one tomato two.

the last heirloom tomato gifted from jAn.R.

resulted in a delicious breakfast this morning

with enough for an identical 

meal tomorrow.

..happy dance..

what i used:

a slice of bread toasted..

creamy goat cheese spread over the top..

a couple slices of gorgeous mater..

a touch of sea salt, fresh cracked pepper,

and basil. i didn't have fresh so i used dried.

.. gotta do whatcha gotta do ..

so good. 

so.

good.

so stinkin' good.

that is all.

carry on.

♥

mystery no.1.

reading through an earlier blog post i rolled my eyes loudly at making one of the mysteries so seemingly hugely and unnecessarily mysterious. regardless, what's done is done. "so let it be written so let it be done." ..... did you read that last sentence in the voice of pharoah (yul brynner) from the 1956 movie
the ten commandments?
one must be a certain age and genre interest i suppose.

ahh but i digress.

on to the mystery ... mystery no.1:

scrolling through facebookie marketplacie i saw the perfect addition to our home. an industrial rolling cart for mere pennies - to house additional table space or a puzzle or game or dining in front of the fireplace for cozy nights in, or even as a cart to hold extra groceries while entertaining. so i confirmed my desire to buy it and set the time for the hubs to come with me to pick it up and pay for the cart.. i prefer the hubs go with me in case the seller's a creeper. that's never happened (the creeper part) but just in case. safety first.

here's the cart taped and ready for paint.

loving the industrial look.

and here's the products used:

annie sloan chalk paint in olive

miss mustard seed hemp oil

the finished cart.
perfectly shabby .. makes my heart swOon.

i've asked the hubs to cut a piece of wood to fit the tabletop's form, adding handles on each side .. so we can put a puzzle or game away if the need for additional table space or service cart use is required. in his spare time. snicker.... ♥

to consider. deeply.

* for those who have experienced
tremendously grievous life interludes ..
* for those who are presently
experiencing tremendously grievous life interludes ..
* for those who will in future
experience tremendously grievous life interludes ..

:with a quiet, willing, humble heart - consider this:

♥

I've been pressing into the Lord about a concern I've had for several weeks now. Then one day his Spirit asked me, 

'Are you willing to suffer in this discomfort 
if I use it to encourage someone else?'

Oh beloved, how we strive and struggle when God doesn't act on the time frame we think he should. We totally miss, that in the struggle we tend to draw near to Him. We begin to realize we can't even take our next breath without him. So we lean in.

~ Tara Dickson ~

"The nearness of God is my good."
                Psalm 77:28

chatty bits of beauty.

this weekend was filled with guests and happenings. friday morning i texted the hubs and asked, "do you trust me?" to which he replied, "yes." to which i replied, "good, then you're going with me to pick a little something up i found online and committed to buy." wink. in years past i'd pick up little somethings and he'd scratch his head wondering what i was going to do with that little something. it usually turned out fine and he'd understand {& even be pleased} in the end. usually. this time though? he got it. and we got it. for a future need. mysterious, hm? in time i'll share. just offering that teaser.. & no, it's NOT another vintage trailer.

just before we left to drive cross town to pick up that little something my fun friend Linda stopped by lickety split quick to drop off the 2 dishes i used to bring she and her hubs a dinner. but the lot wasn't empty for she had baked oatmeal raisin cookie wonderfulness. there were 6 cookies with our names on them and we immediately sampled the deliciousness. she's swell.

saturday we had errands and home tending then friends over at 5 for dinner - friends we hadn't seen in months. literally months. many months. with us tending to my father .. and shelley & tim tending to her father and tending still .. additionally tending to her mother .. time doesn't allow but rarely for social gatherings. true friends are evidenced when after many months apart and less than occasional texts or calls, it's like old times with no time lost at all. the hubs grilled the main course and zucchini and i made a big salad and cheesey bread. dinner then sitting in the living room talking late into the night before they took their leave. late into the night for us is past 8pm. they left at 9:30pm. wink. dishes done then into jammies and bed and lights out and zzzzz. their daughter was our daughter's closest friend since early childhood .. and lived with us for a while during college. along with us, she was also eventually *erased* from our daughter's life. pity sake.

sunday offered a meaningful message from 
psalm 138.. ♥

then out for a quick lunch at The Habit Burger and on to a car dealership to peek at a vehicle shelley and tim viewed the day before. all 4 of us are in agreement that this particular vehicle is peachy keen. since it's a new model we'll give it some time to learn how it fairs after they tend to any bUgs. and then? i may be adopting out my suburban assault vehicle for a smaller treasure on wheels. more mystery.

currently there's much mystery we're not sharing. it's not yet time to share. hold onto your seats, peoples. ♥

sunday afternoon i picked up makings for banana split sundaes as it was national ice cream day. President Ronald Reagan declared July to be national ice cream MONTH with the 3rd sunday of the month as national ice cream DAY. so if you weren't privy to this important news you have the next 8 days to remedy the innocent overlook. ice cream every day.

also sunday afternoon our sweet young friend maren popped by.. her father {♥Steve♥} our friend = passed unexpectedly a few weeks ago. i briefly shared in an earlier post. maren officially has a slew of fatherly types in the wings to come alongside and help where necessary - for maren her sister and her mother. maren's car was being silly so into the garage it went - then the hubs and our friend phil (another one of those wing dads) set to work. fixed what needed to be fixed. with plans to tend to more hopefully soon on any given saturday morning.

about phil :: he's a comedian. not professionally {though he should be..} but his personality is comedic, able to keep his listeners in stitches. sunday afternoon was no different. funny guy!

maren is an EMT with plans to become a fire fighter. so proud of what she's done and where she's going and the grace and wisdom shown especially of late. when i first met her, she waltzed in the front door - this little stick figure slip of a thing - shorter than me which is surprising by any measure - and asked if i have tea to share. ♥ love this girlie. and now? she's nearly 6' tall. taller than i. sigh.

but first :: ice cream sundaes. maren took the orders for sundae ingredients and after delivering said sundaes to the men, we made ourselves a couple dishes of the cold stuff and sat down to watch The Bookshop. she loved the movie and i loved time with her. in my downsizing process i chose to release a vintage bookcase ..... to her. she needed it and i'm thankful she adopted it for her very own ..

i put together a dinner menu plan for the week ..
let's see if i can stick to it. wink.

monday: fajitas (on tortillas or as a salad), guacamole & chips, orange slices

tuesday: ravioli lasagna, green beans

wednesday: fish tacos, guacamole & chips, cantaloupe

thursday: leftover fish tacos *or* leftover ravioli lasagna

friday: stroganoff, green beans

what's on your menu?
i'd like to get back to cooking 3x a week and having leftovers the day after but in between the days i cook. clear as mud? cook monday wednesday friday - eat leftovers tuesday thursday saturday. but never on a sunday.

and this morning once again .. for mornings are lovely .. offered a pretty view of a simplified area in our home.

Never lose an opportunity of seeing
anything that is beautiful;
for beauty is God's handwriting -
a wayside sacrament.
Welcome it in every fair face,
in every fair sky,
in every fair flower,
and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; your mercy, O LORD, endures forever." Ps 138:8

simply..marvelous.

"... it is always the simple that
      produces the marvelous."
      Amelia Barr 1831 - 1919

this morning i woke to a beautiful sunrise,
an eerie glow that caused me to grab my
camera and snap a few outside pics which
didn't turn out. more's the pity. but this
understated view came through - and it
happens to be my favorite of all.

i've been painting baseboards in our home.
only a third way done - taking longer -
much longer than anticipated. thought for
sure it'd take one day - piece of cake.
not to be . . .
getting down then up from the floor with
a rude right knee does not make for glee.
so i'm squatting as low as i can without
my knee totally rebelling, and bending
over with head down - though challenged
because my bifocals don't cooperate
with what i need to see in order to paint
a straight line even with first taping.
the need to reposition my head
produces stressed muscles.
it's not a becoming sight! and the backs
of my legs are now stiff. but boy did i sleep
well last night! 6.5 hours! wonderfulness.

see the quilted throw over the back of the
couch? all cream and tan tones..perfectly muted.
my sweet friend deanna from
creekside cottage blog made that for me
soon after our daughter erased the hubs
and i from her life over 7 years ago.
i use it nearly every morning and am
so appreciative of her kindness and lovely
handiwork. i'll treasure it always. ♥

remains of the day.

for me, saturday began at 3:19 when my eyes opened and refused to close. i lay there in darkness until 4, at which time i rose, donned my robe and slippers and specs, and padding down the hall to the kitchen i pressed the brew button. ahhh sweet mercy ... soon the scent of liquid life permeated the still quiet and i admit to swOoning. just a bit. sometimes i go to bed with delight in anticipation of morning coffee so strong a spoon stands upright.

home projects were the focus of the day .. with a visit to that big store to buy necessary supplies. afterward i convinced the hubs we should next visit chik-fil-a for a grilled chicken burger before heading home to complete our list of to-do's. yUm.

one project was to make meat sauce - using most of the heirloom tomatoes my dear friend jAn.R. gifted me last week. it was always my way to blanch the maters in boiling water to remove the skin but jAn.R. shared a different approach - an approach by which i didn't sweat over a hot stove on a hotter day! freeze the maters whole. then fill the bowl with tap water and the skins will peel off with hardly a pull. aMaZiNg how it worked!!!

about 4 in the afternoon i cooked up some sausage along with garlic, dried basil and oregano, a good pinch of red pepper flakes, and chunks of yellow and red bell pepper along with a large onion. while that was cooking i put all the tomatoes in my crockpot and added about a cup of cabernet and half cup water and set the pot to low. i added 3/4 cup sundried tomatoes (packaged..no oil). it was then that i plugged in my immersion blender to cut through the larger pieces - but not all. once the sausage mixture was cooked through i spooned it into the crock pot, gave it a good stir then covered the lid. all evening and into the next morning it melded flavors and turned a gorgeous tone of burgundy red.

today i'm taking some to my fun friend linda and her hubs (her hubs very recently underwent a serious knee surgery and the recuperation is anything but enjoyable...). that along with pasta and a good salad will hopefully please their taste buds and bellies.

hoping your mOnday includes gentleness..
for yourselves.. and others..
the person(s) in front of you is your timely ministry.

love,
me ♥

p.s. linda and brian received dinner as pictured below. ♥

of blossoms.

traipse ::: definition of traipse by Merriam-Webster
- to walk or travel about without apparent plan
but with or without a purpose.

coddiwomple :: traipsing ♥

while traipsing about in the sierra recently we came across this yellow blossom encrusted bush .. actually we came across dozens upon dozens of this exact type bush. enamored by the simplicity and beauty of the tiny flowers i've yet to determine the name. thinking our next visit would include an additional stop by a plant nursery. the deer population doesn't seem to treat it as a food source ..

we also noticed scads of these tiny white daisies scattered here, there, and everywhere. a weed..perhaps?

july 9 the hubs and i celebrated our 31st anniversary. simple celebration at our favorite thai restaurant. then picked up a couple little desserts at the fancy market then home again home again jiggety jig. he brought me flowers and not a purple toned anything in the mix. swOon.

of getaways & chicken salad.

"After all," Anne had said to Marilla once, "I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string."
~L.M.Montgomery

the past month or more has been challenging on a number of levels. from my father's passing, to the unexpected passing of a very dear friend who the hubs was especially close to, to one of my aunts passing, then the mother of a young man who works for my husband. four deaths in a month's time.

i've needed a bit of time to sift through emotions, a terrible head cold, and plan out spring cleaning that didn't happen in spring, continued downsizing, and readying ourselves for my husband's early retirement come october and the many considerations therein including determining (researching and plodding and such) where we'll relocate. no final decisions made on the latter front but we've ruled out a number of places - places we thought were sure bets but alas no.

simply lots going on... called life.

sometimes adventures done on a whim are sweeter than the ones planned days or weeks in advance. such was the case last friday. we spent independence day on the home front and in conversation made the decision to get away the next day. that night i put together a picnic and come morning we set off for the cooler temps of the sierra. breathing deep from the pine filled forest we made our way to a little lake not heavily visited. with happy pups swimming and splashing, catching sticks and balls in the water, and fellow visitors taking a spin in their kayaks and canoes, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the closest picnic table then set off in our jeep to explore yet more. iced coffee in a darling little town and good conversation .. we stopped for dinner, finally arriving home at 8pm. both of us tired, we put things away, prepped the coffee pot for the next morning, then slipped into jammies and into bed .. for a bit of light reading then Zzzzzzzz...

a simple getaway coddiwomple day.

i prepared chicken salad the night before..
chicken breast, scallion, carrot, pistachios,
mayo & dijon, pepper, & apple ..
alongside pickled zukes & shallots
made 2 days prior.
i removed the crust from my bread slice..
i'm not a crusty girl. the hubs left his on..
cuz he's a crusty girl. snicker.

this morning i deep cleaned the guest bathroom..
do you find satisfaction in a pristine clean room?
so clean you could eat off the floor but you wouldn't
because that'd just be wonky...? that's my bathroom
right now and no one's allowed to use it for
any reason. wink.

hoping your day is swell..

sherry ♥

p.s. pickled zuke & shallot sammies are delish.
no meat. just the veggies. yUm.

seared salmon & salad.

it was a warmer than warm day ..
so warm that shutters were closed
and curtains drawn
to keep the evident cool
remaining for comfort
throughout the day.
along with ceiling fans and light
clothing the temp was tolerable.
at 4pm the a/c clicked on
bringing a sigh of relief from
yours truly.

and instead of grilling salmon outside,
i simply pan seared
(a little too well done .. oh well)
the filets and placed a piece each into
our wood bowls along with a lovely salad:
micro-greens, mixed lettuces, fresh blueberries,
thin sliced red onion, pecans .. with a drizzle each
of balsamic and olive oil. oh, and pepper!