A Cup of Blessing

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"In all ranks of life the human heart yearns for the beautiful; and the beautiful things that God makes are his gift to all alike." ~Harriet Beecher Stowe

"Why should we think about things that are lovely? Because thinking determines life. It is a common mistake to blame life upon environment. Environment modifies but does not govern life. The soul is stronger than its surroundings." ~William James

Milk and Honey Bread

Milk and Honey Bread
2 loaves - one to enjoy and one to share!

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm milk (110° to 115°)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons salt
7 - 8 cups all-purpose flour (or 1/2 all-purpose, 1/2 whole wheat)

Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add honey, butter, salt and 5 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down and shape into two loaves. Place in greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Enjoy!

Makes delicious sandwiches!

Morning Coffee

Every morning I look forward to my first cup of coffee. A few moments of quiet before the busyness of the day begins. And this morning, a few chuckles, too -
“Be a coffee-drinking individual - espresso yourself!”

~Author Unknown

“I make serious coffee - so strong

it wakes up the neighbors.”

~Author Unknown

“In America you can buy bucket-sized cups of coffee in any flavor you like other than coffee-flavor.”

~Author Unknown

“Deja Brew: The feeling that you've

had this coffee before.”

~Author Unknown

"I bought a decaffinated coffee table;

you can't even see the difference."

~Author Unknown

“This coffee tastes like mud!

Well, it was ground this morning.”

~Author Unknown(I had to think about this last one for awhile ,

before I got it! Maybe I haven't had enough coffee yet this morning…)

That "Mr. Author Unknown"

– he sure is a funny guy! ;-)

Fettuccine Primavera

Fettuccine Primavera

6 servings

8 ounces fettuccine

1 1/4 cups chicken broth, divided

1 small zucchini, coarsely chopped

1 small yellow summer squash, coarsely chopped

1 small sweet red pepper, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons corn starch

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Bring 3/4 cup broth to a boil. Add zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, carrot, onion, basil and salt. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Combine cornstarch and remaining broth until smooth; stir into vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat; stir in tomatoes and sour cream. Drain fettuccine; toss with vegetable mixture, parmesan cheese and parsley. Enjoy!

Opinions please?

I have a decorating dilemma and would love your opinion! I can't decide which set of curtains I prefer in my kitchen window. I love the look of the brown tiers, but I have so much brown already and would love to bring out the blue of my dishes with the gingham valance. Which do you think looks nicer? (You can click on each picture for a larger image.) Thanks!

Choice #1 - brown tier set

Choice #2 - blue gingham valance

Tropical Lime Chicken

Tropical Lime Chicken
4 servings

for salsa:
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits
1 kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
for chicken:
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup couscous

Combine salsa ingredients; cover and refrigerate until serving. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine lime juice, oil, lime peel, salt and pepper; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Drain and discard marinade. Place chicken in broiler pan. Broil 3 in. from heat for 5-6 minutes on each side. Cook couscous according to package directions. Serve chicken over couscous and pass salsa. Enjoy!

This was a new recipe I tried tonight and it actually went over very well with my family. I had been a little worried since it is quite a bit different from our usual fare. My husband, especially enjoyed it.

Little by Little

Little by Little

“Little by little," an acorn said,
As it slowly sank in its mossy bed;
“I am improving day by day,
Hidden deep in the earth away.”
Little by little each day it grew;
Little by little it sipped the dew;
Downward it sent out a thread-like root;
Up in the air sprung a tiny shoot.
Day after day, and year after year,
Little by little the leaves appear;
And the slender branches spread far and wide,
Till the mighty oak is the forest’s pride.

“Little by little,” said a thoughtful boy,
“moment by moment I’ll well employ,
Learning a little every day,
And not spending all my time in play;
And still this rule in my mind shall dwell,
‘Whatever I do, I will do it well.’
Little by little I’ll learn to know
The treasured wisdom of long ago;
And one of these days perhaps we’ll see
That the world will be the better for me.”
And do you not think that this simple plan
Made him a wise and useful man?

Author Unknown

Supper Menus
May 12th-17th

Monday
tropical lime chicken, couscous, mediterranean salad
Tuesday
fettuccine primavera, bread sticks
Wednesday
creamed chicken in a basket, fresh green beans, baby carrots
Thursday
farmhouse bar-b-q biscuits, home fries, baked beans
Friday
manicotti, garlic bread, green salad
Saturday
homemade pizza, green salad

Happy Mother's Day!

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five hungry people, promptly announces that she has never really cared for pie."

~Tenneva Jordan

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 servings

6 medium bell peppers

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

2 cups cooked rice

1 can (11 ounces) corn kernels, drained

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Slice tops off peppers; cut away ribs and remove seeds. Steam peppers until softened slightly, about 4 minutes. Brown ground beef and onion; drain fat. Add Worcestershire sauce, stewed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir in cooked rice, corn, and seasonings. Heat through, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Place the peppers upright in a casserole dish and spoon filling into peppers. Cover loosely with foil. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Sprinkle tops of the peppers with remaining cheese and bake uncovered 10 minutes more or until cheese has browned. Enjoy!

This recipe makes more meat mixture then you need for six peppers - so freeze half of it. On a busy night, all you need to do is thaw the filling, steam six more peppers and you're ready to go!

A Little Thread of Gold

"Doing up cut fingers, kissing hurt places, and singing bedtime songs are small things by themselves; but they will inculcate a love for home and family that will last through life and help to keep America a land of homes.

Putting up the school lunch for the children or cooking a good meal for the family may seem very insignificant tasks as compared with giving a lecture, writing a book, or doing other things that have a larger audience; but I doubt if, in the ultimate reckoning, they will count for as much. It belittles us to think of our daily tasks as small things, and if we continue to do so, it will in time make us small. It will narrow our horizon and make of our work just drudgery.

There are so many little things that are really very great, and when we learn to look beyond the insignificant appearing acts themselves to their far reaching consequences, we will 'despise not the day of small things.' We will feel an added dignity and poise from the fact that our everyday round of duties is as important as any other part of the work of the world.

And just as a little thread of gold, running through a fabric, brightens the whole garment, so women's work at home, while only the doing of little things, is like the golden gleam of sunlight that runs through and brightens all the fabric of civilization."

~Laura Ingalls Wilder, May 1923

Linked to A Wise Woman Builds Her Home.

My new kitchen chalkboard...

...a la Mrs. Wilt.

Thank you, Mrs. Wilt, for the wonderful idea. I will enjoy this new addition to my kitchen very much!

And thank you to my handy, sweet husband for hanging it for me as soon as I brought it home!

(Please visit TheSparrowsNest for my inspiration!)

How long 'till school's out?

11 days!

Who's more excited - the students or the teacher? Sometimes it's a bit hard to tell around here! :-)

My sweet husband's newest hobby. :-)

(I requested a "George Strait" guitar and that's what he got!)

I Cannot Change the World

I Cannot Change the World

I cannot change the world, Lord,
No matter how I try.
Only You have power
Of things beneath the sky.

But, still You do encourage
The little things I do,
Like showing love and kindness
And telling folks of You.

I cannot change the world, Lord,
But I can love and care.
I know that You will nurture
Each seed I plant out there.

And You will bring forth blossoms
From little things I do.
I cannot change the world, Lord,
But I’ll do my best for you.

~John and Edna Massimilla

"...the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants, nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." I Corinthians 3:5-9

Chicken Jambalaya
6 servings

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tablespoon oil
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 -3 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) petite diced tomatoes, undrained

Saute chicken in oil for 2-3 minutes, or until nicely browned. Stir in the broth, rice, celery, onion, green pepper, seasoning, garlic, and hot pepper sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; cover and simmer 10 minutes longer or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Shine Your Sink Every Day...

the FlyLady way!

To keep my sink shiny I have a friend -

Mrs. Meyer!

Thank you to Mrs. Wilt, of The Sparrow's Nest, for introducing us!

My reminder for all those times when the sink isn't quite so 'shiny'...

Thank you God for dirty dishes;

They have a tale to tell.

While other folk go hungry,

We're eating very well.

With home and health and happiness,

We shouldn't want to fuss;

For by this stack of evidence,

God's been very good to us!

The Laundry Room

"Keep it clean and orderly. Decorate it cheerfully so that it won't be a trial for you to get in there and do your work. Keep the dryer and washer free from clutter on the tops. Hang shelves for your supplies and detergents. Have respect for yourself and treat your clothes with thankfulness and love. Your family is special. Each one deserves to have clothing which fits properly and has not been treated horribly by shoving all the colors and textures into one large load. All your family's clothes should be able to have the label - washed with tender loving care!"

from Treasury of Vintage Homekeeping Skills by Martha Greene

The Laundry Schedule

Monday - dish towels, bath towels, undergarments
Tuesday - white shirts, tan/gray shirts, black/blue shirts
Wednesday - maroon/red shirts, camouflage (yes, I have enough to do a separate load of camo each week!)
Thursday - light colors, dark colors
Friday - dress clothes, Dryel
Saturday - sheets, bedspreads, blankets

Some homekeepers like to do all the laundry one day a week - two or three loads each day, started early, works for me!

The Laundry Baskets

A labeled basket for each load makes sorting laundry painless!

(And a husband that builds all the shelves you could ever need to hold those baskets makes doing laundry a joy!)

Ode to the Backyard Clothesline

You'll say I'm "quaintly countrified,"
Old fashioned - as you please.
But I love the sight of fresh, clean laundry
Tossing in the breeze.
To suspend each garment on the line,
Then give the wind full play;
To caress and gently fragrance
In that sweet "outdoorsy"way.
They bask in sunny radiance,
Towels neatly hung in rows;
Snowy linens snapping crisply
Darling dancing baby clothes.
And when at dusk I gather them
I feel extremely blessed
That line-dried and sun kissed cleanliness
Clothe the ones that I love best.

by Juanita M. Vernon

from Treasury of Vintage Homekeeping Skills by Martha Greene