Happy Homemaker Monday - 02/04/2013

Good morning friends, hope this Monday finds you well rested and ready for the week ahead.

The Weather:::
59 degrees right now.  We had a little more rain yesterday, not much but some sprinkling and a cloud covered Sunday.  I'm hoping for some warm weather today as I would like to get out in the backyard to do some work.   

Right now I am:
Enjoying my cup of coffee and the quiet around me.  Sitting in my pj's with my warm boots, with my Lola snuggled against me. 

Thinking:
About everything I have planned for today.  Doing a mental checklist and hoping I don't forget anything.

On my reading pile:::
Finished An Amish Kitchen.

Almost finished with  Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini, such a wonderful book, well written and the story is fantastic.

On my tv:::

Mr Selfridge Episode 5

Great Houses with Julian Fellowes.  FANTASTIC!  The brilliant Mr Fellowes takes us to these grand homes in search of the real Lord Grantham, the real Lady Mary and the real Mr Bates.  You can watch on ITV.
Portuguese Soaps - Tempo de Viver, Doida por Ti, Destinos Cruzados, Louco Amor

Favorite Blog post this week (mine or other):::
Making Gnocchi by FuoriBorgo

Something fun to share:::
DNA tests have confirmed that human remains found buried beneath an English car park are those of the country's King Richard III.  How amazing is that????

On the menu for this week:::

Monday - Lemon Pork Chops with Mustard, Salad
Tuesday - Steaks with Pepper Sauce, Buttered Spaghetti
Wednesday -Minced Beef Roll, Mashed Potatoes
Thursday -  Kentucky Hot Brown Tart
Friday - Skinny Sloppy Joes, Salad
Saturday - Buttermilk Picnic Chicken, Green Peas and Crispy bacon
Sunday - Mince and Pasta Bake

On my to do list:::
Laundry
Homeschooling
Housework
What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Butterfly Shadow Box, Granny Square Bag, Crochet Mat for kitchen table  

Homemaking Tips:::
Put your cookbooks to use, don't just let them sit on the shelves collecting dust.  Next time you're menu planning, instead of immediately reaching for online resources, try your trusty old cookbooks, you would be surprised at the gems found in there.

Looking around the house:::
It's dark, save for the fairy lights behind me on the plant.  Two snoring pugs, as always, and in the background the sound of my dryer going in the laundry room. 

From the camera:::

On my prayer list:::
My husband and I, we are faced with a very hard decision to make and are having a hard time.
My husband as he takes his PT this month, and also as he tests for Master Sergeant.
Friends and Family.

Bible verse, Devotional:::
Fear imprisons, Faith liberates;
fear paralyzes, faith empowers;
fear disheartens, faith encourages;
fear sickens, faith heals:
fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable......
and most of all, fear puts hopelessness at the heart of life,
while faith rejoices in it's God.
-  Harry Emerson Fosdick -

Sunday morning.....

 Source: Matters of Simplicity

Come on in, but be very quiet as the husband and children are still sound asleep in their beds.

I have some hot coffee and some gingersnaps to nibble on.

Well I haven't done a post this early in a long time, but I'm up, I'm awake, I'm ready to start my day, albeit not feeling 100%.  Let's just say that my lower back is hurting, I'm cramping and the hot water bottle is my best friend today.  You get my drift right?

It's cloudy outside and we have a chance of rain coming our way, I happen to believe it's the best day for sitting around doing absolutely nothing, save from eating comfort food and enjoying pots of tea.  I did have some grilling planned for today but I'll switch that out with another meal on the menu, no problem.

First thing I did this morning, after settling into my chair, was open my daily devotionals, and this is the one for today.......

"Do whatever is necessary to nurture the spirit of stillness in your life. Don't let the enemy wear you so thin that you lose your balance and perspective. Regular time for stillness is as important and necessary as sleep, exercise, and nutritional food." - Emilie Barnes

Love it, and am thankful that I am one of those that really does nurture stillness in my life.  I don't overdo things, I don't have my children in a gazillion extra-curricular activities, we don't have a full busy crazy schedule.

It's helped us be who we are and kept us in the moment, as a family.

Everyone does things differently, every family is different, and I would never presume to know what others do or if it's good or bad for them, I can only speak for us :)

But I can tell you that stillness IS important, extremely important for your well being and for your soul.

As I sit here typing, I hear movement in the bedrooms, seems that the house is about to come awake with a flurry of little feet down the hallway, my husband behind them with the pugs in tow, and so from one minute to the next it will go from dead quiet to agitated voices, and laughs and dogs barking and playing.  I love it, because as much as I enjoy the silence and being able to hear myself think, nothing beats the noise of my family around me.

Source:  Grim's House Tumblr

So, what is on my agenda for today?

I realize I said earlier it's a day of doing nothing, but, for me nothing really means not doing major housework and taking it easy and relaxing as much as possible.

Thing is, for me relaxing means crafting and I have a few things I want to get done today, a butterfly shadow box, a granny square bag and some patchwork placemats.

Will I get them all done, will I even succeed in finishing one?  Who knows, but that's what is on the to do list.

Before I leave you, I wanted to show you a few other items I picked up for dirt cheap at the Goodwill yesterday.



I love ships and these are beautiful.  The top one is the Constitution 1814.  It's in almost new condition. 

This one is a Vintage Whaling Clipper 1846, also in almost new condition.

They both sit atop my shelf in the living room and are stunning to look at.



This basket caught my eye.  I love old maps.  It now sits on my armoire and will hold some of my old books.

The plate above was $0.99 but seeing that it was 50% off, you can tell what a good deal it was.  Especially, since it's a Johnson Brothers Tally Ho depicting a hunting scene.

Love finding pieces like these :)

And lastly, something I've been needing for a while and was so excited to find, for a mere $0.50.  This lovely sewing basket.

Good finds all around :)

Now my loves are up, and I have to shift to mommy mode and get some breakfast going.

Have a wonderful Sunday, rest up, relax, and for those that enjoy sports have a great Superbowl.....for those like me who don't like it at all, there are some fun marathons on the TV like Anne of Green Gables on INSP.

YES! I think I'll watch that one :)

When it just clicks

You know those days where everything just falls into place?

Those days where you go out with your family and from the moment you step out the door, to the minute you get back home, everything goes well, you have a wonderful time, you smile, you laugh, you shop, you eat and you just enjoy each other's company?

Well that's the kind of day we've had.

This morning, pretty early, we set out for our errands.  We had a couple places we needed to go, Jasmine's new glasses to pick up, a stop at the bank, a stop at the UPS store to ship something, food or the dogs and the turtle etc.

We did half of what was on our list, then stopped in at Black Bear Diner for a wonderful breakfast.  Enjoyed a good cup of coffee, corned beef hash, country potatoes, scrambled eggs and there was even sausage and bacon and biscuits and gravy, and way too much food for me.  But we ate, and talked about our plans for the future, took some more steps towards our decision, debated about movies and who our favorite villains are and who would win in a "so and so against so and so".

It was relaxed, it was fun, and we loved every minute.

Our last stop before home was the local Goodwill.  We love just walking around in there and seeing what treasures we uncover, especially in the book section.

We are a book loving family, and I am an OLD book lover.  The older, the better for me.  And boy did I discover some goodies today.

I couldn't be more thrilled with the two above, which are perfect for us as a homeschooling family.  Elementary Algebra and The English of Business which includes everything from nouns, to verbs, conjunctions, sentence structure etc.

The Algebra one is filled with math examples and descriptions and help for elementary ages.  PERFECT for us, especially for my Nicholas.

Eagle in the Sky, How to paint for pleasure, The Scarlett Letter, The Poor Little Rich Girl and Jane Eyre.  Yes....Jane Eyre :)

And these gems.  The Settlement Cook Book, Complete Pie Cook Book, The Cooking of Spain and Portugal, The Cooking of the British Isles and 50 Country Quilting Projects.

I am in love with this one, it is just adorable and old...so very old.

It reminds me of one of my great grandma's cookbooks.  It was this old green hardcover called The ABC's of Cooking.  The pages had a specific scent, and they were so thin, I was always afraid of touching them.

Originally published in 1903 and compiled by Mrs. Simon Kander, it was put together with recipes from the cooking students at the Milwauke Settlement House.

But who is Mrs. Kander???

When I find a cookbook like this I always become increasingly curious about the face on the page, who they are, where they come from.  I did a google search and this is what I found.

Lizzie Black Kander (1858–1940) was the founder of a settlement house in Milwaukee, where she originated The Settlement Cookbook.

She was born in Wisconsin to German Jewish immigrants. In 1896 she founded the Keep Clean Mission at B'ne Jeshurun Temple in Milwaukee to help educate young Jewish girls to assimilate to a more mainstream American way of life. This was followed by the similarly conceived Milwaukee Jewish Mission at Emanu-El Guild Hall. In 1901 she moved her work to The Settlement, on North 5th Street. (Charitable social work among immigrants was often called "settlement work" at that time.)

One of Kander's aims was to teach young girls to cook and keep house. As she later recounted, her students spent a lot of time copying recipes from a chalk board, so she decided to print the recipes in the form of a cookbook to save them time. Writing as "Mrs. Simon Kander" (after her husband's name), she compiled a 174-page collection of recipes, household hints, and advice on housekeeping. None of the local Jewish religious organizations would help her fund the project, but the husband of one of her female friends was a printer, and he agreed to undertake the work, which was supported by selling advertisements. Although the complete title of the book was The Way to A Man's Heart ... The Settlement Cook Book, it is generally known as The Settlement Cook Book.

I think I'm going to really enjoy this one.   I only wish I had my greatgrandma's book as well.



And last, these 3 bags of Martha Stewart Cotton yarn.  I couldn't just walk by and leave them there, could I?

No, I couldn't.  I did try, promise, but then I had to come back and grab them.  Not sure why as I have so much yarn already, but you never know when may just need something specific right?

So, good day, good time with the family, good finds and then a good walk with our pug girls around the neighborhood.

Now I'm off to work on a project I have been meaning to make for a while.  I can't wait to show you.

Oh and I also have the new Country Sampler magazine and the new 5 Ingredient Recipes from Taste of Home to read. 

How is your Saturday going so far?

Five Senses Saturday

Another beautiful week filled with much to see and enjoy :)

::Hear::

- K-Love on my laptop and in my car
- Neighbors moving in across the street
- Dogs barking in the neighborhood
- My husband and children talking about space and time travel
- Birds chirping outside my kitchen window

::See::

- the pages of my favorite magazines
- my children playing together
- tax paperwork as I fill them in
- junk mail in the mail box
- blue skies and fluffy white clouds

::touch::

- my new dishcloths as I wash dishes
- my husband's face right after he shaves
- dough as I knead it for bread
- cold ice as I drop it in my glass
- snuggie that I wrap around me before slipping into bed

::taste::

- Caramel latte
- corn beef hash for breakfast
- braised beef tips and broccoli with cheese sauce
- Amish Peanut Butter on sandwiches
- frozen grapes as a snack

::smell::

- fresh linen air freshener in my car
- aloe hand soap
- porridge with honey and cinnamon
- bitterness from the motrin right before I swallow it
- roasted garlic and red pepper chips

Pretty dishcloths!

I see the dishcloth I posted yesterday was liked by many of you.  :)

It really is adorable isn't it?  And I think they make the kitchen look so pretty.  Aside from their functionality, which I have to say is fantastic and I happen to believe that they clean better than sponges and other dish scrubbers out there.....I find that if I have a pretty dishcloth at my fingertips, it makes the washing up fun.

Much as I love my other square ones, I think these are quickly becoming my favorites. They're definitely more girly and I think the color combinations can be endless. I'm using all my summer colors so that I'll have a nice stash when summer rolls around.

They are very easy to make, I made two more this morning.

The blue one you already saw yesterday, the pink and green is new, crocheted that one in 30 minutes while I was watching my soap. No kidding, it's that fast.

You DO have to concentrate a little when you get to row 6, 7 an 8, so you don't get confused with the pattern. But, otherwise, it's a piece of cake.

For the smaller one, it's pretty funny actually. I wasn't intending to make it smaller, but between the constant interruptions from the kids, and the phone ringing off the hook, I ended up with only 5 petals instead of 6.

Don't ask me how, I have no clue, but instead of messing with it and trying to fix it, I decided to just leave it as is, and I actually love the smaller one :)

Tomorrow I'll make another 2 or 3, depending on how much time I have on my hands. There are a couple errands I have to run in the morning, like picking up Jasmine's glasses, going to Petsmart for some Turtle food and a new filter and something else that I know I have to do and can't for the life of me think of it at the moment.

Anyway, some of you wanted the pattern. The one I'm using is the Flower Power Dishcloth Pattern from Doni Speigle available through Ravelry.

Love the colors she used, and luckily for me, I have the exact same colors in my stash :)

Also had grocery shopping this morning, and I always find that I'm exhausted by the time I've returned home and put everything away.  Takes FOREVER doesn't it?

I did squeeze in some time to make a fresh batch of Homemade Laundry Detergent.   Only thing missing is the Borax which my commissary didn't have, but since I am going to be near a Walmart tomorrow, I'll check there.

Now I have some Crockpot Nachos just sitting on warm, as we wait for hubby to come home for dinner. He's a little late tonight due to some AMU ceremony or something.

If you want to try out these yummy nachos, you can get the recipe on my blog.




I have some reading to do tonight for some reviews coming up and I also have my ghostie shows, so it will be a quiet evening at home.

Hope you are all having a good end to your Friday.

God Bless,