Hiking with River, Spring flowers, Soup and More

 A Little Bit of This and That

Hello friends! How has your week been? Mine has been busy with little bits of this and that thrown in. And that's what I'm sharing today. The little bits of this and that which make life enjoyable and fun each day! The Mr. snapped this photo of some beautiful Spring flowers in the woods on our property. We were hiking on the trail that The Mr. created on our land and River loves to hike on it. We call it the "C &G Trail" named after Cassie and Garden, of course! Does anyone know what these flowers are called? I thought they might be Trilliums but The Mr. doesn't think so. Any guesses? 

River had a longer hike yesterday with The Mr. but today we enjoyed a shorter hike and I joined in. River is doing really well with walking on leash and listening to commands. He's not perfect but, boy, has he come a long way since we adopted him last July! I'm very proud of his accomplishments since then! 

We joke with people that River is also doing well with training us! And he is very consistent with the training of his humans! But, I guess that is the way it goes when a pet is brought into the home. The training goes both ways and the family and the pet can shake down together pretty well together! We certainly enjoy our "fur family" of River, Cassie and Garden. Although, if I'm truthful, some days I do feel like pulling out my hair! Especially when River gets us up at 2:30 a.m. to go outside!

In other news, I'm continuing to make some yummy soups even though our days are getting warmer. This is my version of potato soup which turned out to be quite tasty. 

My version of potato soup started with sauteed celery and carrots with one can of diced potatoes. I added spices and, finally, milk. I use fat free, lactose free milk although I know whole milk would make it creamier. The ingredients I used made a healthier version of potato soup which was quite tasty!

I also made some vegetable soup for The Mr. This soup started with celery and carrots sauteed in chicken broth. I then added a can of mixed vegetables and my usual spices and let the soup simmer for a long time. It was really delicious and hit the spot, even on a warm day!

It's wonderful to have simple days now in which making soup and taking River for a hike in the woods can bring contentment to my day. Courage and Contentment are my words of the year and I am enjoying contentment in so many ways so far in 2024. It's easy to get too busy or to feel pressured into doing things that I prefer not to do anymore such as attending meetings that I don't really need to attend. I was always told that life abhors a vacuum and that is certainly true in retirement. There are always tugs on your time in retirement and it's important for me to remember that contentment, and not busyness, is my goal in retirement. And that has been paramount in my decision making lately. As for courage.....I was so surprised that this word showed up as one of my words for this year. But, I am having courage as I move forward with playing my instruments in public once more. It has been years since I played my violin in public. And since I began flute lessons only five years ago, I haven't played in public as I was just learning a new instrument. But, at this time, I feel that I want to move forward and have courage with playing in church again. So, for several weeks I have been practicing with a lady at my church who plays piano. It's been enjoyable and I am looking forward to playing violin at my church in a couple weeks. This takes courage as I suffer from stage fright when I play in front of people. I have dealt with this fear for many years and have often chosen simply not to play in public. But, I want to use my talents, such as they are, to serve God and so we will see how this playing goes. More on how I am finding courage later. I'm not a professional violinist but I have played for many, many years. And I love flute and enjoy the fact that I have progressed to the point where I am learning flute repertoire. Music is a blessing in my life and I enjoy my instrumental playing as well as directing the handbells at church. 

So, courage and contentment continue to shape my days and my year so far. How about you? How are your days shaped? What is happening in your life that brings you joy in your days? Please share in the comments section. I love hearing from you!

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That 

Easy DIY Springtime Tablescape Vignettes

 Three Different Table Vignettes for Spring

Hello everyone! There's nothing like a Sunday afternoon spent experimenting with different Vignettes for our round kitchen table. I really enjoy creating vignettes out of items I already own and seeing how these items can change up the look of different stylings. The base for each of these vignettes is a colorful felt placemat that I purchased awhile back at Michael's. In this first vignette, I topped a blue stoneware plate with a wooden bunny with blue flowers and ribbon around its neck. Another smaller blue bunny stands guard nearby. This vignette is simple and yet very Spring-like. 

Next up, I replaced the plate and bunnies with some lovely carnival glass pieces that one of my sisters gave me years ago. This sugar/creamer set sits on a carnival glass tray and gives a bit of a vintage vibe to this vignette. Note how both of the vignettes so far carry out the blue theme of the felt. 

Now, in this third vignette, I carry the blue theme through by using a blue Blenko water vase. However, the green silk flowers in the vase pull out the green color of the leaves on the felt base. I really like the green and blue combination of colors which adds layers of interest to this vignette. 

And, finally, in this fourth vignette, I decided to put all of the items together for one interesting styling. I did add an additional small green bunny to balance out the green color of the flowers a bit. Notice the angle of items from left to right with the taller items to the left angling to the shorter items on the right. While I love symmetry, sometimes asymmetrical is the way to go with table vignettes!

Of course, Cassie always likes to lend a paw when I'm creating vignettes. Her opinion always counts when it comes to table stylings. But what is your opinion? Which table vignette do you like best in this post? Have you been creating any Springtime stylings in your own home? I can't wait to hear from you in the comments!

Until Next Time,

Debbie