The Weekly Ramble – September 5, 2025

Howdy, howdy. Here we are in a new month, with just 117 days left in the year. I guess we’re 2/3’s down.

It’s been a weird week due to a number of factors since my last ramble.

• Bryan had jury duty, but never got called in to serve. Every day was up in the air and you know not to make solid plans unless you do.
• We took a vacation day, our first since Japan, I think.
• We stayed up WAY PAST our bedtime to see Fiddler on the Roof with friends at the Moonlight Stage.
• Bryan and some of the kids had Monday off, but not all.
• Mr 23 came home from Navigators STP on Tuesday night.

I’ve had a hard time keeping track of what day it is and who needs to go where. Here’s what I’ve been doing, eating, listening/watching, reading, and writing this past week.

What I’ve Been Doing

As you know, my marriage has outlasted my wedding ring, thank you Jesus!

I’ve gone ringless since the beginning of May, partly waiting for the swelling to go down, partly to decide what to do. We’ve landed on saving to rebuild a duplicate ring with an estimate of $2k.

I started a sinking fund in one of our Ally savings accounts to get us going in that direction. I also started digging around in the GIA website to find a local jeweler they recommend. Turns out one that a friend recommended was listed, so I’ll go to them next week and see if I can get a more accurate estimate.

Maybe it won’t be as expensive as I think?

What I’ve Been Eating

I’m back to recipe testing my protein oats recipe. The flavor is good, though the texture of making it “instant” is a little hit or miss.

I’m using whey protein, old fashioned oats, sugar, salt, nuts, chia seeds, flaxseed meal, and chocolate chips to somewhat mimic the Kodiak Peak Protein Oatmeal from the store. Doing the math on budget protein sources, I know homemade is a wee bit cheaper than finding Kodiak on sale.

It may not be worth it in the end. I’ll have to do a side-by-side taste comparison soon to help me decide.

What I’ve Been Listening/Watching

Isn’t it fun that my friend Allison sent me this travel cup? Such a sweet reminder that homemaking is a worthy pursuit.

I’m so grateful that God has turned my heart back around to it. Leaning into My Homemaker Life has been a really good thing — even when I’m frustrated that housekeeping is a disposable commodity.

This week I listened to myself and Allison in the second part of our recent podcast deep dive on one income households. Gotta make sure it’s safe to share! lol

Here are the two parts:

Let me know if you have any questions about what we covered.

What I’ve Been Reading

I’m still working my way through Eve in Exile. I’m about 80% done.

Like I did with Mere Christianity, I’m listening to the audio while I read the text. It’s helping me stay focused.

This is my third time through the book and I continue to take away new and interesting applications. Definitely one of my favorite Must-Read Books for Adulting.

What I’ve Been Writing

I think I told you that I was tracking my work in the A Tracker app. I bought it years ago as a way to track my housework and audit my time management.

Lately, I’m using it to track the different aspects of my business, to see where my time is going but more importantly to see how many hours per week I’m able to get my butt in the chair and work.

Due to a snag in my reporting, it’s really a total of 64 hours as the time I originally tracked as “breaks” shouldn’t count. Over 4 work weeks in August, that averages to 16 hours/week.

Earlier this summer I applied for part-time positions for remote work asking for 10 and 30 hours/week. Clearly, both would have been challenging to add to my own business and the workings of the household.

I’m feeling the press a little bit with the kids back in school. They have more pressure on them, so I don’t feel like I can ask a ton from them for chores. At the same time, I am not their maid.

I am working through how to give myself time to work/write while also making sure the house doesn’t fall apart around me.

This is my reminder every back-to-school season: I can do each of my jobs well (writing, homemaking, homeschooling) but it is really hard to all three well at the same time.

Ten hours went into creating this:

I hope you’ll check out the Souptember Goodie Box.

What’s New on the Blog

Fall Activities for Kids: Free Fall Bucket List Printable

Frugal Gift Ideas