Wedding Bells

I set my phone alarm last night to go off at 4:00 am this morning. The alarm sound was bells, as in wedding bells. I thought that appropriate given I was getting up at that incredible hour to watch William and Catherine say I Do. I actually woke up several times and finally got up at 3:50. I didn't want to miss anything and I didn't. What a lovely wedding. It was formal in a personal sort of way. I am glad to see them making their own decisions and hope their life will continue to be lived in that way. Thirty years ago I got up early to watch William's parents get married which is really why I wanted to watch this one. Sort of a sentimental feeling about it all. The Hub and I will celebrate 30 years ourselves in just over a week. I remember the year of our marriage and Diana and Charles', 1981. Our daughter, MA, and their son, William, both born in 1982. The similarities pretty much end there, maybe that's a good thing! I'm glad I got up and watched the wedding. It started the day out with a happiness in my heart. Hope, Love, Romance, those are the things weddings are all about and I like those things. Congratulations William and Catherine. May God be the King of your world!

The View From My Desk

I have a picture sitting on my desk. It sits right below the computer screen so I see it many many times a day. It's a picture of my mom. It's a picture she had sitting on her desk.
When TM and I went to gather her things from her office I saw it sitting on her desk and immediately knew I wanted it. I have no idea when it was taken or who took it. It was obviously taken at work and she looks rather happy with herself :) I'm not sure why mom had this sitting on her desk but she did, so now it sits on my desk.

My Easter Bunnies

The Granma in me needs to brag a little about my grandkids. Here is a pic of my Easter Bunnies getting ready to hunt some eggs. TD and I hid 84 eggs and 5 of them have yet to be found... I really didn't think we were hiding them that well :)

Easter is a wonderful holiday. It brings the family together to enjoy a feast and some fun all while we celebrate our Risen Savior! He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Lunch To Go

I seem to be in a rut. At least it's a healthy rut.
Since the Seder last Friday I have been trying to eat up the spinach ML conveniently left in the fridge. This will be day four of Spinach Salad for lunch. Not that I'm complaining, no way! It's yummy and healthy. I try to make it look like a salad I purchased at, oh, maybe Whole Foods :)
Bon Appetit!

Mom's Goulash, sort of

When I was growing up my mom made a dish she called Goulash. I don't really know what defines a goulash, this may or may not fit the bill, but it sure was tasty. Mom would make it a couple of times a month, maybe even more often in the winter. I seem to remember it more in the winter. I have a picture in my mind of coming in the kitchen door, the window sweaty with steam from the boiling noodles and the smell of Goulash in the air. Mom always served it with a salad of lettuce and tomatoes and toasted, buttered bread. That was always the menu. The salad was always just lettuce and tomatoes. We had french dressing but I always just put salt on mine. Looking back, I think we were poorer than I was aware of. Mom could stretch that food dollar! The Goulash had hamburger meat, crushed tomatoes, onions and elbow macaroni for sure. The other ingredients and spices are mysteries. How I wish I had learned how to make this dish! When Mom got sick and I was sleeping with her we had lots of time to talk and I tried to think of all sorts of things to keep her mind occupied. I thought about the Goulash and asked her how she made it. She tried to remember but couldn't come up with any more than I already knew. She hadn't made it in a long time. Thankfully she didn't have to stretch her dollar so much anymore. I guess I still crave the taste of Mom's Goulash so I decided to try my hand at it.

Here's my attempt. I didn't exactly succeed, it didn't taste just like mom's but it was close. I used penne pasta I had on hand instead of elbow macaroni. I browned the ground beef and onions. Added the tomatoes and started seasoning, trying to find the right mixture. I believe mom must have added a pinch of sugar, she was prone to do that and I know my Granma always did. Next time I try this I will be adding a pinch of sugar too.

The finicky Hub did not particularly like it but I did. I found comfort in just trying to duplicate a taste from my childhood that I loved. I guess I'll have to wait til Heaven to have Mom's Goulash. She'll have the recipe again.

Blooming Clematis

We have had lots of rain lately! The thunderstorms have brought out the green in the yard and also the blooms on the Clematis. Here's a pic...

The deep purple bloom has such a beautiful contrast to the green leaves. This plant is thriving. What a blessing to see this as a reminder to me that I am thriving too. Thank You,  Father!

In my Easter Bonnet...

Ok, it's not an Easter Bonnet. But I did buy a new hat. This was not a planned purchase. I was shopping in one of my favorite gift shops and there it was. I loved the shape of the brim. Before I knew what happened I had bought it! I can't say that I needed it but my family might disagree. You see, I have a summer hat that I love and have had for several years. Most every time I wear it one of my loved ones makes a not so nice comment about it. I admit it's not the most fashionable hat I've ever seen but it certainly gets the job done. It's made of straw and an off-white material. There's an old saying... it takes a beating and keeps on ticking! My old faithful has certainly lived up to that. But, enough about the old!

My new hat has an SPF of 50. What's that all about? I hadn't thought of a hat having a rating of SPF or anything else for that matter. When I saw it on the rack at the store somehow it felt like mine instantly. It has a loose fit so it hopefully won't leave me with "Hat Hair" when I take it off. The wide brim with it's slight turned down edge has a Greta Garbo feel to it (in my dreams). I think I now have a good hat and a work hat. Yeah, I like that.

Seder

Now that I have had time to reflect I can without reservation say that last night's Seder was our best ever. What a blessed night. The details all came together beautifully but the best part was the blessings of His presence.

ML was the dad, BS was the mom, EJ was the child. That left CL and me to listen and join in where everyone spoke. This was the first time for me to be an observer and I really liked it. Listening to the words spoken and allowing them to settle on my heart was a delight. BS, in reading the mom's part, put such depth of emotion into what she was saying! I was moved deeply. I felt the blessings of the night through my dear friends.

The food was mighty tasty too. The menu went something like this:

Matzo Ball Soup
Persian Chicken
Charoset
Glazed Carrots
Potato Latkes
Zucchini Latkes
Spinach Salad
Matzos
Passover Wine
Chocolate Kosher Cupcakes
Macaroons
Peppermint Patties
7 Layer Bars

Ok, the 7 Layer Bars aren't Kosher but Oh how good they were. We ate and ate and ate... Everything was so good. The Persian Chicken was surprisingly good and tender. EJ made the Charoset and it was premium as it usually is! The Latkes were served with applesauce and sour cream, The spinach salad was the perfect accompaniment. It just couldn't have been a better meal.

I am blessed with wonderful friends that share a desire to partake in this beautiful remembrance of the Story of God's people and celebrate His Son. We closed the Seder with the singing of all the verses of "In Christ Alone." As CL said, "This song says it all. There's no need to sing anything else."

Such a wonderful night! Here are some pics...

Preparations

It's time to prepare for the Seder! I am busy cleaning, cooking and getting everything ready. Our last Seder was two years ago. A very stormy and scary day. We had a tornado to touch down and a mother and her baby daughter were killed. ML and I spent close to two hours in the coat closet as two tornadoes were frighteningly close. Today is also a stormy day. I can't help but think of two years ago and the emotion of that day. Today I pray the Lord will bless us with Peace, Calm skies and abundant Joy as we celebrate the story of His People.
God's blessings on you too.

Spring Has Sprung

It's always encouraging to see the life coming back into the plants around the house. Most of them are friends we planted and have a story to tell. This past weekend was beautiful, sunny and in the low 80's. Perfect come to life weather. I walked around checking in on everyone and even planted a few bulbs.

This sweet little Fish-Pot above was bought by the hub and me a few years ago. We fell in love with this one and its twin and brought them home to live in our backyard. I planted a Caladium bulb in this one. I can already see the large leaves draping over the sides.

This is the twin that sits in front of the one I planted the Caladium in. The Ivy growing in it came from my mom's house. I brought home a few sprigs and now I have lots and lots of it!

The Hostas are coming up! We have planted a bunch of Hostas over the last several years. Each year they get bigger. We have several different varieties. I can't tell you what they are but they're different :)

This beautiful Clematis is a show-off when it blooms! I was excited to see all these buds getting ready to pop open. I'll post pics when it does. This was a gift from my s-i-l, JI.

And last but not least.... my grapevines. I love my grapevines! The hub bought me these probably 10 years ago. We were at Lowes one day and I saw these very small Concord Grapevines for sale. I was flooded with memories of my childhood and the grapevines next door to my Granma's house. I played for hours under the arbor and ate lots of sweet, delicious grapes when they ripened. I was so carried away with telling him all about my memories that he picked up two of the plants and bought them.
AND, he built me an arbor <3 How's that for romantic?
My grapevines are close to the deck, in fact they help to make the deck feel secluded and private. I'll post pics when it leaves out. If you look close you can see the tiny little grape buds that are already forming. Each year as I watch the life cycle of my grapevine I am reminded of this scripture...
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." John 15: 1-2
How a visual does help, Thank You, Father.

The Case of the Missing Sprite... aka... The Missing Case of Sprite

I am now certifiable.
Made a little trip to Kroger the other day. We needed a few things, which grew to a few more by the time I got out of the store. The hub needed a case of Sprite. I actually made out a list so I would come home with everything we needed. I found everything on the list and a bit more, including the case of Sprite.
I checked out, 4 bags and the case of Sprite on the bottom rack. Get to the car and put it all in the trunk. Everything that is except the Sprite. My mind was a either million miles away or in another time zone. I was on auto-pilot, you know where you carry out tasks without paying any attention what-so-ever.
I pushed the cart back up to the side of the store, no leaving carts out in the parking lot for me. I get in my Honda and drive home. I get all 4 bags out of the trunk and walk into the kitchen where the hub says "Did you get the Sprite?" Instantly it was all clear as a bell. I knew exactly what I had done. I started to go back right then but the hub was hungry and he deemed it impossible for the forgotten Sprites to still be there so we ate lunch instead. I did call the store to ask them to go outside and look for my forgotten groceries but the youngster I spoke with said "Don't worry about it. Just bring your receipt in with you next time and we'll give you some more Sprites." Spoken like someone that had no idea of the value of the dollar.
We finished lunch and the hub decides we need to go somewhere else and on the way we will go to Kroger and get another case of Sprite. We drive up to the store and guess what? There sits my cart where I left it and my case of Sprite is still waiting on me. Guess no one else was paying attention either :)

Pizza Pie

Today has been a beautiful day. I actually read for a couple of hours this afternoon and... took a short nap! I felt so relaxed I got up and watered and decluttered the plants in the sunroom. I think I may have heard the plants singing praises :) Days like today make my heart swell with thankfulness to the LORD for all he has blessed me with.

Last Saturday when ML and I went to Whole Foods, I picked up a frozen ball of pizza crust. I had this idea to cook a pizza in my cast iron skillet. Well, tonight I did it.

The ball of dough had to thaw for about 5 hours. I rubbed a bit of olive oil in the skillet and started to flatten out the dough. That's when I realized I had more dough than I needed so I took about a third of it to make a second pizza. I used the majority of the dough in the skillet to make a pan crust and flattened out the remaining dough for a thin crust pizza I baked in my round stone. I had already browned my beef and onions and had cut up mushrooms, olives and tomatoes.

I put the dough in the oven to cook for 5 or 6 minutes then topped them with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and the rest of the ingredients. They baked for close to 20 minutes. They were very tasty! It was just the hub and I so we had plenty left to warm up tomorrow for lunch.

All in all I think this idea was a keeper.

Coconut Macaroons

I love Macaroons! I buy them often but have never made them. Now I wonder why???
A few days ago I had an urge to try making some and the result was wonderful, moist, flavorful and fresh. As good as the ones I have bought were, these were much better. All I need to do next time is drizzle some good ole chocolate on them :)

Simple recipe...

5 1/3 cups sweetened flake coconut
2/3 cup sugar
6 Tbls flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites
1 tsp almond extract

Mix coconut, sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl. Stir in egg whites and almond extract and blend well. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased and floured cookie sheet (I use a baking stone so there was no need to do this). I did not "compact" the cookie dough, I left it rather fluffy. I think this made the macaroons lighter and less dense than some I have had. I liked this better.

Bake @ 325 for 20 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Yum! Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Sundays With J.O.

I had a new first. JO and I put together a lego Hero Spacecraft. Whew! I felt exhausted when it was done and flying. This was definitely over his head and practically over mine. He did the first several sections and then became overwhelmed at which it fell in my lap. There are no written directions only pictures. I made more than my share of mistakes but fortunately they were found out before we got to where they couldn't be corrected. While I was sweating it out he was playing with other things, that is until I got to the final few steps. Just like with a puzzle, he came in to put the finishing touches on it. He was quite proud of himself and to be honest, I was quite proud of myself! It was amazing that it looked and worked as it was supposed to and we only had a few extra pieces... :) that we used as embellishments. A fighter spacecraft can't have too many bells and whistles.
We had a fun Sunday afternoon. Blessings from the Father.
A funny happened at church that still makes me smile. JO was being a wiggle worm and I was trying to get him to be still. He leaned forward and I pulled him back to keep him from getting a pen, card or whatever I imagined him to get into next. He looked up at me and said "I'm trying to get the Holy Bible!" Well, okay. I tried not to show my amusement. When he busy reading the Holy Bible I leaned across and told the hub what JO had just said and he said "Well, I guess that trumps anything you were going to say." We had a good church giggle over that. Having the hub and JO sitting beside me at church is one of my greatest blessings. These are the days you'll remember...

Getting Jewishy

ML and I took advantage of this gorgeous day by going on a ride up the interstate. We went on a tour of the best grocery stores in the area in search of items for our upcoming Seder. We really didn't come up with anything different than what we have had in the past but we did get the staples. Unfortunately, no Kosher for Passover Coke. One of these years! We did give in to the urge to buy some Manischewitz peppermint patties. You can count on us to always have desserts and plenty of them. We had a delicious lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, Wow! So good! I seem to always eat well when I'm with ML.

I am sitting here in bed watching JO playing Super Mario Bros. It is always great to have him here. My eyes are struggling to stay open, but my heart is full and I want to express it. I have had a blessed day. Thank you, Father.