Happy Homemaker Monday - 11/11/2013

Good morning ladies :)  Here we are on another Monday, the start of a whole new week and I sure do hope it's a good one for us all.

I'm up bright and early this morning with my husband.  Remember I used to get up with him for work to fix him his coffee and chat a little before he headed to work?  Well I haven't done that in months now, first because he was on terminal leave for work and the move, and then here he's been working afternoon shifts....but he is now on a morning shift, so it's up at 5am for us.

Little early, but I do so love these mornings to myself.  I get to catch up on my shows without being interrupted, I get to read the Bible or a book, devotionals etc.  I guess in a way, it's another step back to normalcy which is very welcomed at this stage.

Now, onto today's Happy Homemaker Monday......

 

As I look outside my window:::
29 degrees at the moment.  Last week we warmed up a little from the previous and it looks like we will be staying around the same this coming week.

Right now I am:::
Enjoying my first cup of coffee and sitting on my bed writing this post.

Thinking and pondering:::
On Thanksgiving and the menu, also thinking about this week's dinner menu which I need to write up. 

On my bedside table:::
The Guardian by Beverly Lewis
The Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Pamela Mingle (for a review)

On my tv tonight:::
My Portuguese Soaps
The Paradise Season 2
Atlantis BBC

Playing on the radio:::
I absolutely adore this song.




On the menu for this week:::
Working on Menu Plan so not all days have meals

Monday - White Castle Sliders, Homemade Fries
Tuesday - Chicken Stew 
Wednesday - Portuguese Meatballs, Scalloped Potatoes
Thursday -
Friday -
Saturday -
Sunday -

On my to do list:::
Homeschooling
Bake Pie for Lucky Leaf Review and Giveaway today
Bake Cookies for Cookie Sheet Review

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Diamond crochet blanket

My simple pleasure:::
Reading a book while sitting on a comfy quilt near the fire.

Lesson learned the past week:::
That no matter how much I try to avoid drama, it tends to come my way, and it's how I react to it that will determine the outcome. 

Looking around the house:::
Everyone is fast asleep.  Hubby is at work and the pugs are snoring on the bed next to me.  I gave the house a good cleaning yesterday so it's looking nice and tidy.  With 8 people in one house, it tends to get cluttered very fast but if you stay on top of it, then it's not that bad at all :)

From the camera:::

On my prayer list:::
My family.....dad, stepmom, brothers and grandma etc.  Lots going on all around and everyone needing prayers in different ways. 

Bible verse, Devotional:::
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." - John 14:1-3

Balance Bar Review and Giveaway

A few weeks ago, I was sent a box of Balance Bars to try out.  Having a lot of family members who are involved in some sort of physical activity, I knew that these would come very handy.

The bars included in the box were Chocolate Peanut Butter and Cookie Dough.  Now I love anything chocolate and peanut butter, but I'm not a big fan of cookie dough anything, regardless, I gave each a try and passed the remaining around to the other family members.

"To inspire our consumers to lead active, well-rounded lives by providing great-tasting and healthy,
convenient nutrition for lasting energy"

"Balance is all about creating convenient healthy foods that taste great and can be enjoyed while you do whatever it is you love to do. It's a busy world out there and we all need fuel to help us achieve our goals and better enjoy our active, on-the-go lives. Balance strives to be there to help you - the athletes of life - enjoy what keeps you going."

The great thing about these bars is that they are low in calories and high in nutrition and vitamins.

The first one I tried was the Chocolate Peanut Butter and I loved it, it was like eating a candy bar but without feeling guilty.  It tasted great and knowing that it was only 200 calories made it even better.

The second one I tried was the Cookie Dough and I really didn't like it, but like I said above, I'm not a cookie dough fan.  Other family members liked the cookie dough and one didn't like the peanut butter, that would be my brother but he is not a big fan of chocolate and peanut butter....crazy I know.

Balance Bar doesn't just have these two flavors, they have a huge variety of yummy sounding bars.  From Blueberry Acai to Chocolate Raspberry and so on.

All in all, I really liked these bars and would certainly have them again.

Balance Bar has been very gracious and is offering one lucky winner a chance to try out some samples of these yummy bars. 

Contest is open to US residents only!

Please leave a comment and include your email so that I can contact you if you are chosen as the winner.

I will draw a winner through Random.org on Wednesday,  13th November 2013.  Winner will receive their prize directly from the folks at Balance Bar.

Good Luck!!!

Five Senses Saturday - 11/09/2013

::Hear::

- Duck Dynasty on the TV...what can I say, I love this show
- The wind blowing outside 

- Pugs snoring next to me 

- Nicholas telling me about his game
- Music on the radio

::See::

 

-  snow falling and the sun trying to peek through the clouds
- the kids doing Tae Kwon Do
- the place where my old house used to sit on base, it's now gone and there's nothing but trees 
- the wild rabbits we have in our horse pasture 
- my husband's face as he gets home from work, nothing better than that

::Touch::

- the beautiful soft yarn as I finish my scarf
- cold sharp wind that takes my breathe away 
- Lola's whiskers tickling my leg as she lays on it 
- hot water in the shower
- the cold door knob as I let the dogs out in the morning

::Taste::

 

- Pizza fresh from the oven
- Girl Scout's coffee creamer 
- water with a slice of lemon 
- Sesame Noodles 
- Maui Onion Potato Chips

::Smell::

 

 Image credit:  Gimme Some Oven

 

- Slow cooked beef tacos cooking in the crockpot
- Lavender Febreeze 

- donuts, cakes and bread as I walk past the bakery
- Autumn Candle burning in the living room
- Chicken roasting in the oven

Week in review.....again!

The worst part about this busy life of mine, is not being able to update every day, although I'm glad I can come in at least on a Friday and give you a quick glimpse of what I've been doing....or at least some of it.

It's been a cold, snowy week here in Idaho.  Oh I'm so thrilled I can't even begin to put into words.

I'm like a kid on Christmas morning, all happy seeing the white snowflakes come down.  Now I'm sure that pretty soon when we're right down in the thick of winter I may be complaining about the cold and driving in the stuff, but for now, for this moment, I'm going to just enjoy it all.

I did so miss a beautiful white snow.

If you could only have seen the joy on the kid's faces.  My son barely remembers what it was like to play in the snow.  When we left 7 years ago he was just 4 years old, but boy was he excited to get back out there.

And my niece and nephew who've never seen snow??? Oh my! I've never seen kids jump up from bed so fast and smile so big.

We didn't see much snow and it didn't stick around for long, but we do have more in the forecast so everyone is eagerly awaiting for that to go play.

One thing I have latched back onto this week, is my crochet. I have missed it so very much, you know how I always say that it's my way of relaxing? Well I surely do need some relaxation lately and some down time and my crochet is where it's at.

I didn't want to pick up unfinished projects quite yet, I wanted something quick and rewarding, so Infinity Scarves it was.

The first one was a simple shell stitch, I didn't follow a pattern but then I did come across one that is very very similar to what I did, so here you go if you want to give it a try.

I was so chuffed with that scarf, and I had a beautiful ball of soft yarn that I wanted to use, that I quickly started another and this one I made in two days, and not 2 full days, mind you....the only time I have free to crochet is at night for about two hours while I wait for my husband to come home from work.

Such a pretty stitch and so very quick to make. Love, love, love this one!  You can find the pattern here.

Now I'm done with both, and I do have some black soft yarn to make something else, though I'm not sure if I want another infinity scarf or if I want a slouchy hat or what. Haven't decided yet. What do you think I should make?

One thing I HAVE decided on is my next blanket, here's a little peek....

Different colors and brought together with white, that's all I can say, but I will show you as I go along :)

I've also been having a bit of a rough week.  The end of October and beginning of November are quite difficult times for me, they are around the time one of my babies would have been born.

Having a miscarriage is heartbreaking, and having two is unfathomable.  You never get over it, it's something that stays with you forever and I don't think there is a day that goes by that I don't wonder what my babies would have been like.

Even though one of the miscarriages occurred end of May/June, for some reason it's this time of year that both really hit home for me.

I know that for a few weeks I'm very sensitive and do cry at the drop of a hat, and it used to frustrate me, but for the past few years I have allowed myself to just ride this wave.  If I want to cry, then I cry and then move on.  It's a process and I don't want to forget my children, matter of fact one of the things I most look forward to when I get to Heaven, is meeting them for the first time.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to this past week.  What has your week been like?

Blessings,
Sandra
♥♥♥ ♥♥♥

On this day in 2006 - I've got to get my behind in gear
On this day in 2007 -
On this day in 2008 -
On this day in 2009 - Weekend Chit Chat
On this day in 2010 - Happy Homemaker Monday
On this day in 2011 -
On this day in 2012 - Slow Cooking Thursday - Crockpot Applesauce

Slow Cooking Thursday - Shredded Beef Tacos

Good morning everyone :)  It's Thursday already?  Good grief!

It's been a very weird week for me, lots of business and extended family drama and just.....I don't know, I am actually missing Arizona right now for what it signified at the time.  Simplicity at it's best, something I do NOT have at the moment.  Oh well!

Today's recipe comes from Gimme Some Oven, and it was one I made a few days ago.

It was delicious and definitely a *must make again*.

 Image credit:  Gimme Some Oven

Slow-Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours, 40 minutes

Yield: 2 pounds shredded taco beef

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds beef (I used a boneless chuck roast)
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (I love spice and used two!)
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Flour tortillas
Favorite taco toppings:
• guacamole or avocado
• fresh salsa
• Mexican rice
• grated cheese
• fresh lettuce
• tomato
• onion
• cilantro
• squeeze of lime juice

Method

Whisk together the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix into the beef, covering each side evenly.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side until browned. Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker.

Remove the beef from the skillet and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Leave the pan on the heat, and add in the beef stock to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and minced chipotle and whisk into the pan sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a 3-5 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Shred the beef and onions with two forks. Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings.