By Quiet Waters

Embracing the Full, Hard and Good Life, While Pausing Often by Quiet Waters

Monday, A Favorite Day of the Week

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Monday… A Favorite Day?

In a couple different conversations the past few days the topic of “favorite day” came up and I surprised my daughters by saying that YES Monday is my favorite day of the week.  Do you think it is strange to be so enthusiastic about Mondays?  It did seem funny, even to me, until I spent some time thinking about why I always look forward to Monday.

Bridge over water nebraska

Monday is the bridge to the rest of the week.

It is my “reset after the weekend” day.  As much as I enjoy all that the weekend brings, I love to get back to routine.

It is my “put the house back together after the weekend” day.

It is the start of a Fresh. New. Week.  A little like Anne’s  view of “tomorrow,” it is my delight in a new week, fresh with no mistakes in it.

rushingwaters

A whole new menu starts on Monday

I am most likely to complete my fitness goals on Monday…

It is also the day when my pen most freely records the daily and moment to moment gifts that I find strewn across my path.  It is during the early Monday morning quiet that I am most likely to have the richest morning routine of Bible reading, prayer, gratitude recording and writing.

 

Monday, A Favorite Day

It is also during that early morning time that I often find myself reflecting on the past and remembering.  And as I’ve already said in the list, it’s the remembering of the daily gifts and reflecting, that inspires me and give me the joyful courage to approach the new week with energy and optimism.

Now, for a musical throwback moment.  Thinking so much about Monday reminded me of a song from long ago.  I hope it brings a little smile to you, maybe in part because it in no way reflects my feelings about Monday!

 

That is a pretty funny video, isn’t it!  I am not sure I have ever seen a video of that group before, but I do remember singing along to their music on the radio when I was a kid.

update:  On this holiday week, I am reminded just why Monday is my favorite day of the week.  Labor Day Monday I took a “holiday”, a rest.  And it sure feels like I missed a beat this morning!  Maybe you can relate?

  Please tell me, what is your favorite day of the week?  And why?  One other thing I’d like to know is if reading my Monday list encourages you just a bit about that day which mostly dreaded!

Freezer Meals for Back to School

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Freezer Meals.

Freezer Meals for Back to School

It’s back to school time once again, and this year is the most challenging one yet.  We have 2 kids in high school, but two different high schools!  What a blessing it is to have options for kids who are not “one size fits all”, but it sure makes for some crazy scheduling.  Add in sports and work schedules, and I could be driving all through the early evening.  To help get dinner on the table in a timely manner I decided to start filling the freezer with some meals, and sauce packages.

recipes

For this first run of fall freezer cooking, I pulled out recipes for some favorites, and one new recipe.  I picked up several packages of chicken from Sprouts, so that’s what I started with.  Cashew Chicken is a new one for our family, and we’ll try it out early next week.  The Sesame Chicken is an absolute favorite, and we like to pull together some fried rice to toss the chicken into.  For the Sloppy Joes, I just mixed up the sauce ingredients, which is the most tedious part of making this family favorite.  Now whoever is making dinner just has to chop a couple of veggies, brown the beef and then add the sauce packet.

freezer cooking

Sloppy Joe Sauce

The Chili Taco Seasoning is a mix I make several times a year.  It’s called Taco Seasoning, Mexi Spice or Chili Seasoning around here.  That’s why it seems to be named differently within the blog posts.  We use it for Tacos, Burritos, Chili, Rice & Beans, you name it.

freezer meals

Chicken Enchiladas, Individual Sizes

I also put together several individual meals for my daughters who work.  Their shifts often are over the dinner, or lunch hours, so it is great to have some food for them to grab and go.  There is a microwave at their place of employment, so I think these meals work great.  This time I made shells and cheese and enchiladas.  I love these pyrex bowls!

freezer cooking

We also put together about 2 dozen breakfast burritos, and some bean & cheese burritos that should make the dash out the door easier in the morning or between school and work.

Just this one activity helps ease the tension I am feeling about the fall schedule.  I work hard at not letting anxiety take a hold in me, but this month it’s been a tough fight.  Getting food in the freezer, and telling everyone what’s what has helped quite a bit.  Now to finish sorting out how to get to two different schools by 7:30, without dropping someone off crazy early!

Are you filling your freezer in anticipation of the fall back to school season?  What are your favorite recipes?

 

Starting that Hard Thing

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Backpacking

McCullough Falls

Starting that hard thing.

Last fall my daughter was starting her senior year and sharing some dreams for the future with me.  One of those dreams was to take hiking to the next level… backpacking. With me.

Well I let that idea percolate over the winter and decided to give it a try.  My husband generously funded the purchase of our gear as a graduation gift to our daughter.

Backpacking

Gear

Backpacking is hard.  Really hard.  I’m a slower hiker as it is, but strap on a 25lb pack and my pace slows even more.  During the second trip I began to get quick discouraged.  That old taunting friend started shouting in my head and I had to do some quick thinking to shut her up.

Here is what I learned.

Yes, I am slow, painfully slow.  But this summer I am doing something I never thought I would do, something I never wanted to do.  I am not only hiking with my daughters, but strapping on a 25lb pack and going up steep hills and down equally steep hills, then, doing it again.

Backpacking

Wheeler Trail

It is very hard.  And it is so good.

So let me encourage you!  Go ahead and do that hard thing, even if you are not strong enough.  Even if you are not fast enough.  You will get stronger.  You will get faster.  And who knows what you will see, what you will hear, and what you will learn.

I bet it will be good, and that you’ll be so glad that you did.

Backpacking

Columbines

What is that hard thing you’ve been thinking about starting?

February Fringe Hours

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February fringe hours have been spent mostly in the laundry/sewing room this month.  After all the Christmas quilt creating in the fall, I set aside the red and green for awhile.  There are more Christmas quilts to be made, but that will likely start back up in the summer.  I might run out of daughters and grandchildren to give these too, before the fabric is all sewn up!

Christmas Quilt

For now beautiful sunshine yellows are making their way into a quilt for my youngest.  My youngest daughter says she will decorate her entire home in yellow when she is grown.  Now I cannot picture that, but making her bedroom a warm sunny yellow retreat is in progress.  Cutting this quilt is taking more time than any of my other endeavors, this will be my most complicated quilt so far.   I am pretty excited about it, but  when Valentine’s was approaching I got an idea for some quick projects that would give some instant gratification.

First I made these darling Valentine pockets.  I filled each of them with a couple of gift cards and a little candy, then hung them on the bedroom doors of each of the kids.   The live action Beauty and the Beast is coming out in March so we gave each of the kids theater gift cards and a gift card for lunch or dinner.

Valentine's

While making those pretty little pockets, I started a Valentine’s table runner.  It wasn’t finished in time for this year, but it will be a lot of fun to pull it out of the tub next January!  Kind of like the placemats I made last winter, and got to enjoy all Christmas season in December.

Now I am a little ahead of myself, with this St Patrick’s table runner that is nearly completed.  I should have it on the table by March 1, to enjoy all month long.  This is a French braid pattern, that instead of making blocks, I just made into a long braid.  It will be backed with the green cross fabric, and the binding will be the black with shamrocks.

Having these little and big projects to work on has helped this month just fly by.  Spring is just around the corner, right?

What have you been enjoying in the fringe hours?

Life Giving, or Life Draining… Planning for a New Year

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Life-Giving

The phrase life giving has been a part of my inner vocabulary for many years.  I believe that the first time I ever heard the phrase was from Sally Clarkson.  It is amazing and wonderful how words of encouragement can stick in a mind, and produce fruitful thinking over time.  When I consider activities, reading material, music, and the words being spoken or written, I often find myself considering whether there is something life-giving in them.

rushingwaters

Well, this phrase was heavy on my mind as I reflected on the year passing, and began to think about goals for the new year fast approaching.  As I was doing so, I came across a link to a blog post I read in September of 2015 by Emily Freeman.  Being a rather inward introvert, I am always thinking and maybe over thinking.  These words are having that effect on me… I’ve considered each activity event from two perspectives: Was this life-giving or life-draining? 

Might I encourage you, as you reflect and look forward, ask yourself from time to time, “is this life-giving?  or life-draining?  It just might help you refine some of those goals and plans.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

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Christmas 2014

journey to Bethlehem

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

 

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