{ Blog 365 #113 - Slow weekend, tv and books }

 

I took this weekend off, to rest.  

 

Yes weekends are supposed to be for just that, but both Curt and I have been doing so much around the house lately, that we feel our weekends go by, and we don't really sit down and do nothing, or watch movies, or read.  We tend to start our Monday mornings, already tired and looking forward to the weekend again. 

So this time, we both decided that we were going nowhere, doing nothing, and just relaxing.  I don't think we even unlocked the front door.  

 

 

It's been a wonderful slow weekend.  I finished a book, finished a period drama series and even watched a movie too.

There's this sense of accomplishment, even though I did nothing, but I'm sure you understand what I mean.

 

You know I was watching a really sweet, down to earth family, in Brazil, the other day.  And it struck me just how simple their life is, how quiet and full of love and family moments.  It made me realize, again, because truly I've been slowly feeling glimpses of this within me.....that we are so caught up on trying to live like everyone else.  We want to be like others, live like others, do like others.  

It's all about being glamorous, driving the best cars and trucks, going on the best vacations, eating meals that are full of this ingredient and that special seasoning you never use again.  

We make everything so complicated, when in actuality, all we need is to live our lives, peacefully, quietly, minding our own business.  

I speak for myself here, I wouldn't dare to talk for anyone else, because I don't live anyone else's lives.  But it just made me once again think, that I need to just be me, like what I like, enjoy what I enjoy, eat the simple hearty, home cooked meal, that is filling instead of magazine cover worthy.

 

 

Days were we drink that simple cup of coffee with a splash of milk, talk with family, have a slice of cake in the afternoon.  Read the book we want and enjoy, just because, and not due to the influence of bestsellers or because everyone is talking about it.

I want to watch old shows, family movies, eat popcorn.  Have a warm bath at bedtime, and throw on that comfy nightgown that no one else would be caught dead wearing, simply because it's so old fashioned. 

And when someone asks what I'm watching on TV, I want to say "Little House on the Prairie", without someone laughing or thinking me silly.

I guess I'm just letting my mind run, at this point.  But I think a lot of you will understand me.  

 

 

Anyway, back to this weekend.  It's been just what we needed.

Today I got out all the veggies in my fridge and freezer, that needed using up, and made a delicious Portuguese Veggie Soup for lunch.  It is just the way I like it, thick and hearty, and so good.  I was going to make dinner as well, but Curt told me not to.  So we've been munching on this soup, all day long.

 

 

I also had carrots that needed using up, so some went into the soup, and the others went into this divine Carrot and Lemon Cake.  So yummy!!!

 

I will get this recipe up on the blog this week.  It's a simple cake, all mixed in the blender.  I love recipes like that.

 

 

On TV, I watched the first season of Love and Sacrifice.  It was so good, oh my word, but the second season has not been put up yet on PBS, and the last episode ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.  Hate when that happens, don't you?

It's worth a view though if you're interested.  It is Italian but with English subtitles.

and then I also watched the new Emily movie, which tells the story of Emily Bronte, who wrote Wuthering Heights.  What a beautiful movie and such a sweet, but sad and tragic story too.

 

 

 

Next on the list, and I'm already on the first episode of Season 1, is Love in Chains.

 

The series in Russian, so you'll have to watch with English subtitles.  It looks really good too.  It follows the story of Katerina Verbitskaya.  She is raised as a nobleman, and considered the property of a wealthy landowner.  However, she falls in love with a nobleman, so you can already imagine the drama that is going to ensue from that.

I'm very much looking forward to this series.  I mentioned in a previous post how I am enjoying all these international series.  When you get past the language barrier, you quickly realize, that they have some absolutely, visually stunning tv and movies.

 

 

 

As for books, I finished A Feather on the Water by Lindsay Ashford.  It was really good.  If you enjoy WWII historical fiction, this is a must read.

It tells the story of 3 women, all with different backgrounds and different life stories to tell.  They are brought together in Germany, to run a camp for Displaced Persons.  In other words, those who survived the concentration camps but have nowhere to go.   This is a camp with over 2000 people.

We get to learn more about Kitty, Martha and Delphine, their lives, what they left behind, their struggles trying to help others while trying to help themselves too.  They end up finding love, and finding missing family members and

Anyway my friends, I hope your weekend was a relaxing as mine.  I will see you all back here in the morning, for our Happy Homemaker Monday.

Until then, God bless!

xoxoxo

{ The shift between Summer and Fall }

I thought I would go into August with a renewed sense of hope and faith, and all things good.  I mean the last year pummeled us to a point of submission, on so many levels.  Where else could we go but up, right?

Then our air conditioner broke, our sweet Marley died, all within the first 9 days of August, and I thought "well for goodness sake, this isn't what I envisioned for this month."

But then again, it never is, is it?  We often have skewed ideas or views of how things should be or go.  We make all these plans in our minds, and sometimes God obliges and the plans we make actually happen as we thought, but that's quite rare.  At least for me, see my plans and views, are often changed dramatically, by my Father who sees all and knows all.

So the month started off shaky, but little did I know that God was about to take me from a place of feeling defeated, to a place of utter disbelief and happiness.  He was about to gift me a blessing that I had only dreamed of for the past 23 years.

On Wednesday, I had that appointment that I mentioned to you all.  I didn't want to say anything, I had kept very quiet about it all for the past 8 months, as I went through the process, filled out paperwork, paid quite a bit of money, and did what I had to do.  In other words, did my part.  The whole thing came about out of nowhere, on a quiet January morning, the 4th to be exact.

I felt the prompting from God and then my husband spoke the same words out loud.  It's time, you need to apply for your Citizenship.

And so I did, quietly, under the radar, and kept mum.  Something hard for me to do because I'm a very open person, and you know I love sharing my life.  The good, and the bad, and everything in between.

But Wednesday I went through the last interview.  Curt was not allowed to be with me, he had to wait outside the building.  My nerves were shattered, I was shaking, I was sweating, I was terrified.  Some may not understand why, but for those of us who were not blessed to be born in this wonderful country, becoming a citizen is a dream come true.

I did it.  I sat through the interview, answered everything I had to answer, took my civics test and then heard the words I had only dreamed of hearing.

"Congratulations ma'am."

The pride, overwhelming love for the flag, and the joy that I felt in that moment, brought me to tears.  I couldn't even speak, I uttered thank you, thank you, thank you and God bless you.

 

I walked out of that building in complete shock.  The past 8 months have been hard friends.  They've been excruciating.  The enemy has thrown everything AND the kitchen sink at us.  I had moments of utter desperation.  But I didn't know that a huge blessing was just around the corner, on the other side of the pain and grief.

 

And for that I am eternally grateful.  

 

It hasn't yet sunk in, and I do still have my Oath Ceremony coming up.  I will share that with you when the time arrives.  But thank you America, for being my home, for taking me in, for allowing me to love you and respect you and proudly be able to say that I am an American, and that I will always do everything within my grasp, to protect and defend this beautiful nation.  

 

And with that part taken care of, I am now back to life, and continuing to get things on track.  For me that means diving right back into blogging, cooking and backing, photography and getting ready for Fall and Winter.

This year is a Pecan harvest year, so we will be busy with that.  I still have a huge canister of pecans from last year, which I plan on cracking this week, in preparation for the incoming harvest.  

 

I've also been working on getting the last harvest of tomatoes, freezing and canning. 

 

I planted 10 tomato plants this year, and only one survived, but it is huge and has been producing so many gorgeous tomatoes, that I am finding it a bit hard to keep up with. 

 

Jam, tomato sauce, frozen tomatoes, you name it, it's happening. I just hate wasting food of any kind, and especially homegrown veggies.   I really want to get a Fall/Winter garden going, so need to sit down and figure that out, do some planning, get the soil ready and hopefully everything into the ground within the next few weeks.

 

 

I've always loved the shift between summer and fall.  That moment where it's not too hot anymore nor is it cooler yet.  Where life is changing from busy on the go summer days, to the slower, quieter, more indoor kind of life, for fall and winter. 

I have found myself spending more time in my kitchen, and actually enjoying the time I am in there.  For the past few months, or maybe year or so, it just hasn't been a priority for me.  I would go in there and quickly scrounge up a meal for the family and then out I was.    Lately though, I've found myself spending hours in my kitchen, whether I'm whipping some yummy thing for us to enjoy, or organizing all the cabinets again, cleaning, doing dishes, whatever it may be......the kitchen is my go to again, and how I love that.

 

I spent most of yesterday in there, cooking for us and for my family.  We haven't been able to see them in two weeks, they have all been feeling unwell, and my sister in law and nephew (my niece's husband), have both tested positive for Covid.

 

I don't need to tell you how serious it could be especially for Hayley who is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments for her breast cancer.  Steven, also tested positive and unfortunately has pneumonia in both lungs too.  My niece is 22 weeks pregnant and trying to hold the fort down alone, while I do what I can from the outside.

 

I've been delivering meals, treats and whatever else I can, by leaving it all their front door, knocking and then quickly getting back in the car.  And so have our last two weeks gone, knocks on doors, a quick wave from door to car, and spoken messages through the phone.  It's not ideal, but we do what we can.

As we wind down into the last week of August, and I look back at all that has gone on, some devastating losses, some huge blessings, and the heartbreaking news from Afghanistan and the whole world around us, I am reminded by God that life goes on.

We are called to pray, that is our weapon and that is something I do all the time.  Some days I find myself in constant prayer, all day long.  It's what has gotten me through so many difficult moments, you know those where you feel like there's no way out and nothing is going to get better?

Yes those.  

But we move on, and we cling onto the things that have some sort of normalcy still attached.  Like our homes, local happening as our yearly Bicycle Race, moments with our pets, watering our gardens, cooking a meal, talking with a loved one, even grocery shopping.

For me it's all of those and then TV, but not just any show.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I find that 2020 catapulted me into a state of change.  I no longer enjoy some of the shows I used to, and have actually stopped watching them all together.  If you know me and have followed me for a while, you know I was a huge fan of paranormal shows, ghost hunting and all that stuff.

Since last year, I just can't watch them.  I refuse to, I don't feel right watching them, and I realize that they bring nothing to my life.

So I have changed my tv style, have spent a lot of time updating my subscriptions on Youtube, my watchlists on Netflix and Amazon Prime, and what I allow into my soul.

And again, as we get ready to end into the end of summer, and Fall looms around the corner, I have started compiling a list of shows to watch.  I know a lot of you enjoying seeing what I have on my TV, so I'll leave you with the list below (well, not the full list or we will be here all day), and a sweet photo of our boy Elliott.  He has now become my shadow and my companion.  I am so thankful to God for bringing him into our lives last year, I couldn't understand why at the time, but now I get it.   

 

 

 

Amazon Prime/Acorn TV

 

Bone Detectives (Tori Herridge and a team of scientists piece together the lives behind unearthed bones to find out their stories. Once a skeleton has been recorded, the bones immediately begin to reveal their mysteries, opening up a secret history of Britain.) 

 

Savile Row (A three-part series focusing on famed London shopping street Savile Row and how the long-standing tailor shops are adapting to an aging workforce.)

Love & War (In wartime life can be tough, brutal and short.  But it can also be beautiful.  This series tells the story of love that blossomed during the tension and misery.)

The Irish R.M Series 1 and 2 (Major Sinclair Yeates has settled in as a magistrate in rural Ireland. Mrs Cadogan is always full of surprises. Flurry Knox is in love with his cousin, and it seems that neither love nor fire should always be taken at face value.)

 

Elizabeth I and her Enemies (Queen Elizabeth I was one of England's greatest monarchs, but she spent her life surrounded by enemies.)

 

A Stitch in Time (Fusing biography, art and the history of fashion, Amber Butchart explores the lives of historical figures through the clothes they wore.)

 

The Brilliant Bronte Sisters (How did the Brontë sisters-Charlotte, Emily, and Anne-spend much of their lives in a remote parsonage on the edge of the Yorkshire moors and yet write literary masterpieces that were shocking, erotic, and profoundly moving?) 

 

Wartime Farm (BBC's turn-back-the-clock `Farm' series continue with this eight-part look at the efforts of historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn, who run Manor Farm as if it was during the Second World War.)

 

At Home with the Georgians (This is a docudrama, about life in Georgian times and focuses on homes, and homemaking.) 

 

Victorian House of Arts and Crafts (In this landmark living history series, a late 1800s Victorian arts and crafts commune in the Welsh hills has been painstakingly brought back to life as a group)

 

1900 Island (Four families, with a longing to escape the demands of the modern world, head back to the turn of the 20th century. They live for a month as a small Welsh fishing community on the tidal island of Llanddwyn, off the coast of Anglesey.) 

{ Thursday - Sun, beautiful flowers and some good TV }

What an absolutely gorgeous day we had.  High 80's, the brightest of sun shining and deep blue skies.  It made me think of going to the beach, or the lake, of having a picnic or barbecuing or hanging out by the pool.

Ahhhhh summer days.  I am so looking forward to them.

First thing this morning, I put our pillows on the window to air out.  I love doing it, letting in the fresh morning air, seeing the pillows just sitting there.   It just makes me think of home and cozy.

After getting my bed made and tidying up here and there, I sat down with my devotional, a cup of coffee and some sourdough bread toast.  By the way the bread I made yesterday using my sourdough starter, was sooooo good.  I'll share the recipe on the blog tomorrow, but if you want to go ahead and make it, it is the King Arthur Flour's Basic Sourdough Bread. 

I will share the recipe for the sourdough starter I am using, as well.

I also made some Vanilla Syrup for our coffee.  I hadn't made it in so long, I think the last time was actually when we were still stationed in Arizona, so that will tell you just how long it's been. 

Remember Curt retired in 2013.  Wow!!

I do have a recipe for the syrup already on the blog, though I made it slightly different this time.

Here's how I did this one:

1 cup of water
1 and 1/3 cups of brown sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Basically just mix the water and the brown sugar on the stove, bring to a boil over medium heat.  I stir until the sugar is dissolved then boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  Pour into a mason jar and let cool.  Keep in the refrigerator.

In the afternoon I grabbed my camera and took a quick walk out to the yard.  Our yard is littered with the most beautiful Blue Eyed Grass.  Unfortunately we do need to mow the yards this weekend, but I don't want to lose these beautiful wild flowers, so I'm going to try and transplant as many as I can, and litter them around the house since they are such beautiful ground cover plants.  

We also have a ton of what I think are meadow salsify or Jack-go-to-bed, though not completely sure, as I'm still learning about flowers and plants.  There are so many different species and some so close looking to each other.

Being outside, walking around the property and enjoying the fresh air, does wonders for the soul.  I always feel so much better after out, even if only for 5 or 10 minutes.

However, I immediately got chewed up by mosquitoes.  Blech!!!!

The rest of the day was spent working on schooling with Nick.  Curt also came home early from work, his class had finished all their work and when that is the case, they all go home right away because of the social distancing.

The spare moments that I had, I spent watching The Chosen TV series on Youtube.  If you haven't yet watched it, please go on over and do so.  It is the story of Jesus life told through those who knew Him, and the best part is that it was not made through Hollywood, but by independent backers. 

There are 8 episodes in the first season and all are available on Youtube. 

It's one of those feel good series that we are sorely missing on our TVs today and makes me wish there were more like these.

So how are you all doing?  Let me know in the comments below how things are going in your State, what you've been working on or doing to pass the time that we are on lock down.

{ Thursday - 6 June 2019 }

Hello everyone :)

It has just gone 6:30pm, and I'm sitting here killing time before heading to pick up my girl from work.  I thought I would come in and do a quick little post.

We just had a delicious meal, some oven baked pork chops, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and homemade brown gravy.  So yummy!

I will have the recipe for the gravy for you all, probably tomorrow.

One thing you surely have noticed is that I have changed the template and I sure hope you like it as much as I do.  I'm also working on changing the food blog, but haven't decided yet on which template to go with.

I really need to do an overhaul of the food blog, bring it back to life, add more recipes, make it easier to navigate, and so forth.  But that will take time and I don't always have a lot of it to sit and mess with html.











In the meantime, I took my camera, slapped on the zoom lens and stepped outside for some shots.  I wanted to capture the true beauty of living not only out in the country, but in an area that gets so much rain, which means green, green and an abundance of green all around.

Inside, I rearranged my bookshelf.  I keep all my review books in the same shelf and usually in order of the day they need to be reviewed, it just makes it easier when I'm done with one, to pick up the following and not have to go looking for dates etc.





The next on the list is "The Great Unexpected by Dan Mooney".   I just started it today, so we will see how that goes.  By the way I know not everyone is interested in book reviews, but if you are, you can do a quick search for TLC Book Tours here on my blog and you will have a ton of book reviews to look through :)

I then went through some of my crochet baskets filled with projects that have been either finished or halfway finished, and I found this pillow I made years ago, back in Arizona still.   I need to find a pillow insert, and make a back for it.

I don't have this same yarn anymore, but I'm sure I can find it, just keeping my fingers crossed that I can find the same colors.



By the way, we finished the Lucifer series and I'm so annoyed at the ending.  I truly hope there is another season because I need some closure LOL

I haven't started anything else, when I have a spare moment, I usually pop on Netflix or a documentary on Youtube.

This past week I've watched:
Lucifer Season 4
Season Finale of When Calls the Heart
Various homemaking vlogs on Youtube
First and Last on Netflix
Girls Incarcerated on Netflix
True Crime Daily on Youtube (10 to 15 minute stories)
60 Minutes Australia on Youtube (10 to 15 minute stories)
Started Criminal Minds on Netflix

Well friends, I have got to pop out to pick up our girl, so I'm ending this post now.  Hope you've all had a good week so far.

Until next time, blessings!

{ What I'm currently watching on TV }

It's been a while since I've sat down and shared my current favorites.  Back in January of 2017, I did a post titled Top Shows to Binge Watch on Netflix, and told you about the favorites at that moment.  You can go over and read all about it, if you missed it.

It's been 2 years and since then I've watched numerous shows and found some new favorites to add to my list, but I haven't really sat down and told you what I was enjoying.  I know a lot of you like when I share what is on my TV, and I too like seeing what others are watching, so let's see what I've been up to.

The very first one I have to tell you about is quite new, only 2 episodes in but I'm absolutely LOVING every second.

Jesus:  His Life - History Channel

“Jesus: His Life” explores the story of Jesus Christ through a unique lens: the people in his life who were closest to him. Each of the eight chapters is told from the perspective of different biblical figures, all of whom played a pivotal role in Jesus’ life including Joseph, John the Baptist, Mary Mother of Jesus, Caiaphas, Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilate, Mary Magdalene and Peter.

It is told in documentary style with numerous biblical scholars, historians, faith leaders and theologians, intermingled with recreations of the story being told.  The series is by Joel Osteen and focuses on Jesus' life from birth to death and all in between.  It is fantastic!

The Act - Hulu

Here we see the story of Dee Dee and Gypsy Blanchard, portrayed on screen, in all it's horrible deplorable glory.  If you don't know about Gypsy Blanchard, you are in for a roller coaster of emotions that will culminate in you sitting there, mouth wide open, in shock, wondering just what on earth some parents are thinking.

It is based on a true story turned murder case, about a mother and daughter duo who on the outside seem to lead a simple and yet sad life.  Gypsy is said to suffer from all sorts of diseases and ailments that have left her bald, unable to walk and in need of a feeding tube.  The mother is supposed to be a devoted loving mom, doing everything in her power to take care of her sick daughter.

What we don't know is that beneath all this is a sick twisted story of a woman suffering from Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy who has basically sentenced her daughter to a life of torture.

It is a hard story to follow, it left me sick to my stomach at times, and the end leaves you in a state of confusion.  I don't condone violence in any way, shape or form, but there are cases where I can understand how a frail mind can break and commit the horrible act of murder.  Anyway, just take a look for yourself.

The Act is going to be a character based seasonal anthology series that will tell stranger than fiction true crime stories. 

Frankie Drake Mysteries - PBS

Set in 1920s Toronto, the series follows the adventures of Frankie Drake (Lauren Lee Smith) and her partner Trudy Clarke (Chantel Riley) at Drake Private Detectives, the city’s only all-female detective agency, as they find themselves fighting crime in the age of flyboys, gangsters, rum-runners, and speakeasies.

 Well you know how I feel about period dramas and series, so this one was on my watch list mainly for that fact, but I do quite enjoy a good mystery series and this one is so enjoyable to watch.  I started it not too long ago so don't have much to say on it, other than if you're looking for a period murder mystery detective kinda of show, this is one to maybe take a look at.

Agatha Christie's Ordeal by Innocence

Here's another great crime, drama, mystery series and of course when it has the wonderful name of Agatha Christie attached to it, you know it's going to be good.

The story follows the Argyll family and particularly Jack Argyll who has been accused of murdering their matriarch.  One day a man shows up on their doorstep claiming he knows for sure that Jack is innocent.  The whole family is turned upside down while they try to figure out who the real killer is and if it is still living among them.

Requiem - BBC One

In 1994, a toddler disappeared from a small Welsh village, never to be seen again.  23 years later, in London, the mother of rising cello star Matilda Gray commits suicide, without apparent reason.  Among her possessions, Matilda discovers tantalizing evidence, linking her mother to the Welsh girl's disappearance all those years ago.

I've only watched the first episode so can't say much, but the story is really interesting and I'm quite looking forward to what is going to come out of it.

The Real War of Thrones

In the turbulent formative centuries of early Europe, power-hungry family dynasties fought for domination of the continent.

I have this one ready to go, haven't started it merely because I'm trying to finish off the others above before adding something else to my schedule.  But, it looks so good and it's right up there with my favorite type of genre.

 

This Farming Life

Documentary series following the struggles and triumphs of five very different farming families in some of Scotland's most beautiful and remote landscapes.

Farming, Scotland, yep, that got me right away.  I've enjoyed watching this series, it gives me an insight perspective into what farming is really life for some families.  I find things like this interesting and I am always learning something new, so definitely one to watch if you also are into this kind of topic.

The Cult of The Family

A three-part investigation that chronicles the rise and fall of Asutralia's most notorious cult, The Family and it's strange but charismatic female leader, Anne Hamilton-Byrne.

I'm also waiting to start this one, but I am pretty sure I'll watch it this weekend because I'm fascinated with the whole family cult topic.  It looks really good, and you all know I like crime shows or documentaries about real life occurrences. 

And that is it, just a few of the shows that I have on my watch list, and am either currently watching or waiting to start as soon as I'm done.

I hope you've enjoyed my little list, and that maybe it gave you some ideas or pointed you in the direction of something new to watch.  We have so many series/movies available and it's often hard to pick just one to go with, so I hope by giving you a few choices, I've helped narrow it down for you a bit.