The Weekly Ramble – February 27, 2026

I’ve been chewing on this quote this week:

A person becomes more themselves the more they are satisfied in Jesus.

I think it’s true. As I’m learning to trust Christ more for my today and tomorrow and maybe even my yesterday, I feel more right in my skin. The self-doubt doesn’t disappear, but it lessens in importance.

How sad for those who don’t know Him! How sad for those who are looking to “find themselves” when really they need to find Him.

Not sure what to do with that, but I’m always excited to learn something new about God. And I’m so thankful to see Him changing me.

As you know I had jury duty this week and I kinda wanted to be chosen. Weird, I know. I’m probably in a small group there.

I’d been praying about it for weeks, wondering what God’s plans were, especially since I had to appear in person downtown instead of getting a call-in option for the North County. As we were waiting, it was fun to see that my Bible reading that day included Deuteronomy 16:20.

I felt this strong urge to pray for everything going on in that building so that’s what I did. It got me thinking how riled everyone gets about politics, but how simple it is to pray. Why aren’t we praying more? Why aren’t I?

I was up for a (very boring) grand jury trial and was excused. So maybe praying was the main reason I went downtown. For once, it didn’t feel like a wasted trip.

Here’s what else I’ve been doing, eating, listening/watching, and/or reading this past week:

What I’ve Been Doing

I’ve continued to play with my bread machine this week. How easy it is to make dough! It’s really not that different than using a bowl/spoon or stand mixer, but it seems to make really great dough.

I’ve been playing with English muffins, but think that I am going to need to experiment and research a bit more.

I’ve gotten questions about bread machines since I shared last week. The one I have has been discontinued. If I were going to make the purchase today, I would likely buy this Cuisinart, especially now that the cheaper brands are no longer all that cheap.

I also played with a variation of my Rainbow Rolls and made them into roses. Bryan (and half my Bible study) thought they looked like snails. The consensus was to give them more room in the pan and use two leaves instead of one.

That way it’s obvious that it’s a rose. Or a two-headed snail.

What I’ve Been Eating

Clearly, I’ve been eating lots of bread this week. Not quite sure if that’s a good thing for my health, but it’s definitely been tasty!

I would like to get in a groove where healthy habits are concerned. It’s just not clicking for me yet.

I made a trip to Costco Business this week and loaded up on whole chickens, pork butts, and beef roasts so I can make more proteins easier at home.

I’ve also been revisiting some newlywed recipes on Thursday nights. Since there’s just three of us home for dinner on Thursdays, it’s easier to make the fussier meals. It’s been a fun moment in the week.

What I’ve Been Listening/Watching

Miss 17 and I are working our way through Endeavour on our lunch breaks. And for some reason I’ve also taken to watching “live TV” on Prime.

It’s like the old is made new again. Again. – This whole business of “live TV” with commercials on a certain schedule.

Taco nights call for MisMatch, a French crime drama, that seems to be on whenever I’m prepping dinner on Tuesdays. I’ve also watched the first episodes of The Puzzle Lady.

What I’ve Been Reading

Not much on the reading front this week, not like I had expected anyway.

I whipped through The Cowboy’s Game which was light-hearted and easy. I enjoyed all the others in the Cindy Steel series so it was fun to finish it up. (The previous books were better, a trend I’m seeing on long series that the author doesn’t finish right away.)

I started The Art of Spending Money which has been good, just not gripping enough to ignore other work that needed doing.

Other Work

I’ve spent a fair amount of time digging through the archives on Good Cheap Eats, figuring out what recipes to refresh, what posts need help, what areas of budget eating are under represented.

It’s been a lot and easy to lose myself in. Here’s what’s new over there – thanks for giving it some love!