Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:6-7



Thursday, August 28, 2014

Day 1...streaming



Not much is new here. Well, there's new and then there's new. First day of school is new, but not new. Noah started last Wednesday and Faith started yesterday. Joshua started his senior year of college yesterday, too. There were schultütes all around.

Faith and I had a typically rough first day. It ended with a charcoal sketching-induced temper tantrum. I decided to remove myself from the scene ( a smart move) and do something else, and she finished her own way on her own subject. Yeah, we're nearing the teen years.





















Schultütes have become pretty obligatory.





















Reading class, viewed through the glass door. It's a princess book --- a good way to start the year.



The weather has become hot again. And dry. I'm doing a rain dance, but really only in my head. Maybe it's better for the farmers and harvest, but mentally, I need rain.

Friday night and Saturday is the beginning of high school and college football around here, well, I am guessing everywhere. It still feels so much like summer I find that hard to believe, but I guess that's the way it always is. I long for cool days and chilly nights, gray clouds and rain, rain, rain.




Yesterday, I shipped off the eleven Seven Sorrows chaplets I was commissioned for and I was glad to box them up and off. You know I love Our Lady, but eleven of anything is too close to assembly line work to be enjoyable. I don't know if they were the cause of my back pain, but I have burning pain in my shoulder blades -- both of them. It's the oddest thing -- whenever I am sitting up straight or standing. Just what I need is another pain.





The school table, looking normal as ever.



I have a couple of these beautiful Our Lady of Sorrows medals for some new chaplets for my Etsy shop. This is one of them, almost finished.


Speaking of pain, I may have mentioned at some point a spinal injection that is supposed to help my leg pain. Because of the UTI that wouldn't go away it was rescheduled for September 4. I know people get these injections every day, but I've never had one and I admit the thought makes me pretty nervous. Ever had one? Anybody?





















I guess I fibbed, this is new. My dear mother-in-law shopped for a basket for me at the farmer's market after I took a photo the last time I was there. Isn't it beautiful? It's not full of yarn yet, but it does have a knitting project in it. I can keep the balls of yarn in the basket wile I knit, and since this project uses three balls at one time, it's very handy.





















I can't show the entire project because it is a Christmas gift, but here's a peek. The yarns are so richly-colored, and soft as a baby's bottom.




Lastly, I tried a few good recipes in the last week, since I last posted. A recipe for pretzel buns that was all thumbs up -- total yum. I had never made pretzel buns before, but they were only slightly more complicated than the easiest buns, and well worth the effort of boiling a pot of water. We ate them with the BBQ chicken I posted last -- my husband wanted it again. I don't know that I would use them for burgers because they were rather dense, and I like a soft fluffy burger bun. But they sure were good with dinner, and for snacking before dinner, apparently, as two of them disappeared before dinner was ready (and it wasn't me!).




















I saw the recipe came in Tide and Thyme and it apparently came from King Arthur Four, so credit to KAF. I followed the recipe as it was written at Tide and Thyme, and didn't check to see if it was different from the KAF source. I would make these once a week if they weren't so dangerous to have around!


The second recipe is from the cookbook I mentioned last week, Not Your Mother's Make Ahead and Freeze Cookbook. I made the Southwestern Grilled Chicken and it was another all-thumbs-up. I'm sorry I don't have a photo, but you'll just have to try it yourself to see what it looks like. It was so easy to throw together, and the chicken just sat in the fridge all afternoon soaking up yummy flavors. I also stashed two large breast away in the freezer with the marinade on them -- that's the best way to marinade chicken. It soaks up the flavors while it thaws overnight in the fridge.

The recipe (and I used a half of a small can of diced jalapenos, drained, instead a fresh one) is:

Southwestern Grilled Chicken

one tomato, quartered
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
1/4 jalapeno pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro lea
ves

4-6 chicken breasts

Combine marinade ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Pour over chicken pieces in a dish (or freezer bag if you are freezing before cooking) and marinade for several hours. Grill until chicken is done. Yum.

If you don't like spicy foods, you might use the amount of jalapeno in the recipe and not a half of a can of diced jalapenos -- ours was spicy, but my men like spicy.


Now, I'm off to buy new shoes. It seems, over the summer, Faith's feet grew several sizes. She is up to a women's size 7. Whatever food it is that causes feet to grow, I need to stop feeding it.



8 comments:

  1. I was so close to showing up on your doorstep this week. I ended up taking Sophie back to Franciscan on Monday since she probably tore her ACL during our beach trip. I really wanted to turn the car towards your house! We will likely start school next week if we actually get back to Germany! Good luck with the new school year.

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    1. Oh, Jenny. I wish you had connected. I would have met you half way, or welcomed you if you wanted to drive the distance. How is Sophie? Does she need surgery? Where are you now?

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    2. We made it back to Germany today. We will find out next week whether or not she needs surgery. Oh, I wish I would have stopped in! I felt so pressured to get on a Space A flight that I just pushed through when I was so tired.

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  2. We have those "typical" first week of school ;) For us, it's needing to find our groove again.

    Pain in the shoulder blades. Despise that! It hits me when I'm tense over some project (and making rosaries, so many at that at one time, would definitely having me screaming for a back rub to work those knots out!) I have my husband rub muscle rub in (the non stinky kind). He rubs the knots till it hurts like hell. Then I drink a big glass of water with a motrin.

    That project looks BEAUTIFUL! I envy your talent.

    The shots!!! YES! Not only did my mother receive them (and they did help, sometimes it took the entire series of three), but my brother in law is in pain management and actually gave some to her in the past at his clinic. He is very successful with his clinics. Email me if you have any questions.

    Have a great weekend and a blessed Sunday!

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    Replies
    1. Patty, I have never had pain in the actual shoulder blades -- often between them, but this was such a burning pain. I was actually afraid it was the start of shingles. Thankfully no, at least not yet. And since I'm on coumadin I can't use ibuprofen or any anti-inflammatory drugs. Urg!

      I'm assuming your mom gets shots for her back since most people do. This treatment is a bit of a diagnostic tool as well as possible treatment. The spine doctor does not think the pain in my leg is because the nerve is pinched somewhere. He thinks it's inflammation in the root of the nerve. If it works, we'll know that was it. If it doesn't, then I'm stuck with it for life. Sigh. Trying to remain hopeful, but since the pain started after my hysterectomy and pelvic floor reconstruction surgery, I have my doubts and think the nerve is probably pinched by scar tissue. I have to go off my blood thinners for the procedure, and make sure my blood is thick enough the morning of the procedure, so I am praying it all goes as planned.

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  3. Oh, Barbara! You have already gone through so much pain. Know that you have my sympathy and prayers. On a positive note, you seem to handle it well. I can't imagine doing all that you do with pain. I'm sure you would say these things are a distraction. I only wish I could feel the same. Your blog posts are so inspiring! Thank you for being so open and faith filled. (From one who just went through bilateral facet nerve blocks.)

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  4. I am chuckling at you wishing for the cold, gray, rainy days. I am the total opposite. Ha ha! I am gearing up for our horrible first week. I know it will be, it always is. I guess I need to lower my expectations. We are starting tomorrow. Today, (btw it is gray and rainy) I am finishing lesson plans, going to straighten up the main living area, and run to the grocery store.
    I will be thinking of you on the 4th. Ive never had a shot. My mom used to get them and tolerated them really well.
    Glad to finally get over here and "visit" We've been so crazy I haven't had a lot of time to read blogs. I hate that!
    God bless you Barbara!!!!

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  5. I'll be praying for you while you get that shot. Hope all will be well!
    The pretzel buns look AMAZING. So does that chicken recipe--I have that cookbook and need to use it more.
    LOVELY basket!

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I appreciate your comments -- sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself!