Weekend report

All flower/landscaping photos taken by Sarah.  Love the pumpkins nestled in the hanging plants in this one!

Wow, where to begin in posting about my wonderful weekend at The Wilds of New England?

This was billed as a mother and daughter (and grandmother too) retreat.  I believe it's the first one that TWNE has offered in this category.  Girls as young as 6 could go.  It was a mother/daughter/grandaughter retreat for me.  My daughter Carrie went, and her 10-year-old Julia.   And then my oldest granddaughter Sarah, 15, my son's daughter, went as well.  We traveled to the retreat with Patty (Carrie's pastor's wife) and her 7-year-old Jen.

I couldn't resist snapping the picture below as we got settled in our van.

 I had pulled out two flashlights and placed them on the cup holder so they wouldn't get forgotten in the van when we unpacked it. Before leaving home,  I had set my green water bottle in one side of the cup holder and when Patty got in (she was driving),  she set her red mug of tea on the other side.  Wow -- I thought it was so interesting how the drink containers matched the flashlights.  I'm easily impressed ...

After getting unpacked and settled in our cabin -- we ended up all together, which was fun -- we headed out for the coffee shop as it was still quite awhile before supper.  I got a raspberry Italian cream soda and Sarah a strawberry smoothie.

My Italian cream soda -- a favorite treat!

Sarah's smoothie -- she was just lifting it to take a sip as I snapped the picture

All three girls also spent time in the game room with friends during the time before supper.
Supper was delicious!  We had ham, sweet potato casserole which was incredible, green beans, and rolls.  Dessert was cupcakes -- moist spice type cupcakes with a whipped white frosting sprinkled with cocoa.  Pretty as well as tasty!

The fun time was hilarious, the worship time meaningful, and the message was wonderful -- reminding us that the foundation of our security is our relationship with God, being eternally secure in our salvation.  The topic of all three messages (Friday night, Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon) was Security Breach.

After the service, we went to the Sweet Shoppe for pumpkin nor'eastahs (like a flurry or blizzard) and after that we went on a nighttime hayride.  Fun!

Sweet Shoppe in 2012

(I'm interspersing a few of Sarah's photos as I go; I didn't get many pictures myself but I asked her to take some of the flowers and plantings.)

It was a late night; I optimistically set my alarm even though I seldom sleep well in a situation like this.  Didn't need it; I was up and in the shower by five.  I went down to Cool Beans and had my quiet time sitting on the porch.  I watched a glorious sunrise!

Not having the camera with me, I took these with the tablet.  They don't do the sunrise justice at all.

My hand must have been shaking as this one is really blurry.  However, it comes the closest to capturing the colors.  Still nowhere near as gorgeous as the actual sunrise.

Clearer, but not as bright.

As soon as the shop opened I went in and got a large hazelnut coffee.  Breakfast was not until 8:15 or so.  When Carrie and the two girls were ready we returned to Cool Beans and got hot chocolates for the girls and a salted caramel latte for Carrie.

Breakfast was pancakes, sausages, and peach slices.  It fueled us for a busy morning with more music, a good message concerning our social insecurities and how they need not define us because God has made us for a purpose.  This was followed by our personal "God and I time".  After that we had a bit of free time before lunch.

I thought this was so pretty with the little blue flower tucked in amongst the hotter colors.

Lunch was make your own sandwiches with croissants, sliced cheese, turkey and tomatoes, and lettuce.  Chips and broccoli cheese soup were served alongside.  After lunch -- more free time!

Rustic vignettes in every corner!

We went on a longer hayride and then sat on the porch of Cool Beans to watch people riding the zipline.  None of us tried it.  Julia and Jen are both too small for the weight limit.  They went to the Mystery Mansion and played laser tag instead!

Patty and I did quite a bit of crocheting, and somehow more Italian cream sodas and smoothies were consumed!  Also during the afternoon, Carrie, Sarah, and I attended an optional question/answer session with our speaker, Sarah Hudson, and Rand Hummel, director of TWNE.  This optional session was very informative and we were glad we had taken advantage of it.

At 4 pm it was time for the final service and message.  Wonderfully encouraging.  This session had to do with finding our security in the promises of God.

And then supper -- chicken cordon bleu, pasta with cherry tomatoes, salad, and rolls.  Dessert was a fabulous caramel apple cheesecake.  Then it was time to head home.

As Sarah remarked after we had dropped the others off, it seemed as if we had been away much longer than a day and a half.  It was true; it was that refreshing!  I pray that the scriptural truths we were reminded of and encouraged in will stay in our hearts for a lifetime.

Vintage breadbox

Sorry for the blurry pic -- that is a design of lemons on the front.  There's a clearer pic below.

I've never owned a breadbox in 42 years of keeping house.  Depending on the type of bread, we would just keep a loaf on the counter or in the fridge.  Recently, though we had some issues with mice and I went in search of a breadbox.  I'd been thinking for awhile that it might be nice to have one.  It seemed as if sometimes we would have several types of bread on the counter -- say, a sandwich loaf, a few hamburger buns or English muffins, etc.  It looked messy, but I don't really have room for a breadbox on the counter unless something else is removed -- my grandmother's old churn, for example, 

Filled with a spray of leaves for fall

or the bread machine or cookie jar.

However, the mice issue propelled me to do something to safely contain our bread.  I decided to look around at my parents' home, which I am decluttering, and found several breadboxes.  The newer ones (while still vintage!) were plastic, and I was afraid this might hold the musty odors of the cellar where they are stored.  The oldest one is metal.  It was the breadbox we had at our little family camp in the woods while we were growing up.  I think it's probably the breadbox my parents set up housekeeping with.

I brought it home and cleaned it up as best I could. For lack of a better space, I put it on the kitchen island for now.  It worked admirably to hold the mice at bay, and I think we may have caught the last one for awhile.  But I'm not ready to give up the breadbox!

They don't build breadboxes like this anymore.  Notice the red metal tab to hold it securely closed.  It still works perfectly.  On each end of the breadbox there are a half dozen or so small holes for ventilation.  The inside floor of the breadbox was a bit scuffed up, so I lined it with a piece of plastic shelf liner and we were good to go.  The top looked plain and dull so I brightened it up with a vintage cloth and a couple of birds.  Then a friend was getting rid of some things and so I acquired the vintage glass jug.

It looks as if this decanter may have come along with a refrigerator, back in the day.

Something is probably going to have to leave my kitchen counter so this breadbox can live there.  We will see, but I'm guessing the bread machine will be it.

Sharing today with Vintage Charm.

Three words for fall

image source

In my recent "quote of the day" post, I mentioned a wonderful post that I had read by Christa at Brown Sugar Toast about The Importance of Saying No to Good Things.  Christa wrote about a fall planning workbook she is using.  It's by Jess Connolly and can be downloaded for free here: Fall Into Freedom.  I downloaded this and I believe I am going to find it very helpful.  With my dad now in a nursing home -- though there are still plenty of details I must attend to for him -- the several-times-daily care has diminished and I find myself with a little extra time.  So I want to be very, very sure, more sure than ever, that I am using my time wisely.

Christa challenged her readers with the question, "Have you taken time to think through your next season of life?" She wrote, "Taking time to pray and write out goals for the next months can be a very grounding experience as you prepare for upcoming responsibilities, potential changes, and holidays. As you think through what the Lord has given you to accomplish during this next season, take time to pray through what He wants you to say NO to…even if it’s a good thing."

Don't hesitate because "fall is already here."  It's not really! According to the calendar, fall doesn't really begin until September 22 this year.  We get so used to thinking that fall is all of September, all of October, and all of November, but that's not the case.  I'm as excited for cooler weather and all things apple cider and pumpkin spice as the next person, but I'm going to take Christa's wise advice and pray and prepare for this season.

I've begun by doing as Jess suggests in her Fall Into Freedom workbook, picking three words that I would like to describe my fall season, words that can set the tone for the season.  I found this to be a tough assignment, but I needed to do it in order to get started.  Initially I had thought of the words decluttering, decompressing, and delighting.  But after thinking it through a little more, I came up with these three:

PRODUCTIVE:  I desperately need to get things sorted and decluttered at my dad's house.  Not doing a major "clean-out" of everything at this time, because there's always the possibility he could return home.  But sorting out much of what's there, throwing out all trash, and donating many items -- I'd like to have accomplished all that by the end of fall.  When I finish that, I hope to do the same at my own home.  I would also like to finish a few craft projects that have been neglected for months.

RESTORATIVE:   I pray for this to be a restorative season in many areas of life.  My energy levels have been depleted.  Years of eldercare responsibilities have taken their toll mentally, emotionally, and physically.  For the past few months I've been practicing intermittent fasting, which is helping with my energy level and should help even more if I can begin walking and exercising more in the cooler months of fall.  I'll be attending two ladies' retreats, a couples' retreat with Mr. T, and having a three-day getaway with him -- all happening this fall!  All of those should be wonderfully restorative.

APPRECIATIVE:  I want to be intentionally appreciative of all that God is doing in my life; appreciative of all that He gives me; appreciative of the people in my life; and appreciative of every detail of His beautiful creation, among other things.  With the outstanding beauty that is autumn in New England, not to mention the celebration of Thanksgiving in this season, it's a time when appreciativeness flows naturally.

The second section of the workbook deals with things we'd like to accomplish before the season begins, so I will be working on that next.  I'm very hopeful for this coming season!

What about you?  Have you taken time to think through your next season of life?  I encourage you to do so.  It's not too late!

Slow cooker strategies

Photo from Six Sisters' Stuff

I've been using my slow cooker a whole lot this summer, mostly as a tool to get supper to cook itself while I do other things.  I'm going to share some main dishes and a side dish that I've found really useful.

First up, the side dish -- the Slow Cooker Roasted Vegetables pictured above.  We get lots of produce from friends, and this is an awesome way to use it.  The picture above actually does not do this recipe justice.  It is much more colorful than this.  I don't usually add the cheese on top.  This would be a great side with pizza or calzone, or with a quiche or even scrambled eggs.  Of course it would also be a wonderful side with any grilled item.  I like the fact that this recipe includes potatoes.  I cube the potatoes because they take longer to cook, but cut veggies like zucchini and peppers in much larger chunks.

Oh -- this recipe calls for a salad dressing mix.  I always make my own.  Here's the recipe:

ZESTY  ITALIAN  DRESSING  MIX

1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. each:  pepper, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, sweet red pepper flakes
Pinch of paprika

    In a custard cup or small bowl, mix all together.  Whirl briefly in a blender if you like a finer texture (I skip this step).  Makes the equivalent of 1 packet Italian dressing mix.  May double or triple the recipe if you need more than one packet of mix in whatever you’re making.

(I was a little disappointed in the lack of flavor the first time I made the veggie recipe, so recently I’ve been tripling this dressing mix recipe to use in it and it is much improved.)

This Tex-Mex Quinoa Casserole is a very flavorful meatless recipe.

Photo from Chelsea's Messy Apron

We have enjoyed it a lot.  Just pay attention to the cooking time and temperature.  It needs to cook at High for only 3-4 hours.  Otherwise it will get mushy.  When it does, the taste is still wonderful but the mixture looks regrettably like dog food.

Lastly, one more recipe which I do not have a photo for.  This is adapted from the Fix-and-Forget-It Lightly cookbook.  It's a fantastic way to use up large amounts of zucchini.

VEGETABLE RICE CASSEROLE

1/2 cup uncooked rice (I used 1 cup of quick-cooking brown rice)
1 lb. zucchini, cubed
1 lb. yellow summer squash, cubed (or just use 2 lb. zucchini)
1 large onion, sliced
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 medium sized sweet pepper, any color, sliced in strips
4 celery ribs with leaves, sliced (optional)
2 large tomatoes, sliced (or, use 1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tblsp. olive oil, divided use
Shredded cheese, optional

1.  Spray slow cooker insert with cooking spray.  Spread rice in the bottom of the insert.
2.  Layer in the zucchini, summer squash, onion, and sprinkle with basil. 
3.  Combine the brown sugar, salt and pepper and sprinkle half of this over the basil.  Drizzle 1 Tblsp. of olive oil over.
4.  Top with sliced peppers, celery (if using) and tomatoes.  Sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture over this layer.  Drizzle remaining olive oil over this layer.
5.  Cover.  Cook on High for 3 to 4 hours or until vegetables reach desired degree of doneness. 

Stir casserole before serving and top with shredded cheese if you like.  I serve this as a main dish so I like to add some shredded Mexican blend cheese to give it more protein.  Pepperjack would probably be good, too.

Makes 6 servings. 

Slow cooker meals will be great for those beautiful fall days, too, when you just want to work or play outside and come home to a nice supper all ready.  Enjoy these!

A late-summer adventure

My daughter Carrie took this photo.

This past Saturday we had the delightful adventure of a cruise on our state's largest lake in the company of four of our grandchildren and their parents.  What a lovely morning it was -- a perfect day to be out on the lake.  Mostly sunny, yet not too hot, with a nice breeze. 

I will share just a few photos and add captions.  As always, double click on any photo to enlarge it.

Josiah, Julia, and Sam watching the ship leave the dock.  That is my red and white striped shoulder.

Love the color of the water here.  Check out the architecture on those Victorian style homes in the background.

A very nautical-looking pose on a coil of rope.

Arielle enjoyed the trip and walked all over the ship holding a hand of a parent or grandparent.

Mr. T's old friend was the captain this day.  He invited him to bring the kids into the wheelhouse.  Here is Captain Josiah.

Sam at the wheel.  He learned that in 5 years, he could be old enough to be a deckhand.

And here is the lovely Captain Julia.

You will really need to enlarge this to see it, but in the very center of the photo (taken by Carrie) there is a very, very pale blue mountain.  It is Mt. Washington, fifty miles away!

Hope you've enjoyed cruising with us!

Quote of the day

Image from Baptist Bible Hour

I expect to be sharing more about this in the future, but a couple of weeks ago I read a blog post that really made me stop and think.  You can read it here: The importance of saying No to good things.  The blogger, Christa, also shared the link to a fall planning workbook that she was using (which can be downloaded for free).  Here is the link to that: Fall Into Freedom.

Here's the quote that jumped out at me from the workbook:

 "Every season,  including this one, is a good and perfect gift from your Father."  ~ Jess Connolly

Wow, did I ever need to read that!  I've done my share of -- well, not complaining, but shall we say, talking about the season I've been in.  I've recognized it as a season of life that will eventually end and give way to another -- but I have not really thought of this time as a gift from God.  It's been a hard season.  I've been in the season of eldercare (among other seasons) in one way or another for a good seventeen years.  It's ongoing even right now.  Some of the hard things have lessened; others have become more intense.  As I use this workbook from Jess Connolly to think and plan for the fall season,  I am looking forward to seeing what God will do.  And I will be sure to thank Him for this good and perfect gift. 

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."  (James 1:17)

September goals

This beautiful and most meaningful graphic is by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

Today, the first of September, I felt a strange thought flutter around in my head.  "You should set some goals for this month."  Remember, I used to do that -- set monthly goals that would help me move forward in achieving my yearly goals.  But this year things were so busy that I decided not to add further stress to my life by posting goals.  Oh, I still have goals -- I keep an ongoing list of things that must be done, and I plan out each week and day pretty well.  I just haven't been specifically setting goals and posting them like I used to.  As a result, and also because life  has been intensely busy with eldercare, Mr. T's work, and our church's pastoral search, some good things have been slipping through the cracks.  So, without further ado, here are some goals for September.  (Astute long-term readers will note that I am being easy on myself.)  I'll let you know how the month goes!

SEPTEMBER GOALS

*Write out a passage from God's Word each day.
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones.
* Add 4 pages to my "What Do I Know About My God?" Scripture notebook
* Continue study for Sunday School -- Following God With All Your Heart
* Exercise or walk at least 20 times.
* Get to bed by 9:30 pm each night. 
* Limit sugar and red meat.
* Drink enough water each day.
* Keep up with Kelly's missions in homemaking zones of the week.
* Post in both of my blogs as often as possible
* Take a fun day trip with our local daughter and her family
* Plan and create gifts for November birthdays
* Plan, create and send a gift for a September birthday
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Clean church and set up for potluck meal
* Attend a ladies' retreat
* Attend a mother/daughter retreat
* Plan a getaway with Mr. T
*  Continue trying to help and encourage my elderly dad
* Sort out and declutter my dad's house

SEPTEMBER'S HEALTHY HABITS:  Drink enough water/exercise/eat healthfully

WORD FOR 2016: FAITHFULNESS