{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 10/23/2017 }

Good morning friends, hope you're all doing well.

Well, here we are, another week has gone by, another weekend has just ended and we're back to the beginning of a new week before us.  I can hardly believe it's Monday again, it feels like I just did this post yesterday, my word.

I hope you've all had a brilliant weekend and I wish you all the best for the week ahead.

I wanted to touch on a few things real quick before we get started.  I've asked before but I think I need to again as last week I had a few links added that were NOT related to the Happy Homemaker Monday.  Please, don't link up any other post that does not pertain to this meme, as it makes it quite difficult for the participants to visit each other.  All links that are not Happy Homemaker Monday posts, will be deleted.

Also, there seemed to be a bit of confusion as to the categories.  I didn't change anything, but you all know that I get bored after a while, and so I tend to just switch categories around and mix it up a little, with previous Happy Homemaker Mondays.  You do NOT have to follow that, please, if you would rather stick to the categories that best apply to you, then do so.  Long as it's still conforming to the HHM rules, and staying within the categories that I've added over the years, I don't have an issue with it.  Just don't make up your own, that's all I ask :)

Right, now that we got the not so pleasant stuff out of the way, let's get right on and see what the new week holds for us :) 

Breakfast time....what is on the plate this morning::::
All I've had so far is coffee and I'm not really feeling much of anything for breakfast.  I always eat in the morning, but today I'm more tired than anything, so after this post goes up, I'll have to see if I can find something that appeals to me.  Will probably be  poached egg :)

Right now I am::::
Still wearing my nightie and wrapped in a robe, it's quite chilly this morning.  I'm typing up this post while listening to the birds loudly chirping outside.  Mornings are one of my favorite times of the day :)

The weather outside::::
48 degrees though the real feel is 40.  I love it.  I think we're finally starting to cool down here in North Texas.  This week we're staying in the low 70's and then it looks like we're heading to the 60's and 50's. 

Looking around the house::::
It is a mess, not even going to lie.  Usually I get a lot of cleaning done on the weekends, but today, I can say is a proper Monday after a weekend.  We watched movies, and relaxed and did nothing much of anything, other than the laundry for the week ahead.  I have quite a lot to do today, but for now, I'm enjoying looking around and seeing the sun just beginning to come up and bathing the walls in a beautiful golden color.   tidy. 

On today's to do list::::
Laundry.....All the laundry is done, just putting it all away.  (anyone else dislike that task as much as I do?)  
Cleaning.....The house is in a tip, it definitely needs a good clean and tidying up.   
Homeschooling.....We had Fall break for two days last week (two daysssss, like why even bother hahah).  Anyway, today it's back to work and getting everything done and caught up.       
Cooking....I think I might do a tuna salad for lunch, and then dinner is Pollo Loco with Mexican Rice.    
I also want to continue with my Blog to Book.  Haven't done that in a few months now and would like to get it finished.

Currently reading::::
The Grown-Up's Guide to Teenage Humans.  Also, The Crooked Path, both books are coming up for a review within the next few days.    

On the TV today::::
Just finished watching last night's Outlander and OH.MY.WORD, do I love that show.  I could easily watch it hours at a time.  I might even restart the series because I love it that much.
Walking Dead also returned last night and I watched it, and as always, it irritated me so much hahah
I have a Haunted USA that was recorded on the DVR.
General Hospital.....anyone else enjoying the whole two Jason's storyline?  I haven't been this interested in the soap in a long time.

On the menu this week::::
Here is last week's meals, hope you enjoy :)



I also posted my new Grocery Haul, and I did add the menu for the next two weeks, but I've changed it slightly around yesterday, just to what will work better for us. 

Monday - Pollo Loco and Mexican Rice (new recipe)
Tuesday - Better than Olive Garden's Fettucine
Wednesday - Taco Bell Tacos
Thursday - Mongolian Beef, Rice
Friday - Mexican Lasagna
Saturday - Sausages with Tomato Sauce, Mashed Potatoes
Sunday - Padre Island Shells (already have a recipe, but am updating all the photos)

If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::
I doubt I'll have any time today, but if I do, Jasmine will be sewing to finish off her Halloween Costume. 

New recipe I tried, or want to try this week::::
I've tried a few that NEED to be updated on the blog.  I've become absolutely horrid at keeping my food blog updated and it's really frustrating me.  I want to get back to cooking and posting as much as I used to, so really hope I can get going with that.     

Looking forward to this week::::
Just hoping to get all caught up on homeschooling (portfolios that is), also hoping to get all the Pecans cracked and shelled.  

Favorite photo from the camera::::
Was outside a few days ago, and watched this guy on the top of one of the tree branches.  He just stood there for what seemed like an eternity, with a nut in his mouth.  I had to take a picture :)

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses::::
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
—2 Timothy 1:7

{ Pecans everywhere }

I've sat so many times, stared out the window, and counted my blessings. 

To be living in the country, which was always a dream of Curt's and I, is amazing in and of itself, but to be surrounded by beautiful land, and then to top that with an abundance of Pecan Trees, seems almost too good to be true.

I have loved Pecans from as far back as I remember.  When living in South Africa, one of my favorite desserts was the Pecan Nut Pie, or the Pecan Pie as it's known here in the States.  My dad loved it just as much as I did, and I even recall one certain day, in my teens, attempting to make a Pecan Pie using Golden Syrup.  Needless to say, it really didn't turn out quite well, more like a mushy watery mess, but it tasted amazing.

I have made many Pecan pies since then, or PEE-CUN nut pies as we pronounced in South Africa :)

October seems to be our harvest month, every year our Pecan trees dump an enormous amount of bounty on the ground.  The first year the crop was not very good, the pecans were mostly bad, the few that weren't tasted quite bitter and I was a bit disappointed thinking that, here we were, surrounded by Pecan trees and not able to enjoy them.

This past weekend was our Pecan harvest, we spent a few hours under the watchful eyes of these guys across the street.  We gathered as much as we could off the grass, and shook as many branches as we could, but there are quite a few still left on the upper branches that we either couldn't reach, or they weren't ready yet.

This weekend, we will be back out there, going from tree to tree, with bucket in hand gathering as many as we can.

This week, I've spent my time cracking pecans and working on the bucket we already have in hand.  The weather has cooled down, I'm not outside as much as I am during the summer, so it's been the perfect thing to do, well, aside from the usual house chores.

I sit at my dining table with pecans in hand, pop a show on my laptop, and spend an hour or so just cracking and shelling.  It often reminds me of my great grandmother Ema, she would sit around the holidays time, with a bowl of varied nuts before her, and just crack away, popping them into her mouth, happily munching.

Back in her day, she would have sat at the table with a bucket of green beans, working on those, or peeling potatoes. 

Different chores, but very alike in a way and I'm so proud to follow in her footsteps when it comes to homemaking. 

I'm nowhere near finished, it seems that it takes hours just to shell a handful of pecans, so I gather I'll be at this for quite a few days. 

I'm kind of pushing myself to get it all done this week because I want to get them stored, frozen etc. as soon as I can, certainly don't want them to go bad.

It's a truly blessing to have God's bounty bestowed upon us.  For many years, I shied away from buying Pecans because of how expensive they are, so I really am thankful for what I now have. :)

With that said, I best get on with my work.  Have a wonderful day :)

Updating the Period Drama Series and Movies List

Hi everyone.

So it's been a while since I've added anything to my Period Drama Series, or Movies List, and there have been so many new shows that deserve to be on those lists.

I spent this morning adding a couple to each, so if you love Period Dramas as much as I do and are looking for something new to watch, be sure to check out both the Period Drama Series list and the Period Movies lists.

Here's what I added today, just to help you out, you can quickly skim over these and if something catches your eye then head on over and check out the links :)

Also, if there is anything that you have noticed is not on the list, and should be, let me know.

Period Drama Series

War and Remembrance
Doctor Thorne
Jericho
The Collection
Underground
The Hollow Crown
Wolf Hall
Turn
The Crown
Dickensian
Beowulf
Endeavour
Texas Rising
Jekyll and Hide
And then there were none
The Durrells
Home Fires
Hetty Feather
Victoria
Poldark
Versailles
Tutankhamun
The Moonstone
Dark Angel
Close to the Enemy
My Mother and other strangers
Rillington Place
In Plain Sight
Medici:  Masters of Florence
The White Princess
The Halcyon
Taboo
Frontier
Roots
Decline and Fall
The Son
Jamestown
The Last Kingdom
Alias Grace
The Miniaturist
The Alienist
Britannia
Gunpowder
Howards End
Knightfall
The Last Post
The Duchess of Duke Street

Period Movies

Love and Friendship
The Birth of a Nation
Hacksaw Ridge
Planetarium
A Quiet Passion
To Walk Invisible
Tulip Fever
Dunkirk
Viceroy's House
Bitter Harvest
The Zookeeper's Wife
King Arthur:  Legend of the Sword
Churchill
Beguiled
Lady Macbeth
My Cousin Rachel
Crooked House
Breathe
Murder on the Orient Express
Darkest Hour


I've added links where you can watch, but some are not out yet, so keep that in mind when looking through the lists.

Hope you enjoy and happy watching :)

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 10/16/2017 }

Good morning and Happy Monday!!!!

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend and that you're ready for this new week ahead.  My weekend was good, quiet, uneventful and just how I like it.

I could have used another day of sleeping in, it's quite hard to get up when it's still dark outside and quite frankly, this morning I would have enjoyed laying in until later.  But, no can do, so we're going to try and enjoy this week as much as possible.

Hope you all have a great week ahead!!!!

Breakfast time....what is on the plate this morning::::
I've had a cup of coffee around 6am and that's basically all for now.  When I'm done with this post, I'll probably go ahead and grab another cup of coffee and I'm thinking of doing a poached egg with toast for breakfast.

Right now I am::::
Sitting on the coach, under a warm blanket and wearing a sweater over my pajamas.  It is COLD this morning and I'm quite happy about that, finally feels like proper Fall.

The weather outside::::
Honestly Texas, get your act together.  No wonder so many people are sick, our household included.  We went from 90 degrees yesterday to 46 this morning, back to 80 this afternoon, back to 40 tomorrow and then up to 90 again.  What on earth???
Is it too much to ask for proper Fall weather, and by that I mean consistent Fall weather?  Goodness.

Looking around the house::::
It is quite neat.  I've found as the kids have gotten older, that the house is surviving a lot longer.  Used to be that my Monday's were my big cleaning days because it looked like a Tornado had swept by.  Aside from picking up toys that Marley has been playing with, everything else is pretty neat and tidy. 

On today's to do list::::
Laundry.....Kid's laundry baskets need washing, and I have one last load of whites. 
Cleaning.....Usual Kitchen cleaning, washer load and unload, counters, and I need to sweep and mop.  Quick toilets clean, make beds and so on. 
Homeschooling.....Nick has a Physical Science livelesson to attend at 1pm.  Normal school day, he does have a Math Unit Test that he is not looking forward to, and quite honestly, neither am I.     
Cooking....I need to find something for lunch, not sure what I'll make.  Dinner is Burgers and Zesty Fries.  I thought I had hamburger buns but I don't, so I need to make some this afternoon.   

Currently reading::::
The Grown-Up's Guide to Teenage Humans.  That review is coming up next week.  I am LOVING this book, I'm learning so much and I hope that I'll be able to apply it all to my own teenagers, who are quite a handful emotionally, but then I'm sure all teenage parents will agree :)  

On the TV today::::
Quite bummed out that there was no Outlander yesterday, but I'm dying for next week's to come.
The Last Post
Who do you think you are?


On the menu this week::::
If you're interested in my meals from last week, I did a video.  I've been asked so many times if I would do one, so just went ahead and tried it.  I quite enjoyed recording our meals every day and sharing them with you, so I hope you enjoy :)



Monday - Burgers and Zesty Fries
Tuesday - One pan honey garlic chicken, rice
Wednesday - Tex Mex Chili, Cornbread
Thursday - Tuna Spaghetti, Salad
Friday - *need to plan next week's meals*


If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::
This week I'm actually teaching Jasmine how to sew, she has requested and she does have a sewing machine (my older one).

New recipe I tried, or want to try this week::::
The Lebanese Chicken was a new recipe and it was really good.  The family has requested that I make it again.   

One of my simple pleasures::::
I think I've mentioned this before, but I love History and I love researching and learning about days gone by.   


Favorite photo from the camera or internet::::
We've been harvesting our Pecans, this is just from one tree, and what we could reach, as the higher branches are still not quite reachable for us, so we're going to wait for them to drop down on their own and harvest in the next few days. 

Something interesting I found::::
This weekend I've been doing a marathon of all the Who Do you think you are?  episodes, from the UK, I much prefer those over the US, though I'll still watch them as well.  But while watching these episodes, I have found that not only do I find them fascinating, but I've learned a lot.  It's sparked some very interesting conversations over the dinner table, we've talked about the Holocaust and shared stories or facts that we all know.  We've talked about Dunkirk (I am actually planning on watching the movie this week), and the Irish Potato Famine and so forth.  I love when a tv show is not only fun to watch but interesting and informative.

The Sweet Life by Sharon Struth - TLC Book Tour

 

About The Sweet Life

• Print Length: 225 pages
• Publisher: Lyrical Press (September 19, 2017)

In Italy, the best attractions are always off the beaten path . . .

Mamie Weber doesn’t know why she survived that terrible car accident five years ago. Physically, she has only a slight reminder—but emotionally, the pain is still fresh. Deep down she knows her husband would have wanted her to embrace life again. Now she has an opportunity to do just that, spending two weeks in Tuscany reviewing a tour company for her employer’s popular travel guide series. The warmth of the sun, the centuries-old art, a villa on the Umbrian border—it could be just the adventure she needs.

But with adventure comes the unexpected . . . like discovering that her entire tour group is made up of aging ex-hippies reminiscing about their Woodstock days. Or finding herself drawn to the guide, Julian, who is secretly haunted by a tragedy of his own, and seems to disapprove any time she tries something remotely risky—like an impromptu scooter ride with a local man.

As they explore the hilltop towns of Tuscany, Mamie knows that when this blissful excursion is over, she’ll have to return to reality. But when you let yourself wander, life can take some interesting detours . . .

“Struth has a gift for layering stories within stories while keeping them all connected.”—Library Journal

“The plot is refreshing and will definitely keep the reader turning page after page.”—Fresh Fiction, SHARE THE MOON

“Sharon Struth writes a good story about love and loss. She knows her characters and has a path she wants them to take.”—Eye on Romance

Purchase Links

Amazon | iBooks | Google | Kobo

 

About Sharon Struth

Sharon Struth believes you’re never too old to pursue a dream. The Hourglass, her debut novel, is a finalist in the National Readers’ Choice Awards for Best first Book, and her Blue Moon Lake Novels include the bestseller, Share the Moon.
When she’s not working, she and her husband happily sip their way through the scenic towns of the Connecticut Wine Trail, travel the world, and enjoy spending time with their precious pets and two grown daughters. She writes from the friendliest place she’s ever lived, Bethel, Connecticut. For more information, including where to find her published essays, please visit www.sharonstruth.com or visit her blog, Musings from the Middle Ages & More.

Connect with Sharon

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

 

My Thoughts:

The Sweet Life is a really cute short story filled with beautiful imagery and visuals that make me want to hop a plane and set off to Italy.

Mamie survived a car accident which unfortunately took the life of her dear husband and sweet little three year old daughter.  She's struggled with survivor's guilt for many years and when she gets the change to head to Italy to review a popular guide series for her employer, she welcomes albeit feeling a little out of place.

What we have next is two weeks of a gorgeous almost virtual tour of Italy in all it's splendor.  There are some quite funny moments during the tour she takes, mainly because the group she's with is a Woodstock, all hippies kind, that call themselves The Wanderers.

All in all this was a cute, shorty story to read, we have all the makings of the usual romance between Mamie and Julian, beautiful scenery and the descriptions of the food left me salivating.


Giveaway:

The book author is giving away a $15 Amazon or B&N gift card, so if you're interested, head on over and enter the raffle :)


http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/debc19db25/?

 

Alpacas, Blueberry Pancakes and Wood Pile!!!!

Good morning friends.  It's a beautiful Friday morning here in North Texas.

I am on my second of coffee, because I just need it today.  I slept pretty well but woke up feeling so incredibly tired still, I'm pretty certain it's a mixture of being sick with a cold, allergies and being a woman (you know what I mean *wink*).  My husband tells me I got triple damage this week LOL

I actually felt pretty good yesterday, not 100% but not that horrible achy, feverish feeling either, and that's always a plus when you're a mom and wife right?

The night before, I was literally slumped over at the stove trying to fix dinner, and I kept thinking that women are so incredibly strong.  We have this ability to push through whatever is affecting us, and just get the task at hand completed.  Now I'm not saying that it's done gracefully or joyfully, but it does get done.

I tend to set aside my feelings a lot and deal with everyone else around me.  "You can have your pity party AFTER dinner is done, AFTER the kitchen is clean and AFTER you've laid in bed.".  That's what I always tell myself.

Anyway, let me show you what I've been doing around here, or rather, what I did yesterday.

By the way, before I get started, Happy Friday the 13th!!!!  *insert spooky music*

I spent about an hour yesterday morning, working on my Liliana, trying to catch up because Part 3 was just released today and I'm still on Part 2.  I should get it done this morning though and then I can move on.

I used to feel like I just HAD to be up to date with my crochet projects, but that's not realistic because life doesn't just stop when I pick up my hook and yarn, much as I would like it too, it doesn't happen.

The days have been so beautiful lately, I haven't had to turn my AC on in 3 days, which makes me extremely happy, finally a little break on our electric bill, at least I hope.

I was out in the morning trying to work on our wood pile, and Marley as always, was at my feet, happily sniffing every blade of grass, every ant that walked by and randomly barking at the Alpacas across the street.

So I took a few pics for you.  I tell you, I could sit and watch them all day.

There are all in all, I think 12, at least that's how many I've counted.  Beautiful creatures and so sweet natured.

We also have horses right next door.  I am wanting to go right up to the fence and get some good pictures, just haven't had time to do it.

While I was outside, I had an idea for a garland for my fireplace.  So I gathered a bunch of leaves and while I was doing that, I noticed that Marley was being quite adventurous.

Let me start by telling you that he refuses to leave the driveway, he does NOT go on the grass or anywhere else in the yard, matter of fact when I get the mail, he just stands at the driveway and watches me.

Well I turned around yesterday and he was halfway down the yard almost to the gate.  I was shocked, but also happy to see that he is finally starting to be a little more adventurous.  He is one years old and I guess now is the time to start exploring.

I will show you my garland once it's up, but I'll be using leaves and my dried orange slices.

Once all the outside work was done, I retired inside and had a craving for some blueberry pancakes.  That is what I made for lunch and everyone loved them, including hubby who had come home for lunch and was quite happy to devour a stack of these.

They didn't rise as usual, because I used my homemade pancake mix, but I think my baking powder is not as fresh anymore.  They tasted amazing, especially since the blueberries tend to pop and ooze out during cooking.

I have about half a jar left of my pancake mix and I'm going to use it up this weekend, and then make a new batch with fresh baking powder.

Since I'm sick, after doing those chores, I tried to relax the rest of the day, drank lots of fluids, took some meds and crocheted.  While I did that, I watched two Hallmark movies which I absolutely loved.

The first one was called Rural Girl, and the second was Love Finds you in SugarCreek.  I'm giving you the links to where you can watch online, which is where I watched them.

Oh and did I mention that both movies are about the Amish?  Love, Love, Loveeeee!!!

I will probably be watching some more Hallmark or Lifetime movies today, but first, I am going to indulge in some Who do you Think you Are?  but the UK version.

Honestly, if I had the chance, I would totally go back and trace my ancestor's steps and find out exactly where I'm from.  When someone asks me I get a little confused at first because I was born in Mozambique which was a Portuguese Colony so I'm Portuguese, but I left when I was 2, moved to Portugal until I was 10, then to South Africa until I was 24 and then to the USA.

It's a bit difficult trying to explain that to people, and when I'm asked "where are you from?", I instinctively reply "South Africa".  But I'm not really from there am I?

Oh my, I have got myself quite confused with it all hahahah

Anywayyyyyy, as I was saying, I would love to figure it all out.  But for now I will live vicariously through others on TV.

Hope you all have a gorgeous blessed Friday.
xoxoxoxoxo

A little change and a big hello :)

Hi everyone :)

I know, you're probably shocked to see me here with a normal post and not a Happy Homemaker Monday or a Book Review.

Life has again gotten in the way of blogging, as it seems to do quite often lately, but I've been working on getting back on track and being able to start daily blogging again, which is something I'm very passionate about.

I have a lot of ideas and thoughts and things that I want to do, it's just a matter of getting it from my brain to the blog, and that is where I tend to fall short, more often than not.

Anyway, I'm sure the first thing you noticed is that the blog look has changed, and I did that yesterday because I wanted to go back to a more simple set up.  I quite liked my previous template but it was a bit of a pain to work through, there were a lot of behind the scenes html codes, and changes here and there on a daily basis, that got a bit frustrating to deal with.

While this one is not as modern or technologically appealing, it is simple and serves it's purpose.

Life has been going at full speed here, we've been so busy, and with Fall upon us and the temperatures finally cooling down, we've gone full speed into preparing for winter months and hopefully relying more on fire wood instead of the central heating.  *our electricity bill is ridiculous in this house*

Curt has been working hard on chopping wood around the property, and I've been helping him bring it back to the house, stack it and pile it and get it ready.

Living on 3 acres means that we have abundant trees, and as the years go by, they die out, branches fall, branches need pruning and so forth.  We are never without firewood, so much so that we give some to my brother as well.

We'll continue to work on our stock pile this coming weekend, as well as finishing harvesting our pecan trees which have started dropping a big harvest.  It's like the back yard is littered in Pecans.

I'll freeze as many as I can, but I also want to make some Pecan milk from them.  If I do, I'll share with you the process and show you how it turns out.

I've been trying to use up the last few days of warmth, to dry the clothes outside instead of using the dryer.  All in an attempt to save some money.

I haven't exactly been very successful in that area, since we had a ton of rain coming down on us for what seemed like two weeks straight.

It did help the temperatures to drop because until that moment, Texas seemed a bit confused about what Season of the year we were in.  The high 90's were unrelenting.

Of course when it rains, I turn to even more coffee, so copious amounts of that liquid gold have been consumed.  Thankfully it doesn't keep me from sleeping, or I would be in serious trouble.

Speaking of sleeping, both Curt and I spent last night tossing and turning, and woke up feeling absolutely dreadful.  Sore throats, coughs, congestion, runny noses and fevers.

I hate sending him off to work like that, knowing that I can stay home and lay down if I need to.  Even thought I suggested he maybe take the day off, since he never does, he didn't want to.  I'm blessed with an extremely hard working husband :)

I did send him off with cold meds, orange juice and vitamin C.  Honestly just hoping whatever this cold is, it goes away quick.  But I guess it's that time of year isn't it?  Everyone is coming down with colds and sniffles.

The kids are both doing well.  Nicholas has pulled out all the old Nintendo systems and he's been enjoying Super Mario and Yoshi and all the classics.  It's made for some fun bonding moments between him and Curt as they've spent weekends just playing together, laughing and joking.  It's a joy to see.

I'm slowly crocheting through my Mandala Madness, and the newest blanket, the Liliana.

Other than that, it's just been business as usual, every day normal life. 

I've tried to be more consistent in sharing my grocery hauls on my Youtube Channel, so if you haven't yet subscribed, be sure to go on over and do that so you won't miss future hauls.  Starting on Sunday, I'll also be doing a Weekly Meals video showing all our dinners for the week.  It's been requested from me quite a lot and my husband just gave me the push to do it.

I think for the time being that is about as much as you'll see from me when it comes to Vlogging, though I do enjoy the Instagram stories, which I guess is sort of vlogging?

My husband and kids have been trying to talk me into doing Vlogmas this year even though neither of them want to be filmed, but I'm sure I could do small daily videos all through the December.

Let me know what you think and if that is something you would enjoy, I would of course do them on Youtube but also post them here on the blog.

And that's it really, I'm going to get off here as I'm really not feeling well.

Hope you are all doing well, and I'm looking forward to sharing more posts in the coming days :)

Happy Homemaker Monday - 10/09/2017

Good morning everyone, hope you've had a great weekend.

Mine went by so quickly.  We didn't do anything really, aside from having the family over for dinner on Saturday night and then my nephew slept over.  Yesterday I literally did absolutely nothing, I did a quick cleaning of the house and then sat with hubby and Jasmine and watched some movies.

Today hubby is off work, so we are doing yard work and I think I might rearrange the living room, I'm not sure yet but kind of been throwing ideas around in my mind.  We'll see if it happens or not.

Anyway, I hope you all have a beautiful blessed week ahead.  Let's get on with our Happy Homemaker Monday!!!

Breakfast time....what is on the plate this morning::::
Just had a cup of coffee with Sweet Cream Creamer, and two pieces of toasted Raisin Bread with butter.

Right now I am::::
Typing up this post, while trying to keep Marley off my lap.  He wants to play so keeps bringing his toys, plopping them on the laptop and then trying to get on my lap as well lol

Looking around the house::::
I just need to pick up in the living rooms, Marley has his toys all over the place.  Other than that, the house is clean and tidy which makes me smile.

On today's to do list::::
Laundry.....One load of jeans and trousers to wash, and a load of whites.
Cleaning.....In the kitchen, I need to unload the dishwasher and reload.  Make beds, give bathrooms a quick clean.
Homeschooling.....There's no school today   

Cooking....I have a frozen pizza that I'll thrown in for lunch today.  Dinner is Bolognese Pasta and a Salad. 

Currently reading::::
My Fall and Winter tour books have started to trickle in.  I'm going to see which one is first to be reviewed and get right into that one. 

On the TV today::::
Yesterday's Outlander
The Last Post

I was thinking last night that I miss some of the older shows I used to watch, way back in the day.  I might rewatch them.  And I'm talking like really old shows, for example:

Hill Street Blues
St. Elsewhere
Murder she wrote
Love Boat
L.A. Law
Chicago Hope
Twin Peaks

The weather outside is::::
A bit of a strange week ahead, today the highs are in the upper 80's, tomorrow the high will be 65, but then back up to the upper 80's the next day.  Can we PLEASE get Fall weather???? 

On the menu this week::::
Monday - Bolognese Pasta, Salad

Tuesday - Lebanese Chicken with Rice

Wednesday - Skillet Potatoes and Kielbasa, Green Beans

Thursday - Fried Chicken with Mash, Milk Gravy
Friday - Real Italian Calzones


If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::
Try to either start my next book, or grab the camera and go outside for some Fall pictures, OR, start on one of the older TV shows. 

New recipe I tried, or want to try this week::::
Bolognese Pasta is new, so is the Lebanese Chicken. 

One of my simple pleasures::::
Watching old TV shows.  It makes me so extremely happy, transports me to a simpler time in life and at least for that moment, I am away from the present and all the horrible things going on around us. 

Favorite photo from the camera or internet::::
I was looking through old blog posts and came upon this picture, it made me smile so much because it brought back memories of our library at Luke AFB.  Gosh I miss it.  I have not found a good one since then and it's so sad to me because I love nothing more than spending an afternoon looking through the book shelves.
 



Praying for::::
All of us, the country in general, that the hatred and disregard for human life and people in general, ends.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 5 - Favorite Drink

Hi everyone, it's Day 5 of our Blogtober 2017, and today's prompt is all about our favorite drink.

Now I know that some of these prompts may seem a little weird, but keep in mind that the original idea for this monthly feature was a Homemaking once a day through the month of October. 

Anyway, my favorite drink is water with ice and lemon.  It used to be Diet Coke, matter of fact I drank so much of it, it was quite bad.

For the past month, I've switched to mainly just water, on the weekends I'll have a glass or two of some sort of diet soda, but the rest of the time, it's just water with ice and lemon, and I'm drinking about 64 oz a day.

It means lots of trips to the bathroom, but I've noticed such a change in my skin my dark circles under my eyes and my energy levels too.  It's literally detoxifying my body from the years of abuse.

So there you have it, my favorite drink.  What is yours?

Blogtober 2017 - Day 4 - Your Bible Reading

Hi everyone, welcome back to Blogtober Day 4.  I hope you've been enjoying these so far, I know it's not exactly my usual blogging material and I do need to sit down and do a proper catch up, but for the moment this is what I have time to do and I feel that at least I'm posting something on a daily basis :)

Anyway, today's prompt is all about our Bible Reading, so I thought I would share with you one of my favorite verses, because I've ashamedly NOT been reading my Bible lately.  Possibly why my life seems so completely out of whack at the moment, so that's another for my "Must Remedy" List.

While I was thinking about this very thing, and the fact that I didn't have a specific Bible verse to share with you, I ran across a very interesting Devotional by Renee Swope, titled "When your life feels like a mess."

It's from back in 2014, but I swear it could have been written a few hours ago and totally been about me and how I'm feeling lately.

By the way, a couple of you have asked if I'm ok, and I am, I'm fine, my marriage is fine, my children are fine, we're healthy.  It's just life in general, and kind of feeling a little out of whack with myself when it comes to eating healthy and exercising, not letting laziness take over, staying on track with my projects and things I need to do around here, including the blogging.

That's what I mean when I talk about my current *messy* state of mind.

Anyway, going back to the devotional, Renee talks about how at times when her own life feels like a mess, she asks God to remind her of times He worked in her life or others, in ways she could never have imagined.

I thought that was quite a poignant way to approach this, rather than stew in my misery or stay stuck, I need to remember that even if I feel like my life is meaningless, or pointless at the moment, there is always and I mean ALWAYS a bigger force at work and something I'm working towards.

Here's the biggest thing I took from it.....

In times when I feel discouraged or am going through a difficult circumstance, I need to pull closer to God and not allow those negative thoughts or feelings to make me stray or pull even further than where I should be.

Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me that You are always with me, just like You were with Joseph. When I face hard circumstances, I want to lean in and depend on You for wisdom, patience and grace. In all these things, I will remember that I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Romans 8:37, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (NIV)

I hope that if any of you are in a similar situation, or frame of mind, that maybe my words today and Renee's teachings can pull you out of the darkness and into the light, where we truly belong.

Have a beautiful Thursday night and I'll see you all back here tomorrow for Day 5 and possibly an actual chit chat post :)