Right Now

Right Now and all day long he sits and watches for the squirrels to come by.  They are out in full force right now and he takes every chance he can get to let them know that they are not welcome.

Right now I am wishing that I had magical powers  to make moving into our new place a bit easier.

Right now I am very glad we had breakfast twice at our favorite breakfast place this weekend.

Right now I am thinking that I should put all moving aside and make these or these. I love fall.  YUM!!!

Right now I need to get up and get to busy.

(I am taking a few days off to focus on getting settled in.)

A Moment (From This Week)

This moment –  To take a single picture from my week to share.  It started here.

Dumpster Diving

Sunday afternoons, I usually spend working in the kitchen a bit.  Either on something to freeze or cleaning up.  I also have subconsciously made a rule to empty my recycle bin.  If I don’t do this once a week it gets way out of control and all over the floor and the table.  So this last Sunday was just like any other.

Now our trash/recycle area for our neighborhood is a decent size.  There are tons of bins for different recyclable material, a dumpster for your normal trash and an area where everyone drops off there unwanted appliances, furniture, or house hold goods that shouldn’t be thrown away.  Kind of like a bulk pick up area.  So upon entering the area I saw it, our future coffee table.  There is was laying on its side and in a lot of distress.  I emptied my bin, and rushed home to tell Geoff that he had to get his shoes on because there is a potential coffee table in the trash area.

Once we returned I started looking around for more goodies.  I found some fine china that looks similar too mine and a few other little things.  But we were mainly there for the table.

So here it is.  Last year we got rid of our coffee table because it was falling apart.  Once I cleaned to cob webs from the bottom, I moved it inside and what a difference it makes.  Yes, it is missing a drawer, (I am still thinking about what to do about that), and yes the laminate is peeling off the top.  But, I figure with a good sanding, some paint and possible tile laid in the center of the table it will be perfect.  I did fret a little over the laminate peeling at first, then Geoff made a good point, “this table will not be showcased in fine living magazine”.  That settled it, my free table (that needs some sprucing up) is perfect!

Traveling Tuesday: Koln Germany

During the 8 years that Geoff was in the army we always hoped and prayed that some how, some way we would be stationed in Germany.  Now we know that if that had happened we probably would not have taken advantage of all that Europe had to offer.  The next place we visited was Koln Germany.  It was about two and a half hours from the town we lived in.

Once again we started out on a nasty, rainy day with no clue as to where exactly we were going.  Here in the states we have a TomTom, and it works quite well I have to say.  If you want to go to a certain city you program it in and it will take you to the heart of the city.  Our GPS in Europe worked okay.  It was very hard to follow.  We couldn’t figure out how to switch the language from Dutch to English and once you programmed your destination it would take you to the edge of the city.  So Geoff and I figured out that every town/city had a cathedral, so we would look for it and would end up in the heart of the city.

One of the main reasons we wanted to go to Koln was because Geoff’s grandfather traveled there after World War 1.  In fact he traveled all over Europe as well, but we have pictures of the Cathedral from Koln.  With interruptions  this Cathedral took over 600 years to complete, and to this day is still a site to see.

Most of city was destroyed in air raids in World War II.  In fact there were 262 air raids there.  I found it interesting that the bombers flying the planes would never completely bomb the Cathedral.  The reason being is because, pilots would use the two highest pillars to navigate where they were while flying.

I really wanted to go in and see how beautiful this piece of history was.  Not to mention that the three wise men are buried there.  But sadly dogs were not allowed, and Geoff and I kind of came up with a rule that if Angus couldn’t go, we wouldn’t pay to see it.

I did wish that the weather had been a bit nicer.  I am sure Angus did too, as seeing that he ended up being carried in a plastic bag, in my arms to keep dry.   This was one site that I am really glad I got to see.

Lately

Do you have a favorite place where you have lived or visited?  A place where you know life is not perfect, but for some reason your memories of that place are.  Washington is that place for me.  I don’t know why, but I can not let it go.  Maybe it is because it is absolutely beautiful out there, or maybe it is because I grew a lot spiritually there.  Which ever reason it is, lately I have been remembering!

Now, I am completely happy here in New Jersey.  The views are not the same, but there is a lot that I love here too.  But I can’t help but to dream/hope/wish that one day we will be back in Washington.

On another note, lately I have neglected this space.  I watched 6 years of Lost episodes in 2 weeks.  It was like a good book, I just couldn’t turn it off, and I had to know what happened next.  Thank goodness that is over, life can go on now.

Lately we can not stop listening to this.  The album is just as good.  No, I have no idea what she is saying, but that doesn’t matter.

Lately I can’t stop laughing at this.  I will say that I hate South Park, and Lady Gaga.  In fact I didn’t even know this was a song until about 6 weeks ago.  But I think Eric Cartman triumphs Lady Gaga.  I just think that he is hilarious singing it.

Lately I have been knitting a lot.  I am making this for Geoff for Christmas, and yes he knows about it.  Lets just say I can not lie to him. So now that he knows the password to our checking account, he can see what his surprises are.  I have been working on a few other things, but they are gifts and will have to wait to make their debut.

A Moment (From this Week)

This moment –  To take a single picture from my week to share.  It started here.

To Eat His Own

I don’t know if I mentioned that in the Netherlands I did not have an oven or a microwave.  You have no idea how grateful I was to get home to our kitchen.  Over the past year I have discovered how much I love to cook.  How much I love trying new meals to make and watching it all come together.  And if I make something really good, poor Geoff has to hear me talk about it the rest of the night.  I do enjoy eating, but it’s the making part that enjoy the most.  I subscribe to two magazines: Eating Well and Cooking Light. I can’t say enough about either one.  They are both wonderful in their own right.

While we were in the Netherlands Geoff started eating soup.  Yes, he had never really eaten or enjoyed soup before, and now he can’t get enough of it.  Although I am not proficient in the art of making a good soup, I am getting there.  I was down right ecstatic about how my spinach and goat cheese bisque turned out the other day.

With that said it has not stopped raining in the past 3 days.  So yesterday afternoon I pulled out the pots and pans and got busy.

I started out cutting vegetables to make my own vegetable stock.  My sister and I have talked a lot about how to make this stuff lately and I now know that it is completely worth it to make your own compared to the price of a liter box in the grocery store.  I think I ended up with 8 cups total, but I was able to freeze some for future use.

After I got that rolling I broke out the mixer to make some pizza dough.  While letting that rise I worked on tomato sauce and then proceeded to garlic soup!  It all worked out perfect. The tomato sauce made about 2 and a half cups, so I had plenty of that to freeze as well.  I used some of my both for the soup.  I had read that the longer you let your pizza dough rise the better the flavor and that was true too.  And the garlic soup was something new.  We didn’t hate it, but we didn’t love it either.  In fact Geoff and I both agreed that it is missing something, so that will be one that I have to work on.

Geoff and I were both a little skeptical of how the pizza would turn out.  But it was fabulous.  Mixed with the garlic soup it made for a great dinner.

What have you been cooking lately?

{My cookbook that has the garlic soup recipe had a side note that “the garlic soup will give you a great sense of well-being, and is a treat for garlic lovers”.  This was true.  Geoff and I felt very light, content and healthy after eating it, but also realized that we are not lovers of garlic in big amounts.}

Traveling Tuesday: Brugge Belgium

Our first trip to Belgium started out cold and rainy.  In fact we seriously thought about staying in and not going.  But we persevered and ended up getting a later start than we originally planned.

Once again we were traveling to a new place and had no idea where we were going, and trying to translate a navigation system that spoke dutch. We realized after getting there that all of our delays we part of God’s plan. We missed a turn that ended up being a 45 minute detour.  We made our way to the train/bus station, thanks to Rick Steves Best of Europe.  I think we found the only free parking lot in all of Europe and a parking place in a full parking lot.  We stepped out of the car and the bottom dropped out of the sky.  We were standing in the train/bus station soaking wet and freezing.  We got a cappuccino, found out the bus drivers were on strike and started out for the heart of the city on foot.  We could tell by the architecture, and the cobble stone streets that this city was going to be a site to see.

Angus and I walked ahead hoping to beat the next torrential down pour.  I turned around and Geoff was on the ground with a little old lady who had fallen.  She had slipped on a curb and busted her nose.  As with any head wound blood was everywhere so I scrambled for tissues and a couple of college backpackers offered us some socks to apply pressure until the ambulance got there.  Geoff helped the lady hold the pressure and let her lean against him.  The police came and carried the lady off and as the pulled away the skies opened up again and we ran for cover. We found shelter in a french restaurant and had one of the best meals I think I have ever had in my life, all while little wet Angus snuggled deep within our jackets.

I have way to many pictures to post, but you can see what a beautiful place this is. After all the drama from what happened that morning it turned out to be a beautiful day.  Angus learned very quickly the sound of horses hooves clopping down the street and would have a fit when ever they came by.  Well seeing Brugge by carriage ride was popular thing and the horse-drawn carriages would go by about every 10 to 15 minutes.

I have to say that aside from Edinburgh, Brugge was one of the most magical places I have ever been to.  The waffles are amazing, the chocolate is creamier and better than you can imagine.  If you ever go to Belgium, go to Brugge!

A Moment (From this week)

This moment –  To take a single picture from my week to share.  It started here.

After having hot fresh waffles in Belgium I have a new appreciation for them.  Even if they are the frozen variety from Trader Joes.  Not to be eaten for breakfast, but as a dessert, YUM!!!!

Simplicity

When did life get so complicated?  Do you ever sit back and wonder “when is everything going to slow down”?  I think my/our quest for simplicity started last year by moving to New Jersey.  Of course, as I say this I laugh at the people that surrounds us just trying to keep up with the Jones.

Anyways our first step was cutting the cable, literally.  The cost of living from Tennessee to New Jersey is drastically different so in order to cut costs we ditched our cable service.  The first couple of weeks were a bit different because it has always been easy to just go home and turn the tv on.  Now we don’t miss it at all.  I have been asked by several people, “what do y’all do”?  The answer is a lot.  There is always something to do.  Whether it is reading, knitting, walking, or what ever, you can always find something to do.  And we do have netflix.  The truth is that Geoff and I talk so much more now, cutting our cable was one of the best things we could have done.

So in the Netherlands I got to experience “SIMPLICITY” at its best.  Let me explain how.  Our bungalow that we stayed in did not have an oven or a microwave, and it was infested with spiders. (I don’t know if spiders are considered simple.)  I had to go to a hotel to use the internet.  I did not have a phone, in fact the only way I had to communicate with Geoff during the day was by going to the hotel and emailing him.  During the week my only means of transportation was my bicycle.  Oh, and I did not know anyone.  Lets just say my life quieted down A LOT.

Geoff would leave for work around 7 or 8 in the morning and I found myself taking Angus for walks through the woods for an hour and a half.  (He loved it.)  I would listen to my ipod and sing at the top of my lungs not caring who heard me.  I rode my bike the 2 1/2 miles into town and would watch people, or I wonder the aisles of the grocery store. It is interesting living in a place and not knowing anyone.  I spent a lot of time in prayer trying to figure out direction for my/our lives.  And by the end of those 2 months, I was so ready to come home.  Home to the U.S., and home to New Jersey.

See for the last year Geoff and I have been living on our toes wandering when and where our next move is going to be to.  Who knew that a 2 month holiday in Europe would answer that question for us.  For us the start of simplicity is to settle down, and that is what we are doing.  Europe lives at a lot slower pace than the U.S and we picked that up.  We have learned how to slow down.  How to enjoy life where you are at, not by trying to keep up with someone else or trying to get “ahead”.

I have figured out what I love.  I love the Lord and his direction.  I love having an oven, and to go along with that, I love cooking/baking.  I love only having one car and riding my bike to dinner.  I have learned to love the quiet in life and still love the loudness as well.  I love and hate technology at the same time.  And, I love the beauty of nature around us whether it is in a sprawling city or in the middle of a field in the country.

So this is our life now.  This is our quest, to honor God in everything we do and to live simply.