Home for the Holidays, by Thomas Kincaid

Saturday, October 31, 2009


Autumn Trail, AllPosters
Happy First Day of November! I am hoping that you all had a wonderful October and a Happy Halloween. I've been away for about 10 days because my son became ill again and we've been having lots of challenges. let's all hope for a happy and HEALTHY month ahead.


I am wishing you a sweet, and peaceful Sabbath today.


God bless always,

Elizabeth

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Organizing The Kitchen Tip

Ever wonder about what to do with those plastic grocery bags that pile up all over the place? Yes, I know that we should be using grocery totes and I'm in the process of acquiring enough to use for a large grocery trip. But these bags seem to add up anyway. You can re-use them, but where do you put them until then?
Meet my kitty litter jug.

First, I removed the label...

Then, I cut a big rectangle at the front end...Would have looked better if I'd used an exacto knife instead of scissors...Oh, well...I stuffed it full of all of my sacks and...

Viola! I handy plastic bag dispense that fits neatly under my kitchen sink!
What do you do with all of your plastic bags?
Blessings,
Elizabeth

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Menu Planning Monday


Welcome! Following are my dinner meals for the week...

Monday - Crunchy Cabbage Salad, Artisan Bread, Fruit

Tuesday - Homemade Pizza, Tossed Salad
Wednesday - Crispy Oven-Fried Fish Fillets, Oven Baked Fries, steamed broccoli and carrots.

Thursday - Marinated Turkey Breasts, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (recipe shared this week), Artisan Bread and Salad

Sunday - Steak, Rice and Creamed Spinach.

For more menus, please visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Have a great day!
Elizabeth

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Show & Tell Friday

happy Friday, Friends, and welcome to another Show & Tell Friday, here at Home Musings.

First my Show & Tell. See my cute little jack-o-lantern lamp? I found it last year in a thrift shop. Of course, once I uploaded this pic, I realized the cord is showing - tacky, tacky, tacky! :)
Next, Sweet Friends, I am so excited. My baack is doing SOOOO much better (I end up not having as terrible problem as they thought, just good, old fashioned arthritis!). Meds have made me mobile again and what was the first thing I did...I had the husband drive me up into the mountains... Want to see what is 10 minutes from our front door?
This is Snowbird ski Resort, up Little Cottnwood Canyon. Drivnng up there one goes form high desert climate to soemthing akin to The Alps!
It had snowed there earlier(rained in the valley) and the peaks were in the clouds.
Above we are headed back down the mountain again. On the way, we stopped to admire the Fall colors that are still ripening along the mountain sides.
An interesting rock formation.
Cliffs surrounded by Autumn color.

We had a really wierd cold snap early on, which dumped snow into the mountains and killed off leaves on trees which normally brim over with color.
A lovely stream flowing from mountain run-off and Silver Lake above.
..And last but not least, a beautiful collage of muli-coloured fallen leaves.

Have a lovely day and please be sure to check out more Show & Tell posts over at Cindy's blog, My Romantic Home.
Blessings,
Elizabeth

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Outdoor Wednesday

Today, I felt MUCH better. My goodness, it's about time. not only did I get out of bed, but I was actually productive. I don't know how long it will last, but it felt wonderful.

However, I had to be careful, so my Outdoor Wednesday did not stray very far from home...I thought you might like a peek at the beautiful mountains, dusted with snow and a few trees here on the foothills that are turning.

We've had an odd Fall. It was warm, then this freak cold snap came and dumped snow in the mountains and knocked off of limbs a lot of the leaves that usally turn in multitudes. Then, it warmed up and slowed Fall down, so here and in the valley, we are not yet at peak color.

My neighbor's tree is one of the first to turn...
And here is the humble door to our home...

Some Fall daisies...

...and some Halloween decor...

Welcome!

Hugs,
Elizabeth
For more Outdoor Wednesday posts visit A Southern Dreamer.










Monday, October 12, 2009

There I Always Something to be Grateful For

Hello, Friends!

I've spent the majority of the last few weeks flat on my back in bed with major back problems (lumbar stenosis, which may require surgery). Of course, it is never, ever convenient for a mother to be sick, but right now especially things are challenging. My son is home with a chronic illness that has him on "Home & Hospital Leave" with school and I am suppose to be his tutor..AND the husband really needs my support...AND...I have a lot to do, doggone it!

Okay, so I could whine right now, something at which I have a great deal of experience! :) But, you know, I can't help remembering another time like this when the sky was literally raining adversity all around me...

Years ago, when my dear Sarah was born (one of the MOST beautiful moments of my life), she was born at the end of a tremendously difficult pregnancy, the last four months of which I had to sleep sitting up in a chair because of the pain. The week before she was born, I stayed up all night, night after night, typing up my husband's papers for Finals. The day that ended I was abruptly put into the hospital (blood pressure), which began three grueling days of labor. Of course, once that's over, one can't go home and rest, because you return home with a tiny infant to take care of. That begins the sleepless nights of late night feedings. When Sarah was 9 weeks old, I had major surgery to repair the problem that had affected my pregnancy, which took me several months to recuperate from.

So, finally it is Christmas time, Sarah is three months old and I am finally strong enough to venture out of the house and go for a mother/daughter photo shoot at Sears. I am very weak, but we make it through everything just fine. While I am taking the elevator back down to parking, I am praying in my mind, complaining to the Lord about all of my trials and about how I don't feel equal to my tasks. Whine, whine, whine. Complain, complain, complain.

Suddenly, the elevator stops. The doors open and in comes this woman, pushing a front to back double-stroller, with a tiny baby in front, another tiny baby in back and THEN another tiny baby in a harness on her chest. Yes, this woman had TRIPLETS. And I will never forget her face. She looked like she'd had the guts kicked right out of her and was terribly exhausted. Oh, my goodness, I just wanted to hold her. Instead, I looked up at the ceiling and in my heart, I said, "Oh, THANK YOU, Heavenly Father, that I only had one baby to come home to after my surgery. Oh, thank you that right now I only have one to worry about. OH, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of my MANY blessings!"

It took about 60 seconds for me to have a whole attitude change. Why? Because the Lord showed me someone who was having an even harder time than I was, right at the moment when I was whining. What a paradigm shift.

So, When I am on the road to whining, Woe is me, things are so hard! I remember that dear woman and I remind myself that things could be so much more difficult than they are. And, the Lord gives us what we can handle, even if we can just barely handle it. :)

So, I give thanks today that for most of my life I have enjoyed good health. I have been able to do many things that I've always wanted to do and some things that I never dreamed I'd be able to do. I have had a really good run, most of the time. Now, that I am having some health problems, I am so thankful for medications for pain, and for health care and for many people who care about me and my family.

So, no whining and complaining!

Have a lovely Fall day!:)

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Menu Planning Monday


Welcome! Following are my dinner meals for the week...

Monday - Pasta Lasagna, Tossed Salad and Warm Bread.

Tuesday - Tuna Patties, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Peas and carrots.

Wednesday - Crispy Oven-Fried Fish Fillets, Oven Baked Fries, steamed broccoli and carrots.

Thursday - Roast Chicken, Rice Pilaf and Lemon Pepper Green Beans

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Homemade Pizza, Tossed Salad

Sunday - Baked ham, Scalloped Potatoes and Broccoli Salad

And extra Bonus:
LUNCHES FOR THE WEEK

Penne Pasta with Spinach

Green Slime Smoothie


And leftovers, of course! :)
For more menus, please visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Have a great day!
Elizabeth

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Some Lovely Finds

Today, I'm sharing two sweet finds from an afternoon of thrifting awhile back. They are two lovely plates that will go perfectly somewhere in my boudoir.
They are a lovely cream color, much like the french furniture of our masterbedroom. Our blue walls will be the perfect backdrop for these.
I believe that I spent $1 on both plates.

Aren't they pretty?

For more Beautiful Life posts, visit Melissa at The Inspired Room. For more Show & Tell Fridays, please see Cindy at My Romantic Home.

Have a great Friday!
Elizabeth

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Window Shopping Wednesday

It's that time of year again when Summer clothes have been put away and all our warm Autumn outfits are cozying up our closets. Following our some lovely Fall outfits that I have found during late night "window shopping" on the Internet.

These two double-breasted jackets have lovely detailing from unique collars to the double rows of buttons and and gathered pockets (first one). The fitted waistlines create very feminine silhouettes.



These next three dresses have A-line shaped skirts and are cinched in just under the bosom (generally the most slender place for most of us). Very flattering!

Below is my favorite of the three...
An A-line, floral print skirt with wonderful Fall colors of plum and brown.
Feminine blouses...



For a channge of pace, why not throw a wonderful shawl around your shoulders instead of the usual sweater..


A vintage inspired blouse...


And last but not least, a lovely nighty for dreaming sweet dreams!



If any of these outfits strike your fancy or you just like window shopping like me, please visit April Cornell. the vintage blouse and white nighty can be found at Cattle Kate.

Have a blessed day!

Elizabeth











Sunday, October 4, 2009

Menu Planning Monday

Welcome! Following are my dinner meals for the week...

Monday - Homemade Chili, Cornbread and Salad

Tuesday - Whole Wheat Wraps Stuffed with Stir Fry Veggies and Tofu.

Wednesday - Crispy Oven-Fried Fish Fillets, Oven Baked Fries, steamed broccoli and carrots.

Thursday - Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, Brown Rice and Mixed Fruit Salad

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Feta Pesto, Tossed Salad and Whole Wheat Rolls

Sunday - Broccoli Salad, Baked Chicken Breasts, Twice Baked Potatoes.

For more menus, please visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Have a great day!
Elizabeth

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Chore System

Check out my friend, Anne's, chore system. Since I recently posted about my kitchen command Center (HERE), I am very interested in anything along those lines for organizing our home. Anne's ideas aer simple and effectively. Definitely doing the same.

Have a great Sabbath tomorrow!
Elizabeth