{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 06/11/2018 }

Good morning everyone :)

Well another week is upon us.  I always say that the time just goes by so quickly, but really, it seems to be flying away and we're halfway through this year, insane.

I completely failed at daily blogging last week, and it's not for any particular reason, other than I put up some reviews that needed to go up and then didn't want to over post, if that is even a thing, considering back in the day I would sometimes post 2 or 3 times a day.  Different times though right?

I'm hoping to be a little more consistent this week, so we will see how that goes.

Have a wonderful week everyone :) 

The weather.....Quite hot here in Texas and we're not even in the middle of summer yet.  Thankfully this week the temps are down to mid 90's.  The high winds are he worst for me and my allergies though, I can always tell when it gets super windy, that I'll be dealing with itchy nose, roof of mouth, sneezing, congestion, cough and sore throat.  Blech!!!

Right now I am....Working on this post and watching Call the Midwife on the TV. 

Thinking....That I'm going to start back on an exercise routine, not for anything other than feeling healthier as I age.  

On my reading pile.... Reading through Where Hope Begins by Catherine West.         

On my TV.....I have been rewatching Call the Midwife.  I have so many others I need to finish but I love this one so much and just felt like watching it again, so that's what's been on my TV this weekend.  However, Poldark Season 4 began last night so I'll definitely be watching that sometime today :)        

On the menu for this week....

Monday - Panda Express Sweet Fire Chicken, Chow Mein

Tuesday - Grilled Bratwurst, Corn Salad, Potato Salad

Wednesday - Sicilian Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli

Thursday - Better than Olive Garden's Fettucine Alfredo, Garlic Bread

Friday - Portuguese Chicken and Rice, Salad

Saturday - (Not sure yet)

Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list....

Empty Dishwasher and reload with breakfast dishes

Change bed linens

Vacuum and dust

Water plants

Start 30 Day Shred with Lucy Wyndham-Read

Blog post   

In the craft basket....I finished the little set for Tiffany's baby girl.  She absolutely loves Disney and so I thought this would be something she would really love, and she does.  Can't wait to take some photos of baby Evangeline wearing it.  :)

Looking forward to this week....A shopping day and lunch out with my sister in law.  We are going to be shopping for the baby and that's always exciting.  ALSO, the Fifa World Cup starts on Thursday and I'm SOOOO excited, you guys all know how much I love soccer.  Friday is Portugal's first game against Spain, so it will be never wrecking, but I'm looking forward to it.     

Looking around the house....What is with all these moths?  Is anyone else dealing with the crazy influx of moths?  I swear I open my doors for a second and they just come right in.  (I'm sitting here staring at two on my ceiling and hoping to God they do NOT bomb dive me.  I have an irrational fear of moths LOL)       

From the camera....

I've been trying to propagate some cuttings and using different methods.   One of which is using honey as a growth hormone for the roots, so we will see how that works.     

On this day in 2006 - Such a sad weekend!!!

On this day in 2007 - Well Dabaganabit, the cold remains....

On this day in 2008 - 

On this day in 2009 - Slow Cooking Thursday

On this day in 2010 - 

On this day in 2011 - 31 Days of Prayer for my Husband

On this day in 2012 - Happy Homemaker Monday

On this day in 2013 - 

On this day in 2014 - Two days to go

On this day in 2015 - 

On this day in 2016 - 

On this day in 2017 - The grass just keeps on growing

{ Herons Landing by JoAnn Ross - TLC Book Tour }

Series: Honeymoon Harbor
Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: HQN (May 22, 2018)

There’s no place to fall in love like the place you left your heart 

Welcome to Honeymoon Harbor, the brand-new, long-awaited series by beloved New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross, where unforgettable characters come face-to-face with the kind of love that grabs your heart and never lets go.

Working as a Las Vegas concierge, Brianna Mannion is an expert at making other people’s wishes come true. It’s satisfying work, but a visit home to scenic Honeymoon Harbor turns into a permanent stay when she’s reminded of everything she’s missing: the idyllic small-town charm; the old Victorian house she’d always coveted; and Seth Harper, her best friend’s widower and the neighborhood boy she once crushed on—hard. After years spent serving others, maybe Brianna’s finally ready to chase dreams of her own.

Since losing his wife, Seth has kept busy running the Harper family’s renovation business and flying way under the social radar. But when Brianna hires him to convert her aging dream home into a romantic B and B, working together presents a heart-stopping temptation Seth never saw coming. With guilt and grief his only companions for so long, he’ll have to step out of the past long enough to recognize the beautiful life Brianna and he could build together.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 

About JoAnn Ross

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author JoAnn Ross has been published in twenty-seven countries. A member of Romance Writers of America’s Honor Roll of bestselling authors, JoAnn lives with her husband and three rescued dogs — who pretty much rule the house — in the Pacific Northwest. Visit her on the web at www.joannross.com.

My Thoughts:

Herons Landing is the first full novel in the Honeymoon Harbor series, by JoAnn Ross.  The prequel to this one is called Home to Honeymoon Harbor, so if you want to check that one out before reading this one, you can.

I haven't read the prequel but I honestly didn't feel that I was missing anything out when reading Herons Landing.

The story is centered around Brianna and Seth and features quite a few things that I love, small towns, historical homes and a good ol' romance intertwined with brilliant writing and character development.

Brianna returns to Honeymoon Harbor to buy the house that she has always loved, but of course buying a home usually means renovations and changing things up to meet your taste.  In comes Seth who is the best in the business.  Aside from being handsome, there is a bit of a past between Seth and Brianna, as he used to be married to her best friend who unfortunately passed away while serving in the military.

Their romance is not quick, and although the attraction is there, they each have their own reservations and issues to deal with.

What we end up with, is a sweet romance set in a beautiful small town near the waterfront.

Definitely another one to add to your summer reading list, and I honestly can't wait to go back and read the prequel and any subsequent books in the series.

{ Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson - TLC

Hardcover: 370 pages
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (June 1, 2018)

Marnie MacGraw wants an ordinary life—a husband, kids, and a minivan in the suburbs. Now that she’s marrying the man of her dreams, she’s sure this is the life she’ll get. Then Marnie meets Blix Holliday, her fiancé’s irascible matchmaking great-aunt who’s dying, and everything changes—just as Blix told her it would.

When her marriage ends after two miserable weeks, Marnie is understandably shocked. She’s even more astonished to find that she’s inherited Blix’s Brooklyn brownstone along with all of Blix’s unfinished “projects”: the heartbroken, oddball friends and neighbors running from happiness.

Marnie doesn’t believe she’s anything special, but Blix somehow knew she was the perfect person to follow in her matchmaker footsteps.

And Blix was also right about some things Marnie must learn the hard way: love is hard to recognize, and the ones who push love away often are the ones who need it most.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 

About Maddie Dawson

Maddie Dawson grew up in the South, born into a family of outrageous storytellers. Her various careers as a substitute English teacher, department-store clerk, medical-records typist, waitress, cat sitter, wedding-invitation-company receptionist, nanny, day care worker, electrocardiogram technician, and Taco Bell taco maker were made bearable by thinking up stories as she worked. Today she lives in Guilford, Connecticut, with her husband. She’s the bestselling author of five previous novels: The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness, The Opposite of Maybe, The Stuff That Never Happened, Kissing Games of the World, and A Piece of Normal.

Connect with Maddie

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

My Thoughts:

What a cute summer read, it's the perfect book to throw into a beach tote and read, while soaking up the sun.

What we have here is the usual chick lit story the a good dose of romance and humor thrown in.

Marnie is set to marry her fiancee Noah, who she thinks is the ultimate perfect partner.  She envisions the white picket fence marriage with kids and everything that life has to offer.  As they are set to marry, her fiancee Noah tries to leave her at the altar.  Shocked, Marnie convinces him not to do it and to just go through with the wedding....they do....but unfortunately barely two weeks into the marriage, it all falls apart.

Marnie is left to pick up the pieces and try to make sense of everything that has happened to her. 

In comes Blix, her ex's aunt who loves to dabble in match making and fully believes that Marnie should be looking into matchmaking herself.

When Blix passes away, Marnie inherits her house, but with one condition, she must live in the house for no less than 3 months before she can officially inherit the brownstone.  Seems an easy thing to do doesn't it?

It would be if the house came empty, but it doesn't, it comes filled with funny, quirky roommates who are themselves dealing with all sorts of romantic issues.....and one of those roommates Marnie must live with?  None other than her ex husband Noah.

This was such a fun book to get through, I honestly chuckled at some situations and awww'd at others.  Highly recommend it for a summer read :)

{ MemoVase }

A couple weeks ago I was contacted by the awesome folks over at Splash Brands, and sent this beautiful vase to review.

I had never heard of the MemoVase, but after reading up on it a bit, I became quite fascinated with the whole concept of being able to write on the vase and really change it up to go with different seasons.

The MemoVase is a heart-shaped ceramic flower vase with a detachable bamboo whiteboard. It was designed and is assembled right here in the USA.

It took us over 3 years to develop this product. From the design of the perfect heart-shape, to finding the most suitable ceramic mix, to getting the feel of the magnets just right.

This would make the perfect gift.  I love the heart shape, I love that it's ceramic, and I especially love the detachable white board that can be used with any kind of dry erase marker, though it does come with a marker inside.  Yes, INSIDE!!!


So it provides a perfect spot to store your marker while you're not using it.

The possibilities with this vase, are endless.  It can be used as a flower vase, or I'm thinking even in the kitchen to store cooking utensils.  The fact that you can write whatever you wish on the whiteboard, makes it even better.

At the moment mine says Spring.....

But, I'll be adding fresh flowers soon, and changing it to Summer.  What would be kind of cool too is to give it as a gift say for, Mother's Day and writing Happy Mother's Day, or for a birthday with a cute handwritten Happy Birthday message.

I can change it up for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and so on.  I honestly can't wait to try it with different flower arrangements and different sayings.

If you're interested in purchasing one for yourself, be sure to check out Splash Brands' website or Facebook page, and you can even find these adorable Vases on Amazon.

I'm really happy with mine, it's gotten a few compliments on it already and I just think it adds such a cute touch to the living room.

Thank you to Splash Brands for sending me the vase in exchange for an honest review on my part.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 06/04/2018 }

Good morning everyone, hope you had a great weekend.  I enjoyed mine but I must admit that when the alarm clock went off this morning, I was not ready to get up.  I always feel like I don't get nowhere near enough sleep.

Anyway, I have a few things I want to get done this week, couple projects, lots of sewing and so on, hoping to get to it.  Will also be reviewing two books and a vase for you, so keep an eye out for that :)   

The weather.....It has been so hot here, triple digits and really summer like conditions already.  I do love the hot weather but I also enjoy my rain, and today we are expecting some which makes me quite happy.  The high for today is only 86 and the rest of the week is upper 90's. 

Right now I am....Watching some vlog on the TV while typing up this post.  

Thinking....About the cleaning I need to do in my house, it's not too bad but you can always tell that it's been the weekend when Monday morning rolls around.           

On my reading pile.... Finished Match Making for Beginners and Herons Landing and will be reviewing those two this week.  Started The Garden of Blue Roses and that's the one I'm reading at the moment.       

On my TV.....I caught up with The Handmaid's Tale.  I'm glad I stuck with it because I absolutely loved it, it's so good.  My brother has asked me to watch Banshee which he is really enjoying, so I will probably start that today.      

On the menu for this week....
Monday - Meat Croquettes with Homemade Fries and Salad
Tuesday - Gnocchi Bolognese, Garlic Bread
Wednesday - Pastelao de Frango (Chicken Pie....new recipe)
Thursday - Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers, Curly Fries
Friday - Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan
Saturday - Panda Express Sweet Fire Chicken, Chow Mein
Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list....
Dishes, change bed linens, vacuum, dust, carpet clean.   

In the craft basket....Finishing off a crochet set for my niece's baby, I'll show you when it's done. Starting some potholders for myself, mine are so old, and some have just fallen apart, and I would much rather make my own than spend money on buying them.

Looking forward to this week....A quiet week of homemaking and some more sewing.  Also, planning on going out one day this week with my sister in law, we'll be having lunch together and just window shopping around town, should be fun.     

Looking around the house....It's dark.  We have cloudy skies and are expecting rain any minute which makes me quite happy.  The kids are still asleep and hubby is off at work, so it's just me and the dogs.      

From the camera....
Flowers from the garden.   

On this day in 2006 - Ummmm if I say I will be back later to post...
On this day in 2007 - Good Morning from Lawton, Oklahoma
On this day in 2008 -
On this day in 2009 - Slow Cooking Thursday
On this day in 2010 -  Are we really that dependent on technology?
On this day in 2011 - 31 Days of Prayer for my Husband Day 4
On this day in 2012 - Happy Homemaker Monday
On this day in 2013 -
On this day in 2014 -
On this day in 2015 -
On this day in 2016 -
On this day in 2017 -The Shack