...family, friends, home and other tidbits of a blessed life

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Today, I am thankful for...

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Today, I'm sooo thankful for my crockpot. Isn't this just the best piece of equipment? You put stuff in it, go to work and come home. The house smells wonderful, the food is cooked, and you  have dinner ready. Yep, still loving this marvel.

Best I could find, this charmer made it's first appearance in 1971. I didn't get one until I was single and on my own in 1973. I've had a few since and am looking at a new version in which you can brown your meat!

Rival Potato Soup (recipe from my very first crockpot)
5 cups water
4 chicken boullion cubes
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon parsley, dried
5-6 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and slices
1 celery rib, cleaned and chopped
2-3 leeks, sliced, cleaned and rinsed a lot of times, white a bit of the green
1/3 cup butter
1 can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon chopped chives

Add hot water to crockpot, turn crockpot to high.
Add boullion cubes, salt and parsley to crock pot.
Clean and prepare all the vegetables and add to the crockpot.
Do not add evaporated milk or chives till the end!
Put the lid on the crockpot and lower the temperature to low.

Adding hot water warms up the crockpot and takes less time for the pot to reach it's cooking temperature.

Cook on low for 10-12 hours. Add the evaporated milk and chives and serve.
One thing I do is to use the blender stick in the crockpot and breakdown some of the potatoes so that it resembles cream with pieces of potato. Just our preference. Can also use a potato masher.
I like to serve this with a nice warm, crusty artisan bread.

This makes a lot of soup. Especially for two people.
1/3 goes into a container for our son.
I will pan fry a jalapeno sausage, sliced and cut up, on the stove and add to the bowls. Yummy!!
1/3 gets eaten with the sausage and bread that evening.
In the remaining 1/3, add a can of green chiles, and 1/2 cup grated cheddar and monterey jack cheese. Put in containers for dinner later in the week.

Enjoy!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Today, I'm thankful for...

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Oh boy, am I super excited!! Yep. I finally found a reason for my affliction. However, I can't remember where I saw this. Maybe one of the sappy Christmas movies on Hallmark or Lifetime? This problem, I can name.. age. Now back to why I'm happy.

My kids laugh about having pumpkin pie (Thanksgivings dessert) in the attic. Why the attic? That is where the Christmas decorations were stored. They laugh about all the times I planned new decor or layouts for the holidays - in October. Or how I would have the holiday menus all planned out in April. Christmas decor was made year 'round and it's possible that you would find a piece of tinsel in July. Yes, I love Christmas! I adore it, I look forward to it and I relish every second of the season.

Now I know my problem. It's genetic. It's called an "overactive holiday gene". Do you have it, too?

If you were looking for something deep and thought provoking, not today. Today I'm thankful that my disease has a name!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Today, I'm thankful for

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Boy was it a day! All good. I really had to think about which one thing would make the "thankful" list. I don't mean to sound "preachy", or even think that I am better than anyone else. I am not. I am a Christian. I am a sinner. But I try to be better each and every day. Even as few as 6 years ago, I would have been the first to think the worst of a situation. Now, I try to reign in the natural tendency to dwell on the bad.


Last week, our BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) lesson left it's mark on me. "One of the true tests of a Christian is their attitude toward another's sin." Wow. Convicted. Think about it. This covers what you read in the newspapers. They are only out to make money and prey on the sins of others. The news. Ditto. However, something happened today on a football field in my hometown. Not even going to go into the details. I feel like I was the lone person who didn't point a finger, and what I saw was not convincing at all. I'll wait and see what I hear from the person face to face. And on that note, only God makes judgement. Who would I be to do that? Seriously!!!

So today, I'm thankful for last week's lesson that brought about the the painful self evaluation. Today, I can say I passed that test. However, I am still a sinner, and I will probably fail tomorrow.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Today, I'm thankful for...

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Wow, compared to yesterday... this was a great day at work. And it's all because of my co-workers, colleagues, teammates. One helped me out on a task, we had a team lunch and got to know one another a bit more, dessert club (yummy) and a fabulous meeting. It was a great way to end the work week. Absolutely.

Back story:
After I quit my dream job at Bernina, I stayed home for 18 months. And then it was time to find something to do. So I put on my big girl pants (not black) and went to a job fair at the company by whom I am presently employed. It is a software company. However, going from a highly creative, tactile sewing world into a governmental accounting software company did pose a few challenges. I had to remember my bookkeeping from 20+ years previous and sit at a desk. All went well. Until. Four or five months ago, there was a little sideways shuffle at work and some of us got pulled onto another team... so from financial software to utility software. Groan. Oh wait. GROAN! Then. The guy doing the pulling went to work for another company in another city!!!! I mean like within a month or so. So it's been a tough several months.. But, the bright side - I can read your utility bill now! And calculate it. And check it for errors!!

So today, I'm thankful for my colleagues who are pulling me up and bringing rays of sunshine to those pesky utility bills!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Today, I'm thankful for...

 
Today I'm thankful for the little things. Had a particularly tough day at work. But, my son came to have lunch with me. Just too nice for words. And I went into Kohl's for the very first time. Ever. And they've been here for a very many years. Why? It's across town. I know Lubbock isn't a big town. It's still across town. And then it was back to work. And then. I . Came. Home. In the kitchen, my geraniums were blooming. Now if that isn't a bright spot in a day, then I don't know what is.
Have you noticed the little things?

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Today, I am thankful for... tablescape

Welcome to the weekly tablescape. I am sure you've seen every piece on this table before! There is nothing wrong with recycling, especially as the end of the year draws near and our lives seem to take on a flurry of activity. Tried and True is my motto when the going gets tough.

I am really thankful for our Sunday evening dinners. A time to connect the family. A time to recharge before the busyness of the week is upon us.

I did elevate the Princess (pumpkin that is) off the table with a low pedestal serving platter. It's been on the table since early October and I don't want to risk an unfortunate accident. Have you had a pumpkin kind of turn to mush before? It's not pretty, so I read last week. Thankful for the reminder!

See all the empty serving pieces? This is my way of making sure all the dishes actually get to the table. I have been known to forget something in the fridge or on a counter. If I have a dish in the refrigerator, I put the serving spoon on the table. Works like a charm!

Notice how the green in the madras plaid napkins is picked up by the dinner plate. Without the green in the napkin, these plates would seem out of place on the table. It's always a good idea to repeat elements, whether it be a texture or color.

The brass on the napkin ring works well with the rose-handled brass flatware. Another repeating element.


I did add some of the hugest acorns to the top of Cinderella. I found them in the World Market parking lot after they had fallen from the tree. Just gorgeous specimens.

Today, I'm thankful for Sunday dinners bringing family together. 

Cast:
Teak chargers - very vintage...
Dinner plates - Bordallo Pinhero
Salad Bowls - Ironwood
Flatware - gift from Mom
Gold wine goblets - Stein Mart
Water glasses - Handblown in France, found in Santa Fe, NM
Napkins - Autumn Madras, William Sonoma
Napkin rings - Stein Mart  

Partying at:
Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish
Stone Gables - Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits
Susan's Tablescape Thursday.
See you there!

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