Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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top ten posts of 2014

December 28, 2014

Whew, are we actually at the end of the year already? Or, finally? Yes, both. Happy end of the year to you, friends. I thought it would be fun to glance backwards and see the top ten posts of 2014. I am always surprised by the thoughts that spark the most conversation, so this is fun for me.

Fearless. A post from last January was all about replacing fear with faith. And it led to a wonderful year, I almost can’t believe it! My journey to that “aha moment” to say the least.

fog, lazy w, oklahoma, faith

Slow Food Early Spring Ordering Also from last January, a lot of us were pretty excited about getting our gardens started! No surprise. I keep company with some wonderful growers.

july 2014 harvest

Reviewing Dee Nash’s Book! Then in February I was honored to be one of the bloggers who previewed, reviewed, and hosted giveaways for my friend Dee Nash’s first book, the 20-30 Something Guide to Gardening. That was so fun! She photographed me for her book, too, even though I barely qualify for this age group, ha!

Ted Bundy Ah, yes. Ed-tay Undy-bay. If you haven’t read this story yet, you might want to take a few minutes to do so. Pretty funny.

Notes to Boys I have had the pleasure of interviewing lots of authors, but this one stands out. Pam Ribon’s book Notes to Boys was laugh-out-loud hilarious, wonderful, smart, and just everything good about books by authors from my generation. Trading notes with her was even more fun. Here is my review of her fabulous memoir.

Harvey’s Story I ran the OKC Memorial Marathon for the first time last spring, more than anything to honor my husband’s parents, who were first responders to the Murrah Building bombing in 1995. Harvey was kind enough to sit for a lengthy and heart-touching interview over a series of quiet nights at the farm. And the first part of his interview was well accepted. You all were so affectionate to him with your words.

No More Belly Dancing for Me In August I became a belly dancer and then stopped. I had reasons.

me-hula-cropped

Worm or Pasta? I am neither proud nor terribly upset by this, but my dilemma over identifying a weird house plant passenger got plenty of traffic. This post from September was, well, interesting.

worm-or-pasta

Introducing My Great-grandpa’s Apiary Journal Last year my Uncle Tim gave me the most wonderful gift, his grandpa’s (my great-grandfather, Papa Joe) beekeeping journal. I introduced it to you in January and have been sharing entries from it in bits and pieces every since. More to come in 2015!

bees aug 2014

Clinging to Love Throughout last year I wrote pretty frequently about the incredible power of Love, prayer, faith, and positive thinking. In May I strove to clear up a few misconceptions and hope that it was successful. I think a lot of you, my friends, are thirsty for affirmning words and deep spiritual nourishment. It is available! And truly anything is possible. Even more of that this coming new year.

june maroon lily

I am so thankful for you, every time you choose to click over here and see what’s happening at the Lazy W or in my head. I’m looking forward to hitting reset in a few ways and starting the fresh new year with better focus, longer reach, and deeper love.

Are there any Lazy W moments from this past year that stand out to you? What about in your own life? I would love to hear.

For the record, it was a worm.
But not a butt worm.
XOXOXOXO

6 Comments
Filed Under: daily life, memoriesTagged: 2014 top posts

a wonderful, unremarkable day

December 23, 2014

Yesterday was so fun in a patchwork-Christmas kind of way. I was busy from the minute I woke up to the minute we crashed in bed (I fell asleep with my red kimono still on, I was so tired). Monday was filled with sewing projects, animal silliness, fresh high-vitamin food and also frosted sugar cookies, scarlet red poinsettias, and two of the people I love most in this world. It was an unremarkable day by the calendar, but it was absolutely thrumming with Love. And already I can see that today is, too.

It started early. While sitting at my sewing machine in its temporary dining-room spot, I heard a harsh tapping on glass. A cute little white chicken we named KFC was perched on a milk can in the front flower bed, staring into the picture window there, tapping her beak on the glass. I had already fed everyone. So much, in fact. I  swear, the more I feed the animals the more they expect to eat. It’s ridiculous.

KFC the chicken trying to pressure me into giving out more treats.
KFC the chicken trying to pressure me into giving out more treats.

Then a little while later I heard the same tapping and discovered that KFC had relinquished her window post to this hen we have named Red Dot. (So named because she is red and has a dot on her face.) Red Dot stared at me with the most disgruntled expression a chicken can possibly have.

red hen in window

The big mood lifter for everyone yesterday was the return of sunshine. For more than three weeks Oklahoma has been wrapped in fog, dark clouds, and just a flannelly cocoon of winter weather. We are not built for this much darkness! I really don’t know how people in the Pacific Northwest cope with it. So yesterday we all felt refreshed just seeing the sun. I went for a quick little 3 mile run wearing only a light jacket, and I had thoughts like better get the pool opened up soon!

Even with cool temperatures, feeling sunshine on our faces and arms was pure luxury.
Even with cool temperatures, feeling sunshine on our faces and arms was pure luxury.

Even the animals were in high spirits, as if the window-tapping chicken story wasn’t enough to convince you. Our oldest was home for most of the day and did some fun ground work with Dusty, her horse. And by ground work I mean they practiced climbing hills and played gone-gone peekaboo.

These two. xoxo
These two. xoxo

It was a cookie-making night, and I had so much fun. I even stopped counting how many carbs were sneaking into my grateful mouth, that’s how much fun it was! Martha Stewart’s Royal Icing recipe, by the way, is perfect. Perfect, easy, and stunningly uncomplicated for her. It gives a nice glossy shell and is thick. My only complaint about last night’s cookie extravaganza was the conspicuous absence of red food coloring. Why? Why is there never any red? In twenty years of having my own kitchen, I have owned red food coloring maybe three times. It’s mystifying. Who is taking it? The chickens?

Bet royal icing: one cup powdered sugar, one egg white, few drops lemon juice, food coloring. BAM. Perfect.
Best royal icing: one cup powdered sugar, one egg white, few drops lemon juice, food coloring. BAM. Perfect.

How is your week of Christmas going? I hope your heart is peaceful. I hope your home is warm with joy. I hope your expectations are set more on Love and surprises than on purchases. I really hope you’re not counting calories… just pleasures and memories and moments.

Thanks for sharing a few minutes with me! Happy Christmas Tuesday, friends. I’m off for seven miles and some Christmas caroling with the parrot.

“He who has not Christmas in his heart
will never find it under a tree.”
~Roy L. Smith
XOXOXOXO

 

3 Comments
Filed Under: 1000gifts, animals, Christmas, daily life, gratitude, memories

marathon monday: 2015 training starts fresh

December 22, 2014

I’m a little surprised. I’d been assuming that training for the 2015 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon would start early January, just after the holiday revelry subsides, but no. I’m following the Hal Higdon “Intermediate I” program, which is 18 weeks long. Counting backwards from April 26th of next year, I will actually run my first training mile today. And I’m really excited about it! For the last few months, running has taken a back seat to a pretty hectic and unpredictable daily life, which is fine. Fitness is supposed to be a tool for a happy, balanced life, after all, not my main goal. But returning to some structure and gradually increasing challenges will be wonderful. Refreshing both mentally and physically.

My very good friend & book club buddy Steph snapped this photo of me around mile 22 of last year's OKCM Marathon. I will never forget this feeling! xoxo
My very good friend & book club buddy Steph snapped this photo of me around mile 22 of last year’s OKC Marathon. I will never forget this feeling! xoxo Click on the photo for that article!

Are you interested in running any of the events in OKC? Click right here for pricing and details. Take note that if you register by New Year’s Eve you enjoy the best price break. I feel extra lucky because as a thank you for participating in the marathon committee’s focus group, I get to register for half price of that. Nice! More money to drop in my new-shoes fund. My Brooks situation is getting kind of desperate.

So, Hal Higdon. This is the same training program that got me to my first half marathon in 2013 and then my first full last April. It’s simple, effective, and slightly famous. I felt more than ready by the end of each 18-week stretch, and it also allowed me some flexibility on weird weeks. Happy, balanced life first, right? Well, happy, balanced life first with a heavy focus on marathon readiness. The two are simpatico. Totally. The more I run, the better life is.

Is this true for you? That the more you run, the better life is? It’s a wonderful addiction.

stopping is hard

With only a few days before Christmas weekend, I am really glad to have my shopping (mostly) done. I’m glad to have time to spend on the trails this week, burning off some tension and tapping into whatever stamina I have left from such a paltry autumn of low mileage. Reevaluate my fitness and sweet talk a few more dozen miles out of my cute, filthy, moth-eaten little Brooks. The shoes that used to be turquoise and white but now are spray-painted black.

With the onset of training season, my Marathon Monday posts will be more consistent, too. Are you training for anything, or are you on the fence about starting? Is there anything you’re interested in reading about? I have some fun, different ideas for this section of my blog for the coming months, so please stay tuned. Diet, shoes and clothes, music, weight loss, literature, and (of course) the philosophy of running. There’s so much to talk about!

For week one, here is my easy peasy running schedule, slightly modified to accommodate the holiday:
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 7 miles
Wednesday:3 miles
Thursday: Merry Christmas! Rest Day. Family time. xoxo
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 3 miles
Sunday: cross train (yoga, elliptical, or strength)

Thanks as always for visiting me here! If you’re working on a running goal I’d love love love to hear all about it. And please enjoy the next few days of Christmas prep. Let it be joyful, ok?

Run for Your Life
XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

3 Comments
Filed Under: runningTagged: Hal Higdon, Marathon Monday, OKC Memorial Marathon

chicken pot pie from scratch

December 20, 2014

Friends, this is my favorite chicken pot pie. It’s the perfect comfort food for cold, dark days. (We’ve had so many in Oklahoma lately. So much fog!) It’s high in protein, so it’s satisfying. It’s fragrant, pretty to look at, filling, simple, and a crowd pleaser, I think because it’s full of plain, familiar flavors and it’s customizable.

Make some chicken pot pie this weekend! It's perfect refuel and soothe-your-nerves food for between all those Christmas errands. xoxo
Make some chicken pot pie this weekend! It’s perfect refuel and soothe-your-nerves food for between all those Christmas errands. xoxo Even better if you’re ready for Christmas and spending the weekend cuddling by the fire.

 

First Make Some Chicken:
If you already have some leftover chicken or turkey meat, use that! This is an excellent recipe for making good use of extra food without feeling like you’re serving leftovers. If not, cook up a few nice, big chicken breasts or a whole bone-in chicken. My favorite thing to do is cook it all day in the crock pot so the meat is tender and the house smells like home. Plus it renders you some extra wonderful broth which you’ll use later in the filling. All told you will need about 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken meat. Season to your heart’s content, but err on the side of simple.

Optional? Potatoes:
Not always, but sometimes we like it extra hefty, extra starchy. Sometimes we are just so hungry! So on those night I first quarter then slice up 5 or 6 russet potatoes very very thinly. Microwave them until they’re mostly cooked. Save for the filling.

Prep Two Perfect Pie Crusts:
To me the crust will make or break the finished product. You do what you want, but I strongly and lovingly suggest this recipe:
Combine 2 cups flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut in 2/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon of shortening and the same amount of cold butter. Use your very clean hands to flake it all together, then add 4 to 5 tablespoons of cold water, tossing with a fork. You know what to do from here, right? I divide into two parts, roll it out, and fold it gently to keep cool in the fridge while the other stuff is prepared. (Note: For extra credit, if you’re making a sweet recipe, you can add some sugar to the flour before forming the dough.)

Then Cook the Filling:
Melt 1/3 cup butter plus a little oil in a large skillet. Make a roux by sprinkling that with 1/3 cup flour and seasonings like salt and pepper, garlic powder, and nutmeg (not too much!). Stir it enthusiastically with a whisk or wooden spoon, ridding the mixture of lumps. Let it brown and bubble. Let it get silky.
Now to this gorgeous thin gravy base, add 1/3 cup milk and 1/3 cup heavy cream if you have it (2/3 cup milk if not, still delish). Also add 1 and 3/4 cup good chicken broth (this is where you could strain your droppings from earlier and use the broth). Season again, stirring, and cook at boiling for about a minute.
Now remove from heat and add in the cooked, shredded chicken meat and the potatoes if you opted for those. Stir it all together with the gravy.

Now Assemble and Bake:
I suggest using a nice, deep dish rather than a standard pie plate. My go-to is actually a scalloped casserole dish, maybe three inches deep.
Lay one of the cool, silky, pliable pie crusts on the bottom of your dish. Pour in the hot, savory chicken mixture. Bid it adieu because it’s about to be covered up forever. Top with the second perfect pie crust and flute the edges and cut a few steam vents in it. Now I like to brush the top with a wash of one beaten egg and a little milk. Salt it lightly and bake at 425 degrees for about half an hour.

 

ckn pot pie

 

Like any pie fresh from the oven, let it sit for a few minutes before cutting in. Then allow your knife to crunch into the strong, tender, flaky crust and sink through the steaming middle. The bottom crust should pop up off the dish easily and give you a truly perfect slice of supper. So very good, friends. So hot and delicious and filling. And I doubt very much you’ll have any leftovers.

Other ways to customize: 
We don’t do this here at the farm, but certainly you could add diced carrots, frozen peas or whatever else you want. Maybe a little cheese? But honestly this is one of the few recipes I like to keep really, really simple.

I hope you try it and enjoy! Merry final-Christmas prep making!

Teach Me How to Dougie
XOXOXOXO

 

1 Comment
Filed Under: recipesTagged: chicken pot pie, pie crust, recipes

sparkling joy

December 19, 2014

Sometimes when she’s home I want to hug her so close and squeeze her, cup her face in my hands and stare into her ebony eyes. I want to press her close to me and stroke her long brown, satiny hair and smell her and cradle her like the baby she hasn’t been in nineteen years. But I get this feeling of restraint, like when in a sleeping dream, a book or newspaper appears and the harder I strain to focus on the words, the blurrier they become. Eventually my efforts to read wake me up, and the dream is gone. Dissolved. Sometimes I feel like if I squeeze her too tight, if I want her home too much or cause her to feel all the love I have for her, she’ll be gone again.

Jocelyn at age four, Christmas morning. Scrumptious! xoxo She still is, too. Every bit as beautiful, loving,  and sparkly in every possible way.
Jocelyn at age four, Christmas morning. Scrumptious! xoxo She still is, too. Every bit as beautiful, loving, and sparkly in every possible way.

That’s fear, not faith. And it’s never love that drives people away; it’s Love that brings them home.

She’s home. Home for dinner, home for movies, home for laughter and silliness and talking about everything under the sun, both serious and easy. Home for her horse and our family and memories old and new. Home to figure things out and also to just relax.

She’s home for Christmas, and my heart is bursting hour by hour, over and over again.

Nest feathering… Preparing the Apartment for her stay has been as much fun (more so even) as decorating a nursery for a newborn baby. I have felt every bit of the same joyful, nervous anticipation I felt just before her due date almost two decades ago. And daily I think of our friends Brad and Trisha who right this minute are expecting their first child, also a girl, Avery. I am beyond words excited for them! They’ll be amazing parents, I know. Avery is already a lucky little girl. And in what will feel like moments Avery will be a young woman visiting her parents for Christmas. And they will be so elated they will scarcely find words for the feeling.

Of course, our baby (not a baby anymore, I know!) is a busy girl, so it’s not like she’s here all day every day. But she’s here. Close. It’s music to hear her walk in the front door, her pretty, sing-song voice saying, “Heeeyyy, we’re here!” (She often brings a friend.) And it is beautiful just to see her tiny-feet sneakers paired up against our work boots. Cooking for her is a total pleasure, too. It’s become a running joke that somehow on the nights she eats at the farm, I manage to repeatedly serve either some variation of pork chops or spicy Italian food. It’s the weirdest ongoing coincidence ever. Last night we had homemade chicken and dumplings, so maybe the streak is finally broken.

Sometimes when the house is quiet and I am thinking about all that God is doing for us, in this arena and others, I can’t stop smiling with my whole face.  My back teeth chatter together gently, and I giggle until I cry. Of course there are still needs in life, still unanswered prayers. We know that. Except that they aren’t unanswered. Every wish deep in our hearts has already been heard and addressed. Every tear shed, already invested in laughter in the future!

This is for you too! All the faith you have been living is already accomplished in a miracle bigger than you can even imagine!

Brad and Trisha are experiencing a miracle different from ours yet still very much the same. They have been waiting to be parents for a long time, just like us. They have loved their daughter without seeing her, just like us. They have trusted God and the power of love and prayer, just like us. And their broken hearts are mending. Only to burst again with joy. Just like us.

Sparkling joy,
joy unspeakable
XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

4 Comments
Filed Under: 1000gifts, Christmas, daily life, faith, joc, thinky stuff

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Hi! I'm Marie. Welcome to the Lazy W. xoxo

Hi! I’m Marie. This is the Lazy W.

A hobby farming, book reading, coffee drinking, romance having, miles running girl in Oklahoma. Soaking up the particular beauty of every day. Blogging on the side. Welcome to the Lazy W!

I Believe Strongly in the Power of Gratitude & Joy Seeking

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"Edit your life freely and ruthlessly. It's your masterpiece after all." ~Nathan W. Morris

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