Tag Archives: comfort food

November 19, 2022 · 9:13 am

Sweet, Sunny Saturday 11-19-2022

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I WISH it looked like this outside today. It IS a cool, very crisp, fall sunny day here, but the main color is beige, rather than the glorious display above. It’s 28 degrees now, and the high is supposed to be a balmy 45 this afternoon. The coming days, though, are supposed to have highs in the 50s – MUCH more to my liking and my desire to get more yard work done.

My husband enjoyed his birthday dinner last night, remarking on it a couple of times. :0) We also had a celebratory piece of Mt. Dew cake, thanks to Kay from Lunch Bunch. The best part of the celebration, from my perspective, is the call from Thailand from our son, short though it was, and the fact that instead of being depressed about aging, my husband announced that he was looking forward to his NEXT birthday, because he thinks 80 is a much nicer number than 79….

He’s still in a birthday celebration frame of mind, and requested that I make soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. Birthday and cold weather comfort food, for sure.

Since it’s too cold to work outside, I’m going to concentrate on paperwork in the office and vacuuming today. I’ll pay bills, study our lab test results and make sure our meds lists are up to date for the doc appt Monday afternoon. Amber has left another dog’s worth of hair on the tiles and carpeting. It’s amazing how much more I have to vacuum on the first floor than the second. The second is what I would term ‘normal’ and the first needs a serious effort at LEAST twice as much. It’s truly amazing (and disgusting) how full the vacuum canister gets each time I vacuum the first floor.

And that’s it for the exciting life of the Lewises in Arkansas. I’m delighted I don’t live in Buffalo right now. I hope that everyone there is snuggled into their warm house and don’t have to get out until further notice.

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March 13, 2022 · 11:14 am

Sad

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I’m having trouble eating the right things lately. What I HOPE is the last gasp of winter has encouraged comfort food. I’m getting so ‘comforted,’ I’m almost comatose.

I titled this post, ‘Sad,’ because I saw a thing on aging –

and it made me HUNGRY…..

Old, hungry, and ticked off by pet peeves can be a lethal combination….. :0)

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January 17, 2022 · 9:33 am

New Week

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We had an almost perfect snow Saturday. It didn’t mess up our sidewalks, garage pad, or the streets. It’s pretty in our yard and when my husband went to get our mail yesterday, he said it wasn’t hard to get down our steep driveway, or – more important – get back up again. Since the sun is shining and it’s supposed to get to 50 today, I declare it an almost perfect snow. I’m just hopeful we won’t get more with the forecast cold front this coming Wednesday. I’m really looking forward to my massage scheduled for Thursday…

We enjoyed the beef stew I made last night, along with some garlic bread. We have enough left for three more meals for us when we want it. Our dog, Amber, declared it delicious when she licked the crock pot bowl before it went into the dishwasher. We’ll probably get out later today and replenish supplies, just in case we’re snowed in Wednesday.

The sloth bug took over yesterday, so I thoroughly enjoyed listening to music, reading, and napping yesterday, instead of doing the productive things on my list. They are still there looking at me today, so when we finish shopping and get things put away, so maybe I’ll do better today. :0)

It’s Martin Luther King Day today. I’m hopeful people will think today – and every day – about the good things he said.

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January 2, 2022 · 11:02 am

Thoughts on a Sunday 1-2-2022

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Good morning! I hope 2022 will be a great year for you!

Although my husband scoffs, the weather people were absolutely right about what the weather would do yesterday. Temperatures fell all during the day and it was 17 degrees F. this morning. We didn’t get any snow flurries yet, but I don’t think you’ll hear any complaints. It is COLD and gray outside, with some stiff breezes.

I got the ingredients for beef stew into the crock pot first thing this morning, so we’ll have a nice comfort meal this evening. I also got a comfort gift – having a chat with our son. He’s in Thailand and has almost forgotten how cold it can get in Arkansas. He considers wearing a hoodie and shoes other than sandals “cold” there. :0) He fondly remembered my fixing beef stew in the crock pot while he was growing up. Although crock pots aren’t big in Thailand, he’s thinking about trying to order one online so he can fix his own stew. It was a wonderful way to start the morning, talking with him before he goes to sleep. (He’s 13 hours ahead of us this time of year.)

This is a great day to have a warm, dry home. My heart goes out to the people in Colorado who are now suffering through such awful devastation of hurricane force winds driving wildfire. I hope help comes soon.

I’ve become a slug. I’m not exercising as I should. I’m trying to “get back on the horse” exercising three times per week and see if I can actually keep that going. It is said that you can build a habit in three weeks. I guess it takes longer for me. I’m not really kicking myself, having learned that that isn’t productive, but I HAVE written it on my calendar, and hoping to check it off. Fingers crossed and trying to build determination. I’ve also gotten back into cronometer.com an online program for tracking your food, drink, and exercise. Things CREEP in insidiously. You THINK you’re only fudging a bit, and one bit is added here and then there, and…. OUCH. As my friend Maria encouraged me to do, I’m breaking my goal into “doable chunks ” and I plan to reward myself with stars, time to play in my art room, etc. to encourage success.

I hope you have a warm, quiet Sunday, doing something that brings a big smile to your face.

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December 29, 2021 · 10:12 am

Snowy Thoughts

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I have to admit that winter is not my favorite season. That said, there are many things I LOVE about it –

I’ve always loved sweaters and layers and boots, shawls, mufflers, crocheted hats with snowballs on top, gloves, snuggling under throws, sitting by the fireplace.

istockphoto

Snow people and critters have a special place in my heart. I’ve rarely been in enough snow to actually make them, but really enjoy the creativity shown by people, and wonderful photos like the one with the fox and the snowman above. That one made me laugh out loud when I found it. :0)

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When my husband and I started dating a hundred years or so ago (he was 17 and I was 14), we had a rare, really good snow in Arkansas. We celebrated by building two snow people in the front yard of my parents’ home. I built a traditional snowman. My husband built an extremely well-endowed female snow person. They met with a sad ‘accident’ pretty quickly – I think due to my mom instructing my dad to ‘modify’ them before she got complaints from the neighbors…

Gifer

My parents had a gorgeous, open design fireplace. Somehow, it was designed to be open at one corner of the bricks so you could see it ‘around the corner’ – in the foyer and also in the living room. I’m still amazed at the design. My parents had a gas insert because they wanted to be able to turn the fire on and off when they wanted and didn’t have to store or haul firewood. I have many memories of sitting in a sling chair beside it, or sitting on the hearth in front of it, warming my back.

We have a fireplace insert in our home now. You can’t see the fire well unless you keep the doors open on the insert. It’s made for efficiency and a heat source in case our regular heat isn’t working. We have firewood stored and always have a fire laid, ready for the strike of a match to start it. When we don’t have anywhere we need to be and the weather is really cold, we light it for the COMFORT and good feelings it brings, rather than the need. A definite, wonderful luxury.

Comfort food is wonderful. My mom made big cast iron skillets of spaghetti sauce and garlic bread, and a lovely bean soup. I like to get a beef stew going in the crock pot, serving that with a crust of bread. I also love grilled cheese sandwich and soup dinners.

My favorite snow is one with huge, beautiful flakes like in a snow globe. It coats the ground in pristine, glorious white, looking beautiful. If there are children around, enough for a snowball fight, snow angels, or maybe a snowman. Then, the sun comes out right away, the temperature warms, and the snow is melted on our driveway and the roads, leaving it on the ground otherwise. Fantasies are made to be enjoyed. :0)

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April 16, 2021 · 9:57 am

Comfort Food Day

The Wholesome Dish

Since Mother Nature is giving us a cool-for-the-season, WET day, I will get the makings of chili in the slow cooker when we get home from Lunch Bunch. When whatever we decide to do is done for the day, a nice warm comfort-food-type dinner will be ready.

Stay warm and dry and have a wonderful day!

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February 15, 2021 · 10:22 am

Still Snowing

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I found this beautiful .gif yesterday and wanted to share it.

It’s snowing harder again. It’s supposed to stop by 1pm, but I don’t think Mother Nature has received the memo yet, or maybe is ignoring it. We’re supposed to have another wave of snow Wednesday. It was -1 degree F. this morning, and now is a balmy 0 with big fat flakes of snow. I love the prettiness of it, but I would really like it to stop. Our heaters in the well house (electric and propane) were both working well this morning. We also have an automatic extra heater in our utility room bathroom cabinet that keeps our pipes in there from freezing. I’m glad we have a generator in case it’s needed.

We’ve been enjoying comfort food – soup and crackers for lunch yesterday and beef stew from the crock pot for dinner. It’s nice and warm and dry in our home, and for that I’m truly grateful. Even though it’s only needed psychologically and emotionally, I’ve been enjoying having the heating pad in my recliner on and then curling up under my throw – making a kind of ‘sandwich’ for a nap, a cup of coffee on my warmer on the table beside my chair. SPOILED LADY – and GLAD OF IT!!! :0)

I checked my seed starter tray this morning. I have the TEENIEST, TINIEST hard-to-see sprouts in a few places! I was ridiculously pleased to see them. I spritzed the tray with water and put the transparent top back on. We’re not getting much sun, so I don’t know what will happen. It’s wonderful to anticipate possibilities, though.

I’m not sure what the day will hold. I hope we can ALL stay safe, warm, and dry.

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February 12, 2021 · 10:33 am

Thoughts on a Friday in February

MAN v FAT

It’s harder to stick with a rational, mature eating plan when the weather is yelling for comfort food. It’s 17 degrees F here in Greenwood, Arkansas. February is always our coldest month, but I was beginning to believe we wouldn’t have much of a winter this year. Hahahahahahhaha! Our highs are in the 20s, we have ice everywhere, our deck is a skating rink unfit for old folks to fill the bird feeders, and our 650+ foot long, STEEP driveway and the road that runs in front of our place are not encouraging travel – even to retrieve our mail at the bottom of the driveway. The forecast is for ‘dangerous cold, and snow Sat – Monday, then again Wednesday of next week. Did I tell you I HATE February?

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I’m trying to be the “mature adult woman” that I’m supposed to be, NOT stuffing my face while continuing to earn my gold stars on my desk calendar for exercise. I put on my sweatshirt, sweat pants, puffy vest, knit hat, and gloves to go out to the garage to put in my time on my elliptical trainer. The good thing is I feel very proud of myself if I manage to get my time in out there each day. The yoga in the afternoons is easier.

Yesterday I finally got the seeds planted for my spring garden. The seed starter tray is sitting on our dining area table where the seeds will get the best sun. I’m watching the tray like a mother hen, hoping my seeds will sprout and then do really well so that I’ll have healthy, good-looking plants to put into my raised bed square foot garden the first week of April.

I am planning to continue my efforts to clean and reorganize my art room today. So far, the only clean area is my drafting table. Today I’ll tackle this table.

I hope you’re having a good Friday. Maybe we can start a petition to do away with February…

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February 4, 2017 · 12:15 pm

“If Wishes were Fishes…”

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The nice picture above is what I would LOVE to be doing today. I’ve only been able to make time ONCE to work on my Gingerbread Cookie themed wooden Christmas ornaments lately. Hopefully, that will change soon.

No rest for the wicked, though, so I’m stuck trying to get tax stuff together. I’m hoping to make really good progress on it today so that we can bag it up and dump it on our CPA soon.

It’s cold (37 degrees F.) gray and windy today, so I got a beef stew going in the slow cooker this morning. I’m also trying to get some spinach seeds going in an indoor planting system today. (I can’t easily find spinach plants in Greenwood or Fort Smith, so I’m again trying to get some started for the spring.) My sister-in-law correctly dubbed me the “Serial Seed Killer” several years ago, since I’ve tried and failed so many, many times. Hope springs eternal (to coin a phrase), though, so I’m trying again. Maybe I’ll be successful THIS time.  Fingers crossed.

Yesterday we got a new Internet service. The company is called, WOW.  Since we live on top of a ridge line on 8+ acres in the sticks outside Greenwood city limits, we feel lucky if we can get ANY Internet service. Things have improved over the years, though. We were on a satellite Internet system, which includes a latency factor. That means that you click on something, and there’s a discernible wait time. We also were using the best service possible in terms of how much data we could use per month. Most of the time, we had enough, but when we were trying to download a bunch of stuff (sometimes over and over to get something to work) or our son was visiting, we would run over out limit fast. Then we would have to send another $10, over and over again, until we got to the reset time of the month.

The WOW service includes NO contract and has NO cap on the amount of data. Hooray!  It’s a radio frequency based system. We have good line-of-sight to the cell tower on one of the ridge lines behind the house, across the valley. So far, the only difference I’ve noticed is that it’s FASTER when I’m changing from one website to another (no latency!). I’m a happy camper today.  We MIGHT even be able to watch a short video without the constant whirring symbol in the middle of the picture!

Must get back to tax prep now, but I hope you’re enjoying your weekend.

 

 

 

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