{ First foggy morning of the year.. }

Do you know the old folklore quote “For every foggy morning in August, it will snow that many days this winter.”?

 

Is it true, does it actually work, do you trust it?

 

I have heard of it but honestly, I've never really given it much thought.  But seeing the dense fog this morning, made me think of it, and then my friend Jo on Instagram mentioned it too.  Whether it actually works or not, we will have to wait and see, but I love snow, so I'm all for it.

 

 

Woke up this morning to some dense fog, cloudy skies, and 60 degrees.  It even smelled like Fall outside.  

I opened my windows, let the fresh air in and totally indulged in this beautiful cool morning.  It may be pretty early for Fall to roll around, but days like these always remind me of what we have in store.

 

Stepping outside, I noticed the dew drops on the grass and plants.  You could feel the humidity in the air, my hair certainly reacted, and if you're a woman, you know exactly what I mean about that.  

But just the one night of rain we got on Wednesday, and this drop in temperature, has helped our garden and vegetation, tremendously.  The plants are all standing up tall, they're greener, sturdier, happier.

The grass is no longer completely dry yellow blades, but turning greener.  It's been a tough two months, weather wise.

I shifted some things around, made the living area cozier, all in anticipation for cooler weather.  Again, I say, I know it's early, we're halfway through August, but can you tell how desperate I am for cooler days?

I can't wait to sit right there on that couch, with that big crochet blanket, candles lit around me, a cup of hot coffee and a period drama on the tv. 

After giving the house a quick run through, and having some toast for breakfast, I headed out to get my Walmart grocery pickup.

Funny story, they changed the pickup area from one side of the store to the other, and I had no clue.  They did this in the past two weeks, after my last pickup day.  So, I drove up, wondered why there were no numbers for the parking spots, and why the usual side door, was now closed and titled "Emergency Exit".

I may or may not have sat there for a minute wondering just what in the world?  Then drove around looking for the new pickup spot.  I found it, and had to chuckle as I saw other vehicles doing the same thing I did.  At least Walmart keeps us on our toes.

I returned home with the groceries, and then started the process of putting it all away.  I usually give my fridge a good clean on grocery day, so that I can pack everything into a clean and sparkly fridge.

There's such a wonderful sense of joy when you see a full fridge, especially when it's packed with fruits and veggies, milk and eggs.  I don't know why in my mind, that is what I picture as the ultimate food filled refrigerator.

Yesterday, I went through my cookbooks again.  Remember I mentioned the other day, that I had a pile or two of cookbooks to figure out where to put?

Well I found a spot for them on my bookshelf, and then while putting them away, spent some time going through a few.  I tend to forget what jewels I have hidden in there.  I am particularly drawn to old church cookbooks, as they (in my humble opinion), seem to contain the most delicious recipes.

One of the recipes I came across, was for a Slow Cooked Southern Macaroni and Cheese.  Being that mc and cheese is one of my kid's favorites, I decided to make it for lunch today.  The one thing that I wasn't expecting to put in it, was eggs.  

 

I have never used eggs in my macaroni and cheese, but the addition makes for a much creamier and thicker result.

One thing I didn't use was the Velveeta Cheese, because it's not something I keep on hand, and it's not something my family enjoys, aside from the fact that Jasmine can't have any kind of yellow cheese due to her lactose intolerance.  So I left it out, and even then, it is still delicious.  I will share the recipe tomorrow, on the food blog.

For dinner tonight we are doing Dominos pizza.  They are doing a special when ordering online, until Sunday, you get 50% off all pizzas.  We also have a free pizza available, so that will be yummy.

And that is basically it.  That was my Friday.  We are expecting rain starting tomorrow and lasting all week through until next weekend, so I'm quite looking forward to rainy days at home.

Have a wonderful Friday night, enjoy your weekend, and if I don't get around to posting, I will be here Monday morning for our Happy Homemaker Monday!

{ Dense fog, a new Bible and devotional }

There is beauty in everything!

Fog is often thought of as scary, dark, dreary and usually used in horror movies, or movies to show impending doom.  While that description might be true, to a certain extent, I find foggy mornings to be one of the most beautiful.  Right up there with Spring mornings when the sun is is just rising and bathes the land in a golden glow.

I can't say that I particularly enjoy driving in dense fog, but to look at, there's nothing quite like it.

We woke up this morning to some dense fog.  Cold as it was, I slipped on my robe and stepped outside with my camera in hand.  I believe that we need to enjoy every aspect of our lives, every moment, every day, every season, for they all bring beauty in their own simple ways.

Pottering around the house on days like these, is quite possibly my most enjoyed moments.  I rely on the light flickering from candles or a simple warmer in the corner of a room, bringing soft light but also a sweet fragrance to the air.

I'll usually put on a documentary on my laptop, or a turn to a playlist on Spotify, something medieval, or instrumental.  Soft tunes that will blend right in with the slow rhythm of the day.

I have been in deep thought since the year turned to 2020.

There is so much going on around the world, in our own backyards and even inside our four walls.  I have prayed, I have talked, questioned and given it all to the God.

Maybe it's the beginning of a new year, or maybe it's the winter season, whatever it is, it is all that is needed to get my thoughts going.

Most times they are consumed by daily tasks, whatever I have going on that day, what needs doing, am I forgetting something, do I have dinner under way, what time do I need to pick up Jasmine from work, is Nick getting all his lessons finished in time?

But there are times where my thoughts go deeper, deeper into what I don't like about myself, what I wish was different, what I want to change or what I want to focus on bettering.  In those moments I turn to God, but I also take a walk down memory lane and start thinking about my great grandmother and the kind of woman she was.

She was not a religious woman, she didn't attend church, but she prayed daily, had a very strong faith and devotion to God, and above all, a love for her family.  There are numerous things I admire in her and wish to emulate but there are others that I want to expand on, especially the Christian side of her.

As I threw all these thoughts and wants at God's feet, asking Him to help me and give me a sign as to what I need to do, or should be doing, a thought came through loud and strong, repeatedly running through my mind.

Spend more time in my word.  Read my word.  Devote a moment each morning to Me and I will set your mind at ease.

So I am listening and I'm going to start doing just that.  It won't be easy at first, it is all about creating habits and as you know it takes about 21 days for a habit to be created.  My issue is not even so much feeling like I can't do it, and I certainly don't have a problem reading my devotional.  My problem comes in reading the Bible.

You may not know this about me, but I have always struggled to read it, especially the old testament.  I find it extremely dry and difficult to read, too many names and explanations, things that don't keep my interest for long.  I've struggled and I've hated struggling with it, because I want nothing more than to be one of those faightfully strong women who read their bible and understand it.

I've never quite known where to start, so I did a big of digging around, 4 books in the bible seem to be the most commonly recommended, for someone who is starting from scratch.

John, Romans, Psalms and Proverbs

I've put it off long enough, I am opening the book of John today and not looking back.

I am fully aware that this is going to be a life changing journey, and I don't quite know what I will learn from it, but the thought of drawing closer to God is all I need to get me going.

So I'm here to tell you, if you're wanting to start on this journey too, don't hold back, buy that new bible, pick up the new devotional and just start reading.