Happy Homemaker Monday

Hello and happy Monday Friends ~

And happy Martin Luther King Jr. day. It's so nice that Matt doesn't work today, so it feels like an extra long weekend. Starting a Monday sipping coffee and watching morning news together was a treat. :) 

I hope you had a cozy and restful weekend. We did over here. We mostly cozied in because of the cold weather (teens below zero) other than to go to church and run some errands.  On Friday night we snuggled together in the living room in front of the fire listening to music by candlelight and fire flow and reading. It was so wonderful! 

Saturday night was fun as we scratched off one of our date night ideas that was one you could do at home. (Matt gave me a fun date book for Christmas a few years ago) It's fun for shaking it up now and then. It suggested to revisit our youth and for dinner to eat one of our favorite childhood snacks or meals and watch a favorite childhood show together. So we did just that and it was so fun and filled with lots of laughs! Matt's snack was "chips & cheese" which he said was where he would grate cheese onto a plate of doritos. Then microwave it a little. And dip the cheesy chips into salsa. And he picked the show Saved by the Bell - so we watched an episode of that. My snack was cereal (cap'n crunch to be exact) and I chose an episode of the Muppet Show. It was one of my absolute favorites in grade school! Lol It was all pretty hilarious and brought back so many other childhood memories we both enjoyed sharing with one another. 

We also watched lots of football. I bet you're happy about those Chiefs Jean! Wow, was that a nice TD by Travis! And always nice to see Taylor cheering him on. 😉 Matt and I are already talking about and making fun plans and a menu for the Super Bowl ahead. Do you watch the Super Bowl and like to make fun plans for food or time with friends?

**And just a reminder that I'm doing my 10th Blogaversary Giveaway Wednesday and you only have through tomorrow to leave a comment.  Please go back to that post, check out the prizes and enter! You can find it if you click here.

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

 Coffee with protein creamer and some almond milk, a little piece of kringle. We grabbed some to be a treat throughout the long weekend. It's so good! 

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

errands, home projects, help my Mom with some things, dinner with a friend, grief work from home and at the facility, home projects

THINKING ABOUT:  

What we're going to do this afternoon for some fun together. Probably play some cards and maybe watch a movie, as it's still so cold outside....which is a bummer because it would have been so fun to go walk on the frozen bay.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

It's nice and clean and always looks so empty without the tree up. Listening to some Celtic music and I'm going to head into the kitchen soon and make up some chicken salad for our lunch.

CURRENTLY READING

not sure of my next book yet?

ON THE TV TODAY:

When Calls the Heart, Virgin river, All Creatures Great & Small, The Rookie , Miss Scarlet, Shifting Gears, some movies taped & HGTV shows

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - leftovers from the weekend (meatballs, chicken, veggies & protein dip)

TUESDAY -  pinwheel pork chops, roasted sheet pan of veggies with balsamic glaze

WEDNESDAY - pho soup with chicken, crackers, fruit

THURSDAY - cheese pierogis with grilled onions, salad

FRIDAY - maybe out for dinner?

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

 work on our wedding scrapbook I'm making, watch a movie, maybe bake up something?

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

❤️❤️❤️

FROM THE CAMERA:

pretty sunset:

clean and bright living room and no more Christmas tree :(

our cozy night by the fireplace when the wind was howling outside (it has been SO COLD here)

That night I made us mugs of homemade cocoa on the stovetop. I'll share the recipe later this week. 

We got in some snuggly naptime over the weekend too :) 

Feeding the birds brings other critters too. 

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 all those affected by the wildfires in CA and for the firefighters working so hard. 

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

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

Have a great week ahead Friends! I'm sharing this with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

10th Blogaversary Giveaway!

 

Happy weekend to you! 

I can't even believe I've been blogging for 10 years already! It blows my mind that it has been that long. As I mentioned prior, my actual blogging anniversary was November. But I always get so busy with the holidays and never seem to remember to acknowledge it until January. Lol 

I remember back all those years ago to being someone who loved to read others' blogs. Especially the moms/homemakers I could relate to. I was too shy to comment though. And I remember thinking I could never blog because no one would be interested in anything I would share. 

Then finally one day in November 2014, I got up the guts to create a blog and start posting and join in this special "world". And I've never stopped...other than a few long breaks when I needed them. So now, here, after averaging over 6,000 views a month according to my stats (sure lots of bots in there)...  I am celebrating 10 years in Blogland!! This is a place I love and where I treasure so many friendships I've made through years! 🙏🏻💗

So today I thought I'd do my annual giveaway, but with 3 prizes instead of my usual 1 or 2. More chances for you to win - yay!! 

Here is a look at the prizes and details about each:

The first person that is picked will be sent a dream of Spring in the form of a 3-dimensional peony paper vase & bouquet. A little book store kit (kind of like the one I have on my bookshelf from this post here.) And a Starbucks gift card for a cozy coffee or tea you can sip when you're admiring your own cute book case and flower bouquet. 💐

I love how beautiful and dimensional these bouquets display. I've had several through the years and just love them! And the nice thing is you can fold it back up and use it again next year. 💗

 A little closer look at the book store/cafe kit

The 2nd person picked will be sent this lovely Katie Daisy 2025 planner. I always love the artwork and details in them. And a pretty 2025 metal bookmark. And of course a Starbies gift card too. 

Katie Daisy planners are always so pretty and such a helpful tool to stay on track. I love that it has a whole month layout to jot down important dates. But also a week by week layout where you can write out specific plans. And spots in between to jot down notes. And again, the artwork and sayings are so pretty! 

And I thought this sweet bookmark might come in handy for any avid readers. I love teh saying on the front. And the back shows that it has a cute metal chain that will hang out of the book with the year and a little feather. 😍

And the final person picked will get a pretty peony bouquet and a starbucks card as well. 💝

All you have to do to be entered is leave a comment below. Feel free to just say hi. Or maybe happy 2025? Or share your thoughts about blogging? Anything kind and appropriate will get you entered in the drawing. You don't have to be a blogger! And then you'll just need to be willing to share an address if you win - so I'll know where to send your prize.  Since I'm posting this so late in the week (basically on the weekend) I will wait until Tuesday to do the drawing and give more time for friends to enter early next week too. I will do the drawing Tuesday evening and announce the winners next Wednesday. 

I treasure this space so much. And I adore all of you friends...especially those that visit regularly and have shared so much with me through the years. 🙏🏻💗  There is such a Sisterhood here. Thank you so much for the past 10 years and all of the kindness you've shown me. Cheers to many more blogging years ahead together! 🥂✨

Good luck to All❣️

xoxo

Valentine Sweets and Blogaversary Giveaway Sneak Peek 💝

 

Hello Friends! 

How's it going today? I hope you've been having an amazing week so far. And if not, at least the weekend is right around the corner, right? Glass half full always. 😉

Today I'm popping in to share some Valentine's inspiration. I know it's several weeks away yet, but I have a mix of winter and valentine decorations all over my house. And it's getting me in the mood to think ahead to some fun treats for me and my Sweetheart. 💘

It started with finding this adorable puff pastry love letter idea on instagram:

Which then led me to go down the pinterest rabbit hole a bit and find some other fun goodies. So here is some inspiration I found and you can find each item and their sites if you click on my pinterest Board "Be Mine" which you can find here.

Also, I made and posted about these bars years ago. You can find them under my recipe tab or if you click here.

I hope this helps give you a little inspo for you and your sweetheart(s). 

*************************

Further, I thought I'd share that I now have a plan for my blogaversary giveaway! I will try to do a full post with details on the goodies tomorrow or this weekend. And I will do the drawing next week. 

Since it's my 10th Blogaversary, I will be giving away 3 separate prizes! So be sure to stop back and enter, as I adore you all and you're all sweethearts in my book 💗💗💗

Wordless Wednesday

 

Happy Homemaker Monday

Hello and happy Monday Friends ~

This is me this AM as I am needing an extra cup of coffee boost and it feels like a Monday. Time to wake up! 

First of all, I hope you had a wonderful weekend. 

I had a great one because I got to spend lots of time with my besties!! We get together every January to do a belated Christmas together. We've been doing it over 30 years now (might be close to 35!) and it's a highlight for all of us every year...and always such an amazing way to begin a new year. They are sisters of my heart that have been with me through thick and thin my whole adult life. We share all that's on our hearts, in our lives, and our dreams of the future. Of course lots of talk about hubby's and our kids and now one of us is expecting a grandchild in June! And we called our other bestie that lives in California now and has been out there for about 25 years or so now. We always pick a theme the year before. Bring a gift related to the theme and anything else fun that fits. This year our meal was even related to our theme! I'll share more below. 

We started that day by going together to a funeral. I mentioned praying for a classmate of ours that lost her husband - and he had been a classmate too. He was a doctor in our area and we all went to the funeral to give some support. Needless to say it was a full house in the cathedral because they were both in so many circles, as well as the fact that he was only in his early 50's. Definitely hit the message home to enjoy each moment because we never know when our time to go will be. So it was nice to get together after (I hosted this year) and gather here and laugh (we always do so much belly laughing) and share and feel the joy of living after such a somber time earlier. I love my girlfriends so much! They are truly the sisters of my heart and I thank God for them every day. 

Then Sunday was a nice relaxation day. Matt & I snuggled in and watched lots of football. Unfortunately my Pack lost to the Eagles and are all done now. Boo! Maybe next year! 

But, finally, what I also wanted to bring up today is the fact that I, as per usual, completely forgot about my blogaversary! It was in November and because it's always a busy holiday time - I think that's why I forget. It was my 10th blogaversary!! Which I can't even believe! But I always like to do a giveaway in the start of the new year. So I will be working on that and share about it soon - so stay tuned! Being a 10th anniversary I may need to giveaway 3 separate prize bundles, instead of just 2, to make it  extra special. Plus, more chances to win for you! 😉✨

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

coffee with splash of protein creamer and a little almond milk - fasting

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

helping out a friend, errands, check on my Mom & step Dad sick with colds, take down Christmas now that gf gathering done, home projects, hospice work

THINKING ABOUT:  

How kind of sad it is every year to take down Christmas - but it was nice having it up longer for my gf gathering.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

I see bins ready to house decorations. Bubba is next to me rubbing his head on my computer. I'm listening to Michael Buble sing and I can see sun sparkling on the snow out the window. We finally got about 5-6 inches of white fluffy stuff this weekend! Makes everything so much prettier. 

CURRENTLY READING

My new awesome herb book I got from Aaron for Christmas. It's called The Cook's Herb Garden: Grow, Harvest, Cook

by Jeff Cox & Marie Pierre Moine

I also added The Little Book of Cottagecore: Traditional Skills for a Simpler Life by Emily Kent on my kindle

Plus, when Annie & I were out shopping recently I also picked up the newest edition of In Her Studio: spaces and stories of creative women (love those magazines!!)

ON THE TV TODAY:

When Calls the Heart, Virgin river, All Creatures Great & Small, The Rookie , Miss Scarlet, movies taped & cooking shows

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - leftover pasta from the weekend, salad

TUESDAY -  tacos

WEDNESDAY - Costco sesame ginger chicken crumbles we do in cauliflower rice bowls & top with some sweet chili sauce & peanuts

THURSDAY - roasted veggies & cheese egg bake (add cottage cheese for protein boost), whole grain toast, fruit

FRIDAY - leftovers or out for dinner

*will be doing a Costco run and figure out meal plan for the week

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

 work on our wedding scrapbook I'm making, read, maybe cross stitch

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

FROM THE CAMERA:

It's a world of white once again:

We have so much when we gather each year. Since we had an elf theme I modeled the meal after the movie "Elf" and we had spaghetti (I did my slow cooker sauce recipe here.)  And I also added caesar salad & some fruit & dip. A gf brought garlic bread. Another gf brought veggies, mini bundt cakes (they were awesome!), and another gf brought cocktails & appetizers. We never starve! Like the movie I had also put syrup and poptarts on the table. Lol My friend, Heidi, had also brought cute elf hats for us to wear for a photo op. 😉 

The friend that brought the hats also brought us each a little solar elf. I love mine - he's so cute and does a little happy dance. Here's some video:

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 all those affected by the wildfires in CA and for the firefighters working so hard. For a friend (& family) that recently lost her husband unexpectedly - continued prayers for their healing in the days and years ahead. 

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

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

I am so blessed to have those kinds of girlfriends in my life and they have proved it over and over again. Thank You for them Lord! 

I hope you have an amazing week ahead. I'm sharing this with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.