Happy Homemaker Monday 10/16/23

 Joining in this week's Happy Homemaker Monday with Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.  Wow, a month since I've been able to sit down and blog.  I often think of it and I have a note in my phone with outlines for several blog posts but it seems time fills up and goes by. So, I'll just be content to pop in and join when I can.

The Weather:

Cloudy and wet.  It's supposed to be cloudy and cool for most of the week. Definitely feeling like fall; however the foliage hasn't been as bright. 

Outside my Window:

Wet leaves, some are changing colors but we still have green on many of the trees.

Right Now I am:

Blogging, getting a slow start to today; last week was one of "those" weeks so I'm just enjoying the quiet while waiting for the laundry to finish.

Thinking and Pondering: 

 So much on my mind.  Thankful that God is faithful, thankful for His lessons; even when they are hard.  Also, thinking about all the planning for the next couple months.  We have a getaway (adults only) with friends coming up, a special date night with other friends, college kids to get home (one comes for Thanksgiving and Christmas and then both for Christmas), holiday planning, a couple family birthdays, church events, etc. 

 

Podcasts I'm listening to this week:

 

I haven't listened to any recently. 

On my T.V this week:

We've gotten into Agatha Christie movies recently so we might watch one of those.  We also haven't watched the new episode of Loki and I've been enjoying the new season of the Great British Baking show so I'll probably catch up on that at some point as well.

On the Dinner Plate:

Sweet Potato, Sausage & Spinach soup

On the Menu this week:

I need to sit down today and figure out a menu.  With colder weather we'll probably be having more soups & casseroles.

What I'm Reading:

Bible

A White Bird Flying by Bess Streeter Aldrich (the sequel to A Lantern in Her Hand)

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by JoAnna Weaver

On my To-Do list today:

Finish Laundry 

Clean up from weekend

Vacuum basement

Grocery List & Menu

Plans for this week:

Keep up with housework.

Work on blanket

Go to monthly ladies study

What I'm Creating:

I want to finish up a hook board that I started some time ago. I'm hoping to hang it in the kitchen for aprons (still haven't done this). I started the graphgan for my daughter but haven't had much time to work on it.

From the Camera:

There is a beautiful walking path a couple towns over.  It's about 2 miles through the woods and around a pond.  I managed to make it over there twice last week.  

 

Highlight from Last week:

A much needed walk and conversation with a friend and another friend stopping by with one of her sons to visit.  Christian friendships are such an amazing gift from God.

 

Bible Verse/Devotional Quote:

On My Prayer List:

Family & Friends who are ill

Kids away at college and kiddos here this school year.

Wisdom for parenting.

The blessing of the ordinary

 

A couple day ago this graphic showed up in my Instagram feed.  I shared in on my stories as I thought it was cute and a good reminder to be careful of comparison. As God so often does, He started to bring several thoughts on the same topic together.  It has been an encouragement to me to think on these things a bit more so I thought I'd share a quick note and hope it's an encouragement to you as well.

Awhile ago I heard a podcast (can't remember which one it was now) on the miracle of Jesus turning the water into wine; however, this particular episode took a different approach to this passage.  We find the story of water to wine, in John chapter 2.  Here's the part that was a fresh thought for me.  In verse 5 Mary tells the servants to "Do whatever he tells you."  In verse 7 Jesus tells the servants to "Fill the jars with water." that's it..just the ordinary act of pouring water into jars.  Notice now how they fill the jars "And they filled them up to the brim." These servants didn't do the job halfway they filled the jars as much as they could.  Yet still, it was just filling jars.  After the water (now turned into wine) was served John says no one knew "where it came from (though the servants who had drown the water knew)".  These servants who did the simple act of filling jars with water where the first people to know the first miracle Jesus did in His public ministry!  And all from just filling jars, doing their ordinary, daily work.  

As I was reading John 4 I noticed that we see this same theme again. An ordinary woman doing her ordinary, daily task; yet again, Jesus reveals Himself to her first.  In John 4:4 John says about Jesus "And he had to pass through Samaria"; here's the thing. Jews did not get along with Samaritans; in fact they would routinely lengthen their journey in order to go around the region of Samaria but here we see that Jesus had a purpose and "had to" pass through Samaria.  Here he meets a woman at a well; she is going about here normal everyday task of drawing water from a well when Jesus begins speaking to her...she a Samaritan!  She even questions this in verse 9 when she asks "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans).   Yet, not only does He ask for a drink He reveals to her that He is the Christ!  The Messiah! and she is then the first person to tell those in the region of Samaria about Him! Because of her testimony many come to listen to Jesus and believe in Him.  

In both of these cases Jesus meets people in the everyday, doing ordinary things, faithfully doing what needs to be done. In one case he asks them to do a task and because of their obedience they get to be a part of a miracle, in the other He goes out of His way to step into a woman's ordinary day to give her a new kind of water...living water and because of her belief she gets to lead many to Jesus' feet!  

So, on days when it feels like everyday tasks are wearing on you.  When the ordinary may not seem like enough; know that God sees you, He sees your faithfulness to the little things and you never know what He might do with those ordinary things.  So keep being faithful and obedient...and "fill to the brim" whatever God asks you to do today.

October already?!

It's hard to believe that October is already here!  I've been meaning to jump back in on the Happy Homemaker Monday posts but just haven't seemed to have the time.  Hopefully, in the next couple weeks I'll be able to do a few before the holidays start up!

The last few weeks have been filled full!  We celebrated another family birthday, had the annual Beach BBQ & Baptism with our church, spent time with family who were visiting from out of state and started all the fall activities up again.  

One of the fall activities we are involved in is the AWANA program at church.  I help out with the 3rd graders and this year our youngest started Sparks (K-2).  She was SO excited to earn her vest and book by saying John 3:16. 

 If you're not familiar with AWANA it's a great kids program that teaches Biblical truths while focusing a lot on Scripture memorization.  The older kids have youth group, PTO for the school has begun and clubs at the high school are also getting back into full swing. So, all that to say, we are good and life is FULL right now. 

One fun thing is that the deer we spotted in our yard have returned a few times now. I was able to get another picture of them yesterday.  There is a shrub along the edge of our yard that they really love to eat; thankfully they do not care for the blueberry bush leaves or lilacs so I'm happy to let them roam and eat the wild shrubbery. 

Oh!  and I also finally started working on my daughters graphgan.  This one is definitely going to be a process but I'm already liking the results from the small amount I've been able to get done.  

One last thing, our oldest girl is away at college (and loving it!); while there she is attending a church in town that only has acappella music in their services.  The song below is one of her favorites and a new-to-me song so I thought I would share.  I love all types of music but don't listen to a lot of acappella music.  I really enjoyed the beautiful harmony of voices.  Enjoy!

Happy Homemaker Monday 9/11/23

Joining in this week's Happy Homemaker Monday with Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.  Another Monday!  Hard to believe that the middle of September is almost here. 

The Weather:

Cloudy and wet.  Rain is predicted for most of this week.  With Hurricane Lee forcasted to come up the East Coast it'll be interesting to see just how much rain we do get.

Outside my Window:

It's green and wet. 

Right Now I am:

Blogging, getting a slow start to today; I was able to schedule flu shots for the kids so that's one thing accomplished so far.

Thinking and Pondering:

So thankful for encouraging and refining Christian friendships; a close friend is moving soon as her  pastor-husband has been called to a church in another area of the country. Praising God for His clear leading but also feeling bittersweet about them moving so far away. 

Podcasts I'm listening to this week:

Tony Evans: The Urban Alternative - I learn so much from listening to Dr. Evans.  The ones I recently listened to were Titled: Trusting the God you Believe In.

On my T.V this week:

Not sure.  We did watch some of the NFL opening week games yesterday.  I grew up watching football and still enjoy watching it now and then.

On the Dinner Plate:

Tortellini & Sausage soup

On the Menu this week:

I don't have a set menu but I do know that I want to make the following meals:

Tortellini & Sausage soup

Beef Stew

Chicken Caesar salad.

What I'm Reading:

Bible

A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including their own Narratives of Emancipation

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by JoAnna Weaver

On my To-Do list today:

Finish Laundry

Clean up from weekend

Make flu shot appts. ✓

Get together with friends

Plans for this week:

Keep up with housework.

Deep Clean laundry room

Clean Fridge

Get together with friends 2x

Take daughter for hair appt.

What I'm Creating:

I want to finish up a hook board that I started some time ago. I'm hoping to hang it in the kitchen for aprons.  Also hoping to start the graphgan since the weather is supposed to be a bit cooler this week.

From the Camera:

Nothing too exciting but we did have more wildlife happenings here.  We have a group of turkeys that regularly trek through our yard; however this was the first time we saw one up on our car! 

 

Highlight from Last week:

A wonderful phone conversation I had with our oldest.  Just really encouraging. 

 

Bible Verse/Devotional Quote:

Another thought from Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World:

"Are we willing to let God explode our comfort zone and expand our capacity for him? Or do we want a God we can manage?  Unfortunately, a lot of the time that is exactly what we want -- enough of God to make us happy, but not enough to make us change."

On My Prayer List:

Family & Friends who are ill

Kids away at college and kiddos here this school year.

Wisdom for parenting.

Happy Homemaker Monday 9/5/23

 Joining in this week's Happy Homemaker Monday with Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.  I know it's not Monday but since yesterday was a holiday here I figured it would still "count" for this week. :)  It has been extremely busy this past month with two road trips to drop our oldest two off at their respective colleges.  Praising God that they are settling in well and praying for His continued guidance and protection on them.  We flew home on a Sunday and our younger four started school on that Wednesday so with all that and a holiday weekend today is the first time I have a chance to sit and blog.

The Weather:

Today is sunny and hot.  It is supposed to be in the high 80's and 90's this week.

Outside my Window:

The sun is shining brightly today.

Right Now I am:

Blogging, waiting for bread to come out of the oven and enjoying the quiet before the kids start coming home in a bit.

Thinking and Pondering:

So much on my mind today; struggling to keep every thought captive and to trust God's wisdom and sovereignty in all things. 

Podcasts I'm listening to this week:

Nothing this week. I'm enjoying some classical Christian music as I'm needing less words this week.

On my T.V this week:

Nothing so far; we'll probably watch Ahsoka as a family once the new episode is released.

On the Dinner Plate:

Chicken wings (leftover from Chinese takeout), sauteed swiss chard and brown rice

On the Menu this week:

I don't have a set menu so I'll just wing it with ingredients we have to use up the fresh veggies in the fridge.

What I'm Reading:

Bible

A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including their own Narratives of Emancipation

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by JoAnna Weaver

On my To-Do list today:

Finish Laundry

Clean up from weekend ✓

Bake Bread ✓

Get Poshmark listings ready/take pictures✓

School open house/Help PTO

Plans for this week:

Keep up with housework.

Get listings up on Poshmark

School Open Houses

Celebrate a family birthday

What I'm Creating:

I finished a scrubby washcloth (it's in the wash now so no picture).  I bought the yarn and set up the chart for a graphgan for one of my daughters but with the weather so hot this week I'm not sure I'll get it started.

From the Camera:

A couple fun things happened that I'll share.  We live in a pretty developed area so we see quite a bit of smaller wildlife (rabbits, groundhogs, foxes, etc) but rarely see larger wildlife in our yard.  The other day our youngest said "mom, come here quick!" These three little guys (all still with spots) were in our yard.  They stayed for about 15 minutes grazing and enjoying the yard.  I'm hoping they'll be back. 

Since yesterday was Labor Day we decided to go for a hike.  With the rainy summer we had and busyness of life we hadn't been able to hike yet this year.  Our youngest didn't think she could make it but she did!  She was so excited when we got to the top and loved the view.  

 

Highlight from Last week:

We celebrated a friend's 50th birthday party on Saturday.  We don't get to see them often as they live several hours away so it was a great time catching up with them and seeing other friends (who hosted the party) that we also don't get to see often.

 

Bible Verse/Devotional Quote:

 I have been reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and trying to remember to "drop the rocks" of things I am not meant to carry.  If you don't have this book I'd encourage you to read the illustration story of the Wagon of Rocks; it's been such a good reminder to me. I actually made a background for my phone with the words Drop the Rocks El Roi to remind me that it's okay to drop those rocks because God is a God Who sees me (El Roi) and He's got it.

On My Prayer List:

Family & Friends who are ill

Kids away at college and kiddos here starting the school year.

Wisdom for parenting.

Happy Homemaker Monday 8/7/23

 Joining in this week's Happy Homemaker Monday with Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.  Still very busy here but have a few minutes.  Today is our youngest daughter's birthday.  We had a lovely weekend celebrating her with her friends.  She's very excited to be starting 1st grade in a few weeks.

The Weather:

Rainy and cloudy today.  It looks like tomorrow may be the same.  We were fortunate to have a beautiful weekend so I'll take the rain on this Monday morning.

Outside my Window:

The crab apple tree is full of fruit.  They usually are fully ripe in September.  I'm hoping to harvest many of them and make some spiced crab apple jelly.  I made some a couple years ago and it was a hit.

Right Now I am:

Blogging and relaxing a bit on this slower day.

Thinking and Pondering:

Trying to figure out logistics for getting things done this week.  Also, praying for wisdom and a right attitude about some things.

Podcasts I'm listening to this week:

  Inside the Pastors' Study 

Also listening to Cultivate by Kelly Minter - really  being challenged by these and so thankful for her practical steps. 

On my T.V this week:

Finally got my daughter to watch the Anne movies; will probably watch Anne of Avonlea with her at some point this week.

On the Dinner Plate:

Chicken Parm

On the Menu this week:

Making some of the kids favorites before they leave for college so we'll have Swedish meatballs, Spinach Pie and the aforementioned Chicken Parm

What I'm Reading:

Bible

Widerlore by Amanda Foody - one of my kids begged me to read this since they really enjoyed it.  I'm about a 1/3 through and not really liking it (I just don't think she's a good writer, but recognize that she's writing to younger kids).

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by JoAnna Weaver

On my To-Do list today:

Laundry

Clean up from weekend

Plans for this week:

Keep up with housework.

Continue helping kids with college prep

What I'm Creating:

Not a lot of time for crafting this past week.  I did make cupcakes for my daughter's birthday party.

From the Camera:

On Saturday we tried out a new-to-us rail trail about 1/2 hour away.  Our youngest was able to ride her bike the entire distance we rode. She was so excited!  She was also very thankful to have dad riding with her and helping her up some of the more hilly parts.

 

Highlight from Last week:

It was so much fun celebrating our youngest with friends. 

 

Bible Verse/Devotional Quote:

As I read this verse I was reminded of how important it is for us, as believers to support each other so that each member of the body can function well.  The singers, seers, and gatekeepers were all able to continue in their service and fulfill their God given purpose in part because the Levites prepared for them.  In this passage it was discussing preparations for the Passover.  

 

On My Prayer List:

Family & Friends who are ill

Kids preparing to go away to college

Logistics of other kids staying with family members. 

Wisdom for parenting.

Happy Homemaker Monday 7/31/23

 Joining in this week's Happy Homemaker Monday with Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom. 

The Weather:

Today is gorgeous out, sunny and in the 70's.  The humidity has finally broken a bit; at least for a couple days. We had really bad smoke from the Canadian fires come through last night but thankfully it has cleared up this morning.

Outside my Window:

Sunny & green. 

Right Now I am:

Blogging, chatting with my youngest girlie. Waiting for coffee to finish brewing and bread dough to finish rising.

Thinking and Pondering:

Oh...so much; from what needs to be done in the next few weeks to how this week will go.

Podcasts I'm listening to this week:

Finally caught up on  Inside the Pastors' Study 

Also listening to Cultivate by Kelly Minter

My kids also enjoy Adventures of the Starkeepers from Elevation Church. 

On my T.V this week:

Nothing really.

On the Dinner Plate:

We had a pig roast at church yesterday so I will be using some of the leftovers to make something for dinner.

On the Menu this week:

Haven't really done a menu for this week but we will be having Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie one night since I didn't make that last week.

What I'm Reading:

Bible

Imprisoned with Isis by Petr Jasek - His memoir of being in a Sudanese prison for over a year.

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by JoAnna Weaver

On my To-Do list today:

Laundry

Target run

Bake Bread ( regular and plantain bread)

Plans for this week:

Keep up with housework.

Deep Clean the younger girl's room with them. 

Drop off two kids at a local amusement park for a Youth Group Event

Get a couple of the kids ready and headed on a camping trip with friends this weekend.

Continue helping kids with college prep

What I'm Creating:

Not a lot of time for crafting this past week.  I did work on a washcloth a bit that I'm making with some scrubby yarn.  

From the Camera:

We had promised our two older kids a night out in Boston to celebrate milestone birthdays.  We had bought tickets in 2019 for a comedy show that ended up not happening, first it was delayed and then cancelled altogether.  The other night we were finally able to take them out.  It was a fun evening for the four of us and a bit extra special since they will both be leaving in a couple weeks. 

Highlight from Last week:

The night out with our two oldest was definitely a highlight.  We also met up with friends last Tuesday to go to a zoo and then spend some time at the beach.  Due to so much rain we hadn't been to the beach at all this summer.  The fellowship with friends and gorgeous weather made it a great time. 

Bible Verse/Devotional Quote:

 The third chapter in Having A Mary Heart in A Martha World focuses on the words of Jesus to Martha about being "anxious about many things".  The following quotes are a couple I underlined.  

"Worry is allowing problems and distress to come between us and the heart of God.  It is the view that God has somehow lost control of the situation and we cannot trust Him."

"Concern draws us to God.  Worry pulls us from him."

"That's the reason we can leave our worry behind -- not because there's nothing to be concerned about, but because we have Someone who can handle them a lot better than we can."

On My Prayer List:

Family & Friends who are ill

Kids preparing to go away to college

Logistics of other kids staying with family members. 

Wisdom for parenting.