{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 12/14/2020 }

Good morning friends, welcome back to my blog.

I am starting this week with a bad cold.  Jasmine was sick last week, I was sick one day last week then this weekend it hit me and Nick, so here we are.

I also had my blood work done last week and it came back with my platelet volume slightly elevated.  I'm waiting to get a call back from the doctor.  I really wish that I wouldn't google things because you know google always goes to the worst case scenario and it has left me feeling quite worried.  

I would appreciate some prayers being sent my way this morning.

Anyway, let's get right on with our post.  I have to take Jasmine to work this morning so can't diddle daddle around.

Hope you all have a blessed week ahead.

The weather outside is::::

Currently 23 degrees.  It is so cold.  We even had some snow flurries yesterday afternoon, crazy weather.      

Monday - 47

Tuesday -  41

Wednesday -  49

Thursday -  58

Friday - 61

Saturday -  55

Sunday - 61

On the breakfast plate this morning::::

All I've had is my coffee, which I couldn't really taste very well.  It's the one thing about colds that drives me nuts, the taste and smell go in and out.

 

As I look outside my window::::

The grass has a white coating from all the ice overnight.  My car windows also need to be scraped off before I leave.   

As I look around the house::::

We did some organizing and cleaning in Curt's office yesterday, so it looks so much better.  It's amazing how much clutter these men seem to accumulate.     

 

What I'm wearing today::::

Just in my winter warm pajamas at the moment.          

 

Currently reading::::

Reading through Isaiah.   

Have a book review coming up on Wednesday.

But, need to pick another book to read in the meantime.   

 

On the TV for this week::::

My Portuguese soap "Bem me Quer"

Vlogs on Youtube

Christmas movies

 

 

On the menu this week::::

 

Monday - Gnocchi Bolognese, Salad

Tuesday - Beef Stew

Wednesday - Pork Chops with Creamy Mushroom sauce, Rice

Thursday - Stuffed Shells, Steamed Broccoli

Friday - Meatballs with Spaghetti

Saturday -  Chicken Fried Steak, Mash, Veggies

Sunday - Fricassee Chicken, Rice, Salad

 

 

Something fun to share::::

Another beautiful video from Tina Sosna.  Enjoy!   

 

 

Favorite photo from the camera::::

Love this time of year, mostly for all the lit candles around the house.    

 

Prayers, Inspiration quotes, Devotionals::::

Praying for my blood work results. I know I'm fine but it's always a bit nerve wrecking waiting for the phone call.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 12/07/2020 }

Good morning, welcome back :)

 

How was your weekend?  Mine as usual, had some downtime but lots of running around as well.  I seriously need to learn to just force myself to be still.  But, I don't know about you, I just have a hard time sitting down for long, I start feeling guilty.

 

Anyway, it is early morning, and I am sitting here without my coffee.  I have some routine blood work I need to get done this morning, so fasting is needed.  

 

I hope you all have a blessed week ahead!

 

The weather outside is::::

Currently 33 degrees.  Looks like a week of 50s and 60s is in the forecast.     

Monday - 65

Tuesday -  68

Wednesday -  73

Thursday -  70

Friday - 58

Saturday -  56

Sunday - 55

On the breakfast plate this morning::::

Haven't had my coffee yet, but going to make it and take it with me.  Think I'll take a sandwich with me as well so that I can eat in the car after the blood tests.      

 

As I look outside my window::::

Pitch black outside.  I can hear birds singing and the usual early morning cars and noise as people head off to work. 

As I look around the house::::

We got our Christmas tree yesterday afternoon, but all it has on are the lights.  I need to finish decorating it today.  As per the usual Christmas decorating, there are boxes littered throughout the house which need to be emptied and put away.  Random furniture moved out of the place and so on.  Will deal with all of that after I get back from dropping off Jasmine at work.   

 

What I'm wearing today::::

My pajamas at the moment, then jeans, sweater and boots.        

 

To do today or this week::::

Monday - 

Blood test this morning

Drop Jasmine off at work

Decorate Christmas Tree

Clean and organize house

Tuesday - 

Take Jasmine to work

Wednesday -

Post office

Thursday -

Take Jasmine to work

Write up the new meal plan

Friday -

Take Jasmine to work

Grocery shopping

Currently reading::::

Reading through Isaiah.   

Haven't read the past week, but have a ton of books to pick from and no review books at the moment, so will grab one from my shelf and get going. 

 

On the TV for this week::::

My Portuguese soap "Bem me Quer"

Vlogs on Youtube

Christmas movies

 

 

On the menu this week::::

 

Monday - Beef tips, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli

Tuesday - Spaghetti, Homemade Garlic Bread

Wednesday - Mongolian Beef, Basmati Rice

Thursday - Cheesy Hot Beef Sandwiches, Homemade Fries

Friday - 

Saturday - 

Sunday -

 

 

Something fun to share::::

I am thrilled with how much you all are enjoying the videos I have been sharing in this category.  I have so many more.  Are you ready for another fantastic video?  This one is from another of my favorite channels, Jonna Jinton.  She produces such stunning visuals and takes us on beautiful trips through her country of Sweden.  

 

Prepare yourself for a gorgeous video. 

 

 

Favorite photo from the camera::::

Dried apple slices waiting to go on the tree, and made into a garland for the fireplace too.  

 

 

Prayers, Inspiration quotes, Devotionals::::

{ The sweet joy of homemaking }

 

I have always been the biggest cheerleader of homemakers and homemaking in general. There is something so beautiful to me, in the act of keeping home. 

 

The importance as a homemaker, a wife, a mom, to take care of these four walls that we have been blessed with, is of utmost importance, not just for our families

But sometimes life gets a bit crazy and those things that we love doing, are forced to the side.  It's understandable, but anytime that happens, the moment I am able to get back to basics, so to speak, is like nothing I could ever describe.

 I think about my days back in Arizona, where my children were little, my husband was active duty, and we just had this routine in place.  I was full on homemaker, every second, every minute of my day was spent taking care of my house, taking care of my children and husband.  I cooked, I cleaned, I baked, I grocery shopped and made decorations for our house.

 I loved it all so much, it's like I went to bed each night completely content and couldn't wait to get up the next morning, to get back it, to slip on that apron and go about my chores.

Things are different now, so obviously I still am a homemaker and still do my chores and tasks around the house, but it's so different, so completely different than what it was before.

Every day that I am able to have a semblance of those days, years ago, I am filled with such joy and contentment.

It's almost like going home when you've been away for a long time.

I was able to have a day such as that, just last week.  And oh how I grabbed onto it with both hands, and enjoyed every minute.

The simple act of vacuuming while the pets run around.  Stopping to play with Marley, cleaning, doing dishes and folding laundry.  

Oh but those are such mundane and boring tasks Sandra, how do you find any joy in that?

I get it.  Homemaking has been frowned upon and as the decades have gone by, the thought of being a homemaker makes some cringe.  It's not cool enough, or popular enough.  It's sad, but it is the truth.

I look at my own daughter, she is 21 and not interested at all in any homemaking or anything to do with running a house.  Crazy, I know.  I always thought that my own daughter would want to follow in my steps, not necessarily to be a homemaker, but at the very least, to love taking care of the house, or show interest in some way.  She doesn't.  

That used to bother me at first, I felt almost betrayed.  Ha!

If there's one thing God has taught me, is that, whether we agree or disagree with the choices our children make, it is THEIR choices.  Just because I love everything to do with homemaking, doesn't mean my children have to feel the same way.  It's ok!

What I do know is that we ourselves, as a society, have created and accepted such a negative look on homemaking, that our children can't help but be swayed by the majority.

I only wish schools still offered Home Economics and Wood Shop like they did back in our day.  Personally, I think every school kid could benefit from those.

Times are just different, and that is fine, but there are things we should continue to incorporate into our lives.  Things that are just as important today as they were decades ago.

I don't think I will ever tire of being a homemaker.  I'm pretty sure God ingrained that in my DNA, from the moment of conception.  

So, I've been trying very hard to get back to what matters.  And yes, every moment that I spend doing anything cleaning or organizing or cooking, even decorating in my home, I am so happy to do it.  It actually brings me peace, weird to say, but it does.

Today, I am pottering around the house a bit, I do want to get some Christmas decorating done, and still need to get a tree.  But, I also want to watch a few Christmas movies with the family, so hopefully, I am able to do that.

 Whatever I choose to do today, one thing is for sure, I will do it with a happy heart and a joyful soul.

{ Slow Cooking Thursday Christmas Edition - Week 1 }

 

Welcome to the Slow Cooking Thursday Christmas Edition 

 

 As we head into the month of December, many of us are planning our Christmas Eve and Christmas day meals.  

This year may be a little different than usual, but one thing still remains the same,  our families are counting on us to provide them with delicious meals.  But we also know that this can be quite a busy time of year and we don't want to be stuck in the kitchen for days on end, so when we can, using a crockpot is the next best thing.

Since I'm going to rely on my slow cookers to make some of the dishes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I thought it would be a great idea to bring back my Slow Cooking Thursday for this month.  I may keep it going beyond, but let's focus on the next few weeks first.  

I'm sharing with you a recipe for a delicious slow cooked ham.  Trust me, you will be happy you dropped your ham into the slow cooker and let it cook itself.

 

 

 

Slow Cooked Brown Sugar and Pineapple Ham

 

6 to 10lb spiral bone in ham (or whatever size ham will fit in your slow cooker)

3 cups of brown sugar

1 (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple

In a large slow cooker, add half of the sugar and half of the pineapple, then place your ham on top of the mixture.  Separate the layers of the ham as best as you can, then cover with the remaining brown sugar and pineapple.

Close and cook on LOW for 4 hours.  Once done, I like to switch mine to a nice dish, and I also like to cover it with some pineapple slices, cherries and cloves and pop it in the oven for about 30 minutes.

 

If you don't have a slow cooker, you can also use an instant pot on the slow cooker setting.

{ Slow Cooking Thursday Christmas Edition }

 

On the 14th of September, 2006, I started a feature on my blog called Slow Cooking Thursday.

I had been blogging just a few months and I was really enjoying getting to know other homemakers in blogland, exchanging recipes and ideas, joining in different weekly features on other blogs, and so on.

I decided to start up Slow Cooking Thursday as a means to share all the great crockpot recipes I made or wanted to try, thinking other homemakers would enjoy them as well.  The feature was received with huge enthusiasm and participation and quickly became a favorite for many.

It went for many years and then as life got busy and I wasn't gathering or trying many slow cooker recipes, I just stopped posting.

But I've missed it over the years and I was thinking last night that it's been a long time since I've posted a Slow Cooking Thursday, and I have a few recipes that I've been wanting to try over the holidays.  So, I've decided to dust it off, and bring it back at least for the month of December, to begin with, and to do a Christmas Edition.

If you want to join in, you are more than welcome, I will put up a linky starting this Thursday, and every Thursday for this month.  

Below are the banners I will use, I have made one for each week and if you join in, I would really appreciate it if you would use the ones I provided and not make one of your own.  

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Share your favorite slow cooking recipes for the holidays, they can be a main dish, a side dish, a dessert or even a drink such as your favorite hot chocolate, apple cider or punch.

Be sure to visit each participant and leave a comment.  My hope is that through this exchange we can gather a bunch of new recipes to try, and who knows, we may just find our new favorite for the holidays.