Tuesday 4~Off to Work We Go

 Off to Work We Go...

Welcome to Tuesday 4 started by Toni Taddeo and kept going in honor and memory of her.
This week we go back 5 years to ask again about work....

This week is about work.

1. Describe the best job you ever had why was it good? (if it was awful, tell us about that instead)

Of course, I am retired now, and I love it! I've worked many kinds of jobs in my lifetime, mostly in either schools or churches, doing everything from being a teacher's aide to being a school bookkeeper, a head of the housekeeping department at a beautiful resort in New Hampshire, a marketing and reservationist for a stables at a Bed and Breakfast in NH, a District Manager for Fuller Brush in Ohio, bookkeeper for a Christian camp, and my final job as a Church Administrator for a large church. Not to mention being a Pastor's wife for close to 30 years, while also sometimes working full time and raising 3 sons.  I also used to sell Stanley Home Products, Fuller Brush, and Watkins Products door to door. I even tried my hand at selling Encyclopedia Brittanica...but that's another story!

My favorite "job" was being a mommy and wife (now going on 56 years!)  My husband's work in the ministry meant that we moved quite often...but God always provided the right jobs for me as needed. I am thankful that when our babies were small and before they went to school I was able to be home with them most of the time, except for those little part time sales jobs where I was able to work around my hubby's schedule so we never had to put the kids in daycare. That was a huge blessing. We didn't have a lot materially, but we had what was most important to us...family time together. 

Now that I am retired I don't mind "work" that is taking care of my home and family...preparing meals, doing laundry, keeping the house reasonably cleaned...and I especially don't mind it if people come alongside and help out now and then.  I love our home and enjoy doing things to make our home more comfortable and welcoming...decorating for holidays...entertaining friends and family...even though as I get older my body wears out quicker, I still enjoy doing these things and wish we could do more of it.

2. How did you learn to do your job?

On the job training for all of them!  Although I did take some college courses, I did not complete a degree. Every job I had I just had to learn on the job as every place was a little bit different and had different methods and computer programs to learn. I am thankful that God quickened my mind and helped me learn what I needed to do. 

3. You are now in charge of your town's public relations committee.. Tell us why we need to move to your town.  Here's a link to our town website.

Oh my...well...if you love small town living in a semi-rural environment and yet close enough to a major University and hospitals to get excellent medical care...(University of Florida//UFHealth-Shands Hospital)

... if you want to escape the winters up north and live in a milder semi-tropical environment...close enough to either the Gulf of America coast or the Atlantic Ocean beaches to enjoy them, but far enough away to escape the worst of the hurricane weather

...a peaceful community away from the overly crowded central/south Florida tourist traffic and noise, but close enough if you really want to go there (why???), easy access to both Florida interstate highways (75 and 95) to go north or south without having to fight that kind of traffic daily and only when you really need to travel any distance

...if you don't mind a community that isn't gated or has bothersome and expensive HOA rules, but keeping in mind that the majority of homes in this community are either manufactured or old

...if you don't mind having to drive a few miles (around 15 miles) to do most of your shopping or going to restaurants...but you can get your coffee and donuts at Dunkin Donuts or Tacos at Taco Bell or hamburgers at McDonalds or eat at either of our two local family restaurants (Nanna's Country Cafe' or True Grits) right here within a 3 mile radius, and we do have a small town grocery store and several Dollar Generals to choose from

...if you like small town schools and churches (and we have practically every kind...Global Methodist, (this is the church we attend shown below:)

Southern Baptist, Assembly of God, Catholic, Episcopal, Non-Denominational, LDS (Mormon), Congregational. You name it, we've got it! 

Also, our little town "Interlachen", which means "between the lakes",  is surrounded by lakes and good fishing...and the St. John's River is not far if you want to head out to the ocean or just enjoy cruising down the river and doing lots of fishing or sight seeing.

As a matter of fact, hubby and I took a walk down by this little lake and park the other morning. This is right in the old historical section of Interlachen.  This is just one of the many lakes all around our town.

So if all of that sounds good to you, then come on down! But I recommend you come and check it out in person first...there's a lot of not so wonderful stuff here too, just like in every town. It just all depends on what you are looking for in a place to call home.  And if you hurry, you can participate in the annual 4th of July Parade and day of "fun, food & entertainment", with a great fireworks disply at 9:00 p.m....and hopefully the rainy weather that is on its way won't wash it out!!

4. It's lunch time! Build your perfect sandwich for us.. what's in it and on it and what's in our cups?

Oh my! I'm not a huge sandwich eater, but I do love a good BLT, or a hot ham and swiss with sauerkraut and mustard on pumpernickle bread, toasted in my little toaster oven.  And if you come here, your choice of beverages would be either Sweet Iced Tea, or Unsweet Iced tea, or a combo of unsweet tea and unsweet cranberry juice (my favorite), or water.  We don't keep sodas here unless we know company is coming, and we don't serve any alcoholic beverages here either. Oh, we do have coffee or hot tea available anytime.   

 However, I must say that I had a wonderful beverage last evening, thanks to our hostess Annie. Last week Annie posted HERE a recipe for an Ice Cream Soda.  I was so appreciative of that recipe as she had mentioned it previously and I had commented how much I missed having them. I remember getting them at the Woolworth's Soda Fountain many years ago when out shopping with my mother.  Well, I just so happened to have all the necessary ingredients, even Club Soda, because hubby had bought some for me thinking it would help my indigestion. I must say I liked it much better in a Chocolate Ice Cream Soda! LOL.   Thank you Annie!!

I Corinthians 10:31 

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Proverbs 16:3

"Commit your works to the Lord,

And your thoughts will be established."

Titus 2:7-8

7 "In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you."

Thanks for joining in!   

THIS link will tell about a special job I had for a "season" in life "Just Horsing Around"  Many of my "old" friends here in blogland may have already read this, but some of my newer friends have not, so you may find it interesting.

I am publishing this early because tomorrow morning we will be headed over to that wonderful university hospital/doctors offices for an important appointment for my hubby with a specialist. Your prayers are always appreciated.  Thank you!

Tuesday 4 Food and Health and More!

 

Food and Health


Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4....

How we eat, drink and exercise are important to our health. Let's talk about it.

1. Do you believe you eat a healthy diet and what makes it healthy?

I try to eat a healthy well balanced diet.  I believe in the old fashioned food pyramid of a balance of fresh fruits, vegetables, protein/meats, whole grains, and some dairy in three different meals a day. I try to stay away from sugars and fats as much as possible, but I do prefer real butter to margarine if I am going to eat butter.   The only area I probably don't eat enough of is fruits and leafy green vegetables, although I try to eat fresh spinach in a salad every day for lunch, and I also try to eat an apple every day. I don't do well with citrus fruits as they are too acidic for my system, but I do love berries and melons in season. For supper tonight (actually a late lunch/early supper) we went out to eat with our Pastor and his wife to the new Longhorn's Steakhouse in the city near us.  I had the 6 oz. "Renegade Sirloin Steak", with a side salad and a baked sweet potato. It was very good and I feel like it was a healthy meal.

2. What sort of drinks do you have with meals or between meals. Does it include enough water?

I drink a cup of hot tea in the morning and then a cup of water with breakfast. I usually have a glass of unsweet iced tea for lunch and drink water for supper. I try to drink several glasses of water throughout the day in between meals. In the winter months I may have a cup of hot tea in the afternoon, and sometimes, like tonight, if it is chilly, I may drink a cup of hot Ovaltine in the evening before bedtime. *Ovaltine is not like real chocolate, which I can't drink, and it has more vitamins and minerals in it and less caffeine and sugar than hot chocolate.*  I do NOT drink Sodas at all, except maybe a root beer float in the summertime. I don't do well with high caffeine or sugared drinks at all. I do not drink any form of alcohol.  It does not agree with me and therefore I do not agree with it! LOL.  I also do not drink coffee...same reason! LOL.

I fill up this 24 oz.Tervis Tumbler several times a day with ice water and take it with me everywhere I go. The key is to remember to always bring it back home with me! It's been left in some funny places, but thankfully I always manage to find it.

3. Do you enjoy snacks throughout the day and what kind do you enjoy?

I do not eat many snacks throughout a normal day. I will only eat a dessert when there is a special occasion and there is a good pie or cake that needs to be eaten. LOL. Sometimes I bake cookies and I will eat a couple while baking them when they are still warm. I bake them for hubby, who loves them with a cup of milk for his snack. I do not tolerate sweets well at all, and cannot eat chocolate (except maybe a small piece of dark chocolate, but only one!) Sometimes I eat some crackers with cheese or peanut butter. Oftentimes my "bedtime snack" is one piece of bread with peanut butter on it, or a bowl of yogurt with granola and fresh fruit when I have it.

4. How do you make sure you get enough vitamins and minerals in your diet?

Our Doctor has put us on a special vitamin called "Two Per Day Multivitamin" from Life Extension Co.  Our Doctor's office actually gives to them to us free so we will not have any excuse for not taking them. Although I will admit I usually only take one per day, as I think that is enough based on the percentages. So far my labs are always good so I'm not worried about it.   But again, I try to eat right and eat a well balanced diet so that I will get what I need from my food.  

Thank you, Annie, for these interesting questions today!  You can join in Here if you want to play along with the rest of us each Tuesday!

Now, earlier I was reading one of my favorite blogging friends, Aritha, who lives in the Netherlands. I have to use the language translator to read her blog as it is written in Dutch. But I enjoy her posts so much and find that we have a lot in common even  though we live across the ocean from each other.

  

This was on her post today (Monday, when I am writing my post), and I found it an interesting little exercise and thought I'd share it with you along with my answers to the questions:

From my friend Aritha at "Moments, Frozen in Time, on her post Happy Cold Monday"

"Yes, a mindful exercise against worry. This 54321 exercise can be done in many different ways. This one is nice:

See five things : Name five things in your environment that you can see. Pay attention to the details of these objects.
Feeling four things : Name four things you can feel right now, such as the texture of your clothes, the air on your skin or the ground under your feet.
Hearing three things : Identify three sounds around you. Maybe it's sounds from the environment, such as birdsong or traffic.
Smell two things : Name two smells you notice, whether they are subtle or strong.
Tasting one thing : Consider what you are tasting at that moment or, if you don't taste anything, think about your last meal and try to remember that taste."

My Answers:  

5 See: 

1)Although it is dark outside, I can see the lights across Still Waters Pond through the darkness.

2) Pictures/photographs on my wall, some of which I have photographed myself. 

3)My computer screen as I type 

4)Pamela's Victorian Cottage to my left (dollhouse) 

5) my little bookshelf with special books and pictures that are meaningful to me.

Here is the unretouched real picture of what I just described above. Yes, I probably should have cleaned up a few messes before taking this picture. Now you see the REAL "uncensored" "Room with a View"  LOL. This is where I work and read and write and dream and scheme...

4 Feel: 

1)The keys on the keyboard as I type this, 

2) my feet resting on the iron bar under my desk, which is an old "White" sewing machine table  that I repurposed. (see photo on right)

 3)my soft, warm flannel shirt around my neck and shoulders 

4)the comfy cushion in the seat of my desk chair as I sit here typing. 

3)Hear 

1) The TV in the other room where my husband is watching it 

2) ringing in my ears like little crickets (tinnitus?) 

3) The keys clicking on my keyboard as I type. 

2 Smell: 

1)Warm Ovaltine in my cup that I just drank 

2)The fresh lemony citrusy fragrance of Tea Tree Verbena hand soap on my hands from recent washing. 

1: Taste: 1)I can still taste the Ovaltine and warm milk in my mouth. It was good and comforting on a damp, chilly evening..

*Ovaltine is 99.9% Caffeine Free! 

I enjoyed doing this little "54321" exercise, and thought maybe you would too. Thank you, Aritha, for sharing it with us. I hope you don't mind that I have borrowed it to share with everyone here in my blogworld.

Here's a good Scripture verse to sum up all of the above questions and answers:

1 Corinthians 10:31

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

And my "Strength" verse for today:

Psalm 73:26

"My flesh and my heart fail;

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Amen!

Tuesday 4: Personal Snapshot

 Personal Snapshot

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we try to get you talking, thinking and making new friends while you get to know old friends better.

Today is a hodgepodge of question for you to ponder:

1. What TV programs that everyone else loved/loves did/do you dislike and why? Conversely, what program did you love while everyone else thought it was awful? (or maybe a song, book..etc)  I didn't like "the Wizard of Oz" as a child. It always made me very anxious, and honestly, to this day, if I were to watch it (which I probably won't) it still makes me feel very anxious.   As far as a program or song or book that I liked but others didn't...I will have to think about that one for a while.  For once I am drawing a blank.



2 Do you resent serving without thanks or do you see a higher purpose behind it?   No, I don't resent serving others without thanks...as a mother we often have had to do things for our children or families that no one ever thought to say thank you for...but when you love your family you do things without expecting to be thanked.  The same goes for our jobs in the outside world...yes, we get paid to work, but oftentimes we find we have to go beyond the call of duty to get the job done and do things behind the scene that others don't realize or ever recognize.  When I think about the things I've had to do throughout the years that went without recognition, I think about this verse in the Bible:  

I Corinthians 10:31

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

If I do these things as serving the Lord, I know that even if I never receive recognition or thanks here for my work, God knows my heart and He sees what I do and I will be blessed in ways that are eternal. I don't need man's recognition to make my life better.

"Let all that you do be done in love"

I Corinthians 16:14

3. What flavor ice cream is your favorite and how do you like it served? (Sunday, Blizzard, cone, dish?) What toppings make your day?

At this point in life my favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla, because you can do so much more with it...like add peaches or strawberries, or hot fudge and chopped nuts and whipped cream, or make a Root Beer Float or a chocolate milkshake by adding chocolate to it.  I actually don't each much ice cream anymore. I think I must be lactose intolerant and so I have pretty much given up ice cream, except for an occasional scoop on pie or cake.  I prefer yogurt, and usually add fresh fruit and granola to it to make it extra good.  However, we usually make homemade vanilla ice cream for the 4th of July if we have a family gathering at our house.  Not sure yet what we are doing this year.

Here I am last year, pretending to be cranking the ice cream maker.  We now use an electric "crank", so we have to take our turns pretending to crank it. It's a family tradition.

And here's the taste test!

I hope we can do something together this year, but not sure who can come. My sister's hubby just had some major back surgery TODAY (Monday), and I don't think he will be ready for a two hour ride to our house by the 4th of July.  He did come through the surgery very well, according to the Doctor, but when my sister called me he was still in recovery.  If you would, please say a little prayer for my BIL Art.  He's older than I am, and the older we get, the more difficult recovery of any kind of surgery can be, so I know he will appreciate all the prayers.

Here's a recent picture of my brother in law Art and my sister Doris, when we got together in April for their birthdays.

Okay, Back to the questions:

4. How many pairs of shoes do you own? How many handbags? Do you use/wear them all? Should you weed them out?

 I am not a shoe or purse fanatic.  I have basic shoes for every day and church. I recently bought a new pair of casual sandals for summer,

but I prefer to wear my Skechers walking shoes.  And I probably have some old shoes in the closet that could be thrown out...some old pairs of heels that I never wear, even though they aren't high heels, they just aren't comfortable. I have one pair of navy blue low heels and one pair of black low heels that I wear with dresses for church. I never wear white shoes because I have "big feet", and white makes them look bigger. LOL.  ("Vanity, thy name is woman..." LOL).

Handbags...I usually just use one bag at a time, unless I am going someplace fancy, which I rarely do. I carry my every day bag to church because It's just too much trouble to keep shifting things back and forth for two hours.  I've gotten lazy in my old age.  I do have some clutch bags that I used to use for church, but I probably should just get rid of them because I never use them anymore.  

I've probably talked about this handbag before.  I carried this bag with me to work for probably close to 15 years, I'm not kidding! I bought it from an elderly woman who actually made this bag. It was the best purse I ever had...it was perfect for my job as a bookkeeper, because I could put the bank bag inside to go make the deposit at the bank and no one would ever suspect I was carrying a large sum of money with me!  It is washable and the straps are made of a very tough nylon that has never frayed or torn.  I only finally quit using it because the lining started to fall apart, but after being used for so many years literally EVERY day...it was time to retire when I retired.  I still have it and hate to get rid of it. I keep thinking maybe I'll find someone who can sew in a new lining for me and I can carry it another 15 years. LOL.   Isn't it beautiful????  LOL.

Okay, I've probably driven you all crazy with my stories, so it is time to quit for the night.   Now be sure to go visit the other friends who are sharing their "Personal Snapshot" HERE.  Thank you, Annie, for these fun and thought provoking questions each week!

Proverbs 16:3 NIV

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do,

and he will establish your plans."

Tuesday 4: "What Do You Think?"

Writing Happy Things

 

What Do You Think?

Annie came up with some provocative and interesting questions for us to answer this week. I will attempt to do my best to give appropriate answers from my own personal perspective. If you wish to join in and share your thoughts, you can link up over at the Tuesday 4 link up HERE

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. It's so nice to have you here.

Let's talk about you this week. Let others know your feelings and convictions. Give some advice and some wisdom. And remember to visit the other contributors to get to know them and find out their opinions too!

1. What do you believe the purpose of life is?

HERE (click on link) is a list of Scripture verses that give us an idea of what God's purpose for our existence is.  There are so many that I can't list or quote them all for you here, but I will share a couple that stand out to me:

Micah 6:8 NKJV

"He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?"

Psalm 145:1-3

I will extol You, my God, O King;

And I will bless Your name forever and ever.

2 Every day I will bless You,

And I will praise Your name forever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

And His greatness is unsearchable.

Matthew 22:36-40 NKJV

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Romans 12:1 NKJV

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

2. How do you handle stress ? What do you recommend to others who are stressed out?

"If you long for a mind at rest, and a heart that cannot harden...

go find a gate that opens wide into a secret garden."

Yes, to relieve stress, go find a quiet place to sit and rest and watch God's beautiful creation around you. Talk to the animals...listen to the birds singing, sing hymns of praise and glorify God...and soon the stress will go away...

The Sand Hill Crane Family came to visit while I was sitting in the Memorial/Secret Garden...

Also, this sweet little Dove of Peace came and followed me around while I was watering the plants and filling the birdbath.

I guarantee this to be a stress reliever...

3. What enjoyable things do you wish you could do more often? How would it improve your life?

Spending time with my family is one of the greatest things I love to do. I am blessed with these special people in my life, and more...this was on Sunday afternoon...and it truly blessed my heart to be with these guys...our two sons and our grandson, who is the son of our other son who is in heaven.  Also our daughter in law and granddaughter in law to be were here and we had a belated "Cinco de Mayo" taco dinner! 

Being with good friends, family, and maybe doing some traveling to beautiful places in our country...that is something I truly love and would love to do more of...

How would it improve my life? Well,  I believe having happy times with loved ones and visiting beautiful places releases the tension in our bodies and helps us to feel much better about life in general. I am a people person and enjoy interaction with like minded and interesting and funny people.

4. Do you believe in God? Why or why not?

Yes, I believe in God... The Apostle's Creed sums it up pretty well:

"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;

and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;

He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting."

Psalm 19 NKJV

1The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

2 Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,

And its circuit to the other end;

And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors?

Cleanse me from secret faults.

13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;

Let them not have dominion over me.

Then I shall be blameless,

And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Psalm 8

1 "O Lord, our Lord,

How excellent is Your name in all the earth,

Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have ordained strength,

Because of Your enemies,

That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

4 What is man that You are mindful of him,

And the son of man that You visit him?

5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,

And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;

You have put all things under his feet,

7 All sheep and oxen—

Even the beasts of the field,

8 The birds of the air,

And the fish of the sea

That pass through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,

How excellent is Your name in all the earth!"

Ephesians 5:1-3 NKJV

5 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

I hope these verses help to sum up how and what I believe about God and also about our purpose in life.  I believe that I am here on this earth to serve God and to let my life be a testimony of His marvelous grace and love.  There can be no greater purpose.  I may not always succeed at this, but hopefully even when I fail, Christ shines forth in the midst of my failures.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Tuesday 4: "Let's Talk About Work!"

Tuesday 4

Just four questions weekly

Work!


Hello and welcome to Tuesday 4 where we honor the memory of our friend Toni Taddeo by continuing her 4 questions each week meme! It is wonderful that so many are joining in and I do hope more will come as well. Toni would love that.

(I'm glad that this is not really one of MY pictures...but it would be fun to be snowed in at a little cabin in the woods, as long as we have plenty of wood for the fire and tea for the teakettle and yummy things to eat!)


Let's talk about work!

1. What kind of work does not bother you at all?

 

Of course, I am retired now, and I love it! I've worked many kinds of jobs in my lifetime, mostly in either schools or churches, doing everything from being a teacher's aide to being a school bookkeeper, a head of the housekeeping department at a beautiful resort in New Hampshire, a marketing and reservationist for a stables at a Bed and Breakfast in NH, a District Manager for Fuller Brush in Ohio, bookkeeper for a Christian camp, and my final job as a Church Administrator for a large church. Not to mention being a Pastor's wife for close to 30 years, while also sometimes working full time and raising 3 sons.  I also used to sell Stanley Home Products, Fuller Brush, and Watkins Products door to door. I even tried my hand at selling Encyclopedia Brittanica...but that's another story!

My favorite "job" was being a mommy and wife (now going on 52 years!)  My husband's work in the ministry meant that we moved quite often...but God always provided the right jobs for me as needed. I am thankful that when our babies were small and before they went to school I was able to be home with them most of the time, except for those little part time sales jobs where I was able to work around my hubby's schedule so we never had to put the kids in daycare. That was a huge blessing. We didn't have a lot materially, but we had what was most important to us...family time together. 

Now that I am retired I don't mind "work" that is taking care of my home and family...preparing meals, doing laundry, keeping the house reasonably cleaned...and I especially don't mind it if people come alongside and help out now and then.  I enjoy it when my hubby helps with the laundry by folding clothes or shifting things from the washer to the dryer, etc., or vacuuming the house, or coming alongside me to help dry the dishes.  I also love it when our son (who lives with us) helps out with washing the supper dishes and taking out the garbage...or helps with the cooking when he is home in time to help...mashes the potatoes, cooks food on the grill...little things that mean a lot and help me not to feel overwhelmed. I love our home and enjoy doing things to make our home more comfortable and welcoming...decorating for holidays...entertaining friends and family...even though as I get older my body wears out quicker, I still enjoy doing these things and wish we could do more of it.

I think I am preparing breakfast here.  This is my typical "winter" inside look...

This picture was actually taken last February, before the "pandemic" hit and we couldn't do so much entertaining. These two gals (& their hubbies) came to help celebrate my hubby's birthday.  This is just a small example of the kind of "work" I enjoy doing...having friends over to celebrate special days...

2. What kinds of work do bother you and why? Anything stinky or extremely dirty/nasty.  I probably wouldn't do well slopping hogs or cleaning other people's houses.

3. Is there a job you've had you loathed or perhaps one you loved? Why was that?

 

I can't say that I ever "loathed" any job that I did. Some were very difficult and I often wondered why I was doing it, but I did the best I could and watched for something better to come along. There were a couple of times when things were so bad that I felt I needed to leave a job without a place to land...but God always provided exactly what I needed when I needed it...and sometimes that was just to stay home for a while and rest. 

HERE is a LINK to a post I wrote a few years ago about my most "interesting job".  There were some aspects to it that I didn't like much, but as you will see when you read the post it was a job that I truly enjoyed and was sad to leave. Here is a picture from that post to give you a clue:

4. Do you have a job or kind of work you wish you were doing? What would make it attractive to you?  

We talked about our Dreams last week, HERE  If we could afford to do so, I would still love to have our own little retreat center or guest house where people could come and stay a little while and just relax...kind of a B&B, but not really open to the general public...it would be privately run and "guests" would be selected on a "need" basis.  More like a "respite care" kind of place, for people who really "need to get away" for a little while. 

(Pinterest photo)

This is my work nowadays:

Here's a few of the many examples of what the Bible has to say about "work":

I Corinthians 10:31 

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Proverbs 16:3

"Commit your works to the Lord,

And your thoughts will be established."

Titus 2:7-8

7 "In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you."

Okay, now that our work is done, let's go over and see what others are writing about today:  http://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/2021/01/work.html   Thank you, Annie, for being our hostess once again!!

The Secret Garden Chronicles ~It's a Good Day for Soup!!

I know that many of you who read my blogs live much further north than I...and perhaps you are having some very cold, wintry, snowy weather today.  We live way down south in Florida, and we are having a cloudy, cool, rainy kind of day, with some cooler weather expected in the next few days here as well.  It's too wet to go out into the Secret Garden, so I am enjoying some quiet time here in the house today.

This morning my hubby said he would sure like to have some soup for lunch! This is quite a change from his usual favorite diet of a bologna and cheese sandwich, so I gladly said "Yes!"  Then he asked if I could make Broccoli and Cheese soup!  Again, I gladly said, "Yes!"  It just so happened that we had broccoli for supper last night and I had quite a bit left over...so this would be a great way to use it up!  I also had a few small redskin potatoes left over, which would add some extra "bulk" to the soup.

So I got busy and first chopped some onion and celery and pre-cooked it in the microwave in a pyrex cup with a couple of tablespoons of water.
(Since I was not making a huge pot of soup, I only used about 1/3 cup of chopped onion, and 1/2 cup chopped celery...but this would be adjusted according to how much soup you plan to make)

While that was cooking I chopped up the already cooked potatoes and the broccoli. (about 1 & 1/2 cup chopped broccoli).  When the onion and celery was tender, I put it in a medium sized kettle on the stove and added about  2 cups of water, some butter, and seasonings to taste. (Garlic powder, salt and pepper).  Normally I would use a can of chicken broth, but I was out of that, so just used the water.

After that had simmered for a few minutes, I added the cut up already cooked potatoes and let it cook a little longer, then added a can of evaporated milk and about a cup of regular milk.  I let that simmer for a while until it started to thicken...(I added a little flour and water mixture to help thicken it), and then I added about a cup of shredded cheddar/jack cheese mixed with a couple of cut up slices of american cheese.  Next I stirred in the already cooked and chopped broccoli, and let it all simmer until thick and ready to serve.  It was really delicious!

This was a good excuse to use my vintage Homer Laughlin soup bowls that I purchased at a yard sale from some friends. They had belonged to my friend's mother in law, and I just fell in love with the delicate floral pattern on these bowls.   The embroidered tea towel on the left that says "china" on it came from my husband's grandmother's home.  I assume his grandmother had done the embroidery.  It is so old that it is in danger of falling apart, so I don't use it...but this seemed a wonderful opportunity to add it to the picture with the vintage bowls!

The pretty aqua tea towel behind the bowls was a gift from my sister a few years ago...

and it says:

"Enjoy Life's Simple Pleasures"

(Here's a close up where it normally hangs on the Hoosier Cupboard)

So, that's what's cooking at my house today!  My hubby loved the soup...and I appreciated being able to use up some leftover vegetables before they went to waste. (Not big fans of reheated broccoli here)

And I also enjoyed some of "life's simple pleasures"

on a rainy day.

What do you like to do on a chilly/rainy/snowy day?

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV)

31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Thank you, Lord, for this rainy day.  You know how much we needed the rain to replenish the earth and help our crops, flowers, grass and trees to grow...and our water levels to return to normal.

I pray for our friends who are anticipating blizzard conditions tonight and tomorrow. Please keep them safe and warm inside.

Amen!