Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Rainy and cool.

One of my simple pleasures:
Listening to Christmas music with only the Christmas tree light shining. So peaceful!

On my bedside table:
Nothing. I just finished a book and haven't picked out a new one yet.

On my TV:
Some Disney or PBS this morning, then nothing.

On the menu for tonight:
Chicken & Noodles

On my To Do List:

Laundry
Sweep Kitchen
A little Christmas decorating in the kitchen
babysit
Hopefully crafting

New Recipe I tried last week:
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

In the craft basket:
Fabric Trees

Looking forward to:
Having all the decorating done this week so I can sit back and enjoy Christmas.

Homemaking Tip for this week:
Double check that you have all of the ingredients needed before starting a recipe. Don't ask me why I know this is a good thing. lol

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
I don't think I had a favorite post last week.

Favorite photo from last week:

Lesson learned the past few days:
How wonderful it is to have family to spend the holidays with.

On my Prayer List:
My husband and daughter
My brother-in-law Brian. He is serving in Afghanistan.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
I thank my GOD everytime I remember You! Philippians 1:3

Please stop by and visit Sandra to see what other Happy Homemakers are up to. Have a great Monday!

Happy Thanksgiving

Freedom from Want by Norman Rockwell

Saturday Evening Post, March 6, 1943

May you enjoy the blessing of being with those you love and want for nothing. Have a wonderful, long weekend. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hanging on to Fall

As much as I love the Christmas season I am not quite ready to let go of fall. We have been having some mild days and maybe I am just dreading all of the cold and snowy days that will keep us inside. As I was looking out my kitchen window today I noticed these trees. They are at the very back of our property and the only trees that still have leaves on them.


It looks to me like they are holding on to them for dear life. Maybe I am not the only one not wanting to let fall go easily.

I have been preparing things for Thanksgiving. I have two dinners to attend this year. We will be going to by mother-in-law's on Thanksgiving and then to my father-in-law's on Saturday. I found a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cheesecake that I am planning to make for both places. It called for store bought chocolate chip cookie dough, but I couldn't see spending the money on it. I made my own instead and have it waiting in the frig until Wednesday morning.


It really disappointed my family that I baked a couple dozen cookies for them! I'll let you know how it turns out.

I have also been trying to clean. Things like my oven, making sure there is limited clutter and I really need to shampoo the living room carpet. I am trying to have things as ready as possible for Friday. Megan is over excited about the fact that the tree will be going up. Enjoying the holidays through the eyes of Megan should make things really fun.

Time for me to start my day. I will be doing some babysitting today and am hoping that I can make a few more things off of my list. Have a great day!

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Not bad considering it is the last week in November. It should be close to fifty and sunny. For today anyway. I hear that is changing very soon.

One of my simple pleasures:
Hearing Megan and Daddy laughing while out in the garage. Makes me smile everytime.

On my bedside table:
Sunrise by Karen Kingsbury. It is the first book in the Sunrise Series. I hope I can finally finish this book.

On my TV:
Some Disney or PBS this morning, then nothing.

On the menu for tonight:
Beef & Noodles, Green Beans, Rolls

On my To Do List:
Laundry
Sweep Kitchen
Wipe out oven
Get Christmas cards ready to mail
Schooling
Babysit
Crafting

New Recipe I tried last week:
None

In the craft basket:
Garland

Looking forward to:
Thanksgiving with family

Homemaking Tip for this week:
Make sure the snow shovels are handy, you have plenty of salt/sand and that the snow boots still fit. It is frustrating to have the first snowfall (while hubby is at work) and you can't find the shovel.

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
I don't think I had a favorite post last week.

Favorite photo from last week:

My nieces with Megan.

Lesson learned the past few days:

I can't make everyone happy.

On my Prayer List:
My husband and daughter
My brother-in-law Brian. He is serving in Afghanistan.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Please stop by and visit Sandra to see what other Happy Homemakers are up to. Have a great Monday!

Christmas from the Heart: Wallet

I noticed over the summer that my niece was carrying her licence and money in a plastic bag and this idea was born.


I used my wallet as a template and traced it onto craft paper. I made it slightly larger to allow for the seam allowance.


I then cut out my fabric of choice and to make it a little more sturdy I also cut out a piece of fleece. I sewed them together with the wrong sides together. Turned them right side out and hand stitched it shut. I then folded up the bottom section and sewed up the sides. To finish it off I sewed on a button and a piece embroidery thread to go around the button.


A perfect place to store a little money, driver licence, feminine product or whatever their heart desires.

I don't know what has gotten in to me, but I am in a crafty kind of mood. I always want to craft, but usually end of talking myself out of it. You know how it goes... I don't have time... I need to do this and that.

I have been making the time lately and it feels great!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. I used this one. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 baking sheet. Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes or until the sides start to brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Melt 2 cups chocolate chips and spread over top.

Very easy and very tasty. The only thing I would do different next time is use milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet. I was using what was in my pantry and that is all that I had. I have several bars cut and in the freezer to add to Chuck's lunch box. Enjoy!

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
In the upper 40's this morning and should be in the mid 50's this afternoon. Rain is in the forecast and I think a cozy rainy day sounds perfect!

One of my simple pleasures:
Taking a walk with my family.

On my bedside table:
Sunrise by Karen Kingsbury. It is the first book in the Sunrise Series.

On my TV:
Some Disney or PBS this morning, then nothing.

On the menu for tonight:
Chili & Cornbread

On my To Do List:
Laundry
Clean Kitchen
Schooling
Babysit
Crafting

New Recipe I tried last week:
None

In the craft basket:
Garland
Tree Topper

Looking forward to:
Cleaning my carpet

Homemaking Tip for this week:
Can't think of any at the moment.


Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
I don't think I had a favorite post last week.

Favorite photo from last week:


Are we starting to think about Christmas gifts?

Lesson learned the past few days:
When something goes wrong not to assure the worst. The heat went out in my Blazer the end last winter. Chuck has been researching possible fixes and so far nothing had worked. I keep thinking that we would have to take it to the shop soon and it would be expensive. Chuck took the entire dash off the weekend and tried everything to get it working. He finally realized that it was the heater core. Before taking it in to have it replaced he tried one more thing. He flushed out the heater core and then the heat worked. Yeah! All weekend I have been assuming the worst.

On my Prayer List:
My husband and daughter
My brother-in-law Brian. He is serving in Afghanistan.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Please stop by and visit Sandra to see what other Happy Homemakers are up to. Have a great Monday!

Christmas from the Heart: Scripture Coasters

I saw these coasters made by Mandy at Mayberry State of Mind. I thought they were adorable and then she decided to share how to make them here. Yeah! My mind started swirling with ideas of what I could do with these and who I could give them to.

I recently made my first set for my mother-in-law. I picked out scripture that I thought she would find meaningful. I have seen Mandy stamp on her scripture, but being the thirty person that I am I didn't want to purchase stamps. Mandy had shared how she was able to print a picture onto tissue paper and decoupage it on. I thought I would be able to do that with scripture that I printed out using word. Worked like a charm!


These were very easy to make and I can't wait to make another set. I know another grandparent who would love a set with pictures of all four of her grandchildren!

Mandy, thanks for sharing this wonderful idea.

Thankful 4 Thursdays

I am trying to make Thanksgiving a meaningful holiday and not just the start of the Christmas season. One thing we have been doing is making each Thursday in the month of November our Thankful 4 day.

I used word to make a pattern of the number 4. I then used scrapbook paper to cut out a number for each of us for each Thursday in the month.

After dinner each Thursday we talk about what we are thankful for and write the four things on the back.


I just love Megan's list! She was really thinking about it and after she had her four things she had to add just one more. I plan to save these so we can pull them out next year and see how our list change. It should be interesting to see how Megan's list chages through the years.

Family Fun: Fishy Fishy

Fishy, fishy in the brook

Fishy, fishy on my hook

Sorry for the terrible picture above. The battery died right after this picture.

I am trying hard to start incorporating family fun nights again. It is always fun, but once I fall out of habit it's sometimes hard to get back to it. We played this game. It's always a favorite as it goes fast.

To go along with our fish theme this is the dinner that I made.


Megan loves it when I put goldfish in her soup. Just to keep it real let me tell you about dinner. Disaster is a capital D! I allowed the soup to boil over. And I do mean boil over. The worse mess I have ever had on the stove and because of that I allowed the soup to scorch, so it tasted scorched.

Even though dinner wasn't the best we have ever had we still had fun. We are hoping to make game night a regular event.
>

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Nice. It is in the low 50's and the afternoon should be in the 60's with sunshine!

One of my simple pleasures:
Sitting outside and being surrounded by God's wonderful creations.

On my bedside table:
Sunrise by Karen Kingsbury. It is the first book in the Sunrise Series.

On my TV:
Some Disney or PBS this morning, then nothing.

On the menu for tonight:
Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

On my To Do List:
Laundry
Clean Kitchen
Schooling
Babysit

New Recipe I tried last week:
None

In the craft basket:
Garland
\ Tree Topper

Looking forward to:
Picture day on Saturday


Homemaking Tip for this week:
Wipe your kitchen sink out after each use. This will prevent hard water spots. I didn't do this this last week and was greeted by an ugly sink this morning.

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
I don't think I had a favorite post last week.

Favorite photo from last week:

Best Buddies

Lesson learned the past few days:

Not everyone is going to like you. As hard as it might be to accept it really is okay.

On my Prayer List:
My husband and daughter
My brother-in-law Brian. He is serving in Afghanistan.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction. E.F. Schumacker

Please stop by and visit Sandra to see what other Happy Homemakers are up to. Have a great Monday!

Christmas from the Heart: Gift Tags

Each Christmas I make my own gift tags. This is what I came up with for this year.

They were super easy and not very expensive since I just used scrapbook paper. To give them a little dimension I used these under the tree to make it stand out.


I think the colors are going to look great against my brown paper wrapping.

You can go here and here to see past gift tags.

This is a tradition of mine. I hope that this is special for my family and something that they look forward to each year. It gives me great pleasure to do this and I even have my idea for next year!

Do you make your own gift tags?

Feet & Hand Turkey

I am running a little behind this morning. I went to bed early last night and then didn't wake up until a little after seven this morning. Things are clicking right along this morning. Megan is sitting at the kitchen table playing play doh, the baby is laying on the floor kicking and cooing, laundry is started and there is always plenty of that to do. This is the satisfying hum of my mornings.

I wanted to pop in and share the craft from yesterday.


Unfortunately I can't find the link where I got this idea. I thought they turned out really cute. I traced little feet with shoes on and then they were glued together with the heel of the feet together and the toe spread out. I then traced little hands and cut out the feathers. Add some feet, a waddle, beak and some squiggly eyes and it was done.

An easy project and Megan is already asking to make another one today. If only she would get that this is a turkey and not a chicken!

Happy Wednesday!

Megan's Moon

Last night after dinner we went out to do a few things in the yard. With the change in time we didn't have much time. By the time we headed in around 6:15 it was dark and the moon was out. I thought that the moon looked beautiful.

I liked how you could see the tree branches and the clouds. Megan is fascinated with the moon. She loves stories about the moon and will ask us to take her out in the evening to see the moon and stars. That is my girl... loving the simple things in life!

I finished my monthly menu. I am really excited! Not only did I plan my menu but also a night each week with a family fun activity. I had gotten out of the habit of doing this and am happy to get back to it. Megan is older now and I know that she is going to enjoy these nights. At this point it is a simple activity. As we start implementing this I will share what we are doing.

I don't know it I had mentioned it here but we are doing Financial Peace University. We did our first complete budget for November. We had always sat down and paid bills but never did the budget to the exact penny. It was much harder then I thought it would be! I am anxious to see how we do. It will certainly make us more accountable and less likely to run through the drive thru while out running errands.

I am finding it hard to believe that it is November already. It feels like yesterday we were planting the garden and pulling our outside things out. Now we are putting it all away. I have always heard it said that times flies when you are having fun, and fun it has been! Not many dull moments around here.

I have been looking for some fun kid crafts to do for Thanksgiving. I don't like that it feels like we jump from Halloween to Christmas. I want Megan to remember this month as the month that we remembered to be thankful and to be giving.

Another glorious day is waiting for me. Time to go start my day. Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Cool and in the 40's. I hope there will be plenty of sunshine.

One of my simple pleasures:
A clean house. I love the way it smells (like pledge) and how pretty it looks. Trust me, it doesn't last long around here.

On my bedside table:
Sunrise by Karen Kingsbury. It is the first book in the Sunrise Series.

On my TV:
Some Disney or PBS this morning, then nothing.

On the menu for tonight:
BBQ Chicken, Cheesy Bacon Potatoes, Green Beans

On my To Do List:
Laundry
Clean Kitchen
Schooling
Babysit

New Recipe I tried last week:
None

In the craft basket:
Nothing new. I still need to finish Christmas gift tags and think about Christmas cards.

Looking forward to:
Menu planning.

Homemaking Tip for this week:
For tough clothing stains I will hand wash the spot and then let it soak in cold water until I can get it in the washer.

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
I don't think I had a favorite post last week.

Favorite photo from last week:


Treats at Grandma & Grandpa's house are the best!

Lesson learned the past few days:
How important menu planning is. I find that when I don't do it that we eat out more or eat less of a balanced meal. I am going to try making a monthly menu instead of weekly.

On my Prayer List:
My husband and daughter
My brother-in-law Brian. He is serving in Afghanistan.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it: For He has not pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed - better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Acts 5:4

Please stop by and visit Sandra to see what other Happy Homemakers are up to. Have a great Monday!