very well for my Christmas gifts I did for my girls group. I made each one of them an assortment of all the different jams and things I have been working on this years so the heavy paper bag was just the right vehicle for the heavy glass jars. I tied one of my homemade ornaments on and wrapped them all up with some red yard………and it was almost all made in the USA!

Friday, December 23

I have to tell y’all my new toy is way cool! This is a picture of me watching a full length movie sitting in my recliner! I have already read one book and have downloaded several samples of some books that I am contemplating buying. There are ton of free apps, lots of cool games. I have not figured out how to do it yet but you can email form you kindle, I’ll be figuring that out soon. I can surf the web, check my FB page, I download a free bible, it’s really a application that links you in to multiple bibles online but it's free. I have downloaded several classic books for free. I started reading Frankenstein just yesterday. My first download was Water For Elephants. I finished it off in about two days. I am not sure if reading a book on the kindle is faster that a regular book but it seemed that I just blew through that last book a whole lot faster that I would have if I had just been reading a traditional book.

I have found one small glitch in the program. One of the things that I was very excited about was the linked dictionary. How many times have you come across a word in a book and wish you could look it up right then. Well the Kindle has a function that if you press on the word it will open a pop up window with the definition. This function is not as reliable as it would seem, the touch screen is a very sensitive and sometimes it highlight the wrong word or even highlight the entire sentence thinking you want to add a note. However this small glitch is a non issue given the ease of use and all the different things you can do with this device.

Basically I love it….so far that is!

Saturday, December 24

I think we have a new Christmas Eve tradition…that is if I can convince the hubs that he really does enjoy shucking oysters.

These were not quite a s good as the ones we had at Pappadeaux or Uncle Bubba’s but I think with a bit of tweaking I can come close next time!

They were real good y’all….and not to bad at about $6.00 for the oysters!

Well I need to get my side in the oven for Christmas Dinner. It;s been a good day’ y’all!

Blessings and I hope you all had a joyous and Christ filled day!

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Life is what happen while you are waiting on the oven timer to go off……..

2011-12-21T11:57:00.001-05:00

Why is it that our holiday memories are so tied to the smells and taste we experience. Smell has a huge impact on memory. A smell will waft by in the breeze and I will be instantly taken back to what ever memory is sparked by that olfactory sensation. I remember the way my grandmothers kitchen smelled. I remember the way she smelled.

I have to wonder sometimes what Muffinhead will remember about time spent at my house. Yesterday the DD and I spent time in the kitchen. I was supervising in the yearly macaroni and cheese making (oven timer………back in a minute)

Cookies cooling on the counter……..

So where was I…….right back to the mac and cheese, which is the DD favorite, she was rather distressed when she found this item lacking on the Christmas dinner menu. I had decided to make scalloped potatoes instead.

She said “But if you don’t make it now I'll have to wait until Campmeeting to get it again!”

Well I did a bit of menu shuffling and she is now a happy camper. However I did have on stipulation. It was time for her to learn how to make the mac & cheese herself. Well I think the baton of homemade mac & cheese has been handed down successfully, she did a wonderful job and when tasted it I could not have done a better job myself!

On of the favorite things we do as mother and daughter is menu planning, I think her interest is more to ensure that she has some editorial control in getting her favorites on the menu, but I take whatever mother daughter time I can get my hands on during the wonderful teen years and thank the Lord for the moment.

Over the last few day we have been assembling our menu and over dinner the other night we put the final touches on what will be offered up.

So here it is……….

Christmas Eve

Veggie Lasagna (this has been hanging out in the freezer for a while just wafting for the right moment) The last thing I want to do when I get home from church on Christmas even is mess with a big meal!

Baked Oysters Brownefeller

This new recipe will depend greatly on my time management. If I can make it over to the H=Mart then we will have some oysters later in the evening…..however you know how those last minute thing kind of fall to the wayside!

Bread Sticks

Peanut Butter Cookies

Cranberry Christmas Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

There goes the oven timer again………..be right back!

One cookie sheet cooling on the counter the second one baking off in the oven. Why do you hatch the to[p of peanut butter cookies with a fork anyway? I’ll be goggling that later on I am sure!

Christmas Brunch

My Son and his family are coming over for brunch on Christmas morning so I have a nice leisurely brunch planed. Most of it I can get done ahead of time and then just bake off in the oven on Christmas morning….

Sausage & Cheese & Egg Breakfast Casserole ( a holiday tradition, we sometime have Stuffed French Toast but this year I wanted to try a new sweet sticky bun recipe (see below for the link) so I wanted to to a savory casserole instead!)

Sticky Buns

Pineapple Casserole

Scallop Potato’s (Paula advised to never try a new recipe during the holidays but I am breaking her rule and giving this new recipe a try, I may regret it bit if it fails we will still have plenty of other offerings to choose from)

Mimosa’s

O.J.

and there may be a latte tossed in for good measure!

Christmas Dinner

Dinner will be a smaller offering as it will be just the three of us sitting down to the table. So I am keeping it simple and all of it can be made in advance except for the asparagus and hollandaise, but then that is so super easy that it isn’t even funny!

Spiral Sliced Ham (I am not sure what kind of glaze I am going to use but I am sure I will come up with something sweet and maybe a bit savory as well)

Mac & Cheese

Asparagus & Hollandaise

Cranberry Sauce

Baked Apples

Spinach Salad with Red Onion, Bacon, Mandarin Oranges and Seasoned Croutons( this is the hubs favorite, except for the red onions but he just picks those off and gives them to me)

Dessert

Pecan Pie

Chocolate Mouse

Well that what’s on the menu at the Be Still and Know table for the holidays.

Oven timer again……

Well the last batch of Peanut butter cookies are cooling on the counter and I am moving on to the the Oatmeal Raisin.

Before I hit the publish button today…..

What smells remind you of the holidays or even a special loved one?

What is the one dish that just makes the holidays for you?

Merry Christmas y’all I hope you have a beautiful day.

Blessings

Project 365 ~ Week 51…It’s a Miracle! I have all seven days!

2011-12-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Now that I have recovered from the shock of actually snapping a picture for each day I will forge ahead before I become overwhelmed with the reality of my accomplishment……

Sunday, December 11

The Music department at church puts on several different Christmas Concerts. The first one was called “The Sweet Sounds of Christmas”, this consist of the seven different choirs we have. The hubs and I were obligated to attend since the Girlchild was singing. I win the bad mother award and at Christmas too! Yea Santa will be putting me on the naughty list for this one for sure. I love my child, I think she has a beautiful singing voice, however, I know that there are lots of folks who have there souls filled up listing to music, who find great joy in the Sweet Sound of Christmas, i however am not one of those people. Now don’t get me wrong, I love listing to music, I draw the line at sitting in the sanctuary on the inadequate pew cushions for almost two hours. I think they must have sung every Christmas song with the word Noel in the title. #1:Sing Noel, #2:Sing Noel, Noel, #3:Jamaican Noel, #4:The First Noel aaaannnnnddddd #5: Sing We Noel!

25 musical numbers and no potty break…….

Monday, December 12

I opened the mail, shredded the mail and paid my bills!

Tuesday, December 13

I went into the kitchen to get my second cup of coffee from the fresh pot I had made only to find this. It really does help when you have a functioning brain in your head. I just shook my head closed the lid on the coffee maker and pressed the brew button!

Wednesday, December 14

It was a coupon kind of day. After bible study Skoots1mom and I went to lunch and used a coupon, then I had a 30% off coupon for Kohl’s. I got a few new sweaters and a small surprise for the DD for under the tree, then since the hubs was out of town on business we took advantage of the coupons we had for McDonalds, I know not very nutritious but we both ate for under $5.00!

Thursday, December 15

I can’t show you what I made but I can tell you that most of the morning I was sitting at my sewing machine. I have a hate/hate relationship with this piece of equipment. We go back a long way in our animosity! The secret to successful sewing…I have now coined a new phrase. I have participated in Prayer Walks, Prayer Blankets, Prayer Shawls, Prayer Labyrinths, Prayer Retreats……Now I can claim Prayer Sewing. God is good and I only had to rethread once AND I only had to ask for forgiveness for unexpected foul language once…..well maybe twice!

Later that evening at my Accountability Group Meeting Skoots1mom brought her Christmas gift to us early. She wanted us to be able to use them for the Christmas season. She so Crafty and Thrifty. She MADE this sweet Christmas serving pedestal.

I can’t wait to stack it up with some festive Christmas cookies!

She also brought me a belated birthday gift. The next time Muffinhead comes over you can bet that we will be enjoying this story together. Gotta love title and the theme of this story. Grandma’s are Large and in Charge! I think I probably fit both of these descriptions!

Friday, December 16

I did a bit of baking. The Hubs is very fond of my Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread so I tossed a batch on to proof. Then I brought out a recipe that I had experimented with last year. It’s a good thing that bread flour in not expensive………….

It may look good on the outside…….

Saturday, December 17

Once it had cooled the huge canyon running down the center of the loaf was the first sign of the pending and hidden disaster……

After slicing it up I found it was totally underdone, gummy and a bit of a disappointment.

All is not lost though. I am pondering how to fix this as well as thinking about why this recipe failed!!!!!! I have a few ideas on what to do with the inedible bread…………we shall see how the end result turns out!

The bad news is since this recipe was such a big fat failure it is now stuck in my mind until I figure out how to fix it. I will have to keep working on the recipe until I have a successful end result. Is there such a thing as O.B.D. (Obsessive Baking Disorder) with an underlying secondary condition brought on by fear of failure! It just bugs me when a recipe does not wok our like I intended. It then becomes like a nagging tick in my brain….naner naner boo boo……while little pasty underdone loaves of bread dance in a circle around my head like on a cartoon!

Well while I’m banging my head against my oven door in shame y’all can head over to Sara’s for more P365! One more week and were done y’all! Say it ain't so…but it is!

I hope you all have a truly blessed Christmas!

Blessings

My House is quiet….

2011-12-13T09:07:00.001-05:00

I don’t have Muffinhead today, it’s only been a few weeks since I started watching her in the mornings, but already I miss seeing that little head pop around the corner when she wakes up. The hubs left for a business trip the morning and the DD is off to school. It’s just me and the dog cuddled up on the sofa enjoying the lights on tree and the peace and quiet of my house.

The random thoughts that are passing through my head this morning…..

Planning my Christmas brunch menu and a Christmas dinner menu, thinking about going shopping for a new sweater for the hubs company Christmas party on Friday, mentally putting together the last Christmas gift I have to make, wishing I had a new phone but dreading the weeding out process as I research which phone out of the thousand on the market will best suit my need, why oh why can’t things be made to last!

I saw one of our church youth on FB today posting about her “Tacky Christmas Sweater Day” and realize that I have the very same sweater hanging in my closet……..Tacky is the new Christmas sheik I guess….

I am so relieved that all my shopping is done. I was motivated this year to get it done early, my extreme aversion to shopping gets more pronounces with the passing of time. I am so glad that I am done, now I can just relax and enjoy the holidays!

Yesterday I got all my junk mail opened, shredded and now all I have to do it file the remaining stack. The hubs looks at me over supper last night and ask “Why don’t you just deal with it as it come in??????”

That is the question for the ages I think?

Why do we procrastinate the tasks we do not want to do?

I know for me there is a lingering background history involved. Many many years ago we were so financially challenged with a HUGE medical debt as well as all the other household bills that we could not pay. Going to the mail box and opening the mail only brought stress and tears into my life. As I opened all the bills knowing that there was no money to pay them, even remembering it now just bring the angst back!

Thankfully that is no longer the case but my thinking about the process has been tainted by that negative experience.

Old baggage….makes life interesting! However, If I did not have my past experiences then I do not have the foundation for all the painful lessons I need to learn. Through that experience I learned how to budget our finances and how to live within our means. I learned the difference between wants and needs.

With Christmas rapidly approaching looking back on those lean days and knowing that for now they are behind us is such a blessing.

The Lord has been faithful in leading me and teaching me to be good a steward.

Philippians 4:12

¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

I am not sure I am as enlighten as Paul, but I feel grounded in the knowledge that I know the difference between what I really need and what I want. After many many years of being in need, the other side is a good place to be. It comes with much gratitude and thankfulness.

I am pondering what act of service or giving I can do this year.

I’ve done for my friends and my family, but what have I done for those who may be in need……

Well my house is still quiet, the second pot just finished brewing and my tummy is grumbling and my list if things to accomplish is a bit lengthy today so I will close out for now…..

But I’d love to know…What are you thankful for this year and what are you doing to give back this season?

Blessings

Project 365 ~ Week 50…Oh my Stars the year is almost over!

2011-12-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

Tis the season….to totally not take any pictures……

All the Christmas business has occupied my time with other things. However now that I am done I am looking forward to just enjoying the rest of the time until Christmas!

Friday, December 9

I was shocked the other day when I was finishing up he last of my Christmas shopping. As I have mentioned before I am on a quest to try to be as “Made in the USA” as possible this Christmas. Can I tell ya it is not easy. Trying to find the where something is manufactures is a chore and trying to find the labeling on the packages can be even more difficult. I am surprised at just how many products have no indication on the labels what so ever as to where they are manufactures. Some even go as far as to simple state that the item is “imported” but neglect to state where it is imported from.

However when I picked up this roll of wrapping paper in nice big bold labeling right across the front it read “Made in the USA”. It was $2.44 and it even has the cutting grid on the back…..very helpful! I love it!

Muffinhead was at home with her dad this morning so I seized the moment and got the last few bits of my decorations up. I also got a lot of my wrapping done. My house is as decorated as it is going to get, my tree is finished, the mantel is done and all my major shopping is done! What does this mean…..it means that I am officially done with all my Christmas preparations. There may be some holiday baking a bit closer to the actual day and I may have to make a run out for a gift I forgot to pick up, I always manage to forget to get one or two…..but the feeling of being done is wonderful!

Well with only two pictures for the week I am hanging my head in shame but vowing to forge ahead with the hope of seven full day next week! One can only dream!

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings & Merry Christmas!

Project 365 ~ Week 49: Christmas Craftiness………

2011-12-04T13:39:00.000-05:00

Can I just tell ya that taking care of a two and a half year old really cuts into the blogging time. I did however manage to work on a few Christmas crafts as well as get a few more Christmas gifts checked off my list. So all things considered maybe it balances out a bit.

No pictures on Sunday, November 27 or Monday, November 28

Tuesday, November 29

Muffinhead has a new favorite spot. She loves this basket, normally I keep all my unused throw pillow in it but today it was her own personal reading nook! She sat there for several minutes looking at books.

Wednesday, November 30

I saw this cute idea floating around on Pintrest a few weeks ago. Since I am all into trying to keep it either made in the USA or Homemade well this little craft project fit the bill. The toilet paper is made in the USA, the glue I bought was made in the USA, the paint was made in the USA, the red yarn was made in the USA however, sadly the red glitter was made in China.

One toilet paper roll cut into six equal length will make one ornament.

Thursday, December 1

She is a busy girl but every now and then she will take a short break…..

she is very intently watching this show on PBS……

After Muffinhead left for the day it was on to part two of the craft project. I did not think that glitter and a toddler were a good combination……

After letting the glue set for a while, then I took them outside and gave them a good coat of red spray paint. I wanted to make them Gold but they did not have any gold glitter at the Walmart so I opted for red instead. After I painted them I gave each of them a punch with my handy dandy hole punch for the yarn to go through.

Any time you mention glitter it brings the DD out of her room and away from her iPod. She was itching to get her hands down in that glitter. She helped give them a light coat of watered down glue.

Then a nice dusting of red glitter is the final touch.

Friday, December 2

With all the leaves off the Crepe Myrtles out in the front yard I noticed that one of the trees was home to two birds nests. I was able to retrieve one of them and brought it safely into the house. I am not sure what I am going to do with it, but given that my Christmas tree always has an abundance of bird ornament as well as bird house and birds nest I think this sweet little nest will look rather nice nestled somewhere on my tree.

Saturday, December 3

One of the women in my accountability group had a death in the family. Her father in law passed away. He was a well loved man and lived a wonderful and long life. He left behind five son’s and one daughter and more grandchildren and great grandchildren than I could count. Myself and the two other women in the group, y’all know Skoots1mom, well anyway we all pilled into her husbands giant green suburban and made the trip up to the funeral. I made good sue of the time thought. While we chatted I worked out the kinks in this new stitch I was wanting to learn. It is called the Crocodile Stitch. I can tell you that it is not really that had to learn how to do. It is a bit on the awkward side to re-teach your fingers as you are going in and out in odd angles holding the hook and yard in very different way that the average crochet pattern. It is also a bit time consuming. This stitch takes twice as long to get a row done because in theory each row has to be done twice. You work the foundation row and then you work back over that same row in an alternating pattern. You can do a Google search if you want to find the instruction on how to do the stitch. that’s what I did…..it also requires a boatload of yarn. But I am glad I figured it out!

Well that's it for me this week. I am hoping that Muffinhead and I can begin to fall into some kind of normal routine now that we are in our second week of being together so hopefully I I can get back to my normal blogging routine……..

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings

PS: On a completely unrelated subject matter, I have just realized that since I had to re-load Live Writer back on to my new desktop I lost all of my pre saved links that it would automatically insert…..I HATE having to rebuild all those links back in…..totally bummed…….

Project 365: A Double Header………I’m Back:)

2011-11-27T19:59:00.000-05:00

First I have to say that with the Thanksgiving break being all but over I am finally actually feeling like Thanksgiving. I just sat down to a wonderful plate of leftovers and am feeling very satisfied. I’m coming to the party a bit late today but at last we have all our files back in place on the new desktop and I have my new birthday laptop up and running. I am comfortable blogging with my feet up in my favorite recliner watching Americas Funnies Videos. Thank You Jesus and my thoughtful husband that I am no longer chained to the desktop, nor do I have to fight the DD for computer time either……for that I am very thankful indeed!

So this edition will be a culmination of the last two weeks. I did not get each day but I did get a few good shots….so let's get at it!

Week 47

Monday, November 14

Things have changed around the Be Still and Know household as I am now watching Muffinhead four days a week. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays. I will keep this schedule up for the reminder of the school year. Prayers for stamina would be greatly appreciated……

Apples are a good thing!

Tuesday, November 15

Unfortunately Muffinhead did not stay stationary for very long…but it was sweet watching her put her babies to bed and then grab her own blankie and joining them for a bit……it did not last for very long.

I love my crock pot, especially when it all comes together . Sometimes it just all works out just right. The seasonings, the cut of meat the veggies, it all came together and this was the end result. We really enjoyed this pot roast with potatoes, carrotss, onion, mushrooms with a creamy brown gravy with a cheesy polenta….my all time favorite combination. It was good y’all!

Thursday, November 17

The HOA recently installed our long awaited playground. We moved in this subdivision almost five years ago and at last we now have a playground. Muffinhead and I seized the day and the beautiful weather and made a trip up to the new playground.

Great fall color!

A big stick is always fun!

story time…love a good snuggle!

Friday, November 18

My grandma used to make pancake men, well I had some leftover pancake batter from the night before. Love breakfast for dinner, but then that’s another post entirely. Well this guy needs a bit of work but I hope with practice to be able to make a good pancake man just like my grandma did when I was a little girl. And y’all Muffinhead put away three whole pancakes for breakfast that morning!

Week 48

Sunday, November 20

I was pretending that I was not getting a cold earlier in the week, well by Sunday there was no ignoring the facts. I was feeling really crappy and stayed home from church with my Alka Seltzer Plus, my hot tea and blanket!

Tuesday, November 22

The DD had a friend over for a few days. When she left and I was feeling better I found this note on our marker board in the kitchen. I love it when the girlchild’s friends feel at home here…like a home away from home. It was sweet that she left me a little love note of appreciation!

Thursday, November 24

On Thanksgiving we drove out to my SIL. I did absolutely no cooking, I did bring a sweet potato pie, which as pie’s go I am not sure I will make it again. Over many years of pie eating I have determined that pumpkin and sweet potato pie is just not one of my all time fav’s. I’ll be sticking to apple and peach from now on.

Muffinhead got a bit restless a few times during the day so she and I would grab a cookie and head down the street for a bit of a walk. The house across form my SIL had two large lawn statuary that she was so intrigued with. She petted them, sat on the gave their sweet little heads a pat.

Every seven year my birthday falls on Thanksgiving. It was problematic as a little girl and made party planning a real bummer. Now I am a bit more accepting of the fact that Thanksgiving trumps birthdays sometimes. The DD surprised me some metal measuring cups and measuring spoons. No more plastic for me. I shared with you the other day about my new birthday laptop so I will stop gushing about it and move on.

Friday, November 25

I did a little bit of pantry organization on Friday. All my canning was stored on the very bottom of my pantry back in a dark hole. I finally moved it out into the light. I don’t think this is where it will permanently stay but I figured that if I can not see what I have then it never gets used.

From left to right we have peach jam (thanks Sara), pepper jelly, apple butter, apple sauce, orange marmalade, pickle relish, cranberry sauce and then more pepper jelly…….

Well that’s it for me for the last few days!

I hop you all had a wonderful thanksgiving…..now it’s time to get the house decorated and finish up the last bit of Christmas shopping.

Blessings Y’all!

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

My house is quiet…

2011-11-26T09:12:00.002-05:00

The DD had a sleepover last night so even the dog is sacked out upstairs, the hubs is off to his Men’s Small Group that meets every Saturday and I am sitting on the sofa listening to the oven pre-heat.
My insulated thermal coffee carafe mysteriously has water sloshing around in it and for the life of me I can not figure out how it got in here, life is full of the unexplainable.
My day is full of my favorite things, I am having and after thanksgiving Thanksgiving, only abbreviated. Since I did no cooking beyond tossing a pie in the oven to take to my SIL for the actual day ofTthanksgiving I am suffering the aftereffect of Thanksgiving withdraw….no leftovers! We feasted on imaginary turkey ~~peanut butter and jelly~~ sandwiches yesterday. I have an abbreviated menu planned for this evening.
Pork Roast with Apricot Glaze
Sausage & Cranberry Dressing
Honey & Orange Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Homemade Applesauce
Spiced Cranberry Sauce
Steamed Asparagus
I will get the pork roast on to marinate in a few minutes, and then I get to cook in my own kitchen to my hearts content………but since I have been san computer for that last few days I wanted to at least take advantage of the peace and quite with a bit of blogindulgance…..
The hubs gets a gold star this year, last week I told y’all that he brought home a new desktop, they had upgraded all the computers at his office and then they let the employees purchase the use equipment for a steal….well…not only did he take advantage of this opportunity to upgrade our desktop but I am now able to blog and surf to my heart content and not have to fight the DD for PC time…….I have new laptop! It was a really good Birthday present!!!!!!!!!!!
I was so missing my old laptop and thankfully my thoughtful husband snagged one of the office laptops for me. Gotta love it when they upgrade cause I reap the leftovers, and this leftover is way better than even a cheaper models that are offered in the stores right now. I have to admit that I was coveting a new one but knew that we simply could not afford one. Yea for a company upgrade.
It will take me a few days to get used to the smaller keyboard. My fingers are lying all over the places hitting all the wrong keys but then that is what spell check is for.
Lastly, do y’all have your files backed up online? I recently purchased an online backup service called Carbonite. It was only $59.00 for unlimited back up of all our files. While I enjoy the peace of mind of know that all my pictures are protected in case of a fire, flood or other unexpected digital disaster. However, I have been less than impressed with the proceed of restring your files to the new PC. Not to mention that it took nearly a month to get all the files backed up the first time. It is going on one full week and all my files still have not completely retransferred to the new PC. It is a bit cumbersome. Not to mention that there have been several instances where it gets accidentally closed out and then I have to start over. It has been a pain…….
All things considered I think $59.00 is a decent price to pay to protect your documents but right now I have the old PC hooked up and am manually transferring all the files and so far it has taken less than an hour…….
Well I’m off the enjoy my kitchen!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Blessings
R
PS: I hope to have all my pictures restored today so I can get my P365 post up tomorrow………..

Made in the USA…..a challenge for us all

2011-11-23T16:59:00.001-05:00

Having just retuned from my normal trip to the Wal-Mart for the necessary personal care products such as toothpaste and toothbrushes and etc, I returned home feeling a bit overwhelmed but also a bit encouraged.

Out of the 24 products on my receipt there were only four or five that were manufactured out side of the United States.

There were a few product that failed to state where they were manufactured so I will have to do some additional research to follow up to see how I did. My deodorant did not state where it was manufactured nor did the toothpaste I purchased. Most to the shampoos and conditions were all made in the USA as well as the other hair care products.

I was shocked at how many products I purchased that did not list any where on the label where they were manufactured.

In a few click on the www I was able to determine that the Sensodyne toothpaste was probably made into Malaysia, I tried to email the company that manufactured the deodorant but was unsuccessful due to there poor website.

I have to say that initially I felt like I had done a fairly good job of shopping AMERICAN, but after further research I am not so sure.

Plus after several minutes of web searching found that if I want to brush my teeth with something other than my finger OR if i want to pay $2.00 plus shipping and handling for ONE toothbrush then made in China or India is my only option. NONE OF THE TOOTHBRUSHED AT WAL-MART WERE MADE IN THE USA!

The sad thing is that I am not sure that I have the stamina to maintain a strictly made in he USA policy, I can not see my budget allowing nor my willingness to devote the added time to research all the products I use to ensure that they are all made in America. It’s a good concept, I am just not so sure how it will all play out.

I did find one website where you could get a toothbrush subscription for $15.00, yea a bit pricy but they send you the toothbrushes in the mail and then you can send them back and they will recycle then again. Kind of a cool idea but I don't think I am ready to fork out the $15.00 for a new toothbrush every three months in the mail.

Here is the link Preserve should you want to investigate for yourself.

I did purchase one Christmas gift today and it was manufactured in the United States. And just an FYI all Nordic Ware bake ware and other products are all manufactured in the United States. Plus following Robynn’s suggestion I picked up several gift cards to our favorite coffee spot for stocking stuffers….more money going back into the local economy.

I did find a website that is like a clearing house for products made in the United states. You can click here to visit it. I found it to be very helpful.

My goal is to be an informed consumer. Will I achieve a completely MADE IN AMERCAI Christmas, probably not. However if I do not at least try then I become part of the problem.

My challenge to you today is to flip your package over and look for where it is manufactured. There may not be an alternative like buying a toothbrush, but there might be a comparable product that is made in the USA!

My second challenge is a bit more of a time commitment. In my opinion the only way we as consumers can affect a change is with our voices and with our dollars. I need to be willing to send off an email to the corporations requesting that the products I purchase be manufactured in the United Stares. Will it work, will they listen….who knows. But if enough of us all let out voices be heard then just maybe we will all be brushing our teeth with good old Made In The USA toothbrushes…….

Every little bit helps.

My third suggestion is to spread the word, if you find a product that is made in he United States toss it up on your FB page, blog about it, let folks know where to get it, if you have a great idea for a homemade gift then toss that one out there as well. I know my stash of homemade gifts will be big this year.

Let’s all have a MADE IN THE USA Christmas…….

What do y’all think……

Blessings

Out of Pocket....well sorta but not really

2011-11-19T19:30:00.000-05:00

We are in the middle of some major computer upgrades. I am currently in the process of restoring all my files and the time table is looking like it will be a few days before all my necessary files have been re-established.

The old desk top was on it's last legs and the hubs acquired a newer (slightly used) one from the abandoned pile that accumulated at his office. We now have a much faster model however it will take several day to get everything loaded back on and all my files back in place. The joys of a new computer.

I am thankful for the increased speed additional space om the HD.

So I will see all of y'all in a few days once I have all my digital ducks in a row........

Blessings
R

Letting go….

2011-11-16T23:17:00.001-05:00

For some time now I have been avoiding something. It was not a huge life altering decision, it was more a nagging you need to do this only you just to chicken to do it kind of thing.

It is so odd how God works out certain things and God being God and all His timing is always perfect. There are times when you have to wonder why certain things work out and other things do not. Mine is not to question why, mine is only to try to be obedient to what God is leading me to, or more to the point leading me away from.

I finally stepped away from an area of ministry today that I should have stepped away from several years ago. My failure to heed my inner prompting in favor of what other people wanted me to do spoke louder than my desire to be obedient to what God had been telling me to do. Today I finally had the courage to actually say the words out loud, as well as have those words be well received.

Isn't that the rub. We hesitate to do what we know we need to do because of fear that we will disappoint someone or that our choice or decision will make someone upset. Thankfully God is so much wiser than I am and He paved the way for me to step away from this ministry position. Now I am feeling the weight, or more actually describe as a ball and chain being freed from my life. I was serving because no one else wanted to do it, or more to the point because I was to hesitant to actually listen to what my heart was telling me to do…which was to let it GO!

The wonderful thing about begin called into any ministry is that some times it is a life long calling, however there are other times when it is only for a season. Our lives change as we grow in our faith and what I was called into many years ago may not fit the specific areas that are taking shape in my life right now.

As I breath a great sigh of relief, I also received a huge confirmation tonight that I had in fact done the right thing. I love it when God works so swiftly in matters. It was a very small confirmation, but it was defiantly a sign that I had made the right decision.

I also have to remember the words of one of my spiritual mentors. She often counsels that when we are constantly saying yes without really thinking or with misguided motives we may be in fact blocking a blessing that God is trying to work in someone one else life.

As I said to my dear friend and pastor tonight. I will always keep this ministry in my prayers. I feel certain that now that I have stepped way that might be just the needed push to allow someone else to step up and really light a fire for God.

Y’all I feel so much relieved…..I know that I did the right thing and I know that God is at work.

I sleep tonight knowing that a very small burden has been lifted. For that I am eternally grateful to God for being faithful to my service but also giving me the courage to step away when the time was right.

Blessings

^{ISA 55 :8} “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Project 365 ~ Week 46: An Unwanted Surprise, Sweet Vitamin C and a visit from Muffinhead

2011-11-13T14:53:00.000-05:00

Well almost….I got four out of seven days this week.

I will make a disclaimer ahead of time. Due to the particularly unpleasant nature of certain female bodily function this weeks P365 post is decidedly hormonally driven. In an attempt to be completely real and transparent to all aspect of the peri-menopausal process I have decided to adapt a full discloser policy…….those with weak constitutions may want to jump straight to Thursday where my selections are of a more acceptable topic and not hormonally motivated!

Monday, November 7

Just call me Gomer….SUPRISE, SUPRISE, SUPRISE…….

I woke up Monday morning feeling awful.

Hence the photograph of the Homemade Whole Wheat toast with a drizzle of honey.

It hit the spot as well as putting something in my tummy so I could take the necessary meds to help with the awful I woke up with. In addition to feeling awful I was also really really, ~~REALLY, REALLY, REALLY~~ ticked. The reason for my awfulness had not reared it’s ugly head since July. I was blissfully month after month enjoying the concept of bidding farewell to certain annoying monthly aspects of my life….if ya know what I mean!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, November 8

I felt better on Tuesday but I had to make a trip to the store. Having not required this particular product for over four months. My regular stash under the bathroom sink having been depleted long ago…alas all the emergency supplies from the bottom of purses and makeup up bags having been pressed into service I was out of options. I had to actually make a special trip out to remedy my situation……DRAT!

Thursday, November 10

I have been enjoying these wonderful sweet treats! Love me some Clementine's! I just wish they weren't so expensive!

Friday, November 11

We had a sweet surprise visit from Muffinhead and mom. They had some car maintenance that the Hubs had offered to help with so they popped over and then stayed for super.

Muffinhead was intrigued with Buster’s rawhide. He was totally ignoring her and completely focused on his raw hides. We explained to her that she could not have Buster’s rawhide, that it was first Buster’s, and secondly nasty. She quickly remedied the situation by going in the kitchen opening the pantry door and retrieving a brand new clean raw hide that she pronounced to be MINE!

and YES we did take it away from her…but it was really cute!

OK that was my week. At least it ended a whole lot better than it started!

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings

Random Thoughts: In a perfect world what would you do all day?

2011-11-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

I could be shredding the ten pounds of junk mail that I said I would not let pile up AGAIN!

I could be sorting laundry.

I could be getting a head start on my bible study for next week.

I could be working on some more handmade Christmas gift’s.

What am I doing?

Drinking coffee, wasting time on the internet, dreaming about how to better organize my kitchen pots and pans, thinking about what I will cook for thanksgiving, begin irritated that I am out of cinnamon and have to go back to the store. I was there yesterday and forgot to pick some up. I need cinnamon for the new sweet potato pie recipe I want to try.

I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie so I thought I would give sweet potato pie a try. They had a five pound bag on sale at the grocery store so I bought a bag.

In a perfect world what would you do all day?

I think I would just bake bread, make homemade jams and jellies, bake pies and cookies and formulate new recipes.

Baking and cooking just makes me happy!

So in a perfect would what would you do all day?

What am I thinking today…..

2011-11-08T12:45:00.001-05:00

I am thinking that all I want to do is make a hasty retreat to Walnut Grove and I don’t want to come home until January. I know life was hard during the pioneer days, however my longing for things to just be simple is palpable. I think that is what attracts me about baking bread. It’s a simple process, uncomplicated by the passing of time. Caroline Ingalls made her bread about the same way I make my bread today. I like that!

Filling out health insurance applications and having someone else tell me what they will and will not pay for when I am paying for the premiums sends my blood pressure over the edge. Then that in turn renders me ineligible for health insurance. Not that I have high blood pressure but the process of getting health insurance is enough to send it though the roof. Caroline Ingalls didn’t worry about taking Half Pint to see Doc Baker or how she was going to pay for it! She traded him a basket of eggs or a quart of jam or invited him to Sunday supper.

The fact that my husband makes a good living and still we struggle financially make me crazy. I can guarantee that Caroline Ingalls never had to pay a billion dollars for a gallon of milk, she just went out to the barn and set her bucket down. I want a cow y’all only then I would have to fill out a Architectural Modification Form with the Home Owners Association as well as submit a form over at City Hall requesting a variance for farm animals with in the city limits.

As the holidays approach it is inevitable that there are times when my desire is just do what I want to do. NOT what everyone else what's to do. Now I am pouting like a small child who has just been told that they can not have dessert until all my vegetable are eaten off my dinner plate.

I watch the news and wonder how it is that the entire world is NUTS!

I exhale at the endless reporting of a 72 day marriage, not to mention the millions of dollars wasted. Watching the reaction to the crowd when the guilty verdict was announced, jubilation! I watched and had to wonder what causes that kind of reaction, yet knowing that when priorities are misplaced and you begin to worship things of the world then I am not surprised.

I spend so much time shaking my head over the things of this world. How to live in the world and not be of the world. How to stay focused on Jesus and not let the minutia of the ridiculousness that surround me send me over the edge.

There are times when weeping seems the only response to the frustration I feel at what has become of the world.

I am tired of having to pay for mistakes that I had nothing to do with.

I am tired of…..just fill in the blank with whatever is going on in our community, county, state, country or the world!

Over the last few weeks I have pondered about the Old Testament prophets. God spoke to them and sent them out to proclaim truth and righteousness.

Jeremiah 7:24

But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.

There are still people out there who refuse to see the relevance of God’s word for us in today’s world!

How much truth and righteousness is there in our backward world today.

MY list of programmed shows that was stored in my DVR is getting smaller and smaller. More times than not I am just turning it off because there are so may evil influences on the air waves it seems there is no suitable alternative.

Politics……just breathing through that one. If there was EVER a situation that needed the hand of God to sweep things clean then now is the time!

Is there a moral compass in secular society?

Will I do what I want to do for Thanksgiving or will we yield to the demands of family?

Will the world come to and end in 2012?

Will gas prices hit $5.00 a gallon forcing us all to switch to a horse and buggy?

Will my HOA allow us to park a Horse and Buggy in the driveway?

Will my application for Health Insurance be approved and what will it cost?

Are Will and Kate expecting and what does this speculation really have to do with anything?

Just breathing out y’all………

If you need me I will be in Walnut Grove baking bread with Caroline……

Project 365 ~ Week 45: Wonder Woman, Pie, Scrambled Egg’s and Stupidity…..

2011-11-06T13:46:00.000-05:00

Again I am still searching for my P365 mojo, Hopefully with the fall weather and the holiday season approaching I may get further inspired to attempt to be a bit more photo-active through out my week!

My new favorite saying….It Is What It Is!

So here is my week…….such as it is.

Monday, October 31

Why yes, she is Wonder Woman!

Tuesday, November 1

I made good use of some of the apples we got in the mountains. They made for a really good pie!

Saturday, November 5

Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread, thick cut bacon and scrambled egg’s. We rarely get to have Saturday breakfast together. The hubs usually has his men’s small group on Saturday morning but this Saturday morning he found himself at home. It was good y’all, the breakfast and all being together on Saturday morning.

I have to share with you all y’all my latest senior moment. I was in the midst of getting a batch of cinnamon bread as well as Honey Whole Wheat done. I have learned that it is just as easy to get two batches going one right after the other. Well I had gotten everything finished and both batches were set to proof. The best place to proof in my house is on top of my stove.

What I did was beyond STUPID! Earlier in the morning I had been simmering up a batch of candied orange peel. I had made a small fruit salad and had peeled about four oranges and not wanting to let the peel go to waist and having a hankering for some homemade orange peel well……what I did was I took my small sauce pan off the heat to allow the peel to cool….

I forgot to turn the burner off.

The setting was so low that you could not see the flame and I got so involved in getting my dough mixed up and working on the first proof that I did not realize that the burner was still on.

Later when I went back to check on my dough I thought it was a bit odd that the raisin bread was so much further along than the whole wheat. It was nearly tripled in size. I picked up the bowl and se it over onto the counter and then there was a very loud POP!

The bottom of the bowl was so hot that it just split the whole bowl right in two……..CRACK!

The bread was baking right in the bowl, well at least is was baking on the very bottom, burned is more to the point. I was able to dump the dough out of the cracked bowl and use my kitchen scissors to cut away the baked part. I salvaged enough dough to make two smaller loaves so aside from forfeiting one of my nice large ceramic serving bowls to stupidity all was not lost!

Plus the bread was really good!

Well such as it is that was my week!

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings

Way to go Robynn…..it has really got me to thinking

2011-11-04T11:19:00.001-04:00

I read a post this morning that really got me to thinking.

We all know that our economy is in a bad way. I’ve been watching the ongoing news stories on ABC about Made in America, and how almost all of the products we purchase are manufactured in China or in some other country. As I sit and type this I look around my house and know that almost all the items in it have been manufactured in a different part of the world. As consumers for decades we have been shopping arbitrarily without thought to the origins of the products we purchase.

I will admit that the thought of perusing a complete boycott on all foreign manufacturing seems overwhelming. It would possibly render me and my whole family in the position of having to rid ourselves of every article of clothing and render us housebound were we to take the goal seriously. However as a consumer thinking of the small things I can accomplish within my realm of influence, well that is a bit different.

What can I do to personally make a commitment to change?

I can decide to do a bit of research before I randomly hit the add to cart button in my online shopping. Can I find an alternate product that is manufactured in the united states? Is there an alternative that I can start to think about?

I am a huge fan of handmade gifts. Being the lover of all things homemade I try to do at least some of my gift giving with things I have made in the kitchen. Ball mason jars are in fact manufactured in the United States and so are a lot of brands of yarns. Making a scarf or putting up a batch of home made applesauce for gift giving is a very small start to retraining my thinking as far as trying to reach the goal of supporting our nations economy.

Here’s what I’m pondering….is is possible to have a completely made in the USA Christmas?

What am I willing to do to make that happen?

What would happen if everyone used their spending dollar this holiday season to say YES to Made in the USA and a BIG FAT NO to Made in China…

Hmmmmmm is there such a thing as a laptop that is made in America?????? cause I really want one of those for Christmas……

I think I just shot myself in the foot!

However, making the change in my thinking and making a change in my spending habits are all real tangible things that I can defiantly begin to do.

What can I make?

What can I do?

Where is it made?

Can I get a comparable substitute that is made right here in the good Ol’ USA?

Y’all head over to Robynn’s Ravings and check out her post. She outlined lots of really great ideas for this seasons of gift giving and holiday spending.

It got me to thinking……..

Blessings

Hard Questions…Difficult Answers…

2011-11-03T11:37:00.001-04:00

Over the last two weeks the focus of my bible study as been a very difficult topic. Innocent Blood. We are deep in the Old Testament, studying the wavering Israelites and how easily they were lead astray by the culture that surrounded them.

It is very easy to gloss over the reality of how far the Israelites strayed from God’s commandments and from His protection. His directives are very clear in numerous places throughout the Old Testament.

Deuteronomy 18:9

⁹ When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

2 Kings 17:15

¹⁵ They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “Do not do as they do,” and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.

These are just two instances where God lays down His expectation for their behavior. I am not a learned biblical scholar with a P.H.D. however I can find no subterfuge or double entendre in these passages.

The author of this study layed out for us in graphic detail the practices of infant sacrifice as well as the practices of sexual relations with temple prostitutes, practice in full view of everyone on the alter during a worship service.

Over the last two weeks the question placed before me as well as the group for discussion have been difficult and extremely thought provoking.

Here is a direct quote from last weeks study:

“It’s easy for us to be critical of how the Israelites wavered in their faithfulness to worship God and God alone. We’re shocked by the sins of child sacrifice and temple prostitution. Yet each of us participates in the same battle for total commitment to God. We may not sacrifice our children in order to have a good harvest, yet in every area of life we still struggle to serve God completely.”

The questions that followed set aside the behavior of the Israelites a thousand years ago and challenged us to look at our own hearts and our own lives.

1. What might you be sacrificing today in order to gain personal security and success?

2. To what extent do we Christians (and you personally) tend to be sloppy about living blamelessly before God and put ourselves at risk for being drawn into practices that are detestable to God?

3. To what degree do you see your culture assuming pagan values, much as ancient Israel did, and what impact does that have on you?

4. What practices or attitudes on your life may provoke God to anger?

5. What must God do to get your attention so that you will turn your heart completely toward him?

6. In what ways do we as Christians today waiver between two opinions (1 Kings 18:20-24) when it comes to our daily life and worship of God?

7. What are some of the specific compromises we make with evil in our world, and how do these compromises affect our walk with God, our relationship with our family, our influence at work and in our communities?

These were some very difficult questions this week. If I am honest then I have to share that more times than not I had to set the book aside to think for an hour or two before answering them. I think for me the greatest take away I get for any bible study is when the relevance of God’s words just leaps off the page and I see my own behaviors so very clearly. They are not just ancient words that only applied to ancient people that are long since dead. They are words that impact me and challenge me every day.

No matter how often I delve into God's words I am always stuck by how similar we are to our forefathers from biblical times. From a purely secular point of view take a look at the world around you. We may not be physically bowing down to carved images or sacrificing innocent blood to ensure a good harvest, but…..you can fill in the blanks for you own life.

What it did for me was to clarify a few things for me. It let me know that there are still areas of my life that God needs to prune away.

Thankfully walking with Jesus is a life long process and my forgiveness and my salvation are not dependant on my ability to maintain perfection. I know I will stumble more times than I succeed. However for me the goal is once I recognize a sinful area in my life to take the steps to remove it and than not return to it. What I realized is that I do not want to waiver in my lifestyle. What I also know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that living in the world which is so thoroughly rooted in evil there will always be an endless assault on those core Christian values at every turn.

Here is my final question for the day:

If we as a Christian community stopped supporting practices, entertainments, sporting events, business, politicians or public figures that do not glorify God or line up with what we know to be true to God’s word what would happen?

Just saying…….

Blessings

Project 365 ~ Week 44: A bit under the weather and some Fall Color

2011-10-30T16:34:00.001-04:00

My week started with a trip to the drug store. It really started on the Friday before when I began to feel no so hot. By Sunday I was not a happy camper. My head felt like it was full of cotton and generally all I wanted to do was sit cuddled up under a blanket.

Sunday, October 23

I’m a confirmed Alka Seltzer Plus advocate. For me it just works better than anything else I have tried. I also love the Halls cherry lozenges. They are packed with vitamin C, Zinc and Echinacea. Plus they are very tasty and help with your sore throat!

Tuesday, October 25

I was feeling a bit better by Tuesday, enough to give my orange marmalade a taste. I was so pleased with the results. Click here for the recipe if you are so inclined.

Not much photo worthy happened or maybe I was just milking the cold. I did take advantage of the situation to get a bit of rest.

Friday, October 28

I have a tiny bit of fall happening in the back yard. There is not much of a fall showing but the Crepe Myrtles add a nice little pop of color.

Saturday, October 29

Saturday morning turned out to be absolutely glorious. I was feeling much better so the whole family packed into the car and we made a day trip up to the north Georgia mountains to enjoy some of the fall color.

It was a beautiful cool cloudless day and the fall foliage was stunning. God did some great work across the North Georgia Mountains.

We returned home with a few bags of apples, some sorghum syrup and some peanut brittle. I think there may be a pie or two and maybe some home made apple sauce in the very near future.

Well that’s it for my week. I hope you all are enjoying all the fall color and taking advantage of the change in season.

For ore 365 fun y’all head over to Sara’s and link up.

Blessings

Orange Marmalade….it makes me think of my Grandma

2011-10-27T12:56:00.001-04:00

Back in June I posted about My Bucket List, you know all the things you want to do before you pass through the pearly gates. Well there are a lot of very wonderful places all around the worlds that are all worthy candidates. However living with limited resources one must be realistic. Dreaming about amazing places and even one day getting to check a few off my list are goals to aspire to. But it got me to thinking about the things that we can all do every day. Those things that are within or grasp. Improving our minds, growing closer to friends and family. Learning new things. I think for me one of the things that I have come to realize is that getting older is more about your state of mind. I know my body at times is very uncooperative as far as what I think I should be able to accomplish. However that does not mean that I need to yield to the process and just stop trying to learn new things.

One of my all time favorite simple pleasures is Orange Marmalade. It always reminds me of my grandmother. She always had it in her refrigerator. Enjoying a nice warm piece of toast with a bit of butter and a spoonful of marmalade along with a hot cup of coffee or tea, well in my book it just evokes a feeling of comfort that reminds me of sitting in my grandmas kitchen.

I came home for the grocery story a few days ago with a wonderful bag of bright sunshiny oranges. I thought to myself, they looked so beautiful and they smelled even better….and I was presently out of store bought orange marmalade so I thought maybe it was time to cross one of my more humble goals on my Bucket List. As always I asked my favorite question in the Be Still Know household….How hard could it be?

Usually the first thing I do is consult my shelf of cookbooks then I hit the internet. I found a few recipes which I have link up to should you want to take a look at them. However more times than not I usually take piece parts from one recipe and then piece parts from another and make my own recipe. Here is the first one I got off the Food Network website, Orange Marmalade Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2009 or you can go here to look at this one Orange Marmalade (with Liquid Pectin), I thought both recipes had merit however the last one instructed you to REMOVE peel from oranges and lemons. Scrape off 1/2 of white pith and discard. Thinly slice peel and place in baking soda and water in a 6-or-8-quart saucepan. Cook 20 minutes, covered. Remove membrane from fruit pulp. Chop fruit, reserving juice. Add fruit and juice to peel mixture.Simmer 10 minutes…..like I was going to do all that especially when the recipe from Alton Brown simply instructs you to thinly slice your oranges on a mandoline…I vote for one simple step not about a billion…….

In any event here is the recipe I used and if I do say so myself I thought it turned out very well. The only thing I think I will do differently next time would be to maybe use the thin setting on the mandoline. My orange slices were about 1/8 thick like Alton suggested and they were just fine but I think it might have a better texture to it if the slices were a bit thinner.

Ingredients

1 3/4 pounds oranges, 4 to 6 medium (I used 6 oranges)
1 lemon, zest finely grated and juiced
1 lemon sliced very thin (remove seeds)
6 cups water
8 cups sugar
1 3-oz pouch Liquid Fruit Pectin
Special Equipment: 10 (8-ounce) canning jars with rings and lids, funnel, tongs, ladle, and 12-quart pot

Directions

Wash the oranges and lemons thoroughly.

Cut the oranges into 1/8-inch slices using a mandoline, removing the seeds as you go. (Cooks Note: I was at Wal-Mart the other day and I broke down and bought it (under $20.00). I am so glad that I did. I think it is my new favorite piece of kitchen equipment….loved it! Zip, zip, zip and I was done with the slicing in record time….IT WAS GREAT!)

Stack the orange slices and cut them into quarters.

Place the sliced oranges and lemon into an 8-quart pot.

Add the lemon zest and juice and the water to the pot, set over high heat and bring to a boil, approximately 10 minutes.

Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 40 minutes or until the fruit is very soft.

Increase the heat under the orange mixture to return to full boil.

Add the sugar and stir the mixture continually, until it reaches 222 to 223 degrees F on a deep-fry or candy thermometer, and darkens in color, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

When proper temp is reached add the liquid pectin and stir and bring back to a boil for 1 full minute.

You may need to adjust the heat in order to prevent boil over.

Allow marmalade to cool for a few minutes to allow any foam to settle, if there is a lot of foam you can gently spoon if off.

Pour hot marmalade into jars and process in water bath for 10 minutes.

Remove jars from water bath and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours before opening. (Cooks Note: My marmalade took almost two full days to set up. It was very loose the first afternoon but by the next morning it had begun to set. After two day it was completely set up. Some recipes I saw said it can take up to two weeks for it to fully set. )

Once open, store in the refrigerator.

Y’all it was really good!

On my How hard can it be scale I give this one a 6 maybe 7 for begin labor intensive with all the slicing and stirring, but one batch yielded 6 1/2 pint jars and 3 pint jars. My marmalade supply is fully stocked for a good long while. Will I be doing this one again…you bet. It was well worth the effort and my mind is already turning over the possibilities for variations on this one………

Well that is another one of my more modest items of that bucket list.

What new thing have you learned how to do lately?

Blessings

Project 365 ~ Week 43: Hug’s, Marmalade and Homecoming

2011-10-23T16:05:00.001-04:00

Well I can’t claim success this week as far as capturing a picture every day, however the shots I did get I think are representative of my week.

No pictures on Sunday, October 16 or Monday, October 17….bummer but I guess nothing photo worthy happen……

Tuesday, October 18

Grandpa’s new screensaver for sure!

No pictures on Wednesday, October 19, Thursday, October 20 or Friday or October 21. And no i was not abducted by aliens….I think I was just not into the picture taking this week.

I actually did take some pictures on Friday, but I am saving them for a future post about my adventure with Orange Marmalade. The jury is still out on the success of this adventure. The recipe takes several days to fully set. It will be an additional few day before I can do any tasting to determine if all the hard work was worth the effort. So until then it’s the wonderful waiting game. I hate waiting. I want to try it now!

I was a bit skeptical that I had followed the recipe correctly. It appeared to be very watery and not setting very well on Friday evening. I was very disappointed with the end results.

Saturday, October 22

However on Saturday morning I was rewarded to find that it had began the process and was on it’s way to setting up. Isn’t it a great color!

Saturday afternoon brought about Homecoming Part II. The DD bestie came over and the preparations for the evening dance began at about 2:00 P.M.

They required sufficient time to

Do the nails……………………………..Select the appropriate music for the application of hair care and beauty products….

The hot rollers were applied…………………….make-up

the comb out…………………………..dinner

The girls had to alter there plan a bit. Due to the earlier sunset we had to head to the park very early to have enough light for the necessary pre-homecoming photo shot….but it was worth it!

They had fun on the playground……

Dad was even a sport and held their purses and wrap’s for them during the photo shoot…..he is doing his best personal assistant imitation……

Well Homecoming was a HUGE success and the girls had a great time. The hubs and i dropped the girls off at the dance and then seized the moment and went out to dinner….and I even had a gift card for a free steak from Outback Steaks to boot! it was a good evening!

Y’all head over to Sara’s for more 365 fun and link up!

Blessings

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Bacon

2011-10-18T12:00:00.001-04:00

Several of you commented on the Brussels Sprouts from my last 365 post. They are not a fan favorite around my house but I really like them. I had high hopes for this recipe but alas it was not well received. I thought it was very good though.

Recipe courtesy Robert Irvine from the Food Network Website

Ingredients

Salt
16 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise
2 slices bacon
1/2 red onion, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided Cook’s Note: I used Olive Oil instead.
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat.

Generously salt the water and add the Brussels sprouts.

Simmer the sprouts until just tender, about 5 minutes.

Do not overcook.

*Drain the sprouts well.

*Cook’s Note: This step is very important or your final result will be watery and not very good!

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the bacon until browned and crisp, stirring occasionally.

Remove the bacon from the pan to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Leave the bacon fat in the pan and add the red onions and 1 tablespoon of butter.

Sauté until the onions are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the cranberries and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the red wine vinegar and brown sugar and cook until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

Add the sprouts to the skillet and stir to coat with the vinegar mixture.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.

Stir in the reserved bacon.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste, and transfer to a bowl to serve.

Cook’s Note: This is a bit more labor intensive than I normally do for a weeknight dinner but the last time I made the recipe I added equal parts Brussels Sprouts and Fresh Broccoli. I Blanched the broccoli on the boiling water for a few minutes before I cooked the Brussels Sprouts and set it aside until I was ready to toss everything together. The family liked the broccoli and were happy and I enjoyed my Brussels Sprouts. As you can tell from my photo the next round of serving the Brussels Sprouts all the Broccoli had been picked out so all that was left were the Brussels Sprouts……

There was an additional recipe listed on the website that served about 8 to 10 click here to get the larger recipe.

Blessings

Project 365 ~ Week 42

2011-10-16T17:08:00.000-04:00

Bla, bla, bla, bla, bla…..even I am tired of looking at my pictures of shawls, bread and food. It is what it is….no fun vacation, no interesting anything. I did have a brief moment of hormonal murderous rage earlier today (you can click here should you care to visit the dark side of peri-menopause) but sadly there is no photographic evidence, which is probably a good thing.

So with no further adieu or excitement here is my rather predictable and boring week, with the exception of Muffinhead! She is always the bright spot in my week!

other than that it was a big yawner………Hooo Huuummmmm!

Maybe somebody else did something interesting or photo worthy this week, I just know it wasn't me!

No pictures on Sunday, October 9 or Monday, October 10

Tuesday, October 11

I was almost tempted to keep this one. I really did go very well with the living room colors.

Wednesday, October 12

Muffinhead had a wonderful time rearranging the chairs in the family center after dinner at church. She would strain to pick them up and shuffle them over the the wall and then line them all up. Standing back and surveying her handy work she would decide that they arrangement was not to her liking and then she would proceed to re-arrange them again and again and again. I figure she was not really bothering anyone and no one needed the chairs as dinner was over so I just let her rearrange to her hearts content, that is until daddy said it was time to leave that is!

Thursday, October 13

I had been hankering for some Cinnamon Swirl Raisin bread for a while. Even if I do say so myself, this batch was exceedingly good. I made sure I took very good notes as I put together this recipe so I could recreate it. It even tasted as good as it looked!

It toasted up even better.

Friday, October 14

Dinner on Friday, the hubs did not like the rice or the Brussels Sprouts, the DD did not care for the green beans so all in all this meal was not well received. It did look good however. I thought it was good but hey they did not walk away hungry.

Saturday, October 15

More bread……..sourdough this time. I think after many loaves of tribulation I finally have it figured out. This batch was soft and wonderfully tangy and the texture inside was just right. It was good!

If your still awake after all this photographic excitement you can head over to Sara’s and link up!

I think I’m still a bit hormonally charged after my encounter at church this afternoon…….I think maybe a nice glass of Pinot Griggo is in order for later…..pay no attention to the shrew at the keyboard………oh what that’s me!

Blessings or maybe y’all get out of my face…I can’t decide which…..

I really do love all of y’all……really!

Release the Kraken……

2011-10-16T16:49:00.000-04:00

She sat there patiently waiting. The banana she had eater about 45 minutes ago no longer kept the hunger pangs at bay. Doing the mental tally in her mind she pressed the button on her phone and saw that there was less than a few minutes until her child would be done and she could go home. She had done all of her bible study, she was hungry, she was borderline hormonal and she was a bit irritated that she no longer was able to get her afternoon naps on Sunday but chalked it up to the sacrifices of motherhood. Choir practice was minutes, possible even seconds away from being done. She could hear the other children slowly filleting down the hall and out the door. Her bag was sitting on the table ready to grab and then she was heading out the door. . She did this every week, week after week, quietly waiting at the table (the very same table I might add) for the children to finish making their joyful noise.

Today however unbeknownst to her she was about to encounter devil in disguise or possibly at least someone who worked for him in an upper management position, or maybe he was just a comely balding gentleman wearing rolled up blue jeans, a pale blue t-shirt and glasses. In any event as she walked out of the family center she thought to herself how fortunate for him that the good fairies had intervened in his behalf. His life had been spared and he did not even know how close to the depths of Hades he had actually come.

Sounds like a wonderful beginning to an interesting story…..it was a lettuce moment that was mercifully cut short before the shedding of blood could occur.

Soooo there I am sitting peacefully at a table in the back of our new cafe at church, minding my own business. Literally seconds away for getting out of my my chair and heading for the door. This older gentleman with the rolled up jeans walks over to me as I am patiently waiting for the girl child. He looks at me and says “We’re having a meeting in here.” Now under normal circumstances this short statement would seem very unassuming, but not today. He may have said “We’re having a meeting in here.” His tone, his body language, his authoritative snotty stare conveyed a totally different message. What he said and what I heard were two completely different things. What I heard was “I cant believe you are still sitting here, church ended a long time ago. I have this room reserved and you need to get collect your things and get out. We have important stuff to discuss and you are interrupting! Get up and get out right now or I will sick the cranky custodian on you!”

Now I’m thinking to myself, “Well isn't that special!” wondering just what this meeting has to do with me? I return his stare with a wordless stare of my own, thinking that he may elaborate on his stalemate.

Again he repeats rather forcefully “We are having a meeting in here!”

Well yaaaaaaaa for him I thought. I can only assume at this point that he was waiting for me to respond to him in some way so I gently explained that I was waiting for my child. Apparently this explanation was unsatisfactory.

“We reserved this room for a meeting!” I looked around and saw no reserved sign nor did I feel compelled to acquiesce. In fact at this point in the conversation I had visions of ever so gracefully reaching over and snatching his head from his neck and skipping around the room with it. My marginally hormonal state had now shifted from just a bit on edge to a full throttle eruption.

The words “We’re having a meeting in here!” began to echo in my brain…by the second time he had made this statement I am having a very unchristian like conversation with myself in my head. Vision of the Kraken erupting from the water and snatching this elderly gentleman from my sight, slicing him in half and tossing his body in the air and swallowing it down in one wonderful gulp was at the top of my list. If he had just had the presence of mind to assess the situation and waited but a few seconds………but noooooooo. Thankfully at that precise moment the Lord was kind and there appeared my girl with her friend in tow ready to be ushered home.

As I walked out of the family center I thanked God for His provision, for protecting that older gentleman from the wrath of a hormonal shrew. I also confessed my weakness and my unkind ~~murderous, vicious and deadly~~ thoughts and wondered why some folks simply don’t just say what they mean. I also wondered why some think they have a right assert themselves in situations that are from outward appearance no big deal.

I wasn't hurting anyone and it was a very big room, not to mention there are only close to 500 other rooms in our church with which proper meeting are held every day.

I am sure that my presence at that table (the very same table that I have been sitting at for weeks now with out incident) was in some way altering the space time continuum of church regulations and whatever they were going to be discussing was so top secret that the thought of proceeding before removing all unwanted elements was simply unthinkable.

In a perfect world I am sure he is a very sweet elderly gentleman. However I wonder had he approached me with words of kindness instead of rude authoritative meanness how might that have impacted my internal dialog.

I thought about the importance of our actions lining up with our words. I was very thankful that I did not let my tongue out of its sheath and give this man a piece of my mind. But boy did I want to run back into the cafe…which is a new areas designed to be a common areas for gathering (not holding meetings) and give him a real good tongue lashing…but I just stood up, collected my things took a deep breath and said “Hey girls! Y’all ready to go?” and walked from the room leaving them to the top secret church meeting.

My desire for retribution with either death or dismemberment was left unquenched…….or maybe I was just tireed, hungry, hormonal and ready for my nap….what do y’all think.

Blessings

PS: My P365 will be up shortly when my blood calms back down and I can manage to stop thinking of new and painful ways exact my revenge on nasty ill tempered elder gentleman wearing sneakers with rolled up blue jeans and glasses.

Shephelah ~ The foothills of Israel

2011-10-11T20:40:00.001-04:00

First off…I just love this word. Shephelah…pronounced Sha - fā – la. It is the Hebrew word meaning foothills. It sounds wonderfully romantic and it just rolls of the tong. Shephelah…is sounds like a place you want to go and take a pic nic!

In reality is was a very important place geographically speaking during biblical times.

Quote from Faith Lesson on the Promise Land by Ray Vander Laan:

“The foothills of Israel – The Shephelah – served as a buffer zone between the mountains where most of the Israelites lived and the Philistine cities on the coastal plain. Because control of the Shephelah ensured the security and power of the dominate culture many battles between the Philistines and the Israelites took place there. Although the Israelites failed to drive the Philistines out of the Promise Land, God periodically raised up heroes to confront the Philistines in the Shephelah. These heroes also reminded Israel of what God had called his people to accomplish”

One of the things I love about studying God’s word is how it gives me new ideas and concepts, things I had never thought of before, and places those new ideas in the proper contest for me.

This week we are talking about Confronting Evil. There are several examples of how the Israelites were in multiple situations where they were called to confront the evil influences of their times. The Philistines were a common thread of a lot of these conflicts. I am not a huge geography person, in fact I struggle on a good day to remember the difference between my right and left hand. Knowing what direction north is and where all the different cities in the bible are located and why they are geographically important, well at times it just makes my head swim.

But let’s tread water for a bit and see if I can keep my head above the waves long enough to make my point!

The valleys of the Shephelah functioned as a corridor, a barrier and whoever controlled the shephelah controlled the culture. However if we use the symbol of what the shephelah was which was quite often a battleground. It was a place where the Israelites and the Philistines fought most of the biblical battles.

The metaphor that is placed before me this week is this, a Shephelah is the place where God’s values meet the pagan practices of the western culture. Will I, like the Israelites, choose to withdrawal to the safety of the hills or will I choose to engage in the confrontation on the front lines. The Shephelah, the battlefield was the very real geographical barrier between the mountains where the Israelite lived and the coastal area where the Philistines lived.

I have been thinking about this comparison. The Shephelah’ s in my life. The battlefields, the barriers, the confrontations with the world that I face every day. Am I going to run to the hills like the Israelite did so often? (example 1 Samuel 13, the Israelites were so overwhelmed by the numbers of the Philistines that they ran and hid in caves and some even fled back across the Jordan River) Or am I going to stand and confront Goliath (this very familiar conflict did in fact take place in the Shephelah) like David did?

How many times do we see in the Old Testament that rather that being a flavoring influence to the surrounding culture the Israelites absorbed the practices of the pagan cultures around them. They adopted their religious practices, setting up alters to false gods, they married outside of their faith and allowed the culture to influence them in so many ways.

All week we have been studying the circumstance and the various battles that took place in the Shephelah.

One question that kept being addressed in many different ways was:

Where is my Shephelah?

How about every time I walk out my front door. The secular world is a powerful influence. I have to admit that over the years I have been successful in eliminating many of the unwholesome influences that surround me. However there are still many thing that I struggle with. The worlds tells me that all things are acceptable. The world wants the concept of everything goes to be so attractive that we are all willing to allow our better judgment take a back seat instead of stepping out and standing up for what God tells us is the moral or the right thing to do!

How do I spend my time? How do I spend my money? These are very good indicators of where my priorities are.

Have I got it all figure out…that would be a big fat NO! Just the other day I had to readjust myself. I had gotten absorbed in a new television show. I am a huge science fiction fan and there was a particular show that I had been seeing the previews for on one of the cable channels that I watch. I was looking forward to seeing the premier episode with great expectation. The first show was very good and I was excited about the next show, then things began to change. Very quickly it became apparent that the show was going in a direction that glorified certain lifestyles and certain beliefs that I know to be against what God would have me do. I can share that I was conflicted. The worldly side of me told me that it was ONLY a television show. What can it possibly hurt to watch a hour long science fiction series? I mean after all how can I stop watching something mid season…I needed to know what happened next didn’t I?

I was having a real internal dialog with myself? What’s the harm? But here is the real plumb line. If I would not let my DD watch this show then why was I watching it. Convicted yet again. I had to set aside my desire to know what happen next in favor of doing what I knew was right in the eyes of God! Not to mention that the reality is that once you view something unwholesome or immoral it becomes very difficult to remove those images from your memory banks. That’s why we have a hard time not craning around to look at a wreck on the side of the road. Our baser human desires take over and we are drawn to the sinful nature.

But the good news is that being a grown woman I have the control to turn the television off, to make choices and to choose to no longer allow certain images, behaviors or whatever it may be to influence my thoughts, my action or my faith walk.

We may have started out studying about the foothills in ancient bible times but the wonderful thing about God’s Holy word is that is really is living and active. The comparison of the battlefield thousands of years ago is just as relevant for us today when we put one foot outside our front door.

Where are your front lines of the battlefield in today's culture?

Where is your Shephelah?

Blessings

Project 365 ~ Week 41: Spiders, Hugs, Soup, more Bread, a few Blooms and Homecoming

2011-10-09T07:58:00.000-04:00

Hey There! I hope y’all all had a good week. I missed a few pictures again this week, one day the planets will align and I will get all seven days.

Monday, October 3

There are defiantly advantages to having a good zoom on the camera. This colorful fellow had built a lovely web in the front bed. I had gone out to check the mail and passed him as I was coming back into the house.

Let’s hope she never gets to old to crawl up into her daddies lap…..just break my hear with love y’all!

French Onion Soup for dinner…it was really good!

Tuesday, October 4

OK OK OK, so maybe I’m a bit obsessed with the bread making. But I did have some new pans that were begging to be used. I think I have the proportions correct on increasing the recipe. I did however over do it a bit on the oven temp at the very beginning. This batch is a bit on the crusty side. The inside texture is very good but the outer crust is a bit on the tough side. Note to self: next time decrees the oven temp by a few degrees and see if that helps!

Friday, October 7

Confession, I purchased some Encore Azaleas two season ago. I planted three and one did not make it. I have been less than impressed with their performance. They are still about the same size as they were when I bought them. They have failed to produce the promised blooms three times (once in spring, once in summer and then again in the fall) however there are a few sporadic blossoms on the two reaming bushes in my back yard.

Saturday, October 8

Hot rollers….check, tweezers…check, mascara….check, eye shadow…check, nail polish….check, shoes….check, dress…check, earrings….check, headed over to the bestie’s house for all the pre homecoming prep….check!

The before.

I told the girls that I would let Bestie’s mom do the after pictures. They are, after all, going to be doing the homecoming thing all over again in a few weeks when my DD’s homecoming dance rolls around. The deal is that since there are no cut boys that are smart enough to snap these two gorgeous things up they have decided to be each other dates. Again the topic of conversation: Boy’s are just plane stupid! Who wouldn't want to take these two to a dance???????

With the DD being out the hubs and I had a date night. We went to a local pasta place that I had been driving by for a long time. It’s one of those situations where you say “We should really go there and try that new place….” and then you never do! It was awesome. No pictures though. I think I may start looking for a small point and shot to keep in my purse. My Cannon is so big and heavy to haul around all the time so no pictures and the camera on my phone is pathetic. The food was awesome and the prices were reasonable. We had a great time!

Well that’s it for me this week!

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings

Project 365 ~ Week 40

2011-10-02T17:08:00.001-04:00

I did a bit better this week as I only missed two days of pictures.

No pictures on Sunday, September 25

Monday, September 26

Last week while the DD and best friend were scouring the racks for the perfect homecoming dress I amused myself with a leisurely stroll around the mall. I was headed in he direction of Williams and Sonoma, the only real reason to go to the mall in my opinion, and I made a brief stop at a store called Teavanna. I left with a very small (teeny tiny) bag of chai. After enjoy several cups of tea I have decided that for $10.00 I think I may stick with the Tazo Chai from the Ingles and pocket the extra cash for Starbucks. It was good tea but not $10.00’s super good. This particular tea was so course that it did not work very well in my loose tea infuser so I was forced to steep it in a small measuring cup and then pour it through my small kitchen strainer. Not very fashionable but it worked all the same.

No picture on Tuesday, September 27

Wednesday, September 28

The instruction for the meal were…””Watch Me!”

Muffinhead would pick up her spoon and load it up with yogurt or applesauce and then turn and look at me and say “Watch Me!” and then shovel the food in her mouth. Well after such a performance the only thing left to do was give her a round of applause. Needless to say I had to watch carefully as each and every spoonful of food when into the child's mount. '”Watch me! Grandma…Watch Me!” “I’m watching sweetie….I’m watching!”

Thursday, September 29

The beginning of fall just yearns for some homemade bread in the oven. It took me a day or two to get my sourdough properly fed but I think the bakeshop is back in business.

Friday, September 30

One of my friends invited me to tag along with her on Friday morning for the Joyce Meyer Conference. I told Skoots1mom about it and she met us at the arena. I had never been to one of her conferences before! It was awesome Joyce Meyer is a hoot y’all and she defiantly has a powerful message. I like her ability to be real and cut through the you know what. She is a real person and she has the ability to speak the truth, no sugar coating! I like that!

I stole this picture for skoots1mom……..

Saturday, October 1

I have been wanting some larger bread pans. I did some searching online and found some at a bakers supply website that were $15.00 a pan. When I was at the store on Saturday morning for a much needed grocery run I gave their bakeware a look-see and guess what I found. 10” X 5” size pans, just what I had been looking for and they were $4.58 a piece! I snatched up two of them and I am looking forward to making some bread in them very soon. All I have to do now is figure out how to increase the recipe so I can accommodate the larger size loaves.

Muffinhead came for the afternoon. With the hubs having been out of town for the past several weeks he had missed seeing her on Wednesday evenings for supper. I made arrangement for her to come over on Saturday afternoon so Grandpa could get a little face time with her.

It was such a wonderful day outside, we sat in the grass and she blew bubbles…….

moved lots of rocks around………

pulled a wagon load of mulch around the yard…..

and generally had a wonderful time

It was a good day y’all!

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings

What do these stones mean?

2011-09-27T13:17:00.001-04:00

In bible study last week we covered some familiar territory, however the unique things about That The World May Know is that is puts a wonderful slant on those things that may have been very familiar to you.

To quote Mr. Vander Laan “to understand the Scriptures, we need to know more than what the words mean, we need to understand them from the perspective of the people who thought and spoke in terms of those images every day of their lives…”

It really does put a different flavor into the scriptures when you are studying them through the eyes of our Israelite forefathers.

What did Peter mean when he called Jesus the Living Stone, what did he mean when he challenges us to be like living stones?

To fully understand what Peter was saying we must first examine what the stones were, what they stood for so to speak!

All through the Old Testament we see examples of how amazing God is. How powerfully he worked in the lives of the Israelites. There are many instances when immediately after a powerful encounter with God someone felt compelled to set up a stone pillar in remembrance of His power. There are also many instances when God himself commanded that stones be set up as well.

After confirming the covenant (Exodus 24) Moses set up twelve stones to remember that very pivotal moment. The stones represented something important. It was a physical reminder of a powerful encounter with God, but it was also a tangible reminder as well. Each time they looked at those standing stone they would remember God and how powerful he worked in the lives. These stones stood as immovable reminders of God’s steadfast promises and his unchangeable character.

They were hard to miss.

They were markers of something important. They were also opportunities for discussion, for re commitment, for remembering how great God really is. They were real markers for all to see, the Israelites and even the people who lived around them. The stones were a witness to what had happen.

Everyday they would pass by the stone pillars and were reminded of how God brought them out of slavery in Egypt and how he again had been faithful to his promise to lead them into the promise lands.

In the Book of Joshua we read about another powerful miracle. God gives Joshua very specific instruction and sends them all down to the Jordan River that is also at flood stage. The priests carrying the ark of the convent had to take a serious leap of faith and had to actually step into the rushing flood waters, only then would God’s awesome power be displayed. The waters parted and all of Israelites crossed over on dry ground and entered into the long awaited promised land. (Joshua 3-4) God commanded that twelve stone be brought up out of the river bed and set up as a reminder.

^{Joshua 4:20-24} And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. ²¹ He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ²² tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ ²³ For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea^[b] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. ²⁴ He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”

The Jews were masters at using word pictures as teaching tools, they told stories to teach critical lessons. They used images that were familiar to their listeners. Take in Peters words, listen with the image of a standing stone in your mind. See the power of God as he holds back the waters and the Israelites pass through on dry ground. Think about what the stones stood for and what they represented and why they were set up!

1 Peter 2

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For in Scripture it says:

   “See, I lay a stone in Zion,
   a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
   will never be put to shame.”^[a]

⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone,^[b]”^[c]

⁸ and,

“A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”^[d]

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. ¹² Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

I have to ask myself, what do people see when they look at me. Do they see my good deeds? Am I a living standing stone or have I allowed the world’s bulldozer to knock my pillar down?

It is something to strive for and it is something to remember.

Blessings

Taken from the “Follow The Rabbi” website: “The Hebrew word translated "standing stones" is massebah and means "to set up." The Israelites followed ancient customs by setting up standing stones as a reminder of God's covenant and supernatural acts on their behalf. The story of the stone was passed down from generation to generation through oral tradition.”

Project 365 ~ Week 39…comfort food and shopping

2011-09-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

I think I have lost my P365 mojo…I can’t claim a hormonal funk but I can claim being unmotivated in certain areas of life and at times a bit obsessive in others (i.e. getting ready for my bible study to start, now that it has maybe I can get back into the swing of things and put my summer laziness behind me!!!!) . Over the last six weeks the hubs has been out of town almost every week and he left again on Saturday and will not be back until Thursday of this week. Confession, I enjoy it on occasion when the hubs is away because it lightens my load in the dinner preparation department. However having him gone consistently every week for six or more weeks and him only being home on the weekends does tend to scatter things a bit! I can only speculate when his schedule will lighted up. Being on the road/in the air each week takes it’s physical toll on the hubs and me.

I actually did more than just eat this week, but I guess little else caught my attention in the photograph department.

Monday, September 19

What do you do with stale left over French Bread. Make French Toast for dinner.

Thursday, September 22

It was one of those “It was what we had…” dinners. I lightly pan seared some cut up chicken tenders, sautéed off some onion, carrot, roasted red pepper and a minced cayenne pepper for some heat and the few remaining leftover veggies in the frig, tossed in a can of cream of chicken soup with a splash of brandy and a turn of heavy cream and then tossed in some egg noodles….it was really good y’all!

Friday, September 23

The hubs was home from a particularly difficult road trip, lots of technical difficulties on top of some rather unpleasant business associates that from time to time make his life less than fun. My prescription, I may not be able to do anything about unpleasant business associates but I can make sure there is a good meal at the end of the day. The hubs is rather partial to my homemade pinto beans with a ham bone. I served them over rice and I made a big ol batch of buttermilk biscuits. That will almost guarantee a smile on anyone's face after a long hard day!

Saturday, September 24

Here’s the question: How many teenage girls can you fit in the dressing room at the JC Penny….the world may never know (but I think they may have been going for a world record….I counted at least seven filing out of one small dressing room each laden with pounds of poufy, lacy, shinny, frilly, satiny dresses in hand)

The DD and her best gal pal spent the afternoon at the mall shopping for homecoming dresses. I can defiantly speak to the fact that along with my DD and her best friend I think possibly every other teenage girl within a hundred mile radius was also at the mall shopping for homecoming dresses.

She is happy with the dress and mom was happy that it was on sale…..yea for 40% off!

She found shoes too!

and my final question for the week…just how many rolls of saran wrap does it take to completely encase a Volkswagen beetle?

As we were leaving the mall on our way to the car we had to stop and get a picture of this VW completely wrapped in saran wrap….

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

I’m off to hopefully regain my mojo….

Blessings

Mommy Treasures

2011-09-19T10:51:00.001-04:00

Last week when I was with Muffinhead she turned and looked at me. It was a very simple gesture but in that second it’s amazing how quickly the mind works. All the mental images I have stored in my memory banks begin to roll past. She looks so much like her dad it is startling at times. She plays like him too.

This morning I was flipping though one of my bibles and I came across this picture.

It was 1993, I remember this day. It defiantly falls under the category of a Mommy Treasure. I went outside to check on him in the back yard and he came running up from the very back of the yard and he was covered from head to toe is dirt! Y’all he had been having a high ol time!

I remember the smile on his face, how he smelled, that little boy dirty sweaty I’ve been having fun smell. He was totally oblivious to his physical state and was only filled up with how much fun he had been having.

Now fast forward to last Wednesday!

1993 2011

Thank You Lord for placing another precious memory in my Mommy Treasure Chest!

Project 365 ~ Week 38…only three days y’all….Major Bummer!

2011-09-18T16:13:00.000-04:00

I only managed to get a picture for three out of the seven days this week. Major Bummer…….It was a busy week for me with the unexpected trip to the vet with the dog and a few other things as well. So such as it is here is my regretfully un-photographed week.

No pictures on Sunday, September 11

Monday, September 12

One day they will design a camera that will accurately capture how impactful a night sky can be. Until that time it is a bit of a disappointment to try to capture. It was such a lovely evening that I took a stroll after supper. As I was coming up my street I had to run, well not run but I went to retrieve my camera to take a picture of the moon. I can promise as I was coming up the street it looked HUGE!

In this pictures …NOT so much!

No pictures on Tuesday, September 13, I spent the morning putting the final preparations on my orientation meeting for That The World May Know class.

Wednesday, September 14

This is one unhappy puppy. This is now the second time we have had to have him treated for a broken nail. This time it was the opposite foot from he last time. Unfortunately it was a bit more sever this time. They had to sedate him to adequately take care of the nail. We are contemplating having them removed. The vet told me that the nails on the side of the foot are the most easily removed. There is no weight carried on those tiny side toes so it is only a matter of a small surgical procedure. All we need to do now is come up with the cash to have it done. Seeing as this is now the second time we have had to have this taken care of there is a good bet that it probably will happen again. Decision, decisions, decision……

This is a picture of Buster curled up in the floorboard of the car on the way home from the vet’s. Under normal circumstances he is sitting up front busting with energy. He was a bit unsteady on his legs after having been sedated. Poor Puppy!

Later that evening Muffinhead and family came to church for supper. Her new favorite thing to do is to play with the markers on the white board. We push a chair over to the marker board and she enjoys a few minutes scribbling and then moves on the pulling all the caps of the makers and then placing all the cap on her fingers.

Thursday, September 15

The day after having the nail repaired is always the most uncomfortable. They practically have to take it off to the very nub. Then they wrap it pretty tightly with adhesive gauze. Buster lazed about all morning long. His favorite place to be was not to far from where I was.

No pictures on Friday, September 16 or Saturday, September 17

Here's hoping for better luck next week.

If you want to visit some folks who actually did take a picture every day this week then make a visit to Sara’s and link up.

Blessings

Perspective

2011-09-15T12:16:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a very busy day.

My morning stated at 6:15 when the alarm went off. I lazed a few minutes in bed but did not linger due to the very busy day I had ahead of me.

I had spent the past two week getting ready for the orientation of my bible study that is about to start next week.

Arriving at the church a full 30 minutes early in order to give myself PLENTY of time to get my room ready AND have a bit of quiet time before the rest of the member arrived was my hope. Now one of my pet peeves is tardiness. I don’t like to be late and I don’t like folks who are chronically late. However I was looking forward to a few moments of quiet to focus my thoughts when just after I walked in the door to my classroom one of the members shows up and there went my plan. So much for my focus.

Seeing as it was orientation our business was conclude rather quickly and thankfully I was able to move on the the next item on my list. Taking the dog to the vet. Several months ago he had an unfortunate incident and broke one of the nails on his paw. It was a rather painful situation not to mention a bit costly. Well I had to take him to the vet again as he had broken the nail on the opposite foot. This one begin a bit more severe and required some sedation for the vet to be able to fix the broken nail.

So after handing over the credit card and calculating the amount of time between standing in the vet’s office and the amount of time it will take me to get the dog back home and get to the school and pick up the DD and then get to our next appointment on time I begin feel the stress begin to build up within my overflowing mental basket.

So I hop out of the car still running in the driveway take the dog into the house settle him in his crate upon a comfy pillow hop back ion the car and drive the high school to get the girlchild and then drive to the doctors office for her last visit with the orthopedic surgeon.

“Ma’m it’s been a year since you have been in the office, you will need to fill out this paper work!”

“But none of our information has changed….”

“I’m sorry ma'm you still need to fill out the forms….”

So I had to fill out about a billion forms and sort through the multiple pages because there was one paragraph in English and then one paragraph in Spanish and I had to give them all the very same information that they already had in their computer so they could make sure that all my information was exactly the same.

The one bright spot, the doctor did tell us that unless there is a problem we will no longer need to have any further follow up visits. He still advises against placing her in extreme situation such as bungee jumping (I feel safe that for now I don’t have to worry about that) but other than that she has been released to normal activates. This is a good thing.

We move on on to the next scheduled stop of the day which was the church, but before arriving there we have to turn my mini van into a taxi and pick up the required friend before heading to supper then the weekly youth and prayer shawl activities.

By this time we where running a bit ahead of schedule and the Lord was kind to me and provided me with a wonderful few minutes of quiet in the family center before the general population came in for supper. So I sat in the cool place with my feet propped up in a chair and just let the quite (and garlic bread aroma) swirl around me.

Muffinhead and family came for supper so I got a wonderful influx of grandbaby love which did this tired woman a world of good.

We get home to a relieved puppy who was limping around with a bandaged paw looking very pathetic…poor thing!

The hubs was out of town so I took pity on my puppy and allowed him to sleep at the foot of my bed. Y’all don’t tell the hubs or he would have a fit!

I woke this morning after having a fitful night of rather unpleasant dreams. Not the horrible nightmare kind of dreams, but the kind of dreams where I was in all kinds of really stressful situation. You know how dreams flit from one situation to another with no connection or explanation. I was lost and couldn't find something really important, or I had muffinhead with me and we were in a very large crowd and I was very concerned that I would not be able to find the place where we we supposed to be or find her parents and I knew that the hubs was somewhere waiting on me, there was one random part of the dream where I was having to explain to some rather angry authority figure why the books were not in balance and he wanted to know where all his money had gone….needless to say I woke feeling a not so good. I think it was leftover residue from the long and stressful day I had had yesterday.

But here is where the bit of perspective comes in.

I was feeling a bit out of sorts, overwhelmed and a bit unprepared for the day activities. All mostly connected to balancing checkbooks, sorting mail, paying bills, and doing all the thing that make me a little nuts.

Coffee first….bill second, that is always the best order of alignment. So I was nursing my first cup of coffee and pulled up my facebook and began to catch up on all the new status updates. A friend shares about a loved on who is in the end stages of a debilitating illness and is days, even hours from joining our Heavenly Father.

My fitful night and previous stressful day is instantly put into perspective.

Lord forgive me for whining and complaining. Help me to remember that there are those who truly understanding the meaning of suffering and to keep them in my thoughts and prayers every day.

Blessings

Isaiah 55:8

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.

Psalm 94:18-19

¹⁸ When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your love, O LORD, supported me.
¹⁹ When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought joy to my soul.

Project 365 ~ Week 37

2011-09-11T16:29:00.001-04:00

Well I hope you all are having a wonderful Sunday. I for one spent a wonderful time in worship this morning. It was a bitter sweet moment of remembrance for where our nation was ten years ago, remembering how sad and awful that day was. I had mixed feelings of sadness as well as hope for how much things have changed over these last ten years. We all remember what we were doing ten years ago today! I am thankful that for today my activities included worshiping in peace and safety.

Click here to read my previous September 11th remembrance.

Here is my week!

Sunday, September 4

It was Communion Sunday at church. On these Sundays the prayer shawl ministry places shawls on the alter for members to take to person’s they know who are struggling with difficult life issues. At the close of the service all the shawls except one had all been claimed.

Monday, September 5

It was a good lazy Labor Day holiday. The weather was a bit uncooperative so I had to finish off my ribs in the oven and a miracle happen and the corn I purchased was actually good. It was the first really good corn we had had all summer long.

Tuesday, September 6

I finished off this prayer shawl Monday evening. By the time I had finished attaching all the fringe it was too dark to take a good picture. For as much as I love the dark bold colors there is something very tranquil about a nice soft monochromatic color scheme.

Wednesday, September 7

I finally got the last of my That The World May Know leaders guide put together. My need to be prepared and organized is fulfilled with a nice large three ring binder. Give me some dividers and a few pocket dividers and I am a happy girl. All I have to do is make a few copies and I am good to go.

No pictures on Thursday, September 8

My small group went to see The Help on Thursday evening and then had a late supper at IHOP, regretfully I did not take any pictures.

Friday, September 9

This is my first and maybe my last attempt at this pattern. I am continuing to struggle with the difficulties of working on a knitted piece. Thankfully one of the members of the prayer shawl ministry is a knitting expert and is able to un-work any major mistakes that I may make. I can share with you that this one was moments away from being completely unraveled before she took pity on me and got me back to a place where I could begin again. Thankfully I was able to figure out my mistake and forge ahead. I continued on and as soon as I got it to a size that I thought was adequate I finished off the piece before I made another mistake.

Saturday, September 10

I spent the morning working in he backyard. It was nice and cool and very pleasant as I began to re work some of the problem areas. Here is a little before and after action.

This picture was taken on September 28, 2009……can y’all say BLANK CANVAS!!!!

Here is what the backyard looks like now. I’d call that a huge improvement. We started on the second phase of the landscaping.

We are planning to continue the bed all the way around the perimeter of the back yard. The hubs sprayed the grass in the reaming area and now all we have to do is wait for it to die so we can begin to get the ground ready for some planting.

Well that’s it for me for this week. For more 365 fun y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings

On this special day of remembrance please join me in continuing to pray for our nation.

2 Chronicles 7:14-15

¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

The joy of being the mother of a teenager….or knowing when to keep your mouth shut!

2011-09-08T08:34:00.001-04:00

We were driving home last night from church. We had a wonderful supper. I got to see my son and his family. Anytime I get to spend some time around the table with Muffinhead and crew is wonderful. The conversation after dinner was equally pleasant. It was a good night!

On the way home I had a moment of clarity. It was like the heavens parted and God filled up the car and said “Robin, Honey…you just need to let this one go! No matter what you say it is going to be WRONG and it is going in one 16 year old ear and right out the other!”

My experience with my son at 16 was very different. His interests leaned towards electric guitars, rock and roll, mayhem and basically doing the exact opposite of whatever we told him to do. He was a whirling dervish of rebellion and chaos all rolled into a handsome blonde curly head with devastating blue eyes.

Teenage girls are a different animal.

Our conversation on the way home went something like this. The names have been changed to protect the privacy and the integrity of all individuals involved, but I am sure there were similar conversations happening all over the world in similar mini vans with similar 16 year old girls.

“But MOM I know that Mary Jane wants me to help her! Why would Mary Jane say that (whatever Mary Jane said obviously motivated my daughter towards the role of matchmaker) if she didn’t want me to help her? I know that she really likes Bobby but she won’t say anything to him.”

“Well……bla bla bla bla bla….”

“But Mom, Mary Jane likes Bobby and Bobby likes me and I like Billy and I don’t know if Billy likes me and Bobby keeps NOT taking the hint that I don't like him and I want him to like Mary Jane and how can I get Billy to ask me out!”

“Well Dear, bla bla bla bla bla…..”

“Mom how can you say that! You don't know Mary Jane like I know Mary Jane!”

“OK, well what about bla bla bla bla bla!”

“OMG MOM! That will never work…..”

Can y’all say teenage drama!

It was a whirl of romantic entanglements and unrequited love! After all was said and done the DD came to the conclusion that boys are just dumb!

The one piece of advice that I think she actually did hear, “Sweetie, Just remember cute boys are a dime a dozen but best friends are hard to come by.”

Blessings

PS: Two random and completely unrelated thoughts…..

1. I made more chicken salad with red grapes yesterday and it was really good!

2. I am going to see “The Help” with my small group tonight.

Project 365 ~ Week 36: experimental canning, a sweet mommy moment ,a bit of knitting, junk mail hell, biscuits and some really fast cars

2011-09-04T13:20:00.001-04:00

Let’s get at my week!

No pictures on Sunday, August 28

Monday, August 29

More canning or more accurately defined as re-canning….Click here to visit my post about my O.C.D. (Obsessive canning Disorder)

No pictures on Tuesday, August 30

Wednesday, August 31

Y’all I have the best girlchild. I woke up on Wednesday morning and came out into he kitchen and found this waiting for me.

Later that evening I turned in my first knitted prayer shawl. I have done other knitted projects but this was the first one where I actually did a stitch that was more than just the basic knit back and forth kind of thing. I turned this one with a big learning curve. There were many places when dropped stitches and other error’s were a bit obvious, but I think that just comes with the territory. One day I will learn how to correct my mistakes but for now I am just happy to have learned a few new stitches.

Thursday, September 1

I saw on Paula Deen’s Facebook page that September is National Biscuit Month. In honor of this auspicious occasion I decided to make a biscuit topped skillet Chicken Pot Pie.

It was pretty good y’all!

Friday, September 2

I was in junk mail hell y’all! I tackled a task I have been putting off. I hate opening the mail, sorting and shredding. One day I will learn to sort and shred as I go so it does NOT pile upon me…..in a PERFACT world maybe…….

Saturday, September 3

We took advantage of a promotional offer from Great Clips. They were offering discount tickets to the Nationwide Race on Saturday evening. I think I may work up a post about the entire experience later in the week. Nascar is a wonderful opportunity for people watching.

Well that was my week.

For more 365 fun y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings

An Internal Dialog: An exercise in avoiding the things I don’t want to do….

2011-09-02T14:35:00.001-04:00

Roll over and look at the alarm clock on the night stand, I slept late this morning, I’d better get up.

Wow, I have a headache!

I hate waking up with a headache.

I'll have a cup of coffee that will help.

Remember you said you were going to tackle that HUGE pile of mail today!

Coffee first then the mail, my head still hurts!

Bummer the coffee did not help my headache …maybe I’ll take some Goody’s……

Ok, OK, Ok, I’ll let you out….but first another cup of coffee.

WOW! It feels really nice out here this morning, I think I’ll sit a bit and drink my coffee.

Now it’s hot, that last about 10 minutes.

Where’s my knitting, where did I leave off last night,

You need to sit down and work on that pile of mail.

My head still hurts, I can't open mail with a headache……..what’s on television????

Oh look Star Trek Next Generation, I love that show. I’ll sit and drink my coffee for a few more minutes and add a few more rows….

My head still hurts, you forgot to take your headache med’s, get up and go take some.

Walk into the kitchen fix a glass of headache power and drink it.

Look into the sink and see the cast iron skillet left to soak from dinner last night. YUCK….

Leave the kitchen immediately to avoid thinking about that.

Maybe I’ll sit a few more minutes to see if I can get this headache to go away.

I’ll work on crochet project #2 for a while.

Why did I make this one so long, it really takes to long to do one row.

Oh look there’s Data, he’s my favorite character on Star Trek.

You really need to get out of this chair and go through that pile of mail sitting beside the computer.

Why I think my headache is gone, I love goody’s they always work….great stuff.

I think I’ll get dressed first.

OK, OK, OK I’m sitting at the computer, I’m going to open the mail.

But first maybe I’ll check my facebook.

Oh look Skoots1mom sent me a Words with Friends request, I’ll do that first.

Hmmm what this new game request she sent……….

Don’t look over there, that’s where the mail is……..

Why do we get so much mail and why do I hate opening it and sorting it so much?

Yea I finally won a game against skoots!

I’m logging off to bask in the afterglow of my win.

Look at those leftover glasses still on the coffee table, take those into the kitchen and then do the mail.

There is that nasty pan again.

I think I’ll clean that nasty pan in the sink, anything to avoid opening the mail…

OK, OK, OK, I’ll open the mail………….

OK, OK, OK….I've shredded, I’ve sorted, I’ve tossed…..now all I have to do is file it all away.

Y’all I hate the mail!

Calgon take me away!

and it’s almost time for the DD to get home from school and her job is to check the mail box……it never ends y’all!

OK, OK….so I couldn’t just let it go……or “How I diagnosed myself with O.C.D Obsessive Canning Disorder”

2011-09-01T09:44:00.001-04:00

Y’all remember about two weeks ago I did a bit of canning.

Pepper Jelly….SCORE! Tomato Jelly….not so much.

I let it sit for a few days with great expectation that it would come together but with no luck. Not having the patience to wait the full two weeks I compromised and waited about 7 days and then re worked the recipe according to the directions included in the pectin package.

Bla ba bla bla, bla bla bla……….yea, not so much AGAIN!

At dinner one evening last week the Hubs asked me what I was going to do with all ther jars of failed tomato jelly sitting on my counter.

Before thinking about it said that I was just going to let it go.

Let it GO!

It’s a great concept.

A great concept in somebody else's kitchen maybe!

The next day I was cleaning up the kitchen and de-cluttering the kitchen island and there was my nemesis lined up very neatly.

Taunting me…… “Nanner Nanner Boo Booo you can’t make Taaaaomaaaaato Jeeeeeeelly!”

Visions of little glass jars filled with sloshing red tomato juice prancing around on my kitchen counter doing the happy dance shaking their little silver lids in my face.

Ya know I think life would be rather pleasant except for my internal dialog….

I popped open one small jar and dumped it down the disposal then it happen……

“Now Robin you worked really hard peeling all those tomatoes, are you really just going to toss them down the disposal?”

“Think of all the starving children all over the world and you are tossing food away, what would Caroline Ingalls think?”

“Think….there has to be something you can do with this……are you really going to just let this one go?????”

OK, OK, OK….so I’m standing at the kitchen sink watching one jar run down the drain and I realize that letting it go is not working for me.

It wasn’t like Apollo 13, there were no stranded astronauts with their life hanging in the balance. All I had was a few tomatoes and an about an hour of my time but as I stood there watching one jar of tomato jelly drain into the disposal I realized that failure was not an option.

Can y’all say prideful, how can I live with myself if I let a little jar of jelly defeat me.

Can y’all say stubborn, how can I NOT figure out how to fix this?

Can y’all say obsessive, I mean seriously it’s only jelly…..LET IT GO GIRL…..MOVE ON……IT’S JUST JELLY!

Well whatever it was, hormones, pride or just my need to be successful I simply cold not let it go.

There had to be something I could salvage.

I pondered for a few minutes and began to formulate a plan for resolution.

#1….how to solve the problem……what do I do when something it not thick enough?

#2…transformation, what can I add to it to help things along a bit

I got out my large skillet, it has a wide flat bottom with lots of surface area. That would facilitate even simmering and reduction.

I popped open all the jars tossed them in my pan and set it on to simmer.

After it had reduced down by about half I gave it a taste.

Regretfully it was a bit bland, in thinking about it the original recipe did not call for any salt. I tossed in a teaspoon and then added a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Then I thought……hmmmmmmmm what else.

Caramelized onions. That was just what it needed.

I let it simmer down and reduced by almost half, a bit of salt, red pepper flakes and about three onions diced and caramelized added to the mix.

My tomato jelly is now Caramelized Onion & Tomato Jam.

I think it will be great as a topper to my next meatloaf!

And y’all this is what I called “set up".

The trick will be to see if I can duplicate the recipe again.

Blessings

Bunny Watch 2011 Part Two: The Saga Continues

2011-08-29T13:37:00.001-04:00

I am sad/happy and a bit frustrated to report that the bunnies are doing well.

The day after my second discovery I was a bit uncertain about the baby bunnies future. There was little I could do to repair the damage the dog did to their cozy little nest. Fortunately during the night momma returned and quickly set about to restore some order to the chaos left by my inquisitive dog.

Once again we are on constant guard duty whenever the dog is in the back yard, which I am finding a bit more cumbersome than the last time. The bloom is defiantly off the rose where my protective instincts are concerned. However in the grand scheme of things I am hopeful that they will move on to parts unknown very soon. The last go round they were gone with in a few weeks. So we area about at the half way point. I can see the finish line and am looking forward to being able to give the dog free reign in his own backyard very soon!

I returned inside after my morning visit to their nest with assurance they the babies were in fact thriving. I tried with no success to get a picture of them, they appeared to be healthy and much more active than the last litter. Almost immediately upon my attempting to removes some of their cover they began to skitter around in the nest and one nearly bolted out.

After my last traumatic encounter with one bolting from the nest I quickly backed away and left well enough alone.

I am continuing to do further research on how to deter bunnies from nesting in my yard. I am also weighing the wisdom of planting a fall crop of lettuce and spinach.

To plant or not to plant that is the question………

Blessings

Project 365 ~ Week 35

2011-08-28T15:09:00.001-04:00

Hey there y’all!

Sunday, August 21

More knitting………if you remember last Sunday, well this Sunday was not very different. I think I have just reached my boredom threshold with the homespun and the crocheting. I am still keeping a crochet project going but I am really trying to focus on learning how to knit. I guess what I mean is really learning how to knit beyond just the basic knit and purl stitches. One day I hope to be able to describe knitting as easy. However thus far it seems to be taxing my mental capacity to the very limits. This stitch is a bit on the complicated side, complicated for me anyway. The problem I have is retention. As soon as I flip my piece to the other side I immediately forget what row I have just completed. Did I just do three or four? You may be laughing but in the split second it takes me to turn the piece that little tid bit of information just flies out of my head. If the television is going or if the DD walks in with a question well that just muddies the waters even more. Having the uninterrupted solitude in the church parlor while I wait for the DD during her choir practice had given me the time I need to focus. I also devised some simple cheats to help me lessen the strain on the old brain.

Notice the row counter at the end of the needle…….it may be a bit simplistic but it worked like a charm.

One new stitch mastered about a thousand left to learn….well maybe not!

Monday, August 22

Last week as I was passing the deli case at the Kroger when the chicken salad with red grapes called to me….I had to stop and order up a container to take home with me. It was so good, a little skimpy on the red grapes, which are one of my favorites. It was also wonderful to just pull out the container and not have to worry or fuss about what I was going to eat for lunch for a day or two. Well it was a bit pricey…about $6.00 per pound. During my next trip to the store I snagged a rotisserie chicken and a bag of red grapes and decide to make my own chicken salad. Needless to say I made sure there were plenty of red grapes throughout. I even tossed in a handful of dried cranberries. It was super good. I have been enjoying it all week long!

Tuesday, August 23

Y’all I was SOOOOOOOO excited. It was a first for me and for Kim. I have been visiting Kim’s blog Just A Southern Girl for a long time. We quickly discovered that we have a local hometown connection. When we found out that she was going to be on furlough stateside we began making plans to have an actual face to face meeting.

Y’all it was a wonderful meeting. We met at a local Italian restaurant and had dinner and just talked and talked. It was so neat to finally sit across the table with one of my blogging buddies! The only down side of the whole evening was that due to some family issues Skoots1mom had been called out of town and was not able to join us. She was totally bummed about missing this opportunity.

I gave her a buzz on her cell and Kim and Skoots spent a few minutes on the phone. Kim’s next furlough will be in two years and we have already made the decision that we will begin planning for our next blogging reunion! To Much Fun Y’all!

Wednesday, August 24

Muffinhead and Family came for supper at church. I have shared with y’all how she has turned into a little chatterbox. Well with the hubs schedule he has been out of town a lot lately. The last couple of times that Muffinhead has dropped by he has been gone. It took her a few minutes to warm up to him at dinner on Wednesday. That made for a slightly sad Grandpa:(

After dinner she was very eager to get down out of the high char and go exploring. I had the pleasure of sitting next to her all during dinner, deciding that Grandpa needed a bit of one on one time with his grandbaby I handed her off to him for an after dinner stroll around the family center and down the hall. They got a few steps away and she turned and raised her little arm in the air, made a quick little gesture with her sweet little hand and said “Come on Grandma!” Who could refuse that! Grandma, Grandpa and Muffinhead, all three hand in hand went on an after dinner stroll. It was just too sweet!

Thursday, August 25

This is a fair representation of how most of my spare time this week has been spent. Once I had given the TTWMK (That The World May Know) curriculum the once over, I found that the leaders guide they provided was a bit inadequate for my needs. I had to rework the time frame they suggested to better fit our extended time and I also had to do a bit of re-formatting. The leaders guide is about the size of a large index card. It fits on the inside of the DVD case so it is very ~~very, very, very~~ small. This means that the typeface is very ~~extra, super tee-niney~~ small as well. Knowing myself they way I know myself, I quickly realized that this simply would NOT do. Being well acquainted with my need to make notes in the margins, highlight passages as well as my inability to be able to sum thing up with a minimum of words, well I decided it would be necessary to make my own leaders guide. I started scanning in the text on Monday and had that all finished up by midweek. The next step was to get it imported into publisher.

I am thanking Jesus for the scanning & design/layout software on my computer. Now that I have figured out all the kinks in the software and re-familiarize myself with Publisher this re-design is going a lot more quickly than last time.

I had to re-work a leaders guide for all four session. I felt like I was back in the old days when I worked at a design studio! I am almost done. Thankfully I have plenty of time. My class does not start until September 14!

Friday, August 26

If you read last weeks P365 then you will recall I did a bit of canning. You will also recall that one of my batches of experimental jelly I did did not set up. After consulting with Sara as well as re-reading the instructions on how to re-work a batch of jelly that did not set up I decided to give it one more shot! Needless to say I think Caroline Ingalls would not be passing out any blue ribbons for this batch of less than successful Love Apple (Tomato) Jelly.

Looks good but…..successful…not so much!

I have decided for my own peace of mind I am letting go the need to succeed and just chocking this failed batch up to the “mysteries of life” and moving on to other things……

Saturday, August 27

It was a super lazy day. I had done the majority of my chores on Friday, I had gotten all my yard work done, the house was relatively tidy, so it was a wonderfully carefree Saturday. I watched a few movies in the recliner, I cooked a wonderful dinner (which I forgot to take any pictures of: Pan Seared Pork Medallions with Orzo Pasta with sautéed Red Peppers and Onions and steamed Broccoli.. the pasta and sautéed veggies were really good. It reminded me of risotto without all the work!) and sent a few hours working on some additional knitting stitches.

Well that was my week!

It was a GREAT week, I learned some new things, had a face to face with a wonderful sister in Christ and had dinner with Muffinhead!

Nothing but plus's in my book!

Blessings

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

An internal dialogue: How to Loose an Argument with Yourself! Bunny Watch 2011: The Saga Continues

2011-08-22T22:14:00.000-04:00

Myself: What is the dog doing?

Me: Get out of my flowerbed….bad dog!

Myself: You don’t care what the dog is doing just go inside and mind your own business…..

Me: Oh no, Mrs. Bunny has decided to birth her second ~~or hundredth~~ litter of bunnies in my flowerbed.

Myself: Now remember you said that if Mrs. Bunny came again you were going to let nature take it’s course….

Me: Oh No Buster is now using a newborn bunny as a chew toy!

Myself: Maybe Mrs. Bunny will learn a lesson and move on to someone else's back yard!

Me: Look at it’s tiny terrified little baby bunny legs flailing around in a panic.

Baby Bunny: Help Me! Mommy! There is a ferocious Hound from Hell tossing me up in the air like a chew toy!

Myself: Seriously, I have not even had my first cup of coffee and now I have to go chase down the dog in the back yard in hopes that he has not killed another bunny!

Me: Oh no…….here we go again.

Buster: Kill the Wabbit….Kill the Wabbit…..Kill the Wabbit!

Myself: Remember you are going to let nature take it’s course…..

Me: But it’s just laying out in the grass, it’s little legs struggling against the elements. Its little head weakly and pathetically poking up out of the grass.

Baby Bunny: Help! Help ME! Where’s my mommy! Where are my brothers and sisters, why is it so bright and what is that huge ball of scorching heat blasting down upon my naked newborn body? The Hound from Hell could come back at any moment! Maybe some kind compassionate gray haired old lady will take pity on me and rescue me!

Myself: Remember you were going to let nature take it’s course.

Me: OK, OK, OK, I’ll go check on it! I have to at least go see if it is dead!

Myself: Just leave it in the back yard and maybe it will just die!

Me: Oh look at it all tiny and new! Now be gentle as you pick it up. It looks ok, maybe it will be ok!

Myself: What are you doing?

Me: Be gentle as you put it back in the dug up nest, oh no there is another one that the dog did not have time to drag out of the nest.

Baby Bunny #2: Help! Help! Mommy where are you! Mommy save me! A Hound from Hell laid waist to my warm safe burrow and has stolen my bother away. But wait…..what’s that? Do I see a kind benevolent gray headed old woman standing over me.

Me: Well the least I can do is put the traumatized little thing back with it’s sibling?

Myself: THE LEAST YOU CAN DO…am I hearing you correctly! Please let’s get real for a minute. Remember what a pain it was last time! I give up! You were going to let nature take it’s course. You were going to allow the natural course of time take care of Mrs. Bunny’s poor choice in nesting areas. But nooooooooooooooooooo are you listen to me!

Several hours later………..

Myself: Maybe they will be dead when I check on them. Let’s hope they are dead!

Me: Ahhh look they are all snuggled up together.

Myself: DRAT!

Me: Oh no! Look the hot sun is bearing right down on them.

Myself: Just leave them alone, stupid bunnies, they are getting what they deserve!

ME: The least you can do is give them a bit of shade.

Myself: Don’t you cover them up!

Me: Why this big flat broad leaf will be just the ticket.

Myself: Stupid bunny and even stupider woman!

ME: Here we go again!

So that’s how you loose an argument with yourself!

I in all honesty the dog did a really bad number on the nest before I noticed what he was doing. I am not sure what will happen tonight when mommy returns to find her nice little nest dug all to hell.

I have always heard that bunnies are quite prolific in their reproductive habits'. If this is the same Mrs. Bunny then she is not wasting any time! I mean seriously it only been about 70 days since she dropped her last litter in my back yard. Can bunnies crank out a batch that soon???????

So it begins again.

Bunny Watch 2001 ~ Part Two the Saga Continues………..

Project 365 ~ Week 34

2011-08-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

I am glad that this week is in the record books. With my colonoscopy on Monday the rest of the week was a non issue.

Sunday, August 14

The DD Sunday Schedule has changed a bit now that school has started back. The Youth Choir has begun practicing immediately after church. They order a few pizza's and all have lunch together. Then practice is from 1 to 2 in the afternoon. It makes for a long morning but since the hubs was out of town I just brought my yarn bag with me to church. I sat in the parlor and learned how to do a new stitch. If ya have to wait I might as well put that time to good use…..

I have to say I usually find knitting to be a challenge. I much prefer to crochet. It’s far more forgiving if you make an error(which I do all the time). But I am trying to forge ahead and not let defeat overtake me where the knitting needles are concerned. This stitch may be the ticket. It is so easy and there is absolutely no repeat. It is the very same stitch coming as well as going in both directions. Now that is my kind of project. I don't have to keep up with rows or count or do anything beyond flip to the other side when I get to the end of the row…..

That’s my kind of knitting project. Knitting for dummies I like to call it! and it looks really complicated but it is super easy.

Here is the pattern if you are a knitter…….

Cast on in an even number, how ever long you want your piece to be, but it must be an even number. I knit across the bottom once to build up the first row.

To begin knit the first stitch then yarn over and knit two together all the way across until you get to the last three stitches. Yarn over then knit two together and then knit one in the last stitch. Turn and do the very same thing all the way back across. It is a lacy open weave pattern that is super easy!

Monday, August 15

I was never so happy to put an empty container in the recycling bin in all my life! The actual procedure went very well and I enjoyed a very long and wonderful drug induced nap for most of Monday afternoon. Click here if you would like a bit of comic relief about the lighter side of all those wonderful procedure we get to endure as we get older.

Tuesday, August 16

I have been working on this prayer shawl fooooorever! I think I started it before Christmas last year. I like to keep a knitting project going on the side to keep my fingers used to doing the motions so I won’t forget how to do it. I will say that I was not real crazy with the way this one turned out. I love the homespun but there are some things that it is not suited for. Live and learn….I am not sure I will do another homespun knitted project.

I finished this one up last Thursday, but I did not get around to taking a picture of it until Tuesday. Call me silly but I like to get a picture of my completed shawls before I turn them in.

No pictures on Wednesday, August 17

I was still feeling a bit unrecovered from my colonoscopy. I don’t think it had anything to do with the actual procedure. I think it had everything to do with the turmoil my body had to endure to get ready for the procedure. My tummy was a bit out of sorts and I just did not feel quite like myself.

Thursday, August 18

I felt much better and was able to get in the kitchen for a bit of canning.

I made two batches of jelly today. I experimented with both batches. I made a batch of Hot Pepper Jelly with my Cayenne Peppers. I am eager to give it a try to see how I got the heat on this batch. I was wondering what to do with my remaining tomatoes. Isn’t it interesting what you learn when you actually take the time to read the instructions. I was looking at the insert that comes with the pectin packets and they had a tomato jelly recipe listed. I figured I only wasted about three cups of sugar and a few tomatoes if it isn't any good!

A Jelly Update: The pepper jelly set up perfectly. The Tomato jelly however was another matter all together. I am going to have to re-work it next week. It did not set up at all. I have never had this happen to me before but then I have never made Tomato Jelly before either. So I will see how the Jelly Re-Make goes next week………

Friday, August 19

Saturday, August 20

Gotta love that man of mine! He returned home from a business trip with flowers in hand for both me and the DD! I have to boast about his thoughtfulness and his attention to the small things. Flowers go a long way in my book!

Well that’s it for me this week! For more 365 fun y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings

“That was a good one!”: An honest account of a Southern Girls experience of a colonoscopy or…The post in which I talk about something that no southern girl ever wants to talk about……

2011-08-16T19:23:00.001-04:00

Without being indelicate, how do I describe a situation involving some very personal moments that should only happen in private that do in fact happen for all the world to hear!

Have a colonoscopy and you will know exactly what I am referring to.

So there I was blissfully enjoying my sedation. The procedure was finished and the Hubs was patiently waiting for me to wake up.

The nurse jostles me briefly and instruct me to try to expel some of the …you now what…

Well any true southern girl will tell you, we have had generations of training on exactly how to avoid that situation completely!

All I can tell you is that there are times when the body needs to do things that supersede a girls desire to protect the illusion of femininity.

After one such expelling situation I heard from across the room…"That was a good one!”

I was sound asleep and it was so loud that it woke me up y’all!

I opened my eyes and saw a wonderfully pleased smirk on the hubs face. I promptly close my eyes again as to avoid any further humiliation.

All joking aside the procedure went very well. The before preparations were a bit unpleasant but you can’t have one without the other. I will say that the solution they gave me to drink has improved by leap and bounds. I have had to do similar preparations before and this one was by far the most endurable that I have experienced! Aside from the sheer volume, it was one full gallon of liquid! It was a clear, it had no grit in it at all. It had a very light sweet taste, but it was also a bit salty. It reminded me of a sports drink. I will be completely honest and tell you that the first half of the gallon was a piece of cake. The second half of the gallon was another matter all together. It was a little harder going down from about the half way point! Thankfully the instructions did allow for a bit of slaking off so I was able to lengthen the time between dosages. This did make it a bit more tolerable but it also meant that I did not totally finish my prep until almost 9:30 P.M.. And when they tell you not to stray too far from the bathroom….trust me they mean not to get to far from the bathroom.

Needless to say I was clean as a whistle and ready for the procedure on Monday morning.

As I recovered at home nursing my coke and enjoying a bowl of chicken noodle soup I began to ponder several things. First I had to wonder what draws a person to specialize in a field of medicine in which the focus is exploring the less than desirable parts of the human body? Hmmmmmm…one can only guess. Second, I thought about the lovely woman who was praising me for my outstanding performance in auditory bodily functions. “How was your day today honey?” ….What does she tell her family at the end of the day? Does she tally up a total for the day? Does she rate them by sound, clarity or their ability to echo? Does she keep score, who’s was the loudest, the longest, the most resonate? Was my “emission” the best one of the day? (I have decided that for self esteem issues I am sue that my submission was one of the better entries of the day!)

All good questions…for which I have no good answer.

Everyone one on staff at the Endoscopy Center I went to were wonderful and very professional. The technician that worked with the doctor stood by my side the entire time with her hand on my shoulder reassuring me. It was a bit strange being in that place of being asleep but not being asleep. I had moments when I was aware of things going on like feeling her hand on my shoulder. I did not feel a thing related to the colonoscopy other than one or two moments of some slightly uncomfortable pressure that lasted only a few seconds. All in all it was a bit of a non issue.

On the plus side it was some really good sleeping once I got home. I have no idea how long the procedure took, nor do I remember the ride home in the car. Once I got home the hubs poured me a coke, set it on the table next to me, I laid down on the sofa and then I woke up and it was past 2:00 PM.

That was GOOD SLEEPING!

If I could only sleep that well without the drugs!

So if you have never had a colonoscopy, well my experience was relatively mild. I am thankful that they have the technology to explore certain parts of the human anatomy and I am also glad that it is done and behind me.

What can I say…Just trying to keep it real for all y’all! And a colonoscopy followed by an award wining session of breaking wind are as real as it gets in my book!

Blessings

Project 364 ~ Week 33: More Prayer Shawls, Gorgeousness, Procedures and a Prayer Request!

2011-08-13T21:33:00.001-04:00

By now I am sure that most of you think all I do all day long is sit and crochet…..I have been cranking them out over the course of the last few weeks, I will admit to that! I find a certain sense of peace in reparative processes. The nature of doing the same thing and getting the same results only different appeals to me. I will also confess I do enjoy standing back and looking at the finished product.

Fortunately or regretfully, I have finished up with all the Mish Mash yarn for the time being. The final total was five shawls. There are still a few random balls of yarn left over but not nearly enough for a sixth piece. The remnants will have to wait for the next batch of leftovers to come my way!

I am posting early this week because I feel certain that I will be otherwise occupied on Sunday with ….shall we say ….preparations…butt more on that later…..

Well enough of that…let’s get to my week!

Sunday, August 7

If the DD continues to get more and more beautiful I think the Hubs may begin to consider shipping her off to the nearest convent until she reaches the age of 40! You should have seen the look on his face when she walked out all dressed and ready for church on Sunday! Can y’all say SUPER MODEL!

I can categorically state that I NEVER looked this good when I was 16….but then Mom’s are a bit partial I think…but she is flat spilling over with gorgeousness! The boys are beginning to take notice I am afraid!

Mish Mash #4 finished…..

Monday, August 8

The first day of school…more gorgeousness…and at 6:15 A.M……nobody should look this good that early in the morning!

Tuesday, August 9

Mish Mash #5

I was telling Skoots1mom and all my other gal pals at Prayer Shawl that over the course of the last few weeks I have noticed a pattern developing. As the Mish Mash began to whittle down I noticed that all the remaining colors we all of the pastel persuasion. It seems that my eye is drawn to the deeper jewel tones and all the other powerful colors first. Not that this soft pastel shawl is not nice but I think I like the darker richer colors the best!

My neighbors are Jehovah Witnesses, from time to time they drop over and leave some of their information with us. Aside for being Jehovah Witness they are very sweet folks. They are a retired couple and we keep smiling and waving and praying for them.

Will Humans Ruin the Earth? Hmmmmm…..Well I just take her tract and smile and wish her a nice afternoon!

One of the newest additions at out church is this very small rose garden. It is out in the parking lot of the church. As I was passing it by the other day on my way home from Prayer Shawl I just had to hop out of the car and snap off a few pictures.

Wednesday, August 10

What a sweet popsicle eating surprise I had on Wednesday evening!

Thursday, August 11

Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Tortellini…and the DD did all the cooking!

No pictures on Friday, August 12

Saturday, August 13

Well I am ready for tomorrow! I have my clear liquids, my lifesavers and my lovely gallon jug of you know what!

My week of remembering went rather well! I managed to remember all the things I am not supposed to eat or take. For those of you who have had colonoscopies before you will know the drill. Tomorrow all I can have are clear liquids. They did say I could have Jell-O but then they also said I can not not have anything that was colored red or purple. Soooooooo, seeing as I would rather go hungry that eat lime Jell-O and since my favorite raspberry and cherry Jell-O are out well its’ ginger ale for me, Lipton's green tea and chicken broth!

Well tomorrow (Monday @ 8:15) should be interesting. Having never had a colonoscopy I venture into unexplored territory along with my gastroenterologist!

Y’all just prayer for good result and that all will go well!

Well that’s it for me this week.

Needless to day I will be otherwise involved with unmentionable bodily functions on Sunday so I will catch up with all of you post procedure……..

Don’t forget to head over to Sara’s and link up for more 365 fun!

Blessings

Please pray for good results, for peace, comfort and blissfully sleeping through things that one should never be away for!

Just a little funny…..

2011-08-13T12:00:00.001-04:00

One of my friends posted this on their Facebook page and I thought it was just too funny!

To all you single ladies who are in such a hurry to get married, here's a quick piece of Biblical advice:

Ruth patiently waited for her mate Boaz.

While waiting on YOUR Boaz, don't settle for ANY of his relatives: Brokeaz, Poaz, Lyinaz, Cheatinaz, Dumbaz, Cheapaz, Lockedupaz, Goodfornothinaz, Lazyaz, Drunkaz or Marriedaz and especially his third cousin Beatinyoaz .

Please, wait on your Boaz & make sure he respects Yoaz!

Thankful Thursday ~ My new favorite sentences….

2011-08-11T09:09:00.001-04:00

She speaks….in full sentences…….

A very close friend is of on vacation. The DD has been employed to feed the cat and water the plants while they are away so I had driven her over after dinner. When we got home we had a sweet little surprise waiting for us. The DS and my future daughter-in law and Muffinhead had come for a visit!

The DS was involved in a vacuum cleaner repair in the driveway so Muffinhead and the DD and me headed to the backyard for a popsicle break!

I was busy taking pictures and had set my popsicle down on the table on top of the wrapper and my sweet chatterbox in a very clear little voice was issuing instructions!

“Eat your popsicle Grandma!”

With our popsicles finished the misquotes chased us inside. It wasn’t to long before she was clomping around in my flip flops.

“What are you doing with my shoes!”

“No! My shoes Grandma!”

It just breaks my heart with love y’all!

Blessings

“I think, therefore I have no clue……..”

2011-08-09T15:30:00.001-04:00

I’ve been thinking….which for me at this stage in my life is a real accomplishment.

I was watching Regis and Kelly this morning and Jan Fonda was on. She was commenting on the fact that she is now seventy plus years old. I then began to physically hate her for looking so good at the age of 70something. She was on the show to promote her latest book which I probably will not read. However her conversation did give me pause to think about a few things.

I have two more decade to get under my belt before I hit my 70’s. That fact alone kind of makes me tired just thinking about it (there’s that word again!) If I am honest the process of pondering where my life has been, where it is going and what it is I really want out of the remainder of my years on this planet, well let’s just say that for today I don’t have a plan beyond dinner time.

When you are in your 20something you have your whole life in front of you and you have this wonderful feeling of invincibility. Now, today I recognize that I am not invincible. I know that I have more days behind me than I do have in front of me but ya know that’s ok.

Perspective is the key…I think (there is that word again!)

I was getting my hair trimmed a week or so ago and as I was sitting in the chair the stylist was chatting away and asking questions. No matter which stylist I get they always comment on how thick my hair is.

“Have you ever thought of getting a bob?” she asks.

Before I answered my fist thought was I was not entirely sure I knew what a bob hair style was. Then before I could even really process her question my answers was “Ya know I just can’t think about that right now!”

The stylist answered in an understanding reply “Oh honey…..I remember those days!”

If it requires more that a brush through in the morning then for me right now that is about all I can handle. The whole reason I am not “resisting” the gray is very simple. I can’t wrap my brain around keeping up with the roots and actually having to extend any effort in thinking about making the time to either color my hair or make an appointment for someone else to color my hair. It is more effort that I can muster right now.

Then there was this small exchange between the Hubs and me in the bathroom this past Sunday morning.

The hubs remarked once again on my habit of wearing white shirts.

“You sure do like those white shirts!”

Well it’s not that I have a particular fondness for white shirts. It has more to do with the fact that I don’t have to extend any effort in making a decision on what to wear.

Not counting the laundry hamper or the one I have on right now there are 17 white shirts hanging in my closet right now.

What do Jan Fonda, my last hair cut and white shirts have to do with anything? Well I think I may have had a profound thought that connected all of this together but it seems to have left me.

Getting my hair cut into a bob, buying a shirt that is some other color beside white or thinking of what my life will be like in a another twenty years.

Y’all I just can’t think about that right now.

“I think, therefore I have no clue……..”

Where of where did my brain go……

I am scheduled for my very first colonoscopy next Monday. It should have been done a years or so ago but you know how life goes. Between the DD major surgery and the hubs had a significant health issue as well. Some of the things that should have happen in my life took a back seat as I was caring for my loved ones. Isn't that the way of all mom’s! Constantly taking care of others and then we forget to take care of ourselves. Well this week is my week of really having to remember things like…no over the counter medication with aspirin in it, no naproxen sodium (Alive) and there are a few food restriction further in the week. Don’t eat anything green or red……Suffice it to say there are a lot of things on my list this week that all require a fair amount of brain function.

Don’t eat this, don't take that, drink this every 15 minutes…….

I think…….at least I know what shirt I will be wearing to the procedure on Monday…….

Cogito ergo sum (French: "Je pense donc je suis"; English: "I think, therefore I am") is a philosophical Latin statement proposed by René Descartes. The simple meaning of the phrase is that someone wondering whether or not he exists is, in and of itself, proof that he does exist – at the very least, there must be an "I" who does the thinking.^[1]

^Blessings