Week in review!

Good morning!!!

It's been a very crazy week for me.  Remember when I said I would start posting daily?  Yeah that didn't work out very well and I've learned a valuable lesson, in which I can't promise or say I'll post this or that because right now, my life is just a crazy roller coaster ride.

So week in review, what exactly kept me so busy the past few days?

I would have to say the biggest thing was finalizing the kid's schooling and finally getting them into Connections Academy.  The weight is off my shoulders, I am now feeling relieved and ready to start the new year, and that is happening in less than a month.  Goodness!!

We've also been working on getting a new vehicle.  I didn't want to get into another car payment, it was not something I feel comfortable with but the truth of the matter is that we are down to no reliable vehicle between us.

My car still needs a new engine so it sits in our workshop, waiting, until we can save up some money and recover from this big move so we can get it fixed.  It gets paid off early next year, can you believe that?

My husband's truck is running, but not very well and we need to have it looked at and fixed very soon, because I'm worried that if he keeps driving it, it will eventually break for good and I would hate to be stuck with two vehicles who need new engines.

Right now, we are looking at purchasing another vehicle, we've actually been driving it the past week and I'm in love with it.  But between the dealership trying to make it's money, which they always do, and waiting on our own bank for a loan approval, it's taken the whole week.  I feel as if I've had the phone attached to my ear for days and if you know me, you know how I feel about phone calls.  Hate it!!!

As always I'm enjoying the wild life around me, especially the birds.  I feel like every single day, I get to see one I hadn't seen before and they're all different colors.

I think they're Yellow Bellied Flycatchers, but I may be way off.  If you know what they are let me know.

Anyway, I'm still enjoying my life here in Texas, I'm still loving the new house and our new life and I'm looking forward to getting a reliable vehicle so that we can start adventuring out and getting to know the area, there's nothing worse than moving to a new place and being stuck in the house with no way of going anywhere.

My plans for this weekend are:

- planting out front
- start seeds
- move exercise machine to the closet
- get office finished
- work on garage
- break down all the empty boxes and move to workshop
- finish putting up pictures, shelves etc
- clean the turtle tank

Yes, quite another busy weekend, but next week we are headed to Dallas, and I'm taking my camera so I can get a lot of pictures to share with you all.

I want so badly to try to do better at posting on the blog, because really my only other alternative is to stop blogging altogether, and I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that step.  Guess I need to do some thinking on this one.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend, sending you hugs until the next post :)

Happy Homemaker Monday - 07/13/2015

Good morning everyone, Happy Monday!

I woke up with a headache and just not feeling too good, I think it's all PMS to be honest, but yeah, not looking forward to today and just want to lay back down, which I may do after I'm done posting today's Happy Homemaker Monday.

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Beautiful morning and no rain in sight this week, which I'm very happy about, not because I don't like rain but because I hate the humidity that comes with it.

Things that make me happy:
Knowing that even in those moments where the finances may be tight, we always come through with the help of God.

Menu for this week:
Ok so we've had visitors pretty much every single weekend since we moved in, not even kidding.  I haven't been able to do 2 weeks shopping like I usually do for me and my family, in a long time, even before we left Idaho.  I need to sit down today and work on a menu plan for us and then get to the store sometime within the next few days.

I do know that for tonight I have Chicken but I'm not even sure how I'm going to make it, will figure it out later.  I may do a Chicken with Peppers and Mashed Potatoes.  Yes, I think I'll do that.


What's on my TV today:
Catching up on shows.  Also watched The Maze Runner yesterday with the family and really enjoyed it, was very good.


Looking around the house:
It's clean and tidy.  That's the one thing about having constant visitors, I've had to keep the place spotless, constantly, in case someone just shows up and needs a place to stay.   Not that I had a dirty untidy house before, but definitely going the extra mile now.


On my To Do List:
Laundry
Menu Planning
Grocery List
Check on kid's school enrollment


New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
I actually made a really yummy Samoa Eclair Cake, but it disappeared before I could get a picture of it.  I think I need to make another this week so I can take pics and share it on the food blog.


In the craft basket:
Jasmine's armor, the chest piece is pretty much done, just need to add a few more details, run a hot gun over it so I can make the foam softer and more manageable to mold it to her body, and then paint.

Looking forward to this week:
Well, I'm hoping and praying, but by tonight we may have another vehicle, which we desperately need.  I will give more details when and if it comes through.


Tips and Tricks:
For my tips this week, I want to talk to all the ladies out there.  I have a really cool app for my phone that I came across a while ago.  It's called Snupps.  You sign up and then begin organizing your stuff.  Basically if I am wearing a super cut outfit and matching nail polish or whatever, I take a pic of each thing, like for example the nail polish, and I name it (Essie, and the color), then add it to my nail polish shelf.  It's just a really cool way to keep track of what I have in my collection and wardrobe, it makes it easier when I want to go shopping.


My favorite blog post this week:
Didn't have a chance to read any blogs this week.


Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):
Likewise, didn't find anything new.  I'm thinking I will probably remove these two categories for now, until I actually start blog reading again.

No words needed (favorite photo or picture):

Lesson learned the past few days:
That sometimes it doesn't pay to show people you care.  I'm so tired of being nice, of caring, of checking on people, of trying to be there for them and either being completely ignored, disregarded, unappreciated or just downright ignored.  It's not something I'm used to because I'm not like that, so it bothers me and I'm really just tired of it. 


On my mind:
The car situation, if this pans out today, it will be a huge blessing from God.


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
– 1 John 3:9 (NIV)

It's so hot and humid.....oh Texas!

Did I ever tell you how I don't like humidity, how it is one of the things I really really immensely dislike and so does my hair?

When we moved to Texas, or rather, when the whole Texas thing first came up, I didn't even think of it, I mean I had bigger fish to fry and a myriad of things running through my head, none of which included humidity.

Now I'm here, and I'm really really immensely disliking the humidity, and so is my hair.

Worst part?

Our AC decided to conk out last night and we've been dying here in this heat.  I don't think you can survive in Texas without an AC, I'm pretty sure that it's not even legal to live in this State without one.  At least that's what I tell myself.



The rain has been coming down for the past few days, matter of fact as I started typing this post, it started up again.


Had a really hard time sleeping last night with the heat in the house, even though the fans were going, I actually ended up getting some ziploc baggies and filling them with ice to take to bed with us and the doggies, it was the only thing that made laying in bed bearable.


Didn't even bother to try and sleep in today, it wasn't going to happen and I had phone calls to make and things to attend to, so just got up and enjoyed a cup of coffee while watching he day starting to break.



Anyway, enough about humidity and heat, I wanted to show you just a very few pics of our 4th of July weekend, we had so many people over, the house was packed.  I didn't get many opportunities, if any at all, to grab my camera and document anything.  Craziness!!!


I did want to show you my drink dispenser, I've had my eye on it for a while and thought that this weekend was the perfect time to get it. It held Mint Tea, yum!!!

Oh and guess what I saw in my front yard, I can't tell you how excited I was, I'm sure for most of you it's nothing, you're probably used to seeing it all the time, but I've never in my life had them in my own yard.


Adorable!!!!

I also wanted to tell you all that it looks like we finally have the kids school figured out, which is a huge weight off my shoulders, had me quite worried there for a while.

Right, I have floors to vacuum, a house to clean, laundry to get through and a menu and grocery list to plan.

Curt's aunt and uncle are arriving tomorrow afternoon to spend the weekend with us, we haven't seen them in so many years, and we're quite excited to visit.

Almost forgot though, wanted to share with you real quick.


My hair has been really frizzy and dry with all this humidity and I don't like it at all, so I've been needing to deep condition it more often.

I just did it last night, and this is my favorite go to hair mask using ingredients you already have on hand.

Moisturizing Hair Mask

2 tablespoons coconut oil, slightly warmed
1 squirt of honey
1 egg

Whisk it all well, then apply all over your hair, starting at the ends which are usually the driest.  Wrap a plastic bag around your hair, tie it with a knot and let sit for 4 hours.  Wash as normal and voila.....soft and silky hair.

 You can check out my results on my Instagram.

I better get started on my day, have a wonderful rest of Thursday friends :)

Happy Homemaker Monday - 07/06/2015

So I had the best of intentions, I thought that when I put my last post up on Wednesday of last week, that I would be able to take tons of pictures and show you how we were preparing for the 4th of July and having family over and all that fun.

And then family arrived on Thursday morning, and then more on Friday afternoon and I really don't even know how I made it the past few days.  It was a blur, a blur of fun and laughs and good family time.  So I apologize for not posting, but I can't say that I'm upset about it, I'm not, family is definitely important and some we hadn't seen in oh....since 2007.

Anyway, moving on to our post today.  It's going up kinda late as I spent this morning cleaning up and trying to get my house back on track after all the guests left...but let's move on....

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Kinda cloudy today but with a high of 95.  I know we're getting some rain this week and I actually don't mind, I don't like it when it gets super hot. 

Things that make me happy:
Cream filled donuts.  I know, I know, not exactly good for you, but I love them.

Menu for this week:
I don't have a set menu yet, I'm using up what I have left in the house.  I still have two big bags of chicken and not quite sure how I'll fix them.  We do have more family coming in this weekend so need to figure out what I'll be making then.

Monday - Portuguese Bean Stew
Tuesday - Roast Chicken and Potatoes
Wednesday - Beef Curry
Thursday -
Friday - Portuguese Oven Roast Chicken, Salad
Saturday -


What's on my TV today:
Still catching up on my Portuguese soaps, and then of course I have a lot of shows that I want to either catch up on or start.  I never get bored or find that I have nothing to watch.

Looking around the house:
It was packed this holiday weekend.  Every room was taken, two futons were also taken and the couches too.  That's the thing about having family and a full house, no one really cares where they'll sleep, as long as they can find an empty surface, right?

On my To Do List:
Laundry
Menu Planning
Getting house back on track after everyone left
Need to start work on Jasmine's Armor

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
Nothing new at the moment, but I am making the new menu and thinking of doing Portuguese food, so I'm sure there will be something in there that you guys haven't tried.

In the craft basket:
Got the foam I needed in, so now it's just a matter of getting to work.  I'm so looking forward to making this cosplay costume.

Looking forward to this week:
Just normal homemaking and taking it easy before another weekend of family time.


Tips and Tricks:
Drawing a complete blank this week, oh my word, I can't think of anything.


My favorite blog post this week:
Check out Slugs on the Refrigerator.  Such a pretty blog.


Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):
Ing Things....just discovered it this past week and am enjoying looking through it.

No words needed (favorite photo or picture):

Lesson learned the past few days:
That even in the crazy busy days, we need to find a moment of reflection for ourselves.  It's the only way that I can stay completely sane.  

On my mind:
Think I may have the kid's school figured out, we'll see how it turns out.


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
– Ephesians 3:7-9 (NIV)

House Tour

Well, we've been moved in for a little over a month and I thought it high time that I bring you all in, and show you the new house.

I'll do it a bit at a time, spread out through a few posts.  Today, the kitchen, pantry and laundry area, and the living room.

So come on in.....

As you come into the house, the first thing you'll see when you turn to your right, is my living room.  My mint green living room.

I have to show you what it looked like when I first arrived, to say that I hated the pink and green strip curtains would be an understatement. I honestly don't get the color combo and that was one of the first things I had to get rid of.

Removed the ugly ones and put in my sheer curtains.  Immediately changed the look and feel of the room.

I wasn't very thrilled with the green, it wasn't a color that I would usually go for on the walls, but now that my stuff is in, I'm quite chuffed with it.

On either side of the couch against the wall, I'll be placing two tables made out of tree stumps.  It's a project I've wanted to do for a very long time and luckily enough for me, this house has tons of stumps all over the grounds.

Moving into the kitchen.  The yellow paint remains, I haven't had the time or the money to invest in paint, there are a lot of things we're trying to catch up on when it comes to payments, especially after our car breaking down etc.

I do love this kitchen, it is so open and has so many cupboards and storage space.  My previous kitchens, both on base and off, have been tiny, with very small areas which forced me to have a lot of my kitchen gadgets in storage. 

In this kitchen, I'm able to have everything out, packed in the cupboards and I still have cupboards that are quite bare.  That makes me quite happy.

And I have a pantry, an actual pantry.

Looking into the pantry from the kitchen

It is a work in progress.  But look at these shelves for the cans, they angle down and have a lip at the end to keep them from falling out.  That is SO neat.

I can tell that the kids have been in the pantry, it needs reorganizing.

But I have so much room.  I placed some of my cookbooks in here for now to get them out of the boxes, but my idea is to actually put them above the kitchen cupboards, going all the way around.

I'll have to try it though because I may not like them once they're up there.

Coming out of the pantry, let me show you my laundry area.

No more doing laundry in the basement, in the garage and in dark cold places.  I finally have the area inside the house which is something I always wanted.

I so love that the doors close when it's not being used.

How cool is the sink in the middle?  I use it to soak stained items overnight, usually my kitchen towels before throwing them in the wash.

I also really like the curtain rod above which makes it so much easier when I remove shirts and hubby's work pants from the dryer and before ironing.

Overall, I'm so pleased with this house, it really does feel like home to me. 

I don't know if I'll be able to continue the house tour tomorrow as my in laws are arriving in the morning and we have a lot to do in preparation for this weekend.  I do plan on taking photos and still putting up a normal post though, so you can at least expect that :)

I best get on out of here, have some bills to pay and last menu plans to finish up.