It's That Time Again

Well, I am still here.

I have had the opportunity to work in the print shop this week.

We were collating and stapling Tagolog coloring books for the Philippines.

That kept me busy on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

And for the rest of the week ...

Some cookies for the local college students

to help them study for their midterms.

And some Spring cleaning.

Last year, we did so much painting and renovating that I think the cleaning was minimal.

But this week,

I am washing walls and baseboards.

Washing curtains, pillows, bedding.

Cleaning dust bunnies from their hiding places behind furniture.

Just the two guest rooms and guest bathroom left.

Hope to finish that this Friday.

And this weekend ...

the cleaning goes outside.

Hubby is going to help trim some trees overhanging the roof

and we have to scrub some mold/mildew off of the roof as well.

Cui Bono - What Good Will it Do?

I am currently reading an 1896 classic

"The Secret of  Happy Home."

Last night, 

I was reading about this Latin phrase (cui bono) in relation to the tongue - and the home.
Cui Bono literally means "Who does it benefit?"

The point of the chapter was to think about your words before speaking them.

What is the purpose of the words?

Do they edify or build up?

Do they only serve to tear down?

What is the value of the words?
Am I speaking only to make myself look better?

The example was given of a husband relating an event.

He described the event, but mispoke or ill-remembered the timing (one week? or three weeks?)

If the timing has no real significance in the account,

why correct him?

The example can be used in any situation.

Do I give grace?

Is there thoughtfulness to my speech?

The Beauty in Bible Memory

One of the blessings of Bible memory work

is that you have to meditate on the verses.

You constantly read, review, recite, dwell on the thoughts therein.

This verse has been a blessing to me this month in Psalm 3.

Whatever is going on around me,

God is there.

If I am doing right,

if I am confessing and forsaking sin,

God is my shield.

God will uphold me.

No Cream of ?

A casserole without Cream of ? soup ...

not impossible, but a little rare.

We enjoy a casserole with no creamy sauce.

Just a simple casserole with whole ingredients.

I made it Saturday while hubby was at work.

One meal for us Saturday night with leftovers for today.

Wild Rice, Turkey, Squash Casserole

Ingredients

1 c wild rice

1 lb ground turkey (of course you can use beef)

1 c grated mozzarella or jack cheese

1 small yellow onion chopped

1 med butternut squash

1 bunch spinach leaves (can be omitted or throw in some peas or beans)

1 1/2 c broth (or water)

1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp salt

pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cook rice per directions minust 10-15 minutes

Bake squash cut side down in roasting pan with 1 1/2 c water for about 20 minutes.

(Rice and squash aren't totally cooked because they will bake more in casserole)

Brown turkey with onion.  Add chopped spinach about 2 minutes until wilted.

Remove skin from squash and cube.

Mix all ingredients and add to greased 9x13.

Bake at 400 for 30 min.

Sprinkle with cheese and bake another 5-7 minutes.

YUMMY!

The Little Things

In the complexities of life,

through the stresses,

in the ups and downs, ...

its important to stop

and remember the little things.

For us,

that involves celebrating our first date.

February 17, 2002

Bella Napoli Italian Bakery

Latham, NY

Yes, Today is donut day.

16 years ago,

we thought nothing of the sugar content.

We thought nothing of the calories.

We thought nothing of the processed flours and sugars.

And today,

we forget those things (at least a little)

and remember that special date.

And a special thank you to the +5 who chaperoned the first date.

Wish you could be with us again today!

Hard Not To Be Grateful

It is a beautiful spring-like day.

All of the windows in the house are open.

The temperature is up to 74* inside.

On a day like this, I am so energized.

My morning was productive and my afternoon can be as well.

On this Thankful Thursday,

I am thankful for the beautiful weather outside.

I am thankful for the breeze blowing in the windows.

I am thankful for a productive morning that yielded a tidy home.

I am thankful for the opportunity to do dorm devotions

with one of the girls dorms at the local college tonight.

I am thankful for lessons to share.

I am thankful for people who want to be a blessing.

I am thankful for returned health.

I am thankful for food that is ready to be prepared for dinner.

I am thankful for the "tokens for good" along the way.

We were reminded last night

that if our mouth is full of thanksgiving,

there will not be room for murmuring, complaining, backbiting, foolish jesting.

So, I want my mouth to spill out gratefulness everyday.

Will I succeed 100%?  No!  But it is a good goal.

Celebrate God's Love

How do we know and appreciate love?

We know and appreciate love because of the love

that God has shown us.

He is the example of perfect love.

He created us.

He made a plan to save us.

He executed the plan which involved giving the life of His Son.

His Son willingly died for the sins of the whole world.

He offers salvation free for those who will believe and repent.

His love embodies the traits of charity.

His love should overflow in the lives of His children.

This love is the love that we celebrate today.

Whether with a spouse,

whether in a classroom,

whether with children,

whether with friends,

whether with interaction with strangers.

A giving love that shows the love of God.

On Sunday, I was given my first Valentine present of the week.

On Sunday night, I had to go to church alone because hubby was unsure of his health

(it was a false alarm).

Of course, since hubby has preached and taught much since we arrived in NC

and since he spent nearly 4 years at sea while in WA

sitting alone at church is nothing new to me, but it can be a little lonely since church is often a family affair.

After the song service,

a young man came up beside my seat and asked if he could sit beside me.

He didn't have to do it,

but he looked to the needs of someone else.

He saw that I might be lonely and uncomfortable in a setting that was still new and different.

It was a gift from the young man to both me and hubby.

It was a gift from his parents who had taught him to give of himself.

It was a gift from God to encourage me.

How will you give of yourself today?

How will you show the love of Christ to others?

Celebrate Early

I love Valentine's Day.

I love the hearts.

I love the sentiments.

I love celebrating love.

Last week, I mailed off the goodie boxes.

Today, I delivered to college mail boxes.

And today, I celebrate with hubby (Wednesday nights are a little rushed).

We started with heart shaped biscuits to go with our eggs for breakfast..

Then some special "happy mail" arrived at work for hubby.

(more on that in a later post)

Tonight,

large chef salads (with some heart shaped ham)

and

tiramisu cream puffs!

We will exchange small gifts

and enjoy each other's company.

Meeting a Need

I love tomato soup.

Warm and creamy.

So satisfying.

When we had to go gluten free,

we were at a loss.

No more Campbells tomato soup.

Then when we cut dairy substantially,

well ...

I tried to make it myself,

but to no avail.

Last week in the "sicky" season

and with some cool days,

I decided to try again.

I found one that hubby immediately requested again

and one he believed was better than the "boxed version" that was a special treat due to price.

Roasted Tomato soup

2 lbs tomato

 6 garlic cloves, peeled and whole

1/4 med. red onion

1 jalapeno pepper, halved and seeded

1 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

2 sprigs oregano

3-4 basil leaves

salt pepper

2 c broth or water

parmesan

Preheat Oven to 375*

Cut tomatoes in half and place in baking dish cut side down.

Add onion, garlic, pepper, oregano and basil to pan

Drizzle veggies with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bake 45 min.

Place roasted vegetables in blender and puree.

Add broth or water until soup has desired consistency.

Garnish with cheese.

16

Indulge me my annual February memories.

Today we celebrate the 16th anniversary of the day that we were introduced.

Latham Bible Baptist Church ... Latham, NY
February 10, 2002 ... following pm church service

 A first grade teacher ... a young Sailor

East meets west

city meets country

We laugh about the differences,

but God has made 2 - 1.

The differences have diminished.

God is good.

Daily I thank him for the gift of a loving husband,

a husband who seeks God daily,

a man with a strong work ethic,

Friday Forum: Entertaining Children

A few weeks ago,

we had the privilege to entertain a family with 4 littles.

While we are comfortable around children,

and our home is "relatively" child-proof,

there are things we wonder.

Do you have a go-to meal for families with children?

If you do not entertain, what meals would your children enjoy?

What makes a visit to someone else's home more comfortable with your children?

An Amazing Body

On this Thankful Thursday,

I am thankful for an amazing body.

No, not shape, not strength, not looks,

but the ability to heal.

Shortly after the post about flu-fighting last week,

hubby got a respiratory bug.

At the end of the week, we spent some quiet days - 

lots of rest, extra sleep, healthy food.

And then yesterday,

I got a large head cold.

So I am spending today with little work

and lots of liquids.

I am so thankful that God created the body to repair and heal itself.

I am thankful for the ability to stop, rest, and recouperate.

I am also thankful for the beautiful sun outside.

It is warming my "sickie" chair.

It is also warming the air enough to have the windows open for a bit today.

Feel Better Soup

There are so many things that make a person feel better.

For me ...

a walk in the sunshine,

sunshine streaming in the windows,

mowing the lawn,

playing in the dirt (weeding and gardening),

doing something nice for someone else.

Today,

I got to enjoy the sun.

I got to play in the dirt.

I buried my winter compost in the garden.

Tonight, I just feel better.

Sometimes,

it might be a bowl of soup.

Soup when you are cold,

soup when you aren't feeling well.

We tried a variation on chicken soup this weekend,

and hubbers wanted me to assure him that it would not be lost.

Korean Chicken Soup

8 cups chicken broth

2 TBSP finely chopped garlic

2 TBSP finely grated fresh ginger

1/2 c rice (I used brown, but it would be faster with white)

1 TSBP soy sauce (or tamari)

1 tsp toasted sesame oil (mine was plain sesame oil)

1-2 tsp hot chile paste or hot chile sauce

1 c shredded chicken (I used 1 lb)

2 green onions finely chopped

1 TBSP sesame seeds (mostly for decoration)

Combine broth, garlic and ginger in soup pot.

Bring to boil over high heat.

Add rice, reduce the heat to med-low and simmer until rice is tender.

Stir in soy sauce and sesame oil; add chili paste or sauce to taste.

Add chicken and heat through.

Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

AAHH! Sight.

About 2 weeks ago,

I got a great big scratch on my glasses.

A very large scratch ... right in my line of vision.

I was not really planning on purchasing another pair of glasses 

since I had only had mine a little over a year and a half.

Now I had no choice.

For the time being, I wore my old glasses and just removed them for reading,

but I sure did miss my progressive lenses.

I just did not like the idea of $350 dollars for glasses.

We had had great success with hubby and an online glasses company called Coastal.

For $19 - he got a great pair of glasses and he loved them.

BUT, I had read that progressives were a little more touchy.

I just had to try.

I went through Zenni.

For a little over $50 - I ordered my glasses -

and I got them today!

not so good at computer selfies

On this Thankful Thursday,

I am thankful that the experiment was a success.

The glasses fit,

the prescription is right,

I am happy to see again and to be able to wear my glasses all day.
And I can't complain about the savings.

The lenses are a little "taller" than my last, but online won't put progressives in anything to small.

I believe that the key is the PD.

I tried the online calculators for this and compared it to the PD that Walmart gave me 1 1/2 years ago.

The PD I got online was off.

So if you decide to go this route,

get your PD from your doctor or your last glasses order.

Oh, and if you are worried about size.

Your store glasses should have 3 size numbers on the frames.

You can search for new frames with those same numbers.

And yes, hubby is studying in the background.

Respiratory problems kept him home today.