Have a Good Day

Have A Good Day!

Happy Homemaker Monday

In the kitchen

In the garden

Welcome Monday!

Each week I share a few plans and join Sandra and a few others for a fun little party...

 

The Weather

Fall ahhhh!  I realize that Fall is my favorite time of the year here in Texas.  Don't get me wrong I love Texas but in Fall the weather is cool and crisp and mostly dry.  

We are in the 70's most days.  With a cold snap or two that doesn't last more than a day.  Ahhh.  Texas in Fall.  Nothing better. 

Right now I  am

Thinking of the week ahead and all the things I want/need to do.

I am realizing I need to shorten my work schedule.  I am just praying that we can work it out.  

On the menu

My favorite part of planning my week and sharing with you! 

Monday- Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potato's and Green Beans

Tuesday- Leftover Brisket, Beans, Cornbread, Slaw

Wednesday- Seafood Bisque and a crusty bread from a mix

Thursday- Hamburgers, fries etc.

Friday- Can I go out?

In the kitchen

A recipe to try one day.  This looks sooooo yummy!

Apricot glazed Cajun Wrapped Pork Tenderloin . . 

Oh this one looks sooo good.  The recipe is here. 

In the garden

No pics not much going on.  

I have planted

12 mums 8 small and 2 medium size

1 butterfly bush marked down to 3.00

I have kale, broccoli and cabbage in the greenhouse waiting to go outside when I get the energy!

On my reading pile

 The book that I am just itchin' to read this week!

I got my print copy the other day.  Not on tour till December!

This one will be hard to ignore for awhile!

Something fun to share

I am hosting a Christmas Card Exchange.  The sign up begins on the 1st.  I hope you'll join.  It's super simple.  You decide how many cards you want to send! 5,10,20 or to the entire list. 

You decide if you want to send store bought or 'make' cards or post cards.  

You decide if you want to mail out of the U.S.  

All the details will be posted on Wednesday!  I hope you'll join!

Fabulous Features

Welcoming Dara and her yummy chili.  I want to try this one. 

Visit her blog here. 

Fabulous Feature

 Check out this Fabulous redo over here. 

In the craft basket  

Quilts and lots of fabric for quilts.  I am finishing the Houston project for delivery in a week. 

I will be starting a project for Scottish Rite Hospital

From the camera

 

Devo./ Scripture

 

 I have shared this one before but it is fitting for this week!

Have A Good Week!

Simple Sunday-Fabulous Party

Source

Have a Blessed Day

Welcome to the party!

Simple rules.  Keep it Family Friendly.

No Halloween.  Please. 

I post my own Halloween post filled with your links.  Leave a comment to let me know to visit your spooky posts! 

  All posts pinned on the Fabulous Party board.

2 features chosen each week and posted on my Happy Homemaker Monday post 

Let's party!

It's A Great Day For A Horse Show

Watchin mama work.  His 1st horse show

I am off to deliver breakfast then watch my grandson ride and my daughters students.

Last year waitin' to ride

I got a text a few minutes ago requesting a cheese burger plain and dry.  

In the show ring

I convinced him pancakes were a better idea. 

Last year we almost needed sun screen

Today we'll sportin' our new winter coats.

Of course I will take lots of pics. 

Off to get those pancakes!

Happy Trails

Flower Friday-My Busy Week

Sharing today a few orchids that I purchased this week for a client.
I spent 3 days running all over town searching for the right ones. 
I ended up today after The Cowboy suggested it calling around the local stores that might have them. 

I hope she likes them 

I probably spent an hour turning it this way and that looking for the perfect angle

This is what she'll see when she walks in the door

I re-potted them into the urns. 

Here's one in the dining room.

This isn't the urn that was originally in the room.  I am not sure if she would want it sitting on the wood so I put a cloth underneath.

I wasn't able to find the smaller orchids she usually uses for this area so I had to find a different pot.  I choose the urn that was similar to the one in the entry way.

It was hard finding the white.  I wasn't able to find any small ones. 

For another smaller entry way I chose this one. . . 

I hope she likes them!

And I hope she likes how the house looks. This client has been out of town since May.  I am the house keeper and manager of the grounds.  Its been a struggle this summer getting the yard men to keep up with the work.  I am a little curious what they will think when they return tonight!  We'll see. 

Anyway it was fun and stressful shopping for these gorgeous orchids.  The best part was spending someone else's money!

My Fall Retreat

Good morning and Welcome to the the blog.  Today I am sharing my new Fall Retreat. 

I have thought and thought about what to call this room.  We've gone from Green House to Out Door Room to Cabin space.  

Well maybe you can give me an idea!

The room is a perfect cozy space. 
Especially now that I have a new cozy love seat.


It's one of those so ugly it's cute pieces. 
My daughter bought a few years ago.  She asked me to store for her and so it's now in my cozy room!



I got the new chairs a month ago and just hadn't had the time to photo.  They were my little shabby chic side of the room until the love seat came.  
Now I think the whole room is pulled together. 


I paid $50.00 for the pair. 
I was disappointed the wooden piece between them I had to turn on it's side to fit.  It would look better the other way but the chair on the right is by the door.  
I don't want the dog rubbing it going in and out. 



During the summer the table was sitting where the love seat is now. 
I had already moved it to get ready for Christmas. 
It's set ready for a little fall supper. 



And after supper while the Cowboy watches video's I can have a glass of wine and read a book!

I love my Fall Retreat.

Book Review-Total Christmas Makeover- 31 Devotions To Celebrate With Purpose

About the book 

"Are you tired of just letting Christmas happen at your home-and praying merely to survive? No more! Now you and I can be absolutely intentional about embracing

all the fun, faith, family, and friendships of this amazing holy season. Melissa Spoelstra's Total Christmas Makeover gently guides us through everything seasonal around

music, food, scripture reading, extended family gatherings, serving, and especially how to rest in the midst of it all."

---Lucinda Secrest McDowell, author of Ordinary Graces andDwelling Places

"Jesus picked a busy time of year to have a birthday! Although I am saying this in

jest, there is nothing funny about how the frantic nature of this season can rob one

of joy that Christmas represents. In her latest project, Melissa Spoelstra gives candid

and practical tools to help the overcommitted and overwhelmed put the merry back

into 'Merry Christmas.' "

---Amberly Neese, speaker, author, humorist

Do you find that you too have been caught up in the Chistmas have to's instead of the God-centered love to's? Give your Christmas a makeover with this practical approach to help your family learn what it means to truly celebrate their Savior.

In Total Christmas Makeover, author and Bible teacher Melissa Spoelstra provides ways for you and your family to turn your attention toward God's grace day-by-day as you prepare for Christmas. This 31-day devotional presents key scriptures, ideas to implement with each reading, and questions for reflection to guide you in rediscovering the meaning behind traditions we often lose sight of in the chaos. Melissa divides the book into 3 sections, focusing on the following three common elements of biblical celebrations:

• Ritual: Special activities out of the ordinary routine were planned to help remember what God has done.
• Relationships: People spent time together preparing special foods, eating, gathering in holy assembly, and explaining their traditions to children.
• Rest: Regular work was to be set aside for planned times of celebration and rest from activity in order to reflect on God.

Mindfully take time to listen to how God continues to speak through the Christmas story as the Gospel narratives centered around the birth of Jesus provide encouragement and revelation concerning the love of God and his wisdom for us today.

And I thought

Just in time for the holidays.  A great devotional for the busy mom who wants to have a more meaning Christmas for her family. 

Melissa Spoelstra begins the book sharing her families Christmas experiences.  From her own experiences as a child and her husbands.  They took their own experiences and tried to blend a 

special time for their children.  

With frank honesty Melissa shares how the early Christmas' were a bit of a failure with a 6 year old, 1 year old twins and a 3 month old.  

As the attempted to bring meaning into the holiday season they read Bible stories and tried to make the season center around Christ.  

I loved the frankness as she shared how her 6 year old was 

thoroughly enchanted with the event.  While the 3 month old fell asleep.  And then there were the 2 year old twins happily exclaimed when asked "Who created the world."  One twins response was "I did!"

Many of us have been there.  Trying to bring significance to the holidays and remind and remember the reason for the season.  

With this small devotional a mere 203 pages Melissa shares thoughts ideas and suggestions to make this season one that is special and centered around Christ. 

The book is a fast and easy read.  With some humor to make the reading light and enjoyable.   

The book is made up of  3 separate sections:

Ritual with 10 days of devotionals

Relationships with 10 days of devotionals 

Rest with 11 days of devotional

Each short devotional begins with a scripture and ends with a prayer, followed by questions for reflection and a practical approach filled with suggestions and ideas. 

I would suggest this great book to everyone.   

This would be a great gift to give to an adult child at Thanksgiving. 

I think it would be a great book to read with a group of friends as a Bible study for the holidays.  

Whether the application group study or individual study you'll 

come away feeling a little more relaxed and ready for the wonderful season of Christmas!

I received a complimentary copy from Litfuse.

This review will appear on retail sites where the book is available.

This review will appear on Good Reads and on the Litfuse tour page. 

Available

Amazon CBC Lifeway

Visit the tour

Read more reviews at the Litfuse tour.  Click here.

Visit the author

Click here to visit Melissa website

I Read A Good Book The Other Day-Author Interview with Debra E. Martin

I read this book the other day. This is one I think you'll enjoy.

I got a chance to interview the author too . . . 

Hello Debra and welcome to the blog.  I was delighted to have the chance to chat about The Clobbered Cad.

Thank you. I enjoy talking about the book. I had so much fun writing it.

Is this your first blog tour? Not really but nearly. I booked two blog tours and they ended up overlapping in October. I feel like a vaudeville star hitting the stage in a new town every night!  It's kept me on my toes and I've really enjoyed it.

I love the tours.  I especially like the chance to do these interviews with the authors. Great! I actually enjoy interviews because I don't have to think too hard. Sometimes guest posting is a lot of work. (I have to sound clever and interesting!)

Can you tell me what interests you in doing a blog tour? Self-interest, of course! I get to meet new people and show off my book. The whole idea is to hopefully gain new readers. I mean anyone can publish a book, but promotion has become half the job. Without book bloggers we'd all be sunk!  I've poked around many of the blogs I'm now visiting and it's fun to be waving from the inside.

I wish you the best with the tour for The Clobbered Cad.  It certainly is an interesting title.  Can you explain the title for the readers?  Well, multiple factors at work. First of all, we chose titles that hinted at the old "girl detective" titles, and second, I love alliterative titles, but I wanted readers to expect just a tiny bit of 'camp' in the story. Thankfully my victim was a cad and, yet, he got clobbered.

How did you decided on the era for this series? The publisher and my author friend, Lisa Karon Richardson (Who proposed the idea and is the author of Book #1 The Counterfeit Clue, wanted an era that would parallel the decades when 'girl detective' novels were really big. We settled on the post war era, and I _could_ say I remember the fifties. Okay, at least the sixties, so this era doesn't feel so far removed for someone...my age!

Scotland was a fun locale for Heather.  I was wondering what other places she has visited?  Scotland was Heather's first trip across the ocean, but her family did a cross-country tour when she was a teen. Classic Americana!  Next, she'll be visiting Ireland and I believe there's a charming Irishman--and a murder--in her future.

Is Scotland a place you've lived or visited or did you have to do some research about the area for the book? I actually had this book partially plotted when I made a spontaneous decision to go to Scotland. So it became a perfect opportunity to change the setting and dig into the history and archaeology departments. That's when I discovered the perfect murder weapon.

During your research did you get a  chance to sample any Scottish whisky? The day my friend and I visited Edinburgh Castle, there was a free whisky tasting. We tried a cream whisky. (I expect they do this all the time, but it felt like a real treat!) There's certainly a lot to learn about the whole process and Scotland would be the place to do it.

I enjoy reading Cozy Mystery's.  Do you feel like the book/series could fit into other categories or genres?  With some added emphasis, it could have more romance, and because of the age of the heroine and her innocence, it's appropriate for YA as well. Even as is, The Clobbered Cad doesn't fit perfectly into a cozy genre as we know it now. I studied classic mysteries and other amateur sleuth stories as well as Nancy Drews and Trixie Beldens. (Such hard work--ha ha!)

Can you tell us which retail sites the book is available.  I am curious is there a specific store or site that doesn't have the book that you love for your books to be available?  We started out with the books on more markets but now, I believe, they are just on Amazon. This was a matter of bottom line and streamlining for the publisher. Of course, I'd love to see it on the shelf of a bookstore, but that's very difficult for any small publisher to achieve.

This was a delightful visit.  Thank you for taking the time to chat. 

Thank you Sherry! I enjoyed your questions and I appreciate your willingness to host me and review my book. I look forward to chatting with your readers. and hope they enter the giveaway. Thanks also to Lori of Great Escapes!

My review is over here. 

To read more reviews, guest posts or author interviews visit the 

Great Escapes Tour. 

To visit the tour click here.

Happy Homemaker Monday-Last Weeks Highlights-This Weeks Plans

Welcome to Happy Homemaker Monday.  Each week I share a few plans and join Sandra and a few others for a fun little party...

The Weather

 Fall...I love Fall weather don't you?  Here it is in the 70's and still creeping to low 80's in the afternoon.  Aghh....

Right Now I  Am

Making plans in my head for some new things here on the blog. 

Maybe I'll have new pages and background up for you today. 

We'll see!

Looking Forward To

Working less.  Praise the Lord.  I am sure you've notices how absent I have been here.  

Now I will only be working every other Monday.  A whole day off to do 'stuff'!  It will mean a huge difference to me.  

We are planning on my cutting back and not working on Friday. 

On The To Do List

I am planning to take Domino to a garden center or pumpkin patch to take pics!

On My Reading Pile
I always have way too many  on my pile so lately I have been 
I have been sharing 'the one' that is calling me to jump in and turn some pages.  This week I this one is calling my name!

I can't wait to read this one.  But I have a few others to read first.
I have books on my computer, on the kindle, on the phone and print copies.  I can read wherever I am.  

On The Menu
Monday- leftover fried cat fish from the weekend, potato salad, gumbo
Tuesday- let's grill we have a couple steaks in the freezer
Wednesday-We call it goulash (hamburger cooked with onions,tomatoes and macaroni) and fried okra
Thursday- Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes, green beans
Friday- Chinese take-out

In The Kitchen 
A new recipe to try...

Source

Our grandson loves hot chocolate.  Can't wait to set up the 

hot chocolate station this year.  

In The Garden
I bought small mums last week I hope to get them in the flower bed.
The pumpkin vine has blooms again but haven't gotten a pumpkin.

Fabulous Features  

I loved Lindsay's post at Repurpose and Recycle . . . 
When it comes to my decor, you know I have two requirements; cheap and easy.  After all, if it breaks the bank and takes too much time, then decorating becomes a chore. Anyone else feel this way

Click here to visit the post. 

From The Camera

From last year.  I am looking forward to doing this project again!

Devo./ Scripture