happy spring - kind of - and what i'm up to

February in Illinois usually isn't a kind month. It's typical to have cold weather and snow. This year is different. We've actually had a mild February, including some abnormally warm weather for this time of year. Today is 66F and sunny. Tomorrow we're supposed to reach 70F, then strong thunderstorms will move in (with potential for hail and tornadoes), with temps plummeting to 20F by night! Yes, a 50 degree difference in the same day. Wednesday will only be in the low 30's with snow. CRAZY!! 

This morning when I opened the blinds in the house, I saw two spring robins in the yard. The first sighting of the season! Usually I don't see them until mid-March. Walking around the yard, I saw Bleeding Heart poking out of the ground. That's definitely a few weeks early. And then when I went back in the house, I heard the beautiful sounds of Sandhill Cranes flying overhead. They're back from Mexico, Arizona and California! 

(Bleeding Heart emerging)

What I'm reading:

I can't say enough good things about this book. You can probably tell I'm finding nuggets of wisdom and information from all the page markers. If you're a woman 60+, you'll love this book. From Amazon ~

"Filled with unexpected good news about growing older, Winter’s Graces highlights eleven qualities that ripen with age―including audacious authenticity, creative ingenuity, necessary fierceness, self-transcending generosity, and a growing capacity to savor life and to ride its ups and downs with humor and grace. Decades of research have established that the catastrophic conditions often associated with late life, such as severe dementia and debilitating frailty, are the exception, not the rule. Still, the mistaken idea that aging equals devastating decline persists, causing enormous and unnecessary suffering, especially for women. Drawing on decades of experience as a psychology professor and psychotherapist, Susan Stewart, PhD, weaves together inspiring folk stories that illustrate the graces of winter and recent research that validates them, along with a wealth of user-friendly tools and practices for amplifying these graces and bringing them to life. Written primarily for women over 50 seeking good news about growing older, Winter’s Graces offers adults of all ages a compelling vision of aging that celebrates its many gifts, acknowledges its challenges, and reveals how the last season of life can be the most fulfilling of all."

What I'm listening to ~

Halah ~ Mazzy Star

Idea 10 ~ Gibran Alcocer

What I'm watching on TV:

Curb Your Enthusiasm

(Honestly, I'm not much of a TV watcher. We're just now into Season 2 of this series and still think it's just "meh" even though it has good ratings and our son and some friends recommended it. We'll slog along for a little while longer. Have you watched this?)

What I'm cooking (making this tonight):

Creamy Parmesan Ranch Chicken 

What I'm working on:

This mess!

We have small closets in this house. This is the closet in my office/the guest room/what-used-to-be Philip's bedroom. I use it for hanging my sweaters and hoodies, purse storage, and for my art journaling and scrapbooking supplies. Not shown: the messy closet shelf. 

While on a walk around the neighborhood last week, I found this tall, slim dresser at the curb of a neighbor's house. I thought it'd be perfect for storage in the closet. Brian got the dresser in the car for me and brought it home. 

I took everything out of the closet including the Sterilite drawers, went through every little thing, and ended up with three bags of things for donation. 

And...the after, so far! I still have more organizing to do. And then I have to tackle all the stuff on the closet shelf.

Have a good week!

💗

read, watch, listen, cook

What I'm reading ~ Daring Greatly by Brene Brown & You Could Make This Place Beautiful. Both fantastic. Just finished reading Sensitive: The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World - which I highly recommend if you're a HSP.

What I'm watching ~ Season 5 of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (the acting! the costumes! the drama!) & Season 2 of Somebody Somewhere (Bridget Everett is brilliant and hilarious; the show hits you in all the feels.)

What I'm listening to ~ Love You Madly - Cake ...... Mazzy Star - Halah ...... Je te laisserai des mots - Patrick Watson

What I'm cooking ~ Half Baked Harvest Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs with Garlic Butter. I'm a big fan of Half Baked Harvest's recipes and this one was no exception. I don't care for ground chicken, so I used a mixture of ground turkey and ground pork. I also didn't use the chili flakes called for in this recipe, as I'm sensitive to hot spices. 

What have you been reading, watching, listening to, and cooking that you would recommend? Please share!

💙

snowy new year's day, reading pile, and a couple of recipes to keep you warm

I mentioned in my last post that we were wanted to get in our traditional New Year's Day hike in the State Park before the snow hit. We did it! It was only in the 20's, but we bundled up and went about two miles. It was actually invigorating. The snow started right as we were leaving, so perfect timing.

The great thing about walking in the State Park on New Year's day is that we have the whole park to ourselves ~ except for the animals, of course. No humans in sight the entire time as the park is closed on New Year's day. The main gates to drive into the park are closed, but you're allowed to walk in through the side walk-in only entrances. 

I don't always love where I live, but when I walk in the State Park, I feel very grateful to live here.

"I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees." (Henry David Thoreau)

So now that it's officially January and we're experiencing true winter weather; i.e., cold, and the omicron variant has a lot of people sick with Covid, I'm doing more staying indoors. I did go to the library today (only three other people in there besides the few employees) to return some books and pick up a few others. This is my January reading pile. I've been reading Simple Abundance every year for many years. January is my favorite month of her writings. I've always been curious about A Course in Miracles but it's quite lengthy and involved, so I thought I'd try what I call the Cliff Notes version ("Made Easy").

No Time to Spare by Ursula K. LeGuin is a collection of her blog posts which she began writing in her 80's. (She passed away in 2018.) From what I've read, she's a wonderful writer and this book is a gem of her deepest thoughts.

 

This past weekend, I made a couple of dishes that were yummy, healthy, warming, and easy to make, so I thought I'd share them with you. The first is from Half Baked Harvest ~ my newest favorite for dinner ideas and recipes. Every recipe I've tried has turned out wonderful. If you like Indian food with a little heat, you have to try this Crockpot Butter Chicken. I didn't have any red curry paste on-hand and this dish still turned out great. Serve over brown rice with garlic naan bread and a side of steamed broccoli. Although, in my post-menopausal foggy brained state (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it), I forgot to make the broccoli. 🙄

I apologize for this non-appealing photo (bad lighting, steam coming from the bowl, melting cheese swirling throughout), but believe me, this One Pot Red Lentil Chili was delicious. I used a poblano chili instead of a jalapeno and I only used one can of beans (black) instead of two, as I don't digest beans too well. I had leftovers for lunch today and it was even better after sitting in the refrigerator overnight.

Have a good week ~ stay warm and healthy!

still in summer mode

Here we are in September already. While I'm not in any way ready for fall and technically it doesn't start for almost another three weeks, I see the signs all around me. Dry leaves are falling to the ground and crunching underfoot. The morning light is softer and filtered in the way it falls across the front yard.

 One of my favorite plants this summer has been this black and blue salvia. I am endlessly fascinated by the color of the flowers. I see hummingbirds on the flowers at least ten times a day. Of course, bees love it, too.

Just this morning as I was sitting on the front porch with my coffee, a dragonfly came to visit on the salvia.

My son who now lives out-of-state, was just here visiting for a few days. I dropped him of at the airport a couple of days ago and when I got back home, I saw this in the guest room. An empty, messy bed. Made my mama heart break a little bit.

Because, of course, this is what my heart always sees and feels...even though he's now 29 years old. 

I haven't read as much this summer as I usually do. According to my Goodreads reading goal, I'm nine books behind schedule. (Quit judging me, Goodreads!) This is the book I'm in the middle of reading right now. You might recognize the author's name...she's most famous for "The Secret Life of Bees", "The Mermaid Chair" and "The Invention of Wings". She's also written some non-fiction: "The Dance of the Dissident Daughter" and "When the Heart Waits". I've read all her books and loved them. So far, this story ranks up there with all her other books. It's historical fiction from the days of Jesus told by a female perspective. Kidd's brilliant writing pulls you right into the story and there's an amazing connection to the characters because she brings them to life.

I discovered Tieghan from Half Baked Harvest on Instagram and have been obsessed with her recipes. Literally everything she makes looks so good. I've tried a few of her recipes and they're as good as they look. When I saw that she had a new cookbook out, I got it from my local library to check it out before buying it online. I ended up putting sticky tabs on so many pages, that I knew I had to buy this cookbook. This cookbook basically covers everything: Breakfast and Brunch, Appetizers and Sides, Salad and Soup, Pizza and Pasta, Vegetarian, Poultry and Pork, Beef and Lamb, Seafood and Fish and Dessert.

 I'm seeing people all over Instagram talking about fall decorating already. I can't even go there. It is still summer!!

I'm leaving my cheery, bright, light decor up for at least another two weeks.

All too soon, I won't even hear the beautiful chirping of little birdies all around my yard. This pretty, colorful pillow will be replaced with one with stupid pumpkins muted colors.

The big change that will be coming to my living room in October is...
a new sofa!

Finally. 

This 15-year old one is long past its prime. We'd been looking for over a year in stores and online. 

We finally decided on an off-white slipcovered sofa from Crate and Barrel. I have to say that the saleswomen at the Crate and Barrel store were very helpful with working with our needs (color, length, material, style). The bonus was that C&B was having their annual sofa sale, so we saved some money. The sofa is being made in North Carolina so that's why it'll take awhile to get here. I guess there'll be one good thing to look forward to this fall. 😉