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.

Seeing through the Rain

Do you enjoy the rain?

I love a good rainy day! My husband really doesn't like the rain and for good reason. For him, the rain is a burden, a nuisance. Rain and wheelchairs don't really mix very well. He likes rain as long as he is home watching a movie or taking a cozy nap. For me, the rain is invigorating. I feel energized and excited when it rains. Sure, a good nap is always nice during the rain, but being awake and alert during a good rainstorm is special. I find that my head is clearer and I'm more focused when it's raining. I wonder if that's because the world seems to slow down just a little bit when it rains. I have a hard time focusing sometimes, and when it's raining the distractions tend to fade away. I love shopping in the rain. As a kid, growing up in the south, I would pretend the rain was snow. Christmas shopping while it's raining is one of my favorite memories. To me, it doesn't really feel like Christmas shopping without the rain. The rain was my substitute for snow. 

I love to see the yard speckled with drops of rain. My garden sure loves the rain. It has been raining a lot lately, which is so needed, and my sunflowers are thankful. In fact, they are starting to bloom. I really need to get to work on transplanting them from their air pruning containers to the yard before they get too big! It's just so hot here and you really have to do your gardening before 9 am or you'll regret it. I need to share some photos of my garden. I have two peppers so far and a fairly nice size cabbage head forming. Right now I'm growing beets, beans, squash, cabbage, peppers, and sunflowers. I was a little late in starting the seeds for this season, but I'm pleasantly surprised to see that some of them are really taking to the heat and producing a small harvest. 

Once it stops raining, I'll snap some pictures to share with you all. We used to have a hydroponic system, but with the last hurricane, we took it down and haven't really gotten around to putting it back up yet. We are growing everything in air pruning bags. The hydroponic system worked really well for Kyle because everything was at his level. With the bag system we are using this year, only I can tend to the garden. He doesn't seem to mind though. The heat is killer and he's busy with work right now. I'm enjoying having something to take sole ownership of and I'm pretty proud of the work I have done. 

The only thing about the rain that slows me down is the fact that I can go out and do my daily walks... okay maybe not so much as daily... but my goal is to walk daily and I have good intentions. I want to work on getting more steps in and exercising more. I'm planning on walking with one of my friends from church this week. Hopefully the rain will allow us to do that. If not, then I guess I should probably use my treadmill... I really do like walking, in fact just recently I walked seven miles one morning. I just need to get motivated again and get back to it. Does anybody else have a problem getting motivated when it's so hot outside? What do you do for exercise when you can't get outside? 

I'm thankful for the rain and the peacefulness that comes with it. The rain is just what my heart needed today. 

I hope everyone else is having a blessed Tuesday and finds joy in the simple and beauty in God's design.

Happy Homemaker Monday- 6/10/2019

Happy Monday Everyone!! 

Kyle and I just wrapped up a busy but fun-filled week! Our church had their VBS last week. I was in charge of crafts and Kyle was helping out in security. Bea enjoyed hanging out with the little ones. She enjoyed dancing to the VBS music in worship rally time. It was a great week, but I'm exhausted. We also had an exciting Sunday. Kyle has been working diligently and prayerfully on the pastor search nominating committee for roughly six months and on Sunday we were able to hear our new pastor preach. Our church has been through many transitions from burning down to the ground due to lightening in 2009, leaving our denomination, and losing several pastors to other callings. Even though our church has had many changes and challenges, God has been so faithful through it all. God is good! All the time!! This week I have decided to tackle the house and start organizing it. Over the years things have started to get messy and out of hand. I'm organizing and purging this week with the hopes of having a garage sale if the weather cooperates. I'm exited to link up with Sandra for my first Homemaker Monday post!! 

The weather:::
It has been pretty hot the past few days, upper 90's. We are expecting a lot of rain this week which we so desperately need! We have had several brush fires near our home and our garden is looking rather sad. Rain, rain please come our way! We really need a rainy day! 😀

Monday – Partly cloudy/ high of 90
Tuesday – Afternoon thunderstorms/ high of 90
Wednesday – Thunderstorms throughout the day/high of 87
Thursday – Morning Thunderstorms/ high 85
Friday – Cloudy/ high 88


On my reading pile:::.
Peter Pan by JM Barrie

I loved the movie as a kid, but I never read the book. I downloaded it to my Kindle and I am enjoying reading this before I fall asleep. It’s a great bedtime read! Makes for pleasant dreams.

Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:::
My husband and I watched the first three episodes of season three of The Handmaid’s Tale. The show leaves a pit in my stomach and I’m not sure whether I like it or not. It’s definitely a shock and awe kind of show and a lot of the drama could be tamer, but then again it’s depicting a dystopian society, so it shouldn’t necessarily be pleasant or enjoyable. In fact, it’s rather frightening. It’s sad how they depict Christianity.

I also have been on a Parenthood kick. I’ve watched the series before, but it’s such a good show that I’m enjoying watching it for the second time. I love the relationship they all have with each other in their family.


On my TV this week:::
Parenthood

Golden Girls (I have this on in the background while I cook dinner.) I grew up with this show on in my house and it’s comforting.

Honestly, I’m trying to make a conscious effort to watch less TV this week. I tend to watch too much and I want to be more productive. I am finding that there is more joy in my day when less TV is involved.

On the menu for this week:::
Monday 
Sloppy Joes

Tuesday 
Chicken with mashed potatoes
Wednesday

Shepherd’s Pie

Thursday
Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Friday
Pizza

On my to do list:::

Organize office (turning it from our pantry room to just an office space)

Organize kitchen drawers

Move pantry shelves to laundry room

Organize under kitchen sink

Deep clean kitchen (range hood, baseboards, etc.)

Transplant my sunflowers

Get the house back in shape.

Floors are a disaster and tons of ebay goods are all over the place. It’s hard to keep the floors nice with a wheelchair in the house, but they need a good mopping.


What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

I still have the Aristrocat fabric that I bought several weeks ago on my craft desk...  I’m very new to sewing. In fact, I’ve only made two dresses so far for Bea. I had help from a dear friend of mine who is fabulous at sewing, but I bought this fabric to try to make one on my own and to keep the steps fresh in my head. I guess I failed at the fresh in my head part since it’s been a hot minute since we sewed together on Bea’s last dress (Easter). I washed and ironed the fabric, so hopefully I will cut the pattern out soon. This week is really focused on organizing the house. Teaching full time for the last ten years has made a lot of home projects pile up for us. I’m excited to start tackling them one at a time. Our house is almost where we want it.


Looking forward to:::
I’m looking forward to getting the house organized and hopefully we are having a garage sale on Saturday. It’s supposed to rain, so we are watching the weather closely. If it’s not projected to rain, we will have the sale and get a lot of the excess stuff out of here! Yay! It feels good to purge, but it’s also hard because I’m so sentimental and kind of a pack rat.
I’m also looking forward to working on Bea’s first birthday party. I already started on the invitations. They are precious! The theme is First Bee Day! There will be lots of bees! Very appropriate for her!

Looking around the house:::
The floors need a desperate cleaning. The kitchen is on its way to being organized and less cluttered. I put a lot of what was on the counters in cabinets or in the pile for the garage sale.

From the camera:::
Many VBS photos. Our church just finished up VBS. The theme this year was In the Wild. The kids had a wild good time learning about Jesus. I was in charge of crafts this year and the kids enjoyed being crafty in the Cockatoo Craft Canopy.
  

 What I'm wearing today:::

Shorts and my Cherished Girls shirt. I am cleaning all day and it’s hot here!

One of my simple pleasures:::
Getting things organized. Okay, that seems weird for me to type, but I think it’s true. I have a really hard time with starting the process of organization, but after I get started and get immersed in a project, I feel really good about how neat and tidy everything is. I have a problem sometimes not being able to see the forest through the trees.

What's Up Mondays

What’s Up Mondays

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter celebrating our risen Lord and Savior. We enjoyed celebrating our first Easter with our baby girl. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed! Easter is such a special time. It’s not about bunnies, eggs, or candy. It’s a time to remember the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for us. He died to wash all our sins away, not just the sins we already committed, but the sins we commit today, and the sins we will commit tomorrow. What an awesome and powerful love He has for us! How can we show him our love for Him? Yes, we already have His love and we don't have to earn His love, but how can we show our love for Him? Thank you just isn't enough. 

This is my very first blog posting! My goal for Mondays is to give you a brief overview of my week. I’m not sure if it’s an interesting read, but my main reasoning for doing this is to keep me accountable and to help me organize my time. Since becoming at stay at home mom, I am finding that organizing my time and making lists really helps me be more productive. I have to make the most out of the pockets of time that I am free. I get an hour here or there when baby girl is napping, and I need to be organized if I want to get a lot done. If you are a stay-at-home mom, I would love to know your routine or tips for how to be productive during small amounts of time. Please feel free to leave me your tips in the comment section. I’m new at this and your advice is greatly appreciated. I love my new job! I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Hope everyone has a great Monday and a blessed week!

The weather:

Monday – Sunny 81°
Tuesday - Mostly Sunny  84°
Wednesday - Partly Cloudy 86°
Thursday - Partly Cloudy 89°
Friday- Cloudy 84°

Saturday – Showers 81°
Sunday - Scattered Thunderstorms 83°

On my reading pile:

I’m ashamed to admit, but nothing new at the moment. I need to finish a few good books that I started.

Movies or shows I watched this weekend:
On Saturday Kyle and I watched Wind River on Netflix. The movie was pretty tragic, but it was done very well.

I’ve been watching old reruns of Friday Night Lights. I love the dynamic between Coach Taylor and his wife.

On my TV this week:

Friday Night Lights

The Rookie

The Golden Girls (I put this on while I’m cooking dinner)

The Act

Law and Order SVU

The Resident

New Amsterdam

Various kid shows that our daughter is enjoying at the moment.

On the menu for this week:
Monday 
Ham and Bean Soup (using leftover ham from Easter)
Tuesday 
Pineapple Chicken in the crockpot with rice and vegetable
Wednesday
Shepherd’s Pie
Thursday
Grocery shopping day

Tuna Wiggle
Friday  

Sloppy Joes
Saturday
Small Group (potluck dinner) haven’t decided what I’m making yet
Sunday
Not sure yet

On my to do list:

Pick up the house

Organize all the EBAY items

Change/wash sheets on bed

Organize linen closet

What I am creating:
Start working on the Aristocat dress for Bea

Looking forward to:

Working with Kyle on the next episode of Hunt a Killer

What I’m listening to:

Disney station on Pandora

Skillet station on Pandora

What I’m smelling:

Right now I’m diffusing Let it Go by Plant Therapy

I’m smelling the ham bone that’s boiling for the soup for dinner

Life on the farm:

I am acclimating three barn cats at the moment. We adopted sibling set to help with the rats in the barn. They are very skittish and shy. I worked with a rescue that was trying to find them a home because they were so shy they weren’t adoptable as family pets. I’m hoping they warm up to their new home.

What I’m working on for eBay:

I am in the middle of boxing up several hard goods this week. Kyle took all the pictures and tested the items. My job is to box them up, weigh them, and measure them. It’s very important to weigh and measure before you create the listing to ensure an accurate shipping cost. I also need to start working on cleaning the shoes that Kyle found last week.

Looking around the house:
Right now our house looks like a thrift store exploded in it…. We are in the process of sorting/ organizing all the eBay items. I am excited to get them all boxed up so they aren’t sitting in our living room anymore or taking up space on our dining room table.

My exercise goals for the week:

Last week was not a good week as far as step goals or exercise goals. The week before last I went for a seven mile walk! That’s the longest walk I think I ever did. This week I need to get back at it. My goal is to get at least 10,000 steps every day and exercise for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week.

What I'm wearing today:   
Capris and one of my classic t’s from Lularoe.

One of my simple pleasures:
Simply enjoying the beautiful weather this week and seeing my vegetable garden start to sprout. I’m excited to see what kind of harvest we will be able to have this spring.

Bible verse, devotional, prayers:
Kyle and I are starting a Bible study that we got for Christmas. I know…it’s been a few months. Life has been crazy here the past few months, but we are excited to start it this week. I think it will be a really sweet time for us. The Bible study that we are going to work through is “Open your Bible” by Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams.