November Soup Chain

 Ok...those two days went REALLY fast.

It's SUNNNDAY! And not just any Sunday, but the second Sunday of the month and that means it's time for The Soup Chain!

If you didn't see my last post, I'm doing something a bit different here and resurrecting the old blog tradition of a "chain."

On the second Sunday of each month, I - and anyone else who chooses to participate - will share a recipe for soup and/or bread.

It can be a tried-and-true favorite or go-to recipe, or one they've decided to try for the first time.

The more who join the heartier merrier.

I never actually hosted a chain before and can't remember all the ins and outs, but if you choose to participate, it would be helpful if you commented back here so I and others will know to check your blog. This is especially helpful since not everyone follows everyone else and a post could be easily missed. (And hopefully it will also lead to new blog connections as well.)

Please also feel free to copy and use the above meme so that your participation is readily noticeable. (Note, it has been modified since my last post to specify that it is the second Sunday of every month so be sure to use the new version.)

And, as I said in my prior post, the "second Sunday of every month" is not a hard and fast rule. If you do it on Wednesday, or the third Sunday, I don't care, but it makes it even more necessary to be sure you comment on my chain post for that month that you've posted.

And while I know most of you know this, but when you post a comment on someone's blog, there is a little box to the right under your comment that says "Notify Me." If you check that box, you will automatically get updates on comments to that blog post. That will ensure you catch comments from others who comment that they have posted a chain post.

Really...no rules. This is meant to be easy and fun.

So on with it already.

Since I took up a lot of space and time already, my recipe for the month is so simple even Lauren could do it...if she liked mushrooms. 😉

I love cream of mushroom soup and have at least a half of dozen recipes I use regularly (yes, I make and eat a lot of soup) but this one is one I go to when I want soup and I want it now...but I don't want it out of a can or box.

It almost feels like cheating.

It makes a great "first course" if you're into fancy dinners but works easily well paired with a salad or sandwich for a quick lunch or dinner.

The ingredients are simple as well: butter, flour, salt, pepper, onion, fresh mushrooms, chicken broth, and half-and-half.

I always end up adding a bit more salt and freshly ground pepper.

It is one of the easiest soups ever.

I hope you join the chain and "pass the ladle." And, again, if you do, please comment below.... A link to your blog or blogpost in the comment would make things amazingly simple for those who might not already follow you.

And to everyone who has decided to be part of the "chain," thank you! I'm looking forward to adding some recipes to my repertoire. 

The Soup Chain

 

I bet you never thought you'd see another post from me so soon, eh?

Well....surprise!

Back in the heydays of blogging (well, at least MY version of heydays) there were many "events" that somehow - like bloggers themselves - fell by the wayside: giveaways, blog chains, blog hops, etc.

I miss some of those things.

I've never organized a blog chain or hop and this may turn out to be a total and complete flop but thought I would give it a whirl.

I know many of my fellow bloggers who turn to the cozy side this time of year. We can't wait until it's "that" season again.

Not sweaters and hot chocolate season but SOUP SEASON.

(Some of us, who will remain nameless, don't necessarily relegate it to a season, but, still, it goes best with the cooler temps and coziness of the months to come.)

We can and do make meals centered around things our forefathers took for granted as an everyday staple: a hearty soup or broth and a hunk of crusty homemade bread.

Soooo....I'm thinking of resurrecting an old blog tradition of doing a blog chain where, periodically (in this case once a month...the second Sunday of each month to be specific in this case), we all post a soup - or bread - recipe to share with others.

It can be a tried-and-true favorite recipe of yours, or a new recipe you try and give an honest opinion/review of. Photos, of course, would be a welcome bonus.

I know it's short notice for this upcoming Sunday, so feel free to just post a simple recipe - no photo pressure...but, if you're like me, there's some kind of soup on the menu in the days to come.

(And no, there's no blog chain patrol here, so if you post on Wednesday, or the third Sunday, I don't care....and neither will anyone else. Soup makes one a bit more forgiving than usual it seems.)

Please feel free to copy and share the photo meme above and use it when you post so people know you're part of the chain gang.

I hope to see some of you on Sunday!

Allhallowtide

 Farewell Beloved October...

I did not manage that last post before Halloween that I had hoped. (None of you should be surprised.)

But, like Christmas, to me, at least, Halloween is not just a one-day affair.

And my belief/practice is consistent with history.

Many people think of Halloween, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day as separate observances, but they traditionally formed a three-day period call "Allhallowtide."

Yesterday, November 2nd, was, officially, All Souls' Day.

For modern Christians, it is usually a day of prayer and remembrance for the souls of those who have passed on. For Catholics, it is primarily a day of prayer for the souls of the departed who linger in purgatory so they may be released and go to heaven.

For me, it was the day I hoped to sneak in one final Halloween post but, instead, succumbed to the crud.

{Is it just me, or don't those clods seem to have the faces of tortured souls or demons?}

Traditionally, and by many still, it is believed that on this day the border between the spirit world and real world dissolves. During this brief period, the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living world to rejoin their living relatives.

While the traditions and practices vary amongst different cultures, societies, and religious denominations, most all involve praying for the souls of the departed as well as visiting cemeteries to decorate graves with garlands, flowers, candles and incense.

{Gravestones in old Latvian cemetery}

Since I missed getting this post in within the traditional 3-day period of Allhallowtide, I'll spare you more history lessons. But, since I had a majority of the post put together prior to surrendering to a fevered 22-hr "nap," I'm still going to share some of my indoor Halloween.

This is a "Halloween Twilight" girl created by The Goode Wife of Washington County (the talented Stacey Walsh). She sits on a cubby amongst old Stieff black cats on the desk in my son's old bedroom (a/k/a "The Salem Room").

Her skirt is made of a waxed paper and has a little graveyard painted on it. A candle beneath her skirt makes the scene light up perfectly eerily.

An excavated 19th century bisque fragment figurine stands next to a small Turtle Creek Pottery plate atop old cash register number rolls: 

Moravian candle sconce:

Old pulp papier mache owl, antique candle mold and stoneware atop the floor clock:

The witch's apothecary cabinet is refreshed each year.  Another creation by Stacey Walsh (The Goode Wife of Washington County) - a little crow skelly holding a mourning photo - hangs on the cupboard side:

A small cloche with another excavated fragment (made witchy), a vintage tin and vintage "Witch" pins:

Many years ago, I purchased a lot from an old undertaker, including his reverse painted glass business sign. It has always provided the backdrop for my collection of pulp/papier mache Jacks:

Part of the lot also included this embalming fluid crate:

{This sits atop cabinets in my laundry room, together with some of my vintage "Shadowland Candies" tins.}

The glass dome sitting to the right of the embalming fluid crate is an antique embalming fluid funnel:

The added candle underneath welcomes wandering souls during Allhallowtide (and beyond):

An old ladder in the living room became a roost for a(n) (attempted) murder of crows:

Another Halloween cloche. (I've had a thing for cloches of late apparently.)

Although not visible in the photo, the vintage alarm clock sports a beautiful Halloween orange-color case:

{...and another excavated bisque figurine fragment made witchy}

There's more - apparently, I wasn't quite as far done with this post as I thought I was. So, I will end with these photos of my latest rescue-ee from The Isle of the Unfinished.  It is "Witch" by The Primitive Needle.

It was stitched on 40-count Endora (by Needle & Flax) using Gentle Arts "Witching Hour" floss.

And, yes, that is a real, taxidermied, Cane toad.

Be safe...stay well.