February 11-12, 2012 Weekend, a Meeting, a Recipe, Working, Moving, a Little Crochet, and Sisters

Well, my weekend started off with our monthly KS My Stitch officer’s meeting, as usual I made lunch and on Saturday since the weather was supposed to be very cold I chose to make my homemade vegetable beef soup. Everyone loved it and when they asked if I had chopped all the vegetables by hand, they seemed to be rather surprised that I had used all canned vegetables. I thought maybe all of you might like my recipe for homemade vegetable beef soup. So here goes:

1 large can of whole tomatoes (cheapest brand) (I blend mine but you can also leave them whole)

2 small cans of diced potatoes

1 can of sliced carrots

1 can of very young small peas

1 can of mixed vegetables

2 pounds of extra lean hamburger meat

Salt and Pepper to taste

Generous dash of garlic powder

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Dash of Italian seasoning

Small dash of Creole seasoning

Dump all of the canned vegetables (along with the water that’s on the veggies) into a large stock pot along with the seasonings. Bring this mixture to a simmer, and then crumble the raw hamburger meat into the hot mixture. It’s surprising how fast the meat cooks and as long as the meat is very lean it doesn’t make it too greasy. I learned this method from my dear Mother and I love the flavor it gives to the soup. If you make this soup I hope that you love it as much I do.  🙂

Believe it or not some of my weekends are not that exciting and this one was not as I had planned it, but that’s ok I feel like I helped out where I was needed and that makes me feel good. After working for four hours at my real job, I went to help my daughter move and if it wasn’t for all the help of my cousins John Mark, his son Raymond, and my John we never would’ve finished unloading the U-Haul by 9:00 pm. (sorry no photos, too much to do and not enough time to stop to take pictures)

Sunday was full of laziness on my part, we did go to Jennifer’s old apartment and loaded up trash and we had breakfast out with her Dad. I even got to use a hammer and break up a piece of furniture. Man that was exhilarating I think I need to get into deconstructing something more often. Ha! Ha!

I did manage to add another row of dahlia squares to my Dahlia Throw. I’m still loving it, except for the corners where the squares come together, but that’s what I love about embellishing; you can cover up those little flaws, (most of the time) and I’m not sure what I will place in each corner, but I’ll let you know as soon as I decide.  🙂

Believe it or not sometimes I don’t have much to say and this weekend was one of those times, until I sat down at my computer to check my emails. I noticed that I had received one from my sweet friend Karen and it was a forwarded email. Most of the forwarded emails I receive I don’t read all the way through, but this one I decided to read all the way through. The title caught my eye and I loved the story behind it and had to share with all of you and I would love it if you read it all the way through too.  🙂

Sisters!

 

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

‘Don’t forget your sisters,’ she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. ‘They’ll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.’

‘Remember that ‘sisters’ means ALL the women – your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. ‘You’ll need other women. Women always do.’

What a funny piece of advice!’ the young woman thought. Haven’t I just gotten married? Haven’t I just joined the couple-world? I’m now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!’

But she listened to her mother. She kept contact with her sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her mother really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, sisters are the mainstays of her life.

After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I’ve learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.

Life happens.

Distance separates.

Children grow up.

Jobs come and go.

Love waxes and wanes.

Men don’t do what they’re supposed to do. (some of them do)

Hearts break.

Parents die.

Colleagues forget favors.

Careers end.

BUT………

Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley’s rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley’s end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you….Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family: all bless our life!

The world wouldn’t be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still. Pass this on, to all the women who help make your life meaningful.

I just did. Short and very sweet:

There are more than twenty angels in this world. Ten are peacefully sleeping on clouds. Nine are playing. And one is reading her email at this moment.

Send this message to ten of your friends including me. If you get 5 replies, someone you love will surprise you.

I think this probably counts for ten friends that I forwarded it to. So now I just need 5 replies and my surprise; I can’t wait. Thanks Karen for sharing your forwarded message with me on that fine lazy yesterday. I hope this message brought a smile to all of your faces and a tear to your eye just like it did to me. I love all my sisters and my brothers who are part of my life and I hope you all have a wonderful Monday.