something new and somewhere new

Happy New Year again. I have decided to try and stretch my wings.

I am jumping into something new and fresh and interesting.

My blog will now be hosted at word press. I have tried them out for a week and we seem to be getting along nicely.

I am interested in generating more visitors to facilitate more conversation. I want to talk some about books. Books I am reading, others are reading, books I want to read. This will be a good fit for this. I have enjoyed comments in the past and look forward to more lively discussions through the computer venue.

I learned quite a bit to say the least while I was exploring this address.

Thank you for following me here. Please join me (and tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers) as I venture out there and learn and grow and stretch into something even more creative and interesting.

"Always desire to learn something useful."
— Sophocles: was an ancient Greek playwrights

See you when you get there, I will be waiting. Miss Daleen

http://sundayschildfullofgrace.wordpress.com/

Show and Tell

One of my favorite times in elementary school was “show and tell”. I loved see other people’s collections and special dolls or toys. I really loved hearing the other kids talk about their stuff. You could tell even when you were a little kid that it was super important to them.

When son number two went to public school, we were living in Germany. I actually had to drive him and his collection to school for Show and Tell. You see, he was going to be a geologist and his collection was hundreds of rocks. All labeled and some in fishing tackle boxes and some in their own case. Dated and identified. You knew the minute you saw the collection that it was very, very important to him.

My friend is coming over to visit tomorrow. I am baking cinnamon, pecan scones to mark the occasion. We are having grown up Show and Tell. I have three craft projects to share. She has a craft project & a recipe to share. The grown up version is wonderful. You don’t feel like you are bragging. You feel like you are sharing and teaching. Instead of you being the know it all and talking too much, it just makes you feel special that your friend wants to share and give you apart of themselves.

Every once in a while a quilting friend will come over and has never seen my quilts. I take them on a tour so to speak. I chat about my quilts and when they were made and what state we were living in. I talk about hand quilting versus machine quilting. We talk about colors and fabrics and our favorite parts of each. Then without hesitation, I find it so easy to ask when I can come over and look at her quilts. I don’t feel intrusive, I feel honored that she looked at mine and I want her to feel the same when I view hers. It is a lovely grown up version of Show and Tell.

We are shaped and fashioned by what we love. goethe

So true.

Tuesday Treats

Dinner tonight.....

Roasted Red Pepper and Pistachio Pesto for Cheese Ravioli

garlic, homemade or store bought (Rosetto) ravioli,
salt& pepper, jarred roasted red peppers, fresh basil,
Parmesan cheese, toasted pistachios & olive oil

The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated. Love them.
If you can't look it up, I will gladly share.

Yes, I make my own ravioli. Some times, four cheese,
sometimes, crab or lobster will sneak it's way into
the pillows of goodness. Oh yes, and spinach. I am
a big spinach girl when it comes to pasta. Just adore
the savory flavor.

However, if you don't make your own, try "Rosetto" brand in
the freezer section of the grocery store. Just in a bag.
Just plain good. Nothing fancy. Way more filling than
the other more notable brands. Less ingredients, higher
quality.

So tonight when Mr. Right walks in, the house is going to
have a heavenly aroma of warm simmering pesto sauce.
Perhaps a slice or two of garlic bread and a glass of
sparkling water.

A winter dinner perfect for two. It sounds like comfort
and I think it will fit the bill.

bon apetit.

just dog gone good advice

A few months back I read a blog posting and the gal was 37 who was writing it.
She wrote a letter to her 17 year old self, giving advice.

This time she asked her mom to give her 57 year old advice (her being 20 years older
than said blogger).

I loved a couple of her suggestions:


3) Money for retirement requires planning and diligence. Remind your children of this often. Also, quite a few of your bucket list items will cost some money. If you save a teeny $10/week over the next 20 years, you’ll have over 10,000 ‘bucket list bucks’ when you’re 57!

4) Almost-adult children need help deciding how to make their way into the real (big) world when they leave the nest. Spend lots of time helping them learn their strengths and passions so that they can have a successful, enjoyable career, and take care of themselves in any lifestyle they dream of. When you feel totally unqualified or need answers- search out capable guidance professionals, mentors, ministers, hypnotists- somebody! The old saying about “moms being as happy as their unhappiest child” is very true.

5) Family and close friend relationships need cultivating. Dig: find the real stuff. Aerate: expel the issues. Renew: forgive…it enlarges the future. Keep in touch, even if it means just being there to listen. Everyone needs, and deserves, people to catch them when they fall, and to cheer them on when they’re finding their footing.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Keep Calm and Carry On was the third in a series of World War 2 posters drawn up by the UK Ministry of Information in order to boost the morale of the British people by passing on a message from King George VI. The posters were a stark white text on a red background, with the only image on the poster being the royal crown of George VI.

The first two posters, "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory" and "Freedom is in Peril" were widely printed and distributed. However, the third poster, which carried the simple message "Keep Calm and Carry On" although printed, was never distributed, as it was intended only if invasion was imminent.

One of my Christmas gifts from Mr. Right this year was a red wooden sign. It is about 2 feet by 1 foot. It is a deep barn red. I adore by Keep Calm sign. I have wanted one for some time. I am re-decorating my laundry room this year and this will be the showcase (never mind the washer & dryer).

Last night while doing our yearly New Year's Eve jig saw puzzle. We did a 500 piece in 3 hours on the dot. We talked about resolutions as we do every year. Amazingly, each year, we declare our resolutions and write them down and sometimes share them with others. I am happy to share that we have had a very high rate of success over the years. This year we resolved to be better stewards of our finances. We have a few new ideas to try. We resolve to research and give more money to needy causes. On a more material note, we are revamping and organizing the entire sewing/craft room! woohoo ....and then the "big" one....

We both have resolved to be more uplifting, positive, cheerful every single day. If you stop for a moment and think about the poster the British people were to believe... your cheerfulness with bring us Victory? Really? Now, I ask you, if today, our Commander in Chief were to have posters printed up that shared a similar idea.......by your cheerfulness we will be Victorious over our state of economy. Would you rise to the occasion? Would you believe for a moment that be each of us being cheerful and full of uplifting spirits we would be a better country?

I don't need nor do I want the Commander in Chief of America to decree such a statement. However (you knew there was a however), I do want he/she to move boldly forward with a positive attitude. I want them to be a strong, steadfast, goal driving leader with no excuses, no placing blame, no whining. I need them to Keep Calm and Carry On.

So it is with a Cheerful heart that Mr. Right and I look forward to a brand new Happy and Healthy 2012 with a brand new grandgirlie, a brand new daughter in law, more trips, more exploring, more learning, and a motto to follow,

Keep Calm and Carry On.

Thrifty Thursday

Ah, the almighty coupon.

Nope, I don't buy hundreds of newspapers a week. Yes, we get the Sunday paper and the coupons that come with that. Nope, I don't dumpster dive, I do purchase a few coupons from e-bay. Usually, I pay 10 cents for a $2.00 off coupon for coffee that we buy. I never buy anything on line without first checking two or three sites for a coupon for free shipping or a percentage off.

Many coupons out there are good on boxed cereal (we don't usually buy those), laundry soap (nope, make my own), toothpaste (we buy non fluoride, organic, no coupons), and since we do not buy boxed products, we loose out on using those. We make our own dog food and treats so we don't.....wait we do use those. We buy the products and donate them to the animal shelter. Any time we want to buy junk food like potato chips, we make sure we use a coupon. I use coupons for personal products and we fill our college and military care packages with those.

I keep a zippered plastic pencil holder pouch in the glove box of our car. It holds coupons for stores that I drive to. Joann Fabrics, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Jiffy Lube, local grocery stores, coffee shop, you get the idea. By keeping them in the car, we never forget them at home, once at a place of business.

I spend about 15 minutes a week on "couponing". Yes, I have watched the Ultimate Supreme Couponers on television. No, I do not spend 8 hours a day clipping coupons. Sure I send an e-mail now and then to a company with a product that we love or use often. Sometimes, they send out a coupon or two.

2011 I only couponed 11 months out of the year. I took the month of August off for surgery. We continue to refine our diet and eat healthier and make better choices so our couponing is not quite as easy. I jot down the coupons each shopping trip on the calendar. End of the month, I just add up, circle and then move on. I add them at the end of the year. Keeps me motivated to continue another year.

I keep my coupons in a three ring binder. Otherwise, I think it would make me crazy to dig around in a paper bag and just pull out a coupon here or there. I go through
the baseball card sleeve pages about once a month and check expiraton dates. Easy and quick.

So here are some totals for my 15 minutes a week "work".

2009 saved a total of $1,394.94
2010 saved a total of $1,794.67
2011 saved a total of $1, 442.82

A grand total for three years equals $4,632.43. The very next time someone tells you that you can't really save any money using coupons, refer them to this blog post. I bed to differ.

I have a friend who says don't say "thrifty" say THRIVING. So here you go,
Thriving on Thursday.

choose happy

I love the comment on another blog today.......she said, "isn't it funny what makes us happy on the inside?"

She drives by a farm in rural South Carolina on the way to work each day.

The farm is called "Hissy Fit Farm".

Made me smile.

ps. I love the book called Hissy Fit, too.