Week End Wrap Up -- Happy Homemaker Monday

My hot chocolate is speaking to me today. Be happy ... even if there's a chip in your cup. 

It's been a great weekend of relaxing and enjoying family time. I'm really looking forward to the week ahead---Thanksgiving week! Here's a wrap up from the past seven days...

The weather.....

Although we suffered through 87º days twice last week, it's finally gotten cold and we had our first hard freeze Sunday morning! We woke up to a 58º house, indicating that there's something wrong with our furnace. Jamie has called to have it fixed but, in the meantime, we've got the fireplace and wood stove stoked and it's getting toasty in here!

Right now I am....

Sitting in front of the first fire of the year. In fact, this is the first time I've ever lived in a home (as an adult) with a fireplace so this is a real treat! Jamie and the six older kids are at church and the three youngest are getting settled down to sleep. I've got hot dogs and s'mores stuff in the kitchen...I wonder if I should go find the roasting sticks?

Thinking....

I'm thinking about the nice weekend we had. Yesterday we spent the day at home and I worked in the kitchen most of the day. I made pancakes and bacon, slow cooked bbq pulled pork, homemade buns, coleslaw, and slow cooked baked beans. Then we went to Bentonville for the downtown lighting ceremony. Today Jamie took most of the kids to church and I stayed home with Brenna since she's got a little cold. I worked in the kitchen again, making a carrot cake, peanut butter cookies, and a fried chicken dinner. I love fall as it makes me want to be in my kitchen.


On my reading pile....

I'm still reading Sixpence House by Paul Collins. I've not gotten a lot of time to read the past couple months but I'm enjoying the book immensely.

On my TV.....

Jamie and I have been watching Murdoch Mysteries on Acorn TV. I've been disappointed by a few immoral plot lines but it's been pretty good, for the most part.


Looking forward to this week....

If all goes well, I should be able to announce my new book by the end of the week. Editing, formatting, and publishing may have been tougher than the actual writing. But, I'm no longer a newbie so I'm sure it will get easier every time!

Looking around the house....

I did some baking today to warm up the house. I've been loving this homemade vanilla a friend gave me while I was in England in September. I use it in all my special baking. Last Sunday morning I took about four hours and deep cleaned the little kids' bedroom. Our 6, 5, and 3 year olds share a room and I'd not gone through their toy boxes to purge and organize in over a year! I'm thrilled to say that it's been a full week and they've kept it nice and clean and have gotten into a habit of cleaning up before bed, as well as picking up toys several times throughout the day. They're proud of it and want to keep it nice. Yay!

Hope everyone has a lovely week ahead and a beautiful Thanksgiving (for those of us in the USA)!

Happy Homemaker Week End Wrap Up

Hello Everyone! How was your week? Mine went well---especially since I was able to let go of a couple responsibilities that had been keeping me from being my best at home. Do you ever get yourself in over your head? I hadn't for a long time but recently did---and quickly found out that I'm not quite ready for too many outside-the-house responsibilities! If they're activities concerning homeschool, I'm usually fine. Other than that---I'll leave the rest up to my husband to handle!

This week I was the recipient of two blogging awards from Feedspot.com. I was voted 58th best homemaking blogger (out of 100) and the 3rd top Christian homemaking blogger on the internet! Firstly, that's awesome. Secondly, it inspired me to get back to more regular blogging about the things I love. Chilly weather always inspires me to be a better homemaker so I'm making a  commitment to share more of that life with you all here. I miss my blogging friends!

If you've never participated in Happy Homemaker Monday at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, I encourage you to check out her blog and write one up of your own. It's fun to chronicle your week---both for your own memories and to inspire other homemakers!

The weather.....
Our weather has finally turned chilly and I've been delighted to be back in my warm hats and sweaters!


Right now I am....
Everyone is asleep but me. I'm procrastinating on getting my book formatted for publication. I've got about 30 pages to go and could have it done tonight.. But I won't. Ha!


On my reading pile....
I'm currently reading Sixpence House by Paul Collins. It's a memoir about his family's move to Hay-On-Wye...book capital of England (and maybe the world!)

Something fun to share....
Here's my final book cover. Should be ready for purchase by Thanksgiving!

On the menu for this week....
I'll be making this delicious Caramel Apple Pecan Bread. It's so delicious!

Well, this post was started Saturday afternoon and has now been finished on Monday night. Ha!! Isn't it a shame that the holiday season seems to pass so quickly? Guess I'd better slow down a little and savor it!

Hope you have a lovely week!

The Homemaking Party

Hey friends! Hope everyone's having a happy week. It's been a great week for us---but tonight I'm sleepy and ready to relax with some writing and reading. Isn't this a gorgeous tribute to our veterans? This is Dickens Place in Bella Vista, Arkansas---the lane leading down to our city library. I love it!

Jamie and I voted Friday morning. What an honor to be given the right to vote for our candidate of choice. I'm thankful!

Best of all, our six year old son, Liam, was baptized on Sunday! He was so happy to be baptized and he's such a good boy---wanting to serve the Lord and brighten days with his sweet smile and disposition. I'm thankful for him, too!

Thanks for stopping by the Homemaking Party! I'm looking forward to seeing what you've all been up to!

The Homemaking Party: Introducing the #NaNoMuffin

Welcome to the Homemaking Party! Do you know what this is? It's a #NaNoMuffin---my traditional midnight snack enjoyed during the first few minutes of each year's #NaNoWriMo event!

Are you familiar with NaNoWriMo? It stands for National Novel Writing Month. I'm not actually writing a novel this month---but I am finishing up my women's devotional and preparing it for publication before Thanksgiving! I figured joining NaNoWriMo would be good motivation to get me writing more each day.

I hope everyone is having a beautiful week!

An Evening at the Maple Leaf Festival in Carthage, MO

Earlier this month, our family had the opportunity to travel to Carthage, MO with a friend who was ministering in music at the Maple Leaf Festival. My husband played the drums for her and our son Michael played guitar. The rest of us {minus the other two older boys} spent some time in the city park while waiting for the music to start.

We fell in love with the Victorian era fountain and pretty scrolled metal park benches. It was a sweet place to hang out---a place I plan on visiting again soon!

Lynzie and I took a zillion photos like this, trying to get the sunbeam just right behind us. It's fun being silly with my girl.

Since Lynzie was all decked out in a Steampunk outfit, we decided she needed a photo on this Victorian-esque park bench.

The band was excellent and everyone really enjoyed the worship music. I may have done a little bit of bragging on my guys in the band. Ha!

Ok...one more sunshine photo. It was fun!

While the olders were hanging out with the adults, the littles enjoyed some inflatables. Here's Kynthia having the time of her life on an enormous inflatable slide.

There was something fun for everyone---I even took a minute to try out the ball toss. I wasn't so great at it...

I'm thankful for fun times out with family and so glad the weather has cooled enough to get outside without melting into a puddle!

Hope you're having a great week. Thanks for stopping by the Homemaking Party. I'm excited to see what you've got to share!

Happy Homemaker Monday

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a happy weekend. We did, but boy did it go by fast! Here I am with a few of my sweet friends who held a birthday party for me Friday night!

The weather.....
It's been warm today and yesterday and today is super breezy! Our porch is covered in leaves and there are many limbs down. I think tomorrow is supposed to be the last day we hit 80º and then it will likely cool off more.


Right now I am....
Sitting at the table listening to my two oldest teens work on their government lesson together. They're using their youth pastor as an example of someone who chooses the common good over her own self-interests. That's pretty sweet!


Thinking....
I'd really like to spend time writing my book this evening...but I'm so sleepy! I wonder if I can escape for a little nap...


On my reading pile....
I'm reading Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books by Paul Collins. It's his memoirs on moving to Hay-on-Wye, a city of approximately 1,500 residents and 40 bookshops!


On my TV.....
We're still watching Murdoch Mysteries on Acorn TV online. I so love this show! The costumes and nods to history are pretty fun.

Something fun to share....
Saturday was the annual Bella Vista Arts & Crafts Festival. Selah and I go every year---it's a tradition we always look forward to. We get up early and ride the hay wagon from the parking lot to the opening gate and take our time browsing booths. We each pick a souvenir. This year, she chose a small handmade cloth kitten and I chose this pumpkin made from a vintage chenille blanket. The design goes all the way around but I like how this view makes it look like it has a smiling face!


On my to do list....
This week I'll start teaching a third literature class at our homeschool co-op so I've got to prepare for that. I also plan to work on my devotional some more and I'll also need to make up a menu and grocery list for shopping on Thursday.


Looking forward to this week....
This Sunday the 23rd is my 37th birthday! My family has some fun planned for the day time and then we'll attend the annual hayride and bonfire with our church family that evening.

What have you been up to this week?

Make sure to visit Happy Homemaker Monday at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Pumpkin-Shaped Sugar Cookies for Sweeties

Welcome to the Homemaking Party! 

Every mom or grandma has that list of things they want to do for the little ones while they're still little. One thing on my list was to make pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies with candy corn eyes. It sounds like a simple thing, but it's a tradition my mom started with me when I was young and it's a special memory I have that I wanted to pass on.

I was in grade school back in the days when we could bring snacks on our birthdays and have a little party. As a homeschooling mom with a daily teaching schedule, I can now see how that may have been an inconvenience to my teachers to have their schedules interrupted without notice. Still, in "those days", teachers had the flexibility to stop lessons for a party and mine always did. {Did I just ramble on about the sad state of US education? Oops...sorry...back to the story.}

Anyway, my mom would make these pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies for me to bring since my birthday is October 23rd---just a week before Halloween. Our family doesn't celebrate Halloween now, but that doesn't mean we can't still enjoy a cute pumpkin with candy corn eyes!

Our family attends homeschool co-op on Wednesdays so I always pack the kids a lunch. Today they'll be treated with these sweets and my mom's tradition will have finally carried on to my kids. It took me 17 years, but here's one I'll finally be able to cross off the mom to-do list!

Thanks for stopping by the Homemaking Party. I'm excited to see what you've all got to share!

Linking with:

Homemaking Party @ Classical Homemaking

Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays 

A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers

Inspire Me Wednesday @ MamaBuzz

Wow Us Wednesdays
Coffee and Conversation

Happy Homemaker Monday

I'm a very happy homemaker now that fall has arrived! I've been baking, drinking flavoured tea, and doing the massive seasonal clothing swap! Fall is here and I love making my home a peaceful place in which to relax!

Today I'm participating in Happy Homemaker Monday. Here's what's going on in my world this week:

The weather.....
Thankfully, we're finally seeing some cooler weather! My air conditioning has been off for four days now and baking is only warming the house up by a couple degrees. We spent the late afternoon and early evening outside yesterday and coats were essential! The leaves are just starting to turn and fall. I've not noticed any chimney smoke in the air yet---but I'm sure it's on its way!

Right now I am....
My husband took the older kids to evening church and I stayed home with the youngers who've been in bed for hours. I've been working on my devotional book that I'm hoping to publish Thanksgiving week. It's almost time for my husband to come home and we're planning to watch Murdoch Mysteries and have popcorn. We always put everyone to bed early on Saturday and Sunday nights so we can hang out.

Thinking....
I'm thinking of time I can set aside this week for writing. I'm really feeling an urgency to get this book out so I'm trying to balance that with the reality that I'm a homeschooling mom of nine children and can't lock myself away for hours every day to author books!

On my reading pile....
I'm currently reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass for a Victorian Sci-Fi and Fantasy class I'm writing. After that, I plan to read my friend Sherri Beth Johnson's new book, Valynn. I finished the first in her series, Georgiana, last week and really loved it!

On my TV.....
We don't have TV service but do watch things on Netflix. Lately my husband and I have been enjoying historical shows and are really into Murdoch Mysteries. We also like to watch Time Team, a British archaeology show.

Something fun to share....
Well...would you like to see the first draft of my book cover?

On the menu for this week....
I've really been craving Mexican so I know I'll be making Taco Dip. I make a big 13x9 pan of it and we eat it with chips for dinner. I've also got chili on the menu, as well as chicken and dumplings and BBQ chicken.

Looking forward to this week....
This coming weekend is our city's annual arts and crafts fair. Each year, my second daughter, Selah, and I get up early one morning of the fair and drive out to the grounds where it's held. A hay wagon drives us from the parking lot to the fair entrance and we enjoy walking around looking at all the booths. I always let her pick out a treat of some kind and sometimes we each purchase a souvenir. There are always several booth owners who give her presents. Last year, someone gave her a polished rock necklace and the year before she was gifted with a scarf.

Looking around the house....
There are clothes everywhere!! It's always a big event when I get out the seasonal clothing totes. With several children sharing each closet, I can't keep all their clothes in them year round. Whatever is not in season is stored in totes in the garage and making the switch requires lots of sorting, trying on, and washing. My washer and dryer have been going all day and I've still got a huge pile!

From the camera....
Our son, Liam, was supposed to be baptized today but I had a couple of kids who weren't feeling well so I needed to stay home with them. I went ahead and made his celebration cake anyway, as he was looking forward to it, and he placed this car on top as a decoration. He'll have the opportunity again soon to be baptized and I'll make him another celebration cake on that day. He's not opposed to the idea!

On my prayer list.....
A personal prayer is for my three year old daughter, Brenna, who is going in for an echocardiogram on Tuesday morning. There's a possibility she may have some heart issues so we're getting some tests done to find out.

Hope everyone has a beautiful week. I encourage you to make the most of your homemaking this week by focusing on atmosphere and attitude. The most cluttered of homes can be peaceful when an effort is made to keep it full of kindness and joy!

Make sure to visit Happy Homemaker Monday at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for more inspiration.

My Return from England--Featuring Warwick Castle

Pultney Bridge selfie --- Bath, England

Hello Friends! Wow, it's been awhile since I've hosted our weekly Homemaking Party! I've returned from my England trip and am getting settled back into the regular routine. Some really fun things are in store for the next couple months---namely, I'll be releasing a book shortly!

There were lots of really amazing things to see and experience on this year's tour. I'm hoping to share them all with you over the next few weeks. One of the fun places we visited was Warwick Castle.

They've got a lovely exhibit called the Victorian House Party. The castle and grounds are owned by Madame Toussad's so there are some really amazing wax work exhibits throughout the castle.

Here are my friend Leta and I---punished for bad behaviour!

I feel so blessed to have been able to visit England once again. I'm hoping my husband can travel with me next time!

Thanks for stopping by the Homemaking Party. I'm excited to see what everyone's got to share!