Tink's Blessing

On Sunday afternoon, we took Tink to a Pet Blessing Ceremony at our church. We thought she'd look so cute with a bow on, but she didn't agree. This was the first one we tried, but the ribbon was so long that she immediately attacked it & undid the bow. After that, she wasn't letting any ribbons come around her neck, so we gave up after a few attempts.

She was really wound up. My dad gave her this climbing post & she's just loving it.

The Bup was playing with her ball & got her to stand on top of the post.

After that, though, she just sat & watched it, probably laughing at him for trying to get her to jump up again & thinking, "Daddy, I'm smarter than that!" Haha.

She doesn't mind the cat carrier & went right in when we threw a ball in. This pic was taken after we walked to the church. She was a little scared at that point because of hearing all the traffic & feeling so much movement from us carrying her & walking.

It was Tink & 5 dogs at the ceremony, so she was pretty content to snuggle in with the Bup & sit it out.

During the ceremony, our pastor came around to each pet & gave them a blessing. Tink hissed at her repeatedly! She did not like a stranger talking to her like that! But she made it through the blessing & settled back down quickly.

The pastor passed out doggie treats & Tink really liked the smell. She was licking it a lot, but couldn't get a bite out of it. We donated it to Tank, one of the dogs at the ceremony. He ate it up in one big bite.

It was fun taking her outside & visiting everyone & their pets. Congrats Tink! You are blessed!

The Gorgeous Sky

Only God can create beauty like this!

Take a deep breath

This week completely overwhelmed me. Little stuff irritated me for no reason. I couldn't focus on multiple things at once. Everything seemed like a huge monster task, ready to attack.

Nothing bad happened, it was a normal week. I'm not even sure what made me feel this way. It wasn't one of my busiest weeks, by far. I just feel like there's so much to do, to remember, to process, that I can't keep up. Like I'm letting stuff slip through the cracks but can't do anything to stop it.

I hit my wall after lunch yesterday when I was so completely exhausted that I didn't think I'd make it through the afternoon. I got home, wrapped myself in our fluffy comforter, & fell asleep. (This is HUGE for me. I love naps & never let myself take them.) I woke up when the Bup came home, about 30 minutes later, & was completely disoriented. I thought I was late for work. Nope, just for dinner! Slow Cooked Sweet Potato Chili, you are my friend.

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.  Psalm 3:5

Apparently I'm not the only one, because I found a post that was perfect for me to read: Let it be Simple. Her "Cures for overwhelm" make me feel comforted. I can do this, too. Each time I do yoga, take time outside, or drink tea, I need to stop & think about all the little comforts that I take for granted.

Right after finishing that much-needed read, I went on to find this from Joy: Pink Raised Doughnuts with Toasted Coconut. Ok, yes, the doughtnuts are beautiful & I'm certain they're delicious. But more than that, her words of wisdom in the first few paragraphs are helpful.  Whenever I'm feeling blah, I need to focus in on what's good & beautiful in my life.

So as I come out of this little slump, I wanted to share it with you, in case anyone else is going through something similar, whether on a small scale, like mine, or on a larger scale.

I'm blessed in so many ways. So are you. Let's remember that.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.      Romans 15:13  

P.S. The pic at the top is from my run this morning. It doesn't do any justice to the beautiful pinks in the sky, but I had to try.

P.P.S. I'm hoping to have a few red & pink recipes up soon, in the spirit of Valentine's Day!

It's Bazaar!

This past weekend our church hosted its annual bazaar. It was very successful & we had a lot of fun spending the day with fellow church members while working in the kitchen.

The food doesn't vary too much from year to year, with the hits being homemade chicken pot pie, pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs & very spicy chili. That doesn't leave much for a vegetarian to eat!

Last year, another church member made a huge pot of vegetarian chili & it sold pretty well. This year, I thought I'd make a vegetarian dish, too. When it comes to veg dishes to please a crowd, Mama Pea's blog is always the first place I turn. Since the bazaar menu has several meat based sandwiches, I decided to do a vegetarian sandwich - the Sloppy Josephine!

While I only sold about 9 sandwiches, I was happy to have this to offer. I had fun making them, the Bup & I had a great lunch, & it was a new food for people to try. Everyone that I convinced to try a bite loved it! One church member even said, "Oh! I didn't expect this to have so much flavor!" I'm glad I could share that vegetarian eating doesn't have to be bland or boring.

Thanks for the recipe, Mama Pea! I've shared the link with several people who requested it.

For a few hours, the Bup worked the order desk. Everytime someone asked for a bbq sandwich, he'd say, "The vegetarian one, correct?" :-)  Most people looked at him like he was nuts, but I love that he asked that. There were a few takers! The lady working with him bought one just to see what he was raving about.

I was stationed in the corner next to the big pots of pot pie. I love the hustle & bustle of the busy kitchen. I'd love to eat it if they'd leave out the chicken...

Dad, over in the spicy chili corner, was cutting up onions. Lots of onions.

They were for Italian sausage sandwiches. The sauce is in the far left crockpot. Next to that is the vegetarian chili, and then the bread-maker for fresh coconut-craisin wheat bread to sell at the bake sale.

I made cake pops! Some were chocolate-chocolate & some were chocolate-peanut butter. Yum! There were only about 8 left by the end of Friday, & they were hoping to sell all the remaining goodies on Saturday morning.

We had a great turnout! There were tons of craft vendors, a silent auction, bake sale, & our annual Granny's Attic rummage sale.

Can't wait till next year. Maybe I'll introduce another vegetarian option!

Mornings are a Gift from God

Lately, I've been enjoying the sunrises.

6:28am

I roll out of my cozy bed & into my shorts & t-shirt (set out the night before!). It's pitch dark outside.

6:34am

It takes me 6 minutes to convince myself I should get going, dress, use the bathroom, put my hoodie, gloves, earphones & blades on, & get out the door.

6:38am

What on earth am I'm doing out when it's this dark. Why do all these people feel the need to drive at this time of morning? Their headlights are blinding & seriously crimp my style. If you can call roller blading style of any sort.

6:46am

The sun starts to peak through, showing off by painting the sky. This is why I'm doing this. It's not just for the exercise & my love of movement. This is my daily time outside.

6:49am

More colors show through, slowly changing from deep reds & purples to brighter oranges & yellows.

6:55am

Morning has broken! I love being out to welcome the day as the sky brightens & changes from black to gray to blue.

7:04am

Almost home.

7:11am

Oops! I took too long, as usual, but it was worth it. Good morning! The day just got pretty. I'm not ready to go inside.

 I'm happy to be alive & able to be outside enjoying the sunrise each day.

Thank you for the mornings, God. For all the bright colors, the crisp air, & the freedom to move throughout your kingdom!