tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329603142024-03-14T04:03:31.942-04:00Coffee Tea Books and MePondering the lovely since 2006Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3799125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-64438946401978495902023-07-07T12:42:00.001-04:002023-07-07T12:42:37.064-04:00The Return of the Fireflies<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jr3aU8IUWAsq4hr2AOk-F5YSJrc8DEUV4j_mRROnRGfPYJ5PUw4Be-ilcc1CiSb2mcG3Wjfm6OQGrzJo3Mndgz1QoTrwWLGWVlvMAj8P9oWLBelVDHDc0eaN1vkrtj-123-g-5NmHnxxYrVM6Eje3DN_vQoYyCAfj0OsYwqTHt9_FxnjDD8_Jg/s400/p1010011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="400" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jr3aU8IUWAsq4hr2AOk-F5YSJrc8DEUV4j_mRROnRGfPYJ5PUw4Be-ilcc1CiSb2mcG3Wjfm6OQGrzJo3Mndgz1QoTrwWLGWVlvMAj8P9oWLBelVDHDc0eaN1vkrtj-123-g-5NmHnxxYrVM6Eje3DN_vQoYyCAfj0OsYwqTHt9_FxnjDD8_Jg/w640-h426/p1010011.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />In the midst of a drought, we finally began to experience rain showers from time to time. We even welcomed the storms, praying they did not become severe, to water the parched earth. The crops have been very thirsty.<p></p><p>I loved July as a child and teenager. It was a magical month starting with Independence Day and ending about the time of my birthday. I always looked forward to the return of the ditch lilies (now with the more refined name of day lilies) as well as the most magical part of the month... the fireflies.</p><p>I had read that there are fewer fireflies than there once was and I find that to be true this year for us. The forest is usually lit up once the sun goes below the horizon and the little lights appear even on our porch. This year there are far less than usual and I'm wondering if it is due to the heavy smoke from the Canadian fires. (How I feel for you in Canada, I have been praying!)</p><p>The air quality here was borderline hazardous many days. Both my husband and my son had to stay in air conditioning and my son had to purchase an extra portable air purifier since he has asthma and seems to have inherited his father's environmental allergies.</p><p>I didn't have the problem being outside that they did but each decade that has gone by, heat and humidity are more annoying. I remind myself that the corn fields especially need hot weather and I feel all warm (literally) and cozy when I drive past those fields as I take the long way home. I expect it is something akin to how those people who grew up by the ocean feel when they spend time near the sand and waves. </p><p>I still enjoy spending mornings on the front porch with the container garden
and a cat named Mouse. Even I played it safe and didn't sit on the
porch during the worst of the air quality alerts but they have cleared
for now. When the morning is young, the birds of all kinds are singing in the forest and while sitting in the tall trees near our house. The bugs are mostly not awake, yet. A very good combination, along
with cooler temperatures in the morning.</p><p>I had a very good doctor's check up and I continue to feel much better than earlier this year. My insulin challenges seem to be resolved for now. I have three months of pens for both types of insulin. Apparently, insulin is a very good thing and keeps us alive but our bodies require us to use the same insulin they are used to or there can be trouble.<br /></p><p>I mostly stick close to home because everything I need is within a couple miles of our house. However, once a month I drive to the part of town that has the antique mall for my eye injection. As long as I am not tired already, I stop by the antique mall and it is good to walk around and enjoy looking at vintage and antique items. Quite often I find something small to add more of a vintage feel and or/beauty to the house. </p><p>Recently, I found a small Longenberger basket for $10.00. It was made to hang against the wall or on a peg. It was just what I needed to place between the dried Sweet Annie swags on the long peg board my daughter had given me. It holds bittersweet and yes... that is more autumnal... but those colors look good in that room.</p><p>Speaking of my daughter, she purchased pretty flowers for her daughter's high school graduation party and the photos reminded me how much I like the mini carnations. I purchased a bouquet of them in the coral shade at Kroger and that filled a vase, a vintage blue Ball jar, and two small "vases" on my kitchen windowsill. </p><p>Their pops of color in my already colorful kitchen make me smile and are worth far more than the small amount I paid for them. The mini carnations last a very long time, too. I think they look like small roses.</p><p>I am not a trained interior designer like my daughter but we both share a love for making homes comfortable and beautiful. It makes me happy when people walk into our home and feel relaxed right away. I couldn't do that professionally like she does. It would place too much pressure on getting everything perfect for other people's taste instead of just mine. </p><p>I'm still reading the books I mentioned the last blog post. Mainly because in the summer, I have never read as many books as I do in cooler weather. I have enjoyed simple living and decorating vlogs on YouTube to counter the few prepper vlogs I still listen to from time to time. </p><p>I continue to listen to Prepper Dawg quite often as he purposely keeps his videos short and while he comments on various headlines, he tries to keep everything as light as possible. He often lets his two cute dogs say hello. I listen to others according to what they will be talking about in that video.</p><p>I have watched Larry Alex Taunton on Wednesday evenings on the NRB Channel for many years. First with the Fixed Point Foundation programs and later with the video of the podcast he had with a woman that I enjoyed very much. It ended when he was in Europe the first few months of this year. </p><p>He has a new podcast that one can listen to or watch on YouTube called <i>Ideas Have Consequences</i> with Larry Alex Taunton. I have found it very beneficial to understand the history of socialism and what is happening in the world today. It is especially good for people who enjoy history and he is an excellent communicator. Not boring at all!<br /></p><p>I have been writing while my husband was visiting our long time friends that I have spoken of before. They are Jewish and we are Christian, they are very liberal and we are... not. However, we have been friends since we were neighbors in the late 1990s. They have turned their backyard into a garden and had vegetables to share. I will always accept free organic veggies! He has just returned home so there are vegetables to wash right away.<br /></p><p>I pray that you all have a wonderful summer (winter for our friends in Australia, New Zealand, etc.) and I hope to have read a few more books when I write again. I have quite a few parked on the Kindle.</p><p>The world continues to get crazier each day but we can rest assured that Jesus wins. I have read the last chapter of the Book.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p><i> Prepper Dawg </i>on YouTube... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PrepperDawg" target="_blank">here</a>.<i><br /></i></p><p><i>Ideas have Consequences </i>on YouTube... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@IdeasHaveConsequences" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /></p><p><b>Image</b>: This photo was taken long ago but it is still a favorite from when I used to have quiet times on the deck.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-55502339785670221972023-06-13T14:33:00.002-04:002023-06-13T14:33:44.644-04:00The Importance of Beauty While Recovering <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleEE8UYLZiSTe2lXUc7ki8QGyE9P81c-tT83rCohiXzfhakAPcLmm3bO85-3_rSEqh9VGXIPyuduAa7VpthaP_tTjKFalQID52NA92RYzB38hLcJg6mKLLgyLxo5fKGmEKgtg5V97tkdwD3BuG3mh_-2dx_i00NlU7E6Q7A37m731g9c6C9Q/s400/10797~Shady-Patio-Posters%20(AP).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleEE8UYLZiSTe2lXUc7ki8QGyE9P81c-tT83rCohiXzfhakAPcLmm3bO85-3_rSEqh9VGXIPyuduAa7VpthaP_tTjKFalQID52NA92RYzB38hLcJg6mKLLgyLxo5fKGmEKgtg5V97tkdwD3BuG3mh_-2dx_i00NlU7E6Q7A37m731g9c6C9Q/w400-h320/10797~Shady-Patio-Posters%20(AP).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I am sorry for the delay in writing another blog post. Quite often "Blog Post" was written in my Planner and just as often, it had to be put off for another day. Sometimes I was too tired while other weeks took me away from home more than I had planned.<p></p><p>I now understand how many of my favorite bloggers could seem to fall off the face of the earth after a long time blogging. It is far easier than I would have thought when there is a change in circumstances. </p><p>My son-in-law reminded me at Thanksgiving, when I told my family that it was time for me to stop blogging regularly, that I always said I would stop blogging when I no longer had anything to say. In addition to further fatigue, that is what happened more and more. The words that so often circled my thinking during the week were not there as often. </p><p>It was time to slow down although I never intended to stop popping in to say hello more often than I have. I have mentioned that I spent New Year's Day in the emergency room but I was quite ill for a few months after that as my blood sugar was no longer stabilized. I not only could not write, I found it too difficult to sit at my desk for at least two of those months. However, I began to have more good days than bad days over time.</p><p>I have learned all over again how to appreciate the small things of life. Those gifts that I know are from God such as noticing the deer when they are in the backyard. Since I no longer have a garden, I can enjoy their beauty instead of worrying about them eating my vegetables.</p><p>I don't know what it is about the greens growing up around our back fence but the deer find it absolutely delicious. There is a look on their face similar to mine when a lovely meal has been set before me. They usually do not know how to get out of my yard and back into the forest but it seems a small price to pay for their salad.</p><p>Last week, I was driving one of the roads just inside the city limits when I had to stop as a mother duck and numerous baby ducks lined up behind her in a straight row crossed the road. Such a gift from God to be there at that very moment and when there were few cars so the ducks were safe.</p><p>Although, sometimes I do not always appreciate the nature that comes calling. I heard a sound on the porch after midnight recently and when I turned on the porch light, there were two of the cutest baby raccoons looking up at me from Mouse's bed on the porch bench. (Mouse was not amused.)</p><p>As I opened the front door, I saw that they were not twins but triplets. Their mother was no where to be seen and these babies were not at all afraid of humans. I went back inside and knocked on the window until they finally ran under the hedges to probably the side of the house.</p><p>I did thank God for letting me see them for I doubt I have ever noticed such cute faces in all of nature as those baby raccoons. But they became a thorn in my flesh in the next few days as they seemed to be watching for when I put out Mouse's kibble and water.</p><p>Our battle was made worse when I fell off the porch when trying to pick up the kibble bowl they had somehow moved until it was on the ground. I fell into the long row of hedges to the side of the porch. My husband thought I was seriously injured because I didn't move but as I told him later, I was trying to figure out how to undo myself from the hedges without doing further damage to them or to me.</p><p>Thankfully, I ended up with scrapes and I was quite stiff for a couple of days. When I messaged the kids for prayer, they insisted on having pizza and sandwiches delivered to us for dinner so I could rest. I had already decided fixing dinner was not a possibility. When I told them the dinner was delicious and almost worth falling off of the porch, my daughter-in-law requested that I just tell them I want pizza next time. I promised I would...<br /></p><p>So, while my world is even smaller than usual right now. It certainly has periods of excitement. My favorite time is in the morning, sitting in the rocking chair and enjoying the porch flower garden, the singing of the birds, and sometimes a breeze. On one morning when it was rather windy, I was reminded of the Holy Spirit coming as a mighty wind and felt His presence and the peace it brought there on the porch. </p><p>God was not surprised by my further struggles with the two immune system diseases. Instead of a healing, they became more of a struggle. However, I also know He was with me. Last Christmas, I had set aside part of a cash Christmas gift to purchase flowers in late April or early May... according to the Spring temperatures.</p><p>I am so glad I did for the price of flowers, as with everything else, had gone up a great deal at our local nursery. By saving part of that gift, I could have flowers on the porch and a few on the deck outside of my kitchen window. God prepared me ahead of time for a blessing.</p><p>As the world grows darker, I think we must do what we can to purposely create beauty in our surroundings. I love the vintage items in my kitchen, almost all of them found at thrift stores and antique malls (and not the expensive stalls, either). Although collected over decades, they work together to make the house cozy.<br /></p><p>This is already long enough but I will share a few books I have enjoyed recently, two on the Kindle and one a coffee table book with font big enough to read. I will list them below and highly recommend all three.</p><p>I hope to be back soon on one of my good days. I do thank everyone who sent emails!</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Books Recently Read</span></p><p><i>Teatime Discipleship</i> by Sally Clarkson... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Teatime-Discipleship-Sharing-Faith-Time/dp/0736985425?keywords=sally+Clarkson&qid=1686678501&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1&returnFromLogin=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=7de6ea55d5171ddfffa2144514cb8677&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>. I pre-ordered this book months before it was published. It is a beautiful book with Sally's stories regarding tea time with family and friends, photos of her home, and recipes for tea time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I keep it out on the coffee table in my family room to peruse from time to time.</p><p><i>Rembrandt is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith </i>by Russ Ramsey... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rembrandt-Wind-Learning-through-Faith/dp/0310129729?crid=QKSLLSP94JY9&keywords=rembrandt+is+in+the+wind+by+russ+ramsey&qid=1686678898&sprefix=rembrandt+is%2Caps%2C789&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=ddea0dd36226217a71733ed5647b2d19&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>. I had heard many good things about this book but when my daughter recommended it, I knew I had to read it. Russ Ramsey shares the stories behind great works of art in such a way that I have a renewed love for it.</p><p>Both of my children have been to the great art museums of Europe. (They get their love of travel from their father.) When allowed, they would share photos of the art on display... as well as photos of delicious meals. Ramsey's book makes me want to stand in front of those amazing works of art, too.</p><p><i>Fire In His Bones:A Collection of the Fifty Most Powerful Sermons of David Wilkerson.</i>.. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fire-His-Bones-Collection-Wilkerson/dp/1636980074?crid=3V1P1HFKJMGH1&keywords=fire+in+his+bones&qid=1686679340&sprefix=fire+in+%2Caps%2C608&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=5b52b00d6b07266a8eae1529fc4c5a87&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>. This is the book that I am reading on my Kindle Paperwhite, which I keep in my purse. It is easy to read one sermon at a time when I am waiting at a doctor's office.</p><p>I found out about this book before it was published because I still receive monthly newsletters from the ministry. Sometimes they are written by Gary Wilkerson (David's son) and sometimes they are repeats of one of David's newsletters. Most of the newsletters were taken from his sermons at his church, Time Square Church in New York.</p><p>Some call him a modern day prophet because he saw back in the 1970s exactly what is happening today. He always declined that mantle, saying instead he was a "watchman on the wall" and much like the true prophet, Jeremiah, people did not like what he had to say. However, these sermons remind us that God knew what was coming, He is watching over us, and that He really is in control. </p><p>I love all three of these very different from each other books. </p><p><i>Image</i>: Shady Patio (Don't you want to sit there and drink in the beauty?)<br /></p><p><i>Disclaimer</i>: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-82559852523157911152023-04-14T12:17:00.001-04:002023-04-14T12:54:10.677-04:00Nature is awakening from a long winter's nap<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-kE-FUTCESULYuuRboS7dKMYtQwaxKx9iNdEWg29cvv7KwVID0-6q4BpzCDGSsgQz_XeFvwhjtUlQlipgIXwCwV9i8eeCIq1APp2GBsbcJhJ2aB6wY-RUhPUHYCYS3PDO69-eXs5qkPl0mDp6oEsIwagVz-Ps9-fSglSst7pRGH-W60XIm8/s526/90618176_10221993509609840_6020947500725174272_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-kE-FUTCESULYuuRboS7dKMYtQwaxKx9iNdEWg29cvv7KwVID0-6q4BpzCDGSsgQz_XeFvwhjtUlQlipgIXwCwV9i8eeCIq1APp2GBsbcJhJ2aB6wY-RUhPUHYCYS3PDO69-eXs5qkPl0mDp6oEsIwagVz-Ps9-fSglSst7pRGH-W60XIm8/w640-h640/90618176_10221993509609840_6020947500725174272_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Last week, our landscape looked like winter except for the daffodils blooming out by the fence line. After an early heatwave began a few days ago, all of nature came alive... in a good and not scary way. <p></p><p>I have always loved Easter even though I did not grow up in a church going family. My love for Easter and for Christmas are equal but in different ways. As with most Americans, the Christmas season begins in our family at Thanksgiving and is pretty much celebrated all of December.</p><p>The house is decorated during this darkest month of the year, the light brought inside with candles, the Christmas tree, and twinkle lights Perhaps that is why Christmas causes me to think more inwardly as it is also the season of curling up with a throw, a cat, and a hot beverage to contemplate the birth of Christ.</p><p>On the other hand, since we did not attend a liturgical church, Easter was a week to reflect on the life, death, and the Resurrection of Jesus. Easter day was usually filled with joyful celebration at church and then with a meal that was pretty much the same every year.</p><p>Now we were enjoying the return of days filled with longer hours of light, the rebirth of nature (albeit slower here than with my southern friends), and the renewal of the soul. I often feel like winter is the time to slow down and reflect while spring is the gift God gives us when life returns. A reflection of the Resurrection that was and a promise of the ultimate renewal to come.</p><p>Our Easter season was made more special this year when Stephanie, Elisabeth, and Faith arrived for a quick visit the weekend before Easter. Faith was to meet the young woman who will be her roommate when she goes to college this fall. (How is that even possible?) Since I was not able to attend Elisabeth's wedding, it was wonderful that she took time off of work to travel with them.</p><p>They returned to New England, stopping along the way home to visit David at his college, in time for Maundy Thursday services. I was praying a lot that day for safe travels as storms were predicted along the way where they would be driving and where my son was flying back after a conference in the nation's capital.</p><p>The ladies arrived home safely, although they had to drive through very heavy rain along the way. Christopher's flight was hit with severe turbulence and they landed in a thunderstorm. He travels a lot so when he said this was his worst flight ever, it had to be bad.</p><p>I had messaged him that there were tornadoes heading from Louisville to Cincinnati and it turns out he was flying over them on his route home. People wonder why I dislike flying. My daughter teases me about being a weather geek. I blame growing up surrounded by farms and farmers. Weather is usually a topic of conversation most of the year.</p><p>I wonder how much of a mother's prayer life revolves around praying for their children as they drive, fly, etc.? </p><p>I hope your Easter was a good one. My son and his wife hosted the meal this year and I made and baked the favorites we always serve on our side of the family. My daughter-in-law's mom did the same thing and we have had joint celebrations long enough that I know what to anticipate at each gathering. I don't know what is in that orange Jell-o stuff but it is delicious and worth taking extra insulin.</p><p>I am still dealing with low blood sugar attacks and consequently moving quite slow on many days. My doctor has me checking my blood sugar before going to bed each night and eating a snack if necessary but even then, I have either plunged too low (which is extremely dangerous) or my blood sugar rose too much (which is frustrating). <br /></p><p>We had a nice conversation at my check up last week about what a wonderful thing the pancreas is and how people take it for granted. I don't know if he is a Christian but I do remind him that God created all of our parts to be quite amazingly sufficient when they work right. </p><p>There is so much in this life that we do not understand and we have to trust His goodness. God did not create our illnesses, they came as a result of the fallen world. However, are you hearing... as Billy Graham titled a book... the approaching hoofbeats?</p><p>I am, every day they get louder and louder! My husband and I were talking about the darkness in the world this morning. As an Eeyore kind of guy, he was saying this world is not one he recognizes, anymore. He will be glad to leave it. I fully understand where he is coming from but I reminded him what the darkness is telling us... the soon return of Christ to set up His perfect kingdom.</p><p>I think prior to 2020, I could give mental assent to the soon return of Christ. Everything looked like it could be fairly soon. I would discuss pre-trib or mid-trib rapture with friends but it was something I still thought out in the distant future. Everything changed in November of 2019 as new laws began to be made and decisions put in place that would change... everything.</p><p>We were talking this morning how we never... in a million years never... thought America could change this quickly. Not to mention the entire world actually looking like we are near End Time wars. The chessboard is already set in motion.</p><p>Why can we go through this time, while not wanting to suffer or have our children suffer in any way, still filled with joy and anticipation? Because my friends, Aslan is on the move. Can't you feel Him? Can't you hear His roar in the distance, becoming closer each day?</p><p>Many years ago, I read about a woman who was filled with dread over the coming Tribulation. So much that it was adversely affecting her life. Until she had a dream where she was looking at a ship's radar and noticed a tiny blip on the screen. She asked God what that blip was and He told her that was the Tribulation years. Just the tiniest, hardly noticeable, blip on the radar. She never feared End Times events again after she awoke from that dream.</p><p>I have a key chain that I purchased, one for me and one for my daughter, that is small but easily slipped onto my existing key chain. It shows a favorite quote of Aslan...<i> Courage, Dear Heart</i>. It also has a separate tiny figure of Aslan that reminds me not only of a favorite character from literature but of the Lion of Judah.</p><p>As we walk through these coming months and years, what better advice can anyone give but from the Lion who came back to life because his enemy did not know the deeper magic (the Narnia magic) existed. <i><b>Courage, dear heart</b></i>.</p><p>Until next time... <br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p>Narnia key chain... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SL4KMM5?th=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=c055a93f8e023b902c8b36dce178a7ea&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><b>Disclaimer</b>: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-7129447933344701382023-03-30T11:08:00.002-04:002023-03-30T11:08:51.317-04:00I'm Alive! Honest<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapNmBKW9igQ8rXeNnrt9P-onvDOFSBL9iEtU0I1UPJ87y-j1xQQvBaCb6bPOsTRQvxSIOvpROhQ8CwOJHw_Z4JgZ4TclkD8KU4NlLfhtqdgFOBmg9bgRIgbOVNPuR59p2U2Srwf0c3Q6u17L4K8iloqkjHei4dgHTRMShV-9dikmxsZ3FAhM/s960/81898564_10221293419148016_783163896033705984_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapNmBKW9igQ8rXeNnrt9P-onvDOFSBL9iEtU0I1UPJ87y-j1xQQvBaCb6bPOsTRQvxSIOvpROhQ8CwOJHw_Z4JgZ4TclkD8KU4NlLfhtqdgFOBmg9bgRIgbOVNPuR59p2U2Srwf0c3Q6u17L4K8iloqkjHei4dgHTRMShV-9dikmxsZ3FAhM/w640-h640/81898564_10221293419148016_783163896033705984_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />When I announced at the beginning of the year that I will no longer be writing a post on a weekly basis, I never planned to go an entire month between posts. This past month was a struggle to get anything accomplished. The proof being that before I sat down at my desk to write, I realized four weeks have gone by since I wrote anything in my planner.<p></p><p>It is partly due to the remodel of our bathroom taking the first two weeks of the last month. It was a project that should have been budgeted years ago but thankfully, no permanent damage was done by the bad pipes leaking into the crawl space. I lived with a very ugly bathroom for seventeen years and now I cannot believe the difference.</p><p>Although we had the work done for the resale value of the house, it will be a joy to live with it until that time we sell the house. Which may be a few years from now. Even a remodel on a budget can be beautiful.</p><p>Even while the contractors were here, I wrote an outline of a pantry post I planned to write when they were finished. As you can tell, that outline is still sitting on my desk. The two weeks after the work was complete were busy with appointments and other out-of-the-house commitments and I was so tired that my brain couldn't think to write.</p><p>Partly it is the intense fatigue that has become worse over the years. However, even though I now have my long term insulin, the two months where I either didn't have it or I had to use a different long term insulin have left my blood sugar readings unstable. I went from having extremely high numbers when I didn't have my usual insulin to now I have been dipping dangerously low.</p><p>I've been tweaking my before dinner insulin and I think I've figured out how much less than to take before dinner each night. Thank God I do wake up when my blood sugar plunges to the 50s but it also means not getting a good night's sleep. Which adds to the fatigue and the foggy thinking. </p><p>Did you know that Alzheimer's is sometimes called Type 3 diabetes? Type 2 is what most people have, Type 1 (Juvenile Diabetes) is what I have, and now some doctors are calling various forms of memory loss Type 3. That goes to show you the affect our blood sugar has on the brain. (My daughter can refrain from saying anything.) ;)<br /></p><p>I'm feeling better now and while it still feels like winter off and on, the temperatures are ever so slowly creeping up. If past seasons are any indication, we will jump from cold weather to hot weather almost overnight so I am not complaining. Much. ;)</p><p>I will be back with reflections on the crazy world we live in (we must keep our eyes on the Lord and not the news) and finally that pantry post. Thank you to everyone who got in touch with me while I have been AWOL. I appreciate it. Especially since I am dreadfully behind on some thank you notes. </p><p>I have company arriving soon so I must get the Study back to its' original order. That is my plan for the next two days. The contractors used it to store most of the boxes (the door to the walk-in shower was in our Living Room for two weeks) and their tools. </p><p>They cleaned up where they had been but the furniture and such is still bunched up on one side of the room where I had moved it. They were very nice and did an excellent job but I cannot imagine what it would be like to go through a larger remodel, like a Kitchen.</p><p>See you next week I hope! <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-83903540761966313062023-02-25T10:55:00.006-05:002023-02-25T10:57:24.982-05:00Checking in on a Saturday morning<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NCuAb11fsTSq4BPxxUZudzteNyvDfztEkRhpJRuMTXrYpOTfSHb69Y0s973dFxvpvGio6Aa0I5ddb6hQCxCdJjkwQWth51_jJKflqrXIHvwclh7ipz0lNV-Zi_U87wR6tjFskGC4B7as-fn3RCZYbQZ-qgpvLNLGtr24ZPqbN_e88FhYuZY/s960/39196714_10156600398443454_4489882395180269568_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NCuAb11fsTSq4BPxxUZudzteNyvDfztEkRhpJRuMTXrYpOTfSHb69Y0s973dFxvpvGio6Aa0I5ddb6hQCxCdJjkwQWth51_jJKflqrXIHvwclh7ipz0lNV-Zi_U87wR6tjFskGC4B7as-fn3RCZYbQZ-qgpvLNLGtr24ZPqbN_e88FhYuZY/w480-h640/39196714_10156600398443454_4489882395180269568_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />I thought it best to write a quick hello rather than go through another week without a blog post. I now understand why some bloggers who went from regular blogging to less blog posts eventually stopped blogging altogether. It is amazing how quickly a couple weeks have passed when there is no definite publishing date.<br /><p></p><p>As can happen when dealing with an older house, the contractor started work in our bathroom and found our original pipes to be in bad shape. It is a very good thing we had this work done now for water was already dripping into our crawl space.</p><p>So, this meant two extra days while the guys replaced pipes in the crawlspace and pipes going into the bathroom. We were not really surprised since we have had to replace pipes both going to the well and into the garage before. In early winter, we started noticing water ponding in our front yard close to the main well pipe. New pipes were installed there which will mean come warm weather, we have to have the lawn reseeded in that area.</p><p>At least the holes in the drywall have been repaired and the walls are prepped for painting. The base and side of the shower are installed. The box with the door in it still resides propped up next to the love seat in my living room. Which is also why I was just able to moderate comments this morning from last week. There have been boxes in the study making it difficult to get to my desk. It is amazing how many pieces there are to plumbing projects.</p><p>However, the guys have been delightful to work with. They are friendly and always clean up when they leave. If they have to leave early, they explain why so we don't think they are not dong the job (we knew from the kitchen lighting project that sometimes there must be additional drying time in between the jobs).</p><p>Florentine is so used to their 8:00 arrival each morning that she was sitting on our bed by 7:30 this morning, waiting for us to move the kitty litter container and her kibble bowl in our room before shutting the door. It took her awhile to realize they would not be here today so she can relax.</p><p>Being a smart cat, she can see that the bathroom is still not finished. They will return Monday morning and hopefully it will be completed in two days. Barring no more surprises.</p><p>Since it has been rather loud a few hours at a time each day with sawing and pounding and hammering, I have been "reading" an Audible book. I brought out the old (big) earphones to begin listening to <i>Resilient </i>by John Eldredge. I had heard good things about the book so I used my last Audible credit (before unsubscribing for awhile) to get this book. So far, I think it is excellent. It is just what I needed right now.<br /></p><p>I love how he not only reads the book himself, but he adds comments to what is in the book. It makes it so much more personal. I know his book from many years ago called <i>Wild at Heart</i> was controversial because it talks about the difference between the way God made boys and men from girls and women. Even in the Church there were many people who claimed it was sexist.</p><p>Actually, it was if you follow their definition but what it did for me at the time, with a boy just entering his teens, was to open my eyes to the need for boys to be... boys. To encourage them as they pretend to be Knights defending fair maidens, soldiers winning the battle, protectors of small furry creatures (our two sister kitties at the time), etc.</p><p>I had raised a girl and that was easy because I could remember being that age. A boy? Not so much. As a homeschooling mom who spent more time with her son than my husband, <i>Wild at Heart</i> helped me look at that strange male species from a Biblical perspective. I highly recommend it, too, if like me... you believe there is a difference between boys and girls.<br /></p><p>I hope to be back soon with some pantry ponderings.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p><i>Resilient </i>by John Eldredge... <a href="https://amzn.to/3ZiEJUj" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><i>Wild at Heart</i> by John Eldredge... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Heart-Expanded-Ed-Discovering/dp/1400225264?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=1ea127ff209e3a1bf76ff783907d4a01&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /></p><p><b>Disclaimer</b>: Mist links to Amazon.com are Associate links.</p><p><b>Image</b>: I cannot remember where I found this photo but it is so peaceful.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-461745598428465642023-02-17T19:19:00.002-05:002023-02-17T19:25:01.056-05:00The process is called Swedish Death Cleaning, who knew?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOJPK2a_heUvtYde1ToV0MSrTI7jW-C1LTeDOqfYrUM8wcAcmLCSebPa_m2Bq_hdN6w30yMtGR6weEH1-uu3Jzl8RyJDzkzUGAOGHzYlbTTMbJGyUprKJTVHRXbMQBrDu51aCygrEQzq7tM-AamAera5g6cpHr64meyP4mcMUFq_2PEhvzP8/s1080/000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOJPK2a_heUvtYde1ToV0MSrTI7jW-C1LTeDOqfYrUM8wcAcmLCSebPa_m2Bq_hdN6w30yMtGR6weEH1-uu3Jzl8RyJDzkzUGAOGHzYlbTTMbJGyUprKJTVHRXbMQBrDu51aCygrEQzq7tM-AamAera5g6cpHr64meyP4mcMUFq_2PEhvzP8/w640-h480/000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I finally have both the time and energy to stop by and send out a hello. January and February are usually slow months for us but they have been just the opposite this year. When I have been home, I have been working on projects as well as the usual cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. I'm still behind on correspondence and such! <br /><p></p><p>One thing that is normal from past years is that I like to use these post-Holiday winter months to "fluff the nest". I often declutter, although this year it is taking on an entire new emphasis. I also use this time to change some things around in the house like relocating some artwork to make it fresh, changing around some plants to other areas, moving photos from one room to another, etc.</p><p>Last year, I switched the larger vertical print of a woman in prayer to the opposite side of the dining area from where it had been since we moved into this house. I hung it where there had been a large horizontal artwork and then hung that piece where the vertical print had been. It has been a year and I'm still looking at how much I like the switch. The vertical print is one of my favorites and it was in a place where I rarely saw it before the move. It was a refreshed look for less than five minutes of work.<br /></p><p>I have continued the files project, although it is on hold for a couple of weeks as a couple other projects call out to be completed. As I write today, the Study is full of boxes and I have just enough room to walk to the desk and work on the computer. We have a walk in shower being installed on Monday, replacing the very old 1960s era shower/tub in the bathroom. After nearly falling a few times, it became a priority for safety reasons. </p><p>I want to write more about world events and the pantry lifestyle soon. That will have to wait until the installation is finished and the boxes are out of the Study. They also have to replace the flooring as it will be scuffed up and they are going to paint the bathroom while they are here. <br /></p><p>The files in the Study are pretty much sorted, kept or tossed, and are now easy to maintain. I was able to get a good start on the "homeschooling drawer" in our small office but it is a slower process. That project will be taken up again after the bathroom project is finished. It takes time because more thought is needed about what to keep and what to toss.<br /></p><p>My decluttering and getting rid of stuff project that I have been doing the past few years has a name and I didn't even know it. You may remember that it is inspired when we realized what a burden it would be for our kids someday to 1) go through our stuff, and 2) sell the house with the much needed updates still undone.</p><p>So, we have budgeted every extra dollar to fixing and updating the house. It is a good, solid, and even attractive small house but it was built in the 1960s so... and I can relate personally... it needs some work. Our goal is that when we need to sell the house, there will be no surprise expenditures for our family.</p><p>As for the organizational part of the fluffing, I found out there is a name for what I have been doing for years (and getting really serious about it this past year). There is even a book about the process called <i>The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.</i> </p><p>Now, I know it sounds morbid but it isn't at all. It's basically that the questions we ask ourselves about what to keep or give away change as we grow older. The recommendation is that once people arrive at retirement age (approx. 65 years old), they change the way they look at keeping and getting rid of stuff based on if they will still be using the objects and/or if anyone would want it after they are gone (or just retiring to a small place). <br /></p><p>I haven't read the book, yet, although I plan to soon. It is small and it is supposed to be an enjoyable read about how the author went through this process in her own home. However, there are really good YouTube videos about the process that I have watched in the past couple of months. It was enjoyable to find out there is actually a name already for what I have been wanting to accomplish. </p><p>Now, I have been doing this a little at a time for many years now but I'm just taking it to another level. For instance, I inherited a complete set of Victorian era china from my mother-in-law, I collect brown transferware china, I still have the Everyday Lenox I used when both kids were home, and I have the inexpensive dishes I use everyday since there are just the two of us at home.</p><p>I did have a set of Noritake wedding china but after having a discussion with my daughter and daughter-in-law a couple years ago, I knew to keep all the china except the Noritake. It seems no one in the family was interested in 1970s wedding china except me. So, off it went to Goodwill where someone will find it and love it. </p><p>That is what this process is about, let go of what no one would want when we are no longer here... then... keep what means a lot to you or you know someone will want it and yes, I still collect brown transferware because it makes my heart sing! Otherwise, I rarely purchase thrifted china. Well, there were those two teacups that were part of the Queen Mother collection... but I digress.<br /></p><p>One way of managing "stuff" that I have done for a few years now, too, is that when I purchase something new (to me) for the house, something goes to Goodwill or another charity. The above photo shows the vintage scale I bought at the antique mall. </p><p>I have wanted such a scale for that spot for at least three or four years. I had seen them in magazine photos and homemaking videos. I finally found one that I loved and was a price I could afford. There had been a few cookbooks at that spot so I went through my cookbooks and got rid of a few I knew I would not use, anymore. That made room on the shelves for the cookbooks that had been in that place.</p><p>I will never be a minimalist! There will be plenty of stuff to go to family or thrift stores when I go to my Heavenly Home... which will be perfect! Part of the process is having those things around me that makes my heart sing without it looking cluttered. Of course, what I think does not looked cluttered may not be what another person thinks but I am the one who lives here.</p><p>My home is my personal Goshen where I feel comfortable, where my relationship with God can grow, where what surrounds me is what I find beautiful. I'm old enough now that it doesn't matter what other people think about my decorating style or what stuff I display. Each of our homes should be a reflection of us and not a place where we display stuff we think would impress other people.</p><p>Of course, I do share this home and mostly I take into account what my husband likes. Mostly. Except when he is absolutely wrong. ;) He does not like the vintage yellow kitchen scale. As a former engineer, he doesn't get having anything in the kitchen that you do not plan to use for its' original purpose.<br /></p><p>However, he is on board with the process of getting rid of stuff we do not need and the kids will not want. Which is on the level of a miracle as he is a bit of a hoarder with paper stuff and garage stuff. He keeps what he thinks he may need someday but I reminded him that we do not need a dozen (or two) Amazon boxes.</p><p>I plan to be back in probably a little over a week or so. Hopefully!</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p><i>The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning</i> book... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gentle-Art-Swedish-Death-Cleaning/dp/1501173243?crid=3OTFNZWYVIXNR&keywords=the+swedish+art+of+death+cleaning+book&qid=1676678961&sprefix=%2Caps%2C474&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=cc489c1dee3c9a84a1223b95822deee2&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Disclaimer: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.<br /></p><p>Image: The camera takes very blurry photos at times!<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-58093365620762757552023-01-26T15:49:00.001-05:002023-01-26T15:49:57.609-05:00Persistence Pays Off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNvrKKS9ZIzc1e8-mh24pALVLu63cYmUvRodoS2EwydwJm84hjI6CZ2nozJagN5FuPbbYJCmZU6TVS1VT-OhaRAmNpYFSweJXlvhZk3srsC-qv3v5ZtcFa3scnTm4gy_OKfhz90JyHfiuFQUC_xOXwicKcI_BSNPR4kk6ifcIVAmV1iL8vh0/s400/1621913_735060146512601_709196694_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNvrKKS9ZIzc1e8-mh24pALVLu63cYmUvRodoS2EwydwJm84hjI6CZ2nozJagN5FuPbbYJCmZU6TVS1VT-OhaRAmNpYFSweJXlvhZk3srsC-qv3v5ZtcFa3scnTm4gy_OKfhz90JyHfiuFQUC_xOXwicKcI_BSNPR4kk6ifcIVAmV1iL8vh0/w640-h480/1621913_735060146512601_709196694_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I am finding that when one does not write on a regular schedule, two things can happen. The first thing is that time goes by faster than we think so a new blog post happens later than planned. The second is that I need to write down those things I want to write about on my planner because they tend to last about five seconds. </p><p>I am pleased to say the insulin saga (trial) has been resolved. I will share about it at the end of this blog post. Like most trials, it was not fun but I learned a lot. Not the least of which is the reminder that God really is in control. </p><p>As I was going through it and the fear would come that I would end up back in the ER, I reminded myself that God has never let me down in the past. I remembered His character instead of looking at my circumstances and indeed... He did not let me down this time, either.<br /></p><p>The Study files are all either tossed or placed in their proper space. Hallelujah! It was so good to be able to file away the late 2022 and January 2023 papers needing to be filed and not have to find room in overstuffed file folders. The files in the "homeschool drawer" in our small office have a good start already, too.<br /></p><p>I have had the same morning routine for a few years now but after praying for ways to accomplish this project and more later, I realized I needed to make time in the morning while my energy was higher. So now on many days, after watching my "Bible study program" while sipping morning coffee, I spend time on a project or housework.<br /></p><p>The new morning schedule isn't written in stone and there are many days I must be flexible. However, it is a change that can be accomplished. So often, I think nothing can be changed but that is a lie from the father of lies. No matter our age or physical condition, there is always something that can change. Especially when we ask God, who says in the Book of James that He gives wisdom to all who ask.<br /></p><p>Except for making me more organized, these file projects will ultimately not be noticed by anyone else except my family. I often remember all the work my husband and his brother went through when their mother passed away in a car accident and every piece of paper that can be thrown out now is something our own children will not have to deal with later. </p><p>As it is, I can imagine them rolling their eyes and wonder out loud if someone really needed that many teacups. I blame Emilie Barnes... ;)</p><p>I have not set out to choose a "word of the year" for a long time but once in awhile, a word comes to me that I believe is God-given. While working on these files and dealing with the insulin situation, I knew it was the Lord that brought the word "persistence" to mind quite often. It has become my anchor word for the new year. <br /></p><p>So, what happened with the insulin? Well, I never found out why Eli Lilly didn't send it but I did find out the things that went wrong since then. It was the fault of both the drug company and the clinic combining to create an emergency situation.<br /></p><p>It was finally resolved when I was given the phone number to the Eli Lilly program and called on Monday. I talked to a very helpful woman who, while not knowing why it wasn't sent in early November, was able to tell me that it had been cancelled in January because my original prescription had lapsed. Why the clinic employee was not told that, I have no idea.<br /></p><p>It turned out that the day I called was the very last day that I could get a new prescription from my doctor or his nurse, have them call it in, and receive the shipment. It took some scrambling and driving to the clinic with a paper giving all of the needed information but I did, they did, and my insulin arrived on Tuesday.</p><p>Have you ever noticed how God... at times... seems to provide answers to prayer at the very last moment? I mean, really... the very last day? Otherwise, I would have had to submit a new application and wait for it to process through before it could arrive in three or four weeks. I received the vial of Lantus from the hospital and sample pens of Bassaglar from the clinic to keep from returning to the ER.</p><p>I was reminded of a lesson that I have had to relearn over and over for decades now and that is the moment I realize something is not right, I need to look into the problem. I cannot hope everything will fall into place on its own. I can't assume anyone else is taking care of it for me. Even if it is their job. This is especially true in a world where the employee may not be the best person for the job due to difficulties getting workers. <br /></p><p>I receive both insulins through the MAPS program at Ely Lily and the clinic where my doctor works. This was the fourth of four shipments from my previous application. In about a month, I will need to submit another application for the new year. It is an excellent program when it works properly.</p><p>This particular trial took a lot more time and emotional energy than I wanted to spend but with good results. As well as persistence! I do hope to be back with another hello late next week. We have another Arctic front moving in so perhaps I can chat about books I'm reading on the Kindle right now. By that time I should have finished a couple as staying inside sipping warm beverage is the plan until at least... March?<br /></p><p>I pray you all are having a blessed Winter (Summer south of the equator!).</p><p><b>Image</b>: This photo of my neighbor's barn is from a few years ago but the outside world looks similar today.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-8123334789522262082023-01-13T15:54:00.003-05:002023-01-13T16:04:41.032-05:00What I am Doing While I am Still Waiting<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAb7o1buNCAr4qaQajI5RoY-bmde_vsFfv8_KgSWpBbqL9QJrmkw2LowB07IM0Onvj4fzNeJTndcHl6D53Fg08cwZBsWIhYu58sUF6PyrmrVhDoOXZfVrzHJ2RY8SabRmvOL33fQWy0ddDZ8NHENAvwLmyVpuNKxvcUAvmk6sZINTu-KJH7E/s960/19224761_10158976126355164_7980247106130772827_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAb7o1buNCAr4qaQajI5RoY-bmde_vsFfv8_KgSWpBbqL9QJrmkw2LowB07IM0Onvj4fzNeJTndcHl6D53Fg08cwZBsWIhYu58sUF6PyrmrVhDoOXZfVrzHJ2RY8SabRmvOL33fQWy0ddDZ8NHENAvwLmyVpuNKxvcUAvmk6sZINTu-KJH7E/w640-h640/19224761_10158976126355164_7980247106130772827_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I have been to see my doctor and the problem with the insulin is supposed to be resolved but it still hasn't arrived from the drug company. In the meantime, I will be going back to the clinic today to pick up sample pens. They should get me through until the issues with getting the long term insulin that was due before Thanksgiving are resolved. <br /><p></p><p>It was mentioned in Comments that the U.S. now has a cap on insulin prices. That is what I thought would happen when I first heard of the possibility but right now, there is only a cap on <i>some </i>co-pays and that is only for <i>some </i>insurance companies. None of that applies to me since I get both of my insulins through a special program offered by my clinic. </p><p>I am hearing about the breakdown in medical care here in the States all the time now. As well as severe shortages in some medications. I was purchasing generic Benedryl at Meijer last week and I walked by the pediatric fever and pain killer section. It was almost completely empty. Only a few bottles of liquid Children's Advil were on the shelf. It is a much different world than just a few years ago. <br /></p><p>On that same grocery run, I had to buy a few items from the back of the store to the front where produce is sold. That gave me a good look at what was in stock. I had heard many people who research such things say that we will see shortages again after the Holidays. There were a lot of empty spaces on shelves. What surprised me most was the vegetable oil aisle, it was pretty much empty.</p><p>With everything going on, I am more determined than ever to not let any food go to waste. The Christmas ham was taking up room in my refrigerator that I needed to use for something else so I decided to make ham stock. I don't know why I didn't think of ham stock long ago but it was while reading a book (perhaps <i>An Everlasting Meal</i>?) that I learned one can make and freeze ham stock just like other meats.</p><p>Even though I wasn't feeling the best, I simmered the ham bone with a little meat left on it for quite a few hours. I added an onion, celery, and a handful of baby carrots that were showing their age. It simmered one day and I put it in the garage after it cooled down to sit for another day so the fat could easily be skimmed off (in Winter, our garage is an extra refrigerator). I got two quarts of ham stock with chunks of ham from it, now residing in the freezer for either bean soup or perhaps as a good base for potato soup.</p><p>Speaking of the book, <i>An Everlasting Meal</i>, I saw where she has a cookbook coming out in March. That is one book I would be interested in seeing. I will include a link to it below. You know how I love her first book. When it became difficult to read the book, I bought it on Kindle to reread off and on for inspiration.</p><p>In cold weather, I like to make soup once a week. It not only stretches the budget but it is so good for us. I turned the whole chicken I bought last week into a good bone broth type of chicken stock with celery and onion. At first I just gave the broth to my husband when he was feeling under the weather (I think literally), then I added some of the white meat and a package of jasmine rice from the freezer that I had cooked and frozen for a hearty dinner meal. </p><p>I have been working on my usual January decluttering projects a little at a time. They can be accomplished even when one doesn't feel the best by working a little here and there in the morning and early afternoon when my energy is highest. I remember Laine (of Laine's Letters) saying she learned to do most of her work during her high energy hours, too.<br /></p><p>I was able to send some more Christmas decorations to Goodwill while packing everything away for next Christmas. Only those items I know I don't need or love went to Goodwill for others to enjoy. For instance, I didn't need as many modern plain Christmas ornaments since I have collected more vintage ornaments over the past couple of years. Where I live, the vintage ornaments are quite inexpensive at the antique mall and I love how the tree looks with them.</p><p>This year's January decluttering project has been long overdue and that is going through all my files that I have in a basket in the Study (as well as finally emptying out the wire In-basket on my desk) and getting rid of papers I neither want nor need. One does not need to keep medical papers as far back as 2019. My files are now cleaned out and it will make filing away medical forms much easier this year. All important information is now easily available.<br /></p><p>I also filled a bag full of old newsletters and such that I won't be reading. That cleared up a lot of room, too. I kept all the files that I use for creating scrapbook journals mainly because they took hours (upon hours) of searching old <i>Victoria</i> and other beautiful magazines and such, cutting them out, and filing them to have them ready when doing any scrapbook journaling. </p><p>Just like Christmas items I don't use now but I may someday, they still get a place in my files and on the shelves. I have about one... or maybe two... hours of work to finish in the Study and then I will move on to the long dreaded project of going through all our homeschool files. They fill a drawer of the file cabinet in our small home office. My end goal is to have no unnecessary papers in my files. <br /></p><p>To be honest, I tend to find even long dreaded decluttering projects are not all that bad when I finally start on them. Everything can be accomplished a little at a time. I even take file folders with me when watching a TV show or a movie and go through them at that time. Most of the files are easy to decide... keep or throw away (or send through our small shredder).</p><p>I will feel a sense of accomplishment if February arrives having completed sorting through all the files. I have a feeling most of the homeschool files can be tossed. Especially if I can throw away articles that I no longer need and I am certain no one in the family has the emotional attachment to them that I do. I will keep articles that fill me with joy just looking through them.<br /></p><p>I mean, really... it is far past time to go through these files. It seems like it was not all that long ago I was clipping these articles, saving work accomplished, etc. and we were actively in home education mode. That child is now returning home from a business trip to his own homeschooling family. Piper is officially an elementary school student now and her brother is in preschool. The baby (who will soon celebrate his first birthday) still has a full time job just being adorable. ;)</p><p>Thank you for your lovely comments on the last blog post. They made me smile and I needed that in the midst of this quite frustrating trial. I have tried to remain calm when talking to everyone concerned as I promised God not to take my frustrations out on fellow humans. </p><p>We "wrestle not against flesh and blood". Kindness triumphs when the enemy of our souls is tempting us to stomp our feet and yell at someone. Nope! Not going to play that game. When the young woman in charge of the clinic's prescription program found out I had ended up in the hospital, she kept apologizing the next time I talked to her. She has become very good about following up and providing temporary insulin as needed.</p><p>Even people who work in medical professions do not always understand the difference between Type 1 (Juvenile) diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. She now knows it is not only possible for a Type 1 diabetic to end up in the hospital when missing one or two insulin shots... it is probable.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p>Once again, <i>An Everlasting Meal</i>... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Everlasting-Meal-Cooking-Economy-Grace/dp/1439181888?pd_rd_w=oXnGw&content-id=amzn1.sym.7f0cf323-50c6-49e3-b3f9-63546bb79c92&pf_rd_p=7f0cf323-50c6-49e3-b3f9-63546bb79c92&pf_rd_r=AM6BXGSX097XQ4FJFX6F&pd_rd_wg=GEYUE&pd_rd_r=047dc685-82ed-496c-aba3-4e9d627d3853&pd_rd_i=1439181888&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=836f863c99df5cc256c5ca96c659ac56&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /></p><p>The <i>Everlasting Meal Cookbook</i> pre-order info... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Everlasting-Meal-Cookbook-Leftovers-Z/dp/1476799660?crid=30DSP0C8XSV1O&keywords=an+everlasting+feast&qid=1673621267&sprefix=an+everlasting+fea%2Caps%2C4353&sr=8-3&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=11a30c5484e0c786ef3b1e9d1963091a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>. (I am intrigued by this one.)<br /></p><p><b>Image</b>: This is one of my favorite photos of my oldest and youngest granddaughters. Elisabeth has now graduated with an Associate's Degree from college and is married. Piper is now in first grade and has two younger brothers.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-75839328394856373112023-01-05T12:08:00.000-05:002023-01-05T12:08:18.791-05:00When the Unexpected Happens<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObOan4AMraWNpn_lQWZ1FK8rCicjguu3B9LuC1UBSC2OrLatZZHo6ZGbZdhKMSJNTQphItNUcQK7E2MiAI6eVkxSNhQpazVWKy2x29LekY0-2YKdn8NPNPDvGKqeZdgqK4SYwB1TP0pbbXt1n2DE-X7eXK5r_IsF4-oaq3my7bjfcxtKpItY/s960/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObOan4AMraWNpn_lQWZ1FK8rCicjguu3B9LuC1UBSC2OrLatZZHo6ZGbZdhKMSJNTQphItNUcQK7E2MiAI6eVkxSNhQpazVWKy2x29LekY0-2YKdn8NPNPDvGKqeZdgqK4SYwB1TP0pbbXt1n2DE-X7eXK5r_IsF4-oaq3my7bjfcxtKpItY/w640-h640/001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I had planned to write on Christmas day but that was the day I ran out of long term insulin and became very sick. I spent New Year's Day in the ER for seven hours hooked up to an IV.<br /><p></p><p>To make a very long story short, I have been getting both of my insulins through a special program at my clinic. Previous to both COVID and a change in staff at the clinic, I received my insulin like clock work.</p><p>First COVID arrived and the long term insulin I did use became unavailable because it came from another country. So, they changed me to another insulin that was made in America and everything was fine for awhile. Since late Summer, problems began to arise and that resulted in running out of long term insulin.</p><p>On New Year's Day, I awoke with my blood sugar over 500 and that meant I needed immediate attention. The medical staff in the ER were wonderful and they were able to send me home with a vial of Lantus (a long term insulin I have never used) only because I had saved the syringes left over from when I switched to insulin pens. Sometimes holding on to items in case of an emergency pays off.<br /></p><p>I had a scheduled appointment with my doctor, who is semi-retired, on Tuesday and told him everything that has been going on. He is working on finding out why this is happening, whether it is their employees at fault or the drug company (or a combination of both). He is also working on getting me more long term insulin.</p><p>I was so sick that I couldn't even sit at the desk to write. So, I am sorry that I haven't checked in at all. I'm half way through the vial of Lantus from the hospital and praying my doctor can find where that last shipment of my long term insulin was lost.</p><p>There is nothing like going through a crisis to improve your prayer life. I am feeling sick but the Lantus has stabilized my blood sugar so it is no longer spiking. Whenever something like this happens, it reminds me that God created our bodies to work beautifully. When one organ stops working (as in Type 1 diabetes, which affects the pancreas and then the thyroid), life becomes complicated.<br /></p><p>Before this happened, we had the extreme cold and winds come through. Our meteorologist reported that the system was very similar to what caused the Blizzard of 1978, only with much less snow (thank God!).<br /></p><p>My son and his family were able to come for our Christmas Eve celebration. I kept telling him to be safe and he reminded me his car is a 4 x 4. We had a wonderful time together and I am so thankful we had this time together before I became so ill.</p><p>This particular trial is still waiting for an end to it. My hope is that I get a call today or tomorrow that they have insulin for me. I may decide to purchase prescription insurance and pay the ridiculous co-pays for insulin. Unless one is a diabetic, they have no idea how expensive long term insulin can be. The program at the clinic saved me a great deal.<br /></p><p>I won't be able to write a long post about my reading last year but I can share my favorite book of 2022 and my most recent book that I enjoyed. My favorite book was <i>The Last Bookshop in London.</i> It was one of the best novels I have read in a long time. It is such a good reminder of what people living in London went through during WWII and how books help us through hard times.<br /></p><p>I had purchased <i>Lilibet the Brave: The Unusual Childhood of an Unlikely Queen</i> for Piper's Christmas but even though I had preordered it, the book would not be shipped until after Christmas. So, I ordered her another book and I kept this for later.</p><p>I follow Katy Rose, the author and illustrator, on Instagram but she is also a friend of people I care about. They had given the book great reviews. It written for children so the biography of the queen as a child through when she becomes queen is very simple but informative. The illustrations are rather old fashioned, much like the era when the queen was a child.</p><p>It is a beautiful, simple story about how a child was raised with morals and ethics in such a way that while she was not suppose to ever be the queen, she was prepared for her role and stepped into it with grace. I'm saving the book for Piper's birthday but I will read it again prior to Summer.</p><p>I had planned to catch up on Christmas cards and thank you letters during this time but that became impossible. I do still hope to get back in touch with friends but in the meantime, thank you to everyone who made Christmas special (and friends who have been so giving for many years).</p><p>I will be popping in now and then with new blog posts, although probably not on weekends. Sometimes a Sunday style of post, other times a Pantry post. I'm still writing, just not on a regular schedule now. Think of me as your neighbor who pops in once in awhile for morning coffee or afternoon tea. ;)<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span><br /></p><p><i>The Last Bookshop in London</i> is available... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Last-Bookshop-London-Novel-World/dp/133528480X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1672934445&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=ce7589ed135637960ec5c720f417b1c0&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><i>Lilibet the Brave: The Unusual Childhood of an Unlikely Queen </i>is available... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lilibet-Brave-Unusual-Childhood-Unlikely/dp/1637971125?crid=2RKZ6Z7E416VZ&keywords=lilibet+the+brave&qid=1672934602&s=books&sprefix=Lilibet%2Cstripbooks%2C1931&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=8650d261e508cc6a203fa392ca418bb6&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /></p><p><b>Disclaimer</b>: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-71795830520720269932022-12-18T14:33:00.000-05:002022-12-18T14:33:09.625-05:00Sunday Afternoon Tea - Changes in the New Year<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTDtxjxJ042wK4YMOk90Et-K6RDIu-dILx72SXja1hQWvh-uUsYdpOcTvdPbzeaeR_PRMsDhGoO9JV1c-hs7yu5SwYCIQTsHqFOLzMDoaCRnQatj3-P1nlKARzbcmL4BCJCYggmC8JZ4eaP0-5DZBEMGkQpM-eQiCX2R_0BvjYUlu0UKrdY0/s640/0001%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTDtxjxJ042wK4YMOk90Et-K6RDIu-dILx72SXja1hQWvh-uUsYdpOcTvdPbzeaeR_PRMsDhGoO9JV1c-hs7yu5SwYCIQTsHqFOLzMDoaCRnQatj3-P1nlKARzbcmL4BCJCYggmC8JZ4eaP0-5DZBEMGkQpM-eQiCX2R_0BvjYUlu0UKrdY0/w640-h480/0001%20(2).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />I hope you are having a blessed Christmas season. I think for most Americans, the season runs from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. Some churches celebrate Advent and then the 12 Days of Christmas. Either way, it is the only time of the year when the name of Jesus is lifted up so almost everyone can hear it. <p></p><p>This time of year can bring much rejoicing and much sorrow. Doesn't it seem like it acts like a magnifying glass on circumstances? If it has been a year of lack or sorrow, we feel it more at Christmas. If it was a year that brought joy and abundance, we feel it and should be very thankful. </p><p>Most of us have known both and what I have learned over the years is when one has a thankful attitude toward what God provides and an attitude of trust for what He has allowed.. the Christmas season will always be one that helps keep our mind as well as our soul directed toward Him.</p><p>It has been a long time now since we have had a child centered Christmas season. I am thankful that our son and his family moved back to the area so it is easier for them to spend Christmas Eve with us and Christmas Day with our daughter-in-law's family. My family always opened gifts on Christmas Eve (which my husband thinks is akin to heresy), so celebrating on Christmas Eve comes naturally.</p><p>While I do miss the season of life when we attended Christmas Eve services, that could not happen now that we fall asleep much earlier than midnight. Everything changes as one flows through the seasons of life.</p><p>Which kinda' brings me to the announcement regarding blog changes after this weekend. I will publish a Christmas Day Sunday Afternoon Tea post next week but after that, there will be no scheduled weekend blog posts.</p><p>Instead, I will be popping in now and then with what I have been pondering or to respond to any big news events. I may write once a week or it may be a couple of weeks before I have anything to say. I always have said that I will stop blogging when I no longer have anything to say. I am not quite there, yet. ;)</p><p>It is quite amazing that this blog, which I originally started to keep up with a small group of family and friends, has been going for over sixteen years. We were still homeschooling high school and Christopher did not drive, yet. I was as much chauffeur as I was a facilitator of learning (which is what we really are by the high school years).</p><p>My daughter had three preschoolers and would have two more children. All have been (or they are currently) homeschooled. I am amazed at what they learn through Classical Connections. My oldest grandchild was married this year at the same age I was married... albeit long ago.</p><p>My son, whose ADHD symptoms were the reason we pulled him out of school, is now married to a lovely fellow homeschool alum and has three children. They homeschool their first grader and pre-schooler. My son is a Computer Architect with an IBM subsidiary. I think quite often of the first grade teacher who told me he was a trouble maker and would never amount to much. </p><p>My first child had a learning style that fit in well with the public schools. Even then I kept an eye on her curriculum, for what is being taught today in the open was creeping in through back educational doors when she was in elementary school. It helped that we lived in Holland, Michigan for much of her elementary years for it was at the time quite conservative.</p><p>I went into homeschooling thinking it would be temporary but a couple things happened that kept us homeschoolers throughout his pre-college education. First, we saw a huge improvement in him as far as personality and education. All without him being on any drugs.</p><p>Second, I came to love homeschooling. How could I not as a book and history nerd? We used the Sonlight Curriculum for many years since it went along with the Charlotte Mason method of education I preferred. It also allowed us to go through the books at our own speed.</p><p>Most of this was accomplished while writing three (and then two) times a week for this blog. I know some blog friends who have been a part of <i>Coffee Tea Books & Me </i>for many years have noticed a change... although I have tried not to show my declining health.</p><p>But when I have been too tired to write thank you notes to dear friends for birthday gifts, much less to do the research needed for Saturday posts, I knew a few months ago that I was going to have to make some changes. Instead of shutting down the blog, I decided I could still write as long as it was not on specific days. I can write on good days, not so much when I am experiencing overwhelming fatigue. <br /></p><p>It is nothing new, thank God. I'm feeling the effects of over twenty years having two auto immune diseases: Juvenile Diabetes and Hashimoto's Disease. Not to mention adding sixteen years since I first started blogging. ;)</p><p>So, I will still be here! God willing and the creek don't rise. At the moment, it is freezing over.<br /></p><p><b>Image</b>: The breakfront decorated for Christmas a few years ago.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-45360410946031413182022-12-17T19:17:00.001-05:002022-12-17T19:17:10.203-05:00Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Buying this year to save in the future<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApS7_yu_79s3jpHUACL2TYKhnhLJKMiI4aYW2-LkjWHUTixTN1nX5_j49Mz0AnuIKwm5e_G1YNdRWL5OYvK_ctTCrmnCA8JsrG341Z0d2DsstlZ7Di7vrLoUEgqQHQcHYXHUi8N6QWVVdgfBwxH_k4EzlHZ6UgHwBZB8bzxnQWIdXHjwbiDw/s400/4883~Christmas-Glow;%20allposters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="400" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApS7_yu_79s3jpHUACL2TYKhnhLJKMiI4aYW2-LkjWHUTixTN1nX5_j49Mz0AnuIKwm5e_G1YNdRWL5OYvK_ctTCrmnCA8JsrG341Z0d2DsstlZ7Di7vrLoUEgqQHQcHYXHUi8N6QWVVdgfBwxH_k4EzlHZ6UgHwBZB8bzxnQWIdXHjwbiDw/w400-h311/4883~Christmas-Glow;%20allposters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I am writing late this Saturday. I hadn't been feeling well and when I got a flu shot on Tuesday, it has brought mild flu symptoms. Just enough to keep me feeling blah. This is my normal reaction, which is why I don't get a flu shot every year but my doctor has said this year's flu is nothing to take a chance with.<p></p><p>We are now very cold and there is both colder weather and snow in the forecast so I made certain to have everything I need for our Christmas Eve meal already purchased. This meal is pretty much the same I make for Easter, easy to make and with ham on sale... not very expensive.</p><p>Ham is definitely the cheapest protein to buy right now. They freeze very well. I bought a couple extra last year, the ham that has a large bone in it. I made a ham bone broth out of it to use in bean soups last winter. I saw that technique on a homestead blog and wondered why I had never thought of doing that before!</p><p>This year for my kid's Christmas (and their spouses), I bought a cookbook I thought each would appreciate and a various food items I didn't think they would buy for themselves. Did you know they now have a Sasquatch brand of maple sugar? I had to get a small bag for my New England family.</p><p>I think food will be appreciated by many people this year. My kid's families enjoy cooking and trying different recipes (Christopher got a Japanese cookbook for his birthday) so I can try unique food items but if I was buying for some friends, I would keep the gifts to more common items... coffee, chocolate, good olive oil, etc.<br /></p><p>I had an appointment in town early last week and my husband asked if I would stop by Hobby Lobby for Christmas cards while I was nearby. They already have 60% off most Christmas items, 70% off of Christmas decorations. I bought a box of cards for him and a package of treat bags for candy gifts but if I go back to town before Christmas, I want to purchase various sizes of gift bags for next year's gifts.</p><p>Usually I shop for half-price gift bags after Christmas but there have been very few left in the last two years. It is also the time I buy Christmas cupcake liners, etc. to use next year. I am even using Christmas Ziploc bags from last year! All at a much reduced price than they were originally.</p><p>I think a lot has changed with COVID and the supply chain uncertainty. Hobby Lobby had lots of stuff still available but Meijer's Christmas offerings were much less than usual at the store closest to where I live.</p><p>Oh, speaking of Ziploc bags earlier... the Ziploc bags I use in my deep freeze are the Ziploc XL bags that my store sells on the bottom shelf of the other Ziploc items. They are often used to carry sports supplies or clothing. They are heavy enough to hold the frozen food and the handles make it easy to bring up from the deep freeze.</p><p>I am currently making changes in my menu plans (which are very informal) to incorporate more winter vegetables and less salad ingredients. Not only do they cost less at this time of year but some salad ingredients have not been up to their usual quality in produce sections. </p><p>I grew up eating lots of cabbage in cold weather but my husband was never fond of it. I have since found out that he loves it sauteed in butter instead of steamed or boiled. Then again, I think he would eat just about anything if there was enough butter.</p><p>I did take advantage of the butter sale at Aldi, only a few boxes since I had some already. Butter freezes so well. I put a label with the month and year purchased on each package of butter when I put it in the freezer. Recently, I pulled out a package of Kerrygold butter frozen last February and it was fine. </p><p>I make certain that I stock up on Kerrygold salted butter when it goes on sale. I keep a stick in a Pyrex butter holder on my kitchen counter. Since it is salted, it lasts quite awhile at room temperature. Irish butter is one of my few frugal luxuries. I don't bake with it except for something like shortbread cookies, where the taste of the butter comes through. But it makes even a cabbage hater a cabbage plus butter lover. ;)</p><p>It is getting quite late and I do not have time to proofread much so please forgive any typos and strange putting together of words. <br /></p><p><b>Image</b>: <i>Christmas Glow</i><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-15866190967462187952022-12-11T16:59:00.000-05:002022-12-11T16:59:10.470-05:00Sunday Afternoon Tea - The Gift of Grace<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9L5aIdBGjitpfOgzlx0drpOC2GL4Fop0KVGBMfiK3tjy15hBLkQfA0TO6go80TxfDulq0bXKhmKizbvZzRL5qGBQ76FbSQxJeVj_MtlOeWkX81v-RZozo7qwUdwr30m54UXB33tnOffrllvS6jm6OCLWkBIYiAY-10RH0T8xzDjx2ibd3N4/s960/47161783_2496185413731738_2999014060357320704_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="614" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9L5aIdBGjitpfOgzlx0drpOC2GL4Fop0KVGBMfiK3tjy15hBLkQfA0TO6go80TxfDulq0bXKhmKizbvZzRL5qGBQ76FbSQxJeVj_MtlOeWkX81v-RZozo7qwUdwr30m54UXB33tnOffrllvS6jm6OCLWkBIYiAY-10RH0T8xzDjx2ibd3N4/w410-h640/47161783_2496185413731738_2999014060357320704_n.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br />I have been thoroughly enjoying listening to Christmas music these past couple of weeks. They can be heard everywhere from the grocery store to the radio, especially on the K-Love or Moody channels. Both of these also have an app.<p></p><p>For some reason this year, as I listened to music, the amazing gift of grace has been flowing through the songs. I think perhaps God does that from time to time... to have us pick out in our hearing certain Truths He wants us to concentrate on that season.</p><p>The Bible tells us that it is by grace that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8,9). His grace shines through from the moment Mary says yes to God, to the Cross, and on to the Resurrection. Grace. All because of His grace... and mercy... and love.</p><p>I continue to mostly fast political talk, only listening to a few people who have a way of speaking that does not spark the un-sanctified part of my soul. However, I am working on treating all people with more grace. Including those whose opinions are totally against those of traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs. Give me that old time religion kindred spirits. </p><p>I have been making an attempt to look through the lens of love for every person. That does not indicate that I agree with them. Not at all! But I pray for them and ask that their spiritual eyes be opened to God's real Truth. I know those who have had that happen and went on to live a life leading others to Christ.</p><p>There are those who will not yield to Him, people who have gone so far into darkness. Those whom the Bible say have "hardened their hearts". Just the thought of that gives me shivers but also a great feeling of sadness for I don't pray for them so that they do the right things, I pray for them that they truly recognize the love of God. </p><p>I think I'm doing fairly well looking through the lens of grace and of love as much as possible. There is one group of people I still have problems with and yes, I have to repent at my dislike for what they teach others. They are people who preach the opposite of True Grace, they teach a theology of cheap grace.</p><p>True grace redeems us from the pit, forgives our sinful ways, wipes away every tear, replaces a robe of righteous for our filthy rags we were wearing, adopts us as His own and sets our eternal address in His Kingdom. Real Grace is also Real Love. </p><p>God's love that came to redeem His own from their fallen state and to buy back the Keys to the Kingdom by coming as a baby... all man, all God. He came because if anything, He is Holy. No speck of sin can be allowed into Heaven. His grace redeems us when we ask for His forgiveness and kneel to His Kingship. He is our one true God.</p><p>Cheap grace is much like those filthy rags. It tells people that God's Word doesn't really mean what it says. It tells people this ancient of all books is not practical in a modern society. Only the uneducated could believe such nonsense.<br /></p><p>Cheap grace is just that... it cheapens grace. It waters down true grace. It is but a shadow of the real thing and the real thing... true blood bought/cross purchased grace... is what redeems our lives. God can handle all our sinful selves if we but come to Him on His terms. That grace is truly amazing.</p><p>So, this Christmas is definitely a season of pondering His True grace. I know I've written it before but it is beyond my ability to imagine what Eternity must be like that the Father sent Jesus to us to redeem us back to Himself. To think that Jesus left His perfect home to come as a helpless baby and to die in the most horrible way for you and for me. That, my friend, is Grace and Love.<br /></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">What have I been reading?</span></i></p><p>I'm still reading books mentioned last week but I also started through (late as usual) a favorite Advent book called<i> Prepare Him Room</i> by Susie Larson on the Kindle. I love her writing, it is both simple and deep at the same time. I also follow her on Instagram where she provides a daily encouragement. </p><p>I do still love<i> Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus </i>which is edited by Nancy Guthrie and I highly recommend it for Advent reading, too. It has favorite writers, both old and new. I have used this book for over ten years each Christmas season.<br /></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">What have I been watching?</span></i></p><p>I forgot to mention last week that Sarah (formerly Clarkson) is reading an Advent poem on most nights again during this season. I look forward to the poems and her commentary on Instagram.</p><p>Did you see the announcement that Sarah and her mom (Sally Clarkson) are going to be the <i>Victoria </i>Magazine Writers-in-Residence for 2023? <br /></p><p>I was able to watch one of my favorite Christmas movies, <i>A Smoky Mountain Christmas,</i> on the Circle Network that comes in through our antennae. If you have access to that channel, it is being shown a couple more times this season, including Christmas Day. John Ritter's scene as a judge is worth the entire movie but my husband and I enjoy all of it. Very family friendly!</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p><i>Prepare Him Room by Susie Larson... </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Prepare-Him-Room-Advent-Devotional/dp/0764238078?keywords=prepare+him+room&qid=1670790743&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=ade6be6cdbce171a4fc5db89a8ab50b9&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a><i>.</i></p><p><i>Come Thou Long Expected Jesus</i>... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Come-Thou-Long-Expected-Jesus-Experiencing/dp/1433501805?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=ecb2425735122b9b9982f63693d2c730&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><i>Sarah Wanders </i>on Instagram... <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sarahwanders/?hl=en" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Susie Larson on Instagram... <a href="https://www.instagram.com/susielarsonauthor/?hl=en" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /></p><p><b>Disclaimer</b>: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-41519475220457139192022-12-10T15:25:00.000-05:002022-12-10T15:25:18.401-05:00Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Eating from the pantry and a favorite recipe<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcNjhdi1jSBL4uOQ1pr4RpZS9sMb9CpXlP7wiJTc825JaystIbK_8K0GvHg3BiMQkYVMMkiaEjxr78RDt3EePfslX0U41HfQ8Lawx1rccBPK2MHRAHcahhTIFGsxKm_Bh-A82SJ4QuiruvJKosHbd7ysCRo9vTGQJLVIrmmTiic7daE78DNY/s799/12472520_1146425442042734_3748243339619531723_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="606" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcNjhdi1jSBL4uOQ1pr4RpZS9sMb9CpXlP7wiJTc825JaystIbK_8K0GvHg3BiMQkYVMMkiaEjxr78RDt3EePfslX0U41HfQ8Lawx1rccBPK2MHRAHcahhTIFGsxKm_Bh-A82SJ4QuiruvJKosHbd7ysCRo9vTGQJLVIrmmTiic7daE78DNY/w486-h640/12472520_1146425442042734_3748243339619531723_n.jpg" width="486" /></a></div><br />We have been experiencing a cold rain in our part of the Midwest most of this week. Except for one day when the rain was more steady, it has been mostly sprinkles or a misty rain. With temperatures only in the upper 30s or around 40, the cold goes right through one's bones! I feel colder with this weather than when it is well below freezing and snowing.<p></p><p>Except for a quick trip to the grocery store for produce, dairy, and a couple items I needed for Holiday cooking, I haven't done much shopping this week. When I did, everything was well stocked except there were less packages of flour and sugar one usually finds in December. It is definitely a good thing to stock up before the Holidays the way the world is right now.</p><p>What continues to surprise me, even though I read about it all the time, is the continuing spike in the cost of food. I came home from Meijer with just a few bags... those small plastic bags... and the cost was over $90.00. Even then, I gave the young woman at the self check out line a box of Tylenol to put back on the shelf. I could wait...</p><p>My son and his family came over for dinner this week, I gave both Mr. & Mrs. Christopher their birthday gifts after dinner. When we had pulled food from the deep freeze to use soon, I found two packages of beef bones and one package of a small chuck roast that I could use for soup.</p><p>I always make soup stock, whether beef or chicken, a couple days ahead of time so I can easily strain the fat off the top. This time, since I had so many bones, I simmered the "bone broth" all day before cooling it and putting it in the refrigerator. The next day I skimmed the fat and simmered the rest of the stock with carrots and an onion. I also added the chuck roast with the bones to simmer for a few hours. Then, I removed the cooked beef and strained the rest into a smaller stock pot before it went back to the refrigerator.</p><p>The afternoon I was going to serve it, I added two cans of tomatoes and the vegetables along with the cook beef I had shredded and simmered until the vegetables were soft. It seems like a lot of work but it was over three days and until I had to chop the vegetables the final afternoon, I didn't have to do much but watch to see when I needed to add water. It was delicious!</p><p>Because the weather has been so raw and I thought perhaps the kids wanted something other than soup, I also made my favorite macaroni and cheese casserole. It is so good! </p><p>I only make it when I have extra people here to eat it or I would eat too much of the pasta. It is also a good pantry meal because everything is usually what I have on hand, anyway. I will add the recipe below.</p><p>One thing I have done for decades to stretch our budget is to shop Goodwill and thrift stores. Most of my clothes come from Goodwill and I am always getting compliments on them. That is how I can wear the highest quality for next to nothing. Not to mention, I can find brand names there that I no longer can find at the Mall, like Alfred Dunner tops.</p><p>Because I know God cares for even the smallest details, He knows our every need, I was not all that surprised (well, just a little) when I went to Goodwill to drop off some items last week and when I looked around, found a very good quality high chair just when I had been thinking that we needed to buy one since the baby is sitting but not able to eat at the table, yet.</p><p>I washed it off, even though it already was very clean and he looked so cute eating in it. We were all thankful for that much needed and inexpensive find. I love it when God does that!</p><p>So, here is the macaroni and cheese recipe I use. It is very similar to the Beverly Nye recipe that she said her mother gave her, which means it was probably from the 40s, 50s, or perhaps the 60s. Somewhere along the line, I had found this recipe and it is almost the same amounts. Although, her crumb topping is not sauteed in butter.<br /></p><p>It does require making an easy roux and for new cooks, there are how-to videos all over the Internet on how to make a roux as a base for multiple sauces. This is an easy recipe, it just requires close attention at times.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Macaroni and Cheese with a Buttered Cracker Topping</span></p><p></p><blockquote><p></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>2 Cups elbow macaroni (Pasta shapes like shells would work, too.)<br /></li><li>2 to 3 Tablespoons butter</li><li>2 to 3 Tablespoons flour</li><li>2 Cups milk (I have a little extra available if the sauce needs more)</li><li>2 Cups shredded cheese, I use mild cheddar<br /></li></ul></blockquote></blockquote><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Topping: 1 sleeve Ritz style crackers crushed, 3 to 4 Tablespoons butter</li></ul><p>Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</p><p>Cook macaroni in salted water per instructions for Al dente, drain and set aside. Melt butter in saucepan and add flour. Cook stirring constantly about a minute until flour is cooked. Watch carefully because it can easily burn at this point. It has happened to me!</p><p>Slowly add the milk, stirring until it thickens into a sauce. Add the shredded cheese and stir until cheese melts. If the sauce is too thick, add a little milk at a time until it loosens up a bit.</p><p>Melt butter in small skillet and add crumbled crackers. Stir to make sure they get evenly coated with butter. Like the roux, this can burn easily so don't walk away. Keep stirring until slightly golden brown. Set aside.</p><p>Butter or grease a casserole dish. I use a 9 x 13 but a square dish works fine, too.</p><p>Pour macaroni and cheese into the dish and bake about ten minutes. Then pull out of oven carefully and spread buttered cracker crumbs over all the top. Bake another 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown. </p><p>You probably can put the crumb mixture on in the beginning but you will need to watch it carefully that it doesn't get too brown before the macaroni and cheese is cooked.</p><p>It can be served immediately but it is very hot. I have found letting it sit about ten or fifteen minutes helps.</p><p>This is quintessential comfort food and better than anything from a box. Although... I did make plenty of the boxed mac and cheese for lunches when I had young children. At one time, Christopher liked it even better!</p><p><b>Image</b>: A blog friend created this a number of years ago. I have always loved it.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-88315123258768805692022-12-04T15:11:00.001-05:002022-12-04T15:14:03.353-05:00Sunday Afternoon Tea -When Heaven touches the Earth<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmuehlgUkK1hYS6Mas90YQ0hhXxpMtkZxhorwhJ1iJuIzljCqlSVzpfL4NVKirGNH6Mbkv-efD9jSOAfZimz3MC6-jVKmQxvP48PaMQ462PJALdWTlFZvKX2HzIFFMDm3-OoHad0x6tyRpcGS9G-7U8KmiyR22UXOslioSiA1e87fDDOZg0o/s400/9901~Season-of-Peace-Posters;%20ap.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="400" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmuehlgUkK1hYS6Mas90YQ0hhXxpMtkZxhorwhJ1iJuIzljCqlSVzpfL4NVKirGNH6Mbkv-efD9jSOAfZimz3MC6-jVKmQxvP48PaMQ462PJALdWTlFZvKX2HzIFFMDm3-OoHad0x6tyRpcGS9G-7U8KmiyR22UXOslioSiA1e87fDDOZg0o/w640-h520/9901~Season-of-Peace-Posters;%20ap.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="color: #663366;">“If I find in myself a desire which no
experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is
that I was made for another world.” <br />C. S. Lewis</span></b> <br /><p></p><p>This year it took me a few days to decorate the house but it finally looks lovely and quite festive. You may remember that I usually stop to think what I want each Holiday season to be about that year, those activities that I will make most important and give a priority to from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. I will include a link below to the old link.</p><p>This year, I wanted... no I needed... Christmas to be more serene. I needed the peace of familiar music, familiar decorations and food, and even a desire to watch old Christmas movies as well as family favorites from when the kids were home. I need at least a temporary sanctuary from the times in which we are living.</p><p>What I want the most this year is a closer walk with Jesus. I have long thought the season of Advent was special, a time when Heaven once kissed this planet physically and now spiritually each year. What other time of the year do we hear the name of Jesus in background music at various stores? </p><p>I have always thought of "thin places" as being a physical location but recently I listened to a podcast where they discussed thin places at various times in their lives, when it seemed the veil between Heaven and Earth slipped away and they felt a closeness to God they rarely feel. </p><p>When they discussed those times in which suddenly and unexpectedly Heaven came near, I knew exactly what they were talking about as that same thing has happened to me twice before and both in unexpected places.<br /></p><p>The first time was when Stephanie was probably about a year old and I was pushing her stroller through my favorite department store after we finished with her well baby checkup. We walked past the china department, the bookstore section, and toward the tea shop for a much needed hot beverage and snack.</p><p>I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of joy, totally different than anything I had felt before. It was like I was, for a moment, just where I was supposed to be and Heaven surrounded me in that store. Okay, so I know there was a cute baby girl, beautiful china, books, and yes, even a tea room (that was back when big department stores often had a tea room located within the store)... but it was more than experiencing those earthly items I always enjoy.</p><p>It was an actual feeling that I only experienced one other time and that was when we were traveling from where we lived in Iowa to my in-law's house about an hour from Chicago for Easter. I was driving while the kids were in the back seat and my husband was resting in the passenger seat. I was listening to an Easter program coming live from Jerusalem on the Moody Channel out of Chicago.</p><p>Suddenly, I felt once again as if Heaven was open and I could feel the presence of God in that car as I drove on an Illinois interstate. I felt as if... for the first time... I understood how one day in Eternity, the entire Church will be as one with Him... as if there was no distance between Illinois and Israel at that moment. Once again I felt that overwhelming sense of joy.</p><p>I would love to feel that again while walking this planet but the closest I have come to it was during various Christmas seasons. Especially when listening to beautiful music in a church and sometimes even while listening to music at home. There is something about the music of Christmas that creates an atmosphere of worship.</p><p>I am working on creating such an atmosphere in my home this season by what I am doing... and what I am not. Recently I was watching a pastor from Los Angeles talk about a person in his congregation who had lost all joy. He had become so embittered and entangled in what is going on politically that it affected his relationship with his wife, children, and even his friends.<br /></p><p>He talked to this pastor at his family's request and was quite upset at the advice he was given. He even left the office saying he would never do what was recommended. What was it? To fast politics for a year, not to be involved and not to watch political conversations on media.<br /></p><p>He ended up coming back to talk to this pastor as everything in his personal life was coming apart and reluctantly agreed to fast politics for a year. After only one and a half months, he was already a different person. The peace of Christ had returned and his relationships had all greatly improved. </p><p>The pastor had also reminded the man from his congregation that the results of elections and what is happening today do not rest upon his shoulders. He was taking all the changes in society too personally and it only resulted in anger and frustration.<br /></p><p>As the pastor said in the interview, it doesn't mean people do not get involved in society but when politics become an obsession like it did for that man, it also becomes a god and we are to have no other gods before us. Just as some people cannot take even one drink of alcohol, some people have to abstain from the news.</p><p>I have already been careful about how much news I watch but I have decided this Advent season to abstain from political commentary even from Christians I trust unless there is some major tragedy such as war breaking out in the Middle East. </p><p>The world is not going to fall apart because I am not listening to commentary. I am certain that if that same amount of time was spent praying for what is going on in the world, it would have more eternal consequences for good.</p><p>This season, I am making my Christmas Bucket List only one week at a time. To be honest, November was brutal with the number of appointments and times I had to be away from home. I entered this season exhausted. Which is why it took days to decorate only the tree and three rooms of the house. More if you include the day I decided to polish the silver I wanted on the breakfront this Christmas season.</p><p>The house now looks quite festive and while it may not be exactly the Narnia magic I was striving for... it is close enough. So often close enough is just fine. Today I experienced my first morning sipping coffee by the light of the Christmas tree, something I enjoy the entire season.</p><p>This next week, I am bringing a few Christmas CDs into the kitchen where I moved the CD player last year. I have already watched a few movies, not a lot but mostly my very favorites from previous years. This week I want to watch a couple of the old movies like <i>White Christmas</i> and <i>The Bishop's Wife</i>. </p><p>I already watched a couple favorite Christmas music specials on YouTube and this next week, I want to watch some of the lovely music from The King's College Choir in Cambridge. Heavenly...<br /></p><p>As far as reading, I am currently re-reading the sequel to <i>A City of Bells </i>by Elizabeth Goudge called <i>Sister of the Angels</i>. It is the December book for the Elizabeth Goudge Book Club on Instagram. I love this story and until recently, it was very difficult (and often expensive) to find a used copy but now it is available in paperback.</p><p>I will then re-read<i> Christmas at Fairacre</i> by Miss Read. It contains <i>Village Christmas, The Christmas Mouse, </i>and <i>No Holly For Miss Quinn</i> in one volume. They are all delightful Christmas reads. The font is big enough that I can read these books fairly easily but I need to go through my Kindle books to see if I can find a good Christmas devotional.<br /></p><p>One thing we already did was to order Chinese takeout Friday evening for the first time in ages. It was delicious and there were no dishes to wash. That was a Christmas gift to myself from the family budget. I was still recovering from an eye injection on Thursday.<br /></p><p>I loved going out with my daughter alone and with other family members over Thanksgiving. I think perhaps one day this week, I may have to take a little trip to the antique mall to see if there are any vintage ornaments for one or two dollars that I could add to my collection. </p><p>That is more than enough to ponder for the coming week. I mostly need restful activities and those that draw my attention to the One that we worship this time of year... and for all of Eternity.</p><p>I pray you have a lovely Christmas season and that you choose a few things you really want to do to make the season special. Often it is a easy as putting on your apron to bake something special or taking a favorite Christmas book off the shelf.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p>My former Holiday Season List post... <a href="https://coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com/2021/11/sunday-afternoon-tea-my-annual-sunday.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <i> </i>It still has lots of good ideas!<i><br /></i></p><p><i>Sister of the Angles</i>... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sister-Angels-Elizabeth-Goudge/dp/1847453015?crid=S6ZEOEAU1LI5&keywords=sister+of+the+angels&qid=1670183161&s=books&sprefix=sister+of+the+angels%2Cstripbooks%2C321&sr=1-4&linkCode=ll1&tag=cotebome-20&linkId=433d2c087de635bf9707b9b1d4556319&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">here</a>. (This is still pricey because it is published by a small publishing company that has reprinted some rare books.)<br /></p><p><i>Christmas at Fairacre.</i>.. <a href="https://amzn.to/3FrjnNo" target="_blank">here</a>. (It looks like this is now only available third-party but they are very reasonably priced.)<br /></p><p>Elizabeth Goudge Book Club on IG... <a href="https://www.instagram.com/elizabethgoudgebookclub/?hl=en" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /></p><p><b>Disclaimer</b>: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.<br /></p><p><b>Image</b>: <i>Season of Peace</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-28324499023067892862022-12-03T10:44:00.001-05:002022-12-03T10:44:31.659-05:00Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Inflation has changed our buying and meal planning habits<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiSIyj5HY9ULHdu9jAL7oNoMGHjBlwCCU4GBnhz-7O12jt4XO-AG-kciWsREVQ8S61rGmDsVsvG0hp8Wjk7WK3N0nTVN0YXPAxwobHal18_9BBQFLiggJQ7DczWQ71CzQ1CYHHMc4-yAlr5LMWvnOJSi-v23etZ-NqOMw199n7PMlPYULzGg/s1080/42150941_748231528858773_688303591481808161_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1080" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiSIyj5HY9ULHdu9jAL7oNoMGHjBlwCCU4GBnhz-7O12jt4XO-AG-kciWsREVQ8S61rGmDsVsvG0hp8Wjk7WK3N0nTVN0YXPAxwobHal18_9BBQFLiggJQ7DczWQ71CzQ1CYHHMc4-yAlr5LMWvnOJSi-v23etZ-NqOMw199n7PMlPYULzGg/w640-h478/42150941_748231528858773_688303591481808161_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />My friends, I hope if you are an American then you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I wish our Thanksgiving holiday was around the same time as our neighbors in Canada so the colorful leaves would still be on the trees. <p></p><p>As much as I love the season of Christmas, the Thanksgiving meal is my favorite each year. Of course, made more special because of the people who were with us this year. We do not change up the menu, certain foods are expected each year. These were added to when my daughter-in-law's family joined us and we had to have "orange stuff" each year. I have no idea regarding the recipe.<br /></p><p>I seem to have taken some people by surprise by my absence since I tucked the announcement that I wouldn't be here last weekend where it wasn't obvious. Sorry about that!</p><p>Before our family arrived, my husband helped me take everything out of the deep freeze to check what was in the large, blue Ziploc bags I keep most meat in to protect them even further. The large bags also make it easier to pull everything out of the deep freeze. Frozen veggies and prepared foods are on top of the bags and in the two baskets. </p><p>We did this partly to unearth the turkey I needed to begin defrosting the week before I was going to roast it ahead of time to get drippings for gravy and stock for the dressing. I used part of the white meat that week for sandwiches, I froze the rest of the white meat, and made soup from everything else.</p><p>The cost of meat has gone up so much that I needed to transfer some of what I already have frozen to the small freezer that is part of the refrigerator. Because I had most of what I needed for the Thanksgiving meal, I only had to purchase a few items like dairy to prepare the recipes.</p><p>I mentioned before that we have multiple birthdays as well as Christmas gifts for the family to purchase and we do not keep a balance on our credit card. If we can't pay it off when the bill arrives, it doesn't get spent. I was very tempted with all the Amazon sales but I only purchased a few Christmas gifts that I was going to buy, anyway.</p><p>Last week was stock up time (where did that last month go?) and both my Aldi and Meijer purchases were much less than usual so I could add more to the gift budget. Having food in the freezer and pantry made that possible.</p><p>It was especially amazing to me because it seems the prices jumped a great deal since my last stock up week. The bottle of olive oil we purchase had already gone from around $13.00 to around $17.00. Now it is $21.99! </p><p>Yikes. Hubby and I had a ummm... talk?... about how much olive oil he puts on his salads and being an engineer, he decided to measure how much he usually used. Indeed, the amount surprised even him. He has cut back to half that amount of olive oil now. He still takes a couple tablespoons medicinally with his Vitamin D and medications on days he does not have a salad. </p><p>I am doing everything possible not to waste any food and even then, I had a bag of salad go bad before the<i> Use By </i>date and had to throw away some Campari tomatoes that had turned overnight (or so it seemed). I have heard that happening from others, too. I have found when I just purchase romaine or iceberg lettuce, they last much longer than the bags of chopped salad.</p><p>I'm also continuing my "Everlasting Meals" whenever possible. We were tired of the turkey noodle soup after two meals (neither of us love turkey soup) so I thickened the last of the soup and added some milk and butter to make it more like a gravy base and served that over mashed potatoes. My husband liked it much better than the soup.</p><p>Every year I tell him that I could just imagine what his mother would say if I threw away the turkey carcass, especially since it still had some dark meat on it. So, making the soup is an annual tradition that is especially helpful in these days of inflation.</p><p>Usually I would stock up the pantry more during the Holiday season but this year I mainly purchased what we would need for November and December. I did purchase some extra cans of pumpkin for making pumpkin bread during the year. I also purchased a new can of Kroger Apple Pie Spice since the older can was almost empty.</p><p>I don't use pumpkin pie spice for Holiday baking because it has ginger in it and I have a picky eater in the house who does not like ginger. I haven't seen apple pie spice sold everywhere and I even had to search for it at Kroger since it was not out with the Holiday display since it was pumpkin season.</p><p>I will include a link to my sister's chicken tetrazzini recipe below. It is very time consuming when made this way and I had to find a different brand of the cheese crackers but I wanted to make it exactly like she did as my son requested. It was worth it! Not exactly healthy but quite yummy.</p><p>Isn't it amazing how some tastes can take us back to other times and help us remember people who are no longer with us? Perhaps that is why some people become depressed during the Holidays. We tend to do a lot of remembering and it becomes apparent that those we loved are not at the table. <br /></p><p>As for the pulled pork, I was mainly looking for technique with the pulled pork recipe. Especially how to turn out a good pulled pork without it roasting twelve hours. So, there wasn't just one exact link I can include but I will add one that comes close as far as the technique.<br /></p><p>I have the rest of the pulled pork in the freezer. It will make a good meal on a cold day in January or February. It would make a good sandwich on a cold day like today but we are still recovering from feasting at Thanksgiving and the wonderful meal we shared at a restaurant the next evening.</p><p>Speaking of which, one of the appetizers my daughter ordered was something we have had before called something like Autumn Nachos. I think there is more to the name than that. But the large corn chips are covered with things like pulled pork instead of ground beef and it has sliced brussel sprouts, cubed butternut squash, dried cranberries, and other autumnal foods instead of the usual ingredients.</p><p>My daughter, daughter-in-law, and I love it. There were some who have the opposite reaction. ;) But it is fun to try new ways to serve dishes we are used to eating with other ingredients.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p>Everlasting Meals... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Everlasting-Meal-Cooking-Economy-Grace/dp/1439181888/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1670078739&sr=8-1" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>My sister's recipe... <a href="https://coffeeteabooksandrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/03/joans-chicken-tetrazzini.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Kind of like I made the pulled pork... <a href="https://www.marthastewart.com/313349/southern-pulled-pork-sandwiches" target="_blank">here</a>. Every recipe I looked up had different seasonings.<br /></p><p>I didn't use all of these seasonings and I used a bottled barbecue sauce after it baked. I baked a whole pork shoulder roast in a heavy dutch oven, covered for three to three and a half hours. I then took the lid off and baked it at least another fifteen or twenty minutes to get the "brown ends" we love on the pork. Martha's recipe calls for cutting the pork shoulder into smaller pieces.<br /></p><p>This is as close as I could find to the technique I came up with that worked. Next time, I will not put the barbecue sauce on all of the pulled pork. Instead, I will put it on only what we will use for sandwiches immediately and keep the rest without any extra sauce. I think the texture will be better in the long run that way and it will provide more options for leftovers.<br /></p><p><b>Disclosure</b>: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-20885343391832777662022-11-28T17:02:00.001-05:002022-11-28T17:02:14.193-05:00Monday Afternoon Tea? -- A lovely Thanksgiving<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrZRtqzxKMzeCOTa49EihLv5yRznn9ZQ7LxM-lC-N1RlVOQh7dlRTzpGno9rOrGj8gAMpmPhdWafHEdir0fNLIYdbQzIAtuKZ7c_9Dz3MiW9lD_xd9MJ4EuagBAqLbAHkET9ml21eanuJJf_eC7Ha93jzI1O-NV5U9Loge4bUYGuCTR4PMbM/s553/Afternoon%20Tea%20by%20Tracy%20Hall.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="553" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrZRtqzxKMzeCOTa49EihLv5yRznn9ZQ7LxM-lC-N1RlVOQh7dlRTzpGno9rOrGj8gAMpmPhdWafHEdir0fNLIYdbQzIAtuKZ7c_9Dz3MiW9lD_xd9MJ4EuagBAqLbAHkET9ml21eanuJJf_eC7Ha93jzI1O-NV5U9Loge4bUYGuCTR4PMbM/w640-h454/Afternoon%20Tea%20by%20Tracy%20Hall.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />I originally planned to write a blog post yesterday but coming off of a very busy week proved too much. All I could think of was taking a long nap but for a very good reason. I was beyond exhausted.<br /><p></p><p>We had all of our family together at Thanksgiving for the first time in over twenty years. Only the new bride was missing as she celebrated her first Thanksgiving with her husband's family. She was forgiven.</p><p>We all agreed that this was a very special time together as we celebrated the Holiday and tried to get in as much one-on-one time to enjoy being in the same zip code for awhile. Our son was host to the Thanksgiving festivities as well as the host for our daughter's family to stay there.</p><p>I worked for a few days to make certain our Thanksgiving favorites for sides were at the table. My daughter-in-law roasted a turkey and made the mashed potatoes while my son cooked turkey legs in the smoker. My daughter put together a beautiful charcuterie board and my daughter-in-law's mom brought the dishes we love that she cooks. I'm not certain who made the other desserts.</p><p>Our kids and the cousins were free to go out without us numerous times as we needed a lot more periods of rest than they did. However, Friday evening all the adults went to a favorite restaurant here in town where the food is amazing. Being a family who loves to cook, we also enjoy figuring out how various dishes are made.</p><p>My daughter and I enjoyed some mom-daughter time looking through a favorite store that sells primitive items and the antique mall. She is working on an interior design project and hoped to find a few things to use in that building. We had lunch together at the pizza place we went to from the time she was a little girl. How fast time has gone by since those days.<br /></p><p>Honestly, my husband and I ate more last week than we usually do in two weeks. It was indeed a week of feasting as memories were being made. Our children were born twelve years apart and it is a delight... and a gift from God... to see how they all enjoy being together as adults. Even the older grandchildren and the "littles" enjoy each other. We are blessed.<br /></p><p>None of us know what the future holds in these uncertain times and the reality of this Thanksgiving holiday being over twenty years in the making... it is a reminder that time does go by quickly. It wasn't easy for this little family reunion to come together, especially for those who had to travel a long distance. But we will all agree it was worth it now that they are back home safe and sound.<br /></p><p>I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Whether in a good year or a not-so-good year (and we have experienced both), there is much to thank God for on the Holiday and all year long. I try to make a habit of thanking Him even for the simplest things we take for granted. </p><p>I will be back on Saturday, God willing and the creek don't rise... and I don't overdue with lots of cooking again soon.</p><p><b>Image</b>: <i>Afternoon Tea</i> by Tracy Hall<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-23951467741036110672022-11-13T14:55:00.002-05:002022-11-13T14:55:48.046-05:00Sunday Afternoon Tea - The things in our control<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_xYnMMHG7x43IPKWbaKno4IKCBOhWGHgTgqcNjoQQ-QvRd8478USwhmutDDAD9EH5Tli0jpya3ABQTYpxqvuWXTUYTDbilGW90_BpqK6lBdGouHTHl_49aQvcQBAGs7qx5qjLNRatEff2JbDalreqSw-2zpLP5DYAAkB713yBGTdeC2qszI/s600/123137510_10157190174381612_3173503417237757744_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="600" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_xYnMMHG7x43IPKWbaKno4IKCBOhWGHgTgqcNjoQQ-QvRd8478USwhmutDDAD9EH5Tli0jpya3ABQTYpxqvuWXTUYTDbilGW90_BpqK6lBdGouHTHl_49aQvcQBAGs7qx5qjLNRatEff2JbDalreqSw-2zpLP5DYAAkB713yBGTdeC2qszI/w640-h530/123137510_10157190174381612_3173503417237757744_n.png" width="640" /></a></div>Most of the people I admire and hope to learn from are people who walk with Jesus. I truly believe that is where wisdom is to be found. However, there are those that do not walk with Him that I have learned much from due to their particular skills. Some are chefs like Jacques Pepin and Julia Child. <p></p><p>Other people have character traits I admire that I take wisdom from, even if they are not people of faith. One of those unique characters is Tasha Tudor. Tasha's spiritual leanings are rather bizarre if one takes what she says seriously. For instance, she believes she is reincarnated from an earlier time in history. </p><p>But I don't admire her for her unique and odd spiritual leanings, I can receive good Bible teaching from those people I trust in books, video, and television. I admire Tasha Tudor because she decided to live life on her terms and didn't worry about what other people thought of her. Truth be told, she made a career of that stand against society as we know it.</p><p>While most of us know about Tasha from her beautiful book illustrations; many of us also enjoy the books, articles, and videos about her home and her way of life. Tasha longed for the old ways of living and she surrounded herself in that lifestyle. Some could pull such a lifestyle off for a short time if it were only to further their career. For Tasha, she embraced this life for many decades.</p><p>The world changed in ways she could never have predicted from the time of her birth to her death at the age of 92. Instead of complaining about the changes outside of her control, she kept the world that was in her control the way she longed to live with the way she dressed, raising her own food, and even her home was decorated in a way that spoke of a previous century.</p><p>Would I want to live as Tasha did? Not exactly that way. I understand that the reason she could live in her own little world was because of her talent as an illustrator. She could work from home and her talent brought her not only fame but a good source of income.</p><p>I will soon watch the beautiful video of Tasha Tudor's surroundings at Christmas time again as I do each year. I have some of her books and I have two or three issues of "vintage" Victoria magazine that featured Tasha in articles. As with all such articles and film, I look for those things I can use in my own home to make our surroundings more beautiful. <br /></p><p>What made me think of Tasha recently were a couple of things. Of course, the results of the election were a disappointment but not really a surprise. America is a divided country and once again, the election was just about fifty-fifty and those who were happy with what the current administration was doing were able to bring in voters more than those who were not.</p><p>However, a political commentator I think has a lot of common sense said this election disturbed him more than any other he has been through. Because he was certain people would react against the inflation, shortages, increase in crime, etc. to vote in change. Instead, enough people voted to keep the status quo that he wondered if we could ever go back to a Constitutional Republic. I admit, it is disturbing.</p><p>On the other hand, recently I was watching one of the videos of <i>The Elliott Homestead</i>. She been sharing from their trip to Sicily this Summer and one of the interviews kept coming back to my mind. It was her time spent with a Sicilian vineyard owner and farmer. </p><p>As he showed his guests around the vineyard and talked about the generations that came before him, he said it was in caring for this place that kept him happy (my interpretation since he spoke in broken English). <b>He said they learned that they could not control what was going on in the world outside of those walls so they concentrated on what was going on inside their walls</b>.</p><p>I found that especially amazing when one thinks of the various wars that have happened on European soil since his great, great, etc., grandfather settled that land. Think of the financial crisis that have hit Italy, the political uncertainty, the pandemic, and everything else they have been through.</p><p>He had learned the secret of being content where he was. Now, I don't know if he was a man of faith or not for the interview was about growing vegetables and a vineyard. However, that answer he gave struck me as having a great deal of Biblical wisdom. Because his family had taken care of those things that were in their dominion to do something about. </p><p>That is what made me think of Tasha Tudor after pondering his interview. Tasha didn't care for the 20th Century and everything that was happening outside of her four walls. So, what did she do? She did her best to create a world that she did love within her domain to do something about.</p><p>It was a reminder to me that sometimes we can learn a great deal of wisdom from the most unlikely sources. I thought of that after the election. I have no control over what is happening in this country and the world except my vote and a great deal of prayer.</p><p>I still plan on praying, I won't give up on that for we may never know what good our prayers have done this side of Eternity. I will vote in elections. But I have been thinking more about what I can do within these four walls to provide peace, joy, faith, and serenity. I believe we have reached the time when we need to be able to feel the serenity of the Lord even when the outside world is very dark.</p><p>My peace, my joy, my serenity cannot depend on what the world says or what it portrays as good. My emotions have to be grounded in what the Bible says about these days, especially in Romans 6 and Matthew 24. If I truly believe we are in the time of the birth pains, then I should not be surprised by what the world around me looks like.</p><p>We had our first light snowfall yesterday and I was reminded that we are entering the season when nature rests. I will be making those foods such as soup, bread, and hearty casseroles that we hunger for in cold weather. I will make coffee each morning as usual but now that it is colder, we will enjoy tea in the afternoon and other hot beverages to keep warm.</p><p>I can control what media I watch and what I listen to each day, even if I cannot control anything about what is going on in Washington outside of prayer (which is very important). I have made certain there are plenty of throws around the house and I washed the extra blanket we put on our bed when it starts to feel like winter.</p><p>There is actually much that I do have control over within these four walls and surrounding property. Well, except for the two cats. Florentine still howls for food at 3:00 in the morning and Mouse hops up on the ledge outside of the kitchen window when she wants a Hobbit breakfast. I live to serve it seems.</p><p>They do provide plenty of laughter so I will put up with having no control over felines but everything else within my little realm... if it does not spark joy or faith... I will not worry about it. (With apologies to Marie Kondo.) <br /></p><p>A reminder, I wrote yesterday that I will be taking a blog break until Sunday, November 27th. We will be having company coming and going during that time and I have two dental appointments scheduled in that same period of time. Not to mention Thanksgiving and my son's birthday. There will be little time to ponder.</p><p>Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, my friends. In spite of what the world looks like, we have much to be thankful for and not the least of which is salvation in Christ. All that and Heaven, too.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p><i>The Elliott Homestead</i> on YouTube... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Theelliotthomestead/featured" target="_blank">here</a>. I have watched many of Shaye's videos. I can't relate to homesteading and gardening at this time of life but everything else is very enjoyable.<br /></p><p><i>Take Peace: A Corgi Cottage Christmas</i> on Amazon Prime Video... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Take-Peace-Corgi-Cottage-Christmas/dp/B07FRYYG6D/ref=sr_1_30?keywords=tasha+tudor&qid=1668367899&sr=8-30" target="_blank">here</a>. I think this is still available on Amazon Prime as is <i>Take Joy: The Magical World of Tasha Tudor</i>... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Take-Magical-World-Tasha-Tudor/dp/B07GC6J8KT/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=tasha+tudor&qid=1668368061&sr=8-2" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>I'm not absolutely certain since I own both of these and it doesn't show if they are still available for purchase. I especially enjoy the Christmas video this time of year.<br /></p><p><b>Disclaimer</b>: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-81538805260401655462022-11-12T11:18:00.003-05:002022-11-12T11:25:27.594-05:00Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Cooking to battle inflation<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zVNpItDqBhHbVRLQmmA99XGU8FEJl7f9iz-h2vO1nzzKSL2FHnu_xb8aPBI-s-ubTi8LSy9WlxNN60botiDfyG_X2tnQCigsIVqW9nEh5k3nn9qJRIr7J81wyl1PGrsgmPL697gbwF14mixQ-pWpU0uJpPNZLCJPN6vePPqf7X_ck_sl-0I/s320/Apple%20Pie%20Harvest%20by%20Janet%20Kruskamp.1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="320" height="517" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zVNpItDqBhHbVRLQmmA99XGU8FEJl7f9iz-h2vO1nzzKSL2FHnu_xb8aPBI-s-ubTi8LSy9WlxNN60botiDfyG_X2tnQCigsIVqW9nEh5k3nn9qJRIr7J81wyl1PGrsgmPL697gbwF14mixQ-pWpU0uJpPNZLCJPN6vePPqf7X_ck_sl-0I/w640-h517/Apple%20Pie%20Harvest%20by%20Janet%20Kruskamp.1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>What a difference a couple of weeks makes in the world around us! Two weeks ago we still had some colorful leaves on the trees. Today most of the leaves have fallen and there are snowflakes descending from the sky.<p></p><p>It almost puts me in the Christmas mood. While I will wait to do much Christmas decorating, I will be more likely to listen to the music of the season now that we have had our first (however light) snowfall. My friend who lives in the Dakotas has been experiencing blizzard conditions. I will take a few snowflakes here and there without complaining. <br /></p><p>The stores that I go to have been well stocked and if one store was a little low on a product, another store had plenty. I didn't go back to Aldi last week but I am hearing online that they have a lot of Thanksgiving sales going on right now, including the price of turkeys and butter. I will definitely check it out this next week.</p><p>Meijer has turkeys on sale. One of turkeys is down to (I think) 59 cents a pound with purchase. What I did notice was all of those turkeys were huge. Meijer also had whole chickens on sale for 99 cents a pound. I haven't seen that price for awhile so I bought one to start chicken stock this afternoon.</p><p>I mentioned last week that I had purchased a pork shoulder for the first time in ages to make pulled pork sandwiches. Most of the recipes I had seen for pulled pork had the pork shoulder (aka: Boston Butt) cooking for around twelve hours.</p><p>I had purchased the pork shoulder at Sam's when I saw it at a very good price and figured I would look up various recipes online. I found a recipe that had a three hour cooking time and one could lower the oven temperature to keep it cooking a couple hours longer.</p><p>That is the recipe I used and it turned out to be fabulous. I slowly cooked it in my large Lodge dutch oven (in the oven) and the pork shredded easily. I put together a simple rub that I rubbed into the top fatty side of the roast, along with plenty of salt and pepper. We enjoyed pulled pork sandwiches for a couple of dinners and most of it went to the freezer. I only put Sweet Baby Ray's original barbecue sauce on the part that we had immediately.</p><p>That one pork shoulder could have fed a crowd for a very reasonable amount, especially with sides of cole slaw (which is cheap to make), and perhaps baked beans and potato salad. Makes me almost miss July and picnics! Believe me, I will start missing very warm days again by January.</p><p>Christopher and his family came over for dinner early last week. I asked if he had any requests and one thing that came up was his Aunt Joan's Chicken Tetrazzini. I hadn't made it in a long time but I found the recipe and started it the day before they were coming.</p><p>Her chicken tetrazzini was a legend and while she passed away when my son was very young, he still remembers that casserole. So, I printed out the recipe as she had given me and made it exactly the same as her instructions, Which I found, had to be tweaked off and on as she used to always double or triple the recipe and some of the amounts were off for one casserole.</p><p>The way she made it was to start with a whole chicken and "boil it" (I would say simmer on medium to medium-high heat) until the cooked meat fell off the bone. She then used the chicken stock to boil the spaghetti in for a good flavor. </p><p>After I had removed the chicken, I thought that was a waste of delicious rich chicken bone broth so I ladled that broth to a freezer container (for later use in soup stock) and covered the bones once again with water to make a less rich stock but one that would still provide flavor to the spaghetti. </p><p>It provided plenty of flavor to the spaghetti and although that recipe takes a lot of time and a day to wash all the dishes (I would NOT let my daughter-in-law help, she had a night off of cooking), it was worth it. Isn't it amazing how food can bring back good memories?</p><p>I thought it remarkable that one of the women (Jess the Pilgrim) I follow on IG was talking about stretching her food dollar a few days later and she talked about what those who came before us called "second stock". That is exactly what they called using the bones a second time and they often used that "second stock" for cooking food like rice to add flavor.</p><p>I'm making chicken soup today because I do not have room for the chicken in my freezer and the morning snowflakes made me think soup would make a good dinner. I haven't made lemon chicken orzo soup for awhile, it sounds very good for a cold day. When we lived in the Detroit area, there was a Greek restaurant that served delicious lemon chicken rice soup. This is very similar.<br /></p><p>I have put back quite a few packages of 15-bean soup, which is what I planned to make this weekend but it can wait a week. Many articles and books I have read about saving money in the kitchen suggest a soup meal at least once a week, especially in colder weather.</p><p><b>I will be away from blogging next weekend and the following Saturday</b> as I will have company coming and going so there will be no time for putting together anything other than making memories. </p><p>Because of that, just a reminder that if you need to defrost a turkey before Thanksgiving, place it in a container that can hold condensation as it defrosts (there can be a lot with a turkey), give it plenty of days to defrost, and let it sit outside the refrigerator awhile before roasting it. </p><p>Some websites say to let it sit out at least an hour before going into the oven. This will help the inside of the turkey roast quicker so the white meat does not dry out. I didn't know that until about a decade ago. It is the same for any large roast.<br /></p><p>There is always more to learn about cooking. I have been spending more time looking for recipes that are budget friendly. My sister's casserole was not budget friendly or quickly made but it was special. <br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p>Lodge Dutch Oven 6 quart... <a href="https://amzn.to/3DZZxXz" target="_blank">here</a>. I keep this on a shelf in the garage along with other cookware I don't use a lot. It is heavy but it is also perfect for some kinds of cooking, like the pulled pork roast! It is also available in a smaller 4 quart size... <a href="https://amzn.to/3UAzPQA" target="_blank">here</a>. (The 4 quart size is on sale at the moment.)<br /></p><p>Lodge tends to be heavier than Le Creuset but it is a fraction of the cost and it is American made. I had a Le Cruset dutch oven that lasted for decades until it had chipped too much to safely use. They are remarkable but I couldn't see spending that much money these days.<br /></p><p><i>Jess the Pilgrim</i> on Instagram... <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jesthepilgrim/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup... <a href="https://coffeeteabooksandrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/12/lemon-chicken-soup-with-orzo.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /></p><p><b>Disclaimer</b>: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.</p><p><b>Image</b>: Apple Pie Harvest<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-65461988759786392682022-11-06T18:54:00.003-05:002022-11-06T18:54:31.717-05:00Sunday Afternoon Tea - Peace that passes understanding<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID65Gd8xV9m6_wltvHG-IpoDKJnlftniFgOf00Yk_aVQdJ2wb6no7Zx4T48v3RyEvhffXrgcqJpfLbde_LixUmQrECRaKa7M788rppzSVq2W_b6CEeePSZ0or3Po-5Rbo8UmixDz9pLnAVQbPLPchBFSpPyt5bPLx93PNFNTvZK3RQLYwO3U/s960/39196714_10156600398443454_4489882395180269568_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID65Gd8xV9m6_wltvHG-IpoDKJnlftniFgOf00Yk_aVQdJ2wb6no7Zx4T48v3RyEvhffXrgcqJpfLbde_LixUmQrECRaKa7M788rppzSVq2W_b6CEeePSZ0or3Po-5Rbo8UmixDz9pLnAVQbPLPchBFSpPyt5bPLx93PNFNTvZK3RQLYwO3U/w480-h640/39196714_10156600398443454_4489882395180269568_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />We experienced winds Friday evening through most of Saturday that were about as scary as they get outside the perimeters of a tornado or the rare tropical storms that make their way north to the Midwest. <p></p><p>Living in a sturdy brick house, I am often reminded during wind storms of the fairy tale about the wolf huffing and puffing to bring down the home of the three little pigs. Of course, I am also reminded of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day... which may or not be an indication of my love for children's literature.</p><p>However, the continuous howling winds were also a reminder of the winds of war rumbling in the distance and the possibility of civil unrest on Tuesday if there is, as some believe is possible, a "red wave" of people voting for Republican candidates. There has been talk of some people crossing party lines for the first time due to the policies of the current administration bringing inflation and energy shortages. <br /></p><p>I am reminded of the Truth from the Bible (Hosea 8:7), "For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind". My friends, when a president shuts down the ability for a country to continue to be energy self sufficient on his first day in office, they sow the wind. When the government has printed money to increase our debt to the trillions so that our grandchildren and even their children will be paying the debts, they sow the wind.</p><p>Granted, this country has been spending too much money for a long time now but it was taken to an entire new level of insanity in the past two years. There is no perfect political party and no perfect politician but there are those who make good decisions. <br /></p><p>The Bible tells us that just before Jesus returns again, there will be great deception on the earth. I have written before that I often think of the scene in the original <i>Left Behind</i> movie where the young reporter is warned that if he does not have the Holy Spirit living within, then he will also not be able to tell the difference between Truth and deception when he is talking to the Antichrist.</p><p>In a later scene, he realizes the prophecies his new friends have told him are coming true before his eyes and escapes to the bathroom to pray, asking Jesus to come into his life. In the meeting to come of all the world powers, he is the only person who can see what is taking place. Everyone else remembers only what the Antichrist tells them took place.</p><p>Now, I am not saying any certain person is the Antichrist! However, there is an antichrist spirit that has been in the world all along and it has grown very intense as His coming draws near. </p><p>If you belong to Him, that is exactly why your "spidey-sense" has been active and alert for awhile. You know the feeling, when you sense something is not right with the world. When you hear someone give a speech and you know what they are saying is not the truth. When you read statistics that do not agree with what you see when making purchases.</p><p>That "spidey-sense" goes even farther in a very good way. For it is the Holy Spirit within you that enables you to have peace when you see the world being turned upside down. Yes, even when you want to talk back to the television God can give you that peace that passes understanding.</p><p>He will give you peace to handle those things completely out of your control outside of prayer, which is important! He can also give you peace as He speaks into your heart how to live each day so He can take care of you in this time of turmoil.</p><p>Sometimes He will tell you to stock up on groceries but He also will lead you to places online, books, and other people who can provide the information you need. He will speak to your heart while shopping, encouraging you to purchase an item you realize later was just what you were going to need. </p><p>He knows what we will need and what the future holds. We have to get quiet before Him and ask that we can hear His wisdom and that we recognize when it is God who is leading us.</p><p>If we take our eyes off of Him and His Word, if instead we spend all of our time looking at the problems of the world and speculate on what they may mean to us and our loved ones, we will never experience the peace that passes understanding.</p><p>However, if we keep ourselves aware of what is happening, I think what Law Enforcement calls "situational awareness", then through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit... we will keep our peace.</p><p>I find it helpful to know what is happening in the world. Again, filtering what comes through the news with analysis by people God has given insight for this purpose. But sometimes I have to back off from reading and watching current events to give my still in-the-flesh nervous system time to fill up with His Truth again.</p><p>Only those called by God into the front lines of the battles have the ability to handle one crisis after another. I find it remarkable how these people can keep their peace but if that is what God has placed you on earth to do at this time in space and history... He will provide the grace for you to handle it and the wisdom how to share Truth with fellow believers in Christ. <br /></p><p>I am convinced that I would be walking in constant fear and anxiety if it were not for the Holy Spirit within that comes when we accept the offer of salvation in Christ. He gives us Heaven and so much more.</p><p>If you are an American who is registered to vote, then be certain to vote on Tuesday. This may be the most important mid-term election in the history of the United States of America. If for some reason you are not registered or if you are a friend who lives in other parts of the world, please pray for America.</p><p>The last two years have shown us that elections indeed have consequences. However, we also know that we are residents of a world gone upside down in many ways. This is not an American problem needing an American solution, it is a global darkness descending on all of mankind and the only real solution is in the One who bought back the Keys of the Kingdom with his death and resurrection.<br /></p><p>Are we still to vote, then? Of course, we do what is before us every day and it happens to be voting on Tuesday. However, while voting for politicians that will uphold the Constitution and especially those who desire to walk in God's ways is very wise, we also understand that there is more going on in the world than what we see in America. </p><p>We need to vote but we also need to pray. But hasn't it always been that way? Both the praying and the doing are necessary and then we trust Him with the results. Whatever happens in America and in the world this next week will not take God by surprise. He's got this... and He has us in the palm of His hand.<br /></p><p>Until next week my friends. Remember the blessing of the Rabbis from the Book of Numbers, Chapter 6 (I have part of this on a plaque in my family room): </p><p></p><blockquote>"May the Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; May the Lord lift up His face and give you His peace."</blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p>The term spidey-sense comes from the fictional<i> Spider-Man.</i> In human form, we would call it intuition. I rather like the term, spidey-sense as in my imagination, it means so much more than just intuition. ;)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-54519736175238519442022-11-05T15:17:00.004-04:002022-11-05T15:17:57.969-04:00Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Stock up week before the election<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NmajAPq8MqNSVHpSIGIHO4qxm36biSN6VLGWP13GzxK4_dYcjHGBfcYv1EzXI57pjn7QjtXg15T0J6wKP4QwhyiK7_fHAaM10MSkBlrt1UxpZeKvzPWGx9ZtMnRh56kdBhbsbtDWQoJS0bYa92AaxJAY-fzkwfyY73Lkj_uK3ie87uukbAA/s500/62053370_2138542789601691_8531944858397442048_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NmajAPq8MqNSVHpSIGIHO4qxm36biSN6VLGWP13GzxK4_dYcjHGBfcYv1EzXI57pjn7QjtXg15T0J6wKP4QwhyiK7_fHAaM10MSkBlrt1UxpZeKvzPWGx9ZtMnRh56kdBhbsbtDWQoJS0bYa92AaxJAY-fzkwfyY73Lkj_uK3ie87uukbAA/w640-h426/62053370_2138542789601691_8531944858397442048_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Our Internet finally came back on after being off for awhile. I'm thinking the high winds may have something to do with it. (The new and improved Internet service has not made it to our gravel lane, yet.) So, just in case we lose Internet again... I am not going to put any links in today's blog post. I will just type as fast as possible! <p></p><p>There have been a couple red flags to indicate the need to be prepared more than usual on the prepper vlogs recently. The first has to do with the shortage of diesel fuel needed to transport food and supplies. </p><p>Is there really a shortage and if there is, what caused it? I'm past speculating about such things these days. Instead, I decided to finish my stock up shopping this week instead of doing the Sam's and Walmart shopping next week. I don't purchase very much at either place, which made it easy.</p><p>I also do not plan on being out and about after we vote on Tuesday. We don't live in an area where there has been much political outrage taken to the streets. There were some marches prior to and after the presidential election but mostly the battles were on social media and I avoided them as much as possible.</p><p>Having said that, it is still a good idea to listen to warnings from some people that we should be at least a little stocked up before the election. Sometimes the speculation from those who study what is going on in the world around us is justified. It wouldn't hurt to be prepared, especially if you live in a major city where there could be unrest.</p><p>I have been making an effort recently to plan our meals more than I have since the kids left home. Especially to try inexpensive but tasty meals. Last week I slow cooked deboned chicken thighs until they were almost falling apart. I drained the liquid into a bowl and added a jar of Aldi's butter chicken sauce, then baked it another fifteen minutes. I served it along with naan bread that I had toasted.</p><p>It was inexpensive and delicious but what shocked me was that my husband, who dislikes dark meat poultry and any Indian sauce on anything... really liked it. I usually have the butter chicken sauce in the pantry but this was the first time I bought deboned chicken thighs. They were a winner! This made enough for two meals.</p><p>My second attempt at something new was a purchase of a pork shoulder roast (Boston Butt) at Sam's Club. I am slow roasting it today to make pulled pork. We will see how it turns out but it certainly smells good. I made a simple rub of garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, smoked paprika, and salt. For liquid, I added two tablespoons of tomato paste to a cup of warm water. It has been slow roasting in the oven since this morning.<br /></p><p>As far as shortages while shopping, I noticed a shortage of herbs and spices at some of the stores. I wanted to purchase a small container of dill but the only dill I could find in three stores was one of the pricier brands. Since I needed it for a recipe, I went ahead and bought the brand that was available.</p><p>It looks like the common spices used during the Holidays were available but I wouldn't wait until the last minute. </p><p>We always purchase the Kroger brand of club soda and there was none to be found this past week. There was also no room for it on the shelves, which had been moved to a new location. That was odd.<br /></p><p>Meijer had a lot of empty shelves when I shopped on Tuesday. It had the most shortages of all the stores. The only sugar they had was powdered sugar when I was there. They were out of a few nonfood items I needed so I will probably return on Monday to see if they are now in stock. </p><p>Kroger was well stocked although a little low on some items such as flour and sugar. They didn't have frozen organic fruit and were once again very limited on their brand of frozen organic vegetables. They have been out of most of the organic vegetables for awhile but at least this week they had frozen organic spinach. Their organic corn is only available in a large bag recently. Instead, I have been buying the Birdseye brand.<br /></p><p>Aldi has been out of half-and-half for a long time but they were finally in stock this week. They now have most of their Holiday foods in stock, including their vintage looking foil wrapped chocolates. I bought them on this shopping trip to make certain I had them for Oliver and Piper this Christmas.</p><p>Aldi is well known for their charcuterie board offerings at a good price. Even with higher prices all around, I thought they were reasonable. Although, I didn't buy any so I hope they haven't gone up in price by December. </p><p>I have noticed that even the Aldi prices have gone up a lot. Whoever says the rate of inflation is 8% has not shopped for food. Some of the food items we purchase have gone up 50% to 100% in the various stores.</p><p>I only needed a few items at Sam's Club. So, I stopped by when running errands near there last week. They had the pecans and the cashews I needed but they didn't have my favorite Kerrygold Irish butter in stock. </p><p>I had to purchase insulin pen needles at Walmart on Friday. While there, I looked around to see how their stock looked. They are putting out the Pioneer Woman Christmas plates and such and they are always cute. Their food section seemed to be well stocked but the one thing I noticed that was odd is the very long rack of clearance clothing.</p><p>I had heard that Walmart had a lot of clothing come in that had been delayed in shipping. The long rack, probably multiple racks put together, had so many clothes that I doubt there was room for any more.</p><p>So, most of my grocery shopping is complete for November. I only have to go back for produce and dairy, as well as what they were out of last week. Also, any last minute purchases for Thanksgiving recipes. <br /></p><p>The wind is picking up again so I had better publish this before we lose Internet connection again. Every time we have this kind of winds going through, I am very thankful to God that we could have those old (and very big) trees next to our house cut down. We already had near misses with some huge branches. </p><p>He does take care of His people and He will provide for you. <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-71315970935460633252022-10-30T19:17:00.014-04:002022-10-31T09:11:51.018-04:00Sunday Afternoon Tea - Becoming more intentional about enjoying the seasons<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN8XrnaxxKAOqP2lQAEJc_LiVyMgXV3dDwlRfiETxKeC-sFv7i9qZcpKIi41s6cuTWYo3de6D1y_4-LMYiNWyIKmyh-hCrPzNoq4qutz5_ir4Wce4cSpRzfb4cX2tdmxPpXKAZpcUdI37U5K81WioutinTFGa2EqSGkFyaRw1Jx_DX-LP0edU/s320/441-20089~Cookbook-and-Apples-Posters%20(AP).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="320" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN8XrnaxxKAOqP2lQAEJc_LiVyMgXV3dDwlRfiETxKeC-sFv7i9qZcpKIi41s6cuTWYo3de6D1y_4-LMYiNWyIKmyh-hCrPzNoq4qutz5_ir4Wce4cSpRzfb4cX2tdmxPpXKAZpcUdI37U5K81WioutinTFGa2EqSGkFyaRw1Jx_DX-LP0edU/w400-h323/441-20089~Cookbook-and-Apples-Posters%20(AP).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />What a difference a week can make! Last Sunday, we were at peak color and our world was bejeweled in shades of deep burgundy, gold, chartreuse, red, rust, and orange. The brief Indian Summer had truly brought the leaves from pretty to stunning in the intensity of their colors.<br /><p></p><p>The forest around us has lost most of its colorful leaves and more trees are now bare. When we were driving to our son's house on Saturday for Oliver's birthday party, we could really tell the difference. The forests that were at a distance from the highway were now all a muted brown color. All it will take is another windy week (or perhaps even a windy day) to bring the leaves falling to carpet the forest floor.</p><p>Very soon, we will be "falling back" with our time change and for at least a week it will seem like the days have suddenly become a whole lot shorter. Small children and pets do not understand that their internal clock will be off for awhile. I fully understand since I always have a difficult time adjusting, too.</p><p>I love to decorate for Fall and I make it stretch as long as possible, starting on the beginning of Meteorological Fall of September 1st and going through Thanksgiving. While I enjoy the sparkle that Christmas decorations bring, I am not willing to give up Fall until we celebrate Thanksgiving. <br /></p><p>Through the years, I have collected realistic looking Autumnal bouquets and other natural looking decorations that make it very easy to place in various containers, wooden bowls, etc. Since I have been following<i> Parisienne Farmgirl</i> now for many years, I started looking for beautiful pitchers to use as vases around the house.</p><p>My favorite find was the large brown transferware pitcher similar to one she uses quite often. It looks good with my brown transferware collection and currently holds a lovely faux bouquet of Fall flowers and grasses. A few smaller pitchers contain smaller bouquets. All the pitchers were purchased while thrifting.</p><p>A green transferware vase holds a faux evergreen branch all year. It remains in one room most of the year but is given a place of prominence during the Christmas season. This kind of decorating is budget friendly and the same items can be used for a very long time. </p><p>The most expensive items were the faux Fall bouquets but even then, they were not all that pricey and they last practically "forever" so there is no need to buy something new each season. My annual Fall decorations are refreshed with real items from nature such as gourds and pumpkins.<br /></p><p>An author friend often says that she needs beautiful places for her eyes to "rest" upon in her home. She creates such places, whether a cozy corner of a room or small vignettes created with items she finds beautiful and peaceful. I appreciated what she has written. It helps to understand our need for beautiful spaces in our homes. Of course, it is never perfect this side of Heaven but it can be good.</p><p>I had planned to enjoy an hour or so looking through the Antique Mall for inexpensive finds after the appointment with my specialist last week. His nurse had been very kind when I had to cancel due to vertigo just hours prior to my appointment the week before. She also has vertigo come out of nowhere from time to time. </p><p>She was able to squeeze me in on Tuesday, not an easy task since I was not only to receive a monthly eye injection but this checkup was to include quarterly scans and photos of both eyes. The numbing drops and bright lights can make me feel quite ill and last week it seemed worse than usual. </p><p>Perhaps this was due to the recent bout with vertigo. So, I had to put off going to the antique mall, which is not far from the specialist's office. What I did decide to accomplish was to stop by our favorite drive-in to purchase hotdogs for my husband, coney dogs for me, and an order of onion rings to share. </p><p>The drive-in usually closes around November 1st unless the weather is unseasonably warm and I cannot tell you how many times I let their closure take me by surprise. This year, I was going to make certain we celebrated our favorite summer food before it was closed until next Spring.</p><p>I did the same thing with the sweet corn this year. When I saw his truck was in the parking lot and there was corn left for the buying one day in August, I knew it would be one of the final opportunities of the season to purchase sweet corn from the farmer. So, I stopped on the way to Aldi and purchased a dozen ears of corn. Half of it went to the deep freeze to enjoy perhaps in January.<br /></p><p>If there is one lesson these past few years have taught me, it is to embrace what God gives us while we can. Sweet corn is only sold by the farmer parked near a restaurant in July and August, sometimes it is available in early September if he has not sold out by then.</p><p>Drive-in food is mostly only available in March through October. If we do not take advantage of it then, before we know it the warm weather season is past and the leaves are falling to carpet our yard. I also made a decision to include more butternut and acorn squash, more local apples (albeit purchased from Meijer), more pumpkin, and other Autumnal fruits and vegetables in our meals.</p><p>While all of these foods are available year round, there is something special when they are made into seasonal recipes... in that season. It is another layer in embracing each season as we walk though it. Because it seems we just blink our eyes and that season is now in our rear view mirror.</p><p>I am finding the more that I am aware of the seasons... the food they provide and the way nature looks from my kitchen window... the more I can keep my mind on those things that bring peace. Which is just the opposite that I feel after spending very much time viewing a screen these days.</p><p>While I do filter what I allow to come into my thoughts through various screens, concentrating on that which brings peace and spending less time on that which flames the fires of the Joan of Arc side of my personality... I have been reminded this week that Jesus said we are to be the light of the world. The city built on a hill. </p><p>We are to be His light in a world growing increasingly darker. Of course, when the world is dark then it doesn't take much light to fill the room does it? He doesn't call us to be a perfect light. He is the only Perfect light. We are not to run to the hills and hide, although it is a temptation. <br /></p><p>In a world where everyone seems to be in a bad mood, when we smile and say hello to someone who looks sad or thank the person who waits on us for a job well done... we are His light in this world. Those of us who know His peace will, I think, eventually be noticed by those around us. </p><p>Our "ministry" can be one of kindness to others in a world where kindness seems to be lost. While I do enjoy a good Bible study to go deeper in learning about His Word, it is when I have been spending a lot of time in the Psalms that I find my feelings of peace to gain strength... enough to share with those around me.</p><p>This week I plan to enjoy Fall a little more, in spite of nature beginning to look more like Winter out of doors. I still have pumpkin bars to bake and pumpkin chocolate chip quick bread to make. As usual, time has flown by far too quickly.</p><p>Speaking of which, I was asked last week for a recommendation of some favorite "prepper" vloggers. I didn't have time to look up those I still listen to (it would be easier to tell those I now avoid but that would not be a good idea) but I can say that the person I always listen to is<i> Prepper Dawg</i>. </p><p>I have recommended him before. He is good about sharing and commenting about news events and he always ends with a Bible verse. He also has two cute dogs but don't tell Florentine or Mouse I said that. I also like that he usually keeps his vlogs at around ten to twelve minutes.<br /></p><p>I also appreciate <i>southernprepper1,</i> especially his <i>Boots on the Ground</i> segments where he shares information about shortages, etc. that has been sent to him from around the world. Although, I do not watch him every time there is a new vlog. </p><p>He is also a Christian so there will be no swearing or putting down people of faith. His<i> Boots on the Ground</i> segments are usually around nineteen minutes long. He also provides some "how to" information from time to time.<br /></p><p>I will provide a few more names of people who provide good information without stirring up fear next week.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p><i>Parisienne Farmgirl... <a href="https://www.parisiennefarmgirl.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /></i></p><p><i>Prepper Dawg</i> on YouTube... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PrepperDawg" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><i>Southernprepper1 </i>on YouTube... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/southernprepper1" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><b>Note</b>: Please forgive any typos and weird putting together of sentences. I am finishing today's blog post quite late and my brain went to sleep about an hour ago. ;)</p><p><b>Image</b>: <i>Cookbook and Apples print</i><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-45770972848529140422022-10-29T18:51:00.002-04:002022-10-29T18:51:36.885-04:00Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Simplifying meals and stretching the food budget<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFDuPt1QiIuBud3-FK0acBmiNjsGOL6XNDVJZ00qg9UpvGcq-0lH1IqKEk57_LQ7Kbi1JzH71eX74n8s0dySqyj61Uy0-ckLwc1p4L0QkHN9-OdGnoRJssk0I5sD0akPS8JXMvjZTjyk7ZOLoqaI5rbksd0S-UgCvR59hOYDEE9H-LrcWOCs/s811/Vintage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFDuPt1QiIuBud3-FK0acBmiNjsGOL6XNDVJZ00qg9UpvGcq-0lH1IqKEk57_LQ7Kbi1JzH71eX74n8s0dySqyj61Uy0-ckLwc1p4L0QkHN9-OdGnoRJssk0I5sD0akPS8JXMvjZTjyk7ZOLoqaI5rbksd0S-UgCvR59hOYDEE9H-LrcWOCs/w506-h640/Vintage1.jpg" width="506" /></a></div><br />Today's Pantry post is later than usual. We had a very important birthday party to attend and while I started the post yesterday, I couldn't finish it until after dinner this evening. <br /><p></p><p>The days are certainly cooler with only the occasional and temporary revisiting of the 70s temperatures now and then. After above normal temperatures for so long, the cooler weather has felt good. </p><p>It seems that October has flown by, it doesn't seem possible next week is the beginning of November . It is already time for Holiday season preparations. Although, I look for gifts all year round, this year even more than in the past I have been keeping an eye out for unique food gifts.</p><p>I have mentioned in lots of Holiday Pantry posts that I have found people enjoy food gifts that they usually would not purchase themselves. That is for another blog post but in the meantime, I have looked for items like delicious prepared foods (such as jellies, chutney, oils, vinegar, pickled foods for those who like them, chocolates, etc.). </p><p>We have a lot of birthdays around the times of the Holidays, so I'm always thinking ahead for stretching the gift budget. Our first birthday of the season is this weekend when Oliver turns four years old. I purchased his main gift in the summer when I knew it was still available.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eqKFWrmIDp7mURAjwEx-leT_QXAzbgXvEDbT0lol3aWYH-KGaoF7ZP_CCZacugVZR_Ic73liwE0x6fhRTC22-qGgYdnZnwegfwlVkwe-XIlXfrZPQy2guYwahfj8N-_PsMEXDr7L2TrbH32dcSiirXA3uuxk2i5FlPn6MTtCuVHIXH5FhVo/s320/romln1a.gif.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="24" data-original-width="320" height="24" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eqKFWrmIDp7mURAjwEx-leT_QXAzbgXvEDbT0lol3aWYH-KGaoF7ZP_CCZacugVZR_Ic73liwE0x6fhRTC22-qGgYdnZnwegfwlVkwe-XIlXfrZPQy2guYwahfj8N-_PsMEXDr7L2TrbH32dcSiirXA3uuxk2i5FlPn6MTtCuVHIXH5FhVo/s1600/romln1a.gif.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>I have been tweaking changes to our meal plans and purposely making purchases for the least amount of food waste. I didn't think we wasted much but after trying not to waste any food, I'm surprised how much was being thrown away. Just a little produce here and there but it adds up over time.<br /></p><p>In order to change how I am putting meals together and in order to waste less from the grocery store, I have been changing my routines to wash most vegetables as soon as I arrive home from the store or at least the next morning. Having them washed and ready to go makes them easier to use in recipes and throw together meals.</p><p>Of course, there are some foods we should never wash ahead of time like strawberries or mushrooms. I don't purchase fresh strawberries this time of the year but I do purchase mushrooms off and on. </p><p>I learned from Jacques Pepin's cooking shows that one should always purchase the mushrooms that are a little older and on sale whenever possible. He says that is when they are at their prime flavor and you save money. He just washes them off with a damp paper towel before cooking them.</p><p>There is always something new to learn about cooking. I was half way listening to a cooking show while in my kitchen and I caught the guy talking about preparing shredded cabbage to make cole slaw. </p><p>He shreds it and then places it in a colander on a bowl and then sprinkles a good amount of kosher salt over the shredded cabbage and leaves it at least six hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator. He said the texture of the cabbage is always perfect for the slaw by doing that. I have heard of similar treatments of cabbage, only they strained it in the colander for less time.<br /></p><p>We had chicken soup for dinner last night. I simmered the chicken with an onion and celery earlier in the week and then let it sit covered in the stock pot until yesterday morning when I warmed it and drained it through a colander into a smaller dutch oven in the morning. </p><p>While the stock set in the refrigerator until time to finish it before dinner, the stock pot and colander were soaked and washed with the breakfast/lunch dishes. Making for far less dishes when I was tired later in the evening. </p><p>I knew we would be away from home part of the day so for tonight's dinner, I warmed up the soup but I added a box of Pomi chopped tomatoes with a little more water, sea salt, and herbs to freshen the soup. It was delicious and didn't taste like leftovers at all.</p><p>My daughter sent me a new soup recipe I want to try this week that our friend, Sarah, served when Stephanie visited her in England recently. I want to make soup from one of the Hurst 15 Bean Soup packages, too. There are so many good soup recipes, not to mention our favorite chili. Can you tell I am glad cooler weather is here?<br /></p><p>Yesterday while I was warming up lunch in the air fryer, I used the time to cut the celery leaves off the end of the stalks and run water over them before draining on a kitchen towel. I placed them when almost dry on a couple paper towels and let them sit on the kitchen counter overnight. </p><p>I purposely bought a stalk with a lot of leaves in them since the leaves have a lot of flavor for soup stocks. I placed the leaves in several snack size Ziploc bags to make soup stock with them when I don't have celery in the crisper drawer. Five or six of the snack size Ziploc bags fit into a quart size Ziploc bag to protect them from freezer burn in the freezer.<br /></p><p>A good friend, after reading last week's blog post, reminded me that this kind of cooking is what <i>An Everlasting Meal </i>is all about. It is my favorite book about cooking where we use basic foods and stretch them as much as possible. I am certain it is how the women (and men) before the past generation thought about food. They had to!<br /></p><p>I have shared the link many times but I will share it again below. I'm sure the library should have this book since it was so popular. It is also now available in Audible form narrated by the author, too.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eqKFWrmIDp7mURAjwEx-leT_QXAzbgXvEDbT0lol3aWYH-KGaoF7ZP_CCZacugVZR_Ic73liwE0x6fhRTC22-qGgYdnZnwegfwlVkwe-XIlXfrZPQy2guYwahfj8N-_PsMEXDr7L2TrbH32dcSiirXA3uuxk2i5FlPn6MTtCuVHIXH5FhVo/s320/romln1a.gif.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="24" data-original-width="320" height="24" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eqKFWrmIDp7mURAjwEx-leT_QXAzbgXvEDbT0lol3aWYH-KGaoF7ZP_CCZacugVZR_Ic73liwE0x6fhRTC22-qGgYdnZnwegfwlVkwe-XIlXfrZPQy2guYwahfj8N-_PsMEXDr7L2TrbH32dcSiirXA3uuxk2i5FlPn6MTtCuVHIXH5FhVo/s1600/romln1a.gif.png" width="320" /></a></p><p>I didn't purchase anything for the pantry last week, except for a few items to use in the soup recipe that my daughter sent me. I made one preparedness purchase though. Although I have an emergency radio, it is too big to carry around with me and it uses D batteries.</p><p>I had a small transistor radio on my Amazon Wish List for awhile and it went half price recently. (It is inexpensive, anyway.) I purchased it and after putting two AA batteries in it (it doesn't come with batteries), I turned it on and was very happy with how the stations came through.</p><p>This is the perfect size to slip in a purse and while it doesn't have an emergency station on it like the actual emergency radio does, in a real emergency any local channel will be announcing watches and warnings... or, God forbid... something worse. </p><p>This size of transistor radio always reminds me of my dad listening to Chicago baseball games on the small radio that he often had to put up to his ear when the house was full of people.</p><p>I will be doing some more pantry pondering and research this week. Hopefully. God willing and the creek don't rise. Although, we could use the rain.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNuOvITDriqqeiQz6KUfRgMM5ead91TBagYvIveFY2KGUDjLECMKWDJovTFUfPA1IeMseKhf2sz5N0sLhkTb5Beq574jSK1aNUxIHxXZZHx09-WDAU5jdlMxOX-gOmeLyHvr4Pa_JLFh57Tc9LwXjguclcXzi51bzGh9oI6Zles6s5XFPjug/s500/000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNuOvITDriqqeiQz6KUfRgMM5ead91TBagYvIveFY2KGUDjLECMKWDJovTFUfPA1IeMseKhf2sz5N0sLhkTb5Beq574jSK1aNUxIHxXZZHx09-WDAU5jdlMxOX-gOmeLyHvr4Pa_JLFh57Tc9LwXjguclcXzi51bzGh9oI6Zles6s5XFPjug/w200-h200/000.jpg" width="200" /></a></i></div><i>An Everlasting Meal</i>... <a href="https://amzn.to/3gYdTje" target="_blank">here</a>.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63m7t0HhdoxMJk75p67uoHWY5fhhBvx06nQ0vTWbWi7geWBs7y5QJgGlobL9OB97-EI9U7W9HvmD_w-Eu93987UxNREavrnUt7vULR85jLREr2_vgaQLvqcGWO-WM2yAqwZEFHYdiU-uMacEDVja1TVnREMh06ho53NN3igdEzTpQa770VAs/s1500/000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1256" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63m7t0HhdoxMJk75p67uoHWY5fhhBvx06nQ0vTWbWi7geWBs7y5QJgGlobL9OB97-EI9U7W9HvmD_w-Eu93987UxNREavrnUt7vULR85jLREr2_vgaQLvqcGWO-WM2yAqwZEFHYdiU-uMacEDVja1TVnREMh06ho53NN3igdEzTpQa770VAs/s320/000.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>PowerBear portable radio... <a href="https://amzn.to/3foZImZ" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><p></p><p><b>Disclaimer</b>: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate Links</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-53991721371254302192022-10-23T19:13:00.004-04:002022-10-23T19:13:54.512-04:00Sunday Afternoon Tea - It is still your one life to live<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1toiewe_nIDbdd5D_4ffKgNPvuD9JYc0A-qauG5baukquP4k6kQOA1M0WNTMPZV0rov87xzoTG3B5HXL2xfxayON4K9J0f2Gxkd-1WVFwP82zl2IVjAj-IehJJCntKWvzT11uOkw91P5zjgJZ4Z74Arm5TRY0bvNNW6c-1fheDiIgM4IxvH4/s640/Feast1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1toiewe_nIDbdd5D_4ffKgNPvuD9JYc0A-qauG5baukquP4k6kQOA1M0WNTMPZV0rov87xzoTG3B5HXL2xfxayON4K9J0f2Gxkd-1WVFwP82zl2IVjAj-IehJJCntKWvzT11uOkw91P5zjgJZ4Z74Arm5TRY0bvNNW6c-1fheDiIgM4IxvH4/w640-h480/Feast1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>We are in my favorite time of the year. I love October, it is my favorite month. This week has been lovely but quite windy. The kind of wind that we find in <i>Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day</i>. </p><p>One of the big trees near my house was covered in beautiful autumnal color yesterday and when I awoke this morning, there were only a few branches left with leaves still clinging to them. It was that windy overnight...<br /></p><p>Every year in that brief period of time when the world around me is full of magic... the Narnia kind of magic... I am reminded how quickly this beautiful season comes and goes. I try to cherish each day filled with the colors of Autumn but my human senses can only take so much at a time. However, I have tried to breath it all in. <br /></p><p>Thank you for your well wishes last Sunday. It was a difficult week. Along with not feeling well, I was hit with the worst vertigo I have had in awhile on the morning where I had an important retinal specialist appointment that afternoon. I was able to reschedule for this week and the vertigo went away with the help of Benedryl and sleep. I was very thankful it lasted only one day.<br /></p><p></p><p>If you deal with a chronic illness or have someone close to you that does, you are well aware of the ups and downs such illness brings. When I was first diagnosed with Type 1 (Juvenile) diabetes over twenty years ago, my day-to-day life wasn't changed all that much, except for a modified diet. Two decades later and just about everything has changed.</p><p>You will recognize the photo above if you have been around here very long. It is a photo I took many years ago at the Fall historical reenactment we love to attend. I went with Mr. & Mrs. Christopher and the kids last year, after making arrangements to drive our van and meet them where one can catch a bus to the reenactment. I enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and reenactments for a couple of hours before I had to leave. </p><p>This year, I had to decline attending at all. Walking very far has become more difficult, especially when there is no place to easily stop and sit for awhile. They took photos for me to enjoy vicariously.<br /></p><p>The lessons I have learned from dealing with illness over the years have come in handy in the events that started early 2020. Enjoying the beauty of life becomes a decision when everyday living becomes more of a challenge. Let's just say that I now remind myself a lot to <i>Carpe Diem.</i></p><p>Recently, I have noticed a few vloggers of preparedness videos reminding people that we all need to continue enjoying life whenever possible. I think almost everyone I listen to on YouTube have a Christian (or highly moral) perspective as they are the people who provide instruction and encouragement in the midst of doom and gloom. (I had to stop listening to those who seemed to provoke fear on purpose to keep followers.)<br /></p><p>So, it doesn't surprise me that the same Holy Spirit that resides in each believer is teaching many of us the same message. This is your one life God has given you to live so enjoy each day as much as possible... regardless of the circumstances. Or, in Latin... <i>Carpe Diem.</i></p><p>The enemy of our soul and his minions are doing everything to keep our mind thinking dark and fearful thoughts. The bringers of news have always "led with what bled" only now with the advent of 24/7 news channels and the Internet, it is more difficult to escape. </p><p>I make a real effort to spend only a small amount of time reading news from sources I trust and even then, the events going on in the world could bring one down if not keeping our eyes on Jesus and His Word.</p><p>I think one of the things that I find both sad and vexing is how much deception is in the world... and the church... today. Even though it was predicted that deception would happen, seeing it play out before my eyes is still surprising. When our newest Supreme Court justice was asked the definition of woman and she said she was not a doctor and could not answer that question, she was still put through as a judge on the nation's highest court. </p><p>Can you imagine if someone gave that answer just ten years ago? Now, most people don't see anything strange with that answer. I ask God every day for His discernment to show me what is true and what... is a very good deception.<br /></p><p>None of this is taking God by surprise and what does He tell us over and over? Fear not for I am with you, even until the end of the Age. He could have placed each of us on this planet any time over thousands of years but He put us here now. This year. This month. This day!</p><p>So, obviously in the midst of all the craziness and yes, that which is fearful... He has a reason that each of us is here now. I have pondering about it a lot recently. I have often thought if we are still here, then it is for some major reason or event. The more pondering I do, the more I think that is not the case.</p><p>I am beginning to realize that He wants us here for a few reasons, the first is to pray for our families and friends. But He may want you here to be the person who is available to help someone in need who is on the verge of suicide. You may be here to bake cookies and offer a meal to the single mother who is now emotionally falling apart with the cost of food and housing.</p><p>He may place friends and family in your mind who need a written letter of encouragement or perhaps even the plan of salvation. It never ceases to surprise me that there are people who grew up in America who have never heard the Gospel, that Jesus came to pay the price for the sin of Eden and to legally win us back for our Father in Heaven.</p><p>We only have to accept His salvation by admitting we are sinners and that we believe He truly is the Son of God. He wants us to learn what is in the Bible and how to talk to Him (ie: pray) any time of the day. How sad that few churches preach salvation or have Bible studies these days. There may be people in Heaven someday because you were brave enough to share the Gospel with them!</p><p>No one who still has breath is here without a purpose. If you ask God what He would have you do to help others, He will tell you. I have learned that He does not care so much what I cannot do these days, He wants to use what I can do. Even while sitting at a desk or writing on the tablet in the recliner.</p><p>One of my heroes of the faith is Joni Erickson Tada and I saw an interview with her recently when she was asked how she gets through life as a paraplegic who feels constant pain (somehow that is not fair!). She said there are two ways she had made it through in all of these decades. </p><p>First, she takes one day at a time. She feels she can get through the next twenty-four hours and that is all God is asking. Second, the older she gets (she is now in her early 70s), the more she thinks of Heaven. It has become more real to her every day and she knows she is only passing through this life. It is Heaven that is her real home.</p><p>I think we can all benefit from the wisdom she has gained. Because she has never given up in self pity (well, if you saw the film or read the book <i>Joni </i>then you know she dealt with it in the beginning), handicapped people throughout the world have been given medical care and wheelchairs through her ministry.</p><p>God does not waste any trial and often it is from our greatest trials that He is able to use us even now. Maranatha!<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p><i>Joni </i>by Joni Erickson Tada. Info... <a href="https://amzn.to/3VVgg6z" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Her more recent autobiography is... <a href="https://amzn.to/3CUT3J4" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /></p><p><b>Disclaimer</b>: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-14078226969853240452022-10-22T16:45:00.003-04:002022-10-22T16:45:59.876-04:00Living the Pantry Lifestyle - It looks like changes are here to stay<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULjPC5gjVrqdJ3dahvmk6HeTFqxcCa-dHbEqyvqjwkF0rJ-kVv2WgZ4_QG_NErOOo7rpokfVcFEq7lFbSw6BWxQA1n0IIIBmxW6r0kGvS_lDwvFJVUsKecCX33ZIe5XBRfnyK_BiZUE8-LNcgvLqMdEoqtfIWbe14k9QRDXhLuqd2PtyeMfM/s832/Vintage3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULjPC5gjVrqdJ3dahvmk6HeTFqxcCa-dHbEqyvqjwkF0rJ-kVv2WgZ4_QG_NErOOo7rpokfVcFEq7lFbSw6BWxQA1n0IIIBmxW6r0kGvS_lDwvFJVUsKecCX33ZIe5XBRfnyK_BiZUE8-LNcgvLqMdEoqtfIWbe14k9QRDXhLuqd2PtyeMfM/w492-h640/Vintage3.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><br />I have thought a lot over the years about the "suddenlies" of preparedness. We still see it today when a natural disaster hits like the hurricane in Florida. My heart goes out to all of you who live in that area. <p></p><p>As you know, I believe even a small amount of preparedness for the "suddenlies" will keep people from having to go out for food, water, medicine, and other essentials in the midst of an emergency. But nothing can prepare anyone for the devastation like that, except for having an emergency evacuation plan in place.<br /></p><p>Sometimes those who do not live near the natural disaster experience sudden shortages. An unexpected, although entirely understandable, shortage of gallon size containers of water is being felt in other parts of the country as large amounts of bottled water are being shipped to Florida where it is needed. </p><p>I remember after Katrina, a good friend who lived in the desert of New Mexico found the grocery shelves low on food there for awhile because trucks were being rerouted to the Gulf states. This was before shortages were even thought possible.</p><p>So, it is with good reason that most people who ponder preparedness subjects think a lot about those events that happen suddenly and how families could be prepared. Our two long term job losses were both unexpected and sudden, it doesn't have to be a natural disaster. </p><p>But in past emergency situations I have known, they were always over within a relatively short period of time.<br /></p><p>I was "chatting" with a friend this week over emails about how the inflation and shortages are here to stay. It has become obvious there will be no quick fix and return to normal soon. I guess I'm quite slow but it has taken a little over 1- 1/2 years to realize I need to change from "short-term shortages" thinking to a more long-term different-way-of-life plan.</p><p>This takes more thought than researching shortages and stocking up a bit on those items that may be hard to buy later this winter. With out of control inflation, which it is even though the evening news would not admit it (does anyone in Washington do their own grocery shopping?), we are no longer just purchasing for the pantry... our way of life most of us have known has changed.</p><p>I was a bride during the last period of inflation like this but even then, I don't remember this kind of food inflation. We lived in Married Student Housing since my husband was working on a Master's Degree so we were used to living on a tight budget.</p><p>For many years, there were some sections of the grocery store I didn't bother going near. For instance, the only time steaks were purchased were special occasions like birthdays or our anniversary. Even then, it was often less expensive in the long run to go out to a steak house rather than cooking steak dinners at home. </p><p>Many households saw steak dinners as a special treat. But these days, even the cost of ground beef is getting out of reach for a growing segment of society. Chicken has become expensive unless one is fortunate to find a good sale. I bought a whole chicken at Aldi last week and had to think awhile if the cost was worth it but I figured I could get three meals out of it if I made soup.</p><p>I must admit that I don't have many suggestions this week. The realization that this is going to be a long term challenge is still sinking in. Besides the shortages of food and the much higher prices, there is a lot of talk about how much it is going to cost to heat our homes this winter. </p><p>What I have been doing is paying more attention to menu planning for dinners. I am looking through recipes I already make that are reasonably priced and/or that can be stretched. For instance, on Monday I finished making the vegetable beef soup from stock I made on Saturday and I immediately put part of the soup in two quart size freezer containers that went to the deep freeze as soon as they cooled.</p><p>A friend shared kale from their garden before we had a couple of freezes and it is in the refrigerator as I plan to use it as a "side green" this week. On Thursday, I roasted four sweet potatoes and one butternut squash I had cut into thirds on a sheet pan. The leftover squash was sauteed and served with sausage patties today with leftover frozen peas from Thursday.</p><p>The leftover baked sweet potatoes will be served with Sunday's dinner or perhaps mixed with pancake batter Monday morning. There was a time when I would not have put so much thought into using every bit of leftover food as part of another meal. </p><p>I think most of the time we save money the best by cooking from scratch. It just makes sense that we are not paying anyone else to do the prep work for us. However, there are times I need to use some pre-made or healthy processed foods because I am too tired to make dinner. </p><p>I purchase
packages of chopped salad for instance, on sale when possible. But since one package
provides a large salad for two people, it is more reasonable than
buying individual ingredients. The chopped salads provide an easy and healthy dinner. I add a chopped tomato, sliced
cucumber, and a couple sliced green onions to the basic chopped salad
for added nutrition.</p><p>Sometimes I purchase pre-made items because they are well made and at times, not more expensive because they use out of season fruit. For instance, my husband loves strawberry rhubarb pie but making it
out of season is very expensive. Instead, for a treat, I purchase a
Mrs. Callenders frozen strawberry rhubarb pie at Kroger and keep it in the deep freeze to serve as a special treat. <br /></p><p>Since eating out has become so expensive, I have begun keeping some frozen items to prepare in the air fryer on evenings when I am very tired. They are semi-homemade but far less expensive than their counterparts at a restaurant. </p><p>By planning ahead of time, I can prepare some of the dinner prep in the mornings when I have more energy. I also make certain to keep dishes washed and the kitchen tidied so there is not as much work to do in the evening. My husband is really good about some housework, I haven't washed the tub or made our bed in decades! However, he absolutely despises washing dishes. <br /></p><p>Our favorite Chinese take-out is now a once a month treat and sometimes we will meet "the kids" at a diner for breakfast before they begin their busy schedule of work and homeschooling. We must put some fun and family time together in the budget! I have to decline fun activities so often due to health that when I can say yes... we go!<br /></p><p></p><p>I plan to re-read <i>The Feast Nearby </i>this week. Since I originally bought it on Kindle, I can increase the font and read it again now. I will include a link below but there are very few reasonably priced hardback copies. They were expensive even before it went out-of-print. I bought the Kindle version many years ago because it was much more reasonably priced. </p><p>It is one of those food related books that is easy to read in the Kindle format, too. I have probably read it through three times over the years but it is time again for inspiration in putting good food on the table on a budget. I have recommended it many times before. It is the kind of book I believe all of us are needing now. Few of us can do everything she did to put food on the table but there are still good ideas.<br /></p><p>I have probably rambled too long already today. It has been a week of ponderings! Have a good week and remember that God will never forsake you. I have seen him work miracles in the lean years that still amaze me when I think of them today.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mentioned in this Blog Post</span></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PVhc7mnVGXc1XdLOzgKXWufuS6iymCl_LRbt0cewGKb_14lfrsGGMzERRnxs5jlgQ2o5WwezkjE0NMEyoxe4OapAS7I2F9MAjSYAi4e8-BFiJauAyQnwLC95cAv4jTbSwVvSLid0wAZSK3eX_yIFY4qahbrVbdenB1m8NPCiFiF9jZNQJ7Y/s346/000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PVhc7mnVGXc1XdLOzgKXWufuS6iymCl_LRbt0cewGKb_14lfrsGGMzERRnxs5jlgQ2o5WwezkjE0NMEyoxe4OapAS7I2F9MAjSYAi4e8-BFiJauAyQnwLC95cAv4jTbSwVvSLid0wAZSK3eX_yIFY4qahbrVbdenB1m8NPCiFiF9jZNQJ7Y/s320/000.jpg" width="213" /></a></b></div><b>The Feast Nearby:</b> <i>How I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on $40 a week) </i>by food journalist Robin Mather.<p></p><p>Info... <a href="https://amzn.to/3DoHL1j" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /></p><p><b>Disclaimer</b>: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate Links.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32960314.post-36584018163726450712022-10-16T15:31:00.002-04:002022-10-16T15:41:56.361-04:00Sunday Afternoon Tea - Creating Sanctuary at Home<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqYTN5xw5rrGpEePjnTCNAnGHni5Vj3d6Ctt0cZT1Y_n4uoO_RsuZOWoMN3gKmSJeXyxat7nUQDSs8vOu5fazIhES4x-8BUgNCoyogLTnbLhlbXkSFmDU_mYbYFve7xJ-zuwrSzYGGVbOCxZF25EYYnD-WXNld-q7pHkBnjbb7rl0ioykBRk/s960/Warming%20up%20in%20badgers%20kitchen%20by%20Chris%20Dunn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="960" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqYTN5xw5rrGpEePjnTCNAnGHni5Vj3d6Ctt0cZT1Y_n4uoO_RsuZOWoMN3gKmSJeXyxat7nUQDSs8vOu5fazIhES4x-8BUgNCoyogLTnbLhlbXkSFmDU_mYbYFve7xJ-zuwrSzYGGVbOCxZF25EYYnD-WXNld-q7pHkBnjbb7rl0ioykBRk/w640-h478/Warming%20up%20in%20badgers%20kitchen%20by%20Chris%20Dunn.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div><i><span style="color: #660000;">(I am just a wee bit under the weather today, So, I am revisiting a favorite blog post from 2017. It is difficult to believe that Coffee Tea Books & Me has passed an anniversary milestone in August. I am now in my seventeenth year of chatting with you on Sundays. Amazing... )</span></i><br /><p></p><p>I walked down the gravel lane this week, the forest on my left and my
neighbor's red barn across the County road. I'll be able to see the
barn clearly soon. The trees are mostly green but brown leaves and
black walnuts on the ground tell me Fall is here, in spite of the warm
temperatures.<br />
<br />
I couldn't help but think how peaceful the scene was as opposed to the
scenes on my TV for days upon days. The world has never been a safe
place. Not really. However, it is apparent it becomes less so each
day.<br />
<br />
So all of this has me coming back to a subject I've written about
before. One that is a mainstay of my writing. That is the subject
of... home as a sanctuary. I put a lot of thought into creating such a
home. It can be accomplished, whether one lives in a dorm room or a
castle. Actually, I think it is easier to accomplish in a smaller
place.<br />
<br />
My goal is to have someone walk into our Living Room from outside and
immediately feel calmer. Even if for about a year now, the Dining Room
area has been full of papers and boxes as my husband has been working on
a long term project.<br />
<br />
<b>If perfection is the goal and one cannot have sanctuary without it... it will never happen.</b>
I do not like clutter but I've learned to look at the Beauty around
the papers and pray for the day when it gets put away. But when we know
company is coming, he does pack up the boxes and hides them in our
bedroom. There are ways to achieve temporary success.<br />
<br />
Now that my children are grown, I actually miss the days of Legos
(although not stepping on them) and doll clothes and creative projects
being strewn around various rooms. I wish I had developed the ability
to look past the clutter when they were home. I'm thinking that is
where I learned the ability, though.<br />
<br />
So in my home, I need to think through what is sanctuary and how to
achieve it in spite of living in a fallen world with less than perfect
people (including myself). The first thing I did... long ago... was to
cut out photos in decorating magazines of rooms that I thought beautiful
and brought me peace.<br />
<br />
I know I've written about this before but it worked and I still do so
from time to time. I learned from years of looking at images of rooms
that there was a constant in what I loved. Items that would appear in
the pictures, certain colors, lots of plants, lots of wood, vintage
dishes, pewter, silver, pottery, books... lots of books, tea things, a
cat here and there, images that made me smile.<br />
<br />
My Study mostly embraces everything I love, which is possible because it
is my room... my reward for the Empty Nest Syndrome. (It isn't easy
for homeschool moms to find no children at home, as I was surprised to
find.) When life is far from perfect, I can shut the door and play
music and read and write a friend an email... no TVs are allowed in the
Study.<br />
<br />
The Study is where I keep everything I use to create, that doesn't have
anything to do with food. I still miss Victoria jumping on my desk when I
would begin a creative project. She loved washi tape. However,
Florentine provides hours of comic relief. So a cat (or more) in the
home is a good thing. I will admit that dogs can be, too, but don't
tell Florentine I said that.<br />
<br />
Other rooms in the house, while containing much of what I love, also had
to be comfortable for the two guys who lived in the house. So the only
foo foo dainty items are the tea cups and teapots, most of which are in
the china cabinet and on the hutch. I hung my favorite Dutch lace
curtains in the dining area when we moved in and a Dutch lace valance
acts as a petticoat showing under a plaid valance in the kitchen. A
little bit of girlie pretty they didn't mind.<br />
<br />
If a home is to be a sanctuary for everyone who lives there, it has to
be comfortable. There must be places one can bring a pillow and a throw
and nap on Sunday afternoons or read when taking a break from
housework. There must be furniture that is sturdy for rowdy boys
(including husbands who never grew up) and safe places where they can
put up their feet without worry.<br />
<br />
We have, of course, made books a priority and many bookcases make for a
very cozy environment. Most of our books came from library sales. We
have favorite TV shows and movies on DVDs, collected over the years with
Amazon credit or received as gifts. Since the kids moved out, most of
the music in the house is what I have collected over many years. My
husband likes to listen to his favorite music on the computer in the
office.<br />
<br />
As I have been working in the Study this weekend, I have had two albums
playing on the CD player, rotating off and on according to my mood.
Playing now is Michael Card's amazing <i>Starkindler </i>"album", with
favorite Celtic Christian music bringing peace. The other is a favorite
John Denver CD, purchased at Cracker Barrel a couple Christmas seasons
ago.<br />
<br />
Sitting next to them is a George Strait CD, also from Cracker Barrel
using a Christmas gift card, and an Indelible Grace CD of seemingly
ancient hymns revised with modern arrangements. If anything, my taste
is eclectic. Come the beginning of November, the wicker basket with the
Christmas music will be pulled out. As with Christmas movies and
books, one month is not enough to enjoy them.<br />
<br />
I find sanctuary in the kitchen as I prepare soup or make bread. As I
write, the ingredients to make orange cranberry bread are coming to room
temperature. They will transform into a loaf for a treat this week and
a loaf for the freezer. Last night I cut the backbone from a whole
chicken to try a new-to-me baking technique called Spatchcock chicken,
something I've wanted to do for quite awhile. Since I love to cook,
trying the new technique took my mind off of the troubles of the world.
It was delicious by the way.<br />
<br />
I find peace when I sweep the kitchen floor, lemon oil furniture, polish
the thrift store silver, as well as chopping vegetables to prepare
dinner. The nice outcome of doing these things is that others in the
home appreciate the outcome. Whether a lovely meal or keeping the
antiques looking beautiful.<br />
<br />
Last week I wanted to decorate the breakfront for Fall but it needed to
be lemon oiled first. So I put on the podcast with Sally Clarkson
talking to Michael Ward and enjoyed the process of seeing wood come back
to its' natural warm glow as the oil was rubbed into it.<br />
<br />
I should mention here that I am married to someone with a Master's
Degree from the school of Forestry at the University, specializing in
Wood Science and Furniture Engineering. So no can of Pledge will ever
be found in our home. Never. Ever. I learned that our first year of
marriage. But I digress...<br />
<br />
I think part of what makes our home a sanctuary is not only what is in
it, but what is not. I'm careful about the books, movies, TV shows, and
even the artwork which hangs on the walls. Everything should bring
peace and never be defiling before God. I know we all have different
opinions of what that would be so each home would be different. I watch
documentaries about Bigfoot and things that go bump in the night but
never horror movies. Go figure.<br />
<br />
It can take a lifetime to tweak a home to be exactly what would bring us
sanctuary. We have spent many a weekend when the kids were younger,
searching treasures at garage sales. Since I presently have "enough", I
mostly go to Goodwill and thrift stores to find small treasures to
enhance the Beauty.<br />
<br />
Even if we had lots of money to spend on furniture, art, and decorations, one does not create sanctuary overnight. <b>It is the process of the creating that also brings peace and that does not arrive by UPS. </b><br />
<br />
Of course, one cannot have a peaceful home that is a sanctuary if one
does not have peace in their heart. That comes from knowing the Prince
of Peace. For peace is a Person. One can have the most lovely home in
the neighborhood and be full of desperation. One can spend a lot of
time decorating their home and making it almost perfect but people will
not want to spend time there because of the atmosphere in the home.<br />
<br />
So I believe that the most important part of having a sanctuary is in
having it be a Christ centered home by knowing Him personally
ourselves. He knows that we will not be perfect this side of Eternity
but we are running the race in such a way as to become more like Him
each day.<br />
<br />
He knows that our home will never be perfect until we reach our Heavenly
Home. But the process of making it lovely and a sanctuary is part of
living the life He has given us... never ever achieving perfection.
Good enough will be... good enough... when it comes to our homes.<br />
<br />
Now, the fun begins. Think of ways your home can be even more of a
sanctuary for friends and family as it is today. I enjoy asking God to
show me more ways to create Beauty on a budget. Life with Him should
not be boring.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Mentioned in this Post</span><br />
<br />
<i>Starkindler </i>by Michael Card... <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SKF5LQ?ie=UTF8&tag=cotebome-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=B000SKF5LQ" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Spatchcock Chicken.</i>.. <a href="https://youtu.be/pod4x5NJoYI" target="_blank">here</a>.
This video is very quick while doing a good job showing how to spatchcock a chicken.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Sally's podcast with Michael Ward</i>... <a href="http://sallyclarkson.com/blog/2017/10/3/a-mini-podcast-and-more" target="_blank">here</a>. Click on the Play Podcast window.<br />
<br />
Disclaimer: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.<br />
<br />
<i>Image: Warming up in Badger's kitchen by Chris Dunn</i> <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1