Happy Homemaker Monday - 08-19-2013

Where did the weekend go?  I can't believe it's already Monday again and we're halfway through August as well, goodness.

Hope you all had a good relaxing weekend and are ready for the week ahead.  Now, let's get right into our Happy Homemaker Monday :)

The weather.....
We're cooling down this week and even have some chance for thunderstorms.  I say bring it on, but leave the lightning out as we really do not need anymore wild fires.

Right now I am....
Writing this post up, drinking my coffee and getting ready to go over today's lessons.

Thinking....
About school starting today and having 4 kiddos who will be sitting around this dinner table learning.  Will definitely be an adventure lol

On my reading pile....
All the books I grabbed from the library, plus school lessons and some paperwork I'm helping my brother and sister in law with. 

On my TV.....
Hell on Wheels
True Blood - Have to catch up on this whole past season
White Queen - Watched the first episode and then the move got in the way and now I have to catch up on all the episodes of this first season

On the menu for this week....

Monday - Carne Guisada
Tuesday -  Grilled Sirloin w/ Twice Baked Potatoes
Wednesday - Fettucine Alfredo
Thursday - Roast Chicken with potatoes
Friday -  Cheesy Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Saturday - Taco Bar, Mexican Rice, Salad
Sunday - Barbecue Glazed Drumsticks

On my to do list....
Laundry - Yippee
Homeschooling

In the craft basket....
I'm hoping....really hoping, that now that school is starting back up, that I'll be able to get back into a routine and get back into my crochet goodies.  I have a few finished already and ready to sell, it's just a matter of taking pictures and posting them.
 
Looking forward to this week....
Getting back into a routine.

Looking around the house....
The kids are all awake and there is a buzz about school starting.  Two of them are excited, and the other two are acting like they were told they will be facing the firing squad LOL  It's pretty funny actually.
   
From the camera....

On my prayer list.....
My husband, he will find out today if he has the job he applied for.
My father and stepmother
My grandmother who is in hospital with a bleeding ulcer
My brother who is recovering from Bell's Palsy
My friend Jen who is going through a very hard time with her daughter

Bible verse, Devotional....
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.We love because he first loved us.
– 1 John 4:18-19 (NIV)

Time for reading!

You know in our busy lives, one of the things that I really need to do is read.  It is my safe haven, my go to when I start getting too stressed.

Maybe it's the fact that the fiction takes me away to a completely different world, or it might be that I just need my brain to disconnect from the everyday stresses.

But most of the time, it's really just that I love reading and love having books around me, and can't imagine my life without bookshelves and gorgeous books to dive into.

I went to the library a few days ago, by myself, everyone was still asleep or just getting up, so I wandered around in there for a long time, just browsing, running my fingers through the books on the shelves, grabbing this one and that one that caught my attention and then placing them back into that little spot that never quite seems to fit once they're out.

Leaving with one book is out of the question, that never happens....I'm usually asked if I want a bag for all the books I'm balancing between my arms.

I don't know what it is, but walking out of the library I always seem to have the goofiest smile on my face.  It just makes me that happy.

One thing is for sure, I love my Kindle Fire but it will never come to the same level that holding a real book in your hands, does...and that is the reason why I will never get rid of my books, it's also the reason why I can't stop myself from buying more even when I have some on the shelves waiting to be read.

I think I have enough books to keep me busy for a few weeks.  A little bit of everything on this stack:

Wedding Night - Sophie Kinsella
Sisters of the Confederacy - Lauraine Snelling
A Simple Winter - Rosalind Lauer
When will this cruel war be over:  The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson Gordonsville, Virginia 1864
Tapestry of Fortunes - Elizabeth Berg
The Judas Field - Howard Bahr
Return to Beauty...Old world recipes  - Narine Nikogosian
Homemade Root beer, soda and pop 
The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency used by the Mormons

AND I still have the two cookbooks in the basket too.  I think that tomorrow I'm going to take a few moments to sit outside on the deck and read, or I may just set a quilt down under one of the big trees in the back and lay with a book.

What are you reading lately, anything interesting?  And are you more of a fiction or non fiction fan?

Is there a book that you think I would love, cause I'm always open for suggestions :)

A lifetime of missed events!

When you are living thousands of miles away from family, one of the things that most stands out is the fact that so many life events go by without you being there.

For the past 15 years, I have missed out on my niece's and nephew's lives and many of their firsts.

It's upsetting and it's heartbreaking and it makes you cry and want to go home, but it's also something you learn to live with.  Not that it gets easier, but you learn to accept that there is nothing you can do to change it and you live vicariously through the photos and updates on Facebook and through emails and phone calls.

But it's never the same is it?

Now I have one of my nieces and nephews here and it's been wonderful seeing them every day and talking to them and learning who they are, their likes and dislikes.

Knowing that I will be witnessing many of their firsts in this new journey in their lives, makes me so happy.  I may have missed out on the earlier years but I will be here for the older ones as they set out into the world.

One of the biggest accomplishments for a teenager is learning to drive, and that's exactly what my niece Tiffany is doing.

You see, back in South Africa you have to be 18 to get your driver's license, so she would have had to wait a few more years. I can't even explain to you just how excited she is and to be driving her Uncle Curt's big truck.

She looks so tiny in that big ol thing LOL

Uncle Curt is very patient though and loves teaching so she's loving this.....and I'm loving the fact that I get to witness this first hand, such a big event in our lives :)

Only thing that would make this better is if I had all of my nieces and nephews here with me, but, maybe one day :)

We've had two days of reprieve from the fire haze and the smell of burning, and the farmers have been out there plowing and enjoying the fresh air without all the ash.

Unfortunately today, we are back to hazy, smoky, foggy skies and a horrible stench. I feel so bad for the firefighters who have been battling these fires for days now, I pray that the fires subside and soon.

It has made for some stunning sunsets though as it's turned the sun a bright red ball in the sky.

Anyway, I wanted to come in and give you a quick update of what is going on in my side of the woods.

Have a super busy day with bill paying, grocery shopping, errands to run and hair cuts for all the boys, so I better get finished with my grocery list and start waking up kids, takes forever to get everyone ready to head out the door.

Have a wonderful Thursday everyone :)

Happy Homemaker Monday - 08/12/2013

It's been a scary couple of days.  If you're not aware of it, we've been surrounded by massive wildfires caused by lightning from a storm we had a few days ago.

Last night the fires were raging on the mountain just across the highway, it was a scary and surreal feeling, ash in the air, the strong smell of burning fires.  Makes you realize just how fragile life can be.

Then this morning I got word that my oldest brother was taken to the hospital with his face drooping and was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy.  Don't know what is going on, but the past few months I've had quite a few friends come down with Bell's Palsy.

Needing some major prayers for these two issues and for my dad and stepmom who are going through a very difficult time at the moment.

Anyway, on to today's HHM:

The weather.....
Hazy dark skies, ash falling and very windy.  Supposed to get a thunderstorm tonight which would be wonderful for these conditions and to help fight the wild fires, but praying there is no lightning involved.

Right now I am....
Sitting at the kitchen table.  Everyone else is asleep.  I'm drinking a cup of tea as I spent all night feeling sick to my stomach.

Thinking....
That I ate way too much yesterday and mixed a lot of things I shouldn't have.  I'm paying for it right now with this nausea.

On my reading pile....
Aside from the two books I had picked up last week, I also picked up a few more at the library.  I go through these stages where I read constantly and right now I'm devouring books :)
Have some Amish ones, some cooking books and some historical fiction.

On my TV.....
Hell on Wheel's new season just started so today I'll be watching the first episode.
Not sure what else, but I have quite a list of shows I'm trying to catch up on, so I'll probably watch one of those when I have a spare moment.

On the menu for this week....

Monday - Fricassee Chicken
Tuesday -  Sausages and Mash
Wednesday - Great Grandma's Meatballs, Fries, Salad
Thursday - *Grocery Day*
Friday -
Saturday -
Sunday -

On my to do list....
Had a few things to get done today, but honestly the way I'm feeling this morning, I think I'm going to just camp out on the couch with a good book.

In the craft basket....
Nothing, I have fallen way behind on the dishcloths and there's been so much going on that I just haven't had a chance to get back to it.  Really, really need to though.

Looking forward to this week....
Enjoying the last week of summer before school starts on the 19th.

Looking around the house....
The sun is trying to shine through the smoke clouds, so it's bathing the house in this reddish orange tinge, it's gorgeous.
There are a few Xbox controllers on the floor in the living room which need to be picked up, some items on the kitchen counters and the dining table.  Aside from that the house is actually clean and tidy :)
  
From the camera....
Little blurry, but just to show you what we were seeing last night, across the field.

On my prayer list.....
My husband, he has a second interview today and a few others this week.
My father and stepmother, things are just not well between them and they're both suffering.
My oldest brother who has come down with Bell's Palsy.
Friends needing prayer at the moment.

Bible verse, Devotional....
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
– Galatians 5:4-6 (NIV)

Well, hello 39!!!

 
I would say the year flew by, but then again I think you all know that.  Where has the time gone?

I feel like just yesterday I was writing a post up about turning 38 years old, but now here I am, turning 39, just one year away from the big 4 0.  It doesn't scare me, matter of fact I'm so excited for this age and for what is to come.

So what I have learned?  Oh boy.  So very much. 

Good things have happened, bad things have happened, things that have broken my heart have happened but they've all made me who I am.  This morning I woke up and the very first thing I did was thank God for bringing me to this point and for the past 39 years of my life.

I thanked him for EVERYTHING.....and I mean everything, not just the good, but even the sad moments and the ups and downs.  I am thankful for it all because each moment we live is a lesson, every single thing we do, every single tear we cry, and even every "I can't take it anymore".

What you do with it all is up to you.  I choose to live it, learn it, and love it.

This next year I have no idea what is coming my way.  I used to cringe and I used to be terrified of what may come, and then I learned to just accept it.

Every single line on my face, every wrinkle, tells a story.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

So, let's see what is in the future and where this road takes me.  One thing is for sure, as long as I have this man beside me, I can take it all with a smile on my face. :)