Joy in the Ordinary

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

Fresh baked goods make my home smell wonderful.

Monday morning was cool enough to open the windows. Not only do I love the fresh air, but I enjoy hearing the birds sing and the flap of the flag. 

Laundry is all caught up and put away.

Ignore my broken down laundry basket. This basket isn't even six months old and is broken already. Sigh. I find it extremely disappointing that things aren't made better.

An afternoon snack.

Megan found a dinosaur sandwich cutter while we were grocery shopping with my mom. She asked for it and when I said not that day she asked me to put it on her Christmas list (Megan rarely ask for us to buy her something while out). My mom put it her cart to purchase for Megan and she is delighted with it. 

My ride is back home again. It had an ignition issue. It just happened to be part of a recall so there was no charge.  Yay! We actually came out ahead, even with the towing fee,  as we only had one key fob since we purchased the van used. The new ignition automaticly came with two since that is what is provided with a new vehicle. The key fob runs about $200. It was be wonderful to have an extra in case of loss or breakage.

I am so happy, but my dad might be even happier as he doesn't have to drive carpool for me. :)

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

My Weekend

One of the things I love about weekends is the slower pace and of course having my family home with me. Saturday started with a nice breakfast.

Although we are headed right back into hot and humid days we did get a break this weekend. 

It was wonderful to step out into the cooler morning and soak in some sunshine. 

I took advantage of it to hang out a load of laundry. When it is super humid it takes a long time for the clothing to dry if at all. 

I took the time to shred and put some zucchini into the freezer. This will be used for bread, muffins, coffee cake and don't tell my family but it might end up a pot of veggie soup. 

Not everything this weekend was positive. My van would not start with the key. It would start with the remote start, but would not move from park. Chuck tried many things and sadly it had to be towed to the dealer. 

We are praying it is a quick and inexpensive fix. 

There were also birthdays to celebrate this weekend. My niece, Katie, turned 21! We went out for a big family dinner. 

One of boys I used to babysit turned 7!  

Sunday afternoon we went to visit Chuck's grandmother. 

We took over some garden goodies to share. 

Chuck has an aunt that never married. She lived on her own out of state for most of her adult life. She retired and moved back in with her mom about three years ago. It was an answered prayer as Grandma has had some issues with her balance and was going to need some help. She gets along well for 88 years young.

While there Chuck trimmed some tree branches that were hanging over the sidewalk and Grandma and Aunt Brenda showed me their embroidery.  Oh my! They do beautiful work. 

The block above is will be added to her growing stack to be made into a quilt. 

They found some iron on transfer books at a thrift store for $0.25 and purchased the entire stack. I looked through them and brought a few home with me. I am going to try my hand at making a fall themed table runner. 

It was a lovely visit and there is so much wisdom and knowledge to be learned from older generations if you listen and ask the right questions. 

We came home and sat out enjoying the beauty of the day before making a simple meal. Chuck has a catered lunch at work tomorrow so this is no need for leftovers for his lunch. We enjoyed a meal of bacon, eggs and pancakes. 

The kitchen is tidy from dinner and ready to start the week.

 

Chuck has his bag laying over the chair and his items on the table (umbrella, keys, wallet, work badge etc), Megan's breakfast dish and vitamins are set out for her (Chuck takes something to eat at work since he leaves early and isn't ready to eat yet). Lunches, breakfasts, snacks, water bottles and such are in the refrigerator. Tomorrow Megan is taking a leftover casserole for lunch so her thermos is out on the counter for tomorrow.

Megan is fresh from her shower. She laid her clothes out for tomorrow morning and joined us for our evening Bible time. 

As I type this, evening is settling in. Megan is in bed reading for a few minutes longer. Chuck is watching some of the Olympics and I am getting ready to catch up on a few blogs and then retire for the night. 

I am grateful for a weekend that was full of wonderful things. 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Joy in the Ordinary

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

We made it through the first full week of school. Whew!

The early morning are something both Megan and I need to get use to again. The one nice thing is that I am getting back into a nice routine. I love routine!

My mom and I are still working at preserving. 

 Mainly tomatoes as we have been picking gallons of them each day. 

I ran across a great deal on blueberries so into the freezer they went. 

I am finding more and more of the changing maple leaves. I have mixed feelings about this. 

 Back to school means I need to plan more. The afternoon/evening hours are busy as it is homework and then straight to preparing dinner. I have been trying to get into the habit of pulling out non perishable items I need to complete dinner before I leave to pick up Megan. 

My parents are building a small shed. Megan has loved helping out.

 She carried out 2x4's and laid them out to help frame a wall. 

 Amazing what you find when you take the time to completely download your camera. :) Two weeks ago Nascar was in town and we made a quick stop to check out some cars. 

I need to run and take care of one of those ordinary task as I just heard the buzzer on the dryer.

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Out My Backdoor

Most evenings Chuck and I slip out the backdoor for some fresh air once Megan is in bed. Last night when I went out it was still to hot for the back porch so I headed for the swing set. I sat on the swing and this was my view. 

The picture doesn't do it justice. The sky was full of the most beautiful shades pink, white, gray and blue. Seeing God's beauty always makes me pause and sigh with contentment. 

As we were chatting I looked down and saw this. 

I couldn't believe my eyes! I can't believe the leaves are changing color already. I don't usually see this until September. Makes me wonder if we will see an early fall. Nothing would surprise me as the weather has been different this year. The summer mornings have had tons of dew and many mornings with light fog. Not our typical summer morning. We are still in what are called the dog days of summer with hot and humid days. Did I mention humid?  

Seeing this has motivated me to make my fall cleaning list. I think I will start it next week so when the humidity lifts I can concentrate on outside chores. I am an outside girl so this humid weather is causing me to be indoors to much!

Fall is coming, but I don't want it to come too quickly. As ready as I am for the humidity to wain I want to enjoy each and every day left of summer! 

Anyone else seeing signs of fall? 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

August? Really?

I can not believe that it is August! I am left wondering where the time has gone. August means a return to routine around here. Megan went back to school last Thursday.

Fifth grade! She returned to her small, Christian school and has the same teacher she had in third grade. She is a great teacher!

A new month means it is time to get things together.

Shopping for the month is almost complete. I will go out tomorrow to finish up. There were a few things the store was out of so I will go to another one. Now, don't judge the list! I keep a well stocked pantry so my shopping trips never look normal. 

The monthly menu is also made. 

I picked off the items for this weeks menu. I noticed that I am heavy on green beans as a side dish this week. I must have had a taste for them when I made the master menu.

Not to worry as I have a variety of veggies from the garden and in the pantry so I can mix and match. 

The monthy budget is complete. We are still using Every Dollar and it is working well for us. 

Summer caused us to loosen the financial reins. We will be tightening up the budget so we can continue to tackle what feels like never ending medical debt. I keep reminding myself we will get there. 

The garden is still producing well. I need to pick green beans again and am picking tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini almost daily. 

It is once again hot and the rains have slowed down so we have started to water.

I packed up some empty jars to take over to my moms (for putting up tomatoes). If I think about all of the jars representing canned goods I would have purchased at the store this past year it makes it all worth it. Plus it just taste better!

I hope to get some projects complete. Some thirft side table need to be painted for my niece. 

The storage in the garage also needs finished. The last shelf is in the works. 

I am beyond ready to see things neat and organized in here. 

Ready or not August is here. 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!