All in a day-

Posted on March 1, 2011 by heidiannie

Time is relative.

Or so they say.

All I know is that it takes me more time to accomplish less-

so maybe I’m not closely related.

I used to tell my mother that she needed to get up,

shower and dress if she wanted to be included in my

outings. She would always say she was still in her

nightgown at the unlikely hour of 10 AM.

And now, here I sit, in my jammies, without any

interest in hurrying up to shower and dress.

So maybe the relativity is more to my mom than

to time?

Anyway- I’ve been busy- but there isn’t a whole

lot to show for it.

I’ve finished another pair of socks.

Happy Birthday, Cynthia!

And I made some Chocolate Sable` cookies-

(and have a lot to be made in a roll in the fridge,Mmm!)

And I made my husband happy with roast beef, potatoes and gravy.

I’m slowly getting ready to go down to Chincoteague, but my husband

is involved in a job that has been extended and we’re not sure WHEN

we will be leaving. So I’m not packing anything yet. Just preparing.

And in this circumstance time is d r a g g I n g along.

So, really what does it matter what I get done in a day?

There is always tomorrow.

…in the house….

Posted on February 27, 2011 by heidiannie

<< Psalm 135 >>
New American Standard Bible

2You who stand in the house of the LORD,
In the courts of the house of our God!

3Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.

4For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His own possession.

5For I know that the LORD is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.

6Whatever the LORD pleases, He does,
In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.

7He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
Who makes lightnings for the rain,
Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.

8He smote the firstborn of Egypt,
Both of man and beast.

9He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,
Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.

10He smote many nations
And slew mighty kings,

11Sihon, king of the Amorites,
And Og, king of Bashan,
And all the kingdoms of Canaan;

12And He gave their land as a heritage,
A heritage to Israel His people.

13Your name, O LORD, is everlasting,
Your remembrance, O LORD, throughout all generations.

14For the LORD will judge His people
And will have compassion on His servants.

15The idols of the nations are but silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.

16They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;

17They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.

18Those who make them will be like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.

19O house of Israel, bless the LORD;
O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;

20O house of Levi, bless the LORD;
You who revere the LORD, bless the LORD.

21Blessed be the LORD from Zion,
Who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!

Talking about the house of the Lord.

Talking about the house of Israel.

Talking about those who stand in the house of the Lord,

And the praise, blessing, and reverence that they are to sing out!

The house of the Lord is a place of protection.

It is a place of heritage and remembrance.

He provides it for His children- for those He has called-

for those who call upon His Name- for His servants.

Next week, my husband and I are traveling to Meredith’s house

in Chincoteague. We are going to work- but it is a welcoming

place and we are blessed even as we work.

Thinking about the long drive and the work ahead is not

daunting, because we are accomplishing a work of love.

And it is a time of communion for us- a time just for the

two of us to talk and work together.

It is good.

And last week Aidan and I put together a gingerbread house.

While we were working I told him a careful story of Hansel and Gretel.

There were no scary witches to worry about. He’s not even three

yet, so we talked about children leaving bread trails in the woods and finding

a wonderful house made of gingerbread and candy. And how happy their parents

were to find them after looking all day. And how their stomachs were too

full of candy so they were a little upset, but they felt so much better in their

own beds that night, safe and sound.

Because that is what we are looking for. A house that is our home.

A place where we belong. Where we are safe and sound.

The house of the Lord is that place.

We have come from unsafe situations in houses where there are

false gods. We have lived amongst the “Egyptians” –looking for

safety and assurance in a place we don’t belong. We lived in a land full

of idols- and are seeking a place with the one true God.

“know that the LORD is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.

6Whatever the LORD pleases, He does,
In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.”

Psalm 135 – there is no place like home- in the house of the Lord.

Wordle fun

Posted on February 23, 2011 by heidiannie

My friend Joanna at Zeb Bakes made me a wordle from Jonathan Feinberg’s Wordle site.

I really like it!

It is words from my blog- and some of the topics I’ve had up lately.

Want to play? You can go to Zeb Bakes and follow Joanna’s VERY helpful instructions and links that will

take you to the right place and grab the wordle for yourself.

And – Jonathan says you can use the wordle free- even for commercial use.

What I really like is that this is a view of my blog from my friend’s point of view-

and that really adds to the fun! Because it gives a fresh perspective and I can see how well I’m

communicating.

Thanks, Joanna!

Making a treat out of a trial.

Posted on February 22, 2011 by heidiannie

I give up.

We had temperate weather for a weekend and then

WHOOSH back to winter.

Snow and temps below freezing.

BUT- I’ve decided that giving up can be sweet.

I made a orange snow sundae for dessert!

I was making candied orange peel and decided to use the left over

syrup and some scoops of snow from the deck to make a treat.

So I have some orange peel to decorate some cupcakes-

and a yummy frozen treat!

And look how pretty the sun on the snowy treetops look!

I thought I might update this post and add an old recipe for candied

orange peels. In case you’d like to make some!

I love to use something I might have discarded to make something beautiful and delicious. My husband takes an orange in his lunch everyday. When he packs his lunch, the peel is thrown away as garbage. When I pack his lunch, I peel the rind off first and then peel the pith away- saving the rind( the orange part) and tossing out the thick white peeling underneath.

The thin orange rind is where all the oils and flavor are in the skin- so when you peel it off, make sure you don’t pick up the white part- it is bitter and unusable.Cover the rind with water and simmer for about 20 minutes, then pour off the water and repeat (Cover, Simmer, Pour off). The water will be a light orange each time- you are getting rid of the bitter flavor with the water baths.

Add about 3/4 cup fresh water and 1 cup sugar and stir to dissolve sugar, then put on low heat and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. The peels will become translucent and the sugar water will become a simple syrup.

Put fine sugar in a filter or plate and, using a fork, lift out the orange peel and dredge in the sugar.

Cover both sides and set aside onto wax paper.

To make flowers, use a long piece of peel and after dredging in sugar,

roll into a rose shape while still warm and pliable.

Shape into rose by wrapping peel tightly at base and flare out the “petal” top.

Allow to dry on wax paper until it isn’t sticky, and then you can garnish cakes- or dip into dark chocolate for candy, or just use in recipes- like in Irish soda bread or hot cross buns.

And, pour the simple syrup into a bottle and save to use in orange flavored punch or sauces or dressings.

It’s a wonderful addition to many recipes.

Psalm 42- patterns of darkness and light.

Posted on February 20, 2011 by heidiannie

¹ As the deer pants for streams of water,
   so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
   When can I go and meet with God?
³ My tears have been my food
   day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
   “Where is your God?”
⁴ These things I remember
   as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
   under the protection of the Mighty One

with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.

⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.

⁶ My soul is downcast within me;
   therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
   the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep
   in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
   have swept over me.

⁸ By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I say to God my Rock,
   “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
   oppressed by the enemy?”
¹⁰ My bones suffer mortal agony
   as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
   “Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.

I have diabetes, and my health insurance has a plan

that includes a phone call every couple of months that

goes over my prescriptions and general health to see

if I am keeping well and doing the prescribed activities,

etcetera. They ask a battery of questions- and one that

always makes me smile and answer neither yes nor no is

“Have you experienced any depression that has affected your

work or social activities within the last 3 months?”

Yes. No. Maybe.

It is the middle of February. We have been through a brutal

winter. There has been very little sunshine.

Am I depressed? Sometimes.

I hate answering these questions in regard to my physical health only.

This is a very deep condition. One with mental, spiritual and family

implications and I basically hedge and lie. I say, no. I am not

depressed to the point that it affects me socially or in the amount of

work I can accomplish.

I think depression is very much a part of the healthy human condition.

I once heard Billy Graham say that he had never been depressed and it

made him less real and effective for me ever since. If you haven’t

ever looked up at life from a place of profound depression then I don’t

think you you have ever seen the true face of mankind.

God put Jeremiah into a position where he was in a pit. In a prison of

despair and depression to give him a view of the depravity and void man

is in when separated from God.

So, am I depressed?

YES.

Does it affect my activities?

YES.

Can it be overcome?

YES.

Do I know where to go to find solace and comfort?

YES.

Of course, the same questions could be asked about Joy!

Do I know Joy?

Yes.

Does it affect my activities?

Absolutely.

Is this an overcoming emotion in my life?

Yes.

Aren’t we all a mixture of emotions and points of view?

We NEED shadows- they are created by our place in the sunshine-

I don’t intend to dwell in the darkness, but it adds character and truth

to my life and testimony.

And for me, that testimony is set down in the first lines of this psalm-

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

AMEN.

Experiencing Life through the light and shadows-

Experiencing it in the Light of God’s truth.

Coffee Grinders- a love story.

Posted on February 16, 2011 by heidiannie

My sons love coffee.

They love the flavor, aroma, history, geography and the effects

of coffee.

I am a tea drinker. I WAS an exclusive tea drinker. No Coffee, for me,

thank you very much!

That was until my youngest son started making it and offering it to

me every day.

“Would you like a cup of coffee, Mom?”

“Sit down and have a cup of coffee with me, Mom.”

Seriously- how can a loving mother- offered a chance to sit and talk

over a cup of coffee with her son -refuse?

So I started drinking coffee between my tea times.

Now, I’m addicted- I WANT that cup of coffee every day.

And I , too , love the romance of coffee. It is exotic- grown in climates so

unlike my own, gathered mostly by hand, dried and packaged and sent

off to be roasted to perfection and then shipped to us- bursting with flavor and

a fragrance that is so rich and hearty that is almost enough just to smell it!

But I digress- this is a story of brother’s love.

These brothers.

For Christmas this year, they wanted to get the other something he

would love. Something special. Something important.

Something that he could REALLY use.

And so – they chose something that was just what they would have wanted

for themselves. An automatic burr coffee grinder.

Not knowing that his brother was choosing exactly the same gift for him,

they purchased and admired and wrapped their gifts- I think regretting that

they couldn’t give it a try first. On Christmas morning, they exchanged their

gifts- and although they were different models and makes- they were so

pleased to give AND receive a burr coffee grinder for Christmas.

OK- it’s not exactly O. Henry’s , Gift of the Magi’s, but it is such a sweet

gift exchange that I had to share it.

Please forgive me, Jordan.
Luke, I know you understand.

The first grinding was pretty impressive!

Valentines

Posted on February 13, 2011 by heidiannie

When Robin and I were little girls, Valentine’s Day was one of our

favorite holidays. We would bring home all the valentines we

had received from our classmates and tape them up on the

wall of the staircase coming down from her bedroom- then we would

dress up in our finery and take turns at being the “Queen of Valentine”.

It was a little sappy- even for us- but this was before it was cool

for every little girl to play at princesses and we had precious

little play time.

We grew up in a working business family. When we got home from school

in the winter we changed our clothes, grabbed a quick snack and went

out into the greenhouse to fill packs with dirt so that our mother could

transplant seedlings – tomatoes, peppers, petunias, etc. to sell in the

Spring. When it was dark, we would come in for dinner, watch a little

television and get ready for bed.

And Valentine’s day wasn’t really busy in the greenhouse- not like Easter

or Memorial Day- so we stole some time from work to play.

Over the years, it remained our holiday. We made each other special

valentines and a special lunch that we shared. We also shared the

boxes of chocolate and flowers that our men gave us.

To us, it was special- not ROMANTIC! WE were the Queens of Valentine’s

Day. It would have hurt more if either of us had forgotten the other, than

if we didn’t have a guy or a date.

Today, I was sitting in the parking lot of the grocery store, waiting for my

husband to pick up an item we had forgotten, when I saw a woman with a pot

of primroses in her cart. From the back, she reminded me of Robin- same height

and weight, same hairstyle and color- and as I watched her examining and

arranging the flowers and then write out a card and place it in the plastic card

fork- I somehow knew that she was going to give that plant as a gift to her sister.

I watched and waited as she carefully put the plant into a decorative bag she

pulled out of her back seat and then placed the bag onto the front seat of her

car. Then she pushed the cart back to the cart stall and made a phone call.

A couple of minutes later, a woman pulled up behind the car, and I saw her

present the gift to her friend- with a hug.

Maybe. Maybe that is what happened. It may have been a gift for a sick friend.

It may have been meant for their grouchy demanding mother. Perhaps it was

going to end up on the table of her daughter’s teacher. I guess I could have

made up any story to go with the little drama I had seen.

But tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

And something about this lady reminded me of Robin.

So- as I sat there- I thought of all the hoopla that goes on with Valentine’s Day.

And of the angst of single women who aren’t in a relationship-

also of the married women who are neglected and don’t feel like a Valentine, anymore.

Mostly, however, I thought about how Valentines are about love, and consideration.

And I thought about what a glorious gift we gave each other all those years ago-

because we chose each other to be our valentines.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

Guess what I’m knitting?

Posted on February 6, 2011 by heidiannie

AND following a pattern to make!

Handwarmers- or fingerless mittens!

I made the hat a couple of years ago.

The scarf I knitted up whilst watching Lord of the Rings.

And the fingerless mitts ? Allison of Yellowbird Yarn Room- –

my knitting coach and friend shared a copy of a pattern she

was making.

So – I now have a whole winter knitted set!

And it is so warm and “toasty” *!

*- toasty is the name of the pattern for the mittens!

What are you making ?

Looking into the face of WINTER-

Posted on February 2, 2011 by heidiannie

Looking out my kitchen window,

the view is rather drear.

The sparkle of my bottles and glasses and lavender

helps make the scene cozier and dear.

But , no.

Winter has more than one expression

Soft snow has melted into any icier declension.

There is ice caked on my sidewalk.

Ice is coating all the trees.

Ice is running down the windows.

And has covered all the streets.

So I sit inside my ice cube-

Slippered feet up, cheerful fire crackling on the grate,

and sip chai tea and nibble on cookies-

The world is frozen-

chores can wait.

Chicken Paprikash and spaetzle.

Posted on January 31, 2011 by heidiannie

This is always a favorite at my house. But especially when it is cold.

AND it is cold. 10 degrees F this morning- with expected snow showers

-later turning into an icy coating. Brr! We need some comfort food-badly!

Start off sauteeing an onion in a tablespoon of oil.

Most of my recipes for soups and main dishes start out that way.

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced

6 to 8 chicken pieces- small breasts,thighs and drumsticks

1 to 2 TBS. olive oil

3 TBS Hungarian paprika- I like the smoked rather than the sweet

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

sliced carrots- about 3 large

2 ribs of celery, sliced small

1 package frozen peas

Spaetzle , recipe here.

Place chicken in pan, and sprinkle with s+p to taste,

then sprinkle paprika over the pieces.

Brown one side and then turn over and gently sprinkle

some more paprika on top.

The name is Paprikash- so you basically are coating each piece.

Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the chicken loses the pink raw look.

Add carrots, celery and chicken broth.

Cover and cook about 45 minutes.

Turn over pieces once more, add peas and let simmer another

10 minutes or so- don’t overcook- you want the peas a bright green.

Make spaetzle –

And enjoy!

Steps On The Journey

walk with me a while

Category Archives: Steps on the Journey

All in a day-

…in the house….

Wordle fun

Making a treat out of a trial.

Psalm 42- patterns of darkness and light.

Coffee Grinders- a love story.

Valentines

Guess what I’m knitting?

Looking into the face of WINTER-

Chicken Paprikash and spaetzle.