April

Hi everyone!  I'm still around -- just haven't had time to put together a post.  First things first; I'm so, so sorry that I haven't been by to visit my dear fellow blogging friends!  I have to say that this situation is taking a little getting used to.  😉  I do love having Mr. Forest Manor here during the day, but... it certainly changes my schedule.  I consider this a rehearsal for retirement; we're in training, I suppose.  😜  Anyhoo, with both of us here all the time, we're consuming an awful lot of food.  Suffice it to say, I've probably gained back every pound I had lost last year.  Sigh.  At any rate, the kitchen is definitely getting a workout.  I'm constantly thinking that I'm so thankful we had the re-model done in 2012, and I'm glad we gave careful thought to our new storage spaces, in addition to the new sink, stove, and dishwasher.   

   Welcome April!  I'm sure this month doesn't look the way any of us had planned, but here we are.  Above you see my French Country Diary/Calendar for 2020.  I love this picture; it just looks so homey.  If you enlarge the image, you can see there is a container filled with different size cooking whisks.  This appealed to me because I have the same thing going in our kitchen.     

   I actually saw it at a friend's house many years ago and thought it was such a clever idea.  I keep other cooking utensils in a separate canister beside the stove.           I hope you're all coping with these changes and restrictions, and I especially hope that you all remain well.  So, what have we been doing here at Forest Manor?  Well, a lot of cooking and washing dishes.  I've tried two new recipes from my Pinterest files -- both were pinned from blogs I follow.  I would love to have done a recipe post, but by the time I get things prepared, everyone's ready to just dig in.  No time for staging and photos.        I've also cooked some of my tried and true recipes.  It's been cold again here, so last night I made my homemade, creamy potato soup.  It's one of my very favorite soups in the whole world; I've been cooking this soup since early in our marriage.  I will share that recipe very soon.  Also, we had coincidentally gone to a place near here where a lady runs a catering business, and she has prepared frozen items for you to purchase and cook at home.  This was right before the stay-at-home order, so I was glad we'd stocked up on a few things for our freezer.  I purchased some Moravian-style chicken pies (a local thing) some baked spaghetti, and a small quiche.  We think the chicken pie is excellent, the baked spaghetti is quite tasty, but I was not impressed with the quiche.  I can make much better myself.       My husband seems to be coping well with working at home.  He's finding lots of funny things on Facebook about this, since most people we know are in the same position.       

    I thought this was one of the cutest so far -- a border collie working from home.  😁        Duncan keeps us both entertained (sometimes a little too much).  But lest you think otherwise, we're taking this virus very seriously.  It's a scary thing, and we're trying to be careful and follow the guidelines.  I will tell you for sure; when this is over, I'll be so glad to hug all of my family members.  We're a close family, and I really miss seeing my mom.       

    My Susan Branch calendar for this month -- it hangs on the door between the kitchen and dining room.  I just love these colors!  All the yellow and blue matches my kitchen perfectly.    

     I'm very slowly putting touches of spring out throughout the house.  In spite of the worries upon us right now, I wish you all a Happy Spring!  I'm in the at-risk group of people because I have asthma, so we are trying to be very careful, and after that, we're trusting God to look after us all.        Thanks so much for stopping by here today!  I'm sorry this post wasn't too exciting; I feel like I'm in a fog today and rather distracted.  I will try to post again soon.      Love to you all,