Strikes my fancy

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Some people would find that strange, due to St. Patricks Days association with people claiming what shred of an Irish heritage they can, kissing or pinching people, green beer (really, that has to take SO much dye. Gross) and public forgiveness for being drunk. Those things are not really me. I do have a shred of Irish heritage, along with lots of other nationalities. I only kiss people in my family and the same is mostly true for pinching. I am not a fan of green beer or drunkenness (though it may be entertaining to watch at some sporting events.) I like St Patrick's Day better than Valentine's Day (lucky husband), better than 4th of July (totally not because I am unpatriotic), and better than my birthday (which often falls on Labor Day). I would be tempted to say more than Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I have too much great family time at those, I actually enjoy being thankful, and well, Jesus is the reason for the season...

This story follows a recently retired airline pilot as he struggles with what to do in retirement. His wife has recently died and he has a hard time "sitting still". He decides to go to Belgium where his plane was shot down in World War 2. Once there many of the villagers come out and tell him their memories of when the plane was shot down. Within their stories he realizes that other that helped him escape Belgium & France may also remember and be willing to share their story. His travels take him to the French countryside and then to Paris where he rents an apartment and attempts to find more of the people that hid him and helped him through the network. This was an interesting story for me. Purely by chance I got this from the library right after I had read a WW2 book from a German woman's perspective. (not recommending because it was sad and pretty graphic). So both stories were very insightful (and it's no secret I enjoy learning about this time in his...

Today I want to share a post I read at Money Saving Mom because I think it's really great! (Link above takes you directly to her post) Feeling like you’re always behind, stuck going around and around in circles, and never really getting anywhere or finishing anything? Here are three of my top tips for getting stuff done: 1. Keep Your To-Do List Short You need a plan for your day, otherwise, you’ll most likely just end up running in circles. However, if you try to bite off more than you can chew in a day’s time, you’ll end up overwhelmed from the get-go. Set yourself up for success by creating a short to do list for each day. I suggest no more than 5-7 items on your list. It’s better to only plan to do four things and to actually accomplish three of them, then to make a list of 47 to-do items, and a only get a few bits and pieces of some of them done. 2. Make Your Daily Goals Measurable When you make your to-do list, be realistic. Don’t write down “Clear out clutter in the whole ...

Today's recipe comes from Honey Beans and Spinach 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 onion, diced finely 2 medium (or 4 tiny) sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground corriander 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 lemon, juiced 1/4 cup honey 1 (12-ounce) bag baby spinach, washed (even if the bag says washed, rinse it off again) 2 tablespoons cream cheese (optional) The Directions. Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Drain and rinse both cans of beans, and dump them into your crockpot. Add the onion, garlic, and sweet potato. Add dry spices, and stir in honey and lemon juice-- you want the beans and veggies in the pot to be coated with them. Rinse off your spinach, and add it to the pot. You'll need to squish it all in, but I promise it'll fit. Plop a dollop of cream cheese on top. Cover, and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for about 3. Stir...

I feel like every couple of years a book like this comes out. And every couple of years I need to read it. A review on Amazon points out that what Platt is challenging people to do is not Radical...and I agree, to a degree. On paper it doesn't seem like a huge thing, but when you look at all 5 steps and how most people aren't doing them on a regular basis, I think you start to lean toward radical. But I think what's key here also is the tag line "taking back your faith from the American dream". All too often we get caught up in what we should have, how we should live, what we deserve and we forget about how the early followers of Jesus lived. The 5 steps: 1. Read through the Bible in one year. 2. Pray for the world. 3. Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose 4. Spend your time in another context 5. Commit your life to multiplying community all good things to work on/toward. I liked the book - it challenged me. Always good to read a challenge book at...

Nutella Cookies! When I saw that Sister #2 pinned this on Pinterest I knew I had to give them a go! Here is the inspiration . Super easy! 1 cup Nutella 1 cup sugar 1 large egg Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the Nutella, sugar, and egg. Beat on medium speed until well combined, about a minute. Roll mixture into 1″ balls and place several inches apart (they spread quite a bit) on an ungreased, nonstick cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges are firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for about 3 minutes. Carefully remove cookies to finish cooling on a baking rack. Those are mine above. Things to note: *1 cup of Nutella is almost the entire jar! *My eggs might have been a bit old - so I am going to retry with fresher eggs (hello mom?! ;-)) and the Crunchy Kroger version of Nutella. Things I didn't like (and hope are better with round 2): ...

Does it sound like I have been watching Glee? Well, I have not. However, I do like listening to most of their songs after it airs. Who doesn't like classics? We bought this setee for $20 from our neighbor who sets up next to us at the outdoor antique show we go to. He couldnt sell it, so after trying all day, he sold it to us for less than he paid for it. It has been sitting, waiting for me to work on it since last fall. Im not sure who recovered it last, but it had severely mismatched fabric. But, the bones were there and it really is a pretty frame. Can you see just above the polka dot material? All those holes are from other reupholstery jobs gone wrong. It looked mutilated in places with all the nail/staple holes. So, I ripped everything off and got to see the true frame. I had no idea it was solid in the middle, but it was a shame that the decorative pice was taken off. I couldn'd use it that way, and had to recover it all. I started with new cushions. The old was lumpy...

Whenever I go "home" I raid my dad's library. This trip home saw me with a stack of 5 books (for 2 weeks) that I knew I couldn't get from the library and a list of those that I thought I could. This was the first book I read (and since I was sick 80% of the time I was there, the only one I finished!). I started off with issues. Picture of Manhattan on the cover and the authors are from Austin & St. Louis....but I got over it ;-) What I like about this book is that both men built the church that their community needed. That is not to say that they weren't Biblical, but more to say that they didn't fit "a mold". I like that. I think that it's something that is hard to accomplish when you move into an area to start a church. You might think you know what the area needs, but maybe it's not. Taking the time to determine that is a step that I think is often missing from today's planting. With that primary thing being said - it's...

I can't remember where I got this recipe - so I can not give the credit due. Also - mine sat on the warm setting for awhile, so it looked kinda gross (so no picture!). 1 pound cooked sausage 1 large or 2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel) 1 yellow onion, chopped 1/2 cup chopped carrots 3 cups already cooked long-grain rice 1/2 cup raisins 1 Tbls dried parsley flakes 1 Tbl brown sugar 1/2 tsp allspice 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/3 cup chicken broth or water Put all ingredients into the crockpot and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 3-4. This doesn't stick together like casserole it has the consistency of fried rice. My changes: no parsley flakes or allspice. Loved the texture, loved the flavors, love that I threw it in the crockpot, stirred and went on with my day. Yum! (also using this to experiment with freezing cooked rice as I had lots of leftovers and then left town for a week)