{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 02/11/2019 }

Good Morning all :)  Hope you've had a good weekend.

I had a really slow, laid back kind of weekend.  We didn't go anywhere at all, just stayed home and relaxed, which is my favorite way to spend Saturday and Sunday.

Here we are now, Monday morning, a clean slate and a fresh week before us.  I do have a lot of housecleaning to do today, as well as some computer work and some baking as well.  Looking forward to that :)

Last week was a bit of a bust for me, as far as daily blogging, and I explained all that in my previous post which you can read here.  This week will be a lot better, and hopefully back to normal blogging.

Hope you all have a beautiful blessed week ahead.Well let's get going and see what we have ahead for our week.  


The Weather:::
It is foggy and rainy here this morning.  I love it.  I've been missing rain and am I sure happy to see some.  The temperatures got pretty cold this weekend, down to the low 20's, but it looks like we will be having some 70 weather again this week.  Crazy is all I can say. 

Right now I am:
Sitting at my desk, working on this post while watching one of my favorite vloggers, Helen Wright on Youtube.   

Thinking:
That I feel very content with my life.  You know those days where you look around at everything you have, and your husband and children, and you just get a warm feeling?  Yeah, exactly like that, I'm feeling happy and content and truly thankful and blessed. 

On my reading pile:::
Secrets at Cedar Cabin by Colleen Coble

On my tv::: 
Vlogs on Youtube,
Catching up on shows on the Firestick


Favorite Blog post this week (mine or other):::
I mentioned last week that I had found quite a few blogs that reminded me of the old blogging days.  I've been enjoying reading them, and I thought I would start sharing them with you each week.  So today, I want to point you in the direction of Welcome to Lavender Dreams, it's another really sweet blog that I'm sure my readers will enjoy :)

Something fun to share:::
I love ambient sounds, and sometimes I quite enjoy reading a book to the sound of rain, or thunder, or maybe even imagine I'm at the beach.  The website A Soft Murmur, is one that I go to a lot for this purpose.  Go on over and take a look, I think you'll enjoy it.  You can even pick sounds such as birds or a fire crackling, even crickets. 

On the menu for this week:::

Couple new recipes, and those will be up on the food blog on the day I make them, or the very next morning.

Monday - Panda Express Chow Mein with Chicken 
Tuesday - Chicken Enchilada Soup, Brazilian Cheese Bread (new recipe)
Wednesday - Spaghetti, Garlic Bread
Thursday -  Bitoque (Portuguese Steak, Fries and Egg)
Friday - Sheet Pan Pizza (new recipe)
Saturday - Chicken Strogonoff, Rice
Sunday - Brunch, leftovers for dinner

On my to do list:::
Laundry - Have Nick's laundry waiting to go in the washer.  Also have a comforter to wash. 
Homeschooling
Baking
Post recipes on food blog
Exercise  - So, I did 6 days of the 7 day workout, because unfortunately I was not feeling too good yesterday.  I also watched what I ate last week and counted calories etc.  I wasn't very strict with it because it's hard to do when you've been so relaxed about it for two years.  I took my measurements this morning, and though I didn't lose 1 to 2 dress sizes, I did lose half an inch both on my waist and hips.  I didn't lose any weight, but my clothes feel looser on me, so that's a good thing.
I've decided to incorporate Lucy's exercises into my daily life, so I'll just pick random exercises on her page, and do them every day, skipping the weekend.  It's hard to workout on the weekend because we are either out of the house, or hanging out and I also want to have some down days so that I don't get burned out and drop it all together again. 


Looking around the house:::
It is dark due to the fog and rain outside.  The kids are still asleep, Jasmine doesn't work today so she's taking advantage of that.
I have the usual housework to do, but other than that, the house is clean and tidy. 

From the camera:::
I shared this on my Instagram last night.  It is an Oven Sandwich, most popular in Brasil but also in Portugal.  It's a super simple meal to put together, but tastes delicious.  I'll share the recipe today. 

On my prayer list:::
I don't really go on Facebook much, I think I've completely outgrown it.  But every week I'll pop on for a second or two to check my notifications, and last week I was shocked to see a post from a sweet friend of ours.  We met Stacey when we were first stationed at Mountain Home AFB and she quickly became a good friend of the family.  She is much younger than Curt and I, and just recently received some devastating news, a diagnosis that is quite shocking.  Please won't you pray for my friend, that the Lord heal her body. 

Bible verse, Devotional:::

Lord Jesus, I seek you every day. Feed and nourish me with your life-giving Word. I know of the blessed assurance you give when you are there, surrounding me with your love. Amen.