A Collection: In the Kitchen, Spring Gardens, New Bedroom Suite, and Good Books

I haven't been able to write here very often in recent months, but sometimes we just need to focus on other things. Big things, like a room remodel that kind of takes over your whole house, and your life for a period of time. Or it could be anything, really, that we need to give extra focus to; things that are necessary, and wonderful, and very worth the extra focus. (Read here for a recent focus of ours.) Or, things that are unexpected and difficult also may need most or all of our focus for awhile.

And after the added focus, it's good to pause, and return to some of the ordinary things of life that we needed to maybe put aside for awhile. And this is what brings me to write another a post that I like to call "A Collection". A collection of little pleasures, gifts from God, tangible things that bring joy! 

I do love to take the time to bake with sourdough. (Read here for how I got started last fall.) Baking with sourdough is a way of slowing down, as the process stretches out over a day or two or three. And it also allows for creativity, in the process of baking something that is nutritious and delicious. Pictured above is my favorite sourdough bread recipe, "Classic Sourdough Bread" from @everything.sourdough on Instagram.

I also love making granola (using sourdough discard) for the two of us. This "Chunky Sourdough Granola" recipe is our favorite! Doubling the recipe makes enough for a few weeks, and is a great way to use sourdough discard, as well. We love this granola, and will be making it continually. It's a good way to save on the grocery budget, as well, to make granola at home.

I have had an Instant Pot for a number of years, but sadly, have not used it all that often. But after doing a lot of re-organization of closets recently in our home with our recent room remodel, I have a new interest in using the Instant Pot more often. It's amazing how just re-organizing things so you can access an Instant Pot easier makes it more fun to use it! The "Instant Pot Chicken Breasts & Gravy" above was absolutely delicious, one which I'll be making again, for sure. 

May is probably one of my favorite months. Time for planting of our veggie garden, flower pots for the patio, and also my herb garden. The herb garden is in a perfect location, outside the patio doors which are right by the kitchen. I added a new basil plant (my favorite), a parsley plant, and some thyme to the collection of perennial herbs already growing. It will be easy to step right out the door to snip off some fresh herbs while cooking this summer.

This beautiful weigela bush outdid itself with pink flowers during this past month. We gave it some extra care a few weeks ago when we pruned back some of the straggly branches. 

We are so very grateful for our brand new Master Bedroom Suite ... you can read about it here. We're still in the process of finishing up the decorating of the room, but already, it is perfect for our needs. It's a gift for us in our current season of life; we are so grateful.

On the opposite end of the spacious Master Bedroom Suite is a cozy sitting area. This has become my favorite place for quiet devo times, reading and listening, connecting deeply with Jesus. This setting, with the morning sun coming through the east-facing windows, is where my soul is fed each morning. I am so grateful ...

Good books are also life-giving, and soul-feeding. I usually have two books on my reading pile at a time, one of them always a fiction book. Either historical fiction or Biblical fiction. I learn so much from the setting of a historical fiction book and/or a Biblical fiction book, bringing the time period alive to me as I read. Up from Dust was my first book by the author above, and I will be watching for more of her books. 

Another great author of Biblical fiction, Connilyn Cossette, recommends this book with her words on the back cover: "Taking us on an intriguing journey through heartbreak and healing, Heather Kaufman leads her readers directly to the joy of the empty tomb." 

It was a beautiful account of Martha, and I love how the author told her story. Though much of it was fictional, it captured the setting, the realities of that time period, and was a beautiful picture of Martha's heart as she was drawn close to Jesus. 

Thanks for reading my collection of little things that have given me joy through the month of May. Little moments of joy are all around us!  May was also filled with bigger things which give joy ... multiple times with family, including a trip we took to TX a few days ago! Maybe I will share some of the photos in an upcoming post. Thanking God for His gifts to us, big and small ...

March and April Recap

It's hard to believe sometimes, but this is the calendar year of our 75/80 birthdays! The first number is mine, the second one my dear husband's! At times we look at those numbers and are in disbelief, and at other times, we are realizing that ... yes, it is true; those numbers belong to us. 

Related to our ages, we have been involved in a big change in our home ... and thus, it has been rather quiet here on my blog the past few months. (I have not had the time to write here a few times a month, as I often do.) We have been fully involved in the process of the most amazing, and most unexpected change in our home!

When our six kids (and their families) were all home for Christmas, they gave us the most amazing idea that we should remodel two smaller bedrooms on our main floor into one larger Master Bedroom! The primary purpose of the remodel would be for us to move our bedroom from an upper level of our home, onto the main floor. Why hadn't we thought of that before? This makes so much sense especially as we are growing older.

Our two sons came up with the idea, and one of them drew up a plan that was just perfect. A builder that we know was available to start on it the last day of February.

Over the next three weeks, we went from having two smaller bedrooms on our main floor (pictured in the photo here) ...

To having a beautiful, spacious Master Bedroom Suite, complete with direct access to the bathroom on the main floor. It is absolutely lovely, beyond what we would have dreamed of on our own. Our bed is on the north end of the room, and ...

on the south is a cozy seating area!

In preparation for this remodel, we needed to move everything out of those two existing rooms. The rooms each held a fairly large closet just filled up with things. Who could even imagine how much we had stored in these old closets? Together with also going through things in our old bedroom, and also in my husband's former office, we have been quite busy these past two months. We have had boxes and piles of so many things all over the other rooms of our home, as we have made decision after decision of what to get rid of, and what to keep. It has been a lot of work, and it has brought us a lot of joy, too! 

The process of our remodel continues, as we are choosing to continue slowly, taking our time with making the best decisions. We still need to put up new curtains, put up another bookcase, purchase some comfy swivel recliners, and add some more decorating touches to our new bedroom suite. Such a fun process; we are loving our new space so much. And love being on the main floor; so fun, and so very essential as we enter our 75/80 year!!

We also just returned from a seven-day trip to visit two of our daughters and their families ... one near Dallas, TX, and the other in McCook, NE. It was the perfect time to get away, and enjoy several significant events that some of our grandkids were involved in. We are thanking God for the gift of family, and also thanking Him for the idea they have given us to have this remodel done, creating such a restful, refreshing space for us.