I'm Back!

Sorry that you didn't hear from me much this week!
We were house sitting Monday-Thursday for some good friends of ours.  They have a gorgeously luxurious home, and we enjoy being there.  But there's nothing like home sweet HOME!

I'm so happy to be back.  Back to my little yellow kitchen, and my winding staircase herb garden, the den with its cozy wooden vaulted ceilings and warm little red rug, and our own little bed.  Isn't it funny how little and lost you can feel when going from a queen size bed to a california king?

Anyway, I'm back.  And this weekend is going to be a busy one!  It's the Harvest Festival at church tonight, then tomorrow we're having a pumpkin carving contest with our high school youth group, and on Sunday, Jesse and I are hosting a Murder Mystery Dinner for our small group friends for after church.  That will be so much fun!

It's going to be a great weekend!

What will you be up to?

Far Away

If you've known me long, you know one thing:

I love the sea.

(these photos were all taken by my friend Julia...at the beach where I grew up and Jesse proposed to me in 2007)

A little bit of me dies realizing that I'm so far from my beloved coastline these days...that I don't live in my upstairs bedroom with the island view in my parents' house...that I can't just walk to the beach to collect sea glass whenever the whim hits me.  Sunsets just aren't the same when they have smog as a backdrop.

I miss my ocean.

But I love my husband, and he is the only reason I am here!  I love him enough to trade coastal breezes for sweltering inland heat (even in October--how ridiculous is that?!?); I love him enough to deal with smog instead of fog, and I love that my handsome inland man loves me enough to take me back to my ocean whenever we have the opportunity.

But every once in a while, when I'm sticky from the heat and itching from dry skin, I play "Far Away" by Ingrid Michaelson and slip back to the coast.



One hot day this past summer, Jesse came in while I was brushing my hair and singing along "...on our island in the blue bay."

Jesse smiled and wrapped his arms around me.  "Aren't you glad I'm not a lobster man?"

"If you were, we'd live by the ocean," I teased.

"But... I'd smell like fish," He faltered, surprised by my counter.

"You'd smell like the ocean, and I could breathe that in every day for the rest of my life!"

Not sure if a lobster man is going to be Jesse's future career choice.

But Ocean, have faith.  If it can't happen until we retire, so be it.

But we will live near you again.

I'm counting on it.

Bonus Fries and Lots of Smiles

On Saturday night, we picked up my college-student sister, Kate, on the way home from Jesse's softball game.  Kate needed to use me for a photo shoot she's doing for her senior gallery show, and we haven't seen her in a while, so we took her home with us for the night.

On the way home, we treated Kate to her favorite donut shop.  Jesse and Kate got scrumptious looking donuts, but I was super hungry and knew that sugar would only give me a headache right then.  Dinner was waiting for us at home, but it was a 30 minute drive and I was hungry right then!  So we popped by McDonald's to get some fries. 

While we were on the freeway, Jesse asked if I had won anything from the little Monopoly pieces they put on the french fry containers.  I hadn't even thought to look.  I peeled them off, and, SURPRISE!  I won free medium fries!  Jesse and Kate were both so excited that Jesse pulled off at the next exit with a McDonald's.  It felt so silly to go to two McD's in 10 minutes when I try to be so good about us eating out at all in the first place, but we were all so surprised and excited that we did it anyway!

I'm sure we looked ridiculous to the lady at the drive-thru when she saw the McDonald's bag and the container of fries in my hand.  Jesse and Kate happily shared the free fries while I finished off the first container.  We bought three ice cream cones, too, and made a fun treat out of it.

Don't you love that McDonald's has 69 cent cones?  And aren't they scrumptious?  And don't fries taste so great mixed with the sweetness of ice cream? (don't call me crazy til you've tried it...)

Anyway, that's what put a smile on our faces that night.

I'll Be Seeing You

We're nearing the end of our year of "firsts" after saying goodbye to Papa Chuck last Christmas, but the first birthday without him is a pang in my heart.    He would have been 86 today.  The first year without him is so hard, because every memory of last year has him in it.  There's a Papa-shaped hole in our family now. 

My life is full happy of memories of him, and for that, I am thankful.  I'm always seeing something that reminds me of him, finding something he fixed for me at one time or another, thinking of something that would make him laugh.  I'm so thankful that he was my grandfather, and that I have so many wonderful ways to remember him.  I love him and miss him so much!

I don't know what the songwriter was thinking of when he penned these lyrics, and I've never seen the musical it premiered in, but whenever I hear Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby singing these words, I think of my Papa Chuck, and all of the memories I hold close in my heart.

I'll be seeing you

In all the old familiar places

That this heart of mine embraces

All day through.

In that small cafe;

The park across the way;

The children's carousel;

The chestnut trees;

The wishin' well.

I'll be seeing you

In every lovely summer's day;

In every thing that's light and gay.

I'll always think of you that way.

 

I'll find you

In the morning sun

And when the night is new.

I'll be looking at the moon,

But I'll be seeing you.

I'll be seeing you

In every lovely summer's day;

In every thing that's light and gay.

I'll always think of you that way.

 

I'll find you

In the morning sun

And when the night is new.

I'll be looking at the moon,

But I'll be seeing you.

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise."

Luke 23:43

An Old Picture

I love this picture my dad took so many years ago.  I love how Jon, Kate, and I are fresh out of the bath, wearing our favorite pjs, sharing a book so happily and enjoying being together...while our baby sister rolls off under the bed with a string in her mouth.

I don't know what it is about this picture, but it makes me smile and laugh every time.

I loved our childhood!

Just thought I'd share a peak into my life as a little girl with you :-)

Hope you've enjoyed a lovely Saturday!

♥

A Stay in Bed Day...er...Week...

It's been such a perfect week.

Each morning, I've awakened to the sound of rain, felt the cold bite that lingers outside of the blankets, and drawn closer to Jesse's warmth.

"It's such a perfect day to stay in bed," I whispered to Jesse after hitting "Snooze" for the 4th time this morning.

"I know, Cutie, but you have to get up for work." He snuggled into my hair and pulled me closer.

"I don't want to go to work! I want to stay in bed. Let's cancel today. We can make it a National Stay in Bed Day and everyone can just stay home in their favorite pjs and curl up in blankets and drink tea. Isn't that a good idea?"

"It's a great idea," He whispered sleepily, "Except...that's been your great idea every day this week. Now, go get ready for work!"

And with that, I'm out in the cold.

But wouldn't that be such a great idea?!?

The Perfect Day for Stew

Oh, little dutch oven, so bright and cherry red...I was thinking about you all day!

It was so cold and drizzly today...I didn't even want to leave the house this morning.

Afternoon inspiration told me just what I wanted to do with you...

Something yummy!

Something perfect for a cold, rainy night!

Stew!

♥ 3 lbs. chuck or rump, cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes

♥ 1 cup of sliced onion

♥ 2 beef bouillon cubes in 4 cups of water

♥1 tbsp. parsley flakes or fresh, cut up

♥1 clove garlic, minced

♥ 1/2 teaspoon salt

♥ 1/2 teaspoon pepper

♥ 1/4 teaspoon thyme

♥ 1 bay leaf

♥1 cup of corn

♥ 6 potatoes (quartered)

♥ 6 carrots, peeled and sliced

♥ 2 tbsp. flour

♥ 2 cups of Bisquick

♥2/3 cup of milk



In a hot dutch oven, brown beef cubes well on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add onion and saute until tender. Return beef to pan. Add parsley, garlic, salt & pepper, bay leaf, thyme, and bouillon cube mixture.  Add a little bit of red wine, if you want to!

Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours. Add vegetables and simmer covered for about 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, skim off fat. Mix flour with about 1/4 cup of the broth from the stew. Stir into beef mixture. Simmer about 10 more minutes until slightly thickened.

To mix the dumplings, pour 2 cups of Bisquick into a small bowl.  Add 2/3 cup of milk, and stir until well mixed. Spoon by the tablespoon all over the top of stew and let cook about 10 more minutes until dumplings are cooked.

The perfect rainy night dinner!

Can't wait for leftovers for lunch tomorrow :-)



Happy Homemaking!

♥ Beth