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Month: March 2022

GARDENER’S GLOVES IV

During this burst of Spring, we have planted the herb planters and it is such a sign of future life and freshness to our meals, I decided to pull this popular post. I love seeing my friends getting into the garden phase and also getting our yards in shape with new straw, fertilizers, new plants, and trimming up for maximum blooms. It makes me remember those are not here any more like my Mom who spent her days in her garden beds. Sweet memories and I cherish each of her plants that live on in our yards. Have a beautiful spring and don’t forget to get some soil on your hands or as this post suggests, Gardener’s Gloves. Good gardening produces tasty and healthy foods so we can make great salads and other dishes. I sometimes return to older posts for refreshment of thought. I dedicated it to a great gardener Linda Christian and who is genuinely missed by so many of us

A nice way to reward the family is with a salad from your own garden.
Contained garden to keep out unwanted guests who like to serve themselves.

THE GARDENER’S GLOVE was a popular message and I love the lessons behind it. We have a beautiful growing container garden this year. I have mentioned our garden before but in watching our “crop” grow, I am amazed at how the rain, the pruning, and the feedings affect the amount of growth. It led me back to how proper care of ourselves can affect our growth and especially our health. Stay tuned and when we begin the harvesting, I will share some recipes and photos.



TODAY THE WORDS are THE GARDENER’S GLOVE This topic may seem a little strange coming from a lady whose husband does all of our landscaping and who considers herself blessed to not have to pull weeds (but he doesn’t do a lot of that with his routine weed control). I have several FB friends who grow beautiful gardens (Linda Christian whose birthday is today and she can make us envious of her gardening skills and beautiful spirit of sharing with others) , some who are in their rose gardens and flower beds, and there are my friends who do not like the outdoor gardening at all. I love flowers and there is nothing better to eat than fresh home grown vegetables but I think my resistance stems from my childhood.


Let’s return to my childhood to give you my thoughts. In order to make some money, my Mother grew turnip and mustard greens in our back garden. Before school, and sometimes in the bitter cold, we would go to the garden, gather the greens which were ready, clean them off and bundle with string. Off to the grocery store they would go and off to school we would go. It wasn’t the work as I had too much energy; we didn’t use gloves. In those days, you used your hands (maybe others had enough money to buy gloves; not us). It was the smell of the greens on my hands and mind you, I washed my hands several times and they were as clean as they were going to be. I see my husband prepare, by putting on gloves, before he goes out to do yard work, gardening, and/or pruning. He is very particular about how the gloves have to fit as a proper fit will not slow him down. He jokes with other guys that his wife does yard work. He says “She tells me where to put everything and walks back in the house.” He smiles when he says it but I know he loves being in the yard and in control of its beauty. I am usually the one who is in charge of the interior of our home and I love doing it.


Now for the deeper thought….as important as gloves are to a gardener or landscaper…..gloves of life are as important to our being. Gloves are a protective covering to avoid scratches, cuts and sometimes bites from insects. They wrap around the hand and fingers securely and when properly fitted, are an extension of our very bodies. They become a second skin in other words. Our “character” is a pair of gloves of life. We start, at an early age, to develop (or put on) our character which comprises of several things: our personality; our integrity; our work ethics and our moral ethics (may be the same or sometimes not); our nurturing persona; and our spirituality. With the proper gloves of life, we can garden our souls and protect ourselves from the scratches, bites, and burns which the garden of life brings. I am not discounting God’s influence in our gardens, but we as His Children, need to put on our gloves and protect ourselves too. Good gardening, my friends, and don’t forget your gloves.

FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

(C) Copyright 2012-2022 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission. Third party material, if known, is sourced to the original location for reference.

REINVENTION QUEEN HAS BEEN BUSY REINVENTING LEFTOVERS

While I played nurse to my husband who had a total knee replacement a month ago, we were homebound except for physical therapy and follow up visits. Since we work from home, I have cooked a lot for us and I love finding ways to reinvent a meal to eliminate that dreaded “leftover” syndrome. If it looks the same, we have a tendency to feel the Oh No, not that again. It has become a challenge, a fun one, to see what and if I can make it look new. Here are a few of my latest reinvention meals to share with you.

Remember, I am not trying to give you recipes but I want to encourage you to use what you have, try a few tricks of my trade, and waste not, want not. Open the door to your imagination, feel flavors, sense what will go with what, and experiment.

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS FROM LEFTOVER PORK AND RICE

My husband wanted to give me a break as I have cooked the three square meals while he recovered, and he made some awesome pork and rice in our InstaPot. He used cream of mushroom soup, can of mushrooms, chicken broth, salt and pepper. The rice, which I suggested he use Success Rice made in microwave and added at the last few minutes to prevent the rice from getting too soft or mushy. It was great but it made a lot so I thought what can I do to make a new dish.

Look at how great the InstaPot Pork and Rice made by Greg Miller looks and tasted.

I thought about some bell peppers I had in the fridge which needed to be used. Hmmm, remembering how a recipe I had created making stuffed peppers had rice and tomatoes and how could some yummy chopped pork not add flavors?

I cut the bell peppers in half, cleaned out the insides and coated with a small amount of EVOO and placed on the pan with a rack on top.

I mixed the pork and rice in a bowl. In my small chopper I combined a can of drained fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, chopped shallot, some leftover yellow onion pieces, chopped fresh garlic, seasonings and blended. This became the filling once mixed together with the chopped pork and rice. I added some grated Havarti cheese with dill too. Of course, I added some mirin, tamari sauce, and even a tsp of Worcestershire sauce. I added some goat cheese on top with fresh cilantro. I filled the peppers and baked on 350 degrees for 30 -40 minutes. See the photo for the results. For my summary, you could do this with leftover chicken and rice.

Here are the reinvented peppers I made.
Now, here is how I think when I make a dish, what can I do with the leftovers even from a reinvented meal….I placed the leftovers in one of our food saver bags and we sealed this for a future meal from our freezer. Free food…Love it.

Garden Peas with Leftover Spam Made Easy

I have made this easy breezy lunch all the way back when my daughter was in college. She makes it often without the meat, but this was my first time adding leftover Spam and it was delicious.

A quick summary as this is so easy, you don’t need a recipe: I can of Garden Sweet Peas, 1/2 macaroni, Spam which I had in fridge, butter 2 tsp., 1/4 cup half and half, Seasonings including Onion and Garlic Salt and enough chicken stock to cook macaroni. Saute’ Spam to give it a browned taste in pan, add butter and chicken stock and when hot, add macaroni. After about 4-6 minutes, add half and half, seasonings, and then add garden peas. Cook for same amount of time or until macaroni is cooked but don’t overcook macaroni. Cover and allow to sit for a few minutes and liquid will reduce into macaroni. This is cooked in less than 15 minutes. You can add boiled eggs, pimentos, and even cheese.

This doesn’t need a recipe. I seal leftovers such as small lima butterbeans cooked with leftover pieces of baked ham in our food saver bags and frozen. I had the cheese muffins leftover and thawed the butter beans and heated in pot. I added chopped shallots and chopped chives as a topper. This meal tasted fresh and took approximately 10 minutes.

I hope you will begin to experiment with leftovers by adding cheeses, meats, seasonings, make fritters from leftover veggies, and I am contemplating reinventing some of my great salmon patties into a breakfast dish with eggs so watch out for more from Reinvention Queen.

(C) Copyright, 2012-2022 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration and Reinvention Queen with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced if known to original location and author for credit references.

TODAY THE WORDS are FOUR LEAF CLOVERS

Today, in year 2022, I woke up with thoughts about how “lucky charms” and how we choose to pull from the luck of the Irish. As much as I think of Irish luck and pots of gold, I want to always remember truest blessings come from God and to always give Him thanks for our blessings. St. Patrick should be honored for his contributions to Christianity so wear your green proudly and enjoy St. Patrick’s Day with hopefully some luck coming your way today! Here is the original post in 2016.

Saint Patrick used the three leaves of the shamrock (clover commonly found in Ireland) to teach the Irish people about the Trinity (God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit).

Kristin Duvall / Photographer’s Choice / Getty Images

TODAY THE WORDS are FOUR LEAF CLOVERS.  Today, being St. Patrick’s Day, the topic was very easily innovating. So many people are celebrating for so many reasons, and I am not judging, but how many of the ones drinking the green beer, wearing green, accessorizing with four leaf clovers and all of the traditional Irish garb and not knowing why.

Patrick had miraculous success bringing Christianity to the people of Ireland. Before Patrick began his mission to share the Gospel message with the Irish people, many of them were practicing pagan religious rituals and struggled to understand how God could be one living spirit in three persons (the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit). So Patrick used shamrock plants (clover that commonly grows in Ireland) as a visual aid. He explained that just as the shamrock has one stem but three leaves (four-leaf clovers are the exception), God was one spirit who expressed himself in three ways.

 

Patrick recorded baptizing many thousands of people after they came to understand God’s love for them through the Gospel message and chose to become Christians. His efforts to share his faith with people also led to many men becoming priests and women becoming nuns.
 
 
Now, for the thought associated with four leaf clover searches……They are supposed to bring good luck and fortune……From reading about the miracles of St. Patrick and the use of the 3 leaf clover depicting the Holy Trinity, that is all of the luck we will ever need. When, as a child, I searched for the four leaf clover, I overlooked millions of 3 leaf clover while looking for the magical Four leaf clovers. May we stop looking for the illusive things in life and be as St. Patrick and be aware of God’s presence, Our Lord’s presence and the Holy Spirit in our fields of life! Happy St. Patrick’s day!
 
 
 FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
 
John 2:11 – This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
 
(c) copyright 2012-2022 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission. Third party material is sourced to original location for credit reference.
 

Art of Any Kind Is a Display of Love

I was reminded this morning when I posted a photo of eggs I had cooked in the egg rings my daughter had given me, cooking can be an art as many of you food lovers and chefs can attest. I had a dear friend Betty Burkhalter, who loves to cook post that she takes so much pride in how she prepares her husband’s eggs each morning and has mastered flipping them perfectly. It gave me pause thinking how sometimes I am kidded and sometimes praised for how I plate food. Then it hit me, I treat, as some of you do, cooking and baking as an art.

This is the photo that inspired this blog post. My daughter bought me egg rings since I have a tendency to spread eggs all over the pan.

Let’s think about what we perceive as art? I had not placed cooking and/or plating as an art form but I am a member of a group that displays table scapes and one particular setting caught my eye (all of the ones displayed are gorgeous) because of the use of a rare item, the knife holder. The friend I mentioned above called my attention to the fish flower vases and I zoomed in on the dining room which is quite tastefully decorated. It struck me that Maria Prather decorates as a painter paints a masterpiece with colorful blends of attractive interactive pieces. I love to think that she signs an imaginary signature to her work.

This beautifully set table scape invites the guest/family to gaze on its beauty and the love put into the display. Maria Bryan Prather shared this photo on a group on FB, Southern Tablescapes which is full of similar masterpieces.

I have a page on this blog called Decor Haven and will soon update it with Spring decors from my friends who post them on Facebook and allow me to use them. Watch for the update soon but now for the focus of this blog message.

Some can sing, some can write, some can paint and/or sculpt, some can build, some can invent, some are great chefs, and some are great speakers, and some can put the oddest things together and create a masterpiece of decor. Some can fish and importantly catch a lot, some are inventors, and some are great people who are service oriented and volunteers. Are they artists in their own right?

A pie can be a work of art and this one is special as Missy, my daughter made it for Greg and me to enjoy. It was almost too pretty to cut but the taste was as pretty.
The perfect grill marks Greg masters on the steaks he makes looks like art. Thanks Greg Miller for your artwork which always amazes me.

I figured out a great piece of Life’s Puzzle when this thought came to me. God is the most gifted artist ever. Every sunrise, sunset, river, ocean, mountains, pastures, and rainbow has been created by the Master. Now, for that piece of the puzzle….He also created each of us….A One of A Kind piece of Art, unique, and he signs an imaginary signature to us. He gives us talents to make our own pieces of art. Whichever form we choose to exhibit, he smiles. Whether it is a grandchild that loves a cake, cookie, or like I love to do, is make it where they smile when they see that piece of love art that they can eat. One of the most rewarding things I made were banana dolphins and Eli wanted to save his. He wanted to keep it and not eat it. I felt like Michelangelo for a minute. Then we decided it wouldn’t keep.

These are the banana dolphins I made (I have made them a couple of times) and they were pieces of art to the grands.

It is a good time to reflect on your pieces of art and love that you have shared with loved ones. We are not all meant to be in the public spotlight and fame doesn’t come to each of us. What we can relish in is the knowledge we are in God’s spotlight and He wants us to shine in The Love He Gives Us so others might find their talents and spread His Love.

Live Life, Love Life, and Live Life To The Fullest by loving what you do, what you can share, and to know you are a piece of God’s Art and Beauty.

(C) Copyright 2012-2022 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration and Reinvention Queen with all rights and privileges reserved. Third Party Material is sourced, if known, to the original location/author for credit references.

We Don’t Choose The Time

First, allow me to say I apologize for my absence in the last few weeks. My husband had a total knee replacement on February 16th and it required some Nurse Arline time. He is doing great, passing the expected levels of progress for this period. While I was taking care of him, a thought kept coming in my head. I am taking some time out this morning to share this thought with my readers and followers.

I would like to choose this time to thank all of you who are following my blog. You are special to me, from countries all over the world and that in itself is amazing. I love to read comments and your thoughts so keep them coming.

Arline Miller, Blogger and Author makes the most of time.

WE DON’T CHOOSE THE TIME has been coming through the last few weeks. Why do I want to share this thought as I feel this blog was chosen for me and in reality, all of you reading.

Throughout my life, I have noticed that what we choose to do is subject to many possible scenarios that something will interfere with the best laid plans. Right? You have experienced this too. Vacations are usually planned months ahead but how many times has an event interfered with your vacation and either they had to be cancelled or rescheduled. Have you given much thought to why this happens?

This is an excerpt from an article which can be found at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4106977#:~:text=https%3A//www.jstor.org/stable/4106977

I would like to share some times in my life which I feel that if I had chosen a time, my life might be ended or definitely changed.

dreamstime.com is the source for this photo

I used to travel a lot for work, sometimes several hundred miles for almost all of the work week. I saw so many accidents and it did pass through my mind, if I had left earlier or later, I might have been involved.

When I was young and working part time at Sears in a VICA program, I worked late and back then we lived in a seemingly safer world never locking car doors. After I married, I went to full time so I left work and drove 5 miles home in the country. One afternoon, a couple of men who knew my family and myself, came into my work and I saw them holding a young guy by his arms. After asking for me, they wanted to know if I had given this guy permission to get into my car. First of all, I was startled but I did get out a No. They asked one of the managers to call the police as they had watched him while being dressed in all dark clothes, climb over the front seat, and lay down in the back floorboard. Here is the reason I bring this story into focus.

  • If they had chosen a different time for their break and not been outside at that particular time, they would not have seen him get into my car.
  • Had I chosen to work later, it would have been dark when I would have gotten in my car which had black interior making it almost impossible to see him waiting.

The police were called, the good Samaritans were walking him outside to avoid a lot of commotion to the customers, and he bolted. I have thought many times what if? He, if he chose to stay on the path of crime, probably got caught but I am hoping another scenario. He was a young man and hopefully he chose a different path and found a good way to live life. I will never know, but I can hope that the timing was chosen by a higher power as I was not hurt and only shaken up and scared which made me more careful. You will not catch my car ever unlocked even if I am leaving it for a second. I am hoping that God placed those kind men in the right place at the right time to avoid me of a tragedy that most likely would have occurred. So, my thoughts are “Do we decide time or is it changed or cancelled for a good reason?”

Cartoon courtesy of vectortoons.com

The following is an excerpt from an article HOW TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE IN LIFE Click on this link for the entire article:

/https://steverosephd.com/how-to-be-more-flexible-in-life/

Many people find it difficult to be flexible in life. When unexpected situations arise, it is easy to feel frustrated, making you want to lash out. These rigid ways of being prevent you from getting what you want in the long term, increasing frustrations as you dwell on how things are not working the way you want.

Increasing your mental flexibility helps you stay calm in challenging situations, allowing you to cope with difficulties more effectively, and better navigate stressful situations to achieve desired outcomes. So how can you be more flexible in life?

  1. Accept what you can’t change
  2. Step back from your thoughts
  3. Focus on the present
  4. See the bigger picture
  5. Live by your values
  6. Take some risks

I would love to hear from you on your life experiences when your life might have been turned upside down due to timing intervention. How did you feel about how it prevented and/or caused a significant change in your life?

LIVE LIFE; LOVE LIFE; LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST by being flexible and understanding if you are late for an appointment by something you had no control over, maybe someone or something of higher power prevented a worse event.

(c) Copyright 2012 – 2022 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration and Reinvention Queen with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material/photos are sourced, if known, to original source/author for credit references.

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