Need comfort and Joy

Life has been full of concerns: mammogram retakes (all is well for now), brother-in-law's cancer is spreading, mother had a mini-stroke (looks like she'll recover), my former-students are missing (horrors), and my niece's husband Joe passed away suddenly at age 36. I'm feeling numb.

Hearing, trusting, and responding appropriately have been the subject of my thoughts. I hear and acknowledge, but I don't always trust my feelings or what God is telling me, therefore I don't always respond appropriately. Also, I am guilty of under reaction rather than overreaction.

Speaking of not responding appropriately . . . I saw two movies recently that deal with autism. Those with autism have a difficult time reading emotions and responding appropriately. The two Movies were Adam and Mary and Max. I'm posting a photo from a foreign trailer because it shows both characters in the movie, but the film is English speaking. I really enjoyed Mary and Max. Quirky and poinent. Who hasn't felt at sometime in their life tlike they are on the fringes of society? And then to be struck or marked by something that makes your journey through life difficult, because we are just learning to be a empathetic society . . .

Little things . . .

These are my new mopping shoes I found at Meijer. I where them when I mop and I use them to scrub tough spots or to speed up the drying process.


This one of my "new" lamps and shades. I bought the lamp at the resale shop and I purchased the shade at Hobby Lobby. I bought the lamps and the shades at 50% off.

I haven't gotten around to posting about the dips I made for Thanksgiving. I made a white bean, roasted red pepper, and roasted pea puree. All three are super yummy.

Way to go Meijer for making pumpkin ravioli. I served it with sage walnut butter, a recipe I found in the October 2010, Food Network Magazine.

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 t. honey
1 bay leaf
2 packages of ravioli cheese or squash
6 T. unsalted butter
1/3 fresh sage leaves
1 c. roughly chopped walnuts
3/4 grated Parmesan cheese
Cook ravioli according to directions.
Combine vinegar, honey, and bay leaf in small saucepan until syrupy, 4-5 minutes. Cover to keep warm.
Melt butter in a large skillet, add the sage and walnuts. Cook until the nuts are toasted about 3 minutes. Increase heat to high and add a ladle of pasta water. Add ravioli and toss to coat, add water add needed. Remove from heat and toss with Parmesan cheese. Serve with balsamic syrup drizzled on top. YUMMMMMM