{ Five Senses Saturday }

 

It is Saturday, which means, a Five Senses Saturday post.  Boy has it been a while since I've done this one as well.

But it's Saturday, and I have been out practically all morning, on the hunt for a new range for the kitchen.  We found one, had to order it, and will be delivered August 1st.  So, 8 more days without an oven, and using my old cooktop which drives me bonkers, but, I've been able to do it until now, and before I know it I'll be cooking on my new one.  Can't.wait!!!

Because I was out all morning, I haven't really had time to take many pictures, and since I am loving doing daily posts again, I didn't want to miss today, and start messing this good thing again......besides, I love this little feature, it's always a fun way to gather all my thoughts and feelings into one post.  

 

So here are my five senses from the past week.

::  HEAR  ::

-  The pool pump working and swooshing water out, making it sound like a fountain

-  Kaia and Elliott playing in the living room

-  The hum of the air conditioner that seems to be working overtime in this triple digits

-  My husband's game in the office

-  The ticking of the keys as I type this post

::  SEE  ::

-  Elliott laying next to me on the bed, sleeping

-  The video playing on the tv

-  A pile of laundry, folded and needing to be put away

-  My current book on my nightstand

-  Bright sunshine outside the windows

::  TOUCH  ::

-  The soft blanket on my bed

-  Dough as I knead it for bread

-  Water dripping on my toes, as I water the garden

-  Pool noodle passing by me

-  Kaia and Elliott's soft furs

 

::  TASTE  ::

-  Milky tea made with my favorite Rooibos Black Tea

-  Drumstick Ice Cream on a hot day

-  Amazing grilled steak straight from the grill

-  Cold icy water with a slice of lemon

-  First sip of coffee first thing in the morning

 

::  SMELL  ::

-  Sunscreen before entering the pool

-  Barbecue food on a summer afternoon

-  Coconut scented dish soap

-  Essential oils diffusing

-  Basil freshly picked from the garden

 

{ Grocery day }

Good morning everyone, and a very Happy Friday!

 

I will say, I am happy to see this day come around.  This week has been busy, a lot of driving back and forth, and not nearly enough time inside my house doing what I love.

 

I had a dentist appointment yesterday which lasted about an hour, I finally got my front teeth taken care of and am finally happy with the results.  Nothing worse than your front teeth having issues or darkening.  But, that is solved.

 

So, this morning, I am having a slow start.  I am currently sitting in bed with Elliott and Kaia, who are fast asleep next to me.  I'm watching some vlogs on Youtube, and have been visiting blogs and leaving comments.  That is something I'm actually very excited about doing.  It had been, oh my word, ages since I sat down and visited everyone, left a comment and interacted in blogland.  

 

I had forgotten just how much I love this homemaking community, reading blogs, seeing what other wonderful women are up to.  

It's been a blessing coming back to blogging full time. 

Now, onto our grocery haul.

 

I just finished putting in my last items in my Walmart cart.  I usually add what I need, throughout the week, and then finish it off when I'm ready for pickup.  One thing I learned though, very early on, is that the pickup times go really fast.

 

What I do, is to make a small order, with the minimum which is $35.  Put that order in and pick my day and time, early on in the week.  Then I continue to put in items in the cart, over the next few days, or when I think of something or notice I'm needing, or running out of an item. 

I continue to do that, until the morning of the pickup.  Usually you until, I believe, 4 hours before pickup to add anything to that order.  

Anyway, that's what I've done early this morning, around 6am.  I also always double check the order, because oftentimes throughout the week, items will become unavailable or sold out or whatever the case may be.  It gives me the chance to remove them from the cart, or just pick a different one and so on.

 

I need to run to the UPS store to return an item, which luckily is close to Walmart, all in the same area. Then I'll pick up Walmart, pick up some lunch for the kids, they've asked for Taco Bell today, then make my way back home. 

 

So this post may seem a bit weird, because I'm typing this up before I even pick up the groceries, or show you, I guess in a way I'm taking you along as I go.

 

When I get back, I will show you what I have, how much I spent and all that stuff.  

 

You know, I used to love grocery shopping, going in the store, taking my time.  It's been so long since I've actually being shopping in an actual store, I've just stuck to Walmart pickup and my local butcher shop.  I'm sure one day I'll get back to that, but right now, I think I'll stick to doing it this way.

 

 

Alright, are you ready? 

I just finished putting the groceries away, something I must say I don't enjoy nearly as much as buying them.  But hey ho, it's gotta be done.

I decided I'm doing this haul slightly different than usual, in that I am going to show you what I bought, and also give you the prices from my local Walmart.  Keep in mind I live in Texas, so it may be different in other States.

Also, there are 2 items that are being shipped, one is a banana nut muffin mix that was unavailable in store, and the other are a new pair of comfy summer slippers.  I wear mine all the time, so go through slippers quite quickly.  I'll show you those when they arrive.

Sausage Biscuits 20 ct - $11.98

Chicken and Cheese Taquito 18 ct - $5.38

Butter 4 ct, 16 oz  -  $3.98

Hashbrowns 32 oz - $1.90 

Ricotta Cheese 15 oz - $2.16

Cream Cheese 2 ct - $2.88

Pork Center Cut Thin Loins - $6.42

Tyson Fully Cooked and Breaded Chicken Patties  - $6.98

Seasoned Tater Tots 2lbs - $1.82

Beef and Bean Chimichangas 32 oz - $4.88

Ground beef 2lbs - $9.14

Sausage Patties 35.6 oz - $9.92

Garlic Knots - $2.88

Beef Burgers 12 ct - $12.82

Peach Yogurt 4 ct - $1.96

Vanilla Yogurt 4 ct - $1.96

English muffins 12 ct, 2 packs - $2.52 ($1.26 each)

White Sandwich Bread, 3 - $3.00 ($1.00 each)

White Bolillo Rolls 6 ct, 2 packs - $3.96 ($1.98 each)

Strawberry jam 12.9 oz - $2.32

Glacier Ranch Tortilla Chips 9.75 oz - $1.74

Lay's classic potato chips 8 oz - $1.98

Kettle Cooked Jalapeno Chips 13.5 oz - $1.66

Barbecue Chips 12.5 oz - $2.37

Chocolate Caramel Coffee Creamer 32 oz - $2.68

Pepperoni Pizza Rolls 40 ct - $3.12

Heavy Whipping Cream 1 pint - $4.74

Italian Style Meatballs 32 oz - $5.86

Hickory Smoked Bacon 12 oz - $3.72

Classic Franks 12 oz - $1.00

Deli Swiss Cheese 2 packs - $4.44 ($2.22 each)

Deli Pepper Jack Cheese 8 oz - $2.22

Shredded Cheddar 8z - $2.22

Shredded Fiesta Blend 8 oz - $2.22

Fresh Strawberries 2 lb - $4.66

Thin Sliced Honey Ham 9 oz - $3.48

Classic Bologna 12 oz - $1.00

Yellow onions 2 ct - $2.50 ($1.28/lb)

Roma Tomatoes 6 ct - $1.33 (98.0c/lb)

Iceberg Lettuce - $1.48

Fresh Spinach 10 oz - $1.98

Cilantro 2 bunches - $0.96 ($0.48 each)

Parsley 2 bunches - $1.76 ($0.88 each)

Whole Vitamin D Milk  1 gallon - $3.78

Temptations cat treats 6.3 oz - $3.78

Maro Snacks dog treats 15 oz - $3.94

Sheba Wet Cuts 12 ct - $10.98

Alpo Steak Shaped Treats 40 oz - $10.94

Extra Butter Popcorn 24 ct - $7.98

Always Pads  26 ct - $7.97

Equate Nail Polish Remover Lavender Scented 16 oz - $2.67

Finish Dishwasher Detergent Tabs  12 ct - $3.34

Freezer Zipper Bags  40 ct - $2.54

Sandwich double zipper bags  50 ct - $1.98

Taco Seasoning  3 packs - $1.44 ($0.48 each)

Brillo Steel Wool Pads  10 ct - $2.44

Low-splash bleach  43 oz - $2.78

Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack  10 ct - $1.68

Cranberry Orange Muffin Mix  18.6 oz - $2.64

Light Brown Sugar  32 oz - $1.70

Hot Roll Mix  2 boxes - $4.88 ($2.44 each)

Olive oil  25.5 oz - $10.42

Crunchy Taco Shells  18 ct - $2.88

Sugar  4 lb - $2.57

All purpose flour  10 lb - $3.64

Chunk Light Tuna in oil  4 pack - $4.34

Meat Flavored Spaghetti Sauce  4 jars - $5.92 ($1.48 each)

Rotini Pasta  16 oz - $0.92

Penne Pasta  16 oz - $0.92

Elbows Pasta  16 oz - $0.92

Spaghetti Pasta  16 oz, 2 packs - $1.84 ($0.92 each)

Tomato sauce  8 oz, 2 cans - $0.76 ($0.38 each)

Family Fun Variety Chip Pack  18 ct, 2 boxes - $19.76 ($9.88 each)

Snuggle Fabric Softener  96 oz - $8.47

Paper Towels  2 pack - $2.16

Charmin Toilet Paper  12 rolls - $10.44

Water  24 ct - $3.48

Russet Potatoes  10b - $5.58

Now the items below are not my usual grocery items, but they are for something I am wanting to work on this weekend.  I'm quite excited to make it, and will of course show you next week.

How pretty are these fabrics?

Precut Cotton 21" x 18" Animals Print, 5 piece bundle - $6.34

Cotton Red Polka Dot 18" x 21" - $1.47

Cotton Aqua Polka Dot 18" x 21" - $1.47

David Textiles Peacock 1 yard Pre cut Cotton Fabric - $4.48

David Textiles Peacock Arbor 1 yard Pre cut Cotton Fabrics - $4.48

Medium Rick Rack in pink, 2.5 yards - $1.97

Medium Rick Rack in white, 2.5 yards - $1.97

The total for the groceries I picked up, came to $358. 98

Total for the two items that are being shipped is $17.28

So grocery shopping for the next two weeks, including cleaning products, pet products and sewing fabric, came to $376.26.

It is I think the highest grocery order I've ever done, and of course considering how expensive things are lately, it's not too bad.  I didn't really get meat/poultry, because I am using up what I already have in the freezer, and trying to make inexpensive meals.

I do plan to go by the butcher this weekend, to get a few things for the freezer.  I shop sales as much as possible and try to keep the freezer stocked for future meals.  With all this talk of food shortages and chain supply etc., it is best to be prepared than be caught unaware.

How are you doing grocery wise, are you finding things really expensive in your area too?  Are you managing to stay with budget or have you also noticed that food budget has basically been thrown out the window?

{ Cooking Thursday }

Good morning my dear friends, hope you're having a blessed day.

You're probably shocked to see a Cooking Thursday show up, after all it has been, oh goodness, years maybe since the last one I shared?  It used to be one of my most popular posts, when I first started it years ago, but somehow along the way I stopped posting and sharing.  I apologize for that.

I think as homemakers, at least speaking for myself, I love sharing recipes with family and friends.  I love trying out new dishes and especially if they are family favorites, or passed down from generation to generation.

If you've been around for a while, you may remember I initially started Slow Cooking Thursday, where we shared wonderful slow cooked recipes.  But as the time went by, I got a lot of emails asking if they could share just normal recipes as well, not just slow cooked, so I decided to change it to Cooking Thursday instead.

So here we are.  I'm hoping to keep this one going again, just like my Happy Homemaker Monday feature every week.

 

 

The recipe I am going to share with you today, I haven't even posted on my food blog yet. I guess it should go up there, right after this post goes up. 

 

But, it is a recipe for a really super easy baked fettucine, it is meatless, which is a great meal when you want to cut down on your food budget, as well. 

Baked Fettucine 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 pound fettucine noodles, cooked according to package directions

3 cups spaghetti sauce (your choice)

1 small onion, diced

1/4 cup of vegetable oil 

4 oz cream cheese

1 teaspoon of oregano

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Parsley, green onion, cilantro, to taste

Shredded cheese (your choice)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

 

In a 13 x 9 inc. baking pan, add the spaghetti sauce, then the onion, oil, cream cheese, oregano, salt, parsley, green onion and cilantro, and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.  Mix everything well, then bake for 10 minutes.

 

In the meantime, if you haven't yet done so, cook your noodles according to package directions.

 

Remove sauce from the oven, add in the noodles, and mix well until everything is combined.  Top with more shredded cheese and pop back in the oven, for another 5 minutes or so, until cheese is melted.

 

Serve immediately.

{ The next time you see a sunflower }

 

The temperatures keep rising, and we keep waiting, sometimes not so patiently, for God to move in this moment.  For Him to send us the rain we desperately need.  The rain that will put out all these wildfires we are having in our State, some very close to home, to quench the dying vegetation, and to help the wild animals that are really struggling to live without water around.

 

There are times in our lives, where we feel a little left out, like in a friendship or around coworkers, sometimes even in our churches.  We feel like we are invisible, like no one is seeing us, our needs or wants are being ignored, and it tends to leave us in a vulnerable state.

 

I have tried very hard to be completely transparent here on my blog, and in my life in general, about my struggles as a Christian woman.  My ups and downs, my battles and trials, the tests I feel I fail or the tests I think I actually excelled in.  There is nothing I am ashamed to admit, especially when it comes to falling short in my spiritual journey.

Sometimes, life gets in the way (because we let it), and we find ourselves not reading the Bible as much as we should.  *raises hand*

I was reading the Bible daily, and even read it whole from the very first page to the last.  Then I decided at the beginning of the year, that I wanted to read it again.  But I should have known that it would be hard to get through the old testament again, it is after all a pretty dry first few books, a lot of information, numbers and tribes, names and names and names that seem to never end.

I should have just picked a book, like I am doing now with Isaiah, and read it, not tried to do it from the beginning to end again.

What ended up happening was that it didn't last long, before that dreaded *life*, got in the way, and I found myself going days and sometimes a week without picking up my Bible.

And so the guilt set in.  The guiltier I felt, the less I read, and the less I read, the guiltier I felt.  Just like that, a constantly spinning circle of guilt holding on to my mind and heart.

I also used to pray constantly, throughout the day.  I sometimes felt like I was in constant prayer, and really living the phrase "pray without ceasing".

But again, life, and then I fell back to praying every morning and every night, then the past week, I've been so busy and so tired, that I fell asleep one night, woke up the next morning and realized I didn't pray at all.  Or, there's those days I would start praying, then fall asleep, wake up and try to continue only to fall asleep, then wake the next morning knowing I never finished my prayer, never said my Amen.....then question myself over the effectiveness of that prayer, if I never closed it off *so to speak*

See how my mind just went completely off the rails?

You're probably wondering where I'm going with this, or why I'm babbling on about it, wait, there is a reason for this whole backstory.  It's something I want to share with you all, in the hopes of bringing you a smile and some hope for your own lives as Christians.

 

Needless to say, I was starting to feel extremely guilty about myself.  I felt that God wasn't listening to me anymore, I mean, why should He?  I wasn't exactly living the life I should be.  I wasn't praying as I thought I needed to, wasn't reading the Bible every day.  I felt so guilty and so sure that He must be just downright upset with me and so disappointed.

 

But God has a way of reeling us back in, and He often uses things He knows will get our attention, like music, or tv or a book, or someone you usually talk to.

 

I was scrolling through Youtube yesterday afternoon, looking for a video to pop on to listen to, while I went about my housework.

 

I stopped on a video that just caught my eye, it was an interview with Donna Rigney.  Donna is a book author and a pastor, who has actually been taken to Heaven and loves sharing what she encountered and what she saw.

She told a story of an encounter she had with Jesus, where she was taken to a field with huge sunflowers.

 

How he told her that many times, the enemy will makes us feel that God is displeased with us, that we have fallen short, that we don't spend enough time with Him or read the word or meditate on it long enough.  But that is the furthest thing from the truth, because God sees our heart, He sees how much we love Him and how much we want to do His will.

 

The enemy will make us feel like we are not loved, we don't deserve to be heard by God because we are not faithful.

 

You guys, that hit me so hard.  It was exactly how I had been feeling.

 

She continued to say that what the enemy is trying to do is to put out our light, make us back away, shy away from being who and what we want to be.  If we do that we no longer talk about God to others, and we no longer shine that beacon of light that brings God's love to others who many not yet know Him.

 

Jesus' last words to Donna were "Whenever you see a sunflower, let it remind you of our smile, our satisfaction and our pleasure with you.  No matter what men say or think, we are well pleased, and you bring delight to us and a smile, not just to our face, but to our heart." 

That was so needed for me to hear, at that moment.  It left me speechless, and I knew that once again, God was pulling me back in, and giving me what I needed to push through this fogginess the enemy had sent over my mind.

 

 

A few hours later, I was out with my husband running errands.  All of a sudden, a car passes us on the highway, and on the back of the car, is a huge sunflower decal.  I have never seen a sunflower decal on a car, ever, in my whole life.

 

I stared at the car in total disbelief and immediately thought of the video I had just watched earlier in the day.  How Jesus said to remember how much we are loved, the next time we see a sunflower.

 

We got home, and I went about my day, totally forgetting about that car.  As I was laying in bed waiting for hubby to come and sit down, so we could watch Mad About You, I popped on a youtube video of a Brazilian girl I have watched for years.

When out of the blue, she pulls out her oven mitts and they are brown with yellow sunflowers.  What?!?!?!?

I have never seen these oven mitts.  At this point I started to laugh, because God has a sense of humor, He has done things in my life at many times, that made me burst into laughter.

I finished that video, hubby came to bed, we started the next episode of Mad About You, and I don't think I need to even tell you what was on the first scenes.

Yeah......a vase with beautiful sunflowers, on their table.  Hahahahaha

Message received loud and clear.  

So moral of the story.  I am no longer feeling as I was, and I am trying my best to get back on track with my prayer and Bible reading, without feeling that overwhelming guilt, or that God is so angry with me over it.

I really do hope that if you have also been feeling this way, you take some peace from this post.  That it may relieve you of any negative feelings you may be feeling.  We are all doing our best, and there are days that we will fall short of our own expectations, but no matter what, we have a God that loves us, that sees us, sees our heart and our true intentions and above all, never leaves our side.

So get back on that horse.  Pick up that Bible and start reading again, pray when you can and share with others.  In the end that is all that matters.

Oh and I think it's safe to say, "Not today, Satan."

{ It is in the everyday things around us "

"She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” (Proverbs 31:27-29 ESV) 

 

My home is my castle.  It has been so for many years.  Actually thinking back, some of my earliest memories, even as a 5 year old child, were of me playing and pretending to have a family and keeping a home.

 

I found the whole concept of being a mother and wife, taking care of my children and the house, as something magical.  It was something I wanted so badly and couldn't wait until my turn came, to be and live that life that had until that moment, just lived in my mind.

 

 

I've never been one to enjoy big crowds, going out every day, big parties or needing to always have people around me.  I do quite well in my home, alone, surrounded by my belongings, my pets and my husband and children.  

 

Over the years, I have had family and friends find me strange, not in a mean way, but not quite understanding how I could be so content inside these four walls.  But as time has gone by, many have come to not only understand me but embrace this slowness as well.  I mean, look at the world around us, who actually wants to be out there messing around in that nonsense? *snicker*

 

“It’s amazing how lovely common things become, if one only knows how to look at them.” 

~ Louisa May Alcott

 

 

Indeed!!!

I've mentioned this quite a lot during my blogging journey.  The fact that we sometimes overlook what is around us, because it may not seem like something worth taking note of.  I've learned to love everything I do, to smile as I go along, and to really enjoy my work at home.

Something as simple as taking the time to throw some beans on the crockpot for a couple of hours, then freeze them for future meals.  I find that when I put in the effort during my day, I am always rewarded deeply by what that small amount of time produces.

 

 

I keep seeing this meme going around social media platforms, that shows the world in chaos in the background, and a homemaker just going about her chores in the garden.  I always laugh because I feel that it so perfectly depicts me in these tumultuous times we live in.

Everything is going beserk around us, and I'm just over here making homemade cream cheese, baking cakes, planting, weeding, reading and taking photos.  It's quite funny when you stop and think about it.

 

The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies.  

~Laura Ingalls Wilder 

 

I've been completely immersed in my home, the past few weeks.  It's like I was on a long vacation and then returned, feeling so grateful for my little corner in the world.  I've fluttered about from room to room, cleaning and looking things over.  Writing down list after list of things I need to do, fix or change in that specific area.  

 

I think I had forgotten just how much I enjoy home projects.  It keeps me busy, it keeps me calm and it keeps my mind relaxed.  When we stop and do nothing, we give the enemy the chance to swoop right in, plant doubts and worries on our mind, kick up that anxiety and make us want to withdraw into a place of sadness and darkness.

So I've been keeping busy, and also getting ready to make something I've been wanting to make for a while, but never could find the time or motivation to do it.  Can't wait to show you.  It has to do with sewing....that's all I'll say.  You will see soon.

It doesn't matter what is happening outside the walls of your homes.  As homemakers, we have our own mission to accomplish.  A mission that was given to us by God, under His blessing and that is what we strive to do.  

So, here I am, another day of homemaking, playing with my gorgeous furry babies and sipping delicious tea.  I don't know about you all, but this homemaking life is definitely for me.