Perfect Day for Soup

With a few packs of short ribs to use up, my eyes have been on the hunt for some recipes.  I found a recipe for beef, barley and leek soup via Pinterest and tackled it a couple of weekends ago.  Some of my changes...I added fresh mushrooms (sliced); I sauteed the leeks and mushrooms in some bacon drippings (I keep a jar in my fridge); I chose to use beef stock; I made sure to remove as much fat as I could from the short ribs after cooking for three hours and cooling; and I increased the barley.  Today, I was so happy that I had put some away in the freezer...the perfect meal for a wintry Michigan weekend.  I've already received a request for it for the coming weekend.

One Reason He's Lucky To Have Me

I grilled burgers tonight for dinner...and I stuffed them with blue cheese first.  I took a bite of my sandwich before the Hero had even finished piling his with fixings.  I went ahead and said a preemptive "You're very welcome"...because I knew he was going to be very thankful.

One Regret

I understand that I should try to live my life with no regrets.  And, I promise, I do try to keep that in mind with each choice. But, I confess, that I will breathe my last breath here on earth with at least one...that I did not start eating guacamole at a  much earlier age.  I enjoy it so much that my eyes are now open, looking for other ways to enjoy avocados (Thank You, Pinterest!).

I'm not sure that I have enough time in this life to make up for all the years in which I did not liberally add this green happiness to tacos...and enchiladas...and quesadillas...and nachos...and...well, you get the picture.  But the Bible teaches that life in the Father's kingdom will be so much better than the earthly life (e.g. no tears, no pain, etc. as told in Revelation 21:4). So, while I certainly have plans for the two beauties you see below in the coming days...my eyes are set on the uber-guacamole that just has to be served at the banquet table in Heaven.

Good-byes...Ugh!

The day started out wonderfully...bellied up to my parents' dining room table where you could pick your poison...biscuits with gravy or biscuits and chocolate syrup (I confess that I had one of each!). This was my sister's final exam after being schooled by my dad on making the gravy and my mom on creating the syrup. She passed with flying colors, launching us into some sisterly shopping time...getting her Haloburger check mark before leaving town...and hanging in my kitchen as I made potato and leek soup, the Pioneer Woman's macaroni and cheese recipe (my nephew's request) and buttermilk pie (just because my sister was curious after I had mentioned it). We ended our day just as we had begun them...with full bellies and the warm, fuzzy feelings of good times spent with loved ones...but also with the heartache of farewell. As my sister (visit her here) and nephew return to California, I'll begin counting down the days until our next visit. Adios, Falula!!

The Stories They Can Tell

My interest in aprons really started out more as a survival tactic than a true appreciation. You see, dear friend...I can be a bit of a mess in the kitchen. And there is no hope for anything I am wearing when that day comes around each December to bake...and bake...and bake. So, I had acquired a very plain blue apron to shield my clothing from my superhero-like power of catching everything I put my hands on. Now, I don't want to sound ungrateful toward this apron...it has always done it's job when called to duty and it has never complained. But, I'm a girl that doesn't mind a little bling...a little frill...a little pizzazz. So, it was not unusual for my eye to be drawn to cute aprons in all types of patterns when I'd come across them in little boutiques. And at some point, I mentioned to my mom that I would like a cute apron...something that made me feel fun and sassy while I was wearing it.

In the meantime, my friend Joni over at the Old Centennial Farmhouse blog would write posts about the vintage aprons she would pick up at rummage sales and thrift stores...the pictures sharing the charm of each. I would mentally make a note to watch for such treasures when I was out and about.

And recently, while cleaning out my email inbox,I came across an email that my mom had forwarded to me about 18 months ago. It contained a poem titled "Grandma's Apron", written by Tina Trivett. It so beautifully captures the little pieces of a family's history that something as simple as an apron takes on as it faithfully does all that it is called to do.

The strings were tied, it was freshly washed, and maybe even pressed.
For Grandma, it was everyday to choose one when she dressed.
The simple apron that it was, you would never think about;
the things she used it for, that made it look worn out.


She may have used it to hold some wildflowers that she'd found.
Or to hide a crying child's face when a stranger came around.
Imagine all the little tears that were wiped with just that cloth.
Or it became a potholder to serve some chicken broth.


She probably carried kindling to stoke the kitchen fire.
To hold a load of laundry, or to wipe the clothesline wire.
When canning all her vegetables, it was used to wipe her brow.
You never know, she might have used it to shoo flies from the cow.


She might have carried eggs in from the chicken coop outside.
Whatever chore she used it for, she did them all with pride.
When Grandma went to heaven, God said she now could rest.
I'm sure the apron that she chose, was her Sunday best.

While I don't get the opportunity very often in this season of my life, I do love to stroll through an antique store, touching the delicate pieces, wondering what stories they could share if able. I love quilts...the history that could be attached to the fabrics before they are pieced together into one entity...and the history those fabrics shared as a community.

So, it was such a sweet surprise, early this week when I opened a birthday gift from my mom and dad. There on a hanger draped five new aprons...three of them made by my mom and two she had picked up while shopping. Each has a different personality...all are adorable. And I can't wait to get them dirty...to carry jars of freshly canned applesauce to the basement in...to wipe the jelly off the corner of my daughter's mouth with...to cover with flour next December as my girls and I work together on gajillions of Christmas treats...to saturate them with the atmosphere of my home and family. Such a sweet uniform for this station in life that I love so much...and a cute and sassy way to protect the rest of my laundry.

Check out this search at Etsy for a fun peek at vintage aprons and some adorable brand-spanking new ones too.

Enjoying the Simple Things...like Stirring

It has been almost fifteen weeks since my hand was broken, fourteen since three steel pins were inserted to give my healing some structure (see pic). As I face the procedure to remove the pins, and not having even a foggy idea of how everything will feel afterwards, I am enjoying all that I can do this week. It has only been very recently that I can really do some of the things in the kitchen that I had previously taken for granted...like stirring a really thick gooey batter or uniformly chopping a vegetable. My left hand has certainly tried its best over the last few months...but my right hand was pretty useless as a supporting player for such tasks as just holding the bowl. After missing cooking up some of the goodies you should only have once a year at Christmas and New Years, I had a ton of fun fixing up some goodies for a recent event. With the taste of that experience still fresh, I decided to throw the dietary restraints off and have some fun with some new recipes and really spoil my family with some hearty home cooking.

Armed with inspiration from Guy Fieri and the Pioneer Woman (whose blog my blog wants to be like when it grows up), I stocked up on bacon, eggs, butter and whole milk. With pages spread out before me or recipes pulled up on the nearby computer, I have made chicken parmesan, twice-baked potatoes and blueberry cobbler this week. We (I am, anyway) are looking forward to a potato and leek pizza (with goat cheese!~ Yikes! A first for all of us!) tonight for dinner and soft "everything" pretzels (a request from my husband) as a snack later. Before the weekend is over we will have had french breakfast puffs and new recipes for chili, mac & cheese and an apple pie. And there will be some pulled pork ready to be used on tacos and sandwiches in the coming days. Now, I have had to sprinkle some familiar stuff in along the way to keep my kids' heads from exploding from the new stuff. But they have absolutely found some new likes. And besides that, the house smells absolutely yummy all the time.

It has been fun for me...sometimes the kids help...sometimes it's my version of "me" time. But at least with this "me" time, others can benefit too. And I promise to get back to steaming and cutting the fat and calories afterwards...so please do not tattle on us to our doctor.