Hoping that your day is just ducky!
Friday, February 14, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
I'm So Sentimental
Or maybe I'm silly? Or possess a quirky sense of humor?
Whatever.
I'm printing this out for my special valentine:
I especially like the part about the salmon singing in the street. See, definitely sentimental and mushy.
Be (INSPIRE)d,
Whatever.
I'm printing this out for my special valentine:
I especially like the part about the salmon singing in the street. See, definitely sentimental and mushy.
Be (INSPIRE)d,
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Stealing Springtime
I kinda feel like Reno has stolen all the good weather from the rest of the country and kept it for themselves.
It seems like April here. There are robins hopping from branch to branch among the spruce and cedars. Birdsong serenades us each morning. The sun is shining warmly and even clouds and light winds can't make us shiver.
I biked to work wearing a light jacket and was too warm. So I biked home for lunch in shirtsleeves. (Long sleeves, but still...) And what did I notice as I walked toward our front door?
Flower buds on the mini-daffodils!!!
And shy violets peeking out from the remnants of autumn leaves that blow in from our neighbors' yard!
I just wanted you to know that springtime will come for us all if we can just hang in there long enough. Ya gotta have faith. And oh, how much we'll appreciate it when we're really and truly surrounded by all the beauty of new life.
It wasn't that long ago that we were shivering in snow and single digits. And we'd honestly and truly be delighted if you could send some of your weather in our direction. We're entering yet another scary year of drought here in the Sierra Nevada and are praying hard for snow flurries, blizzards, thunderstorms, rainshowers or whatever we can persuade the weather gods to send our way.
Wouldn't it be great if we could search craigslist to acquire some snow, rain or sunshine depending on what we needed? Or bid on eBay for a winter storm or a sunny day?
May your electric stoves be simmering hot cocoa and warm soup. My your thermostats keep those home fires burning. May your porch lights shine out so that you can see the beauty outside and your pantry shelves bulge with good things to eat. I'm wishing that you are enjoying Netflix or board games or dreaming by a warm fireplace. Most of all, I wish everyone safe and sound.
Be (INSPIRE)d,
It seems like April here. There are robins hopping from branch to branch among the spruce and cedars. Birdsong serenades us each morning. The sun is shining warmly and even clouds and light winds can't make us shiver.
I biked to work wearing a light jacket and was too warm. So I biked home for lunch in shirtsleeves. (Long sleeves, but still...) And what did I notice as I walked toward our front door?
Flower buds on the mini-daffodils!!!
And shy violets peeking out from the remnants of autumn leaves that blow in from our neighbors' yard!
I just wanted you to know that springtime will come for us all if we can just hang in there long enough. Ya gotta have faith. And oh, how much we'll appreciate it when we're really and truly surrounded by all the beauty of new life.
It wasn't that long ago that we were shivering in snow and single digits. And we'd honestly and truly be delighted if you could send some of your weather in our direction. We're entering yet another scary year of drought here in the Sierra Nevada and are praying hard for snow flurries, blizzards, thunderstorms, rainshowers or whatever we can persuade the weather gods to send our way.
Wouldn't it be great if we could search craigslist to acquire some snow, rain or sunshine depending on what we needed? Or bid on eBay for a winter storm or a sunny day?
May your electric stoves be simmering hot cocoa and warm soup. My your thermostats keep those home fires burning. May your porch lights shine out so that you can see the beauty outside and your pantry shelves bulge with good things to eat. I'm wishing that you are enjoying Netflix or board games or dreaming by a warm fireplace. Most of all, I wish everyone safe and sound.
Be (INSPIRE)d,
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Lover-ly Thoughts in the Kitchen
Spaghetti was such an easy comfortable dinner on this chilly and slightly breezy winter evening. It was delightful to have quantity of pre-made spaghetti sauce that just needed to be reheated while the vermicelli was boiling and, voila, dinner was served. It wasn't quite as good as having someone else make dinner for me, but it'll do.
That got me thinking about all the delicious foods that we reserve for the cold seasons and would never think of making during the summer. Or am I the only one that switches menus just as though they were some seasonal decor that is packed away until the next holiday rolls around?
Last week we had Vietnamese Chicken Curry (a Pinterest discovery). It was good, but somehow didn't live up to our memories of the first time we cooked it and declared it yummy as written. We'll be fine tuning it for future use.
Roasted Red Pepper Crab Soup is in our future as soon as we shop for three red bell peppers. It's a winter classic at our house and my mouth is watering even as I type. We have plenty of extra crab because we just made sushi for our Sunday night family dinner--and sushi is definitely a summer treat in my book since it doesn't heat up the kitchen. But since I got lucky and tthe kids made it, I'm not quarreling with their choice and I'm delighted with the crab windfall!
There's a second tri-tip from Costco that needs barbecuing and I'm hoping this one yields some leftovers too because it's been awhile since I've made French Dip Sandwiches, with sourdough naturally.
Truth to tell, I'd rather be crafting right now. I'm slowly finishing a reupholstering project that was just waiting for the after-Christmas lull. The sewing machine has been busy as I magically transform some of my older quilted wallhangings into a warm and cozy throw: I'm this close to finishing it.
However, dinner happens every night no matter what I'd rather be doing. Cooking seems like an imposition but simmering odds and ends from the pantry into Scotch Broth, or Curried Chicken Noodle, or Chicken Potato Soup makes me pretty darned happy. Why is that?
On the other hand, baking never counts as cooking--maybe because it doesn't put demands on me night after night after night. I have a special dessert project that just needs a couple fancy-free hours this week...Lemon Meringue Pie. I think we all need some delicious lemon-y goodness to get us through this cold spell and make us dream of warm, tropical days instead
I gave my sweetie a "subscription" to the Pie of the Month Club for Christmas. He gets to choose a pie, any pie...and I get to make it. Every month. What fun! I love to spoil him, she said with a big grin
Enough rambling on as I plan some upcoming menus for frosty February--back to the sewing machine. Over and out.
Be (INSPIRE)d,
That got me thinking about all the delicious foods that we reserve for the cold seasons and would never think of making during the summer. Or am I the only one that switches menus just as though they were some seasonal decor that is packed away until the next holiday rolls around?
Last week we had Vietnamese Chicken Curry (a Pinterest discovery). It was good, but somehow didn't live up to our memories of the first time we cooked it and declared it yummy as written. We'll be fine tuning it for future use.
Roasted Red Pepper Crab Soup is in our future as soon as we shop for three red bell peppers. It's a winter classic at our house and my mouth is watering even as I type. We have plenty of extra crab because we just made sushi for our Sunday night family dinner--and sushi is definitely a summer treat in my book since it doesn't heat up the kitchen. But since I got lucky and tthe kids made it, I'm not quarreling with their choice and I'm delighted with the crab windfall!
There's a second tri-tip from Costco that needs barbecuing and I'm hoping this one yields some leftovers too because it's been awhile since I've made French Dip Sandwiches, with sourdough naturally.
Truth to tell, I'd rather be crafting right now. I'm slowly finishing a reupholstering project that was just waiting for the after-Christmas lull. The sewing machine has been busy as I magically transform some of my older quilted wallhangings into a warm and cozy throw: I'm this close to finishing it.
However, dinner happens every night no matter what I'd rather be doing. Cooking seems like an imposition but simmering odds and ends from the pantry into Scotch Broth, or Curried Chicken Noodle, or Chicken Potato Soup makes me pretty darned happy. Why is that?
On the other hand, baking never counts as cooking--maybe because it doesn't put demands on me night after night after night. I have a special dessert project that just needs a couple fancy-free hours this week...Lemon Meringue Pie. I think we all need some delicious lemon-y goodness to get us through this cold spell and make us dream of warm, tropical days instead
I gave my sweetie a "subscription" to the Pie of the Month Club for Christmas. He gets to choose a pie, any pie...and I get to make it. Every month. What fun! I love to spoil him, she said with a big grin
Enough rambling on as I plan some upcoming menus for frosty February--back to the sewing machine. Over and out.
Be (INSPIRE)d,
Sunday, February 02, 2014
My Guideposts -- Week100
Kind hearts are the gardens
Kind thoughts are the roots
Kind words are the blossoms
Kind deeds are the fruits.
~Kirpal Singh
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