New Shoes, New Adventure

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

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

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...

...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

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?

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

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!