Pot Roast Make Over

 As a homemaker keeping the grocery budget in check is super important. Especially now, as we are all aware grocery prices are outrageous! One thing that helps is limited food waste. One way that I achieve this is by making left overs a new dish. 

One night we had pot roast and the first thing I did was strain and jar the broth for later. 

This particular day I made it in the crock pot using one can of broth, a packet of brown gravy mix, water to cover the meat, along with salt and pepper. Easy peasy!

Leftovers were packed for Chucks' lunch box and then there was still some roast and gravy left. That went in the fridge to later become a left over make over.

I pulled out the following to make a left over remake. 

I strained the broth once again (even though I strain it when I jar it, there is still some settling of bits and pieces) and then added my veggies. 

Once they were done I needed to add a green vegetable. I looked in the fridge and found another left over to add. 

I then diced up the roast and heated it through. The finished product!

There were many options for how I could have served this. Along with some crusty bread, some dumplings or biscuits cooked on top, or as I choose... to make mini pot pies.

For Christmas I received this fun little pie crust tool. I decided to give it a try. 

My pies ready to go in the oven. One for each of us for dinner (Megan was at work) and the one for Chuck to take for lunch. 

I neglected to take picture of the finished pies. This was a frugal and delicious meal. 

The bonus is that there are still left overs. Besides a pie for Chucks' lunch box there is some for my lunch and pie crust that will become a treat. I will roll it out and top with melted butter along with cinnamon and sugar for a treat. Oh, and there is still a quart of broth left. That will go into the freezer for later use. 

It's fun to get creative in the kitchen!

Wendi 

Joy in the Ordinary

 As the keeper of the home, it's easy to get lost in the mundane. To lose the sight of joy as we are bogged down in the every day. One way to combat that is to stop and find joy in the ordinary moments. I personally know that this isn't always easy. What I do know is that when I am intentional about slowing down and finding the joy it changes my perspective.

Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week.

I was gifted a box of books from my mother-in-law. I sorted out the ones I wanted and have the rest waiting to be passed along.

It's been extremely cold, so hot chocolate has been a staple. 

I love that Megan helps out with laundry. Not always, but I am grateful when she does!

I finally made a skillet cookie. I will be honest and admit that I prefer an old fashioned cookie. 

 My current read. 

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things.

Wendi

Quiet Time

 I follow The Homespun Wife on Facebook.  Each month she will share a list for a daily scripture writing. When I was thinking about what I wanted to do for my morning quiet time in 2025 I decided to give this a try. 

I am really enjoying this! My morning me time is short, as my great-nephew is dropped before his parents begin teaching. I needed something that was quick, already thought out and made me think. 

I will read and then write out the scripture. Then I will read what I have written and write a short summary of what the passage means. 

The thing that I like most about this, is that is challenging me to read books that I might otherwise skip. I usually find myself in Proverbs, Romans, Ruth, and of course the gospels. This has me reading from books that I wouldn't necessarily seek.

If you're interested in giving this a try, I have included the February reading list. 

In case you are wondering, I am a KJV girl. *smile* Oh, and Sherry also has a YouTube channel. If you give this a try, I hope you find it as encouraging as I have. 

Wendi 

Bedroom Reset

 Every wise woman buideth her house; bur the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. Proverbs 14:1

When I woke up Saturday I noticed that I still had a set of sheets I received for Christmas sitting on my dresser. I knew it was past time for a reset in our bedroom. 

I could have done a quick tidy and been satisfied, but I knew it really needed more. Before Christmas we had moved furniture and dusted base boards and deep vacuumed. What really needed attention, besides the horizonal drop zones, was the areas that no one could see.

We started with going through all of our drawers and then moved on to the closet to purge. And purge we did! I know that there are all kinds of purging challenges, like the 1000 pieces in a month or year.  I can see how that could be a motivator, but this girl is not taking the time to count the items!

I got rid of quite a few tops. I have decided that I'd rather have a few items that I feel good wearing rather then have a closet full of things I hate to wear. I also got rid of all of my socks! 

It was hard for me to justify that since they were basically new. Every time I wore them the heel would slip down in my shoe. Half way through the grocery store I was either suffering or unzipping my boot to pull them up! There is no reason to deal with that! So, they are now all tucked in a drawer in the garage. I like to use socks when I am working on a staining project. 

Awe... so much better!

Now, as we all know the real challenge is to keep it this way. The struggle is real!

Wendi 

Joy in the Ordinary

As the keeper of the home, it's easy to get lost in the mundane. To lose the sight of joy as we are bogged down in the every day. One way to combat that is to stop and find joy in the ordinary moments. I personally know that this isn't always easy. What I do know is that when I am intentional about slowing down and finding the joy it changes my perspective.

Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week. 

I enjoy the flicker of a candle and the wonderful scent is a plus too!

While running errands we hit the drive through and this was our view as we parked to eat lunch. At least something is enjoying the cold and snow. *smile*

My sweet great-nephew. He is my daytime partner and who doesn't find joy in a sleeping baby.

Just so you don't think everything is perfect around here. This is my side table most days. I can't tell you how many times I have to tidy this space. 

I have a cup of tea every morning. One morning I found this when I walked into the kitchen. 

I snapped a picture and sent a text... "Spoiled is the word, and I like it!" Every morning since then I find this waiting for me. That my friends, is what love looks like!!

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things.

Wendi

Valentine Decor

I can't talk about home without speaking about décor. No matter your style, having things you love around is one of the things that makes your place a home. I enjoy decorating for the seasons and holidays.

After all of the hustle and bustle of Christmas I know many find it nice to have décor that is simple and quiet. I find that the pops of pink and red that comes with decorating for Valentine's Day helps to chase away the winter blues. 

Enjoy a peek at how I've decorated my home for Valentine's Day. 

 No matter how simple or elaborate you decide to go it's the thought put into your decorating that shows your family you care. 

Wendi 

Coming Back

I was texting back and forth with a friend I made through blogging. (Hi, Teresa!) I was telling her that I had started to blog again. She mentioned that blogging had come a long way since she used to blog. Oh, I certainly agree! 

It went from women looking for connection with kindred spirits to those looking to make a buck. Now, I'm not saying that making money from your blog is bad. No, not at all. I follow many blogs that make a little bit from affiliate links or ads. I am referring more to those who went from women sharing life to what is considered "content" creators. 

I was finding that there were more and more blogs that were encouraging excess spending and stirring up discontent. Obviously, you and I both had a choice to read or not. I stopped reading and in turn stopped blogging. I felt like I wasn't enough because of the environment. 

I know that blogging isn't the "in" thing anymore and now most have moved on to YouTube. I also know that I met some wonderful women through blogging.  I don't have close friends in my every day life. Why, I don't know, I guess it's not meant to be for me. When I went  through a difficult time, many of those women were there for me. It was the blog community that helped me to pick up the pieces. 

I am much the same, yet so different than I was ten years ago. Many times I thought, "let me look at my blog and see this or that." I really missed being able to look back and see a glimpse of what my life was like. I no longer feel the need to keep up with trends (unless it brings me joy), or "fit in." I'm posting for me and if people read that's great, if not, that's okay too. Do I like comments? Absolutely! 

I'm at the stage in life where I do me and that makes me happy.  Trust me it's taken me a long time to be comfortable with that. I'd love for you to stick around. As long you enjoy the mundane, boring and ordinary life of a middle age wife, mom, homemaker and most importantly child of God. *smile*

Wendi 

Joy in the Ordinary

As the keeper of the home, it's easy to get lost in the mundane. To lose the sight of joy as we are bogged down in the every day. One way to combat that is to stop and find joy in the ordinary moments. I personally know that this isn't always easy. What I do know is that when I am intentional about slowing down and finding the joy it changes my perspective.

Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week. 

Morning sun streaming through the kitchen window.

Snow falling outside of my front window. I admit that did tell Chuck that is August is considered the armpit of summer, that January must be the armpit of winter.  Even so, I will continue to find joy in the snow. *smile*

Celebrating my 54th birthday. 

The girls continue to lay consistently, even in the cold. 

Megan's plate one evening. I mean, if you can't find joy in a pile of cheese, is there really any hope?

My girl perfecting her Tamale recipe. She isn't pleased with it yet, but will keep trying. 

In the mean time we get evenings of watering eyes from hot peppers and a home that smells like a Mexican restaurant. 

My girl is maturing as this is how she now leaves the kitchen. It's a joy to have a tidy kitchen!

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things.

Wendi

Feeling Crafty

 I pulled out my Valentine bin and I wasn't feeling super inspired. I took a trip to Hobby Lobby and was very disappointed. There were tons of empty shelves and many of pieces where broken. Pass.

 I did some browsing on the internet for inspiration. After I had gathered some ideas I showed Chuck and he let me know what he had in his scrap pile. He kindly cut the scraps to size and I was ready to go!

I did pick up a few things for the project from Michaels: scrapbook paper, twine and some letters that were 99 cents each.

This is the first inspiration picture.

My version.

Initially, I planned to use scrapbook paper for the hearts. In the end I used some wooden hearts that Chuck and Megan picked up while they ran an errand. I'm happy with the results.

Next inspiration.

 

I love this!

I had this sign and wasn't loving it. I pulled off the burlap and gave the areas I wanted to paint a sand.

Sadly it wasn't working out as planned. No matter how many coats of paint I put on the letters keep showing through. So, it was on to plan B.

I used some the scrapbook paper to cover the lettering and used more of the twine. 

I'm please with how it all turned out. I plan to decorate for Valentine's Day this week and will share how this all came together. 

Wendi