Weekly Ramble 11/30/24

Well, hello! We’ve had a few busy weeks, both on the home front and in the business. I’ve been developing new products that I’m really excited about.

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I’ve organized all the meal planning and recipe inspo you need for the month, from make-ahead breakfasts to freezer-friendly desserts, from quick every night dinners to a delicious NYE party.

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A lot has happened since Time Change Weekend. Where do I start? I guess this will be a November photo dump of sorts.

I baked Hot Cross Buns the week of the election, a reminder for me and anyone in my path that Jesus is king over all the nonsense that is the world today.

I make it a rule not to discuss politics even with friends, but I don’t want my silence to be misinterpreted. As my 22yo college son told a classmate, “I’m a one-issue voter.”

I am unashamedly pro-life and voted against a woman who wasn’t. I know that doesn’t change people’s minds about their babies or their behavior, but I’m willing to say wrong is wrong. And that wrong matters more to me than probably any others.

sunrise with a palm tree in the foreground.

And the sun comes up every morning all the same.

Now that I’ve enjoyed a year of sunrises from the balcony, I’ve discovered a few things.

The fog packs in during the spring and summer so there is no sunrise to see.
Sunrises are more beautiful with a bit of cloud. I think that is true about life, too.
It’s so nice to be awake before the rest of the world.

Do you watch sunrises where you are?

I gutted the laundry room cupboards this month and gave it a very deep clean. I found all kinds of things from September 2023 that had been squirreled away there after the move.

I decluttered, vacuumed, wiped, and mopped.

Yes, we have two washer/dryer sets. The white one is ours; the steel one came with the house. Both are Samsung which is funny because they sing the same tune when the cycle is complete.

As soon I got things spit-spot in there, not one but TWO washers decided to break! The landlords’ units are “as-is,” meaning they won’t pay for repairs. Ours had just passed its two year warranty date.

Bryan did a lot of research and watched a lot of YouTube videos. He ended up completely dismantling BOTH machines and putting them back together.

Now we are back in business. It’s never been so much fun to do laundry!

gnome cookie jar in shopping cart at hobby lobby.

FishChick16 and I continue to enjoy CBS this year. The study of Matthew has really been excellent.

After class each week, we usually run an errand, often to Hobby Lobby. This past week they had 90% off their fall collection and I snagged this guy. He was $2.80 and begging to be brought home.

He needs a Hobbit name. Any suggestions?

it's a wonderful life on the screen above the mantel with stockings hung beneath.

Our Christmas movie watching started early — and I hung the stockings early, too.

So far, I’ve watched:

Tonight we’re doing a repeat of something that was remembered from last year. We’re grabbing burgers from In-N-Out and watching A Charlie Brown Christmas on DVD.

Be encouraged, mamas. They don’t always notice the small things. You don’t always notice the small things. But they matter!

I’m looking forward to Advent starting tomorrow, even though I don’t have much of a plan as much as tools to use. I bought everyone an Advent calendar (as seen here), and have an Advent candle set-up all ready to go.

I’ve also got three different Advent devotionals I could work through, so I guess I better decide. Wilson and Wangerin from this post as well as an advance copy of Advent for Exiles by Caroline Cobb.

We hosted a Friendsgiving for the kids’ Fame Night friends.

I was really proud of the 16-27 year old set. Don’t knock the youngsters. They really delivered in terms of bringing food to share and helping set up/clean up.

It was a lot of work, but we had 35 to 40 people crammed into our house, so I’d say it was a success.

This month we’re doing a Grilled Cheese Bar for Game Night…. and I will eventually write the how-to post for this kind of get-together.

I’ve cooked a lot this month for many a celebration. We had two birthdays, game night/friendsgiving, another night with the kids’ friends, Sunday dinners, and Thanksgiving. I still need to do a bit of prep for tomorrow, so I better sign off now.

Have a great week! I’ll try not to let another month go by before I ramble again.