Happy Homemaker Monday

Hello my Friends!

Blessings to you on this new week. ☀️

First of all, I wanted to say thank you so much for all of the lovely comments you sent my way on my last post. The sweet love and support meant so much to me! Hospice is definitely a calling beyond me and all the glory really goes to the Lord. But I still thank you so very much!💗

Did you have a nice weekend? We had a nice long one because Matt's folks flew in on Thursday from AZ. They were coming home to the lake property for the summer. We picked them up and headed straight for the lake and stayed there with them until Sunday. We helped them get groceries and do jobs around the property to get them all settled back in. 

We also enjoyed some time playing cards, visiting, taking walks, watching movies, grilling, going out to dinner one night... and all the nice relaxing lake life things. The dock and boats are in but it was too windy and chilly to go out on the water. I just love my in-laws and enjoy time with them so much! 💗

After the nice relaxing weekend I'm ready to get back to busy life for the week ahead...

 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

iced protein coffee and a piece of lemon blueberry toast, some banana

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

errands, we need groceries, some hospice paperwork to catch up on, meet up with one of the companies that's giving us a quote on our bathroom reno, Annie dentist, hang with my Mom, some cleaning/organize projects, hospice work at the facility

THINKING ABOUT: 

that it's gray and rainy here today but it's making me feel cozy and productive

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

long walks down country roads :) 

CURRENTLY READING

I still need to dive into a new book I got for Mother's Day but I'm currently having some fun browsing Katie Daisy books that give me drawing inspiration 

 

ON THE TV TODAY:

  Jeopardy, old seasons of big brother & the office,  Survivor, Outlander (need to watch the last 2 episodes I have taped - I hate it's all over for good 😢),  Love on the Spectrum (still need to finish it)

Matt and I need to go back and finish The Last Kingdom series

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - 

TUESDAY - 

WEDNESDAY -  

THURSDAY - 

FRIDAY - 

*not sure what I'm doing this week as I still need to gather a list and go to the grocery store - will check in and see if Matt or Annie have any preferences. I'm thinking a taco/nacho night, maybe go to the meat market to get something to grill and do sides Annie likes (she's not a meat eater), lemon pasta (meatballs on the side) with roasted broccoli, maybe greek chicken sweet potato bowls I've wanted to try to make?

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

work on organizing and scrapbook projects

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

I love ambiance action videos like this Ghibli one (perfect today as it's about rain and feeling cozy) 

or like this one:

This one is like right out of the Bramble hedge books. 

They are nice cozy backdrops for reading, cleaning or just doing things around home. 

 

FROM THE CAMERA:

The beauty that is Ten Mile Lake - but it was either too chilly or too choppy to get out on the water over the weekend. And the pic below this is out of one of the windows at the cottage. On the back of the property there is a pond that it so pretty too. 

Matt's Mom has really been trying to work on her walking and balance and wanted to get out to walk with us. Go Sue! It was so fun to see leaves popping out on the trees and little dandelions and flowers popping up in the grass along the road. We ran into another walker this day that said his pups were at the vet because they had a run-in with a porcupine that morning. Yikes! He praised our smarts keeping Ruby on a leash. 

love him 💗💗💗

Out for a nice dinner and saying cheers in honor of Jerry and Sue's return to the lake! Fun to have a reason to get dressed up a bit. I didn't get a pic of my dinner but I did of my drink 😂 which was a salted caramel martini - yum! I had the crab crusted mahi mahi in a lemon cream sauce with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. Holy moly was it fabulous!

At the lake cottage, there are planked pathways Matt's grandpa had put in when they built the property. They are so pretty and go right to the walkway that heads to a little deck and then down to the dock. Matt's grandparents put in the rocks all over as Matt's grandma was an avid gardener and used to plant wildflowers in these rock gardens all along the way. And she used to hang lots of flowering baskets in the trees. Matt's folks do hanging baskets in some of the trees each summer, but that's about as much as they want to tend to. 

Someday when it's the retirement property for Matt and I we plan to renovate inside the cottage, and also to do more gardening around it too. Although we may talk to his folks about planting some dwarf shrubs in some of the rock garden areas in the near future. They wouldn't really be any maintenance, but it would add to improving the look around the cottage. 

I love the fireplace and the stone Matt's grandparents had put in the cottage and they are things we would definitely keep in the renovation! 😍

So nice that back at home we have leaves finally coming out on the trees and my wild daffodils in the woods are blooming too. 

pretty even on a rainy day

PRAYER LIST:

 For an end to the conflicts all over the world and anyone living in war & fear, especially everything going on in the middle east right now. For peace and unity in this country, especially from hate and shootings or violence.  For anyone sick, suffering, in pain, fear, loneliness etc ... that God bring them comfort and peace. For healing for Matt's knee. For wildfires to be contained in our area (it was so dry and windy over the weekend and outlying areas still having issues)

For the Lord's love and peace to fill 2026. ❤️ 

For Christ's Light and Love to cast out the darkness everywhere and help the world find its way to loving our neighbors as ourselves. 🙏🏻

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

Wishing you all an amazing week ahead. 🌸

I'm sharing this with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

Wednesday Wonder: Hospice Moments

 

Hi there Friends 💗

I hope this week has been wonderful to you so far. :) 

Today I thought I would share some thoughts related to the hospice work that I do. 

I think it's a gentle kind of work that doesn't get talked about much. At least not in everyday conversation. Sometimes I think it's difficult for folks to think about. The fact that there is a cycle to our lives and it ends in the same place for us all. 

I have been doing hospice work for almost 9 years now...and I think it has gently changed me through the years. 

It has taught me that the smallest things - a familiar song, a favorite blanket, a warm hand, and even a whispered prayer...can become the most meaningful gifts we give one another. 

I'm not sharing this to make your hearts heavy, but to remind all of us that even in life's final chapters there is still so much love to be held. 🙏🏻🌸

I thought I would share a few photos I took when I was up at the hospice house the other day. There is a commercial kitchen behind closed doors. But there is also a community kitchen for families to use. It has all the amenities most folks would need right down to slow cookers. 

Sometimes when folks pass away... their family gives the facility flowers they received so there is often pretty fresh flowers displayed around. 

One of the roles I have helped take on over the years is scrapbooking obituaries of patients that passed that had stayed at the hospice house. You can see some of the albums on the shelf in the background in this photo below. When I make a scrapbooked page of an obit I like to pray over that person and their family that is left behind. When I work on these albums I often think of it as a gift I like to give them...that their story mattered and I'm helping to keep it safe. 

In the community kitchen and dining area there is always a coffee pot  on...or the items to make a fresh pot of coffee as needed. And there is also hot water for tea or cocoa. As well as cookies - that are also baked by volunteers (another role I have helped with at times). I have also held and lotioned hands, said prayers with family (or on my own) over patients, and mainly just been an ear when a patient or family just needs to vent or wants to share. 

Some volunteers also give of their time by playing music for the facility. I love this corner in a living room at the house - with the beautiful piano, pretty old clock and light streaming in the windows. 

The nurses that work at the hospice house are absolute Angels in my book. They do amazing and loving work to help ease a patient's pain, concerns, and to help with comfort while they stay there. As well as their  family's comfort as well. It is an honor to be a part of this environment and I feel that the hospice house is like sacred ground. It is something I have felt called to do, and next to being a Mom - I think it's some of the most important work I do in this world. 

Thank you for letting me take a moment to share my passion and to say this: if you have ever thought about giving of your time in any special volunteer capacity - DO IT! You will never regret it and the ways your life will be blessed is too rich to put into words. 

I have a busy few days ahead so if I don't pop in again this week - have a wonderful weekend and I'll catch you next week. 

xoxo

Happy Homemaker Monday

Hello and happy fresh new week to you Friends!

It felt like the weekend flew by over here. How was yours?

We did a lot of the usuals...running around with errands, church, and out for a nice dinner. Oh and of course watching more of the Olympics! We usually go to church on Saturdays. So Matt & I caught the U.S. mens gold medal winning hockey game Sunday morning. It was awesome! It went into OT and Jack Hughes scored the winning goal and he had some teeth knocked out earlier...so smiling with his medal and no teeth was true hockey style there. Lol We are such hockey folks here up north so we really enjoyed it. It was truly historic as it was the first gold for the U.S. since the miracle team in 1980. Very cool!

We also had Aaron home for some of the weekend and that, of course, is always the best! We played cards, dominos and some video games together. One of the nights he and I stayed up late and had a great heart-to-heart chat until almost 3 in the morning!! We've always been close and I just love the man he has become and I'm so very proud of him. To have him end our chat with "I love you so much Mom" and giving me a huge hug - well as a momma I don't think it gets better. 

Now a new week begins....

 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

a little piece of leftover kringle from the weekend, coffee

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

some errands I need to run and pop in to my Mom's, groceries, calls for hospice and other hospice work, home projects

THINKING ABOUT: 

how much I adore my kiddos and the young adults they have become :) 

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

running my diffuser and the way it smells so fresh (right now it has lavender, eucalyptus, and rosemary in it)

CURRENTLY READING

I decided not to start the new series I was going to just yet and instead I'm diving into another Comfort Food Cafe book from the series by Debbie Johnson

ON THE TV TODAY:

  Jeopardy, old seasons of big brother & the office, the Pitt, Best Medicine, I forgot about When Calls the Heart and need to catch up, Survivor starts back this week and also Ghosts as well, All Creatures Great and Small 

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - leftover Italian grinder sliders and tossed salad

TUESDAY - chicken soup dumplings and veggie spring rolls we didn't have last week along with Asian pear and veggies and dip

WEDNESDAY -  

THURSDAY - 

FRIDAY - 

*not sure what we're doing the rest of the week yet

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

work on scrapbooks, do some yoga stretching, read

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

I have been doing extra devotional time - including I am on the Hallow app for Lent. You can find out about it here. This weekend I listened to Mother Olga (she is the founder of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth) in Boston. And I love the prayer/mantra she prays every day. It's this simple: 

Lord, empty me. Fill me. Use me.

Basically asking the Lord to take away all the parts I try to control - empty me from that. Then fill me with His will and where He wants to lead me. And then use me to do the works He wants of me. I love this so much and I am adopting it into my prayers each morning. 

I often pray something similar before I do hospice work where I also ask Him to use me as an instrument for what he wants me to do for others in hospice and that when others see or hear me...that they really see or hear Him and grow closer to Him. 🙏🏻

FROM THE CAMERA:

Still buried in snow so I enjoyed a bit more coloring. Again, I love how the alcohol markers are so bright and saturating so even the back of the page is pretty. 😍 

For a little while the boys played some WWE so I just sat and watched and caught up on my new magazine. Then I jumped in to play when they switched to some other games. This magazine has so many recipes I want to try so stay tuned and I'll share when I make them. Ruby was more "Mom quit flipping and pet me!" Lol

 Here are just a few I have marked: slow cooker beef curry (we both love curry dishes), roasted chicken with leeks & lemon, and moo shu pork in lettuce cups. 😋

We also got a little time with our Girl. She had tried calling when we were in church so we called her back in the car on our way to dinner.

By the way, I found those cute air freshners in an etsy shop. It's called Shop Vroom Blooms. They have cork bottoms that you put drops of essential oil on (comes with the freshners) and they smell so good. I picked lemon lavender for the scents. I had gotten Annie one she keeps in her car (hers is a lily of the valley as that is her birth flower). And I kept loving hers when we visited last month. So I had to get some of my own. 

PRAYER LIST:

 For an end to the conflicts all over the world and anyone living in war & fear. For peace and unity in this country, especially from hate and shootings or violence.  For anyone sick, suffering, in pain, fear, loneliness etc ... that God bring them comfort and peace. For Nancy Gutherie to be found 😢

For the Lord's love and peace to fill 2026. ❤️ 

For Christ's Light and Love to cast out the darkness everywhere and help the world find its way to loving our neighbors as ourselves. 🙏🏻

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

I couldn't agree more. 💗

Blessings on your week ahead! 

I'm sharing with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.