Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Almost every week when I go over Nel's house to watch Mia, I smell the aroma of bread baking in the oven.  Renecke has been making homemade bread for a few years now, and he has mastered the art of bread making.  I have always been fascinated with this, as it is a long process and takes a lot of time to prepare.   He gets his recipes from a book, and makes different kinds of breads such as traditional, sourdough, but today it was a Polish bread.  Nel always sends me home with half a loaf of bread, and I happened to take a picture before enjoying it.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes she puts butter on it and drizzles it with a bit of honey.

Oh, it tastes amazing.

 

 

Even Mia likes it.

 

The best things are nearest:  breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you.  Then, do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain common work as it comes certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things of life.    ~Robert Louis Stevenson.

 

I think it's wonderful that Renecke makes homemade bread for his family.   It is a gift of his hands, his skill, and his love.  He said that he might give a loaf of bread to everyone as Christmas gifts this year.  That would be so special.

 

Are you enjoying these Fall days?

 

 

 

 ~Sheri

It Started with Rocks

It started with rocks...

There were so many of them when we moved into this house. Big rocks, small rocks, rocks in the grass, rocks under bushes, rocks in the walkway, rocks and rocks and rocks everywhere!

I have to admit, I was overwhelmed by the amount of work I had to do inside and out of the house when we moved back to California. Our place in Georgia was newly remodeled, in a beautiful neighborhood, and full of southern charm. 

Before moving to Georgia, I'd been living in run-down apartments for 15 years while working my way through my B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. programs. Some weeks I put in upwards of 80 hours of work a week. It was hard. So much work. All I could do was put one foot in front of the other day after day after day.

 When we moved to Georgia it felt like a sweet break. But before I knew it, I was back to California and living in an old, rundown house that seemed like an extension of all the work I'd been doing for so many years. Endless cleaning, and renovating, and digging up weeds and roots and rocks. We planted new gardens, and they were beautiful for a short while, but after a few weeks they just wilted and died.

One day, I sat staring angrily at a pile of rocks I had pushed into a corner of the yard, and I had an idea. What if I made something beautiful out of the rocks? What if I colored in and lit up all those jagged and broken pieces I had tried so hard to hide and discard?

 I remembered that my mom had dreams of building a garden for fairies. I found the fairies a house.

And then another...

When I told my mom I was building a fairy garden she gave me a few of the treasures she'd been saving over the years. 

 

  

It took a lot of hard work--digging, and raking, and moving heavy rocks--and also creative vision, but I finally made something really pretty out of that ugly pile.

My mom always says never lose your magic or your hope. I believe that with hard work your magical and hopeful visions can come true. My fairies do too.

Image from Pinterest

~Nel

A Sprinkle Of September

Most of you know that I'm Catholic, and I have been missing attending Mass and especially receiving Communion.  Ever since the churches closed months ago, I have been watching Mass on tv, which has also been nice.  Some of the churches have re-opened and are having the Masses outside.  The other day I realized I was out of coffee, so I drove through Starbucks to get some, and on the way there, I stopped at a lovely Catholic church just to see the grounds and spend time there for awhile.  It brought much peace, and there was a sign in front of the church that would comfort many people who visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since we all have to stay home during this time,

here's a few pics of home.

 

Pork chops covered with a glaze.

They were really good.

 

Sometimes I put jam on my oatmeal for a sweet taste.

 Today, it was apricot.

 

 

My Fall cups are all clean and ready to go.

 

 

Don't ya love it when your

chocolate chip cookies turn out just right?

 

 

I feel a nip in the air in the mornings now.
My favorite season is about to begin.

"The foliage has been losing its freshness, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first grey hair amidst the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many."

~Oliver Wendell Holmes

How are you doing friends,
during this strange time that we are in?
I'm sure you have many different
emotions going on like I do.
Please do share.

~Sheri

Amarantha Sweet And Fair

Had a bad weekend.  No electricity and no water.  One was caused by the breaker box switch, and the other was a neighbor's septic problem.  And then some car maintenance stuff.  Let's just say it was an awful day and extreme heat.

 

So let's talk about something nice.

I put out my first Fall decoration.   This glass pumpkin is one of my favorites.

 

 

 

Let's put on some coffee.  I make mine with a single coffee filter, and it really makes the best hot coffee.

 

 

The new Fall goodies are out at Starbuck's, so I had to get a pumpkin scone.  I thought I'd heat it up myself so it was warm and tasty.

 

 

These are flowers outside my bedroom window.

Have any idea what they are?  They have the nicest scent.

 

 

 

Mia's new rocking horse.

 

 

AMARANTHA sweet and fair,
Ah, braid no more that shining hair!
As my curious hand or eye
Hovering round thee, let it fly!

Let it fly as unconfined
As its calm ravisher the wind,
Who hath left his darling, th' East,
To wanton o'er that spicy nest.

Every tress must be confest,
But neatly tangled at the best;
Like a clue of golden thread
Most excellently ravellèd.

Do not then wind up that light
In ribbands, and o'er cloud in night,
Like the Sun in 's early ray;
But shake your head, and scatter day!
 

   ~Richard Lovelace

Look's like someone got into mama's lipstick.

(Pictures of Francesca and Mia)

Have a sweet September week.

  ~Sheri