{ The Decision on Facebook }

 

I deactivated my Facebook account almost 3 weeks ago.  I'm not going to go into details again or talk more at length about it, because I think I have pretty much said what I had to on the subject.

I just wanted to come and let you all know, that the time I have been away, I have prayed about it and really looked deep into my heart on this matter.

I don't miss it, not one single bit, and that was one of the biggest things weighing on my heart, the fact that I don't even think about it, or about going on or seeing what is new.  Quite shocked actually because I was so used to it that I thought it would be hard to step away.

By the way, I was told by my husband and kids that my Facebook was back up last week, and it honestly boggled my mind as I have not been on there at all.  I went in and deactivated it again, only to be told this morning that my profile was showing up again.

After some thinking and rethinking, I realized that I've been using Spotify to listen to music, and when I signed up for it, it used my Facebook log in, so last week when I signed in to listen to music it signed into Facebook.  Last night when I signed in again, the same thing happened.

To be sure, hubby and I did a quick test and yes, it turns out it was Spotify that was logging me in.  Problem has been solved, I have deleted Spotify and have deactivated the account, once again.

Anyway, all this to let you know, that I have made my final decision and I will not be returning to Facebook.  I am in touch with my family through email, and a couple close friends too.

I apologize to those who enjoy Facebook and used it as a means to stay in touch with me, all I can ask is that if you really do want to continue, that you email me or follow me along here on my blog.

Aside from that, all I can say is that I have never felt so sure about something in my life.  I have not a single doubt in my mind that it was the best and right decision for me.  God had been pushing me to do this for a long time, I just refused to listen.

And when you listen to God, good things happen.  I guess it's always a struggle I will have in my life, that need to stay in control, to think that I know what I want or need better than the Lord.  Time and again He has proven otherwise but that doesn't stop stubborn ol' me from doing it again.

I felt it fair that I come in and let you know my decision, as a few of you were friends with me on there, and are friends of friends on there.  If anyone asks, feel free to tell them I won't be returning, and you can message them my email or give them my blog address.

Thank you for being understanding and truly caring about me and my family, it means a lot.

Blessings,

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 08/04/2014 }

Good morning ladies, hope you all had a restful night's sleep.  Me???  Well, it's 6am and I'm up and on the couch.

Haven't been getting very good sleep lately, for one, I think my mattress needs to be replaced as I wake up every morning very sore on my rib area, to the point where it hurts to lay on it.  Also, our Miss Bella is getting very old, and she hasn't been allowing us much sleep, she seems to have developed the 3am crazies and goes nuts at that time of the night.  Ugh!!!

Anyway, I have my coffee, I have a warm crochet blanket and I'm ready to get going, so let's get on with our Happy Homemaker Monday!!!  

Breakfast time....what is on the plate this morning::::
At the moment, just plain coffee, it is too early for me to even think of eating anything.  Here in about an hour I will probably have toast, or some oatmeal.


On today's to do list::::

1. Laundry - Wash the bed linens, iron one load, put away
2. Buy a gift for a friend's birthday
3. BX - Ink for the printer
4. Base Post Office - Mail off gift, package to South Africa and a book that was requested from Paperbackswap
5. Sweep and mop floors
6. Bathroom cleaning
7. Check schooling lessons, make some plans in preparation for the first day which is the 25th
8. Take Jasmine to Tae Kwon Do tonight

Currently reading::::
The Glass Kitchen by Linda Francis Lee.  I think it's going to be a good book, I'm already enjoying it and I'm just a few pages in.


On the TV today::::
Portuguese Soaps - Beijo do Escorpiao, Mulheres
Coal House at War - After Coal house, came Coal House at War.


The weather outside is::::
Cloudy.  We've had some rain and it looks like more is on the way, which I am happy with because it cools us down a lot.  I'm ready to stop being hot so my husband can quit turning on the AC.

On the menu this week::::
Monday - Potato and Cheese Pierogies, Salad
Tuesday - Rissois de Carne (Meat Rissoles), Fries
Wednesday - Chicken Stew, Biscuits, Veggies
Thursday - Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes
Friday -  Oklahoma Fried Burgers, Fries
Saturday - Beef and Corn Noodle Casserole, Broccoli
Sunday - My Birthday (Out to dinner)


If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::
Not sure today, but I will probably do some more blog reading


New recipe I tried, or want to try this week::::
Made some Homemade Quesaritos, a lighter version using wholewheat tortillas, ground turkey and cilantro lime rice.  They were a hit.

In the garden::::
Everything is doing well, my newly planted Basil is thriving.  The only other new thing are the roses that I'm trying to propagate.  Fingers crossed on those.   


Favorite photo from the camera::::
Roses and Crochet....what better combination?

Homemaking Tip::::
To remove mildew on white fabrics - soak several hours in a wash tub with 1/2 vinegar and 1/4 cup bleach. You can also put lemon juice on a stain and set in sun to remove light stains on white clothing.


Visiting with Blog friends (blog you want to share, blog post that caught your eye)::::
I have been reading my blog from the archives, and with it I have found so many wonderful old posts, but also enjoy reading the comments and reconnecting with old blog friends.  I have a found a few that are still around and still blogging to this day, like Kat, Michelle and Julie, and some old favorite blogs that I had lost along the way, like Aiken House & Gardens (if you love Anne of Green Gables you will love this blog as the author lives in Prince Edward Island).

I'll be looking for more today and hoping to find them still around, if anything so I can see how they are doing, I've often wondered how everyone is and what they're up to.


Praying for::::
My dad and stepmother, for peace in their hearts
My sister in law, she still struggles with missing home and that is normal, it will take a while to get used to being here and not in South Africa
My brother who works so hard and so many hours
My husband as he takes his final exams this week for his Bachelor's Degree


Bible Verse, Devotional that is resonating with me at the moment::::

PLEASE, don't add links to this list that are not part of the Happy Homemaker Monday. I've asked numerous times, and I'm frankly quite tired of having to remove links to other posts that shouldn't be in this list. Please be respectful of my request!

{ Come in and chat with me }

Good morning, it's such a beautiful day today!

Come on in and chat with me a little.  I have coffee, I have tea, I have cookies and I have very comfy couches that we can sit on and catch up.  If you prefer, we can sit at the kitchen table too.

I woke up in a pretty good mood, and I'm sure it had to do with me getting some pretty good sleep last night.  Isn't it amazing how a hot bubble bath before bed relaxes you?

So it's Sunday, and that means relaxing, taking it easy and not overdoing it.  Actually, it means me doing whatever I wish because the housework was already taken care of yesterday.

Last night remember I told you I didn't know what I wanted to crochet, well, I did know that I wanted to make something and was thinking another blanket, but I decided to go with something small just to try out the V-stitch and see how I liked it.

I whipped this one up in about an hour, that is how fast it went, and I am in love with the v-stitch, it looks pretty and it's one of those stitches that you can do while watching tv or chatting with family, you don't really need to count anything or pay much attention.

I picked colors to match my kitchen, sticking with the white and the pastels, and I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

First thing I did this morning, was to grab some fresh roses for the house, but also grab some cuttings to propagate some roses for the back yard.

I've taken the advice of many online, and cut them at an angle, planted them in some soil in see through plastic glasses so we can see if the roots take on or not.

They take about 4 weeks to start rooting.  By then, if they do root, we can just plant them into the garden, but if they haven't rooted then we throw them out.  I'm just hoping they work, but from what I've read everywhere Roses are one of the easiest plants to propagate, so we'll see....wish me luck.

For now, they will sit on my kitchen counter, right on my pretty newest crochet creation.

Next thing I had on my list today, was to make some more Homemade French Bread Pizzas.  My husband and kids love these for lunches, but I don't love paying $10 a box for 8.  I find it very expensive.

I decided to give it a go and make them myself and they are all happy with that, and best part, we can change up the toppings and I can even make some veggie ones for myself.

The cost???  About $12 for 18 French Bread Pizzas.  I say that's a lot cheaper than $10 for 8, wouldn't you say?

While cleaning and reorganizing my books yesterday, I came across my devotionals.  Oh I love these, and I haven't read them in a while, between the move from Arizona to Idaho and then from the old house to this house, they had just seemed to have gotten lost along the way.  So glad I found them.

This morning I picked up the book on top, and opened to a page, any page, just random, and it landed on "The Joy of Aging".

It couldn't have come at a more appropriate time, seeing that I'm about to turn the big 40.  I've had a lot of questions on my mind and a lot of things have been swirling around in there.  Some I ask myself about how I've been living my 30's, others question what is to come in my 40's.

Sometimes I worry about getting old, sometimes I don't care at all and welcome it.  I guess I'm just at a crossroads of sorts and have a lot of thinking and praying to do.

That is what matters the most.  My Lord accepts me and takes me for who I am, grey hairs or not, old or young.

One quote from the devotional made me laugh and I thought I would share it with you.

So as birthdays come, don't think of yourself as growing old;  you've just reached that vibrant metallic age:  silver in your hair, gold in your teeth, and lead in your bottom! - Barbara Johnson

Now if that doesn't make you chuckle about aging, I don't know what will.  :)

Here's what I'm up to today:

• Dinner will be Orange Chicken as requested by my boy, and he also wants some Sesame Noodles to go with it.  We've all been craving Chinese food and instead of going out and spending money, I can make it at home.

• On the TV I am going to watch Long Island Medium which returns tonight, and I also want to start watching Emily of New Moon.  

I am off to have a cup of tea and then I think I will make a quick run to Walmart to check out the garden center and the yarn, of course.  I have decided I WILL make another blanket in the V-stitch and I have a very specific color palette in mind, unfortunately don't have quite the colors I am thinking of using.

I hope you are having a relaxing Sunday afternoon and an even better evening.


On this day:

2006:  My sides hurt from laughing so much
2007:  It's Friday already?!?!
2008:  Asian Beef Wraps
2009:  Happy Homemaker Monday
2010:  
2011:
2012:  One step closer
2013:

{ Saturday Evening }

Guess where I am????  At this moment, I am laying in bed with my laptop, my crochet stuff and my book.

I haven't done this in quite a long time, strange though because it used to be part of my nightly routine for many years.  It actually stopped being that last year when my family came to stay with us, we had so many people in the house an were always busy doing something, that this part of my nightly routine just sort of fell away.

I missed it though, I kept telling my husband that I needed to start doing that again, but then the move got in the way and then the setting up of this house the past month, and tonight, finally, for the first time in what seems like years, I am back on track.

Just another little tick on my list of things I am restarting in my life.

So, anyway, I am sitting here and I have a glass of water, no coffee tonight as my stomach doesn't feel very well.  I am not quite sure why or what is going on, but I had some leftover sausages for lunch and since then I've been a little off, so I guess this getting into bed thing came at the perfect time.

I am waiting for The Dead Files to come in about an hour and 10 minutes, so for now I may just watch something from my Youtube list, I'm thinking maybe continuing with the Turn Back Time: The Family videos, those are so interesting to me.

I also have my book at hand, I'm not sure if I'll get around to reading it, but I will give it a try.  Don't you just love the cover?  I'm always pulled in by the cover of books, and that saying "don't judge a book by it's cover", has proven itself true to me on a few occasions.  I can't help it though, and really, mason jars????  I had to grab it.

This morning started off with some menu planning, not for the next two weeks, but the second half of the month.  I like to be on top of things and right now I am enjoying reading and looking up Depression Era recipes, so I'm having a bit of fun with the menu.

My niece and nephew slept over last night, so when they were gone, Nic took both the blow up mattresses and made himself a little bed.  He asked us if he could keep it like that for the day, and usually I wouldn't allow it, I like my house neat and things in their place, but I figured why not?

It's just one time, it's not hurting anyone and it makes him happy.

While we're in the living room, let me show you something.  I think I've been having way too much fun with the chalkboard paint.  My family actually says that if it were up to me, I would chalkboard the couches and them too.  HA!!!

I painted the sides of my video cabinets with chalkboard.  We are having fun coming up with different movie and TV show themes and then drawing them on.

Come fall though, the TV schedule of the shows we watch will be on there.

I got some housework done, laundry as always, there's actually a pile of towels and sheets on the table that you can see.  I had just brought it in from the laundry room, ready to fold and put away.

Got the upstairs all vacuumed and bathroom clean and bedrooms tidied and then as I was coming back down the stairs, I notice this. This little pug is such a brat, she keeps me laughing though. She HAS to be either sitting with someone or if there's a chance of being on anything that resembles a bed, there she is.

She had climbed under the covers and was watching videos with Nic.

This is her expression when I asked her what she was doing under the covers. I can't help but smile, I love her so much.

Once the inside was done, Curt mowed the back yard, we cleaned it up, rearranged the deck a bit and then I turned the sprinklers on. I always feel like no matter how much we water, the heat we've been having just kills the grass instantly. I am trying to get a green lawn without getting a huge water bill......oh boy.

Not only has the grass been enjoying the water, but the roses out front are all happy again.

I plan on propagating some of the roses to the back yard.  I've done all my research and watched a bunch of videos and I'm just going to go for it.  Gardening always worries me because I either do really well or I tend to kill everything I try to grow.  But we'll see.

Because my stomach is not feeling too great, I made a very simple dinner, but one that I would say is one of the things my husband and children most love eating.  Corned Beef Hash!

Yum, I did have a little but not much so I don't make myself feel worse.

And I ended the night, again with something I hadn't had a chance to do in a while.  A nice hot, bubble bath.

Oh my goodness did that feel good. I was reminded of why I enjoyed them so much, and I think I may just make it my Saturday night thing....why not????

You know us mamas need some time to ourselves too, whether it be to pamper ourselves, paint our nails, read a book, do a craft or even just sit back and watch a show uninterrupted.  We need it, we deserve it, and it really does replenish the soul.

Ok, now to figure out what I'm doing with the crochet.  I am thinking of another blanket, but do I really need another?  Decisions, decisions!!!!

Alright my friends, let me go visit you all real quick and see what you're up to before I get busy with anything, otherwise I will get distracted and won't end up coming around to say hi.

{ Wanting to turn back time }

Oh my friends, I want to sit and just cry.  Have a good, good cry, maybe even one of those ugly, nose running, mascara smudged, loud cries.

It's not for anything bad, but just because my heart hurts and yearns for years gone by.

Since returning to my blog full time, I have gone back through my archives and started reading from the very first post.  I am amazed at how different I was, how different I thought, and how much I've grown up and changed since that very first time I put words down on the computer screen, and hit that publish button.

 I've fallen in love with my blog, all.over.again.

I've also realized just what it was that made me want to start blogging in the first place, and those feelings have stayed the same, those haven't changed one bit.

As I read through the posts, I want to go back to when my children were little, to when we were stationed at this base, to when I was a new military wife still trying to make sense of everything, loving that very first snow, the very first in my life since moving to the States from South Africa.

The walks we took, the trips to the library, even the crazy schedule my husband was on.

It's just that feeling of wanting to be back in that time when everything was so exciting and new.

I had a good sniffle this morning, and then I reminded myself that it doesn't have to be a "here and now versus back then".  I am still the same person, just more mature, older, having lived through many more things since then.

I can't change it, I can't go back, but I can still be Sandra, the old Sandra that never left.

You know I feel that I veered away from who I was for the past few years, and quite honestly I blame myself for trying to become something else, all to please the ever changing and fast growing social media world.

I've now been away from Facebook for a little over two weeks, and I can tell you with certainty, that I do not miss it one single bit.  I haven't gone back, I don't even get the urge to go and see what is going on or what people are posting.  Being away from the negativity and the drama has been liberating.

It has also caused me to take a good look at who I am and what I was becoming, and I'm not happy with that person, so I'm extremely joyful to be going back to me.....just little old me, plain me.

It's so hard to admit that you've been trying to be something you're not, that you messed up, that you got so caught up in what others expect of you that you had forgotten yourself.  Here I am...admitting it.  I am not shy to do so, what matters is that I recognize it and make a conscious decision to change, right?

Anyway, going back to wanting to turn back time.

Let me tell you why, well aside from what I said about the blogging back then and my little ones etc.  The blogging friends I made are a huge thing for me.

I read through their comments, and I try to go back and find them, to see if they're still blogging, how they are, what they've been doing for the past 7 years.  Sadly enough, some blogs stopped posting back in 2008, some blogs are completely gone, and then there are some friends who like me, are still out there, blogging all these years later.

I'm trying to find them, trying to reconnect, and every time I manage to track one down, I get so happy.  It's like we belong to this special club and are reuniting all these years later.  Oh I'm sure many of them don't even remember me and my blog, but no matter, I remember them and that's ok.

Are you tired of my babbling yet?

I bet by now you're having flashbacks of my old blogging ways, I seemed to jump from subject to subject and make these super long posts.  Hahah
I often wondered if anyone read them to the end, or if people just got bored halfway through and moved on to something else.  I chose to believe that they hung in there and read every single word.

Anyway, all this to say that in my yearning to turn back time, I have realized that though that maybe impossible to do, I can still bring back the essence of what my blog was, and IS.

Yes, that is what I am going to do.  So be prepared, you will see some old meme's brought back to life, you will see some old features revived but most importantly, you will see me, in all my crazy, life loving, homemaking, family adoring glory.

I'm ready.....time to go back to the past and not rewrite it, but incorporate it into my present, and hopefully my future.

So excited to do that.  My only hope is that there would be a blog revival, and I'm not talking about the way blogging is now, but a revival of all the old family oriented blogs.  A girl can dream right? )