Happy Homemaker Monday

Happy Monday my Friends and...

It's here...the holiday month of all holiday months! The season that here in the northwoods brings lots of snow and cold (which we've begun already) The month of welcoming a newborn King and celebrating His birth. And the month of decorating, baking, gathering with family, and gift giving. Looking at Christmas lights and listening to Christmas music that brings nostalgia to the heart and soul. ❤️💚 As the lyrics go: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! 🎄🎶🎁

It was a long lovely Thanksgiving day and weekend around here. My brother and SIL weren't able to make it this year as they provided the meal and spent the day with my SIL's parents. But my Mom and my kiddos were here and it was a day filled with great food, lots of games and laughs, very full bellies and fun. I LOVE the time I get to share with my kiddos when they're both home and staying here. Makes my heart so full. We did several late gamer nights too, and that is always so fun!!

Then Friday I made a big pot of homemade turkey soup (the best! I added cooking sherry and cream this yeary) and then Matt and I did a little black Friday shopping. Saturday we gathered with a lot of family for a memorial celebration for my Aunt that had died this past Fall at the age of 85. It was a special gathering at a favorite local pizza place that her in-law's had started many years ago and it is an institution in our town. They opened the place early just for our family and provided all the pizza for the gathering. We looked at old pics, shared stories and it was actually a lot of fun. Some family couldn't make it due to the weather - we got several inches of snow that day...and adding to what we already had we're now up about a foot of snow. And this morning it's in the single digits for temps and today only supposed to reach a high in the teens. So I would say winter is here to stay. ❄️

On a not fun note we had some plumbing issues at the house but getting it all taken care of and in the scheme of issues we could have - this one is very manageable. And thankfully it doesn't affect our home heating! Lol 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

a bun leftover from Thanksgiving with some jam, protein coffee 

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

finish cleaning and decorating for Christmas, home and gift projects, errands, help my Mom with her decorating, hospice work

THINKING ABOUT: 

how cold I feel this morning - the older I get the harder it is each year to re-acclimate to the freezing cold we get up here

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

making homemade hot chocolate on the stove and watching snowflakes swirl outside

CURRENTLY READING

I have a new Christmas mystery book I will start soon but haven't yet

ON THE TV TODAY:

 Jeopardy, old seasons of big brother, Dancing with the Stars Holiday episode tonight, Survivor,  Ghosts, Holiday baking shows, Great British Baking Holiday shows, Hallmark and Christmas movies 

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - BLT's with what's left of Thanksgiving salads/leftovers

TUESDAY - BBQ ribs, dill pickle salad, green salad

WEDNESDAY -  leftovers or sushi night

THURSDAY - crack breakfast sliders, salad, fruit

FRIDAY - out for dinner or order in?

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

do some get ahead holiday baking that I will freeze, homemade gifts to finish, watch a Christmas movie

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

FROM THE CAMERA:

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 a safe and healthy holiday season ahead. For Matt's results to come back cancer free. 

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 hope you have a lovely and blessed winter and holiday season ahead!

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

Hashbrown and Veggie Breakfast Pizza and a Little Break

Hello dear Friends and happy Friday to you! I hope you're wrapping up your week and heading into a cozy fun weekend ahead. :) 

Life here is busy in the best ways. My Annie Girl is home from college and makes my Momma heart sing with happiness. 😍😊 

We have been enjoying lots of catch up time and even went and hung out with my Mom yesterday. Matt helped me get a new car and that arrives today. I am also going to give some time at the hospice facility. We plan on some fun for the weekend ahead, as well as getting the rest of the Thanksgiving groceries as I start prepping that meal by Monday (I have certain things I make each day leading up to the big gobble gobble). Matt has his surgery early next week. So all of that along with lots of Annie time and holiday prepping means I will be on here less and want to put my focus on family. So I'm going to take a little break - probably until after Thanksgiving. 

But first I thought I'd share this blast from the past and the updated version I made the other day. This is from the first time I made hashbrown breakfast pizza. I used thawed hashbrowns that I had put some butter on, baked, then took out and added ham, scrambled eggs veggies & cheese and baked some more. So very easy and so very good! You can find and read the full recipe here.

In the twist I made the other night I added some broccoli slaw to the hashbrowns to up the veggie and fiber factor. I also added some chopped onion. I put all of that in a bowl. Tossed the mixture with a little olive oil. Seasoned it and spread it all on a sheet pan. I preheated the oven to 425* and added some butter to the pan and preheated the pan in the oven with the butter for several minutes. Took out the hot pan and added the hashbrown mixture and baked for about 20-25 minutes. Then while that was baking I scrambled up about 5 eggs seasoning them as I went. When the hashbrowns were done I took them out and added the scrambled eggs...and what I had on hand - some cooked and broken up breakfast sausage, some buffalo mozzarella I needed to use up and a little shredded cheddar. If I had extra peppers or veggies I would have chopped them up and added them too. What is nice is how versatile this recipe is and just so good for using up whatever is in your fridge. I then put it back in the 425* oven and baked for another 15 minutes broiling just a little at the end. It always turns out so great and you can use as much hashbrowns/veggies as you want or as little. There isn't a right or wrong amount -whatever fills your pan or that you want to use up. 

bowl with hashbrown, broccoli slaw & chopped onion tossed with oil and seasoning

spread in pan and bake ( I had grabbed a large pan and it didn't even fill it - doesn't matter bakes all the same :) 

added scrambled eggs and whatever I needed to use up in the fridge and the cheeses

bakes up so yummy and I just cut it into squares and serve - we love ours topped with sriracha mayo drizzle ( I didn't get a pic of that)

If you like breakfast for dinner and you're looking to clear out what's in the fridge, this is a win-win for you! 😋 So easy and soooo tasty. Would be really great for a brunch as you could make a big pan or 2 of this to serve a crowd great! Add some fruit, maybe muffins or pastries and you'd have a wonderful spread. If you try it I hope you enjoy!! 

Also, I will come around and visit you Friends when I get a chance. For my Friends in the states, I wish you a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving next week! Remember to set your scales back 10 pounds. 😉

Gobble til you Wobble! So very grateful for you All!! 

🍂🧡🧡🍁

xoxo

Happy Homemaker Monday

Hello my Lovelies!

Are you ready to dive into a new week?

Can you believe it's the week before Thanksgiving time already?? The time - she sure is flying. There has been a chilly late Fall vibe in the northwoods filled with cold nights that bring a frosty deck in the morning and a glaze of ice on the bay. Cozy season is fully here. 

I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing weekend. That's what went on around here. Besides Jesus time we also ran some errands - including a Goodwill drop off. We went out for dinner one night. And yesterday was a loungewear and football all day kind of relaxing day. I also have the majority of my Christmas shopping done and have already started wrapping gifts in Mrs. Claus workshop (my home crafting/office room). It feels good getting a lot of those details out of the way so I can focus on  family time, baking, movies, and decorating during the holiday season. 

And THANK YOU all again for the kind words regarding the saga that is this skin cancer stuff. The antibiotic is helping and I'm definitely on the healing track now...thank God's goodness. 🙏🏻

I've been making a Thanksgiving menu list and ideas. Now I need to break it into lists for grocery shopping trips (will probably do our favorite grocery store and Costco ahead). I love hosting it here. 🍁🧡 for many reasons but one is all the leftovers (the best part, right?). And especially for the family time. Looking so forward to having both of the kiddos in the nest for Thanksgiving. It's when my heart feels completely whole.  Annie comes home from college this week - yay!!! I miss her so much and can't wait to hug my Girl. I was talking to her yesterday and she was saying the same thing...that she needs her Momma. :) 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

vanilla greek yogurt with granola, coffee

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

Ruby spa haircut day, start Thanksgiving errands, home projects, finish blessing bag refills, hospice work

THINKING ABOUT: 

I'm grateful Matt & I tag teamed the windows and got them cleaned inside and out this weekend. Good job off the list and in time to get ready to hibernate. He may even put up the outside Christmas lights soon - before it's too cold or snowy. We have some other home cleaning projects to check off the list before Christmas decorations come out the weekend after Thanksgiving. 

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

Listening to Christmas music while wrapping gifts and putting on pretty ribbons to make some of them extra pretty. 🎁

CURRENTLY READING

been so focused on craft projects, gift wrapping and mainly reading magazines

ON THE TV TODAY:

 Jeopardy, old seasons of big brother, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor,  Ghosts, Holiday baking shows, Hallmark movies 

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - breakfast pizza (the crust made from frozen hashbrowns roasted with broccoli slaw - will share recipe this week)

TUESDAY - might be out running errands? leftovers?

WEDNESDAY -  tacos

THURSDAY - spinach and cheese ravioli, Italian chicken meatballs, salad

FRIDAY - Annie pick?

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

color with Annie, work on puzzle with my Girl, wrap gifts

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

FROM THE CAMERA:

There is a glaze of ice on the bay each morning now. The bird feeder has been very popular lately...which brings in the squirrels to clean up what falls to the deck. And that has Ruby keeping an eye on things. 

My crafting desk was so nice and clean but now it's become a Christmas workshop as I knock out wrapping the gifts I've picked up. It feels very satisfying to check things off the list with each gift that gets wrapped. I plan to do many homemade food gift baskets too. So I have an organizer (not pictured) holding baskets, ribbons, food gift bags, jars etc ready to go when I put them together closer to Christmas. Laundry baskets are filling up with wrapped gifts. Bubba loves to sit in the bay window and supervise my work.

Matt and I made the viral cranberry candy from social media. We did one bag of cranberries and halved the recipe - but the recipe calls for 2 bags of fresh cranberries. Soak them in a bowl filled with 2 cans of lemon lime soda and 1 cup of orange juice. Cover and soak them in the fridge overnight. Then the next day drain the cranberries. Toss them in a bunch of powdered sugar until fully coated and spread them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Cook in a 200* F oven for 5-7 minutes. Let cool fully. Then enjoy! They're sweet and tart and very crunchy. They make a satisfying and loud pop when you bite down on them. I think you could also soak them in prosecco or something like that if you wanted a boozy version. They are different and fun. Matt loves them!

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 safe travels for all the holiday travelers ahead. 

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:

The cozy time of year is the best, isn't it? Blessings on your week dear Friends. I'm sharing this with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.