Show & Tell Friday for June 26

Here are a few more strawberry items from my collection. It's strawberry season here in northern New England, so I guess it's appropriate.

This is my most recent acquisition... a gift from my lovely friend Gail. She saw it and thought of me. Isn't it beautiful? I didn't have a strawberry clock -- or any clock, other than the ones on appliances -- in my kitchen, so this will be most useful.

Another friend made me some cute fabric-covered binder clips. Two of them had a strawberry theme. These are handy in the kitchen for closing bags of chips, cereal, etc.

This blurry photo (the best of two I took) depicts a strawberry-themed magnet on my fridge.

These strawberry teas were all gifts over the years. One of them is packaged in a tin and one in a wooden box.

I've had this strawberry hot mat for years. It's looking a bit shabby but I still love it.

These crocheted potholders were made by my friend Lorraine. They are done in the afghan stitch with the strawberries cross-stitched on.

Aren't these strawberry bugs the cutest things? They were a gift from my sister-in-law Betty.

This is one of my very favorite strawberry items. It's a tart warmer for wax tarts. A Yankee Candle lemon tart is in place. My daughter and son-in-law gave me this some years ago, and I decided to use it on my porch table this summer. The runner beneath it is a strawberry print linen towel.

That is my simple Show & Tell for today. To see what others have shared for Show & Tell Friday, head on over to There is No Place Like Home.

Happy Show & Tell Friday!

Derailed!

Well, my back-on-track challenge has completely fizzled out. It's not that every day has been a total loss, but there have been very few days where I felt "on track" in every area.

Again, I've kept up with my daily devotions and with basic homekeeping tasks. I do want to do a major cleaning and decluttering of my house. I've managed to fit in a little exercise most every day and have eaten well most of the time. I've done well at making routines and scheduling on some days, and completely ignored them on other days. I'm still not back to where I want to be with Bible study and Scripture memory(other than to prepare my Sunday School lessons), and time for creativity has been nearly nonexistent.

So I'm trying again, working on the theory that it takes 21 days to build a habit, with the goal of being completely back on track by July 15.

As before, here are the areas I'll be working on:

* Health & energy

* Devotional life

* Homemaking

* Creativity

I will try and check in every day and post about how I'm doing.

If anyone else is still feeling as sidetracked as I am, feel free to join me in this challenge!

Menu Plan Monday for June 22

A dark, drizzly, cool morning [again!] here in northern New England. Lately we have had far more rain than sun. Here's my menu plan, including, as it often does, meals that didn't get used last week:

MONDAY: Roast Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Squash, Cranberry Sauce (I am roasting a turkey we bought and froze right after Thanksgiving, with the idea of producing lunch meat for the week.)

TUESDAY: Greek Spinach Pie, 3-Bean Salad

WEDNESDAY: Calzone, Pasta Salad

THURSDAY: Mt. Cube Hash (a baked casserole -- layers of carrots, potatoes, ground beef, onions, tomato soup), Baking Powder Biscuits

FRIDAY: Sliced Turkey, Potato Salad, Cranberry Jello Salad, Biscuits

SATURDAY: Hot Dogs, Homemade Baked Beans, Coleslaw (This has become our standard Saturday night meal; I sometimes make a simple macaroni salad rather than coleslaw.)

SUNDAY: Italian Wedding Soup, Focaccia Bread

If you would like to see menus which others have shared, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie and check out the links. Often, well over 300 people share links to their weekly menus. You'll find some great ideas and often recipes too.

Show & Tell Friday for June 19

For show and tell today, here are a few more strawberry items from my collection.

This is my kitchen wallpaper. Old, but I still love it.

I think I showed this before in a different context, but this is a tea towel wall hanging I made with a strawberry theme. This is such a fun project that I want to make more with different recipes. I've made several of them, but the strawberry one is the only one I kept for myself.

This strawberry glass and plate were a gift from one of my granddaughters.

Here is a vintage Strawberry Shortcake juice glass and a strawberry mug someone gave me.

This clear glass strawberry dish was a gift also.

This strawberry tray is probably from the 1970s.

I have 2 of these strawberry potholders and use them all the time.

I absolutely love this beautiful strawberry plate. It is one of the few items in my collection that I actually bought for myself.

That is my simple Show & Tell for today. To see what others have shared for Show & Tell Friday, head on over to There is No Place Like Home.

Happy Show & Tell Friday!

From a scrap of yellow paper...

I'm facing something potentially quite difficult today. As I often do, I picked up the classic devotional Streams in the Desert to begin my quiet time. Of course, my time will also include Bible reading and study, and a time of prayer. But sometimes I pick up this little book to begin the time.

The reading for today was encouraging, but here's the neat thing that happened: As I opened to the page for June 16, there was a small piece of yellow paper torn from a little loose-leaf notebook. Written on it was a quote from John Donne, the English clergyman and poet who wrote in the 1600s. These words are his thoughts on Psalm 62. He wrote:

"He is my rock, and my salvation, and my defense, and my refuge and my glory.

If my refuge, what enemy can pursue me?

If my defense, what temptation shall wound me?

If my rock, what storm shall shake me?

If my salvation, what melancholy shall deject me?

If my glory, what calumny shall defame me?"

Psalm 62:5-8 says:

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.
"He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
"In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
"Trust in Him at all times: ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us."

I hope that these verses and the thought from a little scrap of yellow paper are an encouragement to you today as they were to me.

A Homemade Life

Recently I came across a recipe for a skillet meal that called for fajita seasoning mix. Every now and then I do see a recipe that calls for a packet of this mix, and I knew there had to be a homemade substitute out there. I did a little looking and found this one. I always like it when a taco seasoning mix calls for some cornstarch, because it does thicken somewhat as the store-bought taco seasoning does. So, when I saw this recipe, I knew it was the one I wanted to try. I was very, very pleased with the result in my pork skillet meal with southwestern flavors.

FAJITA SEASONING MIX

3 Tblsp. cornstarch
2 Tblsp. chili powder
1 Tblsp. sugar
1 Tblsp. paprika
1 Tblsp. chicken bouillon granules
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp. cumin

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly to be sure all cornstarch lumps are blended in. Transfer to a small jar or tin and use as needed in recipes which call for fajita seasoning. 2 Tablespoons mix approximates to one store-bought package of fajita seasoning mix.

If you would like to see other homemade ideas, be sure and check out Life on a Back Road. You will find lots of inspiration there!

Menu Plan Monday for June 15

A dark, drizzly, cool morning here in northern New England. Here's my menu plan:

MONDAY: Antipasto Salad ( a main-dish pasta salad leftover from Sunday's potluck at church), Focaccia Bread

TUESDAY: Basque Soup, Cheddar Cheese Bread

WEDNESDAY: Calzone, Pasta Salad

THURSDAY: Mt. Cube Hash (a baked casserole -- layers of carrots, potatoes, ground beef, onions, tomato soup), Baking Powder Biscuits

FRIDAY: Greek Spinach Pie, 3-Bean Salad

SATURDAY: Hot Dogs, Homemade Baked Beans, Coleslaw

SUNDAY: Beef Barley Soup, Oatmeal Bread

If you would like to see menus which others have shared, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie and check out the links. Often, well over 300 people share links to their weekly menus. You'll find some great ideas and often recipes too.