Happy Tuesday! Here’s today’s NEW taste (or at least at NEW recipe). This morning I wondered if I should just use my normal caramel recipe for caramel apples, but ultimately I decided to try a new one. I was happy with it. The end result was scrumptious! Probably because of the vast amounts of butter, haha! I got the recipe at Elizabeth Grace Garden’s blog.
What are your plans for Mother’s Day? Whatever they are, I hope you enjoy the day!
Happy Monday! Don’t you just LOVE all the colors of spring??? I’m in heaven! We recently took a trip to St George in southern Utah – also known as Utah’s Dixie because it’s so warm there. Their flowers bloom probably a good month or more before ours do, so it was fantastic to visit there and do some shooting. It snowed here just a couple of days ago!
In other miscellany:
I’ve been doing a ton of genealogy research on my husband’s lines in preparation of being an “Ancestral Tourist” next week. We are heading to Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec where his people are from. I haven’t previously done much research in Canada, but have found good success. My research tip of the day, is to check out BMS2000.org.
What I’ve been reading:
I’m working through Youngblood Hawke which is on my 12 Classics Book Challenge but it’s such a beast, I’ve had to put it down to get Dragonwyck read for book club, and The Darkling Bride read before it was due back to the library (my friend is a friend of the author and recommended it, so I wanted to get it read before the library gave me a fine! :o). So I’ll get back to Youngblood Hawke now. Wish me luck in finishing it before I have another reading deadline! :o)
I finished up my Organizing Challenge! AND happy day! Guess what I found that I though I’d lost forever? My notebook where, years ago, I had written down a few “cute” little things my boys would say. Yay! Sadly however, I didn’t keep up on writing down what my youngest son said. He really got left out! I probably took less photos of him too. Oh, the woes of a youngest child!
So, that’s it for today’s miscellaneous items. Have a great day and go ahead…try to do something NEW today!
Happy Friday! Today I’m joining in on Nancy’s ‘Public Transportation’ photo challenge. This shot is from the top deck of a ferry boat that takes people from village to village in Cinque Terre, Italy. I’m a lot like Nancy – I don’t use public transportation very much, except when on vacation, so this challenge was a bit ‘challenging!’ :o) It was a fun excuse to look through all the old vacay photos though! Thanks Nancy!
Have a great day! Maybe do something NEW today!
I love this advice! Also, I think I love the idea of collecting photographs of those ‘moments’ – because I’m prone to forgetting them unless I have some sort of remembrance of them. For instance, I’m sure I would have totally forgotten the moment I noticed this sunset if I wouldn’t have had my camera in my car and taken the time to stop and take this photo! I need to take the time to snap more photos with and of the people I love and cherish too! So I guess I’d say that collecting the ‘things’ – those photographs that help me remember those moments is ok. Right?
Have a great day! Do or photography or start collecting something NEW!
Happy Sunday!
I heard this contemplation-provoking question a few weeks ago. I makes one think, does it not? How about those little daffodils??? I’m happy to finally have some color in my yard! (Although I need to remember this fall to plant even MORE bulbs!)
And for today’s short sermon, I want to share this excellent sermon: Turn On Your Light by Sharon Eubank. I hope you’ll go read the entire talk, but here is a summary of how women can turn their lights on:
The first is to be righteous. Being righteous doesn’t mean being perfect or never making mistakes. It means developing an inner connection with God, repenting of our sins and mistakes, and freely helping others.
The second is to be articulate. Being articulate means to clearly express how you feel about something and why. Earlier this year, there was a post on my Facebook news feed that disparaged Christianity. I read it and I was a little annoyed, but I shrugged it off. But an acquaintance who is not a member of our faith responded with a comment of her own. She wrote: “[This is] the exact opposite of what Jesus stood for—he was … radical [in] his time because he … equalized the world. … He [spoke to] prostitute[s], [he ate] with … tax collector[s] … , befriended powerless women and children … , [and] gave us the story of the Good Samaritan. … It follows that … true Christians would be striving to be the MOST loving people in the world.” When I read that, I thought to myself, “Why didn’t I write that?”
The third is to be different. Let me tell you a story that happened this July on Panama City Beach in Florida. Late in the afternoon, Roberta Ursrey saw her two young sons screaming for help from 100 yards (90 m) out into the ocean. They had become caught in a strong current and were being carried out to sea. A nearby couple tried to rescue the boys, but they also got caught in the current. So members of the Ursrey family dove in to rescue the struggling swimmers, and quickly nine people were caught in the rip current.
There were no ropes. There was no lifeguard. The police sent for a rescue boat, but the people had been out in the ocean struggling for 20 minutes, and they were exhausted and their heads were slipping under the water. Among the onlookers on the beach was Jessica Mae Simmons. Her husband had the idea to form a human chain. They shouted at people on the beach to help them, and dozens of people linked arms and marched into the ocean. Jessica wrote, “To see people from different races and genders come into action to help TOTAL strangers [was] absolutely amazing to see!!” An 80-person chain stretched toward the swimmers. Look at this picture of that incredible moment.
Everyone on the beach could think only of traditional solutions, and they were paralyzed. But one couple, in a split second, thought of a different solution. Innovation and creation are spiritual gifts. When we keep our covenants, it may make us different from others in our culture and society, but it gives us access to inspiration so we can think of different solutions, different approaches, different applications. We aren’t always going to fit in with the world, but being different in positive ways can be a lifeline to others who are struggling.
The fourth is to be distinct. Distinct means to be recognizably well defined. Let me go back to the story about Jessica Mae Simmons on the beach. Once that human chain was stretching toward the swimmers, she knew she could help. Jessica Mae said, “I can hold my breath … and go around an Olympic pool with ease! [I knew how to get out of a rip current.] I knew I could get [each swimmer] to the human chain.” She and her husband grabbed boogie boards and swam down the chain until they and another rescuer reached the swimmers, and then they ferried them one by one back to the chain, who passed them to the safety of the beach. Jessica had a distinct skill: she knew how to swim against a rip current.
And finally, the fifth is to do one through four in happy ways. Being happy doesn’t mean to slap a plastic smile on your face no matter what is going on. But it does mean keeping the laws of God and building and lifting others. When we build, when we lift the burden of others, it blesses our lives in ways our trials cannot take away. I have a quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley placed where I see it every day. He said: “You don’t … build out of pessimism or cynicism. You look with optimism, work with faith, and things happen.
Have a great day! Do or learn something NEW!
Happy Monday!
Well, this last weekend I got to cross one more waterfall off my 100-WaterFalls-Bucket-List.
Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls, Idaho {DONE}! It was a great time of year to go. SO much water rushing over those cliffs! I understand that sometimes there’s only a drizzle, depending on how much water the farmers are using for their crops up-stream, the amount of run-off that year etc. The time of day we went to visit the falls was obviously great too — that rainbow was there the entire time. Cool huh? Shoshone Falls is sometimes referred to as “The Niagara Falls of the West”. Although I love the falls, the surrounding scenery is quite a bit greener at Niagara, NY/Canada!
Next miscellany: How do you text ‘Thank You’? I usually just text Thx, but I understand 10Q is also an option. :o) So, when we had Student Employee Appreciation Week at the University where I work, I stayed up late one night and made this batch of ’10Q’ cookies. HA! The students thought I was so clever, ha ha ha!
And lastly, this miscellaneous humor (I texted this to my police officer son) :o)
A blonde was driving down the road and she looks up and sees a tree so she swerves to the left. The tree is still in front of her so she swerves to the right, this time her car rolls into the ditch. When the police officer came, the blonde told him about the tree that was in front of her. The officer kindly explained that the tree was the green air freshener hanging off her rear view mirror.
{Sorry, corny eh? But it made me smile.}
Have a great week! Do or learn something NEW!
So far, I’m enjoying my “Classics Reading Challenge“. 3 out of 12 are done…in the books, as they say. This challenge gives me the boost to read things I normally wouldn’t pick up. It’s exactly why I love belonging to my book club group. Having others pick a book, and having the opportunity to read it, digest it, discuss it, is just one of those things I really enjoy.
BUT…on to the announcement of my next NEW challenge! I recently read a blog that had a series called “30 days of…” and I figured I could try a NEW challenge for the next 30 days. So, I’ve decided to de-junk or organize something different for the next 30 days. There’s something about writing my challenges here on this blog. It somehow puts it out in the universe and then I’M COMMITTED!!! I HAVE to do it!!!! My only problem is what to do if I’m out of town????? I’ve decided I just have to make it up by catching up. As long as I’ve de-junked 30 spaces, I will have succeeded at the challenge. I’m planning on traveling next week, so I got a jump on my first two items. Since I’m starting this mid-month, I’m calling this my “40 days of…”
Here’s my list:
2. De-junk/Organize the bottom drawer in the computer room bathroom {done}
3. De-junk/Organize the “manuals” accordion file {done}
4. De-junk/Organize the spice envelope container {done}
5. De-junk/Organize one shelf of linen closet {done}
6. De-junk/Organize the lazy susan in pantry {done}
7. De-junk/Organize the lazy susan in kitchen{done}
8. De-junk/Organize the bread drawer {done}
9. De-junk/Organize the dish cloths drawer {done}
10. De-junk/Organize your nail polish {done}
11. De-junk/Organize top shelf above microwave{done}
12. De-junk/Organize bottom shelf above microwave{done}
13. De-junk/Organize top drawer of small file cabinet{done}
14. De-junk/Organize bottom drawer of small file cabinet{done}
15. De-junk/Organize middle shelf of master bathroom {done}
16. De-junk/Organize top shelf of master bedroom {done}
17. De-junk/Organize middle shelf of master bedroom {done}
18. De-junk/Organize bottom shelf of master bedroom {done}
19. De-junk/Organize top drawer of night stand{done}
20. De-junk/Organize bottom drawer of night stand{done}
21. De-junk/Organize under hall bathroom sink {done}
22. De-junk/Organize under computer room bathroom sink {done}
23. De-junk/Organize mudroom hooks {done}
24. De-junk/Organize mudroom cubbies {done}
25. De-junk/Organize one shelf in south storage room {done}
26. De-junk/Organize one shelf in north storage room {done}
27. De-junk/Organize scripture basket{done}
28. De-junk/Organize left drawer in black side table {done}
29. De-junk/Organize middle drawer in black side table {done}
30. De-junk/Organize right drawer in black side table {done}
31. De-junk/Organize recipe binder{done}
32. De-junk/Organize shelf under printer {done}
33. De-junk/Organize middle console of car{done}
34. De-junk/Organize gift bag/wrapping paper stash {done}
35. De-junk/Organize floral craft stash {done}
36. De-junk/Organize top shelf of paper closet{done}
37. De-junk/Organize FHE packets {done}
38. De-junk/Organize canned goods {done}
39. De-junk/Organize bottom of top section of pull-out kitchen shelfs{done}
40. De-junk/Organize veggie bins {done}
Happy Friday! Have a great day and do or challenge yourself with something NEW!
Happy Monday! So what’s NEW with all of you? I wish the NEW thing with me would be something exciting like traveling to somewhere I’ve never been, or learning something fabulous. However, the NEW thing at our house is lighting fixtures – now that’s exciting eh? :o) Don’t get me wrong…they were a long time coming and I’m thrilled we finally got them in! Although once you get one light fixture, you have to update the fixtures in the adjacent rooms too, and before you know it, you’ve shelled out $900! That could’ve been an airline ticket somewhere exciting! Oh well!
Another miscellaneous item: I really, REALLY, would like to start a photo-a-day challenge like Connie at Basildonkitchens. BUT could I keep it up? That’s quite the commitment! Would I? Should I? Could I? I’m still debating. I’ll let you know.
Oh! And another NEW thing. My hubby finished up the picket fence and arbor that is supposed to keep my son’s great dane dog out of my garden area:
I should have got a pic of the picket fence too, because it’s cute, but I can’t wait until I have greenery growing around it. Hopefully, eventually, it’ll look more like this:
There’s many, many, many NEW things I want to try, learn, do…so many! I need more hours in a day! I’ll try to get to a few and update you all next week.
Have a great day!
Explore Newness 