I'LL BE BACK

Hello friends!  Joe and I are away for a few days at our denominations Annual Convention. I will be back on Thursday to tell you all about it and show you lots of pictures.  See you later!

EASTER

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter.  This has been a busy week and it's the first time I have had to sit down and write a post.

We had a beautiful day.  It began with our Sunrise Service.  We hold it about half a block from our church building.  We own a piece of property on the corner and gather there in order to be a witness to the neighborhood.  The trees there are so pretty.

Pastor brought out some chairs for those of us who could not stand for the 45 minute service.

I'm on the end in the back row with the gold dress.

Joan, our oldest member, was able to be there from the nursing home where she lives.  It's the home we visit each Monday.

We sang hymns.

We read scripture.

We heard a message from Pastor Ralph.

It was lovely. 

Then we headed back to church for our Celebration Breakfast.  Everyone contributed.  Joe and I brought bagels, butter and cream cheese.  Rick brought a fruit salad.  Carolyn made a cheesy egg casserole and Dorothea made cheesy potatoes, bacon and sausage.  Everything was wonderful.

When everyone was finished eating we headed to the sanctuary for our Worship Service.  We had a special speaker, Pastor Dan.  He is a good friend of mine and Joe's.  He calls me his groupie.  Ha, ha!

On the tables at breakfast were flats of pansies.  We were told we could take one per family to plant at home.  So I did.

I have to get them planted tomorrow before I go away next week.

The dogwood tree outside of church is so beautiful!  Joe told me to take a picture of it to show you.

Joe gave me the most beautiful pearl pendant and matching earrings.  I keep meaning to take a picture of them, but haven't gotten there yet.  He also got me Peeps and a Reese's peanut butter egg.  You know I love my Peeps!

We had dinner at home this year.  I made lamb chops, asparagus and potato salad.  I wanted a "Spring" dinner.  It was very good.  As I was finishing up I realized I had not taken a picture of the meal.  Oh well.  I used my air fryer for it.  Everything I have made in the air fryer has turned out wonderful except for the fish I had last week.  It just fell apart.  So I will do my fish in a pan.  But the pork roast, chicken, and pork and lamb chops have turned out great.

It was a really nice day.  And ended with a beautiful sunset.

I want to thank Carolyn, our pastor's wife, for some of the pictures I used in this post.  And I hope your day was as nice as mine was.

Kathy

HADLEY IS GETTING BIG

Hello, friends!  Hope you are having a wonderful day.  I just got a couple of new pictures of Hadley that I wanted to share with you.  I was surprised at how big she had gotten.

I love this picture of her.  Her eyes are so blue and she is just having such a good time on that swing.  She is 20 months old now and no longer a baby.

Hadley also had some news to share with us.

She's going to be a big sister!  Tori is due around Thanksgiving.  Hadley is going to be the best big sister ever.

This put a smile on my face for sure.  Hope your day makes you smile too.

Kathy

LEARNING TO EAT HEALTHY

Hello, friends!  I hope you are all having a good day.  Joe bought me a new tablet and I have been having a lot of fun with it.  I am so into the color by number apps.  This picture is one I did today from the Bible Coloring app.  I thought it was so appropriate for today.  Sometimes the church I attend has a Maundy Thursday service.  Last year I didn't get to it because I was sick.  A lot of people were sick last year and only three people showed up.  So this year we are having just a Good Friday service.

On Tuesday we had a special presentation instead of the Ladies Bible Study.  The dietician from Shoprite came to talk to us about healthy eating.  The first thing she did, though, was to make us an Asian Kale salad with a homemade dressing.  It was so good and I think I will make it for Easter this year.  Although I like kale, it is not Joe's favorite so I am going to change it out for baby spinach.  When I get a chance I will put the recipe on my cooking blog (cookingfmf.blogspot.com).

She also had a couple of small recipe books, coupons, and handouts for us.  Some of those recipes look good and I'm going to put them on my menu plan for the next few weeks.

Everyone really enjoyed the presentation.  I did it as a way to bring out some people who don't usually come and to tell them about the upcoming studies we will be having.  A couple of them said they wanted to start coming to the study because it sounded interesting.  Pastor was glad to hear this when I told him at Bible Study last night.  He said he had really enjoyed the presentation also.

I know Dorothea hates to have her picture taken, so I got her to take a picture of the group of us with Paige the dietician.  Carol also doesn't like to have her picture taken, so she stepped out of the shot.

It is so hard to believe that Easter is almost here.  I have done nothing to get ready.  I haven't been feeling well at all, and neither has Joe which doesn't help us get stuff together at all.  I will do what I can and that's it.

I am so looking forward to going to Annual Conference in two weeks.  I need to get away.  I need the study and fellowship that is there.  I think I will feel much better when I come back.

What are all of you doing for Easter?  Going away?  Cooking for a crowd?  It will be just me and Joe at home this year, but that's not a bad thing.

Hope you all have a great day today.  I am enjoying the sunshine while I can.  A major storm is headed our way for tonight, tomorrow and Saturday.

Kathy

THIS AND THAT

Hello, friends.  Hope you all had a great weekend and are ready to start a new week.  I am very busy these days.  It is hard to find time to blog and I might actually have to take a break for awhile.  But right now let me catch you up on what has been going on.

Last Monday Joe spoke at the Nursing Home and he is continuing on with his Easter series today even though Pastor will be there.  He is finishing it up next week when Joe and I will be the only ones who can make it.

The dogwood tree in front of the Nursing Home is so pretty.  I had to get a picture of it.

Ladies Bible Study is going great.  We are taking time off this week to sponsor a special presentation from the dietician at Shoprite.  I was trying to think of a way to introduce new people to the idea of coming to the study.  Hope this works out.  I know I am having some visitors so that is good.

Last Wednesday I saw the dermatologist.  It was a great office and I really liked the doctor and support staff.  He took the growth off of my back, said it wasn't cancer and never would be, but sent it for a biopsy because it was my oncologist that suggested I have it removed.  I go back for a follow up in three months.

The spot he worked on was small but the pain is big.  Every time I move, or if I drive, or if anything touches it, the pain is intense.  I have cried more than once.  Joe has been taking care of it and keeping it clean because I can't reach it on my back.  Since I am allergic to adhesives, the bandaid I had on it has burned my skin off which hasn't helped.  The doctor said as soon as it scabs over the pain will get less and I should be OK in two or three weeks.  Joe says it is starting to get a scab now so that is good news.

On Friday I called and got an appointment to get my hair cut.  I let it grow out over the winter but now it was getting in my way.  I still liked the way it looked, but it was time to get all the dead ends off.  I love Kim and the way she cuts my hair.  I was so glad she had a time open for me.

Here's the before:

And here's the after:

It actually looks better now because Kim always straightens it and I like it wavy.  Once I washed my hair, it waved up.

I also finally got my air fryer up and running.  It only took since Christmas for me to clean off the counter and set it up.  Sometimes I am so slow.  I am sorry I waited so long because I love it.  I have used it only once and I will have to get used to it but it's great.  I made fries one night.  I thought it would be really fast, but it's not.  It is, however, really good without all that oil and fat.  Really good for my new diet.  (And the plus side is that I threw out a lot of things and got my counter cleanned.)

Saturday morning I took Joe to church for the Men's Breakfast.  He gave his testimony this month.  When Joe called to ask me to pick him up he was telling me they had biscuits and gravy and sausage and everything was really good.

In the afternoon we had our Second Saturday Matinee.  The film this month was "The Case for Christ."  It was excellent.  But there were only six people that showed up.  

Yesterday was awesome.  Palm Sunday is always one of my favorite times.  The first hymn was "Make Way, Make Way."  When we sing the chorus, we all wave our palm branches in the air.  So great.  I had four girls in my class and it was one of the best classes ever.  I love teaching young teens.  I hope they come next week even though I miss the sermon when I take them out of the service for their class.

I had to stop at Shoprite on the way to church to get the grape juice for communion.  I hadn't had breakfast so I walked back to the bakery to get some muffins.  I got blueberry muffins which were awesome.  Then I saw that they had bagels on sale.  Big paper bags on a table of all different flavors and plastic bags and papers for you to help yourself.  I got rye, poppyseed and plain for Joe and garlic and two onion for me.  We ate a couple for lunch and they were so good.  They were still warm when I was picking them out.

In fact, I think I'm getting off of here now and getting one of them for breakfast.  I'm hungry.  Have a good day everyone!

Kathy

WEDNESDAY MEDLEY

Hello, friends.  Happy Wednesday.  Today I decided to join in with Terri from "Your Friend From Florida" and give you a Wednesday medley.  Hope you enjoy.

Today is National Siblings Day.  Let's celebrate.

1.  Stealing the questions from the National Day Calendar:  How many siblings do you have? I have nine siblings:  Six brothers and three sisters.  Are you rivals or do you support each other in all you do?  We are certainly not rivals in any way.  We are all different and all support each other in our interests.

2.  Have you heard of the Birth Order Book?  Yes, I have.  What are your thoughts on the premise that your birth order affects everything you do in life? I don't think it affects everything you do, but I think it certainly has an impact on your outlook on things.

3.  Is there something that you still do that drives your siblings crazy?  Not that I know of.  Maybe I should ask them.

4.  Are you closer to your siblings now than you were when you were younger?  Not really.  When we were little and all together we were in each other's lives.  Now we are scattered across the country and living our own lives.

5.  Would you dare to tell us an embarrassing story about a sibling?  Actually, I can't think of any.  Not that I would tell it anyway!  😉

6.  Tell us something random about your week.

This is a really busy week but not as busy as next week!  Monday Joe preached at the Nursing Home since Pastor wasn't available.

Yesterday was Ladies Bible Study.  Only three of us showed up, but it was really good and the others missed out.  (I'm really enjoying teaching Second Thessalonians.  There's so much in it!)

Today I have an appointment with a dermatologist to see about the growth on my back.  Mole?  Skin cancer?  My oncologist isn't sure so I'm checking it out.

Tomorrow I take Joe to his eye doctor in the morning and me to the dentist in the afternoon.  I've had a tooth ache for about a week now and need to check it out.

Friday I actually have a day to myself.  I need to work in the yard, clean the house, bake, do wash, etc.

Saturday morning is the Men's Breakfast at church.  Then in the afternoon is our Second Saturday Matinee.  We are watching the movie "The Case for Christ" this month.

And then it starts over with Palm Sunday.

Hope you all have a great day today.  Thank you, Terri, for these great questions.

Kathy

MONDAY MAGAZINE

Hello, friends!  I hope you are having a wonderful day.  I am looking forward to another warm and wonderful week where I can get outside and enjoy the weather.

This week I am sharing another magazine I finished.  It's Rachael Ray Everyday from April 2018.

This one was pretty interesting.  She gave a lot of Easter and Passover ideas for decorating and cooking.  I enjoyed the article on Geoffrey Zakarian, one of my favorite chefs, and his family.

And then, of course, what to do with the Easter eggs.  There was an article on how to do different kinds of deviled eggs.  I love deviled eggs but never thought of adding things like ranch salad dressing or cheddar cheese in the yolk part.  Crab meat, wasabi, even beets were used.  I am photocopying these two pages and trying some of them.

Of course she had her ever present burger at the end of the magazine.  This month it was a Pizza Onion Burger.

Rachael says:  Steak pizzalola (panfied steak with wine and pizza sauce) is an Italian Aerican classic.  This recipe takes that idea and serves it up in burger form.  To get that pizzalola flavor, this burger is topped with onions cooked in a spicy tomato sauce.  I call them pizza onions.

I am putting the recipe on my cooking blog if anyone is interested in making it.  It sounds more like something I would make than the one last month.

Now it's on to the things I have to do today.  There's always something.

Kathy

THE SUNDAY GARDEN

Hello, friends!  I hope you are having a wonderful day.  I am leaving for church soon, but I wanted first to show you how pretty my garden is.

There's a lot of clean up work to do.  But I'm happy to see my butterfly and hands dish again.  I have never figured out exactly what to do with the hands, but I still love them.  Anybody have any ideas?  I have thought of water and I have thought of bird seed but both of those things bring mess with it that I would not want on the table I eat off of.

My lilac bush has leaves!  It is still very young and has never bloomed but perhaps this is the year.  Please excuse the mess behind it.  As I said, I have to get out there and clean up.

Here's the daffodils -- Joe's favorite flower.  I have all kinds growing (and more to come).

Little Johnny-Jump-Ups.

And violets growing among the tulip leaves.  I have tons of tulip leaves so I hope that means I'll have tons of tulips.

The winter really did a number on the yard.  Now is the time to get things trimmed back while there is no growth to get in the way.

But in spite of the mess, another little daffodil decided to bloom.

The crab apple tree is in full bloom too.  Thank you to everyone who told me what it was when I asked last year.

Hope you enjoyed the tour.  I love doing these garden Sundays and plan on showing you how things go as the season progresses.

THE TEMPERATURE BLANKET

Hello, friends!  Just a quick post to show you the latest on my Temperature Blanket.  I have it up to date as of yesterday.  Since I do the high temperatures of each day, I have to wait until the next day and then go to accuweather.com to see what the high was.

Here is the entire thing so far.

No more dark blue and navy colors.  A lot more purple, red and hot pink.  I like that.

Here is the section for March.  You can see the little dotted lines where the month begins and ends.  The red at the top is April.

Here I am three months in and I am still not sure I like the colors.  But I am not changing them at this point.  It still may look like a sunset by the time I am done.

Hope you all have a wonderful evening.  Come back tomorrow for a look at my garden.

Kathy