{ Meal plan with me - Old recipe collection }

I'm getting ready to menu plan for the next two weeks.  I was looking for inspiration and while cleaning my kitchen cabinets yesterday, came across some of my old recipe collections.

You probably have some of these yourself.  I started collecting them many, many years ago, when Jasmine was still little.  I've always been fascinated by old cookbooks and recipes.

Actually, my greatgrandmother has this cookbook, a really old Portuguese cookbook that I adored.  I had my eye on it for the longest time and really wanted to have it for myself, but she ended up giving it to my Uncle, and when he passed away the book just disappeared along with a lot of his belongings.  (his wife at the time just cut off all communication with our family).

It always stuck with me, because I loved that book so much and it was well taken care of and one of my greatgrandma's prized possessions, so when she gave it away to someone else I felt quite sad.  I can't help but think that if it had been with me, it would still have been here and used and loved.  But, let bygones be bygones.

Here's the book, it was called "ABC da Culinaria by Etelvina Lopes de Almeida.

As I was sitting down to get started, I thought I would bring you along with me and actually show you what I ended up doing with the old recipes.

A lot of these I found at Yard sales or thrift stores. 

And some I bought, or my husband bought for me.  I enjoy these recipes because they're not fancy or require all these gourmet ingredients to produce, tasty, home cooked food.  At the end of the day, whether you work at home or outside the home, you don't want to spend hours trying to fix super complicated meals.

I've pulled out my meal plan book, and I've showed you this before in a previous post about the notebooks I use for meal planning and my budget and bills.

As you can see above that was from the last menu plan.  I always write the menu on one side and the grocery list on the other, it makes it easier when I go grocery shopping because if I ever wonder why I am buying a specific ingredient, I can quickly glance over the menu and see what it's for. 

It's also happened before, that I couldn't find something I needed, and having the menu plan with me, I was able to quickly change the meal, right there at the store.

One thing I don't like about these, is that a lot of them came with no box or folder or anything to put them in, so I had them in tupperware boxes, which is not the best way to keep them and it made it quite difficult to flip through and find what I wanted.

I had these blue dollar store containers, so I popped them all into one and not only do they fit but they make it extremely easy to quickly browse through.

The container now sits on my cookbook shelf and I have easy access to it, when I need to look for a recipe, I pull the container down, find what I need and back it goes.

I found a few recipes that I want to make this meal plan and am quite excited to try those.  There's nothing worth than getting stuck in a rut when it comes to dinners, is there?

I would love to know if you all have some of these recipe collections too or if you use them at all.

{ Happy Halloween - Scary stories }

It is October 31, 2017.  Halloween!!!!

I would love to come in and say that we've carved pumpkins, hung decorations, have picked out our costumes and so forth, but the truth is that, we haven't.

My children are grown, they no longer pay any attention and so, neither do we.  I won't say I don't miss it, I do, I miss the kids being excited, the anticipation of going around getting candy, dressing up and having a blast.  I miss those days.

But times have changed and so we no longer get to do these things, which makes me feel extremely nostalgic.

As I sat this morning thinking about my own childhood and missing it so much, I remembered one of the houses we used to live in.  This house was THE one house that made me a believer in ghosts and the paranormal.

I know a lot of people think it's all a lie, there's no such things and so on, but unfortunately I've had my fair share of experiences and sightings that really affected me for the rest of my life.  They've stayed with me and I think in a way are the reason I enjoy anything supernatural.

So since I'm not doing anything Halloween specific this year, I thought that today would be the perfect day to do something a little different.  I've mentioned some of my experiences with ghosts, quite a few years ago in a different blog post, but I figured that I would tell you all some spooky stories today, more specifically about this house that really started it all.

167 Church Street in Turffontein, Johannesburg, South Africa.

There were so many things that happened to me and to some other family members in that house, and I hope I don't leave anything out, but if you're interested in some spookiness this Halloween and find this kind of stuff interesting, then I suggest you grab a cup of coffee or tea, and sit back.

I'm going to start by showing you the house, and keep in mind it looked very different back then, this was 30 something years ago, but I'm showing you what it looks like now, which is just appalling.

Those two metal gates were not there, the smaller one which was the entrance to the house, was a wrought iron gate, and the one in the driveway (orange gate on the left), was not there at all, it was open. 

The house was pretty big, there was a bedroom for my parents, one for my grandparents, one for my greatgrandma, one for me and one for my 3 brothers.  It had a fireplace, two enclosed patios, a dining room and a big living room etc.

Now before my greatgrandma had her own bedroom, she shared mine with me, and that is when I had my very first experience which completely freaked me out and started this whole journey of turning me into a believer.

When you walked into the bedroom, my bed was on the left, hers was on the right up against the window.  Here's an example of the layout:

It wasn't too long after we moved into the house, couple months maybe.

I woke up in the middle of the night, I din't know why but just did.  I remember looking around the room in the dark and then I noticed someone standing at the window, by the curtains, just looking out.

It was my greatgrandma, she was wearing her white nightgown and had her crochet shawl around her shoulders.  I remember thinking "what is she doing?  did she hear something or see something out there?".  She was standing still, just facing the window and staring out.  I found it strange but wasn't really thinking anything other than it being weird, and just as I was about to call her and ask her what she was looking at, I had this thought come over me that told me to look at her bed.  I don't know why, I can't explain it, but I looked from her figure at the window to her bed and there in bed, she lay, sleeping soundly, snoring away.

I was so scared, I kept staring at her in bed and in that moment questioning what I was seeing, almost debating in my mind or trying to make sense, and as I looked over to the window again...POOF!!!  Nothing.

There was no one standing there. 

I pulled the sheets over my head, and lay there until I fell back asleep.  The next morning I asked her if she was up the night before and she was so confused.  She didn't get up, she didn't look out the window and she had no clue what I was talking about.

That was enough to set me on edge, but little did I know that was just the beginning of my experiences in that horrid house.

Another time, I went to take a shower and while I was waiting for the water to warm up, I felt two hands on my back push me, and it wasn't just a little shove, it was quite a hard push enough that I caught myself on the sink right before my head hit the mirror.  It was so scary that I ran out screaming.

A few months after that, I woke up in the middle of the night to see hands right above my throat as if wanting to choke me, I couldn't see anything other than just darkness and these white hands moving closer and closer.  I tried to scream and couldn't make a sound.  It was terrifying and by the time I got a scream out, they vanished.  I remember running out of my room and jumping into bed with my greatgrandmother.  I refused to sleep in my room for the longest time.

There are so many stories involved with this house.  It got to the point where a lot of us were having experiences and started hating the house, but my dad absolutely loved the house and never understood what the problem was.

Anyway, I've been sharing these stories over on my Instagram stories as well, so if you want to hear them go on over and take a look.  I'll be sharing more tomorrow :)

I'm only sharing the experiences I've had and in no way am I telling you that you should believe in ghosts or what I have to say, I'll leave that up to your own discretion.

But it's a little hard to not be a believer after going through some of these things.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 10/30/2017 }

Good morning, and Happy Monday!!!

Hope you've all had a wonderful, blessed weekend.  Mine was quite enjoyable, went to a Haunted House Tour on Saturday night with the whole family, then yesterday had the family over for a snacky dinner, some card games and some good ol chatting and fun.

I would say I don't think I got nearly enough rest, and I'm feeling quite exhausted this morning, but then this seems to be the recurring theme as I get older, constantly tired hahah

Anyway, let's get right on with our Happy Homemaker Monday.

Breakfast time....what is on the plate this morning::::
I have had a cup of coffee with Peppermint Mocha creamer and some plain toast with butter. 

Right now I am::::
I'm sure you know the drill by now, but I'm sitting on the couch, under a blanket, still in my pj's.  I just let Marley out to go potty and the back door is open.....it's chilly out there. 

The weather outside::::
A little chilly at the moment but we'll be up to lower 60's this afternoon.  Unfortunately Wednesday and Thursday will see us in the high 80's again before dipping down to 40's after that.  Honestly, the constant change in temperature is going to see us all sick. 

Looking around the house::::
It's clean.  I gave it a good clean this weekend so that I could enjoy a Monday of not having to face a totally turned upside down, mess of a house.  I do have a lot to do today, I want to paint a shelf, I want to move some things around and also need to clear up the table from last night's get together. 

On today's to do list::::
Laundry.....Have the kid's laundry to do, and also their bedding.  I switched Jasmine's yesterday so need to wash the dirty one, and Nick's I have to remove this morning and put on fresh linens, wash the dirty one etc.  I also want to give my bathroom curtains, and Nick's bathroom curtains a good wash.  I did Jasmine's bathroom yesterday, so no need to worry about that. 
Cleaning.....Just want to dust today, that's mainly what needs doing. 
Homeschooling.....Nick has an essay for English he needs to write.  Have I ever told you how much he loathes essays and writing?  It's like pulling teeth, so I'm not particularly looking forward to that.         
Cooking....I've had too much soda this weekend, even though it was diet, but still my stomach is not impressed.  Also had take out quite a bit, so need to get back on track with my healthy eating, especially with Thanksgiving coming up.  I'm going to switch back to just water, and for lunch I may do a smoothie, or have some yogurt with fruit etc.  Dinner is Padre Island Shells. 

Currently reading::::
The Crooked Path by Irma Joubert.  Really enjoying it since it takes place in South Africa :)


On the TV today::::
I have last night's Outlander all ready to go, and I'll watch it sometime today.
General Hospital.
Walking Dead from last night.
Also have some scary shows that recorded on the DVR. 

On the menu this week::::
Here is last week's meals:



I also have to work on the new menu plan for the following two weeks, so I only have meals until Friday, which is when I'll be grocery shopping.

Monday - Padre Island Shells
Tuesday - Chicken Stew, Biscuits
Wednesday - Meat Pastries, Homemade Fries
Thursday - Spaghetti, Garlic Bread
Friday - 
Saturday -
Sunday -

If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::
Continue with Part 5 of my Liliana blanket and maybe finish off the row I'm working on the Mandala Madness. 


New recipe I tried, or want to try this week::::
I added my Vanilla Popcorn recipe to the blog.  I'll also be making more fruit cakes this coming weekend and I'll be trying a new recipe, so I'll share that one as well.  Tonight I'll be making the Pare Island Shells, which is not a new recipe on the blog, but I'm updating all the photos, so I'll come back and share the link with you when that is up.      

Looking forward to this week::::
Truly just hoping for a good week, all around.  Don't have anything specific planned, so we will see what we get up to.    

Favorite photo from the camera::::
Jasmine is cosplaying one of her Anime characters, so as always I had some fun snapping some pics. 

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses::::
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? - 2 Corinthinas 6:14

{ It's finally cooling down }

I think that Texas has finally realized that it's Fall.

The past few days we've had pretty cool weather, and it was cold enough yesterday morning, that we started a fire.

My husband and I were able to sit, drink our coffee, chat and slowly wake up before he went to work.  I could get used to those mornings, it felt so good to sit in the quiet darkness and enjoy the crackling fire with a delicious cup of coffee.  Helps you set the tone for the rest of the day.

I've been puttering around lately, not really with a specific project in mind, but getting the housework done and then moving things here and there, and trying to make it more homey.  I'm still struggling to feel like I did about homemaking a few years ago, where I spent every available minute working hard at making things for my home, placing decorations just right and making it a true representation of who I am and what I like.

So I've slowly been trying to get back at that.  One of the things I did a few days ago, was finally make my garland for the fireplace, and I love how it turned out.

All I did was use crochet thread to string the dried orange slices and some Fall leaves from my yard.  The effect is just what I was looking for, beautiful, homemade, simplistic and something that goes perfectly with the Fall and Winter seasons.

You know I was thinking yesterday about how much I miss my kids being younger, in the sense that we always went out of our way to decorate for all the holidays, and the past 2 years we've stopped.

I no longer decorate for Halloween or Easter, or Valentine's day.  Come to think of it, the only season I really go out of the way for is Christmas. 

I miss going to the Pumpkin Patch, and carving pumpkins with the kids, decorating and buying costumes and the anticipation of Trick or Treating.  I see younger families still excited and having that to look forward to, and I remember how that felt, and truly miss it.  But, you know life changes, people change and we are in a new Chapter and Season of our lives and so we adapt and go with the flow.

I guess now I have to look forward to doing all that again with my grandchildren, one day, right?

I've been enjoying watching My Mother and Other Strangers.  It is a fascinating period drama set in Northern Ireland during WWII when the US Army Air Force set up a base in their small town.

What I don't like is that as with so many other period dramas I enjoy, just when I get into it I find out that it's either been cancelled or only has a few episodes.  This one has just 5 episodes and at first I thought that it might be a good idea to not even get into it, but I couldn't help it, I'm a sucker for period drama and even though I know it will end much too soon, I've been loving it.

If you want to watch it for yourself, the link can be found in the Period Drama Series list I posted a few days ago. :)

Crochet wise, I've been trying desperately to finish my Mandala Madness, not for any other reason than I'm quite sick of seeing it staring at me from across the room.  My Atlanticus and my Nuts About Squares are going to turn into Christmas presents for someone, I'm not sure who yet, but just want to give each of them a nice edging, a wash and block and it's done.

My Liliana CAL is coming along nicely, and I'm surprised at how much I like my color combo, I stuck with just 3 colors and am throwing in the occasional white row here and there, but it's very minimal as I don't want it to be a big part of the blanket.

It needs some blocking, but I tend to wait it out and not block as I go.  Some people do, some don't, and I'm in the *leave it until the very end* group.

Not much else is going on around here, at least not anything exciting or worth mentioning at the moment, as the life of a stay at home mom is not really glamorous is it?

I'm finishing up this post and then it will be time to get dinner going.  Tonight we're having one of my favorite comfort meals and something that I would often request as a kid.  Sausages in tomato sauce with Mashed Potatoes.  You'll see it in my Weekly Meals on Sunday night :)

With that said, I just  saw the UPS man drop off a package, which I'm sure is another book for review, so I better go grab that.

Have a wonderful Wednesday night and stay warm friends.  Blessings.

The Grown Ups Guide to Teenage Humans by Josh Shipp - TLC Book Tour

 About The Grown-Up's Guide to Teenage Humans

• Hardcover: 336 pages

• Publisher: Harper Wave (September 19, 2017)

A practical guide to understanding teens from bestselling author and global youth advocate Josh Shipp.

In 2015, Harvard researchers found that every child who does well in the face of adversity has had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult. But Josh Shipp didn’t need Harvard to know that. Once an at-risk foster kid, he was headed straight for trouble until he met the man who changed his life: Rodney, the foster parent who refused to quit on Shipp and got him to believe in himself.

Now, in The Grown-Up’s Guide to Teenage Humans, Shipp shows all of us how to be that caring adult in a teenager’s life. Stressing the need for compassion, trust, and encouragement, he breaks down the phases of a teenage human from sixth to twelfth grade, examining the changes, goals, and mentality of teenagers at each stage.

Shipp offers revelatory stories that take us inside the teen brain, and shares wisdom from top professionals and the most expert grown-ups. He also includes practice scripts that address tough issues, including:

• FORGIVENESS: What do I do when a teen has been really hurt by someone and it’s not their fault?
• COMMUNICATION: How do I get a teen to talk to me? They just grunt.
• TRUST: My teen blew it. My trust is gone. Where do we go from here?
• BULLYING: Help! A teen (or their friend) is being harassed.
• DIFFICULT AND AWKWARD CONVERSATIONS: Drugs. Death. Sex. Oh my.

Written in Shipp’s playfully authoritative, no-nonsense voice, The Grown-Up’s Guide to Teenage Humans tells his story and unpacks practical strategies that can make a difference. Ultimately, it's not about shortcuts or magic words—as Shipp reminds us, it’s about investing in kids and giving them the love, time, and support they need to thrive.

And that means every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

About Josh Shipp

Josh Shipp helps adults understand teens and teens understand themselves. He is a global youth empowerment expert and an acclaimed speaker. He has appeared on MTV, Lifetime, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, FOX, 20/20, Good Morning America, and in the New York Times and other media. A former at-risk foster kid turned youth advocate, he is renowned for his documentary TV series that followed his groundbreaking work with teens. His organization, One Caring Adult, produces resources and training events for parents, educators, and caring adults.

Visit OneCaringAdult.com to learn more and for free resources.

Find out more about Josh at his website, and connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.

My Thoughts:

When I agreed to do this review, it was with a mixed sense of emotion.  On the one side I was absolutely ecstatic, because as the mother of an 18 year old daughter and a 14 year old son, navigating the teenage years has been full of emotions and tears.

I knew I wanted to read the book, after all, we certainly could use all the help we can when it comes to understanding or at least beginning to understand, the teenage mind.

On the other hand, I wondered just how good this book could be, because it's quite hard to generalize all teenagers.  Yes they are for the most part quite predictable, but they are also intricate, exquisite and unique individuals, each with their own thoughts and opinions (oh those opinions huh? hahah).

I got the book in the mail, opened the first page as I was busily chattering away to my husband and only realized that I had completely gotten immersed in the book, when I heard him say twice "are you listening?  Sandra????".

The book is written by Josh Shipp, and he is not just a book author per say, he speaks from experience and talks about his own struggles as a teenager in the foster system.  This isn't a "oh look all teens are like me and therefore the magic words to get them to comply, isssss........".

Not at all, but what Josh does is delve a bit into the intricacy of the teenage mind and try to help us start to understand how to better reach them, how to talk to them, what they really want.

One of the first pages in the book touches on the fact that the main concern for teenagers, is the amount of time they spend with their parents, or, lack of.  Now I know it's hard to understand, I found it a bit hard myself because when I look around my own home and my children, they are more likely to be hiding out in their bedrooms and trying their best to avoid spending time with my husband and I, so how could this be?

And when explaining this in the book, this stuck out for me:

"They (teenagers) know they need something from their parents.  They might not be able to articulate what it is, but they know they need it."

Part 2 of the book deals with the Phases of the Teenage Human and boy was that fascinating to read.

I don't want to give much away because I think that this is a book that every parent needs to read, and I'm not talking just to the parents of teenagers like I am, I'm talking to parents of any age group because eventually you WILL be parenting a teen, and that is not easy at all.

This book is phenomenal, it takes you through the mindset of the teenager, touches on important achievements and developments at different ages, from 11 to 18, helps you troubleshoot some of the common challenges and offers some insightful and informative help.

I am never letting go of this book, matter of fact, it has found a permanent spot on my bedside table and I've gone back to it a couple times over the past two weeks when dealing with certain situations surrounding my teens.

Do yourself a favor, and get a copy for yourself, you certainly won't regret it.