A WEEKEND FULL OF SURPRISES

All kinds of unforeseen events
wait lurking to surprise you
and make you glad you're
alive!

 

 

 

It was a weekend full of surprises,

good, wonderful surprises.

 

My sweet girl came up to stay

with me for the night.

We drew, played horses, raced

up and down the drive, played

on the rope swing, ate pizza,

laughed and enjoyed being

with each other.

 

Saturday night was the party

to celebrate an early birthday

for my oldest son who is turning

30 on January 22. It was also

the gender reveal of my second

grandbaby, it's a boy and his

name is Porter Jernigan Tims!

 

Sunday arrived with a fever and

an ear ache [something I deal with

often], so I spent the day resting

and putting drops in my ear. Thankfully

today I am feeling much better and

am ready to enjoy an extra day off.

Enjoy your week.

 

Joining with Karen

STILLNESS

Look at a tree, a flower, a plant.
Let your awareness rest upon it.
How still they are, how deeply
rooted in Being. Allow nature
to teach you stillness.

-Eckhart Tolle

 

 [Granddaddy long leg egg sack]

[Crab spider]

It's really amazing what
you can see in this world
when you take the time
be still and look.

Stillness

I wish that for you too.

ENJOYING THE VIEW

Advice From a Tree
*Stand tall and proud
*Go out on a limb
*Remember your roots
*Drink plenty of water
*Be content with your
  natural beauty
*Enjoy the view

~ Joynne Raftis

 

I loved getting to spend time
with Emerson, my granddaughter,
even if it was only for a little while.
She left early Saturday morning,
and with my Mike working and
Alex away on for a bachelors
fishing weekend for his brother,
I have had the house to myself.

There was the some house loving
and bedding to wash, the vacuum
cleaner saw some action, along
with the dust cloth. Is my home
the only one that seems to grow
dust daily? It's a never ending
battle. I even scrubbed the kitchen
floor [always on my hands and
knees, it's my way].

The weather this weekend was
perfect! Sunshine, cool breezes
and no bugs, I'll take it. It felt
so good to hike for hours.

I stayed up way too late knitting
on several projects and watching
old movies.  Have you seen Mr. Lucky?
Cary Grant learns to knit! It's worth
watching just for the knitting scenes
and I love movies that make me laugh
out loud.

I discovered a new potato chip which
may not be a good thing. ;)  and a new
dish to prepare for lunch...it's wonderful!

My guys are all now home and I'm
prepared for a new week; it's going
to be a good one!

Weekending with Karen

MY HEART BREAKS REGULARLY

"If you're listening, if you're awake to the poignant

beauty of the world, your heart breaks regularly. In

fact, your heart is made to break, it's purpose is

to burst open again and again so that it can hold

evermore wonder."

 

~ Andrew Harvey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has been a hard week.

As soon as I read Ginny's plea

I began praying and like so

many other's my heart was

broken when I heard of Sarah's

passing...my worst nightmare

as a mother coming true.

 

I took the rest of the week to

exhale, to deep clean my living

room, even taking apart the

ceiling fan. I clean when I'm

upset so my living room is

now spotless. I brought paint

to paint the hutch, this color,

but may use it to paint a bathroom

since my heart is really set on

something much brighter, like

turquoise. Now to just help

Mike see my vision. Ahem.

 

I received a beautiful postcard

in the mail all the way from AZ

of the Grand Canyon.  I would

love to swap more postcards,

are you interested?

 

Along with all the rain we have

had, [and hail, oh my,] there has

been sunshine and time to sit outside

and knit, a balm to my soul.

 

The dragonflies are everywhere

and every time I see one I think

of little fairies fluttering around,

they always bring a smile.

 

Life is good, and while there is

so much I struggle to understand

I continue to look with wonder at

all the beauty it holds.

Wishing you all love, happiness

and peace as we begin a new month

tomorrow and another weekend.

 

Love,

Tracey

XO

 

 

 

 

 

A POSITIVE WEEK

One small positive thought
in the morning can change
your whole day.

~ Pinterest

This week has been early, early rising,
giving myself a positive pep talk each
morning before my feet hit the floor.

getting outside to watch the sun rise,

loving the super moon,

picking figs [hooray],

a really nasty summer storm that
knocked my power out for the
evening, 10 minutes before I
had dinner complete. We ate
really late having decided to just
wait it out with our candles and
our books.

thrilled that that tree trimming
crew is bringing me free mulch.

spending a whole morning in
the kitchen just cleaning copper,
most of which I've had since I
was first married over 30 years
ago.

Eat  *chimichurri  sauce on everything
from scrambled eggs, to quinoa patties,
to cold boiled new potatoes. Vampires
will NOT be bothering me.

Finishing up a gift for the swap.

I hope you have something fun to look
forward to this weekend, I'm headed to
the beach with a good friend, something
I have been looking forward to. Enjoy
yourself!

Love,
Tracey
XO

Chimichurri Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro
3 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon fresh oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Put all ingredients in a blender
or food processer and puree' until
smooth. Store in ice box.

READY FOR THE WEEKEND

I just want to
grow veggies,
bake bread,
and make
nice things.

~ Pinterest

 

I didn't mean to hint

there was anything wrong

in my last post because

life if fine, just crazy busy

which is hard on me sometimes.

I like my world quiet and stress

free. The quote above? It

works for me. :)

 

It's been almost two years of

extremely hard work and sacrifice,

but within the next month

my Mike is opening a new

business [more later] so now

it's crunch time with workers,

dear sons helping when they

can, inspections, and equipment

deliveries, oh dear.  

 

I finished the prayer shawl

I was knitting for the Church

and I hope it brings a little

comfort.

 

I made a ginger bug, have you

ever made one? I want to

ferment some blueberry juice

and this is the first step; I'll

keep you posted on how it

goes.

 

It's tomato time here in the

south and since I still have

boxes filled with quarts of

canned tomatoes I decided

to just make an ice box shelf

full of lacto fermented salsa

and sauerkraut. 

 

Each morning I strain a batch

of homemade yogurt for the

whey, then start chopping and

mixing, filling jars, wiping counter

tops, mopping the floor and then

it's time to prepare lunch for

all the guys. Spaghetti squash

and butternut squash are also

beginning to fill the kitchen so

they are starting to see a lot

of appearances at meal times.

 

Dear, sweet Amanda was kind

enough to post a recipe for her

Blueberry lemon kefir cake and

it has been a huge hit in my home

with a promise from me to bake

another one soon.

 

This weekend I am planning on

doing Nothing but relaxing. I

need the beach, my knitting,

my book and a nap.

 

I hope you enjoy a refreshing

weekend too.

 

Love,

Tracey

XO