Good Morning! 

We had a pretty nice and relaxing weekend! We took another drive out to see more properties and we took a really long country road just to see where it went. It was a nice change of pace. Windows were down, music was loud, and our worries seemed distant....perfection! 

One of our neighbors put on an event for the children. She created a drive or walk through zoo. It was so cute. It was full of really realistic stuffed animals. Just about every creature was represented at the zoo. She even had gift bags with bubbles and stamps for the kiddos. So sweet! Our daughter really enjoyed it. 

Kyle and I worked on cleaning out the garage on Sunday and we attended online church from our living room. I'll be glad to get back to the sanctuary. I miss attending church in person.  

I am linking up with Sandra @ Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy Homemaker Monday! 

Weather:

How I am feeling this morning: 

I am feeling very productive this morning! 

On my mind:

Ideas for planting our patio garden. 

On the breakfast plate: Egg whites with bell pepper/ Coffee with coconut milk


On my reading pile:
Still reading and enjoying Dances with Wolves. I am loving all the details the author is giving about the camp and the thoughts that are going through John's head as he is learning to cope with isolation. 

On my tv:
We just finished Waco. It was really hard to watch at times. I enjoyed it and it fascinated me, but man how tragic! 

    
On the menu this week:
Kyle and I are starting a new diet today. It will last for 30 days. It's like a detox/elimination diet full of healthy foods. It says to eat as much organic as you can afford. Man, organic is expensive. Being new to the plan and scared to veer off, I tried to get as much organic as possible and our bill was literally three times more than normal! I won't be doing that again! I did some research and I'm not sure how much better organic is for you, especially for the high cost. Sweet potatoes were literally 5.99 a pound.... I will never buy that. I can get sweet potatoes for very little at a farm stand. However, it felt great to buy organic. I felt healthy, but I really can't afford to triple our budget. I might just get some things organic. What is the best thing to buy organic? Do you buy organic? Or do you not believe in all the hype? I just can't justify the cost.  Nevertheless, I'm excited to try this plan. Hoping for more energy!  

Monday -  Chicken over salad mix with quinoa
Tuesday -  Lettuce Wraps
Wednesday - Fajitas no tortilla
Thursday -  Shrimp, veggies, and grapefruit
Friday -  Flank Steak, sweet potatoes, and asparagus 
Saturday - Cheat meal
Sunday -  Turkey Tenderloin and leftover veggies

From the camera:

A good start to my May goal of walking 33 miles. I didn't make my goal for April. I was 8 miles short. I'm determined to reach my goal for May. 

Looking around the house:

Sandy/dirty floors from Kyle's wheelchair, must vacuum and mop/lots of toys to put away/ today's focus is a major deep clean of common areas

Chore I'm not looking forward to today, or this week:
Cleaning bathrooms

Floors
To relax this week, I will:
Continue reading my book and working on my blog

Walking

Working on planting a spring/summer garden on the patio

On my prayer list:

Our country

Coronavirus and all the people it's affecting

Devotional/Bible Verse:My devotional this week is about how the Bible is trustworthy.

Joshua 21:45 "Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass." 

Happy Homemaker Monday 4/27/20

Good Morning! 

We had a pretty uneventful weekened due to social distancing. I am ready to join the living again and be around people! I know that we all have to do our part and social distancing is safer for everyone. I really do feel that way, I'm just ready to get on with things... 

We did do something fun yesterday though. We took a drive looking at different properties. First though, we got ice cream and cheese curds! Kyle and I have a dream of owning a few acres and building a home. We want our daughter to grow up with animals and horses. Also, I really want to own a few cows, which has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. We saw several that were really nice. Sometimes, it's fun to dream and it got us out of the house, which we so desperately needed. 
I am linking up with Sandra @ Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy Homemaker Monday! 

Weather:

How I am feeling this morning: 

I'm feeeling pretty peppy actually. I was tired this morning, but decided to go for a walk which woke me up and gave me energy. I walked 3.60 miles this morning and it was so peacful. It was acutally pretty chilly which was a nice change and I could smell the Jasmine along the fences as I walked. It was a sweet reminder of spring. 

I'm also feeling excited because my husband and I are starting a 30 day slim down challenge next Monday. We are gearing up and preparing this week by using up what is in the fridge and going food shopping. The plan is very strict as to what to eat and when to eat, so this should be interesting and probably pretty intense! 



On my mind:
I'm still thinking about curriculum, but not obsessivng over it like I did last week. I love to research curriculum, but baby girl is only 21 months old...so I have time. Plus, I want to savor the moments now and not yearn for the future. 

Also, the many mothers and fathers who are in crisis and need help and support making a difficult decision. I am walking to help support our local pregnancy crisis center and all the moms and dads are on my mind right now. I can't imagine how they are feeling, especially during this crazy pandemic. I hope and pray that they are feeling God's love and grace. 
On the breakfast plate:
Fat free Greek yogurt with bluberries and honey
Hot Yerba Mate 


On my reading pile:
Still reading and enjoing Dances with Wolves. I am loving all the details the author is giving about the camp and the thoughts that are going through John's head as he is learning to cope with isolation. 

On my tv:
We are watching the 3rd season of The Crown and loving it! 

    
On the menu this week:
It's a bit eclectic because we are using up what we have in order to start the new food plan next week. 

Monday - Artichoke dip burgers wrapped in lettuce 
Tuesday -  Chicken and veggies
Wednesday - Tuna Wiggle
Thursday -  Chiken Broclio Casserole
Friday -  Meatballs and veggie
Saturday - Quiche 
Sunday -  Quiche or other leftovers

From the camera:

Sweet baby girl is enjoying watching The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh with her friends from the Hundred Acre Woods! 

Looking around the house:
Lots of toys to put away... never ending battle
Dishes to do still...
I want to clean and organzie the middle room
Laundry to fold

Chore I'm not looking forward to today, or this week:
Cleaning bathrooms

To relax this week, I will:
Continue reading my book and working on my blog
Walking

On my prayer list:
Our country
Coronavirus and all the people it's affecting

      

Devotional/Bible Verse:My devotional this week is about how the Bible is trustworthy.
Joshua 21:45 "Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass." 

Happy Homemaker Monday 4/20/20

Good Morning! It's been way too long since my last link up with  Sandra @ Diary of a Stay at Home Mom .I never intended to abandon my blog, but life is funny at times. 

The summer was busy with the usual summer activities and  just staying cool from the crazy heat. In September, my husband was let go from his job of thirteen years. The company was downsizing and many were let go. It was a sad day, but my husband was also excited for the freedom that comes with change. We almost made a move out of state, but God had other plans. Within a three day period he was offered two different jobs, one out of state and one literally in the same parking lot of his old job... We found out about the job up North first, so we were packing, selling our excess junk in a massive garage sale, and anxiously waiting for the go ahead to move. I really didn't want to move. I was happy here. We got the call from the local job on a Monday and we were relieved, excited, and minus one coffee table, but that's totally okay, because we could STAY! 

Funny how God works! My heart was opening up to the idea of moving. I was mustering up a small amount of bravery, but I am so thankful God wanted us to stay put. We didn't have to leave the house we brought our baby girl home to and that made my heart happy. Also, we are blessed to have tons of support and friends here and that would make leaving really difficult and sad. We would have been closer to my Dad and stepmom, which was exciting and awesome, but at least they aren't too far away and we can visit them often and vice versa. God is good! All the time! 

So needless to say, we had a lot going on for the last several months. I'm thankful to be back on my blog and I hope to continue writing on a more frequent basis. I think blogging is therapeutic and with everything going on in the world right now, I could use some calm. 

Okay, now on to Happy Homemaker Monday!

The Weather :

How I am feeling this morning: 

I am feeling very tired. Last night was a rough night of teething for our daughter. I didn't get very much sleep. It is very dark out at the moment because it's storming. The weather is making me want to go back to bed. 


On my mind:

I have a lot on mind right now. 

• Things I want to do once the quarantine is over
• Things I need to organize at home like: laundry closet, all her clothes she's outgrown, etc. 
• Home school curriculum. I know she is young, but I've been going down the rabbit hole of curriculum research for pre-school. Being a former teacher, I really love looking at curriculum. 
• Our garden and future plans for it.

On the breakfast plate:

I enjoyed a cranberry orange muffin that I made the other day. Normally we just make Krusteaz muffins at Christmas or Thanksgiving, so it was a nice treat. 

On my reading pile:

Right now I am reading Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake. I am really enjoying the book so far. I downloaded it to my Kindle and I read a few chapters before I fall asleep each night. 

On my tv:

I'm re watching the series ER. I love the 90's hospital setting and the drama between the characters.

The Crown

We started Tiger King, but it is too hard to watch. It's honestly depressing. 

We also started Unorthodox, which is also very difficult to watch, but we only have one more episode and I want to know what happens to Este. 

My husband and I started Yellowstone a while back and I want to pick that one back up again. I love the setting and the drama is intense. Plus, Kevin Costner is brilliant in it. 

Some of my favorite shows are now on break: 
Million Little Things
Law and Order SVU
Grey's Anatomy
The Resident
This is Us

    
On the menu this week:

Meals might change due to what's available, but for the most part I have all the ingredients for what's below.

Monday - Hamburger Helper
Tuesday -  Chicken and Veggies
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday -  Spaghetti and salad
Friday - Chicken and veggies
Saturday - Hamburgers
Sunday -  Quiche

From the camera:
    

Since the Coronavirus and social distancing cancelled all activities including Easter egg hunts, our neighborhood did an awesome egg hunt for the kids. They placed eggs in their widows or yards and the kids had to find them. These are the eggs we did. They also did a bear hunt for the kiddos earlier in the month. That was a blast. We walked about six miles searching for bears. People were really creative with how they hid them. 

These are just a few of the pictures. 

Looking around the house:

Toys, toys, toys! I'm trying to teach her to put back a toy before she gets a new one. So until she masters that, toys are everywhere! Okay, it's not that bad, but when your husband is in a wheelchair you notice things on the floor a lot more. He is constantly having to dodge them. Also, dishes. I feel like dishes are a never ending mountain. I'm thinking one-pot meals are good idea. lol 
In all actuality the house isn't too bad today. We did some straightening up yesterday. 

Chore I'm not looking forward to today, or this week:

The one chore I really do not like is dishes, but that's a daily chore that must always be done. So I guess I don't look forward to it on a daily basis. However, I have found that putting on Pandora helps me. I have been on a Wailin Jennys kick lately. If you like bluegrass/country/folk, check them out.
                 
To relax this week, I will:
Work on my blog, read, go for walks if it's not raining. It looks like a lot of rainy days this week. 
    

On my prayer list:
Our country, people sick from the Coronavirus, prayers for continued health for those not sick, hope and peace for all. 
      

Devotional/Bible Verse:

Exodus 16: 1-18 really hit me hard this week. It is very relevant to what we are going through with the hoarding of toilet paper and supplies. It reminds me to trust that God will see us through this pandemic and He will provide for our needs! 

God's Word is Enough

Do we have enough? 

Enough means having as much or as many as required. During this crazy pandemic it is easy to question if we have enough. Do I have enough toilet paper, enough cleaning supplies, enough non-perishable food, enough medicine, enough baby care items, enough, enough, enough, enough....???

If I had to guess what God is saying right now....he might be saying...

"Enough all ready!!!" "I will provide." 

It's funny how God's word speaks to us when needed most. I bought a Bible study almost two years ago, and I'm embarrassed to admit, I haven't finish it yet... Today I sat down and did day four...which should have been finished before the year 2019. However, I think my lack of focus and commitment to the study lead me right to what God wanted me to read today. It was Exodus 16 verses 1-18. This passage is so powerful and relevant for the season we are all experiencing right now. Isn't cool how God knows just what your heart needs to hear?!

I feel like our nation is acting like the Israelites when they doubted Moses while stuck in the desert. We might not be stuck in a desert, but we are stuck. We are stuck in our homes, stuck dealing with the crazy, stuck in a state that is not normal, we are simply stuck. However, being stuck might just save us, but to get there, to get to back to the normal, we must trust. We must trust in these strict rules, we must trust that staying in our homes is really helping others and ourselves, we must trust that this virus will slow down and ultimately go away...we Must Trust! 

Trusting in something that we don't really understand isn't easy. The Israelties had a hard time trusting that God would provide for their needs. When Moses said that God would provide enough food for all them, many were in disbelief. Many took more than what they needed even though they were given a strict order to only take what was truly needed for one day at a time.  As far as toilet paper, did we take only what we needed, or did we hoard because of doubt? 

God's word is enough and He will provide!! We must trust this, especially right now! Having faith in His word is what will get us through this. 

Just some rambling thoughts that came to me during my Bible study today. 

Happy Homemaker Monday 6/17/19

Good Morning Everyone!! 
I hope all the Dads had a wonderful Father's Day yesterday! Kyle was super excited to celebrate his first Father's Day! We celebrated by going to church in the morning and eating lunch at a pretty awesome seafood restaurant where he ate two dozen rock shrimp, one dozen regular shrimp, one dozen sea scallops, and one Main lobster. He was in Heaven! After lunch we went strolling through Target and picked up a few cute outfits for baby girl and two interactive toys for her birthday. I can't believe she will be one in a month!! We also were able to celebrate with friends over yummy pie and great conversation. All and all, it was a fabulous day and Kyle enjoyed his first Father's Day. Today I am linking up with Sandra for Happy Homemaker Monday. 

Here is what is happening this week... 

The Weather: 

We had a lot of rain last week. It looks like we have a lot of rain in store for us this week as well. 
Our area really does need the rain. We had several brush fires a few weeks ago, so all this rain can only help. I love the rain. I find it soothing. 


On my reading pile:::

I'm still working on Peter Pan from last week. I read a chapter on my Kindle each night before bed. Unfortunately, I didn't get any reading done this weekend. We were so exhausted at bed time. 

Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:::
I actually didn't watch any TV this weekend! Yay!! We were so busy that we didn't have any time to watch a show or movie. I say, "Yay" because my goal has been to watch less. However, even though I met my goal of watching way less... a little down time would have been welcomed this weekend. I don't like being on the go from sun up to sun down for a whole weekend straight. It's fun every once in a while, but man is it exhausting. 


On my TV this week:::
Parenthood 

Handmaid's Tale

The Bachelorette 

On the menu for this week:::
 

Monday 
pizza, salad, garlic bread (my favorite!!)

Tuesday 
Soup, salad, and bread

Wednesday
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veggie

Thursday
crock pot chicken, rice, veggie


Friday
Tuna wiggle casserole, crescent rolls, veggie


On my to do list:::

• Get the house in order... We had our garage sale this past Saturday and now I need to put back things that were moved for the sale and straighten and organize the eBay workroom. 
• I also want to make a box to put in the kitchen for baby girl's toys. 
• I'm switching over to cloth rags instead of paper towels, so I want to organize a system and a drawer for that. 
• I need to fix the goat trough. They like to stand in their trough so the wire that holds the food in is broken. 
• Start mucking out their stall.... It's too hot for this job.... but it needs to be done. If I do a little bit each day it won't be so bad. After 9:30, it's too hot to be outside. 
• I need to get her invitations printed and other party supplies ordered. 

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
I really need to start working on baby girl's dress. After everything is put away from sale, I should have space to work on the dining room table. I'm excited to get started. 


Looking forward to:::
I'm looking forward to working on her birthday party decor and I'm excited to see her invitations once they are printed. 

I'm also excited to host a family from church on Sunday for lunch. They had us over at their place this past Saturday and we had a blast. Looking forward to getting to know them better over breaking bread. 

Looking around the house:::
Too much stuff!!! Must get the house back into shape after the sale. Unfortunately, because it was so hot, we only made $40.00. We didn't sell much at all. So we have a lot of it sitting in our living room and I need to take a trip to Goodwill. 


From the camera:::

Kyle's first Father's Day picture! 

  


What I'm wearing today:::
Jean capris and one of my Lularoe classic t's.      


One of my simple pleasures:::
Watching baby girl give Daddy his Father's Day present. I was able to capture it on video. So cute! 

Homemade bread with salted butter...yummy!! 

Bible verse, Devotional, prayers::: 

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.