The Shoes in My Closet

Are My Shoes Pointed the Right Way?

2011-02-20T22:15:00.001-06:00

...or pointed enough? I wish I could get a photo of all the pointed shoes, but I think I might be a little offensive if I began to take them as I am walking on the "Bulvar"! Not just women's shoes, but men's as well. Maybe that is why we saw so many shoe stretchers in the local ~~Walmart~~ "have everything" store!

Yesterday, it wasn't my shoes that needed to be pointed in the right way! We were driving through the city attempting to find, yet, another supermarket. This is a rather compact city so you are never really far from anything, but when you are in a car, it seems farther just get to the next block. If we had been on foot, we would have found it so easily.....oh, wait....we did park the car and join the foot traffic in the cold, wet rain, later, to find that we had been only two blocks away from said supermarket.

We returned to our warm, dry car to attempt another go at some one way streets. I called a new friend that has been to said supermarket hoping to be pointed in the right direction....her directions were perfect with all sorts of landmarks, but her explanation became clear as mud in my mind as I tried to direct my very patient husband who was trying so hard not to go down a oneway street the wrong way, but was apparently the street we needed to travel.

We, ~~hopelessly~~ helplessly, ended up on the hill (no Texas flatland here!) on the opposite side of town so we decided to head home for some needed nutrition.....lunch! Which did not include anything from this selection of pastries that are around every corner tempting my tastebuds....

While at home, I searched some maps of the city that I have been collecting. On one of them, said supermarket had been marked as in "X marks the spot"! I am thankful that I listened in geograhpy class, at least, on map skill day....do they even teach that anymore?

After lunch, I persuaded my, once again, patient husband to bare the cold, wet streets to find said supermarket....and find it we did! Now, I'm not going to tell if we might have gone down some deserted one way street the wrong direction, but we made it to our destination. Deserted streets are hard to find around here, so if the street is deserted and you go the wrong direction, who would know? I'm not sure if we did go down the wrong way on a one way street...there was no sign like this...

...there was no way to tell, but some of us have a conscience, spend the night tossing and turning in bed, and blog about it the next morning...this is my confession, if one is needed, and now I am redeemed....OK?

You may wonder why I was so adamant that we find that particular supermarket. If you know me well, you know that I am a mission shopper. I want to know where everything is and what I can get there...and I want to know NOW! Actually, someone told me that above that supermarket there was a furniture store that might have a coffee table that I need. The furniture store did have a bigger selection than I had previously seen, but not what I am looking for.....but I have an idea!

There are some wonderful woodworkers in this city that make beautiful doors so.....one of those doors may just become a coffee table! Great idea, huh? I have also seen objects...

...that I think I can use for decor that are really for another purpose! Are you surprised? Did you think that I wouldn't come up with projects just because I wasn't at home?

After we returned to our disorganized, box filled apartment, we set about to unpack some more boxes and make some sense out of the chaos. I was in my element....decorating, staging, nesting....until...at the end of the evening, as I sat down on the sofa to revisit our day....I was reminded by the noise of the street that I was not in ~~Kansas~~ Texas anymore wearing ~~red glittered shoes~~ flipflops....for just a brief few hours, I had forgotten that I was not at home, but I am making a new home, in new surroundings, with new sounds, yet, still pointed in same direction...heavenward!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Where Were My Rainboots When I Needed Them?

2011-02-16T04:51:00.018-06:00

....in my closet, of course, among "the shoes in my closet"! Those rainboots now have a new home....in the floorboard of our Baku SUV!

A couple of Saturdays ago, (we were without internet for a few weeks while waiting for it to be installed in our new apartment so I am behind in my blogging) we went on our first grocery shopping adventure....that's right an adventure! Each store specializes in certain items, stocking only certain brands, so several stops must be made to gather supplies. With most packages written in a language we don't speak, much less read, everything is a guess. So the guessing game we play, spending a lot of time wearing our American shoes walking the aisles searching for our needs.

Each store has many staff members ready to help at the drop of a hat....talk about service! My perspective of non-English speaking residents in my home town has changed immensely. I will never complain again about the aisle in Walmart dedicated to labels in Spanish or Asian markets on every corner of my home town. There is a real need...it's difficult to decipher a foreign language....and no matter how hard you try (even with translation apps on your iPhone), translation is difficult. So guesses are made and so are mistakes....

While we were driving down an unfamiliar street.....remember we are new to the city....with our eyes open to new sights, we came upon this.....

It was raining cats and dogs, so with umbrellas in hand and rainboots in the closet, we entered the beautiful gates to find this....

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story....

No labels to decipher, no words exchanged, no rainboots...just smiles, lots of laughter...and multiple sacks full of beautiful fruits and vegetables to satisfy our hunger!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Not Every Style Fits Every Foot

2011-01-23T00:34:00.019-06:00

.....nor every flavor fits every tongue.

Over the last two weeks, my palate has changed some. What I didn't think I would attempt to eat, I have....like hot dogs from a jar.

We are in a hotel at the beach....a little removed from the city with transportation available, but not always worth the effort. Sometimes you just don't want to go out to eat...I can't believe that I just said that....therefore, hot dogs from a jar!

Last Sunday, though, we had a Sunday Dinner that was out of this world. I was a little skeptical having been invited to the Sea Port by a local resident and knowing that my palate is a little too "Texan", I didn't know what to expect. Of course, the menu was not in a language that I can read...makes one feel so stupid. It didn't really matter...the menu was taken from my hands just about as quickly as it was given, so I really didn't have a chance to take a look. Our hostess ordered for us in her language, so I became very concerned about how the flavor was going to taste on my "Texas" tongue. But not to worry...when will I ever learn...everything that I tasted was absolutely delicious, except the beef. She graciously told us about everything we were eating...the traditions, the preparation, the origin, the seasoning (especially of the beef...a small lilac wildflower, but she couldn't think of its name)...a lesson in culture and history. Lovely!

The first course that was presented to us was my favorite so I want to add it to my Sunday Dinners ....after all, it was a Sunday Dinner .

Mimosa Salad

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
3 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled
2 eggs, boiled and peeled
3 medium carrots, boiled, and peeled
salt, to taste

Dressing

6 tablespoons sour cream mixed with 6 tablespoons light mayonnaise - use about 2 tablespoons each time dressing is called for.

Garnish

Lots of gouda cheese or Holland Pendiri (that's what you find in Azerbaijian), shredded

Boil chicken in a large pot of salted water, cooking for about 20 minutes or until chicken is tender. Drain and set aside. When cool enough to handle, chop chicken into small pieces. Peel and boil potato and carrots. Boil and peel eggs. In separate bowls, coarsely grate potatoes, carrots, and eggs. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and light mayonnaise for the dressing.

On a serving dish, evenly layer ingredients on a single leaf of lettuce in the following order

half the chicken
dressing
half the potato
salt
dressing
half the eggs
salt
half the carrots
dressing

Repeat in the same order with the other half of ingredients. Top the salad with lots of shredded Gouda Cheese. Top it off with one black olive on the mountain of cheese.

It is my understanding that there are many variations of this salad and many ways to present it, but this was my first impression and the flavor fit my tongue just right!

There has been one seasoning to the beef that I have not been able to identify until last night. Every hamburger, every slice of beef, every doner (a version of a Philly steak sandwich) has had this same flavor.....not really a fan! My hard-working, steel-toed boot wearing husband has been sick the last few days with an upper respiratory ....coughing his head off kind of stuff. One of his co-workers suggested to me that he needed to take some...broncocum

...unfamiliar medicinal product, but it was worth a stop in a local pharmacy to purchase some. Although my effort at pronunciation was weak, we were able to communicate our needs. After returning to our room, unable to read the instructions on the box, he took 2 small spoonfuls with quite a grimace on his face. He wanted me to taste but all I could do was take a whiff....that would have been enough for me to be miraculously healed...and I was struck by the familiar fragrance of the beef that I had tried so hard to consume. As I looked at the box, trying to type the name into a search engine for translation and dosage amounts, I saw English words....Thyme Liquid Extact! The answer to my seasoning identity question...the small lilac wildflower!

Thyme has many medicinal purposes as my information search taught me, but I'm not sure that this "Texan" tongue will adapt to its flavor...it just doesn't fit! I am glad to say that it was a good fit on the upper respiratory...coughing his head off kind of stuff.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

A Place to Lay My Head, Hang My Coat , and Take Off My Shoes

2011-01-20T20:56:00.005-06:00

I've had a place to lay my head, hang my coat, and take off my shoes since we arrived in Baku...in a hotel...temporary housing, but very soon, we will have a permanent place. For some reason, all week I have been singing to myself...."this is not my home, I'm just a passing through, my treasures are all laid up, somewhere beyond the blue". I know, I know, there's more to the song and I know it's a stretch, but somehow it seems to fit. A tune to help me get through living in a hotel room for two weeks....yes, it's been two weeks since we arrived....seems longer than that!

Hopefully, we will be moving to the city very soon....maybe today! Our hotel is located outside of the city on the beach...and in the summer, I am sure this is a bustling place, but in the winter, not so much. I'm ready to be in the city where there is shopping, eating establishments, and lots of ~~boots~~ people to see!

...with a place to lay my head...

It is difficult to sleep in a different bed with a different pillow in a different place, so I am ready for my own! Our bed won't be here until sometime in February, but my pillow should arrive in the next few days....so I will have a familiar place to lay my head.

...and hang my coat...

Although, we have not had snow here like our home state has had this winter, the wind is very cold coming off of the Caspian Sea. My coat has been on my back more in the last two weeks than it has been in the last two years at home. I will be finding a coat rack for our entryway for easy access...a place to hang my coat!

...and take off my shoes...

It is customary here to remove your shoes when you enter someone's home. Not particularly a habit of mine, since at home, I'm ~~half barefoot~~ wearing flip flops most of the time anyway, but I like the idea! Remember, this is a sea port/beach city so it is very sandy with lots of sand and dust blowing with the strong winds of the sea, so your shoes get dusty tracking the dust and sand from the streets into the house....sounds like a woman's way of thinking! I definitely feel at home when I take off my shoes.

So..."this is not my home, I'm just a passing through, my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue"....in more ways than one!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

The Weight of the World on My Shoulders Shoes on My Feet

2011-01-14T22:13:00.005-06:00

There have been so many times in my life that I truly have felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. Those of you who know me well, know the poundage that I have carried, off and on over the years...I don't mean the bodily kind of poundage, although, that is true as well with all of its ups and downs...I mean the poundage that life gives us that tests us, producing patience in us so that we may be more like Him.

Over and over God has shown me that He will always be there to help me....proving to me time and time again that I will not be given more than I can carry....although, I so many times wanted to question Him.

As I was departing on this new and exciting adventure, it dawned on me that I would be entering a world where no one knew me or about any of the shoulder weight that I had carried more often than I desired. Meeting new people, discovering new surroundinigs, conversing more through body language than words....I had a choice...accept this as another weight on my shoulders or go along for the ride of my life and enjoy it to its fullest....I choose the latter. I will walk this path before me with joy, excitement, and wonder topped with a little jetlag every now and then.

My first encounter with joy came on the first day of my arrival in Baku. What a joyous experience it was! Not many would find joy going to a medical clinic for a check-up, but everyone in the office was so kind and eager to help. Although that did make the experience easier, it was not until the nurse took me into an examining room for the preliminary routine checks...pulse, blood pressure, weight...that I experienced that joy. Maybe it was jetlag, maybe it was nervousness, or maybe...., but I stepped on the scale and was thrilled at the sight of my weight. The nurse told me that I was the first lady that she had ever weighed that didn't ask to remove her shoes....my response....I will carry the weight of the ~~world on my shoulders~~ shoes on my feet any day as long as I am weighed in kilos. My mind doesn't compute in kilos...only in pounds......kilos looks like half of the pounds.

Next time I feel as though I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, I will think in kilos because I know that God is carrying the weight with me....I will face the weight with joy!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Looking Like a Worn Out Shoe

2011-01-08T02:21:00.026-06:00

That's about how I am looking right now! Lack of proper nutrition and proper sleep during the long flight to Baku is showing up on this traveler's face. I haven't had difficulty with the time difference. It feels like morming when it's morning and night when it's night and I'm hungry when it's mealtime...but I'm looking like a worn out shoe!

I don't feel like one though....all comfortable, stretched out, fitting the foot just right....nope! I am anything but that! Life is requiring a lot of talking with hands to communicate, adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings, and living out of suitcases....9 of them to be exact and that was after a sea-going crate and an airbound carton left with our belongings last week.

Yesterday, I met Johnny. He is a company driver....most of the employees don't drive over here and after experiencing the "MarioCart" type driving, I understand why. He took us to have my red background picture made for my residence card and to the medical office for a medical check for the same purpose. He gets around these crowded streets

and bustling traffic

as if it is second nature. Driving is his profession! He speaks Russian, Azeri, and English...I'm a little envious of his ability to communicate and translate. He helped us with that too, when we stopped to purchase a phone for me to use while in Baku. That was an experience! I still don't understand exactly how it works...instruction booklet is in Russian...they were able to find an English version for me, but their system is so different....all prepaid phone cards, no service contracts.

As the sun came up over the Caspian Sea this morning and after we consumed a wonderful breakfast

we took a walk along the beach,

then down the highway that follows the contour of the beach.

Along the way, people were scurrying across the highway to catch a bus,

sweeping the dust from the driveways,

and making their way home after an evening in town.

We came upon a food vendor that sells roasted chicken and flat bread.

We purchased a ~~loaf~~ slab of bread wrapped in newspaper

for 1 manat...or $1.20 USD. The ladies in this shop were excited to show me how their food was prepared and let me capture it in pictures.

They prepare the dough...

and after stretching it, they throw it on the wall of these round stone ovens...

I felt a little like Lucy Ricardo when she was on her European tour trying to get a room and some food while in Italy....if you're not an I Love Lucy fan, you may not understand what I'm talking about, but suffice it to say that words just didn't communicate....~~fingers~~ hands had to do the ~~walking~~ talking. But oh, the joy, when you come to an understanding and there are squeals of delight and breaking out in an international language....laughter!

Our afternoon was filled with a taxi ride to downtown where we got an eyeful of boots. I was so surprised at the parade of so many different styles of boots. Flat boots, stilletto boots, bejeweled boots, furry boots, ruffled boots, leopard boots, shiny boots....they are definitely a fashion statement here in Baku. I felt rather out of place in my running shoes (I was thinking of comfort....they weren't!)

So many people shopping,

walking arm in arm along the boardwalk,

so much to take in...I forgot to take pictures of all those boots....maybe next time because you must see!

We stopped in a small cafe for a late lunch...Sunset Cafe.

After eating our lunch, a young man, Ryan, came to our table inquiring if we spoke English....absolutely! As a traveling chef from South Carolina, he began his journey in Rome, made his way to Baku, and plans his next stop to be France. According to him, he is building his resume, discovering his own way with different ingredients to prepare food. He invited us to return one evening to experience one of his creations....not just a burger that is on the written menu. I think, we will go back, if for nothing but an English conversation with a southern American accent.

As we made our way to find another taxi

for a ride "home", we were sidetracked by a carpet salesman.

He drew us into his shop....we tried to resist, but he so wanted us to have a cup of tea! He took us through a hallway past several other shops to come upon his ~~hole in the wall~~ shop. He required us to sit while his partner prepared our tea and he began to unroll carpet after carpet....silk carpet, wool carpet, camel hair carpet....beautiful handmade carpets. Our piping hot tea was served and we sipped our tea with a sugar ~~cube~~ lump in our mouths. It was quite good, I must say! When we told him that we were not interested in any carpets today, he began to show us scarfs....silk scarfs, wool scarfs, camel hair scarfs. We were persuaded to purchase a scarf...one of my choosing after he confused us with so many choices, so I'm not sure what kind of scarf will be around my neck. We finished our tea, paid for the scarf, and as we prepared to leave, he pulled out a table scarf to give to me as a gift. He wants to be our one and only "carpet man".

After a day of walking and discovery, I am so glad that I opted for comfort instead of fashion today, or I would be looking like the other worn out shoe!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

The Right Hand Foot Shoe Doesn't Know What the Left Hand Foot Shoe is Doing

2011-01-05T07:07:00.015-06:00

In just one week's time, all of our belongings have been going, going, ....staying! I'm having a little bit of separation anxiety.

Many of our things left last week...

last night more was packed away in luggage...

and some stays firmly in its place at home.

My hard-working, steel-toed boot wearing husband keeps me in check about these things....it all belongs to God anyway! I realize, as my hands have literally touched every belonging that we have either by sorting, purging, packing, storing, or giving away, that God has not just blessed us....He has abundantly blessed us beyond our imagination.

Today, all of it will be out of my reach...by air, by sea, or by firmly planted on land...completely out of my control...(anxiety creeps in)

So I will count my blessings....on the right ~~hand~~ ~~foot~~ shoe...the important ones....

....my oldest son is beginning his second semester of culinary school

....my daughter is working at home as a full time mom

....my youngest son is taking time to see us off on our journey

....my oldest stepson is waiting for the birth of his first daughter

....my middle stepson is working his way through school

....my youngest stepson is working hard to provide for his family

....my oldest granddaughter is in school where snow falls in winter

....my youngest granddaughter is playing at home with her mom

....my grandson is getting into everything (as my daughter will attest)

....these things I know!

But on the left ~~hand~~ ~~foot~~ shoe, our belongings....I'm not so sure!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Sticky Gum on the Bottom of My Shoe

2010-12-31T11:35:00.025-06:00

Don't you just hate it when you step out of the car onto a piece of sticky gum that someone so haphazzardly tossed in a parking lot! It is so hard to get off...and get off you must or your shoe sticks to the asphalt, concrete, or the tile floor in a store making an annoying sound with each step you take until it gets so dirty that it no longer sticks to the floor, but is still attached to the bottom of your shoe. I wonder why it never sticks to the floor....oh, it might stick a little and leave strings of gum in a trail behind you, but gum seems to stick to the shoe more!

Yesterday a big, empty truck appeared at our house....

Lots of shoes, without gum stuck on the bottom, passed through...

...and from porch to truck...

...as they gathered our belongings for a journey half way around the world.

It was packing day and I thought of that little piece of gum stuck to my shoe as I watched the movers place inventory stickers all over my furniture. I sure hope they are easier to remove than gum on a shoe after the stickers have been on our furniture half way around the world in the time frame of about 6 weeks. Surely, those little stickers won't be like price stickers that require extra elbow grease to remove coming off in layers....maybe I need to pack some "goo-gone", just in case!

Packing was easy....we just watched as they wrapped everything in "dolphin skin"....that's what they called it! Interesting stuff...a big roll of slick, gray...dolphin skin...I get it now!

The sound of ripping tape still reverberates in my ears....I should have bought stock in "tape". I would have made a bundle with all the tape that was used to secure that "dolphin skin"!

We even made some friends with a great group of movers that we may never see again. We shared laughter, life stories, womanly advice, and good conversation...

...making the day go by quickly. Even a scale caused us to break out in laughter as one of them tipped the scale....of course, it wasn't made to hold his weight. I'm just glad that it was only boxes that were weighed hoping not exceed the air shipment limits, and not me. Everyone belly-laughed when George, apparently the oldest of the crew, was shown a small box to carry. He bent over to pick it up...I'm sure, thinking how nice of his buddies to think of his back by giving him such a small box...only to find himself unable to budge it at all...a part of the plan all along, when someone packaged my hard-working, steel-toed boot wearing husband's hand weights. My dear, hard-working, steel-toed boot wearing...weight-lifting husband so easily hoisted them onto the dolly so George could manuever them into the truck which wasn't an easy task either as he tried to push them up the ramp.

Thanks, moving crew, for making this step in our journey enjoyable.

Yesterday a big, full truck left our house...

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Shoes that Make You Want to Say OUCH!

2010-12-09T13:59:00.009-06:00

The time has finally come.....the switch from flipflops to closed toe shoes.....OUCH! In Texas, the flipflop season is, oh, so long, thank goodness! and can easily rear its ~~ugly~~ beautiful head on some warm winter days or be seen wearing a coat of snow.

Flipflops are my shoe of choice and when the winter transition comes along every year, I am enclined to become the voice of my feet....OUCH! Oh yes, this little piggy cried wee-wee-wee all the way home!

My feet are not the only part of my being that is screaming OUCH through this season of change. The process of moving to Baku has begun. In my little finite mind, my thinking was....pack a bag and away we go!......NOT!!! We are keeping our current home as a "vacation" home....hahaha! Never thought I would be a part of the crowd that has a "vacation" home! We could go and leave everything as is and have a furnished apartment there, but that wouldn't be any fun, now would it? Actually it is suggested by experienced expat's that you make your home away from home as much like home as you can....so.....we are doing just that! We are taking furniture that is comfortable and kitchen articles that will make meal time easier.....as my hard-working, world-traveling, steel-toed boot wearing husband says "so we are not foraging for food". That just sounds like an awful predicament to be in, by the way! OUCH! But on the bright side, the "vacation" home gets a face lift.....that will be another process, in and of itself!

We have a moving coordinator that says this is not painful at all, even though I feel like I need a pair of waterskis to stay on top of this pool that wants to drown me. Oh my goodness, there is so much paperwork! I don't deal with paperwork very well.....give me a bolt of fabric and I will cut it to pieces, reconfigure it, and give you a quilt.....but paperwork can be the death of me! I might as well be wearing a pointed toe shoe with a four inch heel. OUCH!

Our coordinator told me that the paperwork for the moving company....a complete inventory list...is easy. Has she ever done this before? Well, maybe the list is not so hard, but I have been purging, shredding, and purging some more....wading through

just to get ~~furniture~~ drawers ready to move. Where is Neicey Nash when I need her? Sell, keep, trash? OUCH!

She did say that the most painful part is the medical check....more paperwork! I made it through the stack of paper that even the clipboard had difficulty holding....seemed as though I kept answering the same questions over and over again! Were they expecting me to slip up and some of my answers conflict. Lucky for me, most of my answers were "no"....I'm a pretty healthy person...it must have something to do with flipflop wearing! That wasn't so painful, after all! But before I was finished, I had seen the walls of seven different rooms of the clinic...the waiting room, the restroom, the blood pressure room, the eye chart room, the blood drawing room, the exam room, and last but not least....the shot room.....OUCH! She was right....the medical check was the most painful!

And this season of change continues.......

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

New Shoes, New Adventure

2010-11-27T17:25:00.014-06:00

I bought a new pair of shoes yesterday....actually two pairs of shoes, remember...this post. I don't normally shop the Black Friday sales, but I went along for the ride with my daughter and her family. Their destination....the outlet mall to shop for some previously sighted shoes that could possibly be on sale! Guess who walked out with shoes in her hand...yeah, that would be me. There's always a need for more "shoes in my closet"!

The last fifteen months have been a very busy time in my life (there has been no time for blogging). Never before have I traveled so much....a trip for a baby shower...a quick trip to Amsterdam meeting up with my world-traveling, hardworking, steel-toed boot wearing husband...an extended visit in Mississippi after the birth of a grandchild...and several antique shopping excursions. We were so excited to welcome two new lives into this world....a granddaughter and a grandson...our family is growing. We moved my mother to an assisted living center...not an easy transition at all , but the perfect choice. God has blessed us beyond any expectation....doesn't He always give greater than we could ever imagine?

This next year won't be any different, at least not in the manner of busyness. There will be another grandchild addition in January (this will be our fourth)...there will always be transitions to make with my mother as she ages....and there will be more traveling....lots of it! In fact, I have considered borrowing some shoes with wings from the FTD florist logo, Mercury Man.

I am hoping that you will put on your imaginery, winged shoes and go with me on a journey. I promise to always be camera ready. Through this media, I can take you along as I move to Baku, Azerbaijian to join my world-traveling, hardworking, steel-toed boot wearing husband who has been working there, traveling back and forth, for the last year.

I will be traveling to the states often to visit grandchildren (and of course, my children), to care for the needs of my mother, and to get a taste of the familiar, translated as Whataburger, PeiWei, Saltgrass, and of course, mexican food. We leave shortly after Christmas, so not only do I need to decorate for Christmas and have lots of shopping to do in the next few weeks, I will be making preparations (packing shoes, of course) to begin this new adventure.

I am a bundle of nerves! I am excited! I am blessed!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

One Brown Shoe, One Black Shoe

2009-08-24T12:10:00.004-05:00

Years ago, before children, well, not before children as a whole, but before I had my own children, I was a hair stylist. I told you I was a Jill of All Trades (read my profile). I went to "beauty school" while attending college, yes, I did both at the same time...multi-tasking at its best. As a young child I always loved brushing my daddy's hair...what he had of it...and setting my mother's hair in rollers and backcombing to my hearts content...you don't get in trouble for pulling your mother's hair and what a stress reliever. So, for me to attend "beauty school" was not unusual at all.

The start of it all was a beauty shop doll. As I remember it, there were lots of rollers, clippies, combs, brushes, scissors, perm rods,....no wait, maybe that was my beauty school kit that still sits in my attic, but anyway, that doll was the beginning of my hair styling love.

You may wonder what all this has to do with one brown shoe and one black shoe, but it does. When working as a hairstylist, you are in personal contact with lots of people. Patrons feel so comfortable that they share their deepest, darkest secrets. What is said in a hair stylist's chair stays in that chair! Have you ever thought about what you share with your hairstylist? I shed tears, shared laughter, and shampooed my way into the lives of so many during those years.

It is only one time of laughter that I will share with you because he laughed at himself. A very prim and proper man came to me about once a month for a trim. He didn't have a lot of hair so to cut it rather than trim it was quite a concern, but he trusted me. Don't you trust your hair stylist?

As he sat down in the shampoo chair and I raised his feet, I thought it funny and so did he, when he noticed that he had on one brown shoe and one black shoe...just the same in every way, except. He let out a little chuckle, this prim and proper man, to think that he had been wearing different colored shoes all day...during important business meetings...not even to notice until now. How many had laughed behind his back? How many had been made to feel at ease that he was not so prim and proper?

I think of him when I do something embarrassing or out of the ordinary or when your laughter could be at my expense...

I am spending this week in a very south Texas town and that means hot, hot, hot! My hard-working, steel toe shoe wearing, world traveling husband is here on business, so I packed my bags and came along. A big concern for me when I travel is always the water...not the drinking kind, although in some places that could be a concern...but the showering kind of water. Will my hair be soft or will it be dry? Remember, I am a hair stylist at heart and my hair matters! My hair depends on the water. Will there be lots of water pressure or just a trickle of water coming from the shower head?

I came prepared with all of my hair products neatly packaged in different colored travel-sized bottles. I placed them in the shower ready to work magic with whatever the water type or amount of water pressure. With my hair wet and ready for shampoo, I reached for the ~~brown shoe~~ turquoise bottle and squirted the proper amount of purple liquid into the palm of my hand, applying it to my hair. There were no bubbles! Really hard water! or would that be soft water? It had to be the water!

Wait a minute! My shampoo is a turquoise liquid that must be in the ~~black shoe~~ purple bottle that is sitting on the counter...not in the shower...my very expensive hair styling product is a purple liquid that must be in the ~~brown shoe~~ turquoise bottle. I should have color coordinated better!

My body wash and conditioner are the same color in clear bottles. Did I wash with my conditioner and condition with my body wash? I think I need to get this all straight before I step in the shower tomorrow!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Rocks in My Pockets Shoe

2009-08-02T11:36:00.014-05:00

By the end of the day yesterday, my heel felt as though I had a rock in my ~~pocket~~ shoe all day....a large, rugged, rough, ugly rock!

I'm not sure what caused it because I had worn flip flops all day, but a "~~rock~~ stone bruise" just the same. With every step I was reminded of the pain!

Yesterday evening, my hardworking, steel toe boot wearing, world traveling husband returned home from a business trip to New Orleans...sometimes his travels take him a short distance rather than around the world...to find me complaining. I was so absorbed in my pain as I prepared a simple dinner for him that I was negligent in showing how much I appreciated the gift that he brought to me. When I saw the bag, I knew what it was, didn't even open it completely...just peeped into the top of the small velveteen pouch and sat it on the kitchen table.

I continued on with my stirring, seasoning, and steaming of an array of fresh vegetables...my favorites. We were having a vegetable plate for dinner...not what a man, especially a hardworking one, calls the best of meals...where's the beef? Did he demand that I do it his way? Not at all. Did I choose to do it his way? I really don't want to answer that!

I turned away from my busy-ness to see my sweet husband gently pouring the contents of the small velveteen pouch on the kitchen table.

I understood his thoughts as he separated and admired each stone...

and how pretty they would be in the birdbath...

He knew just what I would do with them. He saw the beauty and waited patiently for me to acknowledge and thank him for his gift.

For some reason I was reminded of the ~~rock~~ cross in my ~~pocket~~ ~~shoe~~ wallet that my daddy gave to me years ago as a daily reminder of God's gift.

God saw the beauty in His gift...His Son, Jesus.

God waited patiently for me to acknowledge and accept His gift.

God deserves my heart-felt thankfulness.

How often does He wait patiently for me to thank Him for His beautiful gift? Am I so busy doing work for Him my way that I neglect His will? Am I so absorbed in myself that I forget to acknowledge His presence in my life?

A rock...

A stone...

A cross...

Maybe the next time I feel as though there has been a rock in my ~~pocket~~ shoe, I will call it a "~~stone~~ cross bruise" and thank God for His Son.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

There's Nothing Like a New Pair of Shoes...

2009-07-19T21:41:00.015-05:00

...unless it is a new home.

My adorable, happy-go-lucky niece moved into a perfect bungalow this summer. She is so proud of her new home and rightly so. So adorable...so perfect...so her!

She had a "Come On Over" party this afternoon. These ~~shoes are made for walking~~ pictures are made for talking....they say it all!

Sunday afternoon is my time for cooking my Meals On Wheels, but I decided to go a different route so I could "Come On Over". We all have days, weeks, or months that are busy and cooking takes a seat on the back burner. There is nothing wrong with resorting to pre-prepared foods...at least for the main part of the meal. Sunday Dinner recipes are not recipes at all....but main dishes that bring a meal to the front burner as easy as ~~stop, drop, and roll~~ shop, heat, and serve.

"The Only One They Got" BBQ Sloppy Joe

1 tub (5 lb) Sam's Club Hickory Smoked Beef (the only one they got)
1 pkg. hamburger Buns
1 pkg. of your favorite chips
1 jar of pickles (opt.)
1 cantaloupe, cut into bite-sized pieces or your favorite fresh fruit

"The Biggest Rotisserie Chicken to Be Found"

1 Kirkland Brand rotisserie chicken from Costco

Serve with a favorite vegetable, salad and/or fruit.

These are two of my favorite substitutes when life gets in the way of cooking. It is not necessary that you tell Sam's Club or Costco that I sent you their way...they don't know who I am...I have to show my picture ID every time I walk through the door.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Black Velvet Mary Jane's

2009-07-12T20:41:00.009-05:00

When my daughter was a baby...almost 29 years ago, I bought her a pair of black velvet Mary Jane's. They looked so sweet on her feet that had not yet touched the floor. These shoes would not have been practical after starting to scoot across the floor or crawl, not wanting the velvet to be scuffed off on the toes! Some shoes are just for looking cute, don't you think?

Saturday was the annual Peach Festival in Weatherford, TX. What a fun...and hot...way to spend a Saturday...playing putt-putt with a peach...

...listening to live music...

...and scouring the antiques shops and the many craft booths for interesting objects d'art for the garden.

Around the town square, homemade peach ice cream, hot pans of crusty peach cobbler with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, and a cold frosty peach julep could be bought to cool the tongue....didn't do much for the rest of your body.

Most of us think of Georgia when our mouths water for the taste of a peach, but let me tell you that Parker County peaches...

...have a sweetness of their own. This year...the sweetness came with a price! We bought a half peck of large, juicy, velvety peaches and a small bag of small, tart, also velvety ones...my husband's favorite...easy to pick up and eat before the juice runs down your arm.

Early this morning, I received an email with a recipe for Skillet Peaches which gave me an idea...here is my rendition...

Skillet Peaches

1 Rolled refrigerated pie crust
1 T. butter, melted
1 to 2 T. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Let pie crust stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Unroll crust on lightly floured surface. Brush with 1 T. melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Cut pie crust in half and then into strips. Place strips on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned at 375.

6 to 8 peaches, pitted and halved or quartered
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup mango nectar
2 T. brown sugar

In skillet, melt 1/3 cup butter on medium heat. Add peaches, skin side up. Cook 4-5 minutes, turning once. Remove peaches. Add nectar and brown sugar to skillet. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and a syrup forms. Spoon syrup over peaches. Serve with Ice Cream and Pastry strips.

...so as you probably guessed...some of our peaches made their way into a skillet and the soft velvety skin came out looking like it had made a few scoots across the floor. Soon those peaches will make their way into a bowl covered in the sweet syrup, a dollop of vanilla Blue Bell, and strips of sugared pie crust.

Scuffs on a velvet shoe...not so pretty, but Skillet Peaches....perfect!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Buying Shoes for a Sister?

2009-06-28T21:51:00.015-05:00

Is that possible? You might know a shoe size. You might know a favorite color. You might know....what else is there? What else would you need to know?
Shoes are so personal! Do you want someone, even your best friend or sister picking out your shoes?

This weekend the pressure was on! I received a phone call asking me what I was cooking for the week. As you know, my sister and I trade meals every Sunday. We don't usually share what we are cooking ahead of time...it is always a surprise....not at all like picking out a pair of shoes for someone...food can be disposed, hidden in a purse (remember Sophia from Golden Girls), eaten while holding your nose, or given to the neighbors that won't let you know that it wasn't good just to be nice or maybe they will pass it on to the next neighbor who will pass it on to the next neighbor. Maybe just maybe, it will end up back on your doorstep. Wouldn't that be funny? Just try to do that with a pair of shoes!

Over the last almost two years (time sure does fly) that we have been cooking for each other, there have been a few flops, but not usually on the same week. She had already cooked, tasted, and critiqued her dish for this week. According to her, it was not good and I was ~~challenged~~ told to cook "something good" or we just wouldn't eat...hmmmm...new weight loss program? What to do? What if my taste was different than hers?

In my family, we play a little game when trying to decide where to go eat. It goes a little like this....What do you want to eat?....Food...What kind of food?....Good food...What kind of good food?...Real good food....What kind of real good food? This goes on until someone just makes a decision and that is that!

What happened to the time when there were few choices? You ate what was put on the table and everyone was happy to satisfy their hunger. Mom made the decision and that was that. Shoe stores were limited, too....black, brown, white, and dye to match for a special occasion...play shoes, school shoes, work shoes, Sunday shoes... Was life easier or just boring?

I made a decision... Sunday Dinner recipe...the pressure was off when I settled for boring, easy, and comfort...old faithful, tried ant true.... Company Chicken . My partner in Sunday Dinner recipes could have prepared Chicken Tetrazini or Spaghetti D'Amore. Either would have been alright with me. (Her dish was good...recipe to be shared after she gives it to me.) To make up for what she thought was so bad, she made a family (and neighbor) favorite dessert...so much for the new weight loss program!

Easy Apricot or Peach Strudel

2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sour cream
1 cup butter
1 jar of apricot or peach preserves
coconut
pecans (optional)

Mix well first three ingredients together. Let stand in refrigerator at least one hour. Then divide into fourths and roll dough about 13 inches long and 8 inches wide. Spread preserves along the long side of dough. Sprinkle with coconut and pecans (optional). Roll up in jelly roll fashion and seal ends. Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 for 18 to 20 minutes. Wen done sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Slice at an angle. Makes 48 slices.

With that sitting on the kitchen counter for the next few ~~days~~ hours, I hope I won't be out shoe shopping because I need a new size!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Barefoot in the Park Crack Garden

2009-06-26T07:33:00.010-05:00

Not so barefoot...you know me, and not so naive, either.

Last night after working on a small project in the backyard, I proclaimed to my youngest son that he should go take a look at my "crack garden". Of course, we had to discuss what I had just said. He tried to explain to me that "crack" doesn't grow....it is manufactured. How naive could I be?

Don't children always think that their parents are naive to the things of the world? Wouldn't it be great if we could be? Maybe they want us to be "innocent" just like we want them to stay "innocent".

There was a time when I was so naive that I thought Watergate had something to do with the Trinity River in Dallas. That was a time when wedding dresses, shag haircuts, and the latest in cork soled shoes were of more concern to me than what was being discussed on the news.

When children became a part of my everyday life, it was very important for me to be well informed. I would say, it became a matter of protection. If I didn't know what was in the world, how could I know how to protect these precious lives that God had entrusted to me. I had to know. I was to live not of the world, but rather in the world...no longer naive....a shock to my children because I don't always share everything I know until the time is right.

So when I wanted my son to visit my "crack garden", I was just having a little fun although it really was a "crack garden".

I had been spray painting some metal flowers and while they dried I stuck them in the "cracks" in the ground. In a hot, Texas summer, cracks in the ground can happen overnight no matter how much it is watered.

You may wonder why I was spray painting metal flowers. I stole an idea from a friend...thank you, Marcy!

which led me to some other ideas to add color to my garden.

My little red wagon gets too hot for real flowers to flourish. I won...now I have flowers where flowers won't grow!

I love my backyard...it still needs a little work...a garden always requires work, but what a great place for a little whimsy, reading a book in the swing, listening to running water in the birdbath,

and enjoying the "fruits" of our labor....

...yes, we have grapevines that really produce grapes!

I will be not of this world, but in this world...not so barefoot and not so naive!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

The Agony and Defeat of Stilettos

2009-06-21T16:03:00.005-05:00

Stilettos have very high, thin heels. Your posture is changed when your feet are styling with stilettos and a balancing act is required not to twist an ankle...it might take some practice. While wearing these body slimming wonders, a quiet entrance into a room just won't happen. The tap, tap, tap will be noticed even in the noisiest room.

I could not let today go by without a word. Wishing "Happy Father's Day", has a new meaning for me. There is no one here on earth for me to express my deep appreciation and daughterly love. Just a short six months have passed since my daddy left this earth to live with his heavenly Father.

I am not grieving that loss today and definitely don't feel the agony and defeat of stilettos because I know where he is. My posture is different. My heart is not heavy with grief, but light with rejoicing...he would not want it any other way. I don't think of his passing without thinking of where he is. A few weeks ago, several people that Daddy knew well, joined him in Heaven. I imagined him greeting them with his left hand on their shoulder and his right hand reaching out to welcome them to worship...that is what Heaven is about. As Father's Day approached, I thought of visiting the cemetery...

but....he is not there. I honor him today and every day by the way I live...the way he taught me to follow Jesus.

Grief knocks you out of balance like walking on a thin, high heel. So many times in the last few months, I would have loved to laugh with him over a corny joke, ask for his wise and godly advice, or, yes, brush his dentures, trim his fingernails, or cut his hair one more time just as I did so often during the last years of his life. I have caught myself, unaware, heading in the direction of his nursing facility. (Haven't you felt like the car, having it's own mind, directed itself to a particular destination?) I would not ask him to come back if I could, but I do miss him.

For the last two days, we had our annual family garage sale. As we were packing up the last ~~few~~ many items that did not sell, I folded and boxed what was left of my daddy's clothes. I pulled the blue plaid flannel shirt that he wore to my nose to see if his scent was still there. The shirt had been laundered and sat in the Texas heat for two days. His scent was not there. Grief wanted to sneak in, but like the ping of a stiletto on a wood floor...it was loud and clear...my daddy is not here.

Grief is like putting on a pair of stilettos...a change in balance, posture, and awareness.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

One Pair of Cowboy Boots in My Closet

2009-06-14T13:22:00.017-05:00

My husband and I have separate closets, but if we didn't, that number would change from one to three...steel toe boots don't count as cowboy boots. I've had my cowboy boots for a long time. The only reason I have them is that a Texas gal from Big D needs to have a pair. I can't seem to part with them. Every year about this time, we have a family garage sale, but those boots always seem to end up back in the top of my closet.

This gal from Big D is definitely a city girl. I like having a shopping mall close by even though I'm not seen there often...it's there if I need it. I like a grocery store just around the corner...I might be out of something...never been good at making substitutions. Schools within walking distance is a must...I hated walking to school or standing at the bus stop. Maybe, there really isn't any part of me that screams country, except for my cowboy boots that sit on a shelf at the top of my closet.

Now, I do like old things and some of them come straight from the country like my grandmother's butter churn...

an old metal nesting box...

and a milk can turned birdbath...

So maybe, "I'm a little bit country and a ~~little bit~~ whole lot ~~rock and roll~~ city...".

Last weekend, we spent a couple of days with my in-laws. They live on the outskirts of a small Texas town, population 77, in Blue Bell country. It is a quaint little town with several family owned dining establishments, gift and antique shops, as well as bed and breakfast lodging surrounding a town square with a mercantile (an all-you-really-need store) a short distance down the road.

I may be a city girl, but occasionally, the country is comfortable just like a well worn pair of cowboy boots. Life is a little slower and a walk through the trees to a secluded area where watermelon grow...

....does a body good.

My husband's parents have a garden that provides fresh vegetables for their dinner table. They enjoy the "fruits" of their labor and share them so graciously to anyone that pulls up a chair. Nothing fancy, but everything good! My mouth waters with the thoughts of her home cooking and freshly picked vegetables.

Out back my mother-in-law has chickens...

...and she gathers eggs every day.

I have never known anyone that has their own chickens much less gathers their own eggs. Remember, I am a city girl. Agnes fries fresh eggs in the morning and many times there are fresh boiled eggs on the table at other meals. They are wonderful! I eat more eggs in just a short visit than I probably eat in a month at home.

During our visit, my husband noticed that a blue bird had been coming in and out of a birdhouse along the fence row. My curiosity got the best of me so I took a walk up the road just to take a look inside finding several very blue eggs.

Early the next morning, my curiosity took me right back up that road only to jump in surprise as a blue bird came flying out just as I approached. I had been an intrusion and mama blue bird was protecting her home and new family. Only a few days after we returned home, our 11 year old niece and my new found texting pal, who had also been visiting my in-laws, sent me a picture of the baby blue birds, but I can't figure out how to post it.

Eggs...fried, scrambled, boiled, baked in a cake, or the beginning of new life.

Sunday Dinner recipes are full of the incredible, edible egg...

Egg and Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Crumble 8-10 slices of bread and place in bottom of a 9x13 pan/dish.
Cook and drain 2 lbs. of sausage.
Spread sausage over bread and cover with 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese.
Mix together 1 ½ cups of milk with 4 eggs.
Spread over bread, sausage, and cheese.
Cover and let stand over night in refrigerator.

In the morning, mix 1 can of cream of mushroom soup with ½ cup of milk.
Pour evenly over dish.
Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.
Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese to finish.

Egg and Spinach Casserole

3 pkg. frozen chopped, thawed, well drained spinach
4 1/2 cup cottage cheese
3 cup grated cheddar cheese
9 egg
6 T. canola oil
1 tsp garlic salt
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp pepper

Stir together all ingredients. Pour into 9x13 greased pan. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes until brown/bubbly.

Age old question....which came first the chicken or the egg?...which came first, the city girl or the cowboy boots?

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Momma Needs Gets a New Pair of Shoes?

2009-06-08T18:23:00.008-05:00

Years ago, I started claiming every non-clothing item that came out of the washing machine/dryer. All of this was in an attempt to get everyone to check their pockets before letting them land ~~on the floor~~ in the laundry basket.

I have found many things...some of which my children don't know about...some that gave me great insight to their lives. Chapstick, rocks, cell phones..OOPS!, small amounts of change, keys, and notes of the love kind....just to name a few.

Not only did my children learn to empty their pockets, they learned at a fairly young age how to do their own laundry and it didn't hurt them one bit. I like to say that it was an important step to independence.

There were and still are times when I will help out when entertainment calls louder than laundry or when laundry becomes overwhelming...welcome to the life of a mother.

But today, after a long weekend away...just wait until you hear about that, I found the mother ~~load~~ lode. Not a load of laundry...well, come to think of it....there were several loads, but a ~~load~~ lode for mother. Look what I found...

Mother ~~load~~ lode, indeed! Don't you agree?

I'm not sure if it was left in the dryer after the "only bird left in the nest" did some laundry while I was away or did my hardworking, world traveling, steel toe boot wearing, tree frog catching husband leave the mother load in his shirt pocket...his favorite place to carry bills.. one that spend, not the dreaded mail invader type.

Both, husband and son, will probably claim it, but there will be only one truth!

Maybe, I don't have to tell either one at all. If I keep the laundry done, my husband will have no need to go to the laundry room to claim the mother ~~load~~ lode and it will be a couple of weeks before my son's ~~floor~~ basket will be overflowing.

So...does Momma ~~need~~ get a new pair of shoes?

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Do They Ever Make Shoes From Frog Skin?

2009-06-05T09:16:00.007-05:00

I know that boots and purses are made from alligator, crocodile, snake, and even cows....leather....but, frogs? If anyone is ready to explore the possibility, I have the source.

We have a pond on the side yard of our house, right under one of our bedroom windows. (I have suggested that we move it to the backyard very soon.) Ponds with running water should be a source of tranquility and peace...a place of solitude.

Not this one! Every spring, during mating season, our pond is overrun with small, ~~slimy, bumpy, wiggly, loudly croaking~~ adorable creatures...and I have to remind myself...created by God.

The noise is obnoxious and anxiety-producing each and every evening just about sunset. Its sound has about the same affect as a snoring husband. Does anyone understand?

We have often thought that they sprout wings. Yes, wings! Every evening, my hardworking, world traveling, steel toe boot wearing husband becomes a tree frog catcher. He can catch two frogs in one hand and deliver them to the greenbelt that is adjacent to our neighborhood to release them into a creek that should make a happy home for those ~~pesky, noise making~~ adorable creatures...created by God (yep, I have to remind myself often). Several times when he returned home, the croaking had already begun again. See what I mean? It is as though they had sprouted wings and returned before he could get back home....or.....are there so many that we might be a source for some shoe manufacturing company?

One day this week we were grateful for the presence of the frogs. I can't believe that I just said that....but...this is how the story leaped forward.

My husband was searching all around the house for his favorite pair of glasses. No, they weren't on top of his head. He even went so far as to give the pond a good cleaning to see if they might have fallen out of his pocket into the pond while catching frogs.

I know that you are thinking right now that a frog was wearing them or had dove to the bottom of the pond to retrieve his glasses as a peace offering or as a down payment for a permanent home for his family. Now, that would be silly!

What really happened....with my help...I only hold the flashlight....my husband caught one last frog and ever so carefully toted it to the creek. As he was about to place the frog at the edge of the creek, he spotted them.....his favorite pair of glasses...nestled among the grasses.

His glasses must have fallen out of his pocket several days prior...that's how long they had been missing. No one had found them...maybe no one else has to return frogs to the creek.

That means...we have control of the market for tree frogs. I think we may have just found our way to the Big House. We'll be rich...I can see it now...everyone will be wearing frog shoes!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

2009-05-31T21:22:00.027-05:00

One list...front and back...

One finished decorating project...before and after....

One guest room freshened....

One transformed office for another guest....from this to this...

One change for a worn out chair....old, now new...

One musical...an important message with a funny twist...

One favorite shopping stop with two people that I love...my daughter and yes, my wonderful husband that totes it all....and there was more, lots more....

One Saturday afternoon drive that crossed the stateline twice and happened upon the Magnolia Festival in Durant, OK...for more shopping. Not sure what this is but it is red and I love it so I bought it! I'll let you know how I use it....my mind is reeling with possibilities.....

Two full weeks....

Two Sunday Dinner recipes...

One ingredient...

Bone-in Ham

Cooks Brand Bone-In Ham (half, whole, or 2 halves held together with skewers)

Place ham in deep roasting pan or electric roaster (this is my preference...a $30 purchase that I have used over and over). Add water to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook 25 minutes per pound. Tender and oh, so tasty!

Two ingredients....

Chicken Shishkabob

Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts
Red, Orange and Yellow Bell Pepper

Cut chicken into 2" strips. Cut bell peppers into 1" pieces. Thread 3 pieces of chicken and 3 pieces of pepper onto skewers, alternating. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste. Place on a hot grill. Turning once. Easy and delicious.

One, two buckle my shoe! That's what I said!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Grasshoppers Have Two Eyes

2009-05-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

When I was a young child and Keds with rubber toes were on my feet, my mother wore Grasshoppers. Her Grasshoppers were slip-on canvas shoes with a slightly pointed toe, short tongue and two eyes for the laces. It was hard for me to understand why they were called grasshoppers because they didn't look at all like the grasshoppers that were hopping around in the grass. They were lightweight and flexible....so maybe that is why.

I must have had on an invisible pair the last few days. At least I've been hopping from one thing to the next. It is difficult to get anything finished when you are hopping back and forth.

Everything that I have tried to accomplish has had several steps that required some patience and waiting so I would hop right on over to another task. At the end of the day, I was pretty tired of hopping and didn't feel as though I had gotten anything done.

A ~~few weeks~~ month ago (time really ~~hops~~ flies), I bought this vanity stool at a flea market.

I have been trying to duplicate antiqued bronze on this stool before upholstering the seat. After many attempts and hopping back and forth, I think I have it. It is going in the bathroom that I am redecorating (also one of those hopping projects). What do you think?

I now have a greater appreciation for contractors that come in and do the work for you, especially after I fell in the tub while priming the walls that were almost out of my reach. After the fall, I ~~bounced~~ hopped right back up. It seems that this redo has had many falls associated with it.

The painting is done.

I've bought the fabric for the shower curtain and vanity stool.

This is one project that I am ready to see it all come together! No more hopping! This time next week? Well, not totally! We found some old ceiling tiles at that same flea market yesterday that I want to use on the cabinets, but that will require some more hopping as I duplicate the antique bronze on them, too.

When you have been hopping around like a grasshopper from one thing to the next, something quick and easy is in order. Sunday Dinner recipes are just that....

Quick Chicken-N-Rice

1 box Chicken Rice-a-Roni, prepared
4 chicken breasts, cooked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup cheddar cheese

Layer Rice-a-roni, chicken, soup. Top with cheese. Bake 350 for 10-15 minutes.

Easy Chicken Cacciatore Bake

1 Can Italian style diced tomatoes
2 cups zucchini slices
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup Shake-n-Bake seasoning mix
1 1/2 cups penne pasta, cooked

Toss tomatoes and zucchini in a 9X13 baking dish. Place coating mix and chicken in a plastic bag. Shake to coat chicken. Place coated chicken over tomato and zucchini mixture. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Serve over penne pasta.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Wearing Mommy's Shoes

2009-05-10T14:44:00.007-05:00

I think most little girls wear mommy's shoes at some point during their childhood. It is so much fun to pretend to be the one you adore. By trying on those beautiful high heel shoes or soft, fuzzy slippers, a little wannabe mommy feels all grown up.

Mommy's shoes are difficult to say the least...too big, too high, too long, too pointed. Even today, I think "mommy" shoes are much the same....days that I just can't fill them properly, days that expectations are way to high, days that are long and seem never-ending, days that all fingers point my way...after all isn't it always mom's fault?

On my very first Mother's Day, I had only been a mommy to my firstborn for 6 weeks and my pineapple pie making and orange-flavored tea serving grandmother had left this earth for her eternal home....a time to celebrate a new life on earth and a new life in heaven. In the years to come, Mother's Day became a day of hand prints in plaster, Mommy coupon books, marigolds in styrofoam cup planters, handmade cards and cherry cordials.....creativity with lots of thought went into those kinds of gifts.

Sometimes I find it difficult to buy a Mother's Day gift. It never seems to say enough. I struggle every year deciding what to give my own mother. As the years have gone by, her material needs and desires have diminished. What she needs most is knowing that she is still needed, that she still has a purpose, that she is still worthy of her title...Mother. In some ways I (along with my sister) have become her mother....yes, if you are blessed to have a long-living mother, then you, too, may see a role reversal. Finding that balance, without taking away her time-honored, well-earned position, takes creativity with lots of thought. Isn't that what children give their moms on Mother's Day....creativity with lots of thought?

Today I am thankful. I am thankful for a mother that pointed the way to Christ, taught me to encourage others, and loved me through it all.

Today I am creative with lots of thought. I gave of my garden-gloved hands to make her world a prettier place.

Two simple rows of begonias that will not outshine my dad's favorite pink hydrangeas, but will hopefully grow to enhance their big showy blooms.

Today my gift is inadequate to express what I truly want to say. But isn't it always? Did I show her that she is still worthy? Did I give her what she needs... to know that she is still needed...to see that she still has a purpose as my mother? I certainly hope so.

There is no greater Mother's Day gift than a card with a handwritten note, a phone call from a dear child, or the acknowledgement that no gift could be found that would say what they truly want to say. I am a truly blessed mother.

I will leave it at that! No Sunday Dinner recipes today....it is my day off...well, no mother really has a day off!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Galoshes, Waders, or Rubber Boots

2009-05-03T17:11:00.003-05:00

No matter what you call shoes that keep your feet dry when there is lots of water or mud and I mean lots of water and mud...I could have used a pair this past week. Our land is now lake front property. I say "land" like we have a lot of it but it truly is only a "lot", a suburban lot at that. Just the same, when it ~~rains~~ pours, we have a lake out front. Walking in the yard means muddy feet, but in Texas it doesn't take long for the mud to become dry once the rain stops.

My front yard is not the only place with lots of mud. I have been spreading lots of mud in the bathroom that I am redecorating. My 5 gallon bucket of ~~mud~~ joint compound is almost gone.

Waiting on mud to dry is worse than waiting for paint to dry...

so I took a break from muddin' to make my monthly trip to my favorite place to find this stool with a coat of many colors...

...and you thought only Joseph had one.

When the very first flooding rain ended, there was a ~~shipwreck~~ landed ark and around here when there is so much moisture left in the ground, mushrooms pop up everywhere so...here are a couple of Sunday Dinner recipes coming your way....

Shipwreck Dinner

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg of macaroni and cheese dinner
1 can of stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown meat in skillet and drain. Stir in macaroni, cheese sauce mix, tomatoes, peas, and milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 12 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese and let stand until cheese is melted.

Mushroom Steak

2-3 lbs round steak
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 pkg. onion soup mix

Cut round steak into 2-3 inch pieces. Place steak, soup, and dry soup mix in a crock pot. Cook on medium for 6-7 hours or in 9X13 baking dish and bake at 225 for
3 hours. Serve over rice.

I don't have a recipe for "mud pies", but my mother's recipe for Chocolate Pie Filling is the best. It fills a 9" pie crust.

Mother's Chocolate Pie Filling

1 up sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 T. cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
2 cups milk
1 lump butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt in a saucepan. Add egg yolks and milk. Cook on low to medium heat stirring constantly until consistency of pudding. Add butter and vanilla continuing to cook until thickened. Pour into baked 9 inch pie crust.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Shoes Brains Made of Straw

2009-04-26T20:02:00.012-05:00

Why, yes, there are shoes made of straw. They bring to mind the ~~smell~~ scent of those import stores of the 60's....patchouli, a mossy and ~~dusty~~ musty fragrance. It was one of those scents that made me feel kind of dusty and want to run the other way. Sort of like walking into a barn with lots of hay...I actually don't have any experience of barns and hay, but I can imagine.

Straw hats, straw purses, straw shoes, straw for brains...exactly what the scarecrow had on The Wizard of Oz. He just wanted a brain....exactly what I needed yesterday. If I only had a brain...

What was I thinking?

A bathroom right out of the nineties in need of a makeover....

Behind that is ~~a bathroom~~ wallpaper right out of the 80's....

I am a true do-it-yourselfer through and through, but I can talk myself out of some things and I should have this time, but noooooooooo...not me! I bit the bullet, bought a steamer and all of the paraphernalia....

From the first burst of steam and the first scrape of wallpaper, I began to ask....What was I thinking? Do I have straw for brains? Where's the Wizard?

It's too late now...

There is always more to a project than the original plans! One idea leads to another...like an extra medicine cabinet....or an extra electrical outlet (that has been needed for 22 years). It only makes sense...two sinks need two medicine cabinets and two outlets. It all adds up, but also adds up to more work because the likelihood of at least one mishap increases...

What was I thinking? While attempting to wire an extra outlet, a foot wearing a steel toe boot came through the ceiling. I could hear it, I knew it was coming, and all of a sudden, there it was hanging right over my head. After finding out that my hardworking, steel toe boot wearing, world traveling husband was OK, I thought about laughing and laughing we did. Now more work before a project can be completed.

What was I thinking? A vision...a project...a makeover...a beautifully redecorated bathroom to be enjoyed by guests and adult children that get swept back in by the revolving front door. Oh, I will get just what I wanted, but not without a few scars and a story to tell.

Did God have something to teach me? He gave me more than straw for brains. As I was "cutting in" the corners and around the ceiling with primer, I began to think about how I can paint such a straight line. I can cut a straight line on fabric and draw a straight line on paper. How is that? It occurred to me that I always watch where I am going rather than where I have been with the paint brush, scissors, or a pencil. When I am driving, I only glance in the mirrors to see what is behind me. If I didn't watch where I was going, well, it would add up to a lot of mishaps. The same goes for painting, cutting, and drawing. You must look ahead, with a glance behind you now and then, to see if you are measuring up.

I am looking ahead! My future holds a wonderful place, totally decorated for me (no need for do-it-yourself projects) with all of the bells and whistles. God is the master builder and Heaven is His project. Because His Son is my Saviour, I just have to look ahead! Don't get me wrong, I have lots of missed steps, but keeping my eyes on Him helps me to walk straight. Now and then, I glance at the past to make sure I'm measuring up.

God did give me a brain! Yesterday?....I wondered!

It is Sunday and I will get straight to Sunday Dinner recipes. None of our Sunday Dinner recipes used straw as an ingredient, so I settled for two ~~down in the barn~~ ~~down on the farm~~ down on the ranch recipes.

Ranch Style Beans Casserole

2 lbs. ground beef
2 cans Ranch Style Beans
2 cans Spanish Rice or Spanish Rice and Sauce Mix
1 can Ro-Tel Tomatoes and Green Chiles
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
bag of Fritos
grated Cheese

Brown beef and onion. Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Pour into 2 9X13 casserole dishes. Top with Fritos and cheese. Bake at 400 until bubbly. This recipe freezes good, but add Fritos and cheese just before baking.

King Ranch Casserole

6 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, boiled
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can chicken broth
1 can Ro-tel Tomatoes and Green Chiles
1 onion chopped
2 cups grated cheese
1 pkg. corn tortillas, torn in pieces

Combine soups, chicken, Ro-tel, broth and onion as a sauce. Layer torn tortillas, sauce, then cheese. Repeat layers ending with cheese. Bake at 325 until bubbly, approx. 30 minutes.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Hmmm...Peep Toe or Steel Toe?

2009-04-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

Saturday has become my most favorite day lately. I work from home, part-time... so many of my days seem the same...I'm not complaining, in fact, I love it, make a little extra spending money, and feel very privileged to be at home. When my husband is traveling the world, Saturday is just another day of the week...maybe even more like another Monday...a little work, a little cleaning, a little laundry,...get the idea, but when he is home, we both take the day off and enjoy!

Yesterday, we visited a little flea market...nothing like Canton...but there were treasures to be found and you will get to see them before long, I promise. You might even want one of them. I have great plans for my purchases of the day, but it will take a little work.

My husband wears steel toe boots on our excursions. They don't sound too comfortable to me, but he wears them just the same. His steel toe boots lace up around his ankles for support, and the steel toe gives protection, of course, for his toes...in case, I ask him to carry something of substantial weight that just might land on his foot. That is why I don't have to wear them, thank you! I prefer a peep toe.

After our visit to the flea market, we drove the back roads of North Texas

on a search for...rocks! Heavy rocks! Steel toe boot rocks!

Rocks for landscaping!

On our way, we also found wild iris growing along side the country roads...

that are now adorning my our landscape.

Wasn't my heavy rock carrying husband smart to wear steel toe boots yesterday? Arming yourself with protection...sporting steel toe boots and carrying a walking stick to ~~shoe~~ shoo away the wild...

that is when you're chicken...peep, peep. I might have been able to Hush Puppies, but maybe I need to smother the chicken and throw that chicken in a pot and make a pie... Sunday Dinner recipes....

Smothered Chicken

8 chicken breasts or chicken breast strips
3-4 T flour
3-4 cups of chicken stock
1-2 sticks of butter

Melt one stick of butter in large skillet (you may need to add more if butter cooks away). Salt chicken and brown in skillet. Remove chicken and place in 9X13casserole dish. Brown 3-4 T flour in chicken drippings. Add 3-4 cups chicken broth. Bring to a simmer until it thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Pour gravy over chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 2 hours.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 cans cream of potato soup
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups cooked cut up vegetables (frozen vegetables work great)
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 pkg. refrigerated biscuits

In 9X13 baking dish, mix soup, milk, thyme, pepper, vegetables and chicken. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Stir. Arrange biscuits over chicken mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

I'm not sure that will take care of the chicken...peep,peep...in me, but it makes for good eatin'!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Hush Puppies, the Original

2009-04-16T18:05:00.009-05:00

Earlier this week, I had quite a scare! As I was sitting in our family room folding freshly laundered towels, I was startled by a scratching and thumping on the window pane directly behind me. Curiosity pried me from my laundry duties to see what the commotion was about. As I peered out our backdoor, I saw what appeared to be a young squirrel, crawling on the window screen. I proceeded out the backdoor onto the deck to ~~shoe~~ shoo it away. Apparently, it was not frightened by me, but only scurried over to the water spout. I walked off the deck in the direction of the spout for it only to run under the blooming in pink Indian Hawthorne bushes.

At least he was off of the screen, scratching, thumping, and distracting me from my laundry...a distraction from laundry is always welcome. Walking back onto the deck, I realized that the backdoor was slightly open and as I walked inside, I saw....

a rascally, ~~rabbit~~ squirrel staring me in the face...in our game room. From the picture you can see some of the games in that room...sewing machine and ironing board. I jumped (my heart is jumping now just writing about it) and screamed, causing him to run for shelter. Leaving the backdoor ajar, I quickly returned to the family room shutting the glass door that separates the two rooms to keep him from entering the rest of the house. I even stuffed a kitchen towel from the laundry basket in the crack below the door...could he squeeze his tiny body through such a small space? What was a girl to do? Call the husband!

After much laughter, my husband assured me that it would be found and returned outside when he got home from work....so glad that he was not in Russia, Saudi, Singapore, or some other far away land. Did I need to watch until he came home to see if the squirrel left on his own accord?

Heart, be still! I must conquer fear! I circled the house and entered that room from the deck with a handy dandy walking stick, in case, I needed some sort of weapon. Weak in the knees, I entered the room and rattled a few things around hoping he would make a run for it. That rascal was hiding behind an antique trunk. I was able to ~~shoe~~ shoo him from behind it, but he ran behind the sewing machine. I was on the attack again. He ran under the couch, across the floor, and out the door. Mission accomplished. Squirrel gone...fear faced!

Fear was a part of my identity for many years. I was the object of many pranks when "friends" found out the reaction I would have when faced with a furry animal...real or not. ~~Kids~~ People can be so cruel sometimes. I spent over 40 years, literally, scared, out of my wits, of dogs....or just about any living creature that had fur. My childhood memory fails me, but I'm told that my dad gave me a wind up toy puppy that barked, jumped, and turned flips. It is suspected that was the beginning of my fear of furry animals.

When my youngest son turned 11 years old, there was nothing he wanted more for his birthday than a puppy. I had ignored the request for quite a while. I just couldn't face my fear knowing that I would need to help him with the care of a puppy. What was I going to do while he was at school? How would I teach him to care for a furry puppy? Why would I want to do this to myself?

What was a girl to do? I gave in, out of love, but I have to tell you... I was scared. My fear was real! This cute, little, furry puppy quickly became the object of every one's affection except me. I could not face it! I could not touch it! I could not! I would not!

Cookies 'n Cream...Cookie, for short...was a black and white beagle that never howled but she sure knew how to get underfoot. One morning as my husband was giving me an embrace before leaving for work, Cookie got under my feet, quickly sending me to my husband's shoulders...literally...my feet on his shoulders. He didn't know that I could move that fast nor climb that high. He could feel my heart beating. He could see that my fear was real. It wasn't a joke, it was no longer funny. He felt my fear. He understood. He knew. Miraculously, my fear was taken away. Really! No one had ever really understood how fear consumed me. Fear of furry animals is no longer a part of my identity. I am free!

Except momentarily when I saw....

after all, that furry animal is wild, could carry rabies, could bite, could...but I faced my fear ~~rationally~~. Later that evening, when I was washing my face....would you call that laundry?...I pulled the towel from my face to see my husband with a squirrel sitting on his shoulder...a Beanie Baby squirrel. Once again I jumped and he laughed...and, yes, I laughed, too!

There are other fears in my life that have been hushed, but I reserve the right to revisit Hush Puppies another time. One fear at a time, one post at a time.

What are your fears? We all have them. Do you need to ~~Hush Puppies~~ face your fears, too?

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Sometimes a Piece of Furniture is Better Than a Pair of Shoes

2009-04-12T20:50:00.026-05:00

Early this morning as I made the final preparations for our Easter dinner, I remembered why I don't make cream pies any more. Beginning with the crust...I made three after I was not happy with the first, but decided that the first was not so bad after all. Then, the cream filling...not difficult, but the name of the game is stirring which means standing until the cream thickens...long process that requires patience and a good pair of shoes. Last, the meringue....let me tell you, today that was fun!

I just might make more cream pies just to make the meringue. Sugar cookies might even appear on next year's menu so I can make Sugar Cookie Icing

As I sit down this evening resting my weary feet on my ottoman, I can't help but thank my God for family today. Our family gathering in celebration of Easter was one of food, laughter, games, hunting eggs, outdoor fun when the sun finally came out, and missing those who could not be with us. It was a great day even though it started out gloomy and rainy, the clouds soon rolled away and the sun broke through. What a beautiful picture....a reminder of the gloomy day when the stone rolled way, and the Son broke through on that first Easter.

Both, my sister and I added to our original Easter menu , but that is no big surprise. We're not afraid our family will go hungry, we just ~~get into the swing of cooking~~ remember some family favorites, run across extra recipes, or impulse buying at the grocery store adds to our ~~written in stone~~ menu. We added...

Baked Squash Casserole
Fresh Asparagus
Marinated Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrot Salad
Relish Tray

There was enough to feed ~~the five thousand~~ all of us with lots of leftovers for all to take home....then the clean up began....wait just a minute...all the lucky people had departed and those with the pots were left ~~holding~~ cleaning them...."pot luck" dinner.

My daughter's recipe for The World's Best Baked Beans was a hit and my niece came through with a cute as a button cake....

Right now, this ottoman is better than any old pair of shoes, but I would do it all over again tomorrow, if that meant....food, laughter, games, hunting eggs, outdoor fun, and family!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

White Patent Leather and Easter Bonnets

2009-04-10T07:32:00.011-05:00

The rule of thumb was....you don't wear white shoes before Easter or after Labor Day. I'm not sure that rule still applies. I have an aversion for white shoes... remember....black and brown. I prefer color over white, but when Easter rolls around my mind recalls the sight and scent of white patent leather. You may ask...scent? Patent leather has a scent or maybe it's the product used to remove the black marks. Walking around for only minutes would result in little scuff marks on the pristine white patent leather. If an eraser was used, it removed some of the patent, so on to Vaseline or WD40 to remove those pesky signs of wear. Do you understand why I think patent leather has a scent?

Easter reminds me many aromas like the first orchid I received one Easter when I was in the sixth grade. It was my first...from a boy...his family owned the local florist. Candy Easter eggs...the ones with a hard shell and a soft white filling....the red ones were my favorite until red dye was banned. Fresh green grass with a slight dew...Easter eggs hiding beneath its blades. Sugar cookies in the oven shaped like eggs to be iced with a special icing and then there is the smell of a burning mixer because the icing is too thick for a hand-held...I need a KitchenAid. I cannot forget to mention the wonderful aroma of traditional foods associated with a grand Easter meal shared with our large family.

We will be converging on my sister's house for Easter dinner on Sunday. We have a pot luck type dinner...the family has all the luck...my sister and I have all the pots. How about a taste of our Easter menu?

Hickory Smoked Ham
Potato Salad
Baked Beans
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Macaroni and Cheese
Mexi-Corn Salad
Lime Jello Salad
Tossed Green Salad
Seasonal Fruit
Deviled Eggs
Dinner Rolls
Cheesecake Tarts
Pink Lemonade Pie
Peach Cobbler
Pineapple Cream Pie

My mother is famous for her Chocolate and Coconut Cream pies, so never fear, she will be adding those to the fare. My niece has been taking a cake decorating class so I hear that we will be blessed with one of her creations, too. If you have a KitchenAid...I need one...and want to join us, then make some sugar cookies iced with this...

Sugar Cookie Icing

2 lbs. powdered sugar
6 T. milk
6 T. Karo syrup

Combine ingredients. Mix at low speed...WARNING! Do not use a hand-held mixer unless you are ready to buy another one. This is very thick.

...that is if you don't think we will have enough sweets. There are so many of us, we'll just think you're family.

My sister heard that my daughter has a good recipe for Baked Beans, so she asked for it. This is it....

The World's Best Baked Beans

1 trip to Wal-Mart
approximately 100 steps to the canned goods aisle
2 hands to pick up multiple cans of Bush's baked beans (I prefer the regular...nothing special)

Preparations:
Take can opener (not Geggy's...I can come over if you need help opening the cans) and open each can
Empty the cans into a 9X13 Pyrex dish
Cook in the oven for a little while at 350
Take out of oven and enjoy!!!!

Easter...white patent leather shoes...Easter bonnets...baskets...egg hunts...but most important....celebration of our risen Lord!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Putting Away the Go-Go Boots

2009-04-05T21:40:00.012-05:00

Go-Go boots were all the rage in the 60's...made of white patent leather, fitting the shape of the leg tightly with a low heel and a rounded toe. Sounds attractive? Well, that is about how I have looked all week! It has been a busy one to say the least...really been on the "go-go" with lots of bad hair days...it has been a windy start to April and when you are the one on the "go-go", it just might send you into a rage.

My husband is usually the one on the "go-go" with world traveling, but he had a reprieve this week. He spent his birthday at home for the first time in several years, so we celebrated with a new Sunday Dinner recipe and a new variation of his favorite cake. Can you guess the flavor if I give you a hint? He couldn't tell from the icing,

so I gave him this hint....old people salad, double nutty, upside down, citrus cake. We love to challenge each other with a play on words. Can you tell? Give up? Carrot cake with raisins (~~old people salad~~ carrot and raisin salad), coconut and pecans (double nutty), pineapple (upside down cake), and a twist of orange (citrus).

He said that there were so many flavors to explore that it almost wasn't carrot cake. Maybe I will be more traditional next year or maybe...Carrot Cake Cake Balls.

Sunday Dinner recipes are from around the world (not really, the names just sound that way) since on the "go-go" around the world is where my husband can usually can be found.

Spaghetti D'Amore

I lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can tomato soup
1 cup grated cheese
8 oz. spaghetti cooked and drained

Lightly brown meat, onion, bell pepper. Add soups and one can of water. Heat. Add half of the cheese, then the spaghetti and combine thoroughly. Put into a 9X13 baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Swiss Chicken

6 chicken breasts
6 slices of Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup white wine
Pepperidge Farm Stuffing mix
1 stick of butter, melted

Spray 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray. Place chicken in dish. Lay a slice of cheese on each breast. Combine soup and wine. Pour over top of chicken. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top of soup mixture. Drizzle butter over top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Ultimate Carrot Cake

1 box carrot cake mix
1/2 cup orange juice or water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple in juice, do not drain
1 tsp. orange peel (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 chopped raisins (I would leave these out next time)

Grease and flour 2 9in. round cake pans. In large bowl, combine cake mix, orange juice or water, oil, pineapple with juice, orange peel (opt.), vanilla, and eggs Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in nuts, coconut and raisins. Pour into pans. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pans to cooling racks and cool for about 1 hour. Frost with one can of cream cheese frosting (1 tsp. of orange peel can be added to frosting)

I'll put away those Go-Go boots this week, but since it is April, I may have to get out my galoshes!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

These Boots Are Made for Walking, and That's Just What They'll Do

2009-04-04T21:08:00.016-05:00

...one of these days, these boots are gonna walk all over you!....And that is just what they did today, only it wasn't boots, it was my trusty, light-weight, New Balance 442...beginning to show their wear...

They made me light on my feet as I walked all over Canton First Monday Trade Days! Once again, it was time for a trip to my favorite spot! Shopping, shopping, and more shopping! Tired feet, tired feet, and more tired feet....but oh, so worth it!

Our challenge or so we thought was to find a milk can for my niece to make a birdbath for her backyard like this one at my house that attracts red robins for splish, splashin' Saturday night baths.

Did I say challenge? It was as though every vendor knew just what we were looking for! Milk cans were every where we turned....big ones, small ones, short ones, tall ones! We accomplished this goal without even thinking about it.

Canton has so much to see and so much to ~~consider~~ buy like Tupperware (FridgeSmart Keepers are the best), plants and beautiful flowers, antiques, and jewelry.

Yes, daughter of mine, that is an A.

I also got some great deals on some project items that I will share before and after photos as I complete them. But for now, here is yesterday's Friday Fun makeover...

Before....

During....

After....

Oh, how glad I am that I did that makeover yesterday because now my project list has grown and besides that I ~~am exhausted~~ can't wait to finish another one so that I am ready for next month's trip to...you know where for more shopping for more projects and more great deals.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Huaraches Are Back!

2009-03-29T14:20:00.008-05:00

Who would have guessed that cold weather would be back in Texas so close to the first of April? I guess the weathermen would have guessed, since that is what they do in Texas....guess. I can't hardly blame them because I have lived here all my life and the weather always keeps me guessing. On Friday, while running errands, I experienced so many different weather anomalies...sprinkles of rain...downpours of rain...bright, sunny skies...cloudy with a cold wind.....jacket on, jacket off, umbrella up, umbrella down, umbrella blowing away. Who would have guessed?

Who would have guessed, but huaraches are back? Years ago, I knew a young lady that wore Huaraches all of the time. In fact, I don't think I ever saw her in any other pair of shoes. She loved them...maybe for her they were like flipflops to me. Huaraches are a Mexican sandal of sorts, made of woven skinny straps of leather. Until the leather was broken in, huaraches pinched my toes and squeaked a little, but soon my feet felt barefoot, but better because, you know, I am never barefoot. Huaraches are making a come back....and they come in lots of colors!

I'm not sure if I will wear huaraches in this cold weather or even at all, but I will eat Mexican food ~~when it is cold~~ anytime. Sunday Dinner recipes might just warm you up on a cold day or not so cold day or just taste good anytime.

Nacho Chicken

1 bag (7 oz) Nacho Flavored Doritoes
1 onion, chopped
2 cups cooked chopped chicken (that's a tongue twister)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes and green chiles
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Crush chips and put in the bottom of 3 qt. glass baking dish. Mix onion, chicken, soup, Rotel, and broth. Pour over chips and top with cheese. Bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes.

Chili Con Carne

1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 lbs. ground beef
2 cans Ro-tel tomatoes and green chiles
2 cans pinto beans
2 packages McCormick Chili mix
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and bell pepper in butter. Salt and pepper. Brown beef in same large deep pan. Add Chili mix. Add Ro-tel, diced tomatoes, and pinto beans. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Since all things Mexican are on the table, pecan pralines will top it off.

Microwave Pecan Pralines

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
2/3 cup whipping cream
1/8 cup butter
dash of salt
1 1/2 cup pecans

Mix all ingredients in a glass bowl. Microwave on high for 7-9 minutes. Let it set for 1 minute. Add pecans. Stir until thick, drop by spoonfuls on wax paper.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Penny Loafers for a Dime

2009-03-22T14:58:00.005-05:00

This past week I was reminded by a friend that I don't know the meaning of vacation or rest. That is not totally true...we just have different perceptions. I do rest, although probably not enough and I do take vacations, although probably not enough. I enjoy being busy...well, maybe enjoy is a strong word, but I do like to be busy. You know, idle hands is the devil's workshop. I don't want to have anything to do with him. I am not a loafer of any kind.

When I was young, I thought I was so special when I was old enough to have penny loafers...a little brown slip on shoe with a little slot in the band across the toe just large enough to hold a penny. I couldn't understand why teenagers had penny loafers that were for a dime. Why would anyone put a dime in a penny loafer? Didn't make sense to me until I found out that the dime was for emergency phone calls. That was the day when pay phones took a dime and cell phones were futuristic....wow, how things change.

After returning from a short trip earlier this week, I didn't want to get caught loafing around, so we did a little yard work yesterday. Take a look...

Before....

After....

Loafing? Not me! Except for Sunday Dinner recipes that are loafers of a sort, not the penny or dime kind, but don't require much work. I have better fish to fry than to be in the kitchen for long.

Grandma Miller's Moist Meatloaf

2 lb. lean ground beef
1 large egg
20-25 Saltine crackers, crushed
1 onion, chopped or 1 tsp. onion powder
1 small can tomato sauce + 1/2 can of water
2 tsp. salt
dash of Tabasco sauce

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours. This recipe can also be used to stuff bell peppers.

Hobo Dinner

1/4 lb ground beef
1 potato, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 thick slice of onion
salt and pepper to taste

Shape beef into a patty and place on large square of heavy duty foil. Place vegetables on top of patty. Salt and pepper. Wrap and seal all ingredients in foil. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. This is for one serving, so you better make more.

After keeping our hands busy in the front flowerbeds, we did enjoy a little idleness as we watched this robin taking a bath...

after all it was Saturday evening!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Daddy's Shoes Don't Fit or Do They?

2009-03-21T20:36:00.009-05:00

It was always difficult to buy my Daddy a gift...birthday, Christmas, or Father's Day...unless he needed a new Bible. Every time I asked him what he wanted, I always got the same answer..."for you to be happy"! That is all he ever wanted for anyone that he loved and he loved a lot of people. He wanted everyone to be happy here on earth, but also experience eternal happiness...to accept Jesus as their personal Savior. He shared Jesus with every one that he met. He shared Jesus with his hands because he was always helping someone, with his voice whether singing gospel tunes or speaking most gentle words, with his money as he gave to the church, and with his heart as he loved all people.

Daddy was a simple man. He really never needed much. When he needed a new suit, he usually bought two...one black, dark gray, or navy and the other some shade of brown. When he needed new shoes, he bought two pair just alike...one pair in black and one pair in brown, 8 1/2 D...which he so proudly and much to my embarrassment would wear even with his plaid Bermuda shorts and dress socks.

As I thought about Daddy today, I wondered how much I was like him. Do I share Jesus everyday with everyone that I meet with my hands, with my voice, with my money, with my heart? Do I really need more? Is my greatest desire "for others to be happy"? Do I buy shoes just alike...one pair in black and one pair in brown? You be the judge....

Today would have been another day to ask Daddy what he wanted for his birthday...he would have been 90 years old today and he would have said...."for you to be happy". On this day, Daddy has the best gift of all...he sits with Jesus on his birthday and he is happy!

I remember what I was doing on March 21, 1978 as I deliberated over what to give my Daddy for his birthday that year. Our family was meeting for dinner that evening to celebrate his 59th birthday. I was folding towels (yellow ones...not sure how I remember that) on a bright sunny afternoon. He had given me no clues as to what he wanted...same old, same old response..."for you to be happy". I had only a few hours to make a decision and purchase a gift.

I was only 11 days past the due date for my first child. On that day in 1978 when my Daddy turned 59, I gave him a gift that no one else had given him....a grandchild born on his birthday. I gave him just what he wanted..."for me to be happy". It was a happy day...a happy birthday for two men in my life...my Daddy and my firstborn son.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

From Blue Suede to Horseshoes

2009-03-20T21:28:00.014-05:00

I began the week wearing my imaginery blue suede shoes on our way to Memphis or should I say just south of there, but before long I was looking all over for horseshoes. Why?...I like a puzzle...a hunt...a mission! I have always wanted to do it all by myself! No hints, no "you're getting warmer", no "let me help you"! The greatest part of a puzzle is the process, not necessarily the finished product. Oh, there is always satisfaction when all is said and done, but the process...what joy, what excitement!

So we were on the hunt! Germantown, a lovely suburb on the east side of Memphis, is an inevitable destination any time I visit my daughter that lives just south of Memphis. We always have a ~~need~~ desire to visit Hobby Lobby that is located in beautiful Germantown. As we made our way across town, I became fascinated with the painted horses that adorn the corners, intersections and remote hiding places of Germantown. It was like looking for Waldo. As we turned each ~~page~~ corner, our eyes searched for yet another painted horse.

There is a gift horse....

...a mirrored horse...

...a music horse...

...a flowered horse...

...and a horse in a horse...

From what I understand there are 21 horses in all that were auctioned off for charity and placed in locations to be enjoyed by many. I certainly did...the hunt kept our eyes open and our car making U-turns on a dime when a horse was sighted. Who would have thought that a trip to Hobby Lobby would have given so much enjoyment? Well, every trip to Hobby Lobby brings enjoyment, especially those 80% off aisles!

Before we returned to Texas, there was some landscaping to do...

another trip to Hobby Lobby for these...

and one more chance to wear my imaginary blue suede shoes...a photo moment at Graceland...

...and as always, I can't wait to go back for a visit and a meal at Cafe 51 (as good as Sunday Dinners).

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

I 'm Wearing Blue Suede Shoes

2009-03-15T07:02:00.007-05:00

Well, its one for the money,
Two for the show,
Three to get ready,
Now go, cat, go.

It is Spring Break in our neck of the woods! I don't have children in school any more, but I still take Spring Break! Habit, I guess...but not a bad habit! Spring Break means that these wheels won't be delivering Sunday Dinners this week...it's hard to cook when you are on the go! I'll let you know soon where I'm wearing my blue suede shoes. Any guesses? Not fair if you already know!

Instead of Sunday Dinner recipes, I will share some fun recipes with you. My sister likes to bake, makes it look so easy, and I love to enjoy the results. If you like to bake or like to eat ~~sweets~~ baked goods, then these recipes are for you! Enjoy!

Pecan Lemon Loaf

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped pecans
1 T. grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice

Cream butter and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs, mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, salt Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Fold in pecans and lemon peel. Transfer to 9X5X3 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. In a small saucepan, combine lemon juice and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour over warm cake. Cool completely before removing from pan.

Strawberry Jello Cake Squares

2 pkgs. strawberry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 cup cold water
1 12 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries
1 purchased Angel Food Cake
Cool Whip

Dissolve jello with boiling water. Add strawberries. Pour into 9X13 glass dish. Pinch up (purchased) Angel Food cake and press in to jello mixture. Refrigerate until set. Cut in squares and top with a dollop of Cool Whip.

Cake Balls

1 cake mix, baked according to pkg. directions
1 can icing, flavor to compliment cake mix
32 oz. white or chocolate almond bark

Bake cake and allow to cool 10-15 minutes. While still warm, break cake up and mix in icing. Roll the cake/icing mixture into 1 1/2 balls, placing them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze the balls about an hour. (If you don't do this, you will have a mushy mess when it is time to dip them.) Melt the almond bark according to pkg. directions. Dip each cake ball in melted almond bark and place on wax paper to set. Before almond bark sets, sprinkles can be added for decoration. This makes about 50 cake balls...so definitely for a crowd.

The crowd pleaser at our house is....German chocolate cake with coconut pecan icing, dipped in chocolate bark. Other suggestions....Red Velvet cake with cream cheese icing dipped in white...Lemon cake with lemon icing dipped in white...Orange cake with orange icing dipped in chocolate. What would be your favorite?

Spring Break will be over way to soon and I will be packing away my blue suede shoes before I am ready...but you can enjoy Spring Break with some baking!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Barbie Shoes Are Painful

2009-03-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

It came to my attention this morning that Barbie is now 50 years old. Yes, Barbie hit the shelves on March 9, 1959. She cost a mere $3.00. That may not seem like much, but in 1959, my mother's grocery bill for a week was not much more than $3.00. When I was a child, I wondered why Barbie's feet were shaped in such a manner. I have decided that if my feet were shaped like hers, then they wouldn't hurt so much after a few hours in Barbie shoes like mine.

I've only worn them a couple of times and shhhh....even parked in the "parents of preschoolers" parking lot at church just so I didn't have to walk so far. There was an empty space and I was late...so tell me that you wouldn't have done the same if you were wearing these.

Notice the single strap across the toes...nothing to really hold them on except the grip of my toes. They are hard to keep on! Barbie's shoes were too, come to think of it.

I did not receive a Barbie for my birthday 1959 like so many other young girls did. My parents probably thought I was too young (they were right), it was a pricey gift (they were right), but what I did receive is worth so much more (they were right).

We made a move from one small North Texas town to another small North Texas town that sits in the shadow of a large North Texas City on my birthday in 1959. I spent the day with my aunt and cousins while our furniture and all of our belongings were transported to a new place to call home. It was on that day that I received this...

I love the pictures in this small Bible....Noah standing at the bow of the ark, David slinging stones at the giant, Goliath, and Jesus healing the sick. I even took the opportunity to add some of my own artwork, or maybe that was my little brother that did that....yeah...that's the story.

I collect old Bibles....my favorites.... my great-grandfather's teaching Bible and my dad's Bible filled with his comments. It is no surprise that this one is still around except for the fact that I sent it with my son as he left on an adventure when he was 19 years old. It was a ~~Barbie shoe~~ painful adventure for me...and a learning experience for both of us.

It was so hard to say goodbye to my child especially when I wasn't sure that he was being wise. But what do you do when you are out of control....you pray, pray, and (let them know you) pray for them. I sent that precious Bible wrapped in a gold ribbon with him...telling him to read John 3:16 if he needed help, was hungry, or was lonely. I also told him that I wanted that Bible to be returned...it was only on loan. I sent a piece of me with him and I knew that if I received it back he had returned also. I was in pain. Yep, it felt like those Barbie shoes. Holding on with a strong toe-grip, I wanted to park close to my son.

Over the next few months while my son adventured his way to the ski slopes of Colorado to find work (and enjoy the snow), I had to give up my worry and pray. Don't you do that, too? When all else fails, pray! Not only was my son on an adventure, so was I. I was being stretched (painful, oh, how painful) and required to depend on God to take care of him. My firstborn was now in His hands.

The call came one evening...he was out of money, he was hungry, and all alone. I almost cried...well, I did cry! My son had no money, was hungry and lonely. I asked him if he had read my Bible...read John 3:16. He replied that he didn't think that would do much good, but he agreed to return to his condo and do as I said. Later that evening he called again to say "Thank you".

Before I tied the gold ribbon, I placed a $20 bill in the pages of that tiny Bible. I had read a story in Reader's Digest long before the birth of my firstborn about a mom that had sent her son off to college with a Bible bearing a $10 bill hidden in its pages (I thought about inflation and decided on $20). So I take no credit for the idea, but I was prompted by the memory of that story. God has ways of using unlikely situations to do His work and take away my pain.

My son returned home, I got my Bible back, and I learned a valuable lesson....Pray, Pray, and (let them know you) Pray for them!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

There Was an Old Woman That Lived in a Shoe...

2009-03-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

...she had so many children, she didn't know what to do.

Five boys and one girl with two parents all in one ~~shoe~~ house for the summer. With so many mouths to feed, I often didn't know what to do. I found it much easier to plan out the eight weeks of summer meals for "Eight is Enough" or "The Brady Bunch". It is called "Survivor".

I am not sure if my mother ever made a menu for the week much less for eight weeks. She could go into any kitchen and come out with a meal to feed many. Now I am not saying that it would have pleased the eye of a home economics teacher, but it was always good. My mother could cook. I say could....she still can, just out of practice. All of this to say, I had no example of meal planning, so I was on my own to discover how to feed the 5,000, well, not really 5,000, but it felt like it.

I set out to make menus by relying on my trusty recipe card file started when I was in high school home economics...thank you, Miss Parrish. I searched through the many church cookbooks on the shelf....thank you ladies! I wrote every activity for the children on a calendar and planned meals to fit the schedule. I even went so far as to make a shopping list for each week. With spiral notebook in hand containing my menus, recipes, and shopping lists for the entire summer, I was ready when summer arrived.

I found that spiral notebook not too long ago. My kids thought that it was so funny that I put in so much effort and kept it. They even found the grocery store receipts that proved it could be done...I fed our family of 8 for about $100 a week. All I can say is that my life was easier in our ~~shoe~~ house.

You might expect that today's Sunday Dinner recipes would come from my summer menus of 1997, but no! That summer was full of hot dogs, hamburgers, spaghetti and lots of repeats, but it kept me from going wacky! These are better anyway...and still feed ~~the 5,000~~ many....

More Please!

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2 onions, chopped
1 1/2 c. spaghetti, broken
1 large can tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 small can ripe olives, drained and chopped
1 1/2 lb. Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400.

Cook 1 1/2 c. spaghetti according to package directions. Brown meat and onion. Mix spaghetti, meat, onion, tomatoes, olives and cheese together. Pour into 9X13 lightly greased baking dish. Bake uncovered 30 minutes. additional cheese can be added on top the last 5 minutes of baking.

Country Style Pork Ribs

Large package of Country Style Pork Ribs
Your favorite BBQ sauce

Place ribs in a crockpot. Cover with water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on low overnight until tender (falling off the bone or fork tender if you have boneless)
Remove ribs (discard liquid) from the crock pot and place in 9X13 baking dish. Cover with BBQ sauce and foil. Heat in oven until sauce is hot and has penetrated ribs.

How about an easy treat? You probably have the ingredients right in your kitchen! No planning needed and you won't go wacky!

Wacky Cake

In a 9X13 cake pan, put:

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3 T. cocoa
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together with spatula. Make 3 holes in the mixture. In the first hole put 1 tsp. vanilla. In the second hole, put 6 T. vegetable oil, In the third hole, put 1 T. vinegar. Pour 1 cup of water over all ingredients and mix well. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Wacky Cake Icing

5 minutes before cake is done, bring to a boil 2 tsp. vanilla, 1 stick of butter, 6 T. milk, and 4 T. cocoa. Pour over 1 box (16oz.) of powdered sugar. Mix and pour over hot cake. Serve with vanilla or pumpkin ice cream (if you can find it).

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Gardening Gloves and Crocs

2009-03-06T20:27:00.009-06:00

Friday Fun is what I call Fridays. Typically, I am finished with my contract work and enjoy doing something fun on Friday. What do I call fun? Not the usual day of entertainment or leisure, but a day of beginning or ending a special project. There should be a crown that sits upon my head on Friday because I am the "project queen". I love projects and look forward to some extra hours working on refinishing furniture, reupholstering an old chair...the $5 type, painting...walls or some wonderful Canton find, quilting, or creating a one of a kind object d'art.

I had been looking forward to this Friday for several weeks. I had not had a Friday Fun day in a while so last night as I crawled into bed, I made a list of things that I would like to do. This morning as I enjoyed my coffee, I realized what a beautiful day was ahead. Many things on my list could be done outside so I planned my day accordingly. Before the "good to the last drop" was just a memory, so was my list...just a memory.

I was compelled to put on my yard work clothes and venture to the flowerbeds out front to do a little spring cleaning. The daffodils are blooming...

...and various perennial plants are showing signs of life. I put on my gardening gloves and crocs, drug out the pruning shears, rake, and spade...ready to cause some major ~~damage~~ repair to the ravages left by winter, if that is what you call December to February in Texas.

I trimmed lantana, yanked out overgrown monkey grass, and cleaned out dry, crackling leaves from flowerbeds. Then I raked and raked and raked some more. I think the leaves were multiplying with each stroke of the rake. It was while I was raking those leaves that I realized why I was so compelled to work in the yard on a Friday Fun day. God wanted to show me something.

Recently there have been many questions raised about kids today from family members and friends alike. Mostly about grown (still maturing) children. They have so much to learn. I would never want to return to my 20's. What am I saying? I would return, if I could take with me the knowledge and experience I have now.

Working in the yard is good therapy! I had lots to think through and lots of talking to God to do. I needed some answers...a word...a picture...something I could hold on to...and I got it.

It was while raking leaves that I watched the wind work with me and against me. I was raking and trying to keep a handle on the wayward leaves. That is when I looked across the yard to see leaves swirling in every direction...being guided by the wind to and fro...sometimes coming toward me and all of a sudden changing direction. As the wind would die down, the leaves would find a place to land on the still brown grass.

Young adult children (yes, they are always our children) can be just like those leaves. They are being tossed to and fro, swirling around, trying to find a place to land. As parents, we try our best to do our part when our children are under our roof...to give guidance, to be a good example, to give boundaries and set limits, to teach, to discipline...but the wind blows and it will blow!

We must watch (and it is not Friday Fun) as they swirl around, giving guidance when asked, standing firm in our values, and praying, praying, (letting them know you are) praying that the landing is on target.

Here it is...a word...a picture...something to hold on to.... It is in the swirling, that our children (and so do we) gain knowledge and experience.

Are you ready...will you be ready...when the wind blows and the swirling begins?

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Company's Coming and the Lights Are Out!

2009-03-01T08:49:00.000-06:00

Sometimes when the doorbell rings, don't you just want to turn out the lights and pretend that no one's home? Maybe I am alone in this, but sometimes home just has to be home....not necessarily company ready. Oh, I've heard lots of hints for a company ready home such as how to pick up quickly by running through the house with a laundry basket to stow away all the clutter, toys, and shoes...there's never any clutter at my house, not mine.

Company comes knocking when we aren't always ready. Every time I change a light bulb, I think of a time that company came knocking at my door. I was a young mom of two, 6 and 3. One Saturday evening, we had settled in, baths had been given, children were dressed in PJs, clothes were laid out for church the next morning, and pink sponge rollers hung from blonde locks...yes, yours...daughter of mine. We were not at all expecting company, but yet there was a knock on the door.

Hurry, turn out the lights...no that won't work, most of them were already out. Grab the basket...no it won't all fit. Face the music...and open the door.

We had recently visited a new church and the welcoming committee was standing at our door....on a Saturday evening. Here we were in all of our glory. They had friendly faces. Oh my goodness, what they must have thought!

Greetings were shared and they were asked to be seated. I began turning switches on lamps only to find that everyone of them in our humble living room were...yes, you guessed it...burned out and not an extra one to be found. Every other room had ceiling fixtures and the ladder was in the garage. Imagine...toting a ladder through the house to retrieve a light bulb from a ceiling fixture in a bedroom or hallway. Next best thing was to invite them into our newly renovated "family room"....a one car garage conversion. The only furniture in that new room was a pair of Lazyboy recliners and a couple of child-size bean bag chairs. Remember, we weren't expecting company and I had not quickly filled a laundry basket with toys and shoes to stow away!

I guess I could have claimed...we are ahead of our time in going green and saving energy...or...we like watching our children running around in their light up tennis shoes...or...oh, never mind!

I was mortified and embarrassed beyond belief. Smiling faces that I did not know were sitting in my semi-dark house, dodging shoes and toys, and sitting on the only two chairs available. They looked like the king and queen sitting on their thrones and we were their subjects.

Needless to say, I had difficulty stepping foot in that church the next morning, but I did. We arrived early enough to attend Sunday School...dressed in our finest and our hair out of rollers. We were escorted to the children's area to drop off the children. Wouldn't you know that the lady that greeted my daughter was...the same one that visited our home the night before? She had the same smiling face as if she never noticed the lack of light bulbs or the abundance of toys and shoes on the floor of my house. I will be forever grateful to that sweet lady not only for overlooking what I now know are the little things in life, but for teaching my daughter "Trust and Obey".

Light bulb moment...As I think of the words to this old hymn, I know how she was able to overlook the lack of light in my home.....she was carrying His light.

Trust and Obey

When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will
He abides with us still
And with all who will trust and obey.

It has been 25 years since that knock was heard throughout my home. Now, extra light bulbs have a special place for easy retrieval. If by chance, you come by my house, the lights won't be out, toys have been stored away in the attic, and the shoes are in clear plastic boxes, so come on in, stay awhile, and I will serve you a dose of His light and perhaps one of today's Sunday Dinner recipes... Company Chicken or Poor Man's Beef ~~LightsOff~~ Stroganoff

Company Chicken

1 jar Hormel dried beef
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2-3 cans cream of chicken mushroom soup (less sodium is best)
1 8 oz. sour cream

Line 9X13 baking dish with dried beef. Place chicken breasts over beef. Mix mushroom soup and sour cream. Spoon over chicken. Cover and bake at 325 for 3 hours. Serve over rice.

Poor Man's Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. ground beef
3 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 1/2 T. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
Dash of pepper
1 can mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream

Brown beef and bacon. Add onion. Spoon off grease. Blend flour and seasonings into meat mixture. Combine soup and milk. Add to meat mixture. Cook uncovered 15-20 minutes. Stir in sour cream continuing to cook until sour cream is heated. Serve over extra wide egg noodles prepared according to package directions.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

A Favorite Pair of Houseshoes

2009-02-22T07:45:00.014-06:00

I'm thinking spring! Tiny blossoms are showing up!

Shades of brown are being replaced with shades of green...

...and bursts of color...

...add life to spring!

As each season opens its door, I get excited. There is a season for everything. Summer brings thoughts of cool water, hot sun, tank tops, and lemonade. Autumn reminds me of gentle breezes, falling leaves, pumpkins, and new pencils. Winter.....quilts, fireplaces, flannel PJs, and breakfast.

When I was teaching preschool, we celebrated several special treat days each year. My favorite was when our lesson plans included Pajama Day. We spent the day reading bedtime stories, talking about day and night, and eating biscuits with jelly for snack. I have to admit that the first time wearing PJ's to school was a little uncomfortable, but when I saw the delight in the eyes of my little ones as they saw me in my flannel PJ's and silly houseshoes,.... I relaxed. They were just as excited to show off their slippers like Mommy's or the cartoon character that sat upon their little toes.

I love breakfast for the evening meal in winter. So before spring takes over, I will put on my favorite pair of houseshoes, my flannel PJ's and enjoy breakfast at 6 PM rather than 6 AM. These Sunday Dinner recipes are just perfect for a casual evening meal as winter fades and spring marches in.

Breakfast Pizza

1 8oz can crescent rolls
1 lb. hot sausage
1 32 oz bag frozen hash browns w/ onion and peppers
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Unroll crescent rolls and press into bottom and partially up the sides of a greased 9X13 baking dish. Press to seal perforations. Bake at 375 for 5 minutes.

Cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain. Sprinkle over crust. Prepare hash browns according to package directions and spread over sausage. Sprinkle cheese over potatoes. Cover and chill up to 24 hours if desired. Whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until set.

Breakfast Biscuits

16 jumbo buttermilk biscuits
12 eggs
salt
pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon or sausage

Bake biscuits according to package. Mix together eggs, salt, pepper, cheese and meat of choice. Pour egg mixture into greased 9X13 pan or muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 20 or until eggs are set. Let cool. Cut into 16 portions. Slit biscuits and put baked eggs inside.

Each biscuit can be wrapped separately in plastic wrap or wax paper. Place in gallon zip lock bag, ready to freeze. To heat, remove plastic or wax paper from frozen biscuit and wrap in a paper towel. Microwave 1-2 minutes until heated through. English muffins or pancakes could be used instead of biscuits. These are great for a breakfast on the go.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Looking For A Glass Slipper?

2009-02-19T18:20:00.016-06:00

Today's girls are bombarded with images of princesses. The toy aisles are loaded with crowns, ball gowns, even imitation glass slippers. Clothing is appliqued with "Princess" or studded with a crown. Rooms are decorated for the princess within the hearts of our precious daughters and granddaughters. Many of the Disney movies contain a fairy tale princess...Jasmine, Snow White, Belle, Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella, Mulan, Pocahontas, and a new one that I hear will be debuting in 2009...beginning with "Once Upon a Time" and ending with "Happily Ever After". May I suggest that there's more to the story than beginning and end, prince and princess.

Remember with me the story of Cinderella. Cinderella lives with her wicked stepmother and her two stepsisters. She is treated poorly by those who should be her family after the death of her father. Cinderella attends the prince's ball with the help of a fairy godmother, some mice, and a pumpkin. She loses her glass slipper as she hurries home. The prince searches for the owner of the lost glass slipper, finding his princess...Cinderella, they live happily ever after.

Although, the wicked stepmother is only mentioned briefly, she makes a huge impact. Not only on Cinderella, she impacts all of us who have become stepmothers. There is a reputation to uphold or rather overcome. It is expected that we will act much the same as this wicked stepmother. As I accepted my role as stepmother of three boys, I fought the stereotype tooth and nail. I did not want to be, I was not going to be, I would not, I could not be like the wicked stepmother of Cinderella. It was a constant battle within myself. One false move, and the glass slipper could be broken. It was work!

I remember the first summer that the boys visited with us, the first time that I looked like the wicked stepmother over a box of cereal. The youngest was so angry because I kept the cereal on the top shelf...way out of his reach. I served breakfast every morning so I didn't see the need to move it, but he was used to preparing his own breakfast...Mr. Independent! I was blind to his need because I was trying so hard to be a good stepmother...truth be known, I wanted to be the perfect stepmother. I was trying for the impossible, setting myself up for failure.

I could take the lid completely off of this shoebox of glass slippers and give you a real look at my stepmotherhood. I could, but I won't. To be honest, I made many mistakes. Somethings just don't need to be relived...once was enough...I've asked for forgiveness. Through the tough times, I grew just like the boys. We all learned to adjust and learning is a process.

About a year ago, I had the opportunity to get to know this youngest stepson even better as a young adult. We spent many evenings talking into the wee hours of the morning about life issues, not about the placement of a cereal box...sharing from our hearts....well, I guess I shared from my heart and he listened. I was no longer blind to his needs. I have overcome the shadow of the wicked stepmother.

Recently, this same stepson found himself in a "pickle" and it was a "dill"y of a pickle. I was so honored when he confided in me. He knew that I would ask the hard questions, I would be honest with him, and I would love him. I am his stepmother and he cared what I thought. My heart aches for him as it has for my own children finding themselves in difficult situations. I want him to find his "Happily Ever After". I want his dill pickle to become sweet. I want the very best for him.

Did you know that dill pickles can become sweet? I didn't either, until recently. In fact, I would have thought it impossible, but...it can be done. Try it!

Granny's Pickles
recipe of Estelle Polk

1 jar hamburger dill pickles (medium size jar)
½ to 1 Cup sugar (1 or 2 of those Tupperware scoops)

Drain the pickles. Add the sugar to the pickles and shake to mix the sugar with the pickle slices. Keep in the refrigerator and shake every now and then to mix and dissolve the sugar. It makes its own new juice. For best results, make them a day ahead.

My life is sort of like that jar of pickles. Bear with me....the pickle is me...the brine is sin....Jesus drained away my sin....He added the sweet Holy Spirit.... protected from evil, I've definitely been shook up a few times....God surrounded me with His love....and my life became new.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

There's a Hole in My Bucket Shoes

2009-02-17T23:16:00.006-06:00

Have you ever paced the floor and thought you had worn a hole in the sole of your shoes? Have you ever wondered what day it is? Have you ever wondered what time it is? Welcome to my world!

My hardworking, traveling husband was to return from Russia on Sunday, but it is now Tuesday night and still no sign of him. There was a small blizzard (is there really such a thing) in Sakhalin on Sunday.

The airport was closed because of 0% visibility. I am thankful that given the conditions, someone had enough sense to cancel all flights. I always want him to be safe....but how long was this to go on. I was having trouble keeping up with the day and time on the island. He would let me know via email that he might get to leave tomorrow, but what was tomorrow. He needed to get to Korea before leaving for the states and might have to spend the night in Seoul, but what night. Since he was on the other side of the international date line, I was so confused.

I now know that he will be home tomorrow (CST) and I know when that is, I think. The bad news is that all of the Russian Chicken is gone, completely, not a drop....and it was goooooood!

The new twist was cranberry sauce. I had never bought cranberry sauce any time except during the holidays, so I was not sure of its availability. There weren't many cans on the shelf so maybe, just maybe it was left over. Cranberry season is a short one and fresh is only available in the fall. I love homemade cranberry sauce so I was prepared with some berries in the freezer. I substituted cranberry sauce for the apricot jam. Instead of a sweet and sour flavor, it was smooth and mild....enough different that my son noticed....more like BBQ. I wouldn't call it Texas BBQ, but just enough to make you say....hmmmmm?. It's all gone....I guess that says something!

Since the Russian Chicken has flown the coop, I will attempt to cook something else for my world traveler that doesn't taste like "stuff". After this traveling mishap, I'm sure he will rather sleep than eat anyway.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

The British Russians Are Coming!

2009-02-15T00:10:00.001-06:00

No, it is not the anniversary of Paul Revere's midnight ride in 1775, nor is it the anniversary of the Beatles first trip to the United States in 1964, but it is the day that my sweet Valentine will return from Russia. He has been weathering the frozen tundra of Sakhalin Island, an island just north of Japan. It has been a long two weeks without him.

I have never been much of a geography buff, but I am intrigued by the parts of the world that he travels. I want to know how the people live, what they wear, what they do for fun, and what they eat. This is what I have learned about this remote part of Russia through his eyes. They live in buildings not ice houses, they wear clothes (lots of them, who wouldn't in that kind of cold), they tell you how far it is from one point to the other in minutes because if you venture out in the cold you need to know how long it will take, they ski or at least there were ski slopes in the background of some pictures he sent, and they eat "stuff" with bread and more "stuff" with pastry. I asked if I wanted to know what "stuff" is and he said "I kind of recall it having the name of mystery meat from back in my younger days of some questionable school lunches." Sounds interesting, huh?

I won't tarry long here today! I have some nesting to do.....catch up on laundry, clean a little, get dishes in the dishwasher, change the linens, shave my legs, oh, how I must hurry. I wouldn't want him to think I have been slacking!

In honor of the return of my Valentine, Sunday Dinner recipes include one for ~~British~~ Russian Chicken and one for Goulash. Wait a minute....that's Hungarian...oh, well, isn't Hungary near Russia? I told you I wasn't a geography buff.

Russian Chicken

6-8 boneless chicken breasts
1 pkg onion soup mix
8 oz jar apricot jam
1 bottle red Russian dressing

Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish. Mix together soup mix, jam, and dressing. Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 for 1 hour covered until the last 5 minutes. Serve over rice. Now, that doesn't sound like "stuff".

Goulash

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz macaroni, cooked according to pkg.
1 can stewed tomatoes
chili powder to taste

Brown meat and onion. Add chili powder, tomatoes, and cooked macaroni. Stir and simmer for a few minutes. Serve with cornbread and good ole Texas red (pinto) beans.

Red (Pinto) Beans

1 small pkg dry pinto beans

Sort and pick out rocks and dirt. Rinse beans. Place in large sauce pan and cover with cold water plus about 3 inches. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to make liquid thick. Cook until beans are soft. Salt to taste.

This week I am preparing Russian Chicken with a twist...one different ingredient...not sure if I can find that canned ingredient this time of year, but if not, I have some fresh frozen in the freezer and will make my own. I'll let you know how it turns out.

As I was typing the directions for Red Beans, I was reminded of the first time I ever cooked Red Beans. That story will have to wait.....remember.....I have nesting to do.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Flipflop or Thong

2009-02-08T00:06:00.001-06:00

It's all about words! There's a language barrier in this country! I am convinced that there is something to the lyrics...you say tomato, I say tomahto. Our country is a wide expanse of land and has a wide expanse in the pronunciation of our language. Depending on what part of the country you are from will determine how you might say....pecan, for instance.

I have noticed a difference in our language depending on generation also. In the 20's....it was "the bees knees", in the 40's....it was "cool", in the 60's....it was "groovy", in the 80's....it was "fly", and in the 00's....it is "sweet". All meant the same thing, but each generation had a different word...how confusing that can be. No wonder there's a generation gap.

A few years back just before Valentine's Day, as we sat around the "family table" for supper (that's the evening meal in the south), I began to tell my husband that I had ordered a pair of red thongs for my daughter and me from an independent representative...ahem.... I wish you could have seen my, then, 15 year old son's face. I think he almost choked and was at a loss for words. ~~After an attempted Heimlich maneuver~~ He soon regained composure and exclaimed...MahahahahahM! There's that generation gap. In his mind's eye, I had not ordered a pair of adorable, fuzzy, red, flipflop house shoes, at all. It never occurred to me that he did not know that flipflops in the 60's were called "thongs".

That was not the last time that this son and I had words about words. Not long ago, he asked me what was for supper. That evening I was preparing one of our Sunday Dinner recipes....Baked Beef Stew. He was not a happy camper. He had not ever dined on this wonderful dish, but in no uncertain terms, he let me know that he did not want soup, not for supper....that is a lunch fare...at least he thinks so. I continued on with my preparation and thought that if he didn't want ~~soup~~ stew, then he could just have a PB&J sandwich. Now that is what I call lunch fare...or midnight snack (Can I hear an amen?).

As we sat down for supper that evening, this son of mine asked "Where's the soup?" You all know that we weren't having soup...we were having Baked Beef Stew. Boy, was he surprised! We all enjoyed supper that evening around the "family table" and my thoughts went back to "thongs" but I never said a word.

Just what you have been waiting for.....Sunday Dinner recipes and one of them is...why, of course....

Baked Beef Stew

1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 cup water
3 T quick cooking tapioca
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 lbs. beef stew meat
4 medium carrots, chunks
3 med. potatoes, chunks
2 celery ribs, chunks
1 medium onion, chunks
1 slice of bread, cubed

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, water, tapioca, sugar, salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 9X13 baking dish. Cover and bake at 375 for 2 hours.

Chicken Tetrazzini

3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
3 T butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pkg spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Saute onion in butter. Add tomatoes and chicken. Stir. Add to prepared spaghetti. Pour into a 9X13 baking dish. Top with velveeta cheese slices or grated cheddar. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

As I have been writing this post, I have been nibbling on a ~~handful~~ ~~bowlful~~ bucketful of White Chocolate Popcorn.

It is a great treat for Valentine's Day. You want that recipe, too? I thought you would never ask!

White Chocolate Popcorn

1 bag microwave popcorn, popped
2 1/2 squares of white almond bark, melted (1 1/2 minutes in the microwave)

Drizzle almond bark over popcorn in a microwave bowl. Microwave 2 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds. Pour onto waxed paper. Cool. Enjoy!

Now the next time you put on your flipflops, have a little laugh because you have on a pair of thongs.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

To Wear or Not To Wear.....That is Not the Question

2009-02-06T19:50:00.000-06:00

Wearing shoes has not been an option for me since I was an itty bitty. I don't like the feel of the cool, green grass under my feet, or the soft, pile of new carpet tickling the arches of my feet, or the squish of mud between my toes, or the burning sensation of a hot Texas sidewalk that could fry an egg in summer. No tiptoeing through the tulips for this Miss Vicki. I tried! Every summer I would promise myself that I would go barefoot like everyone else in the neighborhood, but shortly after stepping outside, I would end up sitting on the side of the bathroom sink with water running over my sensitive feet. I would return to the great outdoors beshoed (not sure that is a word, but you get the picture). I often wondered why I was so insistent about wearing shoes, until today when I had a flashback. Not sure what triggered that memory, but here it is.....

When I was no more than 4 years old (now that is long term memory), I stepped on a nasty, rusty nail. There was pain involved, a trip to the doctor for removal and a tetanus shot, more pain involved, and a subconscious memory (until today) that reminds me to wear shoes. In my minds eye, that was not just a small picture hanging nail......more like a ten-penny nail. Of course, I was an itty bitty, so it wouldn't take more than a tack stuck in my foot to make me have an aversion to bare feet. The head of that nail must have been the size of a dime.

Not only was my perspective on shoe wearing changed, it might have been passed on inadvertently to my children, except when one of them disobeyed, played football barefooted, stepped on metal landscape edging (pain involved), and made a trip to the ER for 104 stitches (more pain involved). I'm not sure that I really had that much influence on my children concerning shoes except that I insisted that they wear them, but we do pass on our idiosyncrasies to our offspring. Haven't you said or done something and realized that it sounded or looked just like your mother? It is after the deed is done that we see how we have influenced our precious children. Now, I know that to wear or not to wear shoes....that is not the question, but.....

...to pass on my faith is the question. As a young mother, my greatest desire was to teach my children about faith, not about religion, about a relationship. What a daunting task, but living by faith has taught my children more than my words ever could. My children know who I am, what I stand for, and in whom I place my faith! As I faced cancer, divorce, and financial difficulty, walking by faith...step by step...one foot in front of the other, I grew as a woman and mother of faith, a woman and mother of prayer. They may not have recognized my faith at the time, but now, as they face difficulties in their young adulthood, I take the opportunity to share with them and encourage them from my own personal experiences of God's faithfulness, mercy, and grace. Each one of them has had their own crisis of faith. It is only human to enter adulthood, leaving our child-like tendencies behind. We want to be independent, we want to stand alone. Depending on One that we cannot see might seem childish to one that wants to leave childhood behind. More than anything, I want them to be spared of any hardship, difficulty, or calamity, but I know that it is through those times that my faith became what it is today. It is my prayer for my children, that theirs will too as they learn (sometimes the hard way) to walk by faith. God loves me more than I deserve and He loves my children.

As I thought about that nasty, rusty nail that penetrated the soft skin of my foot, I was reminded of the nails that pierced the hands and feet of my Savior. The pain that He endured for me. He loves me that much! That is why I can trust Him, why I can put my faith in Him. He loves me, this I know! It is a nail that reminds me to wear my shoes, it is a nail that reminds me to wear my faith.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

2009-02-02T00:07:00.001-06:00

First Monday Trade Days in Canton,TX has been a part of my life for what seems like forever. As a child, I remember walking up and down the hills looking at all of the unusual items that others had for sale....antiques, quilts, tools, and wooden crafts. Mouth-watering food was available for the hungry and for those who weren't, but couldn't resist the wonderful aromas that filled the air.....smoked turkey legs, sausage on a stick, and corn dogs slathered with mustard....soft serve ice cream, snow cones, and funnel cakes....tart lemonade and soft drinks.

Upon passing through the gates of First Monday, my eyes were filled with the sight of bright blue bottles placed so carefully on tables. I'm not sure what anyone would want with these bottles, but to this young child they were beautiful....like the waves of the sea, although at that time I had only seen the sea pictured in books or magazines. I never would have compared it to what I had seen on television or those bottles would have been a shade of gray like the sea looked on our black and white Philco televison set with a piece of foil wrapped around the rabbit ears that sat atop the set. I still search the grounds of Canton for those bright blue bottles. Like these....

Each and every trip is memory making!...like the time my sister cut the toe out of her Keds (or Keds look-a-likes) with a pocket knife (that's one way to change from sneakers to sandles)...like the day my 90 year old mother decided that she wanted to go (she had no idea how big Canton had become) and she walked every step we did for seven hours without stopping except for lunch....like the day when my husband loaded up his truck with items from our storage just before we were to leave for Canton. He was taking "Trade Days" literally. Low and behold, we traded that junk for some more junk as my kids would call it. But I call it a chair........at least after I transformed this 1950's platform rocker.

Now, there are miles and miles to walk. My favorite place to visit on the first Saturday before the first Monday of any given month keeps growing. You can find just about anything there.....the latest As Seen on TV merchandise, old objects refashioned, quilts, socks, objects d'art, outdoor furniture (new and old), wonderful home decor, jewelry, and boots......

just in case you need some new ones after you cut the toes out of yours with a pocket knife.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Time to Sport Those Bowling Shoes

2009-02-01T13:07:00.016-06:00

"Shopping tip: You can get shoes for 85 cents at the bowling alley." I guess that gives new meaning to PayLess Shoes. I never gave much thought to the use of rented bowling shoes, but.....think about it. First of all, bowling shoes are just plain ugly (no offense to any bowlers...its not your fault), the color rarely matches an outfit, and they scream out to everyone what size you wear. We don't wear our clothes with the tag hanging out for all to see. (I wouldn't want to, unless that is, I could fit into a size 2.)

You may wonder why I gave you that tidbit of information about bowling shoes, but isn't today Super Bowl Sunday. Wouldn't they be the perfect pair of shoes to wear on Super Bowl Sunday, that is if you like to wear ~~ugly~~ shoes? I know as much about football as I do about bowling. I do remember the boys in the neighborhood talking about the first Super Bowl when the Green Bay Packers played the Kansas City Chiefs. Now you say, how did I remember that? Well, I was 12 and they were boys! Need I say more? I am not and never will be a football fan. I just don't get it. I think I would rather be bowling, Wii bowling that is....no shoes needed! Or eating out of a bowl!

Speaking of bowls, today's Sunday Dinner recipes will commemorate two kinds of bowls. One is a Soup-er bowl and the other can be served at the ever popular Super Bowl party.

Taco Soup

1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground beef
1 can Ranch style beans
1 can pinto beans with or without jalapenos
1 can white hominy
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can dice tomatoes
1 Can Rotel
1 can whole kernel corn
1 pkg dry taco seasoning mix
1 pkg dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

Brown ground meat. Combine meat with remaining ingredients in LARGE pot. Simmer until flavors are well blended. (5 qt Crock Pot is a good container for this recipe.)

Burritos

2 pkg. flour tortillas
1 1/2 lb. ground meat
8 oz can petite diced tomatoes
12 oz. grated cheese
1 onion, chopped (optional)
2 cans refried beans
1 T chili powder
1tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat with seasonings. Add tomatoes. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

On each tortilla, spread 2-3 T beans, meat, onion (opt.), and cheese. Fold bottom of the tortilla up over the filling. Turn in both sides. Continue to roll. Waahlaah! (Just like Taco Bell, but better....homemade!) These burritos refrigerate well and can be frozen. To freeze, wrap the burritos in plastic wrap individually. To heat, remove plastic wrap. Wrap in paper towel and microwave for 1 minute.

I have one more recipe that I would like to share that is just a condiment, but a great one and it, too, is served in a bowl.

Pappy's Hot Sauce

2 cans (16 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (10 oz) Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 can (11 oz) mild jalapenos, chopped and drained
1 small onion, chopped

Combine tomatoes, sauce, and Ro-Tel. Mash. Add jalapenos and onion. Simmer slowly for 1 1/2 hours. Add salt to taste. Stir often. More jalapenos and tomato sauce may be added to suit your taste.

Just when you thought that I couldn't think of any other kind of bowl......bowler hat, bowl cut, bowl me over, bowl of cherries, fish bowl, mixing bowl.......any others?

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

The Red Shoes

2009-01-27T00:40:00.002-06:00

It is hard to be 14 and you're not sure where you fit. You want to be a part of the popular crowd. You want to be noticed, but yet you don't....it is an awkward age. Your friends are finding their place or at least that's what they want you to think. You are self-conscious of the way you look, the way you walk, and ....just about everything! With all of that on your mind, you have homework!

One day after a long day of school with books in tow and the pressures of a 14 year old weighing on my mind, I returned home to find a new dress displayed across my bed. It was red with an inset of navy blue...a very patriotic fashion. I was so excited that the troubles of the day were erased from my mind. I couldn't wait to put it on, but Mother said that I couldn't until I had red shoes to wear with this new dress. It would be Saturday before we went shopping so the excitement held on for a few more days. There is something to say for anticipation!

Saturday came and we were off to the shoe store. (I had been so afraid that Mother would forget, but I think it was important for her, too!) We found the perfect pair of red sling-back heels (only slight, but heels just the same!) Now I would be properly dressed. Doubt creeps in......how would I look, how would I walk, how would I.....just about everything?

Only a week ago, I sat glued to my TV as I watched another fellow countryman take the oath of the office of President. No matter whether I agree or disagree, whether I have doubts or concerns, I watch as history is made each and every time there is a change of command. I wanted to put on my red and blue dress with my red shoes, put my hand over my heart, and pledge my allegiance to my country. NO!.....I don't still have that dress or those shoes.....who keeps things in their closet that don't fit?

I am thankful to live in this country of the free and I will pray for my President just as I always have. I will pray that God will give him wisdom as he makes decisions, that God will protect him from any kind of evil, and that God will give him good health and strength to lead our land. Why wouldn't I want the best for our President? Why wouldn't I.....I will be directly affected. Won't you join me?

Let's put on our red shoes and pray!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Tired, Old, and Worn Out

2009-01-25T01:07:00.007-06:00

Have you ever felt tired, old, and worn out? I think that even when you are young, you sometimes feel that way. My youngest son told me the other day that he just couldn't believe that he would be 23 years old this year.....and that is hard for me to believe, too.

There are some joys that come with age.....a little wisdom from experience and a 10% senior citizen discount. It occurred to me this past week as I was driving through the nearest Taco Bueno (didn't feel like cooking, but I did have a salad...Nacho Chicken Salad is the best) that this is my year. On the window of the drive through was a sticker that declared that a 10% discount was available to those 55 or older. I know, I know....10% is not much but in these times, won't we all take any kind of discount we can get.

Have you ever had a pair of shoes that were showing their age? They don't look like they did the first time you pulled them out of the box. Maybe the tongue is a little crooked, the sole is wearing thin, the toe is scuffed, or the laces are frayed, yet.......they remain in the closet. (I sometimes feel and look that way, especially the thin part...How about you?) You probably wouldn't wear them in public, but they are, oh, so comfortable. After all, your toes made an impression, the heel has conformed to your foot, and the color was perfect for that special outfit. ~~Where is that outfit?~~

Our Sunday Dinner this week is like those shoes...a pair of worn out, definitely old, but no one around here is tired of them...recipes. Besides, these dinners could give you a 10% discount (both use ground beef, at least a cheaper cut than prime rib), but you don't have to be 55 or older. No carrot and raisin salad here!

Mexican Cornbread Casserole

2 boxes off Jiffy cornbread mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
2 cups sour cream
1 can cream style corn
2 tsps chopped jalapenos
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups Colby/jack cheese, grated

Brown ground beef and onion in skillet. Salt and pepper the mixture. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour half of the cornbread mixture in 9X13 greased baking dish. Place meat mixture over first layer of cornbread mixture. Layer cheese on top of the meat. Pour remaining cornbread mixture over cheese. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes.

Salisbury Steak

2 cans golden mushroom soup
1 1/2 lbs. ground sirloin
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2/3 cup water

Mix 1/4 cup soup and all other ingredients, except water. Mix thoroughly and shape into patties. Place in 9X13 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and spoon off fat. Mix remaining soup and water and pour over meat. Bake another 10 minutes.

Along with Sunday Dinner this week, I want to share an easy, delicious, ~~calorie-free~~ dessert. Give me points for trying!

Apple Dumplings

2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 sticks salted butter, melted
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Cinnamon to taste
1 1/4 cup Mountain Dew soda (yes, that is what I said)

Preheat oven to 350. Peel and cut apples into eighths. Microwave apples on high for 3minutes. Take each apple slice and roll in a crescent roll. Place rolls in a 9X13 buttered baking dish. In a bowl, melt butter, adding sugar and vanilla, mix well. Spoon butter mixture over each roll. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour Mountain Dew soda over the entire dish. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Try a Sunday Dinner and enjoy the discount. Like the tired, old, and worn out shoes.......comfort~~able~~ ~~shoes~~ food!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

The Barefoot Contessa Seamstress

2009-01-22T22:01:00.014-06:00

A strong audio memory for me is the soft, gentle purr of a sewing machine. My mother sat at her sewing machine for many hours a day. If she was not constructing a fully lined suit with bound buttonholes for an executive secretary in our town or the principal of the nearby school, she was making a simple dress for one of her two beloved daughters. I was the recipient of so much of her handiwork. I remember standing in the chair behind her as the needle bobbed up and down with the motor purring along. That sound is still so sweet and I remember many of those special dresses that Mother made for me.

I soon wanted to learn the craft and make my first dress. It was the color of maize with shades of brown pencil-like drawings of sailboats. Sleeveless, little chic number that made me so proud.....I was only 10 years old.

"Pride cometh before the fall" or so the saying goes. Well, it goes all right! It was summer and in Texas that means heat, sleeveless dresses, and Vacation Bible School. Yes, my dress was the perfect choice for a hot, Texas day and Vacation Bible School, after all it was sleeveless.

I was so proud! I had made my own dress and nothing else would do that day. I know that I was envied by all of my friends. Who else could say that they were wearing a beautiful, maize, sailboat-bearing dress made with their own two hands and a gentle, purring sewing machine? How many other mothers would have trusted their 10 year old daughter in the driver's seat of a powerful, needle bobbing machine? I loved color, fabric, thread, buttons, gadgets, and yes, the soft, gentle purr! Did I say I was proud?

You ask....... what about the fall? Oh, its coming! At our VBS, the opening ceremony consisted of a pledge to the American flag, the Christian flag and to the Bible. Every day two boys were asked to carry the flags....and one girl was asked to carry the Bible down the center aisle to the front of the sanctuary for all to see. What an honor to be selected! That day... was MY day! All eyes on me! I was the center of attention! I had on my new dress. Hold your head high....solemn face...the aisle is a runway! Oh, no, more pride! The moment was here. First step! Hold the Bible in front of you , not down by your side. Second step! Take deep breath! Then the fall......

No, I didn't fall down the aisle....my side seam split. Not just a little but about 5 inches close to my waist....a gaping hole! I couldn't stop...I had to keep walking.....all the way down the aisle...one foot in front of the other. Now all eyes were on me and my sideseam was open. I couldn't put my arm down to cover it...I was holding the BIBLE for goodness sakes! Tears welled up in my eyes. I was sure that everyone knew that the tears were from spiritual emotion. They couldn't see that my underwear was showing through the opening. I stood paralyzed through the Pledge to the American flag, then a song....Pledge to the Christian flag, then a song....Pledge to the Bible, then a song. How much longer was this going to last? My knees were weak. I couldn't say the pledges, I couldn't sing. I just stood there with tears beginning to run down my cheeks. (My heart is beginning to pound just thinking about it.) There was no one coming to save me, so I must be right....no one knew. (small sniffle) I was so glad when the flags were put in their stands and I could put the Bible on the altar table. It was time to find my place with my age group. Walk up the aisle....all the way up the aisle near the back of the church. It was at that moment that I became aware that everyone knew. (Chuckles!) I had to sidestep (more chuckles!) the entire length of the pew (and more Chuckles!) with my torn sideseam at the eye level (even more chuckles) of all my seated friends. I had no one to blame but myself....afterall, I was the proud seamstress.

That didn't stop me though. I still love to sew! I take pride in my work, but no longer am I proud. There is a difference! How can someone that is barefoot be proud? That's right....I sew barefooted. No shoes for me....at least not under the sewing machine, not until lately. I am no longer that 10 year old and I feel strains and stresses on my body sometimes when I sew, but I have found a solution. Flipflops....the ones with a little rise in the heel. Yes, the ones that let your feet breathe, wiggle, and ~~show off that pedicure~~ are comfortable. Is pride sneaking its way back in? I'm still barefoot (with a flipflop underfoot)........The Barefoot ~~Contessa~~ Seamstress.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Meals on Wheels

2009-01-18T07:19:00.016-06:00

My first experience with four wheels under foot was the ever popular set of skates. My first pair had a key that made it possible for the skate to fit your shoe ever so tightly. There were two little side pieces on each side of the toe area and a leather strap to go around the ankle. The size could be adjusted in length and width. I guess this was my first introduction to "one size fits all". (That would prove to not be a good thing later in life.) Now, it was possible for the toe pieces to come loose and the front part of the skate would flop around making travel difficult and since there was a leather strap around the ankle, a fall usually ensued. Lots of scraped knees and stumped toes....fortunately no broken bones. Cracks in the sidewalk made for a bumpy road, but that never deterred the kiddos that had a need for speed.

In all of my skating years, I never delivered meals on wheels, although it was one of my dream jobs to be a car hop at the nearby Cre-Mel where they delivered a frosty mug of root beer and a greasy hamburger to your car. They skated their way around with a tray ever so balanced in one hand held high overhead. What gracefulness and poise.

But.....2008 was the year of meals on wheels. Let me explain. I created the meal and I ~~put on my skates~~ got in my car and delivered my creation. My sister is a widow so her nest is really empty and our nest is empty , except that the front door has been revolving for several years now and that is OK...there is no place like home. It is difficult to cook for just one or two after so many years of family dinners, so I had this great idea that if my sister and I each cooked one main dish on the weekend and shared half of it with each other, we would have two different meals...more when there are left overs....for the price of one. WOW! It worked and for one full year we cooked never repeating a single recipe. Two meals fed her for the week with a little addition here and there. It certainly helped at my house too. We had fun surprising each other. Not only did I take the food to my sister, but I stopped by my 90 year old mother's house and left her a portion of whatever I had cooked. Nothing we made was of the gourmet venue, but good ole home cooking. Although not the traditional "Sunday Dinner", I will call them by that name. I will share with you every Sunday another pair of ~~shoes~~ recipes from our ~~closet~~ collection. We were honest with each other about our likes and dislikes, so I will share that with you also.

Here is the first "Sunday Dinner".

Chicken and Dumplin's

Boil 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Save the broth for dumplin's. I have found that the best way to boil chicken is in the crock pot. Place chicken in the crock pot and cover with water. Cook on High for 3-4 hours or on Low for 6-8 hours. The broth is very clear this way.

Dumplin's

3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk

Mix ingredients. Roll out to 1/4" thick and cut in 1" strips. cut each strip into 1" squares. Drop in boiling chicken broth. Simmer 20 minutes. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cube chicken breasts and add to dumplin's. Enjoy!

Beef Casserole

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 jar of whole mushrooms
1 onion sliced
3 lbs. stew meat or beef tips

Put soup in bottom of 9X13 baking dish. Add meat, onion, and mushrooms. Place foil on top. Bake 3 hours at 400 or 4 hours at 350. Your house will smell like you were in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove all day, but that will be our secret.

I hope you enjoy these tried and true recipes. Let me know what you think!

If the ~~skate~~ shoe fits, wear it well!

Those Shoes of 2008

2009-01-17T14:14:00.004-06:00

As 2008 came so quickly and is now a thing of the past, I take time to reflect. I stopped making resolutions a long time ago......never stuck to them. Reflection rather than resolution sounded like a better alternative. Yes, the shoes in my closet have changed. I have worn some new ones this year. Not all of them were comfortable, but what changes the way we look often is not comfortable. Those high heels and pointed toes never promised to do anything for your feet except make you look slimmer....yeah, right! There is only one thing that makes you look slimmer and that is to become slimmer. I gave up on that a long time ago too. The shoes that I would rather wear are those ever so comfortable flipflops, that is, after you form a callous between the toes. They give your feet room to breathe, wiggle, and show off that pedicure.

Well, back to reflection....2008 was the year that I my age became the year of my birth. Let me explain....if you were born in 1980, then when you are 80, your age is the same as the year of your birth. Try to figure yours out. It might be confusing, but I don't know, it was kind of interesting for me and seemed to mark a place in my life just as 2008 did.

Oh, those traveling shoes! I used my passport for the first time in 2008. I had been out of the country...Mexico....not hard to do when you live just hours from the border, but in all of my years I had never really left the good ole US of A. This was monumental for me! My passport finally has the stamp of Canada. In May, I joined my husband, who was there for business, for a long weekend. I have always lived where there is as much daylight as there is darkness or so it seems. As I arrived in Canada, it was late in the evening, but the sun was still up. My body had some adjustments to make and I never realized that I actually felt hungry according to the sun rather than to time or my stomach. We spent the entire weekend driving through the Canadian Rockies. It was breath taking to say the least. I saw animals that I had never seen before at least not without bars between us. There was a thrill around every corner or should I say curve. Definitely wore some comfortable shoes on that trip. Not much to look at, but tennis shoes were what I needed for traipsing through the Canadian Rockies.

That was not the last time fast traveling shoes were needed in 2008. In July, we made a trip to Seattle to help some friends that are planting a church in the area. We assisted with a sports camp that they hold every summer to get accainted with the community. We met so many wonderful people and certainly enjoyed the opportunity to serve our God. Before we left Seattle to return home, we made a trip to the top, well, it felt like the top, of Mt. Ranier. Gorgeous shoes! There were times on the drive up, that I was ready to turn around. SCARY shoes! The passenger seat is right next to the edge of the road and the edge of the road is right next to the edge of the mountain. The drive up was not so pleasant, but well worth it! In the middle of July, there was snow! I am not used to seeing snow even in the winter much less the middle of July when the average temp for my neck of the woods is 100.

So much for the comfortable shoes. I didn't get to wear them all year. There were some uncomfortable shoes to be worn. The shoes of grief. 2008 was the year that I would say I love you for the last time to my dad. Daddy was 89 in March of 2008 and had lived a long, wonderful life. He had been living in a nursing facility just shy of 4 years. I feel so blessed to have had those 4 years. I saw Daddy at least 2 times every week. We shared some very happy visits. It gave me a chance to ask questions about his life and family. If he had not been ill, I might not have taken that opportunity or even thought about it until it was too late. The shoes of grief are hard to wear, but......I have found such great rejoicing in those shoes. I guess I could call them dancing shoes. I know that I know that I know that Daddy is facing Jesus today. He had looked forward to his homegoing for a long time. He was ready without a doubt. What made my Daddy happy was seeing me happy and now I can truly say that I am happy because I know Daddy is whole, happy, and rejoicing in Heaven. I will tell you another time more about these shoes, although not so comfortable, comfort can be found in them.

Oh, there are so many more shoes in my closet. The ones worn by a newborn baby's mom, a sports mom, a room mom, a brokenhearted mom, a mom of the brokenhearted, an ICU mom, a mother of the bride, a grand....mom otherwise known a Mimi, and the list goes on. I have worn them all and I want to tell you about those shoes...all of them as an encouragement to you that the shoes come off and there is rest!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

A Sweet Place Close to My "Sole"

2008-12-20T15:48:00.008-06:00

Like most women, the shoes in my closet hold a sweet place close to my "sole". I often wonder why we place such importance on our shoes. Let's face it, shoes need to be comfortable, perfect color, just the right size, and oh, did I say cute! Shoes need to look just right. After all, they cover what most of us don't want others to see. The shoes in my closet have been in a pile, lined up on shelves, stored away in the original boxes, but now I find it necessary to place each pair in a clear storage box. You know the ones...cheap, clear, plastic with a lid. Oh, I'm not saying that they will always find their way into the box immediately especially if I am in a hurry, but the intention will be there.

Yes, the new year is coming quickly and it will be good time to clean out, straighten up, and buckle down. My shoes do need an overhaul, but it is time to look at all the shoes I have worn in my lifetime. You may think I am talking about the real thing but there is another kind of shoe I am thinking about. The ones that leave footprints in your heart. I thought I had worn just about all of them, but I guess there is always another pair waiting to be tried on and worn out. So I am ready to share with you the shoes in my closet in clear plastic boxes for all to see. Nothing hidden here.

If the shoe fits, wear it well!

Gearing up!

2008-09-18T10:22:00.001-05:00

I am gearing up for this blog thing! Fear sets in! Time can't be found! BUT.......I WILL!