Behind My Red Door

Sunday, May 24, 2009

The little things....

Are you like me? Do you delete many of the forwards you get in your email box? I get so tired of the same old false warnings, political nonsense and pleas to help some poor child that in reality doesn't even exist. I don't know why anyone still bothers to send those around anymore. But sometimes in the midst of all those ridiculous forwards is an email that is really worth reading. These are the kind that aren't necessarily something new or different, but have a nice message or perhaps are a reminder of how we can all be better people. Little wake up calls if you will. I got one of those the other day and I had to share it. This was not the fist time I saw this message. It is certainly not anything new. But sometimes we 'hear' the message better than at other times. That was case for me when I got this email and I thought maybe it might be for you as well. We can all use positive uplifting messages from time to time, right? If you don't enjoy them, then please feel free to scroll down to the rest of the post. For the rest of you, here it is...

~~~The L I T T L E Things~~~

As you might remember, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son started kindergarten and he decided to take him instead of heading straight to work that day.

Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.

One of them missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.

One's car wouldn't start.

One couldn't get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today..

Now when I am
Stuck in traffic ,
Miss an elevator,
Turn back to answer a ringing telephone ...
All the little things that annoy me. (including how long it takes to delete those annoying forwards)
I will think to myself,
This is exactly where
God wants me to be
At this very moment..

Next time your morning seems to be going wrong ,
The children are slow getting dressed,
You can't seem to find the car keys,
You hit every traffic light,
Don't get mad or frustrated;
It May be just that
God is at work watching over you.
May God continue to bless you
With all those annoying little things
And may you remember their possible purpose.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simple but true! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you read my previous post, I mentioned that my friend was coming for lunch on Friday and I set my table all patriotic for us. I also mentioned I was going to try Colleen's recipe for Spinach, Strawberry and Feta salad. Well it was even better than I imagined. It was simple to make and Ina and I both loved the sweet n sour dressing. Ina's grandmother lived in the PA in Amish country and Ina has many of her old time recipes. She has made a salad for me a few times with a similar dressing that also has bacon in it and it served warm so I knew she would enjoy this one. This is a real keeper!! Oh and the dressing recipe makes a lot more than you need for one salad. I made it up in a canning jar - easy to mix and store. DH does not do feta so the next day I made us both the same salad but used some sharp cheddar in his and he loved it that way. I imagine a sharp blue cheese would work too. Try it sometime when you see fresh strawberries, you won't be sorry!
I also served a white meat chicken salad I made with Vidalia onion, celery, slivered almonds, dried cranberries and a little mayo. I poached the chicken breasts and I always save some of the poaching liquid for the salad. It cuts down on the amount of mayo you need. This is best made ahead so the dried cranberries soften a bit.
And we also enjoyed some stuffed grape leaves (not homemade) and a sunflower flax seed whole grain bread - both from a wonderful family owned farm stand just minutes from My Red Door.
It was yummy and good for us too!

My friend had a last minute phone call and a family member needed her help, so she called me to say she was delayed getting here. So what did I do to kill time waiting for her??

I tweaked of course! LOL I wasn't happy with the kitchen table gathering so I simplified it... And I took out my big wool strawberry my friend Kathy made me last year as well as the red cardinal I got in my friend's shop Country Capers in Bethlehem PA many years ago....

And this weekend, in between chores and yard work and getting ready for tomorrow's cookout, I took the plunge!! I did it! For quite awhile now I have had the picture below on my side bar. It is a picture from my friend Kathy's gorgeous Home on the Hill. I saw this in her bedroom when i was there in late March. It also happens to be the logo for A Primitive Place. Late last year we had the honor of having our home's holiday pictures as their first ever Featured Home. We are also featured in the members gallery. But until now, I have not had the time to join the ever growing forum hosted there. After both CS and MG articles came out, I was very busy answering emails and requests and question from all over the country. And then it was time to work on DH's office, the nursery, the baby shower, the garage doors and so many other projects. But with those big projects behind us, and no vacations until the fall planned and knowing I would hibernate inside with the a/c once the heat starts, I took the plunge and joined. And I have to tell you, they are the nicest group of gals and I received the warmest welcome. I have known several of them for a few years from Webshots and some of our favorite bloggers belong as well but I am also meeting some other really kind folks there. So if you love prim/colonial/country decor and have the time, click on the picture and join us! Do I ever steer you wrong?? Of course not!!


The next time I post, I will be answering a request from a friend to play show and tell with my EAL stoneware collection. I need to work on making some pretty pictures of all my pieces. If you like that kind of stuff, make sure you check back later this week. And enjoy the rest of this long weekend! We are capping ours off with a family cookout tomorrow. DH is starting the summer grilling season off with a bang and treating us to porterhouse steaks. YUMMO!

Until Next Time - Hugs, Linda