A Week of Living

It is almost the weekend again, and I had planned to blog early in the week about two recipes Molly and I tried last weekend. She made Lemon Crumb Muffins because the picture of them begged us to, not to mention the name. I gravitate toward anything with a crumb top. They were very good. After baking, you drizzle a glaze over them, a very lemony glaze and they were yummy, almost pound cake – like. If you try the recipe, it yields a very large number. Even halved we ended up with two full pans of muffins.

I tried a beef stew recipe because my people here are always hankering for a good beef stew. I love All recipes.com because of the comments which are full of suggestions and indicators of the quality of the recipe. The stew turned out wonderfully, just like you hope it will, and was such a simple recipe to make. I also ran across a blog that I want to go back and peruse called Kittencal’s Kitchen. Someone on Food.com mentioned Kittencal’s recipes are all 5 star.

I finished reading Love Starts With Elle so I could return it to the library and begin to read on my Kindle in earnest. I started a book I found free recently, Love on a Dime. I might review Love Starts With Elle. I still don’t know how I really feel about it.

We are, dare I say, wildly excited about the upcoming Super Bowl this weekend. With all his fickle ways and his recent texting shenanigans, Brett Favre surely lost favor with a great many Packer fans. We are plen-ty happy with Aaron Rodgers. We love our team – so many great players.

Today is a fun day for me.

For various reasons, not the least of which is that we find money bleeding out here and there, everywhere lately, life, kids, college, repairs, unexpected expenses … Jack and I did not exchange birthday or Christmas gifts last year. It just didn’t matter at the time. But, in the back of my mind I knew at some point I would get or do something. The fact of that is always kind of fun in and of itself.

Because I have been reading so much lately, I started toying with the idea of getting a Kindle. I’m one of those people who JUST LOVES BOOKS, any and every tiny little thing about an actual book, who couldn’t imagine reading without holding a book and turning pages. But, I started toying, and now, today is the day my Kindle arrives.

I have to blame free Kindle books. Because I was using Kindle for PC for a long time (even though I was only collecting books still because I just don’t like reading books sitting at my computer). I ran across this book, Troublesome Creek, by Jan Watson which was a free Kindle book awhile back. I read the first page and knew I would love it, but still promptly checked it out from the library. As an aside, I just loved this book and heartily recommend it. I loved the second one too, Willow Springs, and have yet to read the third book, Torrent Falls. But, back to the point, even though I know my Kindle will never replace books for me, I do love the opportunity to find free Kindle books from authors and genres I might never think to read and to sample chapters and see whether or not I think I’ll like a book or author. Besides, I am a collector and it is very fun to collect Kindle books all in one place.

Maybe I’ll post again, after I’ve had the Kindle awhile, from the view of someone who never ever thought they would use a Kindle.

I Am Still Here

I have not blogged since last summer. Obviously. I did, however, update the new Live Writer at some point and as I opened it just now to write a blog post, I felt like I was in a foreign country. What?? It has changed so much I hardly knew what to do or where to start.

There have been those sweet ones of you who have left comments or emailed, and I have failed in my absence to connect. Please know that you have touched me.

And now, as I write, where to start . . . ? Nothing earth shattering has happened in the last six months. Just a lot of living. Up living, down living, changes, stretches, goodbyes. I prefer the slow living, the quiet, the normal.

Sam finally got his horse. Molly put all of her books on Kindle (see right) and is almost finished writing the second book of a fantasy trilogy. Jacob transferred to a different school which means he moved out just after Christmas (something that was and is an adjustment for me). I am still writing the book I have been working on for the last decade (which is probably the main reason I haven’t been blogging - I throw all of my extra energies there.) I started reading again. A lot. And I am in love, with my husband. I am so thankful for him.

Gooseberry Patch Goodness

We who love Gooseberry Patch cookbooks are a happy lot. It’s hard not to want or need just one more. My weakness, usually, is the front cover. I do flip through to see if there are enough recipes that cater to what we like, but by and large, it is the cover that calls to me, they’re so beautifully illustrated. Or the title. Titles can do it too. Like Come on Over or Made from Scratch. Summer in the Country or Church Suppers. I think most of us would love the whole lot.

Ridiculously, the one I have my eye on next is Sweet & Simple because I think it has such a pretty pink cover.

Did you know that you can peek inside quite a number of Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks on Google Books? Nothing beats holding the book in your hand, and the preview is limited, but this is a lovely opportunity to check out a book before you buy it.