$8 and a Little Inspiration

A little money and a little time. . .

some miniature gourds. . .some favorite books

some candles and some dried pod-thingies. . .

and my mantel is ready for autumn.

Happy Fall, Y’all!

Ginger

Mantel Mania

Delicious temperatures, the first of the changing leaves, and the date on the calendar all have me ready to “fallify” my house.

My mantel, so cool and restful in the heat of summer, now looks cold and forlorn.

Not to mention the plant is dead.

The lone sad pumpkin added by DD#1 last weekend needs friends.

Exploration of blogland has yielded some inspiration.

Wire bird cage filled with old books.  Yum.  I love this simple, classy mantel from Oh Write.

Over at my blessed life, the famous dollar store apothecary jars are filled with gourds and cinnamon sticks.  The background has old book pages and scrapbook paper accents.  Be still my heart.

Y’all know how I feel about color, but I LOVE the combination of textures on this monochromatic mantel from Tracy’s Trinkets and Treasures.  Thinking, thinking—the wheels are turning for making this work at my house.

Finally, my sweet bloggy friend Elizabeth  made this adorable burlap banner to accent her already gorgeous mantel.

I’m off to the basement for a shopping trip!

Be blessed!

Ginger

Calling All Shutterbugs

I need your help!

I am in the market for a DSLR.

I don’t want to pay a fortune, but this camera has to make me happy for a l-o-n-n-g-g time.

So….

Nikon D3000?

Canon Rebel T2i?

Olympus something or other?

What makes you happy about your camera?

For me, great prints are the deal breaker; I don’t care about video.

Thanks!

Be blessed!

Ginger

Odds and Ends (More Odd than anything)

I have about 15 seconds to write this post, but I wanted to throw some stuff out there for the world to see.

1. First, a shout-out to my new followers!  I’ve noticed your arrival over the last few weeks, I appreciate you so much!  Thanks for reading.  I promise to one day make sense. Pinky-promise.

PS I heart comments. ;-0

2. The Apple Bistro Pizza was fabulous! ( You should trust me, Kristy!)  A tad less garlic would have suited Big Red, but overall, it’s a winner.

3. Local gals: Nov. 13 is the Fall Ladies’ Gathering at our church.  Please join us! I’m speaking.  Pray hard.

4. Kinda makes you want to say hmmmm……  I read an article that pointed out a bizarre phenomenon: both Oprah and NBC hosted discussions on improving education featuring “experts”—but NO teachers.

Um. An expert in education who isn’t an educator.  Let me ponder this while I grade papers, plan lessons, wait until my planning time to go the bathroom teach.

6.  I’m done fussing, promise.

7. For now.

8. My one-year blogaversary is coming up soon!   A celebration is in order.

9. One day soon it will be autumn and stay autumn for more than three days.  I wait expectantly.

10.  That’s all for now! Be blessed, imaginary friends! 

Ginger

In the Night Watches

For several weeks, insomnia has been my steady, unwelcome companion.  A completely new schedule this school year has changed our family’s lifestyle drastically, and my body needed time to adjust.

For this morning girl, it hasn’t been fun.

Over the summer, our Sunday School class has studied the armor of God, and like any good teacher with unlimited resources, God planned a field trip.

In my night watches, I see the shadowy figure of my enemy, crouched just out of view.

I strain to hear the heartbeat of my Champion, my Knight.

There He is. 

The dawn of His face pierces my night vision.

(photo from wallpaperbase.com)

He illuminates treasures scattered on the ground:

enthusiastic students

the tender affection of Big Red

friends who cry and laugh

words of Scripture and of song that leap from the page.

I run into His arms and await the Light.

I will give you the treasures of darkness,
       riches stored in secret places,
       so that you may know that I am the LORD,
       the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

Isaiah 45:3

Be blessed.

Ginger

In this Season

In this season at our home,

there is

little cleaning,

much chaos,

little sleep,

much of the Word,

little grocery shopping,

much prayer,

little organization,

much worshipping.

Someone Should Try This

Recently I discovered Hobby Farm Home magazine.

Have you all been reading it for years now and failed to mention it to me?

Homey and practical, it gives this displaced farm girl a chance to reminisce.

In the Sept/Oct issue, there’s a recipe that would definitely have never made it onto my mother’s table, but it sounds deliciously intriguing.

(Some of you are thinking that food should never be intriguing, even deliciously so.  Stay with me here.)

Now that local apple house brim with first fruits, this unique dish will make its appearance on my table this weekend.  It has all sorts of yummy things I love but have never put together.

Try it first and let me know how it goes. ;-)

Bistro Apple Pizza

1 12 inch prepared pizza crust

2 tsp. garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach

1 1/2 cups cored, peeled, and thinly sliced apple

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 cup blue, Gorgonzola, or feta cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tsp dried oregano

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Sauté garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Brush olive oil blend onto pizza crust.  Distribute spinach evenly over crust.  Sprinkle apples on top.  Blend cheeses and distribute evenly over apples.  Sprinkle with oregano.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cheese bubbles.  Makes 8 slices.

See, I told you it was intriguing.

Be blessed today!

Ginger