Monday, July 2, 2018

Happy Homemaker Monday - July 2, 2018

Greetings, Dear Friends! And Happy First Monday of July! 💗 

I trust that your week and weekend went well and that your morning and current week are off to a great start! Our week here turned out to be pretty eventful!


Essie and I Having Ice Cream @ Sonic
On Monday (June 25th) we celebrated granddaughter, Esther's, 4th birthday. I took her out for lunch that afternoon. Then, in the evening she had a 'tea party' with all her cousins. Supper was served before cake and ice cream and each guest was invited to make their own hat or bow tie out of a variety of craft materials. It was a lot of fun 🎈🎂🎉

On Tuesday (June 26th) our youngest granddaughter, Hannah Nicole arrived at 5:34 p.m. She weighed 9 lbs. 7 oz. and was 20 inches long. She is an absolute doll! 👶


Miss Hannah Nicole - June 26, 2018 @ 5:34 p.m. - 9 lbs. 7 oz. - 20" long
Hannah and Nana
Wednesday and Thursday were spent running errands, shopping, cooking, cleaning, and baking and I worked full days on Friday and Saturday and a half a day on Sunday.

On Saturday John and I got a new pet. I will share more about that later in this post!

For now, let's go ahead and get started on this week's post as we join Sandra and all the other lovely ladies for Happy Homemaker Monday over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom...shall we?

Today I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and
all of the wonderful ladies of 
Happy Homemaker Monday!
Right now I am...

Eating breakfast and enjoying a cup of hot tea while I work on this post. 

Am thinking...


,,,about the day (and week) ahead and making a mental list of all the things I need to remember to pick up at the store and do while I'm in town. Perhaps I should take a moment and write them down. 😏

On the breakfast plate...


Cottage cheese on toast, cantaloupe slices, and Twining's Irish Breakfast tea ☕

The weather...


It's been very hot (mid- to upper- 90's with heat indices in the 100's) and, as far as I know, we were under a heat advisory every day last week. We did finally get a break in the heat yesterday and got a good rain. The high was only in the mid-80's which felt absolutely glorious compared to what it's been!

Right now it is 75 degrees and sunny; the high today is supposed to be 92 with high humidity. Right now it's sitting at 95%. 😰


This photo came from the National Weather Service in Kansas City 
and was posted on Friday, June 29, 2018. We sit just to the 
south and west of the city of Neveda, MO near the bottom of the photo. 
On my reading pile...


Life in the Spirit Study BibleThe Busy Woman's Guide to Healthy Eating
by Emily Barnes and Sue Gregg, Built to Last by Kenneth W. Hagin, and
Discover Nature at Sundown by Elizabeth P. Lawlor
In addition to daily scripture reading, I am still reading The Busy Woman's Guide to Healthy Eating by Emily Barnes and Sue Gregg. I am also reading Built to Last-How to Build Strong and Lasting Relationships With God, Family, and Friends by Kenneth W. Hagin and Discover Nature at Sundown by Elizabeth P. Lawlor.

On the menu this week...

Monday - 
turkey meatballs and sauce served over sauteed zucchini
Tuesday - tuna and noodles
Wednesday - turkey burgers or turkey hot dogs and sweet potato fries
Thursday - black bean and cheese tostadas 
Friday - broiled salmon, baked potato with cottage cheese, and steamed broccoli
Saturday - homemade pizza
Sunday - leftovers

New recipe tried this week...

Yellow Squash Casserole
My daughter sent me the link to this recipe from Mrs. Criddle's Kitchen when we were blessed with the yellow squash last week and I tried it out this week. It is THM friendly, Gluten-free, and Low Carb. It is also very cheesy and quite tasty! 

YELLOW SQUASH CASSEROLE

4 large yellow summer squashes, chopped into chunks
1/2 onion, chopped
1 medium carrot grated (optional)
1/4 cup butter
1-8 oz. package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/4 cup half and half or heavy cream (I used almond milk)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (I didn't have any, so omitted)
2 cups cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

    Filling and Topping

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp THM Gentle Sweet (or 1/2 tbsp Truvia or 2 tsp THM Sweet Blend, more for     
   Xylitol or Erythitol) (I didn't use any of these; I used 1/2 tsp Pyure)
1 tsp Italian seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS

Chop all vegetables. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add the squash and onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on medium heat. Add cream cheese and cream or half and half (I used almond milk) and stir until until melted and combined. Add seasonings and cheese and carrots (optional) and mix. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix 'filling and topping' ingredients. Reserve 1/2 cup for topping; mix the rest into squash mixture. Place in a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining topping. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

On my 'to do' list...

- Monday - Plan the week ahead, do my weekly "home blessing"do laundry, wash bedding, figure bills and July budget, go to license bureau, do 4th of July shopping (food and fireworks), drop clothes off at the Good Samaritan
- Tuesday - Pay bills, go to the bank, prepare desserts for the 4th, get together with my friend, Carla
- Wednesday - Celebrate Independence Day, rest, and relax
- Thursday - Celebrate the birthdays of two of our grandchildren...7-year-old, Isaiah, and 13-year-old, Abby, run errands, work around the house. (I was supposed to have jury duty today, but that trial has been cancelled. Yeah!)
- Friday - Work
- Saturday - Work
- Sunday - Church

In the craft basket...



Grape Vine Wreaths
Am still working on grape vine wreaths, jewelry, and other things as I have time. 

Looking forward to this week...

Celebrating the 4th of July, having some down time, and NOT doing jury duty! 😌

Something interesting I watched...


The bison!!! My boss and I went out on the prairie Saturday morning to view them! They truly are some of the most beautiful, amazing, and massive creatures on the planet and I never tire of watching them!


How can you tell the difference between male and female bison from a distance?
Look at the horns. Generally, a male bison's horns are more squared off, kind of in
an L-shape, whereas a female bison's horns are more curved...like this one.

]
Several of this year's calves are old enough that they're losing the pumpkin
orange color and are no longer considered a newborn. They typically retain
the pumpkin color until about three months of age.

Awww! So sweet! 

This lil' guy was obviously very curious
 as to what we were doing out there. 

What a beautiful and massive animal!
Bulls like this can weigh up to 2500 pounds. 
From the camera...

Okay...now...about that new pet...

Friends from Brazil are returning to their native homeland and could not take all their pets with them, so John and I adopted this one. Her name is Clementine. She is a Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula. She's very beautiful and is very sweet tempered. I think we're going to get along just fine! 💗🕷💗


Clementine
Scripture passage...


Well, Ladies, that's it for this week! I pray that each and every one of you have a blessed and beautiful week ahead! And I'll see you next week! Have a Happy First Day of Summer! 💗

Until Next Time...
~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...



30 Days of Summer - Post #4 - How To Beat The Summer Utility Bills and More



Happy Homemaker Monday - June 25, 2018



Be sure to visit our 30 Days of Summer blog series. To find out more check out this post on Jean's site and this one on mine. Jean and I hope you'll join us in our summertime adventure! 🌞


4 comments:

  1. CONGRATULATIONS on your newest family member! Sounds like a fun week full of family - hope it's wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Tamy! Hope your week is off to a great start and I'm wishing your and yours a lovely 4th of July holiday! Blessings! <3

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  2. Congratulations on your new granddaughter! So sweet. I think your new pet would need to be an outdoor pet for me, LOL. Hope you have a great week and very Happy 4th of July!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jean! :) I admit...a tarantula is something that I never would have thought about taking on, but I'm glad I've got the opportunity. Have a Happy 4th of July! <3

      Delete

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