Happy Homemaker Monday ~ 9/9/2024

Come join Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday. 

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Hello and HAPPY Monday.

The weather outside is:

The weather has been glorious!  I walk outside and all I can think is how beautiful it is.  It looks like the week ahead has some higher temperatures during the day which is typical of September.  I love September :)

On today's to-do list:

Nothing too out of the normal for a Monday.  I do want to get the floors done as I skipped over them this weekend.  I also need to remember to call my PCP about a medication refill.

Happening this week:

I'm going to be switching jobs.  I should be hearing this week when my start date is for my new job.  This job requires no weekends and no holidays.  It is part-time and will be only 3 days a week.  It is a clerical position in a medical office so I'm hoping it goes well :)  Many thanks to those who have been praying for my work situation.  I really hated working when the rest of the family was off but I especially hated working Sunday mornings and missing Church.

Other than that I don't have anything major going on this week.  Just the regular daily activities.

Currently reading:

I signed up for another JustRead Publicity book review Blog Tour to read Inferno by Lisa Phillips.  My book review is due October 2nd but I like to get review books read first.  My reading goal is to read at least 1 book a week.  This past week I finished 2!  You can read My Weekly Bookishness post HERE.

I've discovered Reading Sprints on youtube and have participated in 2 of them so far.  Basically, it is a LIVE where there is discussion and chit-chatting and then you have a reading sprint of a certain amount of time.  After that time is over, there is more discussion.  Everyone is reading whatever they want but reading together.  I'm not sure if I've described that very well, but I really enjoyed myself and got a lot of reading done.

Paperback and Ponytails hosted the first one I "attended".  I think she hosts sprints on Friday evenings.  I've just discovered her channel this week, but really enjoy her videos.

Listening to:

I love Lauren Daigle and Ellie Holcomb and was really excited when I heard "Be Okay" is both of them singing together!  I hope you enjoy!

Watching:

It is currently Sunday at 3:30pm when I'm writing this post.  Therefore the Steelers VS Falcons game is on.  The score is 15-10 with the Steelers on the top.  There is still some time left in the game so we'll see what happens.

Last evening, the hubby and I sat together and watched a movie on Prime.  I'm pretty sure the name was "The Hero Dog" about an Alaskan Malamute named Chinook.  It was family friendly and pretty good.

In the Kitchen:

Last Monday was Labor Day, so Kaylee stopped by for a visit.  Nate had requested Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup for Dinner so we put Kaylee to work peeling potatoes :)  It was good to spend some quality time with her.

Instead of making Apple Pie, Mom and I decided to make Apple Cobbler.  It was quicker than making crust and rolling it out and we also were running low on flour and I didn't want to have to make a trip to the store on an "at-home" day.

One other night for dinner, I made homemade Pizza with homemade crust.  If anyone would like the recipe for the crust, let me know and I'll post it.

For dessert on Friday, I made Peanut Butter Fudge.  This recipe makes the absolute best fudge I've ever had!  Again, if you'd like the recipe let me know.

The last item from the Kitchen that I'm sharing today are rolls :)  They are NOT homemade in the fact that they were frozen dough balls.  I did have to sit them out to thaw, raise and then bake :)  No recipe there, although I've often been tempted to learn how to make bread/rolls, etc.  How about you?  Do you make bread or take the easy way out like I do?

In the Craft Basket:

I have 9/35 blocks finished for the Japanese Fields Afghan.  The second picture shows you that I have all the ends to weave in yet.  I try to weave the ends every few blocks but I lost my weaving needle!  I did remember to pick up another pack of yarn needles when I went shopping Saturday so now I want to weave the current loose ends in before starting any more blocks.

Picture(s) from the Camera

I found Flynn sleeping on the bed all curled up.  Too cute!

Clover was taking advantage of the sunlight for her nap :)

The roses are coming back beautifully.

Our house :)

The hubby and I are starting to take walks (hopefully daily).  This is the road in front of our house.  There is just something about roads and paths that I think are really pretty.

Check out #21.  That is "little" Dex in his first Junior High Football Game.  He is one of the youngest on the team but got to play the entire time.  He even scored a touchdown!  Go, DEX!!!!

Prayer Requests

~Please pray for safety and traveling mercies for Kaylee as she travels to Orlando, FL for a work trip next week.  I'm so nervous about it.  She has to drive the 2 hour drive to Pittsburgh to catch her flight to Orlando, fly to Orlando and then drive from the Orlando airport to her hotel.  Did I mention that I'm nervous?!?  She might be 23 years old and out on her own, but she's still my baby and I'll be glad when she gets home safely!

~Laken is now taking 4 college courses.  Please pray that she does well with them and that she stays healthy.  (continued)

~As always, prayers for the safety and well-being of all those going back to school.  I hated hearing about the school shooting that occurred in GA last week.  Please pray for all those who were impacted.  (continued)

~Our Country, our Leaders and the Election coming in November.  (continued)

Bible Verse

" Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. "  Psalm 143:10 NIV

Have a great week!

Colletta

Hello Monday ~ 5/27/2024

 

Holly & Sarah

I want to take a moment before getting into my Hello Monday post to REMEMBER and HONOR all the brave men and women who gave his/her life so that we could be free.  I think sometimes we look at this day only as a reason for a three-day-weekend and don't truly remember and honor the ones who so greatly deserve it.  So make sure to pause for a moment Monday or whatever day you may be reading this and be grateful.

With all that being said, I am super grateful and excited to have this three-day-weekend.  It is Sunday night as I write this post and it feels so good to still have another day off to look forward to!  I'll let you know how we spend our Memorial Day in my Friday Favorites post (make sure you stop back) but for now I'll share our weekend adventures.

I came home Friday from work and was greeted by these two wrestling.  Oliver and Flynn are so funny together!  I couldn't help myself, I had to snap this picture and share it!  It cracks me up :)

Laken finished up her AP Language class which was her last class of Junior year.  Does that mean I have a Senior???

Every year, on the last day of school, we eat out to celebrate finishing up another school year.  This year Laken decided that she wanted Cracker Barrel.  Only my youngest daughter would order a hot chocolate on an 85F day  :)

The hubby likes to play the peg game at Cracker Barrel.  I don't know the technical name of the game, but I do know that the hubby cheats so that he's not a "plain old ignoramus"!

We went grocery shopping Saturday morning and we couldn't pass up these gorgeous orange Dahlias.  The hubby loves orange flowers and something about these really caught my eye as well.

One the way home, we once again saw the geese by the pond near our house.  Look how much the babies have grown just from when I posted about them last weekend!

Saturday afternoon/evening we stopped by Kaylee and Shawn's.  We spent some time looking at their newly planted garden and the flowers that are coming back up from last year.  Kaylee had just got her hair cut and was worried I would think it was too short but I think it suits her and she looks beautiful no matter what!

They have a Mock Orange Bush that reminds me so much of my Gram.  Gram loved plants and flowers and had a Mock Orange off the back porch.  I think the new owners of her house cut it down, which makes me very sad.  Moving on to happier things!

My grandpuppy, Dahlia, hated that we were outside and she was inside the house.  I made sure to say hi to her before we left.  She is a Great Dane and is such a lover!  Sweet, sweet Dahl Baby!

Aunt Donna and Uncle Charlie invited us to dinner that evening so we took corn-on-the cob to contribute to the meal.  It was our first corn-on-the-cob of the season which is always exciting!  What was even sweeter was getting the corn 10 ears for $2 at Weis.  That price is unheard of these days!  I wish we would have gotten more, to tell you the truth.

Aunt Donna had these cute little piggy corn-on-the-cob stickers.  I had to snap a picture of the hubby using them.

When we got home after dinner, we watched 2 epidsodes of Tracker.  We still have 2 more episodes to watch to get caught up.  It might even be over the season.  If so, we'll have to find another show to watch before bed.  Any suggestions?

Sunday morning we got up and the hubby made us cinnamon rolls for breakfast before Church.  He usually either makes us cinnamon rolls or muffins.  They are out of a can or a mix but I appreciate it SO much.  He's a sweetheart and I love him so much.

When we got home from Church it was time to catch up on some housework which included laundry, dishes and floors.  I had dumped the clean clothes in a pile on the bed and came back to find Oliver "helping".  He did not like me moving the clothes and messing up his little cocoon.  I tried to not disturb him, but I really wanted to get done with the housework and sit on my swing for a bit.

Which reminds me...I didn't get my swing painted the weekend...BUT, I still have all day Monday.  I'm hoping to pick up the paint when my hubby goes to Lowe's and get it finished before the rains come.  

Finally, I'll leave you with a picture of the beautiful "blue" rose that is blooming right off the back deck where my swing is.  Isn't it gorgeous?

So those were our weekend highlights.  I can't wait to read all about yours!  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful week ahead :)

Colletta

Friday Favorites ~ 5/24/2024

 

We did it!  We made it through another work week!  Well, almost, anyway...  I'm so excited to have a 3 day weekend ahead.  But first, let's talk about the past week.

The hubby was on vacation all week and I enjoyed having him home during the nights.  I slept so much better which is weird because he's been on third shift for a long time and before that he worked swing shift.  I should be used to him being at work while I sleep.  There is a chance that he might be able to transfer to first shift but we have to wait and see.  I'm really hoping and praying that it happens.  I think it would be good for us at this stage in our lives.  We'll find out more when he gets back to work on Tuesday.

Monday evening was Nate's Senior Awards Ceremony.  We won't be able to attend graduation because he only has a limited amount of tickets, so we wanted to be at the Awards Ceremony to show our support.  We're very proud of Nate and feel very blessed that Laken has him as part of her life and that he allows us all to be part of his life.

After the Awards Ceremony, we went to a close by ice cream stand called The Penguin.  While waiting for our ice cream we witnessed the strangest thing.  At first I thought it was a normal traffic stop with a state trooper pulling over a speeding car.  Next thing we knew, it was as if we had stepped into an episode of "COPS" !  The car took off and then about 10 police vehicles went flying after it.  We were witnessing a car chase!  It was unreal and a bit unsettling.  What an interesting way to end the evening!

We had a very cool, rainy stretch which was a bit miserable for us but the flowers loved it.  Especially our little rose bush off the back deck.  It has been pitiful the past few years but this year it is going to town!  There are tons of buds and the roses are rich and beautiful.

Now that I'm getting used to my new phone, I am starting to fall in love with it.  Especially the camera!  It is so good that I was able to actually take a picture of a jet flying over as the hubby and I were sitting on the porch swing Tuesday evening.  It was really neat to zoom in on the picture and see the jet "up close".

Wednesday evening, before Bible Study, the cats were playing in the middle of the Family Room floor.  Flynn and Oliver were going crazy!  I took quite a few pictures of them because my camera is so stinking fast!  I picked this picture out because it shows their personalities off the best.  Oliver thinks he's big stuff and Flynn is telling him he's small potatoes.

Thursday morning I woke up with an ear ache :(  I was able to get into my PCP and it was verified that I have an ear infection.  My appointment was at 5pm and the pharmacy closed at 7pm so I made it just in time to pick up my antibiotic.  My PCP also told me that my ear canals were red which indicates allergies and recommended that I use Flonase as it is really good at keeping the ears clear.  I stopped on the way home and picked some up so hopefully I'll be feeling better in no time!

Which brings me to now, Thursday night.  One more day of work for me and one more day of school for Laken before we can enjoy the weekend and the SUMMER!  I'm so excited!  It is supposed to be nice weather  Saturday and Sunday but rain on Monday.

My goal for the weekend is to get my swing repainted before the rains come again.  I still need to pick up the paint so I'll probably do that Saturday morning after Oliver's vet appointment.  I thought I'd add a "before" picture showing the fine job the hubby did replacing some of the boards on my swing.  Good as new!  Hopefully I'll be able to show an "after" picture Monday.

I also hope that everyone has a wonderful long weekend!  Let me know in the comments if you have any special plans or if you have to work the weekend.  I'd love to hear!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Colletta 

Tea Time ~ 1/24/2024

 

Grab a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or your favorite drink
while I share a few things about my life lately...

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~I've been thinking about my blogging schedule and how I'm going to fit everything in once I start back to working full-time.  I'm going to try to post at least 3 blog posts a week as long as time allows.  The plan is to post on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with maybe a random post here and there.  Monday will be the Happy Homemaker; Wednesday will be Tea Time; and Friday will by My Weekly Bookishness.

~I finished reading a fiction book!  (You can read my review of "Keegan" HERE ) I haven't read fiction for fun in well over a year so I'm really excited about this accomplishment.  I really LOVE reading but it seems to go on the back burner.  I also really love getting new books.  Lately they are in the form of ebooks though I do love a good paperback :)  I love that I can download free books onto my Kindle.  Come back Friday to see what I've downloaded this week!

~The hubby decided that he NEEDS to feed the birds!  We made a trip to Tractor Supply and 40 lbs of birdseed later, the hubby is happily watching out the window to see what birds stop by.  The hubby is not the only one watching the birds though!  Flynn spent the whole day sitting atop his window perch content to watch the birds come and go :)

~Laken's boyfriend, Nate, and his family invited her to go snowtubing with them Sunday afternoon at Whitetail in WV.  We knew it was only going to be a high of 23F on Sunday and asked Laken to try on her snow gear as we hadn't gone snowtubing in a few years.  After trying on what she had, Laken declared nothing would suit.  So, we spent Saturday evening at Dunham's.  After trying on approximately 10 different snow pants/bibs (no exaggeration) a pair of snow pants, snow gloves and Carhart hat were purchased.  Even though it was cold, they had a great time and now want to go snowboarding!

~With the recent single-digit temperatures, I was surprised to see the forecast for this coming Friday.  55F on January 26th in Pennsylvania!  I can't wait!  You better believe I'm going to be soaking it in :)

So, what is new with you???

Colletta

P.S. There's still time to enter my giveaway.  Click HERE to check it out!

Tea Time ~ 5/12/2022

 

Grab a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or your favorite drink
while I share a few things about my life lately...

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~The kittens, Flynn and Clover, had their final booster shot at the vet.  They have come so far since their first appointment!  They were only 4.5 weeks old the first time we took them for their check-up and sat so scared on the exam table.  This time they were exploring the whole room!  They are very mischievous and can be quite wild at times.  Then sometimes they are very sweet and loving.  Such characters!

Clover as a baby.

~I had a wonderful Mother's Day!  Actually, the whole weekend was great :)  Saturday we went to the Barnes & Noble because Laken said she would buy me a book with her own money!  This was major!  But, I just couldn't see spending $16.99 of her limited money on a paperback book.  I told I'd take a rain check :)  Kaylee came over and brought my Mother's Day gifts from both the girls.  I love my new cup and the flowers are so pretty and holding up rather well.

~I gave the hubby a haircut!  This in and of itself isn't major but wait until you see the before, during and after pictures!  Such a difference.  And great for the nice weather we're starting to get.  For the record, he was NOT fond of me posting these pictures but he's a good sport and let me anyway :)

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

~Speaking of the weather, it has been a gorgeous couple of days.  I enjoyed sitting outside on the deck as much as possible and hanging clothes on the clothesline.  It is supposed to be warm this weekend but rain so I'm enjoying it while I can.

~We have a nosy chicken!  No matter where we go, she'll be there, sticking her nose into whatever is going on.  The hubby was taking pictures and she was fascinated.  I love this picture he got.  It cracks me up :)

~I wrote a separate post about the Summer Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study but I'm going to post about it here as well.  The study starts May 31st and is "Fighting Words" by Ellie Holcomb.  I hope you'll be able to join in!  Isn't the book beautiful???

How was your week?  What's new with you?

 

Colletta