Journal of the Third Week of December: Holidays Ahead

Dec. 14, Saturday:  I don't know why I felt so blue this morning, but there I was feeling mighty sad.  I finally took my misery back to the bedroom, shut the door, crawled into bed, pulled the covers over my head and had a little cry.  Then I had a brief nap.  It didn't quite set me right, but it did put my feet on the right path.

We had plans for this afternoon and after lunch we got ourselves dressed and ready to go out.  Sam ran by for a few minutes to pick up a package he'd sent to my address by mistake.  We chatted with him until it was time for us to leave. The grey skies had almost cleared (could that be part of why I felt so down?  Perhaps.) and the trees that still have leaves have turned brilliant colors in the sun which is cheering.  We headed to church for the annual Christmas program.

I'll hand it to John; he went all in for our outing.  He led me to the Santa line, and we had our pictures taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus.  

We got coffees at the coffee shop and were happy to receive a free plastic drink cup that has the Christmas program logo on it...Not to mention John's coffee cup was a disposable Grinch cup.

Then we headed into the sanctuary to watch the program.  My goodness but it was wonderful!  It's a mix of lots of things.  One of the main characters is The Grinch.  There's so much more to it than just the Grich though.  

Next year, I plan to bring the three children to see the play.  I think they'd enjoy it.  The child in me certainly did!

I think what John and I enjoyed most of all is that we looked at the huge cast, the serve teams, the audience and everywhere we looked was a familiar face smiling.  We attend a large church with over 1000 people, but it's truly one of the warmest and friendliest places I've ever been. 

I got a good laugh in the lobby after the play was over.  Grinch had gone out to one of the photo op set ups and a mom pushed her child over next to him/her, then stepped back to take a photo.  I came very near photo bombing them.  The mom was distracted by me...and then saw another of her children and ran off to grab him.  Grinch was still well within character. "Hey!  She's left her kid with me!  What does she think I am?  A babysitter?"  I got a good laugh out of that.  

We drove home happily chatting all about the program and arrived just before it turned off dark.  I put a quick meal in the oven.  While we ate supper, John found an old Bing Crosby Show Christmas program and we enjoyed every moment of that.  It was a proper variety show but Christmas themed.  And then we sat about talking over how very much we'd enjoyed that program as well and vowed to find more such to watch.

What a wonderful day it turned out to be!

Meals: Bagels and Croissants.

I cannot remember.

Chicken Tenders and French Fries.

Dec. 15, Sunday:  We were awake far too late last night.  I think the excitement of the day, and the late afternoon coffee, pushed us over the top of our limit.  Fortunately, we could sleep a little later this morning since we planned to go to second service.

All went well.  We arrived on time and then John looked down and... his jeans that I'd just repaired last week had ripped right across his thigh, just below his pocket.  We looked at each other and I knew that we were going home.  I don't blame him.  Had it been my pants, I'd have felt that home was where I wanted to be, too.  I told him, "If we're going to leave, we need to go now before they start the service."  We gathered our things and left.  We listened to the live stream of the service on the way back home.  

Once we got home, the service was still running.  John sat down and actively listened.  I puttered around the house and listened in.  Truthfully, I didn't get the good out of it that I would have had I sat myself down and listened properly.

I had taken meats from the freezer yesterday to start thawing for the week ahead.  So today I took the chicken, beef steak, and ground meat and made up two entrees.  I also put half of them both into the freezer for future meals.

My treat to myself today was to spend the afternoon working with genealogy.  I got through two sections of one of my family binders today, finding new to me information.  I'm so happy over that progress.  I really enjoy working with this and had been wanting to get back into it for months.  I might have waited until the New Year and made it a resolution but my theory these days is why postpone pleasures that will cost nothing but a small commitment of time?  I knew I had time on one of the weekend days to freely devote to my pursuit. I just went ahead and scheduled it into my week.

This evening when we had supper, John put on the Claymation program, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town".  I hadn't seen that since my two oldest were little kids, so it was fun to watch.  I shut down the computer and just sat and watched.  Later we watched an Andy Williams Christmas special.  Honestly, it's got me feeling quite happy.  

Sam ran over this afternoon to borrow something. I told him that I wanted to get the kids later this week to bake cookies with me.  I'm going to take time tomorrow morning to plan out what we'll make.  I think the kids will be happy to decorate sugar cookies.  I'll need to get more sprinkles and colored sugars.  I'll just focus on what I plan to make and what I need and then I'll run to town to get the things I'll require.  I can go ahead and make up the sugar cookie dough since it needs to chill.

I think I've found my Christmas spirit...

Meals:  Eggs, Sausage, Toast.

Spaghetti with Meatballs, Garlic Toast.  I put half the meatballs in the freezer for a future meal.  I also cooked the beef and chicken with fajita vegetables.  I put the beef and half the onions and peppers into the freezer.  We'll eat the chicken fajita mixture tomorrow.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Apples.   John requested sandwiches this evening.  I hadn't taken lunch meat from the freezer to thaw so I turned to the cheese basket.

Dec. 16, Monday:  I have a headache.  It's hit me out of the blue here.  I think I'm going to have myself a cup of coffee or hot tea and see if that helps.  

I've spent my morning doing my Monday house blessing.  There was less to do than some days because I took time over the weekend to keep my room and bath picked up and neat.

After the house blessing, I took myself into the kitchen and sorted out the fridge. I looked for recipes for various Christmas cookies I want to make.  I've about made up my mind that I shall make five cookies.  I'm going to make Mexican wedding cookies and John's favorite stove top cookies.  I'll make up a batch of sugar cookie dough for the kids to cut out and decorate.  I'll set aside a small portion of that dough to make the Raspberry thumbprint cookies Sam and Katie are so fond of.  I'm going to make a half recipe of Magic cookie bars.  And I'll do a half batch of the stove top cookies that John loves so.  

I would love to make even more cookies, but we really don't need them.  I plan to make a Carrot Cake and that will be split between several households.  I think we'll have plenty of sweets over the holiday without my adding any more to them!

But I'm making a promise to myself that come January I'll make Date Nut Balls and then each month I'm going to make cookies at least once a month.  Why buy cookies that are mostly sub-par when I have so many good recipes to enjoy?

My next task on my list today is to go pull a stack of books for reading, even though I have not yet finished the second or third book I pulled for November reading.  

Meals:  Toast, ???   I know we had something else but what?

Pizza, Salad.  The pizza was leftovers.

Ham, Hashbrown Casserole, Steamed Broccoli, Biscuits

Dec. 17, Tuesday:  Small rant.  I have packages from Chewy sitting at a transit facility in Macon.  They have been there since last week.  I called the company I'd ordered from.  They gave me the number to the transport facility to see if I could facilitate the delivery.

The number is fully automated and doesn't allow you to speak to anyone.   The call immediately cued up my order, noted my address, and assured me the package was at the facility.  And then the AI operator said, "We have no plans to deliver this and no updates as to when we shall."  Wait, ...WHAT?

So, back to the online Help desk at the company where my order was generated.   "We understand they are busy, and you must be patient..."  The help desk took note of my frustration, offered me 10% off my next order and thanked me for getting in touch.

This is not a present I'm waiting on.  However, it bothers me more than I can say that I have an order that has already been charged to my account, and no one seems in the least concerned about whether or not it's going to be delivered.  Nor are they concerned how much I might need what is in that order.  

Frustrations aside, it was a lovely, lovely day.  I was up extra early this morning and managed to have a good solid hour or more in the quiet, enjoying coffee and my lit tree and then finished my book (The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder).   I made us a fairly big breakfast.  Just as I was about to get ready to leave the house, Sam called to say he was coming over.  I ran to take a shower and came out to sit and listen to him chatter for a bit.  Then I went to check on figures I'd put down yesterday in my 2025 budget proposal.  Sam left, John started getting ready and we were almost out of the door when he discovered a trail of ants with a mighty highway system wandering up one wall in the kitchen.  

This upset John far more than it did me.  I instructed him to get the spray for the ants on the wall and then to dot bait poison around what was the apparent point of entry.  I fed the pets, got things gathered to go to the car and waited patiently on him to come out of the door.  We finally left the house about 30 minutes later. 

We went to the mountain in a roundabout sort of way, not along the usual highways we'd take.  It's such a lovely journey.  In one section of Taylor County (my home county), there is a whole community of houses which date back to the very early 1800's.  It's so lovely to see all those old homes sitting along the road as they have done for a couple of hundred years.  

When we arrived at the mountain, we found it very smoky in the area.  However, still stunning views and still a good quiet place to be.  John and I got involved in a conversation with a stranger which we often do there.  And then we were alone once more and we had a lovely time of prayer, full of gratitude for the peace and pleasantness in our lives at this time.  

Every now and then on our drive through the mountain roads we'd hit a patch of hardwoods, and this aroma would hit us.  It was the odor of decaying leaves, hardwoods soaking in the sun, and earth at rest.  It's a faintly spicy, good scent and we only ever smell it in areas where there are mostly deciduous hardwoods.  It reminds us of trips we made to the north Georgia mountains.

We were going to go lunch at the Bulloch House, but it was too late for lunch anywhere except McDonalds.  We treated ourselves to a small shake to go with our meal.  Oh, it was so good!  We eased our way home once more and came back feeling as though we'd had a proper vacation.  I am determined we shall do little day trips like this more often in the coming year for just that reason.

Meals:  Eggs, Sausage, Grits, Toast

Burgers, Fries, Shakes

We scratched for ourselves.  John had a PB&J.  I opted for Nachos with salsa and gave him half of those.   I emptied a very broken and nearly gone bag.

Dec. 18, Wednesday: I went to bed early last night to stretch out and doggone if I didn't fall right to sleep.  I slept so hard I never heard John come to bed.  I slept until about 5:30 this morning.  I contemplated getting up but then I decided that was ridiculously early to be up.  I rolled over and went right back to sleep.  

I made an old-fashioned sort of breakfast this morning, something I haven't made in more years than I can count.  I'll share about that in the last part of today's post.

I had to go to the grocery today, but I played it smart.  Instead of hurrying to clean the house and leaving in the morning as I normally would do, I waited.  I got all my housework done.  Then I did all the baking I could do prior to going to the grocery shopping.  I made Cranberry Bliss Bars, Russian Tea Cakes, and Stove Top Cookies today, and got the Sugar Cookie dough mixed and in the fridge.  Then I made lunch for us and after lunch I went off to do my shopping.  

My whole purpose was to work with my morning energy.  I get far more done in the mornings than I do in the afternoons.  There was only one drawback.  I was so doggone tired by the time I headed out to do my shopping that I really didn't enjoy going out at all.  However, I'd tried something different and now I know why that doesn't exactly work with my natural rhythms.

I decided to stick to the local market today and wish I hadn't.  Two items I needed very much for baking purposes were not in stock at either store.  Then it started raining and I was struggling with cramps in my legs and lower back.  I thought I'd just come on home.  

I looked for a gold star or any sort of tree topper at the dollar store and none were to be found.  My tree is perfectly beautiful.  It does not need a tree topper...  Let me remind myself of that just one more time.

I came home and unloaded groceries, loaded still more dishes, finished the frosting for the Cranberry bars...with a lot of sitting and resting in between.  I was just so very tired!  

I've been plagued with stupid little things none of which I cannot help in the least.  A check is apparently lost in the mail, and the service is threatened with cancellation.  I didn't get notice in my email until 6pm when everything was shut.  It will have to wait until tomorrow to sort out. One of the transactions in town locked up the store system and the clerk wanted to run my card through again.  The store owner refused to do so.  I told him I'd keep an eye on my account and make sure the transaction went through...There were no tree toppers and no Christmas sprinkles or colored sugars to be had in any store, nor raspberry jam.  And everything seemed to cost far more than was necessary. 

Shopping in town is very good about reminding me of why I seldom shop in town and when I do shop it's a great reminder of how much I can do using what I have at home.  It's always more work, but it's doable.  Between those things and the leg cramps and a tendency to get a brain freeze every time I take a drink, I've almost lost my cool.  I haven't.  But oh, it's so tempting when faced with lots of little things not going the way I'd like.  

I finally reasoned that I was tired.  And I am tired.  The kitchen has been one continuing mess. I feel like confectioner's sugar has turned me and every surface in the kitchen into one tacky sticky mess.  The floor was a horror.   Supper needed to be attended to, and cookies that had cooled needed to be packed away...and that's when I recalled that I hadn't a thing to store any cookies in...

Well, those things I could do something about, I did.  And those I can't, will just have to wait.  I'm going to go start a load of dishes washing and clean up the kitchen One. More. Time.  Perhaps this time it will stay clean for a few hours.

Meals:  Country Ham and Biscuits.  I found this in Kroger a few weeks ago and realized it was a shelf stable item.  I told John we'd try a package and see how it tasted.  

I read the instructions on the package which said I could soak it for five minutes in warm water to cut the saltiness.  And then wrap the meat in foil and heat it in the oven for 13 minutes.  It turned out quite nice, not half as salty as I recall it being.  I think I'll buy a couple of more packages and store them in the pantry.

Turkey and Rice.  I thought I'd be making soup.  I had far too much rice and too little broth.  I discovered that one jar of broth had spoiled.  It was the jar with the coat of fat on top that kept fresh.  I packaged up enough turkey rice for the freezer to make fried rice in the future.  

Chili Dogs and Fries.  We haven't eaten too many cookies today but neither of us wanted a huge dinner tonight.  I thought of chili dogs on my way into town.  I had hot dogs, just needed to get buns and chili.  It was good food.  

I went back to the old Hormel Chili with beans which to me is what hot dog chili ought to taste like.  John did ask if I couldn't find the Wolf brand and I explained to him that I simply didn't like it and don't want to buy it again.  He is such a sucker for anything advertised and he said, "But it's advertised everywhere as being the best!"  To me, it tastes very bitter, and I don't care for it at all.  Hormel will do just fine!

Dec. 19, Thursday:  It got awfully warm the last couple of days, warm enough to cloud up and rain last night for a bit but today was sunny and cooler.  Not that you could tell it indoors.  I asked to have the kids to bake cookies today.  I was not prepared as early as I'd wanted to be, but it worked out just fine.  I had time for coffee and a shower and to get the basic housework done and even had a pan of Magic Cookie Bars in the oven before the kids arrived.  

Sam had green sugar and sprinkles and he sent those over with the kids along with six gingerbread houses.  He wanted one set to go to Caleb and Bella's house for them and then the kids and I had one each. But that came later.

We started with sugar cookies.  It was a new to me recipe for the sugar cookie dough. The dough was a good bit softer than I thought it might be for a roll-out dough.  And the kitchen was warm-ish which meant that we had a lot of sticking.  The recipe said bake 6-8 minutes at 400f, but I found it took nearer the 11 minutes I'd typically have to bake them.  They did rise nicely and seem to have turned out good, so we shall see.

Millie somehow managed to get 8 cookies from her portion of dough.  I've no clue what she did to get that many, lol.  Isaac and I got five and I think Josh managed six.   They used all the sugar glitter and sprinkles they could.  Millie was so enthusiastic she layered on things.  I finally told her she wasn't Dolly Parton and couldn't possibly put a single bit more glitter on anything.  She did anyway!

Meanwhile, behind my back, Josh is literally pouring red sugar sprinkles out of the container and into his mouth...

It was fun and we all enjoyed it, and no one got antsy or lost their temper.  The kids kept their cool even when cookies broke and had to be rolled flat for cutting once more.

They ran out to play while I cleaned the kitchen and got our lunch going.  I had a few minutes to sit and when John decided he needed to check on them, I told him to just call them in for lunch.  With lunch we were serenaded with Christmas songs and lots of laughter and chatter.  After lunch everyone ate Christmas cookies of different sorts and then we cleared the table and went to work on the gingerbread houses.

Oh dear.  They were cute kits, and they came with royal icing and a gingerbread house to build that smelled lovely.  Millies and Josh's went together rather well but Isaac and I ended up with a pile of gingerbread and sticky sprinkles.  I think the difference was that by the time we got to use the packets of royal icing, it was warm, and it needed to have been cooler.  I mixed up a thick confectioner's sugar glue of sorts and we used that.  Isaac's held.  Mine fell apart three more times and then I was over it.  I told the kids, "Don't eat your houses!  You can take them home.  You can eat mine!"  And they did.

They played in the house and in the yard.  They sang.  John brought out the guitar and played a few carols and everyone joined in with jingle bells and xylophone and toy guitar.  I will say that the children have an excellent ear for a tune and good rhythm, so it was really quite good.  

I realized I was more than a little tired when I was just longing to close my eyes in my chair and Josh begged me to watch him play a game.  I could barely hold my eyes open, but I did and asked intelligent sounding questions (or so I believe) about the strategy.  I took them home in the car because I didn't see them walking across the field with three Gingerbread houses and bags of cookies.  I returned Sam's now mostly empty Christmas sugar and sprinkles to him.  When I see more of these things at some after Christmas sale elsewhere, I'll pick him up a new container as well as getting a couple for myself.

It was a lovely day with the kids, and we all enjoyed ourselves mightily.  

I was very happy I had a ready-made, reheat and eat dinner in the fridge. I won't tell you I rested after I got the kids home.  I vacuumed.  I wiped the table and counters countless times, because I kept finding sprinkles and quins and bits of icing or dough on something.  I did dishes, we emptied the trash and so on and on.    And of course, there was cleaning up to be done after supper as well.  

I am tired and happy and so pleased that I got to have that time with my loves.  I wish Katie and her children had been here as well, but that likely would have been hard with three extra children on hand and the excessive excitement they all feel in each other's presence would have added to the chaos...But I think maybe, just maybe it will happen one day.

Meals: Toast, peanut butter on mine

Slider Cheeseburgers, Chips, soda, cookies.  I had no qualms at all about sugaring the kids up today.  They ate candy and cookies and drank soda (and ate sugar and sprinkles, more candy and gingerbread later).  

 I used a pound and a half of ground beef to make 24 slider sized burgers.  We had twelve of them left, so I divided them up into future meals for John and me.  I put some in the freezer and one package in the fridge to have over the weekend when we're out.

Chicken Fajitas, Mexican Rice, Cuban Beans, Salad.  I only used one chicken breast and that was quite sufficient for this meal.  I made a very good Chipotle dressing to go on my salad.  I put the rest of the chipotles in the freezer and will package them up once they are fully frozen.  There were 19 peppers in that little can!

Dec. 20, Friday:  I've been busy again today and the day barely half over.  Yesterday, we worked hard to clean the house after the kids were here.  That was planned so I could focus yet another day in the kitchen.

So far today, I have started three food gifts and a component to go into another.  I'll be boxing up cookies later, too, which will be gifts.  I have made breakfast, lunch, and bread should be coming out of the bread maker about the time my current baking is done. I've made a pint and a half of raspberry jam while everything else has been bubbling or baking.  I've made a casserole to go into the freezer, a leftover makeover of leftover spaghetti noodles, cooked sausage and mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, and cottage cheese I'd frozen some time ago and thawed this morning.   

I've been sitting here trying to figure out what we'll do for supper tonight.  I've used all my options this week either for lunches or dinners. I'm not done with any one thing except the leftover makeover item and the loaf bread, but I am at the point in my work where I've determined I can quit and call it a day.  I'll finish off the other items sometime over the weekend or even Monday.  Considering the huge sink full of dishes awaiting me at present, I think that's exactly what I mean to do.

We have a busy weekend ahead and then we'll be heading right into the holiday.  So, I've decided there will be no weekly postings aside from Advent posts until the Friday following Christmas.  At that time, I'll post my usual Journal of the Week and then we'll resume all regularly scheduled posts from there to begin our New Year.

Savor this holiday dear friends.  Enjoy all the moments, quiet and hectic, sweet and routine.  Hugs to you all!  And Merry Christmas!

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The Long Quiet: Day 20

 

The Gift of His Presence

When Adam and Eve were created, God gave them Eden as their home.  He came daily to walk with them in the cool of the evening.  

After Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden, God continued to speak to them.  

The Long Quiet: Day 19

The Gift of Recognition 

When God created man, he created a companion for him, woman.  Adam was obviously thrilled with that gift.  

Genesis 2:23 "At last!" the man exclaimed.  "This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called 'woman' because she was taken from man."

Simple, Lovely Christmas

 

“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”

–Randy Pausch

I was struggling a little at the end of last week.  I've been giving myself a lot of pep talks but the truth is that I was having a hard time finding the Christmas spirit.  I kept saying that it won't be more or less Christmas if I don't have this or that and it's true...but heaven help me when I start to get want-itis.  That's when I started to formulate a plan.  A plan to make Christmas as much of a celebration as I possibly could...On a budget, a very strict budget.

The Long Quiet: Day 18

 

The Gift of Rest

Man had not known one day of labor, yet God gave him the example of rest.

Depending upon the translation you choose to study, the word rest is mentioned between 390 and 520 times.  The first example of rest is given to us in Genesis.

Genesis 2: 1 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed.  2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

The Long Quiet: Day 17

Every day of creation there was a gift from God.

From the beginning we were given gifts.  On the first day, the very first day of the creation of the world we were given the presence of light and the creation of time.

On the second day, we were given the space between heaven and earth.  

The Long Quiet: Day 16

Throughout time, the world has longed and pined for something.  Some men travel and seek the world.  Some turn inward and seek their soul.  Some seek the fellowship of men and others close themselves away.  Some cry out in their longing, looking to other men to supply an answer, or for riches and fame and wealth, and others choose solitary silence.    All seek, yearning towards the unknown.  

The world after the flood was a vast and empty place.  Men and animals did what God told them to do.  They were fruitful and multiplied.  

Meals for the Third Week of December

 

I confess that while I'm determined to enjoy the holidays my mind is already slipping off to 2025.  I plan to do a Pantry/Freezer challenge in January, which is what I do most years.  For me that doesn't mean I won't do any shopping at all, but I do try to use what I have and only shop if I find things on deep clearance or really good sales.  I generally try to use those as restock items, not as food for the month, though I do sometimes buy produce during the month.

Things To Do: Third Week of December

 

I just went back to look at last weeks to do list.  Of the nine jobs I listed, I hit 5.5 of them, which is fine.  What didn't get done can either be made up this week or skipped entirely.  I am currently sitting here yet again admiring my pretty tree...which is apparently leaning hard to the left...

Now it's straight once more.

The Long Quiet: Day 15

 

                                               A New Beginning by Abraham Hunter

Five months after the rain stopped, they remained in the ark, floating on an endless ocean.  And then finally the dove returned to Noah with a sprig of newly green leaves in it's beak.

It was the resurrection of the world.

A new beginning.  That's what we all long for when we've got caught in the eddies of the world and we're being spun around and around, out of control, in chaos.  Here was a fresh start for the world.

The Long Quiet: Day 14

Genesis 7:1 When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. 2 Take with you seven pairs--male and female--of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice and take one pair of the others.  3Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird.  There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood."

5So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him.

Journal of the Second Week of December

 

Dec. 7, Saturday:  It was a very relaxed day overall.  Just what I wanted and needed.   But do you know I spent most of the morning out of sorts and irritable.  Working on genealogy took me out of myself and my overall dissatisfaction with life.  I had absolutely no reason to feel as I did except that I very much didn't want to be at home today.  Yet I do not care in the least for crowds and hustle and bustle on weekends and most especially not in December!  There was no reasoning with myself, so I gave up and did something productive.

The Long Quiet: Day 13

  

Cain and Seth's descendants are listed one by one.  Of each of them we learn their lineage and how old they were when they fathered the next in line.  Each account of these men ends with 'and he died.'  

But it does not say this about Enoch.

Of Seth's line it is said: Genesis 5:23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God.  Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.

The Long Quiet: Day 12

 

After Adam and Eve were sent out of Eden, the man and woman lay together and had sons.  Cain cultivated the earth and Abel became a shepherd.  When harvest time came, Cain took a portion of his harvest as a gift for God.  Abel also brought an offering, the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock.  The Lord accepted Abel's gift, but not Cain's.

Abel brought the best part of the first of his flock.  Cain brought didn't bring the first fruits but merely gathered some of the crop.  Abel brought the finest of what he had.  Cain gathered whatever his hand fell to.  Yes, he made an offering, but he wasn't focused on giving God the BEST.

The Long Quiet: Day 11

                                                        The Fall of Man by Jan van T'hoff

   

Greeted by the serpent, Eve was led to believe that eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge would make them become more like God.  

Genesis 3:5 God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.

Genesis 3:6...So she took some of the fruit and ate it.  Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.   7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness...

Coffee Chat: December Thoughts about the New Year

 

Hello dears.  I hope your Thanksgiving holiday was as lovely as ours.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  It was such a happy, relaxed day and the company we kept was so nice, the food excellent.  I don't recall having such a pleasant day in years.

This morning (the first Saturday as I write this), I put up the Christmas tree.  I had to remove the extra strand of lights because I'd lost the plug ends.  You'd think I could have found them...It's only a four-foot-tall tree and not so terribly wide but no, much as I dug around, I couldn't find the two plug ends.  John took one look at the unlit lights on the tree and asked, "Do we need to replace it?"  

The Long Quiet: Day 10

                                   The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, artist unknown

Genesis 2:8 Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden to the east, and there he placed the man he had made. 9 The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground--trees that were beautiful and produced delicious fruit.  In the middle of the garden, he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

15 The Lord God placed the man in the Gardens of Eden to tend and watch over it.  11 But the Lord God warned him, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden--except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."

Simple Holiday Meals: Second Week of December 2024

My goal this week is to continue having simpler meals.  If they don't sound so simple I assure you they are.  I've got at least two entrees in the freezer already and the rest are truly simple to make.  My biggest goal this week is not to generate lots of leftovers.  I've got so much stuff in the freezer already to use up that is already made.  

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Creamy Sausage and Spinach, Crusty Bread, Pistachio Parfaits.  I've had this butternut squash ravioli in the fridge now for a couple of weeks.  It's still within its best buy date (I always find that worrisome with something that is supposed to be fresh).  I've had this recipe in mind for as long as I've had that ravioli.  

The Long Quiet: Day 9

 

                                   The Garden of Eden by Jan Brueghel the Elde

Genesis 2:18 Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. 

Genesis 2:15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.  26 But the Lord God warned him, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden--17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."

To Do List for the Second Week of December

 

It's supposed to be all about enjoying the season, right?  So far, I made a cranberry upside-down cake, fluffed the tree, wrote out and mailed Christmas cards and brought out the Royal Dansk cookies to have with tea on Friday afternoon.  We had hot chocolate one evening but it wasn't good.  I'll remedy that for future cups.   We've had the lit tree going all week long and it is lovely, especially at night.  I had one of those lovely holiday cookie coffees from Dunkin' the other day. That's how we've enjoyed our month of holiday. And you know what?  It's been fine!  It's been relaxed and easy and no one has been pressured to do things.  It's been absolutely lovely.

The Long Quiet: Day 8

                                                                        unknown artist and title

Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person.

God made man before he rested on the seventh day.  In chapter 2, it expands how he made man.  We learn that man was created last of the all the living things, and he was made of the dust of the earth. 

The Long Quiet: Day 7

 

                           19th Century German Wood Engraving: God Resting on the 7th Day

Psalm 33:6 The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created.  He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.  7 He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. 8 Let the whole world fear the Lord and let everyone stand in awe of him. 9 For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.

Genesis 2: 1 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed.  2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

Journal: Last of November/First Week of December

 

Nov.  28, Thanksgiving:  I am so proud of my youngest daughter.  She made her first holiday meal, and it was lovely!  She had the table set prettily, and she decorated a table for the children to sit at.   She'd dressed the kids for the holiday and told the men of her household they had to wear real pants and not stretchy jogging pants, lol.  Even Henry had little turkey poult moccasins and darling little onesie and pants with turkeys on them.    

She did all of the cooking herself which is a feat when you consider that all the adults in the household love to cook.  But they were only allowed to be sous chef and hand her things.

The Long Quiet: Day 6

 

                                                        unknown title and artist

Genesis 1: 24 Then God said, "Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind-- livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals."  And that is what happened.  25 God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind.  And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.  They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.

The Long Quiet: Day 5

 

                                                      Day 5 Creation by Nathan Greene

20 Then God said, "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life.  Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind."  21 So God created sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird--each producing offspring of the same kind.  And God saw that it was good.  22 Then God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply.  Let the fish fill the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

23 And evening passed, and morning came, marking the fifth day.

The Long Quiet: Day 4

 

The Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars by Janez Kastav

Genesis 1: 14 Then God said, "Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night.  Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days and years.  15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth." And that is what happened. 16 God made two great lights ---the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night.  He also made the stars.  17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18 to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness.  And God saw that it was good.

19 And evening passed, and morning came, marking the fourth day.

The Long Quiet: Day 3

 

Creation of Earth: Mid-Journey by Ozy Mandias

Genesis 1:9 Then God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear."  And that is what happened. 10 God called the dry ground "land" and the waters "seas."  11 Then God said, "Let the land sprout with vegetation -- every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit.  These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came."  And that is what happened. 12 The land produced vegetation--all sorts of seed-bearing plants and trees with seed-bearing fruit.  Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

What's in Season In December?

 

These are the foods in season for December.  I sometimes wonder what would come up if I searched for 'cheap produce' for this season of the year.  Not all of the food items listed below will be inexpensive, but they should be fresh and that counts for a lot.

The Long Quiet: Day 2

 6 Then God said, "Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth. 7 And that is what happened.  God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens.  8 God called the space "sky".

And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.

Pondering, speaking.  Light, day, night, sky.  

Simple Meal Plan for the First Week of December

 

I love to cook, and meal plan (usually).  But in this month, I don't want to spend a load of time in the kitchen prepping meals.  I want to spend time baking, decorating, reading, soaking up the sun on the chilly days, etc.  

I also want to sort of trim grocery costs this month.  We did a big stock up after our November pay came in.  I thought we'd concentrate on eating some of the older entrees I've shoved in the freezer and that I'd pull the bins and look to see what older items we might use up.

To Do List: First Week of December

 

I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving Holiday and a wonderful weekend to follow up.  We enjoyed a lovely day at Katie's.  I sent Cranberry Celebration 'Salad' (Y'all know how I feel about these jello 'salads') over to Bess.  I've been making that for her Thanksgiving dinners for years now.  I took one to Katie's Thanksgiving Dinner as well.

Friday, I cooked a stuffed turkey breast and Green Bean Casserole for our dinner and pulled a Pumpkin Pie from the freezer.  I sent a dish of the dressing over to Sam.  His family isn't keen on it but he loves it.  I pulled the Christmas tree from the shed and shook it out well.  It was up and lit by Friday night.  That's a nice way to start the season, I think.  

The Long Quiet: The First Day

 

          

                                         The Creation of Adam by Michaelangelo

Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.  And the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Genesis1:1 kept repeating itself over and over in my mind.  I resisted.  I thought I was called to write an Advent series, and none starts at the very beginning of time!  But God led me here to this verse about the beginning of the world.  

The Long Quiet: Advent 2024

 

I hadn't intended to write Advent posts this year.  I was going to participate in Advent privately by reading and studying but not create.  Yet when I sat down tonight to begin a different post, the title presented itself and I felt my spirit hush and wait.  

I'm not often quiet like this in the evening.  My mind is full of what I've done that day, what I'm going to do tomorrow, what I hope to do before sleep overtakes me or worrying that it won't overtake me and I'll come to tomorrow weary and worn.

December 2024 Goals: Holiday Dreams

 

As I sat here this evening thinking of the new month about to come in, I let my mind wander over the month ahead and then the annual "GASP" occurred.  "WHAT are we going to do about Christmas?!" 

I know what I'm going to do about it.  I'm going to enjoy it.  I'm not going to focus on work.  I've been focusing on work all year long and I've done about all I'm going to do outside of routine housework until the New Year is here.  I'm dusting my hands of all the goals I didn't meet, the jobs not yet done or only partly done.  Away!  I want to make this an epic month of enjoying the season. 

Journal of My Week: Thanksgiving

 

November 22, Friday evening:  I've made an executive decision.  I'll run this post through next Wednesday and then I'm shutting down for the holiday weekend.  But I'll be back as usual by December 1 with my routine posts.  

Meals today:  I know we ate...Just can't remember what it was!

Soup and rice leftovers mixed up.  This was delicious.

Menu Plan for the Last Week of November 2024

 

As of the time I'm working on this meal plan, I don't mind telling you that I haven't yet decided what is for tonight's supper, much less for meals all next week.  

I think I've said I use my meal plan as a loose guide of what we'll eat.  Even though we seldom eat all I'd planned to make in a week, I enjoy having a meal plan to guide me.  It's a little road map based on our calendar for the week, what I know we need to use to prevent spoilage, and any leftovers we might have.  It's also based on weather, cravings I might have or requests that John's made, what I've noted is expiring on the pantry shelves, or is an older dated item in the freezer.

Thanksgiving Week To Do List

 

I read a lovely phrase the other day, one I'd never heard.  I wish I could recall whose blog I read it on but alas I cannot.  It wasn't one of my usual reading places so I can't find it again.  But she'd said, "It's half-past November..."  For the whole of the past week, I've had that phrase in mind, "Half-past November..."  Isn't that a lovely way of saying the month is fleeting?  

Journal of My Week: November 16-22, 2024

November 16, Saturday: Yesterday afternoon, just as we were about to sit down to a very late lunch, Katie called to share her most epic haul at Target.  Between sales, coupons, and Ibotta she got paid to take her purchases from the store.  She earned $8.  She purchased $232 worth of formula and products for her family.

Our conversation went on for a long while.  It was such a lovely long talk, and she brought me to tears at one point with something she said.  It's not often we get validation from our kids and frankly it's not something we expect to get.  I think the majority of parents I know do their best to raise their kids right and hope they've served them well.  But now and then a little confirmation warms the heart and soul.

Talking Turkey: Leftovers That Is!

 

Inevitably when the holiday meal is over there will be leftovers.  Of all sorts, not just of turkey, but most especially of turkey if you are a smaller family.  And honestly, a wise woman would make sure there are leftovers because it's so darned handy to have especially over the holiday weekend.  I have a small file of recipes I absolutely love to make with leftover turkey, some simple and some a little more fussy and all of them good.  But I'll also share a few other recipes for other things you might have leftover that I've learned works well.

But first, turkey!

Meals for the Third Week of November 2024

 

Is it the cooler weather?  The advent of holidays?  Just a less weary frame of mind?  I don't know but once more I feel I am in my element in planning meals.  I like this space far better than feeling tired of everything we have and wanting only what we don't.  Hideous state of mind, really, when one has so much.  I like this state of mind much, much better.  For one thing, I have not planned one single item that is not already on hand.  That's not to say I don't need to go shopping.  I still need a turkey.  I have a short list of outages (reminder to self, check allspice in my spare spices...).  But I am very appreciative that I have all I need for this week's meals.  That's saying something!

To Do/To Don't...List for the third week of November

 

Over the past week, I did the most random things.  Anything from my list?  Yes.  All of it?  Nope.  I bought 5 birthday cards and then remembered when I got home that I have another early December birthday, so I need to go buy that card. I picked up Christmas stamps.  I blew leaves off the two porches.  I took time to think about my theme for Christmas this year and might have decided it.  I wrote out several thoughts towards getting my 2025 resolutions pinned down.  I worked on bills and the 2025 budget (not on the list).  I wrote the last of the Thanksgiving series of blog posts.  That among all the usual meals, bread making (bread and bagels), making an apple pie, cleaning, running errands, going to small group, had a long and lovely phone conversation with Katie.  And nursed a tummy virus through it all, so I'm not beating myself up over what didn't get done.

Journal for the Second Week of November: Love and Prayers

 

Nov. 9, Saturday:  Today has been such a day of mixed feelings of all sorts.

We left home very early, before 8am so that we could head to church for a special Veteran's Day recognition breakfast.  In a military base town, there are a copious number of veterans in the churches, and ours is no exception.  They had a limited capacity of 234 people, and I'd say that probably 224 seats were filled.  

It was a beautifully done honors day for our veterans.  And yes, John is a veteran.  The program was about an hour and a half long and included a very nice breakfast.  It is always moving when the music begins to play the anthems of each branch and those who served in that branch rise to acknowledge the music. 

Thanksgiving Preparation Timeline

 

The credit for this post and the next in this short series all go to Maxine who asked if I could write out a few more ideas on the subject of Thanksgiving meal prep and leftovers.  I'm happy to take her request and run ahead with it.  I hope you find the information helpful.

I think one thing I've never understood was the woman who spent countless hours in the kitchen preparing a huge holiday meal only to realize that fifteen or twenty minutes after she'd set it on the table everyone was done eating, and she had countless hours of clean-up ahead of her...

Coffee Chat: Well Traveled

I said earlier this month that the leaves on the pecan tree were getting thinner.  I looked out the window this morning into the front yard and realized my Faith tree is completely bare.  Leaves scattered all across the ground underneath and over the patio and I'm sure partly cover the front porch as well.  There was no brilliant color this year to enjoy, as we had too much dry fall weather and too warm temperatures.  I have a feeling the lovely drive I took on the way to Mama's and back the other day is going to be the bulk of what we see for autumn color this year.

John is off having lunch with his former work partner, and I am home alone with time on my hands.  And while I have a ton of tasks I might do, I have instead, settled down with the computer on my lap to write because if there is anything I miss in my current season of life, it is the uninterrupted, quiet time to write.  

Meals for the Second Week of November

We came into this weekend with leftovers:

Corn Relish

Meatloaf (about four servings)

1 cup of mashed potatoes

To Do List for the Second Week of November: Will I?

 

Oh, the things I plan to do and then don't!  I could play catch-up with last week's list...

Tell me why, when I've planned to spend the day on the back porch getting wet and dirty, I refuse to do it while it's raining?  As if I'd be any less wet and dirty when I was all done with the task on a sunny day!  Yet my mind simply said, "Nope!  Not while it's raining, I'm not!"  Which means the patio and front porch didn't get swept clean of leaves either.  Among other things.  But I did get about half the tasks done and then did a few other things that weren't on the list, plus I read two books.  How's that for accomplishments? 

Ah well.  If at first...and all that good stuff about trying again, right?

1.  Too late to buy Caleb a card, but I've four more birthdays this month that I really ought to get birthday cards for.  Two will be late.  The recipients are so young that just the act of getting mail will likely be a thrill.  Two may make it on time, but with Georgia's mail system these days, who knows?  I'll skip getting Caleb one unless of course, I get it on the way to his party on Saturday...

While I'm out buying cards, I'll try to count up all that I need and see if I can get them in bulk somewhere online...And I'll order them.  I'm serious about my resolve to be better about this next year!

2.  Clean the back porch.  I'm focusing on this because it is the entryway most likely to be used by ourselves and most everyone else.  True strangers come to the front door.  Delivery folks, acquaintances and family all come to the back. Get leaves off front porch and patio.

3.  Pick up the limbs I pruned last week.  And prune the other rosebushes and that bit of tree I saw peeking out the backside of the flower bed after I pruned it last week.

4.  Deadhead the mums, pull spent pots of flowers.

5.  Get donations out of the house.  I've a whole bag of things to donate once again.  I will go through my closet one last time before I take that bag out though.  Might as well let go of something else if it's not being worn.

6.  Purchase pots, soil, bark, compost for the planters.

7.  Buy a new flag to replace my tattered one.

8. Continue to ponder resolutions for 2025.

9.  It's pay week.  Get the check book balanced, and set aside funds, etc. Bills are already paid so I shall not have to write out anything but tithes and one other check.  We'll get banking done for the month. 

10.  Get a turkey or turkey breast.  Pumpkin. I've a short list of things I'm completely out of (raisins, potatoes, lime juice... Not the usual stuff I'd buy but the occasional things we use).  

I've purposely put off buying anything at the grocery until pay day has come.  I've always given myself permission to buy food ahead of time, but I find more and more I'm trying to leave it off until we have a fresh allotment of funds in the grocery budget.  It's a good exercise to figure out what I can use as a substitute or what to keep on hand for substitutions.

Anyway, now that pay day is upon us, I feel safe restocking my kitchen for the month as well as the holiday wants.

11.  Work ahead on blog posts.

12.  Continue with the new method of housekeeping.  I didn't get it exactly the way I wanted last week but I still think it's the way to go.

13.  Again: Pin down how I want to decorate for Christmas.  I don't think I'll be buying much of anything. It's really a matter of color and theme. I have more than enough ornaments so there will be little need to purchase anything other than ribbon.

14.  Have a meal prep day again this week.  It's such a time saver in the long run, because one day of prep means I can have meals pretty much ready to go if I do get into any projects or tasks that take longer than I've thought it might.

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Journal for the First Week of November

 

Nov. 2, Saturday:  I have just watched the loveliest sunset.  That's something I've been doing routinely for a few weeks now.  The leaves are getting thinner and thinner on the pecan tree outside the living room window so I can see more of the sky than I could in summer.   John may go all around the house shutting shades as early as 5:30 or 6PM but he always leaves the west windows, the ones directly across from our chairs unshaded until after the sun has set.  Tonight's showing was all pale pink and lilac and deep grey blue.

Budget Thanksgiving

 

It's the month when we start looking ahead at Thanksgiving and Christmas and quite possibly New Year's meals.  There are plenty of festive occasions ahead starting at the end of this month and going right through until the start of the New Year ahead.

I've read much about 'budget meals' for these holidays and I thought it would be nice to try and create a few different menus on a budget.  The goal is to have a festive meal, one that doesn't look skimpy but at the same time doesn't send the budget too far astray.  

What's In Season? November 2024

I seriously was thinking this month's list of seasonal foods would be short, but as I looked at various websites, pondered what I typically see in the stores this time of year, etc., I realized that this month is rich in seasonal produce!

Fruits:

Apples

Cranberries