The Porch Swing @ Shady Creek Hollow

Easiest Crocheted Socks

For a long long time I've been looking for a really easy crocheted sock pattern. At this time of the year I think it would be fun to sit with a cup of tea and crochet socks by candlelight some evenings. With a nice fire in the fireplace I couId imagine it would be a wonderful way to pass an evening. It would be a soothing and calming activity, I'm sure. I've been wanting to do this for quite a while, but have had beginner's anxiety.

You see, my skills are very basic when it comes to crochet. I just know one or two stitches. So I was very pleased when I found this web site that features a sock that actually looks like a sock and not like an elf shoe. I was even more pleased to see that it uses only one stitch....and one I happened to know!

So my project over the next few days will be to try and master this pattern. I love the bulky warm homey feel of handmade socks. I have one pair that I purchased at the thrift store. They are wool and are the very best socks I've ever owned. Hopefully I'll learn to make this pattern and will then be able to make my own socks as well as make socks to give as gifts.

You have to admit, getting a hand crocheted pair of socks that look good would be a wonderful gift. Sooo....go here if you want to try this pattern along with me: Easiest Socks

Hope we can all keep our toes warm for the rest of the Winter!

    

Another Wonderful Product- Constant Comment Tea

I know I wrote yesterday about the things I do for myself that make me feel like a millionaire, though I'm far from being wealthy. They are all pretty cost effective. I don't know about you, but our family needs to be frugal in this teetering economy! Over the years I've come to realize that life without a few nice touches here and there can become pretty ordinary. Sooo I'm a firm believer in treating myself to something special every once in a while.

I burn candles at my desk every time I sit here to write. It is just a nice little luxury that I can't do without. Sometimes I have expensive candles. Right now I have one on my desk that Allie & Josh gave me for my birthday. It is a higher end product that I most likely wouldn't buy for myself. But that's what makes it so extravagant & such a great gift. I imagine it cost under twenty dollars. I don't pay that much for candles. I get them at outlets [Bealls Outlets have Yankee Trader candles at deeply reduced prices] or depend on good old Glade. I know it sounds sort of plebeian, but I love the newer scents that Glade has produced in the past year or two. 

Another treat I give myself are deeply perfumed soaps. I usually get them at outlets or as gifts. I still am using soap I got from Jon last Christmas from The Paris Market in Savannah. It is an olive oil based soap de Provence that comes scented with lavender. They come in HUGE bars that sell for seven dollars each. I received two from Jon and the first one lasted a whole year!

I usually keep the radios in the house turned to an NPR channel that plays classical music.  But recently I've been keeping a Celtic CD that Hutch gave me for Valentine's last year in the kitchen player. It is so soothing that I've been really enjoying having it on in the background as I work or write downstairs.

Of course I love fresh flowers in the house. In the Spring and Summer I bring cut flowers from the garden inside. For Christmas I splurge on a nice poinsettia for the kitchen table. This year I got one for 2.99 at Lowe's and its still healthy! In the Fall I usually put a big arrangement of squashes and Indian corn in an antique green bowl I inherited on that old kitchen table. The rest of the year I scour the flower stands at the grocery store, Sam's, & Walmart for their reduced flowers.     

Another thing I really like while I'm working at the desk is to have a aroma filled cup of tea in a pretty cup. I do have a favorite cup. I got it at a Pottery Barn type discount store many years ago. It looks like navy blue toile and I think I paid 1.99 for it. 

In that cup I put  my favorite in the whole wide world tea-Decaffeinated Constant Comment. If you've never tried Constant Comment tea you really should treat yourself to a cup. It is by far the most fragrant, spicy, orange tinged tea on the market. There are generic brands that try to be as good...but they all fall short in my opinion. 

I'll be honest, I don't always drink Constant Comment. It seems to be a Wintery type tea. In the Summer I drink lots of lemon, peach, and other fruit flavored teas. Allie gave me a delightful blackberry tea last year that I am hoarding the last few bags of for this Summer. But for this time of year, you can't beat a hot cup of Constant Comment in a pretty cup.   

Hope wherever you are, you've got a good cup of tea at your elbow as you read this post.         

Cheapest Healthiest Black Beans & Rice

This is the easiest recipe I've come across in a really long time. It is incredibly fast to throw together, super duper cheap, and will absolutely stick to your family's ribs! I had it for supper tonight.

             

                                                          Ingredients: 

1 can black beans- or make from dried black beans

1 can diced tomatoes- or one cup chopped fresh tomato

1 green pepper

1 onion

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp thyme

3 tbsp cider vinegar

1/2 tsp hot sauce

1 batch of rice- we prefer brown rice 

OK- here's how to get this started.  Chop up the onion and green pepper. Saute this in a pot with a squirt or two of canola or olive oil spray. Then dump everything else except the rice in the pot. Simmer unil it thickens a little. Serve it over a bed of rice and top with the garnish of your choice- I chose a few dollops of fat free sour cream, but feel free to add more chopped onions, cheese, or the really bad full fat sour cream. This makes a nice filling meal for 4 or 5 folks and has the added benefit of being actually healthy. Hope you give it a try!  

The Ever Practical Handkerchief

        

I think I have mentioned my affection for these little beauties before on the blog. But since I'm currently enduring a nasty head cold I thought I'd just give them another little plug. I do love my hankies. I use them every day and have a large variety of them.

I have vintage ones that I inherited and some that I bought a couple of years ago on eBay. I have new ones that I bought in an older dime store type of place that are machine embroidered with flowers. And I have a few lacy ones that don't work that well but are just pretty & feminine. I keep one of those in my purse doused with a few drops of perfume. When I open my handbag my senses are filled with the sweet wafting of that perfume and I suddenly feel quite dainty & ladylike- even if I'm only wearing jeans and a tee shirt.   

My kids are horrified that I actually use my hankies. It seems very unhygienic to them. Hmmmm...is unhygienic an actual word....probably not. To me using a handkerchief is the ultimate in polite mannerly behavior. But then I'm from the generation that still remembers washing diapers. Tossing a dirty hanky into the washing machine seems very mild in comparison. 

I love pulling my dainty handkerchiefs from my pocket or purse and opening them the first time. They smell great because as a gift to myself I iron them with scented spray [just  a few drops of essential oils or cologne added to a spray bottle of water]. They feel wonderful - all crisp and clean. Using a hankie is just one of the simple ways I make my life more luxurious. I am a firm believer that the quality of your life is not so much influenced by what you buy as by how you manage what you have.

I have embroidered hankies for family members as well as friends. It is a nice old world sort of gift. The gift of three hand monogrammed handkerchiefs scented and tied with a narrow satin ribbon is always appreciated. I remember that the ultimate best gift you could give to my great grandmother was a set of new pristine handkerchiefs. She adored them as do I.

If you or someone you love needs a little pampering, I believe nothing says thoughtfulness like the gift of a beautiful scented handkerchief. If you're not up to doing the handwork [although I do encourage you to try- it is a quite soothing and stress reducing exercise] keep your eyes open for the cheaper ones in discount and variety stores. Or, as I said earlier, eBay has a fine selection of the vintage ones.  

Please pardon me while I attend to my dripping nose....          

Errand Day & Learning to Stretch

Today was errand day for me. While I was getting ready for the heart cath and directly afterwords I made some decisions for myself. One of them was that I wanted to find a place to volunteer some of my time. After much thought and prayer I settled on helping out at our local library.

I live in a small town but our municipal library has always been close to my heart. Since I love to read and I know the library offers a wide variety of services to so many, it seemed like the logical place to volunteer. So I went by today and filled out the paperwork. They have to do a criminal background check on volunteers so that's why I had to fill out the forms. 

Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll hear from the nice folks up at the library and be able to set up a schedule. I imagine I'll be doing lots of shelving of books etc. I have worked in a large church library before and I'm familiar with those kinds of chores. 

Also today I went by a Kinko's to get a family book copied for a distant relation who pinged me on Ancestry.com. She wants a copy of an old journal that I inherited. I was glad to get that process started for her. They will call me when its complete and I can mail it to her.

I also stopped by the local bead shop 'Cool Beads' to see if they knew of a way to make my beach glass into charms for my charm bracelet. They are going to wrap the glass in sterling silver wire for me to create a charm. They should be quite unique and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.

I have been learning some new stretches for my shoulders as they seem to be sort of tight these days. I'm sure sore from running on the treadmill after being off of it for almost three weeks. Hope some of the kinks get worked out this week!

Hopefully the weather will warm. I'm ready for Spring!

    

Patty's Version of Butter Gooey Cake

The kids are coming by for lunch today so I made a Butter Gooey Cake for them to snack on for dessert. This is not an original recipe, in fact it is a very old recipe that Paula Deen features in several of her cookbooks. A word about Paula....she and I are from the same town, Albany, Ga. Although she is about 10 years older than me and we didn't run in the same crowd when I lived there. My mother is a school friend of her Aunt Peggy Ort. Her Uncle George Ort owned the only toy store in Albany for many many years, 'The Toy Box'.  He hosted the Saturday morning cartoons by using the commercials to plug his store and the toys he sold there. He was a television marketeer back in the old black and white TV days. Anyhoo, this recipe was floating around Albany waaay waay before Paula made it famous. It's so easy and good-Hope you'll give it a try.  

Patty's Version of Butter Gooey Cake

Ingredients:

1 Devil's Food cake mix

1 egg

1 stick butter or margarine melted 

Mix this together and pat into an 9 by 11 greased pan.

Filling Ingredients:

1 8 oz package softened cream cheese

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick of butter melted

1 box powered sugar

Sprinkle mini M&M's on top

Beat this all together and pour on top of crust, sprinkle with mini M & M's. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. It will still be shaky in the middle when you take it out of the oven. 

Back on the Treadmill

I was able to finally get back on my treadmill today. It's been over a week since I've been able to run. I had to wait to let my tiny wound from the heart cath heal completely before I got to run again. 

I must say, I don't like running but I sure miss its benefits when I'm side lined for any length of time. It was great to work up a sweat and then to practice lifting my sissy weights. That's one of the changes my doctor wants me to make. I need to be lifting my five pound pink weights at least three days a week. This is because, like most ladies, I have very limited upper body strength. It feels sort of strange to get on Hutch's incline bench and work out with weights. But it will be good for me in the long and short term....so I'm embracing this challenge LOL.

I have already begun to lose weight as I've been really trying to eat better. I've dropped about 5 pounds in the week and a half I've been eating better. One of the things that has been so surprising is how sweet fruit tastes & how full salad and veggies make me. 

I'm eating either oatmeal or Cheerios with fruit in the morning. At lunch I have a salad. For supper I have either a small amount of meat and veggies with a whole grain roll, a bean type soup with a WW roll, or another salad with meat or no fat cottage cheese. Tonight we are having a tofu spaghetti [with WW noodles] , salad, & a WW roll. We like tofu in just about everything so that is not a problem for us. 

The doctor did put me on a low dose statin that targets the LDL or 'bad' cholesterol. He did that because of my family history and because it [the LDL] was starting to creep up. I was a little uncomfortable about that at first, but then I did my research and am now glad to be starting this drug before it [my LDL] becomes a problem. I'm taking a supplement Co Q Enzyme 10 to offset any long term downside to the statin.  

I guess the biggest change for me is going to be lowering the amount of full fat dairy I eat. I really like dairy so that will be a challenge. But I'm going to learn to like it fat free...it just may take a while LOL.

Wherever you are right now, I sure hope your day is going just right and that you are enjoying this cozy Winter day.

           

Back From Vacation

             

Hutch and I are back home. I was blessed enough to accompany him on a business trip this week and it was my vacation. We went down to the Tampa Florida area. We had such a great time! He ate lots of seafood and I tried to be good on my new heart healthy diet. I did OK, but I'm sure learning to love salads!

We walked on the beach in the moonlight and in the early morning hours. He found me a couple of beautiful pieces of beach glass. I love beach glass and rarely find any, but Hutch with his eagle eyes found me two pieces in lovely ocean colors. I'm going to have them made into charms for my charm bracelet.

We went to Tarpon Springs on Monday and really enjoyed the Greek atmosphere there. We shopped, ate authentic Greek food, & went for a  boat ride out into the gulf. I got some homemade clove scented soap from a very nice Greek lady. I watched a man hand roll a cigar- that was interesting. And I learned a lot about sponge divers and natural sponges.

During the week Hutch had to work so I spent lots of time sitting by the pool at the hotel reading. I read some great books by a really good Christian author- Jane Orcutt. I highly recommend this lady to anybody who enjoys inspirational stories, like I do. She made me cry and then laugh several times in each book.

On Thursday night we stopped in Ocala, Florida on our way home to attend a musical directed by one of our friends-Greg. Greg comes back to Ocala several times a year to direct in their beautiful civic theater. He is so talented but since he lives in LA now we don't get to see him very often, and last night was no exception. He was off somewhere teaching [he is in great demand as a drama coach]. We tease him that he is our only 'famous' friend. He is a working actor who actually makes a living at it- LOL.

We throughly enjoyed the play. The sets and lighting were especially nice. And its always great to see a good wholesome musical with a live pit orchestra.

On the last leg of our journey home today we stopped in Tifton, Ga. to have lunch with my mom and her friend Mr. Paul. He's a retired minister and just a super fellow. We love them both so much. 

So now I'm home. And its good to have all the events of the past few weeks behind me. I'm hoping life settles into a more easy pace as I learn to eat better and exercise more. I was running 4 days a week, but I'll need to  raise that to 5 or 6 days. And I'm learning to like lots of different kinds of salads and veggies. 

Hope your week has been great, mine sure was. The citrus fruits were heavy on the trees in Florida, and it seemed every yard sported a huge tree loaded with them. The hibiscus and gardenias were in bloom and I had gardenias in our hotel room. They smelled heavenly! Can't wait for Spring to arrive here!   

More tomorrow!         

Dancing in the Street!

            

I should be dancing in the street! God has delivered me and restored my heart. My heart cath showed that I had a false positive on my thallium test earlier in the week. I am soooo thankful and sooo glad.

I appreciate more than I can say all the prayers and well wishes and cards I got- a special thanks to Carrie Jo & my sweet friend Kate. You all are the best. God met me on all fronts. I had support from many friends, and the awareness of God being very near and supporting me as well.

My sweet Mom came up to help take care of me. It was very humbling to see her heart of service towards me as she labored to go up and down our stairs over and over to serve me. There's nobody like Mom!

Hutch and I heard from relatives [my SIL & new MIL were both incredibly kind to me] & friends we've had over the years and especially from our core group of friends who we've gone on  Lay Witness missions with over the years. Thanks to you all, you know who you are. I love you!!! 

My special mentor, Janet [I want to be like her when I grow up :)], sent me the most comforting passage of scripture. [Isaiah 43: 1-3] I wrote it on a card as she suggested and took it with me to the hospital. As I was getting the medication my last conscious thought was of this scripture. Oh how comforting it was! I felt a deep special intimacy with God in that moment.

Neighbors have offered to come by with food, thanks a bunch Beverly for your kindness, and I have received  numerous calls and well wishes. Janet's husband, who is Hutch's mentor, was both an encourager and a steady rock for us the first day I found out there might be a problem. We love you Joe!

I am humbled beyond belief at the way God's community functions in action. It is a beautiful and awesome thing to see and receive. 

God has taught me soo much over the past week. About myself, but more importantly about Him. and he has given me a new heart [no pun intended] for people. Life is such a gift and I've always valued it, but now I do even more. 

If you are facing a heart cath please let me encourage you. It does not hurt, you don't even remember the procedure. It is not embarrassing or uncomfortable at all. My nurses were Godly women who had the gift of mercy and encouragement- God Bless them for doing this job! And the best news is, that they told me some days they have an 80% rate of confirming false positive outcomes. Especially in women. 

This is my first day up and around but I feel back to normal. You can be very sure that I'll always appreciate Valentine's Day from now on as a sigh-post of what the Lord did and continues to do for me. 

Wherever you are, please know I'm wishing you the very best Valentine's Day!         

Guarding Your Heart

                

OK, this is  not going to be what you think.....This will not be a spiritual article but rather one that is based on recent events in my life. My birthday was last Friday, and I went for my annual checkup. I try to be proactive about my health as there are lots of health problems in my family.

On my father's side these seem to rotate around heart issues. Sooooo....I've always wanted to be very careful to get that seen to. Up until now I've experienced no problems. My last checkup was two years ago and things were doing well. 

Friday I found out I have some amount of narrowing in two arteries in my heart. I go back early this week to find out what my options will be. I have been reassured it is fixable...so that's the good news. However, I write this for anybody, women especially, who don't think this can happen to them...yes it can.

I don't have any symptoms except a mild chest discomfort sometimes that I laid down to anxiety. I thought it was just worry related because when I wasn't worried I never felt it. And I still think it may just be worry related. But it was enough to get my general MD to ask me to get a thallium scan. 

Here's what makes this such an important issue for women- My cholesterol has never been over 200, although this past week my LDL was at 136 [which is only 6 points higher than the old standard]. I take an aspirin a day and have for 15 years, I eat oatmeal for breakfast about three times a week, I'm not overweight, I had a perfect EKG on my birthday- Jan.30th, and I run 3 miles 4 times a week. I don't have high blood pressure, my CPR, & homocystene are normal. My waist size is even smaller than half my height. So you see I have only one real factor- family history. 

Please wherever you are, go get your heart checked out if you are my age 54. Menopause is hard on your heart and if you have a questionable family history, like me, be proactive. Don't be scared. I know its hard not to be for us gals especially & our flesh [the fear] rises up and wants to rule us. I'm learning about this firsthand LOL. But there's a lot that medicine can do these days to help us and if we're armed with the knowledge of what we're up against at least we'll know exactly how to pray and how to be good stewards of our bodies. What you don't know CAN hurt you!

As for me, although this has been very scary and I know I've got a long road to walk down, I am fully convinced that this is for my good. God keeps quickening to me the verse in Romans 8 about all things working together for good to those who love Him. 

Well...I guess this did turn out to be a spiritual article after all. But I've found that all things in life generally go in that direction when they get down to their lowest common denominator. I covet your prayers in the coming weeks. 

Hope your weekend ends up nicely for you! More next week.     

Making a Smoother Cup of Coffee

            

I just learned this today....It is probably common knowledge for most everybody else. You see Hutch and I have been on a hunt for the smoothest cup of homemade coffee we could make. We have tried cheap coffees, and we have tried expensive coffees. But they've rarely taste as smooth as we hoped.

Hutch even went so far as to question the guy who makes the coffee at our favorite place and he gave a surprising insight into how restaurants make great coffee. According to this man, it's all about filtered water.  OK, so then we started using a coffee maker that filters the water. The coffee still wasn't right.  

Today I read a neat tip in a frugality book that may solve the problem. According to this guide even very cheap coffee can be made extra smooth tasting by just adding a dash of salt before brewing. I'll try it in the morning and let you know if it really works.  

Gifts From Folks Who Know You

                      

 Do you ever get gifts for your birthday or Christmas from people who obviously don't know you very well? I'm sure we all have experienced this phenomena. Since Christmas just passed and so did my birthday, I have become sort of intrigued in this topic.

It is a wonderful thing when those closest to you really know you...they know your likes and dislikes. They know if you like practical gifts or whimsical gifts. They know if you like chocolate or vanilla and what your favorite color is. They KNOW you.

I've had a great illustration of that blessing in the past few weeks. Take my birthday for instance. I can never really think of anything I want for my birthday. It's right after Christmas [I have the same problem at Christmas too!]. Folks ask me what I want....and I put them off. Not because I'm so hard to please but because I honestly have a hard time coming up with anything 'gift' worthy. 

But my gifts this year have really touched my heart in a powerful way. Not because they were very big, on the contrary they were suitably modest. But they just 'fit' me. My dear daughter and son in law got me a beautiful scented candle and soap from my very favorite store in the entire world, The Paris Market in Savannah. Allie was home in Savannah last week for a music educator's convention and she went by Paris Market just for me..... She knows I'm a candlaholic with soapaholic tendencies LOL. 

Last night we went over to Jon's house and had dinner with he and his roommates. At the close of a very fun meal he presented me with a lovely gift bag and card. The card itself would have been enough as he had written a very private 'thank you' in it, but what was inside the bag was perfect for me. Again it wasn't a costly gift. But it was one that showed how well he knows his mom. It was a new journal from the Christian Book Store in his town. It is just lovely with each page featuring either a verse from the BIble or an inspiring word. I will treasure it!! Jon knows his mother loves words and he gave me a place to write a few more of my own. 

As for Hutch, my gift from him- along with a really fun outrageous cheapie handbag, will be a new desk for my kitchen. I've always wanted a desk in my kitchen as sort of  'command center'. And this year he is getting one for me. Believe it or not, I found several I like on-line at Walmart. We're going to check and see if they are as sturdy as they look and make a decision tonight. I'm so excited as this desk will house my computer, my cookbooks, & my Bible study materials. I can't wait !! 

So you can see that I've had a really wonderful birthday this year. It's been filled to the brim with my family and gifts that reflect how well they truly know me. I'm so blessed!

Hope you're feeling just as blessed today as well.  

                  

Not Your Typical Birthday Weekend

Well, I guess you could say I didn't have your typical birthday weekend.....Hutch had food poisoning all weekend. He was so very sick. I took care of him and read as quietly as possible downstairs so he could sleep. Poor Guy!

Thankfully he's feeling fine now and has sworn off chicken wings [the suspected culprit] for time and eternity  LOL. So we're going to reschedule my 'Big' day to next weekend. I still have no idea what I'd like to do, so I guess its good that I've got plenty of time to decide.

We're driving down to our son's house this afternoon to grill steaks with he and his roommates. It will be the first time I've seen his new place and I'm looking forward to it. It is a restored hundred year old church.

It seems we won't be getting the huge amount of snow that was predicted. That is disappointing, but all for the best as I need to be able to get out and about this week. My checkup went fine on Friday, but now I've got to go to my cardiologist checkup....again it should be fine, but its never fun.

Hope your weekend was great and that you have something fun to look forward to this week.