This Moment {Smelling the Flowers}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Joining Amanda again this week! And a special congrats to the Soule Family on the birth of their new daughter!!

Late night Daybook

FOR TODAY: May 24; but only for about a half hour more!

Outside my window... dark! And I just heard some rain. AGAIN.

I am thinking... Of how this late night is going to hurt in the morning!

I am thankful for... my husband who has been working such long hours to provide for us

From the kitchen... It's been raining for almost 2 weeks so there has been lots going on in the kitchen lately. Tonight I made lemon bars. A post on those tomorrow once I get pictures taken!

I am wearing... a white tee-shirt and pink pajama bottoms

I am creating... Christmas socks for my dad

I am going... to bed soon

I am reading... A Homemade Life

I am hoping... that sleeps come easily

I am hearing... silence

Around the house... it's all picked up for night-time.

One of my favorite things... freshly cleaned bed sheets

Picture thought... a lone flower in the backyard

In the Kitchen

These pictures are of the process of making homemade sauce in order to make eggplant parmesan. While making it I found the deliciousness of fried eggplant. Oh YUM! I never thought I liked eggplant (until I tried it) and can't believe what I've been missing all these years!
For the first time last week I did what I've been talking about for months: made a menu plan. And WOW! Talk about making the agonizing decision of what to have for dinner so much easier when 4pm comes around! Not to mention feeling good about going out for the day and knowing what I'll be needing to prepare when I get home!

So I sat down yesterday and did it again for this week. Now I just need to start making it up a little earlier so I can start making only ONE trip to the grocery store a week! But it's still progress!

Monday: Leftover eggplant parmesan

Tuesday: sausage and pasta

Wednesday: Beef Stew

Thursday: frozen pizza

Friday: American chop suey

Saturday: Chicken pot pie

This Moment {The cooking edition!}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Joining Amanda again this week!

Wednesday

I came home yesterday to a most wonderful surprise on my porch! I huge bunch of lilacs! Lilacs are my absolute favorite flower and I was so bummed to find out that there is no lilac tree here. A friend found out about it and dropped some off for me today!

And to top it all off my wonderful husband came home with a cheesecake. Today was a most awesome day!

Yarn Along

Once again joining Ginny's Yarn Along!

Almost the same picture as last week! Except that I'm at the stage of sewing all the parts of the sweater together and I'll be finished! I've been at this stage since the past weekend. Anyone else procrastinate when it's time to sew the finished product up? This is why I usually find patterns that DOESN'T include stitching!

A few people asked last week if I would be knitting the hat as well. I don't think so. Just the sweater this time around!

Also the same book as last week except that I've begun it! I'm not very far into it but I'm enjoying it. It's making me remember different recipes that bring back so many memories from my youth. I'd never before realized how tied together many happy memories of my growing up revolved around my mom's kitchen. It's making me try to be more aware as I think over my own family's menus...I want my daughter to have fond memories of my cooking as well!

But I'm starting to get into a post that I want to write up for next week sometime! :-)

Right now....

~I'm wearing a heavy sweater & thick socks

~the sky is raining. Again. Still.

~I'm sipping a hot coffee

~I'm planning menus

~And grocery lists

~And dreaming of chocolate
~I'm thinking of bright flowers

~Of bright sun & warm breezes

~I'm hoping that spring really IS around here somewhere!!

But I'm very thankful for a warm house; warm coffee; warm clothes. I made meatballs and sauce this afternoon for dinner. I'd really like to be grilling and eating outside. That's not happening this week! But whenever I need a little pick-me-up I just look onto the porch, see these gorgeous flowers greeting me and feel better!!