A blessed Easter to all!

Mr. T and I hope that all of my readers and our friends have had a blessed day celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  We began our day with a meaningful outdoor sunrise service.  Although it was 7 a.m., in our location we were blessed to see the sun coming up over a nearby mountain.  All of the frosty grass sparkled with colors of red, green, blue and silver as the sun hit it.  I couldn't help but think that all creation was rejoicing with us.  Those bright sparkles certainly lent a celebratory air to our service.  Praise God, "He is risen, as He said"!

Roadside Diner Cheeseburger Quiche

(Photo by Taste of Home)

I tried a new recipe last night for supper and just had to share: Roadside Diner Cheeseburger Quiche.  I make a habit of perusing back issues of some of my cooking magazines.  I have stacks of Taste of Home, Quick Cooking, and Simple & Delicious issues and have them sorted out by seasons so I can look through them at the right time.  I found this recipe in the February/March 2010 issue of Taste of Home.

We loved this quiche!  I made quite a few changes in the recipe, but it was still yummy.  I made 2 quiches because I wanted to give my dad part of one.  So I made one with a regular pie crust and one with a gluten free pie crust (both homemade).  I used quite a bit less ground beef -- less than a half pound for each one.  I think you could even get by with a quarter pound in each one.  I used bacon bits rather than cooking bacon, and used probably 1/3 cup for both quiches -- so, 2 to 3 tablespoons in each.  With the dill relish, I used about 1/2 cup for both quiches -- about 1/4 cup in each one.  The liquid seemed like it would be too much.  I used 1 cup of fat-free half and half and 1/2 cup of 2% milk for both quiches, so it was about 3/4 cup cream/milk in each quiche.  I didn't measure the cheese -- just sprinkled it on.  Probably 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup on each one.  I topped them with just a shake or two of grated parmesan, as I didn't have any of the shredded type on hand.

I served this with green beans and a spring mix/baby spinach salad on the side.  Mr. T said this is a "keeper" recipe, and I completely agree! 

Goals for this week

Graphic by Little Birdie Blessings

Last week was so crazy, I never even got around to posting goals for the week.  This week, truth to tell, doesn't look much quieter (at least not so far), but I will post a few goals anyway.

*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study
*  Finish Sunday School lesson 13
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook
*  Memorize Isaiah 25:1and 40:26
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground
*  Exercise or go for walks as time allows
*  Keep up with crafting goals for birthdays and finishing UFOs
*  Keep up a good water intake
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night
*  Post once or twice in each blog
*  Cooking/baking for Easter breakfast at church
*  Plan for our responsibilities here while we are away next month
*  Continue work on kids' devotional book for summer 2013
*  Make a simple spring banner
*  Keep up with homemaking goals as possible, including decluttering several closets.
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do.


Those seem fairly reasonable; we will see how I do!

Coming up for air

The beautiful graphic above is from Little Birdie Blessings.

Wow!  It's been a busy and very different week.  Mr. T has been around home a lot due to weather related work stoppages.  We expect that during mud season, but it's always sort of a surprise as to how it will all play out.  This week has just been so busy with things we've been wanting to get done (errands and appointments, mostly) and the weather has been odd as well, with a big snowstorm on Tuesday.  And through it all, God's faithfulness has indeed been great and He has provided each need.

Since I didn't even get around to posting my goals for the week, I won't bother to do so now.  But I can tell you how last week went:
*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study -- DONE!
*  Start Sunday School lesson 13 -- DONE!
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook -- DONE!
*  Memorize Isaiah 25:1 -- mostly done
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground -- think I only read one.
*  Limit sugar -- not done
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times -- only managed twice, plus a couple of long walks
*  Keep up with crafting goals for birthdays and finishing UFOs -- DONE!
*  Keep up a good water intake -- DONE!
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night -- DONE!
*  Post 3 to 5 times in each of my blogs if possible -- umm, not done.  Would you believe once in each blog?
*  Continue trip planning -- only a little of this got done.
*  Continue work on kids' devotional book for summer 2013 -- DONE!
*  Continue planning an overnight getaway -- think we're tabling this until later in the spring.
*  Make a simple Easter banner not done
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 3, the bathroom, plus do some work in Zone 2, the kitchen -- -- DONE! in Zone 3, but not the kitchen
*  Declutter several closets -- not done
*  Spend 2 hours updating my A-Store  -- not done
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do -- -- DONE!

  About all I can say to sum up just how busy the week has been is to tell you that my Yahoo inbox has well over 200 messages in it.  I just haven't had time to check it every day.  I've had no time to blog and have had to cold-bloodedly make myself send off necessary emails.

Monday and most of Tuesday were spent in trying to finish up some handcrafted gifts to send off to little Emily in NV; she turns 5 on Sunday.  I can't share much about those as I plan to make some of the same things for a local little granddaughter who will turn 7 at the end of April.  I sent the package off on Wednesday, after finishing up a couple of last-minute items.

Tuesday was spent, as I said, mostly in crafting, but Mr. T had a dentist appointment in our nearest small city and I decided to go along and see if I could accomplish some necessary shopping during his appointment.  One of the most important needs was some good comfortable (and kick-off-able) shoes for traveling.  I had seen that a store in one of the malls was having a shoe sale, plus there was a 25% coupon.  Thankfully, I did find some shoes and also managed to get to Jo-Ann Fabrics for some more felt.  This all took place during the height of Tuesday's snowstorm, and we're very thankful for the safety God gave us.

Wednesdays are always busy, and this one was no exception.  Time cooking and cleaning at my dad's, then back home where a young granddaughter would be getting off the bus.  We had a bit of crafting time together and fixed supper, then it was off to church for prayer meeting and Patch the Pirate Club.

Thursday was another busy day.  Mr. T worked for a few hours in the morning, then had the rest of the day off.  We were again very busy with errands and grocery shopping.  In between, he is trying to get our taxes done and write a message for Sunday morning as our pastor is away.  Mr. T is temporarily back to work, but has a gazillion things planned for any remaining time off.  And we leave for our trip out west in less than two weeks!

And now that I have briefly come up for air and touched base with everyone, I must get back to: laundry/housework/writing a devotional book/working on a Sunday School lesson/making chicken broth/adding wood to the furnace/charting out a cross-stitch saying -- and more!

Goals for week beginning 3/11/2013

From a vintage calendar for children

The weekend seemed to fly past, but I am so thankful that even though snow still blankets the ground, Saturday and Sunday were beautifully warm, sunny, and springlike.  And here it is Monday already.  Here are my goals for the week:
*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study
*  Start Sunday School lesson 13
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook
*  Memorize Isaiah 25:1
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground
*  Limit sugar
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times
*  Keep up with crafting goals for birthdays and finishing UFOs
*  Keep up a good water intake
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night
*  Post 3 to 5 times in each of my blogs if possible
*  Continue trip planning
*  Continue work on kids' devotional book for summer 2013
*  Continue planning an overnight getaway
*  Make a simple Easter banner
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 3, the bathroom, plus do some work in Zone 2, the kitchen.
*  Declutter several closets
*  Spend 2 hours updating my A-Store
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do.


And here's how last week went:
*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study -- DONE!
*  Finish Sunday School lesson 12 -- DONE!
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook -- DONE!
*  Memorize Exodus 15:13 -- DONE!
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground -- DONE!
*  Limit sugar -- didn't do as well as I'd have liked to
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times -- DONE!
*  Keep up with crafting goals for birthdays and finishing UFOs -- DONE!
*  Keep up a good water intake -- DONE!
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night  -- DONE!
*  Post 3 to 5 times in each of my blogs if possible -- didn't quite get this done
*  Continue trip planning -- didn't do much of this
*  Continue work on kids' devotional book for summer 2013 -- did very little of this
*  Continue planning an overnight getaway -- DONE! (the continuing; it's not completely planned)
*  Make a simple winter table runner -- not done; I am going to shelve this goal for now as it's not currently needed.  Maybe I'll sew one this summer.
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 2, the kitchen -- not done
 *  Declutter several closets -- managed to declutter one closet, so that's a start!
*  Spend 2 hours updating my A-Store -- not done
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do -- DONE!


Obviously, I need to be more productive this week, but one thing I am really pleased with is that I'm meeting my spiritual goals.  Yes, it sounds sort of un-spiritual to plan them out, but it really is not.  If one aims at nothing, one will hit it every time.  And here's another thought along the same line:  If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.  I am aiming at spiritual growth and planning helps me to meet that goal.

This 'n' that

Graphic by Little Birdie Blessings

 Time for another potpourri type of post, I guess.  There's really not much going on here, other than trying to get the house spiffed up for when we get back from our trip.  I figure if I start now, a few weeks out,  I might be able to leave things the way I'd like to.  I really like the idea of coming back to clean closets; I always try and leave the house fairly neat, but our closets need some serious work and it would make unpacking so much less depressing if I could do that before we go.  So far I have one closet done.  I started with my own because it was the worst!

And of course there are a zillion details I need to attend to in the next month so that things will run smoothly (and we'll have less on our minds) while we're gone.  We did manage to line up substitute teachers for both of our Sunday School classes, so that's one detail out of the way.

We had a fun time celebrating a bit with some of our grandchildren this week as two of them share the same birthday.  Other than that, it's been an uneventful week -- and I am not complaining one bit about that.

There have been several snowstorms this week, but thankfully none of them added much more than an inch or two to what's on the ground.  The temperatures are warming up and the days are clearly getting longer --- not good for Mr. T's work, but encouraging signs of spring.  And I cannot believe (but it's true!) that this coming weekend we set our clocks ahead for daylight saving time.

Recently I've read a couple of very encouraging posts at Little Birdie Blessings and they are well worth sharing here: Under His Wings and Thanks for the Blessings.  Enjoy!

I wanted to show a few more winter/February decorating pictures before I switch the decor to spring -- something I hope to do this weekend, even if there is still a lot of snow on the ground and some in the air.

I bought this tea towel and the matching "Honey" one at MishMash & Muddle, a favorite consignment boutique in Elko, NV

A few felt Valentine cookies

The kitchen island

A  L-O-V-E garland I made some years ago

Here and below, the second and third simple Valentine bunting

I couldn't bring myself to take down my winter cards on the ribbon board, so just added in a few vintage Valentines.

On the front door

I'll share about these crafts

Lego sack closed up (presumably with Legos inside)

Lego sack opened flat for a work/play surface

Ruffled scarf made with Red Heart Sashay yarn

in greater detail -- links, and so on -- on my Christmas blog, since they were made as gifts and others might like to make them for the same purpose, but thought I would show them here just because they are recent projects.  I have several more handmade projects in the works for birthday gifts, but they aren't coming along as quickly as I'd like.

And I wanted to share this recipe I tried last night.

I had found a boneless chuck roast with a $3 off coupon yesterday while grocery shopping, and it reminded me of this recipe I'd seen in a back issue of Country Woman:  Sweet and Savory Pulled Beef.  Ordinarily, I would make French Dip with such a roast, if I didn't want to make pot roast.  But this recipe sounded easy and good, so I tried it.  Just delicious!  I served it with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables, but it would also make a fabulous sandwich.  I really questioned myself for paying $8 for a roast, but then reasoned that if we bought this entree in a restaurant it would be at least $8 per serving.

Have you ever thought you might like to try digital scrapbooking?  I know I've thought so.  It would be less of a mess, it seems to me, though I would have to scan my older photos so it would take some time.  But you might like to check out this My Memories giveaway over at Home Joys.  The giveaway is still open for a few more days, so head on over and enter for a chance to win!

Okay, now I need to get off line and see what else I can accomplish with this day -- Like some good solid work on the kids' summer devotional book...

Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes

(Photo from Taste of Home)

I tried a new cupcake recipe yesterday!  We are headed into "birthday season" in our family as there are a number of family birthdays in March, April, and May.  Last year I made up a gluten free yellow cake mix into cupcakes and frosted them with lemon frosting.  Then I froze them all and, each time there was a family birthday party to attend, I brought along one frozen cupcake in a little sandwich bag.  By the time cake and ice cream were served, I had my own little cake to accompany ice cream. 

A couple of days ago, I spotted this recipe: Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes in a Healthy Cooking magazine and decided to try it.  Yesterday I baked these cupcakes and they turned out very well!

One thing I particularly liked about this recipe is that it takes no xanthan gum and no special gluten free flours; it uses oat flour which is easily made in one's own blender.  I had a bag of organic oat flour which a friend had found at a bargain, so I just used some of that, but when it runs out I will go the oats in the blender route.

Some reviewers mentioned that the cupcakes were crumbly, but I didn't think they were all that bad.  And the flavor was very good.  I gilded the lily by making a small batch of the following frosting:

EASY PERFECT MILK CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tblsp. half & half cream (I used the fat-free kind)

Beat the softened butter in a medium bowl. Slowly beat in the remaining ingredients until combined, then beat on high until frosting reaches desired consistency.  The recipe as printed generously frosts a  9-inch cake, so I made about a third of a recipe (just using a spoon; I didn't bother with a mixer) which was just the perfect amount for a dozen cupcakes.

Mr. T and I shared a cupcake and I consigned the rest to the freezer.  Bring on the birthdays!

Goals for week beginning 3/4/2013

A vintage illustration from my collection

Monday again!  Here are my goals for the week:
*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study
*  Finish Sunday School lesson 12
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook
*  Memorize Exodus 15:13
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground
*  Limit sugar
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times
*  Keep up with crafting goals for birthdays and finishing UFOs
*  Keep up a good water intake
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night
*  Post 3 to 5 times in each of my blogs if possible
*  Continue trip planning
*  Continue work on kids' devotional book for summer 2013
*  Continue planning an overnight getaway
*  Make a simple winter table runner
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 2, the kitchen.
*  Declutter several closets
*  Spend 2 hours updating my A-Store
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do.

And here's how last week went:
*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study -- DONE!
*  Start Sunday School lesson 12 -- DONE!
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook -- DONE!
*  Memorize Exodus 15:13 -- worked on this, but didn't get it completely memorized
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground -- DONE!
*  Limit sugar -- didn't do as well as I'd have liked with this
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times -- DONE!
*  Keep up with crafting goals for birthdays and finishing UFOs -- DONE!
*  Keep up a good water intake -- DONE!
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night -- DONE!
*  Post 3 to 5 times in each of my blogs if possible -- can't remember for sure; think I posted once or twice in my Christmas blog and maybe 2 or 3 times in this one.
*  Continue trip planning -- DONE!
*  Begin work on kids' devotional book for summer 2013 -- DONE!
*  Begin planning an overnight getaway -- DONE!
*  Make a simple winter table runner -- not done
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 5, the living room-- and, later in the week, Zone 1 -- the front entry, dining room, etc. Still want to keep working on Zone 4 as well -- not done
 *  Spend 2 hours updating my A-Store -- not done
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do. -- DONE!

I'm so thankful for how last week went, and am praying for an even more productive week coming up!

March goals

I know February is always a short month, but this February seemed to fly by faster than ever.  Now it's time to set goals for March:
* Read through the gospel of Luke and into the book of John, journaling as I go.
* Read 4 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses.
* Finish last chapter of 1 Samuel Bible study book; begin study of 2 Samuel
* Exercise at least 20 times.
* Get to bed by 9:30 pm each night.
* Limit sugar.
* Drink enough water each day.
* Keep up with Kelly's missions in homemaking zones of the week.
* Continue with planning for trip to Nevada.
* Mail a box of books to Nevada.
* Spend several hours updating my A-store.
* Read 4 chapters in Following God with All Your Heart.
* Make at least a dozen items for sale at craft fairs.
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family.
* Work on updating and writing new pages for summer devotional book
* Post often in both of my blogs -- probably not daily, but more often than weekly
* Make a winter table runner.
* Continue writing down my memories for faraway grandchildren
* Declutter several closets
* Spiff up entire house in preparation for being away in April
* Decorate for spring
* Finish several handcrafted birthday gifts for March and April birthdays.

And here is the report on how February went:
* Read through the gospel of Mark and into the book of Luke, journaling as I go -- DONE!
* Read 4 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground -- not done; think I only read 2.
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones -- only memorized a couple and reviewed only part of a psalm.
* Finish 1 chapter of 1 Samuel Bible study book  -- DONE!
* Exercise at least 20 times -- think I only managed 14 or 15 times, but it's better than nothing.
* Get to bed by 10 pm each night -- DONE!
* Limit sugar -- didn't do so well with this.
* Drink enough water each day -- DONE!
* Keep up with Kelly's missions in homemaking zones of the week -- not quite.
* Check out airline tickets for trip to NV in spring -- DONE!
* Spend several hours updating my A-store -- not even attempted.
* Read 4 chapters in A Woman's Call to Prayer  -- not done because I switched the book I wanted to read first to Following God with All Your Heart; but I have read 5 chapters in that.
* Make at least a dozen items for sale at craft fairs -- not done.
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family -- DONE!
* Start planning summer devotional book -- DONE!
* Post often in both of my blogs -- probably not daily, but more often than weekly -- DONE!
* Decide on the next course of study for my ladies' Sunday School class -- DONE!
* Finish some UFO craft projects for the home -- DONE!  (Although I do still want to finish a table runner.)
* Continue writing down my memories for faraway grandchildren -- DONE!  (I hope to finish this and bring the book with me.)
* Look after local grandchildren while their mom recuperates from surgery -- DONE!
* Complete some tax-related tasks -- DONE!
* Finish several handcrafted birthday gifts for March and April birthdays -- work is ongoing, but the gifts remain unfinished.

As you can imagine, I am hoping for a very productive month of March since we will be away for a part of April.  I'm praying to that end!

(Photo from Photos Public Domain)