I know I need to post something, but confess to a distinct lack of inspiration.  There are topics I would like to blog about at some point, but today.....definitely not the day.  Yesterday and today have been one of those times when life goes awry and there is nothing you can do about it; one of those times that are so hard you don't know how you can deal with it.  There is little detail I can talk about here, unfortunately.  Its hard and frustrating and sad and heart-breaking all in one.  The one thing that really keeps me going is knowing that God is a God of miracles---and believe me I'm prayin' for one!  I know that God is in charge and nothing takes Him by surprise.  I know He has a plan, and whatever that plan, it is the best one. I know that if He wants something to happen He has the power to make it happen no matter how dismal or difficult things look from my perspective.  I know all of these things and they are so easy to say.  But my heart still hurts like crazy.  However.  In the midst of all this hardness I have felt that somehow everything will be ok.  I can't see the path and I don't know how I'll walk it, but maybe this is what is required of me so that I will learn to trust completely.  I read today that when God seems silent just remember that the teacher is quiet during the test.  I feel scared and overwhelmed on one hand because I like to see where I'm going, like to see ahead of time how things will work out.  But on the other hand, I do want to learn to trust in a God who is faithful and true and loving as well as being all-powerful and all-knowing.   The Amplified Bible says: "the steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]."  (Psalm 37:23)  I love that!  God doesn't just sit on His high throne and orchestrate the world from a lofty perspective.  No.  He gets right down in the trenches and busies Himself with my every step!  How can I not choose to trust a God like that?  So. Yes, my heart hurts and the path seems very hard.  But I know too that He has been down this road already, and He knows all of its curves and hills and tunnels.  Somehow He will get me through.

New Colors!

I was lucky enough to only have to work one day after vacation before I got a day off (I know! ain't it great?!), so today I did some of the dyeing that I have been "dying" to do!  =)  There has been clamor on Facebook for Apple Green and Scarlet (Denim too, but that will have to be another day).  So Apple Green and Scarlet it was.  I do love dyeing these towels!  You start out with sparkling white and end up with one gorgeous color or another.  I do mine in a big tub, stirring them round with a wooden spoon--rather like a witch with her brew.......lol  Anyway, both colors turned out lovely.  "Apple" Green seems more like chartreuse or a leaf green than apple, but it still is a beautiful color.  See?

Then there is Scarlet.  This one is more true to its name (in my opinon anyway!)  A gorgeous, brilliant red!  Unfortunately it is very difficult for me to get reds to turn out like they really are with my camera (or maybe its the operator! lol).  But here's a photo--such as it is--for your viewing pleasure.

I love rinsing them out in the sunlight, and have wished multiple times that I had a clothesline to hang them on in order to take pictures.  To see these brilliant towels all hanging in a row......ooh wouldn't that just be the spice of life?  =)

Have I made you want to dye things yet?  Well, that's ok, you can just come and buy them from my Etsy shop when it opens.  I think I found a name--unless someone else has already stolen used it.  Nope, I'm not going to tell you yet until I can find out if its available.......Yes, I'm naughty like that!

Now I really must go mow the lawn....

Back to the land of the living, I mean internet!  I decided I needed to post today since I have done no posts for a week.  All it takes is getting used to not posting and poof! there goes the blog.  Someone comes by in 2014 and there have been no posts since August 2012 and everything is dusty with spiderwebs. lol  I have been there done that and am trying not to do it again. 

My week away was lovely.  Much food-eating and visiting with family and old friends, some of whom I haven't seen in quite a while---like my cousin Gina who I haven't seen since her 4th child was a baby.  She now has 6.....  The first part of the week was Alumni Reunion, spending time with friends from school.  Because the school was so small we don't have "Class" reunions.  We have an all-encompassing School reunion.  I like it that way, actually.  In this case it means I get to know people that went to school with my parents, people I've heard about all my life.  We had our usual hotdog roast (a very long-standing tradition there), the time filled with laughter and old stories.  At other times there were games and singing and many conversations and Much picture-taking.  And of course there was the food.... We had 3 meals a day whether we needed them or not, plus snacks in between.  Its a good thing this happens only once in a few years and then for only 2 days!  This year was smaller than others, but only the number.  The enjoyment factor was large.

The rest of the week was spent with family, specifically my mother's side of the family.  My grandparents were visiting Mom and Dad, so some of the cousins and aunts and uncles came to visit too.  It was so fun to be together with cousins (like Gina) who I have not seen in a very long time.  We spent time wandering down memory lane and enjoying the present as well.  There was baby-holding, child playing, gabbing, laughing and again, much eating!  (After a week of this eating thing, you see why I had to come home! lol)  Very special.

It was a full week, made even more wonderful by the fact that we were spending time in Upstate NY--in the Adirondacks--where the air is clear and smells lovely, and you are surrounded by mountains and trees.  No matter where I live or where I travel, this place will always be "Home" to me.  Its beautiful.  If you ever get the chance to go there (The Adirondacks), do it.  You will not be disappointed.

It was lovely to go away, to see friends and family, to be in the mountains.  But it was also good to come home to my quiet Carolina Cottage in the country.  =)

Going to be offline for a few days.  This should be interesting.  Can I survive?  lol  I hope I don't go into withdrawl!  Seriously, I'm sure it will be good for me to be without the time expense of the internet for a while.  But I will miss the convenience and 'connection' of it (pun intended) for sure! Ya'll don't have too much fun without me!  =)

Food Review--and a wee small miracle

The other day I tried something new.  I picked up a bag of Voila! from Birds Eye.  Its one of those dinner-in-a-bag things and its in the freezer section at the grocery (or Walmart in my case!).   The flavor I tried was Cheddar Chicken Potato.  I ate it by itself, but you could easily have served it with pasta or rice on the side, or maybe even mashed potatoes.  Sometimes those pre-bagged things are over-spiced for my taste, but this one was just right.   And I thought it relatively inexpensive--as those type foods go.  There are 2 other flavors--at least so far.  I can't remember exactly, but there was another chicken one and then one with shrimp.  I wouldn't want it all the time, but it does make a nice quick meal when I'm in a hurry---or lazy......=)

On a completely other topic, I was reminded yesterday that God does care about the very littlest things in our lives.  I was at Michael's and I went there specifically to get some Martha Stewart acrylic paint and fabric medium.  I got the paint, but when I looked for the fabric medium there was none to be found.  I Knew I had seen some there a week or two ago (and began to Very much regret that I had not bought it then)!  I had rushed to Michael's trying to get this errand done and still have time to meet some friends for supper before prayer service and there I was, stuck with no fabric medium to be seen.  It was disheartening because I had made plans to use it and the paint to stencil on towels on my days off.    So in the midst of my frustration I was talking to God like I always do, and decided to get right down on the floor (no not prostrate or anything! lol---the products were on the bottom shelf) hoping desperately that there was some of this stuff in the back.  I took bottles out and peered into the depths of the shelves as best I could and didn't find any.......sigh.....But I kept looking, hoping, and suddenly there it was!  One lone bottle on its side behind other bottles of something else!  It was a little sad looking--a bit of its liquid had spilled out and run down the side at some point, but I didn't care.  It was fabric medium and it was going home with me!  =)  It really made my day.  On top of that, I still had time to go eat with my friends before church.  We had a great time too.  =) I am thankful that God is there to help us--even with the little things.

Food!

Today I did something I rarely do:  came home from work and actually cooked dinner.  And by cooked, I do not mean something from a mix or heated in the microwave.  For once I actually put pans on the stove and cooked! on a weeknight! after working all day--and having to work tomorrow!  I am so proud of myself!  I really wish I would do this more often.  There are so many recipes I want to cook, crafts I want to make, cards I want to stamp, etc,etc.  But its hard to fit all those things in on my 2 days off in the week, let alone when some of that time is spent cleaning, doing laundry and mowing!  Sometimes I feel stressed about how to fit more into my days.  I get up at 4am.  Those of you who know me well know that 4am is NOT my best time of day.  Never has been, never will be.  I am way better at it than I used to be, for which I am thankful, but it doesn't seem to matter how much sleep I get--5 hours or 8--when that alarm goes off at 4 I am NOT ready.  But this is the job I have for now and it pays the bills and is close to home, so I try to be grateful.  So there is this constant stress of getting up early that nags at me when I'm trying to do other things.  The nerve! lol  If I go to bed early to try to get enough sleep there is little time after work to do much of anything before I have to hit the rack---stressful.  But if I stay up later and get some things done (either work or play things), then I feel even worse than usual when the alarm goes off and have to think about running around at work---again, stressful.  So its stress any way you look at it.  Grr!  I wish I could find the balance between the stress.  Have a bit more time for doing things and yet still get enough sleep.  Not sure how to do it though.  Sometimes I wish I didn't have so many interests and hobbies!  Then I wouldn't have the stress of when to fit them in! lol  Not really though.  I am glad that I find all these creative things interesting.  They keep me out of trouble....=)  Anyway.....by now you're thinking  "I thought she said this was a post about food".  lol  It is.  Sort of.  Food---and miscellaneous ramblings that the food created.  =)

What I made for dinner was............

Can you see the steam off the beans?  As I mentioned before, no glam photography on this blog!  Just keepin' it real here. lol  In case you can't tell, its chicken fried steak--minus the gravy.  I didn't want to take the time and didn't really need the calories tonight, so I just did the steaks.  And lest you wonder why I have Two on my plate, I'll tell you that the meat I bought was very thin.  (Do I sound defensive? lol) Probably not really the thing for this, but its what I got.  Ate it (them) too!  =)  This is the first time I have ever made chicken fried steak and I think the first time I had ever eaten it as well.  It was pretty good, though the meat, as I mentioned, was a little too thin, and the seasonings in the breading were not quite as distinct as I would like.  But all in all pretty good for a first try.  On a weeknight.  With not much time.  =)  Thanks to Pioneer Woman for the recipe--and the inspiration.  I've been watching past episodes of her cooking show that I downloaded from iTunes, and I want to make pretty much Everything she shows! As if I needed any more recipes! lol

So now I'm off to bed with my belly full so I can drag myself  hop out of bed when the alarm goes off.  Nighty-night!

Towels Again

I finally got some of my towels stenciled---and 2 new colors dyed!  It's been a productive weekend.  =)  Here are the stenciled ones:

I like them all, though I am very partial to the gray one.  Something about gray and red together looks so classy and this leaf design so old-fashioned.  I love it.  I feel like they all turned out very well, though, for my first attempts at the stenciling (stenciling on towels, I mean.  I have done a lot of stenciling of various things in my time!).  Its fun to do too, except that my back gets very tired from bending over the table and my left index finger is sore and going numb from pressing down the stencil.  =) I tape the stencil down, but still press it with my finger while I paint.  What I need to do for the back is find a way to raise my table.  I could probably find something at Lowe's.  As for the finger issue, I think it will just have to get toughened in---I hope!

Now for the new colors.  My friends on Facebook voted for Purple and Teal to be the next ones, so here they are:

They are both nice colors, though definitely not my favorites.  I'm still stuck on the gray! lol  Though I really like the orange ones too.  Anyway, this evening I stenciled on one each of the new colors.  Those pictures will have to be later, since they are in the drying phase.  I know, I know!  I'm teasing again.  Actually I'm just helping to grow your patience......=) 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Ok. So next time I go rambling on about Fridays, and the weekend off, and 'bring it on', and stuff,  will Someone please slap me and tell me to Shut Up?!  It was a day!  Now not the worst day I've had mind you, but definitely not the smoothest.  And the stuff going on was weird---people feeling strange, people getting sick who never get sick on dialysis, people with bloodshot eyes, etc.  One poor patient made me laugh---and I'm not laughing at her in a bad way, mind you.  But at the end of her treatment she got a cramp in her foot so she sat up to work the cramp out and then her blood pressure went down, so she laid back to help the blood pressure and then there was the cramp in her foot.......you see where I'm going with this...=)  I couldn't help but laugh at her predicament.  She's a friend, so don't think I stand and laugh callously at my patients when something is going crazy.  But if you could have seen the situation.  Her sitting up trying to work out the cramp and saying "Oh bp's low, really low" and then when I helped her lay back, her saying "Oh the leg!"  I couldn't help but laugh---and then quickly ended her treatment so the vicious cycle would end.  Give me some credit.  I do have a Little compassion left! lol  So anyway.  Survived the day just fine---and it really did help to know that tomorrow is my Saturday off.  But honestly, what was I thinking?  Maybe when I'm old and gray (shut up! I mean Really old and gray!), I will learn to keep my mouth shut.  Somehow I doubt it..... (stop agreeing!)

In other news, I now have some decorated towels!  No, I'm not posting pictures tonight.  I'm too tired, there's only bad lighting and its my blog, that's why!  And besides, they really need to dry well before I pose them for pictures.  Stenciling only 3 towels wore me out which means that I must keep making them like crazy so I get toughened in.  I really like how they all turned out though.  Yes, yes, hopefully there will be pictures tomorrow.  Don't be so impatient! =)

Later!

Its almost Friday!!!  Ooh I am so happy to get to the weekend this week!  One more day and then a weekend off.  I don't mind working Fridays when I have the weekend off.  If I have to work the weekend, then I would rather have Friday off.  Its so hard to work on Friday before my Saturday to work because the people who have the weekend off are exultant and talking about their weekend plans, etc and all you can think about is that you have to go to work on Saturday! lol  That's why I like to have my "weekend Friday" off.  Not only is it a break before the work weekend, but you can steel yourself for the Saturday onslaught in the peace and comfort of home. lol  However, when I have the weekend off I don't mind the Friday work at all.  It can be a crazy day too and I don't mind so much because I can just keep telling myself  "only 8 hours---only 4  hours---only 2 hours---only.......you get the idea.  So.  Tomorrow is the Friday before my weekend off and I say 'Bring it on!'  (Ask me tomorrow if I regret saying that....  I know my nurse/ccht friends are shaking their heads and thinking 'She is out of her mind, saying things like that Before the day starts!')

Ah well.  Happy Friday 'Ya'll'!  (I'm in South now. I have to at least act the part! lol)

I love misty, rainy days.  Know why?  Because they remind me of Maine--specifically Acadia National Park.  Its one of my favorite places on earth.  It is from spending time there that I came to love the mist and rain so much.  There is something both haunting and comforting about it.  In Maine your day can start out sunny and bright, and maybe you go sit on the rocks at Bass Harbor Headlight to enjoy the warmth with a good book.  You sit there, listening to the bells and the waves and the birds, occasionally glancing up at a passing sailboat.  But then one time you glance up and realize that while you weren't looking the mist has started to roll in, and in a few moments you can barely see anything beyond the rocks.  Sometimes it will stay the rest of the day, but other times it will roll right back out again as quickly as it came.  There is a beauty about the ocean shrouded in the mist that is hard to describe.  Now, it is true that if you are bent on hiking the trail about Sand Beach or driving on Ocean Drive, the mist can get in the way because when it rolls in there is really not much to see.  But I still love it.  There is a serenity in the mist and rain that is not present on the bright sunny days.  Because of all this, rainy days have become my very favorite kind.  Not that I would want them every day.  Too much of a good thing and all that.  But I'm happy to have them when they come along, and admit to sometimes wishing for more... =)  If you've never been to Acadia, Maine, put it on your 'Bucket List'.  It is some of God's finest work.  And maybe when you're through there you will love misty days too...

FOOD!

Ok, on to other things.  I know!  Two posts in one day!  Well don't get used to it.  Its just a fluke today.  =)  I decided it was time for some food.  So.  This was my Sunday Dinner:

Its called Guacamole salad, and it is Scrumptious.  I discovered it after my sister and I made a trip to the library and came home with a collection of cookbooks.  I made it for dinner one night and all three of us (my 2 sisters and I) fell in love with it.  The original recipe came from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa), but my sisters and I have tweaked it to suit our tastes.  Its a gorgeous salad that can be made year-round--or whenever avocados are low enough that my wallet doesn't squeal.  =)

Guacamole Salad

5 or 6 medium tomatoes, coarsely diced (we use a lot of tomatoes in ours)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
3 avocados, cut into chunks

dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt (I used 1 1/2 teaspoon, but if you aren't a salt user this might be too much)

Combine the tomatoes, onion and beans in a bowl with the avocados on top.  The less stirring of the avocados the better.  They get mushy very easily.  Whisk the dressing ingredients together then pour over the salad.  Toss the veggies gently to coat with the dressing.  Make a pig of yourself eating as much as you can hold. 


Then for dessert..............

This is Pioneer Woman's  Chocolate Sheet Cake.  Its a version of Texas Sheet Cake, which I had never made until I made hers.  To me, what makes the cake is the frosting which is full of butter and chocolate and sugar and nuts---I could just eat it, as is, with a spoon!  Mmmm!  You can go to her site (which is very interesting and entertaining, I might add) or buy her cookbooks (this recipe is in her first one).  Here's the link: Best Chocolate Sheet Cake.  I actually made this for a get-together tomorrow evening with friends, but since it made such a big cake......and since there will only be 3 of us to eat it......I had some for my Sunday Dessert.  Well!  I had to try it before I served it to others, right?  =)

Have a great Sunday!

I meant to post yesterday and then didn't remember until my computer was shut down for the night.  I was too tired and it was too late to reboot just so I could post.  I'm dedicated to my blog like that.  Anyway, what I was going to write was a "Note to self", something like this:

Note to self:  Your push mower from Sears was Not meant to cut hay.....lol 

Between the heat and periods of dryness I have had to mow much less in the last month or so.  The problem is that when the grass finally grew enough so I had to mow again, I did the main parts and left the side section of the property go.  Longer, apparently, than I should have......Hence the Note.  The side section is odd-shaped and doesn't really fit in any of the other more square sections of the yard, so it gets left to be done by itself.  And, since its more out-of-the-way, it gets put off.  Part of the area grows thinner grass, but the part near the field (which has tobacco planted in it this year, by the way.  I know, you were just dying to know. lol), grows much thicker and taller--rather like hay.  Maybe it gets extra nutrients from the fertilizer on the field, I don't know.  Anyway, this time it had gotten left a bit too long.  Yeah, mowing it with a push mower was not pretty....  On the other hand I'll have to put another star up for the Briggs & Stratton mower from Sears.  It chugged right through the hay with barely a cough.  =)

Towels

You may be wondering what on earth these are.  They are my newest craft love and the affair is in the hot and steamy stage! lol  If you are friends with me on Facebook then you already know what they are.  But for the unlightened, these are flour-sack towels that I have dyed.  I have been trying to find the right lighting to show them in all their real-life glory, but even sunlight doesn't seem to do them justice.  In  real life they are brilliant.  If you don't know what flour-sack towels are, I'm sorry. lol  They are made of light-weight, 100% cotton fabric with a slight texture (hence the slightly wrinkled look even after ironing).  They are particularly useful in the kitchen.  They dry dishes like a dream, but can also be used to cover food or as a substitute for cheesecloth for straining.  I'm sure they would work great as a barmop to wipe counters, etc, though I can't say from experience because I couldn't bring myself to use these pretties for such tasks--at least until they are old and drab.  =)  I have had such fun dyeing the plain white cloth into gorgeous colors.  I've done these 3 so far, but have about 8 more colors to try (so far!).  The dyeing process is really quite simple--just follow the instructions on the Rit bottle.  You can use your washing machine to do it all if you have it connected to hot water.  I don't have that right now, so I have been doing the dyeing in a plastic bucket using a wooden spoon for stirring.  Makes me feel rather like a mad scientist stirring up her next concoction......=P  My plan is to stencil them along the edges and shove them at people for money sell them to people who decide they can't live without them.  lol  I don't know how far I will get, but I sure am having fun, so I'll continue the love affair for a while longer.  That's the great thing about crafts.  You can have these great "love affairs", have a lot of fun, and then when you're done you just move on---and no one gets hurt (except maybe your wallet.....)!  Ok I'm done now.  Off to get some fabric medium so I can paint some towels!  =)

Yesterday was the "Support Chick-fil-A Day" and I was feeling disappointed because I didn't think I could go.  Then at the last minute it worked out!  I was really excited to be able to get out there and support them.  It was an amazing experience.  The atmosphere was rather like a large family reunion. You know the kind I'm referring to, have probably been to them more than once in your life.  The kind that include all sorts of extended family---where you know you are all related, but there are a lot of people you don't know well.  That's how it felt yesterday at Chick-fil-A. There was no speech-making or chanting or hateful talk, and definitely no mob feel.  Even though the place was packed and the lines were long, no one was complaining or pushing or cutting in line or anything like that.  There was, however, a LOT of smiles and laughter, and people greeting each other and being polite.  It was incredible! The staff were very busy and while they probably felt frazzled inside, they did not show it on the outside.  They were patient and friendly and courteous, greeting guests and saying "God bless you".  When I got there, there were 2 lines--one on each side of the building--and the line I was in was just starting to back out the door.  I thought we might have to wait so long that we would be late for church, but not so.  It only took 20-25 min for me to have my food in hand and be on my way.  Not bad at all---and Definitely time Well Spent!  I hope and pray that God blesses Chick-fil-A in amazing ways for taking a stand for Him.  After all, HE is the One we, as Christians, stand for.  Not ourselves.  And if God and His Glory are not worth standing for, then who/what is?

RANT!

I wanted to rant on the recent events regarding Chick-fil-A and their stand for Biblical marriage.  But then I found this article: http://www.scientiamedia.com/?p=2684 .  This guy says what I feel SO much better than I ever could, so I will let you read his words instead of mine.  Christian people we have got to take our stand here!!  Don't let the bullies have the last word.  They are only tools the Enemy is using and will throw away in the end.  We cannot afford to be a part of his tools or his castaways.  Let's be vocal for the cause of Christ Jesus--and yet let's do it in the Spirit of Christ Jesus too.  Let our convictions--and our love--convict those who are so lost.