january happenings.

 

"Sunday mornings are proof that caffeine

and optimism are a match made in heaven."

..unknown..

hm. unsure how this picture blur happened

but i'm loving it none the less. sometimes

mistakes turn into blessings. 

i'll gladly consider this a blessing.

i prefer landscape shots a bit blurry,

especially if the windshield is dotted

in snow or rain, or the sky fogged.

one morning in january..

fried egg and bacon

avocado toast

with

yum

one chilly willy late afternoon called

for beef and barley soup.. home canned

except for the barley added while simmering.

a bit of planning months beforehand makes for 

a warming and nutritious meal in a jiffy.

fresh milled wheat bread went along with

the soup nicely. such a comforting meal.

spur of the moment coddiwomple adventure

took us to a bit lower elevation.. we were 

thrilled for the opportunity to get away in

our trailer. it was warm.. 20+ degrees warmer

than our mountain village. the thaw was on. 

i love pretty napkins, paper or otherwise.

paper for the trailer, both paper and linen

for Haven Haus. these pretties were picked

up locally at the mercantile, the sweetest

shop in our miniscule main street.

our view was beautiful and the rv sites

very large. breakfasts in the trailer as well

as one dinner. but it was such a treat to 

eat at restaurants too! four times restaurants!

i cook. a lOt! so eating out is swOonie.

restaurants included

American, Thai and Chinese.

beautiful views all the way home.

.......... * ..........

"Blessed is the crisis that made you grow,

the fall that made you gaze up to heaven,

the problem that made you look for God."

..St. Pio of Pietrelcina..

i found the above quote to be quite 

the hug to my heart. if the crisis

brings you to your knees,

worship there.

rest in His embrace.

.......... * ..........

"And her secret was this.

She never stopped praying."

..unknown..

at times those prayers sound like

a desperate, strangled 'help!'

other times heartfelt praise.

and still other times

a meaningful chorus of petition

for others, for you. 

it's all prayer.

it's all grace.

His grace,

over all.

a coddiwomple off-road escape .. of sorts:

with fresh snow blanketing the ground

and dusting the needles on pines,

we took off in the jeep for a tour 'round

a favorite lake a bit higher in elevation

than Haven Haus. pity for us that someone else

had the same idea, leaving ruts for us to

follow. how grand to be the first

to leave those ruts.. i applaud their

spontaneous jaunt through this

winter wonderland.

*

until next time, 

.take care - - - to take care.

with love,

.sherry.

new year * new mercies

such a cliche to say,

"i can't believe it's 2025!"

it's true though, isn't it?

time is passing so fast.

as such, the following

scripture holds true in the life

of the believer:

"So teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 90:12

*

the pictures in this post are all

coddiwomple. sometimes life is like that.

and while not in the order i planned,

they're simply bits and pieces of an 

overall quiet life at Haven Haus.

"Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own

affairs, and to work with your hands."

I Thessalonians 4:11

coffee plays an important role in my life and

drinking it from a non-ugly cup is paramount.

we invited a couple over for sunday dinner.

a spontaneous little sunday dinner party of sorts.

their contribution was a delicious brown bread

using fresh milled wheat, cocoa and molasses.

there was leftover bread so i made it into crumb

for casserole topping or meatloaf/meatball ingredient.

such a rich flavor - i'm looking forward to using it soon.

they brought dessert too. i think she called it

lemon smash (from smitten kitchen). 

golly that was delicious. a treat for sure!

our meal consisted of:

roast chicken, potato wedges, green beans with bacon

Christmas involved some rather rich foods.

(you'll get to that bit of info later in the post)

on the 27th i chose to make a meatless meal

of pasta with a bit of asiago-romano, and a salad.

using 00 flour and eggs, i worked up a dough,

kneaded, rolled out, sliced .. made for a good amount

of pasta. i like a thinner pasta but didn't want

to get my manual pasta machine out so i 

used my manual arms and hands along with

my great grandmother's rolling pin

to complete the task at hand.

it. was. delicious.

that is all.

the hubs brought me flowers.

swOon. i love baby's breath.

i love him & think i'll keep him.

the hutch the hubs built - at Christmas.

it's 8ft by 8ft. holds all my pretties

on the top portion

and hides my kitchen appliances

'neath the curtain.

simple Christmas decor.. not too much

else out than what you see.

works for us just fine.

Christmas dinner for the two of us.

prime rib with a cabernet reduction, 

whipped potatoes,

home-canned green beans with onion,

bacon, vinegar. oh-my-goodness.

chocolate mousse.

so. rich. a small dollop was plenty.

pecan pie.

made with maple syrup - not karo.

we enjoyed a white Christmas. certainly not 

the amount of snow we're accustomed to

but golly we'll take it. this is the view

from the loft looking down upon

my greenhouse.

Christmas cactus blooming ..

next to the hubs chair - he tends it

for he knows i have *thumbs of death*

when it comes to inside plants.

chicken meatballs portioned for the deep freeze.

easy peasy to take out what's needed for a 

simple meal for us or to share.

.. nothing like the aroma of fresh milled

and baked bread. one in the kitchen,

the other two in the freezer.

last year .. er .. the year before last year,

or ..... lasteryear as our daughter used to say

as a wee little girlie (i miss her. so. much.).

lasteryear, we took a jeep ride further up

the mountain, minutes from our home

scouting a Christmas tree, when we came upon

this dilapidated cabin. oh the stories it

could tell, i'm sure. such a beautiful spot.

back to the coffee thing... 

i typically have an afternoon mug. 

do you?

my favorite dear deer, a few vintage bulbs,

rope tinsel, and a collection of my

great-grandmother's pictures that once

framed a lovely mirror situated above her

davenport. remember referring to a couch or sofa

as a davenport? am i dating myself? most likely.

great-grandma's davenport, if i remember right,

was a deep green floral print, very cushy cozy

perfect for a little naparoonie or simply a place

to curl up next to her or my mom.

my sweet sister shirley has the mirror,

it's perfectly placed in her home.

He said to them,

"But who do you say that I am?"

Peter answered and said to Him,

"You are the Christ."

{Mark 8:29}

the days of cozying up near the fire,

of hot cocoa, reading, good documentaries

on the tube, planning for the new year

for travels and projects, garden and goods.

the picture above is also currently the header picture

for this little corner of blogdom. taken i think in March '23.

we're not having a deep snow sort of winter. yet.

this snow depth was over 5 feet .. as a woman of just under 5'2"

if i stand very straight ..... i had to hold my

camera above my head to catch the depth and

see to our neighbor's roofline. golly.

ah yes .. that afternoon blend in a lovely

vintage cup & saucer. 

*

i do hope this first day of the new year finds you

awash in anticipation with what God has planned for you.

be aware of His presence, how much He loves you,

and surrender yourselves in how He leads you through these

next days, months, into even the next new year.

the path may seem uncomfortable, even full of

trepidation .. but we have a faithful Lord at the helm.

we can fully trust in His tender keeping.

no.. matter.. what..

"Unless you renounce and subjugate your own will,

unless you forget yourself and all that pertains to yourself,

not one step will you advance."

~ St. John of the Cross ~

with love,

.sherry.

merry.

from our haus to yours, 

merry CHRISTmas. 

Sherry & the hubs