Monday, July 29, 2019

Happy Homemaker Monday - 07/29/2019

Good morning everyone, come on in and sit with me a little.  I have hot coffee all ready, and if you prefer tea we can make that happen too :)

This Monday came about a bit too quick for my liking, I think because we were so busy this weekend and didn't get a chance to sit and relax.  Oh well, we have a full week ahead to do with as we please.

I am excited as my phone is already on it's way back and is scheduled to be delivered today.  Thank goodness for that :)

Right, let's get going with our last Happy Homemaker Monday for July of 2019.

Also, just quickly, I apologize for not getting a chance to come by and say hi last week, it was a crazy week for us, but I'll be visiting you all today, probably this afternoon as I have a bit of hectic morning with lots of driving back and forth.

Hope you all have a blessed week ahead :) 





The weather:::
Hot, hot and more hot.  Like crazy hot.  I am sporting a nice tan just from working outside in the garden, but goodness the heat is finishing me off lately.  Woke up to cloudy skies which is quite nice as it's cooled everything down tremendously.  The rest of the week?  Well you'll see down below.

Monday - Partly cloudy, 98
Tuesday - Mostly Sunny, 99
Wednesday - Mostly Sunny, 101
Thursday - Mostly Sunny, 101
Friday - Partly cloudy, 99


On the breakfast plate this morning:::
Just finished a cup of coffee, but I won't eat until I get back from dropping Jasmine off at work, which will be around 9:45am.  I'll be having some Cinnamon Raisin toast for breakfast and probably another cup of coffee.    


Right now I am:::
Working on this post and trying to wake up.    


On my bedside table:::
Tablet, water bottle and firestick remote.   Also have my book that I'm reading for a review.


On my reading pile:::
When we believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal. 


Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:::
Again, nothing, it was another busy weekend and I didn't even get to sit for enough time to watch anything.  We only watched the Star Trek each night right before bed.  I do want to catch up on some stuff, so I'll try to do that during the week.  


On my TV this week:::
TV:
General Hospital
Homemaking vlogs
Star Trek The Next Generation


Documentaries:
Restoration Home:  Coulton Mill
Cold case:  Upstate New York nurse, disappears without a trace
Stephanie Crowe - Unbelievable Injustice


On the menu for this week:::
I posted my full week's meal plan on Friday, so you can check that out, but as always I like to post it under my Happy Homemaker Monday too. 

Monday
Gnocchi Bolognese, Salad

Tuesday
Portuguese Pork Chops and Potatoes

Wednesday
Chicken Curry with Rice, Garlic Naan

Thursday
Sausages in tomato sauce, Homemade Fries

Friday
Sheet Pan Steak Nachos Supreme


On my to do list:::
Housework - Usual daily chores, wash Curt's yard work clothes (I wash them separately because they get really stained with grass and mud and usually have a ton of those prickly weeds too)
Ironing - I have a HUGE pile to get through today
Yard - water all plants, transplant to different pots and bring indoor plants inside.



What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
SO excited, I'm starting a new crochet project today, it's a crochet along and I haven't done one of those in a very long time.  I'll share my progress as I go, as I always do, so keep a lookout for that if you're interested in crochet or seeing what I make :) 


Looking forward to:::
Getting my phone back today.  I've missed it so much, but I must say that even though it's hard to be without because I use my phone for literally everything, you CAN live without one.  I did for over a week, and if I can, you can too.     


Looking around the house:::
It looks so dark this morning because of the cloudy skies.  I have not yet opened windows or curtains but I'm going to do that here shortly and get some fresh air in before it gets super hot.  I also have to vacuum and wash all the carpets today, especially by the doorways.  The area right by the back door is looking pretty filthy because of the in and out carrying plants and watering and whatnot.  I think I need to invest in a better mat for outside so we don't drag all the filth in. 


From the camera:::
Made my first batch of laundry soap with the soap berries.  I also did a wash with just the berries in the muslin bag and it washed the clothes really well.  However, it does not suds up, nor does it give the laundry that nice detergent smell and I do miss that.  So I think I'm going to start adding a tiny little bit of the detergent just for the smell, until my bottle is finished.  I won't buy after that, but I did add some Valor essential oil to the soap berry detergent I made.  I'll let you know how that goes, as well as give you a whole post on these soap berries.  That's coming up this week!  





What I'm wearing today:::
I have on grey capris and a pink polka dot top.  I'll change into something else when I get back from the work drop off so that I can get housework done.              


One of my simple pleasures:::
Looking at plans and ideas for the yard and the home in general.  I can sit for hours just looking through Pinterest or google and saving ideas.  Don't have time to do this often, but when I do, I totally take advantage of it.


Bible verse, Devotional, prayers::: 



Sunday, July 28, 2019

Distressed Plants - $1000 worth



Just take that title in.  Are you shocked, or wondering if we've lost our mind?

I'm sure there is someone out there thinking "didn't she say they are paying off debt and being frugal and whatever?".

Yes, yes we are.

Ok I won't keep you in suspense anymore.  Yes we got $1000 worth of plants this weekend, from Lowe's.

On Saturday morning we dropped off Jasmine at work, and then stopped at Aldi for some bread and milk.  On the way home I suggested to my husband, that we stop at Lowe's just to look around.  We didn't have anything specific we were looking for, or wanted, it was just supposed to be a browse around as we both love Lowe's and Home Depot.

While in the garden area we came upon a huge area filled with distressed plants.  Some were $5 and some were $1.  Most looked about dead, some looked in distress and others were doing ok but definitely needing some love and attention.

Friday, July 26, 2019

Getting those kitchen towels super clean!

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On yesterday's post I mentioned how I get my kitchen towels nice and clean, using a mixture of cleaning supplies and letting nature help out with it's heat from the sun.

I spent many a year just doing what everyone else did, going to the store, buying this and that product, trying bleach and all sorts of chemicals to help me with my housework.  I didn't really think about it, I just went with it like so many others.

As my homemaking journey continued, I started wanting to be more independent and self sufficient.  I would sit and wonder how our ancestors got by, what did they use, because we know for sure that they didn't have all of these hundreds of products at their disposal.

We know that they had to use a lot of what was available to them, and use it to the maximum of their advantage.

The tip I'm about to share with you, is one such way to make use of products you already have on hand, but also to make use of nature and what God has put at our disposal.

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But let's gather your grimy kitchen towels, and get going.  The first thing you will need is a big tub.  I use my dish tub for this and it works just great.

You're going to start by mixing in 3 to 4 tablespoons of baking soda, 2 cups of vinegar and about a cup or so of powdered detergent.

Give it a good mix, you will notice that it will bubble up as the vinegar and baking soda combine.

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Boil some water, I use a big pot to boil quite a bit because I want enough to cover all the kitchen towels.  This is where you can judge for yourself, if you're only going to do a few then cut back on the ingredients, but I tend to keep my towels and wash them all once a week, using this method.

Also, I don't just put in white or light colored kitchen towels, I put in my colored ones as well, and they get nice and clean too.  This mixture and way of washing them, takes out grease and even stubborn stains.  I've never had an issue with it and always get great results.

Pour the boiling water into the tub, and then start adding your towels pushing them down with a wooden spoon so that you don't burn yourself in the hot water.

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Once all the towels are in and covered completely with water, just set it out in a nice sunny spot and leave it.

I do this first thing in the morning and leave them out until about 5pm or so.

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After it's been sat out all day, the water will still be warm, but you'll be able to grab the towels with your bare hands.  Go ahead and give them a ring, and then pop them in the wash.  Once done, hang out to dry.  You can use your tumble dryer, but I always hang mine out because I find that the sun helps again with the last whitening that I need.

I tell you nature is your best friend when it comes to getting things done, especially if you use it the correct way.

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Look how bright and white they look?

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How to whiten kitchen towels in the sun:

One big tub
Boiling water, 1 gallon
Baking soda, about 4 heaping tablespoons
Vinegar about 500ml  (2 and a half cups)
Powder detergent, 1 cup
Plastic bag to cover



Mix the baking soda, vinegar and detergent well, then pour in the boiling water.  Carefully add in your kitchen towels, be careful not to burn yourself.  I use a big wooden spoon to stir the towels into the water.

Place a plastic bag over the tub to cover. You're basically going to give it a nice steam bath, or a sauna if you will.  You don't have to cover with the bag, if the sun is hot enough, you can leave it as is, and that is what I did today.

Let it sit in the sun for a couple of hours.  It's best if you place them out in the morning and leave them until later in the day, or even overnight.

Wring them out really well, then throw in your washer.


I now have a fresh pile of towels ready to be used in the kitchen.  They smell good, they look amazing and I know they're clean and sanitized.  Next week Friday I will again repeat the process, once I've used them up in my day to day kitchen chores.

I do hope this tip helps you, and if you decide to try it out, do let me know how it worked for you. 

Meal Plan Friday #7


Friday segment spotlighting the meals for the week ahead. Why Friday? Because I grocery shop Bi-weekly, on Fridays.

Welcome back to my Meal Plan Friday!!!

Hi everyone.  It is Friday and you know what that means, another Meal Plan for you all.  I have a bit of a mismatch this week, a few Portuguese meals, some new recipes and some old favorites.

The Cuban sandwiches are new, so I'll be sure to share that recipe when I make them.  Every other recipe is on Full Bellies, Happy Kids and I'll have those linked up for you.  Saturday we are having some Panda Express take out.  We basically only eat out every two weeks, and it's usually quick easy things, once in a while we will go to our favorite buffet restaurant or try some other restaurant, but y'all food is not cheap and to go out with the family is close to $100. 

Now, let's talk desserts.  I will be completely honest and tell you that I have NOT made any desserts at all the past week.  So the 2 desserts from last week will be what I'll make this weekend and the next week ahead. 

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Bad allergy day

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I don't know what happened, or where this allergy attack came from, but halfway through the afternoon, my eyes and nose started itching, I started sneezing and it was just downhill from there.

Even after I took my Allegra and Singular, plus the nasal allergy spray, the attack continued.

I haven't had such a bad allergy flare up, in many many months, so something must be aggravating me, just wish I could figure out what and remove it.

For now, I'm just sitting, trying to contain my sneezes, stopping myself from scratching my nose and eyes to oblivion, and listening to a crime documentary on YouTube.

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I started my day with driving Jasmine to work, and then came straight home to get started on my housework.  More clothes were washed and set out to dry, I'm taking full advantage of this warm breeze heat we've been having.

The clothes go on the line and within 10 minutes tops, they are fully dry.  Isn't that something?

My soapberry tree is producing hundreds upon hundreds of these beautiful little green balls. Soon they will start changing color and that is when I'll collect a ton and use them to make all sorts of homemade soap.

I'll have to do a post on that when the time comes.  I'm all about using things at your disposal and this tree in the back yard, sure provides a HUGE amount of beautiful soap berries which will be turned into dish soap, shampoo, multi purpose cleaner and many other things.  Did you know you can even wash your laundry using these???  Crazy!!!

But, I'm very excited to dive right into the world of soap nuts and their amazing cleaning and medicinal properties.

I was able to catch up on my reading for about an hour this afternoon.  This is the next book on the review list and I'm enjoying it a LOT, can't wait to tell you all about it.

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In the meantime while I wait for my soap berries to turn color, I'm resorting to simple tried old fashioned ways of cleaning the most stubborn of stains, especially in my white kitchen towels.

All I do is get a big plastic tub, fill it with boiling water, add in vinegar, baking soda and some powder detergent, pop the towels in and give it a quick swish then set it out in the warm sun for a couple of hours.


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How to whiten kitchen towels in the sun:

One big tub
Boiling water, 1 gallon
Baking soda, about 4 heaping tablespoons
Vinegar about 500ml  (2 and a half cups)
Powder detergent, 1 cup
Plastic bag to cover


Mix the baking soda, vinegar and detergent well, then pour in the boiling water.  Carefully add in your kitchen towels, be careful not to burn yourself.  I use a big wooden spoon to stir the towels into the water.

Place a plastic bag over the tub to cover. You're basically going to give it a nice steam bath, or a sauna if you will.  You don't have to cover with the bag, if the sun is hot enough, you can leave it as is, and that is what I did today.

Let it sit in the sun for a couple of hours.  It's best if you place them out in the morning and leave them until later in the day, or even overnight.

Ring them out really well, then throw in your washer.  That's it, simple and again, we are letting nature help us out.

I am going to do another bunch of towels tomorrow and I'll show you the whole process and maybe even do a separate post to help you.   I'll also show you how much cleaner and whiter the towels turn out.


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That is it for today.  I worked on the budget.  I actually sat down and wrote out any debt that we have, the amounts still owing and then went month by month until it was paid off, rolling over money from one paid off debt to the other and so forth.  I'm going to snowball the bejeebers out of our debt and we will be completely debt free in 2 years.

Definitely looking forward to that.

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I'm about to enjoy a latte and watch some Star Trek with the hubster before bed.  I hope you've had a fantastic week so far.  Mine has been pretty quiet and I've enjoyed that, sometimes no action is the best thing you could wish for, right?

I'll be back tomorrow with the kitchen towel post for you all, have a good one :)

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Letting nature do it's job

It is hot out there, my word, scorching crazy heat!!!

I have tried to stay indoors as much as possible, but then again there is a lot of yard work and projects that require us being outside for long periods of time.

I was thinking earlier of how annoying it is to want to be out in the sun doing things but struggling with feeling like you're going to melt....and let's not even talk about the sweating.  The boob sweat is real!!!

There's sweat in places I did not even know existed, just so you get an idea of how hot it has been around these parts.  LOL

Monday, July 22, 2019

Happy Homemaker Monday - 07/22/2019


Good morning everyone and a very happy Monday :)

I am sorry I am posting this a little later than usual, but I've been editing photos from a family photo shoot I did yesterday.  I am NOT a professional photographer, I just love taking photos and my family asked me to take some for them.

As always I take hundreds and then need to sit and edit which is a lot of work since I shoot all my photos in raw.

Anyway, I am still editing but just looked at the clock and realized that I need to get the Happy Homemaker Monday post up, so taking a break from the shoot to get this one up.

Wishing you all a very blessed week ahead. 



Friday, July 19, 2019

Meal Plan Friday #6


Friday segment spotlighting the meals for the week ahead. Why Friday? Because I grocery shop Bi-weekly, on Fridays.

Welcome back to my Meal Plan Friday!!!

Hi everyone.  Hope you're having a wonderful Friday, I am so happy that it's the start of the weekend again.  There's nothing like being able to get up without the sound of the alarm.

Friday means another meal plan for you all.  

There is only one new recipe on the plan this week, and that is for the Nacho Tater Tots, so as soon as I make it I will of course share it.  The rest of the meals are true and tried family favorites, most have recipes up already and I'll be sure to share those with you.

For desserts, I ended up not yet making the Mexican Cinnamon Cookies, I will make those this weekend, along with a Peaches and Cream Pie.  I have quite a few cans of peaches that I need to use up.  Will probably do a Peach Cobbler as well.


Thursday, July 18, 2019

Vegetables and Herbs you can regrow


I have taken to gardening like a fish takes to water.

I used to hear people going on about gardening and how much they loved it, how relaxing it was and so on, and I couldn't understand why.

Couldn't make the connection, and I think it was mostly due to the fact that I've always found my gardening experiences to be stressful and frustrating, but now that things are growing and I'm seeing the rewards of my hard work, I get it.

I find myself wanting to be out in the garden as much as possible, weeding, watering, fixing, planting and planning.  I have sooooo many ideas and so many plans for the back yard, I can't wait to get it all going, and I'll share with you as I go, of course.

Monday, July 15, 2019

A thriving garden and lots of yard work


đ‘»đ’‰đ’† 𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒈𝒐 𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆




God has given me the biggest gift in this world, which is to take care of my home and family, and with that in mind, every effort I make inside and outside my home, is well worth it.

I take a huge pride in my homemaking, as you all know, but homemaking for me is not just contained to 4 walls and the inside, it spreads into the outside too, the garden, the yard, and the property around it.

For years, I have dreamed of a garden filled with veggies of every kind.  I've tried over and over to make it work, and usually could get away with them starting to grow, but soon after they would die.  Wrong soil, too much water, not enough water, too hot, too cold, too much sun, too much shade and so on.  If you're a gardener you understand.

The Summer of Sunshine and Margot by Susan Mallery - TLC Book Tour



Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: HQN; Original edition (June 11, 2019)

The Baxter sisters come from a long line of women with disastrous luck in love. But this summer, Sunshine and Margot will turn disasters into destiny…

As an etiquette coach, Margot teaches her clients to fit in. But she’s never faced a client like Bianca, an aging movie star who gained fame—and notoriety—through a campaign of shock and awe. Schooling Bianca on the fine art of behaving like a proper diplomat’s wife requires intensive lessons, forcing Margot to move into the monastery turned mansion owned by the actress’s intensely private son. Like his incredible home, Alec’s stony exterior hides secret depths Margot would love to explore. But will he trust her enough to let her in?

Sunshine has always been the good-time sister, abandoning jobs to chase after guys who used her, then threw her away. No more. She refuses to be “that girl” again. This time, she’ll finish college, dedicate herself to her job as a nanny, and she 100 percent will not screw up her life again by falling for the wrong guy. Especially not the tempting single dad who also happens to be her boss.

Master storyteller Susan Mallery weaves threads of family drama, humor, romance and a wish-you-were-there setting into one of the most satisfying books of the year!

Happy Homemaker Monday - 07/15/2019

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

We had a good one, spent most of the weekend working on the yards.  There is a lot that needs to be done in this house and with 3 acres, it seems that yard work is never finished.  My husband has been working super hard to control the weeds, the overgrowth around the property and so on.  I've helped as much as I can, unfortunately being surrounded by a lot of trees and grasses that I'm allergic to, makes it hard to be out there for long stretches.

Yesterday afternoon we had a barbecue and invited over my brother and his family, which included my sister in laws mom who is visiting from South Africa, and my niece and her baby girl who are visiting from Idaho.  It was wonderful :)

Anyway, Happy Monday friends, hope you all have a blessed week ahead!  



Friday, July 12, 2019

Meal PlanFriday #5


Friday segment spotlighting the meals for the week ahead. Why Friday? Because I grocery shop Bi-weekly, on Fridays.

Welcome back to my Meal Plan Friday!!!

Hi everyone.  Hope you're having a wonderful Friday and I hope you have a fantastic weekend.  I'm back again with the meal plan for this upcoming week, and this time I'm trying out a ton of recipes which I'm very excited about.

I managed to make the Lemon Zucchini cookies, a few days ago, and they are soooooo good.  You can find the recipe on the food blog, along with a ton of other recipes I posted for you all, just this past week.

For desserts, I will be making another Frozen Key Lime Pie to take to my brother's house on Sunday and then some Mexican Cinnamon Cookies for us, sometime next week.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Things I'm loving, want to get, or try

It has been a long, long time since I've done one of these posts.

Do you remember back when we lived in Arizona, I had a weekly feature called Wanna Try that Wednesday?  I think I did a few of these and really enjoyed them, it was a way to bring into one place, all the things I wanted to either try, or make, eventually buy and so on.

In lieu of another typical homemaking day, I decided to do another of these for you all.



Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Bunch of this, and that, and nothing in particular


And there goes the cute blog title award.

If there was such an award, I am certain that I would not even be thrown into the running, cause truth be told, I am awful when it comes to blog titles.  Hahah

Anyway, it's been a day of a little of this, a shake of that, and a whole lot of nothing in between.

So, you have a choice, you can either keep reading to see if anything interesting catches your eye, or you can click right on out and go on your merry way, I promise I won't take it to heart.  We can't always have exciting days right?  As I get older, I am more than ok with boring, simple days.

Tuesday, July 09, 2019

A day in the life and some recipes for you all




Hi everyone, come on in and sit with me, let me show you a bit of my day.

I had yet another home day which I'm really, and I mean reallllyyy loving.  It's been so relaxing to not have to rush out the door or be watching the clock constantly.  What it's done is help me reset, so to speak and recharge my batteries.

Monday, July 08, 2019

Unexpected blog trip down memory lane


I had sat down with my meal plan, getting ready to work on the new one for the next two weeks, when I decided to come on my blog and take some inspiration from previous menus of years gone by.

One of the first posts I opened was a Happy Homemaker Monday from 2009, and quickly realized that the HHM picture was not working.  So, as a blogger what do you do?  You go and update that post and fix the problem.

As I scrolled down to the photo from the camera, it was one of my favorites of me and my baby Lola.  It made me miss her so so much.  Again, the photo was not working properly and I quickly realized that it was due to the fact that it was still uploaded on Photobucket.

Murder in the City by Rachel McMillan - TLC Book Tour


Paperback: 336 Pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 28, 2019)

Hamish DeLuca and Regina “Reggie” Van Buren have a new case—and this one could demand a price they’re not willing to pay.

Determined to make a life for herself, Reggie Van Buren bid goodbye to fine china and the man her parents expected her to marry and escaped to Boston. What she never expected to discover was that an unknown talent for sleuthing would develop into a business partnership with the handsome, yet shy, Hamish DeLuca.

Their latest case arrives when Errol Parker, the leading base stealer in the Boston farm leagues, hires Hamish and Reggie to investigate what the Boston police shove off as a series of harmless pranks. Errol believes these are hate crimes linked to the outbreak of war in Europe, and he’s afraid for his life. Hamish and Reggie quickly find themselves in the midst of an escalating series of crimes.
When Hamish has his careful constructed life disrupted by a figure from his past, he is driven to a decision that may sever him from Reggie forever . . . even more than her engagement to wealthy architect Vaughan Vanderlaan.

Happy Homemaker Monday - 07/08/2019

Good morning sweet friends, and welcome back to my blog.

First things first, you probably noticed that I ONCE again changed the template.  I wasn't planning to and it certainly wasn't my intention to even mess with it, but I noticed there were some issues with it that I just didn't seem to be able to fix, no matter how hard I tried.

Sometimes it's easier to keep things simple, so instead of wracking my brain trying to beat my head against a wall, I literally went with the Simple blog theme.  I'll leave it until such time that I can find something I like and can work with.

Anyway, let's get going with our week.  I am actually home ALL.WEEK.LONG.  My daughter is off this week and I can't tell you how happy I am to know that I don't have to go anywhere.  For a homebody, it is the best news ever Hahah

Right, let's get going with our Happy Homemaker Monday, and see what we all have planned for the week.

Saturday, July 06, 2019

Great barbecue and a walk at the park

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The long weekend is almost at an end, and I feel as if I haven't yet had a chance to rest or breathe.  But in a good way, because it's been packed to the brim with family, food, and walks in the warm sunshine.

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Thursday we had Curt's family over for a barbecue.  I took over the barbecue and the food preparation and as much as I enjoy just sitting down to chat and catch up, I always feel that my job as the hostess is to make sure that everything is running smoothly, people have food, drinks and anything else they may need.

Friday, July 05, 2019

Meal Plan Friday - #4


Friday segment spotlighting the meals for the week ahead. Why Friday? Because I grocery shop Bi-weekly, on Fridays.

Welcome back to my Meal Plan Friday!!!

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July with your family.  We had a great time with our family, a day full of chats and laughs, and filled with delicious barbecue food.

We have a ton of leftovers so today we will be eating those throughout the day, and then tomorrow I'll be back to proper cooking.

This week's plan features 3 new recipes, all from Taste of Home.  I'm still working through the cookbook and magazine I picked up two weeks ago, and there are still many recipes I want to try so I guess we will be hanging out with the wonderful folks of Taste of Home for a while.   As always, once I've made the recipes, I'll be adding them to the food blog, so be sure to bookmark it if you haven't yet done so.    Full Bellies, Happy Kids.

Being the Grownup by Adelia Moore - TLC Book Tour


Paperback: 322 pages

Children need adults to survive. This, despite the profound change our digital era has wrought on family life, remains the essence of parenthood. Being the Grownup The Natural Authority of Parenthood begins not with what should be, but with what is: If you are a parent, it is your job to provide shelter and safety, to make decisions about education, childcare, health and nourishment, to create the habitat that is the context and crucible of family life. Being the Grownup helps parents translate their determination to care for and protect their children into the clarity they need to communicate authority with a firm confidence, whether for bedtime, screen-time or mealtime. Just as she would in a clinical conversation, the author shifts the focus away from disciplinary strategies and back to the core of parenthood, the relationship between parents and children as it evolves, moment-to-moment, from the dependence of infancy to the autonomy of young adulthood.

Wednesday, July 03, 2019

Living my best life ❤️

Weekend

It seems like every one is going on about "living their best life".  When I first heard the saying I thought it corny, to be honest.  But the more I think and reflect on it, the more I realize that, if everyone out there concentrated on actually living their best life, and not worrying about what others are doing with their lives, things would be so much easier and everyone would be happier too.

Monday, July 01, 2019

Happy Homemaker Monday - 07/01/2019

Good morning sweet friends, and welcome back to my little corner of blogland.

How was your weekend?

I had a wonderful one.  Saturday, me and my girl went to get haircuts, then did a little browsing around the shops and grabbed a quick lunch at McAllister's, before dropping her off to work for the rest of the day.  It felt good to have that one on one time, I think it's so important to do that with your kids.

Yesterday, the boys worked on the yard, mowing, cutting down some tree branches that had dipped way way low, then they went to Braum's to get lunch for everyone, and then went to the local park to walk around and spend some time together.   Dad and son time, again, it's important to have that one on one time.

Later in the afternoon we all went to Sam's Club, I needed some things for the house, but we also just wanted to walk around.  After getting home, everyone had a shower, and then Curt, myself and Jasmine sat down to watch a movie together.

You know life goes by so quick and the kids are growing, so these moments that we get together are very much appreciated.

Right, let's get going with our Happy Homemaker Monday, and see what we all have planned for the week.

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