Alpacas, Blueberry Pancakes and Wood Pile!!!!

Good morning friends.  It's a beautiful Friday morning here in North Texas.

I am on my second of coffee, because I just need it today.  I slept pretty well but woke up feeling so incredibly tired still, I'm pretty certain it's a mixture of being sick with a cold, allergies and being a woman (you know what I mean *wink*).  My husband tells me I got triple damage this week LOL

I actually felt pretty good yesterday, not 100% but not that horrible achy, feverish feeling either, and that's always a plus when you're a mom and wife right?

The night before, I was literally slumped over at the stove trying to fix dinner, and I kept thinking that women are so incredibly strong.  We have this ability to push through whatever is affecting us, and just get the task at hand completed.  Now I'm not saying that it's done gracefully or joyfully, but it does get done.

I tend to set aside my feelings a lot and deal with everyone else around me.  "You can have your pity party AFTER dinner is done, AFTER the kitchen is clean and AFTER you've laid in bed.".  That's what I always tell myself.

Anyway, let me show you what I've been doing around here, or rather, what I did yesterday.

By the way, before I get started, Happy Friday the 13th!!!!  *insert spooky music*

I spent about an hour yesterday morning, working on my Liliana, trying to catch up because Part 3 was just released today and I'm still on Part 2.  I should get it done this morning though and then I can move on.

I used to feel like I just HAD to be up to date with my crochet projects, but that's not realistic because life doesn't just stop when I pick up my hook and yarn, much as I would like it too, it doesn't happen.

The days have been so beautiful lately, I haven't had to turn my AC on in 3 days, which makes me extremely happy, finally a little break on our electric bill, at least I hope.

I was out in the morning trying to work on our wood pile, and Marley as always, was at my feet, happily sniffing every blade of grass, every ant that walked by and randomly barking at the Alpacas across the street.

So I took a few pics for you.  I tell you, I could sit and watch them all day.

There are all in all, I think 12, at least that's how many I've counted.  Beautiful creatures and so sweet natured.

We also have horses right next door.  I am wanting to go right up to the fence and get some good pictures, just haven't had time to do it.

While I was outside, I had an idea for a garland for my fireplace.  So I gathered a bunch of leaves and while I was doing that, I noticed that Marley was being quite adventurous.

Let me start by telling you that he refuses to leave the driveway, he does NOT go on the grass or anywhere else in the yard, matter of fact when I get the mail, he just stands at the driveway and watches me.

Well I turned around yesterday and he was halfway down the yard almost to the gate.  I was shocked, but also happy to see that he is finally starting to be a little more adventurous.  He is one years old and I guess now is the time to start exploring.

I will show you my garland once it's up, but I'll be using leaves and my dried orange slices.

Once all the outside work was done, I retired inside and had a craving for some blueberry pancakes.  That is what I made for lunch and everyone loved them, including hubby who had come home for lunch and was quite happy to devour a stack of these.

They didn't rise as usual, because I used my homemade pancake mix, but I think my baking powder is not as fresh anymore.  They tasted amazing, especially since the blueberries tend to pop and ooze out during cooking.

I have about half a jar left of my pancake mix and I'm going to use it up this weekend, and then make a new batch with fresh baking powder.

Since I'm sick, after doing those chores, I tried to relax the rest of the day, drank lots of fluids, took some meds and crocheted.  While I did that, I watched two Hallmark movies which I absolutely loved.

The first one was called Rural Girl, and the second was Love Finds you in SugarCreek.  I'm giving you the links to where you can watch online, which is where I watched them.

Oh and did I mention that both movies are about the Amish?  Love, Love, Loveeeee!!!

I will probably be watching some more Hallmark or Lifetime movies today, but first, I am going to indulge in some Who do you Think you Are?  but the UK version.

Honestly, if I had the chance, I would totally go back and trace my ancestor's steps and find out exactly where I'm from.  When someone asks me I get a little confused at first because I was born in Mozambique which was a Portuguese Colony so I'm Portuguese, but I left when I was 2, moved to Portugal until I was 10, then to South Africa until I was 24 and then to the USA.

It's a bit difficult trying to explain that to people, and when I'm asked "where are you from?", I instinctively reply "South Africa".  But I'm not really from there am I?

Oh my, I have got myself quite confused with it all hahahah

Anywayyyyyy, as I was saying, I would love to figure it all out.  But for now I will live vicariously through others on TV.

Hope you all have a gorgeous blessed Friday.
xoxoxoxoxo

{ A wee peek into my Sunday and a little Monday too }

I never got to show you how I spent my Sunday, by the time I settled into bed and snuggled up to my husband, it was quite late and I wasn't about to pull my laptop back out for anything.

I swear the minute I slide under the covers, it takes nothing but a miracle, someone on fire, the house caving in or the dog about to throw up, to get me back up.  Anyone else feel that way?

So, here I am, again quite late.  We were sitting in the living room, I was reading my book (almost done with it and starting to feel quite sad, actually), and my Nick and hubby were playing Mortal Kombat on the Xbox and have the time of their lives.

I stepped out back with Marley, took my book and sat at the patio table, just enjoyed the sound of the birds overhead and the wonderful evening air.  I was totally distracted {again, that distraction thing}, and didn't realize it was already 8PM.  Usually by this time I'm in bed.

But anyway, here I am, realizing that I didn't get my post up and I need to do that before going to bed.  I'm weird like that, if I have a certain post in mind, or pictures of a specific day, I need to get it up pretty quickly.  I could keep the pictures for another post, but then I don't feel like I'm staying true to my daily entries and it makes me feel out of whack.  I'm a nut case, there, I said it.

Sunday morning, I let Marley out and was in awe of the gorgeous sunrise happening right before my eyes.  It's not often that I'm able to capture the beauty of it, especially those long bright rays shooting up from the sun.

I always find that even the best photographs don't quite capture the real feeling you see with your own two eyes.  I mean, sure it comes pretty close but it is never really quite capable of showing the beauty in person.  Never mind that, I still continue to shoot and try to catch all those little things that I love about being alive.

We had another busy day of yard work.  It's a busy that makes us happy, if that even makes any sense.  Curt and I have been renting this house for the past 2 years and we have signed on another lease agreement for another 2 years, with the option to buy.  We want to buy it so badly, but we want to be smart about it and knock off some debt, before we take the leap.

Anyway, the work we've been doing around the yard, as hard and tiring as it is, it brings a smile to our faces because in essence we feel we are working towards our dream home.

Before we started the day, we sat down with the kids and had a really yummy breakfast.

Let me tell you something, it had been about 2 years since we had been able to do this.  It used to be our family tradition, every Sunday we would have bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy and omelets.  Then the kids got older, their sleeping schedules went completely out of whack and we never saw them before 3pm.

The past two weeks or so we've all been working hard to get them back into a normal schedule and it's finally working.

It was amazing sitting at the table at 8 in the morning enjoying one of our breakfasts.  Surely blessed and thankful for that.

I've been completely captivated by the Alpacas that have just moved in across the street.  I thought it was three that I had seen, but turns out there's 7.  How amazing is that?

I see myself taking a lot of pictures of these guys, just wish I could get closer, but I don't want to just haul myself with the camera in hand, across the street and start snapping pictures.  I don't know if the owner would be ok with that.

The Monarch butterflies have also been migrating and my yard is filled with these gorgeous creatures, fluttering about.

Sunday was spent mainly outside working, but today I got all the housework done and then had to run some errands.

I took Jasmine to base to pick up her prescriptions, because she's 18 years old now, I can't really do it for her unless I have her ID and information etc.  It just makes it easier to have her do it.

After the hospital we stopped over at the base library, and I have to tell you, it made me quite sad.  Most of the book shelves had been pushed all the way to the back of the library, I no longer could find the New Fiction books, all they had was one shelf of Juniors and Young Adults, a bunch of DVD's and a few cookbooks.

I grabbed one cookbook, that's it.

I felt quite defeated as I went to check it out and made a comment to the young girl there that I couldn't find the fiction books etc.  She told me that they are changing things around and matter of fact, they're trying to go pretty much all digital and make room for more DVDs and such.

How sad is that?  It makes me wonder what is going to happen to all the libraries in the next few years.  I'm all for technology and digital, I love my Kindle, but nothing will ever come near an actual book in your hands.  I was quite shocked at what she said.

The book is chock full of delicious looking recipes, but again, quite sad that I walked out with 1 book where before, my library trips almost always ended with me walking out with a bag or two of books.

I got all the bedding washed and hung out to dry, did the usual cleaning and cooking, watered the plants and so on, and then sat and finished Part 2 of my Sweet Caroline.  It's looking gorgeous, and it's not the usual colors I would go for, but together, they are creating quite a visually stunning pillow.

There is just 3 parts to this mini CAL, so Friday we will get the final part and be done with this pillow, though it's quite a big pillow. 

Alright ladies, I am going to end this here, shut this laptop off and watch a little bit of Everybody Loves Raymond with the hubster, before calling it a night.