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



Monday, January 12, 2015

Ordinary Monday



In the garden...
...ice and snow. Right now we have just a few flurries coming down, but earlier it was ice coming down. The temperature was right at freezing this morning and it hasn't changed much, but it's supposed to go down to about 10 degrees tonight, so the slushy stuff will freeze. The question du jour...will there be school?


I'm thinking about...
...a new start -- Ordinary Time. I know the Liturgical seasons of Advent and Lent, Christmas and Easter are exciting, and times for growth, but right now, settling into Ordinary Time sounds just right.

Last Sunday, on the Epiphany, our parish offered blessed chalk and the house blessing printed for us -- what a great gift. So, our house is blessed for the year, always an awesome thing. I took a photo of our door frame, but somehow deleted it. I'm learning how to blog on my new Chromebook, and while it's great that I can upload photos, I haven't found the right photo app to help make it work.



I am wearing...
...a charcoal gray skirt, gray tights, a scarlet shirt and a gray sweater -- guess who we're rooting for in the game tonight? We are definitely a Buckeye family, with 3.75 grads (Josh has one more semester).



I am reading....
...The Storyteller on my Kindle. I'm getting close to the end. No opinions quite yet -- Jodi Picoult tends to make or break it at the end.


I am creating...

...a sweater for Faith is on the needles, and I'm knitting the last sleeve. Of course, it wouldn't be my knitting project if I didn't run out of yarn. I ordered one more skein but it's not the same dye lot. sad face

On the sewing front, drumroll....my husband found the receipt! He came home and looked in his stash of paperwork that he keeps in his cabinet in the storage room and, voila, it was there. He had no recollection of how it got there, but it was there. And I bought the warranty from Sears, so I just have to take it to a UPS store and they will send it off to someone who will probably decide it's not worth repairing. Either way, I'll be getting a machine sometime, but in the meantime my sweet friend Michele is loaning me hers, so I can get started! Thanks, Michele!



In the kitchen...
...tonight is dance night and the National Championship game (and yes we do have a horse in that race!), so the boys are doing their thing and the girls are doing ours.

We have had a few good meals lately, however, and my menu us below if you need some ideas. 






Yesterday for dinner I fixed spatchcocked chicken and vegetables. That might sound like something weird, but it couldn't be easier. I cleaned and halved a dozen new potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces about a dozen carrots, and sliced a half an onion like an apple. I tossed them in olive oil and sprinkled them with thyme, and placed them in my beautiful Le Creuset casserole. Then I rinsed and dried a chicken and then cut it up the back and flipped the legs up. I drizzled it with a couple of tablespooons of butter and salted and peppered it, roasted at 475 degrees for 30 minutes and then at 400 degrees until done according to your meat thermometer-- about another 45 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.






We had a loaf of Soda bread (sans raisins) and Applesauce Cake to round it out -- really easy Sunday dinner. This cake is just as good with no icing, but there was some eggnog in the fridge ready to expire that was dying to become icing.





On Saturday night I prepared, or started to prepare, a new recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese when I realized (oops!) that it was supposed to be a crock pot recipe. Because it was only an hour and a half before dinner I dumped it all in a casserole and baked it at 375 degrees. It was awesome and I think next time I'll definitely try to get it in a crock pot for a less hectic dinner prep.

Tuesday: Lasagna, bread and roasted broccoli
Wednesday: California Breakfast Casserole, muffins or scones
Thursday: Chipotle Beef Stew and Acorn Squash, green beans
Friday: Mashed Potato Puffs, scrambled eggs and fruit
Saturday: Wild Game Chili, Cornbread



At the school table...
...back to the grindstone, not always a comfortable place to be.


Plans for the rest of the week...

...I'm feeding the dance gang on Thursday, just homemade soup and Panera bagels. And that's my only plan outside the house this week.


A few of my favorite things...

...clean surfaces after the Christmas decorations are put away (the cat was starting to mangle the Christmas ornaments, so I broke down and started putting everything away while Doug was gone).
...snow!!
...a roaring fire in the fireplace


Prayers sent heavenward...
...for my husband and children, to do God's will
...for all priests and religious, especially our priests Fr. Sill and Fr. Schmit, and for Fr. Howe
...all babies whose mothers are contemplating abortion, for a change of heart


Photo for the day...

...where Maggie sits for an hour before her dinner time. She's very patient. If only we could all be so patient.










16 comments:

  1. That is great news! Happy sewing.

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  2. Congrats to your team!

    In my parish, the Secular Franciscans assemble those home-blessing kits. We also include a vial of holy water along with the chalk and the prayer. They're a pretty popular item, which makes us happy!

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    1. That's an awesome gift!

      And, thanks. There were happy faces on Tuesday!

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  3. I'm so happy that you found that receipt!! Whew!

    As always, your food looks delish. I'm always looking for a new mac & cheese dish. Need to try this one ;)

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    1. I am happy, too, Patty!

      Thanks -- come to dinner sometime. ;-)

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  4. Your recipes are always amazing. I think you should put them all into a cookbook. I'd buy it!

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    1. Very few of my recipes are really mine, Jamie. I guess I am just able to find good recipes! ;-)

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  5. Hooray for finding the receipt! That cake looks very good, and I just made applesauce today. (also just had sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and eggs again for lunch today ;-) ) And that is the sweetest picture of your pooch!

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    1. Thanks, Kimberlee. My husband was pretty pleased to present it.

      I'm glad you're enjoying the potato, Brussel sprout, egg combo!

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  6. So glad you found the receipt! The dinner looks delicious - I'm with Jamie on the book - I would buy it as well :) (In fact, I still go to blessusolord for some favorites!)

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    1. Just keep coming back here and get your recipes! (I use my old blog all the time -- I need to print all this recipes and get them in a binder).

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  7. I love your stories, your photos, your menu. I'd buy your cookbook, too!

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    1. Thanks, doll. Why don't I just move to MN and be your personal chef. ;-)

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  8. I just LOVE how you arranged every part of your life...thanks for talking about each aspect of a woman's life and the many responsibilities that comes with our life. Thanks for the encouragement and for the great ideas!! I am so hungry now after looking at your amazing cooking!! INSPIRING!

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    1. Thank you, Janelle. I'm glad you stopped by and I'm glad we have met -- all in the Good Lord's time.

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