Got A Few Things Accomplished

Well, it didn't rain after all, but it was still cloudy and cool so it still felt cozy.  : )

I did get a few things accomplished from yesterday's list:

First:

I spent a couple of hours working on greeting cards.

Second:

I mended the items that have been laying around for quite a while.  It felt like a day to mend everything by hand.  Now it's done.  : )

And, lastly:

I made the yellow cake mix for the pantry.  I haven't actually made one to bake yet, so I hesitate in giving out the directions and recipe.  Maybe if I have time tomorrow, I will go ahead and make this again and bake it so I can let you know how it tastes.  : )

So, three very different things done today.  Things that are out of the ordinary.  The cards are fun and creative to make and are very handy when you feel like sending a card out to someone.  Mending the clothes and washcloths were a needed thing to do.  And the cake mix for the pantry was something that I tend to do occasionally to build up the pantry so we don't have to buy certain items from the store.  It's all enjoyable work and a wonderful break in the week.

Enjoy your home!  : )  God bless.

Wednesday Evening

There were three goals for this day - go grocery shopping, clean the bathroom, and do a couple loads of laundry.  Happy to say they were all done by early afternoon, so it was down time after that.  I perused a couple of magazines that were given by a friend, talked to that friend on the phone for a while, and did my Bible study lessons for next week.  What a cozy afternoon, especially after Spring cleaning the living/dining room the last couple of days.  It just felt good to sit in my favorite rocker with a cup of hot coffee and look around at what we got accomplished.  My back has been especially bad lately so doing very little in the afternoon felt good. As I write this post, I'm sitting with an electric back massager (with heat) trying to make my back feel a bit better.   : )

Tomorrow I'm hoping to have a creative type of day.  There are greeting (and Easter) cards that need to be made, I have two washcloths, a skirt, and a top that all need some kind of mending, and I cut another apron out of a pair of old blue jeans that is screaming for lace and other embellishments to be added to it.

I also hope to bake a couple loaves of quick cinnamon raisin bread to be put in the freezer for when we have a hankering for oven-baked French toast.  And I want to make some cake mixes to put into jars for the pantry.  It's suppose to be a deliciously rainy day tomorrow and all of the above things sound like rainy-day projects to me.  : )

Until tomorrow, I bid you a good evening.  God bless.

Cleaning, Mending, Cooking

Now that doggie dears are gone, it is on to the Spring cleaning.  The living room/dining area are done as of this afternoon (except for cleaning the area rug - we will rent a carpet cleaner soon):

My retired husband helped me this year which was such a blessing.  The aches and pains in my body aren't going away, so the extra help was very much needed.  When we were first finished, we had talked about how we didn't think the two rooms were that dirty to begin with, but now that it's done......yes, there IS a noticeable difference.  It feels really good.  : )  Next week, we'll tackle the kitchen.

I'm also doing some mending:

We can afford to go out and buy another pair of socks, but why?  Clothes can be mended and it's important to ask yourself if the clothes are still good to wear other than the tiny hole that can be mended or if the whole sock, top, skirt, etc. is in bad condition and therefore has to be thrown in the rag bag.  Also, if you remember, before tossing something out ask yourself another question - can I re-purpose this?  Can I cut the fabric up for another use?  Is the zipper still good?  Are the buttons still good?  If the answer is yes, rip out the zipper or cut off the buttons for another use.  Good stewardship!!!!!  : )

And, then, cooking still needs to be done in order to eat!  : )

These are just items for a taco salad bar that we enjoyed on Sunday - what I really wanted to show you was the piece of wood sitting on top of the stove (covering all the burners).  If you have a tiny kitchen like I do, this is a wonderful thing to do.  It adds space for sitting things on after you are done cooking and serving from for a party.  I've used it MANY times over the years and it works wonderfully.  : )

The last thing I wanted to show you is this:

These are orange peels with vinegar poured over them to cover.  My friend, Violet, told me about this a long time ago and I am just doing it now.  You let the jar sit in the sun for about 3 - 4 weeks and after that, you will have a wonderful smelling cleaner to use in the kitchen.  I'm really looking forward to it being "done."  : )

That is it from here.  Thank you for your visit - I do appreciate it.  

A Look Back

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."  Romans 12:15

Again, looking back on the week helps me to see how God worked in whatever we had going on. The above verse came to mind.  It actually WAS a week where we rejoiced over good news from friends, and it was a week where we mourned over devastating news from other friends. There is never a time where we are all going through the happy and peaceful times and there is never a time where we are all experiencing deep pain and suffering.  There are those who are going through such blessing and joy and there are others who are going through excruciating things and then still others who are going through a little of both.

And God is in all of it.  We tend to see it best when everything is fine.  It's a little bit harder to see it when darkness falls.  And, we as people, need to be in all of it too.  It's okay to laugh and be joyful with someone who needs you to laugh and be joyful with them, but it's okay to weep with someone who needs you to be understanding in what they are going through.  I know from experience how it feels when I need someone to be a bit thoughtful and they kind of shrug it off, but I also know how wonderful it feels when they show empathy and understanding at just the right time.

What we need are real people in our lives, not the "likes" from the unknowns on social media.  We don't need tons of "friends" in our lives, but a few real ones that can walk through the good and bad with us. 

Ask the Lord today to give you the ability it takes to rejoice with those who rejoice and the strength it takes for you to mourn with those who mourn.  Because we will experience both (sometimes in the span of a week) and sometimes it feels very awkward but it's so important to the ones you experience it with.

Last Saturday of March

It's amazing that this is the last Saturday of March already.  Next Saturday will be April.  Time just seems to tick away and there is never a lack of anything to do!

The Spring cleaning I was looking forward to didn't happen this past week.  It just didn't seem to work while dog-sitting.  So our living room/dining room cleaning will (hopefully) get underway on Monday.  : )

Meanwhile, I will give you a list of Spring cleaning to-do's for the Kitchen:  (again, working from the top down!)

*scrub top of stove vent (if applicable)

*dust and wash all upper level shelves

*dust all upper ledges (doors, windows)

*wash any dishes or knicknacks that sit out in the open on the upper shelves

*wash upper walls

*wipe down the outside of upper cabinets

*wash top of refrigerator

*wash all curtains, clean blinds, and windows

*clean your back door (inside and out)

*wash middle level walls

*clean all appliances

*take everything off countertop(s) and wash

*wash backsplash

*clean out the fridge and throw anything old, put everything back (freezer too)

*clean the oven and stovetop

*wash down the outside of lower cabinets and drawers

*wash lower walls and baseboards

*wash all throw rugs

*sweep and mop the floor

*clean the sink last - make it sparkle!!!

*put freshly washed (and ironed) curtains and rugs back

*touch up any areas that you saw while cleaning with fresh paint

You have a brand new kitchen!!!!  Remember to change things up a bit too.  Put a pretty lamp on the counter for soft light in the evening.  Bring in some flowers to brighten it up.  Treat yourself to some new kitchen towels.  The kitchen is a place that we spend a lot of time in so make it a place that's inviting and comfortable and pretty.

Again, have fun with this!  It's a long list and it's a LOT to do, but when you pace yourself it will all get done and it will feel SO good.

Have a blessed Saturday.  Thank you for dropping by!

Garlic Butter

I believe, when you have pasta with sauce (aka Meatless Pasta Sauce from yesterday's post) you have to have garlic toast to go with it.  : )  This is very easy and you probably already have your own way of doing it, but I'll give you ours just in case:

GARLIC BUTTER FOR FRENCH BREAD

1 stick of butter

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion salt

1 tsp. parsley flakes

Combine and spread on both sides of cut French bread slices.  Put on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (flipping them over once) or until desired doneness (some like them crunchy, some like them still on the soft side, and some like them in between).

Happy eating!  : )  And have a good upcoming weekend.  Thanks for stopping by - as always, I appreciate your visit.

Meatless Pasta Sauce

If you have a meatless meal once in a while, this is a wonderful sauce to have on hand.  It makes a LOT so it would be great for a company meal, taking a meal over to someone, or freezing for later.

Here it is:

MEATLESS PASTA SAUCE

3, 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes (see note below)

1, 6 oz. can tomato paste

4 oz. of water (just use a part of the tomato paste can)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp. dried basil

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. pepper

Salt to taste

In a large pot on medium high heat, sweat the onion and garlic till onions are transparent.  Add remaining ingredients, turn up the heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered till sauce is thick (I had mine on the stovetop for 2 hours).  Stir occasionally.

*Note on tomatoes - I didn't have crushed tomatoes on my pantry shelf (just whole tomatoes) so I did a little check on-line to see what the difference was between the two (accept for the obvious reason of one being crushed and the other being whole).  Everything I read opted for using whole tomatoes over crushed.  With whole tomatoes you know what you're getting - the actual whole tomato.  With crushed tomatoes, they usually end up being the discarded parts or the not-so-perfect whole tomato they can with and end up being "crushed" and sold that way.  So, save yourself a trip to the store and the money and just keep cans of whole tomatoes on your shelf and crush them yourself.  I just used my hand (one of the best kitchen tools) and crushed them and they also break down during the long cooking period anyway.  : )

I do hope you can give it a try.  : )

Because we had so much leftover, for one lunchtime meal I made a Spaghetti pie (I forgot to take pictures).

You combine any leftover pasta with a couple Tablespoons of melted butter, some grated Parmesan cheese, and one beaten egg.  Line a pie plate with the noodles and form the "crust."  If you have any leftover cottage cheese or ricotta cheese you put that on top of the noodles.  (I didn't have any cottage cheese or ricotta, so I shredded some mozzarella cheese and sprinkled that over the noodles).  You then pour leftover spaghetti sauce on top of the cheese and sprinkle even more cheese on top.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or till bubbly and heated through.  This was very good and even with this we had enough for leftovers the next day!!!  We couldn't seem to eat it all up!  So, I think of this pantry meal as a VERY frugal meal to make.

That's it for today.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  God bless.

Dogs, Turkeys, And Even A Bunny

Our house has been turned upside down with these two cuties.  We have always been a family who had cats, so this is a first for all of us.  We are dog sitting for a few days and had no clue as to how active little doggies are.  They are very sweet and very active and it does take time to get used to it. We are used to cats who MAY glance your way upon entering the room (it all depends on whether or not they want to).  Now, when we enter a room, the doggies get up and follow us around.  SO afraid of stepping on them!!!  They love to be talked to and are well mannered - waiting for their treat, and so patient with us as we try to figure out the harness they have to have on before taking them on a outdoor potty break.  Our house needed a little liveliness and boy do we have it!  : )  Not a lot of work going on, but it's fun.

And our local turkeys are back in the yard!  Only they're bigger and colorful now.  They kinda creep me out.  : o

And this brave little guy seemed very interested in one of the turkeys.  The bunny went right up to one and the turkey looked down at him and they both went their separate ways.  I felt like we lived in a wildlife preserve area for a while!

That's about it from our house.  More (God willing) to come tomorrow.  Pray for London!!!!!!!

The Beginning of Spring........Cleaning

I looked ahead to the April to-do's and noticed that a lot of work goes on outdoors in April, so I thought I'd better get started on the indoor spring cleaning.  I think it will work better this year since my husband is now retired and can help a great deal.  

I love starting at our front door when deep cleaning.  It just feels like a good beginning point.  Here are some pointers when deep cleaning:

*remember to work from the top down all the way around your room - this means dusting off your walls, and dusting off your door and window ledges, cleaning off any cobwebs in the corners - this way all the dust your are cleaning off will make it's way down to the next level.  Don't clean the next level until you are done with the tops of everything.

*take a good look at your front door - dust it, do any paint touch-ups, etc.  If you have a screen door, wash it with warm water and take the windows out to clean them too.  Vacuum the screens.

*step outside your door and clean the outside as well.  Are there any outdoor cobwebs you need to get rid of?  Sweep the front steps (which really should be done on a daily basis).  Hang a pretty Spring wreath.

*wash any ceiling light fixtures

*take down all pictures from your walls and clean the glass and dust the frames - hang back up

*now comes the next level - the curtains and blinds (or whatever window treatment you have) - dust, wash, wash the windows, hang window treatments back up

*clean all furniture (front, back, sides - inside and out), take books out of bookcases and dust, put them back

*vacuum all lampshades, wash any oil lamp chimneys, etc.

*vacuum all chairs and sofas

*and then comes the last level to clean - the floors - clean all baseboards, touching up any paint if needed, clean out any floor vents, pick up all area rugs and either wash or shampoo or shampoo your carpet, clean hardwood floors if you have them, put the area rugs back down.

*you should be done!!!!!!!!!  : )

A reminder that this project isn't a one day project.  You can clean each level on three consecutive days or depending on energy and motivation, it can be spread throughout the week.  Only you know what you can do, but the ultimate goal is to get it thoroughly clean.  

Now would also be a good time to take a last look in those closets and drawers and clean them out too if you haven't been keeping up through the year.  Take everything out, clean out, and put things back in in an organized way.

That's the end of the Living Room (and if you have a Dining Room that is connected like we do) cleaning.  Now that it's deep cleaned, remember to keep up with your daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning of this area.  If you can keep up with that, you'll find the Spring cleaning won't take as long as it looks.

Have fun with this.  Cleaning isn't just to make things look nice, it's healthier to live in a home that is cleaned on a regular basis.

I will talk about the Kitchen cleaning next time.

God bless you in your homemaking efforts!!!!!!!!  

Sunday's Post On Saturday

I thought I would do tomorrow's post today because I am sitting here and the thoughts are coming to mind.  : )  It has been (unfortunately) a day of pretty much sitting all day due to a bad back.  I get this every so often and I know with a bad back I should move more than just sit and do nothing but having pain and moving don't seem to go together.  So, this day has been sitting and watching Saturday morning cooking shows and then afternoon Western's (with my husband).  If there is one thing I don't like it's sitting all day and doing nothing so I can't exactly say it was a good day.  But it is what it is and hopefully this will be short lived.

On a couple of my Sunday posts I've been trying to look back on the week and come up with a word I can use to describe what God has done.  And the word that came to mind was Provider.  

Monday - I was invited over to a friend's (and will some day be my son's mother-in-law) house.  She is a china painter and has wanted to show me how to do it as well (I will show you the finished product when it's available).

Tuesday - I had the energy and motivation to get my daily work done.

Wednesday - I (along with three other ladies from church) were invited to our Bible study leader's house to catch up on a lesson we missed last week.  A good time of discussion and prayer and fellowship.

Thursday - I not only had one phone call from a friend, but two!  So good to hear from them and catch up.

Friday - My husband and I were invited out (and treated) to lunch with our neighbors

Which leads me to today.  This day wasn't exactly what I had planned for it to be.  I had wanted to get to a couple of things that I had on my to-do list all week but didn't get to them.  That's not uncommon is it?  I will always plan but I need to be reminded that plans don't always work out.

So, again, I could look back on the week and see how God was Provider in my (our) life throughout the week.  Friendships, learning a new craft, strength and energy for daily tasks, learning Bible lessons with fellow sisters in Christ, unplanned enjoyment.

He KNOWS how much I need these people and activities in my life.  And He provides.  There is one thing I try to pray about on a regular basis and that is the fact that God would provide our daily needs. And the above list is it.  I don't pray for a newer, bigger house because I know that if I think for one minute that will be what it takes to make me happy, I'd be mistaken.  I don't pray for enough money for designer clothes, because new fancy clothing will not make me one bit nicer or more loving.  I don't pray for a new car because I know how quickly that new car smell fades but the payments for it do not.  I pray for our daily needs - we need friends we can count on, we need a purpose to get up in the morning, we need to learn and grow with fellow Christians as we learn about Jesus, we need some surprises along the way.  And He provides.  : )

Don't get me wrong.  I love houses.  I love looking at other people's houses and there IS a part of me that wishes I had a bit more room or a second bathroom or an updated kitchen.  And I love to look as nice as it's possible to look at age 57 (almost 58).  I want what clothes I do have to be clean and ironed and looking okay on me.  I'm not as into cars as my husband is so I don't desire a new car but we do keep up our old 2002 Ford Explorer making sure that it's washed on a regular basis and cleaned on the inside and do the basic maintenance as it needs it.  I do get a little discontented at times like everyone else so I need to be reminded of what really matters.  That's why I like to look back on the week.  It IS a reminder and God provided that too.  : )

May you have a wonderful upcoming Sabbath.     

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Are you wearing green today?  I've always liked the fact that I'm part Irish.  My grandmother (my dad's mom) was full Irish and came over from Ireland when she was but a wee lass. I wish I would have gotten to meet her.  I would have loved to hear her Irish brogue.  She died when my dad was only five years old and from what I hear she had a hard life.  So, for her, I try to do something on St. Patrick's Day.  : )

We don't particularly like corned beef around here (except for Reuben sandwiches), so I chose a small ham that is in the crockpot right now and making the house smell good.  I have also put small red potatoes and cabbage in another crockpot which is making the house NOT smell good.  ; )  I was hoping the good smell of the ham would overrule the smell of cabbage, but not so.  I was going to make my traditional Irish soda bread but it just felt like it would be a little too much for just the two of us.  Especially when we have leftover pineapple upside-down cake to finish off!  It may not be Irish, but it has to be eaten.  : )

If any of you have read my blog for any time you would know how I love my morning prayer time. I believe strongly in the power of prayer and I would encourage everyone to come to the Lord and have that special time alone with Him.  I have been re-reading a book from Emilie Barnes that I bought back in the early 1990's - "Things Happen When Women Care" - and I was reminded of putting a prayer basket together.  A basket to hold everything you need for time alone with the Lord. When I first bought this book and read about this idea I put one together right away because I loved the idea, but like so many things I got away from it.  So, when I read it again I put another basket together.  It's so handy.  You can grab it and go to your special quiet place and everything is at your fingertips.  Here is an example of mine:

The things that you might consider to put in your basket are:

*your Bible

*your prayer notebook

*your pen

*your glasses

*kleenex (a must for most mornings)

*any prayer booklets that you might use in addition to your daily prayers

*any Bible study books that you might be using in your group(s)

*whatever else you can think of

Then you place all of these items into your basket and you're ready!

So, with your cup of hot coffee or tea in one hand, you can easily pick up your basket and have everything you need with the most important meeting you will have in your day.  : )

Have a good upcoming weekend.  God bless.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

There's one problem (for us anyway) in buying a whole pineapple.  When you cut it into chunks, that's a LOT of chunks!  We've been eating pineapple for the past couple of days and I still found myself with leftovers.  So, a pineapple upside-down cake sounded good.  And it will be our dessert for supper tonight.  

Before pouring the batter in.

After baking and putting it upside-down!

This is used with a box of yellow cake mix that I wanted to use up anyway so that I can start making homemade cakes mixes to put into jars for the pantry.  And because, of course, I already had the fresh pineapple, cherries, brown sugar, and walnuts, this was another VERY thrifty way of using things up (and a mighty tasty one at that).  : )

Here is the recipe:

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

1, 18 oz. box yellow cake mix

3 eggs (or whatever it calls for on the box)

1/3 cup oil (or whatever it calls for on the box)

1 1/3 cups water (or whatever it calls for on the box)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1, 20 oz. can of pineapple slices (again, I used fresh pineapple, cut up)

maraschino cherries (optional, but pretty to add)

walnut halves (again, optional but adds a nice crunch)

Make the cake mix according to the directions and set aside.  Cut up the butter into chunks and put in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle the brown sugar over it all and put into a pre-heated 350 degree oven to melt.  Remove pan from oven and evenly space the pineapple on the bottom and if you are using the cherries and walnuts, put them in too.  Pour the cake batter on top of it all and bake as directed.  Mine took about 35 minutes.  As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, put an oblong cookie sheet over the top and flip it over immediately.  This step is important so that you don't allow the brown sugar to set up or your cake won't come out easily.  Let cool and enjoy!

That's it!  Have a good evening or day depending on where in the world you are (literally).  : )

God bless.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

When I was looking for a recipe for teriyaki chicken thighs, this recipe popped up and the first line of the recipe said - "A much requested recipe!"  Well, that's all I needed to hear (or read).  I gave it a try last night for supper.  And it was a huge success.  So, I wanted to definitely share it with you.

BAKED TERIYAKI CHICKEN

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. cold water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

12 skinless chicken thighs (I only had 8)

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine all the above ingredients (except chicken) and let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place skinless chicken thighs in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish and brush chicken with the sauce.  Turn pieces over and brush again (I actually spooned the sauce over using only a little bit at a time).  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes (spooning the sauce over the chicken every 10 minutes during the 1st 30 minutes).  Turn the pieces over and bake for another 30 minutes (again spooning the sauce over the chicken every 10 minutes during the last 30 minutes).  Bake until no longer pink (the full hour did the job).

Before baking.

After baking.  Yummy!

And how thrifty a meal this was.  I bought the 8 chicken thighs for $2.89.  And I already had the ingredients in my pantry.  This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a company meal and this WOULD make a great company meal!  Hope you can try it sometime soon.  : )

Thanks for stopping by!!!!

Tuesdays In The Kitchen

A little soft morning light coming in.

Right now the house is smelling pretty good from just a few apples that I've turned into applesauce. Not firm enough for snacking on but perfect for sauce.  Mmmmmmm.........   : )

Tuesday afternoons seem to be spent in the kitchen these days.  It works out well because I write out the menu for the week and the grocery list that goes with it, so I see what needs to be used up or what to make ahead before marketing day tomorrow.  

Let's see:

*We will be having a breakfast-for-supper meal one of these evenings so I mixed up a couple of bags of homemade pancake mix to have in the fridge for saving time.

OATMEAL PANCAKES

The mix:

1 cup flour, 1 tsp. salt, 2 Tbsp. white sugar, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 cup quick cooking oats, 6 Tbsp. dried buttermilk powder.  Mix well and put into storage bags and label.  As you can see, I also like to write the directions on the bag so I don't have to look for the recipe again.  : )

To use:

Pour mix into bowl and add 1 1/2 cups water (or if you are not using the dried buttermilk powder, it would be 1 1/2 cups buttermilk), 2 tsp. vanilla, 4 Tbsp. veg. oil, and 2 eggs.  Heat lightly oiled griddle or pan over medium high heat.  Pour approximately 1/4 cup batter onto griddle and cook.

I sometimes add 2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed to the mix, but I didn't have any.  Wrote it down though to buy tomorrow!!  

*I cut up a fresh pineapple for our meal tonight which will be Teriyaki Chicken Thighs, rice pilaf, baked sweet potatoes, and pineapple chunks.

In the evenings, I've been doing some relaxing hand sewing on my quilt:

My room faces west so I get the benefit of the evening sunset.  That's the one nice thing about the time change - the sun starts going down later.  : )

That is it for today.  So glad you stopped by for a visit.  God bless.

Sunday

Once again, I'm thinking back on the week.

*An evening of Bible study with friends and then ended up with a wonderful get-together of our adult children coming over for an ice cream party and social afterwards.

*Getting work done around the house that needs to be done.

*Enjoying the work God has given us to do.

*Going in for a colonoscopy and having it be okay (or as okay as a colonoscopy can be).  ; )

*Having a long phone chat with a sister.

*Having a couple of friends call to talk with.

*Helping a friend.

*Which leads up to today - a day of worshiping the Lord with fellow believers and praying together, and getting to meet new friends.

Every one of these things makes tears come to my eyes.  Because sprinkled among these wonderful things there has been concern, and sadness, and anxiousness, and misunderstandings.  Yet it's not until I list the good things that I comprehend how God is at work in it ALL.

He knows what we need.  He's sees our loneliness and brings people to fill the void.  He sees our doubt and brings renewed trust.  He sees our aging bodies and provides strength.  He sees our sadness and brings a touch of humor.  He sees the anxiety and brings a little calm.

This all brings gratitude and thankfulness and praise.  I hope you can look back on your week and see where God has come along beside you and given you what you needed at the time of your need.  And don't let it slip by.  Don't take it for granted.  Don't shrug it off.  Lift your eyes up to heaven and tell God just how much you realize He was there for you.  And then look for it again today and the week ahead.

Enjoy this Sabbath day and keep it Holy.  

Friday

*Dusting/vacuuming - done

*Laundry/Ironing - done

*Run a couple of errands - done

*Clean the bathroom - done

I never did get back into the kitchen to work on more mixes and other pantry items.  Maybe tomorrow?  Sometimes I sound a little like Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With The Wind - "I'll think about it tomorrow."  ; )

The afternoon ended nicely with a LONG phone chat with my oldest sister who lives miles and miles away. Her husband passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in September, so we have been keeping in touch by phone.  She is always cheerful and optimistic.  She is not only my sister, but my sister in Christ so we talk about scripture and the Lord.  Her husband was saved so we KNOW where he is right now and that brings the greatest comfort.  She's always busy with something.  She has a lot of friends.  But it's still very difficult.  So, in trying to find the things to be grateful for throughout the day, I think I would include the telephone to that list.  When you can't visit someone in person, there is something wonderful about at least hearing their voice on the other end.  : )  

I've been doing a lot of research on "Depression Era" homemaking and cooking lately and have been so motivated by that time period in our nation's history.   It seemed to have brought people back to reality after the extravagance of the "Roaring Twenties."  Getting back to basics and simplicity was pretty much the theme.  It was extremely tough, but so many lessons were learned from that.  I have been re-watching the television series "The Waltons" which, in the early episodes, it was all about living during that time in the 1930's.  The later episodes did expand into the 40's but I like the early years best.  Now, I know that this is television's version of how a family lived back then, but there are things about the show that I believe indicate how things were back then.

While I watch (I know most of them by heart so I don't have to listen close to the story anymore) I take in the setting.  I look for what the house looks like, the clothes they wear, the food they eat.  Here is what I noticed from watching a couple of episodes (because I brought pen and paper with me while watching):

*they took coffee breaks - they worked extremely hard but they took breaks during the day 

*they had simple delights such as a taffy pull with all the kids at the big old farm table

*they had treats once in a while like a peach cobbler for dessert - not extravagant but oh so good

*they made lots of homemade bread - can't you just smell it?

*they baked one kind of cake for every special occasion - an applesauce cake 

*they had a huge garden and preserved what they grew

*they had a quilt on every bed - nothing looks prettier than a quilt on a bed

*they altered the clothes - when one person outgrew something they altered it for the next person

*they had very few clothes - I think the mother had a couple of day dresses and a nice one for Sunday

*they wore aprons - to keep those two day dresses clean throughout the week!

*they made their own lampshades, pillows, and afghans

*they fixed things instead of buying new

*they prepared simple meals - stew, corn chowder, apple fritters, spoonbread, fresh produce

I'm not sure what you think, but to me the above list actually looks great.  It shows that, with very little, you can feel like you have a lot.  With very little, you can still have fun as a family.  With very little, you can still eat and enjoy good, wholesome food.  With very little you can have a warm, cozy, comfortable home.  The research I've been doing has taught me that a lot of people who had very little thought they had a lot!  It wasn't until they grew up and looked back that they realized how very little they actually had.  All they knew was that they were happy and they were loved and they all worked together to make it so.

Good night and have a wonderful upcoming weekend!!!!  : )

A Nice Day In The Kitchen

After marketing this morning, I got to work on my list of homemade or made-from-scratch food.  This is what I accomplished:

*Cut up 1/2 loaf of bread into cubes for more bread stuffing to put in the freezer - just put them in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or so stirring halfway through, cool and put into freezer bag.  Remember to label!

*Made seasoning packet for the homemade stovetop stuffing.

STOVETOP SEASONING MIX

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 tsp. instant chicken bouillon granules

2 tsp. dried parsley

1/8 tsp. ground pepper

Mix all together and put into container. Label and store.  To use for oven baked stuffing, saute 1 cup diced celery and 1 Tbsp. onion in 1/4 cup butter till soft.  Add 4 cups bread cubes and the seasoning mix; mix well and cool.  Add 1 1/4 cup chicken broth and 2 eggs, beaten.  Bake in casserole dish for 1 hour (30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered).

*Made dill dip for our fresh vegetables tonight.

DILL DIP SEASONING MIX

Mix together:  2 tsp. onion flakes, 1 Tbsp. dillweed, and 1 tsp. seasoning salt

Add to: 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup mayo mixed together

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  (I cut this recipe easily in half for us)

*Made Sloppy Joe mix for our supper tonight and leftovers for the freezer.  I'm pretty sure I've posted this recipe already.  If not, please let me know (assuming that you want it).  : )

*Made instant oatmeal packets for our breakfasts.

INSTANT OATMEAL PACKETS

1/2 cup quick oats

2 tsp. powdered milk

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Blend well.  Pour into baggies, label, and store.   To use:  bring 3/4 cup water to boil, add packet mix, stir and cook for 1 minute.  (I also add 1 Tbsp. coconut oil to ours - and, of course, you can add and subtract ingredients based on what you like in your oatmeal - raisins or other dried fruit, etc.).  Really good.  : )

*Made scalloped potato mix to go with our dehydrated potatoes in the pantry.  We made this last week for supper and it is so very good.

SCALLOPED POTATO MIX

3/4 cup powdered milk

1 Tbsp. cornstarch (try to get the non-GMO)

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients and pour into container.  Label and add to your pantry!  

*Made cookies for our dessert at lunchtime to use up the peanut butter cookie dough in the freezer.

Seriously.  This is my idea of fun.  : )  It is SUCH a good feeling to make food from scratch.  Whether you're going to eat it right away or put mixes in your pantry, it saves a lot of time later and a lot of money now.

The next time you make your grocery list, just look at all the items you wrote down and see if there is anything you could make instead of buying.  You'd be surprised at how many ingredients you already have on hand at home to make a lot of these mixes.  I still have a few things to make that I didn't get to today.  That will be tomorrow.  I hope you'll give it a try.  : )