Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: Cold and raining. We had a dusting of snow on Saturday. Most of it had melted by the end of the day.

One of my simple pleasures: My flannel pajamas. They are big, soft, very comfortable and I love them on cold nights.

On my bedside table: The usual items.

On my TV: Has not been turned on.

On the menu for tonight: Salad, King Ranch Casserole, and rolls.

On my To Do List: Make the bed and pick up in bedroom
Go over and help Skylar (4 hours)
Do a few loads of laundry.
Wash dishes, wipe down cabinets, disinfect door knobs, sweep and mop kitchen floor
Clean the main bathroom
Finish decorating the tree.
Cook supper and wash dishes.

New Recipe I tried last week:
Cinnamon Clay 1 1/2 cups ground cinnamon
1 cup applesauce
1/3 cup white school glue (like Elmer's)
Mix cinnamon, applesauce, and glue together in a bowl. Remove from the bowl and knead the mixture until it turns into a firm clay. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Clay is best used at room temperature. You may need to dust your rolling pin, hands, or working surface with cinnamon, or use wax paper as a working surface. Roll out clay with a rolling pin to approximately 1/8 of an inch thick. Use cutters to cut out desired shapes (I like gingerbread men). If you are going to hang your shape, use a straw to cut out a hole near the top of the shape. Place shapes on a non stick cooling rack or wax paper. Dry shapes for approximately five days. You will need to keep an eye on them and turn them over occasionally so that they dry evenly and dry flat. When dry you may put a ribbon through the hole for hanging on the tree or adding to a package. Smells wonderful.

In the craft basket: Nothing at this time.

Looking forward to: Getting all my Christmas decorating and shopping done.

Homemaking Tip for this week: Whenever I purchase a box of SOS Soap Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad in half. After years of having to throw away rusted pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box of SOS pads lasts much longer! In fact, I have also noticed that my scissors get sharpened this way!

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
My favorite is "A Little Holiday Fun" at Elena's Garden.

Favorite photo from last week: 

My son, Lee; husband, Kenny; and daughter, Jacqueline. This picture was not taken last week but I have only recently seen it. It was one my son had from their trip to Las Vegas this summer.

Lesson learned the past few days: that no matter what their ages or how far away they may be, you never stop wanting to keep a protective arm around your children.

On my Prayer List: My husband and children
Skylar and other family members

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses: Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
~Oren Arnold ~ Thank you Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for hosting this event each week.