{ One blink and they're all grown up }

It's crazy just how quick life goes by.  One minute you're rocking your kid to sleep, the next you're helping them do their taxes.

How nuts is that?

I find myself a little taken aback at times, just trying to soak in the moment and reminding myself that this is a new chapter, a new journey.  But boy is that pill sometimes hard to swallow.

So yes, that happened today, I sat back and watched her do her taxes, giving her advice here and there, showing her where to input this or that.  While she did it, I sat behind her and just stared, trying to adjust myself to this new way of life.  She's an adult, she's about to turn 20, she graduated high school, she's working, she is talking about traveling, she makes her own purchases and hair appointments, doctor appointments and so on.

{ Pretty in Punxsutawney by Laurie Boyle Crompton - TLC Book Tour }

Hardcover: 304 Pages
Publisher: Blink (January 15, 2019)

A Groundhog Day meets Pretty in Pink mashup from author Laurie Boyle Crompton, Pretty in Punxsutawney tells the tale of a girl willing to look beneath the surface to see people for who they really are.

{ My favorite kind of day and a recipe }

For your house to stay in order, you have to make a conscious effort to stay on top of things.

If I could give advice to any new homemaker or wife/mom, it would be just that.  I know it may sound like such a ridiculous thing to stay, but over my 21 years of homemaking, I've learned the hard way.  Sure it's easier to let things sit until tomorrow, but tomorrow never turns out to be that day, instead things get put off until the next day, and then the next, and then it becomes overwhelming and you really struggle to finally tackle that task.

I've gotten into a very good routine and I find that if I stick to it, my house is constantly tidy, put together and clean, without needing a ton of attention on one specific day.

Sure there are days that it all goes to hell in a hand basket, days where my routine is changed because of unexpected things, or the weekend where you were out every day or spending time with family and let things slide a bit.  But Monday rolls around, and I nip that right in the behind and get everything in order for the rest of the week.

Monday was one of those days for me, the weekend had been spent enjoying time with family and doing the bare necessities, so when the new week came about I rolled up my sleeves and got started.  My favorite kind of day......full on homemaking.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 01/28/2019 }

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

I didn't get a chance to do any posts, as I was busy with family.  We met my brother and his family for breakfast on Saturday morning, and then Jasmine had to work as well, so it was a bit of a rushed Saturday.

Sunday we did absolutely nothing, Nick is once again coming down with a cold, Jasmine was tired from work and cramping because, you know......girly things, and my husband just wanted to relax before returning to work this morning.  So we stayed home, played computer games together and just enjoyed a day of family.

Now here we are again, the beginning of a new week and I need to get a lot of housework done today, since I didn't really do much the past two days.

Let's get started with our Happy Homemaker Monday and see what is on the agenda for us all this week.

{ So cold, and needing to trust in the Lord..... }

The temperatures have dropped so much here lately.  We woke up to 20 degrees, and I know those of you in areas that are used to this and much much lower, are probably rolling your eyes and possibly calling me a whiny baby.  That's ok.....I fully admit that I'm whiny at times.

I opened the door for Marley this morning and a blast of icy wind smacked me right in the face, it actually made me lose my breath for a second.  So cold!!!

It doesn't exactly incite visions of wanting to get out there and get busy, more like images of taking your behind right on back to your warm comfy bed.

{ Heartland - Why I love it, and why you should watch it }

Since mentioning Heartland the other day, I've had quite a few of you say that you had never heard of it, or watched it and were quite interested.

I'm always happy to hear about a new show that is family oriented and that I am sure I will enjoy, so with that in mind I thought I would share with you what Heartland is about and why I think you should be watching.

When she show first started back in 2007, I watched religiously and loved every episode, but this was right around the time we had moved from Idaho to Arizona and we had a lot going on, so I watched the first season and then kind of let it slip and forgot about it.  Couple years later I watched the second and third seasons and then again forgot about.  I don't know why, I wish I had stuck with it because I couldn't think of a better family show on TV.

{ Worldless Wednesday }

{ Another cow in the field }

One of the perks of living in the country???

The occasional cow visit from the fields across the highway.  The first time it happened I was so confused, and surprised to see a cow across from my house, but it's now become a common occurrence and not an eyelid is batted.

We just go across the highway to the owner, and let them know their cows have escaped their pen again.

{ With this Pledge by Tamera Alexander - TLC Book Tours }

Hardcover: 448 Pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 8, 2019)

History takes on vivid life in the stunning first full-length novel in bestselling author Tamera Alexander’s new 4-book Southern series… The Carnton Novels

What can a woman–a mere governess–do against the scourge of slavery?

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{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 01/21/2019 }

Good morning and a very Happy Monday to you all :)

I sure do hope your weekends were restful and calm and that you had a blessed time with your family.  I have a wonderful weekend of doing nothing, catching up on my show and hanging out with my family.  It was blissful!!!

It is Monday though so it's back at it for everyone, well some, we have school going on but my husband is off work today, which is nice.  I have a house that is needing some attention after my slacked off weekend so I'll be busy putting it to order today.

Let's see what else is going on shall we?

{ Slow Saturday }

As a stay at home mom, it is not easy to get away from our jobs, considering we live at work, right?

When we first got married, when I would get frustrated with the housework or the monotony of it, I would sometimes tell Curt that I wish I had a job where I could also go away for 8 hours and then come home and switch off and relax.

Over the years, I've learned to love what I do, but truth be told, there are still days, especially on the weekends when I see everyone relaxing from work and school, that I feel like I kinda of wish I was also able to sit back and do absolutely nothing.

{ Moving at a turtle's pace }

What a crazy night it was!!!!

We didn't fall asleep until 11pm, then the alarm went off at midnight to take my brother in law to the airport.  My Jasmine actually went with my husband and I stayed home with Nicholas and the pup.  I thought I would be able to sleep, but forget that, I just can't seem to get any sleep when my husband is not near me.

It's nuts, and trust me, it's been this way for a very long time, deployments were brutal when it came to sleeping.  I used to tell my husband that I felt like I was holding my breath the whole time he was gone, and only really let it out when he was back home with us.

{ Reading and Ironing }

There are days that the housework tasks are so many, that I feel like I hit the ground running in the morning, and don't stop until my head hits the pillow.  See, even though I'm at home all day, you would think that things would be always slow or laid back, and for the most part, they can be, but there are also days that the work is never ending and continous.

{ Taking back our homes - Living Simply }

 Tasha Tudor

“I enjoy doing housework, ironing, washing, cooking, dishwashing. Whenever I get one of those questionaires and they ask what is your profession, I always put down housewife. It's an admirable profession, why apologize for it. You aren't stupid because you're a housewife. When you're stirring the jam you can read Shakespeare.”
― Tasha Tudor

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 01/14/2019 }

Good morning everyone :)  

This post is going up a little later than usual, and I wasn't able to get any posts up this weekend, but I had a houseful of guests and was hosting and making sure everyone was having fun, fed and entertained.

By the time everyone left, I took a shower and literally crashed on the bed, I was exhausted, but we had an amazing time with family and that is all that matters.

I hope you had a fantastic weekend as well.  

Now, let's see what is coming up in the week ahead, shall we?

{ Homemaking with a joyful heart }

Hello everyone, come on in and sit a little.  It is a cold and rainy day, the house is dark, the candles are lit and the coffee is warm, just perfect to sit and have a little chat.

The past week and a half, the Lord has been speaking to my heart on the importance of my job as a homemaker.  It's something that I take seriously, it's something that I enjoy and it's a job that I love wholeheartedly.

I've always loved homemaking, and from a very young age I was fascinated with it all.  While kids my age would play outside or dream about being a movie star or a doctor, my heart and mind was on being a wife, a mother and having my own home.

{ Cooking Thursday - Navajo Tacos }

Navajo Tacos, Indian Fry Bread, Indian Tacos, pretty much the same thing.  If you have never heard of Navajo Tacos, let me tell you a little about them.

Navajo Tacos were invented in 1864, using flour, sugar, salt and lard.  The Navajo tribe had been given these ingredients by the US Government, when they were forced to leave their land and make the 300 mile "Long Walk" to New Mexico.  Often times, the food ingredients supplied by the government were rancid, and so the tacos came about using just the simplest of ingredients available to the tribe.

{ Productive Day }

You ever wake up with the yearning to change things, organize or clean?

It's a little weird, I guess, but there are days that before I even get out of bed, I have a set idea in my head of what I want to accomplish that day and I just have to do it.

Before I got up today, I decided that I was going to switch my bedroom around, move the bed from one wall to the other, vacuum, dust and give everything a really good cleaning.

{ Books I'm reading and some more crochet }

My newest book list is slowly growing again.  I am so thankful and blessed to be part of a great book website that keeps me constantly supplied with fantastic selections to read.

The beginning of the year is off to a good start with some really good ones, and I thought I would quickly show you my little pile.  These are books that have come in recently and that I'm already working through for upcoming reviews.  As new ones arrive I'll be sure to share with you as well.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 01/07/2019 }

Good morning.

How was your weekend?
I had a pretty good one, as always I try not to do much of anything or plan much of anything on the weekends, so that we can really take the time to relax, take it easy and have no place to be and no commitments to attend to.

Yesterday however, we were out with my sister in law, niece and great niece.  We spent a really nice afternoon in town shopping for the baby and she even got her ears pierced.  She truly is a beautiful delightful and calm baby, so happy all the time, so aware of everything.  It's a joy watching her develop.

I don't have much planned for today, just have a few phone calls I need to make, and we do start school back up as well, so there's that, and then the usual homemaking and cooking that is a part of our daily lives.

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful Monday, and a blessed week ahead.  Let's get started with our Happy Homemaker Monday for today, shall we? 

{ First crochet project of 2019 }

I have but two photos for you today, and the reason for that being that Mister Marley has been poorly today and it's like having a little child in the house again. 

Everything I wanted to get to today was put on the back burner so I could take care of my little boy.  It's nothing serious, but being the puppy he is, he tries to eat everything he finds, so we're not sure if he got into something he shouldn't.  His stomach was not right and he was getting sick and going potty all over the house, we would clean up and he would do it again, just non stop.

{ A Blessings Jar and the snow has melted }

I strive for a simple life, one where there is not too much confusion around me, too many materialistic things, and more homey, cozy and homemade.  Those little touches that some people call gaudy or old fashioned, are exactly what my soul is attracted to.  I've said many times before that I think I was born not only in the wrong country but in the completely wrong era, and as the years go by, I am more and more convinced of that.

Every day, I try to do something that keeps that thought in the front of my mind.  It doesn't really matter what it is, it could be baking bread, making a crochet doily, using a meat grinder just like the one my great grandmother used to have, or even hanging clothes out to dry.

I'm actually going to be talking about this a little more in an upcoming post, about how I am ready to take back my life from the modernized world we live in.

{ Makes me feel like I'm in Idaho }

When we lived in Idaho, both when I first moved to the States, and then when Curt retired in 2013, snow and winter storms were nothing out of the ordinary.  We knew to expect it during the winter months, and we knew how to deal with them.

Since moving to Texas, snow has been a rare occurrence, and I can even go as far as telling you that since being here since 2015, it has snowed twice, and neither time were anything to write home about.  It was that snow that seems to be melting before it even touches the ground.

Earlier this week we started getting winter alerts on our weather apps.  I paid it no notice.

They said Wednesday night it would start coming down and would persist through Friday.  Still I ignored it.

{ The tree is finally down }

Before I go on and show you what I was up to today, I wanted to start by saying that I'm so thrilled that so many of you are as excited at the thought of taking blogging back to the old days, as I am.

It would be amazing if we could get that sense of community back.  I feel that over the years it's been lost and blogging has become so commercialized that it's hard to find like minded bloggers who are as devoted to their homemaking and family, as some of us are.

I'm lucky in a way that I'm still surrounded by some many blog readers who have been on this journey with me for many, and I mean many years, women who share the same interests and who I have a lot in common with.

{ The Long Way Home by Kevin Bannister - TLC Book Tour }

Pages: 348 Pages
Publisher: Fireship Press (September 15, 2016)

Set in the turbulent times of the War of Independence, ‘The Long Way Home’ follows the lives of Thomas Peters and Murphy Steele who are friends, former slaves, fellows-in-arms and leaders of the Black Brigade. Their real-life story is an epic adventure tale as they battle bounty hunters, racism, poverty and epidemic in their adopted country after the war.

‘The Long Way Home’ has resonated with readers around the world as an unforgettable account of courage, hope and determination triumphing over despair and injustice. Thomas Peters, thoughtful and charismatic, and Murphy Steele, strong and impulsive, lead their followers on an inspirational search for a place where they can be free.

{ Starting the year in the kitchen }

There is nothing I quite like more, than being in my kitchen baking and cooking.

And that is how I chose to begin my year, doing what I love to do.