The Newel Post

It's our newel post.




I like the detail and the wood grain. The cats like the flat top to perch on.




Carved designs round the top and dentil molding add special touches.

Little details like this make our 101 year old home even more special to us!

Join Cielo today for Show off Your Cottage Monday!

Carol

Friends

Ecclesiastes 4:10 NIV
If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

Proverbs 27:9 NIV
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.

Proverbs 27:6 NIV
Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Friends. What wonderful blessings. Sources of wisdom, encouragement. Sometimes a source of correction.

Visiting your blogs has been a great source of encouragement to me. Meeting and knowing that there are others - many others - who passionately know and pursue our Lord has been so wonderful!

The fellowship we share helps us grow in our walk with our Lord!

Blessings, my friends!

Carol

Joining Charlotte and Ginger for Spiritual Sundays.

Chicken Pot Pie for Comfort Food

I've gotta tell you, I feel like I hit it out of the ball park this week in the kitchen.

First of all was the Pie.

Then, Wednesday night I came home and found Mom's Fabulous chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Crust on Allrecipes.com which garnered a similar reaction as the aforementioned pie.

Had to make it. Had to tweak it. The result was wonderful. My custom recipe follows:



Freaking Amazing Chicken Pot Pie

2 skinless chicken breasts

Boil chicken 20 minutes, shred. Reserve water.

1/4 cup butter
1-2 tsp dried onion
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 to 1 and 1/2 cups frozen vegetables
1/2 tsp celery seed
Saute butter and with vegetables, celery seed in large skillet. I microwaved the carrots to start them. I used frozen Italian green beans, corn, lima beans because that's what I had and like.

1/4 cup flour
1/4 - 1/2 tsp thyme
Add flour and thyme to vegetables until flour coats the vegetables and starts to fry.

2/3 cup half and half or milk
2 cups chicken stock
Add to vegetable mixture and stir til thickens. I used the water that I boiled the chicken in and 2 tsp bouillon, and 1/3 cup half and half, 1/3 cup milk.

Add shredded chicken to vegetable mixture.

Put mixture in a greased 2 liter/2 quart casserole dish.

Make drop biscuits, spread over the top.

Drop Biscuits:

2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 T butter, softened
1 cup milk
Mix dry ingredients well. Cut in softened butter. Make a well in center, and pour in milk. Mix with fork until dough follows fork around the bowl.
Spread over the chicken mixture.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, until biscuits are fully done, golden on top. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

I've got to run over and check out Foodie Friday for more amazing recipes. Let's go!

Carol

Simple Pleasure - Homemade Pie

Mister loves pie. Especially mine. I don't make it too often, because it is labor intensive and messy. But I made a fresh apple crumb pie today.

Mister: Mmmmmm......Ohhhhhh......Baby, what you do with pastry is Outrageous.......Oh my gosh, this is wonderful.....

This is what I heard throughout dessert and well into the evening.

Me: Was it worth coming home to?

Mister: Worth coming home too???! YOU'RE worth coming to. The pie is just the icing on the cake, the cherry...or the whipped cream on top.

What a sweet man. Every day he tells me he loves me, I'm wonderful, he's crazy about me. He doesn't usually call me Carol, but Baby, Gorgeous, Sweetie, Beautiful.

I'm thinking. For all that, I really should make pie more often. It really was outrageously good. And for such a lovely and sincerely appreciative recipient.

Thank you, Mister! I love you!

Jumping over to Dayle's for Simple Pleasures Thursday!

Carol

Changes, Busy-ness, and I've Been Away

It's been very busy these last few weeks. I've been traveling a lot, helping Chickie out with some things. Work has had more challenges than usual.

And then, I did "spring cleaning" last Tuesday. That was wonderful, but now my weekly cleaning schedule is kind of wacky.

But I can feel it in the air....



Spring is coming!

I didn't know we were going to get 7-8 inches of snow overnight. Our snow had just finished melting and snow drops and anenomes were blooming.

But it's different this time. It's to be in the 40's all week, and the birds are singing like crazy.

Yep, the birds are singing like crazy. They know it too.

Spring is coming!

Wishing all of you a wonderful week, and a fabulous Wednesday!

Join me as I join in White Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday today!

Carol

Some More Favorites!

A sunny day. And it was also 72 degrees out! Opened up some windows to enjoy some fresh air.




A cute rooster rug. It gets heavy use, as you can see!




A more complete view. Shooing the cats out of the way wasn't entirely successful.




The hibiscus tree that blooms every week. That's right!
Every. Week.




A beautiful picture of Chickie as a baby sits on my dresser.

Make sure you visit Laurie for Saturday Favorites!

And have a wonderful weekend!
Carol

The Cookies I Couldn't Stop Eating

My sweet tooth was calling me so I made cookies. They are kind of a toll house, snickerdoodle cookie that I made up as I went along. Perfect sweet, crunchewy!

I only made this many, half a batch. Good idea, since I cannnot resist them.

What I did -
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt one stick of butter (or margarine. I used butter)

Blend in mixing bowl with:
1/2 c dark brown sugar
3/8 cup white sugar

Add:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 and 1/8 cup flour

Blend together. Just throw the stuff in as you go. No need to mix dry and wet separately.

I added about 1/2 tsp cinnamon and sprinkle of nutmeg. You could use chocolate chips or toffee chips or whatever, instead.

Drop in rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking pan.

I then sprinkled with cinnamon/sugar mixture. With a tiny bit of nutmeg. I love nutmeg.

Bake about 7-9 minutes. Cool on rack. Try to not eat all of them so that you can share with others.

I am participating in Foodie Friday for the first time ever. Exciting! Join me!

Enjoying Home

On my day off, I had a day of self indulgence....for me. I excused myself from going to the gym. Instead, I deep cleaned the house.

Yes, I do enjoy cleaning the house. This day was devoted to details that aren't done as regularly as the usual weekly chores.

I wiped down the wood floors, instead of just dust mopping. This is a thrill for me because I enjoy looking at the patina, the character and the age of the wood.





I also wiped down the light fixtures, original to the house.





I washed bedding and linens. The quilt we keep on the couch looks new again.




I even dusted the picture frames. This ancestral picture is of my great great grandparents.



It is a wonderful calling to be a homemaker. I am blessed!

Join Dayle today for Simple Pleasures Thursday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Make sure to join Lynn for her I love my Favorite Kitchen Gadget Party!




I love to cut up food. With scissors! Mister gave me this set for Christmas.

I do not enjoy cutting meat. But give me a pair of these babies, and I'm all over it. Stew meat? Sure! Chipped beef? You betcha! Chicken for stir fry? Of course!

And then there is always pastry/pie crust!

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Carol

Love Yourself

Love yourself. That can be a hard lesson. It's one thing to make sure you have enough to eat, somewhere to live, take care of your physical needs.

Up until a few years ago, I wasn't too good at loving myself. A friend's wise counsel opened my eyes. Some of the things I learned included:

1. To have compassion for myself. I don't have to do everything, every day. The to-do list will still be there tomorrow. If I don't get the dusting done today, that's ok. If there is an event I really don't want to attend, I can decline it. Saying "no" to something doesn't make me a bad person.

2. My mind was always racing with negative thoughts about myself. I thought if anyone ever got to know the real me inside my head, I would be found sorely lacking and unloveable. Being compassionate to myself and learning to see myself as God sees me, and blessedly, how my husband sees me transformed my mind.

3. Thinking about good things, like the Bible instructs us, transformed me. Instead of the negative thoughts racing through my head, there is peace.

4. I used to do the right thing because I was afraid of negative consequences. Now I want to do the right thing because I love Jesus. It's a totally different thing!

As I have learned to love myself, I am better at loving others. I truly love my co-workers, clients, fellow bloggers. It has transformed and blessed me. I am living God's love!

Leviticus 19:18 NIV
" 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:34 NIV
The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Matthew 19:19 NIV
honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' "

Matthew 22:39 NIV
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Mark 12:31 NIV
The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Mark 12:33 NIV
To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

Luke 10:27 NIV
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "

Romans 13:9 NIV
The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Galatians 5:14 NIV
The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

James 2:8 NIV
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.


Make sure to visit Charlotte and Ginger for Spiritual Sundays!

Silly Antics

Cat Antics. Little boys with big ideas - bigger than real life. They have great enthusiasm for their ideas. But they don't always think things the whole way through.

Case in point.

They bring smiles to our faces every day.

Joining Dayle for Simple Pleasures Thursday!

White Romance

Lace at a window is lovely. Romantic. Victorian.




This house is 101 years old. I love the substantial trim. Chestnut. You can't get this anymore....




...this old growth wood. Unless you get it from another old house.




The substantial wood trim makes a wonderful contrast to the lace. Both features can be enjoyed in a single glance.




Old house. White trim. Beautiful lace.
Gotta love it.

Have a marvelous White Wednesday! Make sure to pop over and see Kathleen, and join in!

Crazy Peace

Crazy Peace. That's what someone I know who has been in a great battle for his life calls it. It's supernatural. It's inexplicable. It's beyond our understanding.

It's God.

Walking beside us.

Carrying us.

My sister was telling me about a book she just read by Carol Kent. Carol's son is a Christian who has been given a life sentence in prison. In spite of all their efforts to appeal, his sentence stands. My sister said it was a new perspective to her......
....how if in spite of prayer and standing for something, if deliverance never comes,
that God isn't necessarily concerned with solving all of our problems. It is more important to Him that we grow in Him, rather than that all our problems be solved.

It's scary. Unless you have Crazy Peace.

Here's our promise:
John 14:27 NIV
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Beyond our understanding. His Peace. Crazy Peace.

Join me as I join Ginger and Charlotte today for Spiritual Sundays.

I. Love. Cake.

Open counter space is a luxury. When it is occupied by a cake, it's even better! A homemade cake displayed on a cake stand is welcoming, beautiful and delicious!
And a good yellow cake just happens to be one of my 3 favorite foods.

Have a wonderful Thursday! Keep warm!

I'm joining Dayle today for Simple Pleasures Thursday. Thanks for hosting, Dayle!

Carol

Time for White Wednesday!

There's plenty of white outside with the snow and ice. So let's stay indoors today!




I suppose these wouldn't be white without the flour and sugar in them. They look terrific in white, don't they! We found these canisters in a little shop in Williamsburg. I really like their lines and their small footprint.
And they are shiny.




Mister likes collecting little old houses. His white ones are my favorites. We have this kinda/sorta dream that when he is retired, he'll finish setting up his workshop and crank these babies out!




The plaster box was left behind by the previous owner of our home. Who knew a box of tissues would nestle perfectly inside???!




This sofa sits in our living room. Obviously, white is an impractical color for us. I also see my set of wall hooks on the end table. They move around the house. I can't commit to installing them anywhere.

I hope this finds you as warm and cozy as the two in the last picture.
Have a wonderful White Wednesday and don't forget to come to the party that Kathleen hosts each week!

Carol