Simple Delight

Reflections On The Pond

Pumpkin

 

Trout Lily

Princess

 

Reading Frenzy

In the last few weeks, I have read three really interested books by Leisha Kelly.  Like other great books I have read in the past few years, I just happened along the series at the local library.  By some miracle of chance the book I picked up was the first in the series, although at the time I did not know it.  The books are Julia’s Hope, Emma’s Gift, and Katie’s Dream and they follow the fictional life of the Wortham family during the Great Depression. 

The first book (Julia’s Hope) starts with the Wortham family traveling from Pennsylvania where they have lost everything to Mt Vernon, Illinois in hopes of finding family and a new life.  Just like in life, things do not always turn out as expected and the family lands in the rural outskirts of a town called Dearing, Illinois.  They live off the land, forage for food, and strengthen their faith with an unlikely angel on earth Emma.  This book definitely encompasses the value that it is better to give than receive.  Unexpected friendships are formed and blessings are around every corner.  Oh, to live in a world where others did good, because it was the neighborly thing to do!  I definitely was not ready for the story to be over and was so happy to find out that there were more books about this fictional family.

The second book (Emma’s Gift) continues about seven months down the road.  It was a shocker to me, but this book deals with death of one whom lived a long life and one whom’s life ended way to soon.  This book follows the Wortham’s and the neighboring family through their journey of grief and adaptation to unexpected changes in life.  You have a choice you can continue to live and make the best of things or you can sink into the depths of despair and maybe not escape.  I really could relate to the characters of this book.  My grandpa had lived a long life when he past in August 2010, but my mom had so many more years left to live when she past in September 2010.  Life is not always fair, but we have to live with the cards we are dealt and make the best of it that we can.

The third book (Katie’s Dream) picks up the Wortham family another seven months down the road.  It is about inner strength and doing what is right even if the world around you is telling you that you are wrong.  Sometimes it is much easier to go with the flow.  Sometimes it is much easier to believe gossip.  But if we hold our ground, the trials and tribulations will make us stronger along the way.  This book is full of hope and determination and it was hard for me to set this book down.

I looked up the author on the internet and there are seven total books of this series.  I am saddened to discover that the author and her son past away in a car accident last year.  She leaves a wonderful legacy behind with her thought provoking fictional works.  I look forward to reading the remaining books: Til Morning Is Nigh, Rorey’s Secret, Rachel’s Prayer, and Sarah’s Promise.

Pork Chop Time!

This afternoon I manage to get out and do a tad bit of shopping- light bulbs, Easter basket goodies, drill bits, tear free shampoo for the kiddos, colored felt for Easter eggs, and some food.  I have been thinking about pork chops for a while, so that is exactly what I got for dinner tonight.  I also found some cheesy garlic bread sticks, throw in some green beans and we have a meal.  And don’t forget dessert, I got a strawberry cheese strudel, maybe pair it with vanilla ice cream.  Oh, heaven!!! 

Below you will find my pork chop recipe.  I played with the spices until I found a blend I like.  I typically just toss and little of this and a little of that, but have included measurements to help with the first round or two if you choose to try the recipe.  If you have leftover cooked pork chops, dice it up and doctor up a cheese pizza before popping it in the oven.  Yummy!!!!!

Seasoned Pork Chops

Ingredients

~ 2 lbs of pork chops                            

1/3 cup canola oil

¾ cup flour                                            

1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic salt                             

1/3 teaspoon dill weed

¼ teaspoon salt                                    

¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Mix flour and spices in a bowl, set aside.  Pour oil into 14” skillet, heat to medium.  Coat pork chops in flour mixture.  Fry in hot oil, four to five minutes per side.  Discard unused flour.

Kitchen Tip:

To clean skillet, place a few folded paper towels in skillet after removing pork chops.  Use spatula to push towels around until all dripping and oil are removed.  Dispose of paper towels and allow skillet to cool and dry before washing.

Throw The Plans Out The Window

This past week has definitely been interesting to say the least.  There have been days when I had something planned and other days nothing on the agenda.  I would of loved to take some nature photography of spring wildflowers.  I would of loved to go and get a new outfit for an upcoming special event.  I would of loved to actually go grocery shopping.  I would of loved to go get a yummy cinnamon crunch bagel with delightful honey walnut cream cheese.  I would of loved to take a walk and enjoy the spring weather.  Instead the plans and hopes were thrown out the window. 

Last Saturday my paternal grandma ended up in the hospital.  She had a few rocky days in there, but she was released after five days.  I was able to hang out with her off and on for about four of those days.  The major concern right now is a complication of her diabetes that has caused some circulation and gangrene issues.  Just have to remember that it is in God's hands and put our faith in him.

Monday the fun continued when dad ended up in the hospital again.  This time it was pneumonia and it was his fourth hospital stay since February 6th.  Dad spent five days in the hospital too, but I was only able to hang out with him off and on for the first two days.  His bone marrow transplant that was scheduled for Friday was delayed.  Dad is to call on Monday to see when it will be rescheduled- maybe a week or two down the road.

Thankfully my aunt was able to get both dad and grandma on the same floor of the same hospital.  Granted they were in opposite wings on the far end of each hall, but at least we did not have to mess with the elevators to get between the two rooms.  My aunt basically lived in grandma's room for a few days, while I was only able to come in for a few hours at a time.  After visiting hours on Monday and Tuesday we had the doctor's okay to wheel dad down to grandma's room so they could see each other.  Dad had to wear a mask for each trip. 

I had a planned church committee meeting for Wednesday evening, but my pastor contacted me on Tuesday and decided that with everything going on in my life we should delay the meeting a month.  I really hated to delay since it is well past time for a meeting, but it was a good thing because . . . .

Wednesday afternoon Pumpkin came down with a 101 fever.  I took him to the doctor on Thursday afternoon.  The doctor swabbed his nose and said that he had influenza.  That evening Princess came down with a 101 fever.  So we have basically hung out at home since then and until we are sickness free we cannot visit grandma or dad.  Princess was so wiped that she even took a few extra naps yesterday.  Both kiddos are now fever free.  Pumpkin is back to his ornery self and Princess is just really tired and clingy.  Their only symptoms were fevers, runny noses, and coughing.  So far, hubby and I have remained sickness free.

Thursday evening, we had an ant invasion in the kitchen.  So I cleaned and mopped to help deter the little critters.  On Friday one of my friends since college came and treated a few areas for ants.  I have not seen any ants today, so I am taking that as a good sign that they are gone.

Pet-wise, my sister left town for about five days leaving us with Oliver.  Thankfully Sebastian got to hang somewhere else for the length of the departure.  Oliver was not too ornery.  I only had two problems with him. The first, he irritated an old shoulder injury on Friday when I took him out for a potty break.  I had him on a leash and we were at a standstill.  He jumped and lurched for something, which yanked my arm into a very comfortable position.  My shoulder is still killing me today.  It was the same shoulder I fell on two summers ago.  I ended up with a sternoclavicular joint injury then and the joint is swollen now, so it will probably take a few weeks and ibuprofen for the pain to subside.  The second, he got into the garbage can and spread it across my clean kitchen floor yesterday afternoon.  So I'm ready for my sister to come home and resume the responsibility of her dog.

I think I need a long break to recoup my sanity.  Maybe even a solo trip to the store might help.  Here is to hoping that this week will be better. 

Don't Rock The Boat

So far it has been an interesting week with the kiddos.

Monday, Pumpkin graduated from speech therapy at preschool.  His speech teacher was very pleased with his progress over the last year and a half.  In his initial speech test, he scored well below his age level in language and speech.  In his exit test he scored at the right age level and above in a few areas.  I am going to miss his teacher because she is so sweet, but "Yay Pumpkin"!!!!!

Pumpkin also drew this picture Monday evening.  It is the first complex picture that he has drawn at home and we are very proud of him.   He drew our family under a rainbow.  And Auntie finished moving her stuff into our humble abode.

Tuesday evening we were greeted by our newest additions to the household. . . . Auntie's pets: Oliver the dog and Sebastian the cat.  

The kids squealed and chased and petted and hugged and drove mommy, daddy, dog and cat crazy!  The last two evenings have been rough, but hopefully tonight gets better.  Thankfully both pets listen when you ask tell them "no," but it is still a challenge at times.  Oliver is fitting in much better at this point than Sebastian.  The cat definitely has an attitude and the first night had to learn that "no, you are not sleeping in the bed with us or the kids."  It may sound harsh, but I have my reasons.  When our cat Little Bit was still alive, she did sleep in the bed with us.  But I learned the hard way that it was not good idea after she had a stroke and dug her claws into my pregnant belly.  It took me three years to finally be able to sleep without a pillow covering my midsection.

Wednesday we chilled out with burgers, fries, and milk shakes.  Princess and I also made a shopping run to buy a storage container for Auntie's shower supplies to keep it above curious hands.

Today, Princess had her preschool screening. She is pretty smart and I think she did fairly well, but I am not for sure.  When Pumpkin had his screening they reviewed the results with me, but the lady that did the screening this time did not do that.  The screening lady did say that they would place Princess on the waiting list for the fall.  But 4 year olds have priority over 3 year olds, so she may not get in.  The preschool nurse also did an evaluation and Princess needs to go to the eye doctor to get a more through examination of her vision.  So later this month, we will make a visit to the eye doctor.

I sure cannot wait to see what will happen tomorrow.  Maybe, we will be able to take a family walk.  Maybe, we will get to have some awesome grub.  Maybe, chaos will ensue.  Whatever happens we will trudge along like normal.

Strawberry Shake Botanical Lesson

I had a strawberry shake with my supper tonight.  Boy, it sure was good!  It even had chunks of real strawberries and occasionally the straw would get blocked.  This always brings to mind a spring time botanical lesson.  

Trees are very interesting organisms.  They breath, they grow, they make food, and they multiple.  This time of the year trees are coming back to life after their long winters nap.  Have you ever thought about the mechanics behind the bud?  

Before the bud grows and flowers the sap has to start moving in the tree.  Warm days and cool nights start this process along its way.  But how does the sap move throughout the tree?  By tiny straws found in the vascular cambium.  

The vascular cambium is the special growing part of the tree that is sandwiched between the bark and the wood of the tree.  Two types of tubes are found in the vascular cabium- xylem and phloem.  Xylem carries the water and nutrients from the roots upward to the limbs of the tree and phloem carries the food from the limbs down to the roots for storage.  But, in the spring time when the sap starts following both tubes carry the sap upwards during the day and down into the ground during the night.   

The sap moving upward provides food to the buds, which causes them to grow, leaf out and sometimes flower.  

But to get back to the strawberry milkshake.  Have you ever had a strawberry stuck in the straw and no matter how hard you try that strawberry will just not move through the straw?  

That is what happens to the xylem and phloem tubes in the trees when they get older.  When the xylem tube get blocked, those tubes turn into wood.  When phloem tubes get blocked, they turn into bark.  And that is just part of the story of how a tree grows. 

There's A Season

There's a season for everything under the sun . . .

Yesterday was a sick day.  Pumpkin had the flu.  So we kicked back and tried to take it easy for the day.  We watched a few movies, read a few books, and rested.  We also had three changes of Pumpkin's bed attire and he had three trips to the tub to get cleaned up.  For the most part, Pumpkin was pretty even tempered even though he had to feel terrible. 

He decided that it had to be "french fries."  The last thing he ate before he got sick Thursday night was a few of daddy's french fries (the kids and I had had something different for supper).  So every since Thursday evening, Pumpkin keeps saying "Don't eat french fries.  They made you sick!"  Oh, the mind of a child!  

So far Princess, Daddy and I have yet to get sick.  Pumpkin is feeling much better today and has not been sick since nap time yesterday.  So may be it has run its course with him.  Pumpkin, Princess and I are once again chilling out at home, just in case.  One of us parents will have to go out this evening and pick up a few groceries, but we have enough to get by for a few days if need be. 

Today has been pajama day & play day.  Pumpkin and Princess have been playing very well together.  Not sure how long it will last today, but it is nice to have a semi-peaceful house for the time being.  They have been very active though, Pumpkin's room has been transformed into a pet shop.  I could barely get the door open earlier.  I think they both will need to do some cleaning in there today, since they both helped to "build" it.  Hmmmm. . . I may have to threaten to vacuum his room later (wink, wink).

I did do a bit of spring cleaning yesterday.  I cleaned the three windows in Pumpkin's room with window cleaner, then wiped the frame and seals down with bleach.  I was also able to clean the ceiling fan in his room.  I'm hoping to do the windows in Princess's room and our bedroom today.

Who knows what tomorrow will hold, but it is sure to another season in this unpredictable adventure of life.

It's A Small World

One thing I love about my blog is something that is behind the scenes.  Sure, it is fun to post and reflect about life and show off my nature photography skills.  Sure, it is fun to catch up on my favorite blogs.  Sure, it is fun to post about cooking and family adventures.  But the FIRST thing I do when I log-in is check out the stats on my blog.  

A lot of traffic to my blog comes through my Facebook friends, but I get excited to see that others have happened along my blog.  My favorite aspect to check out is the Audience.  In the fourteen months that I have had my blog, many countries have visited.  Here is a list that I was able to compile:  United States, Russia, France, Brazil, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada, United Arab Emiates, Austria, Thailand, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Latvia, Argentina, Japan, Hong Kong, and Spain.  Every time I check the Audience, it is like a little bit of Christmas.  The excitement of wondering how far across the world my thoughts and reflections have reached brightens my day.

It is amazing to know that I can sit at my computer in my house and someone thousands of miles away could be reading my blog.  It really goes to show what a small world it really is.  I think the song "It's A Small World" pretty much sums it up!

It's A Small World 

It's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware

It's a small world after all

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world 

There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to every one
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide

It's a small world after all

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world

So thank you to everyone that helps to brighten my days and my weeks.  A little bit cheer goes a long way and helps me try to stay positive in my sometimes chaotic life. As I part, here is a spring picture to hopefully brighten your day!

Wait For It . . . .

We received an amazing blessing this evening. . . 

Wait for it . . . . .

Where did the television go????

Wait for it . . . .

 

A family member decided to be very generous and bought us a brand new high definition LED television as a gift for all of the February birthdays.  

It is AMAZING!!!!  Our other television was a hand-me-down from my grandparents (bought in 1982).  I have two different ideas in mind for the old television, so we will have to see how the ideas pan out before I post the outcome.  

Our FIRST brand-new television, hurray!!!!!  Anyway, we now get about 60 high definition channels to go with the 18 analog channels that we already had.  I'm extremely excited that we now get three PBS stations (with multiple sub-stations), instead of just one analog PBS station.  

So how are we going to celebrate???  By watching season one, esposide two of Dowton Abby on DVD!!!

I can't wait to play with it more tomorrow!!!!

Life & Such

Life appears to be plateauing out for the time being.  

Dad was discharged from the hospital Thursday evening.  Hooray!  My fingers are crossed that he does not have to be hospitalized again until his bone marrow transplant.  I've talked to him three times yesterday and once today, and he sounds great so far.  Hoping to drop by his house for a visit tomorrow afternoon, before he starts his chemo pills on Monday.

Last weekend we celebrated Daddy's birthday.  Pumpkin & Princess assisted with making the dump cake for the celebration.  I would of posted sooner, but alas we did not have internet last weekend and I have been away from home in the evenings once the router was replaced.

Dump Cake

1 pkg cake mix

20 oz can crushed pineapple in syrup, undrained

21 oz can pie filling

1 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup stick butter, cut in thin slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease 9x13x2 inch pan.  Dump the undrained pineapple into pan.  Dump in pie filling and spread into an even layer. Dump dry cake mix onto the pie filling and spread evenly.  Sprinkle nuts over cake mix.  Place butter slices over top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.  Serve warm or cooled.

Today has been a lazy day.  Princess woke me up at 7:00 a.m. and we snuggled for a while.  

Pumpkin slept in until about 8:45 a.m.  We had cereal and milk for breakfast and the kiddos watched some cartoons.  I worked on the grocery list after I figured out the dinner plan for the week.

Tonight: Pizza, salad, and pie crust bunnies

Sunday: Pot roast (with carrots, onions, and potatoes),  hawaiian sweet rolls and pudding with fruit

Monday: Fresh asparagus, creamy lemon chicken pasta, and strawberries

Tuesday: Family dinner night at grandma's house.  Yay!!!!!!

Wednesday: Cheese toasties, soup, and jello

Thursday: Pancakes, eggs, bacon, and apples

Friday: RAID THE PANTRY. . . maybe, just maybe if it is warm enough grill out. 

I did pretty good getting everything on my shopping list.  I did forget to get romaine for tonight's dinner.  I was sidetracked by celery for Pumpkin.  The kids had a great lunch today.  Pumpkin had celery with peanut butter and Princess had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.   I have some tomato soup cooling off on the stove.

So far the day has been going well.  Happy to have at least one stress-free day and hope that it becomes a trend instead of a rarity. ;-) I have been thinking about spring, which is right around the corner.  I cannot wait for the spring wildflowers!  My favorite one to search for is jack-in-the-pulpit. 

Wishing a lovely weekend to all!