A quick note...

I have had some requests for the Oriental Chicken recipe.  If you click on the name in my previous post, it will take you to the original recipe.

I know on some computers, the link color does not show up very well.  I just changed the link color recently to get it to show up better.

To make it easier for you this time, you can find the recipe... here.  :)

There is a reason I "meet the girls" for Asian food

Doesn't this look absolutely delicious?  I think it does.

A few days ago, I tweaked my Oriental Chicken recipe by using lime juice (instead of orange or apple juice) and I used an entire teaspoon of red pepper flakes instead of 1/2 teaspoon.  I also did not thicken the sauce but after taking the chicken out of the pan, I placed the half cooked whole wheat pasta in the pan and let it finish cooking to absorb all the delicious sauce.

It was SO good but guess who set it aside and made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  Sigh...

This is not my most famous uneaten meal (except by me, of course).  I made a wonderful Indonesian meal for Christmas Eve when we still lived in Holland, Michigan (that being the BC days... Before Christopher came along).  I had eaten the meal at a women's get together at church and begged for the recipe.

I proudly served it on Christmas Eve after working hard on it all day and wallah!!!... neither my husband or daughter would eat it (although later she developed a taste for that type of meal but she was around age ten at the time).

I learned two lessons... never try something new for a Holiday and never try anything that expensive to make without the family trying it elsewhere first!

At least the Oriental Chicken meal was inexpensive...

In my house lately

Despite a slight plagiarism of a Laine's Letters title, I thought I'd have an "In my house" post once in awhile to update what is going on in the day-to-day life around here.

I'm loving the change of seasons as we enter into my very favorite time... autumn.  It is not only for the colors and my favorite foods this time of year but anyone who has been on a college campus in fall knows it can be the best of times... and the worst of times if your football team is not doing well.  :)

We have had some seasonal changes in cooking, too.  Once again I'm making oatmeal most mornings... inexpensive and healthy.  My husband is quite happy I'm back to brewing green tea after the dishes have been washed each evening.  Neither is welcome in hot weather.   It is also the season for soups and stews and lovely filling casseroles.  (Can we say planned leftovers?)

Christopher drove out yesterday to pick up some cool weather shirts and a comforter.  He called on the way to ask if he should stop for lunch and when he found out there was leftover Holiday Spaghetti in the frig... he said he would be here ASAP.  Boy, did he time that visit right!  I wonder if there is some deep down radar, knowing when I have made his favorite food?

It was nice to see him and chat while he was enjoying the pasta dish (warmed with additional cheese on top).  This has been a big week for him as he spent Saturday with the family of his "girl who is a friend" and asked her father's permission to begin seriously dating.  So far they had only spent time together with family and friends.

He has had girls he liked very much before but I knew almost from the beginning that this relationship was different.  She is a lovely young woman from a Christian homeschool family in another town, also soon to turn twenty-one.  I knew he had taken a gift for her of the BBC North & South DVD (is that proof he has a mother and sister?) but he told me yesterday he had gone to a few stores before finding just the right bouquet for the special day.

Oh, her father gave his blessing...  :)

With flu season just around the corner, I am just beginning to try olive leaf extract (along with the vitamin C) to boost my immune system.  The doctor who owns the vitamin store where we purchase the vitamin C had recommended it to me a couple months ago.  It has worked well for others who had gone through resistance to antibiotics, which he says is happening quite often even for those without chronic illnesses.

We are still harvesting some tomatoes and peppers from the garden but a frost is expected soon.  I had to pull out all my fall garden after an insect infestation that ate away at all of them... overnight it seemed!  One thing gardening has taught me is that it is much like cooking... one learns from experience and never stops learning!

This week I'm also getting back to grinding wheat and making a loaf of wheat bread once a week.  (When we purchased our wheat grinder in the 90's, it was to boost my husband's immune system with freshly ground wheat.)  I have used the same bread recipe for years but I still have it printed out and taped inside the kitchen cabinet nearest my cutting board (along with Anna's Schoolhouse Coffeecake).

A blog friend sent me a yummy looking apple recipe, which I plan to try today or tomorrow.  I have apples that need to be used soon.  Speaking of those apples... I have had the sack with the "rejects" of these apples (given to me knowing I'd have to sort through them) sitting on the porch until my husband could throw them into the forest (a good snack for the forest critters). 

I moved it yesterday and found a spider the size of TEXAS!  It was so big I had to call hubby out to the porch to see it.  He was going to kill it but my reasoning has always been... live and let live outside but if they walk through my door... they are flattened.  I was going to take a picture but if Christopher ever saw it, he would never come back home.

Scenes from the farmer's market

I finally made it to the farmer's market last week.  I was hoping to buy some honey from the "honey man" for my bread recipe but he had one small bottle left!  I did buy it but wished I had stopped by a few weeks ago.

I was able to purchase real maple syrup from a young Mennonite couple, which almost made up for the lack of honey.

However, even if my original plan did not work out as I would have liked... the morning was glorious!

The picture above was taken on my walk to the farmer's market.  The beautiful window box flowers were on each side of the door into a cute shop!

The picture (above) is of the tiny bouquet of flowers that spoke to my heart, my farmer's market treat... well, except for the dollar I spent on a whoopie pie from the older Mennonite woman.  :)

The remaining pictures were snapped as I walked along the many vendors.  I think autumn at the farmer's market is the most beautiful!

Re-do, re-use, re-purpose... resist (Four)

October, 2009

I know this picture has nothing to do with the post.  It's just that we had to put the furnace on last night and the leaves are quickly changing!  Autumn has arrived...  I took this picture (last October) of the truck my neighbor was driving at the time, it looks like it was made for the fall colors.

I loved reading your comments about the amazing stuff found at thrift stores, Goodwill, etc.  A real thread through it all seems to be having an eye for what you need or want (like the Limoges platter... wow).  One of my best thrifting buys was found at Goodwill last year when I also noticed "out the corner of my eye" a roasting pan on the bottom shelf of the aisle where cooking items are sold.

If you may remember, my Pyrex roasting pan had exploded one year while baking the Easter ham and a decision was made (after checking myself for shrapnel) that I would stay away from glass roasting pans in the future.  I bought a really cheap roasting pan that did not work well at all, so I was on the lookout when I spotted this one at Goodwill.

It was around $12.99 but it was brand new and I noticed the brand name... which led me to put it in my cart immediately.  When I arrived home, I went online to see how much it sold retail and found it to be... get this... $150.00!  I highly suspect this was a gift for someone who didn't cook much and did not realize the value.

So... what about the RESIST in the above post title?

I save money by staying at home more often, which is my best way of resisting (and I do not even look at home shopping networks).  I suppose one would say perusing Amazon's book section would get me into trouble but I only spend when I have credit (Thank You !!!).

I have also learned when I find something cheap at Goodwill or a thrift store, to ask myself if I would buy the object if I had to pay full price (you would be surprised how often that has made me put something back).

I live in a small-ish house so whatever is purchased, no matter how cheap, must have a place to put it.  I also ask myself if I would be willing to part with something else to make room for this object.

This works quite nicely with collections like teacups, for sometimes it is a pattern or style I've been wanting and I would be willing to get rid of another.  Sometimes... not so much.

Another way I have learned to resist is in the area of... food.  Now, I am a foodie who has no intention of recovery and I believe in spending good money on nice quality kitchen tools.  I'm convinced the reason some people think they are not good cooks is their poor quality cookware, knives, etc.

Having said that and knowing from whence I come... another lesson I learned during the non-income years was to make simpler meals more often.  I used to feel I had to make a big meal each and every night (my mother-in-law made three complete meals each day so my husband was spoiled).

Stephanie and I were talking about this recently, how people ate at one time... simple and inexpensive food most of the time and the big meat meal at Sunday Dinner (quite often when they also used their good china each week).

It was easy to resist the lure of the American grocery store when one had little cash on hand.  It forced me to eat lower on the food chain and finding ideas from recipe books from the Depression and other cultures... especially the wonderful Mennonite book called More-With-Less cookbook.  We can chat more about this a little later but it has made a huge difference in our family.

Resisting also means (for me), placing a "ceiling" on where any extra money goes.  I absolutely love to shop in my favorite primitive country store and I believe it is a good thing to support local businesses (many of whom are just hanging on).

I rarely can spend on any medium or big objects, anymore (sigh... just allow a little coveting here) but if I'm given a gift for birthdays or Christmas, I will take just a little money and head for my favorite store.  I know I can't spend much but I will purchase a small candle or as I do this time of year... a bag of the cute little pumpkins I put with dried autumnal items.

Just taking in the scent of the store and looking at the lovely items makes me feel good... even if I cannot spend much.  That has been a lesson learned from lack of extra money.

I resist spending unwisely by going to the Mall or other stores only when I am shopping for a specific item.  When we lived in Detroit, I would go to the mall at least a few days a week in the winter for "mall walking" exercises.  I found that walk to be quite expensive as I often saw something I wanted!

I have learned to think twice before spending money by eating out.  Mostly by choosing to fix something small here at home instead of ordering a pizza just because I am tired.  Eating out is planned for and only when it does not take money from our grocery budget.

That was a huge change from when we had a regular income.  We enjoy eating out but making that decision to have cheese and crackers when tired and letting a meal out be a true "event"... that has been a good way to save.

I have also learned to resist longing for what I don't have by sharing.  A sweet friend treated me to a Starbucks gift card and I thoroughly enjoyed  my first pumpkin spice latte of the season when my husband was at the football game with Christopher on a previous weekend.

This past Saturday, he had a disappointment and was feeling cranky so I stopped by Starbucks and used the remainder of my card for a Venti' pumpkin spice to split and two snacks... it made such a difference in both our attitudes.

One can become money obsessed and fearful when there is not enough income but if we let seasons of lack teach us to be more frugal and creative instead of bitter... that will be good for the entire family.

Sunday Afternoon Tea

For I have learned to be content in all things...  

Phil. 4:12

My ponderings this past week have been about simplicity and contentment.  I love the way each word sounds when spoken and the images they bring to mind.   I only wish each were as easy to achieve and to feel in my everyday existence.

Like Paul in the verse above, I am learning to be content no matter what circumstance I may find myself in.  It doesn't come naturally to the human soul as we find ourselves quite often longing for more.

I realize it is only by embracing simplicity that I can truly live a life of contentment.  I think deep inside we all know that.  Simplifying our wants and our desires and our very way of life... slowing down... living life for the purpose we were created instead of seeing how much we can do or see or accumulate in this brief time on the planet.

If we use the accumulation of stuff as a barometer of our happiness, then when we find ourselves in a season of lack.... or we simply do not get what we want... we have no joy and we (wrongfully) feel God has abandoned us.

The late poet-troubadour, Rich Mullins, wrote it so well in this chorus from If I Stand...

The stuff of Earth competes

For the allegiance

I owe only to the Giver

Of all Good things.

I suppose if the man who wrote a great deal of the New Testament had to learn to be content in all things, how much more a mere Midwestern wife and mother would struggle with such temptations.

The Word says He knows what we require in this life (and being a God of beauty... he knows our need for such things).  But is our relationship with Him only good when we have everything we want or does the "stuff of Earth" come between us?

He is faithful and true to the one who trusts in Him... with patience and contentment... with a thankful heart.

Re-do, re-use, re-purpose... resist (Three)

I'm still feeling on the queasy side, experiencing chills, and napped for three hours today (count them, THREE)... otherwise I am better.  Except my thinking, which is known to be challenged, anyway.  Stephanie says I was never right again after the baby came.  That being Christopher who will soon turn twenty-one.  Sigh...

All that to say, I want to write what is going through my mind and we will see if the words come together in some sort of readable fashion.  If nothing makes sense, blame the flu symptoms... that sounds good.  To make it simple (for me, not for you), I'm breaking what I wanted to share into more posts... today writing about spending money to save money in the long run.

While I have long known at times it can take a little spending to save, I was inspired by a Nigella episode, you may have seen it recently, where she made very simple cupcakes but placed purchased sugar roses and daisies on each little cake... amazingly beautiful.

Now, one could spend money to learn to make sugar roses and that would be a very good thing.  Not exactly in my future of trying to keep blood sugars level.  However, I checked the price of such sugar flowers and while on the expensive side... combining them with inexpensive cupcakes (or a cake) would be much, much cheaper than buying a bakery cake for a special occasion.

While I make many cakes from scratch, I have also found my family sees the cake part as only the vehicle in which to ingest my homemade butter cream frosting.  Thus, there are times I make cupcakes with an 88 cent box of (you will not believe this)... boxed cake mix.

It's kind of like the day I saw the Pillsbury pie crust box in my mother-in-law's refrigerator.  Hallelujah and Praise the Lord (not out loud because she was a Lutheran and not used to such outbursts of emotion).  My husband's mother was famous for her pies and in her 70s had come to realize she can get by with a really good Pillsbury crust, especially when she is not entering a County Fair contest.  But I digress... as usual...

As you know, I like to buy things as cheap as possible because I have extremely limited funds in which to work.  But sometimes it does pay to... pay.  Especially if the expenditure is for supplies or knowledge or both... which will come together to make it possible for us to make our own at another time... whether that is a dress, a sweater, a meal, a dessert, a garden, or any other infinite number of items we need for our day to day existence.

I was thinking of this last night when I made a late trip to the grocery... to buy Diet Sierra Mist... and I passed the deli section where packages containing deviled eggs were being sold... $5.99 for a dozen deviled eggs... that being $5.99 for six eggs and a combo of mayo and vinegar and a dollop of mustard.  That was the cheapest package of deviled eggs, too.

I thought of the food magazines I had just passed, having stopped to peruse a few dozen since the Holiday Issues are now making their way to the shelves.  If I remember, the most expensive magazine was $7.95 for one of the glitzy issues containing lots of beautiful pictures of the recipes... showing them as they should appear after making or baking or mixing.

The conversation going on in my mind was this... would I rather pay $4.95 to $7.95 for a magazine which will give me at least one recipe to use all year or... $5.99 for six eggs and some condiments (of course, I was there only for my much needed Sierra Mist so neither was purchased).

You see, the magazine is not cheap but it gives one lots of ideas and options to make something for dinner or tea time or to serve before a football game.  Knowledge is a good thing to spend money on and every person who makes a home (single or married, male or female) needs a good reference library which they can peruse when an idea is needed.

If one purchases deviled eggs for a minimum of $5.99, there is nothing to show for that expenditure.  However, if one were to purchase a cookbook or magazine which teaches them how to make deviled eggs... how much will they save over a lifetime of pot lucks?

I know this is but one way of looking at money but when one is rather dizzy, one tries to make it quick and simple so here is my humble opinion...

Budgeting for how-to idea books and magazines and cooking classes and sewing classes and sewing machines and good quality cookware and a chef's knife and yarn and carpenter's tools and gardener's supplies and any other stuff which invests in our doing instead of buying... it is all an investment and not throwing money away.  That is what frugal is all about.

I interrupt this series of posts with...

What appears to be an autumn flu bug.  Nothing terrible but just the usual chills, dizziness, and upset tummy.  It has been going around but I hoped it would keep going and not settle here.

I will hopefully be able to write again tomorrow (Friday). 

By the way, our Wal Mart is now carrying not only 7th Generation but the Mrs. Meyer products!  I was also surprised to see 25 pound bags of white wheat berries in the flour aisle.  I guess they are getting more into natural and organic products.

Ugh... does anyone want to run down the road for me and get a cold Diet Sierra Mist at the gas station?  Sigh...

Re-do, re-use, re-purpose... resist (Two)

I know you have seen this before but it is one of my favorite "re-do, re-use, and re-purpose" items.  It was originally a hanging planter on my front porch. When I took the plant out... I found this beautiful ironwork.  :)

The Charlie's Soap is in the cute container... of course.

The above picture is of a spur of the moment re-do that I love.  My laundry area is in the garage and the shelf which held my "laundry stuff" was awful... more than ugly it was horrible.  I suspect it was the original shelf from when the house was built.

I had talked to my husband about taking it down, buying another shelf, and figuring out how to put another up without removing everything around it.  Instead, as I was looking at it one day, I remembered I had leftover shelf liner from when we moved into this house.

Hmmm... it was worth a try and within about twenty minutes... the shelf was transformed.  No buying, no hard work, just using leftovers... more ideas than cash.  :)

I remember Laine (Laine's Letters) writing about the importance of knowing good quality brand names for those times we find them in thrift shops (she knew the Cuisinart she purchased was a newer model in that particular letter).

I have found that to be true from collecting china tea cups and that knowledge was behind the purchase of two china "sets" over the years at Goodwill.  You may recognize the place setting above from the Sunday Afternoon Tea pictures, I purchased it about five years ago.

I was going to just purchase a cup and saucer of this china when I looked at the bottom and saw it was Royal Albert's Lavender Rose pattern.  I added it up (mentally, which is not easy for me) and realized I could get a service for eight... complete with serving pieces... for around $70.00.  The real miracle is I had an extra $70.00 right then!

The silverware in the above picture is from a set of silver plated forks, knives, spoons, etc. I purchased at a garage sale about the same time.

Not too long ago, I came across the above china at Goodwill.  It was beautiful and I knew from the look and feel it was expensive.  Sure enough, as I looked at the stamp on the bottom, it was German Bavarian china (I later found out it is a vintage pattern from the 1930's-40's).

I did purchase just a teacup/saucer and I remember mentioning to God (Whom I talk to while thrifting) that I'd love to have the eight plates and six other teacups-saucers as I had no china that matched my teapot with blue flowers.

How amazing to return on Sr. Citizen Day, when those 55 and older get a huge discount, to find it still there.  That almost never happens with china.  As I told one of the workers I know at Goodwill... it was a sign from Heaven!  So, for a little over a dollar a plate and a dollar per cup/saucer... I have, as my husband would say... even more china.

Did I need it, really?  (I do need to find more of my "Thanksgiving" plates from Johnson Bros.).

No... but I had just received a gift from a friend to do something special and for the price of dinner out, I can set a pretty table for years to come.  I also had a place to store it since I had recently given my sister, Bonnie, thrifted china plates that I knew she would love.

I truly believe God gives us our passions in life and once in awhile, enjoys fulfilling our godly desires.  One of mine happens to be setting a pretty table and I love how He has led me to china, crystal, silver, teapots, teacups, linens, etc. that cost very little cash.

I don't have much room since we moved to our small-ish house in the country.  For that reason, I rarely get tempted by going to garage sales (I didn't go to any this summer).  So it is even more amazing to me how the Creator of the Universe leads and guides little old ME to be in a thrift shop at the right place and right time (and with "extra" cash)... to fulfill a desire of the heart.

He understands having more ideas than cash.  :-)

Re-do, re-use, re-purpose... resist (One)

I've been re-reading Tracey's wonderful books, Frugal Luxuries and Frugal Luxuries by the Season... two of my all time favorite books about combining a frugal lifestyle with elegance and beauty.

One of the suggestions Tracey talks about in both books is using common objects in different ways.  One way I've been able to do this is to invest time and limited funds (when necessary) to learn what others have done through magazines and books (often found used).  Sometimes through TV shows but while cooking shows abound, it is getting harder to find good decorating shows with my taste.

(I must admit that I had to stop watching those househunting shows on HGTV as I was always getting annoyed at whiny people who acted as if houses in general and kitchens in particular were beneath them if they showed a little age.  Years ago that channel decided to go after a younger market and dropped their well loved decorating shows... but I digress.)

I thought I'd share a few things I did recently which reflect living a lifestyle of creativity, especially important when one has more ideas than cash. I'll show more in my next post.

I had seen a drawer like this only recently in a magazine.  In the article, it was mentioned that they sold for $20.00 to $25.00 apiece.  I found this on Saturday for $2.00 at Goodwill.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  To better fit my kitchen, I turned the more elegant side of the drawer toward the back and displayed the simpler side.

Perhaps someday it will be used in another room in all its' glory but for now I love having all my most used condiments handy when cooking.  I'm so glad I had seen someone using drawers in a creative way in magazines.

Another re-do and re-purpose this week was in the kitchen.  I used the filling recipe from my favorite cherry cheesecake pie in a parfait.  The story is all found on my recipe blog... here.

I also made lemon verbena vinegar using the same "recipe" as for the basil vinegar... here.  The herb was removed this morning (after two weeks) and I could hardly wait to get a spoon and take a tiny sip of the lemon verbena vinegar... oh, yum.  I still have another bottle of vinegar in the pantry and lemon verbena in the garden.  I can see them coming together soon.

More later...

Sunday Afternoon Tea

 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
       because the LORD has anointed me
       to preach good news to the poor.
       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted...

Isaiah 61:1

I have found it quite amazing that for years now, I arrive at Friday or Saturday thinking this will be the week I have nothing for Sunday Afternoon Tea... no ponderings, no insights... nothing.  Then I find a word or a phrase floating around my mind, waiting for me to reach out and grasp it before it floats away.

This week I was rather tired and cranky, not at all in the mood to be thankful or grateful for good things which came my way in the midst of real life.  I needed wisdom personally, much less to share.  Then... I found a phrase continually coming back to my thinking, realizing it was the Creator of All speaking His Words... He is the Lord of the brokenhearted.

This was a week I was weary of living in a fallen world in which it seemed all things were far from perfect.  As I told Stephanie again (perhaps for the millionth time)... our hearts long for Eden.   My soul within ached for a world with no lack, no disease, no trouble in interpersonal relationships, no distance between me and the one I want to hug, no fear, and no bad news.

The Word talks about "not growing weary in well doing".  I think that is where I was this past week as it was not one huge challenge or disappointment which came my way but many little foxes.  I have found them to be more insidious than the big guys as they can nip away at my ankles and before I know it... I am weary and cranky and ready to throw it all in and hide under the covers with a pint of Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

The big challenges almost immediately send me to my knees and to the Cross.  I found the following quote on Josh Harris' blog and found it to be so true...

C.H. Spurgeon on suffering: 

"I have learned to kiss the wave that strikes me 

against the Rock of Ages."

The big stuff are the waves that bring us crashing against the Rock.  Such have been the days and months and years when all I could do was hold on, feeling much like Frodo as he tried to keep from falling into the fires of Mount Doom... feeling the heat of the enemy all around me and wondering if the Rock will fail and I'll fall so far I won't come back this time.

But I do and I did.

I was sitting with my husband and son this week at the University, enjoying potluck tailgating food (bratwurst, potato salad, mac & cheese, etc.) before the guys were to walk to the football game and I would watch it on television.  (We were given two tickets and I was happy for them to attend together as I enjoy it just as much on TV.)

Christopher lives in a fabulous Cooperative (similar to a fraternity but not in the Greek system and the guys do all of their cooking and cleaning so it is much less expensive).  In this case, since it is a Christian house... no alcohol allowed!  :-)

My thoughts went back to the time (about six and a half years ago) I was in intensive care after fainting due to out-of-control blood sugar.  My prayer was that God would let me live to homeschool through high school. Here we now were, well into the college years and God had more than answered prayer... although at the time I could not see past that week.

Not all our heartbreaking crisis are life threatening.  Most are not.  But small or large... they feel threatening.

No one gets a Get Out of Jail pass in real life as we do in Monopoly.  We all know days when we think we won't make it until the next.  People we love disappoint us.  Circumstances such as job loss or illness come out of nowhere.  If we look just to this day and this moment... we grow weary and we are ready to give up.  But remember... it isn't over, yet.

Whether the trial is large or made up of many little foxes... He came to heal the brokenhearted and to set the captive free (read all of that section of Isaiah, it is glorious).

He sees you where you are right now and He sees the end of the story... hold on.   :)

Of blogs and blogging

I almost titled this post The things I do for you but that sounded too much like complaining.  You see, I had promised long ago that I'd take a picture for the recipes on that blog when I make them (as I did not have a digital camera when I posted the earlier recipes).

I made these pumpkin bars to take to the Parent's Day celebration where Christopher lives on campus.  I had them all nicely covered with Saran Wrap when I remembered... the picture!  Fortunately, it came off easily and I could keep my promise.

I LOVE this pumpkin bar recipe and so does everyone I've served it to, you can find it... here.  Since I stock up on cream cheese when it goes on sale, it is a very inexpensive way to serve dessert to a lot of hungry people.

I am so glad that Anna is blogging again.  I missed her.  I recently found out Bloglines is shutting down soon and while I switched to Google Reader, I had recipes saved on Bloglines.  A lot of them were from Pleasant View Schoolhouse! 

I don't mention often enough how much I appreciate you all who read this blog.  Your kindness, generosity, and friendship are so valued.  From your kind words, to your generosity, to taking the time to enter Amazon through my widget (which adds up!).

My son was asking me recently how many people read this blog.  I don't know exactly but the numbers I do have access to surprise me as they are high for this type of online journal... for I break many of the rules of having a successful blog.  As I told him, I write about my life and my interests instead of concentrating on one segment of Blogdom.

I have watched the numbers go up and then drop suddenly when people who come by to read about one subject... for instance deepening the pantry... suddenly realize I'm spending a week about books to be followed by pictures of tea cups and even the occasional homeschool post.

Then there are those who decide to Follow or Subscribe during the week and they hit Sunday Afternoon Tea which quotes... the Bible For Goodness Sake!  :-)

What have I learned in these years of writing?  To just be me and people will either stay or go... and over time more stay than leave... becoming friends... even those who lurk.  If I were to write to please, then this would no longer be easy or fun and I'd have given up long ago.  It would require too much thinking.

I have turned down multiple offers to increase the traffic of Coffee Tea Books & Me (nothing was a good fit) and I even stopped reviewing books for publishers when it got in the way of reading for enjoyment.

Except for writing quite often, I break all the rules and who is left in this fifth year of blogging???

You

I do take blogging breaks from time to time but life has a way of giving me something to talk about... in the midst of good times and bad times, seasons of tears and seasons of laughter, holidays and everydays... I appreciate you.  Thank you, muchly.

Drowning a frog on the deck

Do you see him???

It all started innocently enough, watering my parched flowers on the deck.  Those holding onto life at the end of their season.

I had finished giving the above plant a good drink when I noticed something odd out the corner of my eye... a leaf perhaps?  Upon further glance, I noticed the "leaf" was holding on for dear life with one little um... hand?

If I were a better blogger, I would carry my camera with me just in case.  For when one lives at the edge of a forest, surprises abound.  Although one does not expect to find much excitement watering deck plants.

So... I ran back in the house, past the fluffy one who had been watching my every move in the outside world...

 Victoria as seen through the glass

By the time I returned with camera in hand, the little guy had (somehow?) pulled himself back up and placed his traumatized self within the safety of the flowers.  Not quite the stunning affect a picture of him hanging for dear life would have been.

Now, I must admit that I am not very fond of things which are creepy-crawly or slimy.  I stay away from all that slithers or goes bump in the night.  But this teeny tiny frog captivated me as I stared at every tiny detail from a safe distance.

After all, I am no longer a homeschool mom so I do not have to overcome my distaste of cold blooded creatures (no matter how captivating) to spend the morning staring at him... taking close up photos... placing him in a jar with holes in the lid... running to the library for books about frogs... instructing the need for Google searches... and then asking what we had learned at the end of the day.

I do, however, wonder how in the world he came to find himself in a flower pot on a deck.

Kimberly had a GIRL!!!!

After two little boys and the heartbreak of losing a baby preterm... our Kimberly gave birth to a girl this morning!

I am so excited, I feel like her real mom instead of her "blog mom".  :-)

I'm sure she will be giving us even more info but she was kind of busy today.

You can go to Kimberly's Cup for more information.

You've gone through some very real trials these past couple of years my precious friend.  This is wonderful news.

Planning in the midst of life's happenings

Thank you for the nice comments about the decorations. I do enjoy adding accessories here and there which display the beauty of the season.

I have not been able to work on the Recommendations List since my husband returned from working on his brother's deck on Saturday.  It is a priority so I will be working on it when that computer become available.  I really want to post it soon.

Life has been rather challenging lately with health and finances.  But it has also been good to see God at work in our challenges.  :-)

So many of you asked about the stock up list that I didn't like.  I didn't want to post where to find the list because most of the work done on that site is very good and I don't want to give it bad publicity.  What I disliked about the list was this... it starts with buying a few canned goods each week and includes purchasing wheat every couple of months.

If one was to have an emergency in which they HAD to eat out of their pantry, there was no thought put to stocking up in such a way that the household could put together meals.  Instead a family would have bits of this and pieces of that to work with.

I am also not one that believes it is a good thing to store wheat unless a family already owns a grain mill and is baking with freshly ground wheat.  I do and I still make certain I have bags of flour on the shelves.

So... I do hope to have writing time very soon to talk specifically about stocking up for emergencies.  In the meantime, I have written a series of posts called How I Stock Up... here.

With no apologies to the credit card commercial

Beautiful mums all over the deck... expensive.

One small golden rust mum plant from store... $2.50

One small yellow mum plant from store... $2.50

One tiny purple mum plant from store... $1.00

Thrifted granite ware container they sit in... cheap... already on deck.

Getting the look of lush mums without charging lots on credit card... priceless.

Autumn decorations - Two

 Don't eat the apples, they are not real :-)

I have always loved to decorate for the various seasons but especially for autumn and Christmas.  Autumn because I love the crispness and the colors... Christmas because I love... magic... Narnia magic.

 Full price but not expensive!

Most of my decorations are purchased really, really cheap (thrift stores, Goodwill, garage sales, etc.).  A few here and there were purchased full price when I had more discretionary income.

Seasonal decorating was a priority and just once in awhile there would be an item that made my heart sing in such a way, it was worth purchasing... just in case it did not make the end of season clearance sales... like the pumpkin above.  I bought one of them one year and the second the next year.

 

Each year I purchase a scoop of those teeny tiny pumpkins from my favorite primitive country store, they are only a few dollars for a bag.  I mix them with dried berries and such to add color.  See how they look in a primitive bowl and all glammed up?  They last for years and years (and years) if carefully stored.

These are filled with the same thing but one has more of the tiny pumpkins and the other more dried "nature stuff".  I love mixing glitz with country... kinda' like my own personality.  :-)

My Susan Branch Summer book is back on the shelf, Autumn is in the place of honor (LOVE both of these books, both purchased really cheap used on Amazon).

I changed a few things around on the antique sewing machine table, too.  Not spending too much time and energy... mainly just puttering around off and on for an afternoon.  Hmmm.... decorating by puttering???

Autumnal decorations - One

The cooler nights finally inspired me to dust off the containers with the autumn decorations stored in the garage.  I love having items which can be reused each year so when I'm going through a lean year financially, I can still make my home look all warm and cozy and... Fall-ish.

My first change was to the buffet.  I exchanged the more pastel shades for autumn's warmth.  I have a somewhat small collection of teacups with chrysanthemums (one of my favorite flowers).  Two were taken from their permanent display to become part of "all things autumn".  :)

The trifle dish was a thrift store find.  Of course, it will be used for English trifle in some future tea time but for now... it is a lovely way to display autumn's color. 

You may remember how excited I was to find the two vintage glasses shown on the cart at Goodwill, before they even made the shelves.  :)

It's easy to decorate this home for the third season of the year, my love of primitive country lays a foundation of color and style most often found during this time.  All I did to the breakfront above was to bring out the two pumpkins and the little pilgrims.

The picture hung above the breakfront was a gift from Stephanie and is always displayed in all its' harvest beauty.

This is the scene you see upon leaving our house, hung by the front door.  They were both brought back from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania a few years ago.  My daughter and son-in-law invited us to share the cottage they rented. 

The items on the chamber cabinet are the same all year, too.  They look especially lovely this time of year.

By the way, didn't this pie turn out yummy looking? 

More tomorrow...

Regarding pictures: I live in a house surrounded by trees so I must use the flash at times.  All pictures can be made larger by clicking on them.

Change of seasons

It looks and feels like the beginning of autumn.  Although a few days here and there still reach the 80s, we are mostly seeing highs in the 70s and cool evenings.  A few leaves have turned to gold and red and yellow, just the promise of what is to come.

As you can see, I'm still getting some tomatoes and peppers.  I picked our last watermelon yesterday (a little larger than this one shown which was picked last week).  The lemon verbena in the picture above was washed and then rolled in a towel to dry.  It was then used to make lemon verbena vinegar the way I made the basil vinegar.  I can't wait to try it!

Over the weekend, I dressed my house for autumn and I just love its' warm-cozy feeling.  I'll post the first pictures this evening and more in the next couple of days.  Taking the boxes labeled "autumn stuff" off the shelves in the garage is the first sign of impending Holidays.  For autumn decorating becomes Thanksgiving decorating which is quickly followed by Christmas decorating.

There was a time when I felt I didn't want to decorate, anymore.  That being after Stephanie married and left home.  I felt it would never be the same (silly me, it was not the same but still good).  So... you can imagine how it felt to decorate when it was now just two of us in the home... human, that is.

I have come to realize the traditions we began when there were originally two and then three and then four... are just as important now that we are back to two. 

I was given apples over the weekend, which are going to be turned into our favorite Dutch Apple Pie this afternoon.  It is such an easy pie but delicious.  As I mention in the recipe, it came from the community cookbook of Holland, Michigan... where they know a thing or two about dutch pastry.  :)

I'm also making the first chili of the season!   Hmmm.... chili and Dutch Apple Pie.  There is a reason I like cooking in cooler weather.

Thankfully, an easy menu as I'm under the weather today (literally).  Just a little sniffly and headachy.  Nothing terrible or horrible but enough to need a little sofa time.  :)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

My ponderings this week have been much about peace... how there can be peace in my heart when not in the world around me.  How I can bring peace to the world in the way I treat others.

Of course, there has been much talk about 9/11 this week, as the national news are presenting their various memorials.  I remember that day in Technicolor and feel the fear in my heart as my husband was in the air on that day (and would have been over Pennsylvania about the time the plane went down).

Thankfully, we were to find out later in the day that he was fine... just trying to get out of Chicago and home to where we were living in a Detroit suburb.

There has also been much talk about a pastor who wants to instigate trouble by burning the holy book of another faith.  Now, you who have read my ponderings long enough would also know it is obvious I do not follow any faith other than the one founded on the Resurrection of Yeshua.

I also know that the planes were not taken over by Southern Baptists on 9/11.  However... this is not the way to bring those with different beliefs into the Kingdom of our Lord.  I know from my own life that love goes a lot farther than hate and we cannot forget that we are to "Do unto others as we would want others to do unto us".

There is a time and a place for battle, yes.  A time to live and a time to die.  But among all... a time to show love to those whom God has placed in our path.

Living in a University town, I often find myself in line at the grocery with lovely young women whose clothing tells me their faith is different than mine.  I am used to a variety of people and beliefs.  One of my dearest friends is Jewish... and very liberal in her politics.  (We had coffee recently and shared our concerns about the Holy Land and she laughed when I told her I now know how she felt when Bush was president.)

Her sons were best friends with my son before college took them in different directions... and another of his best friends is a Hindu.  I don't whip out The Four Spiritual Laws when we get together but they all know our family's faith is deeply entrenched in the New Testament... that the Messiah has already visited this planet and will come again.

We may not be able to bring peace to the world (which will know no peace until the return of the Peace Giver), but we can create peace in our homes and while waiting in line at the grocery... or at Wal Mart when the Chinese student is having trouble finding the baking aisle.

Stories abound about world leaders who came to hate America and Americans when they were attending our Universities, only because of the way they were treated.

There is a reason I don't watch the national news much, anymore (the local news is about all I can take and remain sane).  Now, I know there are those who need to know what is going on in the World to be able to do that which God has set before them.  I, however, am not in that phase of life, anymore.  (I pray a lot for those in leadership.)

So when I sit down to rest for awhile in the front of the television... more than likely it is on the new Cooking Channel (with vintage Julia and the original Tyler shows that took him to chef's and grandmother's kitchens around the world).

Being a woman who finds peace in the kitchen browning the beef for the stew, assembling tomato sauce for the pasta, or turning on the Kitchen Aid to mix together a celebration cake... learning more about cooking and baking brings peace.  Losing myself in the midst of a beautiful novel brings peace.  Opening the Word and letting it sink in brings peace.  Listening to beautiful music brings peace.

If I do not take the time to be at peace... to do what is necessary to walk with calm... then when the winds of adversity blow hard, I become one who needs help instead of reaching out to friends and family with a calm spirit.

I've written a lot about creating a peaceful environment in our homes but one can burn scented candles and display beautiful vintage decorations and have bookshelves filled with good books and have family come home to the aroma of home baked bread... but if we have no peace within... there is no peace in the Home.

May I always be a reflection of His Peace to the World and to my family.  Acting in love to another never makes their beliefs or behaviors correct.  It opens the door to introducing them... perhaps someday and somehow... to the Prince of Peace.

In Memory

We will always remember

the day our world changed

September 11, 2001

Our Lord, Jesus...

only in Him will we find lasting peace.

Filing my way to wisdom

The last paper was filed yesterday evening.  The last coupon cut and filed in its' proper place (a former greeting card folder) this morning. 

For five seconds I am caught up but as you know... filing and organizing is like laundry.  When one folds the final t-shirt to put away in the drawer, clothing has already been tossed in the hamper.  But for five seconds... it is a thing of beauty.

Some wonder why I take the time and effort to have a filing system.  It all started with Anne Ortlund back in the 1970s.  Yes... I am that old mature.

Anne was one of the authors instrumental in forming my thinking and doing as a young woman... and a fairly new Christian.  Especially her book Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman.  In it, she explains how having a good filing system set up to place articles we've read, notes we have taken, Bible studies, etc. will benefit us in gaining wisdom and knowledge.

Anne also taught about the "notebook" concept in this book, long before many of us were carrying Day-Timers or any other notebook organizer.  I started using her notebook suggestions while working in a corporation and I look back on that one habit (other than lots of prayer) in my success in organization development... especially the year I went from being an assistant to becoming the temporary department head!

For many years, especially when life was moving at the speed of light and I had young children to watch over, my favorite reading was to take out one of my file folders and read through articles for information and encouragement.  After all, everything there was of great interest and better than a book written just for me.

Some of my file titles will help to explain...

• Decorating clippings
• Decorating articles
• Christmas clippings
• Christmas articles
• Christmas crafts
• Living the simple life - stories
• Living the simple life - how to
• Tea Time - recipes and pictures
• Tea Time - articles
• Gardening - Outside
• Gardening - Inside
• Gardening - People who garden
• Crafts - Children
• Crafts - Quilting
• Crafts - Patterns (from magazines)
• Education - Homeschooling Stories
• Education - Curriculum Ideas
• Education - Early Childhood
• Homemaking - Ideas
• Homemaking - Stories and articles
• Homemaking - Laine's Letters
• Housekeeping - Ideas
• Recipes - To try someday
• Recipes - To try soon
• Recipes - Gift ideas
• Bible Studies - (various files)

These are just some of the files I've accumulated through the years but I think it gives you an idea why I say one can "file their way to wisdom".  For most of the years I've kept files, they came from various magazine and newspaper articles.  Eventually, they also included computer printouts.

I still have articles and clippings from the 1970s (through today) but not too long ago, I made it a major project to skim each file folder to toss those I no longer needed or wanted.  It was one of those "deep in winter" projects when there were no outside chores needing my attention.  It would have been much easier to take one subject a week but I think I was in a mood to downsize at the time.

Another author who writes about gaining wisdom through filing is Elizabeth George.  She received a recommendation from an older godly woman to create what she calls Five Fat Files in the five areas she wanted to gain expertise.  In her book, A Woman After God's Own Heart, she says her books came about as a result of putting together and studying these files.

I love Elizabeth's books and I gain so much wisdom from her but this is one area I didn't entirely agree... at least for my own life.  She says our Five Fat Files should be about spiritual subjects while my files (more than five) are about all aspects of life... but I understand where she was coming from as she was saying we should choose five areas to become proficient in and develop expertise.  As a Bible teacher, hers are all spiritual.

My organization of papers and such also includes having a place (the antique chamber cabinet) which holds my materials for writing letters, greeting cards, and other correspondence needs.  I've also written about having a quiet time basket which holds my Bible, my current devotional (always holding My Utmost for His Highest and The Valley of Vision), as well as any nonfiction book I'm reading at the time for spiritual wisdom.

Becoming more organized began as a young woman who was combining working outside the home with being a wife and mom and Bible teacher at church, later as a full time homeschooler, and now as one who has limited energy and finances.  For whatever reason, gaining knowledge and wisdom is a lifetime activity and being able to go to a file (or many files in some cases) about a subject is worth every moment of setting it up in the first place.