Outside My Window

Hello everyone! Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

We haven't seen much of the sun around here lately. Yesterday was so hazy!

No sun to greet the day but this sweet little guy came along with his beautiful bird song to chirp hello.

We have highs of 70 and lows around 50 right now. Since we are used to temperatures in the triple digits, 50 can feel really cold in this desert country. I know many of you are longing for warmer weather so I am sending hugs your way for a bright and beautiful day! Friendship blessings, Tammy

Cat Tales

Jingles and I are still enjoying the little book given to us by Shereen called Home Is Where the Cat Is.

Wishing you all a wonderful day. Friendship blessings, Tammy

My Favorite C's

Coffee

Crochet

Cookies

Crafting

Cozy Cat

Knowledge of what you love somehow comes to you; you don't have to read nor analyze nor study. If you love a thing enough, knowledge of it seeps into you, with particulars more real than any chart can furnish. (Jessamyn West) -- taken from the January 28th journal entry in Simple Abundance.

Sending sweet wishes your way for a day filled with simple blessings! Happy Saturday! Tammy
P.S. The first 6 visitors have said that chocolate would complete the list. I should have mentioned that the cookies are oatmeal with CHOCOLATE CHIPS! :)

Good News, Good Day

A 9 am baseball game and this week Zack's team had a big win with a final score of 18-8. As scorekeeper, I always come home with dust and sand from head to toe so a shower was a must. And although we usually go out for lunch on Friday, today seemed like a very good day to stay home.

A bit of crochet on the agenda. Our local craft store is having a sale so I bought pretty pastel colors. (I always roll my yarn into balls before starting a project.)

This granny stripe afghan will be for one of the teachers at school who is due to have her first baby in a few weeks.

Our friend in Spain sent a picture of his first born son and the baby afghan I made for them. Aren't they cute!!

I woke today with a headache and now have a scritchy-scratchy throat. Hot tea ...

and me and the couch are gonna be cozy the rest of the day.

Happy weekend wishes to one and all. Friendship blessings, Tammy

South Indian Cuisine

Last nite we met Shereen and her hubby for South Indian food.

Sam and I both had Thali (rice and bread served with a mix of curries, yogurt and dessert).

Shereen had Rava Masala Dosa (semolina pancakes with a potato filling served with coconut and tomato chutneys).

Thomas ordered Vegetarian Ooothapam (vege pancake which he called an Indian pizza).

And Chana Bhatura (chickpeas with bread).

Sam ate his South Indian Thali the traditional way.

Dessert was Gulab Gamun

along with Spiced Indian Chai.

Good friends and good food always makes for a good combination ... even if I did gain a couple of pounds in the process.

Thankful that the weekend starts today. Sending all good wishes your way. Friendship blessings, Tammy

Chowder on a Cloudy Day

Yesterday started out beautifully but as the day progressed, clouds rolled in and we had a few little scattered showers; temperatures got a bit cooler.

The perfect time for something to warm the body. Corn chowder is a favorite around here.

If you eat bacon, then you can cut it into pieces, fry it up and use the grease for sauteing 2 chopped onions. Otherwise, just use a bit of olive oil for sauteing. (Optional: add 2 chopped tomatoes) After a few minutes,add two cans of creamed corn, 2 cans of skim milk, salt and pepper to taste. (Lots of black pepper makes it really tasty.)

So easy and so good. If you use the bacon, you can crumble it on top when serving. A slice of thick, crusty bread is always delicious with soup.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Wednesday. Friendship blessings, Tammy

Look up!

“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them and try to follow them.”
Louisa May Alcott

Have a terrific Tuesday! Friendship blessings, Tammy

Fun Mail

Yesterday I received a box from my Aunt Elaine. She mailed it on the 3rd and I received it on the 23rd. Only 20 days! That must be a record. It's common for mail to take at least 5-7 weeks to make its way here.

The box was filled with a little bit of everything from yarn to cross-stitch patterns and supplies, Valentine cards and papers ...

to lots of pretty notecards, stickers and napkins.

This summer she sent me home with so many pretty napkins.

I used one with a butterfly design to decorate this tin can.

Tonite I think I'll start on one of the cross-stitch patterns she sent along. THANKS AUNT ELAINE FOR ALL THE GOODIES!

Hope your day is filled with sweet surprises and a bit of creativity too. Best wishes and blessings, Tammy

Gratitude with eyes wide open

To my left, the sun...

to my right, the moon.

The entry for January 13th in Simple Abundance is entitled "Gratitude: Awakening the Heart" and the first quotation is "The eyes of my eyes are opened." (E.E. Cummings). Before blogging and the resulting (excessive) picture taking, I would not have noticed the sun or the moon.

I now find something in the every day that is noteworthy.

"It doesn't matter how awareness arrives. What matters is that it comes. My heart began to overflow with gratefulness. I started giving thanks for everything: .... Each day began to offer me authentic moments of pleasure and contentment. But hadn't they before? The difference was that I was now noticing and appreciating each day's gifts. The power of gratefulness caught me by surprise." (Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance)

Hubby came home with these tonight. Just because.

Sending warm wishes your way for a most wonderful day! Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Friendship blessings, Tammy

He Came Bearing Gifts

My husband loves to travel and he loves to shop. So on a recent business trip, he was able to do both. He made his first trip to Vietnam and came home with gifts galore.

Magnet sets

Wooden figurines

A painting on material and more figurines

Loose tea and a pretty dish with lid

Bamboo placemats

All of this and more. He also bought a new camera just for the trip. I need to find the accessories so I can upload the pictures.

Have been cleaning most of the day. Sometimes you just gotta do it! Hope you are having a wonderful day wherever you are in the world. Friendship blessings, Tammy

A Very Full Day

I hope everyone is having a great day. We were up early this morning.

A bit of breakfast.

And then off to the ballfield for Opening Ceremonies. Zack's team this year is the Red Sox. He's number 8.

Back home for lunch. Another quick, easy, healthy meal. Lentil Spinach Pasta, salad and garlic bread.

Saute 1 chopped onion and 3 cloves of garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add one can of chopped tomatoes and one can of Progresso Lentil Soup and bring to a boil. Separately cook a 10 oz bag of spinach and whole wheat pasta (drain both when done). Mix the spinach in to the tomato and lentil sauce and warm through. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes plus salt and pepper to taste. Stir in pasta. Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Zack's team had their first game of the season at 3:00 pm and unfortunately lost 5-2. My husband drove to the afternoon game, so while in the car, I managed to start a trellis scarf. Such an easy pattern since it only requires chains.

We met friends this evening at the Movenpick for coffee. It's not far from us so we were able to walk there.

I wish I had taken a picture of the apple streudel I had while there. It was delicious, served with a light cream sauce and vanilla ice cream with strawberry drizzle. Yummo! That was my dinner and a sweet way to end a busy day!
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. Friendship blessings, Tammy