{ Cloudy and foggy day }

{ Blogtober 2026 - Day 18 - A cold Sunday }

 

 

Woke up to 39 degrees.  I don't understand how we went from triple digits about three weeks ago to this cold.  What happened to the transition between summer and Winter, you know the season called Fall?  Oh Texas, always keeping us on our toes.

 

We started the morning with a walk for Kaia around our neighborhood, which I will say is so stunning, there is nothing quite like living in the country. 

 

 

It didn't last as long as usual because it was bitterly cold and I am still not 100% person over this flu.  

 

The rest of the day was spent indoors, I took the day to start my Gingerbread Christmas Book Nook, watch TV and finish my 44th book for the year.  The Familiars by Stacey hall. 

 

{ Blogtober 2026 - Day 11 - Sunday }

  

We spent a very quiet Sunday.

 

It started with a wonderful morning walk, right as the sun was starting to rise.  Then we made a quick trip to Lowe's for some material so that we can finish the chicken area in the back.

 

Came back home, and I changed into comfy clothes and spent the rest of the day relaxing, crocheting and watching TV.

 

Some days are just like this, nowhere to be, nothing to do in particular, and those tend to be my favorite days above all.  

{ Sunday's Message - When the bank account is empty }

 The last sermon of the Into the Valley series.  Next week we are starting a Christmas centered series and I can not wait.

 

 

{ Sunday's Message - Choose Life Even When it Hurts }

A busy Sunday

There are Sundays that are quiet, relaxed, restful.

 

Then there are Sundays that I hit the ground running and don't stop until I lay my head on the pillow.  This Sunday was one of those.

 

Got up early, went to the gym, rushed back home for a quick shower and change, went to church, went by the gaming store to pick up a Wii remote to replace the one that stopped working.  Rushed back home, changed into comfortable clothes, started laundry, cleaned the house, then it was time to get dinner ready for the family.

 

After dinner and dishes and tidying up, I finally got another shower in, and made it to bed at 9pm.  Exhausted, but content.  It was busy but it was productive.

 

But, I will say, I much prefer the days where I don't have to be rushing around like crazy.

{ A bookish Sunday }

 

 

My Sundays are a mixture of quiet and bustling about, resetting the house for the incoming week.

 

There's gym, there's a nap in there (because always, after my shower after returning home, and a quick lunch, I find myself asleep for about 20 minutes),  there's dinner preparations because Jasmine and her boyfriend come over for dinner every week, there's laundry and picking up here and there, but there's also books and tv.

 

I watched quite a few YouTube book videos, I am currently in a book phase which means everything in my life revolves around books, buying books, hauling books, new books, old books, book reviews and so on.

 

I used to be a huge romance book reader, and even though I still love the romance genre, lately, I have been enjoying fantasy and Christian fiction.  So, while at the gym today and doing my 30 minute run on the treadmill, I watched a new to me channel on YouTube.  It is called Chantel Reads All Day.  She focuses on mainly on Christian fiction and recently did a collaboration with other Christian channels, talking about their favorite Christian reads for the year of 2024.  Found quiet a few books on there that I am looking forward to reading.

 

One that caught my eye, is by Tessa Afshar, an author that writes Biblical fiction.  She takes stories from the Bible and creates a story of what could have been.  The book that caught my eye is called Land of Silence and it is about the bleeding woman in the Bible.  So Tessa takes her story, which is quite a short account in the Bible, and she writes a fiction story of what her life could have been like up to the moment she meets Jesus, and after.

 

I watched Chantel's video from last year as well, with the best Christian books of 2023, and while doing that, I cleaned and reorganized my book shelf.  I have 3 bookshelves in my bedroom, and my plan and hope is that I can turn the whole wall, into a huge bookshelf.  Curt and I have plans for that, but in the meantime, there is a tiny space between the shelf and the wall, about 7 inches which is perfect for small paperbacks.

 

I asked hubby to cut me some wood, 7 inches long, and I shoved them in that space and was able to place my smaller paperbacks.  It gave me more room for more books, and I love it.  I will take some pictures later.

 

The rest of the afternoon, I spent faffing around doing the usual Sunday reset chores.  Curt worked out front, cleaning the porch and bringing our planters back out, in preparation for Spring.  I can not wait to get all my flowers, herbs and vegetables planted.  

 

Also, got all the laundry finished, washed, dried and put away, then made a delicious dinner of Ham, Potato Casserole, Green Beans and Garlic Biscuits.

 

We ended the night with a family game of Five Crowns.

{ A quiet Sunday }

The perfect Sunday!

 

A day of relaxing, with nowhere to go, no commitments and no need to do or be anywhere specific.  I love my quiet weekends, there is no rush, I move about slowly, pottering and doing whatever I feel like.

 

I watched a documentary, I read, I did my daily Bible reading, I listened to worship music, and Curt made dinner.  As much as I love cooking, I will say that having a day where I can lay about and hear the words "Dinner is ready", is quite something.  I think it makes the food taste even better lol

 

Most of the day was spent here, in the quiet, in the darkness of the cloudy cold day, snuggled under a blanket on the couch.  Nowhere I would rather be!

{ Sunday }

 

I had a pretty good but very busy Sunday.  Getting into bed, I am beyond exhausted, but I also know that this means I'll have a really good sleep.  And a good sleep is always a good thing.

 

My brother is celebrating his birthday on Wednesday, but we saw him today.  We took him and my sister in law to lunch, then went back to their house for a coffee and a slice of cake.  I also did the gym in the morning, and basically rushed home for a quick shower and change before heading to lunch.

 

By the time I got home at 4pm, I had to immediately get dinner in the oven because Sunday's are our family days where Jasmine and Issac come over for dinner and family time.  I managed to make a delicious meal in the quickest time ever.  We ate, we played a game of Blank Slate....which by the way if you're looking for a fun family game, you should give this one a try.

 

 

 

And we had the Superbowl going in the background.  I am not a football fan and don't care for the Superbowl but my brother in law breathes football and we don't mind having it on for him to enjoy while we spent time together.  

 

Then of course dishes, and getting coffee machine ready for the morning, feeding the furry babies, shutting everything down, showering and finally climbing into bed.  I felt like I was on the go from the moment my feet hit the ground in the morning.

 

I will say, I don't enjoy days like these often, I much prefer a quiet weekend, but I also love spending time with family and as exhausting as these days may be, they do leave me with a huge smile on my face.  

{ Sunday }

 

I have said many times that I love living where we do.  I used to enjoy living on base, I felt like I always had someone next door, everything was close by, there was so many people around and constant noise.  Loved it!

 

Then I got older and started craving a quiet place, surrounded by nature and not many neighbors.  A place I could listen to the birds and the surrounding animals, a place that didn't mean the constant noise of cars going by, or neighbors playing loud music.

 

God placed this home in our hands, he handpicked it knowing exactly what our hearts had desired for so long.  

 

Anyway, our Sunday was a busy one.  There was a lot of cleaning, organizing and moving things around.  We've had an extra fridge in my husband's office for a long time, but it's big and it makes things look cluttered, so yesterday, the boys all went into the garage, gave it a really good organizing and cleaning, took tons of trash to the dump and extra bed frames and headboards, even a bunk bed, to our local thrift store, and then moved the big ol' fridge to the garage.  

This coming weekend we will be moving the chest freezer out there too.  

However, the office has been left in disarray and I would do it myself, but my husband wants to sort it out after work today, since it's his office, and you know how guys are with their things right?  Right!

While the boys worked outside, I worked inside with the usual chores, I got all the laundry finished, I baked them my grandfather's Vanilla Cake as a thank you for all the hard work they put in, and I made a delicious chicken curry for dinner with naan bread.  

 

I also vacuumed and dusted, got things ready for the week, the litter changed etc.  These are all things that I do practically daily, but I couldn't help them outside because my osteoarthritis has made my hands so weak that I don't trust pushing big fridges or helping with anything like that.  I don't want to hurt myself or someone else because my hands are too weak.

 

Sunday's are family meal days, my daughter and her boyfriend come over  for dinner and family time, which usually consists of playing games, listening to music, laughing and chatting etc.  It's something we all look forward to every week.

In the Bible, I am now in Exodus and right at the point where Moses is dealing with Pharaoh to let his people go.  I love the book of Exodus, I find it so interesting.

It was a good productive Sunday, but by the time I got into bed, I was knackered and quickly fell asleep.  Nothing better than a good night's sleep to get us ready for the week ahead.

 

{ Sunday breakfasts, just a memory now }

 

When my kids were growing up, Sunday was our huge breakfast day.  My husband would always whip up his amazing omelets and bacon, we would also do toast and sausage and biscuits and gravy.  

It was a tradition that we started as a young married couple, and continued through many MANY years.  But as our children grew, they would often sleep in much later than Curt and I, so Sunday breakfast became something that only happened for special occasions, like a holiday, or when we have family sleep over.

We would always sit and chat about everything and anything.  We talked about current events, or things we did in the past, places we lived, places we visited and so forth.  It was a time to bond, to connect, to make sure everyone was doing well.  

We loved these moments, but truth be told, we took them for granted, because now that we don't have these moments anymore, I miss them, and it makes my heart hurt.  But it's life, and it's about change and moving on from season to season.

Maybe one day when both kids are out of the house and we are alone, we will bring this tradition back just for the two of us.  Who knows?  It's good to reminisce about those days though.

 

{ My Sunday }

 

Good morning everyone.  It is so cold here, actually this whole week we are dropping temperatures and even have a 50% chance of snow for Christmas weekend.  

 

Oh if that happened, would be a dream come true for us all.  It's been more than a decade since we've enjoyed a snowy Christmas, it used to be a normal thing when we lived in Mountain Home, Idaho, but not since moving to Arizona and then Texas.

 

So this morning, I am heading to church, but before I get ready for the day, I thought I would come in and show you, kind of, what my day will look like.  It's been also a really long time since I've done one of these posts.

 

I'm trying to be more consistent with my daily posts, and sometimes that means just posting something simple like a look at your day, or the Five Senses Saturday I put up yesterday.  Anything to get you back into the habit.

 

Anyway, my older blog readers will remember these.  I'm sitting in bed, under the warm covers, and as always my furry babies are asleep snuggled next to me, under warm blankets.  They will kind of stay in this spot for most of the day, randomly getting up to go potty or eat their food, drink water, but then returning right to their little warm nests.  (I like to call them nests because they get right under the blankets, fold into a ball and sleep).

Here shortly I will get dressed, get on some make up and fix my hair, then head to church.  When I return home, I plan on getting some laundry going, tidying up the house and then hopefully just relax.  

 

 

 

For breakfast is just coffee and toast.   I'll throw in a frozen pizza for lunch.

 

Dinner will be Beef Filled Crepes, rice and beans, along with a salad. 

 

 

I've been just catching up on some Vlogmas on Youtube.  I do have quite a few other Christmas ones lined up, just as I shared on the previous post about Period Drama movies that are Christmas inspired.  

 

Also have some Portuguese Soaps to catch up on.  

 

In between all that, I often have a fireplace video playing on the TV, or some cute seasonal ambience.  

{ Spotted the first deer, for this season }

You know what I love every year?

Spotting the first deer running through our property.  The minute I see one, I know that Fall is definitely in full motion and that soon, the deer will be making their trek through my property and across the field.

 

It is Sunday morning, just after 8am. The sun hasn't been up for very long, the mornings are darker and take longer to brighten up.  Not everyone enjoys the colder months but I love them, just as much as I love the warm weather too.

I think I'm just one of those people that embrace every season, and enjoys what each brings.

 

I was standing near my bedroom window when I saw something moving in the brush.  It was the first deer of the season.  I always sit in awe at how beautiful they are.  The way they move, the way they run, and how they leap over what seem like the tallest fences.  Such grace in their movement.  Guess I need to have my camera ready and waiting for more sightings.

The mornings have been pretty chilly, getting down to the 40s.  For some of you in colder areas that may not seem like a lot, but for us folks in Texas who are used to warmer weather, that means it's time to pull out the sweaters.

 

We are nowhere near ready with firewood, it's been a crazy year and usually by now we have a huge stack ready to go.  Not this year.  We have a tiny pile, which means next weekend we have got to get our butts in gear and start chopping.

Living in the country means quite a bit of work, there is always something needing attention, but we love it and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

I've had a pretty good week, though I wasn't feeling too great, but that's the usual monthly stuff packed with a perimenopause punch. 

Nonetheless, here's what I got up to: 

♥♥THURSDAY ♥♥

Mornings for me mean starting with putting the clean dishes away, washing anything that has been placed in the sink overnight, and giving the kitchen a quick clean and tidy up.

 

The next thing on the list is coffee, always coffee. Though, yes, I've had a cup around 6am when I get up with Curt to get him off to work. 

 

Usually when I make this second cup of coffee, I like to take a little more time with it. Pour over coffee is one of my favorite ways of enjoying a cup, there is just something about the whole process that I find relaxing.  

 

Maybe it's the way it connects me to simpler times, I often think about how many people prepared their coffee this way, long before coffee machines were invented or even though of.

 

 

It's that connection to older, simpler times, that keep me grounded. Life today is too busy, too filled with materialistic things, too easy if that can even be a bad thing. By that I mean that things are all done in a way to make even the simplest of tasks, even easier to do. I get that we lead busy lives, but where is the joy in that?

 

 

 

Where is the joy in homemaking, in taking care and pleasure in doing those home chores, if everything is practically done for us? 

 

Think about that a little. 

 

I am not saying that we shouldn't evolve as the years go by, of course that is something that is going to happen no matter what we feel about it. I am just saying that for myself, I like to feel like I am actually making a difference, trying, doing, accomplishing things on my own. 

 

So yes, making a cup of coffee would be quicker if I just popped a pod in the machine, but this makes me appreciate the coffee even more, and quite frankly, pour over coffee is much tastier too.

 

   

 

 

♥♥FRIDAY♥♥

Started the morning with dense fog.  I don't like driving in it, but I have to say, there is something so hauntingly beautiful about foggy mornings. 

 

 

 

Of course foggy mornings mean beautiful drops on the window screens.  It also means the garden getting watered without rain or having to turn on a sprinkler.  

 

Isn't it wonderful how God provides in every situation?  It's just incredible.

 

   

 

 

 

Laundry day. There are always loads of laundry to wash, and when you change bedding, there is even more. That's ok though, I like doing laundry. 

 

Maybe not the actual act of putting it all away, I think I could do without that, but washing, folding? Yes, and even ironing I'm good with. 

 

Reading has been a top priority for me lately, I am just loving getting back into my books. Actual, real books, with that wonderful scent that comes from turning the pages. 

Aside from reading, knitting and crochet have also been high on the list. Ahhhhh it feels amazing to get back to doing what I love and not let life interfere. 

 I always feel like life is hard enough on it's own, and if we start letting interfere with our joy and the things we love, then what is the point? So I'm making a conscious effort to be more mindful of my days, of what I'm filling them with. That means, turning the news off, and turning more to time with God, praying, talking to Him throughout the day. 

Reading, crocheting, or even watching some old period drama pieces. There are quite a few new ones that I have my eye on, and I will be sharing with you all in a separate post. Gosh it feels like forever since I've done one of those showing you what I'm watching or what is coming up. Hands up if you miss those period drama filled posts. 

There will be more cooking and recipe sharing, especially as we move into the holiday season. More period dramas, more daily life, and deer, and fall and winter stuff. I am just excited to get back to normal blogging and sharing my days on here. I've failed guys, failed miserably at this blogger stuff. 

But then, this year has been insane and August and September a complete blur for me. Maybe for you too. 

Anyway, I have babbled enough, my coffee is finished, the dog and cat are running wild and I have breakfast to go fix. Curt is outside mowing the yard, so I'm going to make some biscuits and gravy, some sausage and maybe some scrambled eggs. We will see. 

I hope you have a blessed restful Sunday, and I will see you back here in the morning for our Happy Homemaker Monday!

{ Day 7 of Quarantine/Day 2 of Shelter in Place - Spending Sunday outside }

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

- Philippians 4:6-7 -

Good afternoon :)

It is another beautiful day here in Texas.  Not as warm as it's been but just the perfect temperature to be outside in the yard.

Curt and I always try to do yard work, either early morning (mid summer), or during cooler days in early Spring.  Without being able to go to the stores or anywhere public, we have turned towards our property and yard work.

My Sunday started much like last week, sitting in bed, with a cup of coffee and attending online church.

Today's sermon was wonderful, as always. and reiterated a lot of what I've been saying from the beginning of this pandemic.

Aware but not Afraid!!!!   Amen!!!!

We are counting our blessings for being able to live surrounded by nature, which means we don't even have to leave our property and still manage to get a good walk in, see pretty things and enjoy the calmness around us.

For that moment in time, nothing matters, there are no fears, no scary news looming in the background and no thought of a virus anywhere around us. 

As we did yard work today, I snapped pictures here and there.  I also used my phone app to identify plants or trees we had not seen before, or didn't know what they were.

What a plethora of beauty we already have on our hands.  Whoever lived here previously, did a lot of work planting and surrounding the property line with a variety of plants, trees and flowers.

We have 2 Juniper trees on our property and I love them so much, but unfortunately it is one of the trees that I'm allergic too, so I try not to be around them for very long.  Still, I can admire their beauty through the camera lens.

I was quite surprised by this one.  Never noticed it before and it wasn't even hidden in an inconspicuous place.  It is in fact right along the front fence line of the house.  What caught my eye were the beautiful blossoms on the young tree.  I used my Plant identifying app and it told me that it is a Japanese Quince Tree.

Oh the joy I felt knowing that.  Although the Japanese Quince Tree is not as popular as the regular Quince tree, you can still eat the fruit and use it in jams and jellies.  Do you know that one of my favorite things on earth is our Portuguese Marmelada which is made from Quince fruit?  I can never find it anywhere, and can only really buy it online, but I'm definitely not doing that anytime soon.

Will be wonderful to see it actually start producing fruit.  We've been here for 5 years and it's never produced any, and research says that it produces the quince fruit between 2 to 5 years of being planted.  We will see!!!

I believe this one is Hawthorn but I'm not entirely sure.  For those of you more familiar with plants and able to identify them, if you recognize any of these, please let me know below in the comments.

We also have a Downy Oak tree which is so pretty when it starts turning green.

There is so much to see outdoors.  I love, just really and I mean really love being out in the fresh air.  We have a specific area in our property that is just surrounded by trees and bushes, and I often tell Curt that I feel like I'm walking through a Secret Garden. 

It is so peaceful, if you can just stand there for a few minutes, listening to the birds, watching the wind rustling through the leaves.  Pure peace!

I forgot to take photos on my camera, but we also found some Irises, about 10 of them in a cluster, growing behind some overgrown brush, right up against the fence line.

We immediately dug up around their roots, carefully removed them and some of their soil, and have moved them to the front of the house.  I can't wait to see them flowering. 

Slowly we will get this house looking the way we want it too.  It is a lot of work, but we both enjoy being outdoors and gardening, and right now, we have a lot of time on our hands, don't we?

I'll keep you all updated and will show you the progress as we go.

I finally managed to get a slot in for a Walmart pick up.  It's been near impossible, but I got a small order in, just a few things that we were running low on.  Milk, bread, potatoes, lettuce and then some chips, drinks, laundry pods and softener. 

As we brought the items in, we placed them directly on the chest freezer and I took every single one out of the bags, and using lysol wipes, wiped them all down, sprayed the bags with disinfecting spray before putting them away and then wiped the freezer down well, washed my hands and used hand sanitizer too.

Just can't be too careful nowadays, but I tell you, it's all so strange to me, this new normal.  I never in my life even thought of doing this, we would just grab the groceries, bring them in and move on with our lives.

Crazy!!!!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy a little visual tour around my yard.  I am now off to make some cheese tortellini for dinner, then grab a good shower, wash my hair and all that fun stuff.

Tomorrow is another day, another week of quarantine and shelter in place.   I am probably going to get all my seedlings in the ground, if the weather is not too hot or raining.  If I do I will definitely show you.

Until then, stay safe friends, blessings to you all.