Working Woman Wednesday ~ Changes ~ 8/20/2025

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Life changes are happening around here!  Again!

We moved Laken into her University dorm room last Thursday and I'm still adjusting to that BIG change.  

Also, life in the insurance world just wasn't for me.  I prayed about making a change and after much consideration, I applied for a Teacher Assistant job with our local Head Start Program.  I prayed and prayed for the LORD to open the door if it is where He wants me.  The day after I interviewed, I was offered one of the open positions!

I went in today to fill out paperwork and take my drug test.  Now I'm just awaiting my orientation to be scheduled and then I can get started in the classroom.  I'm very excited about this position and am praying that it helps give me focus and purpose now that my girls are out of the "nest".

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Last Weekend:

So I'll start with last Thursday since it was a BIG day:  As mentioned above, Laken moved into her dorm at the University.  We got to bed late Wednesday night after a full day of packing and got up at 5am Thursday morning to load up the car and make the trip for move-in.  Her move-in slot was scheduled for 8:30am-10:30am.  The drive is a little less than 2 hours but we weren't certain how traffic would be.

We picked Nate up at his apartment which is only about 10 minutes from Laken's dorm and then drove to the drop-off line.  I was impressed by how smoothly everything went.  We had just about everything unpacked and situated within the allotted time.  We had some shopping to do at Target, Wal-Mart and HomeGoods and topped it off with a stop by the good old Dollar Tree :)

We grabbed a late lunch and then dropped everything, including Laken, back off at the dorm.  It was time to say our good-bye and I love you.  I held it together for the most part until after we dropped Nate back at his apartment.  On the way home, I cried and bemoaned the fact that my purpose in life had just shifted in a major way.  

It was also Kaylee and Shawn's 4th Wedding Anniversary!  Happy Anniversary!

Friday:  more crying and wondering what my purpose and existence was now.  I decided to give myself one day to feel all the feelings and then it would be time to move on with life.

Saturday:  We ended up making a trip back to Laken's dorm to drop off a few items that she forgot and also two packages that had a late delivery.  We took Laken and Nate to lunch and headed home.

Sunday:  After Church, I took a long nap.  It had been an exhausting few days.

This Week's Notables:

~New hire paperwork with Head Start Program

~The Steelers have a preseason game on Thursday night

~My cousin's little boy, Damon, has his first tackle football scrimmage Saturday morning that I'd like to go to watch.

~Sunday afternoon is a Church Picnic.

In the Kitchen:

~I was asked to bring a dessert to the annual Angel Program Picnic.  I decided to go with something quick and easy so I made Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies.  Delicious!

~This evening when I made dinner I got a bit nostalgic for the days when my girls were little and I would make their favorite meals.  I think I'm going to have moments like this for a while...

In the Craft Basket:

I finished the throw pillow for Laken dorm bed in plenty of time.

Now I'm working on crocheting myself a tote bag.  I'll try to add some pictures next time.

Currently reading:

I decided to give up Kindle Unlimited and instead get a library card.  I put myself on the wait-list for "Tea With Elephants" by Robin Jones Gunn and my turn came up!  I've loved everything I've read by Robin but especially her "Sisterchicks" series.  This series is the "Suitcase Sisters" and I have VERY high hopes for it.  I'm 100 pages in and am LOVING it so far.  I dare say that I might even be able to post a Book Review sometime soon.  They've been few and far between this year.

On the TV:

I watched the Providence Falls series on Hallmark over the past 3 weeks.  Also, some Steeler preseason games :)

Picture(s) from the Camera

Weekend Plans:

~Damon's football scrimmage

~Clean

~Laundry

~Church Picnic

I hope you're having a great week!

Blessings,

Colletta

Happy Homemaker Monday ~ 8/12/2024

Come join Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday. 

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Hello and HAPPY Monday.  

I'm actually typing this post on Sunday evening when I have a bit of time to sit down and reflect on the week ahead.  Monday is actually going to be very busy even though I don't have to go to work.  I'll tell you a bit more about that later in the post.

Let's get on with today's Happy Homemaker :)

The weather outside is:

We finally got the much needed rain!  And we got a lot of it from good old Hurricane Debby.  Here in the mountains of Pennsylvania, we usually only get the rain and a bit of wind when hurricanes go up the east coast.  It absolutely poured and now the temperatures are much more comfortable.  It was actually a bit cool this morning when I left the house around 9am.

On today's to-do list: 

Monday's to-do are:

I'm off work Monday but like I mentioned above, I have lots to do.  

~We have a meeting at 9:30am to make sure everything is situated for Laken's enrollment in her college classes for the fall.  I think I mentioned before that she is doing what is called "Senior Challenge".  It basically means she'll be taking 2 high school classes and a few college classes in the mornings and then be able to leave school before lunchtime.  The college classes start on August 19th (next Monday!) so we have got to get this set up and find out exactly what she will need to complete her classes.

~Sweep

~Mop

~Clean out my car

~Supper

~Dishes

~Devotions

~Wash work clothes and hang up to dry

Happening this week:

This week I'm off Monday and  Friday and Sunday.  The rest of the days I work 7am-1pm.

Tuesday Laken has an appointment to get her Senior Pictures taken for the year book at 3:00pm.  Then Kaylee's work is having a Back-to-School Night that she invited us to come to.  It is 4pm-7pm and we get to take a tour of her work so I'm excited to see her office area.  Then at 6:30pm we have our Ladies' Class Meeting at Church.  So it will be a very busy day.

Wednesday is Kaylee and Shawn's 3rd Anniversary and Kona's (our chocolate lab) birthday :)

Thursday is pretty normal.

Friday (my day off) is once again filled to the brim.  Some items on the list are laundry, groceries, bills, bank and my usual daily to-dos.

Currently reading:

I didn't even touch "Living Slower" this week :(  I only have a few more chapters to go.  Hopefully I'll finish it soon.

Listening to:

Raise the battle cry and take back what the enemy stole!  Enjoy :)

Watching:

I tied to watch the Steeler preseason football game on Friday evening but it was on Prime.  We have Prime but the game was blacked out.  Apparently we live too close :(  argghh!  They lost anyway so I guess I didn't miss much...

Instead of the game, we watched a movie on Freevee about a wedding photographer at a family owned venue who falls in love with the movie-star best man/brother of the couple getting married.  I forget the name of it but it was really good.

I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos on why/how women are returning to wearing dresses/skirts.  One YouTuber (from Heavenly Minded Home) challenged her subscribers to wear a dress/skirt for 7 days in a row to really give it a try.  I've decided to take her up on it and this is my fourth day of wearing a dress except for while I'm at work. I even ordered a few new dresses because my wardrobe will be very limited if I continue to wear only dresses/skirts.

In the Kitchen:

I didn't make the Butterscotch Zucchini Bread this week but I did bake!  I made what I'd like to call "Cinnamon Roll Apple Cobbler" and it was so easy and VERY delicious.

You basically take cut up Cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, brown sugar and cinnamon and mix it all together and bake it.  If you'd like a more formal recipe go check out this ONE at Olives & Thyme.

In the Craft Basket:

I've been working on the Japanese Fields blocks a bit each evening (well most evenings) but I'm just not sure what to do about the edges of the blocks.  The bottom block is with the Ivory outer round and the top block is with a single crochet of the Hot Rose.  Should I do a round of the Hot Rose on all the block and then join with either the Hot Rose or the Ivory?  Should I just keep it with the Ivory and then join with the Hot Rose?  Should I keep the last round Ivory and then join with Ivory?  I just can't decide!  I think I'll continue to work on just the main block for now and then decide later.  Please give me your opinion!

Picture from the Camera

You've got to give "Cinnamon Roll Apple Cobbler" a try!  The best was just out of the oven but it was also delicious the next morning for breakfast.  I put it the microwave for 20-30 seconds and it was warm and gooey and almost as good as fresh from the oven :)

Prayer Request

My brother, Danny, is having surgery Monday morning to remove his gallbladder. He is almost 48 year old (his birthday is Saturday) and he's never had surgery of any kind before. Not even a broken bone. Please keep him and his doctors in your prayers that all goes well. Also, please pray for my Mom as she's very nervous about her "Baby Boy" having surgery.

Bible Verse

"Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, "Let the children come to me.  Don't stop them!  For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children."  Luke 18:16 NLT

Have a great week!

Colletta

Happy Homemaker Monday ~ 9/20/2021

Come join Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday. 

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Hello, and Happy Monday !

The weather outside is:

Gorgeous weather this week!  I can definitely tell Fall is coming :)

On today's to-do list: 

Today I spent some time decluttering.  I worked on Laken's desk and got it organized.  It was a huge mess from when she cleaned out her bookbag from last year to get it ready for this school year.  I had to sort through papers, pictures, binders, etc.  It looks so much better now and Laken can actually use it to sit down and do school work!

Mom and Dad did the grocery shopping this week as they had to make a trip to "town" anyway, so I got out of doing that this week :)

Happening this week:

It is a pretty normal week except for some appts on Friday.

Currently reading:

(STILL...)I'm getting ready to start reading "On Magnolia Lane" by Denise Hunter who is one of my very favorite authors!

On the TV:

RIO

Turner & Hooch (the series)

Doogie Kamealoha (new series on Disney+)

Listening to:

This week for "Songs on Sunday" I featured "Scars In Heaven" by Casting Crowns.  I hope you'll check it out :)

On the menu week:

Monday ~  Out 

Tuesday ~ Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes

Wednesday ~ Chicken, biscuits

Thursday ~  Fish, homemade French Fries

Friday ~ Spaghetti, garlic bread

Saturday ~ Soup, sandwiches

Sunday ~ Potluck at Church

In the Craft Basket:

I finally finished Kaylee and Shawn's Wedding Afghan!  It felt nice to finish a project.

Also, I decided to pick my quilting needle back up!  The hubby bought me a new sewing machine for our anniversary.  My old one broke years ago.  I ordered some novelty squares to make an I-Spy Quilt for my cousin's baby that is due at the end of December.  I'm excited to get back into sewing!

Picture from the Camera

Memory Verse

Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the day of the Lord is coming;

Indeed, it is near,  Joel 2:1

Have a great Monday!

Colletta

The Good Stuff ~ Kaylee and Shawn's Afghan ~ 9/16/2021

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I am so excited to finally be able to post that I have FINISHED Kaylee and Shawn's Wedding Afghan only one whole month late!   :) :) :)

I fully intended to gift it to them at Kaylee's Bridal Shower but life got in the way.  :(

Here are some close-up pictures for the readers who like to see the details :)

This following picture is a bit wonky, as I took the picture with my phone and it is sideways.  (I couldn't figure out how to "quickly" rotate it. )

The pups were also in my way a bit and Lilah moves for no one!

So, finishing this afghan up has me very thankful this week.  I hope it brings a smile to Kaylee and Shawn's face(s)!

What has you thankful/smiling/exited this week?  Tell me all the good stuff! 

Colletta

The Good Stuff ~ 9/02/2021

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I've got some catching up to do!

~The Wedding!  Kaylee and Shawn's wedding was beautiful!  I didn't cry until the Father/Daughter Dance and then the tears streamed down my face.  

I was OK after that until I came home for the night.  All the preparations and changes hit me and I SOBBED!  Then I was OK...again :)  

The food was amazing and the photographer did an amazing job.  We have a full gallery of pictures.  I wish I could share them all with you but that would be impossible.  These are a few of my favorites:

~A Freshman!  Not only do I have a married daughter, I now have a Freshman in High School too!  The first picture below shows Kaylee and Laken on Laken's first day of Kindergarten.  The second picture is Laken last year (8th grade) and the next picture was Laken on her first day as a Freshman in High School.  Look how much she has changed in just a year!  I can just see the attitude oozing from her in the picture from this year ;)

~Homecoming!  Laken and her friends have decided to do the whole Homecoming "Thing" this year now that they are old enough to attend.  (There will be no boys in the group.  Thankfully, boys are still icky!)  They are going to do a fancy dinner, get photos and go to the dance.  This is the dress that was supposed to be delivered yesterday but wasn't due to the localized flooding.  Hopefully it comes today!  We're going to be adding straps and I'm hoping this model is REALLY tall and that the dress is a bit longer on Laken :)

~A New Job!  Kaylee started a new job the week after returning from her Honeymoon.  She is now working at Subway.  She's making more money for less hours so that is a plus :)

~No Complaining!  My dear sister-in-law, Kelly, has asked me to do a challenge with her for the whole month of September.  30 Days of No Complaining!  It has been 1 day and I've been catching myself more than I thought I would.  The idea is to DECREASE complaining and INCREASE gratitude :)

What has you thankful/smiling/exited this week?  Tell me all the good stuff! 

Colletta

Happy Homemaker Monday ~ 8/23/2021

Come join Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday. 

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Hello, and Happy Monday!

After giving myself a week of recuperation post-Wedding, it is time to get back into my schedule and get back some sense of normalcy.

The weather outside is:

This week looks to be a bit warmer than last week.  I'm ready for some fall weather but AM NOT liking the dark of night coming so early!  It was 8pm and dark this weekend :(

On today's to-do list: 

BIG day, today!

Today is Laken's first day of High School!  Only 4 short years and she'll be off on her adventures.  I plan on soaking it in as much as I can :)  After school is volleyball practice...

Kaylee and Shawn are back from their Honeymoon and Kaylee starts a new job today.  I pray she enjoys it :)

I also have a dentist appointment in the morning and need to get groceries.

Happening this week:

Trying to get back into my schedule of getting things done is utmost on my list this week!  I feel like this Summer has flown by and I've just been floundering to "get through".  Some has been good (wedding stuff) other not so great (surgery, doctor's appointments etc.)  Wish me luck!

Currently reading:

I am determined to get into this book during the coming week!  

On the TV:

Nothing for me!  I have been "trying" to catch up on some of my favorite youtubers though.

Listening to:

This week for "Songs on Sunday" I featured "My Jesus" by Anne Wilson.  I hope you'll check it out :)

On the menu week:

Not done yet :(  I'm getting really bad at waiting until the last minute to make my menu and grocery list.

Monday ~  

Tuesday ~ 

Wednesday ~ 

Thursday ~  

Friday ~ 

Saturday ~ 

Sunday ~ Potluck at Church

In the Craft Basket:

Still working away on the Wedding afghan for Shawn and Kaylee!  I'm hoping to get it finished and gifted this week!

Picture from the Camera

We got the pictures back from the photographer already!  She did such an amazing job!  I absolutely love them.  Look for more pictures on Thursday on my "Good Stuff" post :)

Memory Verse

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"  Romans 8:32

Have a great Monday!

Colletta

Shawn and Kaylee ~ 8/14/2021 ~ Wedding Sneak Peek

 I just wanted to share with you a few pictures that I snapped with my phone.  I didn't take a lot.  That is why we hired a photographer :)

We had such a lovely day and the happy couple is off on their honeymoon.  I need a nap but I'm sure I'll write more about the day sometime soon...

Colletta

The Good Stuff ~ Pre-Wedding Emotions ~ 8/5/2021

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Time for another "Focus on the Good Stuff" post!

Dear Readers,

So sorry to have been MIA for the last week or more.  BIG stuff is happening around here and I've been so preoccupied and BUSY!  Kaylee and Shawn's Wedding is 9 short days away!  We've been busy with planning, decorations, errands, etc., etc., etc. 

I sat down a bit ago to fill out my planner for next week and I have to say that I've been a bit misty-eyed since filling in the day of Saturday, August 14, 2021.  I'm happy but also a bit sad that things will be changing.  My baby girl is all grown up and I don't know how to feel exactly.  Have you ever been there?

We've been making list upon list and checking items off.  I have to admit that I long for a bit of normalcy.  But I wonder if things will ever feel "normal" again.  I keep reminding myself that Kaylee and Shawn's house will only be a short 10 minute drive away.

So, tell me some "Good Stuff" about "marrying off" your daughter or son, if you've been in my shoes.  How did you feel, cope, manage  with all the accompanying emotions?

What are you thankful for/smiling/exited about this week?  Tell me all the good stuff! 

Colletta