{ Soft and Beautiful Saturday }

  

The week has come to an end, and Saturday greets us with an expectant smile.  It lures us into a sense of calmness and relaxation which no doubt, has been very much needed probably since Monday morning rolled around.

 

For the most part, Saturdays for us are still busy days, well, and Sundays too.  I don't really think we have slow, quiet, boring weekends anymore, so I try very hard to sneak some of these in whenever I get the chance.

 

Today for example, is one of these where I plan to make it a soft and beautiful Saturday.  So what exactly do I do on these days?

 

Let me give you some examples: 

 

 

♥ A quiet morning ♥

Start by opening the curtains and blinds to let in the morning light.  I will usually open the windows too to let in some fresh morning air before the heat of the day comes along.  Saturdays mean that I am the only one up from 4:30am to around 7am, and I love this time.  I make my coffee, sit on the couch, say my prayers and then scroll through the phone, answer voice messages from family and watch some YouTube.

 

 

 

♥ Time for one of my favorite hobbies ♥

Whether it is reading, crocheting, baking or trying a new recipe, I try to fit one of those in on a slow Saturday.  I don't usually bake during the week, and if it's a busy weekend I don't get to do it either, so on days like these, I love to make a special treat for the family.

 

 

 

♥ Disconnect from the phone ♥

I'm not one to be constantly attached to my phone, matter of fact, I am constantly leaving my phone and forgetting where it is because I just move on with my day.  I tend to get in trouble with family sometimes because I don't respond when I should, or they laugh and it's become a family joke that I am usually walking around muttering "where's my phone?".

 

But for weekends like this, I deliberately make it a point of leaving it alone, and staying in the moment.  I want to live my day away from the screen, social media, news or anything else that will distract me. 

 

 

♥ Go for walks outdoors ♥

I am surrounded by fields and horses, alpacas and so on.  Whenever I get the chance, I love to go for a walk with my husband and dog.  It feels good to go outside, get fresh air, move our body and just be in nature.

 

 

 

♥ Self care ♥

During the week I obviously shower every day and brush my hair and teeth and so on.  But I don't take the time to do anything extra for myself, so on these specific slow beautiful days, I take some time for self care.  

 

Taking a bubble bath, shaving my legs, putting on a face mask or hair mask, taking a nap, using my massagers, or just sitting in the dark with my eyes closed and resting my body and soul. 

 

 

♥ Perfect evening ♥

Sitting down with a good book and a cup of tea, or watching a sweet romance on television.  I will turn off all the lights and light a candle.  Sometimes I put on some music, often music that I haven't listened to in a long time.  

 

For example, you know how certain songs or music in general, have a way of reminding you of a specific time and place in your life?  Well I was reminiscing about my babies being little and us living on base in Mountain Home, Idaho.  I used to dance around with them in my arms to get them to sleep, while listening to the current country stations.  So, I looked for a playlist on Spotify that played Country music from 1999 which is when Jasmine was born, and I sat and listened to it.  It was such a wonderful trip down memory lane and it made me smile.

{ A cloudy, rainy, calm Saturday }

The morning arrived with clouds, fog and a soft constant rain.  The constant pitter patter, methodically and rhythmically falling on the rooftop.  Rain has such a calm effect on me, it always has.  Where some dislike clouds, grey skies and rain, I prefer it over summer days.  

 

So as this morning rolled around, I knew I would have just the day I needed.  A homey, quiet, pottering around with Christmas decorations, coffee drinking, Christmas movie watching and cooking homemade meals, kind of day. 

We went to the gym early in the morning, both not wanting to go, both preferring to stay home in the warmth, but after the Thanksgiving holiday and all the over indulging, we knew we needed to get in there.  For me, it was more about some physical therapy for my aching knee.  Using the machines my physical therapist advised, and using the stationary bike too, all exercises to strengthen my knee and help with the pain.

 

It worked.  Some were a little hard because of the pain, but I took it slow, did a only a few reps and made sure to not overdo anything.

 

Once home, I got busy with the house chores I needed to do. 

I finished all the inside decorating, save for two doorways that I want to get some garland hung over.  And then Curt and I started on the outside.  

 

I just love Christmas and love all the lights and the decorations.  I think that when we get to the end of the year, after enduring all the trials and tests and craziness that life throws at us, when December rolls around, the whole world is so ready to jump into the season.  The whole atmosphere shifts, things seem lighter and people are happier. 

I watched some more Christmas movies, I listened to Christmas music.  I talked to my family back in South Africa, received more gifts in the mail, wrapped them immediately and set them under the tree in our bedroom.

 

I cleared out all the Thanksgiving leftovers and made my yearly Thanksgiving pie.  It's become something we all look forward to.

 

And as the day rolled to an end, I jumped into a hot shower, got into my warmest of pajamas and got into bed.  My body weary and tired, but my soul filled with joy.

 

Curt and I were having a conversation on the way back from the gym.  We both talked about what a great day we were having, like we were back in a normal routine.  We love the holidays but it does throw everything into the air and routines along with it.  We talked about how happy it makes us to just go to the gym, stop at the store for a few things we needed, go home, shower and then potter around the house.

 

Small things but things that make us happy and remind us that we have a blessed, good life.  We just tend to take it all for granted and forget to stop and Thank God.  

 

It was a good day indeed! 

A slow Fall kind of Saturday

The hot days are still hanging on, much to my chagrin, but there are signs that things are changing and that my favorite time of year is slowly creeping in.  I will admit that some of these signs are self imposed, put on by my own hand in a way to force this new season to arrive, knowing full well that I have zero impact in the weather, or the seasons, but I like to think that at least inside my house, I can control it.

 

Many love summer, many enjoy the hot weather and the busy chaos it brings, vacations, pool and lake, family get togethers and barbecues.  I however, seem to melt into a puddle of unhappiness during these 3 months.  

 

I start my mornings pretty much the same.  Head to the kitchen, give Elliott a ton of kisses and hugs, feed him, start my water boiling for our coffees, then open the back door and either go let the chickens out if it's my turn (on the weekends), or just open the door then go back to make the coffees and pack Curt's lunch for work.  Whichever one of these is going on, I can tell you that the mornings seem a little cooler, crisper, and just yesterday the neighborhood owls have started hooting high up on my soapberry tree.  A sure sign that seasons are changing.   

Our weekends have been jam packed, full of activities, places to be and things to do.  We may as well just have long weeks because it doesn't feel like we rest much.  Thankfully this weekend, we have a bit of a break and I fully indulged.

 

I spent the day pottering around the house, taking care of all my plants, moving things here and there, bird watching, eating healthy snacks, reading, watching tv and just allowing my body to slow down. 

I pulled out my Fall decorations and was only wanting one or two pieces, but before long, every room and every corner of the house, had some sort of item reminding me of what is to come.

 

Soft warm blankets in dark greens, browns and reds.

 

Little mushroom houses sitting on a bench.

 

Fall colored flower arrangements spreading their beauty and joy on coffee tables.

 

And the first scent of a pumpkin cheesecake candle lit early morning. 

It may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, or even be in any way representative of the weather we are still having outside, but in my mind, and between these four walls, we are closing the door on summer and welcoming in the BER months and the cooler weather.

 

And for that, I will not apologize, I am not a summer person, I don't enjoy it, I don't thrive in it, and like some people get the blues in Winter, I get the blues in summer.  It just is what it is.

 

I'm off to enjoy a cup of tea and get a bit more reading in my book.  Have a blessed Saturday! 

A busy Saturday

 

The past few weeks have been full on.  It always seems that the lead up to summer is crazy busy, lots of last minute things, get togethers or whatever.

 

We've had family over this Saturday, visiting from Oklahoma.  Nothing big but just a small get together for some catch up chats, games and finger foods.  

 

It's been a day.  I am so tired and so ready for a rest.  We are hoping to take Sunday off to just relax, aside from going to the gym and church, nothing else.  It's something both Curt and I have wanted and needed for the past month and a half, where every weekend has been a busy one.

 

Anyway, I am crawling into bed, I have a headache, my feet hurt and it's time to get some rest. 

I've been....

 

 

Been......babysitting my niece's little 2 year old Dalton.  I had him with me on Thursday and it was so much fun, but I won't lie, it was exhausting.  I forgot how much work toddlers are.  It's been decades since mine were that small.

 

Been.....celebrating my son Nick's 22nd birthday.  How?  How is my baby 22 already?

 

Been.....taking in every moment with the newest baby chicks.  Watching, holding, changing, cleaning and just enjoying them. 

Been.....watching my seedlings growing, and thinking about the garden and looking so much forward to it all.

 

Been....watching sweet, cozy homemaking videos from all over the world.  I love seeing how everyone goes about their lives, the daily homemaking chores from mothers all over, from here in the USA to Portugal, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Italy, France, Sweden, Turkey and so on.  Just love it. 

Been.....spring cleaning.  A room at a time, slowly, not crazy like I used to do when I was younger. 

Been.....reading, looking for books, researching books, everything books, books and books.

{ Spend a rainy Saturday with me }

The rain began last night. At first just a few heavy drops here and there, followed by loud thunder, bright lightning and the constant barrage of millions of raindrops pounding down on the roof.  

 

The temperatures dropped, meaning the blankets I had already folded and put in the basket near the couch, were pulled back out to warm my achy bones.  Arthritis, my arch nemesis.  I never in a million years would have thought that I would develop osteoarthritis, especially before I even turned 50, and when it appeared I was quite sad about it, but I have learned to live with it and to accept that things happen, we don't control all the ailments that come upon our bodies as we age, and some things, just become part of the aging process.  It's ok.  

 

It's a Saturday morning, the slowness of the weekend has arrived bringing with it a laziness that has become synonymous with naps, slowness, pottering around, snacking, drinking coffee and tea, reading or watching a show on the telly.  I'm all for it.

 

So I'm bringing you along on this rainy day, from morning to night.  You might want to grab a cuppa and settle in, there are quite a few photos in this post.

 

 

:::: MORNING ::::

Before the world starts stirring, I am up.  I am an early riser, I guess because I go to sleep every night, around 8 or 8:30, so by 4:30am, I am wide awake and ready to start the day.  Week days or weekends, it doesn't matter, I am up.  You may think it is too early, but I find that I get so much more out of my day when I am up this early.

 

I make my coffee, I sit on the couch under a blanket and I read a little and then watch some quiet slow vlogs.  This morning however, I had the added ambience of a thunderstorm, some lit candles, and just the coziness that comes with this kind of weather.  

After about an hour, I start waking the house up.  While everyone else sleeps, I open the front door, open the curtains, and head into the kitchen to make my breakfast.  I love eating my breakfast back on the couch, while watching something on the tv.  

It's the slowness of the day that I really enjoy.  Dark, quiet, just me and my kitty.

I start a load of laundry and fold the one that just came out of the dryer.

Tidy up the couches, fold blankets and put the dining table back to order, runner, flowers and lamp and put back in place after being removed the night before for dinner and family games.

 

Some nights I get to do this before retiring for the day, but other nights I am the first to head to my bedroom, and the boys stay up playing, so this kind of chore moves to the morning.

I also water the plants.  I have recently set up our little indoor greenhouse with some of the first veggies and flowers we have started. 

As the sun starts rising, and the day starts waking up, I open the back door, light the scentsy warmer and fluff up the pillows on these couches. There's a sense of accomplishment when the day starts with the house fresh and tidy for the day.  No matter what comes our way later, everything seems to just fall into place.

 

:::: AFTERNOON ::::

 

The rain continues, sometimes a slow and steady drizzle, other times bringing all it's force with loud thunder that comes out of nowhere, making you jump out of your skin.  Yes it happens to me a lot.  

 

I do like stepping outside during the storms, to just smell the wet earth, to listen to the rain and to take in nature in all it's glory.  I love being outside in the rain, well, not exactly out in the rain itself, but sitting on my porch, just listening and taking it all in.

We went to the gym in the morning, not even the rain would keep us away.  I find though that the days we go to the gym, I am always slower and tired and just want to sleep the afternoon away.  I don't do it, but it definitely tires your body out.

 

This afternoon, I chose to turn on the fairy lights on the bookshelf, and settle in bed with a warm blanket, and my Ellliott asleep nearby.  If you don't see him, he is right on the bottom of the picture, under a blanket.  He stayed in my bed all day long, under that blanket, only getting up once to use the litter box and eat some food, and then went right back to his spot.  He loves rainy days as much as I do.

 

:::: NIGHT ::::

 

As the evening rolled around, I start the preparations for dinner.  Since it's been raining all day, I had a craving for chili, so after the gym this morning, we went by the base commissary and picked up what we needed.  I came back home and popped it all in the slow cooker.

 

There's nothing quite like a rainy day, with the scent of a delicious chili bubbling away in your slow cooker.  I get to go about my day without worrying about dinner.

Every night before dinner, and while I actually get dinner finished, I have my apple cider vinegar shot.  I've mentioned it before, but basically, I do 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon, then I fill the rest of the little measuring cup with cold water.  I think it's about 8 ounces all together.  

It helps me a lot with my stomach.  I used to have horrible issues from perimenopause, constant stomach cramps, runny tummy, gurgling, indigestion and just unwell stomach most of the time.  This mixture has helped me a lot.  You can look up the benefits of taking apple cider vinegar every day, and remember that with everything, talk to your doctor first, don't take my word for it.  I am merely sharing what I do and what works for me.

I made some homemade pita chips for myself and anyone else that wanted, because I don't eat tortilla chips or chips of any kind.  These are a great way to make homemade chips that are much healthier than store bought, and they go great with a chili or soup.

 

We had our delicious chili, played a game of cards, and I retired to my bedroom.  Took my wonderful shower, and by 8:30am I was asleep.  

 

The rain continues pounding outside and will more than likely go all night.  

 

I sure do hope you enjoyed spending the day with me and having a peek at what I do on a weekend day.  

{ Saturday Photo Meme }

Do you remember back when blogging first kicked off, there would be so many memes going around, and tags?  I was constantly tagged by blogger friends for all sorts of different posts, and it was a fun way to get to know all the amazing bloggers that made up this wonderful community.

 

But, like everything else, times have changed and some of the things we loved have disappeared and often been replaced by tacky things, or things that leave me scratching my head.  We have a choice, either move on with the times and the flow and become just another voice repeating the same thing, or continue doing what we love and be individuals.

 

I must say, I have always been the odd one out.  If everyone in the world is screaming and shouting about bananas, I am in my corner giving credit to strawberries.  I don't like to follow a crowd, I don't like the whole herd mentality, I'm just not cut out that way.  So, with that said, I intend to continue posting and talking about the things that I love, and memes is one of the things from the old blogging days, that I miss.

 

So here's an oldie, and I would tag some of you but I'm not sure if you'll join in or not, so I'll leave it open and if you want to do it, just copy the categories and do your own post, but be sure to let me know if you so that I can come and read it.

 

How does it work?  Well, you go to Google Images and type in the category and then paste the photo that shows up for it.  That's it!

 

 

Your Name

Dad's Name

Mom's Name

 

Your age on your next birthday

 

 

Your favorite color

 

 

Your middle name

 The last meal you ate

 

Your favorite animal

 

  Your last name 

 

 
Favorite Bible passage

 

Favorite era

 

Favorite food

 

 

Where you want to be in 10 years