{ Spend the day with me }

Good morning sweet ladies.  

 

It is a beautiful rainy morning here in Texas.  It has been raining since 4 am, and it's been absolutely glorious, the temperatures have dropped the lower 70s and for that I am so grateful.  I know summer is practically just halfway through but the triple digits and high humidity are not fun at all.

 

 

♥ RAIN ♥

It started early morning and has remained constant, slowly coming down, the pitter patter a familiar comforting sound on the roof.  I love the feeling that rain brings up in me, this feeling of warmth and cozy.  I much prefer a dark, cloudy, rainy day, to a bright hot sunny day. (don't judge me haha) 

♥ GROCERY SHOPPING ♥

I don't mind the actual shopping, however, putting it all away makes me want to run for the hills.  It's one of the chores of homemaking that I really dislike, that and putting clean laundry away.  I guess I can't love every chore that comes with being a homemaker right?

 

 

 

♥ BREAD BAKING♥

I got my sandwich bread made for the week.  I decided to use my recipe for french bread baguettes and just make two loaves.  I've mentioned before how I will usually make about 8 baguettes or sub buns from this recipe, but didn't need those right now and do need some fresh bread.

 

 

 

♥ READING♥

I said earlier this week that I had read 30 books, but that is not true, I forgot to add some that were already on my bookshelf and while looking for another to read, I saw them and realized that I read them in the beginning of the year, so that brings my books read total to 36.

 

Good grief!  

 

I wanted to show you my cute bookmarks that my daughter Jasmine got me from the farmer's market this past weekend.  How sweet are these? 

 

 

 

♥ QUICK LUNCH AND STARTING DINNER ♥

When it's hot outside I find that I don't want to eat meals, like full meals or proper food, if that even makes sense.  I sometimes will just have a bowl of cereal or will actually skip that meal which I shouldn't do, but I just can't bring myself to eat a hot meal.

 

For lunch I didn't feel like having leftovers, so I had one of my favorite summer quick lunches.  A bowl of greek yogurt with honey and peanut butter and some granola.  It is so good and so refreshing.

 

 

♥ AFTERNOON COFFEE AND RELAX ♥ 

Every day, I try to take an afternoon break to enjoy a cup of coffee and a cookie, while sitting down and either crocheting or reading a book.  With the rain coming down, I decided to do this at my chair right by the big living room window.  Nothing like listening to the thunder and watching the rain coming down, while sipping on a hot cup of coffee and nibbling on a shortbread cookie.

 

 

♥ WINDING DOWN ♥

After my break, I sliced the two loaves up and placed them in ziploc bags in the fridge. I got 3 bags and one will go to Jasmine tomorrow.  Then I got dinner finished, I had already placed it in the crockpot earlier in the day and all I had to was make the sides, which were rice and a spicy cucumber salad which is a favorite around here.  

 

By the time dinner was done and dishes put in the washer and the kitchen tidied up, I was so tired and just ready for bed.  But the sense of a clean home and a productive well lived day, always makes it rewarding.

♥ MEALS ENJOYED THIS WEEK ♥ 

Just two of the meals that enjoyed this past week.

 

Fish fillets with tomato and onion in the oven, bean salad and quinoa 

 

 

Ground beef and eggplant with rice and spicy cucumber salad

 

I hope you enjoyed spending this day with me.  I know it's nothing extraordinary or super fun, but it is my life and it's basically what most of my days look like, except for the bread baking which happens once a week only.  Either way, you get the idea.

 

I hope you've all had a blessed week and I wish you all a very blessed weekend ahead.

xoxoxo 

{ Rowdy Raccoons }

  

You know that saying "you give them a hand, they take a whole arm?"

 

Well we are currently living it, with some raccoons that decided to become quite rude, even though they have access to food every day.  We are those kinda people that feed the wildlife, whoever they are, whatever they need, they know where to come for a meal.  

 

Call us the local animal kitchen.

 

I've never had an issue with that and I love being able to feed the wildlife, and truthfully we've never had an sort of issue until the past two days.  A gaze of raccoons...by the way did you know that a group of raccoons is called a gaze?  I had no clue, but I looked it up just for interest, and there it was.  Weird description, but anyway.

 

For the past two days, I have walked out my front door, to find my plants and veggies all dug up, completely pulled from the pots and some even ripped across the yard.   I was so confused at first, then I noticed that a family of four raccoons was hanging out on my porch, just waiting for their morning meal and instead of being thankful, these rowdy pests have taken to messing with my pots.  

 

Needless to say, I have spent today moving all my plants, getting them back into the pots, and taking them to the back porch instead.  Hopefully this deters the little naughty ones from anymore antics.

Anyway, today is grocery day for me.  I am going to start shopping in store again, so this is my last Walmart delivery order.  It's been great, but like I said in a previously blog, it's frustrating as well, there's always some item missing, something substituted, or I've had glass bottles broken etc.  It's ridiculous!

 

Anyway, I changed the header and background on my blog, I felt it needed a little refresh, and then I thought, why not bring you along with me on this Tuesday?

 

It's not like I have anything glamorous going on, but it's real life, it's what I do around here and I think some of you may enjoy it, I know I enjoy reading other blogs or watching vlogs about every day ordinary life. 

 

 

I worked in the bedroom, at my desk, paying bills and just doing random administrative things, and as always while I do that, the babies get on the bed and take wonderful naps.

 

I know there are people who don't like pets, but I honestly don't know what I would do without mine, they are our babies and such a huge part of our family.  Even the outside strays are our babies, we've given them all names and funny enough they respond to each name.  

 

 

I have been on a reading mission this year, where some years I don't read a single book, this year I have been inhaling them.  I'm loving reconnecting with my books and sitting down at the end of the day or early morning, opening the book and just reading for about an hour.  I'm a fast reader as it is, so if I don't have much going on, my nose is in a book and I can go through them really quickly.

 

This is the pile of books I have read since May.  Altogether I have read 30 books this year.  What?!?!?!?!  

 

That is incredible for me, and I'm nowhere near done, and we still have 6 months until the end of the year, so if I manage to read another 30 at least, that's 60 books in one year.  Crazy!!!

 

Today I also opened up my blog to book file on my computer and am planning to get back to putting my blog posts in book form.  I already have quite a few but really want to finish my collection and catch up.  I don't think it will take too long because the past few years, mainly from 2020 to now, I haven't been blogging as much, sad as it is for me, it will make the process quicker.  But it really is sad because I've missed documenting so many things that have happened in our lives the past 6 years, and I wish I did but there's no going back now, so onwards and forwards.

 

And that is it my friends, at least for today.  I don't have much more to share.  I do plan on keeping my camera near me and taking pictures as I move about my day, and trying to get it here on the blog.  Fingers crossed!

 

I will be coming by to say hi to the Happy Homemaker Monday participants this week, I need to do that this morning.

 

Have a blessed Wednesday friends!

xoxoxox 

{ A homemaking day }

“The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.”

― Louisa May Alcott

 

Some of my favorite days are spent indoors, around my home, just pottering around, whether doing the usual daily tasks that are needed, creating something, or just sitting on a favorite chair with a blanket and good book.

 

You know how some people only associate blankets with cold weather?  I am not one of those, and will often reach for a blanket to drape over my legs, no matter what I'm doing.  To me it means cozy and comfy. 

 

The kitchen seems to be the place I spend the most time in, there is always something to do, whether it's dishes or cooking or laundry.  The humdrum of activity is never ending, even if no one is in there, the dishwasher will be going.  I always think of my kitchen as a beating heart, constantly going, keeping the whole house powering through the day.

I recently started using these new Downy Botanicals laundry fragrance booster, and am really loving them.  They are a bit pricey in my opinion, but they last me a long time because I don't use a lot, but the clothes smell amazing for days after.

 

So far I've tried the Folia and now the Peonia and I must say though they're both wonderful, I love the Peonia.  Have you tried these?

I've been meticulous about watering my plants and moving them around to find the best place where they will thrive, and I think I've nailed it.  They are growing so big and doing so well, I'm right chuffed with them.  

 

When I think back on how many poor plants I killed over the years, oh goodness.

The rain has been coming down here and there.  Some very strong storms, other just a sprinkle for what seems a minute then gone.  But, always the sky littered with the sweetest looking puffy clouds.  

 

I used to take photographs of the sky, all the time, when we were stationed in Arizona, and I haven't in a long time, but I think I need to start doing it again.   

Once my homemaking chores for the day are complete, I usually take that time to get my steps in, do my quick daily workout and then read, although I haven't been reading as much, because I finally picked up my crochet blanket again.  Yay!!!

 

I have made good progress on it and will be beginning Part 4 today.  Here is the end of Part 3 where we created this lace effect and sweet flowers. 

How pretty is that?

 

I will continue showing you as the blanket progresses.

 

My homemaking days are pretty much the same, and I think that's why I also stopped sharing as many posts because I didn't want to bore you all with the same thing over and over.  However, my husband reminded me that as much as this blog is for others to read as well, it is mainly for me and for us as a memory for years to come, and as such, I need to post for us, so that we have these memories to look back in the future.

 

I think he's right.  So, I apologize in advance if it bores you all but you will probably see more daily posts of just normal living and homemaking.

 

I love reading other blogs and seeing their day to day and never find them boring, so I am hoping you feel the same way.  Fingers crossed!!! 

{ Homemaking like our Grandmothers }

A couple of weeks ago, as I lay in bed just thinking about my day, my mind drifted to my blog.  I was going over all the years I've devoted to this little corner of the internet, and how I wish I wouldn't stay away for so long, not have to step back as much.  But life gets in the way, as I've said so many times before.

 

I began praying and asking God for direction.  Was it worth continuing this blog if I am just showing up once a week?  Should I just step away for good.  I've had these thoughts over and over through the years, and He has always pushed me to stay put.  I always get the feeling that I am needed here.  

 

And then it came to me, through the Holy Spirit no doubt.  You need to focus on why this blog was created to begin with, not only as a means to share your life as a young wife and mother, to spread God's love, but also to encourage others to love the lives they have.  To not look at homemaking as a thing to be embarrassed of, or ashamed of, but rather to embrace it and continue this almost lost art of homemaking.

 

I'm not talking about homemaking the way they do nowadays.  Everything is so sterile, clean cut, modernized.  Everything is about cutting corners, getting things done as quickly and with the least effort at all.

 

I am talking about the old fashioned way of homemaking.  The way our grandmothers and great grandmothers did.  Yes it was hard and today we have things to facilitate, but we should be looking at those as extra not as the way.

 

I've been sitting on this idea for a week or so, and to be completely transparent with you all, I thought about not following through.  Just letting it sit in a corner of my mind, because I do have a Homemaker Series already posted.  But God wants me to focus on the older days, almost like a way to honor our grandmothers, to talk about them, the things they taught us, they things they did, where they came from.

 

I can only speak for myself, but I will say that I absolutely adore my great grandmother and both grandmothers, even though they've been gone a long time, I love them, I miss them and I cherish not only the moments we shared but the life lessons they taught me.

 

So, with that out of the way.  I am going to dive right in and begin this series.  Even if no one else joins in or likes it, it's for me, for my own record and I think our grandparents deserve to be honored and talked about.

 

What do I have in mind:

 

Introducing our great grandmothers, grandmothers
I was blessed to have grown up and be half raised by my great grandmother Ema.  I say half raised because she didn't raise us all on her own, she lived with us and helped raise us while our stepmother and father worked.
 
My grandmothers led very different lives, I didn't get to have a close relationship with my maternal grandmother because she lived overseas.  As for grandma Odete, I think if you've followed me long enough, you know how much I adore her.  So, I will start by introducing each one, each will get a post of their own, I will share as many pictures as I can, or have, and talk about their lives and who they were.  (if you join in, you do the same with your family and share them as well so we get to know who they were).
 
Cleaning
How did they clean, did they have a routine, what did they use to clean, products, tips, ideas.
 
Cooking
Did they cook, what were some of their favorite recipes or dishes the family always requested from them.  Did they teach you how to cook?
 
Decorating
What did their homes look like, what did they consider a homey home, were they into the doilies, or a different style.  
 
Art of afternoon tea
Did you share afternoon tea with your grandmothers, did they enjoy their afternoon tea, what did they eat, traditions and so on.
 
Sewing, Mending, knitting or crocheting
Did they do either of these, and if they did, did they teach you?  Do you have anything they made that you can share.
 
Faith
Were they religious, did they believe in God, did they share their thoughts with you or the family.
 
Natural remedies
How did they deal with sickness, was there something they did for you whenever you were sick, that you now do for your own children? 

 

Favorite songs

If your great grandmother or grandmothers were anything like mine, they would have had certain songs that they seemed to hum while cleaning or cooking.  I will share theirs.

 

 

That's basically the gist of what I will be doing for this series.  If anything else comes to mind, I will add it, but those are the posts that I will be making.

 

The first one will go live tomorrow and I will be starting with my great grandmother Ema.

 

I do hope you will join me, I would love to know about your own grandmothers, meet them, see what they were about and I'm sure even learn something from them too.

 

If you only want to come by and read about mine, that's fine too.  

 

I just think our wonderful families deserve to be showcased and not forgotten. ♥ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{ A homemaking day }

When some people need quiet and rest for their soul, they seek out a place to go or something to do outside of the chaos around them.

 

When I need that same quiet and rest, I turn to my homemaking and tackle it with a deeper focus and gratitude.  Doing the usual daily chores is nothing new, but going into them with a quiet submissive spirit, clicks something inside me that renews my soul and gives me the peace and rest I need.

 

Such was this day for me.   

 

 

 

Mornings for me are therapeutic.  There's nothing exciting about them, I will be the first to admit it, I mean how many times can we load and unload the dishwasher, pack away things, clean the counters without getting bored of the same thing?  And I don't always look at these tasks with kind eyes, I'm not going to lie to you or pretend something that I am not.

 

But I will say, the days that I do try to look them as something positive in my life, like the fact that if I'm doing dishes it means there is food to be eaten, if I'm packing away items in the cupboards or pantry, it also means I have a supply of food for my family.

 

If you ever feel like you can't stand to pick up another plate, just try to shift your mind into that kind of thinking, I'm telling you it helps. 

 

 

 

This particular day I wanted to do a deeper cleaning, so I got dinner in the crockpot and went about my day, knowing that in a few hours, I would have a good home cooked meal ready to eat.  

 



 

In the living room, I pulled all the furniture away from the walls, vacuumed and dusted and gave everything a good cleaning.  It's a lot of work, and I am so thankful for being fit now and able to do it, because I tell you 2 years ago, I would not have been able to do this.  Well, I would but it would have been extremely difficult, I wouldn't have had the physical strength, I had so much joint pain as well, it was not a pretty thing.

 

Thankful to God's blessings in disguise.  A health scare became my saving grace, and my husband's as well, because through my journey, he decided to join in and he is now in the same place I am, fit, healthy weight and happier.

 



 

I've been working on my den/dining room area.  We love Medieval anything and going to Renaissance Faires, as you know.  I have done quite a few posts here of our days out at the Ren Faires.  It used to be a yearly thing for us in Arizona, we had possibly the best Faire in the country and it was such a joy to go and spend the day.

 

We accumulated quite a few items from these trips, and since this den is paneled, we have grown into it, and have decided to go with a Medieval/Lodge/Cabin kind of feel.  We are slowly incorporating items in and seeing what works best, but for now, I am already really loving the cozy feel it gives.

 





 

There is something also, about homemaking on a rainy day.  The candles, the soft light throughout the house, the grey clouds and the feel of wanting to be inside in the warmth, while watching the rain falling outside.

 



 

After all my chores were done, I tackled my bookshelves.  Got some of the books that I have already read out, and have packed them in a box, to move to the other bookshelves in the living room, and some will be put on the Paperbackswap website.

 

 

I love books so much, but in reality I can't keep them all, unless I plan to have bookshelves lining every wall in this house, which I would have no problem with, but I have to remember that I don't live alone, and the rest of the family would probably have an issue with that.  Hahaha

 

I do sometimes wish I had a library room, filled with bookshelves and big comfy chairs, where I could go and sit for hours with a book in hand.  Maybe one day. 

 

For now, I will be selective, keep those that I absolutely can not imagine being without, give some to the thrift stores and post some on the book swap site.  It's the sensible thing to do right?

 

My friends, I do hope you are all doing well, having blessed weeks and staying healthy and safe.  I do apologize again for not being as constant on the blog as I want to, but I haven't been able to and I also think you probably will get tired of me constantly going on and on about the same thing.  

 

I have tried this week to be more present and post more, and do hope you're enjoying that.

 

With that said, I need to get going.  I have a grocery delivery coming in a few hours, so I need to go give the fridge a good clean in preparation for that.  We also have rainy weather again with some strong storms possible this afternoon, so I best be prepared for that too.

 

In closing, I just wanted to say that I sometimes get asked about the things I use, the items I have in my home etc.  I thought it would be a good idea to start giving you links to those at the end of my posts.  As I have said before, I don't make any money at all from sharing these and I am not an influencer or in any way even interested in influencing anyone to get anything.  It just makes it easier instead of having to reply to a ton of messages and emails.

 

Alright, have a blessed day and I'll see you all tomorrow for Cooking Thursday.

 

Mythologie Candles 

6 Qt Programmable Slow Cooker 

Candle Warmer Lamp