Welcome to Life Through Bifocals

Life is not always clear and easy to figure out. So grab a cup of coffee and your bifocals and let's see what we can see.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Fall into Winter in 12 hours

This was Thursday Morning. Trees changing colors, the air was crisp and it was raining. Typical Fall In New England.

Thursday night, this started. It started late about 6pm. And it kept coming down. It stayed on the grass, it stayed on the cars, it stayed on the deck. It didn't stay on the road because it hadn't frozen yet. 

The snow kept pilling up. 


And pilling up - that's the well cover back there and the banister with snow on it.


Becke, the wonder dog saw this and decided she would wait till the morning to go potty.

The trees still have leaves on them!! Now the trees have leaves with snow on them.

There is another 4 inches coming Saturday Night!

Welcome to winter!! Have a nice weekend everyone. 

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Once Upon A Time


Well, I do believe that all of the Fall Line up has been shown and that some shows are all ready off the air.  That is fine with me. There was not much new that I liked this season. Big Bang is still my favorite and I laugh out loud at Shelden every time.

I do have a new snow that I really enjoyed!! It's called Once Upon A Time. Have you seen this show? I had no idea about this show and have idea why I never saw a preview, but Hubby found it and put it on. I really got sucked in right away and if you haven't seen it, please go to watch the pilot and decide if you like this as much as I did. I'm really looking forwarded to the next show.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are set to have SNOW today!! No kidding, and it's the kind that will stick to the ground!! OK that is just wrong. We have the pellet stove going and the house is warm, but really - SNOW.  OK so it may not still on the ground by Friday because the ground is not frozen but still.  I don't know about where you live but up here for some reason the first snow always brings out the bad drivers who have forgotten how to drive in this stuff and there are accidents all over.  Where are my boots???  Becke! did you hide them on mama???

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Wednesday Hodgepodge: All Treats and No Tricks


Joyce did a great job again with the questions so play along by clicking on the logo and join in on the fun.
1. What gives you goosebumps?
Stories about how animals help people, and how they find there owners after being separated for hundreds of miles. I am always surprised at the power of animals.

2. Halloween-are you a lover or a hater? Okay, that sounds harsh...Halloween-yay or nay?
I like Halloween the way it use to be when I was growing up. We went out when it was dark, we had pillow cases to put the candy in, we ran in groups, we were polite to the people who gave us candy and always said "Thank You". We went home to unload the pillow case and then went back out to get more. We wore super hero costumes, hobo costumes and home made costumes. Some of the parents would dress up too and sit on the lawn with the candy and watch us all go up and down. There was no worry about razors in candy, no limit as to the time you ended. No worry about being hurt.  That I loved, what we see now is a few hours in the afternoon and only at homes you know.  It's very different now.

3. Can you respect someone you do not trust, and can you trust someone you do not respect?
I can respect the office or position that they hold and still not respect the person.
4. Apples or oranges? Yes, you have to choose.
Apples all the way.

5. What is something you wish was in your town? (shop, restaurant, attraction, etc)
Aldi, I hear it is a great supermarket and we don't have one in the entire state - now I will admit, it's one tiny state!

6. What non-food item is in your refrigerator or freezer?
Ice packs- riveting answer isn't it?

7. Are you at all superstitious?
Don't think so but I will remember them as I come across them.  If I'm walking and see a penny on the road I'll think "See a penny, pick it up. All that day you'll have good luck." But I don't pick it up, I keep walking.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
This is one busy week. I've been out every night after work all week and it looks like I will be for the rest of the week! Oh my!  AND the weather man said we have a change of SNOW this weekend.  The fire has been lit in the pellet stove.  Oh and I've given the Emergency Evacuation Kit talk at work last night. Are you ready?

Now it's your turn - ready, set, GO!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Recipe of the week: Pumpkin mini Cakes

I have this mini bunt cake pan. I really like this pan and use it a lot to make muffins, donuts and sometimes coffee cakes.  That is what I did a few days ago. It was a good hit and easy to make.

Pumpkin Mini Cakes
2 cups Carbquick
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Almond Milk
1/3 cup Turvia
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
2/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Allspice
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

Mix it all together and pour it into a greased mini pan.  Cook at 400 for at least 20 minutes, then check it to see if a toothpick comes out clean.  

In the mean time, mix a cup water, Turvia (to taste) and the rest of the pumpkin puree on the stove and cook it down to make a glaze.  
When the mini cakes are done, transfer them to a plate and pour some glaze over each and let cool.

YUM!
Each mini cake has 1.5 carbs each.  Since I don't count calories or fat, you will have to figure that out. I count the carbs.  

Monday, October 24, 2011

Weekend Review: The Gift!

It was not a planned gift. Then again, these things never are. It surely was not a needed gift, nor was it in the short term plans. It wasn't in the long term plans for that matter. Yet, this weekend a gift was given. Given to my Hubby.

The Flu.

Given to Hubby by his doctor.

On their first ever meeting.

How nice!

Hubby's primary care doctor left the practice so he was given a new one and an appointment for a "Meet and Greet".  So Hubby went to meet and greet and to get his blood pressure medication prescription renewed.

Because Hubby has had pneumonia in the past, it was decided that he should get the flu shot. He followed the doctor's advice and got the shot.

The shot then apparently gave him the flu!  Thanks Doc! Nice to meet you to as well!

So we spent the weekend staying nice and quiet. I shopped, he slept. I cleaned, he slept. I went to worship service, he slept.  I watched the 2 best grand daughters in the world, he slept. I took care of him, he rested.  It felt good to care for him. Over the years, I have been the sick one and he had to care for me.  He's a great care giver so it felt good to give him care this time.

Oh on second thought, that is not all he did! He also ran a fever, coughed, had a hard time breathing and took lots of over the counter meds so that he could breath and sleep. He has had the flu shot in the past and I cannot remember him getting sick from it. I really do feel honored to care for him for a change.  It's way over due.

We do not have the same doctor and I checked, mine is still connected to the practice. I am not planning a "Meet and Greet", none needed - thank you.

How was your weekend?

Friday, October 21, 2011

Reflection on Reaching A Goal: Part Two


There was lots to learn as I worked towards 2400 miles of  moving. After all some days all I did was  2 miles while other days I was able to log in 10 miles! Walking with Becke, the wonder dog, gave me lots of time to think and pray.

1. I've learned that if I'm sick, I need to stop and rest.

2. I've learned it was OK to stop for a day and rest, but made sure I got going again as soon as I could. 

3. I've learned that I get bored easily so I had to mix up what I did and that it was OK to do that.

4. I learned that it felt good to give away nice clothes that no longer fit.

5. I've learned that I still don't like shopping for clothes even if they are a size 4.

6. I've learned that no matter how long I stretch, I will never be 5 feet 7. (now I never was before but a girl can dream can't I?)

7. I've learned that I need a place to track my progress and to be accountable to someone. The blog was perfect for this! I had the tracker and every Monday was check in day.

8. I learned that it was OK to take a day off, to do nothing, and not feel the tiniest bit guilty for it. The next day, I just continued on. It's the continuing on that's important.

9. I learned to look at both the big picture and the small picture at the same time. The big picture was 400 miles, the small picture was just what I could to towards that today.

10. I learned to be honest about why I was not working towards the goal on those days when I did nothing. Was I taking the day off because I was truly sick, because my body has given out for the day, or because I wanted a "vacation" or was I just being lazy?  

The lessons learned were that sometimes I just needed a day off, but it was harder to get back into it (sort of like some Mondays). It means to look at the big picture and what small steps are needed towards that end. It means that guilt can be a good thing but some things are not worth feeling guilty over, let some things go!  It means to pick myself up, dust myself off and keep going. It means that accountability  is a good thing. It means that somethings will never change and that we cannot do the impossible, but more importantly, to know when and what is impossible. It means that there are some gifts that I was not given and no matter how much I want that gift, it is not my gift to have. Let it go! It means that for me, having more ways to get something done, is better for me. I will most likely not give up. It means I am not 100% perfect, but I am still alive and breathing and a better person.

So what if I put all I learned towards a new 2012 goal? What could I accomplish? What goal would I pick?

What would you pick as a 2012 goal?

I'll keep you all posted.

As to my reward for all the hard work, I'll keep you posted on that too.


Thursday, October 20, 2011

Reflection on Reaching A Goal - Part One


The first week of January 2011 I joined several others who had one goal - Move the equivalent of 400 miles during the entire year. Once I met that goal, I kept going. Why did I do that? Why keep going? I felt at first that if 400 was good, 800 was better and in some ways I am competitive. So I kept going. I learned a few things along the way and wanted to share what I learned. OK, I learned more than a few things along the way, hence the "Part One" in this blog title.


1. I learned that I like cheer leaders! Many of you encouraged me on by telling how good I was doing and I am thankful for your encouragement. It really meant a lot to have an cheerleader or two jumping up and down for me. I really did picture some of you waving pompoms and yelling "Way to Go Lynn Marie, now give me 10 more."Thank you.

2. I learned that I am stronger than I was before. I can now carry the 40 pound bags of water softener salt. I could not do that at the start of this experience.

3.  I learned that I can reach for a goal, one day at a time.

4. I learned that I like exercising for the most part. It feels good to push myself.

5. I learned that 2400 miles is not reached by blinking my eyes (picture "I Dream of Jennie" here) but by getting off the couch. It's reached one mile at a time.

6. I learned that I really do have the time to get it done. It became important enough to make me get up and move. Or even move while watching TV.

7. I learned that I don't need a gym membership, fancy clothes, or a partner to reach a goal. So much for all those commercials telling me I do need them!

8. I learned that my arms "wings" will need more work-even after all this time I still have them. But more importantly, I'm OK with that!  Gives me another goal.

9. I've learned that sometimes I had to get up early to exercise and that was OK.  I was still able to do my job at home or work and the mere act of exercising woke me up.

10. I've learned that if 10 pound weights hurt my arthritic hands, lift 8 pounds, it's OK. It's more important to lift 8 pounds, or 5 pounds rather than not lift at all. 

What does this mean? Pick a project, any project. Maybe it's calling people who need someone to talk to. Maybe it's cooking meals for people who are sick, or just had a baby. Pick a project - look around, there are lots to pick from.  

To me it means that I can do something today! It may not be what I did yesterday, or the day before, but now is not the time to give up. It means that changing what I do does not mean that I stop doing something. It means that I don't need a lot of money, or a fancy car, or special clothes to get something done. It means that if I still have a job to do, that's OK - I have another goal! I learned that I really do have the time to do something, if I want to. It means that I really do like doing something, it feels good. It means that somethings take time to do and that is OK, I can do it one day at a time.  It means that I am stronger than I think I am and really can do things that once I felt was not for me. And it means that I like the pat on the back and the cheer leading but it's no substitute for just getting things done.  
More later.  

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Wednesday Hodgepodge: A trip down Memory Lane




1. How do you typically react in a sudden, extreme, pressure-filled crisis? Would we want you nearby in an emergency?
Yes, you would want me nearby in an emergency. I stay pretty cool. Several years ago our home was broken into and I was the one that found it. I called the police and called Hubby. Even the police officer commented on how cool I was. Now, after they all left and Hubby was home, I washed all my clothes and started shaking. The thief's had gone through my dresser and the thought of someone touching my undies made my skin crawl.  

2. Caramel apple-caramel sundae-caramel corn-caramel macchiato...of the four, which caramel treat would you choose?
Caramel macchiato in my coffee! Low Carb of course.

3. Is there such a thing as destiny? Explain.
Destiny - Do I believe that "Something is out there controlling what happens to me?" Then No. I believe that God is in control and nothing happens that he does not allow to happen.  I may not like it, and I may grumble about it, But He is still in control.

4. What's your favorite piece of furniture? I'm referring to something currently in your possession as opposed to something on your wish list.

This side board belonged to my Memere (Grandmother). She came to this country from Canada looking for more opportunities for her children. She could not speak English and neither could her children, so she enrolled all her children in "English Only " schools so that they would all learn the language faster. She had her girls educated as well as her sons (at the time, girls didn't continue much past the 4th grade). She believed in education, she believed in the USA and she believed in a better life for anyone who wanted to work for it.  Too bad those beliefs seem to be disappearing. 

5. Wednesday night marks the start of the 2011 Baseball World Series. Did you know? Do you care? Will you be watching? Ever been to a professional baseball game? If you're not an American do you find the title 'World Series' annoying or amusing?
Not a Sports fanatic - sorry. That is why this coffee mug is so funny!

6. A sound that takes me back to my childhood is____________.
Parents telling their children that they are no good, or will never amount to anything. Those harsh words will haunt those children the rest of their lives.

7. On average, once you've linked your hodgepodge post to mine how many other participant blogs do you visit? Do you ever come back to the Hodgepodge later in the day or even the day after to read posts?
I visit about a dozen participant blogs, some early in the morning and the others once I'm home from work.  I do come back the following day to take a peek at a few more.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Some people had their fireplaces and wood stoves going because I could see the smoke coming out of the chimney and the smell was wonderful. I do love the smell but it means it's cold enough to light those fireplaces and wood stoves.  We have a pellet stove and we have not turned it on yet.....but it will not be long.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Recipe of the week: "Crullers Muffins"


One day last week I wanted to make something light and sweet. I looked through my recipes and through other blogs that also have low carb recipes. I found myself over at Your Lighter Side where she has 250 Low Carb Recipes!  Jamie loves to eat (don't we all) and loves to try out new things.  I found her recipe for Donuts and used it as it was written,well almost, I did change it up a bit. Here is her recipe and in red is what I did.

Low-Carb, (gluten-free) Donuts (of the oopsie variety)

3 eggs, separated           3 ounces cream cheese
1 tsp baking powder       1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 packet Splenda (I used Truvia)
2 Tbsp Davincis Vanilla Syrup (Sugar Free) (I used Chocolate)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a bowl, whip egg whites with cream of tartar until peaks are stiff (about 5 minutes).

In separate bowl, blend cream cheese, yolks, baking powder and davincis sugar free syrup. Adding half of the yolk batter at a time to the whites and using a tall spoon (I use an iced tea spoon), make a lazy sine wave through the batter once. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Add second half of the yolk mix and repeat sine wave two more times.

Place in ungreased, nonstick angel food miniature cake pans.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove pans from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.Makes 4 crullers.


I put it in a muffin tin and got 6 muffins!  The recipe also has a chocolate glaze for you to poor over the top. Instead, I sprinkled cinnamon/splenda mix while they were still warm.  Carb count was 2 each.  Taste was great and they would have been great with the glaze but I really wasn't in the mood for chocolate.  
Jamie, these are just wonderful, light and tasty.  Thank you for all your hard work in the kitchen for us readers.  
What do you grab when you want something sweet and light - besides your husband I mean.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Weekend Review: And a Completed Goal



Indian Summer is over and Fall has surely arrived. It got me in the mood for the holidays - Christmas to be exact-so this weekend, Hubby and I went Christmas Shopping.  Our Son, his wife and their 2 boys all live on the west coast so Hubby and I went to the stores and did Christmas Shopping for them all.  Both our son and daughter-in-law have December Birthdays and our youngest grand son has a November Birthday. Toss in Halloween this month and we have a lot to get together, wrapped, packed and shipped.                 I really enjoyed shopping with Hubby. For 30 years, I had to do most of the holiday shopping alone.  Oh Hubby would join in as we got closer to the holiday but most of the time I had to do the shopping alone. This year, I got to share it with him. That was so much fun.
So it's ready to wrap and pack and ship!  Boy what a relief!!! West Coast crew is all taken care of. Now to concentrate on the east coast crew.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday, our wonderful niece came to the house to cut our hair. I can't tell you how great it is to have a hairdresser in the family!  We get to visit while she cuts our hair. And Talented!!!! Well it was just great! Thank you Caitlin for the visit and hair cut.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the personal 400 mile Goal - It's completed! Part of me is sad about that. I suppose I could continue adding more miles to the ticker and seeing if I can meet it. After all, I've done that a few times already. There is something about reaching for a goal, reaching it, and reflecting on what was done. I completed my goal on Thursday night the 13th!

So I have reached the goal and it's now time to reflect upon it.

It all started when Ellie over at "Books, Fitness and Other Stuff" first came up the idea. She created  the rules. I will forever be grateful to Ellie for getting me off the couch and moving.
When it became too much for her to keep tabs on all of us who had signed up, Shane, over at "Triumph and Tears," took over. However, summer made it too hard for her keep track of everyone too, so she gave it up and no one took over from there.
   I didn't even think about taking over because it must be really hard to keep track of everyone since 2 people have started and stopped doing so. So I just continued keeping track of my own progress. The rules were pretty simple: MOVE. Walking, running, bike riding either on  stationary equipment or out in wide world all counted mile for mile. I wore a pedometer  every day and counted whatever it said at the end of the day. I rode our stationary bike and walked a lot - I'm not a runner!  Zumba, water aerobics, exercising to a DVD and Wii Stepping all counted towards the goal.  15 minutes = 1 mile.  We were even allowed to add in weeding, house painting and some yard work as long as it was done the old fashion way (push mowing counted, riding mower didn't). The goal was to move for a total of 400 miles in 2011!  We had a full year to complete the task. As I reached the first 400 miles I also noticed that my pants were looser and wanted more of that so I kept going. Another benefit is that I learned a few things along the way.
What have I learned from this experience?  That is another post.
My reward ?- I will let you know that later too.
How was your weekend?

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Sleep: It's over raited.


Sometimes it doesn't matter how good looking the bed it, or how comfy the bed it, or how quiet the room is, or anything at all. Sometimes I just can't turn off my brain!  I think about the following day and what needs to be done there. I think about friends who are suffering loss, illness, work stress, money stress, joys of new babies, new homes and they all get prayed for. I think about our future plans. I think about why I'm thinking so much instead of SLEEPING.
That is what happened Tuesday night. A lot of thinking and praying and very little time sleeping. When I finally gave up and got up, I got dressed and went to work. Work was fine, nice easy pace of helping others and getting things done. Once home I treated myself with a spiced vanilla chi tea and sat down.
THAT WAS THE PROBLEM!!! I sat down!!! I really should have stayed down, but I didn't because why? Because I am WOMAN!
I got up and began my step aerobics - stupid idea one!
I continued step aerobics for 15 minutes - stupid idea two
I then added another 15 minutes to that - stupid idea three

I then felt really sick! So my body crashed and I crawled into that very comfy bed and stayed there- the only smart idea I had.

12 hours later, I am up, exercised, dressed, on my 2nd cup of coffee and ready to tackle the world.  Sorry all, when I hit the pillow the only prayer I had was to sleep. God Answered It. Thank You Lord. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Wednesday Hodgepodge: Getting to know you.



It's that time again, time to learn about each other through the Hodgepodge. In case you didn't know how this works, you can either answer the questions here, or copy them and answer them on your blog, just let me know so I know to go look at your answers. Or Better Yet, go to Joyce's blog and link up there so everyone can find you.

1. Have you ever been 'asked' to report for jury duty? Were you chosen to serve? If not, were you happy or disappointed?
Yes I have been asked to report for jury duty. Up here, you show up, and wait....and wait...and wait until you get called for a certain case and then you are asked if there is any reason why you shouldn't serve on that jury. I do have a reason because at the time I was married to a police officer so that excused me from all criminal cases. But I could serve on civil cases so I did. I loved being able to serve  and to see how the system works. I loved being able to serve the greater good. I hated all the waiting....3 days of showing up and waiting.....there must be a better way. How do other states handle this?

2. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very), how mechanically inclined are you? Give an example to back up your answer.
If you are talking about fixing the car or something like that -then I'm a big fat 0!  I call Hubby right away and he figures out what is going on and if he can/wants to, fix it. If you are talking about fixing the computer, then it would be a big fat 0! I call Hubby right away and he figures out what is going on and if he can/wants to, fix it.  Now, if you are talking about fixing my cell phone, then it would be a big fat 0! I call Hubby right away and he figures out what if going on and if he can/wants to, fix it. If you are talking about calling Hubby, then it would be a 10!  I know my limits.

3. Beets-cabbage-cauliflower-butternut squash....of the four, which is your favorite fall vegetable?
Hands down, butternut squash! It's like having a treat with a meal.

4. What do you recommend to overcome self-pity?
Serve someone else! When you see the needs of others, you quickly forget your own.

5. Do you enjoy classical music?
I enjoy the music of Lang Lang so yes I enjoy it but don't listen to it much. No reason except I don't have a lot of down time!

6. October is National Book Month...what's on your reading list this month?
Always A Baker, Never a Bride by Sandra D. Bricker is what I am reading at the moment.

7. What is your idea of 'cute'?
This is cute - don't you agree?


8. Insert your own random thought here.
My personal goal of 2400  miles is almost done. I will have more time to read and listen to music and that will be good.
Now it's your turn.....

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Recipe of the week: Pumpkin Muffins


As you know I really like pumpkin and still working with a low carb lifestyle I have a low carb pumpkin muffin that I want you to try. Here is what you will need:

2 cups Carbquick baking mix
2/3 cup Almond Milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Splenda
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 can pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Nutmeg
2 teaspoons Sage

Mix everything in a large bowl and set your oven at 400 (I used our toaster oven). Spray your muffin pan and fill 2/3 full with the mixture. Cook a good 20 minutes then check with a tooth pick. If the tooth pick comes out clean they are done, let cool on a plate and they don't need a thing on top, they are perfect just the way they are.

It comes out to 2 carbs for each regular sized muffin.  And boy are they moist!  Enjoy with some great pumpkin coffee made with pumpkin syrup and you one great breakfast.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Weekend Review: 50 is good

Warm Pumpkin muffins for breakfast - I do enjoy Fall!

   Hubby and I are in our late 50's. That puts all of our closest friends in their 50's as well. Some are younger and others are not.  This weekend another friend joined the ranks of "50!"so his loving wife put on a great BBQ/party for him.  The sun came out, the temps went up and we partied welcoming him into the unique club of 50 year olds.
   Now that I am in this club it's funny to me that 50 does not feel so old. Oh, there are days when my hands hurt and my back is sore and some parts of me creak every once in a while, but for the most part, I don't think about my age until I see it on something like a doctor's report.  How about it out there - do you feel your age?
   I remember thinking that my grandmothers were old, looked old, dressed old, walked old, talked old - but I don't think that at all about me. Hmmmm! Maybe it's just that I hang around with old folks and we are all doing the same thing.  Must be the company I keep.
   Sunday, after a really good worship service,  we got to play with our beautiful and smart grand- daughters who keep us moving, keep us on our toes and keep us young.  I love our time with them and I am always impressed by the wonderful job our daughter and son-in-law are doing raising such great girls.

   As for my personal challenge, I was able to get in 53 miles this week, which I was very happy about since I had an asthma attack that put me down for a bit.  I did go to work but I was very tired and had to take my time getting anything done.  So I'm up to a total of 2360, that leaves just 40 miles.  If my lungs hold out and the weather stays cool, I'm hoping this is the week I reach my goal!
   I hope that you all had a great weekend as well and are ready to be your best this week.

Friday, October 7, 2011

TGIF: At last!

Earlier in the week Hubby and I went to our new Hobby Lobby. It was only the second time that we have been in there and this time we took more time looking around.

We were looking for just a few little things but Hubby got me a great big gift.
Circut Electronic Cutter - for those who do not know what it is, you use it to make cards and other gifts.

Press one little button and it opens to show you all its beauty.

The Circut comes with one cartridge but Hubby bought me another one as well.  Guess what I'll be doing this weekend? Since I'm learning this new toy, I've warned my friends, "Learner cards" are on the way. I've had one friend already offered to help me learn and play with it. Good friend!!!
Thank you Hubby for my gift!
Have a great weekend and Lord Willing, I'll see you Monday.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Making Your Home a Haven: Breakfast

Most mornings, when I leave the house for work Hubby is still sleeping.  I want him to know that I love him and thought of him. So what do I do?

I make him breakfast and put it in the microwave, I know that he will be up soon so I'm not worried about it in there.
Walnut Apple Oatmeal will be a welcome warm treat on a very cold and rainy day.

I also leave him a little note on the chalk board 

He sets up the coffee pot for me the night before so all I have to do is hit the "ON" button while I'm getting ready for the day.

Simple? Sure is. Appreciated? You bet and it's another way to make our home a Haven for my family.
What did you do today for your family?

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Wednesday Hodgepodge: Who Makes Up These Questions?



Joyce Does-That's Who makes up these questions. But we all get to answer them. Thank you Joyce.


1. What's your favorite meal to serve on a chilly autumn evening?
Soup/Stew/Chili meals. There is something about a warm mug in my cold hands to warm me up both body and spirit.
Cabbage Vegetable Soup I've made in the past.

2. Are you a creature of habit? Explain.
YES, I do the same routine in the bathroom in the same order every morning. I pack the same snack for Becke every day, I wash my hair, rinse and repeat (just like the instructions say to do) :-)

3. What food product (no longer readily available) do you remember and miss from days gone by?
Boy that is a hard one, everything is so preserved that food from days gone by are still here.  Hubby remembers something called "Half-Moon Pies". Tang was good, do they still make that anyplace?

4. What's something you've lost that you've never been able to find? Any theories as to what happened?
My mind some days, and our kids stole it so I know what happened to it! It was a good mind, some days I miss it. If you find it please return it to me.

5. Zoo~circus~ carnival...your favorite?
Up here the Zoo's are very small, circus comes once a year and it's been a long time since I've gone because I really don't like to hear how the animals have been treated so I guess I'll take the carnival - and the rides - and the onion rings - and the cotton candy.


6. What song makes you feel instantly happy?
"Don't Worry, Be Happy" It just makes me smile.


7. To what extent are you an argumentative person?
Not very argumentative at all. I really don't like conflict and do my best to avoid it.


8. Insert your own random thought here.
Just when I though I was getting so strong and near the end of the personal challenge, going strong and working so hard that I was hit with an Asthma attack at work and had to leave to come home and rest enough to breath. I am reminded that allergy induced asthma is no fun. That no matter how strong I feel, something as simple as breathing (or better yet the inability to breath) can drop me on my butt.  I had both inhalers at work and used them them but still, I was trying to work, walk, talk and be an employee when breathing was getting harder and harder. Needless to say, I didn't do much towards the goal so far this week. In my weakness I am reminded that in all things God is in charge. Hubby took care of me once I got home and I was able to breath without having to go to the hospital.  Thank you God.

Thank you Joyce and for all of you questions, what are your answers? 

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Making Your Home a Haven: Simplify

I want to join Monica today on Making your Home a Haven.  I find that I feel at peace, and have a sense of living in a Haven when things are simple.  I long to have my life simplified.

Simple things are beautiful things.
Get the clutter off the table and set out simple place mats over a table cloth. To me it looks inviting and even if it is just Hubby and I, the table looks ready to invite more.
Lit candles in a dark nook add a soft glow to that nook.
Candles add to any seasonal decorations, and the smell of them can add to the meal. Pumpkin candles really add to the meal when dessert is pumpkin pie, don't you think?
And how many of you reminder the Fly Lady tip to "Shine your sink" before you go to bed? There is just something about walking into the kitchen and the sink is shinning back at you, welcoming you into the "Hub of the Home"

All simple ideas to make your home a haven.  How do you make your home special for the special people living there?  

Monday, October 3, 2011

Weekend Review: YUP! Sure Does Feels Like Fall Up Here.


Well it's time to turn on the lights early in the evening again and make hot cocoa. Man it feels like fall just showed up at our door!  This past weekend was pretty typical and pretty quiet. I slept wrong or something and ended up with one terrible and painful stiff neck that made it impossible (just about) to turn my head to my right. So glad we didn't have any thing special to do and could just take it easy.  I took it easy with my personal challenge. Only did 51 miles this week. Still I'm 94 miles from my goal. I'll take that!

By Sunday, I was feeling a lot better and good thing to as we got to play with the Grand Girls for a bit and they will sure wear us out! I wouldn't have it any other way!

Speaking of making hot cocoa, I really like pumpkin hot cocoa as well. It's pretty simple too. I take my hot cocoa recipe from here; add pumpkin syrup from the recipe here. Mix and enjoy, don't forget to top it with whipped cream for a special treat. 


How was your weekend?