comfort food

With temperatures dropping significantly this week, my kitchen calls me to make warming, comfort food.  I was home all day yesterday and wanted something in the crock pot to fill our home with the scent of good food.  I made cabbage and polish sausage in the crock pot and topped it off with my Granddaddy's stick cornbread recipe.  I would have and wanted to make PW's cornbread recipe that is my favorite but I lacked enough of one key ingredient in cornbread.... corn meal.  Her recipe calls for one cup and after I had already made some make-shift buttermilk I realized I didn't have enough.  I really didn't want to pour out the buttermilk.  I thumbed through my recipes and found the piece of scrap paper with Granddaddy's recipe on it and remembered the Tuesday evening at his house in 2011 when he taught it to me as he made the recipe that he catered down for himself to only make seven corn sticks which is how many is in one cast iron corn stick pan.  It called for 2/3 cup self rising cornmeal and as I measured out the little bit of cornmeal that I had it perfectly measured out to 2/3 cup.  Thanks Granddaddy... now help with the rest of the recipe that I short-handedly wrote down as you made yours!  Apparently he did because it turned perfect AND it didn't even stick in the pan.   The cornbread and cabbage with sausage was fantastic especially after a cool evening of sitting in the deer blind where I had a two second shot but didn't shoot my first deer.  That is a pretty intense feeling.  I was glad to have supper when we got in the house at least.  I had pictures of the whole crock pot dish but left my camera at home today.  Have a great week!

lovin right now

This Lovin' Right Now looks like it should be Valentines!  All this love!  I admit... I bought the Gypsy Cold Care herbal tea from the grocery last year thinking that it was "cold care" like when you are sick.  Not so much... so yesterday, as it had been ugly cold for the first time this season, I got chilled.. which is abnormal for me anyway.  I had my hoodie on, in the house and still couldn't really warm up.  I though about a cup of something warm to drink and thought of the tea so I made a cup.  It really is soothing and very warming from the inside out.  I'm glad I have it going into cold weather. 

My yoga teacher mentioned a sea salt bath that is better than Epsom salt in your bath and my ears perked up.  She showed me the product after class and I took a bucket home with me.  Last night I had the most amazing bath I have ever had.  Mind you the water was oddly hot as my claw foot tub generally cools the water down pretty quick.  I had ran the dishwasher and I guess the water was freshly heated but the temperature wasn't the only thing.  The dead sea salt and minerals is relaxing, soothing, and detoxifies your skin.  You really aren't supposed to stay in the tub over twenty minutes.  So I didn't but I sure slept good after all that!  Find them at DeadSeaWarehouse.

My loving husband gave me some money to get new underwear for my birthday (at my request... him in Victoria's Secret... no).  I ordered a couple of new items online and absolutely love the "everyday perfect panty.'  I really do.  They are smooth and comfortable and... so far... stay in place.  Find the link directly to these HERE.

I realize the Scooby Doo graham crackers don't really mix with all this love but if you have tried them you might think otherwise.  They kind of remind me of Teddy Grahams... just larger and no they aren't dog treats although they are shaped like dog bones.  I almost don't want to share them with the kids!  I found them at Dollar General on 31W.

Last but certainly not least is another one of my polish favorites from OPI.  I've been polishing my finger nails lately, on a whim as I've always been a biter, and they've actually grown out.  Lincoln Park After Dark is one of my all time favorite shades and I've had it on for a few weeks now.  Now.. if I could only keep it from peeling off!  You can find it at Target or Sally's.

dc thankful tree

Every day at the day care, as we all sit down to eat lunch together, we go around the table and name something that each of us is thankful for before we say the blessing.  Some of the kids say the same thing pretty much every day and some of the others say very spur of the moment things.  While looking around the world of blogs, I found a site that used a "thankful tree" for her family and each day during the month of November they list what they are thankful for and place it on their tree.  I thought this would be a wonderful project for my day care kids.  

This morning we traced hands on card stock to get a good template and while they were playing outside, I traced hands on colored paper and cut out just enough for today.  At lunch time I wrote down what each of them were thankful for and after lunch, wrote it on their hand cut outs and taped them to the wall around our thankful tree.  

My plan as of right now is to let each child draw their own tree on poster board and place all of their hands of what they are thankful for to take home with them the day before Thanksgiving.  I think it would be neat for their families to see what all they have named that they are thankful for.  So sweet.

We also read a really nice library book today by P.K. Hallinan called "I'm thankful for so many things."  It gave them a touch of inspiration and me a whole bunch more than a touch.  I nearly teared up reading it to them and wouldn't mind having this one on hand.  Such wonderful illustrations and and truths in thankfulness.

The lovely blog where this idea came is found HERE

And since I can't find a good picture of the book mentioned above... I took pictures of the one that I have.  

Psalm 118:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good".

garden wishes

we are literally (spoken in a british accent.. lit-tra-lee) only weeks from our garden being put to rest for the season and already i am dreaming next year.  for goodness sake we haven't even made it past christmas!  but not soon after the first of the year i will begin a garden plan for the new year that will include new seed orders (me.. quietly clapping).  i want natural bug repellent outside every door and pretty yellow bobs to dry and porch pots with chenille hot dogs hanging down!  I truly plan to stop at the garden up the street for the orange zinnia seeds and hope the gentleman is there.  otherwise i might be forced to steal... no, no, no.. let us say "help myself" to some of his orange zinnia seeds that were grown deliciously close to the road.  i can be cat-like quick and no one will be the wiser but me.  i've been known to help myself... see here.

i feel, since we were blessed with very little blood sucking, flying creatures called mosquitoes this summer, we will not be as fortunate next year.  apparently i have very sweet blood as i have sensed the beasts have flown for miles to attack me once hearing of my free blood buffet.  the kids at the day care fall serious victim also.  there will be a plant on my front steps at home, the porch at the day care and also one outside the shop so i can entertain our chicken, cotton bottom, and not get caught being an unwilling donor.  i will be rubbing this plant on all areas of exposed skin.

the chenille plant has always been a gaudy favorite although i have never owned one.  not only do i want one... i want two.  it appears they can only be purchased as a starter plant.  ok by me.  i feel they will lavish and love the comfort of my semi-shaded porch complete with proper waterings of course.

the saucy and small yellow buttons of the craspedia will be a new and most welcome addition to my floral concoctions both alive and dead.  rather not dead but in their dried state as i read they dry well and maintain their color.  i will certainly enjoy their billy ball shape in vases and elsewhere through the winter months.  they are the most precious!  if you don't believe me just look at this board!

ahhh my beloved pink cabbage rose.  tis but a dream.  if only i had an area or fence that wasn't properly doused with liquid poison by my husband several times annually... you would be mine.  perhaps when the greenhouse goes up i could have a section of split rail fence erected that would be deemed poison proof and safe for you to grow.  yet another dream to bring to fruition.

any plans for you and your 2015 garden just yet?  well get dreaming!  it will be here soon enough.