A Cold, Rainy Spring Day =

Happy Homemaker Monday May 19 2014

I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom once again for Happy Homemaker Monday. I am grateful to have seen her post on Facebook or else I would have forgotten all about it. I took my daughter to the doctor for a physical - she is 17 and going to college in the fall so we decided it was time switch from her pediatrician (although we loved her) to a general practitioner. Just another step to adulthood. Sigh.

As I Look Outside My Window
It is a beautiful, sunny day. Right now the temperature is only 59 degrees, but it is supposed to rise another 10. This week temps should be in the upper 60's and lower 70's which is perfect for me. Some rain showers in the evenings which is not perfect for my plans to grill this week, grr. But, the leaves are on the trees and are a beautiful green, so life is good.

Right Now I Am
Listening to my son snoring on the couch. He is in limbo right now because they closed the office where he worked and he hasn't found anything else yet. I am waiting to say goodbye to my husband who is off to Chicago for work this week, and I can see a very messy house due to a very busy weekend.

Thinking and Pondering
That I am grateful for my daughter. She is an amazing young woman - so sure of herself, a hard worker, well rounded, healthy individual. We are celebrating a lot of lasts and firsts with her this year as she graduates high school and prepares to go off to college. She had her last dance recital yesterday and was a joy to watch. She is not my oldest but will be the first to leave the nest. It is bittersweet.

On My Bedside Table
My kindles and Verizon tablet (gift from my son). I am reading The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W Durrow.

On My TV This Week
Right now we are just watching Madmen. I only continue to watch it because I am invested in the characters, but I only care what happens to the women.

Listening to
No music at the moment. I can hear my husband moving around upstairs as he packs for his trip. My son woke up and left to get the oil changed in the car, so no more snoring!

On the Menu
Sigh, I try, I really do, but everyone's schedules make it really hard. Since my husband will be away, I will try to make it simpler and continue to use as much of what I have on hand as possible. I want to whittle away my freezer stock so I can clean them out and start fresh. So I am not going to post a menu since it will be a little of this and a little of that and no new recipes.

On My To Do List
Pick up around the house, go to the bank and the gas station, wash towels. I am still working on spring cleaning the upstairs, which constitutes going through drawers and closets to weed things out. This year I am being smart by starting up there because once summer comes it is too warm.

Happening This Week
My daughter rattled off a lot of stuff yesterday and now I cannot remember! One son has track every day after school, so that is a given. He usually gets a ride home; if not, I have to pick him up at the middle school. My daughter works right after school at a daycare, but since she is driving she usually gives my other son a ride home. Anyway, the rest of the week looks like this (from what I remember):
Tuesday - National Honor Society Induction Ceremony for my daughter
Wednesday - Youth Group for three of my kids
Thursday - Boy Scouts, husband comes home
Friday - Senior prom for my daughter!

My Simple Pleasure
Having the island in my kitchen clear so I can fold laundry on it.

Homemaking Tips
This is more a lifestyle tip than homemaking. Learn to say no. When your kids get involved with school and extra curricular activities, will you see a lot of supermoms who seem to do it all. Maybe they do, but know your limits and don't feel guilty. Yes, help where you can, but know yourself well enough to know when to draw the line.

Looking Around the House
Time for a ten second tidy!

From the Camera
There has been so much activity, it will take me a few weeks to catch up. Our church holds its own prom for the high school aged youth and my kids invited a lot of their friends to come. This is my favorite picture - capturing the selfies.

Prayer List

My kids, my husband as he travels.

Bible Verse

Proverbs 15:13  "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken."  We had a talk in church yesterday about finding happiness in life, and it occurred to me that we really can find happiness all of the time if we do these two things: recognize the Lord's hand in our lives in all things and express gratitude, and live so that we may have the Spirit with us. So I am going to work on those two things.

Have a wonderful week!

Happy Homemaker Monday May 12 2014

Good morning! I missed last week and I don't know why. Spring has finally arrived in New England and my sneezing son is proof. We have to take the bad with the good, don't we? Thank you Sandra from Diary of a Stay At Home Mom for hosting!

As I Look Outside My Window
The sun is shining! We had a lot of rain last week and now the grass is green and lush and the flowers are blooming (and, yes, there is pollen everywhere).

Right Now I Am
Sitting at my kitchen table. There is a box of Dunkin Donuts munchkins on the table, along with my two Kindles and my new tablet that my son gave me for Mother's Day. I am fooling around with the tablet now, downloading apps that I want, and it may replace my Kindle Fire. We will see, I am very partial to Amazon.

Thinking and Pondering
Nothing deep, I am watching the clock because I have to pick up my son from school. He took an AP test this morning and gets to go home early. Trouble is, he needs a ride. However, my oldest is home, so I may just not have to drive to the school for a second time this morning!

On My Bedside Table
I have been working on cleaning my room, and yes, it is a week long project because it is the catchall room of the house. There still is a plastic bin full of my son's childhood books that he wants to keep. It has been there for a year. Anyway, my nightstand now has only the essentials: my lamp, my cell phone, my two Kindles, and now my tablet. Right now I am reading I Am Livia, by Phyllis T. Smith. It was a free book offered to Amazon Prime members. Oh, and I bought a Kindle Paperwhite. The one problem with the Kindle Fire is that the battery doesn't last long. Plus I have so many other things on there that I get distracted from reading a book. So now the Paperwhite is my reader of choice. Plus the screen is easier on the eyes.

On My TV
Still have to catch up on Parenthood and Glee. My husband and I started watching last season's Madmen on Netflix.

Listening To
Nothing at the moment.

On the Menu
My menu can be found here. I am a week behind because my husband was travelling last week and so I kept dinner simple and used what I had in the freezer. Love that I have all of these days planned and I all I have to do is make up a grocery list! Most, if not all, of my menu comes from a cookbook I have called Remedies for the "I Don't Cook" Syndrome. The recipes I have tried are really good, so I decided to try more of them! I will post the ones that I want to use regularly.

On My To Do List
Laundry, as always, vacuum main floor, mop, clean main floor bathroom. Stop at grocery store for lunchmeat.

Happening This Week
This week is relatively calm. Grease is over (3 of my kids performed in it).
Monday - lunch with my oldest. He is taking me to Moe's because I have never been.
Tuesday - other son's track meet
Wednesday - DCF visit, church youth group, daughter has dress rehearsal for her dance recital but she drives herself.
Thursday - Boy Scouts for sons, dance for daughter, nephew's band concert for my husband and I.
Friday - open!
Saturday - lunch with my mom and sister at The Cheesecake Factory
Sunday - my daughter's dance recital. Her last one! 14 years of dance. This year she is featured in 6 dances.

My Simple Pleasure
Milkshakes.  I have a Ninja blender and we go a little crazy with the milkshakes once it gets warm.

Homemaking Tips
Bag it. I love bags as much as I love Amazon. I have a tote bag for my seminary stuff. I have a bag for library books. Everything that I may want to take somewhere, I try to store in bags, that way it is ready to go.

Looking Around the House
There is always stuff lying around. It is amazing how much better that problem can be with just one less person in the house too. When my husband was away the counters stayed clear, and he is not a messy person!

From the Camera
(and mom's brag book) from Grease, they played Johnny Casino, Sandy, and Kenickie

Prayer List
Always my kids, my husband.

Bible Verse
"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." John 10:11

It never ceases to amaze me how well the Lord knows me individually. I need to remember that when I am feeling alone or overwhelmed with burdens. He knows me and knows how to help me, all I have to do is ask, and then listen.

Have a great week!