Monday, July 12, 2021

Happy Homemaker Monday



Hello Friends! 
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It was such a fun one here because the kids and I traveled to my Mom's old hometown for a family reunion. It was bittersweet because it was also a celebration of my Aunt's life. My cousins brought picture boards of their Mom and I brought the scrapbook I worked on. Folks poured over it...sharing more stories and lots of laughs! We also visited the local fair after our day in the park. I won a prize for Annie at a game! But she wasn't with me at that moment so I gave it to a cousin. Lol I had wonderful dinner with my cousins around my age and we had so much fun catching up after all this time. We also went antiquing and visited a local war memorial and found my Grandpa and my Uncles' names on it. 
Ruby sure missed us, though, and it's always nice to be home too. 💕 









 

 





THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:
























ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING

cardamom bread with butter, fruit, iced coffee















ON MY TO DO LIST:

catch up from trip with laundry etc, errands, hair appt, Annie's hair appt this week too, Ruby's haircut (hair week for all the ladies), Annie's hockey this week, groceries for weekend activities to come, need to get my oil changed, home projects, hospice volunteer stuff and I start back next week
















AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE   

bright and sunny, need to put away some things from the weekend yet

















CURRENTLY READING

???










ON THE TV TODAY:

 AGT , The Chase, Big Brother, Making it, Virgin River, HGTV shows I tape, food network shows 



 













ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

Since it's mainly Annie and I, there is so much less formal cooking going on to really share a weekly menu right now. So instead I will try to share a recipe here each week. 

I don't have a recipe to share per se this week - but on our way home from the trip I picked up some really yummy bread at a bakery where we stopped. I got a wild rice onion and cheddar one, and a loaf of cardamom bread. I'm going to make grilled sandwiches with the wild rice one. And french toast with berries with the cardamom loaf. 

I also had my thrive box come and I got this unique spread this time and it's actually very good. Really kind of weird but tasty. However, I love coffee flavored things:










TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

walk Ruby, sit out on the deck and read magazines in the sunshine, do lunch with a gf, hang out with my kids












TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:











FROM THE CAMERA:


























Such a nice time with family and I love how quaint mainstreet is in the hometown my Mom grew up in. So cute! I collect depression era pottery and I got a vase for myself, and one for my son's new home, when we shopped at the antique store. That way we both have something from St. Charles (my Mom's original hometown). 







I like being lighter blonde for summer, but the first few days after I get it done I am platinum! Lol 




















PRAYER LIST:

Praying for peace, unity and healing for our world and our earth. For a complete end to the virus. For an Uncle with cancer and his upcoming surgery. For anyone sick or suffering, in pain or fear, that they may have comfort, healing and strength.  For special intentions. 












PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:


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


Monday, July 5, 2021

Happy Homemaker Monday


Hello Dear Friends ~

First of all I wanted to thank you all for the continued kind words, love and support over these past months...and especially recent posts. I am so grateful for the gift of friendship you bring! Please know your words go straight to my heart and bring such healing. 


I know I have struggled, but overall I do live in complete gratitude of the blessings in my life. I cherish the time and memories I did have with Adam and his family and my beautiful friendship with his Mom. Even knowing how everything turned out, I would still go back and do my life the exact same way. I have been praying differently, lately, for Addie and his situation and just praying for his absolute happiness and to live my life only in compassion and forgiveness. It is helping my heart and my thinking. Along with therapy as well.  I truly am looking forward to the next chapter of my life and excited to see what God's plans are for me and our beautiful children. ♥️

 
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and those that celebrated July 4th had a great time! I spent some of the weekend with my Mom and Aaron  - they came over to hang out and have dinner and play games. And then yesterday for the 4th, Annie and I went to a best friend & her hubby's family cabin. We had such a great time! There was a bunch of their family there and I have known these friends so long that I knew most of the folks there.... but hadn't seen some in ages. It was wonderful catching up! It was so hot out that we played in the lake all day. Took several pontoon rides. Ate wonderful food. Did lots of visiting and ended with wonderful fireworks on the lake. A perfect holiday and I'm so grateful to them for the fun.
🇺🇸 🎇  
 













THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:






























ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING

1/2 a bagel with light cream cheese & everything but the bagel seasoning, fruit, vanilla iced coffee















ON MY TO DO LIST:

reunion projects, errands, meeting with my hospice supervisor (I will get to go back to hospice volunteering now -yay!! And continue on my end of life doula career path), home projects, new fitness class/plan, outside projects
















AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE   

another hot one today - keeping the house closed up and listening to the a/c humming...I see lots of scrapbooking things still taking over Lol

















CURRENTLY READING

not sure what I'm going to start next - too busy with projects right now











ON THE TV TODAY:

 AGT , The Chase, The Hustler, (the kids and I like to watch these shows together), Big Brother starts this week, Handmaid's tale (on current season now!), HGTV shows, movies taped 




 













ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

Since it's mainly Annie and I, there is so much less formal cooking going on to really share a weekly menu right now. So instead I will try to share a recipe here each week. 



One of the goodies I brought to the July 4th gathering was this mix. It's been a favorite recipe for years and it's always a hit. I have it under my recipes tab but you can just click the link here.










TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

sit out on the deck by a fire, journal, hang out with Annie, walk with Ruby











TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:











FROM THE CAMERA:
Having so much fun with the heritage scrapbook for reunion - this is an Aunt when she was prom queen



my Mom is on the left



My Mom was in several beauty pageants and was runner up twice!



she left all of that life to go to the convent (crazy huh?) and that's my Aunts and Grandma visiting her



The craziest part of my parents story is that my Dad was actually in the seminary too! They each left those callings and then happened to work at the same children's home for troubled teens and met there. This is one of their wedding photos. They got divorced when I was in college but it was amicable and kind and they have both been happily remarried. 




I have collected stories from relatives and been incorporating them into the layouts. It's also so fun to see what's written on the back of some of the photos. Having  a lot of fun with it and will share more in the future. 



An Aunt's nursing school photo 





typing up stories - it's been work, but also fun 




more new kitchen update - the new fridge didn't fit right so some extra work needed to be done...it can never just be easy, can it? Lol



But on the plus side Annie loves the new fridge and has been uploading her pics and music to it and enjoying the extras. I bought neat organizers for it so she has taken over how our fridge is arranged and restocking it goes (washing all fruit ahead and storing it etc) Guess we'll see how long that lasts 😉 










We had such a fun July 4th! 







Summer L♥️VE 










PRAYER LIST:

Praying for peace, unity and healing for our world and our earth. For a complete end to the virus. For an Uncle with cancer and his upcoming surgery. For anyone sick or suffering, in pain or fear, that they may have comfort, healing and strength. 












PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:


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