{ Lazy Summer Days }

 

It is a beautiful summer morning, here in North Texas.  The sun is shining, there are only a few clouds in the sky, and the temperature has cooled down a bit.

 

Mornings like this remind me of why I love summer days.  Slow mornings, nowhere I need to be, cup of coffee in hand and a blank slate before me.  

 

Reading, gardening, swimming, sun bathing, barbecuing, all the ings.  Right?

 

The next two days, I am home, no need to go anywhere, just two full days of doing whatever I want, whenever I want.

 

It's 9:15am and I am still sat in bed.  That never happens.  I'm up between 5:30 and 6am, every day, and then on the go until bedtime.  So, I kinda feel lazy and guilty for still being in bed at this time, but in my defense, I have been up, got coffee and made hubby's lunch, saw him off to work, let the dog out, fed the cat, edited photos for this post, and am here typing away.

 

 

I don't remember the last time I came in, and just talked.  I've been so awful at blogging.  I was actually looking back on my blog, previous years, like between 2008 and 2014, and I blogged so much.  I had daily posts, sometimes twice a day posts.  Where did I get that motivation, or the time, considering my kids were little.

Although, I have noticed that as they've gotten older, they still need me just as much, if not more at times, than they did when they were toddlers.  Go figure!!!

We've been getting ready for summer, getting ready for the 4th of July, and working out little butts off outdoors.  As much as we can.  I won't lie, I last about 10 minutes in triple digit weather, before I have to run indoors, lay on the couch, drink water and stop my heart from trying to escape my chest.  It's ridiculous!

But, we've managed to get things done.  Saturday will be pool day, we need to get it up, filled and ready for our barbecue on Sunday.  The family is coming over, and by family I mean my brother, sister in law and her mom who is visiting from South Africa.  Sweet Auntie Valerie, I just love her, she is the sweetest lady.

Also my niece, her husband and her two babies will over.  I think it will be a great day to sit and laugh, enjoy good food and some drinks and just celebrate this beautiful country.  It will be my first 4th of July as an American Citizen and I am so beyond proud of that.

Not going to go all out, just keeping it pretty simple, but if you're wondering what we'll be having, here it is:

 

Hamburgers

Cowboy Burgers (our local butcher makes these delicious jalapeno burgers, wrapped in bacon)

Hotdogs

Potato Salad

BLT Pasta Salad

Deviled Eggs

Watermelon

Frozen Key Lime Pie

Red, White and Blueberry Pie

Drinks......sodas, juice, water, sangria and beer

 

Very much looking forward to that.

In the meantime, let's talk about losing weight, because I started exercising again on Monday.  Today is actually my rest day, not by choice, but suggested by the trainer because my muscles are quite sore, and if you didn't know, exercising through sore muscles is actually not a good idea.

It took me 47 years to find that out.  I learned that yesterday.  hahahahh

But anyway, I need to get back on track.  My hormones have been wreaking all sorts of havoc on my body, and the weight gain has been consistent the past year, no matter what I do.  So, need to attack that the best I can.  

I am following Grow with Jo over on Youtube, and doing her Walk at home exercises, her cardio videos and dance videos etc.  I just find her so easy to follow, and she is extremely sweet and inspirational.  

Not looking to lose a ton of weigh immediately, but thinking more along the lines of a life change.  Incorporating these exercises into my daily routine, and sticking with it long term.  Wish me luck!

Jasmine has started therapy again.  The past two months she's been struggling with her depression, and can't seem to budge it, so she's looking to get back on track as well.  I'm so proud of her for recognizing she needs help and making it happen.

She said to me the other day "This sucks mom, I am so happy, I have good parents, and a good brother, a good home, a good job, a wonderful boyfriend.....I hate that I feel so down, for no reason."

As I've said many times before, I don't suffer from depression, so it's hard for me to put myself into that mind frame.  I don't understand what it's like.  In a perfect world, we think that if someone has everything going for them and no need to be depressed or anxious, then they shouldn't be.  Mental illness does not work that way though, does it?

So if you're struggling at the moment too, and I know many are, for many reasons.  All we have to do is look at the world around us and pick one thing that can easily derail us all, right?  

But if you are struggling, there is no shame in looking for help to feel better.  Reach out to someone, whether it's family or a therapist.  What matters is feeling better.

Nick is working on his learner's permit, looking for a job and trying to decide whether he wants to go back to school or not.

Speaking of schools, Jasmine was just accepted into Bellevue College, she is going to pursue a career in Cyber Security.  We are extremely proud of her.

Curt is continuing with his college, he is halfway through this semester already, and then he has I think just one more semester left and he will be done with his Master's Degree in Christian Ministry.  Wow!!!

As for me, I am continuing to be the mom, wife, homemaker, I have always been.  Although, I also signed up for a college class that is actually being offered for free at the moment.   It is through Hillsdale College, and is available to ANYONE who wants to take it.

The course is called The Great American Story:  A Land of Hope.  You can find out more about it by clicking the link above.  

Basically, you have lectures to watch, quizzes to take, and at the end you will receive a certificate of completion.  I'm quite excited because, I have never really been one to enjoy school, so once I graduated high school I was glad to never have to do it again.  But, there have been times where I felt that I wish I had taken some sort of college course.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it is a big deal to me.  I will let you know how I get on with it.

 

I've been quite busy in the kitchen too.  I'm mostly been making Portuguese meals, and also concentrating on quick, easy, and inexpensive meals that help the budget, but stretch and feed everyone.  

Last night's dinner was this delicious Sausage and Potato Bake.  Super easy to make and quite inexpensive.  I'll try to get the recipe up for you all, either this afternoon, or tomorrow morning.  It depends, if I have time to do it.  I have been making a ton of Rissois for the freezer, and need to make another 2 big batches today.  If I finish early then I'll get the recipe up for you all.

 

Speaking of which, I have a new recipe for the dough for the rissois, that is the best one yet.  So will try to get that up for you as well.

We are still continuing to get our daily visitors, including this sweet mama and baby.  The other morning, I was up at 6am and noticed the baby in our front yard, just laying, all by itself.  I don't know what happened, but he/she remained in our yard all day long, moving between different trees and bushes, hiding out, coming up to the front to eat a little then going back to lay down.

 

Mom was nowhere to be seen.  I started getting a bit panicked, thinking the baby was abandoned, and what would happen.  Sometime around 7pm a herd of deer came up to eat, and the little one was so happy to see them.  Mom wasn't in that first group, but I guess she came in some time after, because the following morning, they were both laying out on our lawn, and then ate and left together.

 

Warms my heart.  

 

Anyway, it is almost 10am and I really need to get up, and get started with my day.  I am tired of sitting on this bed, though I enjoyed catching up, blogging and chatting with you all.

 

I have laundry to get going, dishes to empty from the dishwasher and then more rissois to make.  

 

If anything, being in bed this late just reiterated for me that I am not a person to lay around.  I get bored far too quickly hahahah

 

Hope you enjoyed catching up with me and also hope you are having a blessed week.  Be on the lookout for those recipes, if you are interested.

With that, I will say goodbye, until the next time.