Until We Meet Again...

Today we are saying a fond but sad farewell to this lovely lady.. my dear mother in law who passed away peacefully last night aged 91.

She was very frail when we went to see her in Spokane a couple of weeks ago. I think she knew that she hadn’t got long on this earth.. but was at peace with it. In fact she was praying for the Lord to take her home... longing to see those who had gone before her. Im so glad we got to see her one last time

It was a blessing to know this lady who I only knew for 11 short years. She was so kind to me and embraced me from day one and constantly told me she loved me. I absolutely adored her and called her extra mum. One of the last things she said to me was that if anything happened to my dear hubby.. I would always..ALWAYS..  be part of her family. I told her if anything happened to me... she would be stuck with her son again !!

So rest gently dear mum.. we are happy that your prayers have been answered at last and you are at peace. We are sad but content in the knowledge you are now where you have wanted to be for so long

Love always..

Until we meet again xx

Prayer Request..

Today I’m humbly asking for prayers for this dear lady….

My mother in law who has been taken to hospital with pneumonia and is very poorly

I would also be grateful if you would pray for my MrD who is taking it in his stride.. and through his great faith accepts that whatever happens will be Gods will.. but who of course loves his mother dearly

Thank you

Phoebe x

All By Himself....

Well...I have to say the back garden looks like a disaster area...

MrD is now working alone... but is doing a great job.

Most of the old grass and weeds have been dug up and moved to one side

The area is quite open and the privacy has gone.

Our new neighbours have taken down all the trees, plants and ivy that provided a great screen

They say they are going to put up a new wooden fence.. but dont know when..

And sadly they have also killed the lovely tree that stood proud... provided shade and was a wonderful place for birds to play

What a shame...

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Whats For Dinner ~ Meal Plan Monday

Even though we are in October.. 

many of our summer flowers are still blooming

With these beautiful pinks and hot temperatures 

it still doesn’t feel like Autumn…. 

This weeks menu still has no warming comforting casseroles.. but they are on the way… soon I hope

Weekly Plan - 7th October  2024

Monday               General Tsos Chicken, Vegetable Stir Fry

Tuesday               Mexicali Hash Brown Taco Casserole      

Wednesday        Ham, Loaded Baked Potato, Barbeque Beans        \

Thursday            Tuscan Tortellini with Sausage and Spinach            

Friday                  Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Saturday             Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Sunday                 Leftovers    

Sunday Thought... And Pumpkins in the Patch

Meanwhile back in England...
 
Little Miss and Little Tufty went pumpkin picking 

with Mummy and Daddy

Little Miss knew what she wanted...

and soon found it...

and happily went off to play

Little Miss on the other hand...was having trouble choosing

Decisions... decisions...

so maybe this one??

But wait...whats this?

How about this one??

Yep... Thats the one....

Now... looking forward to the carving..

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Digging and Growing....

So after going to work at midnight and working ten hours...

MrD and his friend were back working in the back garden

but when the temps hit 104 they called it a day...

Meanwhile.. I checked out the Victory Garden...

I thought it was over...but since the rodent problem was solved...

we have lots of tomatoes growing again... 

both big...

and small.

We have bell peppers...

lots of Jalapenos

and even strawberries!

I must say... I dont think I will ever get used to the California growing season!

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

In the Kitchen... Freezer Prep and Sticky Beef and Rice Bowls

I'm relieved that the dockworkers strike has been suspended and I hope they can come to some sort of agreement. I did buy a few extras on my monthly shop ..but not much. For us keeping a good store cupboard is a year round thing. Two things on the possible shortage list were bananas.. and chocolate... the two things that MrD loves.

So... I bought extra chocolate chips... and at 40¢/lb for bananas (the lowest Ive seen for a while) I bought quite a few. When I got home I baked a batch of MrDs favourite Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies.. and two Chocolate Chip Banana Bread... one for now... one for the freezer. With the remaining bananas, I sliced, and froze some for smoothies... and bagged others for more banana bread at a later date

As its the beginning of the month, we also got our bulk meat supply

which I weighed, separated, cut and individually bagged for the freezer

With some of the chicken I made a Chicken and Vegetable Pie with a Puff Pastry Top

and a Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pie

Both frozen unbaked ready for later baking...

and both recipes will be posted when we have them for dinner

Sticky Beef and Rice

This weeks recipe is one we had for dinner on Monday night. It was so easy to make...and ready to eat in about 20 minutes. I thought I had made enough for leftovers... but MrD enjoyed it so much.. he went back for more (plus he had just worked a hard 12 hour shift and was sooo hungry!) Full of flavour.. with a slight kick from the sweet chili... I will be making it again

1lb Ground Beef

4 Cloves of Garlic, minced

2 tsp Ginger, minced

1 Red Pepper, Diced
1 Onion, Diced
4 Tbsp Honey
4 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce

8 Tbsp Soy Sauce

2 Cups Cooked Rice

• Brown the ground beef, garlic and ginger in a skillet over medium heat
• Break the ground beef into small pieces until no longer pink. 
• Drain any excess fat and set to one side
• Return skillet to stove top and add the sesame oil
• When hot add the red pepper and onion and saute for a couple of minutes until tender
• In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey and sweet chili sauce
• Add the mixture to the skillet 
• Bring to a simmer, stirring until the meat and veg are moistened and glossy. 
• Add the rice and stir to mix
• Sprinkle the green onions on top for garnish
• Serve immediately

Keep Palm and Carry On

MrD managed to get his palms dug in and I rather like them

What do you think?

His vision is starting to come together

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

All Work.... and Some Play...

After work MrD forgot about the back garden for an evening..

He had been given a couple of small palms 

that he wanted to transplant into the front of the house

He began by digging up the old hedge... digging fresh soil into the old hard stuff..

and then planting the tree. 

The base needs a bit more soil...and maybe some mulch...

but its looking good. 

The other will be planted tomorrow

Meanwhile... Little Miss had her weekly swimming lesson...

watched closely by Little Tufty... who will be starting her lessons next year

Afterwards...they took a quick trip to the library

where my little bookworms took their time reading and choosing books to take home

Little Mr.. on the other hand.. prefers to be outdoors... 

a quick trip to the playground after school is always fun

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x