{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 08/31/2020 }

Good morning my friends, and a very happy Monday to you all.

I want to start today by thanking each and every single one of you, who prayed for us over the past 3 months.  Our situation was resolved on Friday morning, and all I can say is WOW!!!

I have always believed in a God that is fair and just, and always, doing what is best for us.  He also has a way of going above and beyond what we ask for, especially when we are faithful to Him and love Him with all our heart.

Curt not only gets to keep his job, but in the meantime, he has moved up a step in his position which means a pay raise, and because we didn't know what our future held, Curt resumed his studies to finish his Master's Degree.  He still had some time left on his GI Bill.  Which means, now we will be getting school money as well, on top of his normal work pay.  It is a huge and I mean HUGE blessing from God.  We are so thankful for the prayers, and are very much looking forward to using the extra money for home repairs and paying off debt.

Unfortunately, all this is clouded as well by my mother in law's health.  She is in the hospital at the moment with some fluid around her heart.  They are looking at draining it sometime today, and hopefully she can go home this week.  My husband has been traveling back and forth from the hospital, they live 2 and half hours from us, while I hold down the fort here at home with homeschooling, driving daughter to work, pets and so forth.

It hasn't been easy, but it is what needs to be done right now, and we will push through this trial as we have always done.

Anyway, wow, I feel like I rambled a bit, let's get on with our Happy Homemaker Monday.

Have a blessed week friends!
xoxo
  

♥♥The Weather♥♥ 
Thankfully not as hot as it has been the past 2 months.  We did get some rain from the Hurricane, and really strong winds too, but nowhere near what the coast was hit with.  

Monday - Thunderstorms, 95
Tuesday - Thunderstorms, 87
Wednesday - AM Thunderstorms, 82
Thursday -  Partly cloudy, 88
Friday - Isolated Thunderstorms, 82
Saturday -  Partly cloudy, 86
Sunday - Mostly sunny, 88


♥♥How I am feeling this morning♥♥
Overwhelmed with gratitude, worried for my mother in law, and then Marley threw up a couple times.  What is it with dogs and throwing up once in a while?  He has always had a sensitive stomach, and since he's still a 3 year old puppy, he has a bad habit of chewing on things he shouldn't.  *sigh*


♥♥On my mind♥♥ 
Need to get things done around here, and trying to focus without my mind going full speed with a million other thoughts.


 ♥♥On the breakfast plate♥♥
Just had coffee and two pieces of toast.   


♥♥On my reading pile♥♥ 
Still in my book of Psalms in my Bible.

Still reading The Brothers of Auschwitz by Malka Adler.  It is SOOOOO good.  Review will be coming up next week.   


 ♥♥On my tv♥♥
 My Portuguese Soap *Quer o Destino*.
Study on the book of Revelation.


♥♥On the menu this week♥♥ 

Monday - German and Street Taco Bratwurst, Potato Salad
Tuesday - Paprika Beef Tips with Rice
Wednesday - Dad's Favorite Chicken, Spaghetti noodles
Thursday - {not sure yet, will use what is in fridge} 

Friday - *Grocery shopping*
Saturday - Away visiting my mother in law
Sunday - French Dips on a Budget, Potato Wedges


♥♥From the camera♥♥
I so enjoy watching nature.  We have a really tall pine tree, I mean TALL, it is about 30 feet high.  It is always filled with pines, and the progression as they grow is so beautiful to see.

♥♥Looking around the house♥♥
Both kids are asleep, hubby is at the hospital with his mom.  Marley and Elliott are both sleeping in my bedroom.  The house is quite dark, we had some strong storms around 2am, and are waiting on more rain throughout the day.

But the good side to that is that the temperatures have cooled off, so I can open the curtains and windows to let in some much needed fresh air. 


♥♥New recipe I tried last week, or one that we really enjoyed♥♥
For the first time in many many years, I tried a recipe from one of my new cookbooks, and it was awful.  I couldn't stomach it.  LOL   But you know, that's life, sometimes you try a recipe and it's not good, but thankfully 99% of the time, they are winners.


♥♥To relax this week, I will♥♥
Probably just read, and maybe try a nap here and there.  I have a very hard time sleeping when I'm stressed, or when Curt is away, so my sleep has been quite minimal the past week. 


 ♥♥Something I want to share♥♥ 
I absolutely LOVE looking in on old castles, mansions, homes from the Tudor times.  This one  is the very first home for Elizabeth I, when she was just 3 months old.  So interesting!   




♥♥On my prayer list♥♥
Praying abundant blessings over everyone that has prayed for our situation the past 3 months.
Praying for my mother in law Pat.  She faces some difficult decisions ahead.
Praying over our President, country and the rest of the world.

{ Prayers for my mother in law Pat }

I've been pretty quiet on here.

I am trying very hard to get this post out without jumbling everything up.  At the moment, my mind is at full speed, thoughts swirling, constant prayers going up and trying to stay focused.

You know that a lot has been going on for us.  This year has been extremely difficult for many people, and we have also been thrown into the middle of that chaos.  Every family I speak to is going through a trial, a season, a desert, a phase that doesn't seem to have an end in sight.

Yesterday morning we got a phone call from my wonderful mother in law Pat.  The news she shared were not what we wanted to hear, not what we were expecting and so far removed from my thoughts, that I had to sit down on the couch in the office, and catch my breath.

Pat has been battling cancer for years, and I mean years.  Back in 2007 I made a post asking for prayers for her, she had just told us that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.  We were shocked.  She went through surgery, chemotherapy and beat that cancer.  Was cancer free for 9 years and then 2016 it came back, she fought it again, and then returned again in 2017.

She has been a warrior, so strong, she leaves us in constant awe.

Unfortunately the cancer has spread, and she was given a Stage 4 diagnosis this week, if she does no treatments she has 2 months, if she goes through more chemotherapy she has about 14 months.

This is not a decision that is easy to make, and my heart totally breaks for her.  We want to be selfish and force her to do anything and everything needed to stay around longer, but at what cost?

I don't want her to suffer, I don't want her in pain.  So I'm asking for prayers please, for a miracle from the Lord to cure this horrible disease invading her body, but if it is her time, then prayers for comfort and peace for her, and for her sons, my husband and brother in law.

I will tell you, I am not ready to let her go.  I'm not.  But I can't be selfish, so I will support and respect her decision.

Just please, please send prayers our way. 

I am so sorry that I haven't been the best of bloggers.  I tell myself daily to get back on here and just write, write everything and anything because it helps to clear the mind and helps to get through life's difficult moments.......and yet I feel like I have this block when it comes to blogging.

I don't want to stop, I don't want to let my blog go after so many years, but what do I do when I can't seem to open blogger, type anything, or even feel like I am motivated to do so?  I don't have that answer right now, maybe when life calms down a bit I'll be able to get on with it as before, but for the moment I am truly just going with the flow. 

Please believe that I am trying my best, but I am also very overwhelmed with life right now, so much so that at times, I feel like I'm in the middle of the ocean, being pulled under and fighting frantically to stay afloat.

Life is just......life is just hard right now.

Thank you for the prayers in advance.  I will keep you updated. 

Blessings,
xoxoxoxo

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 08/24/2020 }

Good morning sweet friends, how was your weekend?

I had a wonderful one, very quiet, very restful, wish it would have been longer, but it is what it is, right?

I'm trying to get this post up as fast as I can because I am sitting here in my nightgown and still need to get dressed, get breakfast and get my daughter off to work.  She has finally decided that she wants to give driving a go again, thank goodness.

Hope you all have a fantastic week, thank you as always, for joining in every Monday, I appreciate it so much.

God Bless.

♥♥The Weather♥♥ 
Hot, and too hot for me.  I get so frustrated trying to do any kind of gardening because 5 minutes outside and I feel like I'm on fire.  Still very hot around here, but we did get a random thunderstorm last night that thankfully cooled things down a bit.  I don't know about you all, but we have had some strange storms lately, out of the blue, very strong and destructive, and gone just as quick as it arrives. 

Monday - 96
Tuesday - 96
Wednesday - 93
Thursday -  95
Friday - 103
Saturday -  101
Sunday - 98


♥♥How I am feeling this morning♥♥
I am feeling ok, slept pretty well which is always a good thing. 


♥♥On my mind♥♥ 
A huge to do list.  I also want to start a list of projects that need doing, room by room, so that we can start working on them slowly. 


 ♥♥On the breakfast plate♥♥
Coffee with chocolate caramel creamer.   


♥♥On my reading pile♥♥ 
I am now in the book of Psalms in my Bible.

I started The Brothers of Auschwitz by Malka Adler.  Within the first 20 pages I was sobbing, the ugly sob.  It is an extremely difficult book to read in the sense that it paints quite a vivid picture of the atrocities that were perpetuated against the Jewish people. 

 ♥♥On my tv♥♥
 My Portuguese Soap *Quer o Destino*.
Study on the book of Revelation.


♥♥On the menu this week♥♥ 

Monday - Chicken Biscuit Pot Pie
Tuesday - All American Cheeseburgers, Potato Wedges
Wednesday - Asian Chicken and Rice
Thursday - Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
Friday - Spaghetti and Garlic Bread
Saturday -Country Ribs, Baked Potatoes, Salad
Sunday - Fettucine Alfredo, Steamed Broccoli


♥♥From the camera♥♥
How absolutely gorgeous is this blanket looking?  

♥♥Looking around the house♥♥
The kids are still asleep, though Jasmine will be up soon for work.  Curt is teleworking and doing his college classes in the office, and I am in the bedroom with both boys Marley and Elliott, working on this post.
My bedroom window is open, because Elliott likes to sit in the windowsill, staring out at the birds.


♥♥New recipe I tried last week, or one that we really enjoyed♥♥
Not a new recipe but one that I hadn't made in years.  Traditional Portuguese dessert.  I will be putting it up on the food blog later, have a few recipes needing to go up.

♥♥To relax this week, I will♥♥
Read, crochet, garden.


 ♥♥Something I want to share♥♥ 
James I:  The first Stuart King of England.  Such an interesting history.  Hope you enjoy this one. 




♥♥On my prayer list♥♥
Still praying over our situation.  It's been a long 3 months desert, but we believe that God is still working it all out in our favor.  
Praying over friends and family going through difficult moments.
Praying over our President, country and the rest of the world.

{ The Doctor of Aleppo by Dan Mayland - TLC Book Tours }

Hardcover: 450 pages
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing; Unabridged edition (August 11, 2020)

In the ancient Silk Road city of Aleppo, a young American woman is sucked into the Syrian civil war engulfing the city. Relentlessly pursued by a Javert-like secret police officer, her only refuge is the rebel hospital run by a renowned surgeon.

In The Doctor of Aleppo, Dan Mayland, author of the bestselling Mark Sava spy novel series, pairs a thriller writer’s sensibilities with a gripping account of good people cruelly trapped in somebody else’s war.

”In The Doctor of Aleppo, Dan Mayland lends a human face and a compelling story to a tragedy too large and complicated for most of us to understand. A harrowing and unforgettable read.” —Dana Haynes, author of St. Nicholas Salvage & Wrecking

”Dan Mayland’s The Doctor of Aleppo grips you from the start. His keen storytelling lends insight into war and its brutality through this tale of hope and redemption.” —Judy A. Bernstein, author of Disturbed in Their Nests

”Dan Mayland’s The Doctor of Aleppo turns an unflinching gaze on the reality of modern warfare, fought in neighborhoods rather than a battlefield, where today’s ally is tomorrow’s enemy, and people struggle against all odds to maintain their humanity. A thriller that breaks your heart as it rockets toward its stunning conclusion.” —Gwen Florio, author of Silent Hearts

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About Dan Mayland

Dan Mayland is an author and professional geopolitical forecaster, helping nonprofit, private, and government organizations navigate a changing world. His Mark Sava spy series and his latest novel, The Doctor of Aleppo, were informed by his experiences in the Caspian region and Middle East. Raised in New Jersey, Mayland now lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two children, in an old stone farmhouse he and his wife have restored. More information about Dan and his books can be found at danmayland.com.

Connect with Dan

Website | Facebook

REVIEW:

The book takes place in Aleppo, Syria during the Syrian civil war.  In a city fraught with turmoil, American Hannah is swept into the ongoing war.  Fleeing for her life, she finds safety in a local hospital and in the help of a local surgeon, Sami.

The book is filled with action and historical details, told through a brillian author who has dug, researched and brought to life an historical war story so real that you can't help but be pulled into every word, every page.  It is a story that left me on the edge of my seat, always thinking I knew what was coming, but never figuring it out.

Hannah is a dual citizen of America and Syria, her boyfriend Oskar is Swedish and their good friend Sami is Syrian. 

I didn't quite understand Hannah's motives, but I got the feeling that she was trying to escape her life back in the United States, while also following her dream as an aid worker in Syria.  There are so many ups and downs, twists and turns in this book, that not once did I get bored or feel like the story was dragging.

Dan Mayland used his experience in war torn Syria and interviews with local Syrian residents of Aleppo, to write a fictional story based on true events during 2012 and 2016.  There are some vividly explicit details which is expected from a war story, but for me I feel that they help paint a more realistic picture of the horrors that some people face when a country is falling apart.

If you enjoy thrillers and historical novels, then grab yourself a copy and add it to your bookshelf.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a review copy.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 08/17/2020 }

Good morning everyone, come on in and sit with me a bit.  I have fresh hot coffee and some vanilla cake.

Sometimes I wish we all lived in the same neighborhood, and could just pop on over to each other's home's for a coffee and a chat.  Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Here we are, a new week, and today is the first day of school for us.  Oh goodness!!!

I have a senior.  I am not ready for it, really, I'm not.  My last baby about to finish his last year of school and then that is it, we close a chapter on schooling and little ones, and start a brand new journey.
I'm not going to think about that too much, or I'll start crying LOL

Let's just get on with our post like nothing is happening, shall we?

♥♥The Weather♥♥ 
Still very hot around here, but we did get a random thunderstorm last night that thankfully cooled things down a bit.  I don't know about you all, but we have had some strange storms lately, out of the blue, very strong and destructive, and gone just as quick as it arrives. 

Monday - 94
Tuesday - 93
Wednesday - 90
Thursday -  93
Friday - 95
Saturday -  96
Sunday - 97



♥♥How I am feeling this morning♥♥
I slept ok.  My sleep has been weird as well lately, this year is just a write off at this point Hahaha
I'm a bit tired, but overall I am fine.  


♥♥On my mind♥♥ 
The new school year and the fact that this is my last year teaching my littles. Bittersweet for sure.


 ♥♥On the breakfast plate♥♥
Coffee with vanilla creamer, and nothing else for now. 


♥♥On my reading pile♥♥ 
I am now in the book of Job in my Bible.

I am waiting on my new review book to come in, so will probably just read the Bible and grab one of my own books from my shelf.


 ♥♥On my tv♥♥
 My Portuguese Soap *Quer o Destino*.


 
♥♥On the menu this week♥♥ 
The new meals video is up on Youtube, you can watch it down below.  Friday I will be grocery shopping again, so will be working on the new menu this week. 

Monday - Galinha na Frigideira (Portuguese Red Pepper Chicken), Fried Potatoes
Tuesday - Fish Fillets, Tomato Rice and Creamed Spinach
Wednesday - Chicken Curry, Basmati Rice and Homemade Garlic Naan
Thursday - Corned Beef Hash, Roasted Zucchini
Friday - 
Saturday -
Sunday -


♥♥From the camera♥♥
 I can't wait to show you how far along this blanket is.

♥♥Looking around the house♥♥ 
This post is going up pretty late because I had to rush out to take Jasmine to work.  So, looking around the house, windows are all open, curtains are open as well and the brightness of the mornings has flooded every corner of every room.
I have some dishes in the sink from breakfast that I need to wash, need to change my bed linens and then vacuum and dust.


♥♥New recipe I tried last week, or one that we really enjoyed♥♥
Without a doubt, it had to be the Ikea style meatballs I made, they were delicious.
 

♥♥To relax this week, I will♥♥ 
Crochet and read. 


 ♥♥Something I want to share♥♥ 
You all know how much I love History and especially the Tudor Times.  I'm always on the lookout for documentaries or shows from that era.  Here is a short but quite interesting one of the Anne of Cleves House.  Hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did.




♥♥On my prayer list♥♥
Continuing to pray over Curt's work.
Praying over friends and family going through difficult moments.