Friday, April 17, 2015

My Daybook . . .




Today... April 17, 2015

Outside my window...  Today is suppose to be a beautiful day!  The sky is already blue and the sun is coming up over the hills, and there's no wind, at least for a few minutes!!

I am thinking... Yesterday, I attended the funeral of a beautiful young woman who passed away from, Cystic Fibrosis, she was only 42 years old.  She left behind a husband, two children, a sister, her parents and many, many other friends and family, who adored her.  The church was filled to capacity, I'm not sure if there was even much standing room.  It was an absolutely beautiful funeral.  

There was an older gentleman sitting behind me, and I could hear him talking to his daughter.  He said, "I'm 91 years old, and I've decided that it's better to die young, because you get more people to come to your funeral!"  As I sat there, waiting for the services to start, I started thinking about my grandfather, who has been gone for many, many years.  When he was in his late 80's, he used to go to so many funerals, and I couldn't understand why he did this.  I asked my mother about it one time, and she told me that he felt sorry for the older people who didn't have very many people at their funerals.  So, he would go, even if he didn't know the person who had passed away, just so there was one more seat filled!  I thought that was so sweet . . . and even more so after yesterday.  

I am thankful... I'm so thankful today for precious moments that I get to spend with my grandchildren.  My oldest is sixteen years old and my youngest is one and one-half years old.  They grow up so quickly, and soon, they will be too old to snuggle with!

I am wearing... Right now, I'm wearing my housecoat!  It's still a little early for me to be dressed for the day!

I am creating... I've been crocheting pillow covers.  I found this pattern, and I just loved it.  It's really easy, and I think they will look nice in my living room.


I am going... On Sunday, my husband and I will be married for 41 years, I can hardly believe it!  So, tomorrow, we are going on a day trip!  If  you have been reading my blog for a while, you know how much I love day trips!  I will post about it later . . .

I am reading... I have a few books downloaded on my Kindle right now, too bad I'm not reading them . . . I'll have to work on that!

I am hoping...That the weather stays nice for tomorrow.

I am learning... In the past week or so . . . actually, in the past few years, I have had a few reality checks.  When my husband and I were young, we had lots of friends, friends that we were with all the time.  Now, as I get older, I don't have friends!  I of course have all of my amazing blogging friends, and my beautiful sister, who I adore!  And last, but not least, my wonderful eternal companion, my husband . . .  he's my best friend.  But, I don't have casual friends that I do things with.  Is that a bad thing?  I do envy people with tons of friends, I miss that part of my life.

In my garden... My garden needs to be tilled and fertilized before it can even be called a garden!

In my kitchen... I am going to put a chicken in the oven to roast this afternoon.  I have always loved a good, fat, baked chicken!  So many wonderful meals can be made with one chicken!  This is one of my favorite:


White Bean Chicken Chili

7 cups chicken broth
4 – 15.8 ounce cans of great northern beans (navy beans could be substituted)
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper (or ground cayenne pepper, this is totally optional)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
1¼ pound chicken breast, cubed (I use two cups of left over baked chicken)
1 cup onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon jalapeno, chopped (about one jalapeno, again, optional)

  1. In a large stock pot bring chicken broth and beans to a boil.
  2. Add all seasonings (cumin, red pepper, black pepper, salt). Reduce heat to medium and let simmer.
  3. In a saute pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and saute about 3-5 minutes then add to pot.
  4. In saute pan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and jalapeno and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
  5. Let chili simmer at least another 30 minutes, but the longer, the better. To thicken up chili a little use a potato masher to mash some of the beans up. A few mashes should do the trick. You could do this before adding the chicken if the beans are nice and soft.
  6. If I am using left over chicken, I don't add it until the last 10 minutes . . . you don't want it to be too shredded.
I like to serve this with, corn chips, grated cheese, cilantro, diced onion, sour-cream and salsa.  Let everyone doctor theirs up the way they like it!

A favorite quote for today...

"No matter how great your words are, you will be judged by your actions".

A peek into one of my days...

I have been wanting to work on genealogy, in fact, I have been prompted many times to get busy on it, and I keep ignoring those promptings!  Maybe this will get me going . . . this is a picture of my grandfather when he was about 17 years old.  Do you think he was a real cowboy?  This is the same grandfather who attended funerals of strangers . . . I just loved him!



One of my favorite things...

 Miss Emily's Freckles!!
(one of my precious granddaughters!)



Have a wonderful Friday!

Hugs,

9 comments:

Billie Jo said...

Barb, I love the picture of your grandfather!
And I love that he attended funerals for older people.
That is quite true that they have less people left to celebrate their lives when they pass.
I should remember that myself. : )
Have a wonderful weekend!
Happy Anniversary!!!!

Sue said...

An absolutely delightful blog post of your Day Book Barb. I so enjoyed your thoughts on the attendance of older folks's funerals, your grandfather sounds like a wonderful, caring man, the photo of him is so cute, a cowboy or sure! Miss Emily is adorable, I have freckles too, one thing that my dh really liked about me when we first met.
Thanks for sharing,
Blessings,
Sue

Marsha said...

Barb....Your grandfather sounds like someone we should all try to be like...giving small acts of kindness that mean a lot. As for friends, I think it's all about seasons - you need to come to my neck of the woods sometime and we can go adventuring (is that a word). I just love quotes, I e-mail a quote out to many people, every day. I have been doing this for 2-3 years now...I will be using the quote you posted, shortly. Wishing you a nice day-drive for your anniversary.
Marsha

Shug said...

Oh Barb....you precious thang. If I lived closer, we would be great friends (aside from blogging)
I think that as we get older....family keeps us so busy and for most of the time we are happy to be with all those we love. However, there are times when we need just a little extra bit of (Me) time with a good friend. Congratulations to you and your BEST FRIEND. Hope you all do something FUN! I must say....Those freckles are so cute. Our youngest granddaughter has them and I think they are (special) precious!

LeAnn said...

Oh my dear friend; how I love you. This was an awesome day book entry. We are so much a like it is amazing. Today was lovely here; but two days ago snow; it is so weird. I feel sad when someone I know dies so young. I had an cousin that used to attend everyone's funeral in Richfield until she was put in a rest home. I was amazed at how many attended hers at her age.
Our grandchildren are growing up fast. It has been so fun to be with the last couple of months. It is so funny about friends. I don't have any friends in our ward that I am social with. Sometimes, I miss the calls on the phone but I think everyone is so busy.
I know I need to do some genealogy work and it is a must. I just always seem to be so far behind.
I will try your recipe for sure it looks so yummy.
Sending love and hugs your way; blessings for you dear friend.

Vee said...

Cute analogy...freckles to stars... Have a wonderful time this weekend!

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Hi Barb, wonderful post! Happy Anniversary to you and your sweetheart tomorrow! I think it was such a sweet thing your grandfather did attending so many funerals. My dear aunt and uncle, who passed away last September within 48 hours of each other, always attended funerals of anyone in our small community. I thought at their double funeral that there wasn't many in attendance and it was sad because they had gone to so many until I realized how old they were, 87 and 88, and there weren't many of their friends left. Btw, I think your grandfather was a very goodlooking fella! I wish I lived closer because it would be fun to go shopping with you or have lunch together. I do think most people are so busy that they don't take time for friends like they used to. Your little freckle-face is a cutie and has such pretty eyes!
Have fun on your day trip!

Saimi said...

Man I've been to so many funerals in the last 6 months - including my 98 year old grandmother. It seems every time I turn around someone I know, young and old is returning home. Love the quote, and how true it is, lt right along the lines of actions speak louder than words. Your granddaughter is adorable and your right, those freckles are precious!

Anonymous said...

Hello Sweet Barb! I have been away from blogging due to all the house selling etc but now I am back. It is so nice to see your picture!

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