God's Big Screen...

 I captured this beautiful cloud formation on my birthday. God is so good!

Enjoy!

Mrs. Smith

Shabbat Shalom!

I threw together some Sabbath meals that included pizza, breakfast gravy and toast, baked hot wings (cheap version made from thighs cut into faux wing portions), waffle fries, coleslaw, hummus and salad. I didn't have anything planned but needed to get some meals and snacks ready for the day of rest and the rest of the weekend. I got a late start, but everything fell into place.

The house is clean and tidy, and I am ready to rest...

Mrs. Smith

Outside My Window

I opened the blinds and discovered that we had an intruder. Not just one as I soon discovered, but two. The wind was howling, so I was able to move about from window to window without being detected. A mother coyote and her pup. The mother was teaching the pup to hunt. 

Mrs. Smith

Meal Prepping

I spent a day meal prepping, and it took the whole day...

I started the rice the night before in the thermal cooker. The next morning, I used the hot water in the thermal cooker to cook potatoes. 

I made plenty of rice for rice bowls and Spanish rice. I froze the excess
for future meals.

The potatoes are for sides and hashbrowns.

I baked chicken in the Sun Oven for lunchmeat...

This biggest job by far was preparing 3 dozen tamales...

I usually make tamales over a two-day period, but not this time.

I had previously made a large pot of refried beans and froze them, so we have plenty of easy sides for a tamale dinner and plenty of tamales for 16 meals for two over the next two months or so. I just need to prepare the Spanish rice and vegetables for each meal. 

So, we are off to a good start. There is a big pot of soup of some sort in our future along with pizza and granola this month. My freezer is full, so I am limited in my storage options. 

Mrs. Smith

DITL - Ramblings - Shabbat Shalom

We had a snowstorm come through overnight the other evening. I needed to tend to some early morning chores outside before I even got dressed for the day. I hoped out of bed and put on my robe, boots, gloves and hat to attend to the chores. It sounds strange, but fleece pajamas are warmer than regular clothing. It was only six degrees, and the wind chill was well below zero. 

I needed to check on a sick chicken, clear the snow from the solar panels and the porch. I made quick work of it. The wind cut like a knife. It was brutal. Unfortunately, the hen did not make it, so I also needed to dispose of her body away from the house. 

Later that night, the coyotes found the dead hen and were so loud that they woke us up from a sound sleep. They were rejoicing over their find and fighting each other for a much-needed meal. The cycle of life can be brutal sometimes. 

After nearly a week of being absent from the ranch, I had a mess from unpacking. A plethora of paperwork from the hospital. I took my studies with me, but I wasn't able to read one chapter of my new Inductive Study Bible. However, it was comforting that it was there with us. 

We are starting to get back into a new rhythm. The keyword being "new". Life can change in an instant without any warning. It is fragile and should be treated as such. We are grateful to God for His mercy and grace. 

We had a friend come to share a Sabbath meal with us. We had pan seared Ahi tuna steaks with quinoa, broccoli, sweet potatoes and salad. We played the game Quarkle. It was a nice evening. Our friend is a great blessing to us. 

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all

Philippians 1:3-4 NASB

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

 

Cost of Living - Gas Prices

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the price of gas. I had only two questions, could it actually be correct and can it drop below $2 a gallon? Apparently, I wasn't the only one curious about this. Unbeknownst to me, Number One Husband snapped this picture. Gas is still $2.75 in town. The city has better prices, but it is a long drive, so we rarely go.

We had an appointment in the city, so we filled up the tank and picked up a few groceries. I have sticker shock! We didn't pick up very much, but it was still $150. No meat, except for a package of lunchmeat. It was nearing 5 pm and I hadn't eaten a thing all day, so we grabbed lunchmeat to go with some Dave's Killer Bread. 

We had to get back up the mountain before a snowstorm hit, so eating out was not an option and is way more expensive for a one-time meal. For half the cost of eating fast food, we were able to get several meals out of our purchase. Our bodies are also thanking us for choosing the healthier option.

We also had to purchase a battery for our 4wd. This was an additional $150. Ouch! We were going to pick it up two weeks ago when catastrophe struck. All our plans are out the window for the foreseeable future. However, we are back home, and the snow is falling outside, and it is well with our souls. 

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

After the Sabbath...

We had a beautiful sunset right before the Sabbath ended. I could see it glowing through the cracks around the blinds and I had to check it out. It was gorgeous!

After the Sabbath, I usually have a nice pile of dishes to do and whatever other messes that need to be cleaned up.

This doesn't include the pans. I also added dishes from cleaning out the refrigerator. 

The rest of the house stays relatively clean, but the dishes stack up. I don't care for paper plates or bowls, so I just let them stack up. It took a while for me to learn to not let things bother me. I would see things that I wanted to do, and I'd catch myself not resting. I had to learn to rest, and it wasn't easy for me. Now, I may not even do the dishes until the next morning. 

We have had our share of difficult times in the last two weeks and looks like more difficult times are on the horizon. A Sabbath days' rest is most welcome in our home. It's a great time to let go and let God hit the reset button and prepare us to handle a new week. 

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith