Sweet Home

Holding My Plans Loosely

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:12:00 +0000

We all only have one life...

I believe God wants us to enjoy the life He's given us!

Recently, I posted that I was trying to figure out a workable schedule for myself that would allow me to accomplish all the things in a day that I wanted to do. After much pondering and much anxiety that it put on me when I was trying to order my day in a way that I thought I could, I finally loosened the reins and "settled" for a big variation. Ahhh, the relief that that brought. And I found myself actually enjoying and looking forward to doing the things that were putting (self inflicted) pressure on me, resulting in a lot of stress and disappointment in myself because I couldn't seem to manage to "do it all".
I originally wanted to try and treat my apron business like a part time job, eventually working it full time job hours (8 a day, Monday through Friday). I wanted to work it during the day while my husband and daughter were at school and work. I figured I would do housework and errands in the evenings, just as I would have to do if I were working outside the home. And each day, I would wake with those lofty goals ahead of me and each day never quite panned out like I wanted it to. So many things "needed" doing during the day and I never would quite make it to the sewing room. Each day would come to a close with me feeling stressed about it, thinking about the fact that I failed. Again. And that resulted in me not enjoying the time when my family was home because I was dwelling on the "problem" and trying to figure out a way to "fix" it.
Well one day, the clouds (in my mind) parted and the sun shone on a new concept for ordering my day. I wanted so many things: I wanted to do it all AND enjoy my family and my life. But how?
Well, I'll just begin by saying I had to give myself permission to embrace the season my life is in right now and work with what I've got. I think this bible verse helped me to see that light and put things in perspective:

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. Act 17:26 NIV

What I took from that was the saying "bloom where you are planted". I needed to quit swimming against the current, quit trying to covet and live someone else's life, enjoy these very moments that I have been given. Enjoy these very precious people that he has placed in my life. Because children grow up & move away and loved ones can be taken from us in the blink of an eye. I decided to put my priorities back in place: God, family, work, everything else. And you know what? Now each day feels delicious, luxurious and just right.

I don't aspire to sew four hours a day, or even eight. I sew in the evenings with my daughter in the room with me and we listen to music or she might watch an old video from our archives while my machine hums away in the background. After I've spent some time with hubby & we've had dinner (& he'd just as soon be able to watch his sports & programs & decompress from his day at work anyway.) We're all under the same roof and that is comforting and enough and it suits us to a tee. It's our family's rhythm and we like it just fine.
There may come a day when sewing four to eight hours a day is doable AND enjoyable. But that day isn't now. And each day, I will hold my plans loosely, because sometimes God has different plans for my day. And those are ALWAYS much more wonderful than anything I could've come up with (:

Just for fun, here's a peek into my old & new daily to do's:

OLD

Wake, make breakfast & lunches & take Ari to school.

Computer stuff (check emails, check for free lance jobs, etc.)

Time to read my bible & meet with the King

Sew (hahahaha)

Run any needed errands before picking up Ari from school

housework/dinner prep

a relaxing evening with the family (do you hear the little birdies singing in the background?)

night-night

NEW

Wake, make breakfast & lunches & take Ari to school.

Computer stuff (same as above)

Time to read my bible & meet with the King

Tackle my daily to do list

Run any needed errands (sometimes before, sometimes after I pick up Ari, depending on what the errands are & if I have enough time to squeeze them into the day before I pick her up)

pick up Ari

housework/dinner prep

time with hubby/dinner

Off to the "woman cave II" to sew (Woman Cave I is mine & hubby's bedroom where Ari & I go sometimes to watch "our shows" & escape the 24/7 sport-fest on the living room television, lol!)

Let's all go out & MAKE IT a great day!

This Recipe's a Winner! Cabbage Minestrone With Chick Peas

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:08:00 +0000

I made this delicious recipe the other night and it turned out to be a major winner with young & old alike in our household. The yums & mmm mmm mmm's kept coming. It's a very economical dish and filling without any meat. I did a bit of tweaking as usual:

I used half coconut oil & half olive oil. (1 Tbsp of each) I had a can of garbanzos/chick peas on hand so I used that instead of the dried version.
Hubby's not a fan of cooked onion so I just left out the fresh & sprinkled in a bit of onion powder for the flavor~not too much.

I love my OXO can opener! It's the kind that doesn't leave sharp edges on the lids & interior of the cans.

Another tried & true kitchen gadget that I use alot & love is this Terraillon scale. I put the empty container on it, turn it on and the weight starts at zero (it doesn't add in what the container weighs so no adding & subtracting.)

I used the whole head of cabbage.

Happily bubbling away. I cooked it for about half the time that the recipe called for since my beans were precooked.

It's a great winter's eve soup but would be equally fitting any time of the year!

Bread Pudding Tweaks~A Frugal Way to Use Up Those Leftover Bread Bits

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:07:00 +0000

I have made this bread pudding recipe in the past, and although we like it enough to make it again and again, I wasn't crazy about the vanilla sauce that is to be served with it. So, I poured the sauce over the pudding after it was done baking and left it in the oven after turning off the oven and just let it sit in the still hot oven for about a half hour. Long enough to let the sauce soak in and evaporate a bit. We liked it SO much better that way. And no side dish of congealed butter sauce to deal with.
I had enough bread bits left over and socked away in the freezer to double the recipe, and then some. (I had two extra cups worth so I went ahead and threw that in too. Didn't hurt it at all.) There was even a gluten free blueberry muffin in my stash that I added to the recipe.

The gluten free bread was a cinnamon raisin bread with a decent amount of raisins in it so I didn't add any extra raisins (that the recipe calls for). I also greased my baking dish with organic virgin coconut oil.

(butter, milk & sugar getting heated up to pour over the bread crumbs. I never use margarine.)

(cinnamon for the egg mixture to pour over the bread & milk concoction)

(cinnamon, vanilla & egg mixture)

Ready to go into the oven!

Fresh from the oven. Warm, moist & a bit of crunch.

Can you tell I just had to try it?

All the tweaks & changes worked just fine. The gluten free bread worked, we couldn't tell the difference. (Even though there was some regular homemade french bread that went in too. And that blueberry muffin!)

As of this writing, (the morning after) half of that big ol' pan of bread pudding is gone!

Have a great day!

It's Thursday!

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:53:00 +0000

We are one day closer to the weekend, which so many people look forward to. I love each day just about equally but I do enjoy the days most when the whole family is home & gets to be together. Yes, I do work most weekends but am only gone for about 6 hours at the most.
Speaking of loving certain days of the week, Wednesdays are one of our favorites because it is a designated day that we go out to dinner to one of our favorite nearby restaurants. So, that being said, I had forgotten yesterday was Wednesday and had planned on trying this new recipe but had to postpone it 'til today. We went to an Italian restaurant and hubby had pasta while DD & I had their white pizza with extra garlic and a dish of marinara on the side to dip the crust in P:. So good.
Today I've been cleaning house, mostly focusing on our bedroom. Where DOES all that dust come from?!
I also made bread pudding to use up those odds & ends of bread that I have been stashing in the freezer. This time I used some gluten free cinnamon raisin bread and a gluten free muffin that DD lost interest in before it was used/eaten up. I've never used gluten free bread in the recipe so I'm interested in how it will turn out. I'll keep you posted.
We finally got our rain yesterday and some cool weather followed. I'm in heaven on earth. I'm convinced I was meant to be living in London or some other equally gray and dreary area...I love that kind of weather. I'm a weirdo I know!
I still have yet to do a scrapbook page but I have been working on new aprons for the shop. I have a new apron that I call "Mamaw's Favorite Workaday Apron". My grandson calls me Mamaw & the style of apron truly is my favorite style when I have messy work at hand so that I can protect my clothing. Many a time I have forgone donning an apron only to regret it when the first splatter of grease or sauce hits my blouse.
Well, I'm off to wrap up the days doings...

Where's the Rain?

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

After a season of drought in our area, this rain lover has missed rain more than ever. The forecast for today was rain & lots of it, but so far only light rain and clouds interspersed with a bit of sunshine. Time to do a rain dance.
I'm still Somersizing (with a few minor cheats & treats here & there) and can happily say I've lost 6 pounds since the beginning of January! I have a plan of getting up early each weekday & going for a walk with the dog to get that exercise in that has been eluding me lately. Today was day one of that plan. Wish me luck because I am SOOOOO not a morning person!
And last night, I gathered some supplies to get to work on those scrapbooking pages (that I haven't done yet /: ) Progress.
Since it's a cloudy(-ish) winters day, and I have all the ingredients on hand, I plan on making this: Cabbage Minestrone With Chick Peas for dinner. Looks & sounds yummy.

Great Grocery Saving Tips & Updates!

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:06:00 +0000

I'm always looking for ways to save money (so I have more money to spend on other fun stuff! ...I should say SAVE instead of spend, right?) and I find the grocery budget one of the easiest areas in which to save money. I got this great email today & thought I would link it up here.

Update on my exercise & scrapbooking/crafting: no & no. I'm just so far off track right now but I'll get it together. Soon. The family's schedule is just still not back to normal & when they're home I just don't seem to be able to follow my hard & fast (*giggle*) rules I set for myself. But then again, I guess that's why I'm home; to be available for my family. I have been getting some (a little) sewing done for my shop though so I've not been totally unproductive in that area.

I think this may go hand in hand with my exercise goal: I have gotten back on the Somersize saddle again and though I've fallen off a time or few, I get right back up on it! And since I've been following that WOE, I've managed to lose a couple of pounds over the holiday season rather than gain. I'll take that any day!

A New Year...

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:53:00 +0000

Wowowowow! The holidays are winding down around here. The time between Thanksgiving and January 2nd (hubby's birthday) it seems as if everyone is home. Everyday. This year hubby has extended his break from work and is not going back until Monday. Wowowowow. I truly enjoy all the family togetherness but it totally throws me off my routines. And for some reason, I have a hard time getting back into the swing of things when life goes back to normal. About the time when Spring break rolls around, I will have just gotten the hang of "normalcy" only to be thrown by my DD being home for a week. I keep reminding myself to treasure each moment because kids grow up & move on. And hubby? Well, lets just say...no...never mind. (I do enjoy his company...no, really...I do! (: )
In newer news, am trying to think up a workable weekly schedule for myself so I can accomplish all the things I would love to accomplish. Like sewing aprons for my shop, working on this here blog, tending to my Avon business and getting started with an ebay shop to sell some stuff. I figure I need to treat my weekdays as if I were working a full time job outside the home and try to accomplish all my housewifely duties in the evenings and on weekends. The only glitch is, I work most weekends outside of the home. What to do, what to do?
Well, I'm off to bed. It's late and I have to be up bright & early tomorrow. Night night!

"Just One Thing" Update for the Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:16:00 +0000

While my pot of ham & navy beans simmers away in our heavy cast iron dutch oven on this cloudy, blustery day, I thought I would pop on here to give an account for myself over the weekend.
Saturday- I didn't do any exercise. If I were to offer up an excuse, it would be that I had to work Saturday and Sunday so...that's why. But really, I don't want to make excuses, I just didn't do it.
Ditto for Scrapbooking/Crafting
Sunday- I did a mere 8 minutes of exercise.
No Scrapbooking/Crafting.
Today, Monday- I went for 22 minutes on the treadmill (7 extra to make up for the lack of over the weekend).
So far today no Scrapbooking/Crafting. But I'm hoping to change that before the day is over.
I still haven't decided what my third "Just One Thing" I want to work on that is not already an established habit in my daily rituals. I do want it to be something that constantly nags at my innermost core with the ever present question, "if I want to do it so bad, then why aren't I doing it?". And unfortunately, there are a few of those so I want to pick my battle wisely. Among those are (just to name a few):
1. writing.
2. purging the material things that just don't serve me well anymore.
3. break my lifelong habit of comfort food eating at night. Bad, very bad.
4. get those items on ebay that I want to sell.
I wont go on. But I could. Because those things pile up on me because I'm a big ole' procrastinator (I like to use the term "creative diversions" ;) Oh yes, I'm great at creative diversion!).
In other news, school is officially out for the Christmas break and today Ari & I did some Christmas related shopping & errands. And were back at home, cozy & content after a brief siesta.
Now it's time to go catch up on all the little things that keep my busy around here...

I'm making a list...

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:56:00 +0000

I have, for a long time now, used a "just one thing" principle to keep things in my life from getting behind or building up, whatever the case may be. For instance, when I walk into a room, I do "just one thing" that needs to be done. In the kitchen it may be to take out the trash or as trivial as putting away a lone clothespin (that we use to clip bags shut) lying on the counter. Sometimes, if I have time, I may do more than one thing but ONE THING is my minimum. It helps to keep clutter down so that it doesn't slowly overtake us like so much quicksand.
In the spirit of this principle, I have decided to work on different areas of my life that need improvement and attention, (such as exercise) in the same fashion. So, I've begun to examine what those areas should be and so far my list is very short:

1. Exercise-for just 15 minutes a day. Every day. I can do that. It's a start. (After two foot surgeries recently, I became very complacent about exercise. So now, I'm going to get back into it with baby steps.) Just one exercise session, fifteen minutes a day.

As I add to my list, (and it will not be more than three things~don't wanna overwhelm myself!) I will post them here. I just want to do things that will make the most impact or things that I always wanna do but just never get around to...

Ding, ding, ding! I've got it!

2. Scrapbooking/crafting!!! (it just came to me as I was typing!) I can give that fifteen minutes a day as well. Every day.

Now, what will number three be? Hmmm...

Progress/Update:

I have done 15 minutes on the treadmill today!

I did not scrapbook but did finish some mending work on my very first quilt so I could finally, after months, give it to my grandson! So, since I've procrastinated on it for so long, I'm gonna let that count.

An Unexpected Parade

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:21:00 +0000

Lots of loot!

Last Thursday, I headed out with my oldest son, my daughter and my grandson to see the festival of lights in a neighboring town. Just after we turned the corner to the street that the park is on where the light display is held, police officers were directing people to go down a side street.

"What is going on?!" We wondered aloud.

A quick glimpse told us that there was going to be a parade!

We began to head in the direction that the parade would be going and soon found a spot to park less than a block away. And just as we got to the parade route, we could see the parade would soon be passing by. And we were going to see it from beginning to end! We couldn't have planned it better if we had tried. I whispered a thankful prayer and began to record the parade on my little camera.

We encouraged Jesse to wave at the people in the parade since they were throwing lots & lots of candy! He seemed to enjoy the sights & sounds but soon asked when the parade would be over, lol! I guess to a five year old it seemed to go on forever!

As the parade ended and we were walking back to the car, we all agreed that we were glad our light show got preempted by an unexpected Christmas parade and made plans to go back the next week to see the lights.

Fennel Scented Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:37:00 +0000

My new Misto found for $7.99 at TJ Maxx! I've been wanting one of these for so long now! LOVE it!

Last night, when faced with the dinner hour, and knowing I had some fennel fronds and stalks left over from this, I did a bit of online research. I came up with this plan:

I took a whole frozen chicken from our freezer and did a quick thaw (this was around 1 o'clock. I filled the sink with water and put the chicken, still in it's wrapper, in. A couple of hours later, I took the chicken from its plastic wrapper and put it to soak in a big bowl filled with water. It was thawed & ready to go by 4:30!)

I peeled some taters & cut into 1/2-3/4" rounds. I sprayed my roasting pan with olive oil, set the potatoes in a single layer on the pan and began to deal with the fennel fronds & stalks. I just rough chopped some of the fronds & a stalk or two (I put the rest in a freezer bag to make a veggie stock out of later). I sprinkled the potato rounds with some fennel fronds, sprayed them down with some olive oil & then tackled the chicken.

I took the neck out of the cavity of the chicken, dried the bird off with one of my beloved flour sack towels (of course it was clean!) and sprayed it with olive oil, sprinkled & rubbed some garlic powder, turmeric, salt & pepper all over him, placed him on the bed of fennely potatoes and then threw a handful of chopped fennel stalk inside the cavity.

I had preheated the oven to 360 degrees so it was ready and waiting to welcome Mr. Bird with waiting arms. I set the time for 1 hour & 30 minutes & walked away.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product but it was delicious!

In retrospect:

1) I could have probably used more fennel but didn't want to overwhelm the chicken with it.

2)We had to cook the bird a bit longer than the hour & a half since hubby came home and pulled out his handy dandy meat thermometer to be sure it had reached a safe temp. Probably closer to 2 hours I would say, though I didn't really pay attention once he set the thermometer to beep when the chicken was at the right temp.

3)The potatoes under the chicken had to be put back in the oven for another 30 minutes because they weren't quite done. There were enough cooked through though so that we were able to enjoy some with our meal.

4)A little green salad completed the meal!

5)I fly by the seat of my pants wayyy too often at dinner time but, somehow, it always works out ;) .

Haute SHOCK-ol-ahhhhhhh!

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:24:00 +0000

Last Friday, I set out to make up some hot chocolate mix gifts. Ya know, just a little something to give to co-workers, acquaintances, etc.
I got off to a really good, organized start. I assembled the ingredients...
began dumping and mixing...

and then it happened. A powdered sugar explosion...

And what to my wondering eyes should appear? It got all over my britches. Me, the apron maker. Did. Not. Have. An. Apron. On.
Well, I learned my lesson and scurried over to grab one of my most Christmasy aprons...

and got back to work...

I used some Christmasy fabric and traced around a saucer on it to get "perfect" rounds to top off the jars with. I used pinking shears to cut the fabric~helps keep it from fraying and just looks pretty.
The little snowmen tags are from a Christmas past that I bought at Walmart. They are stickers so I just used some scrapbooking scissors to give scrapbooking paper a pretty edge, stuck on a snowman, punched a hole in the top corner and strung the ribbon through to tie on the jar.
The green tag peeking out from under the snowman gift tag? It's a sheet of scrapbook paper that I printed the recipe on, cut with a pretty border, puched a hole in the corner and tied it on with the ribbon. The ribbon? Its from my stash. I save just about everything.
Where did I find this most delicious recipe you might ask?

From Miss Tammy, the most hospitable woman I can think of.

Go ahead, make someones day. Give 'em some of this lip lickin' hot chocolate for their very own.

Resources:

You can get FREE cute gift tags (not pictured here) by going here. Just pull out some cardstock from your scrapbooking/crafting supplies to print them on. So cute.

Crock Pot Potpourri

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:50:00 +0000

I had some ground cinnamon vanilla nut coffee on hand that was left over from an event and, try as I may, couldn't give it away & it's not something I could foresee us drinking. Every time I went into the pantry and saw that bag sitting there I would try to think of what I could do with it.

Lightbulb!

I remembered walking into a quaint little shop in our historic district that sells teas and coffees and. It. Smelled. DEVINE! Like snickerdoodles or somethin'! So I thought, hmmmm....

And dug out our little crock pot/slow cooker, added some water and sprinkled in some of those thar coffee grounds...

Yeah, I know, it doesn't look pretty but it fills the house with some deeeliscious smellin' fragrance. Ari came home from school that day and commented on how yummy it smelled.

It reminded me how much it means to our families to come home to HOME: great smells, warm lighting, a bit of order, soft music (or hubby's favorite news or game show already playing on the tv; sound down low-for my benefit, lol! ). It is a big ol' hug that greets 'em before you are able to. And if you work outside the home? Put that slow cooker to use. Either with a little potpourri that's been simmering all day or, better yet, a meal that greets everyone with a yummy, lip lickin' aroma. (And dinners done so it's one less thing we ladies have to do!)

Yes, since that day, my little slow cooker has been settin' out on the counter top, working overtime. Simmering orange peels, apple peels & spices for fragrance (I save all those peels in ziplocs in the freezer). Or maybe some more ugly cinnamon vanilla nut coffee grounds. In the mornings I put our oatmeal in it on warm so it's ready to eat when we are~everyone is on a wee bit different schedule for breakfast.

And, it has inspired me to keep at least ONE scented candle burning somewhere (the bathroom is a good place ;P ) when we're at home at all times, just to add another layer of "smell good".

*A side bonus: these natural fragrances can be tolerated by most people, even folks like me, who are sensitive to certain scents and fragrances!

Simple.

Homey.

Welcoming.

FREE Gooseberry Patch Downloadable Gift Tags!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:33:00 +0000

Do you make gifts from your kitchen to give to friends, co-workers and loved ones? Well Gooseberry Patch has these AdOrAbLe! downloadable gift tags for us to use!

Keepin' it merry 'round here!~TJ

A Hearty Root Veggie Soup...

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:05:00 +0000

(this pic was taken after the soup had been in the fridge so probably not the most appetizing looking)

Perfect for this cold snap we're experiencing down here y'all!

Hearty Root Vegetable Soup

It's a warm, filling, comfort type soup that even my 16 year old loved! Served along with some gluten free, multi grained crackers...Deeelicious!

Stay warm & toasty!

A Mexican Inspired Breakfast from Things I Had on Hand...

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:46:00 +0000

"Migas" (basically scrambled eggs, crispy tortilla chips, cheddar, sour cream & salsa)
Green salad (iceberg & spinach)

Pretty.
Delicious.

FREE! Burger King Fries!

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:58:00 +0000

Candied Sweet Potato Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +0000

I'm still using the GE hand mixer my Granny got me when I was 18! It's been a real workhorse and still going strong!

Wednesday I set out to make use of the candied sweet potatoes my hubby pours himself into each Thanksgiving. I hate waste so after a little internet search, I found this nifty recipe , it sounded delish & I had just enough leftover yams to make a double batch soooo....fire up the oven!

I even got frisky and full of myself & decided to try to make a gluten free loaf for Ari...AND SHE LOVED IT!!! (I'm scared of me~could I be a little wicked in the kitchen or what?! Not braggin'~I won't discuss a little mishap involving cayenne pepper & sugar.) Moving on...

I followed the recipe with a few exceptions:

(keep in mind, I doubled the recipe)

1)There were still a couple of marshmallows on the yams so I just measured them right with the yams. No harm done.

2)I weighed out 1 pound of the wet mixture before adding the dry ingredients and set aside for making the gluten free loaf.

3)I used about a scant 2/3 of a tablespoon of homemade pumpkin pie spice (smells divine) to "our" batter and a scant 1/3 tablespoon to "Ari's" batter. I eyeballed it.

4)for the "flour" for the gluten free loaf, I used some Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Multi Purpose Baking Mix that I had on hand. I still added the baking soda and salt (doubled then divided by three then use one-third of those measurements for the gluten free batter. two thirds for "our" batter. Confused? So am I. Just do the math. I'm not a math whiz...if I can do it...yada yada yada)

That's all there was to it.

fresh from the oven

And they turned out great.

Now that wasn't so hard was it?

Succulent Succulents

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:47:00 +0000

After strolling the streets of Austin, I was inspired to begin a succulent collection. This is the beginning:

from left ro right: unknown/no marker info, echeveria 'black prince', elkhorns

Oh, and I picked up a few Christmas cacti too.

Austin, TX Getaway

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:01:00 +0000

The Omni was nice but we'll be staying here next time!

Beginning the week of Thanksgiving, we took a little trip to Austin. Capitol of Texas. I'd never been there before. I'd heard it was "weird". And it was. A little. But I'm a little weird. So I fit right in.

Rain was predicted for those days but it only rained during times that we weren't going to be out & about. (TYF) It rained just as we arrived but cleared up by that evening when we ventured out for dinner. We had our doghter in tow so we had to find places that were puppy friendly. That wasn't a problem at all. Austin is very dog friendly. We ate at a little place called Maudie's, al fresco of course, and they brought a doggy dish of water when they delivered our drinks. (Actually all the restaurants we ate at had the same practice~serving out girl water when we arrived!). Yummy Mexican food! (Our FaVoRiTe!) We drove around to check out the sights before heading back to the hotel. The nightlife is hoppin' there!

It rained while we slept that night and the temperatures cooled so the next day was beautiful! We spent the day eating and shopping and strolling and eating some more. The grande finale of the day was watching the bats take their flight at dusk to find their dinner. Awe-mazing! TYF

Sadly, we never made it to check out 6th Street. NEXT TIME!!!

Here's just a few pictures of our fun times:

DF having a drink at The Snack Bar (a must if you like fresh, fab food!)

exploring the town on her own terms

Dollface asked me " mama, what's a yard dog?" (okaaayyy not really)

cool shop with all kindza costumez~or so I heard from Ari (DF & I were busy people watching. Verrry interesting.)

Parking in Austin? Well that's another story.

My Thanksgiving Resolution (and why not?)

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:38:00 +0000

I haven't been "tending" my blog in the past months. Life, children, illnesses, birthdays, surgeries, holidays, "procedures", highs & lows, I have all let get in the way. And the whole point of it ever was to "journal" those things that are my life. How, why and when do I let things fall through the cracks? I don't know. But I made a Thanksgiving resolution to challenge myself to tend my "cyber accounts" daily. Even if in just some small way.

Life.

I can live it & still (squeeze in a minute to )write about it.

Hope you & yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

~TJ

It's a Beautiful Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:12:00 +0000

Hope you are enjoying wonderful weather!
We had some cable issues and after five days, the cable guy came out to get us back up & running! Thank goodness, my teenager was on the verge of a meltdown what with no internet and all, lol!
We've kept our usual routine going for the most part this past week. Last night we had a yummy meal out at a nearby Mexican restaurant and today I will be back at trying to figure out "what's for dinner". Always a daunting task! We've started our back to school shopping which has been fun. We don't really like thinking about school in the midst of summer but, the clothes are already out there and it's best to buy while there's lots to choose from instead of picking over the remains and getting caught in the crush of last minute shopping.
After a few days of much needed rain, we have sunshine again. I am going to try to get out and enjoy as much of it as possible.
I hope you enjoy YOUR day!

Tea For Health, Beauty & Weight Management

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:46:00 +0000

I thought I'd share my tea-votion with y'all...
We have an entire shelf in our pantry devoted to our tea collection. They are the regular kind you can buy in most grocery stores so, true tea aficionados might turn their noses up, but it's our tea, done our way. (Although I do enjoy visiting tea shops for a treat! The fragrances, the textures, the colors, oh my! Buy a little or alot~so much fun!)
I tend to have a couple of cups of coffee to start my day but then I will brew up any of a number of combinations that suit my fancy. Today its Guayake yerbe mate', loose from my health food store, a bag of Stash double bergamot Earl Gray, and a bag of plain ol' green tea. It's steeping right now. I'm fixin' to go pour it over ice to enjoy as I go about getting ready for my day. I don't drink sweet tea but, (shhh...please don't ell anyone...I could kicked outta TX for that!) I do like it iced to keep me cool on these sweltering days.
I use the Keurig to fill a small cup with hot water, plop my tea bags in the cup & walk away for a few. Today I'm using the reusable filter thingy & filled it with the loose yerbe mate'. After I pour my tea over the ice, I refill the cup with the same tea bags and will add that weaker brew to my glass as needed.
I know, I know, not a proper tea ceremony but it works for me!
I will be honest, I don't LOooooVE tea, I mostly drink it for the health benefits. (You get to a certain age & eat/drink things for health sometimes over the siren call of the tastebuds.) And I can't deny, on these hot, steamy summer days, iced tea is mighty refreshing~without sugar that is (; .

And on the subject of tea, one of my favorite quotes is:

"Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water."~Eleanor Roosevelt

Stay cool. Be strong. And have a great day!

Typical Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:57:00 +0000

It's Tuesday!
Yesterday Ari & I went to the mall for a little browsing. We actually left having only bought (and I promptly ate) a cinnamon sugar pretzel from Auntie Anne's! We paid a visit to Marshall's and Ross right across the road. I found a few cute things that I just had to bring home.

Acute top, jean shorts, boyfriend pants and a little eyebrow kit that Ari spotted. She knew I had been looking for eyebrow gel and for $2.99, I got that and a whole lot more! I don't use the brow templates but the gel, powder and brush are being put to work! I haven't tried the tweezers yet. All this for less than $37!

Today my baby girl isn't feeling well so she is in bed with Dollface keeping her company while I run a few quick errands. Post office, Walgreens for some new fingernail polish, and Target to grab some SoBe Pure's before they are all gone (they are at Target for a limited time and don't know if they will add them to the line. We fell in love with them though because they are so lightly flavored and sweetened with stevia instead of aspartame! A while back, they were giving a $5 Target gift card for every 10 bottles of SoBe Pure that you bought so I was able to pay for most of my order with the $15 worth of Target gift cards I had on hand! Plus they have electrolytes added!) I also grabbed a Sonia Kashuk eye liner brush that I've had my eye on~I prefer to use powder shadows for eyeliner since I tend to make a big mess with the liquid liners. Maybe I'll experiment with liquid liners again someday...I just like the softer line powder eyeshadow gives me. I'm at an age where "harsh" makeup doesn't serve me well, lol! Oh, and if you like those Special K cereal bars, they are on sale right now for $2.50 a box (at my Target)! Mike likes to take one everyday in his lunch since they are only 90 calories for a sweet treat~he loves the vanilla.
Today, I attempted a new recipe for dinner:
Easy Vegetarian Black Beans & Rice Casserole
corn tortillas
Tortilla chips (for those of us who like crunch)
salad
The recipe was a little more "involved" than I cared for (I'm all about simpifying these days and cooking as little as possible!) but it ended up being tasty enough that I'd do it again. I used my crockpot to cook the beans and then warm the whole mixture rather than baking it in the oven. I am trying to not turn on the oven this summer to keep from heating up the house~my crockpot and Wolfgang Puck multicooker have been getting quite the workout!
Speaking of workouts, I've forced myself to do a bit of working out the last couple of nights. Nothing extreme but at this point, while dealing with this chronic pain, I consider any exercise a victory. A little stretching, a little weight bearing and a little cardi on the rebounder~it all adds up to good!
BTW, yesterday's Bean Cassoulet recipe was delicious. I preferred it served over brown rice more than over the mashed potatoes, but both ways are yummy and filling! AND I tried the lime margarita drink mix I wrote about yesterday. With three lime wedges squeezed in and an ounce of silver tequila, it was pretty good. And a lot quicker & simpler than the sugar free recipe I was making in summers past.
Well I'm off to make it a great day~you do the same!
Thanks for sharing YOUR day with me!

Happy Summertime!

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie Jo) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:04:00 +0000

Sparklers!

Smoke Bombs!

Well, it has been sooo long since I've posted. So much going on within the family and for me, family always comes first.

First of all, I hope summertime is treating everyone well. We've had a drought going on around here, as so many are. Mandatory water rationing-our poor lawn! It was struggling before the drought for some unknown reason, and this has surely not helped!

For the fourth of July, my sweet DD went to a friends for a sleepover and to go watch the fireworks with them. Hubby and I stayed home, ordered a pizza and just enjoyed a quiet evening together. We're starting to feel little snippets of an empty nest. Not sure how that will be when it hits full force.

DD has experienced her first attempts at job hunting! So far, no luck but I don't think it's breaking her heart too badly, lol!

Speaking of DD, I think we have finally figured out that she does not tolerate wheat products well and that may be the cause of all her tummy woes. The g.i. testing she had done showed no physical cause for all her intestinal distress. And for all her assuming that she was lactose intolerant, when she finally bit the bullet and decided to cut out wheat products to see if that could be the culprit, lo and behold she began feeling better. And seems to tolerate dairy just fine. Thank the Lord! This has been so hard on her and us, watching her suffer and not knowing what to do for her. And such a long road to finally finding some relief for her!

About a month ago, we took dear hubby to the emergency room one evening because he wasn't feeling quite right. They ended up keeping him and determined he had had a minor heart attack, found he had 95% blockage in one of his arteries and had to put a stent in. Once home, he said he actually felt better than before in general. He is back at work and doing well now and we are so relieved!

I finally had the last of my four foot surgeries! Yay!!! (oh...no, I don't have four feet~two surgeries on each foot (: ). So happy with the results! Dr. Webb, I salute you and your staff and the surgery center for jobs well done!!!

And my niece Breezi's graduation! We can't forget that! Congratulations BZ!!!

Today, we plan on making a quick trip to the mall, and just enjoying the day and each others company. Of course there's laundry, ironing and a bit of housecleaning to do as well /: .

I thought I'd keep record here of what's for dinner so I can refer back on those days when I just can't come up with any ideas on what to prepare. Because of hubby's heart health scare, and Ari's dietary needs, I have begun to make more meatless meals. Trying to unearth tasty, filling recipes that don't contain meat for a family of carnivores has been quite a challenge! Our breakfasts, snacks and lunches vary from person to person. Mike usually takes basically the same lunch to work each day and Ari & I tend to fend for ourselves or stop in somewhere if we are out & about for a quick lunch. We aren't vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination but every little bit helps.

So, what's for dinner today?:

Three Bean Cassoulet served over mashed potatoes

tossed green salad

Other happenings in the kitchen:

I found this GV Lime Margarita drink mix while searching for the Crystal Light drink mixes that sound like they would make delicious low cal mixed or virgin cocktails that would be perfect for summer sippin' on the patio. So I mixed up a batch and will give it a test run. I like my margaritas frozen with salt. You?

And I'll be slow simmering a fat free veggie broth while I'm out running errands in my new Wolfgang Puck 10 cup cooker. Oh...and ewww...deep cleaning in the fridge.

Off to get ready for the day! Thanks for sharing your time with me!