Happy Homemaker Monday - 03/24/2014

Good morning my sweet friends and welcome to another Happy Homemaker edition.


I hope you had a wonderful weekend, mine was good and very productive.  Hubby and I got a lot done around here and ran some errands and did some shopping and such.  This week we are on Spring Break so I'm going to use it to do all my Spring Cleaning and I'll take you along with me, so if that is something you're interested in, be sure to check back later for my first Spring Cleaning post :)

As I look outside my window:::
It's a beautiful morning, the sun is rising and there is not a single cloud in the sky.  It's currently 30 degrees which is nice and warm, and I honestly never thought I would say something like that LOL  But, yes, beautiful start to this Monday.

Right now I am:::
Well, I am a little bummed because I just took my last sip of my coffee and I feel like I could have a little more but I don't think I want to make another full cup.  So, I will just leave it, and have a cup later this afternoon.  

Thinking and pondering:::
About our upcoming move.  Whether to rent for another year, or buy....Hubby and I want to buy a house and so we're already looking into properties and starting to get our ducks all in a row.  I'm so excited at the prospect of having my own house.

On my bedside table:::
My Bible
My body lotion, some Kleenex and my Kindle

On my tv tonight:::
Monday:
I am so behind on The Musketeers, so definitely catching up on those.
Still have The Trip to Bountiful to watch, plus Ghost Adventures from Saturday.
The Trip to Bountiful
Star Crossed
Tuesday:
The Little Couple
Supernatural
Wednesday:
The 100
Thursday:
Reign
Here comes Honey Boo Boo
Friday:
Hangar 1:  The UFO Files
Ancient Aliens
Saturday:
When Calls the Heart
Ghost Adventures
The Universe
Sunday:
Walking Dead
Long Island Medium

Listening to:::
Just the hum of the refrigerator

On the menu for this week:::

Monday - Cheesy Garlic Chicken, Golden Diced Potatoes
Tuesday - Tasty Burritos, Salad
Wednesday - Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken, Rice
Thursday - One Pot Mexican Pasta
Friday - Creamy Chicken and Biscuits
Saturday - Bacon Nachos
Sunday -  Sausage Gravy and Biscuit Bake

On my to do list:::
Laundry - One load to iron and put away
Spring Cleaning

Happening this week:::
Monday - Spring Cleaning *Entry Way*
Tuesday - Spring Cleaning *Kitchen and Dining Area*
Wednesday - Spring Cleaning *Bedrooms*
Thursday - Spring Cleaning *Office and Bathrooms*
Friday - Spring Cleaning *Living Room*
Saturday - Spring Cleaning *Laundry Room*

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Finished my Mood Blanket, just have to wash it today and then I'll take some pics for you all :)  Have moved on to my second blanket and enjoying that one :)
  
My simple pleasure:::
Toasted Cinnamon Bread with a good slathering of butter

Lesson learned the past week:::
That God is never too far away and all we need to do is seek Him.  I sometimes get so caught up with my little life that I tend to forget He is there and that is when I'll stumble and fall and mess up.  

Looking around the house:::
It is so quiet.  Hubby has left for work, the pugs are asleep in the living room and my kids are asleep in their bedrooms.  I have my windows open to let in some fresh air and the curtains are blowing in the breeze.  Love it :)
 
From the camera:::

Prayer List:::
Jacinda....Sherry Gore's daughter who is very sick at the moment.
Katrina....my friend Jen's daughter who seems to be struggling right now.
I don't know why but the past week I have been led to pray for the young people I know, God is pushing me to lift them in prayer, and I don't know exactly why but it's not for me to question.   

Bible verse, Devotional:::
"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:12-13 (NIV)

PLEASE, don't add links to this list that are not part of the Happy Homemaker Monday. I've asked numerous times, and I'm frankly quite tired of having to remove links to other posts that shouldn't be in this list. Please be respectful of my request!

Bird watching, Errand running and House cleaning!

Hello my friends, how are you doing today?

I can't believe it's already Saturday night, the past few days just seemed to have gone by at lightning speed.

First, I wanted to show you my fence, the one that got knocked down by the crazy winds last week. The rental company had someone come out and fix it on Friday, thank goodness because taking the pugs out to potty was becoming quite a chore. I had to get their harnesses and leashes on every single time and then take them both and they each want to run in different directions. Quite the sight I tell you.

So, I've been pretty busy today, this morning my hubby had to go to work for 2 hours, so I had my morning coffee, checked my email and blog, watched a few Vlogs and waited for him to return.

Once he was home, I quickly got dressed and ready for the day and then we both headed out for some errands, which included the thrift stores, the dollar tree and Walmart.  We also made a quick stop at McDonald's to pick up some lunch.  We're not big fans and it's not something we get very often, but once in a while we do enjoy a cheeseburger and fries.

Dollar Tree Haul

I went there for the cleaning products, which is what I usually do because they're cheaper than buying elsewhere. I picked up my ziploc bags, aluminum foil, some cinnamon bread and then one of those organizer trays for the drawers. You know the junk drawer that everyone seems to have in the kitchen? Well I'm sick of seeing it and I've tried to keep it organized but to no avail, so I think this organizer will work wonderfully.

I also picked up this cute little pink expandable file folder. I'm going to use it as my envelope system. Remember I mentioned a few posts ago about how I am determined to get my budgeting organized too? Well instead of just plain envelopes, I thought this would be cuter.  It has colored tab dividers which will be perfect for what I need.

I will show you all in detail once I get it set up, which I'm hoping to do tomorrow.

Thrift Store Haul

I didn't really find much I wanted, well aside from a beautiful credenza at my husband's thrift store, but I can't justify that expense at the moment, no matter how much I've wanted one for so many years.  We'll just wait and see, if it's still there by payday, I may just cave.

I did find a beautiful cake stand and lid which I'm thrilled with.  Tomorrow I'll bake a cake and place it in there, but I'm thinking cupcakes, brownies and so forth will look good in there too right?

The only other thing I grabbed was another of the Taste of Home Cookbooks, I think from 2005, I'm not entirely sure on the date and I don't have it in front of me right now. But it's one I didn't have and for 50c I couldn't pass it up.

Walmart Haul

I had to pick up toilet paper and my hair dye, yes my hair colorist is Walmart.  Hahaha
I also picked up what I needed to make my Homemade Laundry Detergent.  I haven't had any for the past 8 months and I've missed it sooooo much.  I already used it today in my laundry and what a huge difference it makes.  If you've never tried it and would like to give it a go, I show you how to make it in this post.

Prices have gone up since I first made it, and it now costs me about $25 to make it.  But, it lasts me about 6 months, so I think it's well worth it's cost.

I also picked up some of my new favorite snacks. They are much healthier than regular chips and I am getting my servings of veggies in. The best part though is that my kids LOVE them too and munch away happily on these Veggie Chips. Yum!

So those were my hauls, just a few things.

I spent the rest of the day busy with housework, got all my laundry done except for one last load of towels which I will have to finish tomorrow.  I also got all my ironing done and the clothes put away.

I did a bit of tidying up and cleaning here and there, nothing major though because my Spring Cleaning is going to be done next week while the kids are on Spring Break.  Perfect time for it, I think because I won't have people in and out of the house constantly.

Tomorrow, I have quite a few things on my to do list, or rather on mine and hubby's list.

-  Move his computer and school books into the Office/Craft Room.  I want to set up an area for him up there where he has everything at his finger tips.  It will make his school work much easier and he will be where we all are instead of downstairs in the bedroom by himself.
-  Give the back yard a good cleaning, take bulk items to the dump.
-  Move shelf upstairs to the Office for the DVD's and school books.
-  Bake a cake or cupcakes, not sure which yet.
-  Work on the blogs, change a few things, put up a recipe, check on reviews etc.
-  Do some filing, paperwork.
-  If I have time, work on my envelope filing system.

So yeah, quite a few things that I'm hoping to get done.  In between these though, my hubby has to go to work at the commissary, it doesn't take too long but he does have to make a trip out there tomorrow.  I think I'll probably work on my own things while he's gone.

It's pretty late right now, 10:30pm and I'm quite tired.  My allergies have been just horrid lately so I took a little pink pill which will most likely knock me out here shortly, so I am guessing this is a good time to end this post.

I do leave you with some photos I took of the birds around my house, do hope you enjoy those.

Have a beautiful, restful, blessed Saturday night, or Sunday morning, whichever time you happen to stumble upon my post....and I will see you all back here tomorrow :)

Crazy winds, cute dogs and crochet!!!

We had the craziest winds on Monday, and I mean crazy enough to flip over a semi truck on the highway.  Here on my side of the world, it brought down the fence in the back yard, flipped over some patio chairs and even brought down trees.

And in the middle of that all???  The freakiest snow storm.  It was quite weird, but then I see that the weather has been absolutely insane all over the country.

It lasted the whole day and only really wound down yesterday morning.  Thank goodness.

Morning started with a beautiful sunrise and I couldn't help but take this photo.  That's me at the kitchen table enjoying my coffee.   I do think one of my favorite times of the day are the early mornings.

As always, I have the best company during my mornings.  It's usually just me and my girls while the kids are asleep.

I'm sure you can tell though that they are cold, the temperatures dropped from 70 degrees to 20 and we've been quite chilly here.

Aren't they the cutest things?  I do have a soft spot for my little Lola and that adorable tongue :)

On the crochet side, I have decided to finish off my Mood Blanket.  I did fall completely behind and now I'm quite bored with it and that is never a good thing because then I don't want to finish it.  I would rather end up with a pretty lap blanket than nothing.

My herbs and plants are all doing so well, and I've spotted some beauties popping up in my front yard, can't wait to see them bloom.

I do need to get in that planter and clean it up nicely, have weeds and grass growing in there that I want to pull out.  Which reminds me I also have the backyard to give a good cleaning to, so I'm thinking maybe this weekend, either Saturday or Sunday the hubby and I will get out there and get our outside Spring Cleaning started.

Speaking of Spring Cleaning, for me that will start on Monday and I will share everyday what I'm doing and which room of the house I'm tackling.

Do you Spring Clean?  Do you follow a certain routine or just go with the flow?

I would love nothing more than to stay here and chat with you all day, but, housework and laundry calls....and I have a few recipes that I need to get up on the food blog too.

Those should all be up by this afternoon or evening, the latest.

I also got a book, well two book, reviews up this morning. They are geared for young readers but I enjoyed them. Am I the only one who likes checking books out from the Young Adults section at the library? I don't know but I seem to find very cute books there for myself.

Alright, now I really must get going, I have to make the beds, tidy up the bedrooms and then vacuum, sweep and mop all the floors, and I still want to get the last of the laundry washed.

Here's hoping that you all have a fantastic rest of Wednesday, and that the weather warms up for us all and makes it feel more like Spring and less like middle of Winter.

God Bless,
Sandra
xoxoxo

Alice Will and Tilt - TLC Book Tour

Author: Ashley Chappell
Series: Dreams of Chaos
Number in Series: 1
Format: Paperback
Pages: 297
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: Center One Books
Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade/Paranormal

Fourteen year-old Trotter was still just trying to get the hang of the demi-godding business when the apocalypse began. In a world where the gods have withdrawn from humanity, leaving mortals bitter toward magic, she finds herself torn between the human and the goddess in her. As the world begins to fade away and she becomes the prime suspect, her search to determine the cause and prove her innocence ends up revolving around a mysterious little girl named Alice. Then Trotter discovers that not all of the gods had been as distant as they seemed…
Now, with everyone against her and the gods fighting amongst themselves, Trotter is on her own to save her world and stop a spiteful god from using Alice to destroy everything.

***************************************

About Ashley Chappell

Ms. Chappell currently resides in Huntsville, AL with the love of her life. During her writing time her cats sometimes share her lap with her computer, should they choose to allow the usurpation at all. When not writing, reviewing, or burying her nose in one of her well-worn Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman novels, she can be found sailing with her fiancé on their boat ‘Dupracity’ (Fans of Kurt Vonnegut will want to ask her what that means!).

Find out more about Ashley at her website, connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, and see what she’s pinning on Pinterest.

***************************************

My Thoughts:

This was such a fun book to read.  I know that some will steer away from books that are geared towards younger readers, but I've always enjoyed them and if I can recommend them to my own children after I'm done reading, then it's a huge plus for me.

The story follows Trotter, a young demi-god, and also Alice a young servant girl to a couple who run an inn.  Both Trotter and Alice possess powers that are coveted by quite an angry God.

The story develops easily and is written in a very fun way, I found myself laughing quite a bit.  Trotter's purpose in this story is to figure out, or rather, prove that she did not cause the world to start fading away.  It brings her into the path of Alice.

I loved watching the character of Trotter develop from this clumsy 14 year old who has no idea how to use her powers, this young girl who is certain of who she is and what she hopes to achieve.  Her cat companion, who by the way used to be a human, was hilarious at times.

Alice on the other hand was very different to Trotter.  She is this sweet young girl who is servant to some quite nasty people, but still maintains the sweetest nature.  I especially loved the bond she develops with the baron.

Throw in a horrible, mean villain called Lamarak, and you have the perfect adventure book for any age.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think my kids will too.

**********************************************************************************

Paperback: 298 pages
Publisher: Center One Books (October 8, 2013)

Two years ago Trotter saved the entire pantheon of Realm from a dark god’s revenge. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the gods from banning her from Realm and – worst of all – from her godly parents for refusing to honor the Accord and declare her dominion. Now even her refuge in Aevum has been destroyed as the world itself is violently tilted and plunged into darkness. Angry and heartbroken, she’s ready battle whatever demons she might find behind the destruction. Instead of evil, however, she discovers another world even older than Aevum and filled with a kind and wonderful species of people the gods created and loved briefly, then abandoned and left for dead in favor of their more entertaining creation: humanity.
In order to save both of the worlds she’s come to love, Trotter will finally be forced to choose a dominion that might mean giving up one world permanently. Yet throughout her struggle she is unaware that the unsettling darkness growing within her is an omen that another dominion has already chosen her…

************************************

So Tilt takes place two years after Alice Will.  I was so excited to be able to review this one too because I do love following up on characters that I really enjoyed in a previous book.

The story takes off with Trotter, who has now been banished from her realm. She is still trying to figure out the full extent of her powers while also ready to fight whoever caused the destruction that Aevum is currently under.

The author does a brilliant job of describing these worlds in such a way that you can imagine standing there with Trotter and seeing what she's seeing, feeling what she's feeling.  It really does draw you into the book.

This one has the same amount of humor and adventure as the first.

I just have to say that I love the character of Trotter, just love her.  She is such a young girl but in many ways forced to grow quickly and face so many adversaries.  It's especially interesting watching her struggling to decide which dominion to choose, knowing full well that it will mean she will give up one of the worlds permanently.  Not an easy choice because she is a part of both.

Another fun read, and another to add to my children's bookshelf.

Ashley’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, March 04, 2014: Offbeat Vegabond – Alice Will
Thursday, March 06, 2014: A Book Geek – Alice Will
Sunday, March 09, 2014: Book Marks the Spot - Alice Will and Tilt
Thursday, March 13, 2014: Pingwing’s Bookshelf – Alice Will
Friday, March 14, 2014: Bibliophilia, Please - Alice Will
Monday, March 17, 2014: Peeking Between the Pages – Alice Will
Tuesday, March 18, 2014: The Reader’s Hollow - Alice Will
Tuesday, March 18, 2014: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom - Alice Will and Tilt
Wednesday, March 19, 2014: Books Without Any Pictures – Alice Will
Thursday, March 20, 2014: The Reader’s Hollow – Tilt
Monday, March 24, 2014: Peeking Between the Pages – Tilt
Tuesday, March 25, 2014: A Dream Within a Dream - Alice Will and Tilt
Wednesday, March 26, 2014: Allodoxophobia: The Fear of Opinions - Alice Will and Tilt
Tuesday, April 01, 2014: Books, Books Everywhere! - Alice Will
Wednesday, April 02, 2014: Books, Books Everywhere! - Tilt
Wednesday, April 02, 2014: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile – Alice Will
Thursday, April 03, 2014: The Written World - Alice Will and Tilt

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a review copy.

Happy Homemaker Monday - 03/17/2014

Good morning my friends, how are you doing on this Monday?

I have been up since 4:30am, was woken up by very strong winds making it seem like the house was going to fall apart.  Of course, I couldn't go back to sleep, so I'm quite tired this morning, at least until the coffee kicks in.

Alright, well, let's get on with our Happy Homemaker Monday post.  I am sorry I didn't get to visit you all last week but I had a very sick boy on my hands.  I will come by today though :)

As I look outside my window:::
Very strong winds, the trees are whipping back and forth and the rain is hitting hard.  My trash can has toppled over with the winds.  It's 45 degrees right now and cloudy grey skies, looks like this is what we have on the horizon for the rest of the day. 

Right now I am:::
Writing this post up, drinking the last bit of my coffee and also listening to my Portuguese soap on the computer. 

Thinking and pondering:::
About our budget, and the planning we are doing financial wise.     

On my bedside table:::
My Bible

On my tv tonight:::
Monday:
Last night's The Musketeers.
Resurrection and Believe
The Trip to Bountiful
Star Crossed
Tuesday:
The Little Couple
Supernatural
Wednesday:

Thursday:
Reign
Here comes Honey Boo Boo
Friday:
Hangar 1:  The UFO Files
Ancient Aliens
Saturday:
When Calls the Heart
Sunday:
Walking Dead
Long Island Medium

Listening to:::
Portuguese soap

On the menu for this week:::

Monday - Corned Beef, Potatoes and Cabbage, Irish Soda Bread
Tuesday - Chicken Milan, Herbed Rice
Wednesday - Throw Together Short Ribs, Scalloped Taters
Thursday - Sally Hayden's Chili, Chile Corn Bread
Friday - Cheesy Garlic Chicken, Golden diced potatoes
Saturday - Tasty Burritos, Salad
Sunday -  Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken, rice

On my to do list:::
Laundry
Sweep, vacuum, mop floors
Homeschooling

Happening this week:::
Monday - Bank, Tae Kwon Do
Tuesday - Library
Wednesday - Post Office, Tae Kwon Do
Thursday - Tae Kwon Do
Friday - Relaxing, Sewing

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Decided to finish off the Crochet Mood Blanket, it's big enough to snuggle on the couch and watch TV, and besides, I'm getting bored with it.  So adding on the edging today and calling it good. 
 
My simple pleasure:::
Cooking, I know some of you don't like it, but I couldn't imagine not being able to cook and I really do find it a pleasure. 

Lesson learned the past week:::
Just a reminder that my children mean the world to me and that no sacrifice is too big for their well being. 

Looking around the house:::
Living room needs a little tidying up and I want to clean the couches today.  In the kitchen there are dishes in the rack drying, I just have to put them away, and I don't have any in the sink to wash, yay!

From the camera:::

Prayer List:::
Family and friends.  

Bible verse, Devotional:::
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3 NIV

PLEASE, don't add links to this list that are not part of the Happy Homemaker Monday. I've asked numerous times, and I'm frankly quite tired of having to remove links to other posts that shouldn't be in this list. Please be respectful of my request!

Hello Spring!

I think it's finally here, in all it's beautiful glory.

Oh what a joy it is to see my grass green, beautiful green buds on the trees and Robins fluttering around the yard looking for food.

This whole week I've been taking care of a sick child while trying to keep my own sickness at bay, and what has given me immense pleasure during these long nights and days, is watching Spring arrive.

But let me just show you what it's looking like for me around here, and I know that some of you are still under winter advisories and being slammed by snow, but maybe these photos will give you some hope that Spring may just be around the corner for you too.

I do think one of the most beautiful birds out there, have to be the Woodpeckers.  Aren't just lovely?  Noisy, and quite annoying and destructive at times, but nonetheless beautiful.

While enjoying these new signs of Spring outside the house, I've also been loving the sun rising earlier and setting later too. Though I will tell you the whole daylight savings change has completely thrown me off kilter and I've been exhausted this past week.

I don't think my body is quite used to this anymore so it's taking a while to catch up, but then throw in my son being sick and not sleeping well and waking up at all times of the night, and it makes for a very tired and quite cranky momma. It's one of those joys of motherhood that we need to accept and deal with, right?

So here are just a few pics of the past few days......

::::  early morning oatmeal with honey and bananas

:::: sitting down to a quick bite to eat before starting school with the kids

Last night we had the kid's Tae Kwon Do testing in Boise.  Let me tell you that I was so nervous for them that I almost couldn't watch my children do their form and the sparring.  I wanted to cry LOL

They were nervous too and I could tell that they were, but they did SO well and they kept their composure and got up there and did their best, and that is what matters.

This past week I've been talking to them at length before the testing, reminding them that this is for fun and that yes, they need to give it their all and their best, but if for some reason they don't make the next stripe or belt, that they need to show good sportsmanship and not make a big fuss about it.

I know that they understand it and were both quite prepared to get there and have fun, no matter what.

I'm happy to report though that both my kids and my nephew passed and got their yellow stripe.

Let me explain to you first that they've missed out on 2 testing occasions since they started last year September, because unfortunately our financial situation didn't allow us to go, it costs $85 per child to test and with us having 2 kids, that's a lot of money.

But we're so happy that we are finally back on track and are able to do this for our children. They did us proud :)

This week coming up, I have a few projects I would like to work on.  I have downloaded quite a few forms and printables for budgeting, menu planning and so forth.

I have also been doing a bit of research online and have found some amazing blogs about organizing and planning etc.   Can you believe that I don't have a planner, never really used one??

But I find that now I am starting to realize just how helpful they are, and I think they will make my life much easier when I can see what I have coming up in the next few days, weeks, months.....but as I figure it all out, I'll share with you too.  And if you do use planners and organizers, I would love some advice, hints and such.

Alright, now it's time to get going.  I have a date with my TV, have lots of shows to catch up on so I'm going to try and do that, I'm thinking I shouldn't fall asleep too early because I actually took a nap this afternoon.  If you know me, you know that is something I don't do, I never nap LOL  But I'm just plain tuckered out and needing to catch up on my sleep and I'm assuming that was my body's way of telling me that.

I do hope you've all had a great week and weekend so far.  I have to get some grocery shopping done tomorrow and I'm hoping to bake some bread and then get into my craft room and working on my quilt a little.  Not sure how much of that I'll actually achieve, but we shall see.

Blessings,
Sandra

Tuesday Happenings!

I am so very cold. I thought Spring was making an entrance but then it seemed to have disappeared just as quickly as it made it's entrance. What is going on?

Yesterday especially was quite the crazy weather day, we had rain, thunder, lightning, snow and hail mix all in the space of 30 minutes.  Craziest thing I've seen in a while, and the sky looked so menacing.

Needless to say, it's been cold here, cold enough that I've had to turn on the fire and I haven't had to do that in about three weeks or so.  Cold enough as well that there are quite a few people down with colds, sore throats, sinus issues etc.  Me being one, and my son being the other.

He's had to miss Tae Kwon Do already this week because he's running a bit of a low grade fever, has a sore throat and a runny nose and is just plain feeling sick.  I'm doing no better, though I can't exactly sit down and relax, so I push through it, drink orange juice and lots of hot tea with my favorite winter concoction.

Actually had to make a fresh batch as the other one finished not so long ago. I don't go through the winter without this jar in my refrigerator, maybe it's just me, but I do think it helps a lot.

I've talked about it before, and if you want to know how to make it, just read my "In Preparation for Winter" post. 

My sourdough starter is doing amazing and I've already made two loaves of bread and a batch of cinnamon rolls.  I fed it again and by Thursday I'll be making another two loaves of bread.

Now, I have to show you something. Remember I told you that I had found something at the Thrift Store that I just had to have because it reminded me of my childhood?

Ok well here it is, and I'm sure many of you will remember it from your homes growing up.

A vintage Tupperware Jello Mold.  Oh my goodness, if I could only explain how this brought back memories.

Funny enough, my brother was over the other day and I brought this to him and said nothing, but his face was hilarious, he immediately remembered seeing it in our kitchen growing up, and how my stepmom would use it to make jello and caramel pudding.

It comes with the different little mold lids like the tulip that is picture, but inside it's got the christmas tree, the star and the heart, JUST like my stepmom's one.  What a great find for my own kitchen.

You know I believe that we need to not sever the memories and the ties that we create in our childhoods, but rather show them to our children, share them with the kids and recreate some of those happy moments from when we were there age.

So yes, you can bet that this weekend there will be some caramel pudding being made in that mold, I'll show you all when it's done :)

Today has been so busy for me, I'm super tired and ready for bed.  I did spend most of the day either doing school work with the 4 kids or on the phone with Tricare and trying to sort out our current medical insurance.  It's NOT fun, it's a royal pain in the behind, and even though I was told over and over by so many of my friends that once you retire things change dramatically, and that everything you're told while active duty about the help out there for retirees is nothing but talk...it's quite a shock when you finally deal with it yourself.

But we'll keep going, asking, looking, researching and getting the answers we need.

Anyway, busy day but now I'm sitting down to relax a little, maybe watch some TV and also get some work done on the computer.

I'll leave you with tonight's dinner which was a quick Pork Stir Fry Rice, just something I threw together as I was running quite late with the dinner preparations.

Alright friends, I need to go and give my son some medicine and rub some more Vicks on his chest, I do hope he starts feeling better soon because he has Tae Kwon Do tomorrow and Thursday and he can't miss it because he's testing for his new belt on Friday.  Fingers crossed!!!

Happy Homemaker Monday - 03/10/2014

Good morning everybody. I am so so tired today, you know the whole clocks changing thing is something I didn't have to worry about while living in Arizona, and now I am so confused and lost LOL

That whole hour we are losing out on? Yep, my body is feeling it this morning. I better keep a pot of coffee going or I may be falling asleep throughout the day.

Anyway, here we are, new week and another Happy Homemaker Monday. And look, I finally got around to changing the button, yay!! Feel free to use it, or continue using one of the previous ones, it's up to you :)

As I look outside my window:::
I see nothing, it is pitch black still out side.  I do hear the birds chirping away.  We've had a bit of a cold turn in our weather, it's been downright chilly and I've even had to turn the fire on at night a few times.  Right now it's 49 degrees and we're supposed to go up to 52, but having more rain which has been ongoing here for the past week. 

Right now I am:::
Sitting at my kitchen table, trying to wake up and yawning away.  All I can think is "it's too early to be up" LOL   

Thinking and pondering:::
About our upcoming move, whether we're going to rent or buy etc.   

On my bedside table:::
Coming Home by Mariah Stewart.
My Bible

On my tv tonight:::
Monday:
Last night's Call the Midwife and The Musketeers.
Catching up on When Calls the Heart from Saturday
The Trip to Bountiful
Star Crossed
Tuesday:
The Little Couple
Supernatural
Wednesday:
Ghost Hunters
Thursday:
Reign
Here comes Honey Boo Boo
Friday:
Catch up on shows I missed during the week
Movies with family
Saturday:
When Calls the Heart
Sunday:
Walking Dead
Long Island Medium

Listening to:::
Nothing but the hum of my refrigerator

On the menu for this week:::

Have to work on the new menu and grocery list, so only have it planned until Friday which is grocery day.
Monday - Grilled Steaks, Baked Potatoes
Tuesday - Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, Egg Noodles (new recipe)
Wednesday - Hamburger Helper (not a fan but my family loves it and requested it)
Thursday - Pork and Snow Pea Stir Fry, Steamed Rice (new recipe)
Friday - Grocery Shopping
Saturday -
Sunday -

On my to do list:::
Lots of laundry to wash, iron, put away
Sweep, vacuum, mop floors
Homeschooling
Work on budget, envelope system

Happening this week:::
Monday - Tae Kwon Do
Tuesday - Nothing
Wednesday - Tae Kwon Do
Thursday - Tae Kwon Do
Friday - Running Errands, Grocery Shopping

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Slowly catching up with my Crochet Mood Blanket.

My simple pleasure:::
Homemaking (I know it may come as a shock to some of you, but I truly do love what I do)

Lesson learned the past week:::
That life is too short and precious.  One of the 4 year olds at my niece's dance studio, passed away in a car accident a few days ago.  So heartbreaking, makes you want to hug your children tighter.

Looking around the house:::
Very dark, except for my fairy lights in the corner.  It's quiet, the kids are still asleep and hubby is downstairs getting ready for work.  I have a bowl on the counter with sourdough that has been rising overnight and here shortly, I will go and turn the dough into beautiful bread loaves and some cinnamon rolls. 

From the camera:::

Prayer List:::
Family of the little girl and all the dancers and teachers at the studio.
My usual list which comprises of family and friends. 

Bible verse, Devotional:::
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 1 Peter 3:15 NIV

PLEASE, don't add links to this list that are not part of the Happy Homemaker Monday. I've asked numerous times, and I'm frankly quite tired of having to remove links to other posts that shouldn't be in this list. Please be respectful of my request!

Friday and Saturday!

I was supposed to update yesterday but then I wasn't feeling too hot, so I ended up being completely lazy and doing nothing most of the day.  This cold that I have coming on is messing with me big time, and by the way, what is it with these colds lately, anyone else feel like you're always sick?

So yesterday, we took it very easy, I got my usual housework done early in the morning and then I literally did nothing all day long, and guess what?  It felt good AND the world didn't end, go figure.

First thing in the morning I painted my nails. I don't know about you all but when I'm not feeling very well, a fresh coat of nail polish always makes me feel slightly better. This time I was inspired by my beautiful pink tulips.

It also screams Spring to me, don't you think so?

Next on the list were a few errands, had to drop off my books at the library, and I'm quite irritated about that because after dropping them off and getting home, I found another book in my crochet basket, so I have to go back tomorrow.

I also had to run by my husband's work to drop off some paperwork he needed. The thing about him working at a Thrift Store is that I can never just walk in and walk out, something always catches my attention. I didn't buy anything but I love walking around and looking through all the shelves, you honestly never know what you will find.

Came home, threw in a load of clothes in the washer and then started lunch. My kids asked for some Tuna Salad so that is what I made. I tried out my Potato Express, I don't remember when I picked it up but it was quite a while ago, and I had it stashed away in one of my kitchen cabinets. Worked pretty well, so I'm happy with it.

While the potatoes cooked in the microwave and the eggs on the stove, I watered all my plants, including my new seedlings which are already looking good. This is my Sweet Basil, and I also have Parsley but those have yet to make an appearance.

That was pretty much all for Friday, I sat on the couch with my crochet and tried to catch up on the month of February. Honestly though, I am so far behind that I think I'm done with this blanket, but then my hubby tells me I'm not and I need to just keep going so I don't know....

For dinner last night, I fixed some Chili Spaghetti, which is a combination of some of my family's favorite meals. It was so good and it hit the spot.

I was going to watch a movie on TV but decided on reading instead. I am starting the Chesapeake Diaries series by Mariah Stewart, have any of you read them? I'm enjoying the first book so far. Actually I had read one already for a book review a few weeks ago.

Anyway, read for a bit, then fell asleep. When I'm not feeling well I tend to sleep more, must be my body trying to heal up.

This morning we got to sleep in which always feels good since we are up pretty early during the week. My husband had a lot of school work to catch up on and I had the usual laundry and housework to get started on.

Around noon, he had to go into work for something and asked me to go with him, so I did. We looked around his store for a bit and I found something which I just HAD to have. It was only 50 cents, but I had to get it because it immediately transported me back in time to my childhood. I wish I had taken a photo but I completely forgot about it, not a problem though I'll take one tomorrow to show you.

We then ran by the other thrift store in town to see what they had, and I found a pirex dish with a lid and another little one that is part of my corning ware set. They were only 65 cents each so you can't beat that. And I found some cookbooks to add to my collection, and since I'm back to trying out new recipes, these will be handy.

I also had to feed my starter. Remember a few days ago I started another Sourdough Starter?

Well it had to be fed today so that is what I did. I just finished popping it in the fridge, tomorrow morning I'll remove one cup and make some sourdough bread and some cinnamon rolls and then keep feeding it every 3 days. I do love this starter, it has never gone wrong for me.

Yesterday, or actually Thursday I mentioned my Deli Slicer, and a couple of you sent me messages asking me more about it, so I thought I would show you.

I just love it, I use it to slice up ham and cheese because I buy them by the blocks which is cheaper than the prepackaged one you find in the stores.

Lots of ham.  I will take half of it and freeze it because I do end up with way more than my little family can consume before it goes bad. 

After all these chores were done, I sat down with my hubby and kids to watch Hansel and Gretel on Netflix.  It was quite a good movie, nothing out of this world or something I would go out and watch again but it was a good Saturday afternoon movie.

Now I'm finishing up this post, and then I have some stuff to watch.  I'm glad it's Saturday night which means I get to stay up as late as I want and watch movies or whatever.  Do any of you do that?

You know I remember many many years ago when movie stores were still in business.  Every Friday and Saturday my husband and I would go and rent about 5 or 6 movies and then Saturday night we would camp out in front of the TV and have big movie marathons.  I loved that. 

I still wish movie stores were around, but I guess nowadays with Netflix and Hulu and the internet, no one really goes out to rent anything anymore, but it was such a fun thing to do as a family, wasn't it?

Oh well, times change, things change and we just have to hold on to the memories and adapt as we go. 

Tonight I have a few things lined up to watch, some on the DVR and some online.

When Calls the Heart
Ghost Adventures
The Trip to Bountiful
Winter's Tale
I, Frankenstein
Pompeii
The Prize Winne of Defiance, Ohio

I'm not saying I'll watch them all tonight, but those are a few on the list, now to decide what to watch first....decisions, decisions.

Alright my friends, I'm going to head on out.  I want to leave you with a question though, what was your favorite Saturday family activity growing up, or even when you first got married?  Did you also enjoy watching movies, or was it family game night?  Would love to hear :)