Simple Pleasures #30
Difficult Times
I don't think I have to tell anyone that we have been and continue to be living through difficult times.
We are easing up on the pandemic restrictions and that is a good thing.
My apartment building is no longer requiring masks, and of course, someone has already pointed out to me that I need to stop wearing mine.
I have a daughter with no immune system and if I want to be able to spend time with her I must wear a mask whenever I am out in public so that I don't risk passing Covid to her.
It is a very small sacrifice for me to protect someone I love more than anything and my reasons are no one else's business.
Now that Covid restrictions are easing up we are faced with the invasion of Russia into Ukraine.
As I watch what those desperate people are going through, my heart breaks.
I am not a wealthy person. In fact, I am at the other end of the spectrum from being wealthy, but I realize how fortunate I am to have food on my table and a safe place to live.
Difficult times call for us to be strong and to support each other, and that reminds me that we never know what others may be going through.
Be kind.
Simple Inspiration
Instant Pot Recipe Of The Week
You definitely need to pull your Instant Pot out for this one.
Don't have an Instant Pot? You can purchase one, like the one I have, here.
There are times when I just want a good pork chop, but it can be hard to cook pork chops without them coming out tough or dried out.
My late ex-mother-in-law was a master at turning pork chops into shoe leather.
The pork chops were tender and juicy and as I am a mushroom lover I loved the gravy.
I added mashed potatoes and fresh steamed broccoli for a perfect meal.
Gluten-Free Recipe Of the Week
This casserole is cheesy and delicious and if you use a cast-iron skillet it can go from stovetop to oven and skip having an extra casserole dish to clean up later.
Catching Up
Recent posts you may have missed.
Let's Shop
Make your life easier finds.
I love cooking with my mom's cast iron skillet, but let's face it, they can be a pain to clean. These chainmail cleaners have made that task so much easier.
Your fingernails are going to literally thank you for this purchase.
Mine did and with this five-pack, you can put one in each room and in your car.
Arthritis in your fingers and scrubbing vegetables don't really work well together, but this flexible silicone scrubber has really helped me out.
Where have these ice cube trays with lids been all of my life?
If you are like me and don't have an ice maker (yes I know I live in the dark ages) you know how icky ice cubes can get in your freezer.
The person who came up with this simple idea should get some kind of award.
Last week as I was once again bent over double with the blood rushing to my head I asked myself why I haven't done something about my bathroom under sink storage.
Then I found these slide-out best seller bins.
I am thinking about buying a second cast-iron skillet as the one I have is 8" and I would also like a larger one.
This may not be the prettiest thing in my living room, but I am all for convenience and for stopping spills.
My life would be a lot less stressful if I didn't wake up every morning with a headache from the dry air in my apartment.
This will be going on the desk next to my bed at night.
What I'm Watching
With all of the stress in the world right now I am trying to watch shows that make me laugh.
I loved the first two seasons of Candice Renoir and now there is a third season and a fourth season will be released later this month.
It is in French with subtitles.
I will be spending time today with my daughters and grandchildren. It is always a time filled with laughter and today I am sure we will be playing badminton.
I bought two more rackets and birdies so we can play as teams.
For some strange reason, Tessa has already chosen someone other than me to be on her team.
I'm already laughing.
As an Amazon Associate, I may receive a small commission for purchases made through my links.
Happy Friday Laura. Yay the weekend is almost here. The problem with them lifting the masks is now at least up here in Illinois the flu and strep are going rampant. The kids did so much better when they wore the masks in school to keep the other virus down. We just cannot win sometimes! Have a good weekend. xoxo Kris
ReplyDeleteMy kids used to wear their Halloween costumes to the grocery store in July, no one cared or commented or reminded us that it wasn't October anymore, so I don't get it when people make comments to those wearing masks...I just don't see a difference. I hope you have a lovely weekend!
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a special day with your family. Lots of neat ideas for shopping. I like those little scrapers! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteMany people have personal reasons to keep wearing masks, and it's upsetting that others don't care to understand that. Hope you had a fun day playing badminton with the family!
ReplyDeletePS - Going to measure under my kitchen sink to see if those baskets fit!
Delete