There's A Land Far Away

I was delving into the hymnbook this evening and reacquainted myself with this gem.  I hope it will soothe your soul like it did mine...

There's a land far away 'mid the stars we are told,
Where they know not the sorrows of time,
Where the pure waters flow, thro' the valleys of gold,
And where life is a treasure sublime:
'Tis the land of our God, 'tis the home of the soul,
Where the ages of spendor eternally roll,
Where the way-weary traveler reaches his goal,
On the evergreen mountains of life.

Here our gaze cannot soar to that beautiful land,
But our visions have told of its bliss,
And our souls by the gale from its gardens are fanned,
When we faint in the deserts of this;
And we sometimes have longed for its holy repose
When our hearts have been rent with temptations and woes,
And we've drank from the tide of the river that flows
From the evergreen mountains of life.

Oh, the stars never tread the blue heavens at night,
But we think where the ransomed have trod,
And the day never smiles from his palace of light,
But we feel the bright smile of our God:
We are traveling home through earth's changes and gloom,
To a region where pleasures unchangingly bloom,
And our guide is the glory that shines through the tomb,
From the evergreen mountains of life.

~~James G Clark

I was singing this at the piano and when I got to verse two the music got very wobbly because suddenly there were tears.  How many times have our hearts been "rent with temptations and woes" and we've felt so faint, but suddenly there was the "gale" from that land beyond that fanned our weary spirits?  And notice how it says "gale".  I love that!  Not a wisp of air now and then, or even a light breeze that just teases, but a gale!  Like when you are outside working and you are so hot you think you just might perish, but then, there it is---a delicious heavy breeze that cools you down and makes you feel you can continue working.  Those old Christians knew what it was all about!  I love to get into their hymns and "listen" to them talk about this road and its trials all held up against the backdrop of eternity and God the Almighty.  They knew the road was hard---notice how they don't gloss that over.  But they also knew that what lay at the end of the road would be completely worth the struggle, and, most important of all, they knew The One who had the Strength to get them there.

So that's where I've been today---getting my soul fanned by the gale.  How 'bout you?  =)

The Prayer

While out with Fred the other evening I was, as usual, cogitating on topics to post about.  I had started putting ideas together about something, but then out of the blue, this prayer came to mind, so I thought I'd share it instead.  =)

"O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done.  Then in Thy mercy grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last.  Amen."

Have you heard it before?  Isn't it so beautiful?  For me, it's one of those things that is so poignantly beautiful it nearly makes me want to weep every time I hear it.  I'm sure you have those things too.  You know what I mean---something that when you hear it/see it it gives you goosebumps or a thrill or makes you want to cry.  Sometimes it's a song, or a poem, or a story. Or maybe it's a place of special meaning---like the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier or the Statue of Liberty.   Personally, I have quite a few!  And this prayer is one of them.  I'm not exactly sure why this prayer does it for me more than others, but I think it has a great deal to do with how I first heard it.   My Uncle Charles.  He was the first person I heard to pray this prayer, and every time I hear or read it, it is my Uncle Charles' voice that I hear.  He didn't just read it, like so many words on a page.  He spoke it, like poetry in motion,  words devoutly changing from black to color right in front of you. He made them mean something.  I can't say what I see in my mind when I hear these words.  It's rather like an elusive dream that is there, and is familiar, but can't be put into words.  Know what I mean?  However,  I can tell you there is poignancy and warmth there---like years and years of past graces received all tied into today's communication and devotion to God.  Like praying this prayer that so many faithful have prayed before me not only lets me communicate with God, but also, somehow, ties me to the devout ones who have gone before me.  Does that make sense?  It feels like maybe what the hymn writer meant when he penned "mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won".  There is some kind of sharing there.  I can't explain it, but I feel it.  There is history in this prayer---the history of those who have tried and found God's graces to be sure, of those who have depended on Him as the answer for Everything.  There is hope in it too.  Hope that, since the faithful before me have made it through to "peace at the last", I can also.  It's amazing how just a few short words, devoutly written---devoutly spoken, can mean all of that.   But they do.  Thank you, Uncle Charles, for bringing them to life for me.

A Home Without Fear

I wanted to post something for Father's Day, but alas, did not manage it.  However, we don't have to relegate posts about good fathers to one day in the year do we?  So.  Here goes.

As an adult I see blessings differently than I did as a child.  Or maybe I should say I see different blessings.  As a child there are the basics: hugs, food, warm bed.  As an adult, those blessings become expanded and more complex.  Food involves money and job and budgeting and you begin to realize all that goes into providing for a family.  This goes for the warm bed as well.  When you are the one responsible for the job and bill paying you become much more aware of what your parents gave and sacrificed to provide a good home in which to grow up.  But one of the blessings I have been thinking of lately concerns the character of my parents, particularly my dad.  I hear horror stories about children growing up in homes where they are abused in all kinds of ways, sometimes even killed, and again and again I am reminded of the blessing of having a True Christian father.  I say "True" Christian, because there are men who profess to be "Christian" and still carry out the most unspeakable abuse against their children.  Hence the necessity of the distinction.  I never, ever had to live in fear about my dad coming home from work (unless I had been bad! And then it wasn't really fear, just not wanting punishment! lol).  I didn't have to worry if he would beat me or my sisters or my mother, whether he would be drunk, whether he would bring home others who would do who-knows-what to me.  The older I get and the more horrific stories I hear, the more I realize just how blessed I was.  I can't imagine what some children go through on a daily basis, or the kind of fear they live with every moment.  I am grateful I never had to experience that.  So this Father's Day (and every day, really) I say "Thanks Dad! (and Mom too!)" for the blessing of a home without fear.

It's been too long.  Yes, I know this. Obviously my April challenge faltered midway through!  The problem with trying to blog every day, for me at least, is that after a week or so it is no fun anymore.  Instead of an outlet for creativity, it becomes another stressor---something I really don't need!  So I just quit.  There.  I said it.  =)  The trouble with quitting on something like a blog (or a diet!), is that it is hard to get back into it.  There has been an ongoing post list in my head, but somehow just not the impetus there to begin again.  So there went April......and May.......and here we are into June (and nearly halfway through that, I might add!).  You might be wondering, why now?  What gave me that final push to give it another heave-ho?  A friend posted to his blog after 2 years of being MIA.  2 years!  So see, there is hope for me!  =)  He said that even though there were many other things in his life that he loved, he really missed writing.  Something in me resounded with that.  It's strange that even though trying to keep a blog and do everything else I enjoy sometimes stresses me, when I don't do it I miss it.  So I'm not sure how to schedule everything, but having a blog is definitely something I want in my life.  I never thought I would like writing, but as it turns out, I do.  I have no idea what that means in terms of regularity of posting---probably not much different that it has in the past! lol  Don't look for a post every day by any means.   But I really want to try to cram some writing in, in between sewing bags and dyeing towels and making cheese and crocheting and pinning and essential oil potion making and card-making and knitting and gardening and long dates with Fred.  Oh, and work too.......Oy!

Fred

So today I had my first date of the season with Fred.  Yes, he's a seasonal date.  Doesn't come out much in Winter.  =)  It was a beautiful day here, so I knew that after work I really had to get out in the yard and do something.  There are all manner of choices, actually.  It's so I never get bored.  Mowing, raking, digging up flower beds, trimming bushes, hauling away brush, raking pine needles (my personal fave!  ugh), etc.  Such variety here on my little "homestead"!  I decided to go with Fred today mostly because I needed to see if the mower would run after the Winter or cough and die like it did last Spring.  Nothing like having a lawn desperately in need of mowing only to have your mower die.  Not fun!  But last Fall I did 2 things differently.  One, I put the mower inside (in the old house on the property, not inside as in where I live! lol), and two, I put stabilizer in the fuel tank.  So this afternoon 'bout 3 I dragged myself out to the old house and brought 'ol Fred into the light of day.  I really did Not feel like working in the yard, but I made myself get out there, and as usual, after getting out there and getting going it was quite pleasant.  You get a bit of a "runner's high" after working hard outside, not to mention the sense of satisfaction after looking around at what you've accomplished. Anyway, back to Fred.  I pulled him out into the yard and gave a pull on the cord (after checking gas and oil, of course!).  One, two, three pulls and he came to life.  What a relief!  However, last Spring he started and ran for a few minutes and died.  So I let him run for a bit--which he did quite well, then started off around the front yard.  An hour and a half later the entire front yard was done and that little mower never skipped a beat!  Seriously, that mower has been worth every single cent I paid for it.  It's from Sears and I would recommend the brand/model to anyone.  I was concerned it wouldn't run, I'd have to take it to the shop, they wouldn't get it done for a week or two and I would be left with a hayfield.  Again.  But thanks be to God, my concerns did not materialize.  Such a relief!!  I'm quite pleased with myself as well.  This is the first Spring I've gotten the front lawn mowed before it was so thick I could hardly mow it!  Yay! (patting myself on the back)  Now to go take some ibuprofen and drink my tea........=)

My Name Is CJ and I'm A Chocoholic....

I think I may be addicted to chocolate.  Really!  What's that?  I didn't blog yesterday?  Yes, I know.  Thank you for reminding me of my failure.  Didn't take me long to bust that challenge wide open.  But I have a good reason.  Well, no, really I don't.  You see what had happened was.......I forgot.  I remembered, then I forgot, then when I remembered again it was too late.  But that was yesterday and today is a new day.  Remember what I said about goals vs resolutions?  =)  Now where was I when I was so rudely interrupted?  Oh yes.  My chocolate addiction.  I have loved chocolate for my whole life, but in the last couple years it has become a vital necessity---right up there with air.  I always have some around and generally eat some at least once a day.  Kind of like a vitamin, only much more pleasant! lol  The thing I've noticed is that I crave it.  No, I mean CRAVE it!  Have you ever had a craving that gnawed at you and just wouldn't go away?  One that drove you crazy until you went and got whatever it was that you were craving?  I have a theory about those cravings, and yes, I will share with you in one moment.  This crazy kind of craving is how I feel about chocolate.  When I'm working around the house, sitting at the computer, after work, after a meal, etc., the "need" can hit at any moment.  It's ridiculous, really.  So the answer I have found is to just keep some nearby.  That way I can pick up a Hershey Kiss and move on with my life instead of not being able to focus on things because I need chocolate.  The problem with chocolate is its rather high caloric content.  Combine that with my inactivity over the Winter and well, you know what is happening.  Not nice!  So when I was grocery shopping last week I purposely did not buy any chocolate, thinking that I couldn't eat it if it wasn't around and maybe it would help in the whole I-will-eat-better-and-lose weight thing.  Bad move!!  Vewy bad move!  I am going nuts!!  Ok, more nuts than I already was! Must you always point that out?  Yesterday I kept looking around for something to eat and nothing was fitting the bill because what I really wanted was chocolate.  When you want chocolate, you want chocolate.  Nothing else will do!  And today, the same thing.  I am an addict!  I mean, this craving has gnawed at me so bad the last couple days I have thought of making a batch of no-bake cookies or perhaps some cooked up chocolate syrup just to stop it! Don't ask me why I haven't just stopped by Walmart on the way home and solve this whole thing with a bag of Hershey's Kisses! I have no idea! Welcome to how my brain works! lol  I haven't quite gotten to delirium tremens yet, but who knows?  It's only been a couple days.   This 'addiction problem' is something that I've just noticed in the last maybe year or so.  Which brings me to my theory.  Sometimes I wonder if we crave foods that have things in them that we need at that particular moment.  What if our brains record and take note of foods with particular concentrations of vitamins, enzymes, minerals, etc and when our bodies need those things our brains sends out a craving alert.  Like, "Alert! Alert!  Body low on potassium!  Send craving for orange juice (or tomatoes, or dried apricots, etc) immediately!"  And of course the cravings are different for different people because our likes and dislikes are different.  Like my body is not going to tell me to crave beets if I need iron because I don't like beets much.  It would be a wasted memo and why would your body do that?  So what if there is something in chocolate that my body really needs at this particular time in my life and that's why I crave it so much?  Well!  It could be true!  Can you prove me otherwise?  Ok then.  That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!  It's either that or go sign myself up to the local CA (Chocoholics Anonymous, if you were wondering).  I'm just not ready for that.  Thankfully, it is now Spring.  I know, you're shaking your head wondering what on earth Spring has to do with my chocolate addiction.  I should just leave you wondering.  But I won't, 'cause I'm nice like that.  Spring means green grass and lots of it, which means that I will have many, many dates with Fred, the lawnmower.  This is a good thing because it also means I can keep my addiction and still lose the few pounds I gained over the Winter!  I just knew this lawnmowing would come in handy for something!  So tomorrow after work, I will be stopping at Walmart.  I just can't take it anymore!  Hershey Kiss anyone?  =)

Confessions

I have a confession to make.  No, it's nothing bad!  Just something that will be a little weird to most.  Hopefully you all will just write me off as a little eccentric and not send the men in white coats to my door!  =)  I mean, after all, we're all entitled to a little weirdness aren't we?  Ok, some of us have a lot of weirdness on board!  But where was I?  Oh yes. Confessions.  Are you ready?  Here goes:  I still have my Christmas Tree up.  Shameful isn't it?  Now, in my defense,  the tree has nothing Christmas on it and the rest of the house is not decorated for Christmas either. All the tree has on it are white lights and some sparkly brown ribbon. So really, it doesn't even qualify as a Christmas tree, does it? So it's not that weird, right?  Right??  After all, trees grow year round, and what's the difference if I have one of those living room trees with lights on it or a fake pine tree with lights on it?   But that's ok.  I don't even care if you think it's weird.  I like it and it's my house and I don't care what you think.  =)  Just don't send a psych ward posse after me!  So by now you are probably wondering why I still have my tree up.  There are a couple reasons.  One, I just haven't gotten around to putting it up in the attic yet.  But the biggest reason is the lights.  I love those lights!  The older I get, the more I am convinced I have a bit of Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Makes me sound like a real psycho doesn't it?  =)  But I have noticed how different I feel in the Winter vs the Summer.  If I lived up North I could attribute some of that to being snowbound and not able to get out and about in the yard, etc.  But here in the South, that does not apply.  Here I could work outside pretty much every day in the Winter since there is a distinct lack of snow, so that does not account for the depression I have in the Winter.  I have also noticed that having some nice lighting during the short Winter days really helps in the way I feel.  When the tree goes up at Christmas, those lights are so cheering and warm and comforting, that after Christmas is over I find it very difficult to part with them.  So most years I don't!  The lights on that tree are what help keep me going in the Winter.  Sounds crazy, I know.  But it's true.  Maybe it's because I really do have SAD, or maybe it's because I live alone, or maybe I'm just weird.  Who knows.  Take your pick!  I just know that the lights make me feel better.  So they stay---Christmas or no Christmas.  I will say that I am a little later than usual taking them down.  Maybe it's because this Spring has felt more like a continuation of Winter----or maybe I've just been lazy.......  So there you have it.  My confession in black and white.  Now you know more about my craziness than you ever wanted to know!  Well if you can't beat 'em.....join 'em!  =)

Not much of a post tonight I'm afraid. I've been up to my eyeballs in towels and bags today.  Don't get me wrong.  It was a good thing.  Getting things done for the shop is a very good thing!  But after concentrating on things all day, it's time for bed.  I just can't think anymore. =) Hopefully I can wind down enough to sleep---and not dream about towels and bags!  Night all!

Cobalt yarn And Answered Prayers

Does it count as a post if I just write a one-liner saying I'm too tired to post?  Well you can't blame a girl for tryin'!  Seriously, I really really would rather be in bed right now.  But I will rise to my challenge of a post a day for this month!

Does God answer your prayers?  I'm not talking about the big, important things in our lives that we pray for and about.  What I'm referring to here are those little inconsequential-to-the-running-of-the-world kind of things that happen in our common days.  I don't know about you, but God answers a lot of these kinds of prayers for me.  A Lot.  Most of the time it's when I can't find something or am having trouble fixing something, etc.  Let me give you an example.  Last night I got itching to wind up the hank of hand-dyed lace weight merino yarn I recently purchased.  When you buy hand-dyed or "gourmet" yarn, most of the time they come in a hank and have to be wound into a ball before you can use them.  Since I am new to the world of specialty yarn, this also means I am new to hanks, which also means I am new at winding them.  The last hank of yarn I wound turned into a tangled mess and I sat for hours straightening it out.  I did not want that to happen with this one!  So I did what I do when I want to find something out:  I Googled it.  It's really amazing what you can find with Google!  Lo and behold, there were instructions on how to wind a hank of yarn into a ball.  =)  So last night I got out my new hank of cobalt yarn, draped it over a chair back as instructed and cut the string that held the whole thing together.  There was excitement in the air as I anticipated all this lovely blue yarn (1000 yards of it!) in a nicely wound ball.  Ha!  It only took a few minutes and I could see that it was starting to get tangled again.  This was very frustrating!!  I followed instructions!  This was not supposed to happen!  I went back and looked at the instructions again to see if perchance I had missed a step.  No, I had done what I was supposed to do.  I went a little farther, attempting to untangle and wind at the same time and getting more and more frustrated.  The last hank of yarn I did was only 550 yards and it took me probably 6 hours total to get it wound.  This hank was 1000 yards!  Do the math!  It was NOT going to be pretty!  So, as I usually do when I start feeling desperate, I started praying. (Just to clarify: I do pray when I'm not desperate too! lol)  And what do you know?  The yarn broke........ Oy me! Not the answer I was looking for!  So there I was with a tiny ball of yarn in one hand and this big ol' hank of yarn over the back of my dining room chair.  Great!  Not only was my yarn not wound into a nice neat ball, but I didn't even know where the end was.  Talk about desperation!  I very carefully lifted the hank of yarn off the chair and turned it round in my hands, praying that somehow I would see an end somewhere in that cloud of gorgeous blue.  I confess I didn't have a lot of hope.  Did I mention this is lace weight yarn?  For comparison, regular worsted weight yarn has about 200 yards in 4 ounces.  This yarn has 1000 yards in 4 ounces.  Take my word for it, it's fine yarn!  Much more easily tangled, much less easy to see a lost end.  So I wasn't feeling so hopeful about finding the missing end.  But I kept turning the circle of yarn slowly around, trying to not tangle the threads any more than they already were.  And suddenly, there it was!  I could hardly believe my eyes!  Talk about relief!  Of course, finding the end was only half the battle.  I still had to somehow get that yarn into a ball without a tangled mess.  So once again I draped the hank over the back of the chair and carefully started unwinding.  At first it was doing the tangle thing again and not unwinding neatly from the hank.  Then, again quite suddenly, it started unwinding neatly--like it's supposed to! I could have jumped for joy---but I didn't because that would have just tangled my yarn again.  lol  I now have a nice neat little ball of yarn (I say little, because it's not all wound yet.  That much yarn just takes some time!), as well as a thankful heart.  Whew!  Aren't you glad God cares about the little (albeit desperate) moments in our lives?  I am so amazed that He takes the time to care about them.  I mean, compared to His greatness, even the biggest problems in our world are small things.  And yet, He stoops to pay attention to my hank of cobalt yarn, and help me wind it into a ball.  Who wouldn't want to have a relationship with a God like that?

Pink Fairys

It seemed like it would never happen, but it did.  Finally.  I'm talking about Spring!  Spring has finally gotten here!  It's such a relief to have longer days and warmer weather.  And the flowers have started!  But what I really love about Spring are the trees.  There is that day every year when you finally can see a faint green haze all along the branches (or red haze for some trees).  Where there are a lot of trees together it looks almost like a green mist or smoke. That Spring Green color is the most beautiful green of all, because it lets you know that Yes! the trees are still alive and Spring is finally here.  However, here in the Piedmont of North Carolina, there is something else that happens before the trees start wearing their green.  Have you seen it?  If you haven't, you really, really should.  It's the Redbuds.  Before moving here I had only seen a couple Redbud trees.  They are not really plentiful up North.  My grandma had one in her yard and she loved looking out at it every year.  But really, they are few and far between in the colder climes.  But here......Here in Central NC they are everywhere.  They grow wild all through the woods and along the roads, not just as cultivated trees in peoples' yards like the apple and cherry.  So at this moment in Spring when the woods are still pretty bare of green leaves, the wild redbud trees put on their show.  And is it ever a beauty.  Those poignant pink buds on their petite trees all through the bare gray woods---rather like fairy sprites all dressed in their best pink dresses dancing through the forest.  So lovely.  Everywhere you go, there they are, in the most unexpected and unlike places, flitting in and out.  At this time of year I don't mind the long drive to and from church because I get to see the fairys dancing.  =)  Their beauty doesn't last nearly long enough, but I suppose that is what makes it so special every year.  So Spring has sprung.  The pear trees are nearly finished blooming, and very soon there will be the Spring Green haze on the trees---as well as azaleas everywhere (another fine treat to see).  But in the meantime, I love those pink fairy dresses.

Lazy

Well I see that I am settling into a nice routine of blogging once a month. lol  I have no good reasons for why there have been no posts.  None at all.  Honestly, I just haven't felt like it.  Is that good enough reason?  It's not that I've been so busy I haven't even thought about rambling.  I think about it pretty much every day.  But every time I think about it it just seems like too much work.  Must be getting lazy in my old age!  =)  Actually, in the last week or so I haven't even checked Facebook much.  That is epic!  I usually catch up every day.  I think I just needed to get unplugged for a little while.  There was a time when coming unplugged seemed like a major disaster.  But lately.....not so much.  Am I getting old?! lol  Oh stop worrying!  I'm not going off to be a hermit with no phone or internet or indoor plumbing!  There are just some days when I need to savor the quiet.  Several friends have commented on the lack of blogging and Facebook activity, so I guess it's time to plug back in.  =)  I am blessed to have friends who read my ramblings.

So what have I been up to?  Mostly just everyday life.  Not too much excitement.  However, last month I went to my first Ladies' Retreat with the gals from church.  Retreat is held every year about this time, over in a conference center in Western North Carolina.  I had never gotten to go until now.  We had a great time.  No.  It.Was.A.Blast.!  A weekend filled with laughter and music and learning and worship.  And all women! How fun is that?  I can't say enough about our speaker Carol Shust.  If you ever get a chance to go hear her, take it!  She was amazing.  A true woman of God with a heart for others.  As for me, I only had a couple meltdowns due to the continuous presence of other people.  =)  When you live by yourself all the time it makes you just a little crazy when you have to be around people (especially large groups of people) 24/7.  But I had a wonderful time in spite of the meltdowns and am already planning for next year---if my friends can stand it!

This month so far pretty much the most excitement I've had was a trip to Outback Steakhouse with my friends Bob and Charlene.  Yes, I know.  It doesn't take much to rock my world.  We had a yummy dinner followed by an excursion to Walmart for ice cream where we laughed like fools in the ice cream aisle.  I love spending time with them because not only do they let me act silly, they act silly right along with me! lol  (That's not the only reason I like them, but it's one for sure!) 

So.  Shall I do another challenge?  Can I blog every day through the end of April?  I'm hesitant because my yard is getting ready to explode on me.......But I'll give it whirl.  Just don't be too hard on my if I miss a day or two!  =)

Lurking and Cooking

I'm still here.  I just can't seem to get life to slow down enough to allow for blogging!  Well, at least that's the story I'm sticking to.  Between work, viruses, personal issues, and all my other projects, blogging, sad to say, is low on the totem pole. Yes, I know you have noticed this!  Of course, don't infer that by "slow down" I mean that my life is exciting! There is definitely nothing to be envious about here! lol  Just lack of energy on my part, mostly! Sometimes I think it is a curse to have so many interests.  There is just not time (or energy) to do them all properly!  =)  People have asked me what would I do with myself if I didn't have to work a job.  Ha!  Do you have all day?  I have a list as long as Santa Claus's of things I would love to accomplish or participate in.  But that's beside the point.  The point is, I'm still here.  Lurking in the shadows most of the time, true, but still here.  And, I have been cooking while I lurk!  Yes, indeed.  I may not have gotten very far on my goal of more blogging, but I have been keeping up with my recipe adventure.  So far.  It may falter at any point, don'tcha know, but then that's my prerogative.  It is, after all, my project.  Anyway......here are the recipes and my take on them:

Recipe #3 was Breakfast Sausage Roll.   Very easy to make.  I thought it was good, but nothing spectacular.  My co-workers, on the other hand, tore it up (as they say here)!  Not even crumbs left!  Raving about it for days.  Some of them even said they were going to try making it.  That tells you how much they liked it---that they wanted to attempt to make it.  So I think it would rate 5 stars in their book.  Go ahead!  Give it a whirl! I would say it's easy as pie, but really it's easier than that!  =)

Breakfast Sausage Roll 

2 loaves frozen bread dough
1 T vegetable oil
1 lb ground pork sausage
1 lb ground spicy pork sausage
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 (6oz) can mushrooms
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
2 T water

Rub frozen bread dough with vegetable oil, sover and allow to thaw overnight at room temperature (very important! If your dough is cold it will not roll out well!  Don't ask me how I know this....).  Cook sausage until evenly browned. Drain, crumble and set aside.  Roll out one loag of bread and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Layer cooked sausage, green pepper, mushrooms and cheese on top of bread.  Leave 1 inch border at the edges bare.  Roll out second loaf of bread and place over bread and filling.  Enclose filling by pinching edges of both loaves together.  Beat together egg and water.  Brush surface of roll with egg wash.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 min, or until golden brown.

* I made a roll with each loaf (so 2 instead of just 1).  It seemed WAY easier to me to roll out one loaf, top one side with filling and fold the other side over and pinch to seal than to try to lift a slab of bread dough over another and try to get it on just right, without tearing.

* I used the entire pepper, so half on each roll.  Same for the mushrooms---2 cans.  I also sprinkled on some dry minced onion.

* I only used one kind of sausage.  Used the 2 lbs, just not any spicy.

This is really quite versatile.  The ingredients could be changed around multiple ways to make your own custom rolls. 


The other recipe I've tried since I last blogged was a dessert.  This recipe had not officially made it into The Box yet, but it was one I had pulled out of a magazine, so I guess it counts.  =)  It's Pineapple Pretzel Salad.  Now usually I am not a fan of pineapple in things, but I know a lot of people are, so I pulled it.  It seemed easy and a good thing to take to a potluck---recipes I am in need of these days.  In reality, it did not disappoint.  Very good! I even liked it, pineapple and all!  And by my empty dish after our church dinner the other day, I would say my guinea pigs agree.  My church family is so good about trying my new recipes!  So here's the recipe (or receipt, as they used to say).  Definitely a keeper!

Pineapple Pretzel Salad

1 c crushed pretzels
1/2 c sugar
1 stick butter, melted
8oz cream cheese
8 oz Cool Whip
1/2 c sugar
1 larg can crushed pineapple
2 T cornstarch

Mix crushed pretzels, 1/2c sugar and butter; press into 9x13 dish. Bake at 325 for 5 minutes, then cool.  Mix cream cheese, 1/2 c sugar and cool Whip until blended.  Spread on top of pretzel crust.  Drain pineapple and reserve juice.  Heat the juice with the cornstarch until thick.  Add pineapple to thickened juice and spread on top of cream mixture.  Refrigerate until firm.

* I baked my pretzel crust for 10-12 min instead of just 5.  I like my crust to be crunchy!  Besides, it seems such a shame to heat the oven all the way up for just 5 minutes! lol 

* Note that the pineapple mixture will not seem very sweet if you taste it by itself.  Don't worry! The rest of the layers have enough sugar in them to make up for it.

This one really is a winner in my book.  My most winning one to date!  In my opinion anyway.


So happy cooking!  I hope maybe you will also find a recipe or two to add to your "heritage collection" from my adventure.  That's what I'm looking for after all.  Recipes that are good enough to go into the well-used recipe box---the kind that get handed down from one generation to another.  =)

Recipe of the Week

One down, only 248 to go!  Actually I tried 2 new recipes this week, and I really don't know how many are in the box.  I am guessing.  Because couting them one by one is too much work, that's why! lol  So here we are:

Pineapple Limeade
2 c pineapple juice
1/4 c lime juice
1/4 c sugar
3 c sparkling water

Combine first 3 ingredients, add sparkling water just before serving. 

*Not sure what they mean by sparkling water.  Can you get carbonated water that has no flavor or additions?  My first attempt I used club soda----not good, unless you like your drinks very dry!  The second time around I used Sierra Mist (it's what I had on hand) and it was MUCH better.  I would recommend something like ginger ale.

My take:  It was tasty, but just a typical "punch" recipe.  Nothing to see stars over.  =)


Brief Burritos
1 lb ground beef
1 can (16oz) refried beans
1 can (10oz) rotel tomatoes, drained
1/2 c chili sauce
8 flour tortillas, warmed
1/2 c shredded cheddar
1/2 c sour cream

Cook beef until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in refried beans, tomatoes and chili sauce; heat through.  Spoon about 1/2 cup down the center of each tortilla; top with cheese and sour cream. Fold up and serve.

My take:  I liked these!  Very easy---easy enough for me to be able to do it after work even if I had to work the next day.  Don't require much energy and very tasty.  I used ground turkey and you can't even taste it.  My filling was a little more runny than I usually think of for burritos, but it may have been the turkey---or the fact that I didn't realize the tomatoes were supposed to be drained until after I had them in the skillet.....duh!  The filling is quite tomato-ey (not a word, I know!  But you know what I mean, right?), and not real beany, so I'm thinking next time I make it I'll used more beans.  I love beans!  All in all I give it an A+ and plan to put it in the "to make again" category.

So there you have it.  What category should I try next week?  Any suggestions?

Happy Eating!  =)

Another Adventure

For quite some time I have had a yen to cook my way through a cookbook.  But I am hesitant to start something like that and then get bogged down part way through and quit.  I'm super good at starting things, and of course they are exciting in the beginning, but then I stall in the middle somewhere.  Sometimes I do get them finished---maybe much later---but sometimes I don't.  I don't like that!  So I've been hesitant to start a cookbook project and it be yet another adventure I don't complete.  And then there is the question of which cookbook.  I have a lot!  Should it be a regular cookbook like Julie cooked through in Julie and Julia?  Or should it be a cookbook that contains one particular genre of food, like desserts or cookies, etc.?  So much decision making!  The trouble is, most cookbooks have at least a few recipes that do not appeal to me.  I mean, the thought of making Tomato Jello is simply unthinkable!  And what about Bowtie Pasta with Olives and Anchovies?  *shudder*  What would I do when I came to recipes like that?  Would I just cheat and skip those recipes---and live forever with the knowledge that I did not really cook through that cookbook?  Or would I cook them and then just waste the food because I couldn't stand it?  Neither option appeals to me.  Then the other day it came to me---a lightbulb moment.  Or maybe I should say "candle" moment in my case, as  my excited ideas are sometimes quick to blow out!  Anyway, a light came on.  I have in my possession a photo box (you know those pretty boxes they sell in the craft stores that look kind of like shoe boxes) crammed full of recipes that I have collected over the years.  One year when I was off work for a few months I sat down with all these recipes that I'd pulled out of magazines and glued them all nice-like to cards made from printed cardstock.  I even organized them like a recipe box.  It's really quite pretty.  Have never done much with it, but it's pretty. lol  Mind you this is by no means a complete collection!  I have recipes everywhere!  I have little piles of them stashed all through my house.  I do this on purpose so that if my house is raided I'll still be sure to be left with a little pile of recipes! lol  I couldn't cook all the recipes I have in two lifetimes if I cooked 24/7!  But I consider it a cheap hobby, and once in a while you find something that's a real keeper.  I save them all with the hope that one day I will miraculously have more time than I know what to do with!  Ha!  Anyway, back to the box.  Here I have probably 200 recipes that have all been hand-selected by me.  What better collection to cook through than this one??  No recipes to cheat over, none to make me shudder.  Problem solved!  Now if I really could get a FedEx delivery of time......hmmm.  So I have 2 recipes sitting out to try.  I don't know if I'll get all of them tried or not.  I probably can only do 1 new recipe in a week, maybe 2.  At that rate it will take me about 4 years to get finished!  Can I keep up with a project that long?  I doubt it, but it's a place to start.  I think I will just pick a random recipe from a random category each week---rather than cook through Candy then Casseroles then Dessert, etc.  I will try to post about the recipes I try--good or bad.   I may or may not post pictures.  I am NOT a food blogger!  Don't have anywhere near the patience for that!  When I cook, I cook.  And if you're here you can see all the steps and if you're not.......well you're just outta luck! lol  So here's to another adventure.  We'll see how long it lasts.  But at least there will be no Tomato Jello.........=)

Exhaustion or Adrenaline.....

The Exhaustion hit this past weekend.  I should have expected it.  What with all the goings on of the last several weeks, some personal stuff going on, and then work---with a new computer system to boot!  So I shouldn't have been surprised that I felt like a puppet without strings come Friday evening.  But I was.  I wondered what on earth was wrong with me---thought maybe it was a virus or something.   I mean it was that kind of tired where just the thought of moving makes you want to weep, let alone the idea of getting anything done!  I did manage the laundry, craft day at church on Saturday, and Sunday morning service, but not much else.  I wasn't even sure I was going to make it for Sunday morning, but what else was there to do except sit in a chair or lay in bed, and both of those activities make me restless after a while.  So I figured I could at least go sit in the pew and try to absorb something!  =)  It was good too.  This morning, however, I felt much better.  Not a ball of fire or anything, but at least not that mind-numbing exhaustion.  This afternoon though, I am experiencing the other end of the spectrum---adrenaline.  No, nothing disastrous happened at work (thank the Lord!), but I am running all day and then the end of the day is catch up of everything I didn't get to or couldn't do yet, and my head is spinning with everything there is to remember.  Not to mention all the things to remember how to do with this new, complex computer system---and having to wait for it (which is almost more than my nerves can stand!)!  So lately, by the time I punch out I am literally racing on the inside and am having trouble coming down again.  It's not a good high either!  It would be wonderful if I got ramped up and could come home and have the energy to tear into a project or two in order to get calmed down again.  Unfortunately this is that kind of ramped up where you almost feel sick and don't have the energy---or presence of mind---to concentrate on any projects.  Today it's taking a loooong time to come down.  It reminds me of our soldiers after their missions.  If I feel this bad after a day where the only thing threatening me is a new computer system, I can only imagine how they feel after a life-threatening event in the field! No wonder they don't know what to do with themselves sometimes!  I don't know what to do with myself today! lol  Well, ok, maybe it's not just today, but let's not talk about that, shall we?  =)  I think maybe I should install a punching bag!  I have considered it!  Or maybe I should go get mower Fred out and push it wildly back and forth across the yard!  Now wouldn't that be a sight!  But it might at least bring me back to earth more quickly! lol  Really, this thing of extremes is getting to be too much.  I hope things calm down soon so I can plod safely down the middle of the road!  Now excuse me while I go look for something to get me down off this high.  If anyone has any ideas, I'm open!  =)

Why is it that I seem to get the most done on the days I don't try?  Today has been one of those days.  I started out slow, spent time lolling over my coffee, "organizing" my dreams.  It's nice to do that once in a while.  Take time to just sit and think over your dreams and hopes and get them in order.  I have so many dreams, and gather so many ideas day after day, they get a bit muddled in my head and make me feel disordered.  So sometimes I need time to sit and file them, as it were.  Maybe none of you ever have the need to do this.  But I do.  I'm special that way.  =)  Anyway.  After I got my dreams all in order, I decided it was time to get down to business on this mile long to-do list of mine.  Amazingly I sailed right along, even though I didn't really feel like starting anything.  And, as happens now and then---maybe the planets were aligned just right, I don't know! lol---I not only accomplished things from today's list, but from tomorrow's too (well, not tomorrow literally, just beyond today, if you know what I mean!).  Without stress!  I love it when that happens!  Some days I start out with the Grand Plan to get a multitude of projects and chores done, and at every turn there is one obstacle or another, or things just don't come together, and I end up feeling very frustrated---and accomplish almost nothing.  But thankfully there are also days like today when I tool along marvelously and get so much done.  Makes me feel downright accomplished!  lol  Later!

Between Then and Now

Here I am again.  Whew!  It's been an interesting ride!  My OCD keeps telling me to wait until a more "even" date to start blogging again---like the 5th or the 15th---or March 1st even!  But if I do that, something will be sure to come up on that date to keep me from blogging (dontcha know!), and I'll have to start all over---and never get back to blogging!  So I am ignoring my OCD (for once!) and blogging today.  Ignoring my "condition" doesn't happen too often, so enjoy it! lol  Speaking of "conditions" reminds me of work today (which was quite the ordeal let me tell you!).  We started "live" on a new computer system---except that someone in the Corporate office forgot to flip the switch for us to go live, so this morning at 0500 what we had was the leftovers of a dead system (read unusable) and a new system that said we didn't exist.  Basically, nothing.  Nice! Fortunately we had had the foresight yesterday to make sure we had patient orders on paper for just such an occasion.  Not that corporate fails us very often (insert heavy sarcasm here!), but just in case..... So thankfully we could at least get our patients up and running.  We just wrote everything down---which then had to be entered in the computer manually when corporate decided to turn the new system on!  That was a joy to be sure!  But back to my story.  I was explaining to one of the patients about the new system that was but wasn't and how it was making us all discombobulated.  One of my co-workers said, "Not me, I'm just being normal."  To which I replied that at least for this one day I could blame my discombobulation on the computer system and get away with it! =)  It seems I have more than one "condition" to ignore! lol  It was a tiring day, but hopefully tomorrow will be better.  This is not the first time we have been glad we are not a huge clinic!  More chairs today would have been a Disaster!

So where have I been?  That is a very good question!  As Bilbo Baggins might say:  "I've been there and back again."  I've done quite a bit of traveling since my last post.  It was, unfortunately, for sad reasons.  My dear Uncle Charles passed away after quite a struggle with Parkinson's Disease.  He was a godly man, so we know that he is far better off now and reunited with other dear ones who have gone before him.  I would not wish him back to his life the way it was, with his suffering, but it is sad for us to know that he is not around anymore.  He had 2 funerals, one in the North because he (and much of his family) was from there, and one in the South where he lived.  I went to both.  Because I wanted to, that's why!  =)  So my traveling went something like this:  Drove to Florida for a weekend and back home, flew to Pittsburgh via Baltimore (that was an adventure!), drove to The Farm (my Grandpa's old place, not anything to do with the CIA! lol)  and back to Pittsburgh,  flew to Raleigh via Baltimore.  All told, something like 2500 miles total.  Let me stop a minute and catch my breath!  There.  That's better.  Whew! But now let me tell you about my adventure.  It just so happened that the "Northern Funeral" as we came to call it (vs the Southern Funeral---believe me it was just easier that way!) fell right during my already previously scheduled vacation.  This would have been my "Christmas" trip home since I couldn't make it at Christmas time.  This was handy in that I was already covered at work.  However it did make for a rather interesting Christmas vacation! lol  Anyway, I was scheduled to fly from Raleigh to Albany where my parents would pick me up and the next day the 3 of us would drive to PA to The Farm.  I made it as far as Baltimore with flying colors........then they cancelled my flight to Albany.  Oh joy!  Baltimore is getting as bad as Philly! lol  There was a second flight available---but was filled just before I got to the front of the line.  Double bummer!  When I got to the desk, my option for Albany was to wait until 9-something that night ( I had been at the airport since 0930!) and hope that one wasn't cancelled for some reason, or to pick another city.  Oh why not?  I asked the rep if there was anything available for Pittsburgh.  She looked at me a little funny for just a minute and I could almost hear her thinking "You do know that Pittsburgh is in an entirely different direction from Albany, don't you?"  Bless her, she didn't say it!  I did, however, explain to her that I was planning to drive to the area the next day anyway---so she wouldn't think me completely nuts!  She tapped on her little keyboard and Lo! and Behold! there was a flight to Pittsburgh that very afternoon with seats available!  Lucky me!  But then there was the matter of my baggage.......2 bags already thoroughly checked through to Albany........Oh dear!  But this rep was resourceful and she got on her walkie-talkie to someone in baggage, and after just a bit of back and forth, the baggage man had found my bags and sent them in the right direction.  Of course, at the time, I confess to a bit of doubt that my bags would get where they were supposed to go.  I could picture them somehow still ending up in Albany, or worse yet, ending up in the dead-end luggage department of nowhere!  And me in a denim skirt for a week--and to a funeral no less!  *shudder*.  But thankfully, no such disaster occurred.  The baggage man did indeed get my bags on the right plane.  It was such a relief to look out the window of the plane in Pittsburgh and see my bags on the cart!  Whew!  Fortunately that was my only real adventure of the trip.  I can't take too much excitement, dontcha know! lol  The upside to all this is that I got to spend almost 24 unexpected and delightful hours with my grandparents who live near the Pittsburgh airport.  Definitely my silver lining!  =)

So my "Christmas" vacation was spent at The Farm, which was not an unpleasant thing.  The grandparents are gone, but the house is pretty much set up the same as it was, complete with attached memories.  And I did spend the time with my family---more of my family, in fact, than I would have, had I just gone on my regular vacation.  True, none of my gifts to others were wrapped, and they were given out in a rather hodge-podge manner, but still it was pleasant.  It was nice to spend days with my parents, sisters, cousins and aunts---instead of just hours.  There were tears, yes, but there was also plenty of laughter and smiling---maybe we could call it a Muted Celebration.  =)  There is something very comforting and pleasant about spending sad times together with close family.  It magnifies the joy and eases the sadness, somehow.  Maybe it's because we know Dear Uncle is in heaven or because we have shared memories or because we love each other---or maybe all of the above.  =)  Whatever the reasons, it was good to be all together in one place (18 of us even slept in that one house, and I will tell you 41+ does not sleep on the floor as well as 12! lol). 

So that's me between then and now. Are you asleep yet?  I'll see if I can keep the posts rolling..........but don't hold your breath!  I would really hate to be responsible for anyone's demise! =)  Ciao!

No Resolutions

Are your New Year's Resolutions still intact?  We make them every year---and usually they are broken before February.  There's the "I will lose weight" resolution which may include the "I will have better eating habits" resolution.  Then there's the ones that go along with being more organized, having it all together, followed by the ones that include attitudes---like I will be more kind, complain less, have more patience, etc, etc.  There are many many different ones.   The trouble with "resolutions" is that once they are broken we tend to say "Well, there it goes, I'm done" and quit trying.  Resolutions work as long as you keep them. They require a certain "perfection", if you will.  Unfortunately, we are fallen human beings and we make mistakes and cannot do anything perfectly.  That belongs to God alone.  So when we make resolutions we are setting ourselves up for failure---and the sense of worthlessness and discouragement that goes with it.  Why do we do this?  I know why we do. We really want to improve ourselves and a fresh new year seems like the perfect time to "start over".  So year after year we make these resolutions, and year after year we err and give up, and year after year come December 31st we start all over again.  Well this year I decided to do something different--or maybe I should say I decided to try a different perspective.  Perspective can really change things!  I decided this year to reach for goals instead of resolving anything.  Goals are meant to be reached over time.  They don't happen overnight. You set a goal and then form some kind of plan to reach that goal---though even the plan may have to change and evolve as you go along. You also know that along the way you might mess up.  But that's ok.  Just leave the goal in place and keep reaching for it.  With a goal, nothing gets "broken".  Even when the progress seems miniscule, with a goal you just keep plodding toward it.  You can set a goal for anything--just like the resolutions.  But I think setting a goal allows you to keep going forward---which is really what we want anyway, right?  Think of going on a hike up a mountain.  Your goal is the summit, always the summit.  But along the way maybe you see something beautiful off to the side of the trail (and you must go photograph it, like me!), or perhaps you didn't see the signs, and you find yourself on a secondary trail.  You don't say "Well that's it!  I didn't stay on the main trail so I'm going back home."  No!  You find the main trail again and head on forward toward the summit.  Resolutions and goals are like that.  Resolutions send you back home, back to square one to start over, whereas goals allow you to pick up again and keep going forward.  Isn't that so much better?  So here I am with my goals.  Knowing me, my progress will be slow.  But I hope to keep on moving forward, so that when December of 2014 arrives I can move my goal posts forward to set new ones.  What do you have?  Resolutions that hold you back, or goals that move you forward?  =)

Wordless Wednesday.........I Mean Thursday

I forgot.  Really, I did!  I know, it happens so rarely that you would not have expected it.  Better write it on the calendar.  =)  I forgot to post last night.  I was trying to cram a project into the small window I have between work and bedtime and I forgot my post until I had shut everything down.  I may have even been in bed when I thought of it.  Bedtime is when you will think of everything you forgot during the day!  At least that's the way it seems with me.  Anyway.  Since I'm still tired and since I have to work on my day off tomorrow, I will let yesterday's post suffice for today too.

So here is Wordless Wednesday, on Thursday:

Moody thing ain't she?  =)  But oh, so beautiful.....

So after last night's post I got to thinking that I may have sounded a bit like a "yarn snob"!  I just want to clarify that I am in no way above using acrylic yarn!  In fact, most of what I have crocheted in my life to this point has been made with acrylic yarn---with the exception of the cotton doilies and dischcloths I've made.  So please don't think I was "dissing" acrylic.  It has it's place in usefulness, and it's inexpensive, making it the go-to choice for most of us for every day life.  What I was trying to say is that, for me, acrylic yarn does not have the same "heirloom" quality that wool and silk do, especially when you get into the hand-crafted stuff.  You do not buy hand-crafted acrylic!  =)  And heirloom quality handmade is what I've gotten excited about lately.  Ok, I'm done.

In other news........there is none.  I'm just too tired to post more tonight.  Recent events have squashed my 8 day plan into 4, so I'm having to rework the plan.  So tonight I'm eating my fried fish and trying to relax and calm myself and not get overwhelmed......I think I'll just sit by the Christmas tree for a while. (yes, it's still up!)  Night all!

Yarn

This past Saturday I received my first ever order of silk and silk blend yarns.  Can I just say Yummy?  They are so beautiful, both to the eye and to the touch.  See?

The first picture is the pure mulberry silk.  Can you see in the picture how it has a sheen to it?  It is smooth and "silky" (how strange! lol), doesn't have the furry "hair" to it like regular yarn does.  It's color is a pale dusty pink color---"blush" maybe?  I can't wait to make a shawl out of this stuff.  I can imagine it will have the most wonderful drape and fluidity to it.  Very elegant. 

The next 2 pictures are both a wool and silk blend---merino wool to be precise.  The texture is like what you think of yarn being, but very soft and with a touch of "silk" (again, how odd! lol).  The colors didn't come out quite right in the photos.  The purple is darker in real life---more of a dark plum, and the "red" is actually much more like red wine.  Both are luscious!  Pieces made from this yarn should be very snuggly and warm.  Again, I can't wait to put it to use!

I've become obsessed with natural fiber yarns of late.  They are much more expensive than acrylic, but they also say "Artisan" in a way that acrylic never can.  Especially when you get into the hand-spun and hand-dyed category.  I guess I'm an Artisan wannabe.  I don't want to just "do crafts".  I want to make beautiful and useful things out of fine materials.  Things that could be placed in the "heirloom" or "fine" category.  Using fine materials in what one creates are what make handmade items worth their time and effort. You spend all that time crocheting or knitting something, you want that item to be gorgeous---and valuable---when you are done.  At least I do.  Anyway, back to the yarn.  Hand-dyed wool and silk yarns (and other natural fibers too) are so beautiful!  When looking at them online I have to wipe the drool from my computer continuously! lol  So many colors and combinations of fiber to choose from.  Will it be 100% wool or silk, or wool/silk, wool/cashmere, wool/cashmere/silk, linen, cotton, linen/cotton, angora, camel, alpaca, mohair, etc, etc.  And the colors.  Oooooo!  The combinations and variations are endless, the depth of color striking.  And, if the yarn is hand-dyed or hand-painted, your pieces will be truly one-of-a-kind since no two batches of yarn will be exactly the same.  Fine and unique---qualities that make valuable heirlooms.  =) So these days I dream in hand-colored, natural fiber yarn.  The yarn I just bought is still in the commercially produced category, but I'm getting there!  One of these days I will crochet in hand-dyed silk!  What color shall I do first........Hmmm.  That is what is keeping me awake at night.  =)

Olfactory Joy

Coffee....Is there any more wonderful smell in the world than freshly brewed coffee?  I was thinking about this yesterday morning early after I went through the drive-thru at McDonalds.  I had to sit for a minute at the open window while they got my coffee ready, and the smell was heavenly.  I could have sat there for half an hour just sniffing.  I'm quite sure this would have been frowned upon though, so I had to sniff hard for just a minute.  =)  That started me on this train of thought about my favorite smells---aromas, maybe I should say.  I think that if I had to pick just one favorite, coffee would be right there at the top.  Now I like the smell of an apple pie in the oven or spaghetti sauce on the stove or fresh cut onions on the cutting board, etc.  The list could go on and on. There are many captivating scents in our world.  But coffee?  That's in a class all by itself.  I love the smell of the beans in the bag, the grounds in the can,  the brewing in the pot, the steaming in the cup. Doesn't matter.  I love it all.  It's an instant intoxication, a cozy comfort, a peaceful pleasure.  The smell of coffee is what helps pull me out of bed in the "o'dark thirty" hours of the morning.  When it's dark and cold and I have to pull myself out of my snug warm bed and get ready for work, the smell of coffee is comforting somehow.  It's like a friend.  =)  Yes, I know, I need a life! lol  Actually it was coffee that helped me get used to getting up in the mornings after a career that had been mostly evenings and nights.  I'd set the coffee pot to brew so that it would be done just about the time the alarm went off.  Then when I'd wake up feeling yucky and tired, the coffee smell would be there to give me strength to get out of bed.  (Not wanting to waste the coffee helped too!)  So you see, coffee really does have magical powers.  =) But I digress.  Back to smells.  It's interesting to me too that coffee smells wonderful no matter what kind is brewing.  Starbucks, Dunkin', Maxwell House, dark, light, medium........No matter, it all smells wonderful.  There are coffees that I don't enjoy drinking very much: some too weak, some too light, some not hot enough.  But the smell?   Mmmmmm-mmm.  The smell is universally amazing.  I have yet to meet one I didn't like.  So yes, I have put Coffee at the very top of my Favorite Smells In The Universe list.  Next time you wander by a newly opened container or a freshly brewed pot, take a big whiff and see if your nasal passages don't dance.  Try it!  You'll find it is pure, unadulterated Olfactory Joy.  =)

The Painted Sky

It happened as I was driving along Interstate 85 this evening.  Just going over Falls Lake I noticed the horizon starting to tinge pink and purple as the sun dropped low.  I thought how pretty it was and wished, as usual, that I had my camera.  I don't know when I'm going to learn to throw that little thing in my bag when I go out.  That's why I have a little camera---to have something more portable.  Anyway, I didn't have it with me.  Not that there was any place at that moment to stop and take pictures anyway.  It's not the best move to stop on an interstate bridge and get out to take a few photos! Not to mention you would probably get a ticket---if you survived! lol  So I kept driving East, snatching glances in my mirror and over my shoulder, wishing I had someone else to do the driving so I could look.  A few miles later, though, was where it got really amazing.  Suddenly the sky had taken on an orange glow.  Not just down near the horizon either!  The sky was full of puffy clouds left over from the rain storms that had blown through earlier in the day.  In fact it was still raining off and on.  So the orange glow from the horizon spread upwards until it seemed like the entire Western sky was glowing.  As if a huge fire was burning---one big enough to light up the sky.  And still, down along the horizon were the purples from earlier.  Against it all were the silhouettes of all the trees--black against all that light.  It was Incredible! It has been a while since I saw such a spectacular sunset.  I could hardly keep driving.  I wanted so badly to get off the road and just gaze.  Well, what I really wanted to do was get off the road and get a camera in my hands and hold the shutter button down on "continuous"!  =)  Finally my exit came up.  As I drove off the highway I noticed the exit ramp had a nice wide shoulder---just what I needed!  I couldn't take it anymore.  I could NOT keep driving and leave that amazing sunset un-enjoyed.  So I pulled off, rolled down my window and just sat their looking back.  And then, another beauty:  In the East, a rainbow!  There must have been just enough light at the right angle through the rain.  So I sat between the fire in the West and the colors in the East---rather like watching a natural color guard.  It was food for the soul.  I wish you could have seen it.  I kept thinking I should go, but I couldn't.  It was too beautiful.  It was that kind of beauty that really leaves you speechless---or I should say "wordless".  You can try to tell about it, but the right words just aren't available.   After a few minutes the rainbow was gone and the color was beginning to fade, so I tore myself away---albeit with a few parting glances back.  Incredible. Magnificent. Awesome.  I'm glad I was there to see it.  I wish you could have seen it.  I wish I'd had my camera.........=) 

A Very Southern Lunch

Ooh did you miss out today!  We had us a Southern lunch at work.  What was it?  Well hang on a minute and I'll get right down to the details!  It all started several weeks ago when I mentioned to one of my co-workers that I wish she would make me some good old beans.  I mean beans made the way True Southerners make 'em.  We Yankees don't know the first thing about beans really.  Oh sure, we dump a few kidney beans in our chili--maybe.  Some don't even do that.  Growing up, about the only time we had beans (besides green beans) was when we had chili.  As an adult I went to live with my grandparents for a while and they introduced me to beans with ham.  Grandpa loved them.  Every time we had ham you could just count on him saying "Mama, we need us a mess of beans."  And being the good wife that she was, she would get out the old pot and simmer up a 'mess' of them.  I came to love them as much as he did, and would rejoice when he'd ask Grandma for them.  So one of the things I love about living in the South is the beans.  Southern people know their beans and do they ever know how to cook 'em!  Ooo-eee!  You talk about good eatin'!  I don't care whether they are green beans, limas, pintos, navy or great northern, they're all good here!  Anyway, I told her I wanted some beans.  And, as with a lot of things in conversation, it went on by.  So Wednesday I asked her, "Phyllis, when are you going to make me some beans?"  To my joy and delight she said she would bring some on Friday (today).  I told her I would bring some cornbread---if they didn't mind Yankee cornbread.  You laugh, but it's true!  In our house growing up about the only time we had cornbread was with chili (same as with the beans).  Here in the South, cornbread is a must, with many dishes.  And again, they know how to make it. Southern women (and I suppose some men too! lol) whip up that cornbread in all shapes and sizes.  They put jalapenos, bacon grease, or fatback in it.  They fry it, bake it in skillets, pans and muffin tins.  And when it's done they put butter or honey or beans on it!  They do.it.up!  And I doubt many of them use a recipe.  Why would they?  They've been making it since they were 2 months old! lol  They would probably just shake their heads at me for having to ask Betty for help! So when I offered to make cornbread I thought it only fair that I remind them of my Yankee heritage.  They assured me that it would be fine as long as it looked like cake! lol  Lunch snowballed from there.  By the time we sat down today we had fried chicken, cooked greens & turnips (greens are another thing that Southern folk know how to cook!), a big pot of pinto beans (that had been simmering all day on our portable burner in the break room.  "You might be a redneck if....."---that's us for sure!  Every time you opened the door to the treatment room the smell of beans and smoked turkey came wafting in.  Drove the patients crazy!  They'll probably all have beans this weekend because of us! lol), corn bread and iced tea.  Talk about a taste of the South!  And it was soooo good!  Yesterday I kept thinking about those beans to go along with the cornbread I was making.  I couldn't wait.  And they were just as good as I imagined they would be.  Skins all split and soft (but not too mushy), swimming around in savory juices.  Man oh man! I put those beans right on top of my cornbread and ate till I was full as a tick (as they say here)!  Everything was all good, but those beans were my favorite. Mmmmmm!  So next time you are near the corner of Lewis and Industry, stop on in.  You might just find yourself a very Southern lunch.  (And if we've been greedy and eaten it all, well......there's always George's across the street.)  =)

Homemaking (Vent!!)

I'm tired of something.  Well, if you want to know I'm tired of lots of things.  But for this post I'm tired of this one thing:  I'm tired of mothers being belittled for choosing to stay home to raise their children and run their home.  Why exactly would you belittle someone for this?  I think maybe it stems from jealousy.  Women who want to stay home, but cannot are jealous of those who choose that.  I'm not sure.  I hate to hear it though.  Almost every day I wish I could stay at home and make my home.  Sure, I'm the only one here right now, but I still wish it.  I am happiest when I am home creating something.  People ask what I would do if I didn't work.  Do you have all day?  I would grow food and flowers, I would can fruit and veggies and jam and sauces, I would make soap and cheese, I would sew, I would cook my way through cookbooks, I would craft more, (including put more inventory in my shop), and  I would decorate my house for the seasons appropriately (instead of leaving the St Patrick's Day decoration on the door all year, like I did this past year. No lie!  Put up after Valentine's Day 2013, still on there today. Laugh away!  It would be funny if it weren't so sad! lol).  That is just my starting list.  I don't even have a family and I want to stay home, so why shouldn't a woman in her right mind want to stay home and raise her children and run her home??  I know there are many many women who wish they could do this, but cannot.  There are others who could do this and choose not to.  But there are women who have this choice available and actually choose to do it.  And just this week I listened to someone essentially say a cousin of hers was wasting her life and her college education by staying home.  Makes me mad!!  Personally, I think it's grand.  I don't know this woman, but apparently she is turning into quite the old-fashioned homemaker: homeschooling, venturing into canning and soapmaking, etc.  I want to applaud her and tell her "You go for it, girl!"  And I'm just a wee bit jealous that she has this opportunity.  =)  Please don't think I am criticizing anyone when I say this, but I think we would be a whole lot better off if we had more homemaking going on these days.  We have lost something by us women not caring for/taking pride in our homes.  Women are the center of the family/home and when we don't take that job seriously our entire culture is affected.  I really believe that.  Look around.  Again, I am not criticizing whatever has been your choice.  These are my opinions here.  But when you meet someone who has chosen to be a homemaker and works hard at it, please don't hate.  Homemaking is an important career!
Ok, I'm done.  For now.  =)

Thankfully the icy grip could not last long here in the South--well, here in the NC Piedmont anyway.  We reached the much more seasonable tempurature of 40 or so.  Felt so nice!  I don't know how we are going to stand ourselves when we get up into the mid to upper 60s on the weekend!  We'll probably roast! lol  Very strange weather indeed.  I don't like the cold part so much, but the warm?  I'll take it!!  However, for those of you who are still locked tight in the grip of Old Man Winter, here's a little "Calgon" to take you away......=)

Cold and Shoes

So here's where the challenge starts to happen.  When the time between work and bed is not nearly enough for all that I want to do.  When the blog gets pushed to the back burner because there are other more pressing things to do.  But then I feel disappointed because I really like blogging.  Then I begin to feel the frustration of living by the clock---specifically the time clock at work.  Work dictates so much in my life and doesn't leave me time for the creative side of me.  *sigh*  Such is life I guess.  But I said I was going to blog, so I am going to blog something by hook or by crook! lol 

It was cold here today!!  I had to look at the map to make sure I was still in North Carolina and had not somehow been transported to more Northern lands!  Brrr!  Now I know, those of you who are hale and hearty Northerners shaking your heads.  It was 20 here today and for some of you that number is nearly toasty!  I know!  I have thin blood, what can I tell you!  But for this part of the world 20 is cold!  Shiver me timbers!  But the good news is that it will be back in the 60s just in time for the weekend (my weekend OFF, I might add!), so life is good.  I must remember to go check the fuel gauge tomorrow though.  Running out of fuel at this point is not my idea of fun and excitement.  =)

In other news, I got new shoes!  Nursing shoes I mean.  Now that might not mean much to you, but to anyone who lives on their feet, new shoes are hugely important.  I have been wearing the same ol 2 pair of sneakers for going on a year now.  Too long.  Even expensive sneakers break down after about six months of carrying around this carcase of mine!  I have been meaning to order, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.  You know how it is.  But in the meantime my feet and legs hurt by days end and cramped in the night!  Finally, I got myself in gear and ordered some new ones (on sale too!), and then waited impatiently for them to get here.  Yes, impatiently.  Patience is not one of my virtues.  Unfortunately.  Life would go a whole lot smoother if it was! Anyway, last evening I was bemoaning not yet having the new shoes and my feet hurt---the whole nine yards.  But then a miracle occurred and UPS brought the shoes!  There was the moment of bated breath when I slipped them on, hoping like anything they would fit.  They did!!  They feel wonderful!!  (This time I went back to Sanita for a pair of clogs instead of sneakers.)  I nearly danced for joy!  So off I went to work this morning in my sparkling new shoes---although I did have a moment of pause wondering if I really should wear my backless clogs over the old sneakers on the coldest morning of the year! =)  But my feet argued loudly for the new shoes---and won, too.  Of course there were the usual tender spots that come with being on your feet all day in new shoes, but at least I didn't come dragging home with my legs and feet so worn out I didn't feel like I could get out of the car.  Yay for that!!  It really is amazing what the right shoes will do for a body.   Good shoes make a huge difference in how I feel at the end of the day.  I think I may just order another pair.  =)

Now I'm off to bed after scrounging up something for dinner.  I think it may be cereal.  Again.  =)  Ya'll stay warm!!!

I'm trying to challenge myself with this here blog. I'm going to try to post something every day between now and when I go on vacation the 23rd.  I won't be able to post every day then because my parents don't have internet service.  How sad! (Insert sarcasm here) Actually that's a good thing because, if I do manage to post every day between now and then, I'll be worn to a frazzle and will need a break! lol! So here goes. Be forewarned! Some days might not make sense (nothing unusual about that, I know!), and others may be no more than a little drool on the keyboard, but it will be something! I have to challenge myself like this or I'll just sink right back into my old lazy ways....

So this is my post for today. Sorry if you came expecting something pithy. I'm too tired for that or anything else. Tonight is one of those drool on the keyboard nights! lol I'd go to bed right now (530 pm), but that would be a bit excessive. So I'll make myself stay up by punishing myself with Pinterest or some such thing until it gets a little later! =) See ya tomorrow! Stay warm!

A Fresh Scratchpad

Well here we are.  5 days into a new year and I have yet to post.  Shocking, I know!  My OCD is screaming at me that I really should have posted on the 1st if I was going to start this blog year right.  Being a little on the OCD side can be annoying at times.  Doing things like a first post of the year on the 3rd for example just rubs my fur the wrong way! lol  Today is the 5th, which is better.  Stop laughing!  It really is better!  That's ok.  When you do something strange, I'll snicker to my heart's content. So anyway, here we are.  A New Year, a blank slate, a blank book---whatever you like to call it.  For me, it's a New Scratchpad.  Why? Well you know that blank notepad/book you keep on your desk or counter or table where you scratch out your lists and ideas and goals.  Most everyone has one somewhere.  It's all clean and empty when you start, but then pretty soon this or that is scratched off because other ideas came along, or another list was made that out ranks the old one, or (once in awhile) something gets accomplished, so you scratch it off and write in something new.  Before too long it's a little dog-eared and smudged, but you keep on writing and scratching and rewriting until you use it all and it's time to get another one.  I love getting a new scratchpad!  So fresh and clean!  My life is a bit like that from year to year.  Some people write nice neat books, all organized and lovely.  And when the end of the year they can tuck it away with all the other past ones and pull out the fresh one.  I wish I was like that!  Every year, it seems, I decide I am going to be more organized.  Very firmly, too!  But soon I'm always back to the scratch pad, rewriting, scratching out, even ripping out a few pages! lol  I'm not in any way criticizing those people who have it all together.  No way!  I wish I could be more like that all the time!  I just have yet to accomplish it!  =s So here I am with my New Scratchpad---which already has a few lists in it---that already need rewritten to include a few more things.  =)   If you have a blank book I hope this one is the best you've ever written.  And if you have a new scratchpad (like me!), I hope you realize more dreams and goals than ever before.  Happy New Year everyone!