Happy Homemaker Monday - 08/12/2019

Good morning everyone, happy Monday!!!

I hope your weekend was good.  I had a wonderful blessed birthday weekend, and I'm ever so thankful to my family for making it a special one.

Here we are, Monday morning and I'm all set to go and looking forward to a whole new blank canvas.  Most people dislike Mondays and while I do dislike the 6am wake up call, I actually find that Mondays are one of my favorite days of the week, along with Friday.

Today is also my anniversary, we have been married for 21 years and I've loved ever single second.  The Lord blessed me with an amazing husband.

It is also the first day of school.  Wow, summer holidays are gone, but it's ok because it means that soon Fall will be upon us and I can say goodbye to these horrid triple digit temperatures.

My boy is starting 11th Grade.  Can you even believe little Nicholas is starting 11th grade?  Ugh!!

Anyway, if your kids are back to school today as well, I wish them all an amazing blessed year.

Right, that's enough babbling for now, let's get right into our Happy Homemaker Monday.

The weather:::
I'm over it, I can't even try to wax poetic about the wonderful summer temperatures because I'm SO over the heat.  I think it's a combination of the triple digits and my hormonal changes which have me in a constant state of sweatiness and feeling like my body is on fire.

I am ready for Fall.  Unfortunately we still have a long time of hot temps until that happens.

Monday - Sunny, 106
Tuesday - Partly cloudy, 97
Wednesday - Mostly Sunny, 96
Thursday - Partly cloudy, 97
Friday - Partly cloudy, 98


On the breakfast plate this morning:::
Just finished a cup of coffee with Peppermint Mocha creamer.  Yum!

Breakfast is not for an hour or two yet, so I'm not sure what I will feel like when it rolls around, but will probably be cheesy toast.  I make mine in the air fryer and it's divine.  Just a slice of bread, slather on some butter, add a slice of cheese and then cook for 8 minutes at 400 degrees.  SO GOOD!!!      


Right now I am:::
Working on this post while listening to a vlog on TV.  I am trying to make a mental plan of what I want to do today since Jasmine is actually off work for the first time in over a week.     


On my bedside table:::
Basket with tv remotes and my lotion.  My empty cup of coffee. 


On my reading pile:::
The Beginner's Guide to Winning and Election by Michael R. French. 


Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:::
Another weekend of nothing special being watched.  We have watched 2 episodes of Star Trek The Next Generation, every night.  But I haven't really watched anything else, maybe today I'll catch up on some TV.

I need to get up another post of some upcoming period dramas, I know you all enjoy them as muc as I do. 


On my TV this week:::
Pretty much the same as last week, don't think I even need to update these lists, but I'll see if there's anything to add or remove.  Just keep in mind that these are the shows I want to watch, it doesn't mean I'll be watching them all, who has time for all that?  Right?  Hahah

TV:
General Hospital
Homemaking vlogs
Star Trek The Next Generation
Poldark
The Dead Files
Beecham House
High Seas
Jamestown - Season 2
Babylon Berlin
A.D. Kingdom and Empire
Anne with an E - Season 2
Charite
The Doctor Blake Mysteries
Kurt Seyit and Sura


Documentaries:
Restoration Home:  Coulton Mill
The Case of Cherrie Mahan
The Fortress in the Lake


On the menu for this week:::
As always, you can check out my meal plan which was posted on Friday, but here are the meals for this week. 

Monday
Beef Strogonoff, Rice, Beans and Salad

Tuesday
Pizza Chicken Roll ups and Spaghetti

Wednesday
Onion Beef Au Jus Sandwiches, Homemade Fries

Thursday
Chourico Carbonara, Salad, Homemade Garlic Bread

Friday
Breaded Pork Chops, Tomato Rice


On my to do list:::
Housework - Wash bedding and put on new sheets and comforter.  Dusting, vacuuming, carpet cleaning. 

Yard - Water all plants, check on cantaloupe (they are almost ready to harvest).


What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Finished Part 2 of the Sacred Space.  Part 3 was released on Friday but I have not yet had a chance to start on it, will do that sometime this week. 


Looking forward to:::
Not having to go anywhere today and just having a good ol homemaking day, pottering around the house, getting a blog post up, taking some photos and so on.         


Looking around the house:::
It's not too bad, but my living room needs some tidying up and attention.  I need a mat for the inside near the back door because the constant in and out from the patio just ruins my carpets. 


From the camera:::
As much as I love my coffee, and you all know I'm a coffee girl all the way, I also really enjoy a cup of tea.  This is some Honey Lavender tea that my girl got for me. 

What I'm wearing today:::
Shorts and a tshirt.                  


Thinking about:::
School starting, how summer seems to have flown by and how I have an 11th Grader.  It's hard to believe that my daughter graduated 2 years ago already, and my little boy is 2 years away from graduating.  Crazy!!! 


Bible verse, Devotional, prayers::: 

Hello 45!!!

For a couple of years now, I have chosen to put up a post and take a few pictures, on my birthday.

I used to feel a bit awkward doing it, because I'm not a naive person at all, and I've always struggled with my self love and self esteem.

As I started doing these, I've quite enjoyed looking back and seeing how I am aging.  It's a strange thing this aging process, isn't it?

To others it may feel like you're the same, and I often get comments like that "you haven't aged".

While I do appreciate them and they bring a smile to my face, I know that I've aged and I see it daily in my mirror.

What has gotten to me the most about my aging, hasn't even been my appearance, although I could do without the dark circles or bags, I mean who needs those?  None of us, that's who LOL

But, what will usually get me feeling a little out of sorts, is my body.  The fact that pains and aches seem to last longer and hurt more, the sciatica that is relentless, the sweats and hot flushes that have started plaguing me since last year.  There's also the cracks and pops when you get up or sometimes when you're just walking around, like earlier in Walmart, my right knee snapped so loud that my husband heard it. 

Those are the things that make me feel my age, and I'll be honest, it's not always that I feel that way, I have been incredibly blessed with good health and can't really complain.

Some of my best years have been from 40 on and I'm more than happy to continue down this road, God willing.

I thank the Lord every day that I've woken up, and when I go to sleep I thank Him yet again for allowing me another day.  You might be wondering why I do this, what's the point?

Well aside from being thankful to my Lord, I really am grateful for every day that I'm living because there are far too many young souls out there who have not been given the same opportunity.   Plenty of people who would have loved nothing more than to have reached my age, and unfortunately were taken too son, whether to sickness or accidents or by someone's hand.

The way we react to things around us and what life throws our way, is the only thing that really matters, and I've chosen to accept every wrinkle, line, pain and ache on this journey of life.

I don't know what age I will live through, and that's ok, we don't always have to be in the know.  Truth be told, I think God does that on purpose, cause speaking just for myself, if I knew what was coming, I would no doubt mess it all up in one way or another. 

So, welcome 45, I've been waiting for you.  I know I have the great ol' menopause lurking around the corner, but hey, we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Happy Birthday dear Sandra, thank you for being who you are.  It's taken many years for me to be able to say I truly do love myself and the person I am, and although there are a few things I would love to change or better in the future, I AM happy with this woman that I see before me.

Before I leave, let me show you real quick how I got spoiled by my children.  They know me far too well.

My oh my, look at those Cath Kidston goodies?  I was sooooooo happy when I opened this gift, I couldn't stop jumping around.

This mug screams SANDRA, like really screams Sandra.  I've been eyeing it for ages.  My sweet daughter's best friend picked it for me.  Love it and love her ♥

My boy, my Nick knows his mama so well.  He picked this gorgeous candle.  The scent is Wild Garden and oh my goodness, it is like standing in a garden filled with beautiful flowers and just inhaling them right in.

My girl, she knows her mama too and she knows how I adore all Cath Kidston lotions and candles and stuff, so she got me a bath and lotion set.  They smell OUT OF THIS WORLD good.

Look at those two bath bombs with the flower petals inside.  Beautiful.

The scent is Cotton Patchwork and WOW.  Bergamot, Vanilla, Honeysuckle and more, it is just amazing.

And now look at the gorgeous little tin it all came in.  It's like a picnic basket with the handles, and the lid is so gorgeous, I can't even.  I get so giddy looking at all of this and already have ideas for what to use my tin for.  I'm thinking my crochet hooks and so on.

The other best friend of my daughter, Alex, picked this apron for me.  I can't.....ladies, I just can't even.

If you've followed me for years you will know how happy I was when I got my first Cath Kidston apron years ago, from my husband.  I've worn it almost daily and it's getting so old and worn, I kept thinking I need a new one but just haven't had the means to do it, and I can't justify making that purchase at the moment.

It is a vintage pinafore style apron, and I'm BESOTTED ♥♥♥

From the pattern to the cut, to how it fits, and the sweet pockets on the side.  It's everything I would have wished for and more.

So happy :)

My husband got me something so special to my heart, that I burst into tears when I saw it.  I don't have it yet, it is on the way because it was special ordered and won't be here until Tuesday, but I will show you when it gets in.

It's just.....I have to show you when I have it.

Anyway, I am headed out, I have to do a few errands and run by my brothers house real quick then pick up our daughter from work and so on.

I hope you all have a blessed weekend, and thank you again for all the love you show me on a daily basis, it warms my heart.

Meal Plan Friday #9

Hey guys welcome back to my blog.

It is Friday and that means, Meal Plan time.  I am happy to report that we pretty much stuck to plan last week but some meals were shifted around a bit here and there.

There are a few new recipes this week, I'll share those as I can.  As always you can check out the food blog, there are a ton of recipes on there that I'm sure you will enjoy.

Last week's dessert was changed from the brownies to the Hungarian Coconut Slices, that was just what the family preferred so I went with it.  I do plan on making the brownies still, so those will be coming up this week.




Smoked Sausage and Potatoes, Salad

 
 My birthday and I have requested some Rapid Fired Pizza for dinner

 
Meatball subs with chips

 
Beef Strogonoff, Roast Potato Wedges, Salad

 
Pizza Chicken Roll Ups, Macaroni Casserole

 
Onion Beef Au Just Sandwiches, Homemade Fries

 
Chourico Carbonara

Best Brownies

Cooking Thursday - Best Sweet Tea and Hungarian Coconut Slices

Are you shocked?

I know, I am too.  It's been a long, and I mean LONG time since I've done a Cooking Thursday, but I thought I would do one today.  Mainly because a couple of you were curious about the baking soda tip for making sweet tea, and I wanted to come in and share the recipe for that.

But, I also wanted to share the recipe for the Hungarian Coconut Slices I made yesterday.  They are amazing.

Alright, let's get going......

Best Sweet Tea

2 cups of water
6 black tea bags
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup of sugar
6 cups of cold water


Boil the 2 cups of water, then add in the 6 tea bags and steep for 10 minutes.  Discard the tea bags.

In a pitcher, add the baking soda, and then the tea mixture.  Lastly, pour in the cold water and sugar.  Mix well until sugar is dissolved.  Refrigerate.


*I know the baking soda sounds weird, but it completely cuts out the bitterness of the tea and leaves you with a sweet, smooth tea.  You will never make tea without it again.

Fatias Hungaras - Hungarian Coconut Slices

Source: Dika da Naka

Yield: 15 slices

For the dough:
1 cup (240ml) of warm milk
1 packet of dry yeast
2 eggs
3 tablespoons of sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of butter or margarine
3  cups (420 gr) of all purpose flour

For the coconut filling:
2 and ½ tablespoons of butter or margarine
½ cup of sugar (90 gr)
1 cup of sweetened coconut (about 50 gr)
3 tablespoons of milk

For the vanilla milk glaze:
1 cup of milk ( 240 ml)
½ cup of sugar ( 90 gr)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of sweetened coconut to sprinkle on top


For the dough - In a big bowl, add in the warm milk, yeast and 3 tablespoons of sugar.  Mix well and let rest for 5 minutes.  Next, add in the eggs, butter and one cup of flour.  Mix well, then add the teaspoon of salt.  (if you add the salt in with the yeast, it will slow down the yeast's fermentation, so I always add the salt either on the opposite side of the bowl or after some flour has gone in).

Add in the remaining 2 cups of flour, mix well, then turn onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is soft and not sticking to your fingers.  Sprinkle a little flour in the bowl, and place the ball of dough back in.  Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for an hour, until doubled in size.

For the filling - While the dough rises, mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

When the dough is done rising, turn it onto a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll into a big rectangle, about half a centimeter (or a quarter of an inch, about) thick.

Spread the filling over the dough, then roll up starting from the longest side.

Cut slices about 2 fingers wide and place in a greased 12x by 13 pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise again, for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown.

For the vanilla milk glaze - While the rolls bake, place all ingredients in a saucepan and heat slowly until sugar is completely dissolved.

Once the slices are done baking, remove from oven, and while warm, pour the vanilla milk over.  Sprinkle on some sweetened coconut.

*These sweet slices can be left out, but not in a warm spot.  They are good for 3 days.  I usually only leave them out one day, then prefer to place them in the fridge so they last longer.

When we believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal - TLC Book Tour

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (July 16, 2019)

From the author of The Art of Inheriting Secrets comes an emotional new tale of two sisters, an ocean of lies, and a search for the truth.

Her sister has been dead for fifteen years when she sees her on the TV news…

Josie Bianci was killed years ago on a train during a terrorist attack. Gone forever. It’s what her sister, Kit, an ER doctor in Santa Cruz, has always believed. Yet all it takes is a few heart-wrenching seconds to upend Kit’s world. Live coverage of a club fire in Auckland has captured the image of a woman stumbling through the smoke and debris. Her resemblance to Josie is unbelievable. And unmistakable. With it comes a flood of emotions—grief, loss, and anger—that Kit finally has a chance to put to rest: by finding the sister who’s been living a lie.

After arriving in New Zealand, Kit begins her journey with the memories of the past: of days spent on the beach with Josie. Of a lost teenage boy who’d become part of their family. And of a trauma that has haunted Kit and Josie their entire lives.

Now, if two sisters are to reunite, it can only be by unearthing long-buried secrets and facing a devastating truth that has kept them apart far too long. To regain their relationship, they may have to lose everything.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 

About Barbara O’Neal

Barbara O’Neal is the author of twelve novels of women’s fiction, including The Art of Inheriting Secrets, How to Bake a Perfect Life, and The All You Can Dream Buffet. Her award-winning books have been published in more than a dozen countries, including France, England, Poland, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Brazil. She lives in the beautiful city of Colorado Springs with her beloved, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent.

Connect with Barbara

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

My Thoughts:

Oh my goodness, ohhhhh my goodness!!!!

What a fantastic book!

Imagine losing your sister to a terrorist attack in France....15 years ago.  You grieved, you miss her, and you wish things were different.

Kit is an ER doctor and is used to trauma, pressure and dealing with emotions.  After a pretty trying day, she heads to the break room for a bit of a rest.

Right then, on the TV, a news story breaks about a fire in Auckland, New Zealand.  As her eyes shift to the broadcast, she is frozen in place when she notices a familiar figure behind the reporter.  It can't be!

Her sister, Josie, stumbles around through the smoke and debris. 

Kit is frozen in place, her eyes tell her one thing, but her heart knows that her beloved sister died 15 years prior, so how can she be right there?  She tries to push it away and justify it by saying that the woman just resembles her sister, but the truth is that there is no denying the face, the walk, the scar on her forehead.

From that moment on, the story kicks off.  Kit is determined to find out who that woman is, why she looks so much like her dead sister, and if she IS Josie, then why has she been gone all these years, no contact, no reaching out.

There is only one thing Kit can do, and that is to drop everything and rush off to Auckland to unravel this mystery.

The story is told from two points of view, we get to see Kit, her emotions and her adventures as she rushes across the world from California to New Zealand.  On the other side, we have Mari (Josie) who has rebuilt a life for herself, married an athlete, has two children and has no need to contact anyone or even go back to her old life.

What will happen when these two worlds collide?

You have GOT to read this book.  Barbara O'Neal tells a fantastic tale.

I will say that at first I was so furious with Josie for what she had done to her family, especially her sister.  I found her very unlikable but as the story unfolded and the different perspectives and insights came into play, I started to understand where she was coming from.

Fantastic read, definite 5 stars.

A blessed day in my life!

“Watching and learning from Mama and the other women in my family gave me a deep love for home and hearth and taking care of people. I knew from a young age that there was eternal value in those things.”

― Sophie Hudson, A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet: Southern Stories of Faith, Family, and Fifteen Pounds of Bacon

Hi everyone, come on in and sit a little.  Do you want some coffee, some tea, maybe freshly made iced tea or lemonade?

Sometimes I sit and think about the friendships I've made through my blog, and the wonderful ladies that have become online friends, have seen me at my best and my worst, and have stuck around no matter what I've thrown their way.

I so wish we all lived in the same area so that we could get together for a cuppa, a chat and some exchanging of tips, love, support and good ol' laughs.

I would definitely bake you a delicious cake to enjoy too.

But in the absence of actual sitting around a table and chatting, this online world will have to do.

I often think about the women that are reading my blog, and I wonder what they're doing, what is happening around them, how their homemaking days are going and even what kind of yumminess they're cooking or baking in their homes.

It's a funny thing this world of the homemaker, isn't it?  But I'm so blessed to be doing what I love the most in life.

I spent yesterday in a full on state of homemaking and organizing.  When I was young I would be fascinated with movies where someone would snap their fingers and the whole house would be clean, or set right.

That must be cool to do, can you imagine?  Snap and BAM it's all just how we wanted it.

Then I realized that I am in fact doing the same thing with my own house, well, minus the snapping of the fingers, but everything that I touch, I make right, make my own, give it my personal touch and after all, that is what my family appreciates at the end of the day.  It doesn't matter that it took hours instead of seconds, the result is the same, except for the fact that you actually get pleasure of looking around and knowing that everything was done with love and effort on your part.

Yesterday I got a ton of berries drying.  My hubby had lovingly gone out the day before and sat under our huge soapberry tree, gathering and filling this empty pretzel jar.  I didn't ask him to, matter of fact I didn't even know he was doing it.  I had already showered and put on my nightie, went looking for him and there he was.

It's moments like these that I thank God even more, for the wonderful man He has placed in my life. 

A lot of my homemaking tasks are things that I do pretty much every single day, like making some sort of Koolaid or juice, as well as some Sweet Tea in the summer months.

Did you know that if you add baking soda to your sweet tea it makes it taste even better?  It completely removes the bitterness and leaves you with a sweet, smooth tea that will have you begging for more.

If you want to know how I make it, let me know and I'll share the recipe with you.

Here I am starting yet another load of laundry, using my soapberry mixture.  No I didn't forget about the post, that is coming tomorrow.  I just wanted to use the soap a couple of times to see how well it worked, before sharing with you.

She looks well to the ways of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness. - Proverbs 31:27

Lunch is usually leftovers or whatever I really get a hankering for, and yesterday I was craving scrambled eggs with tomato.  I'm such a weird gal, I couldn't stand tomato for the longest time, and then the last 6 or so years, I've started loving it and could it every day.

I have spent many hours nursing the distressed plants, back to health.  Thankfully they are all reacting well and growing.  My succulents are loving my bedroom windows.  I tried them on the porch at first but they did not enjoy the high temperatures, so even though they were in the shade, they quickly started wilting and I knew it was time to move them.

The brown leaves are growing out and green is abounding.  I absolutely adore succulents ♥♥♥

God has continued to show me that what I think I want or need in my life, is sometimes completely different from the plans He has for me.

My car that has been sitting at the dealership for almost 2 months, is now being towed back to my house, not repaired and in exactly the same state it was in.  General Motors decided not to honor the warranty and therefore I'm stuck with a lemon that is not running.

When this first happened I told you all that I had prayed and asked God to do with as He will, and if it is a blessing for us that the car gets fixed, then thank you, but if it's not, then I will accept it and move on.

I thought fixing the car is what was best for us as a family, but again, I've been put in my place and reminded that although that may have been MY choice, it is not His.  So I accept it, will continue paying off the car, which will be done next August, and just leave it in God's hands.

He knows what He is doing.

Well friends, I have just a few hours before I have to drive back out again, so I'm going to get my laundry hung up outside, fix myself a quick lunch and then I am hoping to watch Ophelia before I have to leave. Oh and probably do one more row on the blanket.