Happy Homemaker ~ 7/23/2024

Come join Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday. 

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I realize it is Tuesday but I wanted to post about being a Happy Homemaker today.

I used to participate in this linkup on a weekly basis before becoming a working wife/mom.  Working outside the home, that is.  But then, I was feeling a little odd because I wasn't considering myself a homemaker in the traditional sense of the word.  Because I had an outside job.

HOWEVER, I've recently had a change of heart.  For one thing, I'm still a homemaker doing all the homemaker things.  I still have a heart for home.  So here I am.  Writing this post and hoping that I'm welcome.

When I went back to work 2 years ago, I was working full-time in an office.  I had a very rigid schedule and even though I had PTO I still felt very STUCK in my work schedule.  About a month ago, I decided that full-time working wasn't, well, working.  For me, at least.  I decided to resign that very lucrative but time-consuming position and look for a part-time job.

About 2 1/2 weeks ago I started working at my current position of a Customer Assistance Associate (AKA cashier) at a local market.  I know it doesn't sound like the most glamorous job but it is flexible and part-time.  Time will tell if it is the job for me physically, financially and most-of-all mentally!  At this point I'm praying for daily guidance and strength and would appreciate your prayers as well.

Okay!  Enough of that!

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

The weather outside is:

It has been SO hot and dry here in Southern Pennsylvania for the past many, many weeks.  The grass is brown and crunchy because it is so dry.  We have gotten a few sporadic showers the past few days but nothing like what we need.

On today's to-do list: 

This is day 2 of a 4-day work stretch.  So far I've only worked 2-3 days in a row.  Standing the whole shift and being VERY busy makes for a long 6 hours with only a 15 minute break.  I actually don't mind working 4 days in a row because I then have a 4 day "vacation"!

~Work 10am-4pm

~Devotions

~Supper

~Sweep floors

Happening this week:

As mentioned, I still have 2 more days to work this week.  I work 7am-1pm Wednesday and Thursday, but then I'm off for 4 days.  I had requested Friday off because we are going camping Thursday and Friday night.  Getting Saturday, Sunday and Monday off were a bonus.  The only thing I'm concerned about is that when I come back from "vacation", I work 5 days in a row.  My feet are going to be killing me!  lol

Other than camping, we'll still have to grocery shop and do laundry probably Saturday afternoon/evening.  Grocery shopping could probably wait until Monday but not the laundry.

I also need to make an appointment with Laken's guidance counselor to make sure everything is in place for ...SENIOR YEAR!  Laken is going to be doing what is called "Senior Challenge" which is basically taking a few morning classes in school and then leaving early to work on college courses.  The college courses are what we need assistance with the most.  Hopefully the counselor can schedule us to see her on Monday as well.

Currently reading:

I've been ever so slowly reading "Living Slower" by Merissa A. Alink.  I'm on chapter 7 and am enjoying the book but it has just taken a back burner to everything else that has been going on.  Chapter 7 is about creating a useful space which we are currently doing.  We took part of the rather large Family Room and built a small Storage Room.  I can't believe the difference it has made.  The Storage Room is still full of bins and boxes that need to be gone through but the Family Room and Our Bedroom are so much more pleasing to the eye.  I don't feel like the clutter is taking over.  The hubby has worked so hard on this project and I really appreciate his effort!

Listening to:

Anne Wilson was actually at a County Fair near me last Wednesday evening.  I really wish I could have made it to the concert.  I haven't been to a concert in YEARS!  Anne's album is named "REBEL" so I wanted to listen to the title track.  I'm glad I did!  Are you a REBEL?  Enjoy :)

Watching:

We finally finished up Season 1 of Tracker and I'm excited that the network has renewed the show for at least another season.

We've been watching a lot of Hallmark-ish  movies on Freevee.  They're actually pretty good.  Maybe even better than Hallmark because there is a bigger variety of actors.

I'm still debating if I'm going to be watching the Steelers play football this year.  Pre-season will be ramping up pretty soon.

Youtube videos from a few favorites

On the menu today:

Salisbury Steak, Noodles, Veggie and Strawberries

In the Craft Basket:

I need to pick a new project to start as I don't have any going at the moment.  I'm open to crochet suggestions!

Picture from the Camera

Oliver is getting so big!

Bible Verse

"The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you."  Philippians 4:9 NASB

Have a great week!

Colletta

Hello Monday ~ 7/8/2024

 

Holly & Sarah

I didn't post a Friday Favorites to highlight the happenings of last week so I'm going to squeeze my Hello Monday and Friday Favorites together today.  Maybe I should call it Monday Favorites and leave it at that :)

I want to make mention that July 3rd was my Dad's 77th birthday!  Happy Birthday, Dad!  He wanted Chinese food for his birthday supper and I made him a Cream Puff Cake with sugar free pudding so that he could actually eat it!  I asked him how it felt to be 77 years old and he said he felt the same as the day before :)

On July 4th, our Independence Day here in the USA, we spent most of the day reorganizing the Family Room, our Bedroom and the new Storage Room that I mentioned we were building in last week's post!  We have the Bedroom pretty much situated and the Storage Room is almost at its max already.  We still have a few totes full of miscellaneous items sitting in the Family Room that we need to go through and purge to finish up.  Once we get done, I think it is going to be a really good transformation.

For our 4th of July Celebration, we went to my Aunt Donna's and Uncle Charlie's house around 7pm.  We were supposed to get there around 6-6:30ish but until we got finished working for the day and cleaned up (remember:  we had no AC) we were the last ones to get there.  Everyone was still eating the yummy picnic food so no harm done!  When it got closer to dark, Uncle Charlie and Brian, my cousin, started setting off the pre-firework fireworks :)  Brian's little girl, Audrey, who REALLY wanted to have fireworks ended up being completely afraid of the loud noises.  The hubby and I volunteered to take her inside to watch the fireworks out the window where she was much happier.  It was fun talking to a little one as she is only 2 years old.  When the fireworks were over, Audrey was sad and wanted more!  We had a fun and enjoyable celebration :)

Friday was orientation for my new part-time job.  It was a long day of watching videos, learning about the company and signing authorizations and policies.

A good thing happened though!  While I was at orientation, our AC unit came!  Whooot Whooot!  A whole week early and I am ever so thankful.  We actually had to turn the AC off last night because it was making the bedroom a little TOO chilly!  What a problem to have :) 

The hubby took Oliver to the vet Friday for his last set of kitten vaccinations.  He had grown so much in the past 3 weeks that the vet tech re-weighed him to make sure she had read the scale right.  He is definitely losing his baby kitten look.

My goal for this week, other than actually training for my new job, is to take more pictures!  I was doing really good for a while and then life started flying by.  I want to try to slow things down a bit.  I'm actually reading a book right now called "Living Slower" by Merissa A. Alink.  It has lots of good information and I'm getting ready to start reading about how organization and routines can help a person live slower which I REALLY need.

Well, I think that is enough rambling for now.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful week ahead :)

Colletta

Hello Monday...er...Tuesday ~ 7/2/2024

 

Holly & Sarah

It has been a rough couple of weeks and I haven't felt much like posting, but I'm still here and kicking :)  I had to really stop and think what day of the week it was today!  I'm only a day late for Hello Monday so I thought I'd jump on here and join in.

First, I guess I want to mention that I'm switching jobs.  I've decided that going from being a SAHM to working full-time just wasn't working for me.  I needed something part time and more flexible, so I'm taking a leap and trying something completely different for me.  My orientation is Friday at my new job so I'd appreciate all the prayers and well wishes you'd like to give me!

In other news...I've been working on getting our Family Room organized and have come to the realization that the bins and totes that are sitting in the corner of the room and along the wall aren't going anywhere.  We've decided to make the rather large, messy Family Room a bit smaller by building a partition wall to create a VERY large walk-in closet for storage.

We're really hoping this will make things easier to organize and more aesthetically pleasing.  So we're going to be rearranging lots of furniture, etc., in the next week or two.  I really should take some before and after pictures of our progress.

Summer is in full swing.  I hope everyone fared well here in the heatwave that was in the USA.  Thankfully the temperatures have gone down a bit or we're just getting used to the heat.  Unfortunately, the air conditioner we had in our bedroom has given up the ghost.  It was rather old so we weren't totally surprised.  We have another one ordered but it won't arrive until July 11th or 12th.  We're making due with fans until then.  I'm sure we'll be perfectly fine.

Tonight is the hubby's last night of work for the week.  Wall building starts tomorrow.

I'll leave you for today with this song that has resonated with both the hubby and myself lately.  Enjoy :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful week ahead :)

Colletta

Friday Favorites ~ 6/7/2024

 

How can it be almost the second week of June already?  Why does Summer fly by so fast and Winter drag so long?  Maybe I'm meant to live where it is perpetually Summertime.  I think I would miss Fall too much though.  I'm just going to enjoy each day as it comes :)

We had so much happen that I missed blogging about the past two weeks as I was very busy and missed a few posts.  A few of those happenings were:

~Memorial Day and all the fun and relaxation it entailed

~Nate's graduation and party

~Laken's Summer course in POD

~Traveling to Lancaster, PA for the weekend for a soccer tournament and lots of shopping

~Prepping for some big meetings at work that I'm glad are over

~Getting a new-to-us Subaru (so happy to have another Subaru!)

~Developing tendinitis in my Achilles Tendon and getting it treated

~etc, etc, etc (for all my "King and I" fans)

I think that catches us up!  Whew!  I'm ready to slow down a bit...which brings me to...

I'm getting ready to start reading "Living Slower" by Merissa A. Alink.  If I get the time.  I used to read voraciously and now I'm lucky to get 5 books read in a year.  I guess there is a season for everything.  I do hope I can get sucked into this book though and get some ideas to "make time for what matters".

The hubby and I saw this sunflower at Lowe's and it reminded me of my mother-in-law, Carrie.  She loved sunflowers and always had them growing in her garden.  I think of her every time I see one :)

I love taking pictures of paths.  This one in particular is at Shawnee State Park.  There is something about standing back and looking forward that fills me with hope.

This picture was taken on Memorial Day, but we're hoping to fire up the grill again this weekend.  I'm also hoping that we can find some good corn-on-the-cob to go with it.

We had some pretty severe storms this week but there were also beautiful, sunny days.  This evening (Thursday as I type this) we got the best of both worlds and were treated to a faint but beautiful rainbow in the sky.  Look closely and you'll see the sign of God's Promise and the reminder that He is faithful to His children.

Hopefully, I won't let time get away from me and I'll be back with Hello Monday to let you know all about our weekend. I hope you'll stop back!

Here's to enjoying the now and documenting one day at a time :)

Thanks for stopping by :)

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 

Hello Monday ~ 5/20/2024

 

Holly & Sarah

Why, oh why, does the week drag on but the weekend flies by?  This was a busy weekend without hardly a moment to spare.  I did get to take a 45 minute nap Sunday afternoon.  I shouldn't complain but it didn't seem long enough!

Let's get on with the weekend happenings, shall we?

Friday evening, we went to a local used car lot and got the hubby a newer work car (at least newer than what he had).  For now, it will also be what Laken learns to drive on which is something that needs to be our focus this summer.  Douglas is on vacation this week so he'll be going to get the transfer completed Monday.

Laken talked me into crocheting her a crop top.  She picked some granny squares out of a bin that were already completed and we spent some time looking online for a pattern for the bust of the top.  Finally, I purchased a pattern from Etsy and spent the late evening Friday working on it.  She couldn't decide about the trim color, so I decided to head to bed and work on it more at a later time.

Saturday was Andrew's (my nephew) high school graduation.  Before the graduation ceremony which was at 3pm, Dan and Kelly had a pizza party for him at the local restaurant in town.  Andrew and his classmates were only given 6 tickets each for graduation, so we weren't all able to attend but we were all able to celebrate with him beforehand.  

Nate works at Subway and had to go to work after Andrew's party.  Laken, of course, wanted Subway for supper :)  I needed a few things at the store so we went there first and then stopped by Subway to get supper and see Nate.  After eating, we took the round-a-bout way home through Shawnee State Park.  The sun was shining and it turned out to be a beautiful day after all the rain we've had. 

I was also able to get some pictures of the ducks at the pond right up the road from our house.  There are three adults and five baby ducks.  They are growing so fast.

Saturday evening the hubby and I watched the ACM Awards on Prime.  I haven't watched an entire awards show in years but this one had great music.  Lainey Wilson performed "Hang Tight Honey" and there was also a tribute to Toby Keith who passed away this past year.

Another reason I was able to watch the entire show, was being busy finished Laken's crop top.  It kept me occupied and from getting bored with the show.  Below is a picture of the finished crop top although I don't know if I'm going to allow Laken to wear it out of the house.  It is a bit too hoochie-mama for my tastes but she loves it.  I'll save that battle for another day!

Sunday morning was Church and then a nap.  After waking up from my nap that was too short, we decided to go to Sundae's for ice-cream.  I thought about getting the no sugar added ice-cream but the Peanut Butter Sundae won out...  It is SOOOO good and is my absolute favorite!

And that brings me to now, Sunday evening as I'm typing up this post.  I think we may watch a few episodes of Tracker to try to get caught up before going to bed.  I'm also psyching myself up to face the week ahead.

As I mentioned above, Douglas is on vacation this week but I still have to work.  Bummer...   He's just going to be working on projects around the house, but still.  Laken will be finishing up her last class/week of school so she'll be busy, too.

Here's to another weekend gone and another work week ahead!

Have a great one :)

Colletta

Friday Favorites ~ 5/17/2024

 

After a week of frustration and irritation, I think I finally have my new phone set up!  Creating an apple ID about kicked my butt.  I was trying and trying on my phone to remember what my apple ID was from way back when the girls got their ipods.  That was years ago!  Maybe I tried too many times on my phone but I absolutely couldn't get a new ID set up.  Finally, I tried on the hubby's new phone and it accepted right away!  I could have screamed!  I wish I would have tried that sooner and saved myself so much frustration.  

Then my phone wouldn't let me download Facebook, messenger or instagram.  Finally...I figured out how to turn my phone off (yes, I had to Google it) and then they downloaded.  Then..I had to remember the passwords for those apps because I apparently didn't update my password document the last time I had to reset.  Ughh....  BUT, as I said, I think I finally have everything set up and I am so glad to be done with it :)

Anywhoo.

Oliver has discovered that he can now climb up on our bed.  I was so tired Thursday that I came home from work, ate supper and promptly took a nap under a fuzzy blanket.  I woke up to the hubby and Oliver!  Isn't he cute?  We've had him almost 4 weeks and he has grown so much already.  He goes back to the vet next week and I'm curious to see how much weight he has picked up.  At his first visit he was only 1.9lbs.  Clover (aka Miss Kitty) has finally accepted Oliver into the pack so no more hissing and swatting, for the most part anyway!

It has been a bit cooler and rainy the past week which has done wonders for the azaleas.  They are in full bloom and so beautiful.  This bright pink color is my favorite.  

I am loving the camera on my new phone!  It is so much faster and clearer than my phone's camera was.  This was the main reason I wanted to upgrade phones, so I'm pretty happy about this.  With my old phone, I would never have been able to snap this picture of the green mountains as we were driving.  I can't wait to have time to take more pictures as this is something I've been meaning to do.

Laken's school work is winding down.  It has been a crazy year for her.  She started in-class school and then had her gallbladder issues which led to gallbladder removal surgery (after a very difficult time getting diagnosed).  After recovering from surgery and getting behind on her classwork, we decided to have her cyber school for the remainder of the school year.  She has finished all her classes early except for Latin and AP Language.  Latin is due to be finished today (Friday the 17th) and AP Language has to be finished next Friday (the 24th).  Laken has been working so hard and is REALLY looking forward to Summer break. The crunch is on but the end is in sight :)

This song is a bit how I feel about the weekend.  The hubby works third shift and I work daylight so we don't see much of each other through the week.  Hang Tight Honey by Lainey Wilson is such a fun song.  Enjoy!

I hope you had a great week and have an even better weekend!  Do you have any plans?  Leave a comment and let me know.  I'm always looking for fun things to do over the weekend!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Colletta