Life Lesson #17

My my my, I so need to catch up. I quit blogging when my hubby told me to keep it to myself that we were not going to renew his contract at the university and transition back to the states this year. It was too difficult to keep that secret so I just didn't talk to anyone for a really long time.....Life Lesson #17, if you want to keep a secret, just don't talk and certainly don't blog so I didn't....wasn't I good? But I have so much to say and no one in particular to say it to but my little blog here and I've also discovered some new bloggy friends and I'd like to link them to my blog so we can share all things cooking, gardening, crochet and quilting and sewing etc....I rather enjoy all of that and love it when an old friend stops in and leaves me a message. I'm currently working on a Granny Stitch Afghan that I just love and is totally mindless to do.....that does not mean that there aren't three so far that I've found mistakes in it, but unless you're totally picky you're not going to find them, but the Shadow knows where they are! I need to take a picture and post it and will do that soon....for now I'm just finding my old blog spot and saying hello.....and now for that after breakfast catch up on lost sleep nap.

Time for a recipe

Apple Crisp Recipe.....

Butter a 9x13 inch pan.
Peel and cut up 5 to 8 apples, I like a variety and they must be crisp ones, place in the pan.
Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 to 2/3 cup regular sugar, depending on sweetness of apple or your tooth.
For the Crust: Mix and spread over apples, 3/4 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar...lightly packed, 1/2 cup butter, pecans, chopped (optional). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until done.

30 years ago my youngest daughter was in 2nd grade and all the kids submitted apple recipes for a cookbook. This was back in the days of mimeographed papers. I may have even run the mimeographs as I did do volunteer work at the school back then, I remember I loved the smell of the ink!

This recipe is simple and is so good served with either whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of heavy cream while the crisp is still warm. I used to make up several and pass them out to the neighborhood...oh this was back when we lived on a farm.

I have more news, but will make a separate post. I haven't blogged in a while, been busy relocating. So today made a foray into the mess that was once our den here in the states and did an I Spy on this old children's cookbook, what a find! I'm now more encouraged to clean out the room and set it back to rights. I wonder what other treasures I will find. For now I must make a grocery run for apples...ummm....can't wait to make this again.

Life Lesson # 16

Don't go so long without posting might be a good life lesson, but even better...find some joy in each day! Such a great life lesson, joy is so easy to find if you only let yourself stumble over it.
I've been emailing with an old high school friend who is troubled just now, I have been trying to help her find a new path so that she can enjoy her life again, as I've done that I think of my own life.
My own life is complicated right now due to my husbands job and our locations. He is in Abu Dhabi and I'm home in the mountains in the USA and it is so glorious. I do worry about my hubby as he is there alone and men don't do right alone do they. Mine doesn't eat right or exercise without my nudging. Thank goodness for Skype, we are on it twice a day and his weekends I'm sort of locked into it with him. I'm nudging him just now to get on the exercise bike while I do the same.
I'm not totally alone...we brought our dog home at Christmas time and all our kids and grands are here nearby. Our dog is a boxer as you know and our vet said since you're going home for the holidays you really should take her now so we did as my husband's contract ends in late July so we had thought we'd come home for good this year. Now we're undecided as the economy still struggles at least for our grown children and our grandchildren and my hubby has this wonderful job and we help as much as we can with the struggles at home. So what do to now? We have not decided, we'll stumble along and "see how it goes" as a Dr I worked with for years used to say.
Meanwhile I'm sitting here listening to my dog snore, my hubby occasionally talk, and the wind rustling the trees...do you ever turn off all sounds and just enjoy listening to the outdoors, so your own spirit can talk with you? Oh my...how wonderful it is! The wind just rushed by our house and made this amazing rustling sound...and I just stopped everything and watched and listened. Well...may the spirits move you all to enjoy this day and those simple wonderful things that happen in it! This picture I posted reflects the trees surrounding my home that I can hear and see from where I am sitting posting this note, I took it yesterday during our mountain walk.