Breathing Deep: Happy Homemaker Monday

Posted on by Mary
breathing

Happy Monday Friends! I don’t know about you all but I have found myself this week taking in more time breathing in deeply these summer days. This past week I did something I haven’t done since we moved here to our new place and that is watching the sunrise.

Coffee in hand I have met the sunrise 3 days this past week and honestly, I plan to keep on doing so as long as the weather permits (this week looking a little sketchy

!Last week started out kinda rough but by the middle of the week my fog cleared and some amazing things happened, in my heart, in my mind and I begin to do some forward thinking that I haven’t been able to do in a long time. Things for my blog here and for some things in the future.

Let’s jump into it

♥♥ The Weather ♥♥ 

Well, we had a gorgeous week this last week but this week appears to be very stormy. But I’m breathing in and soaking up all these warm sunny days for sure.   

Monday –  stormy and 81

Tuesday – 79 and partly cloudy

Wednesday – partly cloudy and 83

Thursday – Stormy and 82

Friday – rain and 80

Saturday – partly cloudy and 81

Sunday – partly cloudy and 85

♥♥  As I look outside my window ♥ 

Out the back of the camper, there are new walls for the expanded kitchen, master bedroom, and craft room, and a newly set door!

♥♥  Right now I am ♥♥ 

Typing this blog post with my earbuds in listening to our Family Jams playlist

♥♥  Thinking and pondering ♥♥ 

writing projects. I’m planning for my write 31 days series. I will start writing this week and that fits into a larger writing project. A pretty huge answer to prayer.  

♥♥  How am I feeling ♥♥ 

I’m feeling really well minus some sinus stuff but that is minor.

 ♥♥  On the breakfast plate ♥♥ 

coffee (Of Course) and oatmeal 

♥♥   On the lunch plate ♥♥ 

Sandwiches

♥♥  On the dinner plate ♥♥ 

Leftover pasta

 ♥♥  What I’m wearing  ♥♥ 

Shorts and T-shirt with sneakers

 ♥♥  On my reading pile ♥♥ 

Finishing up 2 Corinthians in the Bible

Hello Fears (Should be finished later this week)

A counseling book (will be finished later today)

I will start Lead Small tomorrow

♥♥  On my TV this week  ♥♥ 

Whatever I can find o Pureflix

♥♥  On the menu  ♥♥ 

Monday – Leftover pasta

Tuesday – hamburgers and chips

Wednesday –  BBQ and tater tots

Thursday – Pizza

Friday –  Hot Dogs

Saturday – Dinner with friends

Sunday – Sandwiches

♥♥  Looking around the house  ♥♥ 

It’s peaceful and ready for a new day. Today will be tough because there won’t be a whole lot of outside time with the storms But we can at least move to the barn to work on stuff there!

♥♥ To-Do List ♥♥ 

I have some homeschooling stuff I need to work on. I’ve taken a break over the last two weeks but I need to jump back into it.

And I have a bunch of writing I need to do along with two more blog posts for this week

♥♥  From the camera  ♥♥ 

Breathing
Saturday morning I was up as the sun rose. The fog rolled in and left within ten minutes. These misty mornings on our hill have easily become my favorite!. I’m breathing in deep these quiet mornings watching the mist roll in.

♥♥  Devotional  ♥♥ 

I have been spending a lot of time with my girl Queen Esther. . I’m back to writing about her and her amazing influence on my life! The fun part is I’m writing about a bunch of other friends and as I have been studying and growing I am reminded of this profound passage.

Hebrews 11:32-38 )MSG)

32-38 I could go on and on, but I’ve run out of time. There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, and routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless—the world didn’t deserve them!—making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.

Thanks so much for joining me this week for Happy Homemaker Monday! I pray that it has been an encouragement to you! For more Happy Homemaker Monday Posts you can Check out Diary of a Stay At Home Mom and for more of my Happy Homemaker posts you can go here

What are you breathing in deep this week? What’s your favorite thing about summer that you like to savor?

Progress: Happy Homemaker Monday 7/18/2022

Posted on by Mary
Summer

Hello My happy friends! What a week it has been! It’s been a week of progress in some areas and yet in others, it has been a real struggle. I set out to write so many times this week and words just aren’t coming. It’s been a struggle I’m not sure why it just is. This week though I’ve changed some things up and I am going to revisit some old habits that I have let go of in our current season.

♥♥ The Weather ♥♥

SUMMER is showing up this week! That’s progress! It’s been stuck in late May temps here for like the last 2 months so I’m excited to see summer temps come!

Monday –  Scattered thunderstorms and 77

Tuesday – partly cloudy and 86
Wednesday – partly cloudy and 90

Thursday – thunderstorms and 84

Friday – partly cloudy ad 84

Saturday – thunderstorms and 85

Sunday – thunderstorms and 84temps

These are by no means “normal” NY July weather, but at least it’s not 50 and rainy!

♥♥  As I look outside my window ♥ ♥  

When I look outside the back of the camper I see freshly placed plywood…More progress

♥♥  Right now I am ♥♥

sucking down major amounts of water, applying oils generously and wishing I had brought tylenol in hopes to chase away the starts of what feels like a dandy headache coming on.

♥♥  Thinking and pondering ♥♥

lots of things. Its been hard to really settle my mind over the last few weeks and focus. Probably why its been so hard to focus and write- or at least part of it. Do you suffer from restless heart? I do but not very often. Teasing out the cause can take a while though. This isn’t a bad thing I t usually is a precursor of some form of growth in my life. I just need to process it (More progress).

♥♥  How am I feeling ♥♥

Pretty good. Last week was IVIG. No real side effects though I need have some weird tummy troubles but it wasn’t related….IVIG tummy troubles are VERY distincrt.

♥♥  On the breakfast plate ♥♥

Coffee and maybe some toast later


♥♥  What I’m wearing  ♥♥

black capris black and white striped shirt and sandles

♥♥  On my reading pile ♥♥

My Bible, a couple of counseling books, revisiting the book boundaries later this month
Hello Fears, and The Life-Giving Home

♥♥  On my TV this week  ♥♥

Nothing

♥♥  On the menu  ♥♥ 

Monday – Loaded baked potatoes
Tuesday – Burgers and potato salad
Wednesday – pasta
Thursday – Soup
Friday – Tacos
Saturday – BBQ tater tot casserole

♥♥  Looking around the house  ♥♥

Still working on campeer organizaion but I have made big progress in that this week as well.

I also REALLY need to fold laundry!!!

♥♥ To-Do List ♥♥

  • Laundry
  • reading
  • I have a few dishes to catch up on
  • homeschool planning for the next school year

♥♥  From the camera  ♥♥

progress

Progress!!

♥♥  Devotional  ♥♥

I have been working with 1 Corinthians 13 over the last few months and have some upcoming posts I’m working on centering around 1 Corinthians 13 and maybe some unconventional thoughts abuout that passage.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away

So what are you progressing in this week? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for joining me this week for Happy Homemaker Monday. You can check out more posts like this one by visiting Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

And you can check out more of my Happy Homemaker Monday posts here

Happy Summer! Happy Homemaker Monday

Posted on by Mary

Summer



♥♥ The Weather ♥♥

IIt has been gorgeous, though not quite hot enough for my liking. I enjoy wARMTH and since we live in a place where it is fairly cold most of the year I always hope we get toasty temps for summer.

Monday –  Sunny and 80

Tuesday – Thunderstorms and 78
Wednesday – partly cloudy and 78

Thursday – partyly cloudy and 79

Friday – thunderstorms and 79

Saturday – partly cloudy and 76

Sunday – Sunny and 77

These are by no means “normal” NY July weather, but at least it’s not 50 and rainy!

♥♥  As I look outside my window ♥ ♥  

Currently living in our camper we have pretty tiny windows and I am spending a lot of time outside at our picnic table. I am still restricted with how much I can be on my foot. Our new place is gorgeous and when it isn’t raining (it hasn’t done that very much) then I am enjoying the outdoors.
we are surrounded on three sides by pastures and the tall grasses that will soon be turned into hay bales wave gently in the almost constant breezes.

We have a plethora of songbirds that wake us up in the morning and tree frogs that serenade us at night.

♥♥  Right now I am ♥♥

Sitting outside enjoying the last few hours of sunlight (yes I’m writing on Sunday). I am listening to the breeze rustling the trees and the mourning doves cooing to each other. Hubby is making dinner so he and our two youngest can have a boy’s night. I can hear them playing Lego Batman on the new-to-them game system.

♥♥  Thinking and pondering ♥♥

Looking forward to tomorrow connecting with new church friends and a 4th of July BBQ. Thankful that we finally finished school. and that summer can really begin. Homeschooling while living in the camper and commuting between two homes has not been easy but it has been fun watching our new home transform.

♥♥  How am I feeling ♥♥

Feeling pretty good as long as I am not on my foot excessively. It has been hurt for over two months now and we are still waiting for an MRI to be approved. (It’s been denied twice). The doctor believes it was broken and not picked up by the original x-ray or I have since stress fractured it. Either way, the pain is growing old and I want to help with the process of moving and building more than I am.

♥♥  On the breakfast plate ♥♥

Sundays there’s not really time for breakfast. I will occasionally grab a banana and have coffee once I get to church


♥♥  What I’m wearing  ♥♥

Comfy pants and a purple and gray baseball tee and sneakers

♥♥  On my reading pile ♥♥

My Bible, a couple of counseling books, revisiting the book boundaries later this month
Hello Fears, and The Life-Giving Home

♥♥  On my TV this week  ♥♥

Whatever looks good on Pureflix this week

♥♥  On the menu  ♥♥ 

Monday – Chicken BB picnic
Tuesday – Soup
Wednesday – Make your own salad
Thursday – Pasta and Sauce
Friday – Schools over dinner and desert
Saturday – Picnic with some other friends

♥♥  Looking around the house  ♥♥

The Barn has been demo-ed on the inside. Our 12-year-old son and been so helpful. He is a go-getter and we have to make sure he isn’t up at the crack of dawn helping. The next step is placing a new wall

♥♥ To-Do List ♥♥

I have a bunch of cards to write and mail. I did a bunch already today. I have to mail 2 CAT tests and a school report. I have a laundry basket full of laundry to wash and two to fold. Prep this week for the person I mentor, dishes as always and I have to migrate stuff from the first 6-month planner to the next 6 months. And when we got back to the blue house later this week I have to pack pack pack and do IVIG on Friday

♥♥  From the camera  ♥♥

We have some absolutely amazing sunsets

♥♥  Devotional  ♥♥

I’ve been studying Romans 12 as I work with the Young Woman I am mentoring and we are studying it together

A Living Sacrifice to God

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

3 Because of the privilege and authority[c] God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.[d] 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[e] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[f] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”[g]
    says the Lord.

20 Instead, 

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”[h]

21 Don’t let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good.

Thanks for joining me this week for Happy Homemaker Monday. You can check out more posts like this one by visiting Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

And you can check out more of my Happy Homemaker Monday posts here

A Not So Happy Homemaker Monday

Posted on by Mary
Happy

Happy Monday friends. I’m writing this post today Sunday because I do not know what tomorrow holds. I have this wonderful pooch who is not doing so great. She turned 13 on Friday and we know she has been declining over the last year but this last week she took a big nose dive. At this point we are taking it moment by the moment. We know that she s failing fast.

She has been with our family for 9 of her 13 years and she has been amazing! I love how dogs know when you are going through stuff. And she has been no different. Her sweet smile and her constant companionship has been a hue blessing! And I am rejoicing in the blessing have having gotten to call her mine for so many years!!

♥♥ The Weather ♥♥

As of right now it is cold and snowy! But starting tomorrow we will be in the mid and upper 40’s with days in the mid- 50s scttered in the week as well. Tere isn’t a whole lot of sun in the forecast jus pretty much the typical gray of April in central NY

♥♥  As I look outside my window ♥♥

Gray skies and snow

♥♥  Right now I am ♥♥

Typing this post while listen to music in my ear buds ( I have discovered this is a fabuous way for me to focus while I am writing. I am often distracted by background noise no matter where I am writing.

♥♥  Thinking and pondering ♥♥

At this point I am trying not to think and ponder too much. I am trying to keep my mind focused on being busy. I ave an incredibily active imagination.

♥♥  Homemaking tips ♥♥

♥♥  How am I feeling ♥♥

Sad. For some odd reason we lose pets after soe big emotional experience. I am not sure why. This is the second dog I have lost. I was telling hubby the other day I’m going to end up with a complex. 2 completely different circumstances and really BAD TIMINING

♥♥  On the breakfast plate ♥♥

coffee

♥♥  On my reading pile ♥♥
  • 3 more counseling books (they are short little things just shy of a hundred pages each
  • The Book of Acts
  • The Life Giving Home (Finish March and April)
  • Starting Point (for mentoring)
  • Hello Fears
♥♥  On my TV this week  ♥♥

nothing

 ♥♥  On the menu  ♥♥ 
  • Monday- Pizza and salad
  • Tuesday-Hamburgers and French fries
  • Wednesday- Tater Tot Casserole
  • Thursday- Chili and Bread
  • Friday-Beef Stroganoff
  • Saturday BLTs
  • Sunday- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
 ♥♥  From the camera  ♥♥

I saw this from the Women of Faith Facebook page and knew I needed to share it. We all desperately need this reminder, sometimes on a regular basis.


♥♥  Looking around the house  ♥♥

This is going to be redundant over the next few weeks. Boxes, cleaning, organizing downsizing …Need I say anymore?

♥♥  To do list  ♥♥

See above

♥♥  Devotional  ♥♥

Colossians 3:12 NLT

 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Thanks for joining me today I pray that you have a fabulous week! For more Happy Homemaker Monday Posts check out Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

You can check out some of my Happier Happy Homemaker Monday posts here

Meet the Team

Posted on by Mary
Team

Happy Wednesday Friends! I have been waiting on the edge of my seat for almost two weeks to introduce you to my prayer team. In reality, these sweet women have been praying for me a lot longer than when I asked them to join me on my journey. They are the only other 2 people on this website who I will use their real first names. This is just another baby step in me letting go of the “mental chess game” I have been struggling with for some time. And in giving up the game I am going to share about these two very special ladies. I can honestly tell you that without them the 100 Days of Choosing Courage blogging project I did this past August-November would have never been finished!

Why A Team

We were never meant to do life alone. We were made to need each other. This is something that God has been teaching hubby and I for some time now. It is why we chose the church we chose. It’s not just about just having a team either. It’s about having the right team. One that loves unconditionally and cares for each other and seeks the others best interests and growth over their own.

Who they are

Meet Beth and Steph! These two women! they amaze me. Each of them has quite the stories of their own. The really held me up last December when my health was turned on its ear. They checked in, they sent encouraging texts, and really listened when I was struggling.

Beth has been a LONG TIME friend of hubby’s family. Beth’s two sons played with Hubby and his brother at the same bible conference we have attended for many years. And now Her grandkids and our kids run and play in the same places their dad did over 20 years ago. Beth and I have connected deeply while at the Bible conference and our friendship has just grown over the last number of years. When hubby and I told her and her hubby that he was resigning from his position they came to us and we had lunch and talked. If ever I’ve had an iron sharpening iron friendship this is it!

Steph and I have been friends since college albeit not as close as we are now. We reconnected through a mutual friend and our friendship has grown deeper as well. We have kids the same age. Our families have a great time together and Steph has been a real light in some struggles we can often be found texting each other about some insanity one of our crazy children has done! A few times she has talked me off the ledge of frustration.

Why a prayer team

BECAUSE I NEED A LOT OF PRAYER! Actually, I was chatting with another friend who is another author and she mentioned she had a prayer team. We talked about what that looked like and the why. That was a number of years ago and I was not in the place to have such a thing. There is A LOT that goes into this but it just wasn’t the time.

Fast forward to this past August when I attended the Global Leadership Summit with hubby. To say I was sick at the time was an understatement Anxiety was an all-day everyday experience I was barely functioning on extremely low iron. Actually, the second day of the conference started out with my first iron infusion But during that conference, I heard a speaker talk about her 100 days of facing her fears. AND AT THAT MOMENT I KNEW…I had to face a fear…YES, ONE…..BLOGGING! weird right? I have been blogging for this insane amount of time and I was afraid of it. Well, that’s because I have been roughly criticized by people who I counted as friends. Those hurts caused me to nearly quit but I have this pretty amazing hubby who wouldn’t let me do that. Enter more mental Chess.

Actually, I had to face two fears. I knew I was going to need accountability and that was going to require me asking someone….and EVERY other time that happened it ended with me getting hurt HORRIBLY. To say I had trust issues is an understatement.

So I prayed and asked God who could serve as a prayer partner for this journey I was about to undertake. Steph was the first person I would ask and then a few weeks later I would add Beth. I created a text thread that introduced the two of them and the rest is history.

The Journey

I cannot tell you the number of times I hit a roadblock and one of the two of them OR BOTH would text me and tell me what the last post had meant to them. It would give me the shot in the arm I needed to keep going.

If I happened to be struggling with a topic or something I could shoot some thoughts off of them. And when that journey ended in November we still kept in contact via that text thread and we still shared prayer requests frustrations and other things.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. I had a rather nerve-wracking meeting scheduled for a Tuesday morning. God had really made some things come to the forefront in my life and it needed to be dealt with as much I didn’t want to. I needed prayer. I knew Hubby would be praying for me but I knew that I needed o contact Steph and Beth and asked them to do the same. And they said they would…..but they like the amazing friends they are didn’t leave it there! They checked in later that night.

AND ALL I HAD TO SAY WAS……

“I wish I could have coffee with the two of you.” Their response was Let’s make it happen and within 10 minutes we had a date time and place. And this past Friday it happened. Steph and Beth had never met each other. It was amazing. I had never had something like that happen. And I spilled my guts. They listened. They loved, We laughed and we grew together. They know there are going to be some challenging posts coming down the line. I don’t know when. But I know that I can count on them to pre-read and pray me through and help me fight off the mental chess games I apparently love to play.

When It comes down to it these two ladies have challenged me to be the best me I can be. When I asked them to take on this role I had no idea what path I was going to head down next. I am a fairly content person. I am not looking for the next cliff to leap off of because we ALL know how I feel about Heights!! ACK!

But as We wrapped up Friday’s meeting I had something rolling in my head. Back in September Beth had read one of my Posts “When You Lose Yourself” and she said she thought it would work great as a book chapter (Beth has known for a long time that this is a HUGE dream that not very many people know about). She said she felt like it was the beginning of a book….and as I sit here re-reading that post I am dumbfounded. She saw something I didn’t and now….now I have more to add..more I didn’t know or maybe understand before

As a matter of fact, as I have sat here scrolling the text messages over the last 8 months a lot has happened. God really is so amazing at how he orchestrates things.

Thank you Ladies

Thank you for embarking on this wild journey that NONE of us fully understand we are on!

Thank you for dropping everything for me!

Thank you for your shining example of friendship and Jesus’ unconditional love.

Thanks for checking in!

Thanks for reading!

Thank you for making me laugh!

Thanks for helping me become a better Jesus follower and communicator!

And most of all thank you for praying!!!