Happy Homemaker Monday - September 23, 2019

Happy Monday!  It's time again to join Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom's Happy Homemaker Monday  Happy First Day of Autumn!

The weather:::

Mon

62°

56°

Tue

68°

52°

Wed

67°

51°

Thu

63°

48°

Fri

58°

47°

Sat

60°

47°

Sun

59°

44°

On the breakfast plate this morning:::
I found the most amazing bacon at my local grocery store this weekend - Hempler's European (Center Cut) Bacon.  If you've ever had English bacon, this is it!  It was pricey ($8.99) but there are 15 slices so if you use it sparingly, it's a lovely treat.  The smell of it cooking took me right back to every English breakfast I've ever eaten - at home, at a hotel, at my aunt's and grandmother's house - lovely memories.  This is a long-winded way to say I cooked up an extra piece to take to work - love a bacon butty!  

Right now I am:::
Heading off to work, the mornings are chilly and getting chillier but I would never complain about that!

On my bedside table:::
My water, diffuser, Renew lotion, and a coconut/jasmine candle, not to burn, just for the scent.    

On my reading pile:::
The Gown:  A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson.  It's a wonderful book, I have to force myself to put it down so I don't read it all in one sitting.

Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:::
The Last Czars on Netflix, Episode 4 of Season 10 of the Great British Baking Show - Dairy.

On my TV this week:::

TV: 
Great British Baking Show, Season 10, Episode 5
Agatha Raisin 

You Tube:
December Daily
Caroline (Mrs. M)
Pretty Neat Living

On the menu for this week:::
I tried two potentials for a Christmas Afternoon Tea, Seafood Quiches and Beef Fillet Canapes with Mushroom-Caper Butter.  Both didn't require very many ingredients because they are so small (2 tablespoons each of shrimp, scallops, and lump crabmeat for the quiches which I can buy in those small quantities at the fish counter in my local supermarket) but the quiche recipe made six and the fillet canapes made twelve so that was more than enough to last just me for the week.  Both were delicious.  I was very disappointed not to be able to find thin-sliced bread anywhere around here.  I used to love Pepperidge Farm's thin white and thin wheat but they are not available in Washington.  What was labeled thin-sliced bread from another brand was not really thin.

This week I'm moving back to a more autumn comfort food menu with shepherd's pie, teriyaki chicken, and Classic Shrimp Scampi (as I found an unopened bag of shrimp when I was reorganizing the freezer).

On my to do list:::
Housework:::It's the master bedroom this week on the Holiday Grand Plan or as it is called in a book about organization I recently read, the haven of serenity, the  sanctuary.  Rule #1, no electronics in the bedroom.  
Bedroom:::Still doing well on making the bed.  With the drop in temperatures, it's time to add a blanket.
Kitchen:::Wipe counters, top up the Brita - did my weekly dishwasher load, run, and unload on Friday night/Saturday morning.
Still working on budgeting for Christmas - planning a weekend away and my usual craft fair excursions.

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
Didn't touch Week 46 of Project Life as I got a little addicted to watching old December Daily videos on You Tube as inspiration for this year.

Looking forward to:::
Receiving a personalized Christmas ornament I ordered - it's designed for a family as there are six people standing on the stairs but I put the names of the six of us in our admin office on the Santa hats.  This is the last year two of my co-workers will be with us so I thought it would be a nice memento of our time together.

Looking around the house:::
Definitely putting a Roomba vacuum and the Braava jet mop on my Christmas list.  Well, one can dream!    

From the camera:::
Mastered the drill and hung up the quilt rack in the bedroom.  I bought this blanket when I was in Minnesota two years ago - we toured the Faribault Woolen Mill which was just amazing, it's one of the last vertical woolen mills in America, and celebrated their 150th anniversary in 2015.  My blanket was 40% off because it had a defect, it was TOO soft.  Not sure what I'm going to put on the top shelf and excuse the color of the walls - I moved in so quickly and with all the chaos of our household goods delivery fiasco and Vic's short time at home, there was no time to repaint.  It's on the to-do list.  I need to iron the wrinkle out of the blanket as well and the shelf is not crooked, that's my photography skills (or lack of!).

What I'm wearing today:::
Standard work uniform - black pants, top, and cardigan - blue top, blue cardigan.  My work clothes are SO boring.  

Thinking about:::
A reconnection with a former classmate.  He responded to a group text and had a link to his business so I clicked over and read what sounded like a really charmed life - a successful military career, his own business, lots of travel.  I sent off a quick "What have you been doing all these years?" only to get an answer that all of the above came to an abrupt halt when he and his wife were involved in a dreadful car accident that has left both of them, over a year later, still dealing with the after-effects.  Things can look rosy but the reality can be much different.  Sounds like they are both on the road to recovery but it's been an uphill battle.  

Bible verse, Devotional, prayers::: 
Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Praying for my classmate and his wife mentioned above; for Sophia as she continues her student teaching, for safety on the road, in the school, and that things calm down a little for her now that she has left her part-time job; for Vic as it is typhoon season in the Western Pacific; for my friends over on the Magical Holiday Home forums who are dealing with health issues and stressful situations, and for me to find the work-life balance I am seeking.

Praying for all of you and a very special thank you for all of your lovely comments.  I LOVE this group, we each have so much to share on our homemaking (full or part-time) journey and I am blessed to be a part of Happy Homemaker Monday.