Happy Homemaker Monday

 

Happy Monday dear Friends 💛

I hope you're having an amazing start to your week! Can you believe it's almost July?? This summer is positively whizzing by! 

I hope you had a great weekend. We had a fun and relaxing one here. Well, it was a little productive too. 

On Friday we went out for dinner. Saturday we did church later in the day and had pizza from our favorite place and watched a movie. But earlier Saturday, we shampooed all the rest of the carpets  in the house. That was such a wonderful job to get done!! 

Then Sunday was one of those perfect just peaceful days. We went up the north shore for brunch and then got in a little hike and went to a pink beach. Yep, pink. You can see the pics and read all about it in the pics below. Then we came home just in time for it to thunderstorm and we put our feet up with the window cracked open and I read and Matt napped and it was so relaxing! It just felt like one of those long wonderful no major agenda weekends. 😍

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

*Looks like storms for some of the July 4th weekend (boo!)

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

iced coffee, a bagel thin with some natural pb and strawberry jam

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

meeting a relative for lunch, errands and groceries for holiday weekend ahead, home projects, yard work, hospice work

THINKING ABOUT:  

how it's gone from bright and sunny this morning to cloudy and looks like some storms are going to pass through this afternoon.... it feels cozy as I hear the a/c hum and I can smell the roast I have in the slow cooker

 

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

thunderstorms when they don't have scary winds or hail,  and the inside feels cozy and peaceful 

CURRENTLY READING

The next book in the Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore

ON THE TV TODAY:

 Americas Got Talent, Jeopardy, TWD catch up, The Last of Us, Just Like That, Stick, I've started watching The Gilded Age, Matt's never seen The Office (I loved that series) so we've started that together

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - roast in the slow cooker with lots of seasoning & a little better than beef bullion stock in the bottom. I'll shred it up and we'll have it on thin buns with sf BBQ sauce, pickles and broccoli slaw on top. Also a tossed salad on the side, berries and grapes

TUESDAY - leftover shredded beef maybe over baked potato - again with broccoli slaw topping etc, watermelon

WEDNESDAY - shredded cabbage "pasta" with protein alfredo sauce and grilled Italian marinated chicken breasts, melon

THURSDAY -  leftovers to clean out fridge

FRIDAY -  July 4th: grilled burgers, chips, veggie pasta salad, melon, maybe corn on the cob?, crab dip with crackers and raw veggies, and I'm making this summer berry poke cake for dessert

*I made a delish strawberry rhubarb sauce last week with rhubarb from my yard and I'll share the recipe this week. I will share the cabbage "pasta" recipe soon too. 

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

work on wedding scrapbook (hope to finish it finally), read, pontoon ride/swim

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

FROM THE CAMERA:

Here are some pics from our trip up the north shore and our visit to Iona's pink beach. And here is some info about the beach from an article written at northernwilds.com that tells about Iona Lind and how her family had a resort on that beach....

And here's some pics of life on our humble little bay lately:

my hydrangeas are starting to come in - yay!

Also sweet critter home life - our sleepy babies endlessly napping. And a momma robin built her nest right next to our door :) 

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 firefighters and first responders and their families affected by the shooting in Idaho. For PEACE in our world!! 

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 hope you have a wonderfully blessed week ahead my Lovelies. 

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

Cooking Thursday: Banana Breakfast Cookies

 

Hey Besties!

How are you doing these days?

It's been a couple of rainy cozy ones here. Today it's been gray & windy. We have rain on and off in the forecast until tomorrow morning. So I'm going to work on some more of my hospice work from home. Then curl up with a book or some fun magazines later. I'm making pork chop pinwheels for dinner tonight - glazed with sugar-free BBQ sauce. I'll look at what veggies we have hanging out in the fridge and it might be a good night to have the oven on (it's chilly and only high 50's). So I think I'll throw together a nice sheet pan veggie side dish but to give it a summer twist I'll sprinkle on some peach balsamic vinegar for brightness. It will play nice with the lemon thyme I have in my garden, that I'll also throw on the veggies. It's always fun to mess around with flavors. 😋

I'm also thinking about making a small batch of strawberry rhubarb sauce. This is the first real year my rhubarb is being established, so I don't want to mess with it too much. But I think I'll take just 2 stalks to mix with strawberries and make a little sauce on the stove. Summer's treats! 

But the yummy goodness I wanted to share today is all about these breakfast cookies I made the other day and have been enjoying with morning coffee all week. 

Doesn't it look tasty? I think they're great because they're hearty & filling, yet filled with good healthy ingredients. They're sweet and have a little flaky salt on top to give a hint of salty as well. Plus, they're soft and fluffy. Think fluffy banana bread mini muffin/cookie kind of a thing. When I put the recipe into my calorie counter it came out to about 140-150 per cookie. I found the recipe at ambitiouskitchen.com 

This is what the batter looks like. It's filled with mashed bananas, oat flour and oats, natural peanut butter, - also chia, hemp & flax seeds. The only sweetener is a little maple syrup. However I also added the fun the recipe suggested with some chocolate chips...I only had mini ones. And I added just a little bit of butterscotch chips because I didn't use many chocolate chips in the batter. I decided to throw in some chopped walnuts (more omega 3's)

Then once baked up they came out looking like this:

It's been really fun to have something different for the mornings. Plus, they're SO good with coffee. They would be great as a snack too. 

 I thought I'd share in case you wanted to give them a try too. 

Here's the recipe:

Enjoy! 😋

Wednesday Wonder: Flower Favorites

 

Hello lovely Friends!

It's a cozy rainy day here in the northwoods. I have the windows open so I can listen to the rain fall gently outside. No wind - just peaceful rain. It's so calming and meditative. I kind of love days like this. Are you the same way? The sunshine gives me energy, but I don't mind the rainy days for a little break. 

But today I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite flowers. Not only because they're so beautiful...but also because they have the most amazing fragrance to them. Lilacs and Peonies. 🌸💜

First up lilacs. Our lilacs finally bloomed on our big shrub/tree, which is on the edge of our driveway. They're always last to bloom compared to other lilac bushes around town. I don't know if it's because we're so close to Lake Superior (which tends to keep our temps cooler) or what? But they came in abundance this year and smell heavenly!

Lilacs have always been a top flower on my list (next to roses). And some of you may even remember when I made lilac sugar a few years ago. Lilacs are edible and I made sugar that I then used to make lilac shortbread. You can read about lilac sugar in my post here. And the lilac shortbread post here.

And another top flower on my favorites list is the peony. They are so beautiful and come in so many colors. I have these gorgeous pink ones that I transplanted from my ex in-law's place. Their smell is also quite lovely and they're just such a big gorgeous puffball of a flower. And I love every stage of them. From a bulb, to partially open, to full blown bloom. So very pretty. 

I cut some of the lilacs and the peonies and put them in a glass pitcher yesterday and I've been enjoying them over and over. Every time I walk by I take some good sniffs. 😉 

*A pro tip I've shared before that I got from Martha Stewart is that some flowers like these don't last because they can't drink once you've cut them. And you can use the spice alum (found right in the grocery store) to help them drink. Take the cut end of the flower and dip into the alum and then place in the vase of water. I don't know how - but it works. And you can't put alum in the water and do it that way. You have to dip the stem. My lilacs usually die within hours of cutting them and they're still going strong today! 

What's on your favorite flower list? 

Happy Homemaker Monday

Happy Monday Besties! ☀️

How is your Monday so far?

Mine started with an early appointment for a trim and hair coloring. It always feels good to have that done. :) 

Did you have a lovely weekend? We were at the lake with Matt's folks and celebrated belated Father's Day with Matt's Dad. We had fun playing games, grilling, pontooning and swimming in the lake (it was hot there this weekend!)

We had a little excitement too. On Friday night we went to sleep with the window open a little listening to the peepers (little frogs) singing outside and soft rainfall with some distant thunder. But then about 1:30AM Matt's Dad came to our room and told us the alarm was going off for a storm and tornado warning! So we all went to a solid interior area of the house and sat there until the warnings passed. It was crazy and a little scary! Thankfully their immediate area didn't get hit too badly - but some cities not far from there got 100 mph winds and had had semis tipped over, many downed trees and damaged homes! Thankfully no one was hurt.🙏🏻

So ya, a little too much excitement!! But the rest of the weekend was calm and just hot (high 80's with the heat index near 100*) So we lived in the lake or lived in the a/c playing cards and watching movies. 

Then back home to check on how my flowers were doing and so fun to see my peonies open up! But also home to the scary news about our attack on Iran and now their retaliations. My kiddos are on a trip overseas with their dad and I pray extra hard for their safety. 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

iced coffee, high protein light & fit yogurt

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

hair appointment, work on hospice work from home and I need to catch up on paperwork, errands, groceries, get together with my Mom, hospice work at facility

THINKING ABOUT:  

how scary this world can feel (weather, wars...) and I'm so grateful to know where I can put my concerns and whose hands we're in 🙏🏻

 

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

falling asleep to summer sounds (rain, thunder, peepers singing)

CURRENTLY READING

catching up in my bible study workbook

ON THE TV TODAY:

 Americas Got Talent, Jeopardy, TWD catch up, The Last of Us, Just Like That, Stick, I've started watching The Gilded Age on Max (like Downton Abbey but in early America - same creator as Downton. It's so good so far!)

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - mediterranean salad kit with rotisserie chicken, melon

TUESDAY - tacos (for me maybe air fried sweet potato taco bowl)

WEDNESDAY - thaw something from freezer maybe to throw on the grill?

THURSDAY -  leftovers to clean out fridge

FRIDAY -  out for dinner

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

read, maybe sketch/paint, play with my flowers/garden

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

I've added this interior designer to my go-to YouTube shows. She's based out of Toronto in Canada and has such great ideas for decorating small spaces. I've been sharing with Annie as she'll be in an apartment this next year at college. 

FROM THE CAMERA:

Went into Annie's bathroom the other day and this was what I saw on the counter. There's still some of my little baby girl deep inside that mature young woman. Gave me a such a smile 💗

Matt was the master chef this past weekend - look at those grill marks! 

I lived in my bathing suit or sleeveless sundresses all weekend - it sure felt like summer and was HOT!

Then back home to gray rainy weather, but flowers poppin' 😍

beginning to pop...

a little bit more...

full bloom!

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 conflicts in Iran and Israel and the protection of our country. PLEASE BRING PEACE!

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

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

Wishing you a great week ahead. If I could I'd reach through the screen and give you a big hug!! Love and blessings to you always. 

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