Let's Just Cozy Up Here!

Shrinking down to doll size and crawling into a cozy, someone else made it for you, bed sounds pretty good right now doesn't it?

When Ann Wood posted this little DIY bed, I knew I would make one.  I think I've said that about a number of her patterns and projects.  I know I have!

I made this tiny rag doll (from an Ann Wood pattern) maybe two years ago.  It's hard to remember. :)  I still hope to make her some little clothing accessories.  I had hoped to make one for each of my younger girls, but it took longer than I thought.  As do so many things.

I made the pillow, pillow case, and sheet from pieces of a very tattered pillow case.  The little quilt was made from an extremely tattered quilt block I had.  Even though I have quilt blocks in really good shape, I loved the challenge of cutting and resewing the really tattered one into something useful again.

Another old piece that was stained and ripped became the little tufted mattress.  I just love the little swirls in the head board and foot board.  

How are you all holding up?  I keep my news watching to a minimum and my praying to a maximum and then I'm okay.  The girls will have more direction from their teachers this coming week and that will help us out tremendously with their "homeschooling".  Because as much as I love creating and science and can easily teach that, it's been too long since I've really done Math to teach anything successfully. And, it's always easier for them to follow through on requirements from their teachers.

If you follow along on Instagram, you know they've been learning to bake with yeast and two days ago, we began a levain, or sourdough starter as the regular yeast has sold out of our stores.  We've also been experimenting a bit with natural dyes, learning crochet, and just general "life" studies.

They both have their instruments home so will be practicing that too.  

We are trying to walk every day and that is such a gift to get out and about.  

We finished the novena, but of course will continue to pray the rosary for an end to all of this.  For a cure, a vaccine, for healing, for guidance, for everything.

The one thing that I do know and I know for sure: is that God can bring beauty out of all of this.  Pray for graces to come from all of this.  Pray it fervently.  And in that prayer, to me is real light.  I think you'll see it too.  Keep bringing those limitations to Him also.  I heard in my heart consoling words around one of those limitations a few days ago.  And I have felt his peace in the limitations that I feel about the pandemic.  What an enormous gift.

I keep thinking a giveaway would be a good idea.  Does anyone enter those anymore?  I'll have to figure that out.  Happy mail would be nice!

Hang in there, this won't last forever.  It won't!

Cookies!

I tried this recipe a couple of weeks ago and now made them again this week.  They are a bit "rough looking", but that's exactly how they are in the recipe book too and the nature of them.

I was skeptical of the ingredients, but they are called Everything-in-the-Pantry Cookies and that intrigued me because I like to "eat down" our pantry regularly.  The recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk and I had two cans left from Christmas recipes that didn't get made, so I thought I'd give these a go.  My first couple bites, I thought, "meh", but by the end of the cookie, I'd changed my mind. I went back for another.

And, another.

The recipe came from the cookbook Mexican Today by Pati Jinich.  What's strange is that I cannot remember where I got this cookbook.  I haven't had it more than a year and I don't just go out and buy cookbooks.  Maybe clearance somewhere?  Garage sale?  I'm just glad I have it as I'm beginning to try the recipes and they are good. I hadn't even heard of the author, but someone via Instagram said she has a cooking show so I hope to check that out soon.  Our town has multiple authentic Mexican restaurants and food trucks which are all so good, but it's kind of nice to make it at home too.

The recipe:

2 3/4 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 sticks of  unsalted butter, room temperature

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 C dark chocolate Chips

1/2 C peanut butter chips

1 C broken pretzels (1/2 inch pieces)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the butter until fluffy.  Add the sweetened condensed milk, and beat until fluffy.

On a low speed, add the flour mixture.  By hand stir in the chips and pretzels.

Bake 10-12 min at 350 degrees.

I did not use any chips, but did use broken pretzels.  Instead of chips, I roughly chopped up white almond bark that I had left from Christmas baking.  I used about half of one package of it.  That seemed to be about the right amount.  I can see where any combination will work in the cookies which is what the author states.  Use what you have!!

I was surprised at how much I liked broken pretzels in a cookie!  I wouldn't have tried that on my own without it being in a recipe.

I hope this nudges you to modify your own recipes as you need or want.

Ironically, that used to drive me crazy about my own Mom.  She would tell me she made a new recipe, but changed this or that because she didn't like a certain ingredient or didn't have it on hand. I would think, "Well that's not really new then...."  Now, that's often exactly what I do!  Ouch.  

Limitations

Hello all. Oh how I hope you are all well and are finding some good cheer in your day!

  This Lent, part of my plan for a Lenten practice was to spend time in prayer to explore who I am in Christ and to also  really look at what my limitations are.  Real and perceived.  So far I'm, let's say, behind.  But, good grief folks, if there was ever a time to look at and analyze your limitations?! I think it's now!  I've rebooted my efforts at the extra prayer and journaling time.  It's quite likely you all experience the same spinning around of thoughts when a situation is stressful as I do.  So when you find yourself metaphorically wringing your hands about the state of the world, stop.  Stop right there.  Think about what your limitations are.  The physical limitations are so new and different. No meetings, event, Mass etc. Hitting our mental limitations is exhausting.

Take these limitations (perhaps list them, draw them, note them somehow) with you into prayer and just see what God has to show you.  This will most likely take awhile.  Maybe days or weeks.  Apparently most of us have the time now. 

I have praised Him now for years for the beauty that has been born out of my limitations.  I could write so much about how my life has been limited in the past years and I have not only encountered God in those limitations, I have found freedom to be who He has created me to be.  

I have hoped to grow to sell my photos and art, but there feels like blocks to do that.  That is part of the limitations that I thought I would be exploring this Lent.  Maybe that's still it.  I don't know, but I think there is great fruit and beauty that can come out of  the situation our beautiful world is in right now.  And I'm convinced that one place to find it, is in these limitations that have been put upon us.

I've mentioned the Out of the Ordinary Podcast before.  This episode was on limitations and you may enjoy it.  Their recent podcast is about the current state of the world and the fear that is gripping many people.

Tomorrow, Thursday, is the Feast of St. Joseph and the Church has asked us to pray for his intercession for our world.  Please pray the Rosary too.  I know it's a Catholic prayer practice, but it is certainly not limited to Catholics to pray it!! Our mother Mary is the mother to all of us and she wants to pray for us. 

This link takes you to a how to pray the rosary page and a novena that starts tomorrow the 19th.

A novena is a nine day prayer.  The reason a nine day prayer is a practice of the Church is because of the nine days the Apostles waited for the Holy Spirit.  When I learned that years ago when I first joined the Church, I thought that was so neat!  Also, growing up Lutheran, praying the Rosary wasn't a practice I knew.  But, the prayers of the Rosary are to pray with the Mysteries of the life of Christ.  So each set of prayers is to meditate on an aspect of Jesus' life.  That was another thing that I thought was amazing and I had no idea about when I joined the Catholic Church.

I hope you consider joining in with this Novena!  It will be a beautiful time of so many in the world praying together. And please know that if you don't start on the same day, by all means still join in!  If you miss a day, pray the next day!  It's not a formula, it's a gift to be part of it.

Praying with all of you, 

~Jill

(the photos were taken last week down at our little pond)

Spring!

I planted a Forsythia bush maybe five years ago?  Hard to remember.  I think I've only cut the branches early to bloom inside though once before.  This year I remembered and what a treat it has been!  Just so wonderful to see that yellow bud begin to open followed by the green leaves emerging.  

A photo session was in order!  

I've ordered some seeds and have high hopes of growing sweet peas for the first time this year.  I have some seeds soaking already.  Menards has their seeds half off so I  picked up a number of packets so to plant at different times and places in hopes of getting some going.  I'm not really sure how hard they are to grow. I've only known one person who had them in their garden and that was years ago.  If anyone has advice, I'm all ears.

This weekend is to be quite nice here so perhaps we can do some outside work, or just clean the barn...that always needs to be done.   I hope it's equally nice where you are!