Tea Talk -- Get Yourself Up!

Welcome to my home for Ruth's Tea Talk!
Click on Ruth's button above to participate with me.

Sit and share a cup of tea with me as we encourage each other in the Lord.

A quick note--I can't believe I haven't blogged in over two weeks!  I spent several days out of town, and just haven't had any time to blog since I returned home.  I think I'm finally getting back into the routine of my life, though, and I'm very happy to start blogging again by sharing Tea Talk with you all today!


I'm having...a cup of Irish breakfast tea in my Polish pottery mug.  Since you've seen my tea cups before, I'm sharing someone else's cup with you today.

A tea cup from a Christmas tea party

I'm feeling...fine.  Some of the muscle pain in my neck has eased, and I am leaving the rest in the Lord's hands.

On my mind...is editing the final 15 of the 300+ images I took at the SECHDF Mother/Daughter Encouragement Weekend in Georgia.  Not only did I get to shoot the two-day event, I got to spend lots of time with my sister D.  :)  Now I have just a bit of hard work left, then it's organizing everything, getting portraits printed, then mailing them off.  I'm also praying for a few print orders from the event!

I leave you with...a passage of Scripture that brings hope.  I'm looking ahead to warmer weather (though this winter has been nothing to complain about!), to spring and to the celebration of Jesus' resurrection.  This passage also helps me look ahead with hope and excitement.

Get yourself up on a high mountain,

O Zion, bearer of good news,

Lift up your voice mightily,

O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;

Lift it up, do not fear.

Say to the cities of Judah,

"Here is your God!"

Isaiah 40:9 NASB

Looking forward to spring!!

Back to life,
Christine

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Crunch, Crunch!

To complement my potato leek soup, I made homemade croutons--one of those extra foods that are just so easy to purchase at the store without a thought that I could possibly make them almost as easily!  But they are truly very easy to make, and are a wonderful addition to soup, salad, or just munching.  My photos show croutons made with pumpernickel bread given to us by our sweet neighbor Judy, whom we call our food angel.

Since I didn't use a specific recipe, I'll simply tell you what I did.

I took a loaf of bread--pumpernickel in the photos below, as I said--and tore it into chunks.  The size is up to you.  Thickly sliced bread yields more nicely shaped croutons, but that's okay.  I dumped all the cubes into a large bowl.

I then mixed up some herbs.  I started with salt, no more than half a teaspoon for a whole loaf of bread (less if you're watching your salt), then another teaspoon of whatever herbs grab my fancy--garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, whatever.  I used an herb blend for these pumpernickel croutons.

I melted about two tablespoons of butter, then drizzled that over the bread cubes and gave them a nice toss or two.



Then I spread the cubes evenly into my stoneware jelly roll pan, and placed them in a hot oven, about 400 degrees F.



After about ten minutes, I checked the croutons, tasted for crunch, and decided they needed to toast a little more so they would dry out a little more and be nice and crunchy.  They get a little browned on the edges; this is just fine!  I baked them about 7-8 minutes more, and declared them done.  They sure were yummy on our potato leek soup!  They were also delicious on my veggie salad, with a chunked hard-boiled egg thrown in.





Back to life,
Christine

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Tea Talk -- So Great and So Far

Welcome to my home for Ruth's Tea Talk!
Click on Ruth's button above to participate with me.

Sit and share a cup of tea with me as we encourage each other in the Lord.

I'm having...a cup of tea with honey and half-n-half.  It's my typical morning cup of tea.

Morning tea in my Pfaltzgraff Ocean Breeze teacup

I'm feeling...fine, mostly.  I slipped on the stair into our garage last weekend, and it exacerbated the pain I was already experiencing in my neck due to pulled muscles.  Nothing has worked so far, so I'm off in a few minutes to see a massage therapist.  If nothing else, I'll end up relaxed by lunchtime!  :)

On my mind...is my upcoming trip to Georgia!  Details are swirling 'round my brain, including figuring out how not to have to check a bag (it's $25 each way to check a suitcase; can you believe that??).  I have to get all my photography gear in order, clean my camera's sensor (a tricky procedure I've never done), put together pricing sheets, edit photos for display (digital picture frame) at the two-day conference at which I'll be shooting.  So many details!  I'll soon be in full swing pulling all of this together.  All I do is start making lists, and that eases any panic I feel.  Then I simply start "doing" and checking items off.

I leave you with...a passage from Psalms that brings such comfort to my heart.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Just as a father has compassion on his children,

So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

For He Himself knows our frame;

He is mindful that we are but dust.

Psalm 103:10-14 NASB

Sunset in the woods

Back to life,
Christine

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