A New Ornament and a Yummy Recipe

Happy Tuesday, Friends!

I hope this week of Thanksgiving has started off great for you or if not, maybe it's heading in the right direction as we all get ready to spend time with family and friends. 

David and I spent the weekend cleaning and organizing the garage. We still have many boxes to sort through, but now they are somewhat organized into sections and I have pulled all of the Christmas boxes to one side so I can get in there next weekend and start decorating.

Speaking of decorations...my friend Toni gave me this adorable ornament recently and I just love it! We share a love for books, so this was really special that she thought of me and wanted me to have this. 

Over the weekend we also did a little rearranging of furniture. We sold the couches that came with this house (not my style) and bought a new couch for the family room. We moved the other couch that was in the "library" to the family room and that left us with these two chairs in front of the fireplace. It's not bad, but needs some tweaking, which I will do as time goes by. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what to add or take away. My goal is that every area look cozy and inviting, so it's always a work in progress until that feeling is present every time I pass by.  

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On Sunday we visited David's mom, who turned 84 that day. We took her a red velvet mini bundt cake, a very comfy robe and some warm socks. It was a beautiful sunny day, so we took her outside and sat in the sun for about 30 minutes. I think we had a nice visit and the trip outdoors helped. She is one who doesn't want to eat in the dining room or take part in any activities, so it's a challenge to make her feel at home. She did make a friend across the hall, so little by little, I hope she will find some joy there.

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Sunday evening I made one of my favorite dishes, which doesn't have a name because I just made it up one day. But I thought I would share because it's so easy and it's a one pot meal, which is the best kind!

So let's call it...

One Pot Orzo Meal 😀

In large skillet brown chopped onion and 1 lb breakfast sausage. Cook thoroughly and drain.

Pour in 1 can diced tomatoes (I use a can of Rotel)

2 cups chicken broth (enough to cover orzo for simmering)

2 cups Orzo (pasta rice)

Season with garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper to your taste.

Let simmer on low until the orzo is tender.

That's it! Enjoy with garlic bread or Jiffy cornbread (because it's sweet and so delicious)

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I love this dish because it makes a lot and I end up eating it for days. (Confession...I will eat it for breakfast the next day too). 

If you try it, let me know what you think.

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Yesterday was one of those Mondays where I spent much of the day on the phone taking care of various things. I was on hold with one company for 45 minutes! After several calls like that throughout the day, I had to keep reminding myself to stay calm and be kind. Sometimes it's a challenge, but I think I did ok, considering.

I also had a grocery pick up, a bank run and had to put gas in my car. I guess it was a day for taking care of business.

But today...I am going to rescue my DIL for a few hours. Poor Alex is about 3 weeks away from her due date AND she has 4 children AND she's hosting Thanksgiving at her house this year. So I texted her last night and asked if she would like me to bring lunch over today and play with the kids for a few hours so she can rest or get things done around the house. She said yes 😅 So I will head out this morning and spend some time with my babies and hopefully it will give Alex a little break. 

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Tomorrow we finally close on our little lake house. Yay! I can't wait to mark that off the list of things going on! Owning one house is enough! Owning two is way too much! 

Well, that's all the news for today. It's a crisp 51 degrees here, which feels amazing! We love these crisp mornings around here! We savor every one, because they are gone way too soon. 

Have a beautiful day my friends! See you soon 💚

Until Next Time...

Blessings!