{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 01/26/2026 }

 

 

Good morning everyone, come on in out of the cold and sit with me a bit.  I have the fire going and hot coffee ready.  

 

It is currently 6 degrees with a real feel of 4.  The snow has stopped, the icy rain has stopped but the very cold temperatures have remained.  Ugh!   

 

Anyway, enough about that, if you want to know more or want to see some snow pictures, check my post below.  We are moving on......

 

Curt is home from work today, working remotely as the ice is still on the roads and making it extremely dangerous to drive in.  Wherever you are, if you are in the path of this cold, ice and snow, please take care of yourself and stay safe.

 

Now, let's get on with our post for this morning, shall we?

 

Have a blessed week friends ♥ 

Sandra

♥♥♥♥

 

 

 *** The Weather *** 

I am not even going to get into it, I feel it's all I've rattled on about it enough the past few days.  At this moment the sun is starting to shine through, so there's that.  

 

Monday - Partly cloudy, 26 

Tuesday - Partly cloudy, 38 

Wednesday - AM fog, 38

Thursday - Partly cloudy, 44

Friday - Partly cloudy, 38

Saturday - Mostly sunny, 30 

Sunday - Sunny, 44

 

 

*** Right now I am *** 

In bed under the covers.  I am so cold.  I have some YouTube on the telly, I'm working on this post and also chatting to my hubby.     

 

 

*** Thinking and pondering *** 

Just wanting this cold to leave.  

 

But mostly, I am thinking about my blog and the posts I want to get up.  I love being able to get back to daily posting, even if that may seem like a lot to some, but it helps me stay focused.  I also like knowing that it is a daily record of my life, what I'm doing, reading, watching, eating and so forth.  I think it will be very interesting to read in many years to come, my hope is that one day when I am long gone, my grandkids, greatgrandkids and so forth, will have a place to come and know me better.

 

I only wish social media was available back in the day so that I could sit and read all about my ancestors daily life.  Imagine how wonderful that would have been?  

 

 

*** How I am feeling ***

Well, it is that time of the month for me, so I am achy, headachy, backachy, all achy achy achy.  Hahahah   

 

I want to get my chores done for the day, then I plan on taking it easy.  As I get closer to menopause I have noticed I am all over the place.  Some months my cycle is a non issue, and then some months it's the whole hormonal party, every hormone induced sympton, and this is one of those so I am slightly lightheaded as well.  It is what it is, and I'll get through it as I always do.  

 

 

*** On the breakfast plate *** 

I'm on my second cup of coffee.  I also made a bowl of oatmeal with some cream of wheat added in.  I recently discovered this hack and love it, it fills me up for longer.  However, as usual when I'm on my cycle, I tend to not want to eat much, so I had a few bites and now I'm over it.  I'll just put it away for tomorrow, because I refuse to waste food. 

 

 

*** On the lunch plate *** 

No idea, might just have some tuna salad.   

 

 

*** On the dinner plate *** 

Greek chicken with roast veggies   

 

 

*** On the menu *** 

It's time to start planning the next two week's menu, so as always I only have meals for the next few days.

 

Monday - Greek chicken with roast veggies

Tuesday -  Garlic Beef tips, mashed potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower

Wednesday - Seafood Rissoles, tomato rice, salad

Thursday -  

Friday - Homemade Pizza

Saturday - 

Sunday -  

 

*** What I am wearing *** 

Still have my pajamas on but will put on a pair of leggings and a sweater shortly. 

 

 

*** On my reading pile *** 

I had this want this morning, to read Ephesians in the Bible so I will be doing that.

 

I am also starting the new bible study book that I need to review, I mentioned it in a previous post.  

 

Reading Secrets of the Revolution by Megan Soja. 

 

 

*** On my TV this week *** 

Book videos on YouTube.  I also have watched the first few episodes in some new series, namely The Pendragon Cycle, Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and Starfleet Academy.

 

Will be doing more of that this week.  

 

 

*** Looking around the house *** 

The sun has come out and it is reflecting off the while snow, creating that super white bright effect that makes you have to squint.  

 

The house is quiet as Curt and I are the only ones awake at the moment.  

 

 

*** To do list for today*** 

Daily homemaking chores

Water inside plants 

Daily bible reading and devotional/bible study

Read a bit more of my fictional book

Watch some more period, cozy TV 

 

 

*** What I am creating *** 

Still haven't picked up my crochet blanket again, but have been making a knitted hat which I'm thoroughly enjoying.  

 

 

*** From the camera *** 

Just love cardinals, they are so gorgeous. 

 

 

 

*** Devotional, Prayers, Bible Verses *** 

We didn't have church yesterday, it was closed because of the winter storm.  I missed going but I understand as well that we have to be safe about it.

 

Instead I thought I would show you this upcoming book review, this beautiful bible study that I am so eager to get started on.  

 

  

 

{ Storm winding down and a book finished }

The snow has fallen, slowly, steadily, covering the streets, driveways and every nook and cranny with it's white flakes.  I love snow, I don't mind it, what I don't like are the cold temperatures which have come with this storm.

 

It has been so cold that some of my windows are covered in ice on the inside.  Our house is old, built in 1969 and it's becoming increasingly obvious that some of these windows are poorly sealed.  It is something we need to look into and fix.

 

 

We are at the tail end of this awful storm and thankfully the temperatures will start going up.

 

Our day has been spent mainly indoors with constant checking in on the outside animals.  Waters have been constantly refilled, ice having to be broken and melted from the feeders, straw has been placed around in many areas and the birds have been taking shelter in the straw mounds we've created.  

 

Thank God the outside strays are safe and so are the birds.  I honestly don't understand people who don't care about such things, it grieves me during these cold days to think of all the strays with nowhere to find warmth and food.

 

The deer came by right before the storm then stopped coming, and finally showed up again this evening.  All 12 of them, looking for food, but also just so happy to be in the yard playing and running around.

 

They make me smile.

 

Just look at that gorgeous buck above, how majestic looking is he?

 

 

The birds have also been around, pecking at everything and anything they can, trying to find food under the snow and ice.

 

It has given me ample opportunity to get some gorgeous up close pictures.  

 

We also have a cardinal couple that has shown up.  I didn't know for the longest time, that the males are the red colored and the female are the brown, honestly thought the females were the bright red.  Either way, they are so stunning, especially when in contrast with the white snow.

 

With all this staying inside, I managed to finish my first book in January, which was the Megan Soja Spark of the Revolution.  I really enjoyed it, love a good Christian fiction and plan on reading plenty of those this year.  

 

I have since started the second book in the trilogy which is called Secrets of the Revolution.

 

I hope you've been keeping warm wherever you are, I know this storm is affecting many of the States, almost feels like the whole country is under this cold, snow and ice threat.  Please stay safe.

 

I will see you all back here in the morning for our Happy Homemaker Monday! 

{ Cozying the winter storm away }

If there was a way that I could snap my fingers and make the winter storm leave, I would do it.  Alas, I can't, and though I've prayed over it immensely, ultimately it is in God's hands, and so leave it be and concentrate rather on getting through it.

 

Outside the wind rages, the snow continues to fall and the temperatures cut through to the core.  

The birds are trying to find shelter, sweeping down, pecking at the ice, trying to find something to nibble on, then finding a place to get warm anywhere they can.  The chicken coop is a favorite for them because of the heaters and enclosed runs, along with any place there is straw, or under garden chairs.

 

If there is one thing I hate about storms like this, is the outside animals.  I know, I know, they were created to sustain the weather and the changing temperatures outside, but it still makes me sad to see them out there in -5 degree weather.  Makes me want to scoop them all up and bring them in. 

But as the storm rages on outside, inside I have created a cozy cocoon where I have snuggled into my bed under warm blankets, am indulging in a day of no cooking, copious amounts of coffee and other cozy things that I consider perfect for these kind of days.

 

Reading, watching tv and knitting are at the top of the list, so here's what I plan on doing over the next two days. 

I want to....

keep the fire going, and I have so far.  Logs have been thrown in, moved around, stacked upon each other and the warmth is seeping through the house.

I am still....

knitting my hat and I wish at this point that it was finished so I could pop it on my head and enjoy the warmth.  But that's ok, the mere act of knitting is so calming and relaxing, that I don't mind having this project on the needles for a while longer. 

 

I am reading.... 

the last chapter of the first book of January, which is Spark of the Revolution by Megan Soja.  I am zipping through it because I'm enjoying it, it's an easy read, but also because I have a new one that I have been waiting for and it just arrived. 

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset.  This is a massive beast of a book, 1100 pages but it is a trilogy all in one, so technically it's 3 books in this big monster of a book.  I only recently heard about it and immediately knew it was something I would love reading, so quickly ordered it off Amazon.

 

Kristin Lavransdatter is a Nobel Prize-winning historical fiction trilogy by Norwegian author Sigrid Undset, set in 14th-century Norway, that chronicles the life of its strong-willed heroine, Kristin, from childhood through a tumultuous marriage and old age, exploring themes of love, faith, sin, and redemption against a backdrop of medieval society, politics, and religion. 

Also want to read....

A King Washes Feet, as I received it for a book review and it looks fantastic.  It is a Bible study, illustrated and just seems right up my alley. 

 

I want to eat....

French Bread Pizzas for dinner.  I made the french bread baguettes a few days ago, so will use those for some nice pizzas for dinner.  Something quick and yummy. 

 

I want to watch....

Two new series on TV.  The first is called The Pendragon Cycle: The Rise of Merlin and the second one is A Knight in the Seven Kingdoms.

 

Hubby and I have already watched the third episode of the new Star Trek Series, Starfleet Academy. 

 

 

{ Storm incoming }

 My goodness, if I could tell how you how cold it feels outside right now.  Brrrr!  

 

There is a look to the sky just before it opens up and dumps a ton of snow.  If you've ever seen snow or live in an area that gets snow every year, you will understand exactly what I'm referring to.  It's a special kind of cloudy sky, not the usual rainy overcast day.

 

As I look outside my window, I am met with such a sky, the wind is blowing, the cold is chilling to the bone and I am preparing and working on last minute things, the best I can.

 

Unfortunately, I have some sad news.  Our cream stray is no longer with us.  We had to make the difficult decision to put him to sleep.  

 

We tried so hard to help him and we're thankful that God brought him to us.  We were able to give him a warm, safe place to be at the end of his life.  He had love, he purred so much with us and it breaks my heart to even have to post this.

 

He was not doing well, so Curt took him back to the vet yesterday and he was admitted.  They did a full blood work up on him, gave him a bath, and worked on all his wounds.  Unfortunately he was in bad shape, kidney failure, feline leukemia and just extremely dehydrated.  The vet also said his ears were filled with ticks.

 

It was so hard to make the decision but we knew it was the best for him, and he would be free of pain.  It wasn't cheap, everything came to $700, but we are blessed that God has provided for that cost as well.

 

Over the years, God has constantly sent Curt and I, sick animals.  Whether as our own personal pets, or strays that just show up at our home.  We have always done our absolute best to help them, but I have to say, it is weighing on me more and more.

 

I want to be obedient to God and take care of these animals, but I get very attached and every time we lose one, it is devastating to both Curt and I.  Please pray for us, that we are strong enough to do whatever God wants us to.  I understand that to do this we need to have empathy and love for animals, which we do, but it's so difficult to lose them over and over.  It's downright traumatic, and I need to learn to work through this so that I can do what is asked of me by the Lord, but also shield my soul and heart from the trauma and heartbreak.

 

Our sweet cream is no longer in pain, and we chose to bring him back home and bury him next to our other pets on the property.  ♥ 

{ Alley Cat Shelters }

Good morning from a very chilly North Texas.  

 

The preparations for the winter storm continue, we have been put under a State of Emergency in anticipation for this weekend.  Curt and I have been working to get things ready as best as we can, and the first thing we worked on yesterday were the shelters for the stray cats we have on our properties, especially the sweet 12 week old kittens that are around, as they surely can't survive in zero degree temperatures.

 

We will be building another two today for Jasmine, as she also feeds the stray cats in her apartment complex.  So those two shelters should provide a safe place for those kitties as well.

 

This morning, I am heading to the dollar tree, my local thrift store and the grocery store for some last minute items, mainly water and whatever else I feel we may need.

 

But before I go, I wanted to show you how the shelters turned out, 

 

First, let me just show you this cuteness.  Here is mama cat and the little runt.  He or she, we can't tell yet, is the smallest and as such, is left on it's own a lot, but thankfully they have chosen to hang out by our front door, sleep in the warm shelter and eat the food we give it.  Mama cat does come around a few times a day and sometimes sleeps in the shelter with the baby, but if you could see how happy baby gets when they see their mama.  Warms my heart ♥

By the way, since this post has gone up, we have brought baby into the garage along with the hurt tabby, who is actually baby's daddy.  Curt was able to get him and take him to the vet and the vet wouldn't see him so we brought him home, have cleaned his wound and have been applying medicine for pet wounds.  He has been staying in the garage for the past day and is sleeping a lot and drinking lots of water.  He hasn't wanted any food but we are keeping an eye on that and will try to get him to an emergency vet if needed.  For now, though he is resting and is calm and is loving being inside where he is safe, has food and doesn't have to worry about predators.

 

Baby is now with daddy and doing really well too.  With this storm coming in though we can not get them to the vet until after, so we will do the best we can for now.  Just glad they are safe inside and out of the snow and ice.

 

I don't know where mama and the other kittens are, they are around the property somewhere.  We have built shelters and have placed them around the property so hopefully they will use them. 

{ Preparing for a snow storm }

The past few months, we have been waiting for winter to show it's face.  Aside from a cold day here and there, it's been unusually hot for this time of year.  Matter of fact, Christmas day we were sitting at 85 degrees F.  Unheard of for our area!

 

Instead of snow and a Christmas day more in line with what we all envision it to be, we were barbecuing.  It felt strange and completely out of character.

 

But now the cold has arrived and it doesn't just slide in slowly, it comes in with a bang and delivers a Winter Storm the likes of which experts are saying hasn't been seen in about 15 years.  Remember the big snow storm we had here in Texas a few years ago,  Well it's supposed to be worse than that.  I try not to sit and think about it, it was pretty bad so to envision worse is not something I want to do.

 

With that said, I don't control the weather and all I and my family can do, is prepare for it.  

 

We are looking at freezing temperatures starting Friday morning and into Sunday, with Sunday sitting at a breezy 0º F.  Yikes!

 

The forecast calls for temperatures in the negative for the lows, 15 inches of snow, rain, sleet and ice, power outages that could last a week and so on and so forth.  Not exactly a picture of positivity is it?  Hahahah 

 

(Made a batch of French Bread for sandwiches or pizza)

 

The next two days are going to be full of preparation, inside and out.   If need be, we do have a huge fireplace and I will prepare our meals on an open fire, or on the gas grill.

 

The chicken coops and runs need to be winterized all around, lots of hay, making sure their heating pads work, blankets over coops, tarps as well and keeping an eye on freezing waters which will need to be constantly changed.

 

It used to be that the chickens was all we had to worry about but now we have 9 stray cats that live on our property and nearby properties, that come by every day to eat and seek shelter.  Of those 9, 4 are kittens about 12 weeks old, the cutest little things on earth.  Mama cat is beautiful and daddy cat is a gorgeous orange tabby, who unfortunately is hurt at the moment.  We're not sure if he got into a fight or what happened, but he has been limping and not putting any weight on his front right leg, it looks a little swollen.  

  

If we could grab him we could take him to the vet, but we are unable to at the moment.  However, he has been staying close to our door, lets us pet him and did allow Curt to pick him up for two seconds before getting angry.  During that time we were able to put some cream wound ointment on his leg (for pets obviously).  Aside from feeding them and providing fresh water, there is not much else we can do for him.  Breaks my heart to see him limping around.....but we are still hopeful that we may be able to snatch him and take him to the vet.

 

In the meantime,  we will be building some shelters for them all on our patio, especially with this horrible storm coming in.  We will be using the Alley Cat Shelter system, look it up if you're not familiar with it.

 

I have some tubs coming in from Walmart this afternoon, and we will be going by the feed store later for hay and extra food for everyone in case we get snowed in. 

{ Today }

 

Reading::::  Spark of the Revolution by Megan Soja

 

Knitting:::: Sugared Cookie Hat by Kayleigh at Home Tea Knits 

 

 

 

Enjoying::::  Soft freshly washed blankets to keep the cold chill away

 

 

Creating::::  Lego flower bouquets that I received as Christmas Gifts

 

 

Admiring::::  My gorgeous new Cath Kidston Quilt that my beautiful daughter Jasmine, gave me for Christmas

 

 

Homemaking::::  the never ending laundry mountain, wash, dry, fold and put away, only to repeat two days later

 

Making for dinner::::  Islak Burgers with Tater Tots (I will have some leftover Cheesy Garlic Polenta with mine)