Getting Cozy

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving altogether as a family.  My husband did a lot of the Thanksgiving cooking and he found this potato shaped like a heart.  Isn't it amazing?  In all my years of peeling potatoes I'd never seen one quite like this!  My oldest son was home from college and our parents were here, too.  It felt so cozy to have everyone together.  My boys cheerfully pulled out the sleeping bags and had a great time sleeping together in the same room.  The floor didn't bother them in the least.  After our day of feasting we trimmed the tree and made our home all pretty for Christmas.  Then my boys wanted to climb onto the roof to hang icicle lights at night; a task their Dad was all too happy to give up! The twinkling lights are just the thing to chase away the darkness which comes all too early in the evening now.

With the focus now on Christmas I keep thinking about making room for Jesus.  Mary made room in her womb for the Messiah.  The inn keeper made room for Mary and Joseph in his barn.  Will "I" make room for Jesus this season?  With the decorating, baking, card writing and giving I want to keep the reason for the season in my heart.  It was with a very generous heart God gave his very best to us through His one and only Son.  Will we receive Him? 

This season I intend to get cozy with Him :)

Praying you have a blessed start to your Christmas season.

fall musings and a recipe

 Fall is such a beautiful time of year.  But, if you're not careful it can pass so quickly without noticing the changing leaves.  Taking a walk or a drive at this time of year is a wonderful way to enjoy the beauty of the season. 

Two of my boys have their birthdays in the fall, so it is a season for family celebration, too.  With each passing birthday it is a time for me to reflect back on the past, reminisce and look forward to the future.  I remember when I was young I always looked forward to the next birthday, because growing older was fun.  The next "number" sounded so much older, wiser and more exciting!  Now, not so much.  Ha ha!  But, with grace I believe we can accept where we are at and have joy no matter the season or age.

 

I tried a new recipe, one just perfect for this time of year.  It is simply delicious.  It uses crunchy tart apples and candy (Snickers.)  A great combination I think!  I once heard a chef say a good dish was one that includes all of our taste buds.  I had never thought of it like that before.  Well, this recipe comes very close with it's sweet, salty and crunchy nature.   The original recipe is found here and all credit goes to Nikki from Chef in Training.

Have a blessed day.

Winds of Change

I've entered into a new season of my life, quite fitting with fall upon us.  This week found me back into the work force after 11 years of being blessed to be home full time with my boys.

Besides missing my boys what I miss the most is being able to get outside or at least see outside.   So, this afternoon with the breeze on my face I took a walk around my gardens enjoying the vibrant blooms that still speak of a summer gone by.

My double knock-out roses keep blooming their little heads off and make a spectacular splash of vibrant pink against our green lawn.

This little geranium I rescued from the 50cent table at Lowe's has done quite well. 

Our trees have begun to change colors so I know these blooms will fade all too soon.  But, for today I celebrate their beauty and the joy they bring to my heart.

Blessings!

Swinging

Swinging on our play set with my youngest recently brought back a flood of memories of enjoying this as a girl.  During recess it was one of my favorite activities.  I would pump my legs so hard with my toes pointed towards the white puffy clouds in a blue sky.  I was sure I could touch them if I just pumped hard enough.  Or maybe my toes could brush the wings of a bird.

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The feeling of weightlessness as I went swung back down, my hair blowing in the breeze was exhilarating.  What a carefree feeling!  Robert Stevenson has a beautiful poem about swinging I thought you might like.

The Swing

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--
Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

Robert Louis Stevenson

 

Hoping your day includes something fun, too!

Have you had your V8 today?

With the abundance of garden tomatoes I was inspired by my neighbor to make some tomato juice, something I hadn't tried before.

I used this recipe.  Super easy and pretty to look at right off the bat I think.  I added to the recipe about 8 basil leaves cut up since they grow 'a plenty' in my garden, too!

 

It is super refreshing and nutritious. 

I am headed to a baseball game this evening and I think this is coming with me.  Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend?  My prayer is you will be blessed in whatever you do!

Blanket Love

A few weeks ago we moved our oldest son into his dorm room and life is so much different with him living away from home.  We are thankful he is but a short drive away and seeing him on Sundays is a blessing.  To receive his call or text mid-week makes my mommy heart skip a beat.  Really.  The sound of his voice is music to my ears.  When he asked if I could make a fleece blanket to go on their futon I said certainly.  A few days later he asked, is it done yet?  He had gotten sick and wanted to curl up under it while taking a nap.  So, I got right to work.  It will go nicely with the big throw pillows I sewed the week before for him.  Handmade mommy goodness right there in his dorm room. 

On Saturday we will be celebrating my 3rd oldest's birthday.  He turns 12!!  He is growing up just way too fast!  What will you being doing this long weekend?

Blessings,
Kathy

Making Lemonade out of Lemons: Sewing Little Dresses for Africa

I've always wanted to sew for little girls but having all boys I don't get many opportunities.  Until now!  I found a Christian non-profit organization based out of Michigan called "Little Dresses for Africa."  You can find them here.

I had a small stack of fabric that I had purchased long ago to make nursing covers but I knew immediately using the fabric to sew for little girls in Africa was just perfect.  Just one yard of fabric is needed for these simple pillowcase dresses.  The pattern can be found at their website for all different sizes or at Nancy's Notions.  My favorite pattern is the elasticized top.  These dresses can be made for very little cost as a package of bias tape and elastic are all you need in addition to the fabric and thread. 

This last dress was made out of  fabric my sister gave to me.  I appliqued a dragonfly on the top.  Actually, there are so many different ways one could embellish these simple dresses.  It was just a lot of fun to sew for a good cause.

My prayer is the little girls who receive these will know they are loved by a Heavenly Father and will receive the good news of the gospel which is shared with them.

Blessings,
Kathy