Happy Homemaker Monday!

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The weather in my neck of the woods:
We've had even more rain, I'm in shock, in the almost 3 years that we've been in Arizona, I can honestly say I've never seen this much rain.


One of my simple pleasures:
Chocolate filled with caramel.....*drool*


On my bedside table:
5 books to read for review
Emma by Jane Austen


On my TV:
Lark Rise to Candleford Season 3
Bright Star


On the menu for tonight:
French Lasagne from Mari. Can't wait to try it.


On my To Do List:
Laundry
Sweep and Mop


New Recipe I tried last week:
French Lasagne from Mari. It was so good!

In the craft basket:

I finally grabbed my Granny Square blanket to continue. Felt good to crochet again, but I may interrupt the squares to make some quick and easy hearts for Valentine's Day.

Looking forward to:
Well, I've been keeping mum about this for a few months as all the preparations were underway, but everything is finalized and I can finally announce that my brother Miguel, my sister in law Hayley and my niece and nephew are coming to visit for a month in June. I'm BEYOND ecstatic and I can't even tell you how happy and excited they are too, this will be their first trip to the USA. YAY!


Homemaking Tip for this week:
If you have little ones like I do, you will understand that when it comes to keeping the house tidy it's nearly impossible. Let's not even talk about the random sharp toys that are left laying around and you get to step on....

So here's a tip to get the kids to help clean up their toys:

Use a Jubilee Box.

In the Old Testament, every fifty years the Israelites had Jubilee year, where all seized property was returned and debts were cancelled. I think they actually only practiced it once, but it's a good idea.

You can do it, too! Keep a basket in your room where things they leave around the house get placed--whether it's iPods, or jackets, or the remote for the Wii. And then every Sunday can be jubilee day when they get it back. But if they want to redeem it early, they have to pay you something, according to their age. It could be a quarter, or a dollar, or whatever works in your family.

You'll find you don't need to use Jubilee methods very often. Once you start, they'll clue in. And if you do have regular tidying periods, it's not so bad.

The key to both is CONSISTENCY. If you stick to it one week, but give up the next, you'll ruin all the work you already put in. Make it a routine for you, too, and it will become routine for them.

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
I recently discovered a blog from the author Jane Odiwe who wrote "Willoughby's Return", a novel inspired by Sense and Sensibility. I must have spent a few hours just browsing her blog and living vicarously through her trips through England.....especially her latest post "Photos from my album! Chatsworth, Pride and Prejudice and Mr Darcy's secret".


Favorite photo from last week:

My little pug Lola giving me kisses when I was sick.


Lesson learned the past few days:
There's no such thing as being too old to do something. You're only as old as you think yourself to be. We spent Saturday at an amusement park and instead of sitting back and saying "nah, I'm too old for that".....I actually got on the carousel with the kids and went for a ride on a beautiful princess pony Hahahahah


On my Prayer List:
Family and Friends


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12