When Things Are Quiet

Sometimes I think this has to be the very best part of the day.

Still early.  I've spent time in God's word.  The man is off to work.  The offspring still asleep.  The house is quiet and peaceful.

It's just me alone with my thoughts.  Quite nice.

I can write.  I can read.  Or crochet.  I can do whatever.  No interruptions.

The whole day spread out ahead of me.  Waiting to be filled.  To be conquered. (yes... I like that - conquered) I can grab the proverbial bull by the horns and tame it.

Carpe diem!

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When You Want Something Fresh

The Man of the House and I were up bright and early Saturday.  Some might  even say too early for a Saturday morning.  I would have been one of those people a week ago.

But we were on a mission.  A mission to find ourselves some nice, fresh produce at the local farmer's market.

We are blessed to live in an area with no shortage of local tailgate markets. But the big granddaddy of all the produce markers is the WNC Farmers Market.  Which is where we could be found on this sunny, and already warm and humid morning.

We had a list.  We had a good attitude.  We had our shopping bags.  And we came away with a few staples and something new to try.

I was able to score the fresh free range eggs I wanted, some sweet and new red potatoes; as well as a purple bell pepper.  Purple!  I wanted to plant purple peppers this year, but never got the plant.  So I was excited to find them at the market and get a chance to try it.  Because I think it will be so pretty in a big green salad.  And because it's so fun to say!  Purple pepper. (Go ahead... say it - I know you want to)

One happy surprise was finding I could get the dried beans I needed at the farmers market by the pound, rather than buying them by the bag at the grocery store.  Who knew?  Not me!

We got to see a mini hydroponic growing set up.  Ran into an old friend. And met the delightful owner of a local farm selling at the market.

The Man and I agree - this experience scores a "Win" with both of us.  And chances are, if you're at the WNC Farmers Market one Saturday morning this summer - you might just see us there!

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What To Read This Summer

If you know anything at all about me, it's probably that I am a reader.  My "to be read" list is... well, hopeless.  It never ever ever gets any smaller, no matter how much I read.  Because there are always so many more books to discover and read. 

If we're being honest - my idea of heaven may just be a huge library filled with all the books I never got around to reading in life and with a never ending supply of new books and a comfy chair.  And maybe a bottomless coffee cup sitting on the little table right next to that chair.

What's all this leading to, you make be asking yourself?  Well, when I realized that everyone and their sister seems to be creating a summer reading list, I thought "Sure... why not?"  (yep, that's me putting my awesome creative thinking skills to work.  You're welcome. Ha!)  It just made sense.

I am in the middle of a personal reading challenge for the year.  Reading in alphabetical order by author's last name.  Which you may notice as you take a look at my personal summer reading list. Although there are a few "out of order" books in there as well.  Just because, that book needs to be read.  Like, NOW.

So here you have it -  What I'll be reading this summer:

1)  A Dance With Dragons by George RR Martin
I just started this one last night.  The most recent book in the Game of Thrones: A Song of Fire and Ice series.  And when I say "most recent" this book came out in 2011.  We're still waiting for the next.  And waiting... and waiting...

2)  Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.”  The first line is an attention grabber.  The reviews convinced me to make this my book to fill the N spot in my author alphabet. 

3) Once Upon A Summer by Janette Oke
 I needed a book for the O spot in my author alphabet.  This was a freebie that has been sitting in my Nook library for a while.  There ya have it.  

4) A Sentence of Marriage by Shayne Parkinson
Another free Nook Book.  Which I have been wanting to read because a) I'm a sucker for historical fiction and b) all the reviews on GoodReads either 5 star loved it or 1 star hated it.  I'm curious to see where I end up in my opinion of it.  

5) The Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice
"'What is one sister without the other? Is it even possible to imagine?' New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice explores the complex emotional equations of love and loyalty that hold together three pairs of remarkable sisters"
They had me at "sisters".  Seriously.  As the oldest of 3, I adore books that explore the complexities of the sister bond.

6) Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbot
I have had this on hold at the digital library since the beginning of the year when I was back on "A".  I'm finally at #11, so hopefully I'll be reading it before the summer is out.  The true stories of 4 female spies during the Civil War.

And last, but certainly NOT least - 

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my very favorite books of all time.  So, yes - I am almost giddy with the idea of a new book by the same author based on the same group of characters. Welcome back old friends - how I have missed you!  I just hope it lives up to the hype.

I'm also still on the look out for a good book to fill my "Q" author spot.  So, if you have any suggestion - PLEASE share them in the comments!

Happy Reading!

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What's It All About?

It's not about what I do or don't do.  It's not about how good I am.  It's not about how much I plan or how hard I work.  It's not about how many to do lists I make or items I check off those lists.

It's not about me at all.  It's all about God's plans. His will.  His mercy.

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A Spirit of Gratitude: June 22

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

The grand baby "dancing" in the car

Fresh berries for dessert

Watching basketball playoffs with the Man of the House

Latest order completed

A little late spring cleaning

A trip to the store for cleaning supplies

A rainbow - Right. There!

The grand baby falling asleep while the Man of the House holds him

The grand baby's morning silliness

Soy butter toast 

Clean laundry room

The garden looks beautiful

Cookies and cream cupcakes

A groomed dog

A trip to Lowe's

Baby squash

Empty laundry sorter

One grumpy boy - beyond ready for bed

Mr & Mrs Cardinal having breakfast at the feeder

Deer in the road on the way home

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A Spirit of Gratitude: June 11

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

the Man of the House getting up to help me bring the car in at midnight

Coffee after a night of little sleep

bunny ears completed

Walnuts and craisins

clean sheet day

New listings for Queen B's Busy Work

the smell of fresh basil

Going back to sleep

chocolate

Some relief for the headache

another order in the mail

Blueberry pancakes

first baby tomato

Quiet morning

job opportunity for the male offspring

Hugs from the grand baby

pizza night

New project ideas

Stomach feeling better

great prices on fruit

Staying up late to watch a movie

Smoked chicken

hatching butterflies

Fresh to-do lists

gumbo

Early to bed

early to rise

Oatmeal with blueberries

the male offspring starting his summer job
Leftovers
releasing butterflies

Getting several items completed for Queen B's Busy Work

new shoes for the Man of the House

the Internet company agreeing to reduce our bill

The Man of the House offering to go out for dinner so I don't have to cook

Pimento cheese pizza

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'A Spirit of Gratitude' - June 4

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

• thunderstorms at night
• Morning coffee
• Foggy mornings
• Sun breaking through mist
• Watermelon

photo: publicdomainpictures.net

• The chance to drive the male offspring to school
• Twizzlers
• The way the grand baby says "muffins"
• A cup of fresh cold water
• finishing two books in one day
• First birdsong of morning
• Caramel Macchiato
• playing peekaboo
• yawning cat
• the sound of rain making me sleepy
• Rain watering the garden
• listening to the Man of the House practice guitar
• Cucumbers
• discovering your journal does have a built in ribbon book mark - after weeks of using an index card to mark your place
• Crock pot meals
• The grand baby falling asleep in the middle of the living room floor
• Morning kisses
• Lemonade iced tea
• Date night
• fireflies
• the twilight sky
• The male offspring's 17th birthday
• Grilled hamburgers
• The male offspring playing his new guitar
• the female offspring baking his birthday cake
• Eating tacos and managing to not get any on my white shirt
• The grand baby saying "hey, a little help here"
• Lazy afternoons on the couch
• Gorgonzola blue chips
• fresh cut grass
• Waking up early without the alarm
• June
• The sun coming up before 7 am
• The grand baby picking eating mulberries
• weeding the garden
• New shirts
• "Spicy meatball" sandwiches
• Falling asleep to the sound of falling rain
• the last of the watermelon

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Gorgonzola (Black and) Blue Chips

I had a great idea for a post.  I had it all planned out.  Here's what happened...

I was going to share one delicious snacky type food with y'all.  One the Man of the House and I discovered at one of our favorite restaurants a while back and quickly began making at home.  It's simple to make, and it is YUMMY.  Gorgonzola blue chips.

I started snapping pics with my phone as I prepared a pan full of salty, savory delight for the man and I to enjoy.

 First... you lay your blue corn chips out on your baking sheet.

Then you cover them with crumbled gorgonzola cheese and pop the pan into the oven under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese gets melty and bubbly.

And this is where the entire project took a downhill turn.You see, I stepped out of the kitchen for a couple of minutes while they were under the broiler.  And things escalated quickly...

In just a few sort minutes they went from gorgonzola blue chips  - to Gorgonzola black and blue chips.  Yep... toasted them right up to a slightly burnt mess.

The bad news - that put the brakes on the entire "I'm gonna blog about this" idea. Sorry...

The good news - they were still pretty darn delicious.  (oh yeh, we ate the entire pan!)

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When You Might Be Turning Into A Hermit

I think I might have missed my calling as a hermit...

Photo: publicdomainpictures.net

I mostly keep to myself these days.  Not much socializing going on around this gal - unless you count group texts with my sisters, occasionally going to the craft store  with the female offspring, or grocery shopping with the Man of the house "socializing".  And the thing is, except for a few rare instances when I start wondering if this isolation from society is a bad thing and maybe I need to force myself to join a book club or something, I am pretty much OK with it.

I have dreams of moving to some mountainside or valley cove (as we call them around here a "holler") with a few acre of land, a tiny house and some chickens.  The sort of place where you go into town to do the shopping. And better be sure you get everything you might need until the next trip because there's no such thing as a 'quick trip to the store'.

There's also the idea of moving to some remote Alaskan village where the population in winter is about the same, or smaller, as the enrollment of the local high school where we live now.  Or off to England for a year - where nobody knows us.

I even came to realize that my favorite types of weather...  foggy, rainy days and snow - are exactly the kind which encourage a person to stay home!  Which is one thing I love about it.  Staying tucked inside, warm and dry with a cup of coffee, a good book or two, and my latest crochet project.

I'm not ready to go off the grid completely.  I need to be somewhere I can make a semi regular trip to the craft or yarn store.  And a library.

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A Spirit of Gratitude: May 26

I Am Thankful For:

afternoon thunderstorm

"peace and quiet" time

scheduling my day

clean sheets

the grand baby trying to convince me that my to do list says 'cupcakes'

bean plants sprouting

a bloom on a tomato plant

talking birthday plans with the male offspring

feeling productive

the Man of the House suggesting a trip to Publix  

that frustrating crochet project finally starting to come together

the tomato plants really taking off!

getting much done before 9am

going over to visit with my mom

new haircut

spending an afternoon with my sister

late night texts with the other one

the Man of the House grilling all weekend

our first watermelon of the summer

long weekends

cookout

a clean house

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Three Things That Need to Change

Sometimes when something just isn't working for you any longer - it's time to make a change.  A lot of times that is easier said than done.  Here are three things I know I need to change:

1)  Sleep

Every evening I tell myself I am going to go to bed earlier than usual.  And every night, that doesn't seem to happen.  Then, every morning I get up very early.  Every day, I am tired by the middle of the afternoon (at the latest)

2) The Junk I Consume

http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=43198&picture=french-fries

I know I need to eat better.  My cholesterol numbers show that.  The scale shows that.  My doctor has told me that.  Scripture says that our bodies are temples where the Holy Spirit resides.  Would I fill a temple with garbage?  Um.... no.

3)  Water

I need to increase the amount of water I drink.  By a lot.  Some days it gets to be very late in the afternoon and I realize I have had nothing to drink since my morning coffee. Seriously - how am I not thirsty ALL. THE. Time?

Is there something you know you need to change?

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When Your Gratitude Is Challenged

As I sat yesterday working on my "Spirit of Gratitude" post, I considered the weekend just past.  It seemed to just fly past - as most of our weekends do.  Full of errands to run, chores to take care of, projects to complete (or at least to make some progress towards completion)   I thought about family.  I thought on what might be considered trials we are facing for the moment.  And the joys we are experiencing.

It's almost dizzying at times how much can pack into a matter of a few days.  At the pace of human life, it's easy for things to get overlooked.  Missed.  Or forgotten.  We are only capable of focusing on so much at any one time.

What are you focusing on in life?  The blessings, the good moments, the quiet, the peace?  Or the  negative, the stressful moments, the busyness?  The choice is yours.

For me, the point of my gratitude journaling is to focus on the goodness in my life.  To make myself find at least a few good points in every day.  No matter how terrible, horrible, very bad the day seemed.  There is never a day that is NO good.  There is always something in that day to be thankful for.  Even if it's just that you made it through, you are still breathing, and that particular day is over and done.

My challenge to you this week is this: every day find at least three things for which you can breathe out a "thank you" to the God of the universe.  Write them down.  Keep them where you can see them. If you find the negative thoughts creeping in - look at the blessings you have written down.  See if it doesn't help improve your mood.  And your week.  

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A Spirit of Gratitude: May 18

 I AM THANKFUL FOR:

the grand baby's mischievous little grin

homemade granola

a return to Spring after several days of previewing Summer's hot weather

the Man of the House giving me a neck rub

fresh baked cinnamon bread

the Man of the House coming home early

snuggles on the couch

playing "heads up" with the Man of the House and the male offspring

staying up too late

finding the perfect birthday present

my brother in law recovering from successful surgery

big squeezes from the grand baby

smoked BBQ chicken

cinnamon

all the laundry folded and put away

peace in the middle of stress

the grand baby asking to be tickled

 

 

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