At the End of the Day.......

Such a busy, hectic day!!!  And I still have so much to do!!!  If you see a  crazy lady darting around with patches of her hair yanked out, it's probably me. 

I just realized, in all my rushing around, I have not even eaten today!  My tummy is reminding me of this by twisting itself into knots. 

Yet, I sit here at my computer....thoughts swirling and crashing around in my head, competing for that coveted spot at the front of the line. 

And....I breathe.  Slowly.  Deeply.  In and out....trying to calm my rapidly beating heart and still my mind....

For just a moment.  Of Peace.

God is blessing me, Friends.  Truly, He is!  My business is coming right along and the work of many weeks and months is coming together.  It's just all coming together at the same time!  And the pace is frenzied. 

A cool head is essential in the Real Estate business.  So many details to remember.  Lots of loose ends to tie up neatly and behind the scenes.  So easy for it to all unravel if the ball is dropped.  I realize that people's Dreams depend upon the quality of my service to them. 

And so I sit and try to compose myself....organize those wily, frantic thoughts into some semblance of order and priority. Perhaps this action - just stopping and committing these words to print - will help me to achieve the energy and calm I need to finish this day.

Lord, help me to be still and listen for your voice.  Guide me and bless me with your sweet spirit of calm.  Give me focus and multiply my efforts.  But, above all, Thank You for all that You have already done to bring me to this point.  Your grace sustains me.  It is enough.  

Hugs to you all.....

Jane

Comfort Food and Cooler Weather on the Way.....

I think today was probably Summer's "last hoorah" around here.  The temperature rose up near 90 degrees....but, change is definitely on the way.  It should really start to cool off tomorrow and be down around 40 by the time we get up on Wednesday morning.  Yippee!!!

We got some wonderful rain last weekend, so maybe that moisture combined with the "cold" will help bring about a bit of colorful Autumn foliage.....maybe.....


Oh, how I wish I could look out my front door and see a view like this......

 

Seriously, I would be in Autumn-maniac Heaven!!!


But, alas, I live in Central Texas and mesquite and mulberry trees just don't "turn" those beautiful colors.  They simply go from green to brown, with maybe a day or two of mustard thrown in for good measure. 


At any rate, in anticipation of the cooler weather headed our way, I got the ingredients together and had Eddie "dump" a meal in the crockpot this morning.  Chicken Taco Chili......I'm salivating just smelling it waft throughout the house since I arrived back from the office.  I found the recipe online and it's definitely "a keeper"!  (See the original post at SkinnyTaste.com)


If you want to give it a try, here ya go: 

1 onion, chopped

1 16-oz. can black beans

1 16-oz. can kidney beans

1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

10 oz. package frozen corn kernels (I put a little more than this - we like the corn!)

2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes w/chilis (Rotel - we like the spicy stuff)

1 packet taco seasoning (I use reduced sodium variety)

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 Tbsp. chili powder

24 oz. (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts

chili peppers, chopped (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (topping)

 

Combine everything but the chicken and cilantro; stir it all up in the crockpot.  Place chicken breasts on top.  Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.  Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred.  Return chicken to the crockpot and mix it all in; let simmer for last half hour.  Top with fresh cilantro.  

 

Also very tasty topped with a dollop of sour cream, some crushed Tostitos and grated cheese.  Friends, this is COMFORT FOOD at its best....and so super simple to make!!!  Doesn't it look yummy???

 

 

Warm hugs.....

Jane

Ghosts of Autumns Past....

My love of "Everything Autumn" came naturally.  I do believe it was fostered by my parents when I was a child.  I have some very special memories that point the way to the beginning of my love affair with Fall.....

In particular, I can remember going for long drives out in the country when I was little.  On Sunday afternoons, my mom and dad would load us up in the car to head out southwest of town, into a little ridge rising out of the earth that is known as Steamboat Mountains.  (Now, I fully acknowledge that these are not really "mountains", more like little foothills.  But, they are a break from the flat lands where Abilene sits perched.)  And, so we would head out for Daddy to "blow the soot" out of the car (translation, give the motor a good run for it's money). 

In the Fall, when the leaves began to change, Mom would arm herself with a small hand saw and when we would get away from town and into the heavier foliage, she would have Daddy pull over to the side of the road and she would take her saw and cut off a few small, low-hanging branches from the oak trees.  These were her favorites ~ just as the leaves were beginning to turn a rusty red.  When we got back home, she would arrange artfully them in an old metal milk can that she had gotten at a local antique store.  She painted and antiqued the milk can a dull colonial red and decoupaged an eagle across the front.  (Did I mention that some of our furniture was the mid-century-popular "Early American"?)  Now, that was really a "Martha Stewart" thing to do before Martha was even a glimmer on the horizon! 

Oak leaves shimmering in the Indian Summer afternoon

(After Thanksgiving, we would head out again and my parents would cut boughs off cedar trees and lug them back into town, where Daddy would carefully wire them onto the wrought iron porch support and then weave our only strand of outdoor lights throughout the greenery for the holidays.  But, that's another story entirely....)

As for Halloween, well, it was a wonderful season at our house.  Oh, we didn't have a whole lot of decorations.  And we sure as heck didn't get to drag them out on the first day of October!  But, we did have paper decorations that Mom would take out a few days prior to October 31st.  One year, my Aunt Dorothy added substantially to our collection with some truly vintage paper decorations, and even some old-fashioned "noisemakers", that my cousins had enjoyed when they were younger.  Most everything came from the "five & dime" store, but we would tape the black and orange tissue paper garland and decorations up around the front porch, or in our front bedroom windows.  Remember these?  We used them year after year.....and I really wish I had them still!

Honeycombed paper pumpkins

A trip to the grocery store yielded a big pumpkin for carving.  Daddy would enlist our help to scoop the seeds and guts out of the pumpkin, but he usually did the carving.  Our only choices were "happy jack-o-lantern" or "scary jack-o-lantern", but he loved making them really snaggle-toothed!

Eddie's interpretation of "happy jack-o-lantern"

I distinctly remember going over to the TG&Y and getting new boxed costumes one year......

This version of the popular clown costume is from 1973.

The earlier costumes, circa mid-1960's, were simpler - only red, blue and yellow - no orange or green what-so-ever!

 They came complete with the little plastic mask, which was difficult to wear for any length of time without sweating your face off!  Mom got Jill and I the cheerful clown costumes ~ and both in a size big enough to wear over our regular clothes in case it was chilly.  For some reason, getting those store-made costume really stands out in my mind.  I must have been about 7 years old, maybe 6, but I still remember the shiny, cheap fabric in yellow, red and blue.  Looking back, we must have looked like miniature Bozo's, but we were so proud! 
 
One year, about 1970, we hosted a Halloween party in our backyard and invited friends!  Mom cut little pumpkin invitations out of orange construction paper and Daddy did the printing.  We passed them out to our friends at church and school.  Before dark on Halloween, everyone came, in costume, to the back yard, the clothesline festooned with orange and black crepe paper and hanging decorations.  We bobbed for apples and had popcorn balls. 

Bobbing for apples!

We had 3-legged races; we dropped clothespins in bottles; we raced with dry pinto beans balanced on butter knives; and we even had relay races where we had to bust balloons by sitting on them.  I will never forget that party ~ as long as I live.  It didn't really cost any money; the food, decorations and games were very simple.  But, it was so much fun!  It was all over when darkness fell and everyone's parents picked them up and took them home for trick-or-treating in their neighborhood.

Gosh, the memories just pile up and press me to bring them forward ~ take them out and reflect on them.  And, obviously, many of them revolve around this time of the year.  That is probably why Autumn is just about my favorite season. 

Do your memories come flooding back this time of year?  Is it the time of year when all the senses seem to kick in and contribute to a sense of nostalgia when you get a whiff of a candle burning the inside of the pumpkin, or feel the crisp chill of an Autumn evening, or hear the dry rustle of tissue paper decorations?  What brings it all back for you???

Feeling Fabulously Fall-ish....

Jane

Shifting Gears....

I hit the weekend at a dead run!  My "to do" list was a couple of miles long, so I got an early start on Friday afternoon and just didn't slow down....

After getting up early to do my errands and shopping on Saturday morning, I progressed to house cleaning....and lots of it!  In between trips out to move the sprinkler in the front yard (yes, it was on my list!) I vacuumed, dusted, changed sheets, picked up, put away, moved loads of laundry from the washer to the dryer....I'm exhausted just remembering. 

Then, I unloaded the bins of Fall decor, which I had drug out of the storage shed earlier.  Into the evening I worked, placing this pumpkin here, that garland there.  And I finally moved on to the front porch.....

It did not get the royal treatment that it did last year, sorry to say.  There is a much simpler, more selective "look" going on out there.  But, the results were fine....and I was just too pooped to take out the camera and begin to record it all. 

Yesterday morning, I resumed my tackling of the list.  Car washed, vacuumed, polished....all done.  Continue on the laundry.  Can someone please explain to me how two people generate so much laundry?!?!? 

I was making great headway on the list of projects when I just ran out of steam.  My body started aching, the right side of my face was throbbing.  A sinus headache got the better of me, so I switched gears and curled up on the bed with a book.....only to doze off after a few pages. 

After that little siesta, I just couldn't get my ooooomph back.  My body just wouldn't cooperate.  It was trying to tell me something.....screaming at me, "SLOW DOWN!!!" 

This morning, I awoke feeling less than stellar.  I took the dogs out in the early morning darkness, then crawled back between those soft, clean sheets and drifted in and out of sleep.  While Eddie readied himself for work, I dozed.  The dogs returned to their spot beside the bed after he left for work and dozed with me. 

Sometimes, I wonder why I push myself so hard.  I have always had a real struggle with just being still and giving my body, and mind, some much needed rest.  Down time?  It's vastly underrated!  And, it's a necessity.  And, so today is down time for me......

The list will still be there tomorrow. 

Resting up....

Jane

Playing Hooky!!!

Yesterday was one of those rare days when Eddie was off and I could play hooky from the office, too!  So, we decided to take full advantage of the possibilities.....

After sleeping in til after 8:00 am, we got up and around and headed over to a huge church rummage sale.  Oh, my!  We were just darting from one thing to the next....it was nearly overwhelming to see so much in one place.  We did actually buy a few items ~ a wood magazine holder, some great produce baskets, fabulous Halloween votives (unopened) from Bath & Body Works, a couple of pieces of jewelry and assorted paperbacks for Eddie.  We even hit the bake sale table and indulged in some chocolate chip cookies!

While we were out, we went by Academy and Target did a little shopping.  I found some terrific little 3/4 length sleeve cardigans on clearance at Target ~ I am in heaven!  We also picked up some henleys for Ben and Sam at Academy, marked down to $4.88.  And I snagged some great clearance tee's there, also.  I see a major closet~cleaning/decluttering in my very near future......

After taking care of a few more errands and a late lunch, we headed home.  Once we arrived, I "hit a wall".....and "crashed".  I laid down and took a 3-hour nap!  It felt insanely wonderful!  Eddie cooked some simple hamburgers on the propane grill and then we lazed around and watched programs we had recorded on the DVR. 

So, my Prince and I had a terrific day together.  We didn't do anything "special", but we enjoyed each other's company ~ immensely!  And we had some much needed down time. 

Once in a while, you just have to steal a day and play hooky!!!

xoxoxo,
Jane

P.S.....Be watching upcoming posts where I will share some of our rummage sale treasures and a few ideas on how they will work into our decor!

Freshening Up Out Front....and Welcome to Fall!!!

Once in a while, Life seems to pick up the pace and race by so swiftly!  That seems to be the case with September.  Wasn't it the beginning of the month just yesterday.......and here we are, finishing out this page on the calendar in a dead rush.

I had grand intentions for September.  And many of the ideas I had for projects around the house got trampled in the race to the get through the month.  Traditionally, I have my porch - and the inside of the house, for that matter - dressed for Fall before the middle of the month.  There have been many years when I took care of changing out decor for the season during the Labor Day weekend.  But, it just seemed I couldn't get to it this year....

Finally, though, this past Sunday, Eddie got a day off and the weather was wonderful.  Yes, it got a bit warm, but there was lots of sunshine and a delightful cooling breeze.  We worked together to get the front yard mowed, edged and cleaned up.  Then he dug up that monkey grass that filled part of the contoured bed along the front of the house.  Yea!!!  I had been dreaming of that monkey grass going away for a long time!  Adios!!!

Grubby from working in the yard, we headed out to Lowes and prowled through the garden section.  Admittedly, it was pretty picked over.  But, what they did have was mostly marked down to half price!  So, I grabbed more mums, a couple of new Indian Hawthorne shrubs to replace some dead bushes we had just dug up, and even some ornamental grasses.  To top it all off, several bags of mulch.  And, as we were headed to the check-out, I spied a nearly empty bin of fantastical pumpkins! 

And we were off!  We planted, swept, laid the soaker hose out.....and, voila!  We have a freshly landscaped bed along the front of our little cottage!  I'm loving it!!!

The yellow mums are blooming out nicely....

These purple ones on the clearance table seem a bit bashful, but they're getting there....

Don't you just love the texture of this ornamental grass?

I was inspired to get the front porch set up for Fall!  Still some tweaking to do, but at least it's a start!

So, now I can enjoy Fall on Janie's Porch for another year.  Stop by for a visit.  We'll head out and pick up some more pumpkins while you're here!!!

Enjoy the Blessings of Autumn, my Friends!!!

Jane

The Pioneer Woman....I Ain't!!!

One of the first blogs - and still one of my most favorite - I discovered was Ree Drummond's, "The Pioneer Woman".  Don't you just love her?!?!?  Many aspire to have as huge an impact and as large a following as the original blog-pioneering woman, but few will ever equal her - in Blogworld or in the kitchen.

I did a post some time ago about some of my favorite cookbooks.  Eddie had recently given me a signed copy of "The Pioneer Woman Cooks".  What a fabulous cookbook!  I have spent many hours, thumbing through the pages and dreaming of creating such yummalicious meals as she does. 

And now she has a terrific new show on The Food Network!  Have you caught it on Saturday mornings yet?

A few weeks back, she made macaroni & cheese for her son's birthday celebration.  Oh, my Lord...it looked so tasty!!!  I pulled out the cookbook, found the recipe and decided to give it a try.

Now, I could tell from the ingredient list that this recipe was going to make roughly a ton of mac & cheese (you need four cups of raw macaroni elbows - that's a lot for us empty-nesters).  But, that was okay....

We love mac & cheese.

We will enjoy this for days!!!

So, I proceeded to put together all the ingredients and give it a whirl.

Right away, I encountered a problem.  The recipe calls for plain ol' flour - all I had was some whole wheat flour.  But, I figured since I use it a lot in cooking, this shouldn't be a big deal. 

WRONG!!!  

As I started simmering and stirring the rue, I realized that both the color and texture of whole wheat flour were going to change the appearance of the dish drastically.  Maybe I'm just so accustomed to seeing that neon-glow-in-the-dark-orange tint that you get with the box of Kraft mac & cheese.  In comparison, this just looked so.....

Unappetizing!

The cooking progressed and I grew more and more dismayed that my mac & cheese wasn't going to look like her's.  I got so upset about it that I completely forgot to stir all the seasonings into the rue before I started adding cheese.  In fact, I forgot all about them until I spotted the small bowl of pre-measured seasonings sitting there by the stove when I shut the oven door to start baking the prepared dish!!!! 

I immediately grabbed the large skillet filled with about 20 pounds of yucky, tan-toned mac & cheese out of the oven and stirred in the seasonings.  At this point, I was just about in tears....which, for some reason, seemed to annoy Eddie Dale immensely.  So, I slammed the dish back into the oven, shut the door and began to clean  up the mess in the kitchen.  (I might insert here that I was already a little PMS'y this day...)

Let me point out that my selection of the oversized oven-proof skillet in which to bake the dish was not optimal, either!  After the required cooking time, I pulled out the finished product and started serving it up.  Unfortunately, the crust was truly a "crust" - thick, dark brown and overcooked, downright crunchy.  So, I realized we would just have to scoop out the inside and avoid the vast burnt expanse of the edges.  Ugh...

All I can say is that it was an "experience".  Not a pleasant one, necessarily....nor a tasty one.  The use of the whole wheat flour definitely changed the dish - and not for the better! After we suffered through the meal, Eddie carefully avoiding making any eye contact with me, I carried the skillet of leftovers straight to the trash can and unceremoniously dumped it!

The silver lining to this debacle - we had prepared her "comfort meatballs" as the main dish and I can say that they turned out to be awesome!  Thank goodness!!!  Because my version of the mac & cheese was a total disappointment.

And now you know why I love to collect cookbooks and gaze longingly at them.....because my experiences in actually preparing dishes according to the recipes are sometimes quite disastrous!

Keeping it real in the kitchen, y'all....

Jane