The Home Stretch

Woe is the puppy who loves to play ball when Mama's on deadline. The good news is that the temps are nice enough to open the windows. 

Just look at the steam rising off one of the tanks the other morning.

This story I'm working on has been giving me fits. It's one of those that kind of shifted direction about halfway through and my characters have not been very forthcoming. Bottom line, it really slowed me down. Then I got a really bad toothache that I tried to put off until after the book was turned it, but the pain won out and I was forced to go to the dentist where I found out I had a cracked tooth that would likely need a root canal and a crown ASAP. That definitely wasn't part of my plan and, of course, needed to be scheduled prior to my deadline. And then both of my sons texted to say they'd be in for the weekend. 

When it rains it pours, doesn't it? But I refused to stress. None of those disruptions were a surprise to God. Nor was the story shift. So rather than giving in to the anxiety, I determined to trust Him with my deadline. 

I gathered up my laptop and some food and ran away for day last week. I didn't go very far. Only to the camp house. Still, it gave me a change of scenery and an entire day without interruptions so I could immerse myself in the story.

Guess what?

It worked. The story is finally out of my head. Now all I have to do is spruce things up a bit before sending it in on or before my deadline.

You know, God has a knack for making the impossible possible. But how readily do we forget that? We fret and struggle to do things on our own instead of turning the reins over Him. Even though His word tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. We're a hard-headed lot, aren't we?

Before I go, check out these twin calves spotted near the camp. Aren't they cute? It's not often we see twins.

What do you do when you find yourself struggling to accomplish something?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

This and That Around the Ranch

I've got a deadline in my not-so-distant future, so meals here at the Obi house have been of the quick, throw together variety. Although, we did have a cool front roll through last week that dropped our high temperatures into the 70's. That's unheard of around these parts this time of year. So naturally, I had to do something to celebrate. And some homemade chicken soup sounded like just the ticket. (recipe here)

It was so yummy. As was this quick eggroll stir fry I made last week. 

This is what you do when you're craving Chinese food but don't want any carbs. And I was able to use things I had on hand. Actually, this recipe is one I found on the back of an eggroll wrapper package way back when my youngest daughter (now 31) was just a baby. We were living on Ellsworth Air Force Base outside of Rapid City, SD and had three little ones, so going out to eat was rare for more than one reason. So when I was craving Chinese, I'd make eggrolls at home.

For the filling, all you need is:

• 1 lb. breakfast sausage (regular or spicy)
• 2 cups shredded cabbage (or a bag of cole slaw blend, which was what I used here)
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts (I did not use them this time because who keeps bean sprouts on hand?)
• Shredded carrots (unless they're in the slaw mix)
• Green onions, chopped (to taste)
• 1/2 - 1 tsp ground ginger 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp granulated garlic (you can use fresh garlic, minced, if you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Simply brown the sausage and then drain off the fat. Then add the veggies and stir fry for a couple of minutes. You decide how crunchy you want them. Add seasonings and stir to combine.

That's it! My craving got fulfilled without any carbs. 

So on a recent trip to the grocery store, I found these.

Yep, that strictly the "magical" marshmallows from Lucky Charms. I didn't buy them, but I took a picture and sent it to my daughters. One said, "It's about time!" Another said, "Obviously the idea of a millennial." Yes, these were the two that always picked out the marshmallows and left most of the cereal. Though I'm thinking these might be yummy mixed into some homemade Rice Krispie treats. What do you think? Maybe I'll have to pick up a bag.

I'm just gonna say it. I love Longhorn cattle. Regular cattle are okay, but Longhorns have flare. They have the right accessories to really compliment the outfit, right? This one belongs to one of our neighbors, but I want a Longhorn. I have made my wishes known. Doubt they'll carry any weight but, hey, a gal's gotta try. They don't know unless you tell them, right. 

So that's what's going on in Obi land. What's happening in your part of the world?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

 

Going Cloth Over Paper

Missy Tippens

I hope everyone is staying well! I have a strange post today, not recipe related at all. I've been thinking of posting this for a while but never remembered to take photos. Now I have a few. :)

When the pandemic began back in March, I immediately took all the hand towels out of the kitchen and bathrooms and replaced them with rolls of paper towels. But after a few weeks, I felt bad about us using so many! Plus, it was getting more difficult to buy them and our supply was running low. So I took that opportunity to do something I had been meaning to do for months.

I started using individual, reusable towels. I had been doing some research and had been using paperless paper towels for a couple of years in the kitchen. However, it did not catch on with my family. They reached right past the folded towels and kept reaching for paper. So I then considered replacing paper with the flannel-type towels that stick together on a towel roller. Then also looked at washable fabric towels that snap together with actual snaps! But I knew I probably would abandon both of those systems quickly. I would not want to re-roll them every time I washed them.

Then I remembered my hair salon. When my stylist moved to a new salon a little over a year ago, I loved how they had individual washcloths for you to dry your hands on in the bathroom. They were individually rolled and placed in a tin holder. When done, you tossed your towel in a "trash" can.

So I went searching for washcloths. After a little more research, I decided on 100% cotton rather than using microfiber.

I know washing them uses water, so nothing is totally environmentally friendly. But I figured I could toss these in with my regular wash that I would be doing anyway.

With a family of three right now (plus other kids who come home sometimes), I knew I would need plenty so I don't have to wash more often. I ended up ordering a pack of 60 white, 100% cotton washcloths made by Amazon. I also ordered some racks to hold the towels in each bathroom.

In the beginning, I rolled the towels and washcloths like they do at my salon. Yes, I unrolled one to see how they did it and memorized the method. LOL

Fold the two side corners in

Then roll from the bottom. I actually found it's even faster to fold the bottom up, and then roll.

The little holders I have will hold 10 washcloths.

But through trial and error, I decided to do a quicker tri-fold (using a forward, then back motion so it's more like a fan fold).

I can still hold 10 in the container.

I also bought a small, narrow "trash" can to hold the discarded cloths for the bathrooms. I discovered I needed to move them away from the regular trashcan. (Don't ask.) :)

Plus, I bought a narrow can for the kitchen to hold the used cloth napkins and paperless towels because I knew telling my family to discard them in the laundry room would doom my effort.

For napkins and paperless towels, I shop at an Etsy store called Gina's Soft Cloth Shop. She's a Kentucky businesswoman, which I love (my home state). And I have really loved all her products. I buy seconds when I can. I have tried several sizes and fabrics. My favorites for napkins are the 8x8 two-ply cotton Birdseye fabric Little Wipes (they're made to be diaper wipes). I found the perfect holder for them. (And no, I obviously do not iron them! haha)

I hope y'all are inspired to try cloth! I've been really happy about making this change, and I hope I'm saving some trees.

P.S. There are NO affiliate links on this post. I only put links there to help you find products if you're interested. I get no benefit.

www.missytippens.com

A Little Spring

Missy Tippens

Life has been crazy lately. Having beautiful weather here has helped a bit. So I wanted to share a little spring today to lift spirits, especially for those of you who are still in winter weather.

We've been enjoying sun and temps in the 70's here in Georgia. And many trees are in full bloom. Here's one we see out our front windows--our neighbors' cherry blossom tree.

I practically climbed the tree trying to get y'all some closeup shots of the gorgeous blooms. When I got home, my neighbor called to say he wanted to let us know he'd seen someone in his tree and had called the police. About the time my heart stopped, he died laughing! Just kidding me, of course. Yes, we're all a bit looney right now and trying to find fun where we can. :)

I also took a short video for you. It was so peaceful outside. I could hear birds chirping.

A different neighbor's tree...

For Easter, our church is planning to put large wooden butterflies on the front lawn. Individual members took a plain white butterfly to paint in any way they wanted. They'll all be different, and I think there will be about 20-30 of them. My daughter and I painted ours this week. Here it is drying...

Though our congregation probably won't be meeting in person (we've been having services online), we still plan to display the butteries on the church lawn. I think it'll be a powerful message to the community that we're all together in spirit, rejoicing that day. I'll be sure to get a photo to share after Easter!

I pray you're all staying well. Blessings on each of you as we face this pandemic as a nation and world.

www.missytippens.com

This and That

Missy Tippens

I've had such a crazy week that I haven't cooked much of anything. We've been eating out and having leftovers. So I thought I would just share a bit of this and that.

Look at these gorgeous flowers from church a few weeks ago. We have volunteers who make these amazing arrangements each week--sometimes with flowers from their own yards.

And these stunning poinsettias that my sister brought to my mom at Christmas. At first, I thought the red one was silk because it looks so perfect! They still look just as beautiful.

I also wanted to share my most recent kitchen fail. I made sourdough on a day that was way too busy. I had to leave the dough for several hours between foldings. And it turned into The Blob! It was flowing everywhere (especially in the back, where you can't see it in this photo)! haha

I went ahead and made the loaves, but they turned out really flat and heavy. A fail. I've learned not to make bread on a day when I can't attend to the dough!

One more thing. My daughter's boyfriend's mother made us a beautiful pound cake for Christmas. It was so pretty--snowy peaks! And sooo good! Pound cake is one of my very favorites. We really enjoyed the gift!

I hope to have a recipe to share next week. Surely life will settle down just a tad so I have time to cook. :)

www.missytippens.com

This and That About Being Famous

That title isn't about me, darlings... I'm happy being plain old medium... But there's more about famous a little farther down.


Let's not talk about the rain.

Or the ongoing cold.

Cold, wet soil isn't user friendly for growing things, so if we talk about that, it's a sorry kind of conversation, my friends.  Or that Farmer Dave and I went out and bought him a new tractor with a brush hog, a six-foot tiller, major-league forks and a big bucket... what man wouldn't have fun with ALL THAT BIG-SIZED TONKA-STYLE STUFF????

One who's faced rain almost every single day since buying the tractor. And that brings us back to this: Timing is everything. :)

And how we should trust God's timing.

First, let's talk about James Holzhauer, the current Jeopardy phenom who's won over $2,000,000 dollars in 30 games...

WHAT????

Oh my stars, I can't help but root for him because he's making history.... No one has ever dominated the toughest game show of all like this guy has. Sure there have been great champions. Ken Jennings... Chuck... (Chuck was way back when you could only win FIVE DAYS....) Julia, Austin, etc...

But James is different. He's a gambler by profession, but also has nearly perfect command of the clicker that lets him answer and locks out the other players... and unlike most players, he's rarely wrong so he rarely loses money. It's quite the package.

It's fun to see "history" being made. I feel like that when I watch a baseball player like Mike Trout come to the big leagues... He's our current-day Babe Ruth. I felt like that with Derek Jeter, too... because he set the bar high for over twenty years on one team at one position... the rarity of the accomplishment made it sweeter.

And in football Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield are ushering in a new era of possible greatness as some of our favorite quarterbacks seek retirement...

And my grandson invited me to be in his Fantasy Football League this fall.... EEK! I have no idea what I'm doing and the sweet lad is very, very, very intense about football... although he plays baseball. But we won't sweat the details and I'm sure someone will take pity on me and tell me what to do. I hope.

We made the first pasta salad of the season!!!

And the first kittens of the season! Honey Bunny White Socks gave birth to two little orange female babies seven days ago.... And she's such a good mama. And notice how handy this box from Sam's Club was/is for kittenland????

And there's another kitty mama in the birthing unit for later this week...

There is something really wonderful about new life in the spring, isn't there?

Flowers.... leaves....

Puddles.

Flooded fields.

Grass that's six inches high and growing.

But things will dry out eventually. They always do. The rule with farming is that a dry year will scare you...

A wet year will starve you.

And we realize that we've got good jobs, so if the whole farm is a loss this year, we've got food. Shelter. Enough money to pay the bills...

While folks in the central U.S. are under water and have been for nearly two months and record-breaking number of storms and tornadoes are inundating them as if being flooded wasn't enough--

Trust me. Being flooded is enough, it's more than enough, so instead of whining about what's not perfect here, I'm going to be praying for those who are worse off...

And eating apple cake that my friend Catherine brought me.... I have eaten 1/2 of the loaf.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME????

:)

Not a thing, because the apple nut bread is absolutely delicious and a half-loaf probably looks really good on me...

(hides face.... guilt mounts.)

I figured out a long time ago that the Serenity Prayer is my guide... God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference...

There's a reason they use this particular prayer for 12-step programs... because it really does help.

Coffee's on, friends!

Multi-published, bestselling inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne lives on a very wet pumpkin farm in Western New York. She loves God... He's like the Best Ever.... and she loves her family, her friends, her country, and is often seen with coffee and/or chocolate. In this case, it seems apple cake has usurped chocolate momentarily. You can find her on the web ruthloganherne.com, friend her on facebook at Ruth Logan Herne, follow her on Twitter (same name, go figure!) and/or email her at loganherne@gmail.com. She loves chatting with folks and that includes you!