Alpacas, Blueberry Pancakes and Wood Pile!!!!

Good morning friends.  It's a beautiful Friday morning here in North Texas.

I am on my second of coffee, because I just need it today.  I slept pretty well but woke up feeling so incredibly tired still, I'm pretty certain it's a mixture of being sick with a cold, allergies and being a woman (you know what I mean *wink*).  My husband tells me I got triple damage this week LOL

I actually felt pretty good yesterday, not 100% but not that horrible achy, feverish feeling either, and that's always a plus when you're a mom and wife right?

The night before, I was literally slumped over at the stove trying to fix dinner, and I kept thinking that women are so incredibly strong.  We have this ability to push through whatever is affecting us, and just get the task at hand completed.  Now I'm not saying that it's done gracefully or joyfully, but it does get done.

I tend to set aside my feelings a lot and deal with everyone else around me.  "You can have your pity party AFTER dinner is done, AFTER the kitchen is clean and AFTER you've laid in bed.".  That's what I always tell myself.

Anyway, let me show you what I've been doing around here, or rather, what I did yesterday.

By the way, before I get started, Happy Friday the 13th!!!!  *insert spooky music*

I spent about an hour yesterday morning, working on my Liliana, trying to catch up because Part 3 was just released today and I'm still on Part 2.  I should get it done this morning though and then I can move on.

I used to feel like I just HAD to be up to date with my crochet projects, but that's not realistic because life doesn't just stop when I pick up my hook and yarn, much as I would like it too, it doesn't happen.

The days have been so beautiful lately, I haven't had to turn my AC on in 3 days, which makes me extremely happy, finally a little break on our electric bill, at least I hope.

I was out in the morning trying to work on our wood pile, and Marley as always, was at my feet, happily sniffing every blade of grass, every ant that walked by and randomly barking at the Alpacas across the street.

So I took a few pics for you.  I tell you, I could sit and watch them all day.

There are all in all, I think 12, at least that's how many I've counted.  Beautiful creatures and so sweet natured.

We also have horses right next door.  I am wanting to go right up to the fence and get some good pictures, just haven't had time to do it.

While I was outside, I had an idea for a garland for my fireplace.  So I gathered a bunch of leaves and while I was doing that, I noticed that Marley was being quite adventurous.

Let me start by telling you that he refuses to leave the driveway, he does NOT go on the grass or anywhere else in the yard, matter of fact when I get the mail, he just stands at the driveway and watches me.

Well I turned around yesterday and he was halfway down the yard almost to the gate.  I was shocked, but also happy to see that he is finally starting to be a little more adventurous.  He is one years old and I guess now is the time to start exploring.

I will show you my garland once it's up, but I'll be using leaves and my dried orange slices.

Once all the outside work was done, I retired inside and had a craving for some blueberry pancakes.  That is what I made for lunch and everyone loved them, including hubby who had come home for lunch and was quite happy to devour a stack of these.

They didn't rise as usual, because I used my homemade pancake mix, but I think my baking powder is not as fresh anymore.  They tasted amazing, especially since the blueberries tend to pop and ooze out during cooking.

I have about half a jar left of my pancake mix and I'm going to use it up this weekend, and then make a new batch with fresh baking powder.

Since I'm sick, after doing those chores, I tried to relax the rest of the day, drank lots of fluids, took some meds and crocheted.  While I did that, I watched two Hallmark movies which I absolutely loved.

The first one was called Rural Girl, and the second was Love Finds you in SugarCreek.  I'm giving you the links to where you can watch online, which is where I watched them.

Oh and did I mention that both movies are about the Amish?  Love, Love, Loveeeee!!!

I will probably be watching some more Hallmark or Lifetime movies today, but first, I am going to indulge in some Who do you Think you Are?  but the UK version.

Honestly, if I had the chance, I would totally go back and trace my ancestor's steps and find out exactly where I'm from.  When someone asks me I get a little confused at first because I was born in Mozambique which was a Portuguese Colony so I'm Portuguese, but I left when I was 2, moved to Portugal until I was 10, then to South Africa until I was 24 and then to the USA.

It's a bit difficult trying to explain that to people, and when I'm asked "where are you from?", I instinctively reply "South Africa".  But I'm not really from there am I?

Oh my, I have got myself quite confused with it all hahahah

Anywayyyyyy, as I was saying, I would love to figure it all out.  But for now I will live vicariously through others on TV.

Hope you all have a gorgeous blessed Friday.
xoxoxoxoxo

A little change and a big hello :)

Hi everyone :)

I know, you're probably shocked to see me here with a normal post and not a Happy Homemaker Monday or a Book Review.

Life has again gotten in the way of blogging, as it seems to do quite often lately, but I've been working on getting back on track and being able to start daily blogging again, which is something I'm very passionate about.

I have a lot of ideas and thoughts and things that I want to do, it's just a matter of getting it from my brain to the blog, and that is where I tend to fall short, more often than not.

Anyway, I'm sure the first thing you noticed is that the blog look has changed, and I did that yesterday because I wanted to go back to a more simple set up.  I quite liked my previous template but it was a bit of a pain to work through, there were a lot of behind the scenes html codes, and changes here and there on a daily basis, that got a bit frustrating to deal with.

While this one is not as modern or technologically appealing, it is simple and serves it's purpose.

Life has been going at full speed here, we've been so busy, and with Fall upon us and the temperatures finally cooling down, we've gone full speed into preparing for winter months and hopefully relying more on fire wood instead of the central heating.  *our electricity bill is ridiculous in this house*

Curt has been working hard on chopping wood around the property, and I've been helping him bring it back to the house, stack it and pile it and get it ready.

Living on 3 acres means that we have abundant trees, and as the years go by, they die out, branches fall, branches need pruning and so forth.  We are never without firewood, so much so that we give some to my brother as well.

We'll continue to work on our stock pile this coming weekend, as well as finishing harvesting our pecan trees which have started dropping a big harvest.  It's like the back yard is littered in Pecans.

I'll freeze as many as I can, but I also want to make some Pecan milk from them.  If I do, I'll share with you the process and show you how it turns out.

I've been trying to use up the last few days of warmth, to dry the clothes outside instead of using the dryer.  All in an attempt to save some money.

I haven't exactly been very successful in that area, since we had a ton of rain coming down on us for what seemed like two weeks straight.

It did help the temperatures to drop because until that moment, Texas seemed a bit confused about what Season of the year we were in.  The high 90's were unrelenting.

Of course when it rains, I turn to even more coffee, so copious amounts of that liquid gold have been consumed.  Thankfully it doesn't keep me from sleeping, or I would be in serious trouble.

Speaking of sleeping, both Curt and I spent last night tossing and turning, and woke up feeling absolutely dreadful.  Sore throats, coughs, congestion, runny noses and fevers.

I hate sending him off to work like that, knowing that I can stay home and lay down if I need to.  Even thought I suggested he maybe take the day off, since he never does, he didn't want to.  I'm blessed with an extremely hard working husband :)

I did send him off with cold meds, orange juice and vitamin C.  Honestly just hoping whatever this cold is, it goes away quick.  But I guess it's that time of year isn't it?  Everyone is coming down with colds and sniffles.

The kids are both doing well.  Nicholas has pulled out all the old Nintendo systems and he's been enjoying Super Mario and Yoshi and all the classics.  It's made for some fun bonding moments between him and Curt as they've spent weekends just playing together, laughing and joking.  It's a joy to see.

I'm slowly crocheting through my Mandala Madness, and the newest blanket, the Liliana.

Other than that, it's just been business as usual, every day normal life. 

I've tried to be more consistent in sharing my grocery hauls on my Youtube Channel, so if you haven't yet subscribed, be sure to go on over and do that so you won't miss future hauls.  Starting on Sunday, I'll also be doing a Weekly Meals video showing all our dinners for the week.  It's been requested from me quite a lot and my husband just gave me the push to do it.

I think for the time being that is about as much as you'll see from me when it comes to Vlogging, though I do enjoy the Instagram stories, which I guess is sort of vlogging?

My husband and kids have been trying to talk me into doing Vlogmas this year even though neither of them want to be filmed, but I'm sure I could do small daily videos all through the December.

Let me know what you think and if that is something you would enjoy, I would of course do them on Youtube but also post them here on the blog.

And that's it really, I'm going to get off here as I'm really not feeling well.

Hope you are all doing well, and I'm looking forward to sharing more posts in the coming days :)

Happy Homemaker Monday - 10/09/2017

Good morning everyone, hope you've had a great weekend.

Mine went by so quickly.  We didn't do anything really, aside from having the family over for dinner on Saturday night and then my nephew slept over.  Yesterday I literally did absolutely nothing, I did a quick cleaning of the house and then sat with hubby and Jasmine and watched some movies.

Today hubby is off work, so we are doing yard work and I think I might rearrange the living room, I'm not sure yet but kind of been throwing ideas around in my mind.  We'll see if it happens or not.

Anyway, I hope you all have a beautiful blessed week ahead.  Let's get on with our Happy Homemaker Monday!!!

Breakfast time....what is on the plate this morning::::
Just had a cup of coffee with Sweet Cream Creamer, and two pieces of toasted Raisin Bread with butter.

Right now I am::::
Typing up this post, while trying to keep Marley off my lap.  He wants to play so keeps bringing his toys, plopping them on the laptop and then trying to get on my lap as well lol

Looking around the house::::
I just need to pick up in the living rooms, Marley has his toys all over the place.  Other than that, the house is clean and tidy which makes me smile.

On today's to do list::::
Laundry.....One load of jeans and trousers to wash, and a load of whites.
Cleaning.....In the kitchen, I need to unload the dishwasher and reload.  Make beds, give bathrooms a quick clean.
Homeschooling.....There's no school today   

Cooking....I have a frozen pizza that I'll thrown in for lunch today.  Dinner is Bolognese Pasta and a Salad. 

Currently reading::::
My Fall and Winter tour books have started to trickle in.  I'm going to see which one is first to be reviewed and get right into that one. 

On the TV today::::
Yesterday's Outlander
The Last Post

I was thinking last night that I miss some of the older shows I used to watch, way back in the day.  I might rewatch them.  And I'm talking like really old shows, for example:

Hill Street Blues
St. Elsewhere
Murder she wrote
Love Boat
L.A. Law
Chicago Hope
Twin Peaks

The weather outside is::::
A bit of a strange week ahead, today the highs are in the upper 80's, tomorrow the high will be 65, but then back up to the upper 80's the next day.  Can we PLEASE get Fall weather???? 

On the menu this week::::
Monday - Bolognese Pasta, Salad

Tuesday - Lebanese Chicken with Rice

Wednesday - Skillet Potatoes and Kielbasa, Green Beans

Thursday - Fried Chicken with Mash, Milk Gravy
Friday - Real Italian Calzones


If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::
Try to either start my next book, or grab the camera and go outside for some Fall pictures, OR, start on one of the older TV shows. 

New recipe I tried, or want to try this week::::
Bolognese Pasta is new, so is the Lebanese Chicken. 

One of my simple pleasures::::
Watching old TV shows.  It makes me so extremely happy, transports me to a simpler time in life and at least for that moment, I am away from the present and all the horrible things going on around us. 

Favorite photo from the camera or internet::::
I was looking through old blog posts and came upon this picture, it made me smile so much because it brought back memories of our library at Luke AFB.  Gosh I miss it.  I have not found a good one since then and it's so sad to me because I love nothing more than spending an afternoon looking through the book shelves.
 



Praying for::::
All of us, the country in general, that the hatred and disregard for human life and people in general, ends.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 5 - Favorite Drink

Hi everyone, it's Day 5 of our Blogtober 2017, and today's prompt is all about our favorite drink.

Now I know that some of these prompts may seem a little weird, but keep in mind that the original idea for this monthly feature was a Homemaking once a day through the month of October. 

Anyway, my favorite drink is water with ice and lemon.  It used to be Diet Coke, matter of fact I drank so much of it, it was quite bad.

For the past month, I've switched to mainly just water, on the weekends I'll have a glass or two of some sort of diet soda, but the rest of the time, it's just water with ice and lemon, and I'm drinking about 64 oz a day.

It means lots of trips to the bathroom, but I've noticed such a change in my skin my dark circles under my eyes and my energy levels too.  It's literally detoxifying my body from the years of abuse.

So there you have it, my favorite drink.  What is yours?

Blogtober 2017 - Day 4 - Your Bible Reading

Hi everyone, welcome back to Blogtober Day 4.  I hope you've been enjoying these so far, I know it's not exactly my usual blogging material and I do need to sit down and do a proper catch up, but for the moment this is what I have time to do and I feel that at least I'm posting something on a daily basis :)

Anyway, today's prompt is all about our Bible Reading, so I thought I would share with you one of my favorite verses, because I've ashamedly NOT been reading my Bible lately.  Possibly why my life seems so completely out of whack at the moment, so that's another for my "Must Remedy" List.

While I was thinking about this very thing, and the fact that I didn't have a specific Bible verse to share with you, I ran across a very interesting Devotional by Renee Swope, titled "When your life feels like a mess."

It's from back in 2014, but I swear it could have been written a few hours ago and totally been about me and how I'm feeling lately.

By the way, a couple of you have asked if I'm ok, and I am, I'm fine, my marriage is fine, my children are fine, we're healthy.  It's just life in general, and kind of feeling a little out of whack with myself when it comes to eating healthy and exercising, not letting laziness take over, staying on track with my projects and things I need to do around here, including the blogging.

That's what I mean when I talk about my current *messy* state of mind.

Anyway, going back to the devotional, Renee talks about how at times when her own life feels like a mess, she asks God to remind her of times He worked in her life or others, in ways she could never have imagined.

I thought that was quite a poignant way to approach this, rather than stew in my misery or stay stuck, I need to remember that even if I feel like my life is meaningless, or pointless at the moment, there is always and I mean ALWAYS a bigger force at work and something I'm working towards.

Here's the biggest thing I took from it.....

In times when I feel discouraged or am going through a difficult circumstance, I need to pull closer to God and not allow those negative thoughts or feelings to make me stray or pull even further than where I should be.

Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me that You are always with me, just like You were with Joseph. When I face hard circumstances, I want to lean in and depend on You for wisdom, patience and grace. In all these things, I will remember that I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Romans 8:37, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (NIV)

I hope that if any of you are in a similar situation, or frame of mind, that maybe my words today and Renee's teachings can pull you out of the darkness and into the light, where we truly belong.

Have a beautiful Thursday night and I'll see you all back here tomorrow for Day 5 and possibly an actual chit chat post :)

Blogtober 2017 - Day 3 - A project on your to do list

Hi everyone, it's day 3 of my Blogtober 2017, and today it's all about a project on your to do list.

Honestly, I have so many, it was kind of hard to pick just one, but I guess the biggest one on my list right now is my dresser.  I've actually decided to put it in my bedroom as a TV stand, shelf etc.

I've also decided that I'm going to paint all my furniture white.  It's mostly black but I'm not liking it anymore, and really want to go a lighter route, so white it is.



This is on my agenda for this weekend, so we'll see how far I get with it :)

Blogtober 2017 - Day 2 - Completed Home Task

Good morning everyone :)

Well it's Day two in my Blogtober 2017.   I got the inspiration from a current Instagram Homemaking feature going on this month, but decided to do it on my blog instead.

I'm using pretty much all the prompts, except for a few that I changed here and there to better suit my blog.

Today's prompt is to share a Completed Home Task.  I didn't want to share the usual cleaning picture, so I am sharing another task that is also part of homemaking.  Bread!!!

I made two loaves of Raisin Cinnamon Bread, and today I'm making two loaves of Pumpkin Spice Bread.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 1

Alright, so I keep saying I need to get back on track with blogging, and I really need to because when I look back at how much I've blogged the month of August and September, it's quite pitiful.

I still have a lot going on, am quite busy and I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, so I thought that I would need something to basically ease me back into the habit of posting every single day.

I was on Instagram and saw this really cool idea, obviously it's for Instagram but there's nothing saying I can't just adapt it and do it here on the blog instead, right?

 Here are the prompts for this month, obviously I didn't post yesterday, so I'm starting today and shifting things one day, so technically even though today should be Day 2, it's actually going to be Day 1 for me.

I can't wait to share this with you each day in October, it will be quite fun :)  If anyone wants to join in, let me know and I can pop in a linky at the bottom.

Happy October friends!!!

Haven't started yet, but plan on starting sometime this week.

Happy Homemaker Monday - 10/02/2017

Good morning everyone, hope you've had a brilliant weekend.

Can you believe we are already in October?  I'm starting to think about Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping, for goodness sakes.

I've been a little distant from the blog, just have a lot going on right now, but that's no excuse, I have got to get my butt back on track....not just blog wise, but even health wise, I've been so busy and not really paying attention to exercise and healthy eating, and I've gained 5 pounds.  So frustrated with myself.  Anyway, upwards and onwards right???

Let's get going with our  Happy Homemaker Monday and see what everyone is up to.

Also, want to send some quick prayers up for the innocent victims and their families, of the senseless, horrible shooting in Las Vegas.  :(

Breakfast time....what is on the plate this morning::::
Had a cup of coffee and two slices of my Raisin Cinnamon Bread.

Looking around the house::::
Needs some picking up and tidying, but otherwise it is clean.

On today's to do list::::
Laundry.....Have some blankets to wash, and also want to give all the bathroom rugs a quick wash.  , Cleaning.....In the kitchen, I need to unload the dishwasher and reload.  Vacuum and carpet clean both living rooms and my bedroom.  Clean the bathrooms (toilets and showers, tubs).  Homeschooling.....Help Nick with his Sign Language portfolio, he needs to record himself again.   
Budgeting.....really want to work on a new budget.  I'm currently working with EveryDollar, but I haven't really taken the time to sit down and get it all sorted, hope I can get to that today.
Cooking....Not sure what I'm having for lunch, but might just do a quick salad.  Dinner tonight is Korean Style Chicken with Rice.

Currently reading::::
Nothing at the moment, all my review books are finished until November when the new Fall/Winter tours will kick in.  I should start receiving the newer books this week.

On the TV today::::
Yesterday's Outlander
Also a wonderful new series just started.  It is called The Last Post and starts Jessica Raine from Call the Midwife.
Have two new Portuguese Soaps that I have yet to catch up on, just haven't had the time.

The weather outside is::::
The rain finally stopped, it's been blue clear skies the past two days.  It's currently 66 degrees, this week we'll be in the 80's.  Do have more rain coming in tomorrow and Wednesday.   

On the menu this week::::

Monday
Korean Style Chicken, Basmati Rice

Tuesday
Pork Schnitzel with Garlic and Butter Spaghetti

Wednesday
Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy, Biscuits

Thursday
Beef Curry

Friday
Not sure yet, going grocery shopping in the morning


If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::
Grab the camera and head outside to snap some more Fall pictures.

New recipe I tried, or want to try this week::::
Last night I made a Raisin and Cinnamon Bread that turned out fantastic.  I'm hoping to share the recipe later today.
I want to try and make a Pumpkin Spice Bread today, so we'll see how that turns out.

One of my simple pleasures::::
Enjoying the simple things, a cup of tea, a good book, an especially yummy shortbread cookie.

Favorite photo from the camera or internet::::

This is my current desktop wallpaper and I LOVE it so much :)

Praying for::::
For myself, to get my head in the game, figure out the allergies, figure out my health and get back on track eating healthy and exercising.  Also to get back in the game with blogging which is really frustrating me at the moment.  Just need God to help me focus. 
Praying for everyone impacted by this awful tragedy in Las Vegas.


Bible Verse, Devotional that is resonating with me at the moment:::: 
Definitely where I'm struggling at the moment

Happy Homemaker Monday - 09/25/2017

Good morning friends, I am so sorry this is going up much later than usual.

I just walked in the door, had to take my daughter to a doctor's appointment this morning.

Anyway, let's get going.

The Weather:::
74 degrees at the moment, cloudy and a bit windy.  We are expecting rain today, tomorrow and Wednesday.  This whole week is going to be in the 70's which I'm grateful for because it's Fall and it certainly doesn't feel like it around Texas. 

Right now I am:
I just sat on the couch.  I walked in the door, took off my shoes and jeans, slipped on some pajama pants and my slippers and got the laundry switched over.  I also gave the kids some lunch, quickly blitzed my Butternut Squash soup that I left going in the crockpot this morning and am now finally able to sit and get this post up.

Thinking:
That I feel quite rough today, just not feeling well.  My stomach is not right, I have heartburn and a headache going too.  My husband wasn't feel well this morning either, so not sure if we picked something up when we were out this weekend.     

On my reading pile:::
I'm almost done with all my book reviews for the summer.  Then I have nothing until November and December when the next Winter tours kick in.  It will be nice to take a little break but I'm going to miss reading.  I do have another Nancy E. Turner book on my shelf, so I'll dive into that one :)

On my tv:::
Watched Death Note with my husband, and I found it so ridiculous.  The whole movie was awful, the movie itself, the acting, just awful.
I'm still catching up on The Great British Bake off, finished Season 2, and am hoping to start Season 3 today.

Today I'll be watching:
General Hospital
Outlander
Victoria


On the menu for this week:::
I did a grocery haul over on Youtube, so if you're interested and like watching those, be sure to head over and subscribe :)

Monday - Portuguese Pork with Bacon and Roast Potatoes
Tuesday - Roast Chicken, Rice, Carrots and Gravy
Wednesday - Swedish Meatball Pasta, Salad
Thursday - Bratwurst, Potato Salad
Friday - Korean Style Chicken, Basmati Rice
Saturday - Steaks, Cream Sauce and homemade fries
Sunday - Leftovers or Fend for Yourself (the past few months, my hubby and kids have requested that Sunday be a "eat whatever" day.  Mainly to give me a break from cooking, but also because they like snacking and enjoy doing that.)

On my to do list:::
Housework -  Just doing laundry, I am leaving everything else for tomorrow, because I'm not feeling well.
Homeschooling
Menu Plan

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Nothing at the moment, had a very busy week last week and didn't get to crochet anything, so all my projects are on hold for the moment.

Looking around the house:::
It's a beautiful morning, a little cloudy with the sun peeking in here and there.  Curtains are open, back screen door is open to let in a little breeze.  The storm seems to have moved on at the minute so it's quiet on the home front.  Marley is snoozing next to me on the couch, Nick is up but is watching some videos on his phone and Jasmine is still asleep.  House is quiet and I quite enjoy these moments before I get started with my day.

From the camera:::

Tonight's dinner will be these Portuguese Pork Chops with Bacon and roast potatoes.  I linked the recipe for you all above.  

Bible verse, Devotional:::