Tried and True

Butter Chicken! And made in the crock pot!!  Head over to Meal Planner 101 and read the comments left by folks who have made it.  All true, and add mine- as good as anything we would get in a restaurant.  And did I mention it is made in the crock pot?!

Made these beans, and boy were they great!  Hard to believe it, but it’s the pepper that makes them!  Gradually, I’m learning to make the things I thought HAD to have pork in them without meat.  I did the stovetop version.

This is a favorite around here.  It sure does leave a mess to clean up in my cast iron skillet though!  Worth the clean-up work, especially since DH does the cast iron.

Why not make some Mexican chocolate to go with it?! I didn’t use the pumpkin seeds in mine, and it was great!

You know how when someone says that something is “the best”, you set your expectations way high?  This indeed IS the best frosting.  Well, not if you were wanting Nutella buttercream.  But for a good light all purpose frosting, this will become my go-to.

A love note to me!

Yesterday, as I was driving down Bardstown Road I noticed a small banner strung between a couple of sticks that said, “You are my beloved”.  It couldn’t have been more for me  if it had my name at the end.  I know it was a message for ME.  I came back by later in the day to make sure I didn’t dream it up, and there it was- an unassuming little sign staked into the yard of the Lutheran church. 

You know how every now and then you will see a proposal sign- LINDA, WILL YOU MARRY ME? and I always wonder if every Linda who drives past’s heart leaps into her throat! 

Well, this sign was for me.  And for every other person who saw it and needed it.  Makes me want to put up Beloved signs all over town!  Who doesn’t want to be dearly loved by the God who sustains us, by the people who matter? 

My whole day was better yesterday, and on into today, as I thought of that tender reminder!

Wednesday Link Love

Don’t you want to sit at the Welcome Table?  How beautiful does this dinner party look?!

 

I’m loving little birdies this week.  Great tutorial at Craft Passion for these guys.

And Sugar Belle can talk you through these!

The sight of this alley brought back this great memory of the bottle cap collection I had as a child.  Shoe boxes full of them.  And my friends had their own boxes.  We could kill and afternoon by harvesting tons of bottle caps around houses being built just after the crew went home for the day, then laying them all out and comparing.  We were always trying to get one that no one else had.   

And finally, this sweet poem was my introduction to Words Dance, and what a treasure you will find there!

I wish...
I wish you star-shot nights.
Fevered limbs spangled with the glory of your dreams.
I wish you sunflowers and glitter.
May you live to grow creaky and see the trees bend.
I pray for peony petals for you, for sweet williams, blushing tints.
For bridal gowns, dress up and ropes of pearls.
I wish you an open heart,
I wish you succulent bites, warm from the oven.
By the hands of your loved one.
May you find wild strawberries, sun-warmed and sweet.
May you wash your hands of their sticky blood with mountain water
Like we did as children.
You must remember.
- Grace Quantock

Little bit of Link Love

Oh, I want to be here! And what’s not to love about a blog called tinyhouseswoon!

I’ve always been fascinated by Ocean City and in particular the tent houses.  A tent with a real bathroom and a real kitchen…..sounds really pretty nice.  But, then there is August….and there are no a/c’s allowed.

Talk about some fun snail mail!

Time for some Cake Wrecks…..

Doesn’t this look like a chipper place to go for some R and R?

Some cool stuff here, but I like the bike lock the best.

Sustenance in the Desert–Prayer

Praying

It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

~ Mary Oliver ~

 

To pray can be to push a door
and snatch some crumbs of evermore,
or (likelier by far) to wait,
head bowed, before a fastened gate,
helpless and miserable and dumb,
yet hopeful that the Lord will come.

Jessica Powers

 

 

Wednesday Link Love

I’m in.  You?

The folks in this household love love Dutch Babies.  Well, this is a Dutch Baby kicked up a notch and with a good story to boot.  I have to try it!

I’m indebted to my friend Kevin for pointing me in Hana’s direction.  Love the Switcheraroos!  

OH, how I would love to take this class!!

What a great way to bring a child’s art to life!!

In the Desert

During the 40 days of Lent, the Jeff Street folks are spending some time looking at the things that sustain us in the desert.  Each week we will be adding something to our walking stick to remind us of those things. 

Last week we looked at the words that we carry in our hearts.

Today we looked at Memory.  In thinking of the memories that sustain me in the desert, there are the memories of traditions, of special moments, of stories passed down to me of the important memories of my family and my friends.  I find myself often leaning into the memories of moments when I have felt safest, well cared for and loved, when I have been unburdened by cares and worries.

When I was in my 20’s and given to bouts of melancholy, I started a good memory book.  I made a point of writing good memories down as they were being made, knowing that in days ahead I could pull that book out as a visual reminder of all of the good and tender and precious things I held in my heart.  I continued that tradition well into my 30’s.  Might not be a bad idea to start a new book.  (At this stage in my life, it might be best for me to write down ANYTHING I want to remember!) From the vantage point of 55 years, I’ve learned that even a memory that evokes sadness at times still is a good memory, one that I need to revisit and one that sustains me and reminds me that I am strong and brave and capable when I need to be. 

I am so grateful for all of the wonderful and rich memories that are a part of my walking stick  for those times when I walk in the desert.