Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way. 

1) We've had some beautiful weather this week.  I love the early warm days of spring!  The forecasts predict warm weather coming soon!  I can hardly wait!

2) Another sign of spring, the rhubarb is starting to sprout out of the cold earth.  That is a direct sign of spring.

3) The Peeps have been 50% off.  I love Peeps!  Did I tell you that!

Enjoy the weekend!

My World Famous Italian Bean Soup Recipe Revealed--AT LAST!!! Actually, It's Not World Famous, but...

It's easy to make.

Here's how I make this delicious soup.

I use 1 pound of Italian sausage.  I brown it in a pan, and I use my chopper thingie to separate the meat.

Other ingredients I use are:

1 large can of tomato puree.

3 smaller cans of white beans.

Water.

Assorted Spices, including garlic.

Now, I like garlic, so I used 7 cloves in this recipe.  That's all I had.

I add the garlic to the meat as I brown it.

Here's where your crockpot comes into play.
 

I added the large can of tomato puree to my crockpot.  I also added two large cans of water.

This is when I added most of my spices.

I love Rosemary, and I think it tastes best fresh.  I bought a large Rosemary plant, so I snipped away and trimmed the plant.  I added my

trimmings to the soup.

I also added some basil, bay leaf, salt, pepper,  and lemon pepper.

You can add whichever spices you like.  These are the ones I like.

I drained and strained the Italian Sausage and garlic.  I added the mixture to my crockpot.

I added the sausage, the beans, and the spices to the crockpot.

(I also tasted at this point.)

I added e tha bit more salt and pepper.

As I write this, the soup is cooking.

It will be ready for supper, but I am going to let it sit in the fridge for a day.

It will taste better the second day.

If you have any questions, post them in the comments.  I'm hoping to answer any questions there.

I promise,

I didn't leave anything out.  If you try this recipe, let me know. 

This soup has been a favorite for many years!

I hope you enjoy it, too!

Worth Revisiting: Snippets of Pixie. What Pixie wants Right Now...

Her ears rubbed

A treat

To sleep undisturbed on her couch unless
     Her ears are rubbed
     Or
      She gets a treat

To go to pet expo

To go anywhere in the car

To be covered up when she's cold

To have her ears rubbed

To be told she's beautiful

To get a treat
(Are you seeing a pattern here?)

To be loved.

Making Canes and Pens from Polymer Clay

I ended up really liking these pens.  I made them using polymer clay canes.

Leaf canes are easy for me to make, but I have to practice on flowers.

The blue cane was supposed to be a flower, but It didn't work.

I am flower cane impaired.

These are the canes I made for the pens.

Clearly, the leaf is good.

These canes were not yet reduced.

The flower wasn't even close to being a flower.

So, I think I need to practice.

Scroll down for more fun pens.

 These pens were well received.
They look simple and unimpressive,
but...
when the lights went out,
they glow in the dark!
I made canes, very simple canes, so that the boys would know which ones were theirs,
and the girls would know which ones were theirs.
(The girls' pens had flowers and the boys pens had shapes.)

 

The kids had a great time taking their pens outside to charge up,
and then going into a very dark bathroom to watch them glow.
Glow they did!!
And it was fun!!!!



There are so many things you can do with polymer clay.
Glow in the dark is one of my favorites!

What do you think?

Happy Easter!

What is Easter without Peeps?

Now, I'm ready!

Happy Easter!

6 Word Saturday - I wish

I

Wish

I 

Had

More 

Time

(I'm cheating Here.)

To Make More Beads!

What do you wish?

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way. 

1) Lent has ended.  We have begun the shortest liturgical season of the year:  The Triduum.  That means that Easter is this Sunday.  I'm looking forward to eating my Peeps!

2) We got a lot less snow yesterday than was predicted.  It's cold outside, but we are going towards a warming trend.

3)  Pixie is feeling better.  As long as I can control her pain, she's like her old self!

My Journal List That Prepares Me for Easter

• Review the invite list for lunch on Sunday.
• Go to Cub Foods and buy a spiral ham.
• Cook ham Sunday morning
• Be on time for Church Sunday morning
• Make potatoes
• Pull out the Easter decorations
• Decorate the tables
• Use cloth napkins
• Use nice dishes
• Use good silverware
• Wash before setting table
• Fill baskets
• Buy candy
• Make sure to buy Peeps
• Desert - Roast Peeps and dip in chocolate for desert
• Drink a glass of wine
• Kick off my shoes
• Make sure socks don't have holes
• Make lunch reservations since I didn't buy a ham
• Have everyone meet at the restaurant 
• Sit down and rest now.

If only...

If only hearts were not hardened and locked.

If only those who seek to conquer, were not locked in their hearts.

If only,

If Only,

Lives cry out for justice.

Hearts are cold.

If only hearts were open to love,

Attacks would never be.

If only...

 

If you like Mushrooms, You will like this recipe, I hope, but, remember, I made it up as I went along...

I posted this "recipe" on Facebook.

It's a first try at this for me, especially, since I made it up as we went along.  

Here's the story of the recipe and the "recipe."

 

 I was gifted with a lot of mushrooms this weekend. Today, I put mushrooms soup in the crockpot for supper. I don't have a recipe because I sort of made it up as I went along. 

Here's what I did, though. I used two containers of fresh mushrooms. I chopped them up, and I put them in a fry pan with about 1 T of coconut oil and I browned them. I put the mushrooms in the crockpot set on low since we won't be eating until supper. 

In the same fry pan that I used to brown the mushrooms, I added about 2 Tablespoons of corn starch, enough milk (fat free) to make a sauce, maybe 1 cup? or so....

 I let the sauce thicken.  That happened very quickly.   I poured the sauce into the crockpot and I stirred until smooth. I added about 1 teaspoon of basil, and salt and pepper to taste.   I hope it tastes good.  We'll see what happens next.

If you try this "recipe," and you like it, please let me know.

If you like it and change it, please let me know.  

I love cream of mushroom soup.

 

The Window

Visions of the year flowing past.

In the summer,

trees so packed with leaves

that critters hiding in the trees

cannot be seen,

only heard.

A rustle of leaves, heard through the open window, 

alerting the dog to its presence.

The window,

the soul of the home,

letting light fall through its frame,

Opening to bring in the sights and sounds of spring and summer.

In the winter, usually closed, except when a pan of food is cooked too long, resulting in burnt food with lots of smoke.

The window opened freezes what's closest to it.

Brrrrrr. I forgot.  The faucet is frozen.

Yet, no matter the season,

the eyes of the window bring the world into my home.

Rain, snow, sleet.

The first robins to return.

Only a window?

No, so much more.

 

Catchin Up a Little Bit....

You know the phrase,

"Life happens,"

well, for me, it did.

Between trips to the vet and to my doctors,

Pixie and I have been busy.

I've never appreciated, until now.

the pan of arthritis,

degenerative arthritis.

Now, I understand, and I wonder how those, who suffer from this disease, function.

I appreciate their example and fortitude.

In the last two weeks, I've learned a lot.

I see Pixie, and I now know that when she becomes very quiet,

she's in pain.

I've learned that when she does not meet me at the door when I arrive at home,

she's in pain.

I've learned that when she prefers to lay on the floor, rather than the couch, it makes her feel better.

Right now, the pain medications are working and helping her.

This makes me very happy because, 

soon, we will be looking at life and death decisions for her.

This thought breaks my heart.

I have to learn to look at the joy she brings us, and, the fact that she has had a good life with me.

I have to look at the fact that she's 11.  She's old!  In human years, she's 87.

Her work on earth might be over soon, but she's done a good job.

She still brings people happiness.

So, as long as, she's not in a lot of pain, 

and,

she's still happy and eating her ice cream,

we'll avoid the decisions we don't want to make.

 I've also decided I have to make a decision about this blog.

At times, I have, literally, run out of ideas.

I hit writer's block.

That's another reason I've been gone for so long.

What to do?

Do I stay or do I go?
Truthfully, I'm still not sure.

For now, I plan to use this blog to improve my photos and writing.

I'll work to make this blog interesting.

I'll share parts about my life.

Of course, I'll share adventures of Pixie.

Today is the first full day of spring.

Yesterday, I saw the first robins.  That means we are headed towards the warmer weather.

Seasons change, but keep me warm, and we'll all be happy!

Now, if, after all that rhetoric, you're still with me,

we'll talk.

Thanks for reading the ramblings of my mind today.

Happy Spring!

A Day Late and A Dollar Short...My work table was busy this weekend...

I love tentacles!

These were fun to make, and I have an idea for an even more exciting tentacle.

I hope to get started on that one soon, but it's been busy.

I like the curled one the best.  

The one in my mind will not only be curled but attached to something other than a cephlapod!

Hmmmmmm.

It will also be detached from the creature.

Hmmmmmmm!

Aren't these spoons sweet?
I like the piece on the end, but I think they need a little bit more.
I'm not sure how far I should go down on the stem.
What do you think?
I'm going to try covering more of the stem with clay, but I'm not sure how far I should go.

 

I made some garden markers, too.

I showed these off on Instagram and people seemed to like them.

If you're on instagram, you can follow me.

I'm 10rosebud1.

Hopefully, there will  be more content soon.

Life is just busy right now.

 

In the Early Morning

What Is Love?

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way. 

1) March is finally here!  March is fickle.  This morning, we had snow, clouds, and cold.  This afternoon, we have sunshine, warmth, and the snow is almost melted.  This is one beautiful thing because March means that spring is on the way.

2) I bought a new purse, and, I think, I really think, I found the perfect purse!  I love it!

3) Seeing the little blades of green that are insisting on peeking through the remnants of snow, brings me great joy.  I've missed warm weather, and I'm looking forward to opening up the Woman Cave.

Moments: So What Do You Do When Your Day Goes From Not So Great To Bad?

You put on your 

Octopus fascinator

and

have lunch with friends at 

Church.

Your day might not improve that much,

but 

you have that hour that was so much fun.

Distraction is good,

if you can find it,

but

connections and links

make your day better.

So, today,

I can say,

We laughed and laughed.

The day was better.

 

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."

Ralph Waldo Emmerson

 

t is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/ralphwaldo105261.html?src=t_friends

 

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/friends.html

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/friends.html

Worth Repeating: Gramma's Button Box

When I was little I remember the button box. It was an old cigar box that held my grandma's precious buttons. She cut them off of clothing that was too worn and ragged to wear, and when money allowed, she would buy herself some beautiful buttons from Woolworth's to put into the lucky recipient's clothing. I don't know why it happened, but when she died, I was given the button box. I know that I didn't take the box with me when I grew up. I don't know where the box is, but I still have the buttons. With all the moves, they have traveled with me from one part of the country to another. It is only recently that I have started to use these wonderful vintage buttons in what I do. As a young bride, I followed in my grandmother's footsteps and clipped buttons off of old shirts and dresses. I also picked them up at garage sales and thrift stores. Now, these buttons don't have the class of the ones she had, but they still have their stories. I don't know the stories, but I remember the ones my grandmother would tenderly hold in her hands. "I cut this one from your baby dress. You were baptized in that dress." "I cut these buttons from your mother's dress. She really loved that dress." Those were just some of the stories and memories. I don't remember them all, but I do remember that box. I wish I had it now.

The Dollar Store Loot

You see the two bags called:  The Loot.  

It's all from the Dollar Store.

Now, here's what I made with the Loot.

I put the solar lights in mason jars to charge them so that when the ground is 

thawed,

yes, it's still frozen here,

they will glow in spring and light the way in my front yard.

I took one of the grapevine wreaths, the smaller of the two, and I added a polymer clay cross with the symbol of the Sacred Heart at the center of the cross, and I glued it on the wreath.

I made tiny flowers and leaves.  The red flowers symbolize the blood that Jesus shed while on His cross.

I used the bigger grapevine wreath to make an Easter wreath for my door.  

I used three of the solar lights on the wreath.  They aren't charged yet, but I am hoping that they will glow in the dark.

I made the wreath by wrapping some decorative pink mesh around the wreath.  I covered that with pink and white garland that was covered with eggs and bunnies. 

That wreath is hanging on the front door to welcome visitors.

I took the brightly colored Easter Eggs that I had planned to put on my wreaths, but I didn't have room to do that, in a jar for the table.

I tried to make a nest with the extra garland, but I couldn't, so, the garland went on the tree in the bay window.  

There's still a lot of extra mesh.  I'm not sure how I'm going to use it, but, it's pink, and I will find a use.

So, what do you think?
I think it was fun.

I'm not crazy about the crafts I've seen for using Dollar store items, but these were fun.

Next journey, on a good day, will be a journey through the thrift store.

What do you like best about the dollar store?

Would you rather shop a thrift store or dollar store?