Persistence Pays Off

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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... ;)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

I pray you all are having a blessed Winter (Summer south of the equator!).

Image:  This photo of my neighbor's barn is from a few years ago but the outside world looks similar today.

What I am Doing While I am Still Waiting

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. 

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 some co-pays and that is only for some insurance companies.  None of that applies to me since I get both of my insulins through a special program offered by my clinic. 

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.

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.

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 An Everlasting Meal?) that I learned one can make and freeze ham stock just like other meats.

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.

Speaking of the book, An Everlasting Meal, 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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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 Victoria and other beautiful magazines and such, cutting them out, and filing them to have them ready when doing any scrapbook journaling.  

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. 

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).

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.

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. ;)

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.  

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.

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.

Mentioned in this Blog Post

Once again, An Everlasting Meal... here.

The Everlasting Meal Cookbook pre-order info... here. (I am intrigued by this one.)

Image:  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.

When the Unexpected Happens

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!).

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.

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.

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 The Last Bookshop in London.  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.

I had purchased Lilibet the Brave: The Unusual Childhood of an Unlikely Queen 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.

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.

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.

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).

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.  ;)

Mentioned in this Blog Post

The Last Bookshop in London is available... here.

Lilibet the Brave: The Unusual Childhood of an Unlikely Queen is available... here.

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Sunday Afternoon Tea - Changes in the New Year

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.  

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  ;)

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).

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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 Coffee Tea Books & Me for many years have noticed a change... although I have tried not to show my declining health.

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.

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.  ;)

So, I will still be here!  God willing and the creek don't rise.  At the moment, it is freezing over.

Image:  The breakfront decorated for Christmas a few years ago.

Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Buying this year to save in the future

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.  

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.  ;)

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. 

Image:  Christmas Glow

Sunday Afternoon Tea - The Gift of Grace

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

What have I been reading?

I'm still reading books mentioned last week but I also started through (late as usual) a favorite Advent book called Prepare Him Room 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.  

I do still love Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus 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.

What have I been watching?

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.

Did you see the announcement that Sarah and her mom (Sally Clarkson) are going to be the Victoria Magazine Writers-in-Residence for 2023?  

I was able to watch one of my favorite Christmas movies, A Smoky Mountain Christmas, 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!

Mentioned in this Blog Post

Prepare Him Room by Susie Larson... here.

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus... here.

Sarah Wanders on Instagram... here.

Susie Larson on Instagram... here.

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Eating from the pantry and a favorite recipe

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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!

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!  

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Macaroni and Cheese with a Buttered Cracker Topping

• 2 Cups elbow macaroni (Pasta shapes like shells would work, too.)
  
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons butter
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons flour
• 2 Cups milk (I have a little extra available if the sauce needs more)
• 2 Cups shredded cheese, I use mild cheddar
  

• Topping: 1 sleeve Ritz style crackers crushed, 3 to 4 Tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

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!

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.

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.

Butter or grease a casserole dish.  I use a 9 x 13 but a square dish works fine, too.

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.  

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.

It can be served immediately but it is very hot.  I have found letting it sit about ten or fifteen minutes helps.

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!

Image:  A blog friend created this a number of years ago.  I have always loved it.

Sunday Afternoon Tea -When Heaven touches the Earth

“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.”
C. S. Lewis

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.

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.

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? 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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 White Christmas and The Bishop's Wife.  

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...

As far as reading, I am currently re-reading the sequel to A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge called Sister of the Angels. 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.

I will then re-read Christmas at Fairacre by Miss Read.  It contains Village Christmas, The Christmas Mouse, and No Holly For Miss Quinn 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mentioned in this Blog Post

My former Holiday Season List post... here.  It still has lots of good ideas!

Sister of the Angles... here.  (This is still pricey because it is published by a small publishing company that has reprinted some rare books.)

Christmas at Fairacre... here. (It looks like this is now only available third-party but they are very reasonably priced.)

Elizabeth Goudge Book Club on IG... here.

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Image:  Season of Peace

Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Inflation has changed our buying and meal planning habits

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. 

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.

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!

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!  

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. 

I am doing everything possible not to waste any food and even then, I had a bag of salad go bad before the Use By 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mentioned in this Blog Post

Everlasting Meals... here.

My sister's recipe... here.

Kind of like I made the pulled pork... here.  Every recipe I looked up had different seasonings.

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.

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.

Disclosure:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Monday Afternoon Tea? -- A lovely Thanksgiving

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

Image:  Afternoon Tea by Tracy Hall

Sunday Afternoon Tea - The things in our control

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.   

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

On the other hand, recently I was watching one of the videos of The Elliott Homestead.  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.  

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).  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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

Mentioned in this Blog Post

The Elliott Homestead on YouTube... here.  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.

Take Peace: A Corgi Cottage Christmas on Amazon Prime Video... here.  I think this is still available on Amazon Prime as is Take Joy: The Magical World of Tasha Tudor... here.  

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.

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Cooking to battle inflation

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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. 

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?

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.

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.

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.

I will be away from blogging next weekend and the following Saturday as I will have company coming and going so there will be no time for putting together anything other than making memories.  

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.  

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.

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. 

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Lodge Dutch Oven 6 quart... here. 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... here. (The 4 quart size is on sale at the moment.)

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.

Jess the Pilgrim on Instagram... here.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup... here. 

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Image:  Apple Pie Harvest

Sunday Afternoon Tea - Peace that passes understanding

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.  

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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 Left Behind 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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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):  

"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."

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The term spidey-sense comes from the fictional Spider-Man.  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.  ;)