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What does your "cookbook" look like?

My Betty Crocker cookbook is a wreck. It was given to me as a bridal shower gift in 1979, and I have treasured it ever since. Over forty years later, it remains a prized possession. It has been my cooking guidebook, truly important when you’ve grown up feasting on a mainly southern Italian diet, (no complaints here) which included a lot of pasta and meatballs. Yes, our meals had variety, but gravy was simmering at my house just about every other day. The traditional, and now collectable Betty Crocker cookbook became my best friend in the kitchen. Today, it has all the signs of being used and maybe a little abused. The pages are weathered, written on, and stained. The covers are loose, no longer held in place by the familiar spiral binding. The only thing keeping it together is an oversized, stretchy band. I’ve collected other cookbooks over the years, but this one has been my go-to manual. In it, I discovered new recipes, tried making things I had never heard of, and was thrilled

You Are Already Beautiful

I recently watched Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (Amazon) and it was a lovely, “dreams come true” story. The main character in the story, Mrs. Harris, is a light-hearted woman with a lovely disposition. A war widow, she makes her living as a hard working housekeeper for upper class clients. While at one of her clients’ homes, she spies a stunning Dior couture gown hanging in the wardrobe. Instantly, she is entranced by its beauty and resolves to own one someday. She was on a mission! She scrimps and saves at every opportunity. Finally, she has saved enough to make the trip to Paris to visit the renowned House of Dior. She is ready to make a purchase! She endures a few twists and turns, but as fate would have it, everything falls into place for her. She is seated in the viewing parlor ready to observe a private showing of the beautiful collection of couture dresses. Spoiler alert… She purchases a beautiful gown and the process to custom fit her dress begins. She proudly owns a Dior gown! I

The Unraveled Thread

An unexpected package mysteriously appeared at my door. It came in the mail, and it was a complete surprise. When I opened it, my heart was profoundly filled. In the package, was a book about slow stitching. Now that probably doesn’t sound like a big deal to you, but it was for me. I had been thinking about slow stitching as something new to try. A practice to help me slow down and use my creativity, too. I told no one about this desire. Yet, the book appeared and when I read who it was from, I wasn’t surprised. A dear friend, who lives across the country sent the book to me. She said something inside of her knew that I  needed  to have this book. I don’t talk to her very often, but I know we think about each other. Somehow, she seems to have a sixth sense about things, and she had a sense about this book and a sense about me. She didn’t know that I had thoughts about stitching, but God did. And when I saw the book, I was speechless. In my spirit, I was overwhelmed. I don’t think I am