Weekend Coffee Share...Come sit with me

It's another week of Weekend Coffee Share. I always love everyone's posts. Are you like me and try to visit everyone? It doesn't always happen but I try. I have loved getting to know different bloggers and I figure if they take the time to write a post, I'll find the time to visit, even if it's a week later. I truly enjoy what you all share and I often learn so much. 

Check out all the other posts on Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. I'm off to go visit some now. #weekendcoffeeshare.

If we were having coffee we'd probably talk about:

The weather: Well, we were supposed to have severe storm on Wednesday that turned out to be absolutely nothing. I'll share an image below of what they forecasted. Tuesday was gorgeous and warm, Wednesday was also warm but then a cold front was coming in which was supposedly going to cause the issue. 

I prepared by pulling in anything that could be blown away, Filled a few things with water and then waited. 

I shared this meme after absolutely nothing out of the norm happened. 

My oldest daughter (who lives 20 minutes away) and I were sharing pictures of the sky...here are the ones I sent throughout the day.

So, nothing happened beyond some rain and a little wind. I was sad...now, I certainly didn't want damaging hail or funnel clouds, BUT I do love a good thunder storm and was ready to be hunkered down. 

What we're thinking about: I was kind of complaining on another post about the lack of commenters. I was saying that I was excited on a post because I saw there were six commenters...who sadly turned out to be spam. Terri, who hosts #sundaystills asked if I had considered moving to Wordpress. I've thought of doing this before but just haven't wanted to take the time to learn how, etc. Plus, does it cost? Blogger is free, I like free...haha. I see others on Blogger with engagement, so not sure what the real issue is. Not that it ultimately matters, but it is nice to know that others read what you take time to write. So I suppose I'm thinking about this. I know some people don't get notifications when I post...I normally just post to link parties unless we've done a trip, so what I do is just go back to that link party and go through the links people shared. 

What we're thankful for: I am thankful we didn't have damaging weather Wednesday, though I did want a good thunderstorm. 

Around the house: Last Saturday hubby and I went to a local nursery and bought some plants for our new side area. I need to purchase some more but we started with plants will stay green year round. We also got a small japanese waterfall maple. I'll add in some flowering plants soon. I did plant some bulbs I got from Costco. 

We also installed some solar lights in that spot. It's going to be so pretty. 

Last night I went out and got a video of the lights on. I cannot wait for more sunny days and warmer night. More being outside. 

Hoping everything in here takes well! A friend gave me two of these stacking planters so in this one I did herbs and strawberries. In the other I might do flowers.



For the love of food: One of you asked if I had shared the recipe for the sourdough banana bread so I'll share photos below. This book you can get on amazon and it's a really good one. I've made several things out of it. 

Last Sunday we went to my inlaws for lunch and I was in charge of biscuits. I made one batch of sourdough and then a batch of dairy free biscuits (I can't find the recipe I used for that one). They both turned out so good.  

Both recipe called for the dough to be patted out, cut, stacked and the process repeated a few times. This was to hopefully ensure a more flaky texture. I had never done that before. Both were very easy recipes

This past week I made Thai peanut noodles (so good and so easy and a fave), chicken soup and then some breaded Tilapia with fries. 

If we were having coffee I might ask if you have any new recipes worth trying. 

For the love of reading: I finished the book Case of the Bleus by Korina Moss. I'm not anxiously waiting for the 6th book in the series to come out at the end of April. It is such a great cozy series. I'm still reading Stake and Eggs and haven't fully decided if I'm going to shelve it or not. So I'm in between right now...I haven't started anything new yet. I've picked my book for April's Murder They Write Book Challenge. The Prompt is a book with flowers on the cover. I'm going to read Clover Coverd Corpse by Jackie Layton. 

What we're watching or listening to: I finished When Calls the Heart now I can't wait for next season to start. I have been wanting to see what Meaghan Markles Netflix show is about. I happened to see a brief video and it looked interesting. I'm now listening to Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. I've had this on my TBR list for quite awhile, before I even knew who he was. I have a few podcasts I want to listen to. I need to listen to the latest of These are Good Days and I want to listen to the latest episode of Mel Robbins that talks about Body Reset for women. I have been struggling lately with weight, etc..so maybe this will be helpful. 

Favorite quote: I read this quote in the beginning of a cookbook that I'm considering using for the BKD Cookbook Club.

"what sustains me is knowing we exist in duality. It is not just one thing that's happening---clearly so much is happening. Being present to pain and joy, trauma and potential, crisis and purpose, darkness and light, life and death. To tune into what's underneath the surface? What's beyond the five senses? and connect to the depths of the heart" ~Daphne Lopez

Favorite photos(s): I shared a few of these photos in my #sundaystills post last week for spring. In Late February but sometimes mid March, the smelt run up the Columbia River and into the Lewis River. The part of our town we call The Bottoms (farmland) sits on the Columbia and also the Lewis River. During a week to two week period when the smelt are running, the river fills with Sea Lions, Bald Eagles and Pacific White Pelicans all looking for their next meal. I try to get down there and get a few photos. Sometimes it's hard to time it right. My goal is to always rent a bigger lens, and I always forget. The side of the road is lined with photographers and their gigantic wildlife lenses. 

I spotted this guy in a tree so I quickly pulled over to snap a few. He took off but I managed to get a couple of him in flight. 

Tuesday was such a beautiful day, and Indy was on spring break so we bought a coloring book and went and sat at the park and colored. I love spending time with the grandkids. 

Random or not so random things: I'm looking forward to nice days, spending more time outside. I want to spend more time exploring this year. Taking advantage of moments I have. 

I love to read and I love to cook...I've been tossing around the idea of starting an instagram page that is around reading and cooking, specifically cooking recipes that I find in the books I read. Most often cozy mysteries (some of my favorite types of books) have recipes. I thought that might be a fun creative outlet. If we were having coffee I might ask you what you thought, and if you had any ideas...I'm not always good at doing something new or putting myself out there. I don't know entirely what it would look like. How often I'd post...maybe I'd post about what I'm reading and then once a week make a recipe. 

Well, I'm off to grocery shop and maybe work on my #sundaystills post. Oh, and I need to go comment on some #wednesdayhodgepodge posts. Have a great week. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin