God's Word for Today

Monday, March 26, 2012

Repost: Fixed Broken Links to Pictures…Project 365 ~ Week 12: Muffinhead and the Giant Sweater and Something New X Two

Edit: I have no idea what happen tot he pictures!!! I am reposting to see if I can get them to show up! Gotta love technical difficulties!

I can’t believe I only missed one day this week! WOW!

Well here is my week y’all!

Sunday, March 18

Here is a picture of my first ever knitted article of clothing. Muffinhead’s mom and I found this pattern. It looked simple enough. She picked out some yarn that she liked and I got busy with my needles.

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About half way through I began to suspect that it was going to be to large. When all was said and done it is about two, if not more, sizes to big. The DD even tried it on and it almost fit her.

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Note to self": Never attempt to knit a garment without making a sample gauge first. The instruction called for size five needles. I actually had to go down to a size three needle to get the correct size gauge. Go Figure.

My only problem now is that I have that nagging “Nanner Nanner Boo Boo” voice in the back of my head. I am going to have to try to make this again and see if I can get it to be the proper size!

Monday, March 19

Just for fun I had Muffinhead try it on! Yeah, maybe in another year she will be able to wear this one!

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Muffinhead and Buster go from being best friends to disagreeing like siblings. They settle in to watch Elmo on the sofa.

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Tuesday, March 20

Now that the weather is nice and warm we spend a lot of time in the back yard.

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Thursday, March 22

Here is my first “Something New”.

Have you ever tired steel cut oats?

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I saw that Sara made mention of them in one of her latest post. I picked up a container of them during my last grocery run.

The jury is still out as to whether or not they will find a place in my cart again. Aside from the 30 minutes it takes to cook them I am a bit put off by the price, ringing up at almost $5.00 for this small container. Plus it has a very different texture than regular oatmeal. My first attempt to make them failed miserably.

You can click here to read an article I found about the differences between rolled oats and steel cut oats.

 

The backyard is really starting to fill out. I am very eager to see how all the changes I made last fall will look as things begin to fill out and bloom!

Just look at how much my lamps ear has grown since I planted it!

One tiny little sprig planted back on 4-17-2010…….….                                      

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Now look at it!

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Friday, March 23

My second attempt at the steel cut oats was a bit better. The night before I soaked them in a measuring cup full of water. The next morning I drained them off and cooked them according to the directions and was much happier with the texture. The oatmeal was softer and the constancy was a bit more like oatmeal. However after 30 minutes of simmering on the stove top the bottom of my pan was a mess.

30 minutes, messy pan, expensive….hmmm I am still deciding if these will make it back in my cart again!

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Saturday, March 24

My second new thing!!!!

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I finally got a new phone. I had time on Saturday to sit down and read through the instruction book and get to know all the features. I felt very vindicated because the guys at the phone store had great difficulty getting my old phone to work and quickly recognized just how tiresome dealing with the glitch touch screen really was. There were even a few time when they had to hand the phone over to me to see I could get it to work.

Thankfully I have powered down the ancient relic for the last time and am enjoying my new phone!

 

Well that was my week!!!

A giant sweater and two new things!

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

Blessings

R

Monday, March 19, 2012

Y’all check it out!

Hey There Y’all. The  women’s ministry at our church has a new blog. First UMC Women of Influence launched a few weeks ago. I am posting today so if you want to check it out you can click here.

 

Blessings

R

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Project 365 ~ Week 11: I can’t believe it has been three years…

Monday, March 12

I bought on of these on Monday. I am still learning about all the features this has. However It has gone off several times this week. I can tell you that when it does go off it will defiantly get your attention. Especially if you are not prepared for a shrill blast to go off. Talk about jumping out of your skin. I think there may be a way to make it not be so loud but then doesn't thank kind of defeat the purpose.

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As well as being prepared for the next wave of sever weather to come through I am stocked up on birthday cake supplies. Seeing as there is a birthday cake in my future later in the week this is a good thing.

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Tuesday, March 13

Muffinhead woke up to thunder and heavy rain. We had to go watch for a few minute at the window to assure ourselves that everything was ok and the rain was going to stay outside.

Grandma: “Good morning sleepyhead.”

Muffinhead hears the thunder: “It’s raining in my bedroom.”

Grandma: “No! It’s raining outside!”

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Thursday, March 15

Experimenting with rolled fondant. Muffinhead’s mom and I were contemplating using some rolled fondant on the birthday cake. I found some all ready prepared fondant at wal-mart the other day so I bought two boxes. It was a smidge expensive, but I figure you only turn three once, right!

Well we were less than impressed with how it tasted and were weighing the decision of using it on the cake. I decide that rather than cover the entire cake with something that did not taste very good that I might make some of the smaller decorations out of it. I have never worked with fondant before. It is sort of the constancy of play dough. It worked well for rolling out and cutting out some of the decorations.

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Friday, March 16

Let the decorating begin……….

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All we need now is a knife and some paper plates!

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The cake looks good…the kitchen not so much!

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11-25-2011

Y’all may remember when I did some pantry organizing in the fall of last year. I have been enjoying having my jam’s and things with in arms reach in my kitchen.

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The DD and I made a run to get our hair cut on Friday afternoon. When I returned home and walked into my kitchen this is what I found!

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The only thing I can surmise is the the glass was not thick enough for the weight of all the jars. One of my husbands co-workers sent home several jars of tomatoes he had canned as well as a big jar of peaches and some tomato sauce. I think the addition of the extra weight was just to much for the glass shelving. The majority of the jars fell behind the shelf unit and landed in a heap between the bottom of the shelf and the baseboards. The rest of them rolled to various places all over the kitchen.

The miracle in all of this was that I have one of my grandmother crystal platters on the shelf directly below and thankfully it was not broken.

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There was glass all over the kitchen floor and it had even traveled as far as the sun room. Since Friday afternoon I have mopped the floor about six time and I am still finding sticky spots. The second good thing is that with all the glass jars that were on the shelf (about half as many as were in the first picture) the peaches were the only thing to get broken, aside from the shelf that is.

Saturday, March 17It was Muffinhead’s birthday today!

I saw this Tinkerbelle costume and just could not resist. She hit the ground running or flying I should say and had a wonderful time.

One….                                                  Two

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Three…

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Well that was my week. Messy kitchen and birthdays.

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

Blessings

R

Friday, March 16, 2012

My House is Quiet

The sun has just come up, the birds are enjoying themselves with a racket of chirping and calling back and forth, the dog is curled up next to me and the grandbaby is still fast asleep….for now anyway.

I have begun to wonder if there may be some biological connection between waning hormones and brain function. Last night I was trying to describe how I felt to the ladies in my accountability group. They were listening and had the automatic head bobbing in the affirmative as they either remembered  similar feelings or were experiencing them as well. I felt mildly comforted knowing that this “OFF” feeling is not unique, however it did little in actually making me feel better.

Attempting to describe the feelings………it’s like being surrounded by a thick fog that is charged with a negative emotions. The internal dialogue within my head is extremely loud. The things I’m thinking y’all……it is a constant ongoing opportunity for repentance and then asking for forgiveness. Throw in the mix a almost 17 year old who can’t seem to focus on anything that is not a small electronic device, grooming device, accessories or basically revolving around her add to the internal dialog in a big way.

I have much to do today, however all I really want to do is just cocoon myself away from everyone and wait…..

Well  a little blond curly headed ray of sunshine just woke up and is now cuddle up next to me on the sofa asking to play triangles…..gotta go y’all

 

Blessings

R

Monday, March 12, 2012

coming or staying: a conversation with the DD

I walked into the DD room, she is sitting on the bed listening to her/my IPod, but that is a whole other story that I will delve into at a later date!

“I am heading out are you coming or staying?” The kids have a day off from school today due to a teacher furlough day.

“I’ll stay here.” the DD says.

“Are you sure, you could be my chauffer. You need the driving time. Plus I thought you wanted to get an application at the new pizza place?”

“Can’t you just pick one up for me?”

“It would be better if you did it in person!”

“Where are you going? I don't want to be gone all day!!!”

“Well I need to go to Wal-Mart, stop by Home Depot, maybe go to the ATT store and look at new phones, get the emissions done on the car and a few other things…”

She hops off the bed, “OK I”ll go, it will take me a few minutes to get ready though!”

The deciding factor….she really wants a new phone!

I may just leave that one off till the very last just for fun y’all!

My bad!

 

Blessings

R

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Project 365 ~ Week 10…it was 50/50!

I only pictures of three days this week.

Muffinhead has been wearing me out in the mornings y'all! Now that the DS is working more consistently she is back almost every day. It has taken us a few days to get back into the swing of things. We are having a great time in our mornings together, but this old girl is tired at the end of the week. Tired but really happy that I am getting some good one on one time with that sweet grandbaby!

I had a few pictures of her this week but they were all a bit blurry or of the back of her head, she is a busy girl y’all. Sitting still is not a priority for her these days!

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Well here's my week, or at least half of my week anyway!

Tuesday, March 6

Are y’all as tired of this election year as I am?

My spirit is so troubled for the state of this country. Each week in my small group we lift up the country and the political leaders. This is difficult due to my strong feelings about our elected officials. We continue to pray for guidance, for God’s hand of intervention, for clarity, you name it we pray for it!

One person one vote…….well I claimed my right this afternoon!

Voting was the first important thing I did on Super Tuesday.

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After I voted I made a grocery run.

We were out of practically everything. The next important thing happened when I saw these on sale!

Brach’s Jelly Beans, aside for Jelly Belly’s Brach’s are my favorite. The can be extremely difficult to find. I snatched up several bags. In hindsight I probably should have resisted the urge since I have had little luck practicing restraint. They are a major weakness where my sweet tooth is concerned!

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Thursday, March 8

The had several things on sale in the meat department on Tuesday. I got a whole ham for $9.00, it was originally prices @ $24.00 but they had it “reduced for quick sale”, my four favorite words.

I was experimenting with a crock pot recipe, I figure that if it did not work then I would rather waste $9.00 rather than $24.00. My only problem was that the ham did not fit. There was no way to cut it down as the bone ran all the way through the entire length of the ham.

What do you think of my solution? A layer of heavy duty aluminum foil and my large pasta bowl and it worked great!

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It was a simple enough recipe. It called for 1 1/2 cups brown sugar. You layered some on the bottom of the crock pot. Place the ham in flat side down, then rub the remaining brown sugar on the outside of the ham. Cook on low for 6 hours.

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It was not the most attractive ham I have ever fixed but it sure was good.

When I removed the foil there was a good bit of liquid, ham juice as well as fat. I am not sure if this was due to the fact that it did not have a vent or if this was the way it was supposed to be. I poured about three cups of the liquid in my fat skimmer, poured off the ham juice and transferred it to my small sauté pan. I reduced it down by about half. I found a can of apricots in the back of the pantry and popped them open. I drained them and poured the juice into the reduction and then reduced it down by about half again. I gave the apricots a rough chop and then right before serving I added the diced fruit to the sauce. It was super yummy drizzled over the ham. I was good over the baked sweet potatoes I served with the ham too!

Saturday, March 10

Saturday was such a gorgeous day I grabbed my garden gloves and my pitch fork and spent a few hours in the back yard pulling weeds, pruning trees, clearing out the dried up foliage from my flower beds, generally getting things ready for the spring plantings.

As I was clearing away the massive accumulation of weeds that had invaded my raised bed I noticed this small little sprouting of lambs ear poking it’s leafy little head out.

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How it got from all the way over there on the far left side of the garden to my raise bed is a mystery. It’s probably about 40 feet from where it planted to where the seedling sprouted up! I think I may leave it there for the time being and then transplant it in the fall to a better location.

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It was so good to get out in the backyard on Saturday. I am ready for the warm weather to get here.

Well that was my week!

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

Next week will be Muffinhead’s third birthday. Can y’all believe it! Me neither!

Three Years!

My how time flies when your having fun!

Blessings

R

Monday, March 5, 2012

A little then and now…..a year in my back yard!

A lot has changed in my back yard from when we first moved in. We took up residence in May of 2006. It was also in the midst of one of the worst droughts we have experience. There was such extreme water restrictions that the option for doing any work in the back yard seemed nearly impossible. It was not until the fall of 2009 that water restriction were lifted and beginning to renovate our barren back yard seemed even possible.

This is what the backyard looked like on September 28, 2009…..

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I thought that it might be an interesting idea to try and take a picture of the transition from one season to the next so scroll thought and take a small trip.

March 1, 2011

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March 14, 2011

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March 25

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April 1

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April 22

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May 2

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May 20

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May 27

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June 6

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July 1

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August 18, 2011

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September 10, 2011

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October 28, 2011

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December 26, 2011

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March 3,2012

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Well that was a year in my backyard!

As you can see from this last picture that weeding needs to be done already and it’s only March 3rd! A gardeners work is never done!

I have moved a good deal of things around and expanded it to go all around the perimeter of the back yard so I am very eager to see how the new additions will effect the landscape this spring and summer.

Blessings

R

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