Happy Homemaker Monday 4/29/24

It's another beautiful Monday here.  I'm so thankful for the warm, sunny weather.  This past week was full of appointments and yard work.  We spent the entire day Saturday clearing brush & leaves, burning some of the smaller branches from the tree that fell, and doing a bit of landscaping.  Our youngest planted some sunflower seeds so I'm really hoping those come up for her.  

On Sunday we had church and then our boy had a few friends from school over to celebrate his birthday that is coming up.  It was nice to meet a couple of his friends that we hadn't met yet and to see one that we do know.

Let's jump right into this week's Happy Homemaker Monday with Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.  

The Weather:

Another sunny warm day here.  It's supposed to be in the 70s today but then cloudy and back in the 50's for the rest of the week. 

Outside my Window:

I'm actually outside now!  It's wonderful to be able to enjoy the weather while still getting things accomplished.  So, right now I'm sitting by the fire pit monitoring some branches that we're burning. 
 

Right Now I am:

Blogging while I wait for a return phone call and watch the branches burn.    

Thinking and Pondering: 

Just a lot of decisions that need to be made.  Definitely needing God's wisdom and direction!

  
 Health Goal Accountability:

I'm pretty much back to normal.  I did still take it a bit easier last week but managed to work out a few times.  We did a lot of yard work this weekend and so far, so good with my back.

Today  I did a workout, mowed some of the lawn and have been moving wood around a bit so I've gotten a good bit of exercise today. 

Podcasts I'm listening to this week:

None this week.

On my T.V this week:

Probably will just watch some YouTube as new episodes come out.  .

On the Dinner Plate:

Still deciding this; it will be something with chicken as that's what I've pulled out to thaw.  

 

On the Menu this week: 

 

I still need to do one.  I haven't been great about this over the past few weeks.  I've got many of our staple ingredients so I've just been putting things together.  I really do need to sit down and see what we do have that I can make meals from.  I'd like to "shop" my pantry a bit as part of spring cleaning and use up ingredients that we've had on hand for awhile.  

 

What I'm Reading:

Bible

Fugitive Telemetry (Book 6 of the Murderbot Diaries)

Be Confident: Live by Faith Not by Sight by Warren Weirsbe

On my To-Do list today:

Workout ✔

Laundry (working on this)

Blog ✔

Mow✔

Burn branches (working on this)

Set up needed appointments (waiting for call back on this)

Clean house from weekend ✔

Meet @ school this afternoon to help with PTO task

 

Plans for this week:

Catch up on laundry

Help with PTO tasks for upcoming event

Continue spring cleaning the house & yard

Hair Appointment

Help friend as needed

What I'm Creating:

I'm currently working on a hooded cardigan for myself.  I'm very excited about this project and hope it comes out well.  The original pattern used a now discontinued yarn so she suggested Lion Brand Heartland yarn as a suitable substitute.  I have to say, I love the colors and texture of the Heartland yarn.  I'm using the color Yosemite, which is a burnt orange/brown colorway.  

 

I've got the main part of the cardigan done.  So far, I am loving it!  I need to finish the sleeves, add the hood and do the trim.  

 

From the Camera:

 I'm not sure if I've mentioned here or not, but a couple years ago I saw a copper music box at Savers.  It was shaped like a bridge and the boats turned as it played a tune.  Since then I've found a few more at Savers.  They just make me smile.  This truck is the latest.  

Our yard has beautiful landscaping that was here when we bought it; however it had not been properly cared for so it's really overgrown in many places.  This fence had three sections but when we were removing a, mostly dead, bush the fence pulled down as it wasn't made with pressure treated wood so it had rotted.  I actually really like the more open look and am hoping it will make this area more usable. 

 

And lastly, what do your kids do when they all want to cuddle?  They make a cuddle train.

Highlight from Last week:

The highlights from last week were working together as a family on the yard and also getting to head up the games for Awana. 

 

Bible Verse/Devotional Quote:

 

On My Prayer List:

Family & Friends who are ill.

Kids away at college and kiddos here this school year.

Wisdom in parenting.

Direction, time & diligence for a project.

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

Wisdom for how to deal with difficult things and to trust God with all!

Happy Homemaker Monday 4/22/24

Happy Monday! I'm so thankful to report that my back is doing much better.  Still a little sore in the morning and I'm taking it easy with lifting things, but I'm almost back to all my normal activities.  I'm also very thankful for wonderful kids and husband who picked up the slack and helped with everything from cooking dinner to helping me get my socks on.  It was a very humbling week! 

Let's jump right into this week's Happy Homemaker Monday with Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.  

The Weather:

Another sunny warm(ish) day here.  It's in the 50's so not too warm but still nice.

Outside my Window:

 It's a beautiful spring day!  Yesterday the kids planted some perennial geraniums.  The ornamental pear tree is also blooming now.  The yard is really colorful!

 

Right Now I am:

Blogging and resting a bit while I wait for laundry to be ready to swap again.    

Thinking and Pondering: 

 Praying about a possible summer project. It's something that has been on my heart and mind for awhile now, I'm just not sure if it's just my desire or God's prompting. 

  
 Health Goal Accountability:

Needless to say, I didn't get much activity in last week.  I was hoping to take the kids on a local walk last week but by the time I was feeling up to it, the weather had changed and it was rainy.

 

We did do some yard-work and cleaned out the shed yesterday afternoon.  I also did a workout today and have spent the day cleaning the house. (we'll see if I regret this much activity tomorrow morning!)

Podcasts I'm listening to this week:

None this week.

On my T.V this week:

Probably will just watch some YouTube as new episodes come out.  I really enjoy Location, Location, Location and also Tasting History.  I've also recently discovered that The National Gallery (Britain) has a channel and they do half hour talks on the art and artists in their collection.

On the Dinner Plate:

Chicken & Vegetable Stir fry with brown basmati rice 

 

On the Menu this week: 

 

Need to do a menu.  

 

What I'm Reading:

Bible

Fugitive Telemetry (Book 6 of the Murderbot Diaries)

Be Confident: Live by Faith Not by Sight by Warren Weirsbe

On my To-Do list today:

Workout ✔

Laundry (working on this)

Blog ✔

Make Bread ✔

Clean house from weekend ✔

 

Plans for this week:

Watch another round of the Academic Bowl at the school

Go drop off donations and look for a few things at the thrift store 

Continue spring cleaning the house & yard

What I'm Creating:

I'm currently working on a hooded cardigan for myself.  I'm very excited about this project and hope it comes out well.  The original pattern used a now discontinued yarn so she suggested Lion Brand Heartland yarn as a suitable substitute.  I have to say, I love the colors and texture of the Heartland yarn.  I'm using the color Yosemite, which is a burnt orange/brown colorway.  

Oh, and I also made this pillow.  It was a silly project to learn the waffle stitch before making the washcloths I posted about last week.  I had this bright yellow blanket yarn leftover from another project and I have a lot of poly-fill.  My daughter loves it and has since claimed it as her "movie-watching" pillow. 

 

 

From the Camera:

I didn't take any pictures last week.

Highlight from Last week:

I'm thankful to say that I was feeling well enough by Wednesday to meet up with friends.  We were trying to remember the last time we had gotten together; I thought it had been about a year but one of my friends said she thought it was closer to two years!  It definitely was time for catching up! 

 

Bible Verse/Devotional Quote:

 

On My Prayer List:

Family & Friends who are ill.

Kids away at college and kiddos here this school year.

Wisdom in parenting.

Direction, time & diligence for a project.

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

Wisdom for how to deal with difficult things and to trust God with all!

Happy Homemaker Monday 4/15/24

Happy Monday! It's been a crazy couple of weeks around here.  On the Thursday before last we had a snowstorm with very heavy snow; which caused a large tree to fall across our driveway.  Praising God that there was no damage done and we were able to get in cleared quickly as we were heading to NYC that evening to visit friends.

Last weekend we spent time with some good friends who recently moved to NYC.  We arrived late Thursday evening.  On Friday we went to the MET; it was incredible but definitely not enough time to see even half of it.  We then walked in Central Park and had dinner at Ellen's Stardust diner.  On Saturday we headed back into the city and walked through Times Square, Chinatown and spent some time at the 9/11 memorial. It was so wonderful to see our friends.  We headed home late Saturday night and arrived home about 2:30am on Sunday

On Sunday, after getting some sleep and repacking, we made the trek north to the area of totality for the Solar Eclipse. We spent the night about 1 1/2 hours from where we wanted to view the eclipse. Monday morning we headed up there early.  We had a gorgeous and private viewing area!  The eclipse was breathtaking and pictures just don't do it justice.  It took us about 5 hours to make the same trip back to where we stayed Sunday night.  We had expected the high volume of traffic and made the best of it.  The kids did great and we all agreed it was definitely worth it.  We packed up and headed home that night since we all had things to do Tuesday.  

This past week was pretty normal until Saturday.  I was doing some cleaning and moved wrong which resulted in a pulled back muscle.  To say I'm frustrated is a huge understatement.  I've been working out, doing core exercises and staying active so that things like this don't happen. Sigh...I'm still in a lot of pain but it seems to be a bit better today.  On Wednesday, I'm supposed to have lunch with friends I haven't seen in about a year, so I'm really praying I will be able to drive by then. This is also April vacation for the kids so I want to be able to do things with them too!

Enough about that...let's jump into this week's Happy Homemaker Monday with Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.  

The Weather:

It is gorgeous here!  Sunny and almost 70 today!  I'm so glad for the warmer weather and that the kids can get outside.

Outside my Window:

The sun is shining, the sky is blue and the magnolia tree, ornamental cherry tree and other flowers are blooming. It's a beautiful spring day!

 

Right Now I am:

Blogging and trying to stay in a comfortable position for my back.    

Thinking and Pondering: 

 What I can still do with the kids this week even with the limited movement. 

  
 Health Goal Accountability:

I was doing really well with working out last week.  Knowing that I'd have to post about it today did help keep me motivated. I had a busy week of meetings, etc so I had been active as well...until Saturday afternoon. :( 

Podcasts I'm listening to this week:

None this week.

On my T.V this week:

Probably will just watch some YouTube as new episodes come out.  I really enjoy Location, Location, Location and also Tasting History.  I've also recently discovered that The National Gallery (Britain) has a channel and they do half hour talks on the art and artists in their collection.

On the Dinner Plate:

Big Mac in a bowl 

 

On the Menu this week: 

 

Need to do a menu.  

 

What I'm Reading:

Bible

Network Effect (Book 5 of the Murderbot Diaries) -This is the first full length book in the series.

Be Confident: Live by Faith Not by Sight by Warren Weirsbe

On my To-Do list today:

Workout

Laundry (kids are working on this)

Blog ✔

Continue work on school newsletter ✔

 

Plans for this week:

Hopefully meet up with friends for lunch

Spend extra time with the kids

What I'm Creating:

I made these waffle stitch facecloths to send down to our NYC friends as a thank you/housewarming gift.  I'm planning to add some fun soaps or face masks.  They have two girls so I thought this would be fun for them.

 

 

From the Camera:

A peek into our NYC trip and eclipse day.

Highlight from Last week:

Visiting friends in NYC

Seeing the solar eclipse with other close friends.

 

Bible Verse/Devotional Quote:

 

We so often hear Proverbs 3:5-6 quoted but I was struck by verse 7 this week.

On My Prayer List:

Family & Friends who are ill.

Kids away at college and kiddos here this school year.

Wisdom in parenting.

Direction, time & diligence for a project.

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

Wisdom for how to deal with difficult things and to trust God with all!

Happy Homemaker Monday 4/1/24

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a wonderful Easter yesterday.  Our Easter celebration always starts on Friday with the Good Friday service at church.  It's always a great time to reflect on what Jesus endured for us.  This year, as part of the service, they shared a powerful poem. I'll link the video below; it really is worth the few minutes to listen, stop and reflect on all that He accomplished for us.

Saturday morning I helped at church for a little bit to set up and prep a few things for Sunday brunch.  After, we took a trip to Bass Pro Shops; it's not close so we don't go often but it's always fun to look around.  Then it was back home so I could bake up an Orange Chiffon Cake for Sunday dinner.  I had never made one before but this was fairly easy and came out nice.  

Sunday was lovely.  Our church does an Easter brunch before service and a baptism service as well.  I was serving in the nursery but we turned on the livestream downstairs so we were able to watch the testimonies and baptisms before doing the lesson with the littles. 

We did a non-traditional dinner of Lamb Saag, Garlic Butter Rice and homemade naan. It was delicious and great to have a team effort preparing the meal. My husband's mom joined us so we visited for a bit after dinner.  Nice and relaxing.

 Jumping on really quick to join in this week's Happy Homemaker Monday with Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.  

The Weather:

We have finally had some sun again the past couple of days.  It's cloudy today, but the sun is trying to peek through.

Outside my Window:

The sunrise this morning was breathtaking.  I tried to take a picture but of course it doesn't do any justice as to how bright and vibrant the colors truly were. 

 

Right Now I am:

Taking a minute to sit and blog before getting started with my day.    

Thinking and Pondering: 

Changes that need to be made.  I have not been as good recently about working out regularly (I know, it's on my list every Monday but has not been getting done).  I really want to be mindful of staying healthy and active as we still have a busy life and I love to hike, bike, etc when the weather is nice.  So, I'm praying about specific changes that will help me  since everyone is different in what works for them.  I'd love to hear any tips/tricks that have worked for you.

 

One thing I'm going to be doing is adding a bit of accountability into this post.  I'm planning to post each week how many workouts I did...now I will say right now...we will be out of town next Monday so I won't have a post next week but I'm adding in the section for this so I don't forget about it.

 

  
 Health Goal Accountability:

I did work out today, so yay!  One day for me.

Podcasts I'm listening to this week:

I've been listening to David Platt's podcast; Radical.  I so appreciate his teaching.   I've also listened to some more American History Tellers recently.

On my T.V this week:

Probably will just watch some YouTube as new episodes come out.  I really enjoy Location, Location, Location and also Tasting History.  I've also recently discovered that The National Gallery (Britain) has a channel and they do half hour talks on the art and artists in their collection.

On the Dinner Plate:

Baked Ravioli w/Casaer Salad

 

On the Menu this week: 

 

Need to do a menu.  We will be away starting Thursday evening so a shorter week to plan.

 

What I'm Reading:

Bible

Network Effect (Book 5 of the Murderbot Diaries) -This is the first full length book in the series.

Be Confident: Live by Faith Not by Sight by Warren Weirsbe

On my To-Do list today:

Workout ✔

Laundry

Blog ✔

Weekend cleanup/straighten house

 

Plans for this week:

Catch up on laundry

Prep and mail packages to college kids

Attend Honor Roll assemblies (2 days)

Prep for time away

Visit Friends in NYC

Go see the eclipse!! (technically next week/Monday) 

Continue to research some things for a possible project

Hopefully meet with school principal about a project I proposed to him.

What I'm Creating:

I finished the Easter dress, just in time!

From the Camera:

We made Resurrection Cookies.  We try to do this tradition each year.  Each ingredient and step are linked to a Scripture describing the events of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. 

 

Highlight from Last week:

Attending our daughter's band jamboree.  It was great to see all five schools perform together. 

Attending the Academic Bowl and watching our son compete with his team. (District-wide trivia and STEM competition)

Attending the Good Friday & Easter services.

 

Bible Verse/Devotional Quote:

 

On My Prayer List:

Family & Friends who are ill.

Kids away at college and kiddos here this school year.

Wisdom in parenting.

Direction, time & diligence for a project.

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

Wisdom for how to deal with difficult things and to trust God with all!