I often wonder what good it does for me to tend my home and garden when there are other more productive things I could be doing.  The time I spend out in the garden weeding and tending flowers could be used to keep tidier cupboards and the time I spend making quilts and fluffing pillows might be a greater help to our budget if I worked outside the home.  


But then I catch the sun light filtering through the trees and dancing on the water in the backyard fountain as it splashes into the cement bowl or I glance and see someone cuddled in well placed blankets and pillows on the sofa without a care in the world and I remember the value in creating beauty and sanctuary in a world that can be harsh and unwelcoming.  


I love this quote from G.K.Chesterton's book Orthodoxy...

“And last, and strangest, there had come into my mind a vague and vast impression that in some way all good was a remnant to be stored and held sacred out of some primordial ruin. Man had saved his good as Crusoe saved his goods: he had saved them from a wreck.” G.K. Chesterton

We seek and hold on to beauty because the world reminds us what a wreck it is. We seek goodness and justice because life is hard and unfair. We tell a beautiful story because we innately know we were created by a loving storyteller. And we pluck fallen blooms in vessels of water to preserve their beauty as reminder of the world we are destined to.

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared....God himself...will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”...5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:1-5

Never feel the beauty you bring to your home through pretty things or to the garden by way of tending flowers or the joy you bring to a child’s face in the silly faces you make are unimportant or insignificant. These are beautiful remnants saved from the wreck and stored as treasures in our hearts.

What are some ways you bring good and beauty into this "wreck" of a world?

xo, Patty

The nights have cooled, the leaves are changing and the toy sections in the stores have doubled in size.   It seems we have officially entered the last quarter of the year and the last three months in this decade!


While there is so much to love about autumn, being in the kitchen whipping up all the comfort foods is right there at the top of my list.  Soups, stews and slow cooked meals in the oven are among my favorites to make.  I put together a quick batch of chili over the weekend and the sizzle as the onion and bell pepper hit the pan nearly made me giddy.  It's amazing how many emotions are tied into cooking.  Certain aromas can take us down memory lane like nobodies business.


The wonderful thing about this kind of cooking is that it doesn't take much to throw it together.  All it takes are a few fresh ingredients, a little bit of prep work and an hour or two of cook time and you have something warm and satisfying on the table for your family to enjoy.  Add to it a fresh loaf of sourdough or french bread and you'll have them lingering at the table.


Here's my quick and easy take on Family Style Chili Beans.

Ingredients

One pound of ground meat (beef, turkey or sausage work fine)
Two 15 oz cans of beans, drained and rinsed (I use pinto and kidney but black beans work great, too.)
Two 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 cup of instant rice
1/2 onion chopped coarsely
1 bell pepper chopped coarsely (any color will work)
2 or 3 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 TBSP chili powder (to taste)
2 TBSP olive oil
Shredded Cheese for topping

Start by adding the oil to a dutch oven or sturdy soup pot along with the onions and bell pepper.  Cook until tender and add meat to brown (salt and pepper to taste) along with garlic.  Once the meat is browned drain any fat and return to the pot.  Add rinsed and drained beans and tomatoes including juice, along with two cans of water.  Add seasonings and bring to a boil.  Turn down heat and let simmer for 30 minutes minimum but up to an hour.  Add uncooked minute rice during last five minutes and cover with lid.  Serve in deep bowls and top with cheddar cheese.  Let cool a bit and enjoy!

XO, Patty

Here's a quick video tutorial for cooking Family Style Chili Beans.