Good Friday

As I prepare my house on this Good Friday,

for all of my family that will be here to celebrate Easter,

I reflect on what this day truly means to me.

It humbles my soul to think of the ultimate sacrifice that was made on this day for me, for you!

We were told in Amos what would happen on this day.

Amos 8:9 The Lord God says; At that time I will cause the sun to go down at noon and make the earth dark on a bright day.

10: I will make it like a time of crying for the death of an only son, and its end like the end of an awful day.

This day did happen.

Mark 15:33  At noon the whole country became dark and the darkness lasted for three hours. At three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "My God, my God why have you rejected me?"

Jesus knew that everything had been done so that the scripture would come true.

John 19:28-30  He said "I am thirsty" There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant and lifted it to Jesus' mouth. When Jesus tasted the vinegar he said, "It is finished."

Then he bowed his head and died.

We have now entered into the New Agreement with God.

I find myself living for myself to much of the time.

I need to always remember His ultimate sacrifice that he made on this day.

His sacrifice was his own blood,

and by it he set us free from sin forever!

May you reflect on this wonderful gift we have been given today!

Liz

Santa Fe Baked Chicken with Mexican Street Corn Salad

Since we have made chicken are main source of meat,

I am always looking for ways to prepare the average chicken breast.

I came across this recipe a few weeks ago.

It is simple to prepare.

But mainly the pipeliner approved.

This one will go in the recipe box.

Santa Fe Baked Chicken

2 boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup tortilla crumbs

1 cup salsa

3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment for easier cleanup.

To make the tortilla crumbs, just add them to your food processor and give them a quick whirl.

Pound out the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of Saran Wrap until they are a thin even thickness.  If very large cut them in half.

Working one at a time, coat each chicken lightly with the mayo, then the tortilla crumbs, patting them on with your hands if needed.

I cooked my chicken breast on a wire rack.

I think they cook more evenly this way.

Bake about 20 minutes or until chicken is throughly cooked to an internal temperature of 165F.-170F.

Remove pan from the oven and top each piece of chicken with 1/3 cups salsa topped with 1/3 cup of your cheese.

Put back in the oven for about 5 more minutes until the cheese has melted.

While the chicken baked I made one of our favorite recipes.

Mexican Street Corn Salad.

2 tbsp vegetable oil

12 oz. bag of frozen corn slightly thawed

salt to taste

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 ounces cojito cheese finely crumbled

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lime juiced

chili powder to taste

Heat oil in large skillet over high heat.

Add the the corn kernels and salt, stir until combined.

Let cook for about 2 minutes or until the kernels are slightly charred on one side.

Stir corn and repeat.

Mix the rest of the ingredients together.

When your corn is done transfer to a large bowl.

Add the mayo mixture and stir well.

This dish really reminds me of the wonderful corn on the cob we grill in the summer!

Dinner is served!

Have a great weekend!

Liz

My bees

Even though the last trace of snow has melted,

it still feels like winter.

We have had maybe one or two days that the temperature has risen to the 60 F. degree mark.

I have been waiting for a warm day to see how my bees survived.

When we bought the new house,

the previous owners left their bee hive for us.

I am happy to report that last weekend the bees were all over the place!

I have never been so happy to see a bee!

Tomorrow I am signed up for a Homesteading class at our local college.

My first class of the day,

Beekeeping 101!

I have been reading books, blogs and other articles about bees, but I am ready to have my questions answered about a few things.

I am still a little nervous about actually taking the lid off the top super (see, I know an actual bee keeping term, lol) and doing the first examination

 of the hive.

It sure will be an exciting adventure!

If all goes well with this hive,

we have enough supplies left in the garage to build another hive.

My afternoon class at the conference is

Soap making!

This is something I have wanted to try for a long time.

There are so many ladies out there that make the most fantastic soaps.

I would just like to give it a try too!

It sounds like another cold, dreary day tomorrow, so I am really excited about spending the day learning about things that I love!

Have a great weekend!

Liz

The Stained -Glass Window

Did you ever see a space and just knew automatically what should go there?

That is how I felt when we first looked at this house.

I knew right away if we purchased the place what I would hang in this opening between the living room and hallway.

A very treasured piece that had been part of my life for years!

My grandmothers stained glass window!

This window was directly at the bottom of her stairs that led to the second floor.

The stairway had one of those great banisters for sliding down!

Many times I was warned to quit sliding down that railing or I would woosh right out the window!

(The warning didn't stop me!)

The window faced to the east.

Every morning the sun light poured through the colored glass.

It filled the stairway with all kinds of bright colors!

When my grandmother passed, my aunt and uncle removed the window while cleaning out her house.

I know it was a sore spot between my parents and them for years.

My uncle had it framed.

It hung in there patio window for years and years.

My aunt and uncle has since passed.

While cleaning out their house, my cousin gave it back to my dad.

Sadly my parents never really had the proper place to hang it.

It has sat in their attic for a few years.

After we bought the house,I showed them the space where I thought it would look perfect.

They couldn't have agreed more!

I brought it home.

The pipeliner hung it for me.

It sure brought tears to my eyes!

It has found its home once again!

Grandma would be so happy!

Liz

Spring?

The calender says spring is here.

But I am not so sure Mother Nature has noticed!

It is still quite cold and damp in northern Illinois.

Even some traces of snow in the fields around the house.

The beagle is ready for some warm weather too!

Things to do while we wait.

Little man has been helping grandma decorate for Easter.

I have found some of my Easter things that have been packed away.

Still searching for the rest.

I am hosting Easter dinner this year.

Looking through my recipe boxes and pinterest for some new ideas.

I am still working on unpacking totes and boxes from the move.

(will I ever be done?)

But I am really looking forward to going outside.

Lots of landscape work needs to be done.

The spot for the new garden needs to be picked.

But so far all spring has meant is this,

Have a great weekend!

Liz

A pipeliners day

The pipeliner is gone again.

They are finally finishing up on a project that started in early December.

We all know how wicked this winter has been, so the job has been delayed and delayed some more.

But today was the day it all came together!

Tie-in day!

And this is the day the pipeliner wives say the most prayers!

It all starts early in the morning.

The gas has to be blown out of the pipe.

The first cut is made into the pipe.

Todays tie-in is a big one!

They are setting a station.

A big crane is needed to lift the huge section of pipe.

Lots of last minute measurements.

Everything has to fit just right!

Up it goes!

Over to the existing pipe.

It is a slow job.

 The section of pipe gets lowered into the ground.

It fits right into the space!

The day went good!

 Everyone kind of breathes a sigh of relief.

They all head back to their rooms for a good nights sleep.

Tomorrow is another big day.

The welders begin to weld all of the pipe back together.

The pipe is x-rayed to make sure all of the joints are sealed.

Tests are run to make sure gas is ready to flow again.

The clean-up crew comes in to backfill the hole with gravel.

This job will be over.

 The hubby will move onto the next one.

And so it goes in the day of a pipeliners life.

But it sure makes me proud to say I am a pipeliners wife!

Liz 

Garage sale sites on-line

Have you been caught up in the latest craze?

I know that I have been.

What is it you ask?

Garage sales on-line!

When I was looking to find the grandson a crib for our house someone suggested to me, why not check Facebook.

They have all kinds of garge sale sites.

Who knew?

Sure enough I found a couple of local sites to join.

Within days little man had his own crib!

That went so well I thought I would try my hand at selling something.

When I needed to sell my vintage stove I listed it that morning.

By that night I already had a buyer picking it up!

Since then I have bought a few more things on my favorite garage sale site.

I bought this family tree to sit in the entry way at the new house even before the deal was done.

I knew it would look wonderful there.

A few weeks ago I purchased a lovely, glass topped table for the sun room.

$20.00 dollars, what a deal!

The little mans high chair was also bought on a FB garage sale site.

My latest find was some curtains for the bedroom.

I needed something fast before we moved in.

A few clicks of the mouse and I was off to pick them up.

The lady even through in a brand new donut maker!

Total price, $8.00!

A few of the FB sites have quite a few rules to follow.

But mainly when you see an item you are interested in, you just type interested next to the picture. Then send them a personal message.

Most people message you right back to except your offer and arrange a time to pick up your item.

The first time I went to meet someone, we arranged to meet in the parking lot of a out of business restaurant.

We both laughed because it felt like some kind of shady deal exchanging money for a package.

Its fun to browse the sites even if I am not buying!

Last night I got out my donut maker to give it a try.

We had a bunch of bite sized donuts in no time!

(This is my pinterest site for a variety of great donut recipes!)

I have recently turned a few of my other friends onto these great garage sale sites.

I just hope they don't find the big bargain before I do!

Do you FB garage sale too?

Liz