Happy Homemaker Monday

Hello and happy new week to you Friends!

Did you have a lovely weekend?

It was a fun and eventful one here as I hosted my annual girlfriend Christmas. We have been doing a Christmas get together and exchange for 37 years (since high school!) We have had one gf move away about 25 years ago, but we still call her during our gathering each year. And she thinks next year she may fly out and be here for a visit and part of the gathering. Yay! She would be coming from California so that is so exciting to all of us! 💗  I share photos below of our time together. They were here for like 7 or 8 hours. It's so fun catching up! Some years there are big heavy things to share, some years joyful things (like Mrs. C's new grandbaby and daughter getting married this year). We have shared it all.  I'm so grateful that all the painful drama years I faced are far behind me and now I just share all the joy in my life! So very blessed🙏🏻💗

We also have a theme each year and exchange gifts based on that. We do a big potluck and graze all day. We all look so forward to it every year. I had kept my Christmas stuff up for it...so this week I need to take it all down (well Matt is an amazing helper too). It's always so sad to see it go. 

Matt and I also brought dinner to my Mom and step Dad yesterday and helped them with some things in their apartment and played some cards. I had made homemade chicken pot pie with a crust I had made during the holidays and froze because I didn't use it. 

 We watched a bit of football over the weekend, too, and the biggest bummer is that our Packers are now all done for the season. 😢 

Oh well, there's always next year...right? 

*a little update: the blogaversary giveaway is still in the works, but there are few things I'm waiting on for it. I hope to do it this week - but again, thanks for your patience and stay tuned! 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

a little weetabix cereal with protein milk and healthy sweetener, coffee

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

Take down Christmas & cleaning, Ruby's haircut, errands, making things to bring an Uncle that just had surgery, stay consistent with all the walking I've been doing (& add light weights), projects, hospice work

THINKING ABOUT: 

excited that I think I finally have a whole wheat sourdough starter (& discard) that seem to be going - but we will see! Lol

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

being outside in the backyard in the winter when it's so calm and still and the snow makes it so quiet and peaceful

CURRENTLY READING

The Housemaid  by Freida McFadden (almost done! but not sure what I'm going to read next)

ON THE TV TODAY:

 watched the Golden Globes last night, Jeopardy, old seasons of big brother & the office, Junk or Jackpot on HGTV, Best Medicine, the Pitt, Shark Tank, Miss Scarlet & All Creatures Great and Small on PBS, cooking shows and movies

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - leftover chicken pot pie, salad

TUESDAY -  healthy oat & banana pancakes, scrambled eggs with veggies & cheese

WEDNESDAY -  garlic & black pepper roasted pork tenderloin, asparagus, maybe brown rice?

THURSDAY - chicken skewer low carb wraps, roasted broccoli 

FRIDAY -  out for dinner or order in?

*if starter cooperates may try to bake a loaf of bread or use discard to bake something fun

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

finish book, bake, paint/sketch

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

FROM THE CAMERA:

I found these cute snoopy sheet and put them on Annie's bed (as she loves him) for the next time she comes home :) 

The sunsets have continued to be so beautiful this winter!

We drew names for our gf Christmas as this year's theme was favorite Christmas movies so wanted to get specific things.  The friend I drew loves hallmark movies, elf, and a Charlie Brown Christmas. So I wrapped everything individually and used cute elf and peanuts wrap to make a tower. 

We never starve! I contributed a naan bread pizza bar (not pictured) for everyone to build their own pizza. And I took honey goat cheese and rolled it in chopped pistachio, dried cherries, & fresh rosemary & thyme. And also put on the charcuterie a cinnamon and cranberry goat cheese. I even cut little stockings and Christmas trees & snowflakes in the cheese and cucumbers with tiny cookie cutters (as I'm nerdy like that😂). The Girls all brought so many goodies too. Matt was in heaven with getting all the extras! Lol

I also made these pretzels that were such a hit! Take a bag of pretzels, pour and coat melted white chocolate over them, and toss with crushed fruity pebbles cereal. Very addicting!  Will share full recipe this week. 

A peek at the homemade chicken pot pie I made yesterday. I will share the recipe later in the week. It's so comforting and YUMMY! 

💗💗💗💗

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 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:

Amen! 

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

Cooking Thursday: Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken

 

Hello Friends!

We are heading quickly towards the weekend - yay! I'm so looking forward to our annual girlfriend Christmas get together I'll be hosting here Saturday. I plan to soak up the last of the Christmas tree and glow extra over the weekend. ;) 

 What do you have planned? 

It will also be a bit of indulging as we do a fun potluck for our gathering. But Matt & I have already been working on some of our new year goals for better health. I have been walking every day instead of being so sporadic. And we have been making sure we up our veggies and lean protein in many of our meals. I made this really easy and VERY yummy sheet pan dinner the other night. The marinade is amazing and would be good used in other ways too. 

It was one I found from my sheet pan meals board on pinterest and it's a recipe by family table vibes website found here. She looked like she has lots of yummy recipes if you want to check it out. 

But Matt & I both loved this stir fry tasting easy meal that had lots of yummy veggies and baked chicken. You add the cashews at the end so they get a little roasted but are still crunchy. So good! 

You let the chicken marinade a while and in the meantime prep all the veggies:

Then put it all in an even layer in the sheet pan and bake. So very easy! I did use fresh ginger (which I think really made the marinade so flavorful) - but I think powdered ginger would work too. I didn't have cilantro so didn't garnish with that and it was still amazing. 

We had ours with some jasmine rice that we blended with cauliflower rice so it was about half and half. It added more nutrients and fiber that way. I highly recommend this one for an easy weeknight dinner that is truly delicious and pretty healthy. We will definitely be making it again. 

Enjoy! xo

Wordless Wednesday

 

Happy Homemaker Monday

Happy 2026 to you my dear Friends! 

I wish for you a healthy, happy, and blessing-filled year ahead. 

Please know I'm so grateful for the gift of your friendship here. And I look forward to sharing another year with you all in this blogland space. 

Matt has had downtime from work so this holiday season has been filled with such fun quality time together. We had a quiet New Years Eve. We were going to be doing things with our friends - the C's...but Mr. C and his daughter were sickies. So Matt and I had a fun order in dinner, played some games, and then hung out by the fire with only the Christmas lights on. It was so cozy and snuggly and a wonderful way to ring in the 2026 (we did make it to midnight!). 

Then New Years Day we watched the Rose Bowl parade and some football and had a wonderful chat about our goals for the year ahead. Our individual ones, as well as some together, home improvement plans etc. 

I like to have a word for the year. It helps encompass all I would like to achieve without feeling like a resolution. A resolution to me always sounds rigid or like a setting of rules. Whereas, I think of a word as something fluid and flexible that will adapt with all that life may throw at me in 2026. Something that can grow and improve, as opposed to something that is only success or failure (if that makes sense?) 

My word for this year is FAITH. Here are some ways I want to grow in this word for 2026:

1)to literally grow in faith and dive deeper into Scripture

2)to continue to grow in faith in our marriage (sharing in faith, literally, with Matt) but also in our faith in what we have and how we can grow even closer and stronger as a couple

3)to grow in faith in myself and my ability to improve my health habits and my work habits (including a new endeavor this year). To take some real leaps of faith in 2026.

4) to grow in faith in humanity - meaning to focus on the good in the world. It gets so easy to get caught up in the news and sad parts of our world. I want to focus on the beautiful things going on in this world - and in my own community, and contribute to it all in any ways I'm able.  

Do you set goals in the new year? 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

A wonderful neighbor friend of mine often makes lefse this time of year  - and she brought us some. If you're not familiar you can read about lefse here. It's basically Norwegian crepes...almost tortilla-like and made from potatoes. I had a little part of one with melted butter and cinnamon sugar on it and rolled up. So good with my coffee!

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

out to lunch with Mrs. C., get things ready for girlfriend Christmas I'll host here this weekend, groceries and errands, work projects and clean up before party, hospice work

THINKING ABOUT: 

How it was my blogaversary back in November. But as it's become my routine - I'm always so busy this time of year that it escapes my brain until now. And I want to do a giveaway because I think it's fun, and also because I want to thank you all for being such wonderful friends. 💗 I appreciate you and your visits so very much! So I've been accumulating some goodies and when I'm all set I will do post for you to join for the giveaway. So please stay tuned! 

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

going for a lovely lunch out and catching up with a bestie (food for the belly and soul) 💗

CURRENTLY READING

The Housemaid  by Freida McFadden Still reading (it's really good!) and then will watch the movie with Matt (it's a thriller) when I'm done.

ON THE TV TODAY:

 Jeopardy, old seasons of big brother, Junk or Jackpot on HGTV, some cooking shows, still watching old episodes of the Office too, movies (we recently watched Roofman based on a true story and it was pretty good)

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - cashew chicken sheet pan dinner

TUESDAY -  maybe leftovers? maybe breakfast for dinner?

WEDNESDAY -  pork soup dumplings and veggie spring rolls, fruit & fresh veggie plate

THURSDAY - homemade chicken pot pie

FRIDAY -  out for dinner?

*Girlfriend Christmas on the weekend - doing Italian theme this year and I will put out build your own naan flatbread pizzas. I will also put together a fun charcuterie with some fresh fruit and veggies. Making something fun for a little treat too. One of my friends is bringing spinach and artichoke dip & stuff to make bellinis. Another is bringing an Italian pasta salad. And another is bringing an Italian dessert. We never starve if you can't tell. Lol I look so forward to our time together every year. They will come in the afternoon and stay until late into the evening. We gab, graze, and exchange gifts. I treasure time with these sisters of my heart more every year that goes by. We have been doing this gathering for over 30 years now!

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

read book, color, watch a movie with Matt

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

I recently made a pasta meal that we had tossed with pesto and some parm cheese. A few days later I thought a fun way to use more of the pesto up was to make sandwiches with it. We had some sun dried tomato deli turkey and I layered that on a sandwich along with some mayo and pesto as a spread on the inside of the bread. Some cheese and some spinach layered inside too. Then buttered the outside of the bread and grilled them like grilled cheeses. When I took them out of the pan, while still hot, I sprinkled a little parm cheese on top of the buttery grilled bread. They were so tasty! And a great way to use the pesto up.

I think another fun way to use it up would be to make an egg bake, omelette, or scramble with it. Make the egg dish with Italian flavors (peppers, feta or mozzarella cheese, tomato etc) and of course the pesto in there too. Yum!

FROM THE CAMERA:

I was back on duty at the hospice house right after New Years and I found this surprise on my car door mirror. I sure love that Hubby of mine! ❤️❤️❤️

New Years moments. New years eve brownies = yum! We're still enjoying the pretty glow of decorations over here as I host my girlfriend Christmas this weekend and I like to leave everything up for it. New Years Day lounging with the Rose parade, Ruby and Bubba snuggles, football and maybe a nap or 2. :) 

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 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 so many blessings for 2026 dear Friends! 

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