Feathered Friends

Today I did a thing for my feathered friends.

I had some pinecones that I decided I would coat them with peanut butter and then dip them in birdseed.  It was messy!

And then I moved the Christmas tree that was still sitting on the porch in the stand out near the bird feeder.  I hung the pinecone ornaments on the cedar tree (I have called it a pine tree in previous posts, but it is cedar).  Last I saw, no birds had taken to their gift yet.  I am hoping it is warm tomorrow so I can sit out and watch.

The only birds I saw at the feeder today were chickadees and tit mouse (tit mice?  tit meeces to pieces?)

A close-up shot of one of the pinecones hanging in the cedar tree.

 

I guess today is all about food.....bird food and human food!

I opened a can of Campbell's Chicken with White and Wild rice for lunch today.  It gripes me that they can even put the word "chicken" in the title of the soup when you can barely find any!  But, I made it better by adding a piece of chicken that I had cooked last night.  It was good.

Since I didn't get enough chicken for lunch, I looked up a chicken chili recipe on the internet and found this one.  BOY OH BOY WAS IT GOOD!

I already had some chicken cooked, so it didn't take as long to cook as the recipe calls for.  Oh, and by the way, this is a crockpot recipe which makes it even better!

Ingredients

2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
2 (8 oz) cans tomato paste
2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 (14 oz) can corn or 1 bag frozen
1 (14 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dried oregano or Italian blend
2 tsp. chili powder
1 T. ground cumin
1 T. minced garlic
4 oz. (1/2 block) of cream cheese

Directions

Add all ingredients (except cream cheese) into crockpot and stir to mix.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3 hours.

Remove chicken and shred it.  Put it back in the crockpot with the cream cheese.  Mix well and let cook for another 15 minutes.  Enjoy!  It was YUMMY!

Serve topped with fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, or crackers.  Cover and store leftovers in the fridge for a week.

Definitely has a southwest flavor!  I served garlic bread with it.

Please pray for our pastor who has been sick with a stomach virus for quite awhile now.  He was not able to preach tonight!  He did get confirmation that it is not COVID, thank the LORD!

Thanks for stopping by!

Another Day in the Life

For whatever reason my Tylenol PM did not work last night!  It finally got to be so late (or early, actually) that I decided to just stay up so I wouldn't disturb Mark when I went to bed.  So, I was up ALL NIGHT!  However, I did manage to get quite a bit done on the puzzle Mark and I have been working on. 

When Mark got up for work, I took some tylenol because my ear was sore.  Not sure if I slept wrong on it the night before or why it was sore.  But, I laid down and slept for about 3 1/2 hours and got up to a slight headache, but my ear didn't hurt any longer.  The headache went away after a bit.

I spent some time cleaning up my e-mail, talking to Jessica about Ancestry stuff, added some colorful, inspirational items to my viewing area, and doing some creative team work over at O'Scraps today.

I was able to fill in some of the blanks and got some of the trees in today on our puzzle.

I was missing the sparkle from the Christmas tree lights, so I added a few of my favorite decorations to the shelf that sits near my chair in the living room.  I got all of the shaped bottles at Hobby Lobby one year when they were on clearance.  I added mini lights to them and they are so festive!  The one in the front with the tin shade is a mason jar.

My FAVORITE wintertime decoration is snowmen.  This beauty is a Jim Shore snowman, "Winter's Friend," that I found at a thrift store.  The price sticker on the bottom of it reads $28.  I probably paid $5 for it!  I have several Jim Shore pieces that I have found at the thrift store!  That is one of the things I miss about my thrifting is finding things like this!

Here's a close-up of the cute cat and some of the detail work.  I just LOVE Jim Shore's work!

Yesterday was so nice and sunny!  Today, the temperature was almost what it was yesterday but it was cloudy and dreary all day and COLD!  The lights you see in the background of this first picture is actually the sunset in the distance.

Mark took Piper for another walk in the woods after he got home from work.  I opted out today!  He ate some grapes before he went and that held him over for several hours.  When I did fix supper, I fixed him some fish and warmed up a leftover baked sweet potato.  I also fixed both of us a nice salad!

I fix his in a serving sized bowl compared to what I eat.  I had not fixed us a salad in over a week, maybe two, so it was YUMMY!  I love raspberry vinaigrette on mine!  With the egg sandwich I had for breakfast, however, the salad just didn't do it for me.  I ended up fixing both of us a chicken sandwich later.

And that wraps up my Tuesday, January 5th.  Praying you had a pleasant, unstressful day like I did!  Thank You, LORD, for each blessing of life!  Thank You, even for the trials that come my way to build up my faith and trust in You!

A Walk in the Woods

Today started our with another headache!  Story of my life!  Took some meds, laid back down for a while and then, having a lot to do, got up, showered and headed out to get groceries.  After I got groceries in Wallburg, I went to High Point to the bank.  While there I grabbed some lunch and supper for Mark at Arby's.

I took the Christmas decorations down this afternoon.  Now I need to take the totes back downstairs.

When Mark got home, we took Piper to the woods for a walk.  It was such a pretty day today!  Sweatshirt weather!

Lunch and supper!

My Medicare mask.

Photos from our Walk in the Woods!

Piper is excited to get started!

The neighbor's goats

Deer tracks

Deer tracks beside Piper's

Piper tracks

Squirrel nest

Shadows

Signs where Liz and I hit trees while driving 4-wheelers.

I finished a muff for Mark.

Happy Monday!  Enjoy your Tuesday!
 

The Clock, The Calendar, and The Christ

Sunday.  Woke up with a headache.  Took some meds and laid back down.  Thankfully we didn't have to leave the house today to go to church!  Mark woke me up about 15 minutes before the preaching started so I could get the computer set up to send it to the TV screen to watch.

At 12:30 we called in a food order to Dominos Pizza.  They delivered it around 1:00 I believe.

Mark worked in his office most of the day.  I did several things: 
worked on the puzzle, but didn't get very far, 
listened to an audiobook and finished a series,
listened to my daily Bible reading and devotion (something new I'm trying this year to let someone else pronounce all of the biblical names!),
worked on the computer some,
did some knitting,
did some reading,
cleaned up the kitchen,
and made Mark some tea to take to work.

So that I stay focused, I take notes during every sermon.  Being at home is no exception.  The title of Bobby's message, "The Clock, The Calendar, and The Christ."

1.  The Clock - represents the seconds, minutes, and hours of our lives.  God is not governed by the clock - yet He does everything on time......His time!  We can't buy more time, that's why we need to use our time wisely!  None of us knows how much time we have.  Our days are numbered by the Lord!  We need to redeem our time.....which means to buy up the opportunities we are given!  What time is it?  It's time to seek the Lord, if you are not a Christian!

2.  The Calendar - represents the days, months, and years of our lives.  Psalm 90:12 tells us to number our days.  This is not an enumeration of our days but an encouragement to make the most of the days the Lord has given to us!  If you woke up today, you must number this day for the Lord!  We need to stop our faithless, foolish and fearful living!  Apply your heart to godly wisdom and walk in faith with our Rock, our Light!

3.  The Christ - represents yesterday, today, and forever.  Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!  He NEVER changes!  His promises in the Bible still ring true.  There truly IS a hell to shun and a heaven to gain!  Are you ready for FOREVER??

My lunch from Dominos......Fettuccine Alfredo and garlic knots.  There was barely enough chicken to be able to call it Chicken Fettuccine!

This is the new phone APP I downloaded to do my daily Bible "readings" with this year.  I did not like the voice of the man in the first square, "Daily Audio Bible."  I do like the lady's voice doing the Chronological readings.  She pronounces most of those biblical names different than I've ever heard!

This is the series of audiobooks I just finished listening to.  Suspense, intrigue, mystery with Christ being exalted throughout.  Love her books!

And that wraps the 3rd day of January up!  I pray you have a great work week!

Motherhood

January 2nd always brings nostalgic thoughts.  Today I have been a mother for 41 years.  I don't feel that old, but I certainly am!  Jessica was the best baby!  She was a sleeper!  She slept through the nights very early.  I remember bringing her home from the hospital on a snowy, icy night.  We couldn't get the car up the drive way.  Tim carried Jessica up the hilly drive and his dad helped walk me up that horrible driveway!  I think we took one step forward and slid two steps back!

I was able to quit work and stay home with her because Tim was a co-manager with Kroger at the time.  I remember dad would stop by on his way home from driving a freight truck at the Greater Cincinnati Airport which was near our mobile home.  My but he was proud of that baby!

Jessica loved talking on the phone to my mom when she was about 3!  I think Jessica had a phone attached to her ear from that point on!

She loved spending time with her dad and would go on visitation with him.

When her brothers and sister came along, she was always a little mommy to them.  She loved doing things for them that helped me!

You have always been such a kind, sweet, sensitive and wonderful person, Jessica!  I am so proud of the godly woman you have become!  I thank the Lord for you!  Not only did the Lord give me a daughter in you, but he gave me a friend!  I love you!

Mark and I just hung out at the house today.  It was a dreary day with rain off and on.  We played Sequence, worked on the puzzle and watched TV.

We won't be going to church tomorrow and Wednesday because the pastor and his wife are experiencing COVID symptoms, along with another couple and another lady at the church.  He is still going to do an online message.  I hope he feels up to it!  Praying for you, Pastor!

Jessica on January 4th, 1980, in the hospital.  I remember Tim being surprise that her eyes were open.  I remember saying to him, "Of course!  She isn't a puppy!"

Hospital picture taken January 5th.

January 6th at home with daddy.  What a handsome young man he was!

This is what that awful driveway looked like the night I came home from the hospital (Jan. 5, 1980)

Mommy and baby at home January 6th.

Grandpa stopped by on his way home from work on January 6th.

February 13th

Mom and Jessica March 23rd.

March 30, ready for church.

Jessica showing Michael a book around Christmas 1982.

Tim and Jessica in 1981

Jessica talking to mom in 1982

Jessica and me in Jeanne and Ken's camper in 1985

Mark and I played Sequence today.

The status of the puzzle before we started working on it today.

The status of it now.  The sky and the trees that are left are going to be hard!

And that was our second day of January!  Have a great 3rd!