Good Morning friends and Happy Monday! I cannot believe last week just flew by! We find ourselves in full swing of getting ready for our upcoming move. We don’t know when that is exactly because……that’s life but we need to be ready in certain ways. And getting sick TWICE in March hindered those plans so now we need to get back into gear.
Thanks for joining me today!
♥♥ The Weather ♥♥
.So this week we get to experience the full spectrum of what sprig REALLY is like in central NY. We have temps today with a HIGH of 18 and then by Thursday, we will be in the mid- 60’s. we will have everything from snow to good old thunderstorms and hopefully, a bunch of sun mixed in!
♥♥ As I look outside my window ♥♥
SNOW- Can’t even see the mountain behind our house. Give it a few minutes and the sun will be trying desperately to peek out…
♥♥ Right now I am ♥♥
At the kitchen table with my Bullet Journal and pen by my side. I have to keep taking breaks from this blog post to jot down all the “things to do” running through my head. There is so much to do!!
♥♥ Thinking and pondering ♥♥
SOOO much. I guess the biggest two things are my ever-mounting to-do list. Both school-related and house-related. And then blogging ideas that seem to be running free. I can’t seem to keep on top of the ideas. I carry a notebook with me EVERYWHERE!
♥♥ Homemaking tips ♥♥
As we plan to “live ” in our camper as we transition to working on our new home (that will hopefully happen at the end of the month) I have created a four-week rotating menu. Thankfully we will not be limited by minimal electricity/ Fridge/ Laundry and the like. I just needed to create a simplified menu that eliminated the brainwork I usually invest in it each week.
♥♥ How I am feeling ♥♥
I think that because of having COVID it hurt my immune system (As if I didn’t have enough trouble!!). The Doctor who monitors my IVIG said that’s probably why my numbers are lower so I have managed to struggle with a bunch f stomach issues. I have also been dealing with some longtime stress. Not a bad thing but it can be for sure mentally draining at times. So As I have worked through some of that stuff over the last few weeks I have been in the process of laying boundaries for myself and creating a series of checklists for myself that takes away the trying to remember certain things every day. It has helped for sure
♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥
Cup of coffee and some toast
♥♥ On my reading pile ♥
Finishing the book of John
The Life-Giving Home
Guilt
Hello Fears
♥♥ On my TV ♥♥
Nothing really but I’m listening to the Mom to Mom Podcast and some books on my Kindle app
♥♥ On the menu ♥♥
Monday – Soup and salad Tuesday – Make Your own salad bar Wednesday – Tacos Thursday – Sandwiches and salad Friday – Ribs and mashed potatoes Saturday – Tater Tot Casserole Sunday – Baked Ziti
♥♥ From the camera ♥♥
Our drive to church late last week
♥♥ Looking around the house ♥♥I
BOXES UPON BOXES
♥♥ To do list ♥♥
All the normal stuff…dishes, laundry and the like but Also packing, I also need to prep for my meeting tomorrow. Daily reading and general end-of-quarter stuff for school.
♥♥ Prayer List ♥♥
Chruch friends, family, and friends who are struggling. Ukraine.
♥♥ Today’s Devotional ♥♥
“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.”John 15:7-17 NLT
Welcome back, friends. As some of you know we were “on vacation” last week! Well, let’s just say that vacation wasn’t really…..VACATION!?!
But we are back to our normal schedules this week and I think that for the most part, we have recovered!!! Not much work got done in the sense of what we had originally hoped but it was still good and profitable!!
♥♥ The Weather ♥♥
This coming week resembles more of what spring usually looks like in central NY. We will have temps in the ’40s and 50s with rain and snow. and NOT a whole lots of sun.
♥♥ As I look outside my window ♥♥
Gray and rain- typical March weather here. Nugget is excited though She saw her friend the resident woodchuck…She really hasn’t left her door with the windows all day.
♥♥ Right now I am ♥♥
writing this post and texting a friend
♥♥ Thinking and pondering ♥♥
BAHAHA there isn’t enough space here to share that! But to get an inside glimpse into my ponderings you can check out yesterday’s blog post here.
♥♥ Homemaking tips ♥♥
When I plan meals for the week I always make sure there is always a pasta meal and a soup meal. I have numerous reasons for this. Top of the list is it’s economical and fast. The second reason is if I am sick or away Hubby or the kids can make it without too much thought or preparation
♥♥ How I am feeling ♥♥
I am feeling really good. Working through a bunch of stuff and it has been really good. Hard but really good.
♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥
Coffee and egg whites
♥♥ On my reading pile ♥
Hello Fears John (from the Bible) The Life-Giving Home and I will be restarting the book Boundaries this week A bunch of smaller books
♥♥ On my TV ♥♥
Hubby and I watched the hiding place last night otherwise. Nothing. Listening to some podcasts though
♥♥ On the menu ♥♥
Monday – Soup and salad Tuesday – BBQ chicken and Potato Salad Wednesday – Cheesesteak stuffed Peppers Thursday -Sandwiches and salad Friday – Pasta Saturday – Tacos Sunday – Meatball Subs
♥♥ From the camera ♥♥
our girl playing soccer
♥♥ Looking around the house ♥♥
The floor needs mopping again the table needs to be cleaned off continue packing at this point, there are just boxes everywhere
♥♥ To do list ♥♥
PACK PACK PACK get rid of Downsize Repeat oh and keep the house clean and homeschool in the process
♥♥ Prayer List ♥♥
Wisdom strength and courage- that seems to be the ongoing theme for both myself and a good majority of my friends and family.
It seems like a good many of my friends are either just gone through a big life change are currently going through a big life change or are anticipating a big life change
♥♥ Today’s Devotional ♥♥
These verses have been constantly coming up over the last two weeks. I have been learning a lot about God and myself. And these verses have become such reminders …
Galatians 1:10
10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Proverbs 12:18 NLT
8 Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.
Proverbs 4:23 NLT
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Proverbs 15:14
A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Thanks so much for joining me for Happy Homemaker Monday! What’s on your plate for this week? Let me know in the comments below and Have a Happy Week!
Hello Friends! I hope you are having a great week! Today we are going to have a conversation about some changes that are taking place in my life and that we be directly affecting the blog here. I have, over the last couple of weeks, been implementing some boundaries for myself. And even though I am not quite ready to share the not so immediate effects of those boundaries I am ready to share how and why the blog has changed and will continue to do so over the next few months.
Back Story
It’s no secret around here that a little over a year ago I had some major health struggles. Struggles that found me in and out of the hospital 4 times in the month of December in 2020. It found me having a procedure to kill off a tumor that caused damage to internal organs which then resulted in me needing heavy narcotics because when something is dying inside of you it is excruciating and then finally my body (much to the doctors and hospital staff’s surprise ) expelling the tumor on it’s own. And finally waiting the longest week of my life to find out if said tumor was cancer or not. (Praise the Lord it wasn’t).
It was a wild ride BUT a spiral happened that NO one could see. Not even me. See my health issues didn’t end there. There were still major repercussion from Decembers adventures.
Low iron levels related to the amount of blood loss was a huge problem. they were so low they were undetectable. They couldn’t find iron in my system. I ate everything I could get my hands on that was rich in iron (except liver).Have you ever had molasses in your coffee? Yeah don’t! I was desperate BUT my body couldn’t absorb it. I was taking 3 iron pills a day with little to no help. I was living in a constant state of panic attack due to iron levels. It was BAD and to help cope and distract myself I got lost on my phone.
The Reality
As much as I use my phone for helpful useful things I found myself living in a constantly distracted state. When I was stressed I reached for my phone. I chose to get lost in it. Finally in August Hubby advocated for me at the hematologists office for iron infusions. I would sleep all the time. I could barely move without being completely wiped out. The doctor wanted to wait until I had all of my GI tests done but Hubby asked why I couldn’t have them before and boy was I grateful that he did. They said I wouldn’t see a difference right away.They were wrong. It was a two infusion series. The first one I sat though a complete conference day right after. Which is saying a lot because I could barely move at times. Having little to no iron creates a painful state of existence, So between the hurting body, the racing heart and extreme fatigue I wasn’t sure how a conference would work. A few days later I had the second dose and OH BOY I was like a new human being. It just keep getting better.
BUT…..
As I looked back at my prayer journals I began to see a pattern emerging. I was praying every single day that God would help me to not be so distracted. ALL of the time. We had gone through a major life change in the process where hubby left his ministry position he had been at for 12 years. We had no idea where God was leading us next we just knew we were supposed to leave. We picked a church an hour away from home for various reasons.
For nearly 7 months I prayed and prayed and prayed for distractions to leave. And day after day after day I chose to get lost in my phone.
That is until this February when I picked up the book hubby got for me at Christmas called The Life Giving Home written by Sally and Sarah Clarkson. I read Sarah’s chapter on distractions. Which was her phone…ACK! Now this is NOT the first time the topic of “phones” has come up. Phone usage has been in NUMEROUS sermons at our new church. And yet I could dismiss them as “BUT I am a blogger I need to be tied to my phone”. The reality is though my phone usage had very little to do with my blog. It had everything to do with serving as a distraction from my blog and everything else under the sun. It wasn’t until the word DISTRACTION was right in front of my face AND I had COVID that forced me to come to understand the reality of my situation. So that day I sent some Boundaries .
The Boundaries
The very first thing I did was delete Instagram and Facebook from my phone. I still need to use them for my blog. So getting rid of them completely wasn’t an option.
the second thing I did was set a time frame for when I could use social media on my laptop. And that’s from 4-8 pm. It allows me enough time to make posts and then comment back on them if need be. And when the comments are made and I don’t see them right away GUESS WHAT…They are still there the next day…..NO JOKE!
Is it a perfect system NOPE. have I followed it strictly NOPE. BUT life has changed in so many ways…like… I have read double the books I read last month. No it’s not a new distraction.
I have changed immensely…I have a new schedule in place that has been working amazingly.
It Came with an Unforeseen Consequence
We teach our children that there are positive and negative consequences that come with our life choices. You will often hear hubby and I and even our children say Make better life choices.
Well when I chose to set this boundary it became very obvious within just a weeks time that the phone was distracting me from far more than just daily tasks. I hadn’t healed from some major life stuff and all of that in one morning came spilling out. At first I thought it had been a TERRIBLE life choice BUT now I can see how much I have changed in just over a week. THAT is a blog series for a different time.
For now though I have a clarity of mind that I haven’t had in ……ever.
Quite frankly it’s been amazing. I will say though it’s because I have been willing (although reluctant at times ) to do the hard work. I have written nearly 100 pages in my journal..
Letting Go of Mental Chess
I like to play games. All sorts of games (I love WORDLE). I had become a master at mental chess and I didn’t even realize it. Here how mental chess goes “I can’t do x, because if I do X, then person, A Will do Y”.
I had a rather lengthy conversation with our pastor about this, He’s the one who called it mental chess and then he told me. ” You’ll never win. ”
Later this week I looked at my ever growing list of blog post Ideas and there is a set of “green” posts. They are a different color because I felt they were unpublishable so I had determined to journal them…..because if I posted them XYZ might happen. I said out loud as I read them off MENTAL CHESS.
Now does it mean I will post them tomorrow…NO. I won’t. They are going to take some time to write because they are hard perhaps even RAW. There will be a lot more of that around here because I’m letting go of that mental chess I have become so accustomed to playing. I don’t want to waste my mental capabilities on a game I am NOT going to win. Why would I want to use mental headspace for such nonsense I like to win.
Schedule Changes
So as it stands I had already made the change for Sunday afternoons being blogging time. That’s going to stay the same it just works. IF I get to go into church on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and/orFridays with Hubby (until we move ) I intend to use that time for blogging time. But for now I am able to use Sundays to complete blogging work for the week on Sundays.
Mondays will be the normal Happy Homemaker Monday posts. Mondays are also going to be blog work. I have Monday afternoons and evenings to myself- Thanks hubby for that blessing for this introverted homeschooling mom with 3 extroverted children.
Tuesdays are family nights here so no posts will go live
Wednesdays and Fridays are flex days so If I can get more than Mondays and Thursdays blog posts done they will be scheduled on Wednesdays or Fridays
Thursdays are our Thankfulness days – this is the Gratitude in the Middle posts.
Mondays and Thursdays are the MUSTS. All else is icing on the cake.
Next week I hope to have a very special treat. I want to introduce you to two women who have been supporting me through all of this stuff and really lifted my hands (a Moses reference) as I blogged through that Choosing Courage 100 day blogging project last fall. It’s just another step in letting go of the mental chess because I was worried about what other people might think when I shared WHO they are and the role they are playing!
These two women have never met each other and when I said I need to have coffee with the two of you they made it happen. No questions asked. This is why these two women are on my prayer team for this ministry and whatever lies ahead.
Thank you so much for being here and reading and living life right along side of me. I know this has been a much longer post than normal and I appreciate you sticking through to the end.
Hello Friends and Happy spring…??? Maybe…..If we are lucky??? Well at least here in the frozen tundra of New York (we got about a foot of snow yesterday) by Thursday we should be seeing temps of 60!! Thats so exciting at least for me!
This week hubby is on vacation his first in like 32 months. We have some major plans for our home. Our goal is to relax and get some work done on our house!!
It should be a fun week (minus IVIG on Monday! Actually I don’t mind the process it is the day after that’s not so great!
♥♥ The Weather ♥♥
As much as today was cold and snowy tomorrow marks an upswing in temps . 48 for the next two days then somedays in the 5os and a day in the 60s. and some more days in the 40s. It is a far cry from the teens on Saturday and single digits a few weeks ago….It is a welcome change for sure
♥♥ As I look outside my window ♥♥
About a foot of snow EVERYWHERE, except for where it drifted. It’s cold and gray.
♥♥ Right now I am ♥♥
Sitting at the kitchen table writing this post
♥♥ Thinking and pondering ♥♥
About houses. there’s a lot in the works and it takes time and patience. I am pondering the things in which I am scribbling in my journal. it has been forever since I have journaled quite like that. Hubby encouraged it. Only because he knows that is how I process things. The jury is still out on if it is being effective.
♥♥ Homemaking tips ♥♥
When I meal plan I assign a meal for a day but I learned a long time ago that life happens especially right now since some food items aren’t always available. case in point last week I had planned a tater tot casserole BUT there were no tater tots to be found,,,,ANYWHERE!!! So hubby asked is hash browns would work….It was a hit
♥♥ How I am feeling ♥♥
I was hoping this one wouldn’t be here…Hehe. I have been full of anxious and nervous energy over the last 3 days. I am confronted with something I believe God wants me to do. It’s not comfortable or easy.
♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥
Coffee with oat milk and caramel syrup And whatever I choose at the hospital.
♥♥ On my reading pile ♥
The book of John
Hello Fears
The Life Giving Home
The Secret Sauce to Freelance Writing
♥♥ On my TV ♥♥
nothing
♥♥ On the menu ♥♥
Monday – Baked Ziti
Tuesday-Chicken Broccoli Rice Bake
Wednesday– Make your own salad salad bar
Thursday – Tacos
Friday – stir fry
Saturday– Chili and Biscuits
Sunday– Loaded Baked Potatoes
♥♥ From the camera ♥♥
♥♥ Looking around the house ♥♥
I have to deal with loads of paper clutter. I was dealing with t before we got COVID and then it got neglected. So that is one of my major goals for this week. Otherwise despite the mounting piles of boxes we are pretty good. OH and I have t mop the floor (wood season is almost over..if you know you know)
♥♥ To do list ♥♥
Ummm did I just give that up above- see above!
♥♥ Prayer List ♥♥
Oh how I wish I could share, but I can’t. Ukraine. Unsaved friends and family
♥♥ Today’s Devotional ♥♥
Proverbs 12:18 NLT
Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.
I read this earlier this eek as I was in the middle of hubby’s writing assignment he gave me. I was actually doing the Bible Study portion of The life Giving Home. And this really served as a reminder of what kind of person I want and NEED to be even when people are making cutting remarks, I can bring healing with my wise comments. Daunting yes.
Good morning friends. I don’t know about you but I am excited this morning! First off I’m a weird one….I love mornings and I LOVE Mondays! It’s a fresh start and boy do we need one I this household. It finally happened. After two years ( we may have gotten it two years ago but we had no way of being tested) We got Covid. Yep 4 out of the 6 of us. It wasn’t bad. Hubby and I have been vaccinated but even our kids didn’t have it bad either. Snuffy noses, coughs and a sore throat or two. But all in all we are on the mend. This week started out great too because here in upstate Ny we are getting a very nice taste of spring!
Yesterday was also 70!
♥♥ The Weather ♥♥
Like I said yesterday was almost 70 and today is supposed to be 55. No complaints here for sure. The rest of the week is in the 30’s and 40’s but that is SOOOO much warmer than we have seen over the last few weeks!
♥♥ How I am feeling ♥♥
Still coughing and fatigued but for the most part pretty good
♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥
Coffee (as always) and egg whites
♥♥ On my reading pile ♥
I’m finishing up the book of Luke this week and jumping into John for my Bible reading
I am catching up on the Life Giving Home
Hello Fears ( finishing from the fall)
The Secret Sauce to Freelance writing (PDF Book)
♥♥ On my TV ♥♥
Nothing really. we are cutting back TV time. I am listening though to the MOM to MOM podcast
♥♥ On the menu ♥♥
Monday-Chicken Alfredo
Tuesday– Pizza Night (Family night)
Wednesday-Stuffed Pepper Soup
Thursday– Leftover Spaghetti
Friday -Sausage, peppers and potatoes in the crockpot
Saturday– Sloppy Joe Casserole (we kinda are making it up as we go)
Sunday-Loaded Baked Potatoes
♥♥ From the camera ♥♥
white outs from a snow squall two weeks ago
♥♥ Looking around the house ♥♥
Despite all the sickness over the last two weeks the house looks better than we started. Thanks to hubby for helping and the two non-sick kids for stepping up their helping game!!
♥♥ To do list ♥♥
DISINFECT EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!! And mop the floors.
