Please Stand By...

 

Once again, I will have to take a step back from my online endeavors in order to manage the overwhelming personal circumstances related to my spouse's disability. I appreciate your continued understanding and patience with our situation and will see you again as soon as I am able. 

Take care and stay well.

(((hugs))), TJ

A Peek Into Last Week (September 9 - 15)~

 

image courtesy: graphics fairy

This past week was mostly spent resting and recuperating from being a bit under the weather. The fatigue was the worst of it so I didn't accomplish much more than the basic household tasks. You know, just enough to keep our home running with clean clothes on our beds and backs, and food in our tummies.

I did manage a bit of decluttering of the paper piles sort, as I was able to do a little here and there, without having to expend much effort.

Well, I'm going to get back to the heating pad and antibiotics now. I hope your week was productive and healthy.

Thanks for stopping by! 

💋xo,

TJ

A Peek Into Last Week (September 2 - 8)~

 

This past week, in between mostly gorgeous blue skies with fluffy white clouds, we had a couple of glorious rain showers! It was nice to not have to water lawns and gardens for a change.

There were a few dreamy, cotton candy sunsets sprinkled in as well.

It was a a quiet week, full of good. simple food made from staples we had on hand, that had been purchased in bulk and on sale in weeks previous...

relaxing music...

a garden with a bumper crop of fragrant basil mamas that have hundreds of self sown basil babies at their feet...

and just to keep things interesting, we had to make a quick visit to the vet for this fella...

I hope you had a a lovely week as well.

Thanks for stopping by! 

💋xo,

TJ

A Peek Into Last Week (August 26 - September1)~

 

Welcome back...to you and the month of September! 

While we have still been experiencing higher than average temperatures, I continue to find most of my entertainment and enjoyable pastimes Indoors. I have been watching All Creatures Great and Small on PBS (the book is in my reading list queue to read) and diving into season 2 of The Chosen.

a hint of clouds...no rain in sight

Even though it has remained hot and humid for weeks on end, and we've also been experiencing drought and red flag conditions, a few nice breaks in the heat have allowed moments for me to get back outside to play in the soil! Experiencing the wonders of my garden again after so long, awakened the sleeping poet within and inspired me to write a few lines about her. Even though she had been left to her own devices for many weeks, she seemed to do quite well on her own. I used to spend many sweet and solitary hours writing poetry, drawing and painting in my younger days. Sadly, I tend to forget those loves until some small something nudges them awake again. I will definitely be doing more of those things in the future!

I have been attempting, once again, to get higher quality sleep and have a better sleep schedule. I have attempted this a few times before, but end up getting discouraged when my mind refuses to cooperate and demands to stay up late. So, I have always thrown in the towel and went back to my night owl ways. This time, I am determined to push through the hard part. I have been applying every bit of good sleep hygiene advice that I have in my arsenal. It is still a work in progress but I am hopeful I will get there. Or...at least achieve some improvement. 

dim lights, candles, a cup of hot tea and a warm bath 

Our family had sad news this past week with the sudden passing of a close family member. It is still fresh and raw and we are in the early days of processing it, but we are a family of faith so that helps to comfort us in these dark days.

I hope your week was filled with pleasant weather, good news, garden blossoms, sweet dreamy sleep and a hopeful heart for bright days ahead!

Thanks for stopping by! 

💋xo,

TJ

My Garden {A Wild, Untamed Poem by TJ}

Inspired by the untamed and self sown beauty that is a small section of my garden, left mostly to it's own devices during our unusually hot summer. I am a wilting flower in hot temperatures so I was unable to tend and reign in much of it but...it THRIVED. And thankfully, these flowers aren't as delicate as their mama! All photos are unretouched and unfiltered, as the beauty of nature simply cannot be improved upon by such, in my humble opinion.

I present to you my wild, untamed, rambling thoughts that mirror the garden as I visited her at sunrise...

My garden is a wild child 

running free with tousled hair.

she has waves of flaming auburn,

and a freckle sprinkled nose,

ne'er a care, and burdens none,

laughing as she goes.

this moment is what she lives for,
tomorrow is not a thought.
my garden is a wild child,
her living not for naught.

today her flowers blossom,
tomorrow they will fade
it is her lot and all is well
as she rests beneath the shade.

will you let your garden blossom?
running yon and here and there?
living as a wild child,
like my garden, will you dare?

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my sweet garden!

💋xo, TJ 

A Peek Into Last Week (August 19 - 25)~

early morning dental appointment~thankfully, during one of 

the cooler times of the day!

It has been a while since I've published any APILW style posts. I have been concentrating on relearning the ins and outs of YouTube and digital content creation. I had gotten very rusty in the things I used to know and do with ease before, because it had been years since I last made any videos for my channel. All that to say, I miss writing the weekly posts that give you a glimpse into my life, and hopefully you enjoy them too. I'd like to incorporate some video content into the posts as well, but we'll see how it goes!

So, let's get back to it shall we?!

It has been one long, hot and humid summer. And the one day we got a bit of rain, thanks to Harold, it was just enough to create a sauna for us! Someone in our area said "you know it's bad when we're praying for a hurricane! ". Weather has been strange and extreme in many parts of the country and my heart and prayers go out to all.

With keeping cool as one of my top priorities, I have been concentrating my efforts mostly inside, with only short trips outside to try and keep our lawn and garden alive by watering and brief trips out to run necessary errands. One the rare days that the humidity is not suffocatingly high, I try to do "bonus" outdoor jobs, with seed sowing being at the top of the list, in hopeful preparation for a fall harvest. 

I still find ways to enjoy the great outdoors by watching the birds, squirrels and even wasps making good use of the little birdbath oasis I keep full with fresh water for them. All creatures are welcome at TJ's Sweet Birdbath Oasis!

I  have been whiling away some spare moments sipping on cold, sweaty glasses of iced tea while reading books I was able to download for free from OceanofPDF .  I mostly read nonfiction and have found several of the books on this site that I have been curious about.

In the kitchen, I have been having to be creative with meal planning and prep, as finances seem to keep getting tighter and tighter living on our fixed income in this precarious economy. I continue to focus on purchasing sale items in bulk and cook and bake as much as possible from scratch which seems to be our saving grace when it comes to keeping our bellies full.

on the way to the dreaded V.E.T. 

after surgery...woozy

Our senior doxie had to have her teeth cleaned and nine of them were extracted, which was an unexpected, but necessary and major expense. She's worth it though!

On a more dismal note, in winding up this week, I found out that some of my social media accounts were commandeered as a "prank", supposedly (not a very funny one). I probably would have never known except for the fact that the person (someone we know and who has since apologized profusely) picked the one Instagram account that hasn't been used in a good while to send messages. I began getting questions from a few folks that took the time to privately message me about comments made on their accounts, knowing I hadn't been using the account lately. Luckily, it was caught early and no real harm was done so...all's well that ends well. I have learned from this ordeal to never leave my phone laying around unattended! I will ask that anyone that may have received messages from me out of the blue, please know that this is what happened and kindly disregard.  The WWW and social media definitely have their upsides and downsides!

How have you been spending your summer?

Thanks for stopping by! 

👄xo, 

TJ 

 

New Video~Morning Routine and Where I've Been

 

There's a new "Morning Routine and Where I've Been" video up over on my TJ's Sweet Home YouTube channel! I'd love it if you'd stop by. See you there!

New Video Up~

video link here

I wanted to pop in and give you a heads up that my  TJ's Sweet Home YouTube channel  has a new video up. Hope you'll stop by there to catch up & visit a spell!

See you there! 

xo, TJ

Mornins With Mommy ~

 This is an all too familiar sweet scenario in my mornings. Gally on my lap, Dollar by my side. I thought I would share in the hopes that it might put a smile on your face! 😊

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by! ~ xo TJ

Thursday Thought ~

 

More garden, less "busy" is always a good idea!

Easy Homemade Vanilla Extract ~

video short here

I invite you to  join me as I show the easy way I make homemade vanilla extract. (YouTube link to the video short here)

You will have gourmet vanilla to give as gifts and, of course,  to use yourself!

Have fun with it and experiment with different spirits (rum, brandy, etc) and different types of vanilla pods. 

!!!WARNING!!! this can be a fun, addictive (but delicious) rabbit hole to fall down!

I would love to hear your experiences with making vanilla (and other) extracts. We can all learn from one another! 

Thanks for stopping by!

xo, TJ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Any product(s) shown is/are not sponsored, gifted, paid for, or in collaboration with any entity. I paid for the product(s). Just a friend sharing a beloved product with friends!

Tuesday Homemaking Inspiration~

📷: unknown 

 Happy Tuesday! 😊 

🏡🩷🏡🩷🏡🩷🏡🩷🏡🩷🏡🩷🏡🩷🏡🩷🏡🩷🏡

Livin' La Vida Nightgown~

 

I'm blushing a bit as I confess post this😳

I have been living in thin cotton nightgowns more often than not this summer, as we've had days upon unending days of triple digit (Fahrenheit), heat advisory/excessive heat warnings. I've said (ad nauseum 🫣) that I don't do well in our heat, so wearing the coolest garments possible has been my saving grace. They have literally kept me from experiencing the nausea and other unpleasant symptoms I have become accustomed to in past summers that even my coolest of dresses never helped.

Do I feel weird wearing nightgowns most days? For 'bout a split second. And then I remind myself that I am doing it for my health so that I feel good, not out of laziness (it actually has helped me be more productive this summer since I feel better more often). I then throw an apron on and carry on with my day.

Let's all take care of ourselves unapologetically (as long as we aren't hurting anyone else with our actions-I don't wear my nightgowns when I'm out & about 😆). Stay cool & hydrate!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sign me,

Livin' la vida nightgown

 

Money Saving Tip~Use It Up!

a quick money saving tip video

Hello again!

Here's another video I've uploaded. It's a very short one, so short that that's what YouTube calls them..."short".😉 

I hope you find it useful and informative and helpful towards your money saving efforts.

Thanks for stopping by,  I'll see you next time!

xo,

TJ

A Peek Into My Week Video Style~

 

Hello again!

I thought I would put a new twist on my "A Peek Into Last Week " posts that I had frequently done in the past here on my blog, by doing a video version! I am truly enjoying getting back into making YouTube videos as it is allowing me to flex my creative muscles in that arena. I had forgotten how much I love it but the more I do it, the more I fall in love with it all over again! (I have a now defunct YouTube channel by the same name floating around out there in cyberspace that I have been unable to access -due to my faaabulous technological skills😉. So, I had to start all over again.) 

Although I am a homebody at heart, being tethered to the home as a round-the-clock caregiver to my homebound spouse takes it to a whole 'nother level. When the world went into lock down in 2020, I honestly didn't notice a change in our lifestyle. We had been in lockdown for the 8+ years before that, and still are today. Anyhoo, all that being said, any creative outlet, for me, is a necessary survival skill at this point. A must, in order to keep some semblance of my sanity. I truly know the meaning of cabin fever!

I hope you will take a few minutes to view (and maybe even subscribe, share and give it a thumbs up?🙏) A Peek Into My Week ~ Snippets of My Days . I would love to hear what you think of it!

Thanks for stopping by!

xo,  

TJ

My Morning (Homemaker) Routine~

Happy Monday!

There's a new video up on my YouTube channel sharing a little peek into my morning routine as a homemaker. We would love it if you would join us over there!

Thanks for stopping by! 

xo,

TJ

New Video! Make No Knead Bread with Me ~

 

Hello again!

There's a new video on my TJ's Sweet Home YouTube channel, titled:

Make No Knead Bread with Me

If you'd like to pay me a visit over there, I would love to have you!

Here's a summary...

"I planned on doing a voice over but it just didn't work out🙄 I appreciate your patience as I try figuring out all this technology.

{It isn't easy making bread while looking through the lens! I was nervous, lol.😆}

I'm not a professional baker or bread maker, just an everyday home cook. I don't follow the bread making rules but the results always turn out fine.

My breadmaking story:
I began my bread making journey many years ago, first using a bread machine and the boxed bread mixes sold at grocery store. Then I ventured into trying out bread recipes in the machine. We quickly became spoiled to homemade bread! In the next gew years, I went through two bread machines, always declaring that I would NEVER knead bread dough and if for some reason we found ourselves without a bread maker, we would be eating store bought bread. When the second bread machine finally gave up the ghost, I researched the possibility of a "no knead" recipe. Fast forward to now. Fresh hot bread is made at least once a week around here, no bread machine needed.

(Full disclosure: since my son gifted us a KitchenAid mixer, that is what I use to make this dough these days but I made many loaves for a few years without the machine.)

Easy No Knead Bread

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm/"blood temperature " water (I use the hottest water from our tap)
1 tbsp sugar or honey
1 tbsp oil (a light tasting cooking oil of your choice)
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus more as needed to achieve desired dough texture)
2 tsp salt

Place ingredients (I rarely take the time to "proof" my yeast🫣) into a large bowl in order listed then mix until the ingredients are well incorporated and has a "shaggy" appearance. Using hands, form the dough into a ball (try to get any stray flour and dough pieces at the bottom of the mixing bowl added to the dough ball. If dough is sticky, add small amounts of flour until, when you handle the dough, it is no longer sticky.). Work the dough ball into an oval shape and until it as smooth as possible. Place dough into a bread pan that's been oiled or sprayed with a baking spray. (No bread pan? No problem! Just shape the dough into a baguette-or two-OR one round shape and bake on a sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper OR sprayed with a bakers spray OR oiled and sprinkled with cornmeal.) You can leave the dough as is but I usually press mine in.

Now...it's time to let the dough rise (I only do one rise. Again...🫣🤫) to about twice it's size (mine usually takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours). I use my oven that I have warmed up for about a minute but you can place your dough in a warm area covered with a tea towel while it rises.

When the dough has risen, I heat my oven to 375°F (while it is still in the oven) and set the timer for 35 minutes (ovens vary so you may want to start checking at around 20-25 minutes). Your bread is done when it is golden brown and sounds hollow if you tap on it.

Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for about ten minutes covered with a tea towel before turning the loaf out to cool (I turn my pan on it's side since hubby said that's what his grandma used to do.😊)

Enjoy your bread! (If you can't wait until it's cool...no shame! We've been known to cut into a hot loaf and slather with butter...SO GOOD!. The only down fall is, it doesn't cut as easily/cleanly when it's hot.

*a good serrated bread knife makes cutting easier.

🌹🐞While my dough was rising, I went outside and to my surprise, had a wonderful unexpected visit from a little ladybug. I was also excited to see a few fragrant roses on on our rose bush!"

I suppose I practice a "lazy girl" method of bread baking but if the results turn out well, why bother with extra time-taking steps? I know I could (and do sometimes) make extra special (read: pretty) loaves, but as I stated, I'm a home cook and my main objective each day is to get tasty food prepared for us, all while juggling the other tasks of the day. And I only have so much energy to spare. At the end of the day, the "rustic"😜 looking loaves taste the same as the "pretty" loaves.

I hope you enjoy the video, and as always...

thanks for stopping by! 

xo,

TJ

Welcome Back~

 

no matter what life brings...MUST. KEEP. A. SENSE. OF. HUMOR!🤣

Welcome back!

Things have begun to improve, freeing me up to get back to enjoyable endeavors. Despite life's challenges lately, I have (mostly) been able to keep up with my #dailyselfie2023 over on my TJ's Sweet Home Instagram and Facebook accounts. 

Also, there's a new video over on my YouTube channel. I'd love for you to visit there soon!

Thank you for hanging in there with me and once again stopping by!

xo,

TJ

I'm Still Here ~

 I wanted to pop in and let you know I haven't given up on blogging. I have just been dealing with circumstances related to the spouse's disability, which takes up a lot of my time, physical and mental energy and emotional stores at times. So, if the blog gets quiet, just know that that is most likely the reason.

I love this little space where I share and am able to indulge the writer in me but sometimes that can't be the priority in my life. I know you will understand.

I will see you as soon as I can spare some pieces of me again.

Thanks for understanding and stopping by.

xo,

TJ

A Little Catch Up~

cheery daffodils are abloom in the garden

Hello friends!

I know it has been a while. The holidays and winter days were relaxing and invigorating for me. I hope yours were just what you needed them to be. 

I have been busier than usual, what with trying to get the BP Challenge figured out, sort out the direction I want this new year to go for me and just trying to keep on top of the everyday business at hand.

The challenge has had me feeling like I'm in a race each day. A race to eat the required six meals spaced 2-3 hours apart. A race to drink the amount of water I need to each day. And juggling all that, plus normal life stuff, with trying to fit in the daily workout. The discipline of it all is unfamiliar territory but that very discipline is much needed in my life. You see, after my husband became disabled and I had to quit my job to care for him full time, I slowly drifted into unscheduled days without the usual routine I was accustomed to. I slowly worked out a new normal, albeit a more relaxed, and dare I say it? A lazy one. Thankfully, the healthy meals and exercise and rivers of water I have been drinking have given me the energy to tackle it all. I posted a YouTube video about it if you are interested.

This past week we had some heavy thunderstorms along with tornadoes that touched down not far from us. Actually, the tornadoes did heavy damage in a city I lived in twenty years ago so I was particularly concerned for those affected. The worst we got of it was a little flooding in our neighborhood and our backyard. 

reflections of a stormy day

The sunset the day before the storm was absolutely gorgeous however!

I hope you are having a wonderful winter season and many beautiful sunsets and sunrises!

I will see you soon.

Thanks for stopping by! 

xo,

TJ

Daily Selfie 2023 ~ BFL Challenge

I have officially been accepted into the latest challenge offered by the author of these books! I have had Bill's BFL and EFL books for several years now and refer to them often. To say I am over the moon excited to be included in this team challenge is an understatement! Between losing myself in the midst of a perfect storm of simultaneously navigating the final year of our youngest child's high school years and my spouse's stroke along with the aftermath of it, the ensuing journey of being a caregiver had left me comfortably numb. I turned to food for comfort. (heck, I just plain turned to comfort for comfort!) Add to that, I have always considered myself to be a binge eater and food addict. 

I need to start taking better care of myself and put myself as a priority also. I want to rebuild and regain my health. I recently had surgery to remove cancer and have that healing journey ahead of me now as well.

My goal for the challenge is to lose 25 lbs and gain energy and strength. I have never been a highly energetic person even in my younger days (I've always compared myself to a luxury vehicle...built for comfort, not for speed, lol) I don't have aspirations of looking like a fitness model, I just need the stamina to navigate my daily life, which is sorely lacking for me right now.

This is me on day one of the twelve week challenge. I'm in the middle of enjoying a post walk/"trot"(~entry level jog😉) protein shake. Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by! 

xo,

TJ

Daily Selfie 2023 ~ Dinner Prep

 My daily selfie saga continues, lol. And quite honestly, for this normally camera shy girl, that's no small feat. I'm fluffier than I want to be (working on that!), older than I've ever been (thankful for that!) and living a life that by most people's standards is quite uneventful. So, what is there to post? And who would care to see it? The answer to both of those questions is,  "I don't know." but nevertheless, here we are. As I stated when I said was going to post a selfie a day in 2023, I think it will be interesting to document how my face has worn my life in the upcoming year. And why the heck not? It's for fun. I try to never take myself, or life, too seriously. 

Here's today's selfie with a little commentary...

fridge pov aka how the inside of my fridge sees me 

Dinner prep, fridge POV, 2:56 PM. 

I've been aiming to start dinner early for the past several weeks rather than wait for the dinner hour. Usually by then (around 5PM), our west facing kitchen is at it's warmest and I am just not in the best of moods (tired🥱? hungry😖? HOT🔥? {I'm a lady of a certain age, after all😉😓}. ALL OF THE ABOVE.) to face making much of a dinner. So, I try to be mindful to start early taking steps to get a decent meal ready by 6 PM at the latest. Last night, I plopped all the ingredients for a meat sauce in our mini slow cooker to simmer overnight for our pasta tonight. The meat was cooked the night before THAT and ground up in my old school Ninja blender last night-mama don't have no patience to stand over a hot, steamy stove breaking up ground beef into bitty pieces I'm lazy like that. Today, I boiled the noodles, mixed them in with the meat sauce, topped with some mozz pieces and stuck the whole shebang in our 8 quart slow cooker to heat up for tonight's din. 

Steps. Baby steps.

"Baking" in the slow cooker. Trying to not heat up the kitchen. 78°F with 71% humidity so...NOPE. No oven tonight. I placed a small casserole dish with the pasta inside of it into my 8 quart slow cooker with about an inch of water in the bottom, pressed "slow cook" to heat it up so it will be ready for a nice, warm, tummy filling meal at 6.

What's for dinner at your place?

Thanks for stopping by! 

💋xo, 

TJ

Daily Selfie 2023 ~ Mapping Out the New Year

How are you spending the first day of January 2023? I spent some extra time dreaming,  planning and goal setting. Now to back it up with action and effort!

Happy New Year! What are your goals, plans and dreams for this new year?

💋xo, 

TJ