A blessed day in my life!

“Watching and learning from Mama and the other women in my family gave me a deep love for home and hearth and taking care of people. I knew from a young age that there was eternal value in those things.”

― Sophie Hudson, A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet: Southern Stories of Faith, Family, and Fifteen Pounds of Bacon

Hi everyone, come on in and sit a little.  Do you want some coffee, some tea, maybe freshly made iced tea or lemonade?

Sometimes I sit and think about the friendships I've made through my blog, and the wonderful ladies that have become online friends, have seen me at my best and my worst, and have stuck around no matter what I've thrown their way.

I so wish we all lived in the same area so that we could get together for a cuppa, a chat and some exchanging of tips, love, support and good ol' laughs.

I would definitely bake you a delicious cake to enjoy too.

But in the absence of actual sitting around a table and chatting, this online world will have to do.

I often think about the women that are reading my blog, and I wonder what they're doing, what is happening around them, how their homemaking days are going and even what kind of yumminess they're cooking or baking in their homes.

It's a funny thing this world of the homemaker, isn't it?  But I'm so blessed to be doing what I love the most in life.

I spent yesterday in a full on state of homemaking and organizing.  When I was young I would be fascinated with movies where someone would snap their fingers and the whole house would be clean, or set right.

That must be cool to do, can you imagine?  Snap and BAM it's all just how we wanted it.

Then I realized that I am in fact doing the same thing with my own house, well, minus the snapping of the fingers, but everything that I touch, I make right, make my own, give it my personal touch and after all, that is what my family appreciates at the end of the day.  It doesn't matter that it took hours instead of seconds, the result is the same, except for the fact that you actually get pleasure of looking around and knowing that everything was done with love and effort on your part.

Yesterday I got a ton of berries drying.  My hubby had lovingly gone out the day before and sat under our huge soapberry tree, gathering and filling this empty pretzel jar.  I didn't ask him to, matter of fact I didn't even know he was doing it.  I had already showered and put on my nightie, went looking for him and there he was.

It's moments like these that I thank God even more, for the wonderful man He has placed in my life. 

A lot of my homemaking tasks are things that I do pretty much every single day, like making some sort of Koolaid or juice, as well as some Sweet Tea in the summer months.

Did you know that if you add baking soda to your sweet tea it makes it taste even better?  It completely removes the bitterness and leaves you with a sweet, smooth tea that will have you begging for more.

If you want to know how I make it, let me know and I'll share the recipe with you.

Here I am starting yet another load of laundry, using my soapberry mixture.  No I didn't forget about the post, that is coming tomorrow.  I just wanted to use the soap a couple of times to see how well it worked, before sharing with you.

She looks well to the ways of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness. - Proverbs 31:27

Lunch is usually leftovers or whatever I really get a hankering for, and yesterday I was craving scrambled eggs with tomato.  I'm such a weird gal, I couldn't stand tomato for the longest time, and then the last 6 or so years, I've started loving it and could it every day.

I have spent many hours nursing the distressed plants, back to health.  Thankfully they are all reacting well and growing.  My succulents are loving my bedroom windows.  I tried them on the porch at first but they did not enjoy the high temperatures, so even though they were in the shade, they quickly started wilting and I knew it was time to move them.

The brown leaves are growing out and green is abounding.  I absolutely adore succulents ♥♥♥

God has continued to show me that what I think I want or need in my life, is sometimes completely different from the plans He has for me.

My car that has been sitting at the dealership for almost 2 months, is now being towed back to my house, not repaired and in exactly the same state it was in.  General Motors decided not to honor the warranty and therefore I'm stuck with a lemon that is not running.

When this first happened I told you all that I had prayed and asked God to do with as He will, and if it is a blessing for us that the car gets fixed, then thank you, but if it's not, then I will accept it and move on.

I thought fixing the car is what was best for us as a family, but again, I've been put in my place and reminded that although that may have been MY choice, it is not His.  So I accept it, will continue paying off the car, which will be done next August, and just leave it in God's hands.

He knows what He is doing.

Well friends, I have just a few hours before I have to drive back out again, so I'm going to get my laundry hung up outside, fix myself a quick lunch and then I am hoping to watch Ophelia before I have to leave. Oh and probably do one more row on the blanket.