Tuesday, April 11, 2017

{ Weekly Meals in Review }

Hi everyone, I thought I would come in and show you what our last week of meals looked like.  I thought it would be a good idea to start taking pictures of our nightly meals and doing a weekly roundup, including recipe links if available.

Might give someone inspiration for their own meals or help coming up with menu plans, so I hope you enjoy :)

Monday
Better than Olive Garden's Fettucine Alfredo

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Tuesday
(we were are testing so I picked up some sub sandwiches for dinner)


Wednesday
Baked Salmon, Garlic and butter potatoes, salad

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Thursday
Baked Manicotti, Salad

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Friday
Beef Curry

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Monday, April 10, 2017

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 04/10/2017 }

Good morning everyone, how was your weekend?

Mine was, once again, busy.  Folks, I'm so ready for a relaxing quiet weekend of doing absolutely nothing.  I think I can count on one hand, how many of those I've had since moving to Texas.  Good grief.

Anyway, let's see what is going on this week.   




The weather:::
We've had wonderful warm spring/summer like weather, and I'm very much enjoying it.  There's some rain expected on Wednesday and Thursday but nothing too bad, at least for the moment they're not expecting anything bad, but in this State you never know.


On my reading pile:::
I actually started Diana Gabaldon's Lord John Series.  I wanted something along the lines of Outlander since I have to wait so long for the new season to come out.  I've heard very good things about this Lord John series, so hopefully I enjoy it.   


Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:::
I've been catching up on Reign, also tried to watch a few on the DVR list so I can clear that out.


On my TV:::
General Hospital
Dr Phil (if it's a new one)
Recorded the first part of the new Casey Anthony documentary that started last night.  I remember this case very well, I followed it closely, watched the trial and bawled my eyes out when she was found not guilty, so I'm interested in what this new documentary may show.


On the menu for this week:::

Monday
Hamburger Noodle Bake
Tuesday
Meatballs in Brown Gravy, Mashed Potatoes  
Wednesday
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup and Breadsticks
Thursday
Chicken with tomatoes and carrots, Rice, Butternut Squash
Friday 
*Grocery Shopping....new menu will kick in* 
Saturday

Sunday
Easter....Deviled Eggs, Honey Ham, Potato Bake, Vegetables, Fried Fish, Pickled Fish, Hot Cross Buns


On my to do list:::
Monday - Clean the house from yesterday's get together
Tuesday - Finally continuing with spring cleaning, Den.
Wednesday - Spring Clean Living Room
Thursday - Spring Clean Kitchen
Friday - Grocery Shopping, Running Errands
Saturday - Yard Work


What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Plodding along with the Nuts About Squares blanket.  Have all 3 squares for the first week done, and the first square for the second week, have to make 2 more squares before Friday.


That's week one on the left and week 2 on the right.  I'm using blue, green and tan for the squares and grey for the outer 2 rows.




Looking around the house:::
Needs major picking up today, have all the remnants of yesterday's get together, just laying around.  Have tables to pick up, dishes to do, vacuuming etc.  Aside from that the rest of the house is clean.


From the camera:::
Nick's birthday is not until tomorrow, but yesterday was the day that some family could come up and see him, one of them being my mother in law who is battling breast cancer again and going through treatments.  I wasn't planning on doing anything this week but when I heard she would be able to come see us, I threw a really simple get together.  I needed to get a cake done and made my usual marshmallow fondant, but it didn't go very well, it wasn't smooth, it was lumpy and bumpy.  I wasn't too happy with it, but the cake still turned out ok.  Nick liked it and that is what matters :)



What I'm wearing today:::
It's pretty nice here today, should see a high temp of 76 and since I have cleaning and such to do, I will probably throw on some shorts and a tank. 


One of my simple pleasures:::
Having family over for a get together.  It is a lot of work, and I'm exhausted by the time everyone leaves, but I just love having people over. 


Bible verse, Devotional::: 
John 19:30
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.


Monday, April 03, 2017

{ The Past Few Days }

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So last week Thursday I did my Spring Cleaning post and then I wasn't able to get any spring cleaning done because we've had really bad weather, strong storms, tornado watches and so forth.

You're probably wondering what any of that has to be with my spring cleaning, but I want to carpet clean and open windows and wash them inside and out, and can't exactly do that with a tornado watch, high winds and hail.

I'm hoping to get things started this week but unfortunately we are going to be busy with the State Testing tomorrow and Thursday, which just sucks.  I honesty wish I could opt out of these tests.

Anyway, so Saturday morning I had to run and get the groceries, and it was literally a *run and get* because I had to come back, get things put away and get on the road to Oklahoma City by 10:30 am.

I managed to get all the frozen and fridge items put away and then literally shoved the rest of the bags in the pantry for when I returned.   I was thinking that I would be home sometime around 3pm but ended up not walking in the door until almost 7pm.  Really didn't feel like putting anything away, but I did anyway, and I filmed a grocery haul as I did it too.  I'll put it up tomorrow.

But....I'm sure you're wondering about the blessing I mentioned last week.  Well, that was exactly the reason that took us 2 hours north.


But let me rewind a couple years, and tell you a little story.

About 14 years ago when my father in law passed away, Curt and I really wanted his truck. It meant the world to Curt to be able to have his dad's truck, unfortunately we had no way of affording it and were heartbroken to see it sold to someone else.

We are currently a one car family and have been needing a second vehicle for a while, but we have quite a few financial commitments (a lot brought on by our move to Texas), and haven't been able to afford anything. We put it in God's hands and have just waited for the right vehicle to come our way, and preferably a truck.

A few days ago that blessing materialized. To some it may just be a simple truck, but to us, and especially to Curtis, it means the absolute world. See this isn't just any truck that God placed in our way, this was Uncle Mike's truck. The right price, the right time and from a wonderful family member.


Curt wasn't able to have his dad's vehicle, but he got his uncle's (dad's brother), and that is the closest thing to perfect. This literally made his year

That is what we went up there for, to pick up the truck.

It is a huge blessing to our family, and let me tell you, this truck is going to not only help us but my husband is so happy and I just know he is going to treasure his Uncle's truck.

While up in Oklahoma, we took our aunt to lunch at an amazing Indian restaurant.  She is an incredibly strong woman and her strong faith sustained her through all of his cancer treatments and through his passing and is continuing to keep her going.  She does have her days, obviously, and when we showed up on Saturday she was in desperate need of some family hugs and family time.

Thankfully we managed to make her feel better and even got a few good laughs and smiles out of her.

Here is a picture we took right before we left.  My brother and sister in law drove up there with us, so that they could drive my car back.


Sunday, Curt and I spent cleaning out the garage, giving it a good tidying up and clean up so that we could fit his truck in there too.  We managed to get a lot of stuff thrown out which we've been wanting to do for a while but didn't have a big truck to haul it all, so this again was a huge blessing.

So a busy weekend was had and I really could have used a bit more rest time before starting this crazy week but, it is what it is.

I do have a few photos to share with you.  I did spring clean the foyer/entry way.

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Washed all the walls, bleached them actually.  Vacuumed every crook and cranny.  Washed the doors and glass panels, front door, windows, and the floors too.  Looks and smells so clean and that's the first part of the house you walk into, so all the better.

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Spring is well under way, just look at all this greenery. 

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My yard is filled with birds of all species.  It's wonderful sitting outside and not only watching them all, but listening to them.  I think it's one of the perks of living in the country, all you are surrounded by is nature and it's sounds and nothing more.

I also started the new crochet blanket and I intended to take pictures of the finished block and completely forgot, now it's too dark to do so, will wait until tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, it's our first day of testing and I have to drive out 45 minutes for it.  It will just be Nick testing tomorrow, and then Thursday we'll have to return for one last test for Nick and a US History test for Jasmine.  She wasn't supposed to test at all and on Friday they decided that all kids need to take the test.  Oh well!!!

I need to get off here and go get my stuff ready for the morning as we need to leave pretty early.  I am taking my laptop and Kindle with me, I'm sure I'll be able to use one or the other.  If I am able to be on the laptop I'll get some computer work done, if not, then I my books on the Kindle.

I'm going to start Diana Gabaldon's The Lord John Series, it's been sitting on my Kindle for well over a year now, as well as some of her other books.  I'm just hoping to find some books to tide me over until Outlander returns in September.  And I'm also hoping this kick starts my love for reading again.

I'll probably take my crochet with me as well so I can work on the third square before the new square is released this week.

He'll be testing at 9am and then again at 12:30pm, so I don't plan on being home until late afternoon.  Busy tiring day I'm sure.

Anyway, I really do need to get my things ready for the morning.  Have a wonderful blessed night friends :)

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 04/03/2017 }

Good morning friends, hope you all had a great weekend and are ready for the week ahead.

I had a good weekend, albeit busy and I feel like I didn't really get to relax and take it easy, guess I have to wait until next weekend for that :)

So let's see what's going on in our Happy Homemaker Monday shall we? 



The weather:::
Insane.  We had horrible weather and dangerous storms, tornado watches etc. since last week Friday.  It got pretty bad on Saturday as we drove back from Moore Oklahoma.  The rest of the week is looking good though, no rain just some wind, which by the way is KILLING my allergies, oh my word, but we'll be in the upper 70s and 80s.


On my reading pile:::
Umm....well......you see.......maybe I should just remove this category for now.  I am still on the same book.  It's frustrating because I used to be such an avid reader, always had a book by my side and now it's this....terrible.  But, I do have state testing this week, so I think I'm going to pack my book and take it with me while I wait for the kids to test. 


Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:::
Didn't watch any movies, we weren't home much of the weekend.  The one thing I did manage to watch was the new documentary that came out on Charles Manson.  Truth and Lies:  The Family Manson.  It was quite interesting!!!


On my TV:::
General Hospital
Dr Phil (if it's a new one)
Started Black Mirror, but I don't know, it's a very strange show so I'm not sure I'll keep going.  Curt loves it though.  Weird that man hahah


On the menu for this week:::

Monday 20th
Beef Curry with Basmati Rice
Tuesday 21st
Baked Salmon and Garlic Potatoes  
Wednesday 22nd
Mongolian Beef with Rice
Thursday 23rd
Sausage Manicotti, Cast Iron Foccacia
Friday 3rd
Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy, Mash 
Saturday 4th
Hamburger Noodle Bake, Green Beans
Sunday 5th
Celebrating Nick's 14th Birthday - Barbecue with family


On my to do list:::
Monday - Bake Victoria Sponge Cakes for hubby's work, finish laundry, clean and vacuum my car
Tuesday - Out for State Testing
Wednesday - Spring Clean Living Room and Den
Thursday - Out for State Testing
Friday - Shopping for Birthday Party food.
Saturday - Make Nick's Birthday cake


What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Remember how I said I really don't like Crochet Alongs?  Well I really really really don't.  But here's the thing, I love It's all in a Nutshell from Esther.  She has helped me so much with my crocheting on the big projects, if it weren't for her I think I would still be trying to get finished with my Sophie's Universe.
Esther has been planning a CAL for over a year, and she's finally released it last week.  The thing about this one though is that we'll be making 3 squares at a time, which will keep me busy in between releases.  So I'm working on that now....Nuts About Squares Blanket.

Here's the first square, right before I added the last two rows in grey.  I'll take more pictures later.

 


Looking around the house:::

Just the usual pick up.  Kids leave dishes all over the living rooms, Marley leaves his toys all over the living rooms too.  I need to vacuum, open windows and fluff couch pillows etc.  Also have to do dishes in the kitchen, but other than that, it's a clean house.


From the camera:::
Remember last week I told you about a second blessing for us?  Well here's a peek, and yes I'll be back after this post with another post all about it :)  





What I'm wearing today:::
As usually, still in pj's at this time, but right after this post I'm going to get dressed.  I have a busy day of baking and cleaning so throwing on some comfy shorts and a top, and some flip flops. 


One of my simple pleasures:::
Making homemade things, whether in the kitchen, or a cleaning product or a craft for the home.  Just love being able to say that I made it myself :)


Bible verse, Devotional::: 



Thursday, March 30, 2017

{ Spring Cleaning 2017 }


Good morning everyone :)

Come on in and sit with me a little, let's talk Spring Cleaning, the how to's, the why's, and if it's indeed necessary or not.

Do you spring clean every year?  Do you do a deep cleaning of each room, or do you just make do with the usual cleaning you are used to doing in each room?

I will say that I don't always stick to a very rigid plan.  Some years I am more inclined to really go all out, others I get by with just minimum effort, I think it depends on what I'm doing or what is going on around me.

If you want to see previous Spring Cleaning posts, you can check out Spring Cleaning Entryway,  Spring Cleaning Office and Bathrooms, Spring Cleaning Kitchen and Dining Area.

I'm going to try very hard this year to give every room a good and thorough cleaning, this house is certainly needing it.  It's huge, it has a lot of crooks and crannies and I haven't been able to give it a good deep clean since we moved in almost 2 years ago.

But you may be wondering, why.  Why spring clean, isn't what I do on a daily basis, or even weekly, enough to keep my house clean?  Well yes, of course cleaning up on a daily basis is a good thing, but we don't exactly throw curtains in the wash every day or even every week, we don't wash the walls or the corners of the ceiling, or reorganize and throw out clutter.

Here are some reasons why spring cleaning is actually a positive and good thing to do, just in case you're looking for an incentive to roll up your sleeves and get to work on that detailed cleaning list.


1. SPRING CLEANING INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY

When you take the time to organize, get rid of unwanted items, and pack everything neatly and tidy, you can find what you're looking for much quicker without spending a lot of time searching for a certain item. 

2. SPRING CLEANING IS HEALTHY

In our family we suffer from allergies, or rather, my son and I suffer from allergies and we can be quite miserable especially when Spring comes around.  A good clean can remove the allergens from the house, therefore making us feel better and healthier. 

3. SPRING CLEANING MAKES YOU HAPPY

I don't know about you, but I quite enjoy cleaning my house.  It does indeed make me happy, I feel so much better when my house looks and smells clean and it definitely makes me less anxious.  I tend to feel quite overwhelmed when I see an untidy house. 

4. SPRING CLEANING REDUCES STRESS

This goes with what I just said above, because when things are neat and tidy and in their place, my anxiety levels greatly decrease.  It's amazing what a chaotic house can do to your soul, it definitely increases my stress levels. 



Here's my list of what I intend to do in each room, I'll try my best to keep to the list, but I may miss a thing here or there if I feel that it doesn't need to be done quite yet.  The list is from Imperfect Homemaking and I'm adapting it to my needs.


FOYER

  1. Dust lighting fixtures.
  2. Wash walls and trim
  3. Wash doors, knobs and switch plates.
  4. Empty out coat closet.  Wash walls and floor, if needed.  Sort items as you return them to the closet.  Store out of season items, donate unneeded items. 
  5. Clean or replace entry mat.
  6. Sweep and scrub floors.  

BEDROOMS
  1. Open windows
  2. Dust furniture.
  3. Remove everything from closets. Vacuum closet floor. Put everything back neatly.  Donate items you no longer need.  Try not to store things on closet floor.
  4. Move Bed.  Sort and put away anything that was under bed.  Sweep or vacuum under bed. 
  5. Put bed back.  Freshen mattress by sprinkling with baking soda, letting sit briefly, and the vacuuming it up.
  6. Launder bedding and curtains.  Wash pillows and duvet in hot water.  Air out mattress pad, if you have one.
  7. Dust lights. 
  8. Wash windows and window sills.  Take out and wash window screens.
  9. Wash switch plates.  Wash walls and trim as needed.
  10. Wash mirrors or dust art.
  11. Wash doors and doorknobs.
  12. Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
  13. Sweep and wash floor or vacuum.

BATHROOMS
  1. Open windows
  2. Empty all cabinets and vanity.  Wash inside, replace items neatly.  Discard expired medications and cosmetics.
  3. Wash outside of cabinets and vanities
  4. Clean tub.
  5. Clean toilet, inside and out. 
  6. Clean sink and drain.
  7. Shine faucets.
  8. Clean mirror and frame .
  9. Dust light fixtures. 
  10. Wash windows and window sills. Take out and wash window screens.
  11. Wash switch plates.  wash walls and trim.  Wash doors and door knobs.
  12. Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
  13.  Sweep and wash floors.  
  14. Reseal grout lines if necessary.

KITCHEN
  1. Open windows.
  2. Remove and clean window coverings.  
  3. For each cabinet or drawer: Remove items, wipe out drawer, place items back neatly.  Donate unneeded items.
  4. Wash and sanitize cutting boards
  5. Sharpen knives
  6. Wash cabinet doors and knobs
  7. Clean and organize pantry.  Check food expiry dates.
  8. Clean oven.
  9. Clean stove top. 
  10. Clean and organize fridge and freezer.  Defrost freezer, if necessary.  Check food expiry dates.
  11. Clean under fridge and stove.
  12. Vacuum refrigerator coils.
  13. Clean microwave.
  14. Clean crumbs out of toaster.
  15. Clean and descale kettle.
  16. Wipe down any other counter appliances
  17. wash counters and back splash.
  18. Wash and shine sink.  Shine faucet. Clean drain.
  19. Clean Dishwasher.
  20. Dust light fixtures.
  21. Wash windows and window sills.  Remove window screens and wash.
  22. Wash switch plates.  
  23. Wash walls and trim as needed.
  24. Wash doors and door knobs.
  25. Wash floor registers and other vent covers
  26. Sweep and wash floor.  
  27. Reseal grout lines, if necessary.

DINING ROOM
  1. Open windows.
  2. Wash curtains.
  3. Wipe down table and chairs.
  4. Wipe down or dust other furnishing.
  5. Polish table, if necessary
  6. Create a pretty spring vignette on table!
  7. Launder table linens.
  8. Shine silverware.
  9. Dust art.
  10. Wash windows and window sills.  Take out and wash window screens.
  11. Wash switch plates
  12. Wash walls and trim.
  13. Wash doors and door knobs
  14. Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
  15. Clean floors.

LIVING ROOM/ FAMILY ROOM/ PLAYROOM
  1. Open windows.
  2. Vacuum sofas.
  3. Spot clean sofas, if applicable.
  4. Launder throw pillows and blankets.
  5. Dust shelves, furniture and decor.
  6. Clean lamps and lampshades.
  7. Wash windows and window sills.
  8. Take out and wash window screens.
  9. Clean television screen.
  10. Carefully dust electronics.
  11. Tidy electronics wires.  Tuck nicely out of sight.  Label them, if practical.
  12. Sort through music and DVD collections. 
  13. Sort books and magazines. 
  14. Wash switch plates.
  15. Wash walls and trim as needed.
  16. Wash doors and knobs.
  17. Wash vent covers.
  18. Clean floors.

LAUNDRY ROOM

  1. Wash cabinet doors.
  2. Wash inside cabinets.
  3. Wash laundry sink.  Shine faucet.  Clean drains.
  4. Wash outside of washer and dryer.
  5. Wash inside of washing machine.
  6. Wash lint trap with soap and water to remove filmy build-up from laundry soaps and dryer sheets. Let air dry thoroughly before putting back in place.
  7. Wash switch plates.
  8. Wash walls and trim.
  9. Wash doors and door knobs.
  10. Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
  11. sweep and wash floors. 
  12. Reseal grout lines, if applicable. 

OUTSIDE
  1. Sweep porches and walkway.
  2. Wash thresholds.
  3. Wash exterior doors.  Give front door a fresh coat of paint, if necessary.
  4. Clean or replace welcome mat.
  5. Wash siding.


So that is the plan, I will for sure take you along as I go, starting with today where I'm tackling the Foyer. 

I would love to hear from you, do you spring clean, do you stick to a certain list, what are your thoughts on this old tradition?