Purely Drivel

Chicken and Pastina Soup

I love soup.

I love Michael Chiarello, and have for years.  His was the first "chef-lebrity" cookbook I purchased, and the only one I think I've ever actually cooked from.

When I saw this recipe on the back of a box of Progresso broth I'd picked up to make pilaf for a church get-together, I knew I had to make it...and I'm so glad I did!  It's one of those soups that is delicious the day you make it and better the next.   I make a loaf of bread to go with it and supper is served =)

Chicken and Pastina Soup

• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
• 1/2 cup diced carrot (1 medium)
• 1/2 cup diced celery (1 medium stalk)
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 8 cups  chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon gray salt or sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 cup uncooked acini di pepe pasta or other small round pasta
• 2 cups chopped, lightly packed spinach (or other greens)
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. In a large  stockpot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, carrot and celery; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
2. Stir in tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper and bay leaf; heat to boiling. Stir in pasta; reduce heat.
3. Cover; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in greens just until wilted. Remove bay leaf. Serve with a twist of additional freshly ground pepper and sprinkle of cheese.

Notes:

• I couldn't find pastina at my local grocery store and substituted with small macaroni noodles. I've also used the little alphabet noodles.  I think any small noodle would work.
• You can use pretty much any sort of greens - Swiss chard, kale, spinach, anything else you might happen to have on hand.  I usually have spinach.
• I use my own chicken stock, so I adjusted the seasonings a bit. 

This post linked at The Grocery Cart Challenges Recipe Swap, Designs by Gollum's Foodie Friday- go find some new recipes to try!

what a girl wants

We are slowly but surely moving toward the teen years at our house.  Hanna will be 12 in less than two months...and while I could go on and on and on about how quickly that time has flown, that's not for today.

Sometimes, it's little jumps we notice - changes in the way she dresses, books she reads, things she loves.  Other times, we're seeing great big leaps.  She's always been an early riser and after our youth retreat a few weekends ago, something seems to have clicked and she can sleep in much later all of the sudden. 

I'm finding her needs - those things she is looking for from Tom and I as parents...they are changing as well.  And ones that aren't changing are becoming more pronounced in new ways. 

I'm finding it interesting.  Tom has been in youth ministry for nearly 15 years now.  In that time, we've known hundreds - if not thousands - of kids.  He's counseled many families through tough teen years, mentored students, and even mediated when necessary.  He's come to believe that parenting is a balance of two things: grace and truth. 

I agree with him on that.

I also think, though, that young ladies have a few more core needs.

First of all, they want time.  One on one with Mom is good, but they especially need it with Dad.  Dedicated time, focused on them.   It doesn't have to be all-the-time time - but making it something that's only theirs is crucial.   The one factor that has nearly been universal through Tom's years of ministry and working with hurting and/or rebelling young women has been the lack or disinterest of a father.  

One of my Dad's oldest and dearest friends and his daughter go hunting every year on President's Day weekend.  Now, that's not exactly my idea of prime father-daughter time but for them it's perfect.  Tom is making a point of spending time with Hanna in conjunction with starting a concert space at our church.  She's gone with him to check out other venues and has been helping at the concerts with him.  It's their time together and watching them grow closer as they talk about bands has been wonderful. Maybe it's just a McDonald's date once a month or an evening sitting outside talking - whatever works for your needs and your family situation, that Dad time is vital.

Second, they want acceptance...and while they want acceptance from both parents, I see a lot of girls hurting because they don't feel accepted by their mothers. 

I don't understand it.  As mothers, we want so much to build our daughters up and help them succeed, and I think therein lies the root.  Sometimes, I believe it's a desire to see our daughters do their best that leads us to criticize them.  What we may mean as constructive is taken to heart in a way that wasn't intended.  Other times, it's wanting them to keep from following paths we walked.  Whatever the root, I've watched so many young women look to their mom with hope and need...only to be crushed by words or looks that perhaps weren't even intended to be unkind.

I've been guilty of it so many times, and it is one thing I am truly working on diligently.  I'm learning to check my words before I speak them.  I'm looking for ways to build her up in truth and grace, and seeking new and better ways to communicate my heart to hers.  I've been praying Proverbs 31:26 lately:

She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

Finally, I think young ladies need to be reminded they are loved and valued. 

Daily. 

More than daily. 

And not just with words. 

That time with Dad and acceptance by Mom - those are really just ways of reinforcing how much a daughter is loved and treasured.   It also forms a foundation for those more difficult moments when truth and grace are more difficult but needed.

It seems a little funny to be writing this on this side of parenting a teenage daughter.  Perhaps a few years from now, I'll look back and say that I was wrong...or realize that other needs have become more important.  I truly believe, though, that building a foundation of time, acceptance and love is never going to impact a young lady or her family in a negative way.

Gratituesday: Flexibility

I'm feeling grateful this morning for flexibility. 

I'm not normally the most flexible person when it comes to holidays.  I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner my first year of high school and have done it most years since.  I usually start planning in September, even though the menu doesn't change that much.  I love rearranging the house, finding chairs for everyone, making things special.  And I really enjoy spending all day in the kitchen...especially if I have someone who's willing to do the dishes!

I'd planned to do it again this year, but we got a call from Tom's aunt inviting us to their house last week.  

My gut reaction was no.

Then I thought about it a little and discussed it with Tom.  It's been a rough year for me health-wise and I'm still dealing with fatigue issues on a daily basis.  I usually end up spending around $100 on Thanksgiving dinner, and that's probably not the best use of our financial resources right now.  We don't get to see as much family as we'd like...and ultimately, Thanksgiving is about family for us.

So we called back and said yes...we'd love to come...what can we bring?

I do tend to get a little sad when I'm not the one doing the cooking on Thanksgiving, but this year I'm willing to be flexible.  I know it's going to be a wonderful day, wherever we are!

And I'm to planning Christmas =)

Want to view more Gratituesdays?  Head on over to Heavenly Homemakers!  

Simple Woman's Daybook: November 9, 2009

FOR TODAY

November 9, 2009...

Outside my window...the sun is rising.  I think we'll be in the low 80's again today, and more wind.  It's been a windy week and will stay that way until Hurricane Ida runs through.

I am thinking...about contentment, lesson plans, meal plans...wondering what this week will bring...about our church member who had a medical emergency in service yesterday morning

I am praying...for wisdom and discernment, against the powers that are attacking our church, for another wonderful week of school and home life,

I am thankful for...so much...family, friends, home...all of the wonderful friends who support Tom in his ministry...Chelsea, who ministers to youth alongside Tom and has such an amazing gift.

From the learning rooms...another week like last week would be lovely.  We'll be continuing our studies in Ancient China and I'm hoping to start a study of Vermeer this week.

From the kitchen...somewhere I have a menu plan for this week.  I wonder where it went...

I am wearing...gray yoga pants and my favorite purple shirt (that probably needs to be burned retired).

I am listening to...Matt Maher's new CD, Alive Again.  I seem to be a little stuck on it.

I am creating...Wednesday night's class, Christmas lists, plans for the rest of the week.

I am going...to work on Advent and Christmas lesson plans this week. 

I am reading...nothing new, but waiting anxiously for UPS to deliver this Advent study, A Family Advent and Christmas Around the World.  Anticipating new books is one of my very favorite feelings.

Around the house...last week was truly wonderful.  Not only did school go well, but the house stayed fairly picked up and laundry caught up...until Wednesday night.  Everything is good until we wake up Thursday morning and the house just seems to explode.  I'm hoping to combat that this week.

One of my favorite things...watching the kids create over these past few weeks.  For some reason, they've been extra crafty...invading my studio, raiding my supplies.  I love it.

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Wednesday will be busy - we're hoping to get together to play with some dear friends and have church that night.  I've also got to make it to the library somewhere before then.  Other than that, it's a pretty wide open week. 

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

 

Have a blessed day!

Want to read more Daybooks?  Head on over to Peggy's, where she graciously hosts The Simple Woman's Daybook each week.

I choose contentment.

Just a warning...it's a long one!

This morning, we had a medical emergency in church.  I'm still not exactly sure what happened, but it made for an exciting morning.

The upside of the emergency was that we got to see church members jump to action.  I was a little surprised by exactly how many nurses and EMT's we have at our 9:30 service.  If you're going to have a medical emergency, it's a good place to be.

The downside?  It occurred right at the beginning of Pastor Doug's message.  It was a topic he's covered many times before, and one that continues to be timely.  While I was looking forward to hearing it, the little bit he did get to was enough to really get me thinking...

Wants versus needs.

Two things I happen to spend a lot of time focusing on.

Two things that tend to keep me up at night.

Two things I believe a lot of people are truly learning the difference between for the first time.

When we moved to Central Florida nearly five years ago so that Tom could take a new ministry position, we took a pay cut equal to about 20% of our annual income.  It's a decision that I still stand by completely.  We knew we needed to be in a place that was healthier for our family...but more importantly, Tom needed to be serving in a church that fully supported him and recognized his gifts and abilities.  We've been blessed with both of those things and many more since God called us here.  In two and a half years (God willing), Tom will have his Master's of Divinity and we will have no school loan debt.  That alone is worth that 20% loss in income many times over.

Living on that lower income wasn't easy but we did it. 

Two years later, we bought a house and budgeting went from something I haphazardly did to a necessity.  That smaller income got a lot smaller with a mortgage coming out of it.

I've been blessed to be able to create and sell scrapbook layouts on eBay for the last four years.  Being able to fulfill my creative needs and earn some extra money while staying home to serve my family has been wonderful.

Last Spring, God called us to homeschool and we answered.

Just like so much of the rest of the economy, the scrapbook industry has suffered. 

Combine those two issues, and that budget that was a necessity has become a bit of an obsession.  I have less time to create...and what I do create doesn't sell for as much as it did last year. 

We are doing more with less on a daily basis, and we're going to find new ways to do it when we have to start paying for my insurance next year (something that had been previously covered by Tom's employer).  

Is it stressful?

Yes.

Can we do it?

Yes, I think we can. 

It will take some more creativity, some hard work and a new trust in the Lord, but we will make it.

Over the last four and a half years, we've watched our income have to stretch to nearly impossible limits.  At the same time, we have grown closer and stronger as a family. 

We have learned what truly matters.

We know that happiness doesn't come from designer handbags, brand names, fancy cars or new furniture.  It comes from being together, playing together, learning together. 

People and relationships are so much more important than things.

Taking that opportunity to direct and engage in the kids' education is worth so much more than the income I've lost because time constraints and homeschooling.

We have learned to value the things we do have, and to prioritize our needs over our wants.  

We have discovered that our wants aren't nearly as necessary as we tend to think they are, and that our needs aren't as many as we had once thought.

We have seen God provide through family and friends at just the right time...over and over and over and in truly amazing ways.  

We have learned to seek and to follow God, and have come to fully understand that He will never, ever lead us astray.

We have learned to trust Him in ways I never knew possible.

It's been a difficult few years and I know this season of trial isn't over yet.  As stressful as it can be, I am thankful for this time.  Our priorities as a family and as members of the body of Christ have been shaped by these struggles.   I pray that when our finances are in a healthier place, we'll continue to live the same principles and priorities that we do now.  Someday, my goal is to still live on less so that we can leverage more for God's kingdom. 

Contentment is a choice - a daily, sometimes hourly, choice to live where you truly are.  It is acknowledging God's sovereignty and His plan.

I choose contentment.

The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 2:17

Week in Review

What a refreshing week!  After one week of vacation/planning time for Mom and another week shortened by the Fall Youth Retreat, it was a blessing to get back to "normal" school.

One of my goals in taking a vacation week was to have some time to be able to assess what was working, where we needed to change things and just come to grips with the first two months of homeschooling.  The biggest change I made was to go through our Story of the World text and group the chapters into civilizations.  We've enjoyed the studies, but it's felt a bit like we're hopping and skipping all over the place.  I understand the idea behind it, but I'd prefer to be able to focus on one area and get a bit deeper.

We are currently studying Ancient China.  We're pulling those chapters from Story of the World and supplementing with a lapbook study I found on Homschool Share and books checked out from the library.  I've also been adding in videos and web pages as suggested by our Usborne Internet-Linked History Encyclopedia and other recommendations I've found online.  

We are absolutely loving it.  

This week,  we learned about and painted pictograms:

 

We also moved on from there to calligraphy:

 

 

We even carved potatoes to make our own printing blocks after learning that movable type was invented in China.

 

We love it.  After we were done with the calligraphy,  they put together a little play about an Empress and her messengers, complete with costumes, musical instruments (well, it was a set of wind chimes played with a chopstick),  and an evil plot.  A little unorthodox, perhaps, but it was wonderful to see the kids wrap what they had learned into a story.

I realized this week how wonderful it is to homeschool in the age of the Internet.  While studying silk and silkworms, Caleb what silk worms looked like.  It took maybe 60 seconds to do a quick search and find multiple videos on everything from silkworms to silk production and beyond.  I can't imagine not having that world of information at our fingertips!

We do have a master timeline in the dining room that we'll be adding to with important dates from each ancient civilization we study, and the kids are enjoying seeing that build.   It also made sense to tailor our geography studies to the area of the world we're studying - it's all seemed much more organic to me.  I was also happy to find that we hadn't read the stories in our Hero Tales book about missionaries to China yet. 

The kids continued with the math, spelling, handwriting and Bible studies as usual.  I moved a little closer to unit based studies for literature as well, and that move has been nearly as positive as the changes to our history studies.  Hanna has continued her science studies, but we're realizing that Dad is a much better science teacher than Mom is.  We're going to have to ponder ways to wrap science around his schedule.  Caleb is ready for a more formal science curriculum and I'm hoping to have a decision made soon on where to go with that as well as language arts.

Now that the basics are running so much more smoothly, I'm feeling more comfortable with beginning to add in music, art, poetry, nature study and Shakespeare over the next few weeks and months.  I'm definitely a fan of one new thing at a time - homeschooling is still so very new to us and I find it so incredibly easy to get overwhelmed!

In Mom-business, I'm working on our plans for Advent, a  December study of Christmas Around the World and considering ways to implement a modified December Daily album for each of the kids along with that.  We also found out this week that Caleb had been given one of the narrator parts for our Christmas Eve production at church, which means I need to schedule in some daily practice time for him.

To see what other families have done this week, check out the Weekly Wrap-up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Our Favorite Pumpkin Bread

I found this pumpkin bread recipe several years ago on a blog that is no longer on the web.  It's one of our favorite Fall treats.  I actually blogged it in a random post several years ago, but made it again this week after roast and prepping my own pumpkin for the first time.  I think it's about time this pumpkin bread deserves it's own post...

Sort of Low-Fat Pumpkin Bread
Makes 2 loaves

Butter or cooking spray, for greasing pans
1 cup sugar (you can use Splenda, but I haven't tried it personally)
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 whole eggs, plus 3 egg whites [or 6 egg whites]
20 oz pumpkin (if it’s canned, don’t use pumpkin pie mix—make sure it’s plain pumpkin)
1 t. vanilla
3 ½ cups flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
2 t. salt
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. allspice
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. cloves
2/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9 x 5 loaf pans with butter or cooking spray, and set aside.

Cream together sugars and oil in a large mixing bowl; add egg whites, pumpkin, and vanilla and mix well.

Sift together dry ingredients; add to pumpkin mixture alternately with water, mixing well after each addition.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 60-75 minutes, switching placement in the oven halfway through to ensure even baking.

Bread is done when a tester (I use a thin wooden skewer or a poultry lacing pin) comes out clean. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Notes:

• To up the yum factor on mine, I chopped up about 1/3 c. walnuts and 1/3 c. dried cranberries, tossed them together with a tablespoon of brown sugar and a dash of cinammon.  I took all of that and placed it down the center of the loaf before placing it in the oven.  I usually place it on top because of picky eaters in our house, but it could also be mixed in (but I like to save the top for last).  Pecans or raisins would be good too.
• I've replaced up to half the white sugar with sucanat and half the flour with whole wheat and not had any adverse results. 
• A handful of mini chocolate chips thrown in the batter is awfully yummy also!
• I'd like to find some mini loaf pans, primarily for portion control.  My goal is to get to where I can spend one day a month baking a few batches of cookies and a few quick breads for desserts and snacks to stock the freezer with (though I really need a bigger freezer before I get too far into this). 
• These freeze great, and the recipe doubles well.  I haven't had any loaves last very long in the freezer, though =)
• 'Roasting and prepping my own pumpkin was a little more work than I'd expected, but I think it made the bread even better.  I'm going to have to pick up a few more pumpkins soon!
• I've also made these as cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and they were amazing.

This post linked at The Grocery Cart Challenges Recipe Swap, Designs by Gollum's Foodie Friday and Ann Kroeker's Foodie Friday.  Go find some new recipes!

a little bit random

A few things on my mind right now...

• This week has been truly glorious.  The weather  has been cooler (low 80's), the house has been open and the air conditioner turned off.  Best of all,  school has gone pretty easily each day.  I think our time off, and the tweaking I did during that time, was a success.  I think we're going to continue with 6 or 7 weeks of school followed by a week-long break.  I'm more or less planned out until Christmas, when we'll be taking two weeks off (sort of) for the holidays.  We're starting a Christmas Around the World unit after Thanksgiving and we'll continue to do a bit of studies, crafts and cooking related to that plus a little math to keep those skills strong.
  
• One of the major tweaks I made to our homeschooling curriculum was to group our history book into parts of the world.  This week and next, we'll be focusing on Ancient China and then we'll move on to Ancient Egypt.  Previously, we'd been hopping and skipping from one culture to another based more on the timeline and I didn't feel like we were really learning all that much.  We've been much happier taking some time to focus on just one.  I'll post more later this weekend, but here are a few pictures from some of our Ancient China studies this week:
  
  Hanna working on pictograms on Tuesday.
  
  
  Caleb working on calligraphy this morning.  More pictures to come later.
  
• I'm seriously considering doing a December Daily album this year.  It has been sooo long since I've scrapped anything of my own.  I might make it a project the kids and I do together as part of our Christmas studies.  Still contemplating...
  
• I am two-thirds of the way through teaching my 6 week Not So Fast class at church.  It has been a lot of work, but I feel like I've grown incredibly through teaching it.  Two more classes to g0 - next week, I'm focusing on slowing down through traditions and the last week will be on slowing down enough to rest.  I'm going to miss it when it's over.  It's given me the opportunity to get to know some amazing families from our church and it's shown me that teaching a small group is something I really can do.
  
• I'm starting to work on Christmas lists.  It's coming far too quickly!  Grandma Fee brought all of our gifts over before she left to head home to California this week...I think she's testing me.  I am so impatient and nosy when it comes to gifts.   I promise that I haven't even lifted so much as a corner of the wrapping paper, but I can't guarantee how long that will last.
  
• Speaking of Christmas,  I stumbled across my Christmas Manifest from a few years ago.  It still speaks to me.  It's still a good reminder.
  
• I had intended to do a Daily Gratitude post, but somehow November seemed to have a jump on me.  I'm hoping instead to do something daily when Advent starts in a few weeks.

Whew!  My brain feels a little lighter...it always amazes me how much it helps to free up some space when get things down here!

Gratituesday: It Clicked!

Yesterday, it all clicked.

My morning time, school, my creative time, dinner...it was the most productive day I've had in a long time and for that I am truly grateful.

I've struggled with my daily schedule since starting homeschooling a few months ago.  I've intended to get up an hour before the kids so I can have some quiet time and spend a little time on the computer.  I've intended for school to flow, for the kids to be engaged and not fighting me every step of the way.  I've intended to spend the afternoons in the studio, creating new layouts to list.  I've intended to have healthy, complete dinners on the table each night for dinner.

For the last month or so, I've been blessed if I actually reached one of my intentions.  Two was a long shot.

Yesterday, it all clicked.

The time change has been kind to me and I'm easily awake at 5:45 am.   Yesterday, I spent a little time in prayer and then took care of some business on the computer...all before the kids were awake.

That freed up time for me to oversee their chores and spend the time with them during breakfast.  That paid off in an easier school time.  There were still the little quibbles, but our school day went far more smoothly than it ever has.  Everything in my lesson plans was completed.  We began new units on sharks (Caleb), the plague (Hanna), ancient China (history/geography), planted Fall tomatoes and continued all of our other studies.

We were done by noon, ate lunch and the kids went to their rooms for quiet time...again with no arguments.  Afterward, they both started working on projects to give as  Christmas gifts and I headed into the studio.  I was able to complete two layouts (and get them scanned and listed) and start on my class for Wednesday night before Tom even got home for dinner...which was crock pot chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh bread and broccoli. 

Yesterday, it all just clicked. 

It wasn't perfect by any means (nor do I expect it to happen again every day), but it was a day I will give thanks to the Lord for and as a reminder of what is possible when we all work together.

Want to view more Gratituesdays?  Head on over to Heavenly Homemakers!  

The Simple Woman's Daybook: November 2, 2009

FOR TODAY

November 2, 2009...

Outside my window...it's still dark.  I am desperately wishing for fall, but it doesn't seem to be coming to Florida this year.  Still in the 80's, but feeling closer to 90's. 

I am thinking...about how fragile life is and hugging my kiddos a little tighter.  A little boy was killed Halloween on his way to our church's Trunk or Treat.  It's affecting not only the family of that little boy, but the driver and even our church family.  Many of our parking lot crew were some of the first on the scene.  Continued prayers are appreciated!

I am thankful for...Grandma Fee's visit this weekend, our health and safety, fun packages from Grammy for the kids, God's grace.

I am pondering...when Halloween became an excuse for adults act inappropriately and for little girls to dress up even more inappropriately. 

From the learning rooms...getting back to "normal school" this morning after two crazy weeks.  The kids are each beginning new units (sharks and the plague - I let them pick) and I'm pondering a more official science curriculum for Caleb. 

From the kitchen...slow cooker chicken and potatoes this evening, raviolis tomorrow night and tacos on Thursday.  I'm trying to take it easy on myself for meals this week - so much to get caught up on!  Pondering whether or not we're going to eat at church Wednesday night.  I've been a little disappointed in supper the last few weeks.

I am wearing...still in my pajamas. This time change has me up earlier than usual.

I am creating...layouts, layouts, layouts.  I've got piecings done for 9 layouts...I'm not sure if I can get them all done and listed this week, but I'm sure going to try!  I've also got this week's Wednesday night class to write, and I'm hoping to get the final two weeks readied.

I am going...to start plotting out Christmas this week.  I need to start uploading my address list and making a list of gift ideas.  Grandma Fee visited this weekend and brought our Christmas gifts.  I think there might be a slight chance she'll be back for Christmas, but either way this works out  easier.  I'm just not sure I can resist the temptation to peek! 

I am reading...Christy - Hanna picked it up at the library last week and I remembered loving the television show.  I'm also on the  look out for a new bible study. 

I am hoping...Tom comes home early this afternoon and that the cooler weather they're calling for sticks this time.  I'm also craving some scrappy time - it's been so long since I've scrapbooked anything for myself.  Maybe if I can stay super on top of things this week, I can find a little time next weekend.

I am hearing...morning sounds.  Tom in the shower, the kids doing their chores.  I love mornings like this.

Around the house...it's been an extra-hectic few weeks and I'm looking forward to a little bit of normalcy.  The laundry is finally just about caught up after our trip to St. Simon's Island and the house finally got a good scrubbing this weekend.  Our bedroom needs a big purge, and I'm hoping we can get to that this weekend if we keep to our chores this week.

One of my favorite things...my new little point and shoot camera.  It's been almost 6 months since I had something reliable to shoot with.  It's not my beloved Nikon D70, but it's perfect for my needs right now.

A few plans for the rest of the week: the usual - school each day, church on Wednesday, maybe take in a band competition on Saturday to see some of our youth compete.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Have a blessed day!

Want to read more Daybooks?  Head on over to Peggy's, where she graciously hosts The Simple Woman's Daybook each week.