table talk

...cloth napkins with individual rings to identify and (hopefully) reuse from one meal to the next...

Since my father came to live with us, we are eating more meals at home than we did over the past few years.  I am REALLY enjoying planning, shopping, and serving a variety of economical and healthy meals.  I'm thankful for the circumstances that resulted in our at-home mealtimes.

Gary and I don't eat breakfast, so my father fixes his own.  Gary makes our coffee and we gather around the breakfast table to share a devotional time - Bible reading and prayer.  We are generally able to eat our lunches together as well as the evening meal.  After cleaning up in the evening, we linger at the table to play table games.  More than usual, we are also inviting friends to join us around our table.  These times, too,are so pleasurable and rewarding.

After reading some Wendell Berry essays, I realize that community is happening around our table in fresh ways for us in this season of life.  It set me to wondering if there are any ways I can make our table experiences even more delightful.  So, I googled it and found these two paragraphs that encouraged me to keep up my quest. The article also suggested a few ways to perk up an ordinary meal.

All our senses are involved when we eat. When a plate of food is appealing to the eye, has a wonderful aroma, and a variety of flavors and textures, we take note. And we usually rate those meals as not only more pleasant but more satisfying, too. 

If your eating has become routine—and your meals look the same, day after day—that could spell trouble. In an attempt to get more satisfied, you may find yourself eating more but enjoying it less.

Before we find ourselves eating more but enjoying it less,  I'm adding a couple simple, small touches - beyond the foot itself - to our table.  I'll let you know what those "touches" are, if the men I share the table with notice, and how our table experience is affected (if at all).

***

 Meanwhile, what are some of the ways YOU make YOUR ordinary table experience a special one?

a smple grill

Purchased several years ago for $15 at a garage sale,

this simple grill is getting a workout this spring.  

We're using it more than ever now that my father has come to live with us,

and we're eating more meals at home!

Last night (in spite of cooler temperatures), Gary grilled leg quarters -- 3 large ones.

Enough meat left over for at least another meal for three!

I tried something new to me.

Employing a small, old cast-iron skillet, I sliced some golden Yukons

and added onion and garlic salt.  

I poured a bit of melted butter over them 

(probably should have used olive oil), 

covered it with foil, and put it on the grill.

We will definitely do this again! 

And next time, I'll slice one more potato!

So simple.  So delicious.

thrifty life styles

 Thrifty Style for me has expanded to include 

what could be characterized as a Life Style.

This blog started out celebrating my clothing finds in local thrift stores.

 As seasons of life move from one to another,

I celebrate OTHER areas of simplicity and frugality.

 My father has come to live with us and as winter passed into springtime,

we celebrate simple and frugal healthy habits.

Walking in public parks and spaces that require no admittance fees

has proven to be a favored recreation in the evenings following

easy and healthy suppers.

And so we stroll...

sharing the sights and scents of nature with those we love...

purse-un-oly

More de-cluttering in process.  These eight.

Plus one more.

Sigh.

Can't think of the last time (or the FIRST time) I used ANY of these!

Purse-un-oly, I can't think of a reason to keep them...

pre-christmas activity

While the rest of you shop, cook, bake, decorate and wrap, 

you might be interested to know what I'm doing! 
~ Click HERE to find out ~

door dressing

 Our lives have become simpler in many ways since my father moved in with us.

I've come to enjoy cooking again 

(as opposed to running over to the local cafe frequently).

My crockpot is currently working for me,

wafting scents of a combination of pork, potatoes and green beans

covered with cream of chicken soup and a bit of dried Ranch Dressing mix.

I'll add some applesauce to our menu, frozen earlier this autumn.

Meanwhile, outdoors...

my husband is putting finishing touches on our front door.
New paint and a brass kick plate.

"Novembers have never been more beautiful," I think to myself.

simple and free

 It doesn't get much thriftier than free

(or purpler than above)!

 After church this morning, my husband and I

parked the car and set out for a leisurely walk

through an unfamiliar (to us) neighborhood.

 I used my cell phone now and then to capture sights

that interested me.

 I wish I'd taken more photos now.

There were so many unique features and lovely landscapes.

 This last one seemed especially significant and reassuring

as we returned home to the news of the horrific happening in Orlando.

Thankful that the best things in life are simple and require no money--

including prayer.

my hospital 'do

This is a simple post about a simple axiom:

Appear as you are. Be as you appear.
(Posted by annie s. on Twitter)

It truly makes life simpler.

I'm currently in the hospital rehabbing after slipping and falling on ice last Saturday.

I got new hip parts in an early Sunday morning surgery.

I was already overdue for a haircut when it happened.

Now the trick is to do SOMEthing with my "bed head"...

This seems to be the simplest.  

Maybe I'll get used to it.

Entertainment Thrift

 The past few days have found us

 enjoying "entertainment thrift"

in the form of evening walks

 at destinations tame and wild.

 These are from Thursday's

 "wild" prairie grasslands...

the first ones of the post from Friday

at the cultivated gardens of our County Extension Services.

What do YOU do for Thrifty Entertainment?

a simple habit

My weekend delight is the simplicity of clean counters.

For some, that may not be a "biggie", 

but it has  been a challenge for me the majority of my life.

For the past 19 days, I've been faithful at cleaning off counters

and keeping up with the dishes.

What a difference it makes in my mind and emotions!

I believe I have 2 more days before this becomes

an official habit.

Guess it's about time.

Is there a simple habit that YOU'D like to establish

yet in your lifetime????

No-Cost Entertainment

 The nearby County Extension Garden,

 maintained by Master Gardeners,

 was our destination this first day of autumn.

 Free, beautiful, and exceptionally lush today...

we acquainted ourselves with new plants,

revisited the familiar,

 and marveled at the textures, colors, and groupings.

 So many no-cost and low-cost entertainment possibilities exist.

 

*********

Sometimes all it takes is a little initiative to discover them.

in my dream

In a quiet dream last night, I was walking snowy sidewalks toward a house we lived in thirty years ago.

I saw ONE first.  Then the other.  White, high-heeled shoes.  Not leather, but fleece-- COVERED in pure white fleece.  To my amazement, they were my size, 7 1/2 B!

I looked both directions and saw no person or footprints.  I picked them up and carried them with me into the house.

I woke this morning disappointed that the shoes had disappeared with the night.  The snow, however, is very much WITH us.

Interpretation anyone?

In other news from the cold front, yesterday morning I listed the small sectional bookshelves and the black toy/storage chest on our local Craig's List.  By afternoon, the shelves were gone, and I had 3 inquiries re. the chest. Someone is coming to see it this afternoon, and if she doesn't take it, I have two others in the wings!

The de-cluttering continues.  (Of course, now I have decisions to make about the contents of the storage chest and bookshelves...)

simplicity

A lot goes into simplicity.

Choosing to say "No" to things, isn't easy.
What you keep out is as important as what you put in.

re. minimalism

This morning, I'm in our living room.  You can see that it's not quite light outside...but I'm dressed and ready for ANYTHING!

All clothing and accessories are thrifted.  (Nothing new though.) The rocking chair belonged to my grandparents.  It is both comfortable and comforting.

Whether a trend or here-to-stay, minimalism is "hot" right now.  On the one hand, simpler and smaller and slower are attractive concepts to me.  In reality, they are very DIFFICULT for me to achieve.  I was somewhat relieved to read the following quote from a decorator while browsing through magazines earlier this week:

$1 at a garage sale yesterday.

"I tried living a pared-down life for a while.  I fell prey to the idea that it was morally superior.  But I got back on track when I bought this house and started filling it up with the things I love" (Peter Frank).

Alas!  I believe I belong to the Peter Frank School of Decorating!

simple strokes for simple folks

Multiple strands of pearls fill in the neckline of this simple white top.  A typical, conservative outfit for me today.  On the schedule after a few hours of study and writing?  Reading for pleasure (a Mavis Cheek book I'm determined to finish in spite of the awkward and unfamiliar style), a lunch of fruit and egg salad roll-ups, an appointment with a tree specialist to get estimates on on the downing and removal of a couple of trees, a visit to a new farmers' market just a block away from us, and a trek into the city to relax at Borders. 



"Quietness is not only the opposite of noise.  It is the absence of excitement, haste, and consequent confusion.  These dissipate strength, while calmness and deliberateness conserve it...."  from Streams in the Desert, Volume 2, July 9.

This statement soothes me and calls to me.  I guess that may explain the reason I dress so plainly....

(I DID polish my nails--bright red!)

Queen of the Jungle

This is the leopard print scarf I found at a Bryan OH thrift store.  I paid $.75 for it.  

For my amazing "find" at the grocery store yesterday (NOT fashion related), click here!