Mind Chatter...

sleep... sleep... sleep...

That is what I did not do last night.  

Have you ever had a night where your mind would not shut up?

That's what I went through last night. Mind chatter, constant mind chatter.  I would try to quiet it down and go to sleep.  Over and over I tried, thinking I would fall asleep.

Next thing I knew, it was morning and time to get up.

So I got up, but it was very hard to be alert since I had not rested.  I hate nights like that.

So I took a natural sleep aid and slept all day, knowing if I didn't I wouldn't be fit for anything and it would continue to get worse.

Oh sleep, why do you avoid me?

Mind why do you chatter, creating oh so much clatter?

All I want to do is sleep,

To slumber in the deep where dreams are made.

                                                        2/23/14 Sonia R Parham

Here's wishing you a peaceful rest.

Hugs,

Sonia

Thursday Favorite

YAWN!!!

My week is catching up with me.   So my favorite thing tonight is early to bed and sweet dreams.

Good night all!  Sweet dreams!

Hugs,
Sonia

Teaser

Hello, I hope this finds you doing well.  :)

I thought I'd share a little teaser with you on the quilt that is being made by the quilt guild I belong to, The Logan County PieceMakers.

It is going to be pretty, to be sure.   I will show it as soon as we get it finished.

I continue to work on the log cabin quilt I've been working on.  Slow but sure, I'm getting close to finishing it.

So... what are you working on?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Hugs,
Sonia

CUPID

Thursday Favorite

Thought I would share my favorite flowers.  They are all from my flower beds from last Spring and Summer.

I am anticipating the new blooms this year.

Hugs,
Sonia

Tuesday Treasure

On the way home from work today, there was a treasure before my eyes.  I didn't have my camera with me so as soon as I got home I hurried into the house and asked my husband to drive me back to an area where I could get a good picture.

I know when compared to the Appalachian or Rocky Mountains, Mt. Magazine isn't very tall, but it is the highest point between the two mountain ranges and I think it is a beautiful treasure.  Here is how it looked today with snow still covering it.

The next picture, I took as we drove home.  Paris sits at the base of the mountain and the closer we got to home, the mountain seemed to begin to disappear.

Though I can't see the mountain from my house, like I did on the road farther north today, I know it's there and it is a beauty all year long.

Hugs,
Sonia

Before Tracks Were Made

I woke to a winter wonderland this morning.  I took these pics before animals and vehicles made tracks. It is very pretty in the early morning light.

Then it was time to cook breakfast and what better way to start a cold Saturday than with a potato, sausage scramble and wheat biscuits with peach preserves?  I have the recipe for the scramble below.

Here's how I made the scramble.

• 1 large potato, cubed
• 1/4 green pepper diced
• 1/4 - 1/2 lb your favorite sausage
• season to taste.  I used salt, black pepper and Greek Seasoning.
• 5 eggs, beaten with a splash of milk and seasoned to taste

In a large non-stick skillet, brown sausage with green peppers. Add potatoes and seasoning.  Cover and cook until potatoes and sausage are done and lightly browned.  Add beaten eggs and mix thoroughly with the potato/sausage mixture and cook until the eggs are done, creating the potato, sausage, eggs scramble. This made enough to feed four people.

You can add more or less of everything and even add onions, cheese, ham... anything that appeals to you.

That's all I have for this morning.

Have a great day!

Hugs,
Sonia

Kathunk...

How do you replicate the sound that is made when a machine goes down?

I had a humorous moment today when a printer went down and I had to contact one of our IT guys.  He came up, restarted the printer, and made a copy.

Microsoft clipart

No issue.

He asked me to make a copy.  So I did... no issue.

Then the $100 question...

"What kind of sound did it make?", he asked.

"Uh... I can't replicate it... I guess it was like Kathunk...", I replied.

Next thing you know, there were a lot of different sounds being made by him, trying to replicate it, but none of them were the sound I heard.

"Kathunk...", I said again.

Needless to say the printer is working just fine now.  So, I will have to write the error message down and let IT know the next time it happens.   If only I could I have a recorder close by when it happens...

Hugs,
Sonia

Thursday Favorite

I have thought about Thursday Favorite throughout the day and it was hard for me to decide what to write about, so I opted to write about all that came to me today and brought a smile to my face.

Let me begin with ice.

Microsoft clipart

...ice, seriously?

I know... I complain about the ice and totally dislike it for making road trips hazardous and for taking out the electricity when a tree limb is over laden with ice, braking and taking out a power line.  But, as I drove to work this morning, the sun was hitting the ice on the tree branches so that they glistened like crystal.  It was as if I was driving through a crystal forest.  Then, later in the morning, snow started falling and I thought how pretty it looked as it floated on the wind.  There is always, it seems, something beautiful to see in nature.  Like the small flock of red birds that took flight as I drew near on the way home this evening.

Microsoft clipart

Then, something even better happened.  I was shown pictures of a beautiful baby boy.  One of the young ladies I work with gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Tuesday.  His is a doll!

Have you ever noticed how the atmosphere in a room changes when a newborn is brought in or pictures of the newborn is presented?  Soft exclamations of "ooh and ah" and "how precious" are heard by those close by or excited exclamations of "oh how cute!" heard down the hall to another office, bringing out others to see the preciousness being exclaimed about.

It's those little moments, those subtle nuances that touch our daily lives, we need to cherish and keep close to the heart, for without them our life would be bleak indeed.

Hugs,
Sonia

Ugh!

Well, I stayed home today because I didn't want to get stranded north of the river or chance sliding off the hilly curvy roads I have to drive.  Ice was coming down this morning, so I called in and asked to use a vacation day.

I used the day to try to get my head cleared.  I've been suffering from sinus congestion.  So I took a cough suppressant and decongestant that put me to sleep for a few hours.  I woke up after 12:30 this afternoon, not completely cleared but able to breath better.

I used the time I was awake to work on the log cabin quilt and bake a loaf of sweet bread.

I used what I had on hand and call it Cinnamon Pecan Bread.

Here's how I made it.

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
6 tablespoons melted butter
Milk (I eyeballed the milk... I think 1/2 cup)
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to  350° F.  Mix ingredients well in order given.  Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until it tests clean with a toothpick.

It is very good.  Between my husband and my kids the loaf is already half gone.

I need to take more of the decongestant and I think I will take something for aches.  I'm starting to feel achy. Ugh!

I hope you are staying safe and warm.

Until next time...

Hugs,
Sonia

PS... so tired of cold, ice and snow - anticipating Spring.

Spring Pictures

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Easy Saturday Morning...

Good morning!  Do you have a routine you follow?

There is a routine I have each morning and sometimes, like today, I have a special treat.

My morning starts out with my daily devotion.  This is a time that prepares me for my day.  A time where it is just me and the Lord, before anyone else wakes up or daily activities start. 

After my devotion I have cup of hot coffee or hot tea and catch the news, during the week; or a quilting show on the weekends, like this morning.

This morning I had a special treat.   David made a pan of cinnamon toast, using a loaf of bread he baked earlier in the week.  I'm finishing my piece of toast as I write this morning.  It is very tasty and a nice addition to my easy Saturday morning.

I have just four more blocks to complete for the "quilt as you go" log cabin quilt, I've been working on.   Once I get them completed, I can trim and start sewing the blocks together.  Then add the borders, then bind it and I'll be done.

It feels good to be so close to the finish line on this project.   It has been in the works for almost a year.  I could have had it done sooner, but it seems there was always something coming up over the past year that hindered its completion.

I hope to have a finished quilt to show you by next weekend.

Well, I guess I better sign off and continue on with my day.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Sonia