Over the River and Over the Woods...

Over the river and over the woods to Grandmother's house I go....
I'm so excited. I am going to visit my Grandma Mamie. She lives in Dallas. I've not seen her in almost two years. Southwest Airlines had a terrific deal on a round trip flight. So, guess what I got for Christmas. Yep, a ticket. I'm going to fly for only a hundred dollars!

I have such wonderful memories with my Grandma Mamie. I'm so looking forward to seeing her again. The last time I went for a visit, I had a fussy baby in tow. Amy only calmed down when she was eating, sleeping, or Grandma was holding her and dancing. Now mind you, my Grandma was 80 at the time! This time I'm flying solo. I'll be staying with my Cousin Gloria who has so graciously opened her home to me. Grandma has lived with her for several months now. I truly am thankful for her love and care for Grandma. Mind you, Grandma takes care of Gloria too! ~grin~ She's quite an independent Grandma...not a sit in a rocker type.

All this to say, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I'll be back to writing next week. Maybe I'll share a story or two!

May you all receive blessings from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Laura
I love to Fly and it Shows!
Thank you God!




You might enjoy...

• The Thrifty Woman's Real Estate Investment Strategy
• It is Well With My Soul
• Today at the Cottage... Living and Loving This Life a Little at a Time

Wintery Mix to Beautiful Snow...

My apologies to those in Southwest Missouri who hate snowy weather; but, I LOVE THIS! I'm so glad to have a little winter that acts like winter. I do hope we all keep power, though.

Keep cozy on this cold wintry night.

Anyone got an extra wood stove or fireplace?

Laura
Let it Snow...Let it Snow...Let it Snow

We Got It...Sort of....

We got some white stuff, though not the white stuff I prefer. We had what the weather announcer called a wintry mix. It was mostly sleet and freezing rain. It was enough to cause folks to go off the road, including me. I was fortunate because there was a curb to keep me from going completely off the road. I couldn't get back up on the blacktop, though. Thank goodness my big guy, Matthew was with me. He pushed and we eventually got the car back up on the blacktop. We had to turn around and go the other way because our route was blocked with cars that were at various angles on the road. We got home safely, thank you God! Now we have a light dusting of snow on top to make it pretty.

It gave Matthew a memorable birthday. Interestingly enough, the weather was very similar when he was born.

If you're in this, keep warm at home!
Blessings,
Laura

He's 18...He's Handsome...and He's Mine....

My Matthew, 18 years old today!

Eighteen years of my life well invested.

A Winter Wish...

Just wishing for a little of the white stuff!

Laura

Everything's Going to Be Alright...

Public domain image

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."
Hebrews 13:8


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May I suggest?
Happy... 
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Shared:
Tuesday  Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays - Titus 2 Tuesdays - Tuesdays at Our Home  Tuesdays with a Twist  Thursday No Rules Weekend Blog Party - Weekend Blog Hop Friday Sweet & Simple Fridays 

A Prayer for our Presidents...

Father God, I pray blessings upon the Bush family as they move into this new season of their life together. Please guide them, help them make new real friends, and adjust to their new life.

Father God, I pray blessings upon the Obama family as they move into this most challenging of seasons in their life.

*I pray that President-Elect Obama will seek You and your wisdom in all decisions he makes. I pray that You will do whatever it takes to ensure his salvation, his family's salvation, and the salvation of all who will be working with him to lead this nation. I pray that he will lead us the way that You want us to be lead. Help him Father, for your people's sake.

Thank you Father for the privilege of living in this great nation.

Amen.

Blessings to you all. Trust God in all!

Laura

*Amen again 1/6/15
*Amen again 2/2/15
*Amen again 8/10/16

Inauguration...Ronald Regan...January 20, 1981...

"I am told that tens of thousands of prayer meetings are being held on this day, and for that I am deeply grateful. We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free. It would be fitting and good, I think, if on each Inauguration Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer."

Ronald Regan, January 20, 1981

Marmee's Advice on Regular Hours

"Have regular hours for work and play;
make each day both useful and pleasant,
and prove that you understand the worth of time
by employing it well.
Then youth will be delightful,
old age will bring few regrets,
and life become a beautiful success,
in spite of poverty."

~Louisa May Alcott
Marmee's Advice in Little Women



Oh that I may learn to follow this wise advice. The work is obvious. The play is with my children and by myself. With my children, I want to play more games read aloud more, and do more artsy craftsy things. By myself, I want to study my Bible more, sew more, scrapbook more, and write more this year. I think I may need some time to pull away and really think about how I can make these things happen this year.

Blessings,
Laura

Filling Hungry Tummies in Tough Times... A Simple Potato Soup

What do you get when you take some potatoes, an onion, some wimpy celery, some water, some milk, and some butter and call it dinner?

Potato Soup of Course!

Measurements don't really matter too much in this soup. I never measure, but put in what looks right to me. Here's how I do it.

First peel a whole bunch of potatoes. I have a great big 10 quart pot and a husband and four growing kids to feed; so, I use a lot of potatoes. Use what you have. You should have quite a few potatoes in the pot compared to the other ingredients.

Rinse the peeled potatoes and put them in the pot with water to cover them. Turn the heat on medium-high and bring the water to a boil. I don't cut up the potatoes because my husband likes the soup chunky. The potatoes will break up on their own when you stir them later.

While the water's heating, chop up an onion and add it to the pot. I use a couple of small onions or one large onion. Just think about your family's tastes and add accordingly. You can also add some minced garlic at this time, according to taste. Sometimes I add it; sometimes I don't.

Clean your celery and chop it up in bite-sized pieces. It's fine to use some of the leaves, too, if you like them. Again, if you really like celery, add a little more; if not, a little less.

Lastly, don't forget to add the salt. I probably use a little too much. You really need some for the flavor of the potatoes to be good.

Now, after the soup comes to a boil, turn it down just enough to keep a gentle boil going. Check the potatoes every once in awhile to see if they're getting soft, just like when you make mashed potatoes. When they're soft, drain most of the water through a colander into a big bowl. This broth can be used in another soup or to thin your potato soup when you serve the leftovers. It's really quite tasty to drink as well.

Turn the heat to low. Add a big chunk of butter to the potatoes. I know. It's not good for you; but, you can use a smaller amount if you like. It just improves the flavor so much. Real butter is best. Stir to break up the potatoes a bit and to help melt the butter.

Add milk, or a combination of milk and cream if fresh is available, until the soup reachs your desired consistency. Stir to break up the potatoes to your desired consistency. I always add pepper at this point as well as a bit more salt. You can add more of the broth as well if you wish.

This is a very forgiving recipe. Use what you have. If you don't have much milk or cream, use more broth. I only use the cream if I can get fresh from the cow milk and skim the cream myself.

This is one of my survival in tough times recipes. Even a small amount, with a simple homemade biscuit or two will fill a hungry little or big tummy.

A few years ago, life depended on me baking every day and making very simple frugal meals. http://bit.ly/2laF6O8 (Tweet) I find that this way of life is returning for us as well as many families we know. The sweetness of this is that I learned to pray and depend on God ever so much. Whether these are good times or bad times is often dependent on how we look at things and how resourceful we are.

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May I suggest?

Thrifty and Frugal

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A Snowy Mantle....

This was so pretty, I just had to show it to you. It's Joy's mantle.

She has a lovely blog called Joys of Home.

I too find myself reluctant to take down all of my Christmas things. I have two poinsettias that are still big and beautiful. I'll keep them out. I'll also leave out my snowmen for awhile. Since I'm planning to make some snowmen ornaments this month to prepare for a fall craft sale and for my shop, I may leave the tree up and replace the decorations with the snowmen I make. I'll have to give it some thought. We still have one more "Christmas" with my mother-in-love on Sunday. Then it will be time for my "final answer".

Blessings to you!

Laura

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May I suggest?
This is What it's All About
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