Happy Homemaker Monday - 04/08/2019

Good morning everyone and a very happy Monday to you all :)

How was your weekend?  Ours was pretty good, Curt and I had a nice breakfast with my brother and sister in law on Saturday morning.  Even though we live just 5 minutes from each other, it has been a month since we had been together.  Life just gets in the way and we all get busy, so it was wonderful sitting down for a nice breakfast and catching up.

Yesterday Curt and I started my raised beds in the back yard.  I'm so excited, we have so many plans but just don't have the finances to be able to do what we want, so it's a very slow process, every few months we are able to get one or two things for the yard.  It's a bit frustrating but that's ok, we know that God is watching over us and helping us be smart about our finances, and some things are merely wants and not needs right?

Anyway, let's see what we have waiting for us this week. 

The weather:::
We've had some lovely rain the past few days, but it's still very much warm temperatures all around, we've even been sleeping with the fan on.  We are even going to be in the 90's this week, goodness.

Monday - Sunny, 82º
Tuesday - Sunny, 87º
Wednesday - Mostly cloudy, Wind, 92º
Thursday - Sunny, Wind, 65º
Friday - Mostly sunny, 69º
Saturday - Rain, 55º
Sunday - Mostly sunny, 69º


On my reading pile:::
Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson


Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:::
Curt and I watched one episode of Supernatural but other than that, I have watched nothing aside from the usual Youtube vlogs. 


On my TV this week:::
General Hospital
Random Vlogs
Call the Midwife
Victoria
Jesus:  His Life - Premiering tonight on the History Channel
The Act
The Cult:  The Family
Esther
Ruth

On the menu for this week:::

Monday
Beef Stroganoff, Rice and Beans
Tuesday
Ono's Hawaiian Grilled Chicken, Potato Salad
Wednesday
Bifes de Cebolada (Portuguese recipe), Homemade Fries
Thursday
Lasagna, Garlic Bread 
Friday 
Fried Sausage and Potatoes, Salad
Saturday
Panda Express Chow Mein
Sunday
Tasty Burritos


On my to do list:::
Change bedding and wash linens
Sweep patio, pull out table and chairs for summer
Homeschool
Transplant plants into bigger pots
Mammogram on Friday - it's that time of year again


What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Finished my little peg bag and really happy with the result
Crochet placemats


Looking forward to:::
My littlest is turning 16 on Thursday.  I can't believe it, and in two weeks my girl turns 20.  Twenty!!!!!!  How is this happening?


Looking around the house:::
It is not even 8am yet, and the house is very quiet.  The kids and the animals are still fast asleep.  I need to give the living room a dust and tidy up.  Nick has been in there all weekend, well to be fair we all have, except for Jasmine since she's worked both Saturday and Sunday.  But we have all been in there enjoying the Playstation VR games.


From the camera:::
Clothes hanging out to dry and beautiful flowers :)

What I'm wearing today:::
A comfy summery dress.   


One of my simple pleasures:::
Gardening or doing yard work with my husband.     


Bible verse, Devotional, prayers::: 
I just found out on Saturday, that a friend of mine from school is fighting a huge battle with cancer.  She recently found out she has Inflammatory Breast Cancer, and just had a mastectomy this past week.  My prayers are with her as she fights this huge battle against this horrible disease.
My friend Stacey is still dealing with her own battle, I mentioned her a few weeks ago.
My mother in law in her third battle with breast cancer.
My retracted ear drum, it's a very slow healing process but I'm confident that it will all get sorted out.
As always, my prayers and thoughts are with each and every single one of you who visit me each day, here on my blog.  I pray that the Lord watch over you and bless you immensely!!!

Retracted eardrum???

Hey everyone :)

Goodness, it's been a few days since I've done an actual chatty post, I did put up two book reviews and I know some of you enjoy those, but I also know that not all do.

It's been a bit of a.....how can I say it?  Not too busy or insane, but just a bit off I guess.  This whole ear issue has been slow going and it's made me have some down days of not wanting or feeling like doing anything.

So what about that title???

Well, that's where we are at the moment.  So I went back to the doctor on Tuesday afternoon, my ear still didn't feel right, I still have some static/buzzing/ringing going on, feeling a bit dizzy at times and that feeling of the ear needing to pop but not being able to.

The doctor had a look in my ear, and good news is the fluid is all gone, it's pretty clear in there.....but....and there's always a but with me isn't there?  LOL

Because of the amount of fluid, the swelling, the pressure being off in the middle ear and all that nonsense, my eardrum is now slightly retracted.  That all explains the symptoms I'm still having and the onset of dizziness once in a while, almost like vertigo due to the retracted eardrum.

It's not serious, it will sort itself out with time, but the doctor has instructed me to use my allergy nasal spray in the morning, and then at night do the Flonase which is more of a steroid spray and that will reduce the swelling and get everything back to normal.

She did put in a referral to an ENT which she wants me to see in about a month just to focus on the sinus/ear issues which are exacerbated by the allergies.  She also recommended Allergy Therapy.   So we will see what happens.

For the moment, it's only been two days of the sprays and she said it will sometimes take a few weeks for the eardrum to fix itself.

This ear issue has consumed a lot of my time, due to different reasons, whether it be doctor appointments, or feeling unwell and needing to lay down etc.

But I've not let it interfere with my housework and have actually found homemaking a much needed reprieve.

So let me show you just a few shots of what my past week has consisted of.

As you can see above, my cactus is now flowering, isn't it beautiful?

My plants in general are doing amazing, and that may just be due to the fact that I've been a lot more attentive to their needs and providing them water and the amount of sunshine they need, so forth.

My clothesline has been getting a lot of use with the warmer temperatures, and with that being the case, I whipped up a super quick clothes peg bag to facilitate things.  There's nothing more annoying than trying to gather clothes from the line with a handful of pegs, dropping either clothes or pegs to the ground and so on.
This way my bag is full, I just pop it on the line and move it down with me as I go, reaching in to grab a few pegs as needed.

I've also used this past week to work on some crochet placemats.  I'm loving making these and I'm going to be selling them as well, to anyone that is interested.

The first set of 4 I made are in this gorgeous cotton aqua/mint green color.

I just love the way they look, and I'm imagining a whole table set with pretty placemats.

I've made a few for myself using leftover cotton scraps that I had laying around, but I will be purchasing more cotton yarn this weekend and working on a few more sets.  So if it's something you're interested in, keep an eye out because I'll be selling these very soon.

Along with our beautiful spring temperatures in the afternoons, we also have cooler mornings, which means a blanket of fog when we get up.

It usually dissipates by 8am, but it sure makes for some pretty photos doesn't?

Food has been a hot topic this week.  I've jumped right into cooking mode and have been whipping up some yummy meals along with some naughty sweet treats as well.

Last night I made a quick Blender Pie for dinner.  I had a pound of ground beef to use and not really sure what to make with it as I didn't feel like having what was on the menu.

I did leave the recipe for the batter on Instagram, you can check it out there, but I will be adding it to the food blog as well soon.  Again, I apologize, I just haven't felt up to editing and posting and compiling recipes for the blog, so it's fallen a bit to the backburner.

Anyway, I really just wanted to come in and say hi and give you an update on what is going on around here in my little corner of the world.  I need to make my bed real quick, curl my hair (it needs washing and I'll do it tonight, but curling makes it last a little longer....just keeping it real folks), and then I have to take Jasmine to work and go grocery shopping real quick, come home and pack it away and head back out to pick her up.

Her schedule today is a bit weird, she only works 4 hours, but then tomorrow she will be in for 10 and a half hours.  Crazy!!!

I think I might head to Aldis for groceries and then just pop by the commissary for meats or anything that I didn't find at Aldis.

I hope you all have a blessed Friday.  I'll be back tomorrow with my grocery haul and the new menu plan :)

Glory Road by Lauren K. Denton - TLC Book Tour

 
Hardcover: 336 Pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 19, 2019)

The only thing certain is change—even in a place as steady as Perry, Alabama, on a street as old as Glory Road.

Nearly a decade after her husband’s affair drove her back home to South Alabama, Jessie McBride has the stable life she wants—operating her garden shop, Twig, next door to her house on Glory Road, and keeping up with her teenage daughter and spunky mother. But the unexpected arrival of two men makes Jessie question whether she’s really happy with the status quo. When handsome, wealthy businessman Sumner Tate asks her to arrange flowers for his daughter’s lavish wedding, Jessie finds herself drawn to his continued attention. Then Ben Bradley, her lingering what-could-have-been from high school, moves back to the red dirt road, and she feels her heart pulled in directions she never expected.

Meanwhile, Jessie’s fourteen-year-old daughter, Evan, is approaching the start of high school and navigating a new world of emotions—particularly as they relate to the cute new guy who’s moved in just down the road. At the same time, Jessie’s mother, Gus, is suffering increasingly frequent memory lapses and faces a frightening, uncertain future. Once again, Jessie feels her protected and predictable life shifting.

In one summer, everything will change. But for these three strong Southern women, the roots they’ve planted on Glory Road will give life to the adventures waiting just around the curve.
“Rich colorful characters capturing my heart, combined with a story that kept me up till the wee hours, Glory Road is a perfect read. Lauren Denton has done it again!” —Lisa Patton, bestselling author of Rush and Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter

“Once again Lauren Denton brings her lyrical writing and compelling characters to a story that will enthrall readers from page one.” —Marybeth Mayhew Whalen, author of Only Ever Her and co-founder of She Reads, for Glory Road

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About Lauren K. Denton

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren now lives with her husband and two daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, faith, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books. Her debut novel, THE HIDEAWAY, was a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Charts bestseller. Her second novel, HURRICANE SEASON, released in spring of 2018, is a USA Today bestseller. GLORY ROAD will release in March, 2019.
.

Connect with Lauren

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

My Thoughts:

You know those feel good, sweet stories that you start reading and immediately feel a connection to?  This is one of those.

I picked it up, read the first page and was immediately interested and drawn to Jessie and her daughter Evan.  I remember the first thing I thought was that Evan was such a different name for a girl.

So, Jessie is a divorced mom of one, Evan who is 14 years old.  10 years prior, her husband had an affair which ended the marriage, and Jessie packed her belongings and moved back to her home town in South Alabama.  She has since started a garden business and is quite content in her life, but as always the universe tends to throw a little wrench when things seem to be going well, and in her case, that wrench comes in the shape of handsome Sumner and just when she thinks her heart is headed his way, there comes Ben, the one that got away in high school.

It was interesting reading about Evan and everything she is going through as a teenager, I myself have a 16 year old and I know how difficult these high school years can be for the kids. 

Jessie's mother on the other hand is struggling with her very own serious issues, a decline in health and possible Alzheimers which she is trying to hide from both her daughter and granddaughter.

I love the multi generational story and found myself rooting for each woman and their relationship as a family.

Great read by Lauren K. Denton :)

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 04/01/2019 }

Hi everyone, good morning and welcome to another Happy Homemaker Monday, here on the blog :)

It's Monday, it's the first of April, can you believe that?  This year is flying on by even faster than the previous ones.  Slow down I keep telling the universe, but alas, it won't listen.

So I have my kid's birthdays this month, on the 11th and the 25th.  I'll have a 16 year old and a 20 year old.  How???

I look at my friends and blog readers with little ones and I remember vividly those days, and I wish more than anything that I could go back in time and do it all over again.  Kids grow far too quickly.

Anyway, I hope you all have a blessed week ahead :)   

The weather:::
We had a cold front come in and it just completely ruined the Spring feeling Hahaha
One minute we were all happy in the upper 70s and then BAM, 30 degrees out of nowhere.  It's a little chilly this morning but it seems this is the last of the cold weather and then it's full steam ahead to high 70s and 80s.   

Monday - AM clouds, PM Sun, 60º
Tuesday - Mostly Sunny, 74º
Wednesday - Mostly cloudy, Wind, 75º
Thursday - Mostly Sunny, 76º
Friday - Cloudy, 79º
Saturday - Scattered Thunderstorms, 79º
Sunday - Partly Cloudy, 80º


On my reading pile:::
Glory Road by Lauren K. Denton


Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:::
Jasmine and I watched the season finale of Kindred Spirits.
Hubby and I watched two Simpsons Episodes, we were wanting to watch In Search Of, but couldn't get the link to load so gave up and went with Simpsons instead.
I watched my usual vlogs on Youtube.


On my TV this week:::
General Hospital
Random Vlogs
Call the Midwife
Victoria
Jesus:  His Life - Premiering tonight on the History Channel
The Act
The Cult:  The Family


On the menu for this week:::
Working on the new menu plan this week as I'll be grocery shopping on Friday.

Monday
Dad's Favorite Chicken, Rice, Beans
Tuesday
Beef and Veggie Pot Pie, Steamed Broccoli
Wednesday
Chicken Stew, Salad
Thursday
Texas Hash, Beans 
Friday 
Homemade Pizza
Saturday
Sunday


On my to do list:::
Change bedding and wash linens
Make two more crochet placemats
Vacuum bedrooms and living rooms
Homeschool
Finish clothes peg bag
Make budget for this month
Pay bills
Menu plan and grocery list


What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Crochet placemats
Clothes peg bag    


Looking forward to:::
My ear clearing up.  It is starting to feel better, but it's a slow process.  I will be going back to the doctor this week, he wants to see me again and reevaluate my ear to see if there is anything else we can do to speed it up.  My problem is that I'm allergic to Guaifenesin, which is basically in everything that you can take to clear up mucus faster.  Just my luck!!!     


Looking around the house:::
It's just a little past 8am and the house is incredibly quiet.  The kids are still asleep, Curt is off to work, Marley is also asleep next to me on the bed.
It is quite dark this morning, it's pretty cloudy out there but the sun is trying very hard to peek through.

From the camera:::
Love my little cactus, it's just the sweetest thing ever :)   

What I'm wearing today:::
I'm sure you all know that I'm still in my nightgown and in bed typing up this post.  LOL  But I will slip on a comfy dress here shortly and get ready for the day. 


One of my simple pleasures:::
Making homemade products.  It may take a little more effort than buying straight from the store, but it's healthier because you know exactly what is going in there, and it's way cheaper too.     


Bible verse, Devotional, prayers::: 
I found this little quote quite poignant and thought you all would enjoy it too :) 

 

National Geographic's Backyard Guide to the Night Sky - TLC Book Tour

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic; 2 edition (March 19, 2019)

Explore the star-studded cosmos with this fully updated, user-friendly skywatcher’s guide, filled with charts, graphics, photographs, and expert tips for viewing — and understanding — the wonders of space.

Stargazing’s too much fun to leave to astronomers. In these inviting pages, “Night Sky Guy” Andrew Fazekas takes an expert but easygoing approach that will delight would-be astronomers of all levels. Essential information, organized logically, brings the solar system, stars, and planets to life in your own backyard. Start with the easiest constellations and then “star-hop” across the night sky to find others nearby. Learn about the dark side of the moon, how to pick Mars out of a planetary lineup, and which kinds of stars twinkle in your favorite constellations. Hands-on tips and techniques for observing with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope help make the most out of sightings and astronomical phenomena such as eclipses and meteor showers. Photographs and graphics present key facts in an easy-to-understand format, explaining heavenly phenomena such as black holes, solar flares, and supernovas. Revised to make skywatching even easier for the whole family, this indispensable guide shines light on the night sky–truly one of the greatest shows on Earth!

Purchase Links

National Geographic | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts:

 If you've followed my blog for a while, you know that my husband and I are avid stargazers.  We both have telescopes, we have delved into astrophotography and are just super excited about the night sky, stars, planets and nebula and all of that goodness.

When I was given the opportunity to review this book, I jumped right in because I knew that it would be a family favorite and would for certain have a place in our bookshelf.

I didn't get a chance to look through the book the first few days because it was quickly claimed by my husband who absolutely loves science and physics and astronomy and such.  He actually started his Bachelors in Physics.

Anyway, if you are an avid stargazer, or even if you are not but are wanting to get into it, this book is a must for your family.

It is a great educational tool, beautifully illustrated, and jam packed with information on anything you could see up in the night sky.

With summer just around the corner, and the inevitable hours we will spend outside, it is such a great resource to have on hand.

The book itself is the perfect size to throw in a bag, or even keep in the car if you are going on a road trip or somewhere to stare up at the sky.

As a homeschooling family, it is also a great tool for my 10th Grader, and since he will be taking Astronomy next year, I think it may become his best friend for anything sky related.