Happy Homemaker Monday 1/8/24

Happy New Year!  It has been a busy two weeks with celebrating Christmas, ringing in the New Year and getting our oldest daughter headed back to college.  I'm thankful for the slower pace and relaxed routines we were able to have; although school breaks are never long enough!  We finally got some snow; almost a foot of it!  So the kids have a snow day today while the city, schools and people dig out.    I thought I'd take a minute to join in this week's Happy Homemaker Monday with Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.    I hope you all are having a great week and start to this new year.

The Weather:

It's cold here today, but very sunny.  It's pretty to see the sun shining off the snow and the snow covered trees.

Outside my Window:

Snowy & Sunny!  I still need to clean off my car (again) from all the snow.  Speaking of my car, yesterday we had 1/2 of our mulberry tree fall on top of my car!  Thankfully there was very minimal damage and no one was outside when it happened.  My car is older so I'm not even worried about the dent caused. 

Right Now I am:

Taking a minute to sit and blog while bread dough is rising and laundry is finishing.  

Thinking and Pondering: 

Many things!  What needs to get done this week, how I need to trust God more, how to best honor God in a specific situation, whether or not God is calling me to a specific ministry and what that would look like.
 

Podcasts I'm listening to this week:

 I listened to a couple by Kelly Minter over on her Cultivate podcast.  I love how God works; last year I read Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, after many weeks of not listening to a podcast I decided to listen to Kelly's podcast from last January about starting a new year.  The teaching was from the story of Mary & Martha and was exactly what I needed to hear that day.

On my T.V this week:

Hoping to finally watch the Oppenheimer movie

On the Dinner Plate:

Chicken Pot Pie. 

On the Menu this week:

I actually sat down this morning (first time in several weeks) and wrote up a menu.

 

Spinach & Artichoke Pasta

Fish & Chips with carrot sticks & cucumber slices 

Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas (filling served over brown rice)

Taco Soup

Big Mac in a Bowl

Sweet Potato Bacon Chowder

20 Minute Moo Shu Chicken with pitas 

Pesto Parmesan Spaghetti Squash Chicken Bake

What I'm Reading:

Bible

I'm currently looking for my next book to read. 

On my To-Do list today:

Laundry

Make Bread (mostly done) ✓

Vacuum Main Floor ✓ (thanks to daughter doing this for me)

Blog 

Clean off Car & clean up driveway some

 

Plans for this week:

Return some things to a lady we served with this weekend

Run Errands

Get together with friends Friday evening

Work on shawlette for Youth Group fundraiser (silent auction item)

Continue working on daughter's blanket

What I'm Creating:. 

With all the holiday festivities I haven't had a lot of time for crafting.  I did start crocheting a shawlette using this pattern for the Philomena Crochet Shawlette It is working up quickly and coming out nice so far.

                                                     

From the Camera:

I don't have a lot of pictures as I was focused on just enjoying the time with family but here are a few from the past couple weeks.

 

 

 

The kids had a lot of fun playing in the snow yesterday.

 

 

On Friday night we went to the city for a date night.  

It was pretty to see some of the Christmas decorations that were still up.

 

 

Kayson likes being up high so this is his favorite 

spot to hang out when we are in the basement.

 

Highlight from Last week:

There have been many highlights over the past week.  Celebrating Christmas with family and friends, the beautiful Christmas Eve services at church, extra family time & a more relaxed pace over vacation, getting to go on a fun date night and today having a snow day.

 

Bible Verse/Devotional Quote:

There are days and weeks where I feel like I'm doing well with trusting God. Then there are other weeks where every day is a struggle and things that I thought I had left in His hands come barreling back and knock my faith to it's knees.  The why's and other questions can be so discouraging.   Recently I had been having one of those weeks; I was wrestling with God and fighting hard to not fall back into old habits and unhealthy coping mechanisms.  I didn't really feel like listening to worship music but Spotify has a Release Radar list that they update with new songs from artists you've listened to, I listen to many different genres of music; however, since much of what I listen to is, in fact, worship music there are often new worship songs.  I put the playlist on, half listened to the first song and then this song came on next.  As the song played I started smiling and praying.  Okay, God, I hear You.  It's a great reminder to keep trusting, keep enduring, God does care  He does see and He doesn't forget....Don't stop praying!

On My Prayer List:

Family & Friends who are ill.

Kids away at college and kiddos here this school year.

Wisdom in parenting

Peace & the willingness to let go of things that are not mine to carry.