Happy Homemaker Monday #13

I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to be back, I feel completely refreshed and so excited to keep blogging and sharing with you all.

I'm going to do my very best to visit you in return, something which I'm not always very good at doing, things get in the way and I tend to completely forget.  But I'm going to try :)

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The weather:::

It's cloudy this morning and 59 degrees, I'm surely hoping for some rain, even if just a little.  It does smell like it so maybe we'll get lucky :)


On my reading pile:::  
Sisters of the Heart Trilogy by Shelley Shepard Gray (loving this one, another Amish fiction)
Bible
Joyce Meyer Devotional - Promises for your Everyday Life
Joyce Meyer Devotional - Battlefield of the Mind

On my TV:::

Have 2 Titanic specials that I recorded this weekend and going to try and watch today.

Not sure if I mentioned it to anyone yet, but there are also 2 Titanic shows which are very good.  
Titanic with Len Goodman (you know the judge from Dancing with the Stars?), this one is fantastic, he concentrates on the people of the Titanic, the passengers and crew and who they were and life before, during and after the sinking of the Titanic.  If you are interested, starting tomorrow on your local PBS station, this one will be showing.  Be sure to catch it :)  

Titanic from ITV - created by Julian Fellowes the same man who created Downton Abbey.  This is a 5 episode special with many familiar faces and brilliant actors.  Every episode concentrates on a different family, so you get to know them and create a sort of bond with them and at the end the ship sinks.  It is really good and you can watch this one online here.

On the menu for this week:::

 Monday -  Biscuits and Gravy
Tuesday - Reunion Steak Sandwiches w/ Fries
Wednesday - Mexican Lasagna
Thursday -  BBQ Ribs, Baked Beans and Corn on the Cob
Friday -  Homemade Pizza
Saturday - *Grocery Shopping* 
Sunday -  

On my to do list:::

Laundry and more laundry
Rake and Week the back yard
Homeschooling

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

Made a really cute Peg Bag, will share with you later this afternoon as well as the pattern.  Thinking of making another 1 or two :)

In Homeschooling:::

We're catching up today, we usually don't do schooling on Friday and then catch up during the weekend but being that it was Easter, we didn't do it either, so today it's all about catching up :)

Looking around the house:::

Blinds on my back door are open, curtains are pulled back and the screen shut to allow in some fresh air, minus the annoying flies.  The pugs are asleep on the couch.  The children are still in bed.

I'm sitting at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee and two toasted Hot Cross Buns for breakfast.  The dishwasher is humming behind me......it's almost a relaxing sound to me :)   I have my Kindle Fire open to my Bible Plan and as soon as I'm done posting this, I will be reading the verses for today and doing my devotional before starting housework. 

From the camera:::

Something fun to share:::
Well, I can't think of a single thing to share with you this morning LOL  Does that make me a bad meme host?  I sure hope not.  Strange though, I usually have so much going on in my mind and so many things to pass along and I can't think of a single one.  You'll have to forgive me this time.  

On my prayer list:::

Friends and family who are going through a bit of a rough time.
Myself, I'm constantly in prayer, especially lately as I have this battle raging inside my head.  But, good thing is that I can feel myself winning every day :) 

Bible verse, Devotional::: 

May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him. May you blow them away like smoke— as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God.

– Psalm 68:1-2 (NIV)

We went by

Barnes and Noble this morning.

My husband has decided to return to school and finish his Associate's Degree, which he only needs about 2 classes if that.  I'm so extremely proud of him, knowing that we are pretty much down to our last year or two of Military life before retirement, it's a good thing to get out of the way.

So our trip the bookstore was for some study materials and I was looking for a Pink Bible.  I have wanted one for so long and actually used to have one when I was a teenager, but left it back in South Africa and since then have never found another I liked.

I was in luck.  Barnes and Noble had a few in pink tones and I had one in my hand but then my wonderful husband saw this one and knew that it was what I was looking for.  It's gorgeous, simply gorgeous and I can't say it enough.  I immediately put the other one away.

I have sat looking at longingly and just imagining reading through it's pages, highlighting passages and really making it special.

I would have been fine with just my Bible but there were a few others that caught my eye.

Like this one....Whispers of Encouragement, Daily Inspiration for Women.

And Joy for a Woman's Soul - Promises to refresh your spirit

Lastly, I picked up the Devotional for Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. I think these are all going to come very handy for me, especially right now.

If I was smart, I would have called it good and just headed on home, but I've never claimed to be wise, so we went into Kohl's.  Hahahahahah

Oh my word!  It was like Black Friday in there, what was with all the people out and about today, the traffic was insane, the stores were crazy.   But anyway, we walked in grabbed a few things and walked right out.

Trust in the Lord...love it :)

I've also been looking for a new Laundry basket and this one was just $10 so I couldn't just leave it there right?

 

Are you sick of all my pictures yet?

I hope not because I have just two more to share with you.

These baking dishes were on sale.  You KNOW I had to get them, they remind me of Cath Kidston and I think they say "ME".  Don't you?

They look wonderful in my kitchen and will be put to use for our Easter meal.

Speaking of which, tonight the kids and I will be making Resurrection Cookies.  Do you make these with your own children?  Here is the recipe we use and it's always fun :)

Resurrection Cookies

And now I need to get off of here, I have books calling my name and have to make the difficult decision of figuring out which one to read first.  Hmmmm????

Hope you all have a fantastic Easter Sunday.  God Bless!

When he just won't let up.....

By pureness, by knowledge, by LONG SUFFERING, by kindness, by the HOLY GHOST, by love unfeigned - Corinthians 6:6

Well hello there, it's me and I've returned to the wonderful world of blogging.

I really do love my little corner on the web, even if I do have to step away at times.

So without going into detail, I felt that in a way I needed to share one or rather, the main reason why I needed a hiatus.  It simply boiled down to an ongoing fight within me that seems to pick up every single time that I inch closer to God.

I would love to say that I have an amazingly close relationship with Him, that I have unshakeable faith and strength.  I think it may be the reason why I'm so fascinated with the Amish way of life, in a way I envy their devotion to the Lord.

But I am human and I make mistakes and I too often find myself unfocused and led astray.  I never leave the Lord's garden, I just simply tend to drift around aimlessly instead of stopping to smell the flowers.

Submit yourselves therefore to GOD. RESIST the devil, and he will FLEE from you. - James 4:7

And that is when he, who shall remain unnamed but which I'm sure you know exactly who I'm talking about, starts grinning from ear to ear, he knows what is coming.

See when I find myself drifting the first thing I do is grab on to the Lord's Hand and clutch it tightly, I open my Bible, I dive head first into devotionals and I surround myself with His love.  But that is exactly when the unnamed one ups his ante, so to speak.  That is when he gets the green light to come into my life and wreak havoc, to throw doubt, to throw worry, to give me pains and feelings and make me think that I'm ill or that I need to concentrate on something else other than what is important.

And like the human weakling that I am, I fall for it.  EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

 I used to ask myself why.  Why would I be so dumb as to fall for it and stop doing what I was supposed to?  And then I started asking myself, why not?  Or rather, why was it happening to me.  Simple, so simple.  It's a battle for my soul and I tend to forget about that on a daily basis.  I just go on with my life, do this and that and then I start reading the Bible again and BAM!  Without fail, there it is, something happens to me or to someone I love.

He tends to latch onto things that he knows scares or worry us.  It's THOSE things that he will bring to the forefront to make you stop dead in your tracks.

So yes, I've been having my own spiritual warfare of kinds.  I used to wonder why he would care about little ol' me but I've since then realized that he cares because I must be doing something right, I must be such a threat to him that he has to try and stop me.

"With God ALL things are possible." - Matthew 19:26

 And this is when I ask for your prayers because as much as I'm determined to see this through, to push, to continue, to hold on to the Lord's hand even if by just one finger, I do need some extra help thrown my way.  Ultimately it's not just my fight, it's good against bad and we're in this together right?

I'm tired of playing the role of Christian, I don't want to just look like a Christian, I don't want to just act like I have a relationship with God.  I want to actually live it and be it.  Boy do I have a long road ahead of me.

Who knows what tomorrow brings, other than the fact that God will be my side.  It may not seem much to some, but to me it's everything.

Lord, I wait for You today. I put my hope in Your Word and ask that You would fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit and wash away all anxiety or doubt. Shine Your light into any dark corner of my soul that needs to be exposed. I don't want my impatience or lack of trust to stand in the way of all You desire to do in my life at this time. I realize that no matter how difficult life gets, as long as I cling to You I am moving forward on the path you have for me. Help me to wait on You and not grow impatient with my circumstances simply because my timetable does not coincide with Yours. Help me to understand Your ways and not give in to discouragement. Strengthen my faith to depen on Your perfect timing for my life. Help me to rest in You and be content with where I am right now. At the same time, I ask you to heal, restore, redeem, transform, and bring new life to my situation. Teach me what I need to learn and help me get beyond this time successfully so I can rise above the storm to Your place of perfect peace. Amen.

Cooking Thursday

It feels good to be back.  I realize that I returned on Monday and haven't yet posted anything, but that is coming up later today.

Been busy getting back into everything and takes some time to do it, and do it right. :)

If you want to use the picture, just click here for the original.

Bacon and Chive Potato Salad

2 and 1/2 pound small red potatoes
1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon
Fresh snipped chives
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Mustard to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper


Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. Cut into smaller chunks.

Add bacon and chives, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper and stir well to combine. Some don’t like broken up potatoes and mushy salad….I do, so when I stir I really am not looking to keep the potatoes in one piece.

If you are, then just mix the mayo, mustard, salt and pepper in a separate bowl before adding to the rest, then stir gently to combine.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Happy Homemaker Monday #12

And I'm baaaaaccckkkkk. :)

Well the hiatus did me good, I managed to get the rest that I needed and to put things back in order, and now I'm back and ready to continue this journey called life.

I did so miss my blog even though I wasn't gone for long.  Let's get right back to our Happy Homemaker Monday shall we?

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The weather:::

Had wonderful weather this weekend, go up to the 90's so we enjoyed some nice walks, barbecuing and I got my first tan of the year. 

On my reading pile:::  
Plain Promise by Beth Wiseman

Lemons and Lavender

On my TV:::

Titanic 2012 Episode 2

Wind at my back Season 1

On the menu for this week:::

Monday -  Grilled Caesar Rib Eye Steaks with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Tuesday - Tamale Pie
Wednesday - Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa (Portuguese Cod Fish)
Thursday -  Honey Mustard Chicken w/ potato wedges
Friday -  Reunion Steak Sandwiches
Saturday - BBQ Ribs, Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob
Sunday -   Easter (Hot Cross Buns for breakfast.....Ham, Potatoes)

On my to do list:::

Finish Laundry
Bathrooms
Change Bed Linens
Homeschooling
Dibels test with Nicholas

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

Absolutely nothing right now.  Lots of little projects stashed in the baskets but working on none in particular.

In Homeschooling:::

Dibels test with Nicholas this afternoon.  In Home Life we're concentrating on the skies, Astronomy, Star gazing etc.  For Science Jasmine is working on Pollution.  Nicholas will be also be doing a Science Unit Test.  

Looking around the house:::

Just fixed hubby his coffee.  I'm really tired this morning so after he leaves for work, I think I'll go lay down for another hour or so.  I don't know if it's allergies or what, but my nose is congested, my head hurts and I just feel like I'm coming down with something.

From the camera:::

Enjoying the Grill  

Something fun to share:::
Have you heard about the Titanic short series that is playing on ITV in England right now?  It is created by Julian Fellowes, the same man who created Downton Abbey.  It is very good, I'm enjoying it, if you want to watch it too, you can find the episodes over here.  

On my prayer list:::

My sister in law who is going through a bit of a rough time right now.
My friends who have husbands deployed or who are getting ready to say goodbye to their husbands shortly.
My husband as he continues his studies, he is finishing off his degree.
My children, that they continue to be healthy, happy, and that they also continue to be wonderful students.
For myself, I ask for patience, I ask for health, I ask that I am not strayed from my relationship with the Lord and that I have the strength to continue pushing through even when things seem crazy.

Bible verse, Devotional::: 

He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

Isaiah 42:4