Happy Homemaker Monday

Happy Monday my blogland Buddies! 

I'm finally, after about a week and a 1/2, getting a pep back in my step!! I'm still coughing quite a bit and have chest congestion...but I'm FINALLY feeling more like myself. What a nasty bug this has been! But now my poor boy has it and my girl told me she had a sore throat this AM. Ugh!! I'm lysoling the berjesus out of everything and trying to kill all the germs - but I guess we're not out of the woods yet. :( 

Enough moaning and groaning about all of that. Just know I'm sending you all very healthy thoughts. This weekend I still did a lot of rest time, but felt better to do a bit more cleaning than I had during the week and I made a big pot of chicken soup and even some apple crisp! My sweet boy said my soup is the only thing that's helped him feel better so far. ;) The leaves aren't quite as vibrant this year - but they sure are a-changing now! I think over this next week it's going to be about peak color in my area. Looking forward to a more productive week ahead, and hopefully the energy to get out and enjoy the beauty before it fades.  

I'm late with my post today as I needed to help my Mom bring her car in to get fixed this morning...so then she wanted to buy me breakfast. We hung out at her place for quite a bit of the morning and I got to play and snuggle with her puppy (who's getting so big now!). 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

Beautiful sunny and lovely day! The best day of the week according to our weather people. Supposed to hit mid to upper 60's and sunny all day. Tomorrow chance of rain and temps mostly back to the 50's for the week.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

Mom bought me a lovely breakfast bagel and caramel mocha coffee and it hit the spot!

  AS I LOOK OUTSIDE MY WINDOW:

It's sunny and pretty. Light winds keep swirling some leaves that are in my driveway, as I look out my office window. I took out my flowers that are in my bay window in here and put up my big jack-o-lantern in the window instead. It plugs in so there's a fun glow in this window at night. And I have 2 smaller ones in my kitchen window too. ;) 

RIGHT NOW I AM:

I'm listening to some calm Joshua Bell violin music and was just talking to my boy about taking his medicine and what he'd like me to make him for some lunch. He's home sick from school and I think we'll both be resting a bit this afternoon (after I finish a few more chores around here).

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE:

Overall tidy from cleaning this weekend. My hubby has been wonderful and pitching in extra on cleaning house duties over the past week! He's been doting on me a lot too and has taken several separate trips to the store to get things I've needed - including a little humidifier for our bedroom as our old one broke.  Just love that guy.

ON TODAY'S TO DO LIST:

Well some more cleaning and lysoling and wiping down everywhere today. I'm going to open more windows and let the house air out on this nice day. I didn't get to the bathrooms this weekend- so I'm going to give them extra cleaning love today.  I have several things on my list for this week that I didn't get to last week due to this darn cold. I had to reschedule the fun bday lunch with my friend - so we'll be doing that this week instead. Plus, I'll be mailing out packages I didn't get to and I'll need to get groceries too. Some kiddo appointments to do and religious ed class to get them to later in the week. I'm hoping to pick up some mums and pumpkins this week too...so i can finish decorating the front of the house. It's nice to get back out and enjoy this favorite season!

CURRENTLY READING:

I've mainly been catching up on my magazines over the past week.

ON THE TV TODAY:

I spent so much time vegging and watching t.v. last week - I'm sick of it right now! Lol

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

MONDAY: leftovers

TUESDAY: probably breakfast for dinner as needing to get groceries 

WEDNESDAY: chicken gnocchi soup

THURSDAY: use the leftover chicken not used in the soup on whole wheat BBQ chicken pizza

FRIDAY: homemade mac & cheese, salad 

**hoping to go for Fall drive and out for a fun dinner this weekend as it'll be my birthday on Saturday - and I'm also planning on baking a chocolate eclair cake in honor of it too. ;) 

WHAT I AM CREATING AT THE MOMENT:

I did finally complete my sweet fairy garden pot and posted about it over the weekend. Hope you checked it out - if not you can find it here. And I even felt motivated enough to change my blog layout background for October too. ;) 

NEW RECIPE I WANT TO TRY THIS WEEK:

Planning to bake a chocolate eclair cake recipe I've been wanting to try.

TIP OF THE WEEK:

FROM THE CAMERA:

We've been blessed with a beautiful Fall so far here on our bay. Some gorgeous days - slow changing color - and beautiful nights gazing at the moon (in a warm sweater of course!). 

And ending the night on a sweet note with my apple crisp and vanilla bean ice cream (so yummy and a recipe I adapted from my Grandma's). You can find my recipe here and read about that time I was published in a Mary Engelbreit cookbook for it! 

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

Wishing you a wonderful week my Friends! I'm linking with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

Fall Fairy Garden Pot

Hello and happy weekend to you my Friends! 

I'm still nursing this miserable cold and it's been a rough one. I went to the walk-in and thankfully I don't have strep throat. I guess it's just one of those "2 weeks to kick it" kind of things. I think I've finally turned a corner, though, and have a bit more energy and my throat feels fine now. Just a full on chest cold presently -and I'm nursing it with lots of hot tea, chicken soup, and rest. (I'm also lysoling everything in my home and trying to kill all the germs once and for all!!).  

Anyway, on to something fun! I was peaking on in my old summer fairy pot and I found that a new visitor had moved in! She's really quite sweet and seems to be making herself right at home. 

I had been playing in that pot - and cleaning out some of the old summer things the week before. My fairy trees and plants had grown big and overgrown - but I liked that wild forest look. It reminds me of where I live in my northwoods. So I just threw in some bright faux Fall leaves, and some real ones from my birch tree. I also added the cute little jack-o-lantern banner wrapped in fairy leaves. And I threw in some twinkly lights for night time of course. However, when I was looking at it yesterday - I noticed someone else must also be enjoying my new additions, as she decided to plant her pumpkin patch there and move in.

See the faux and real leaves I added - and my twinkly lights?

But as I looked closer - I could see almost twinkly magic all its own sparkling around the middle of the pot.

Sure enough, a closer look revealed a sweet Autumn fairy - sitting on her hay bale among a harvest of Fall pumpkins. She even put up an adorable Fall Harvest sign.  Maybe she's planning to sell the fruits of her labor and is setting up shop?

I saw that she even brought a sweet fairy solar moon to light her way once the sun sets.

I tried to stay hidden, but I leaned in for a closer look and could see that she was talking to someone. I tried to zoom in closer to figure out who she was talking to in there? 

 And I saw this sweet little guy on a leaf - keeping the sweet Autumn fairy company. They seemed to be having a great heart to heart talk.

I didn't want to interrupt them - so I left them there to chat.

Even once her froggy friend left...I didn't want to scare my new sweet Friend. So I left her there with her sweet pumpkins and daydreams.  

Wishing you a magical weekend Friends! I'm linking with Andrea of Scrapality for Scraptastic Saturday. And with Sherry for Home Sweet Home.

 

Wednesday Wonder

MORE SIGNS OF FALL

Ruby went to the groomer and got a pretty pumpkin pom pom collar and a "candy bark" treat for this lovely Halloween month. And she was happy. ;) 

Darker and sometimes rainy mornings now mean candle glow and a jack-o-lantern night light.

The pontoon is officially out of the water and in my leaf strewn driveway and ready to get cleaned up and put in storage. 

This darn cold keeps kicking my butt, so please forgive me being so behind to visit. I will catch up and see you soon! Sending you all HEALTHY thoughts!

Happy Homemaker Monday

Good morning and Happy Monday to you Friends! 

I feel like the weekend went too fast. I'm still kind of "catching up" on my life since being back from our wonderful trip. But, as what usually happens to me when back from a trip, I've caught a bit of a cold...so I'm a bit tired and under the weather. Just going to have a nice hot tea chaser since I've already had some coffee, and I've taken some cold medicine which is helping and I'm functioning much better. 

We had soccer games over the weekend. My son's high school team lost theirs, but my daughter's youth soccer team had a couple of games and won to make it into the bronze division championship - and won it!! It wasA beautiful weather both days for soccer and nice to sit out and see the trees around us with their leaves changing color. 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

Bright, sunny and lovely this morning. Supposed to hit mid to upper 60's the next few days - then some rain and cold sets in later in the week.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

I had a little piece of whole wheat toast with butter & jam and some coffee with hazelnut creamer.

  AS I LOOK OUTSIDE MY WINDOW:

Sunny and bright - a few puffy clouds. The bay was so pretty this morning as there was  mist on it and I sipped some coffee and watched it float away. We took our pontoon out this weekend and it's sitting on a trailer out in our driveway. So as I sit in my office I can see it out my window and it's another rite of October. Leaves start to change and the pontoon gets put away. 

RIGHT NOW I AM:

I'm listening to the Eva Cassidy station on Pandora and going to go make a mug of tea. Be right back.  That's better.  A nice hot cup of cinnamon plum tea is steaming away next to me. That will hit the spot. 

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE:

Some tidying up from the weekend still needed. My sweet hubby loaded the dishwasher for me this AM and even took the kiddos up to school so I didn't have to do it and could snuggle in. Yep, he's a keeper.

ON TODAY'S TO DO LIST:

I need to run around a bit today. Since my energy is low, I think I'll rest and pass on my workout for now. I need to take back some library books and I'm going to visit my Mother-in-law.  My MIL is settled in her facility now and it's actually going very well. She's not far from our house and I made some yummy Ghirardelli chocolate chip cookies yesterday and I'm going to take a visit over there today and bring her some. I'll be sure to keep my germs to myself, as of course I don't want to give her anything. I'll bring extra cookies as my FIL has been  there a lot too (of course).  I think I may pick up some take out lunch from a favorite restaurant where I love their chicken soup. I think that will hit the spot today!  

I have a week filled with to-do's including mailing out some baby gifts, going to more soccer games, and making some food for my FIL. I also want to catch up on blogland as I'm still behind visiting everyone there. Maybe change my header for October too eventually. But I have an especially fun "to-do" list item this week. I'm looking forward to a planned day this week where a best girlfriend of mine and I will be going to a favorite local gourmet restaurant up the beautiful north shore to share lunch together. We both have bdays in October and it's our tradition to celebrate this way. A beautiful drive, wonderful conversation and EXCELLENT food!! 

CURRENTLY READING:

Fall magazines! (still these) and looking at maybe starting the novel The Girl on the Train.

ON THE TV TODAY:

I know I have some cooking shows taped, Hallmark stuff, several of our series shows we like. I've been loving some new shows including The Good Place and This is Us. Have you watched them? Also, Timeless starts tonight which I also think looks so good!

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

MONDAY: in honor of the nice day and my hubby's team (Vikings) on football tonight I'm planning on grilling burgers. Also we'll have baked beans, chips, caramel apple salad, crudite veggies

TUESDAY:slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs with crunchy cashews over rice 

WEDNESDAY: leftovers

THURSDAY: polish sausage and peppers breakfast pizza over hasbrown crust

FRIDAY: not sure yet?

WHAT I AM CREATING AT THE MOMENT:

I've been trying to organize my many photos on shutterfly and I'm planning on an easy digitial book of our recent trip. I still have too much of my other scrapbooking to catch up on to paper scrapbook this one.

NEW RECIPE I WANT TO TRY THIS WEEK:

Might bake something new?

TIP OF THE WEEK:

Anybody try this one before? And does it work on other kinds of stains? I'm sure it's the alcohol in the sanitizer that's doing the work. 

FROM THE CAMERA:

My Girl in action

handing out trophies - Annie's coach told her she'd played soccer like a hockey player - haha!

Getting 1st place (bronze division) trophy

Champions!

I found a lovely spot for my Fall fairy friend - and I'll share more on that planter later in the week ;) 

I got out some of my outdoor Fall decorations this past weekend too

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:


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