home talk

I started a big decluttering project this past weekend: cleaning out my bookcases. I easily have 500-600 books in my house, most of them housed in the bookcases in the basement family room. Some of my friends are downsizing now and moving into smaller dwellings. I've seen how much they've purged when moving. Inspiring, for sure! Not that we're planning on moving anytime soon. But sometimes I look around my basement - the family room and the storage area - and feel overwhelmed by all the stuff we've accumulated over the past 30+ years of living here. 

Most of my fiction books came from library book sales. Mind you, these are books I've never even read! (I don't keep fiction books after I read them.) I only keep non-fiction books if they're ones I will refer to again. Here's the piles I'm getting rid of: 135 books, so far! I am going to start by trying to sell them in bulk on Facebook Marketplace. If that doesn't work, I'm going to call a local used bookstore where the profits go to the Environmental Defenders group, and see if they want them. If not, I will donate to the Salvation Army.

These are the main bookshelves in the family room. You can see the cleared out spaces I have now. There are two more small bookcases in the family room - one with my non-fiction books and the other with children's books from my boy's childhood days. I worked on cleaning out the children's books today. I have about 50 of those books to either sell or donate. I'll be working on my non-fiction books and cookbooks next.

Speaking of Facebook Marketplace, I've been looking for a new piece of furniture for my large kitchen wall. I'd like to replace the tall, skinny hutch and vintage cart with a mid-sized hutch. I found a beautiful pine hutch just the other day that had glass double doors on top, a nice ledge space, then two big cupboards on the bottom. And it was only $50. It sold right away. I have emotional ties to this skinny hutch. Brian and I bought it when we were first married. It was our first quality, vintage piece of furniture we purchased in an antique store. But it doesn't serve us well anymore. I need more cupboard space for larger serving dishes, our wedding china, and smaller kitchen appliances such as the blender, food processor and Crockpot. My cookbooks (I have about 40-50, soon to be less!) could go in the upper portion like what I have now. I considered a buffet instead of a hutch, but then I wouldn't have display room for my cookbooks.

The nourishing comfort food continues...this is a soup I made a few days ago. This one started out with your basic onions, celery and garlic and then I added three sweet potatoes, one carrot, a can of tomatoes and broth. Baby spinach was stirred in at the end. You can also stir in a can of drained white beans. A reader in my last post asked if I would share my posole recipe. I don't have a "recipe"! I do sometimes follow recipes I find online or in my cookbooks, but I also make a lot of things just from the top of my head. That's why I like cooking better than baking...I feel more creative with cooking. I make up a lot of my own recipes and just go with the flow as I'm cooking. 

A winter storm is going to hit here anytime now. Depending on how it tracks, we should get 4-8" of snow by tomorrow morning. High winds will also make for blowing and drifting snow across the roadways. Brian's working until 11 PM tonight so of course, I worry about him driving home in this weather. I won't be able to go to bed until he's home safe and sound. In the meantime, I have a pot of chicken and veggie soup simmering on the stove. I added fresh garlic and ginger to the soup, as well as turmeric, rosemary and thyme. Anti-inflammatory, comforting and delicious! I wish you all could smell my house right now. 😃

Have a good week and stay well and safe.

for today ~ november edition

I haven't done this series in a long time, so thought I'd give it a try again. I hope you enjoy this...and perhaps you'd like to join in if you have a blog.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window ~

It's dark, gray, cold and gloomy. That's how November tends to roll around here. Add in the time change where it now gets dark at 4:30 and you have a nice recipe for Seasonal Affective Disorder. This photo was taken yesterday out my living room window when we actually had a rare day with a little bit of sun.

I am thinking ~

That I need to buy one of those light therapy lamps for SAD. On my to-do list!

I am thankful ~

for my yoga community. Not only do we have an amazing yoga teacher, but the people in this class (mostly women; two men) are down-to-earth, friendly, supportive, and humorous. We all talk before and after class, sometimes go out for coffee after class, and join together in community events.

One of my favorite things ~

I found this gorgeous, full-size, vintage quilt (at a bargain price!) this past weekend while treasure-hunting with a friend. I'm not going to be using it in our bedroom as shown in the photo, as it doesn't "go" in this room. Where I'm currently using it is coming up.

I am creating ~

Soup! It's a staple in our house all through fall and winter. Leek and Potato is a favorite and is sooo easy to make. It's incredible how something with just a few ingredients can taste absolutely delicious. Magic and nourishment before your eyes.

LEEK & POTATO SOUP

3 T. olive oil

3 large leeks, white & pale green parts only, halved lengthwise & thinly sliced

2 large organic Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & diced

4-1/2 c. chicken or vegetable broth (if you're using veggie broth, be sure it doesn't contain

tomatoes, as it makes the soup look & taste weird)

2 T. chopped fresh chives, for topping

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat with oil. Cover pot; cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes begin to soften, but do not brown, stirring often, about 10 min. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until veggie are tender, about 30 minutes. Puree soup with a hand blender or in a regular blender until smooth. Thin with additional broth if soup is too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Optional: can stir in a little bit of cream. Garnish with chives and serve.

I am wearing ~

black leggings, turquoise and white striped shirt, gray vest.

I am reading ~

I just finished Olive Kitteridge and give it five stars. One of the best books I've read this year! It's hard to get into at first, and I wasn't sure where the story was going, but then it all came together and I couldn't put the book down. I feel like I personally know Olive (the sign of a great writer when the characters seem real!) and I want to know what's in store for her next. I'm so glad the author, Elizabeth Strout, just published the follow-up book, Olive, Again which I'll be starting tonight.

I am watching ~

The Amazon series, Modern Love. 

I am hoping ~

That my son's chronic tinnitus gets better. Anyone that has experience with this miserable condition have any suggestions that have worked for them? 

I am learning ~

That our problems are not unique. Sometimes when you're in the middle of something, you feel like you're the only one. But the more you talk to other people, the more you find that others are going through ~ or have gone through ~ the same things. It's all about connection and support.

In my kitchen ~

Like I mentioned before, there's been a lot of soup making going on around here! Yesterday, I made a pot of Minestrone. Tonight, I'm making my famous chili recipe.

Shared quote ~

A moment from my day ~

This room used to be Tim's bedroom. I'm slowly transforming it into an office for Brian. I love the way the sunlight was streaming in the window yesterday morning. (OK, so I'm a day off on this prompt.) That's mine and Brian's baby pictures on the wall. Phil and Tim's baby pictures are on the other side of the curtain. The "new" quilt is on the chair.

Post Script (add a favorite link that you would like to pass along. It can be someone else's website, etsy shop, Instagram feed, Facebook link, OR it can be your own) ~

If you've ever considered starting an art or junk journal, check out Art Journalist. Full of how-to's, free printables, painting and journaling tips, and all sorts of other helpful and creative tidbits.

If you would like to create your own daybook, check here for the guidelines and list of prompts.

Be well, be happy, be peaceful.

xoxo

the yin and yang of fall

 We've had just a few sunny days in-between a ton of gloomy, rainy ones. On one of those rare, sunny days we took a hike in the nearby State Park.

The one thing we forgot is that the mosquitoes have been extra bad this year. We have a contract service that sprays for mosquitoes around our property every three weeks, so it was easy to forget that they'd be in abundance in the park. We had to walk with our shirts up around our necks to avoid the blood suckers. Other people passing us had their hoodies up over their heads, though with the sun beating down, it was hot. We were a sweaty mess by the time we got back to our car.

 This might've been a better idea to keep the skeeters off our heads.

I'm not big into mums, but I do buy one big bunch every fall for my front porch. I think they look pretty in this galvanized tub. I just plopped the entire pot down in there; I didn't replant them in the tub.

This big summer pot of annuals is still somehow going strong on my porch, too. Must be the combination of morning sun and all the rain we've had.

Otherwise, this is what the patio side of the house looks like right now: a tad dismal. We haven't been able to keep the patio furniture cushions out because of all the rain. Will we ever get to use the patio again before it's too cold? 🙁 It's been buried in wet leaves, too. This was after I used the leaf blower to clear off the patio and the furniture.

As I do every fall, I've been taking photos of the neighbor's glorious maple tree. A few days ago when we had a little bit of sun, the colors of the sky and tree were absolute perfection.

The gray, gloomy mornings call for candlelight on the mantel...

And little touches of fall around the house...I added some fall cheer to the small china cabinet in my kitchen by putting scrapbook paper on the back of the middle shelf.

I needed a new pillow for the living room couch. A trip to HomeGoods yielded this beauty. A saleslady who saw me looking at this pillow said it was her favorite - and the last one left. I love the colors and textures.

And it's reversible!

Homemade soups are back in my cooking repertoire again. A simple vegetable soup with a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese hits the spot on cool days.

It's rainy here (surprise, surprise), so we went to the movies today to see A Star is Born. It was phenomenal. I can't say enough good things about this movie. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga blew me away. We were going to go to a fall fest tomorrow, but with all the rain, I'm sure it'll be cancelled. We need to do things like look for new eye glasses for Brian and check out washing machines and dishwashers (yes, we need both at once - ugh) at Home Depot.

Have a great weekend!

for today ~ april edition

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window ~
It doesn't look much different than March. It was only 28 degrees this morning, and you can't see it in this photo, but my butterfly garden is to the left and covered in a thin layer of icy snow. More snow is on the way tonight - not much, thank goodness - but just enough to remind us that winter-like weather isn't over yet. In fact, as I'm writing this evening, I can see fat, fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky.

I am thinking ~
that I'm hungry for a bowl of the navy bean soup I made this evening. It's cooling down right now.

I am thankful ~

for friends that message me and ask if I want to go out for coffee.

One of my favorite things ~

Cookbooks. Love Soup is my newest acquisition. I bought it used on amazon.

I am creating ~

an art journal. Nothing fancy - I can't draw or paint, but I do some collages and journal prompts.

I am wearing ~

A long-sleeved black shirt, a purple hoodie, and gray yoga pants.

I am reading ~
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. It's just "ok"; nothing exceptional. Next I will be reading Kristin Hannah's latest book. I'm grateful for my local libraries.

I am listening to ~

The Man Who Saved the World by Nirvana, though the song was actually written by David Bowie.

I am hoping ~

for warmer weather.

I am learning ~

to practice guided meditations. Two of my favorite apps are Insight Timer and Stop, Breathe & Think.

In my kitchen ~

I soaked the dried navy beans for the Navy Bean Soup overnight, started the soup in the late afternoon, and now it's cooling down. The house smells so good! I used the ham bone from our Easter ham. This weekend, I'll be making Trisha Yearwood's Linguine with Braised Red Wine Short Rib Sauce. I saw her making it on TV this past week and it looked so good, I just had to try it for myself. 

Post Script ~
(Add a favorite link that you would like to pass along. It can be someone else's website, etsy shop, Instagram feed, Facebook link, OR it can be your own.)
I've been thinking about putting a hanging plant in the living room-kitchen pass-thru. I thought a macrame plant hanger with a wooden shelf would be cool - macrame is back in style (what's old is new again) and I think the texture of the macrame, wood, and greenery would be perfect for this empty space. There's a lot to choose from on etsy

Shared quote ~

Let the beauty we love be what we do. (Rumi)

A moment from my day ~

This morning, walking around my yard and filling the bird feeders. It was only 28 degrees, but with the sun shining and the sky so clear and blue, it was actually quite beautiful.

I'm going to dig into that delicious soup now. 
Until next time, be well, be happy, be peaceful.

If you're interested in participating in doing a post for The Simple Woman's Daybook, see the guidelines here.

soup weather ~ and car update

 We finally hit a balmy 13 degrees today. Feels like a heat wave compared to the sub-zero temps we'd been having.

We eat a lot of soup in the winter and I love making up my own recipes. This is the soup I made last night - Italian Sausage and Fennel soup. You won't believe how good your house smells when this is cooking. Brian walked in the door from work and exclaimed, "It smells so good in here!" We all ate two bowls full for dinner. And there was enough leftover for lunches today. If you don't want to make that much, just halve the recipe.

I absolutely love fennel. It has a strong anise (think licorice) scent and mild flavor when raw. Don't let this deter you. I hate licorice, but I love fennel. This doesn't taste anything like the candy! It's delicious sliced thinly and incorporated into a salad. As for cooking, it mellows and becomes almost undiscernible. In fact, next time I make this, I'm going to use two fennel bulbs. We loved this soup so much, we all had two bowls each last night. Give it a try. Anyone can make homemade soup. The hardest part is chopping the veggies!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE & FENNEL SOUP

1 lb bulk mild Italian sausage

1 T extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil

1 - 2 bulbs fennel (depending on the size & your preference), diced

2 leeks, diced (be sure to use only the white & light green parts &

rinse thoroughly - the layers can contain sand & grit)

3 small carrots, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes or tomato puree

6-8 cups broth (chicken and/or vegetable)*

Sprinkling of red pepper flakes

Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 tsp each oregano & thyme

1/2 cup ditalini

1 5 oz pkg baby spinach

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the olive or avocado oil (don't use toxic oils such as vegetable or canola) and add the Italian sausage. Cook on medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until cooked completely. Remove sausage from pot with a slotted spoon, onto a plate lined with paper towels to catch the grease.

Add fennel, leeks, carrots and garlic to the pot. Cook on medium-low heat for about 5-7 minutes, until veggies are slightly tender. Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of broth, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, oregano & thyme. Stir to incorporate. Bring mixture to a soft boil and add the ditalini. Turn heat back down to low and let simmer for 8 minutes, until the pasta is cooked. Stir in the baby spinach. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

*You may find while the pasta is cooking or even when the soup is done, that you need to add more broth. The pasta absorbs a lot of the liquid. I used more than 1/2 cup ditalini in my recipe and if you do the same (if you like a lot of noodles), then you will need to add more broth.

 On a totally different note, I am holding my breath until the mechanic calls me by the end of the day about my car. He called yesterday to tell me he at least knew it was engine misfire (I knew that, too - from a Google search) and that he'd be looking into why the engine misfire today. There's several things it could be; some minor, some major. We are hoping for the minor, of course. This is a Honda Accord and yes, it's old (it's a 2001) but it only has 156,000 miles on it, which is "nothing" for a Honda. To-date, it's never given me any problems except for routine maintenance. I sure don't want to be car shopping in this frigid weather...heck, I don't want to be car shopping at any time, but I know that's life. And I also dread the thought of car payments again. I wouldn't be buying a brand-new vehicle; I'd be looking for a used one. But even a good used vehicle is pricey these days. I'm getting ahead of myself, so on that note, I am going to have a cup of chamomile tea and then do my daily yoga. 

hodgepodge

Hard to believe we're nearing the end of October already. I've actually seen a couple of bloggers mentioning Christmas. That stopped me in my tracks. I still feel like we've barely gotten into fall. Christmas is the furthest thing from my mind right now. I know it's only two months away, but I hate the rush into the commercialism. I also prefer celebrating one holiday at a time. Thanksgiving seems to get pushed to the side.

This weekend we went to a friend's Halloween party. These are her two granddaughters. Aren't they just precious?

Brian held the little one for a few minutes. He looks pretty comfortable in his role as "grandpa". ;-)

The wonderful evening was topped off by our beloved Cubs winning the National League Championship! Brian's been a Cub's fan since he was a little boy. To see the Cubs now heading to the World Series is a dream come true for him.

I love October in Illinois. The weather is all over the place: it can be rainy and gloomy for several days in a row; warm and sunny with endless blue skies; or just downright cold. Most mornings I have to turn the heat on to get the chill out of the house, but a couple of hours later, the house will be warm from the sun, so the heat goes off and the windows get opened. We relish the warm, sunny days because we know they're fleeting. Sunday was one of those perfect days, so we took advantage of it and went for a walk in the State Park.

I love the way the gentle autumn light filters through the trees and casts a golden glow everywhere.

There's a lot of milkweed in the park and the pods have burst open and are scattering their feathery seeds.

 Our walk led us to a lake, where we sat on a bench for a little while, enjoying the peacefulness while we closed our eyes and turned our faces to the sun.

 The maple tree across the street is at its brilliant peak of color right now. Rain is moving in later this week, so I know by the end of the week, this beautiful tree will be bare. 

Walking around my yard today, I was surprised to see all the plants and flowers that are still hanging in there, despite some frosty mornings. Mums are still blooming...

and so is the mexican tarragon in the herb garden. Chives and mint to the left in the photo are still thriving, too. Though mint is practically indestructible. 

 Russian Sage still has its pretty purple flowers...

The clematis surprised us by giving us one last bloom a few days ago! 

Zinnias are hanging in there, too.

I did a big grocery shopping today and came home to make October Soup. Are you familiar with Alicia Paulsen's blog, Posie Gets Cozy? If not, prepare to be delighted with her blog if you go over there and take a look. Alicia made up this recipe and it looked and sounded good, so I gave it a try. Oh. My. Goodness! This is a must-make. My house tonight still smells like that wonderful, warm, heady concoction of simmering soup on the stove. The three of us loved this hearty soup. Brian and Tim raved about it and went for seconds. Enough said. You can find the recipe in this blog post. The only changes I made were to add a few stalks of celery in with the other sauteed vegetables, and I also cut the quantity of red lentils down to one cup. (The recipe called for two cups, but I didn't want the soup to be that thick. As you can tell by my photo, one cup was plenty. It's up to you!) Oh - and I also used nitrate-free kielbasa. 

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

~ L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables