In the here and now.....

Something amazing happens when you focus all your energy and time into your family and your life instead of facebook or other addicting online things.

I am SO SO happy and proud of myself for stepping away and not looking back. 

I'm enjoying the here and the now, and I've found a renewed love for everything around me, and ME especially.  Why?  I don't know, I honestly don't want to question the why's very much or how's, I just want to enjoy the feeling, and that I'm doing :)

So what am I doing????

Spending hours at the library with the children, perusing, learning, reading, picking out just the perfect book to bring home.

Taking more time to consciously watch what I put into my body, and indulging in healthy snacks while reading, or watching a good family show on Netflix or BBC.   No trashy TV for me, just shows that leave me smiling.

Taking walks in the morning, with the children,  while hubby is at work. Or taking a drive around base, checking out the jets, talking and laughing and learning.

On the weekends, we are disconnecting from the outside world and spending it together, whether it be shopping, or playing a video game or a board game, doing a craft, working on the yard and taking long walks with our pugs while the kids ride their bikes ahead.

Baking, and cooking, using good old favorite cookbooks, some of which I had totally forgotten about.

Smiling, lots.  Laughing until I have tears running down my face.

Friends, I'm totally living the here and now, and I'm loving every second of it.

Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd - TLC Book Tour

Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd

Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge must contend with two dangerous enemies in this latest complex mystery in the New York Times bestselling series

London, summer 1920. An unidentified body appears to have been run down by a motorcar and Ian Rutledge is leading the investigation to uncover what happened. While the signs point to murder, vital questions remain: Who is the victim? And where, exactly, was he killed?

One small clue leads Rutledge to a firm built by two families, famous for producing and selling the world's best Madeira wine. Lewis French, the current head of the English enterprise, is missing. But is he the dead man? And does either his fiancée or his jilted former lover have anything to do with his disappearance—or possible death? What about his sister? Or the London office clerk? Is Matthew Traynor, French's cousin and partner who heads the Madeira office, somehow involved?

*******************************************

The book opens in Madeira in 1916, with the German bombing of Funchal Harbour.

Right away I was captivated, and the main reason being that I'm Portuguese. Madeira, and most importantly Funchal, where the bombing takes place, is where my late Uncle Carlos used to live, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading about that area right in the beginning of the book.

What then attracted me to the book too, was the fact that it not only takes place in one of my favorite eras, but it involves a detective and Scotland Yard and so forth. There's nothing better than a book that centers around things that interest you.

With that said, Charles Todd is a fantastic author and he always manages to drag you right into the story, to the point where you feel you are right there following along with the characters, rooting for one, or disliking the other.

The story is about Detective Ian Rutledge and his investigation as he pieces together the death of two bodies that just appeared in what seems like out of nowhere. One on Dungeness Beach, and a few months later another that seems to have been dragged, but there are no signs of a car being involved. That body ties back to the bombing four years earlier in Funchal, Madeira.

How can that be?

We are taken along on a journey, collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses and all interspersed with Detective Rutledges own demons, stemming back from his time served in WWI.

Brilliantly written, full of twist and turns and a must for mystery lovers.

Tour Stops

Tuesday, January 29th: 5 Minutes for Books
Wednesday, January 30th: Bookfoolery and Babble
Thursday, January 31st: A Bookworm’s World
Monday, February 4th: Peppermint PhD
Tuesday, February 5th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Wednesday, February 6th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Thursday, February 7th: Between the Covers
Monday, February 11th: Dwell in Possibility
Tuesday, February 12th: Short and Sweet Reviews
Wednesday, February 13th: I Read a Book Once
Monday, February 18th: Speaking of Books
Friday, Februay 20th: Iwriteinbooks’s blog

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a review copy.

Lots done today

It was a good creative day for me.

I was on the go from early this morning and am now finally sitting down to relax for the evening.

I could mention housework but you're probably sick of hearing me talk about it, so instead of that, I'll just say that I did some good cleaning around here and rearranged some areas too.

Laundry is completely caught up, and folded and put away. YAY! Miss Lola follows me everywhere, and where I am, she is very near taking a nap.....this was us doing laundry today.

And in between that, I managed to get two projects knocked out....feels great when you sit down at the end of the day and have a lot to show for it.

So here is the first one....this cute Butterfly Shadow Box. I've been wanting to make one of these for a while and just needed the shadow box, thankfully found one for 50 cents at the Goodwill this weekend.

I just did a search for butterfly images on google, then printed some out, traced them onto patterned paper and cut them out.

A little bit of glue to stick them down, and then just pulled the wings up so they look 3D.

Next I grabbed my new cotton yarn because I had something in mind for my kitchen table. Made some very quick tiny granny squares

Just two rows, that's it. Then sewed them together....

Set it aside and got busy with homeschooling and some more laundry, then picked it back up and crocheted some rows around it while I watched my soap

around and around, again this was a very quick project

It's one of those projects that I don't have to think, I don't have to count, I can just throw it together and it quickly evolves.

The end result is just what I had in mind......

Still need to block it, but I love it :)

It just felt like the day went by so quick, before I knew it I was heading into the kitchen to start dinner, when it felt like I had just finished breakfast.

Oh I do like days like these, lots done and a sense of accomplishment.

I'm going to go watch The Hotel on Channel 4, which I love. Makes me laugh seeing some of these guests that show up, not to mention the staff and the crazy things that happen.

So with that, I bid you goodnight.

God Bless,

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 :)