Upside Down Cats

Let me say right off the bat...I am not Spring's biggest fan.

It is violent and tempestuous. Then warm and fair. Then wet and soggy.

Make up your mind already, Dude!

I guess I just can't tolerate that degree of inconsistency, even in my seasons...

Continue reading "Spring Fever - Gina Style" »

We are hunkered down against the cold today... I'm so glad I was able to get my grocery shopping done yesterday when it was a balmy 30 degrees! Currently we are at our expected high temperature for the day which is 6 degrees! It is difficult to keep a house warm when you are battling such cold temperatures outside, so I've been trying to keep my mind on warmer things...like cooking. As always, I have planned our meals in advance for the upcoming week. Here's some of what will be keeping our stomachs warm this week...

 

Breaded Salmon Filets, Homemade Fettuccini Tossed w/ Butter & Garlic & Sauteed Spinach

Grilled Beef Sandwiches w/ Cheddar Horseradish Sauce on German Dark Wheat Bread, French Fries & Assorted Vegetable Platter w/ Ranch Dip

Homemade Deep Dish Cheese Pizza & Mixed Greens Salad

Homemade New England Clam Chowder & Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwiches on Whole Wheat Bread

"Big Salad" of Mixed Greens & Assorted Vegetables, Crabmeat, Shredded Cheese & Bacon & Bread Basket

 

I'm looking forward to generating a lot of heat in the kitchen this week...every bit of heat I can make helps!

I took the day off yesterday.

Sure, it was Sunday, but I had things I felt obliged to do...grocery shopping, laundry folding and putting away, pan scrubbing, bill paying, blogging...you know, the essentials to life as we know it... These are also chores I find it difficult to do during the week when my days are busy and my hours run late.

And sure, it was freaking freezing here in Midwest Paradise...The high temperature here was 14 degrees. That's not really inspiring weather to leave the house!

Continue reading "Oh Great...Now I Have Guilt!" »

As Scott was leaving to brave the elements - I mean, drive to his office - this morning, he remarked that the snowstorm we were having was, "Kind of pretty..." I agreed, so I snapped some pictures out our windows to share...

For those of you unfamiliar with the particular beauty of Winter, this is our world...and welcome to it!

Continue reading "Our Winter Wonderland" »

It's time to begin another week, and so it's time to plan our meals for the week ahead. Here's some of what I'll be creating in my kitchen this week...

 

Beef Stew & Homemade Bread

Ratatouille over Pasta

Beef & Cheddar Sandwiches, French Fries & Mixed Greens Salad

Lemon Chicken with Broccoli over Rice

Pumpkin Soup with Ham & Rondele Cheese on Crackers

Challah French Toast, Bacon, Orange Sections sprinkled with coconut and sliced almonds

 

Cooking is helping me keep away Winter's chill which has completely enveloped us. It always seems warmer when there's something cooking!

 

Today marks fourteen days into NaBloPoMo, where I am writing about things for which I am thankful every day throughout November. Today is also the perfect autumn day...59 degrees as I write this and brilliantly sunny. Not too shabby for the middle of November! It is so gorgeous out there! I am thankful for heavenly days like today, too! The only thing that would make it more perfect is if I were free at some point today to hop on my bike and take a ride...

Alas, I will be busy with the daycare children until after dark. Granted, it will be dark as early as 4:30, but still, I feel as if I am missing out on a beautiful experience.

Regardless, I am thankful for my bike.

Continue reading "Pedal Pusher" »

Welcome to my daily post for NaBloPoMo! Day nine, and I'm doing just fine writing throughout the month of November about things for which I am thankful.

Tonight will be the first time since our weather turned cool that I want to dress nicely, (not in sweats) so it's time to lay eyes on my sweaters which I haven't seen since April. I love sweaters...I would wear a sweater every day if weather would allow. Not being a fashionista, I am content with my collection of classic style sweaters that suit my figure. Opening my sweater chest is like visiting old friends...

Continue reading "Sweater Girl" »

Day seven of NaBloPoMo is here. I have committed to blog once a day through November on the subject of things for which I am thankful...

We had to fire up the furnace for the first time this season two nights ago. It occurred to me that, as nice (and necessary) as it is to have heat in the cold weather, there is one thing that is even more essential to keeping me functionally comfortable. I am thankful for (and don't believe I could survive Summer without) air conditioning!

Continue reading "Ode To AC" »

I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend, so I planned the menu for the week ahead this afternoon. Here's some of what I'll be cooking up...

 

Roast Chicken, Dressing & Broccoli, Cauliflower & Carrot Medley

Steak, Egg, Cheese & Chipotle Hash Browns Breakfast Burritos

Beef & Swiss Cheese Patty Melts, French Fries, Mixed Greens Salad

Homemade Chicken & Rice Soup, Grilled Mixed Cheese Sandwiches

Homemade Chicken Pot Pies with Mixed Vegetables

Taco Pasta Bake, Mixed Greens Salad

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburgers, Onion Rings, Mixed Vegetable Platter with Ranch Dip

 

Finally the weather is Autumnal enough for me to pull out the cold weather foods!

“Youth is like spring, an over praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes. Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.” - Samuel Butler

I couldn't have said it better myself!

It's common to hear people spouting the hackneyed idea that Spring is the 'best' season, with its' promise of rebirth, and that Autumn signifies the beginning of the end. But birth is a dramatic event! Sure, you get blossoms in the Spring, but they are just the beginning of the story. In the Autumn when growth is complete is when the 'fruit' is fully developed, and the product of all that labor is reaped and put to use.
Maybe that is why I love Autumn so much...it reminds me metaphorically that it's not birth or growth that are the purpose...it's the result - the fruit - of all the work and what we do with it that is the point of our existence. Once the fervent work of birth and growth are complete, then the work of doing something with it begins, and we can let our true colors show!

I think most of our life is Autumn...between the 'Summer of Puberty' when we grow physically and the 'Winter of Maturity' when it all comes to an end...

Which begs the question: What will I do with the yield of my harvest?