Wiling Away for Hours

Don’t you just love it when you get new books……
I love books. I love to read...again.

I went for years without reading a book…I totally lost interest in reading. What’s up with that? So I have found that love again. As I was saying…I love it when I get new books. I buy them used from the thrift stores, Good Will stores, second hand places and as I mentioned in a previous post~ at Thriftbooks.com.

My order came in the other day…right in the middle of me trying to struggle through a not-so-good-to-read book. I pondered whether or not to just chunk it or continue on with it. Well the story finally picked up a little and I will finish reading it. It is not one of my favorites however. But what awaits me, still in the box they were shipped in, are some Fannie Flaggs and Nicholas Sparks…..can’t wait to get into them. The day I got the package I was giddy while cutting open the box…wondering all the while what kind of condition the books would be in. They were excellent; all dust jackets intact and all hardback. ~I love that. Although I do admit that I do remove the pesky dust jacket while reading the book. Upon further investigation of my new treasures; thumbing
through the pages and smelling the written words…I saw it!
My copy of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café…was personally autographed by Fannie herself!

Just inside on the title page it reads:

For Carolyn  Best Wishes  Fannie Flagg
…signed in ink. That made me smile! I’m still smiling.

Hey, I can pretend I’m Carolyn…huh?

You see I’m a little partial to Fannie because she is from Alabama too.

And who didn’t love Fried Green Tomatoes; the movie based on this book?

 And there’s Sandi, a blog friend you MUST visit at… Whistle Stop Cooking. 

Sandi and her family owned the Irondale, Alabama cafe which is the very same cafe that was the basis of this novel that Fannie Flagg wrote. They stay busy with Whistle Stop Products, shipping them all across the country. Sandi and her husband love working on new products, cookbooks, and recipes! Go on over and pay her a visit and say hello!

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Do you remember your very first library card? Oh what a joy and a privilege to be responsible for checking out books…books that you had to care for, read, and return by the due date. I still have my card from my youth. I loved going to the library and combing through all the millions of books…shelves of books, many many shelves. The library also had one of those old drink machines where you selected your drink by pulling it out of its slot by the capped end. That was so awesome! I also remember making the move from the children's book section to the more grown up stuff…Ahhhh. Now, I’m still a sucker for buying children’s books, especially Christmas ones, for my awaited grandchildren. I have a vision of holding them in my lap reading to them as they listen with open ears and hearts as the Christmas lights twinkle in their little eyes...building memories.

So…get your read on! Pull out that book you’ve been meaning to get around to, throw that favorite blankie in the dryer to heat it up and snuggle up and get ready to travel to many places. Be ready to feel your character and absorb the words right off the pages. Used books let you know that someone else has lifted those same words right from that page just as you. You will walk the same path, spur some emotions, learn, and create in your mind’s eye a place to go to. Don’t you just love the smell of a book? Why is that? What are some of your favorites?

I baked a pound cake yesterday and wanted to share a piece with you…

Happy Reading

              

My word for 2010-Experience

I experienced the love of reading again

A Beef Stew Kind of Day

Chop chop chop

Beef stew is one of the hubby's favorite suppers.

It's hearty and fulfilling and great for a cold rainy evening.

And what's better than homemade goodness?

Southern Beef Stew

2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

½ large bell pepper, chopped

2 lbs. Beef Stew Meat trimmed of fat and cut into small pieces

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp ginger

2-3 Tbsp. all purpose flour

¼  cup Worcestershire sauce

2 cups beef stock or water

½ cup red wine

½ lb. baby carrots

3 cups potatoes cut into small pieces

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a large dutch oven with olive oil; add garlic, onions and celery. Sauté until tender. Add beef stew meat. Cook on med/high heat until thoroughly browned, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low. Add thyme, rosemary, paprika, sugar and ginger. Stir well. Sprinkle flour over the meat and stir in well until smooth. Add beef stock/water, wine and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and simmer until stew thickens a bit. Add carrots. Cover and cook on low for approximately one hour until meat is tender. Adding more liquid as needed. Add potatoes, cover and cook until tender.
Salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with your favorite homemade or fresh bread.

Happy Home Cookin'

Eat well my friends and

forget the potholes in the road; celebrate the journey instead!

                  

Lovin' my brown egg photos!!

I’m so Eggcited!!

I made my first sale on Etsy!! YAY!! Talk about Eggcitement... My apron was posted one morning and it sold that same day!! Sweet Jacqueline from My Daily Discovery purchased it. It will go out in the mail to you today my friend!  She and her family have been a little under the weather lately…

so go on over and give her some well wishes.

Sharing a word with you today…

Why We Have Hard Times

It can be easy for us to think that God is obligated to make life easy for us. We tend to think He should remove all of our difficult moments so that we have a perfect life.
Well folks, it’s not that easy! The truth is that during hard times God is preparing us for greater things. If He removed the difficult circumstances in our lives, we would probably take Him for granted, never mature, and never appreciate the blessings in our lives. We want God to change our circumstances, but God wants to use our circumstances to change us.

In James 1:2-4 it tells us this, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." In other words, rejoice in "trials of many kinds", because they test your faith, which causes you to grow closer to God. We must rely on Him in all situations. Hard as it is for us to understand this…indeed, God assures us that something beneficial can come from the hard times in life.

If you are going through trials now, take hope in the fact that almost everyone in the Bible who did great things for God also had to endure great hardships. In 2 Corinthians Paul was beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, lashed and was the victim of many dangers through out his life. He also knew what it was like to be hungry, thirsty, without food, cold and naked.
Now how many of us can say we know how he feels? Paul suffered greatly for Christ’s purpose in the Gospel. We must remember that Paul had to go through these difficult trials in order for him to become closer to God, qualifying him to be a great witness for Christ…to become who God wanted him to be. Remember too that God will NEVER leave you during your trials and hardship times; he is there walking beside you…holding your hand.

Words acquired from Christ Notes.

And when you are lost...and can't see the light, I

shall be your beacon...shining ever so bright. ~God

Have an Eggciting day my friends!

            

My word for 2010-Experience

I experienced eggcitement from my first sale on Etsy

I Love Homemade

Finding joy in the simple pleasures of life.

My English peas are doing great despite the heavy snow we had last week.

All’s good.

There are a couple of new items in my Etsy shop. One is the apron I mentioned earlier. I made it from a vintage bed sheet and I think it turned out beautiful. After a major battle with my sewing machine we sat down and had us a good talking, cleaning and oiling session and all’s good there now! Thanks to Paula at Simply Unique for her advice on how-to-talk to your machine and get results! It worked…

Here’s a peek~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EDITED TO UPDATE 8:35 pm
I'VE ALREADY SOLD THE APRON!!!!!!!!!

Now go on over to the Etsy,

the place for all things homemade and vintage,

and take a gander at my other things.

You’ll find the widget thingy on my sidebar.

FYI for those of you who love to read. 

Check out this webby I found for good used books. 

There are no shipping charges to the U.S...swoon......

I ordered 8 books from here...all hardback because I love that.
Each book was less than $4.00 and in very good condition!

Sending some Love your way....

Sharing...

Mama Holli shared me on her blog. I am featured here on Nobody Puts Mama in a Corner! She has a beautiful blog where she shares lovely things she finds, recipes, crafty ideas and other beautiful bloggers. Go over and visit with her…you’ll love it there.

 I hope everyone had a beautiful Valentine’s Day

and got lots of lovin’ and sweet things.

Here are some more photos from our Snow Day last Friday.

It was amazing to say the least.  Only in South Alabama can it snow like crazy and two days later you can joy ride with the top down on your car in the warm sunshine.

These last two photos are from the rural electric coop where my husband works.

They were taken by an REA employee...Sara Dunn.

A large number of these employees, including my husband, worked on into the night Friday restoring electrical power to those who lost it because of the heavy snow.

But before the hard work began...they got to have a little fun first. 

 Thank your local power company today!  Without them we would be in the dark.

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It’s Fat Tuesday in Louisiana and after eight days already spent celebrating the Saints winning the super bowl this will be one of the Fattest Tuesdays ever.

Parades began at 8:00 this morning in and around New Orleans and will last all day. My daughter lives just outside of New Orleans…but she will not be attending any of the festivities. Her husband is working…USCG…and she is babysitting some small children while their parents enjoy the day.  Does Fat Tuesday mean you can overeat today?

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I have added a couple of new things in my Etsy shop and I’m working on few things more crafty things to add later. One item is an apron made from a vintage bed sheet which had an eyelet band and soft roses on a white background. I’m loving it so far. I'll share it when its complete.

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A word for you today~ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ~Galatians 6:9 NIV

This has long been one of my favorite verses. I had it taped to the face of my computer at work for years. It is a verse you can rely on each day, find a promise in, find peace, and find reassurance in. Everyone feels weary many times during life. The Bible is an instruction book for us. We must seek its promises and have faith to press on even in the face of fear, weariness, and uncertainty. We must not give up, but rely on Him completely and do good for His name sake.

Share something today,

Living more with less.

Love's Fluffy Sweetness

~Love’s Sweetness~

Sugar and strawberry cream

Gentle kisses with soft whispers

Milky icing of a cupcake dream.

Fluffy sweetness of endless love

Spoken warmly from rosy lips

Sent from the heavens up above.

Being only mine…

Two hearts~One love

Through to the end of time.

~cora

Love is in the air…..do you feel it…can you see it? Cupid is shooting his arrow straight to our hearts. We are loving the simple things in life…we are loving hanging out here in bloggerville with friends and sharing our thoughts and ideas. And I love that it is snowing. Yes I said snowing…in the deepest southeast corner of Alabama. A rare thing for us to see …and so beautiful none the less. One of my recent posts was about spring...well boy was I rushing it a bit...wishful thinking is more like it.  It started early this morning with heavy sleet as Jackie left to go to work...waiting to see if there are going to be any power outages. Shortly after he drove off, it began to snow and got heavier and heavier. It is beginning to accumulate; our back deck and roof are covered. The ground is beginning to turn white. So a Snow Day we have! I will soak it up for all that it is worth and enjoy it. Beauty is all around me.

 I see Red Robins, a pair of Cardinals, and a little Wren bouncing around wondering what all this white stuff is invading their southern hemisphere. Talk about sticker shock!

It's snowing in the South!

Now I know all you snow-bird friends are laughing at me because this is a common thing for you…but you have to understand how rare this is in LA..Lower Alabama! My few inches of the fluff do not compare to the amount you get to play in...but I’ll take it. As I look outside I see that it has covered my little garden...and just when my English peas were beginning to break the dirt. I believe the broccoli will be OK as well as the onions. But I don’t really know…I’ve never had snow on my crop!  *Please note that when I snaped these shots this morning...they only show light coverage.  It is still snowing and coming down heavy now and forecasted to continue through early evening with a hard freeze tonight* WOW...

Thank you for all the encouragement and good luck wishes for the opening of my Etsy Shop. I’m really excited about it.  I'm aware I have to be patient knowing I won’t become a millionaire overnight…maybe in a few years...but not overnight.

I’m headed off to make chili in the crock pot for tonight, hoping we don’t lose power as it is really coming down heavy. They have already closed all the county roads and I’ve lost the signal to my satellite TV. I hope everyone has a beautiful Valentines Day. Sending lots of love and sweet dreams your way…Butter cream frosting and chocolate cherry filled hearts, everything SWEET, and some of the biggest snow flakes I’ve ever seen! Stay warm in your heart.

Snowflake kisses...

Living more with less.

My word for 2010-Experience

I experienced Heavy Snow

Grand Opening

I DID IT! I finally opened an Etsy shop.

Now you can shop with me on line when you cannot make it to my craft shows.

So...without further ado I am pleased to announce my

Heartfelt and Homemade Etsy Shop. TaDa!

 You will also find a mini widget on my sidebar which will take you to my shop.

Click on the shop name and take a sneak peek!

Here you will find creations with my personal touch; anything from junky trash to treasures, altered art, vintage, shabby chic and my photography. I love to recycle junk and make it once again functional and oh so shabby and chic for you to enjoy. There will be seasonal items for fall and the holidays like Christmas and lots of shabby pink stuff. And don’t worry you lovers of prim…I will have a few things you might like too…given time to get them done! I promise to not make it all pink and shabby!! Also some of my photography will be featured so you can buy my prints once I get them in the store.

I’m really excited about this new venture and also a little apprehensive at the same time. Will I sell anything? Will anyone find something they like and make an effort to purchase it? Is Etsy the right place to do this? Am I wasting my time and the cost of listing items for sale? Will people find my shop? All these and many more questions cross my mind and this is why I have not bothered to venture out and do this before now. Fear of the unknown, fear of messing up, fear of no sales, fear of wasting a little money, and the fear of my insecurities and lack of confidence. But for now the excitement is greater than the fears, so I jumped into the raging waters and I’m swimming. Please say a little prayer that I do not sink. Take a look at my treasures and let me know what you like. I will try to keep new things coming as I get them photographed and displayed. If you have any Etsy experience you would like to share with me, please do so; if you are looking for something particular just ask…I’ll see what I can do. You as well as your ideas and advice are always welcome.

As they say…"You never know until you try". So I’m going t try this!

These quotes are an inspiration too:

"Move out of your comfort zone.
You can only grow if you are willing to feel
awkward and uncomfortable
when you try something new."
~Brian Tracy

"The big shots are only the little shots who keep shooting."

~Christopher Morley

"In the long run, men hit only what they aim at.

Therefore, they had better aim at something high."

~Henry David Thoreau

And My favorite:

"Take a chance! All life is a chance.

The man who goes the furthest is generally

the one who is willing to do and dare."

~Dale Carnegie

So we’ll see how this goes…wish me luck!

 

My word for 2010-Experience

I experienced a new venture~Etsy

Sunshine on my shoulder….

I welcome the sunshine on any thing today. I want to spread it on my morning toast.  It’s so uplifting to see it bright and shiny, bursting through the morning. Makes you think of spring and its rebirth of nature, love, and us! I can remember being in the hospital in high school. It was late February when I went in for a week…a long restless week, and in a matter of just seven days the earth had sprang forth new growth; green grass, bulbs shooting up for flowers to show their faces, and blossoms on the fruit trees…Beautiful is nature’s canvas in spring! And the birds…they were singing as if they were on stage at the opera…songs of praise, joy and happiness. They owned the world! As I look outside this morning I see sunshine and blue birds, my favorite right up there with the house wren. They are flittering around trying to decide which house in my backyard to rent out for spring. They will soon begin to build their comfy little nests and welcome little babies into this world; showing us that life continues all around us no matter what is going on in our lives. The sun is warming up the freshly tilled dirt in my garden where new seeds are planted…I’m hoping to see sprouts soon.

Spring is a celebration!

A time to say good-bye to winter’s blah colors and coldness. I am so ready for this goodbye! Goodbye winter Hello spring…you are welcome here! I am ready for you to splash all your beautiful pastel colors on the countryside; setting a budding backdrop for us to covet. On my brisk walk to our mailbox which sits at the road at the end of our long driveway, I see the promise of spring everywhere. The bulbs are sprouting up; I see little blades of green in the brown grass, and new growth on the limbs of the bushes. There’s coolness in the air just to let you know winter is still here and he’s not giving up yet. The sky is a watered down shade of blue with a few transparent clouds scattered about. I place my bit of love in the mailbox, lift the red flag and begin my stroll back to the house; breathing in the freshness and soaking up the sun. I wish I could bottle it up today and save it for one of those gloomy days that are still yet to come...

My bubble of beautiful spring thoughts is burst by my TV which is on behind me as I write this post. I’m totally disgusted and sickened at the show that is on; Wife Swap. One wife spends $34,000.00 a year on her appearance and clothes and the other wife has not shaved under her arms in 6 years and her whole family uses the same bath water. They choose to live this life style.  Oh my! Do they make this stuff up for TV or is this for real?

Gosh I feel the need to be productive;

leaving you with thoughts of spring and some love...

"In the hope of reaching the moon men fail to see
the flowers that blossom at their feet"
~Albert Schweitzer

Until spring arrives….

My word for 2010-Experience

I experienced a life style shocker

I had a fire to put out!

My fire was started post 4:00 in the afternoon on Friday. It was sparked with some ruby red grapefruit…..yummy and delicious, sweet and cold! It was my snack to hold me over until later. I had plans! Plans with the bestie. She and I were going to the movies with some of the girlies to see Dear John…Yes Dear John!

And yes it was great! Luckily we purchased our tickets on line at Fandango because all the shows for Friday night were sold out! It was a beautiful romantic love story which left you hanging at the end but with a creative mind and a common romantic sense you can figure out your own ending! And Channing Tatum…eye candy!    Yes I know I’m old enough to be his mother…       It was a Dear John letter movie where I fueled my fire with buttered popcorn and topped it off with ice cold coke! Yum…what’s a movie without popcorn and coke? Boring! Now I don’t think I know anyone who can eat a large movie popcorn and drink a large movie coke…So we shared in pairs. Two cokes and a bag of popcorn for $15.00…insanity I say! After settling into our seats in the semi-nose-bleed-section, smack dab in the middle of the theater, the place began to fill up quick! The bag of popcorn was so big and bulky that we actually spilled half of it on the floor like a 4 year old and I could not even reach my hand around the drink. Again, like a four year old, I had to use two hands, sit up straight and put on my big girl panties.  Napkins and buttered popcorn just go together but no matter how many napkins you use, you still feel greasy!

After the movie was over and the bladder was comfortable again…the fire had to be punched up a bit. A quick trip to Target and off to Chili’s we go for a quick bite!

A bite of each appetizer that the four of us ordered. Boneless Buffalo wings, queso dip and salsa *my fave*, cheesy spinach artichoke dip, and endless chips… OMGosh…it was so good! OMGosh it was so HOT! Good and hot! 

So my fire is fully fueled and blazing, the esophagus is talking to me, and the tummy is screaming help. At 4:00 this morning it was really raging … a 4 alarm visit with the pink stuff. Now you know how I love pink…but not this shade of pink. Downing a good dose, I prop myself to return to lala land on three pillows. The forest is burning down! The price I have to pay for loving hot spicy food!

Jackie’s 5:00 alarm is going off…the real alarm, the one that wakes you…just when I was finally resting again and the fire was somewhat under control, smoldering at best. 5:00 on a Saturday you ask? ...yes, to go Hog Hunting. Now you can say this with your best British accent and it sounds better than my sweet southern drawl of Hawg Huntin’. Hog hunting…? We have not lost a hog…we don’t even own any! It’s a guy thing, a hunter’s thing…a sportsman’s thing. He can have it! Anything like that, that requires you rise at 5:00 in the morning…he can have it! Plus it’s too cold outside.

Well needless to say I could not go back to sleep after he left. I hope he finds those lost hogs. I stay up and began to write this out and my stomach is reminding me once again it wants some fuel. This time I think I will stick to something safe, mild and easy…toast and a boiled egg. Eggs over easy toast!

I’ll finish the to-go-box of Buffalo wings for lunch.

Am I a glutton for punishment or what?

As the sun comes up it reveals a periwinkle blue sky…a promise of more rain? 
I’ll take what God gives me because each day is a gift and I have unwrapped this one with a smile and a beautifully colored sky.

Keeping it real and uncomplicated…be true to yourself

My word for 2010-Experience

I experienced heartburn.

Sweet Things

Trying to keep my thoughts positive and of sweet things since Valentines Day is coming up. But despite all the gloomy rain, feeling deprived of sunshine…etc… it’s been hard, but I try. From working on our taxes, such a dreaded chore;  to a stopped up kitchen sink…both of which I have recovered from. After all the numbers were crunched and a bottle of that drain-o stuff;

All’s good!

There are certain things in life we MUST deal with. There are times I don’t know where I’m headed, but I know I’m headed somewhere. I just pray somewhere is good. I’m on to the sweet things in life.

Life is sweet!

When I’m gone from this earth and have made my way to heaven, I want to be one of God’s angels that have an assignment back on earth…you know like on "Touched by an Angel".  I want to return with a mission and instructions from God to help some lost and weary soul find their place. That would just have to be so rewarding and sweet; plus they get to zap from one place to another in a matter of seconds…and they have that angelic glow over there heads! So Cool!

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Here’s a sweet thought and vision stuck in my head. My daughter Holly has a young kitty…Baby D. He ate tomato soup the other night. She said he lapped and lapped so hard that he splattered soup everywhere. After he was full-o-soup he looked up at her with red soup spots all over his little face. LOL Can you imagine the site plus imagine a cat eating tomato soup! Oh yeah...he loves boiled peanuts too and hates to go outside! Strange kitty! Here he is with a sweet clean face:

My sweet little friend Southern Cinderella presented me with another award.

She had this sweet message for me:

"Cora at Heartfelt and Homemade* I started reading blogs about a year ago and always wanted a blog of my own, but felt as if my life was boring or I had nothing interesting to talk about. I saw Cora one day in WalMart and we started talking about blogging and how she has one. Cora told me I should create a blog. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be Southern Cinderella! Thanks Cora!  ~ Lindsay"
Thank you Lindsay for those sweet words…and I’m glad you finally jumped into the blogging world with me. Isn’t it fun?  She is young and fun...please pay her a visit!

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Now for a sweet thing that was pretty bad. I made some cookies the other night…The Gooiest Chocolate Chuck cookies. Sweet they were, Gooey they were not! They turned out too cakey like. So I will not share the recipe...I will spare you all.

Remember Valentines is just around the corner. Get your cards ready to share, make your list and buy your stamps. Remember that sweet one in your life, young or old. And who doesn’t like chocolate? Chocolate of all kinds: with nuts, without, cream in the center or maybe a cherry...dark chocolate, milk chocolate, mint, raspberry, or Godiva. Ok have I got your sweet tooth’s attention yet and started a craving? Warning: Just don’t make The Gooiest Chocolate Chuck cookies!

And who doesn’t like to be loved?

Share a little of yourself with someone special this month.

Send a sweet message in a bottle dropped in the ocean to someone dear to your heart.

Send a balloon message high into the heavens for them.

Love is sweet.

We all have ups and downs in life.  Be they sweet or sour; happy or sad.  

Hopefully mine will be valuable lessons which will mold me

into the person Christ has hoped I would be.

When you are down to nothing ...

God is up to something.

My word for 2010-Experience

I’ve experienced sweetness.