Happy Thursday! Or Random Post Because I am All Drugged up on Allergy Meds

Good morning! I am trying to sound perky when I am really not.  I have seasonal allergies which seem to span almost all four seasons now and I take Claritin everyday.  For the most part it works except for when it doesn't.  That would be yesterday.

Our pollen count is off the charts, the wind has blowing gale force and, of course, I had to venture outside.  And breathe.  So, yesterday morning I got up having a horrible allergy attack.  I took the Claritin and bingo! Nothing happened! I just got worse.  Finally at about 7 p.m. I took some Benadryl and was down for the count.  I slept nine hours.  I feel better but not great.  I am out of benadryl and don't really want to stay drugged all day so I took the Claritin as usual this morning.  Hopefully I can hold it together until I get some more Benadryl and it is time for bed.

In other news -- I have a new project for Hubs.  Hubs loves projects.  Hubs needs projects.  If he doesn't have projects he shops -- worse than a girl.  So, this morning I got up with this brilliant idea about battery operated lamps.

We have a circular entryway.  It is two story and sports a very large, very lovely chandelier.We rarely use it because it just isn't the sort of lighting to warm up a spot.  We have a small chest in there along with two curio cabinets, unlit.  I need a lamp.  So, what is the problem you might ask?  Well, the brilliant builder decided that there only needed to be one base plug in there and not in the right place.  Yes, Hubs could drop a line but that would require cutting sheetrock and I hate cutting holes in walls.  I also hate hanging pictures and such because I just don't like holes in walls.  So, anyway, that made me think about battery operated lamps.

I looked online and there are a few, some quite acceptable, options.  However, I then ran across a tutorial about converting a regular lamp to a wireless lamp using batteries and led light strips.  My husband loves led light strips and has just installed some behind out television.  So......you can see where I am going with this.

He isn't awake right now but when he gets up I am going to let him know what his next project is.  I am sure he will love me for it.

An update on our new eating plan --

It is working well for me.  I haven't lost a lot of weight but something is changing because all my clothes are loose -- don't understand that -- but I will take it.  It is much easier cooking a large noontime meal than an evening meal.  I don't know that Hubs is really doing as well with it but I feel better so I will keep it up. It has certainly helped with between meal eating.  I haven't had a cookie in a month and haven't had to fight the craving -- there hasn't been a craving.  I think that is more mind over matter but whatever it is, it is a good thing.  My acid reflux is non-existent.  That is a relief for sure.

My energy level has increased by leaps and bounds and I am not sure why changing our eating schedule would have anything to do with that but it seems to.  I am getting things done in the morning (I am a morning person anyway) and I am keeping up with things.  I seem to have a new discipline that I never had before.  It is amazing.  I know that sounds silly but it is amazing to me. I guess you really are never too old to learn new things.  Hmmmm.

So, now I need another cuppa.  I have a sore throat and my nose is still runny and it just really aggravates me so I am sure another tea will help.

Have a nice day and I will let you know how the lamp project goes. 

Teaser Tuesday

Ok, my "teaser" is still coming from my current read "This Side of Paradise" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, page 85.

"Then tragedy's emerald eyes glared suddenly at Amory over the edge of June. On the night after his ride to Lawrenceville a crowd sallied to New York in quest of adventure, and started back to Princeton about twelve o'clock in two machines."

So,  what do you think happened?  How was  Amory involved/affected? 

This book is not a long book, 282 pages actually.  It is taking me forever because there is so much description, so many words, you have to read slowly to not miss anything that might be meaningful.  There is no such thing as skimming this book, for sure.  The prose is beautiful, the descriptions grand but it is just taking a lot longer to read than I thought it would.  I am not quite halfway done.  I need to get busy because I really do want to know what comes of Amory.

Unconscious Mutterings

Unconscious Mutterings is a free association meme hosted by LunaNina at subliminal.lunanina.com.  Check it out if you would like to participate.

 

 

 

 

Week 739

14 hours, 35 minutes ago

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Sticky :: wicket
2. Purpose :: Driven
3. Foul :: icky
4. Unbelievable ::amazing
5. Currently :: right now
6. Resume ::  job
7. Media ::  social
8. Quick ::  bread
9. Quit ::  job
10. Joyless :  sad

Churches -- Historial and Otherwise

I love churches.  Having been a church goer all my life I have spent a good deal of time in churches.  I have been in historic churches, modern churches, pretty churches, not so pretty churches -- but they are all still churches with their own unique personality.

On our way home in the afternoon we pass a little church in Watagua.  We turn before we get to it so we have never really taken a good look at it before.  The other day we decided to take the time to stop -- there was a historical marker which is always interesting.

This little church was originally the Watauga Presbyterian Church but is now the home to a hispanic Christian community.  Isn't it just a lovely little building?  Can't you see this being the center of activity of a small community many generations ago?  I can.

Then there is this church.  Bethel Baptist Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania -- the church home of my great-grandparents James and Dinah Davies.

This is how the church looked when my grandparents attended there

A bit later

much more current

Sadly, this church ceased being a church back in November (2016) when they decided that the population had dwindled to the point that the church couldn't be supported. At that time there were 10 members.  I think it would make a very lovely house.  Of course, I never saw it in person but I think it is a perfectly lovely little neighborhood church.

This is St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Elk, TX.  It is the church that my husband's family attended as they lived close by.  Clearly this is not the original church but it is the one I am familiar with.  There is also a cemetery on the property behind the church.

This is my current church here in Fort Worth.  It is absolutely beautiful and when you walk in there is no mistaking that you are in church.

 It is truly one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been in.

The church I was married in -- Concordia Lutheran Church, San Antonio --

yes, that is me and Hubs taking our vows -- did I really promise to obey?  Hahaha!

The church I grew up in as a child, Asbury Methodist Church --

And the last church I attended before we left San Antonio -- Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church --

And the first church I attended in Fort Worth -- Christ Lutheran Church --

Lots of churches, all lovely in their own way, all full of history.  Hoping to find some more churches to photograph and learn the history of.  Sounds like a road trip!

Teaser Tuesday

If you would like to participate in Teaser Tuesday get yourself over to Purple Booker to read the rules and join in.

The idea is to share two random sentences from your current read.  Don't include spoilers! Don't give away too much information!

My current read is This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  My sentences come from page 20:

"After reproving him for avoiding her, she took him for a long tete-a-tete in the moonlight. He could not reconcile himself to her beauty, that was mother to his own, the exquisite neck and shoulders, the grace of a fortunate woman of thirty."

I seem to be in the mood to read older fiction right now by the likes of  Fitzgerald and Hemingway -- does anybody else still read these authors?

Update on the New Plan aka Teaching Old Dog New Tricks

Well, it has been a few days since we started our new life plan here at Maison Brinkley. I have to say it is going well.  I am a morning person (i.e. if it isn't done before noon, it isn't going to happen) so this new scheme  just plays into my sensibilities.

I have discovered that cooking a main meal to be eaten about 11:30 a.m. isn't a problem at all in the morning.  In the evening it is damn near impossible because of our schedule.  So, since Saturday we have been eating "dinner" (a large, noon meal) and I am proud to say that the meal was eaten and my kitchen was spotless before my soap opera came on.  That makes me feel good and accomplished.

I had hoped that this change would make changes in our health.  The results?  I am losing weight -- slowing but I am losing it.  My husband's blood sugar was very low yesterday -- not too low, it never gets too low -- but low enough to see the difference.  Mission Accomplished.

So, for today's meal I am doing something different.  I am not a fan of crock pots even though I have two.  One I never use and the other I use when I have no choice since we are gone from the house everyday.  No, I am not afraid to go away and leave it on "low".  Anyway, I didn't want to use the crock pot this morning so I decided to research slow cooking in the oven.  Seems it can be done since millions of homemakers before me did exactly that before there was such a thing as crock pots. My grandmother had an stove that had four burners and a "well" that could be used for things such as stew and chicken and dumplings.  It cooked slowly and yes, those were the best chicken and dumplings I ever tasted.  Think Aga. Slow cooking in a regular oven can be done -- or so I have read.

So, I dug down deep in the cabinet and I found this --

This isn't mine, mine is a lovely dusty aqua hue.  But, it is the same thing.  The idea is to put your food in it, put ice in the depression of the lid which will allow condensation from the inside to drip off little bumps in the lid into your food to keep it moist and succulent.  I have used mine once but I decided that I would give it a go today.

So, I browned some seasoned, floured stew meat, added some mushrooms and  a cup of water, put the lid on, added the ice and placed it in a pre-heated 300 degree oven.  This was at 7:20 a.m.  Hopefully it will be done by 11:30.  I will let you know how it turns out --if it turns out.

I may be a morning person but I have never been a breakfast person so this new eating plan is a bit challenging in that regard.  In order for a person to eat the majority of his/her calories by mid-day, breakfast  has to happen.  So, I decided to go the whole 90 yards and actually eat at the table, a proper meal and see how it goes.

This was breakfast --

an English muffin with a bit of butter (just a bit) and a bit of cherry jelly, six prunes and a half a container of yogurt -- only half though because the first ingredient is sugar.  A cup of green ginger tea and my meds with a glass of water.  Hopefully that is going to get me through until lunch.  I actually sat at the table and did my Bible study at the same time.  I am trying to get on a regular routine of Bible study and this seemed like a perfect time to do that.

So, my day is started, my laundry is caught up, lunch is in the oven (did you know you can cook rice in the oven as well?) and the house is reasonably picked up.  So, what to do?

Oh yes, I am having a telephone coffee break with my cousin Elaine at 9 a.m.! That should be fun!  Doing a bit of genealogy together.  Isn't technology wonderful?  A telephone.  Not facetime or skype, not email --- just a regular old telephone call.

Telephone calls, slow cooking in an oven -- just call me progressive.

Grands, Grands Everywhere

Last night was a unique experience for me -- a first, actually.  I have four grandchildren -- Caroline, Kathryn, Nathan and Emily.  Well, last night Hubs and I had K, N, and E at our house while Mom and Dad went out for a birthday celebration and C/W dancing. 

It was an experience for me because I have never had three children to care for at one time before.  It was also an experience because of the age difference of the children.  N is 10, K is 8 and E is 2.  I have to say though that E held her own and kept up the pace.  Whatever the bigs were doing, she was going to do as well.

Then it was bedtime.  I had them all settled in my guest room.  Then the hiccup.  The bigs sleep with the light on, the little doesn't like the light on.  What is a Nona to do?  Well, E finally got fed up with it, let us know, she was removed from the dimly lit room, fell asleep on me and ended up in my dark bedroom in the middle of the king-size bed all by herself.  She knows how to score the good sleeping place for sure.

Mom and Dad arrived about 12:45 to take them home.  It was a good evening.  I think we all had fun.

Old Fashioned Ways and Intuitive Eating

It is no surprise to anybody who has read this blog for a while that I have a love/hate relationship with food.  About two weeks ago I realized that I was having a lot of acid reflux issues.  So, what does any self-respecting individual do in that situation?  I googled "acid reflux".  I was handed several pages of things to do to eliminate the issue -- reduce fat intake, reduce portions, reduce acid consumption....operative word -- reduce.  So, I decided to re-think "intuitive eating".

I have never really "gotten" intuitive eating.  Oh, I understand the principals but to actually feel the feeling -- well, it is hard to do when you are sitting with a bag of Chips Ahoy on your lap.  So, after a particularly unpleasant evening of "refluxing" I decided to figure out what that "feeling" was and start listening to it.

The next morning I did just what all the articles said -- I reduced -- everything.  Long about mid-morning I recognized the feeling that I was supposed to identify as hunger.  I ate a small snack, just to eliminate the pangs.  Then lunch came along and while I was hungry I was satisfied enough to make good meal choices.  Mid-afternoon, again with the hunger pangs.  Repeat morning routine.  Dinner rolls around and I do the same with reduced portions.  I go to bed -- not really hungry (I could have eaten a cookie or a dozen) but I didn't, just hit the sack and I slept the soundest I have slept in a long time.

I have continued the process for a couple of weeks, I have lost three pounds, I have apparently successfully shrunk my stomach because I am not hungry enough between meals to require a snack.

I would say I have successfully mastered "intuitive eating".

That brings us to the "old fashioned" part of this blog title.

Back in the "old days" the main meal was eaten at lunch.  Farmers would go to the fields at dawn and their wives would go to the kitchen to prepare a hearty mid-day meal.  The farmers would come in and refuel for the afternoon's work and the wives would save the leftovers for "supper" and continue on with their chores for the day.

In a more modern world, my cousin Dessie used to run her house like this for her husband Pete and their two children, right smack in the middle of San Antonio -- no farmers here and not in the 19th century!

So, I have been thinking about the concept of a bigger noonday meal.  We have late afternoon obligations on a daily basis.  This generally sends us straight to the restaurants.  We both have weight issues and my husband is diabetic -- and he now has a spare tire that looks a bit out of place on his lanky frame.  So, I have decided to further adjust the eating issue in this house.

I read an article that eating a main mid-day meal is healthier overall and for diabetics, it helps with the blood sugar.  So, Hubs is used to eating a light lunch and a full dinner and I am just going to reverse it.

I feel the benefits will outweigh the negatives.  I won't waste so much food because I still grocery shop like I am feeding a teenage boy! I thaw meat, don't get around to cooking it, toss it -- it is a travesty.  Also, I can control all that salt and fat and heaven knows what else that is in the food.  And.....I can get the kitchen cleaned up early and not wait until I am completely bushed.  We will then have our "light" lunch for dinner and then go to bed empty.  My husband tends to snack a lot, beginning as he leaves he dinner table so if he feels his blood sugar will drop too much he can have a snack before bed.  For me, I think I prefer going to bed empty --and waking up empty!


I am anxious to go back in time to explore this old fashioned way of life.  I am hoping that we will both reap health benefits from it and that my pocketbook likes the change as well!

Does anybody here eat their main meal at mid-day?  Thoughts?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

What can I say -- love Snoopy and am 21% Irish as per Ancestry DNA.  We always knew that but it has been duly confirmed.

Have a wonderful day and don't get pinched!

It Takes a While aka Farmhouse Lust

Yes, it takes a while to grow into yourself.  When you are young you think you know what you want and you probably do at the time but you are a work in progress-- not done, not finished perking so to speak.  For any readers too young to remember anything but K cups, we used to "perk" coffee in a percolator.  Sometimes on the stove.  Sometimes an electric device. The coffee was ready when it finished "perking".  I don't think many people "perk" anymore.  I digress.

So, anyway, thinking about yesterday's post I took a little walk down memory lane visiting my former abodes.

 When we were first married we lived in an apartment --

Our apartment was just across the courtyard from this one with the dutch looking one in the middle.  I have some photos but I am just too lazy to go find them so I got this off an apartment rental website but you get the idea.  It was a cute apartment, really sort of fancy at the time -- it had a sunken living room with steps up to the dining room/kitchen and bedroom.  Those steps proved to be quite dangerous if you were racing through with socks on.  Experience?  Oh yes.

Then, after a year of my husband trying to create a workshop in a closet we decided we needed a house with a garage.  So, we looked in a little local newspaper called the Northside Recorder and found this one -- easily assumable with hardly anything down and the monthly payments were less than the apartment so we moved.

This house went through many changes.  We moved the front door, we closed in the front porch, we put french doors on the garage, we added a very large family room, we remodeled the kitchen several times and created a large laundry room.  The current owners have made more changes and not for the better.  I liked it better when it was mine and a different color.  This is the house we lived in when my children were born and lived a good portion of their childhoods.

Then we got transferred.

We lived here--

This is a photo off realtor.com.  This is where my children lived their teenage years.  It was a nice house but the neighborhood was aging so we decided to move on before we became too aged.

Here is where we are now--

poor, lonely little unadorned gate.  I was going to go yesterday to find something to embellish it but that never happened.

So, what is all the point of this you ask?  Other than me looking at my own evolution?

Well, there is no point except to show you that if I were going to make one more move, money were no object and I could actually build it myself this is where I would be...

and this what the bedrooms would look like ...

but since that probably isn't going to happen I am turning my thoughts toward this...

That isn't asking too much, now is it?

The Older I Get....

the more honest I am, with myself and everybody else.  Since my birthday I have had several things pop into my head about myself.  Observations.  Being honest and true to myself.  Having opportunity to be honest with other people, hopefully not in a hurtful way.

Here are a few of my thoughts--

I don't like hot food.

I don't like cooking big meals.

I don't like feeling used and I am particularly sensitive about people thinking I am too stupid to know when I am being used.

I will never be a minimalist.

I wish I had an old house with a big front porch, a country kitchen and lots of bedrooms with white iron beds lined up.  I would use white linens and quilts and white flowy curtains at the windows.

I don't like trying to finish books that I don't like.  New rule, if you don't like them just quit reading.

I am a failure at intuitive eating.

I am addicted to cookies.

I hate allergies because all I want to do is go outside.

I don't like my sofa but I feel guilty for not liking my sofa -- some people don't have a sofa and I am lousy for being a sofa snob.

I am slowing down and I actually like it.  I feel like I have been on some sort of a race all my life and now I am not.  Whew -- a sigh of relief.


I don't like to cook, sew, or clean.  I  have given up hobbies because of the mess they make.  The truth is, I didn't like them to begin with but felt like I "should" like them.


I secretly want my husband to cut my hair with his new clippers.  It would be bad but I feel like it would be fun.

I wish I had a screen door so the kids could slam it and I could tell them to stop.

I wish I lived somewhere that there wasn't an HOA.

I am falling out of love with technology except for Rosy, my new iphone.  I still love her.

I want to travel around Texas, maybe on the train.

I wish I could draw.

I wish I hadn't sold my piano and I wish I had practiced more.

I wish I could go to San Antonio for a couple of weeks and just "be" there again for a while.

I miss the 50's and the 60's.  If I could go back just for a day, oh the things I would change!

I have a tendency to live in the past.

I am a deeper thinker than most people think I am.

Ok, now I need lunch.

Have a great Saturday!