I'm back, let's catch up ♥

Well good morning, it is almost noon here in North Texas, and I just got done editing some photos to share with you, have a chat and just a quick catch up I guess.

I mentioned in my Happy Homemaker Monday post, yesterday, that I really wanted to start consistently blogging and how difficult it was, etc. etc.  I thought I would start easing into it and maybe put up a post next week, but then I realized that the best way to go about it is to dive right in.  The more I put it off, the higher then chances that I won't do it.

So I pulled off the band aid, grabbed my camera, snapped some pictures of my day yesterday and today, edited them and just sat down now to get this going.

You're probably sitting in shock, I know I am, it feels strange to be typing up a blog post, but in a way also familiar and comfortable.  Maybe it's like riding a bicycle, you never forget right?

Anyway, come on in, sit with me a little and I'll show you a couple of things.  I have a few post ideas already written down for this week, which will make this process easier.  I think one of the biggest things for me, is that I've been so busy with life that when I do think about blogging, I have nothing specific to talk about, no theme, or post idea, so I quickly lose steam and give up.

If you're struggling with returning to blogging, I suggest writing down a few ideas to get you going, it helps to know what you're going to post about, at least for me it does. 

So, where have I been, what have I been doing?  Well folks, nothing super exciting, just living and working out, and staying a bit out of the social media spotlight.  I am actually sharing quite a bit on my Instagram stories today, something I haven't been doing either.  

For mother's day, my wonderful husband got me a Galaxy Watch, which I had been wanting for a long time.  It helps me a lot keeping track of my steps, my exercise, heart rate and so on.  He loved mine so much that he ended up getting one for himself too, to help on his health journey as well.  

We've been each doing workouts, he goes to the gym on base during lunch, 3 times a week, and I do my walking workouts at home every day.  I take Saturday off, and then Sunday we both go to the base gym together, then finish off with a mile walk around the track.

It helps a lot when your husband joins you on your health journey.  Yes you can do it on your own, and I did for the first 2 months, but we motivate each other now and keep the other one accountable.  It works great.

This gorgeous Lavender above, was gifted to me by our wonderful daughter Jasmine.  She came over for dinner on Mother's day, and gave me some really wonderful gifts.  The Lavender that she knows is my favorite, and then the Turkish tea set that I showed you all a couple weeks ago.  I love it.  Actually you can see the teapot and the tea glasses if you scroll up a bit.

Turkish tea is delicious, and has quickly become one of my favorites. ♥

 

These two beauties I picked up at our local Garden Center, for very cheap.  I've always loved the Pink Polka Dot Hypoestes.  It's one of the easiest plants to care for and it looks so beautiful all the time.

I've also, well, WE (hubby and I), have also been very busy with our back patio.  Curt actually took a week off for his birthday which was the 22nd of May.  We used that time to do odd jobs around the house, and get our patio clean and set up for the summer.

It is looking wonderful.  It's not a big patio but we've made it very cute and it's a wonderful little place to sit, have a cup of coffee or cold water and be surrounded by veggies and flowers.

Aside from pumpkin and watermelon, etc., that we want to get into the ground, this year we've decided on a patio garden instead and are using some super cute raised beds.  They serve a double purpose because they house our veggies, but also create a wall around the cemented patio.  I will be showing you this in another post, which I've already planned for a tour of the back patio.

Books......you know me and books, even if I don't read as often as I used to, I have a passion for books, and when I find good deals I grab them.  These 4 were a haul from Thriftbooks.  By the way, if you don't know about Thriftbooks and you love reading, you really need to get over there.  You can find all sorts of good reads, new books, older books, hard to find editions and so on.....at amazing prices.

Yes the cheapest ones are used, but I have not had a single book from there, that looked used or had something wrong with it.

So I had a few in my cart.  If you had to look into my shopping cart you would think I lost my mind.  Hahahah   It is a couple hundred dollars worth, tons of books in there.  But what I do is, when I see a book suggestion online, or I want a specific book or whatever the case may be, I head over there, do a search, and if I find it, I add it to my cart, then move them to Save for Later.

As I get a little bit of extra money, that I want to use for books, I go back, move one or two to the cart and buy them.  I got a little spending money for Mother's Day, so grabbed these 4 which had been on my list for a while.  I couldn't wait to receive them.

The first one above is from Alison Weir, one of my absolute favorite Historian authors.   Alison is fantastic, I have quite a few of her books and anytime I find another for a good price, I grab it.

I actually got 2 of her books with this order, now that I think about it.  The first is The Lady in the Tower, which is about the fall of Anne Boleyn, one of and the favorite wife of King Henry VIII.

 

This one above ♥  Oh my!!!

You know my love for Jane Austen, and I've been eyeing this book for so long, but I never wanted to pay almost $30 for it.  I love books but I find that price quite steep.  So I kept waiting and waiting, and I mean waiting because it was released in 2010.  I finally found a good copy at Thriftbooks for $8.  I immediately jumped on it.

I haven't read it yet, I only did a quick look through and it's everything I wanted and expected.  I will have to show you more at a different time because if you love Jane Austen, this is a book you will want in your collection.

 

The second Alison Weir book was The Wars of the Roses.  If you're familiar with the Tudors and that time of history, you will no doubt already know all about the wars of the roses.  If you don't, you can read more about it here, and here at the Britannica website.  It's fascinating, you will love it.

And the last one is another book that I have wanted for many years.  It is Portuguese, and from one of the biggest authors in Portugal, Jose Saramago.  It is called Memorial do Convento.  You can actually find it in English too.  Here's the summary:

Portugal, 1711: an amorous friar is pursued naked through the rubble-strewn streets of Lisbon; an enthusiastic procession of flagellants roars with pleasure over the damnation of adultery; a royal prince uses hapless sailors for target practice; and women dressed in colorful finery watch as lapsed converts and sorcerers are put to death by flames. In the midst of the terrors of the Inquisition and the plague, a seemingly mismatched couple discover the wonders of love. This poetic tale, graced with exquisite historical details and full of magic and adventure, is a tapestry of human folly and human will.

It is very well known in Portugal, and if I'm not mistaken it is on the schools literature reading list. 

 

Homemaking is also a constant ongoing task.  Clean this, dust that, sweep here and there, and a few hours later, rinse and repeat.  Right?

But I love being a homemaker and staying busy.  I incorporate my workouts into it too, I do have my specific workouts that I do every afternoon, but I also log all the homemaking and walking I do during the day, on my watch.  The biggest thing aside from eating healthy and cutting snacks and junk, is staying busy.  Walking is a huge HUGE help.  Moving, taking steps.

Yes you can sit down, and I do as well, but after about 30 minutes, I get up again and walk more.  Sometimes I watch a youtube video or two, while walking on the spot, or walking back and forth in the living room or bedroom.  Every step counts.

 

 

I'm also trying to remember to take pictures of the meals I'm having, to start sharing on the food blog again.  It will help me keep track of some favorite recipes, but it may also inspire some of you if you want to eat healthier as well.

 

This Spicy Cucumber Salad has become one of our favorites, my husband especially loves it and always asks me to make it.  It is super easy to make and is packed with yumminess.  I'll have this one on the blog later today.

I think that is all.  But just off the top of my head, some other quick little tidbits that happened around here:

 

• I did my mammogram last week and thankfully had a good result.  
• Still need to get my blood redrawn, I know I know, I keep forgetting.
• Our newest baby chick is so big, thankfully also, she is a girl.  I did not want to get stuck with another rooster.  At the moment we still have mama and baby separated from the rooster and the other chicken, just until the chick is a little bigger, she is now 8 weeks old, so soon we will reintroduce them to the flock again.
• We have had horrible weird weather, and one of the days we got hit with such bad hail that it broke my husband's truck windshield and dented the whole truck.  Thankfully as well, USAA was great with the claims, and we've already replaced the windshield.
• Jasmine is doing wonderful at her work, she got a bonus of $1000 just for work well done.  She also just got moved to Senior Tech and is also being moved to Supervisor training probably by the end of the year.

And that my friends, is it.  I hope you enjoyed catching up, I am sorry it's been so long since I've come in to talk with you, but hopefully I can keep this going.

I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your Tuesday.  I'm going to get some walking done because I've been sitting here for at least 30 minutes working on this post.  I will see you all back here tomorrow, I'm not sure what I will share, I'll take another look at my list and figure it out.  Guess it will be surprise for you all.

Have a blessed day!