{ The humdrums of a homemaker }

hum·drum

/ˈhəmˌdrəm/

adjective

adjective: humdrum; adjective: hum-drum

1. lacking excitement or variety; dull; monotonous.

   "humdrum routine work"

The definition of hum drum sounds dreadful doesn't it?  I mean, coming from a woman that loves being a homemaker, how can I even attribute this word to homemaking?  But the truth is, if you are a homemaker, you understand that it IS a very monotonous, constant, repeat sort of work.  How many times do we do dishes, make dinner, wash laundry, clean the house, before turning around and doing it all over again?  

 

Many my friends, the answer is many.  It's not necessarily a bad thing though, it is what it is, just a humdrum  of our lives.

 

Tuesday has been one of those repetitive days, the administrative chores of running a home can be tedious at times, and there's days that I don't want to do the same thing yet again, but I usually will pray through that and give myself a reward after.  A piece of chocolate, or some reading time in the afternoon.  That may not sound appealing, but I am a simple woman who is easily pleased.

 

 

 

Mornings usually start with my Bible reading.  I am starting the Bible from the beginning again, and I am very much enjoying it and looking forward to another year with the Word, just reading, not expecting anything but listening.

 

There is always eggs coming through the kitchen, and we have dozens in the fridge, we give them to family, we give them to our neighbors and our girls are just happy to continue cranking them out.  Thank the Lord! 

 

A lot of the administration of the house, means computer time, whether I'm checking emails, paying bills, checking the bank, checking on the blog, looking up recipes or whatever it may be, it does require some downtime at the computer and I don't mind it. 

 

I usually have a candle going, and my hot cup of coffee keeps me company. 

Today I had to get groceries, so started the morning with a list of what was needed.  I always check the fridge and freezer, pantry, cabinets and bathrooms.  I walk around with a paper and pen to jot down what is needed, so that I don't forget.

 

I still used Walmart delivery today, but in two weeks when I have to get groceries again, I will be going back to the commissary and doing the shopping myself.

 

I have loved using Walmart delivery and it is a nice perk to those days where you can't leave the house for a reason or other.  But what I have realized is that it has made me quite lazy when it comes to grocery shopping.  It's a great option to have, but I think it's time I get back into the actual stores.  I miss shopping in store, picking my own things out and showing you the groceries too.  So that will be coming back in two weeks. 

I just wanted to show you all real quick my double sink.  I mentioned that we had to get it back in December, or was it the first week of January?  I honestly can't remember, but anyway it's been over a month now and I am absolutely LOVING it.

 

One of the things that one of you commented on when I showed you the sink in that previous post, was that you would love one too, but you would miss having the double sink because of being able to use one side for rinsing or washing.

 

I understand that and I had the same thought at first, but nothing that a tub won't fix.  I picked that white tub up at my Dollar Tree and it is exactly what I needed.  I also picked up those sink mats at the Dollar Tree as well, and love them too.  The big sink was the best decision we could have made. 

My sweet Elliott loves keeping me company in the kitchen.  He will sit on the counter and watch everything I do, just looking at me with the sweetest look in his eyes.  How adorable is this little guy?

I've mentioned this before as well, but just thought I would again.  I have started using my grocery and meal plan notebook to mark off items as I take them out of the grocery bags.  I love Walmart but to be honest, every once in a while, there are missing items and before I started taking note as I took out the groceries, I would sometimes not even realize it until I went to make a recipe and was missing something.

 

Now I mark them off before putting them away, and then make a note of anything that is missing, and know to pick them up myself the next day. 

I will say that meal planning, grocery list making, putting away groceries and all that goes into that part of homemaking, is probably one of the things I enjoy the most doing.  There is something about putting items in the fridge and seeing it full, that makes me so happy knowing that I have food to feed my family.

 

I made a delicious dinner which consisted of BBQ Pork Ribs, a five bean salad and roast sweet potatoes and broccoli.  I will be sharing the recipe for the Five Bean Salad on the food blog today.  I am getting ready to head over there and post both this recipe, and my recipe for the yummiest Snickerdoodle cookies you will ever have. 

Which means I need to get off here, and get on the food blog or I will just get busy with something else and the recipes will never make it on there. 

 

Have a blessed Wednesday ♥

Grocery shopping Day

“Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day.”- Shira Tamir

We have reached that part of Autumn, where the trees are all but orange and yellow.  The most beautiful shades, intermingled throughout the leaves.  I love nothing more than looking outside my window, and seeing the changing trees on our property.

It's these little details that often go overlooked during our day.  We are busy, we have this and that to do, and not much time to actually look out the window, or to enjoy the displays nature puts out for us.  But I want to ask you to stop reading, right now, and just take a look out your window.

Let that visual sink in, absorb it, take into your soul.  I bet it will lift your spirits and bring a smile to your face, all day long.

 

Just look at that!!!  How can that not make you smile?

It was just the uplifting I needed, before getting groceries.  Hahaha  If you know, you know!  

I mean, if not for the insane high prices themselves, but the fact that once we bring it all home, we have to put it away.  Is it just me or does it seem to take hours to get groceries put up?  It's not like we don't know where they go, but for some reason the action of taking it all out of the bags, and placing them where they belong, just drags.

 

My morning started pretty slowly.  While the fur babies slept on the bed, I sipped my coffee, finished my grocery and menu plan, and paid some bills.

 

The rain had started outside, and while I love rain, I don't care to drive in it, so I tried to be as quick as I could to get out the door, and back home.  Thankfully it didn't take me too long.  However, bringing in groceries in the rain, is not fun, I'll tell you that much. 

 

Hair flying all over the place, hands filled with bags, and the face of "let this end, please."

 

It did take me 2 hours to get it all sorted, I think also because I tend to clean as I go.  So I clean my fridge when I get groceries, which now come to think of it, is why it takes so long.  But, I don't like putting in fresh food in a fridge that needs some wiping down, maybe I'm just weird.

 

Can we talk about turkeys real quick?  Thankfully we had a turkey already in the freezer, but my hubby went to the commissary on Thursday, and they only had one turkey, for the wonderful price of $66.  No, you didn't read that wrong.  He sent me a picture of the price and I sarcastically replied with "Oh wow, that's a great price."  Hahahah

He told me after he thought I was being serious but couldn't bring himself to buy it, and I told him that's a good thing.  I don't think I could eat a $66 turkey.  Good grief!!!  

He did find one at Walmart for $11.  *whew*

 

The rest of the afternoon, I spent cleaning around the house, and in the kitchen.  My Nicholas loves these muffins and is always asking me to make them.  He actually told me a few days ago, that the reason he doesn't eat bananas when I buy them, is because he is waiting for them to become too ripe, because then I have to make the muffins.

Little bugger, or rather, BIG bugger at 6 foot 2.

 

 

I will have the recipe up on the blog, either this afternoon or tomorrow.  I did add two recipes yesterday, for the Oven Kibbeh (which is already here on the main blog), and the Chocolate Yogurt Cake.

I'm slowly getting the food blog updated, thankfully.  I have far too many handwritten recipes laying around, that need to be put in a safer place.

Today, I am dealing with the constant mountain of laundry, I also have a pile I need to iron so I might put on a movie and get that done.

I hope you're all having a fantastic Saturday, and thank you as always for stopping by. 

{ Blog 365 #111 - Cream Cheese Pound Cake }

 

 

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Source:  A Spicy Perspective

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 6 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

 

 

Directions:

 

• Set out the butter, eggs, and cream cheese to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Move one oven rack to the center of the oven and remove any racks above it.
• Pull out a standard 12-cup capacity bundt pan. Grease the bundt pan with extra butter or shortening, then scoop 1/4 cup sugar into the pan and shake it around until the fat is well coated in sugar. Dump out any excess sugar. Set aside.
• Place the softened butter and cream cheese in the bowl on an electric. Beat on high until the mixture is totally smooth. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the remaining 2 3/4 cups sugar. Beat on high again for 3-5 minutes to cream the ingredients until very light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl again.
• Turn the mixer on low and beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt. Then slowly add the flour a little at a time, until fully combined. Once the batter is smooth, turn off the mixer, as to not overmix the batter.
• Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the center rack for 80-90 minutes. After 80 minutes, test the cake by inserting a toothpick deep into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, take the pound cake out of the oven.
• Let the cream cheese pound cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Then carefully flip the cake onto a platter or baking rack.

 

{ A cozy rainy day in the kitchen }

 

The morning started like any other.  Bright blue skies, and the most gorgeous of yellow and orange leaves on the trees.

I always step out back, and while Kaia does her business, I just look up and admire God's handiwork.  Is there anything more beautiful?  The detail, and the vivid colors that I certainly could never imagine.

 

 

 

I had a home day, which meant, no need to leave the house at all, and for that I was grateful as we had some severe storms coming in, in the afternoon.

Looking at the bright blue sky, you wouldn't know it, but believe me they showed up in force.

I got busy with cleaning the house real quick, then got into the kitchen and continued my baking.  I made Cinnamon bread and Pumpkin Spice bread the day before, and yesterday, I concentrated on making french bread loaves for subs and pizza.  We love french bread pizza and it's even tastier when you make the bread yourself.

 

Some people say they don't have a bread maker, and those that do say they hardly ever use it.  I use mine at least once a week.  I couldn't do without it.

 

 

The recipe I use is supposed to make two loaves, but I split mine into 8, and make smaller ones which are just right for the pizza.  I slice them in half, and that's 16 pizzas for the freezer.  Or, if we want subs then I take 4 of those out and make pizza from the remaining 4 loaves.

Either way, it's delicious bread and so easy to make, especially since the bread maker does all the work, and all I have to do is shape it, let it rise and bake it.  Saves me a lot of time in the kitchen.

As I was busy with the bread, the sky started turning a dark purple, the wind moved in, gorgeous fall leaves started dancing down from the trees, and the pitter patter of rain drops began.

 

I immediately lit candles, opened the back patio door and found a spot on the couch near the big living room windows, to watch the rain.  At one point, it was me, Kaia and Elliott, all watching.  I do love my furry babies.

 

 

We sat for a bit, then I decided to head straight back into the kitchen, to make some Bolinhos de Chuva.  If you're Portuguese you understand what that means, but if you're not, they translate to Rain Cakes.  Basically little donuts, rolled in sugar and cinnamon.  We always make them when it rains.  

 

Just picture a few of these with a hot cup of coffee, on a rainy day.  Yum!!! 

 

The rest of the day was spent on the couch, under the blankets, with my babies, reading, listening to the rain and just enjoying a cozy day at home.

For dinner, I made a delicious pizza.  It was supposed to be a deep dish, but I divided the dough into 2 pizzas, so ended up with not a deep dish, but a delicious pizza nonetheless.  

The recipe was a new one to us, I love copycat recipes, and this was the Uno Pizzeria Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.  I know, I created a faux pas by dividing the dough, but I won't do it next time.  I am going to try the actual deep dish and I'm sure it will be just as delicious as the one I made yesterday.

I do have another deep dish pizza recipe on my food blog, which is equally delicious.  Give it a look.

 

 

I think it was the perfect ending to a rainy Friday.

How did you spend yours?

{ More yard work, tons of homemaking and cooking }

This week, I've been blessed with 3 days of not having to leave the house.

To some that may seem insane, but to me, a homebody, it has been heavenly.  I've started my mornings off slow, pottered around, washed laundry, hung laundry out to dry, ironed, cleaned, organized, started my seeds, did schooling and have been cooking and baking up a storm.

It has just felt right.

I don't mind having busy days, and I also don't mind leaving the house and driving and so on, but I do prefer being at home in my space with my belongings, and truly homemaking the way I love to.

We've so much rain lately that everything is springing to life.  The grass has come in green and strong, needing to be mowed already.  Trees are sprouting new life, and Spring is just around the corner.

I very much look forward to spring and summer, my husband however doesn't share that much excitement because to him, it means mowing 3 acres and a lot of yard work in scorching summer temperatures.

Nonetheless, we've started getting ready for the warmer temperatures.

I started my Saturday by giving the back porch a huge, and I mean huge clean out.  It was to the point where there was minimal space to walk, there were patio chairs and a table, flower pots and old hoses and whatever else you can think of.  It seems to be a catch all during the winter months.

Truthfully, it was driving me insane and the minute the temperatures warmed up, I was out there.

I added this corner shelf and some of my plants.  They are so happy out there, not in direct sunshine but soaking up fresh air and light.

While I did that, Curt got on the mower and started the long job of mowing.  We are so thankful to God for the ride on mower, it was an expense that we didn't have to get into when we first moved into this house, but you can't have 3 acres and a push mower.

I mean, you can, but trust me, it is not fun.

We are still trying to get the greenhouse finished off.  The material that Lowes suggested for the outside, was not able to withstand our crazy strong winds, and so it's torn off the top and some of the sides.  Will have to figure out what to use and how, without breaking our bank to do it.

Regardless, I really need this greenhouse up and running soon.

In the meantime, I've started my seeds inside and hopefully they will move to the greenhouse within the next few weeks.

Sunday morning, Curt and I did a lot of work around the porch area.  We dug up all the grass, got the stone pavers into the ground and started to mulch the area.

My idea is to have mulch in specific areas around the greenhouse.  It's hard to describe what I want the finished vision to be, but you know I'll share it all with you as we go.

It may not look like a lot of work yet, but believe me when I tell you, it killed our backs for the rest of the day.  Not to mention, me and my allergies have the hardest time being around all that soil and dirt.

I can't wait to see this whole area looking the way we want it to.

On Monday, I moved my bedroom around again.  I do it twice a year.  I just love being able to sit on my bed and look out the window into the fields behind the house.  Especially enjoy it during Spring and Summer when I can have the window open and just listen to the birds outside.

Laundry has been a constant, which also means a constant pile of clothes to iron.

Also washed all the rugs and mats in the house, including bath mats.  I love clean, fresh and newly washed rugs.

Cooking and baking has also been huge on my list this week.  I've now updated the food blog with 6 new recipes, so if you're interested in my cooking and baking, make sure to go on over to Full Bellies, Happy Kids.

You'll find recipes for:

Sauteed Kabocha Squash
Copycat Starbucks Banana Bread
Creamy Garlic Bread
Mexican Bolillos
Brazilian Cornmeal cake
Roast Chicken legs and potatoes

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed sharing on my food blog, and it's been quite neglected for a while, so it feels good to be back on a regular basis.

I will be sharing more recipes every week.

Today, I need to get some schooling done with Nick and also work on my new meal plan.  I am thinking that there are going to be mainly Portuguese meals the next two weeks, as my family has been missing that kind of food.

Tomorrow it's back to driving back and forth, Friday I have my mammogram and grocery shopping to do.    Saturday we need to take Nick for a haircut and we're also going to my brother and sister in law's house to help with their garden.

So, pretty much back into a busy routine, so I think today I'm going to sit back, relax and take it easy.  I've worked hard all week, moved things, shoveled and packed and organized, and my lower back is needing a bit of a break.

It's also rainy and cloudy outside, so the perfect day to sit on the couch, watch tv, work on the menu, read and cuddle with my Marley.

I hope you've all been having a fantastic week so far.  I'm so glad it's Wednesday, just 2 more days and then I can sleep in without that 5AM alarm clock.  :)