3/52

3/52: Goofing off at the park

3/52, Sunday: Ugh, this cold needs to leave our house. I'm the only one sick right now, thankfully, but UGH.

Happy Homemaker Monday

Good morning, friends! It's a cold, cold day in the mountains!

The Weather: Sunny but COLD. Definitely a "bundle up" kind of day if I ever saw one!

Right now, I am: Overseeing schoolwork, and debating lunch. It's a Monday, all right.

Thinking: That it's a blah day and I better snap out of it, and quick. I'm not going to be the person that ruins my own day.

On my reading pile: The Bible, my devotional, and "Burial Rites" by Hannah Kent. I'm now more than halfway through! It's about the last woman to be executed in Iceland. During the book, she professes her innocence, but after researching her case (because it's a true story!) evidence kind of points to her having committed the murder she was executed for. Hmmm. Interesting read.

On the TV: You'll laugh, but I've been a fan of Degrassi TNG for years. (lame! I know!) so after Ella's in bed, and Gabe's still at work, I'll binge on a few episodes :)

On the menu this week: 
I'm only planning til Wednesday. It's been one of THOSE weeks and I desperately need to go to the grocery store.

Monday: Baked Potato Bar
Tuesday: Sausage and Rice Skillet
Wednesday: Meatloaf. As in my first meatloaf. EVER.
Thursday-Sunday: TBA

On my to-do list:
*Clean the bathrooms
*Clean the kitchen
*Go to ladies  meeting (Ella gets to hang with the A.G's: Adoptive Grandparents)
*Bake the potatoes
*Call my parents, and my father-in-law

Looking around the house: My amaryllis is soooo close to blooming!!!! It should only be a day or two.

From the camera: 

The aforementioned Amaryllis. I can see all of the different blooms already. Oh, goodness.

On my prayer list: My Mom and Dad, kid brother, this crazy world in general, my attitude toward today.

Bible Verses, Devotions: 

Have a beautiful week!

2/52

2/52: Ella admiring the amaryllis

2/52, Sunday: Not standard church wear, but when we're coughing and don't want to get church friends sick, we stay home! (Oh, and Sphinx says hey)

Happy Homemaker Monday

Good Afternoon, friends! This is probably my only halfway "quiet" day this week, so let's get this underway!

The weather outside is: COLD! And there's a very light dusting of snow on the ground! SNOW! Actual snow!

On the breakfast plate this morning: I had a Lean Cuisine. Breakfast foods are not my friend first thing in the morning. 

As I look outside my window: I'm still pretty amazed that we have SNOW. It's not enough to get out and play in, but it does give me hope for this winter :)

Right now I am: Thanking God that I feel better, physically and emotionally. It had been over 10 years since my last pregnancy, and having it end in miscarriage was more frightening and panic-inducing than I ever expected. Yesterday was just a bad day, but I feel much better today.

As I look around the house: I'm ready to get into the swing of things with school and work again, Also, I do believe my amaryllis will bloom by the end of this week, and I cannot wait!

On today's to-do list:

*Meal Planning 

*Cleaning the bathrooms (Monday is Bathroom Day)

*Bundle up and hit the library with Miss Ella

*Buy milk, because apparently, we are out. 

Happening this week: Back to the grind with no holidays to break it up! Oh well!

Currently Reading: 1 Chronicles in the Bible, "Pearls of Great Price" by Joni Eareckson Tada, and "Where the Broken Lie" by Derek Rempfer. Also, finishing up a book with my sister: "The Inconvenient Corpse" by Jackie King. Thera is is Texas, and I am in North Carolina, but it's nice to "read" a book together. (We both have it on Kindle, will read a chapter at the same time, and discuss over text message...it's our own little two-person book club)

On the TV today: Probably nothing for me, I've got a lot to do and I really, really, really want to finish "Where the Broken Lie." I'm pretty sure that Gabe and Ella have a Star Trek marathon planned, as he is off of work, and they are both big Trekkies. 

The Meals This Week:

Monday: The Turkey Spaghetti I was supposed to make yesterday. I did SO well with meals this week, but I felt so bad yesterday that I jumped at the chance to have pizza with a friend, and made Gabe some chicken soup when he got home. (Ella went with me to have pizza)

Tuesday: Frittata

Wednesday: Chicken and CousCous

Thursday: Pork Roast

Friday: Planned Leftovers: Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Saturday: Winter Potato Soup

Sunday: Lasagna 

What I am Creating at this Moment: A get-well card for a family member.

Favorite Photo from the Camera: 

Snowflakes! So beautiful! God truly is an artist. 

Bible Verses, Devotionals: 

Have a beautiful week, friends! 

1/52

Here we go! Another year, another 52 weeks of photos!!!

1/52: Ella and my work-dog, Pisgah the collie.

1/52, Sunday. That hair of hers. She's looking so grown up lately!

Desperation In the Kitchen: Don't-Burn-The-House-Down Beef Stew: A Stew-Torial

A bit of a back story for you:
9 years ago tonight, I did a very brave and stupid thing. As any young woman should, I decided to make a meal for my hard-working husband. I have absolutely no idea what on earth made me think I could make beef stew when I had hardly cooked anything for anyone, EVER.

I found a recipe somewhere, and tried my best to follow it, while tending to an 8 month old. Well, something went terribly wrong somewhere, and I almost burned down my Dad's kitchen. Whoooooops. Dad was an extremely good sport, and Gabe brought home pizza that night. It was another 4 years before I would attempt beef stew again, with a recipe from Family Circle, I think. That time, I followed everything to a T, and double and triple checked everything (like the fire extinguisher) and it was delicious (and my kitchen was safe).

Tonight, on the 9 year anniversary of the Beef Stew disaster, I breezed through it, without the aid of a recipe and my family happily gobbled it up, and I didn't have to call the Fire Department or use my fire extinguisher.

So, here is the recipe for my Don't-burn-the-house-down beef stew.

What You Need
*Butter
*A small onion, chopped
*Olive oil
*Salt, pepper, garlic powder
*Flour
*A package (a pound and a half) of stew beef
*Beef Broth
*Worcestershire Sauce (it's not pictured, because I'm notorious for forgetting to set out at least one ingredient)
*3 large carrots, chopped
*Bay Leaf
*Egg noodles, cooked

What You do:

*Melt some butter and cook your onion until it's translucent and soft, set aside

*Drizzle your stew beef with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and flour

*With a bit of olive oil in the pan, brown the beef in batches, then set that aside too. Word to the wise: this is where things went wrong for me 9 years ago, I think. I think that the floured beef stuck to the pan and went ablaze. Don't be like 22 year old me!!! Make sure you have oil in the pan!

*Add some beef broth and worcestershire sauce to the pan, bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.

*Add in the beef and onions and simmer for 15 minutes

*Add in the carrots, and simmer 45 minutes, adding more broth if needed

*In a small bowl, mix up a few tablespoons of beef broth, with a little flour

*Add it to your stew and turn the heat up to high so it boils (this will thicken the stew)

*Heat until nicely thickened. Serve over egg noodles. Celebrate not having to call the Fire Department.

There you have it. As glad I am to have more of a working knowledge of cooking, I think this is a story that Gabe and I will tell the grandchildren someday. :)

Happy New Year!

It's officially 2016!
I'm not one for "resolutions", but I want God to use me this year.
I want to be a blessing to my husband.
I want to be the kind of Mom that my children (all of them!) deserve.
I want to reach out to strangers and show them the love of God.
I want to spend meaningful, happy times with my family.

What about YOU?

What are you hoping to accomplish this year?

Let's make 2016 the best one yet!!!!