Debbie Slaughter's Blog

Hello my friends! 
Well...I don't think I need to tell you that it's cold outside. That's basically what everyone is talking about these days 🥶 I will tell you that I'm over it. By Sunday I was having cabin fever, so by Monday I was determined to at least get out to get some lunch and a cold Dr. Pepper, since I had been cooking all weekend. 
We got a tiny bit of flurries over the weekend, but mostly rain and freezing temps, so yesterday the roads were clear and everyone was able to resume their normal routines. It was good to get in my car and just go down the road, even if it was just a short errand. 
Today I will be venturing out even further and may even hit the thrift store, just to be out of the house. 

 

When the sun came out yesterday, I opened all the blinds and it was glorious to see the sun, even if just for a few hours. This room is one of my favorites. It reminds me of spring and summer, with the bright colors. 

David and I have been loving when the deer come up to the back yard. We did put some corn out for them and every evening and early morning they've come to graze. We've had lots of squirrels and cardinals too and this is what I've missed about living in a house and having land. I'm so glad we're back and can enjoy nature right in our own back yard. 

Over the weekend I worked on a project that I've been wanting to work on, but had been putting off. 

I have a huge collection of stickers and paper decor that I use in my journals and planners. Over the years I've tried different systems, but none seemed to work and make it easy to find what I need, so I got some supplies from Hobby Lobby and finally got everything sorted. 

Having this drop leaf table in the living room means I can watch tv with David and still enjoy staying busy with a project. I bought this to use as a puzzle table too. There is a cabinet just to the side of the table, filled with puzzles and games.
I've always wanted a puzzle table in the family room and this will also make the perfect space for the older girls to play games when they visit. 



I am always decorating my planners or making journals and having my supplies easily accessible makes all the difference in how creative I can be. Everyone knows that having to drag out supplies or having to sort through chaos, stifles the creative process. At least for me. Plus, I love the organizing just as much, so it's fun to get everything in its place so when the creative idea hits, you're ready. Oh, and don't let the prices on the stickers scare you. I only buy when they are 40-50% off.


I did a lot of cooking over the weekend and also made these Snickerdoodles. They were yummy and kept us going while we were stuck inside. I also made a chicken and pasta dish, chili dogs, a big batch of breakfast sausage/egg/potato mix and biscuits. I wanted to have some food cooked and ready in case we lost power. Thankfully we never did lose power, but we sure ate good! 😅 In fact, I think it was Shug who said she felt like all she did was eat over the weekend. I have to echo that! Something about being stuck inside that makes you hungry. 

We are expected to get another blast of winter this weekend. I'm dreading it. It's times like these that I can honestly say...I'm a Texan. I need sunshine and warmth. I like to roam free, not be stuck inside for days at a time. I need a Dr. Pepper every now and again, for goodness sakes. 

And I'll leave you with this one last observation...have you experienced this phenomenon? 

When I'm busy, I think of all the things I would do, if only I had time. Then...when you're stuck at home and time is all you have...don't want to do anything. At least that's been my experience 😀 I think hibernation is a real thing. Oh well...there's always next month. Surely I'll be more productive by then. 😉

Stay cozy you guys!

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

Good Wednesday Morning, Friends!

How's your week going so far? Mine has been slow and steady, with minimal busyness, which has been great! 

Monday I had lunch with one of my oldest friends. We've know each other since our kids were in kindergarten. They are now about to be 27! Wow! How time flies! In fact, she is the one who made this adorable "paddle" when I had my first grandbaby. Isn't it so cute? I have it hanging in the kitchen, just in case I need to use it on one of them (*wink*wink).

Today I thought I would share some scenes from the kitchen...

Cornbread to go with last night's taco soup. My favorite is Jiffy cornbread. Still so perfectly priced and always sweet and delicious.

My handmade kitchen tea towel. Morgan did the stitching and it was in my Christmas gift basket

that all the kids made for me. I'm using it as a valance over the kitchen window and I love it!

Part of the vanilla cake that Addie and I made on Saturday.

It's been delicious and we ate the last two pieces last night for dessert.

I decided to drink my Vit C hot yesterday. Normally I drink

Emergen-C on ice, but hot tea sounded better.

With the ice coming this weekend, I'll probably

be drinking this a few more times.

One of my new pieces of cookware.

I had not bought cookware for so many years,

I can't even remember how long it's been. 

So...I splurged a little and bought two new pans for the new house.

As silly as it sounds, it's actually made cooking more enjoyable.

And a cute, little tower of Pioneer Woman measuring cups,a PW butter dish and a jar full of measuring spoons.I just can't resist all the colors and patterns.💛
Just before we moved back to the house,a friend asked me if I was going to continue decorating withall the colors and cottage style decorthat I've had for years.
My response..."I can't imagine doing anything different."
And it's the truth.It's my style.It's just who I am and what I like.
I need color and scenes and flowers and things that makeyou smile and feel happy and cozy. 
🏡
Today I will be going to the store for a few supplies,just in preparation for the winter weatherwe are expecting this weekend.
I have pictures to hang and otherthings I hope to work onover the next few days.
It's going to be a cold weekend!Hopefully the last hurrah beforewe start seeing spring-like sunshine.🌞
Well, I'm off to start my day.I hope you have a great one,my friend.

Until Next Time...
Blessings! 


 

 Good morning friends!

It's 33 degrees here in Texas and I have to say...I'm over it 🥶 I need sunshine and temps in the 60's or 70's. 

But other than the cold, it's been a great first week back in our house. I don't have any new pictures to share, but will take some this week, now that everything is in its place (except for pictures). 

We started out last week with David going back to work and me cooking our first meal of porkchops, potatoes and carrots. It felt good to sit down to a proper meal and we even had enough for the next night.

Monday I got a text from my mom. She was in the ER after having a severe reaction to an antibiotic she was given for a dog bite. The antibiotic almost killed her and thankfully she started noticing some symptoms and quit taking it, but the effects were already in play in her body and she got very sick. She has since gotten much better, but she had to take a bunch of other meds to help get her over the other one. The whole thing was terrifying, especially since she lives 5 hours away from me. Thankfully my aunt (her sister) is there with her and was keeping me updated. 

That was the 2nd incident involving a reaction to a medication that we've had in the family in just a few weeks. My SIL was hospitalized a few weeks ago for an allergic reaction to a medication that was actually in her chart as an allergy! So the doctor AND the pharmacist both missed it. I'm telling you...these medications and the medical field are a mess. 

So moving on to the rest of the week...we got to keep Asa and Sunday on Thursday while Morgan and Collin celebrated their anniversary. They were precious, as always, and we had so much fun with them. 

Then Saturday we had the three big girls all day and enjoyed the time with them, like always. David hung a big swing in the back yard and they played outside most of the day. It was cold, but they were loving it and would come in when they wanted to get warm. 

Addie and I baked a cake and she put the icing on. She and I did some art together (her favorite) and then David took the girls riding in the truck to the back of the property, which they thought was so much fun. Our 2 acres backs up to a small farm that has some longhorns, which the girls got to see on their ride in the truck. 

We have a lot of clearing and cleaning to do on the back acreage, but that will come in time. For now we are both so happy to be looking out at land and our own yard, rather than the parking lot of the apartment. 

Yesterday we took it easy and just puttered around, doing odd things here and there. We did have to make a trip to Home Depot for some light switch covers and a few other odds and ends. We treated ourselves to a drink from Starbucks and then came home and David did some small jobs and I rearranged my office a bit. 

We were both tired yesterday, I think from moving last weekend and then having a busy week. It felt good to have a day just to take it easy and putter at our own pace.

Today I'm having lunch with a friend and then will come home and work on the meal plan for the week and hopefully start hanging some pictures. I'm sure the week will fill up as the days go by. I'm hoping to get some reading in, as well as finish a craft project I've been working on. 

It might be a quiet week. We shall see 😊

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

 Good morning friends!

One thing I love about this blogging community is that it feels like a safe space to express our opinions, talk about our days and just share the ordinary happenings in our lives. But I've noticed that every now and then we get one of "them" infiltrating our space and begging for attention. So today I'm going to give him a little. 

I've often chuckled at the "anonymous" poster that likes to make the rounds on all of our blogs. Have you noticed him? He throws jabs and insults - not just at us, but at the U.S. and all of it's doings.  He will take whatever topic you've written about and somehow weave his tiny minded thoughts about our country into his snarky, little comment. 

I imagine him in a bedroom somewhere or maybe on a ratty old couch, with garbage spread about, like he doesn't know how to clean up or is waiting on a woman to do it for him. 

He has no friends, except his fellow trolls, so he plays video games and watches the news, fueling his hatred of the big, bad United States, all the while cheering on the fake news and hatred going on around the world.

He peruses our blogs, just looking for something to comment on. I guess he's run out of social media accounts he can bother.

But he's there too...especially on Instagram. His fingers are always on the keys, waiting to write that comeback comment on ANYTHING that anyone posts that has an opinion. He throws out the bait, just hoping someone will bite, because he needs the attention. It's all he's got to look forward to.

I often wonder if he gets paid to be mean. Hmmm...some could make a good living off that! I mean, how do you set yourself up with that kind of job? It seems like a lot of people have been hired.😏

Just yesterday I commented on someone's post on social media and about 4 vultures started pecking away on their keyboards, calling me names, insulting me and my faith. You see? They're everywhere. And you know what? They all seem so miserable and pitiful. What a shame.

So today I thought I'd just go ahead and give him some attention, so he doesn't have to beg for it. 

It's just too bad that behind that keyboard, he's too scared to sign his name. I would love to visit his space online and see what his life is all about. But he's not found the courage to do that yet. 

I guess you have to grow up and get brave to open the door for others to find you. 

Poor thing. Maybe he'll grow up someday. Maybe he'll find the Lord and then find the purpose in his life. Maybe one day he'll get off the couch, turn off the fake news and put some clean clothes on. Maybe he'll comb his hair, walk out the door and find a job - a real one. Maybe he'll become a good citizen and his mind will expand and he'll wonder why he ever wasted so much time being a troll. Maybe. I hope he does all of that and more, because life is a one-time chance to live a good one and eternity is a long time to live a bad one. I pray he chooses wisely.

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

 Good Morning, Friends!

As I eluded to in my last post, I'm taking things kind of slow around here and trying to just savor the days and the fact that I'm back home, not just house-wise, but in my rightful place as a homemaker. 

Every time I talk about this (to myself mostly) I have a guilty feeling come over me, like I'm doing something wrong by wanting to be at home, after working for 10 months. But that's not right and not fair to the homemaker I used to be and the 30+ years I put in on that job. I need to get over it, right? And I'm trying.

On the other hand, there's a new appreciation I'm feeling as well, for the privilege of being back home. 

Again...all it takes is stepping away from something old, to gain an entirely new perspective on the new, even if you've been there before.

I remember years ago, as a young homeschooling mom deep in the trenches of teaching two boys - all day, every day - and I was starting to experience burnout. Not from my kids, but from the teaching, lesson plans, spending money on curriculum every year and all the time and energy it took to be all things to all the hats I was wearing at the time. 

I would get my favorite homeschooling magazine in the mail and want to hide it, instead of read it, because I felt like I couldn't take one more article about teaching or planning. In fact, I stayed in that mode of burnout for months, just going through the motions, but not finding the joy like I once did. 

I never questioned the calling to be at home teaching my boys, but I had lost the passion, so I had to change things up; step away from all that felt mundane and routine. After a few changes to the schedule, the routines and tweaks to the way we were doing things, I finally picked up my magazines again, started reading and becoming excited and motivated again and never looked back. 

All it took was a break.

Homemaking is the same way. I think it's why some women have a hard time imagining being at home full time and sometimes why homemakers feel like they need to try something new. All the cooking and cleaning and the days and weeks can become mundane and ordinary. But I'm here to say that all it takes is stepping away, living another life for 10 months, to make you appreciate the ordinary days like never before.

That's where I'm at. 

I've been waking up this week, praising God for giving me back my life as a homemaker. In fact, it feels fragile and unreal and yet, so familiar and a part of who I am. As dramatic as that sounds, it's the truth.

So many times in life, we have to lose something to appreciate it. I wish it weren't that way. But in the losing, we often find what we were missing, and yet had all along. I hope that makes sense.

All that to say...I'm so happy to be home again. This is what I was made to do. And I'm thankful that the Lord lets us try things sometimes, because he knows it's what we need, in order to appreciate what he's already given us. 

So I'm taking it slow this week and moving at my own pace. In fact, I may sit at this restful pace for the rest of the month, but probably won't. If you know me, you know I don't sit still for very long. I've got ideas and plans and things to write and meals to create and babies to see and all the good things that life's going to bring. 

But I've got peace and that's the most important thing of all.

Thanks for following along and coming back, time after time. You are treasured, my friends.

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

Good morning, Friends! 
I'm finally back and ready to fill you in on what's been going on since last week. 
The movers came Saturday morning and got all of the big furniture loaded up, but before they got there, David and I had already loaded his truck and my car full of stuff and were just waiting on them to get done, so we could all head to the house, which is about 15 minutes north of the apartment. Once the big stuff was unloaded and both of our vehicles were emptied, we headed back to get more stuff and that went on for all of Saturday and Sunday. Needless to say...we were exhausted. After the last item was taken out of the apartment, David swept (we had already cleaned everything) and locked the door for the last time. 
Our apartment living era was over. 

Sunday night we were able to look around and say "we did it!" and it felt like we were finally home. 

It looks and feels like a whole new house - so different than the one we lived in the first time. But we needed the break from the house it used to be, with it's old carpet and bad memories. And had we not moved out for those months away, we would not have the appreciation that we do now.

I keep thinking of the verse, Romans 8:28, that says "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose." Had we not moved out, had a break from here and a taste of something different, we would not have had the resources to renovate, nor the emotional break we needed from the negative memories we had here. By moving and experiencing living in the apartment, selling a vehicle, saving money for the closing on the house (we were trying to sell it, remember?), there was no way we would be here right now with new floors, fresh paint, and a whole new appreciation for living in our own home. 

It takes all the pieces fitting together to make things happen and even though the pieces and circumstances feel disjointed, from our viewpoint, they make complete sense from God's perspective. We just have to be obedient and not try to figure out all of the pieces before He's ready to put them all together. Because it will never make sense until it does. 

 We have most things put in their place, except for anything needing to be hung on the walls, but that will be a slower process. Normally I am faster at getting things hung, but this time I feel like taking my time. And that's a post for another day 💛 For now, I'm ok with going slow, savoring each day and doing a little at a time. 

Now I'm ready to catch up on all of your blogs and see what my friends have been up to 😊

Much love to you all and thanks for sticking with me through the crazy 😅 I treasure you all.

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

Happy Friday, Friends! 

It's been a busy week of packing and moving and repeat and rest. Every time I take a car load of stuff to the house, I come back to the apartment and wonder why there's still so much left to pack. But David assures me we are making progress, so I'm taking his word for it.

Yesterday I went to the house twice, once to unpack my car, and once to put some packages inside that had been delivered. Today will be a two-time trip day as well and then tomorrow the movers will come to move the big pieces of furniture. My goal is to have everything out by Sunday. 

Every time I go to the house, I get more and more excited about it. It truly does feel and look like a different house. 

Yesterday I spent a little time in Home Goods looking for a few kitchen items I needed. I also bought myself a new coffee mug. I couldn't resist with the colors and the hearts. I also have a cute mug the girls gave me for Christmas. I will alternate these for morning and afternoon cups of coffee. A cute mug just makes the coffee taste that much better, don't you think? 

Today I will go to Hobby lobby and look for a wall calendar. I haven't had one in years because I keep things on the calendar in my daily planner. But, this is an old tradition that I want to bring back (maybe no one else lost it, but I did). Growing up, I always had a wall calendar, as did my mom, my aunt, my step-mom and most people I knew. 
I'm going to hang it in the kitchen for all of the family to see and use it to schedule family gatherings and other important dates. I remember when the credit union would supply us with a Norman Rockwell calendar every new year. Wow. That's a memory that just popped up. That was many, many years ago. 
And if we're going down memory lane...do you remember when banks would give you a coin purse or umbrella or rain cap, just for opening a new account? My stepmother Ruby worked at a bank and I would somehow end up with all of these goodies to take home. I also remember when the gas stations would give out a set of drinking glasses every time you did a full-service fill up. Ahhh...those were the days 😀 In fact, I remember most of our drinking glasses being from the gas station and the glass jelly jars that had cartoon characters on them.

Well, I didn't intend to go down memory lane, but here we are. That was fun!
So I'm off to start my day. I need to eat and get dressed and start loading the car with more stuff. 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I will be back on Monday to let you know how it went.


Until Next Time...
Blessings! 

Hello Friends! 
Am I the only one who feels that January is moving along so quickly? It's already the 7th! Wow!
Anyway, I've had this topic on my mind, since hearing someone mention it recently and I think it's worth sharing here in case anyone is feeling the same way.
It's about decision fatigue.
Ever hear of it?
Well, I've been feeling it lately!
Decision fatigue is pretty self-explanatory. It's the absolute weariness that comes fromhaving to make constant decisions about various things.
For instance, shopping for Christmas for a big family.This can be so taxing, to keep track of the budget, what you've bought, what still needs to bepurchased, what to wrap, etc.Whew! Thank goodness that's over!
But add that to getting ready to move, deciding what type of flooring, what color paint,where to put everything, when to pack, when to move, when to turn on and off utilities,change addresses on bills and so many other things that go along with moving,I've hit a wall several times.
So when I recently heard someone talk about ways to deal with decision fatigue,I perked up and took notice and it got me thinking about all the waysto relieve yourself of having to make decisions over and over again.
The example I heard was pertaining to what color to paint your nails. Now that is obviously a frivolous endeavor, but if you go to a salon,you know the first thing they tell you to do is choose a color.So the example is to make a decision ahead of time, such as wearing red nail colorall winter long. Boom. Decision done. Now when you go to the salonyou don't have to wonder what to do. Just choose a red and get going.
The same can be done with weekly lunches or a weekly menu.Back in the day, women didn't search Pinterest for a new set of meals each week.They had set meals for certain days of the week. For instance,my mom has told me that my grandmother always fixed pork chops and baked potatoeson Thursdays. Many grandmothers fixed a pot roast on Sundays.These are decisions you can make once, and use over and over and never haveto reinvent the wheel. You know what meal comes on what day and you shop accordingly.This would also eliminate having to create a new list of groceries each week.
Capsule wardrobes or even the "uniform" trend that's beenpopular over the years is a good example of howwomen have tried to cut down on the decision of what to wear.If you aren't familiar with these,a capsule wardrobe is one that has a certain number ofmix and match items and no matter what you chooseto wear that day, your items will coordinate.
The uniform trend has taken off over the years and it consists ofa certain bottom, certain top, maybe a jacket and you have multiple copies of the same item and that's what you wear every day.So for instance, you have 5 pair of black slacks, 5 white shirts and 1 pair of blackloafers and each day the decision of what to wear is eliminated.
When David and I were choosing ceiling fans for our renovation, we chose the same fan for multiple rooms. Why not?I've never gone to anyone's house and taken notices of their ceiling fans.Keep it simple!
I'm sure there are so many categories you can apply this to,so I'm curious as to what you've done in your life to make one less decision during the week. Inquiring minds want to know!
Until Next Time...Blessings! 

Hello Friends!

It's the first Monday of January and normally I would be chomping at the bit to start something new, because after all...new year, new month, new week...you get the idea. But this year I'm learning something that I've honestly never thought about before and it's really going to change the way I look at time and seasons from now on. 

I (and seemingly the rest of the world), have always looked at January as the time to get our act together, start life again, do better, set goals, resolutions and be a better version of ourselves than we were just a few weeks ago. And you know what? Most of us fail within weeks of all the best laid plans. 

So imagine my wonder when just recently I saw something on Instagram that talked about the seasons according to God, not the world, and it really made so much sense. Now I've seen others talk about it (hi Billie Jo!) and it's changed my perspective in the best of ways.

For years, I would jump on the January bandwagon of self-improvement and fail soon after. I never really got my act together on the new budget, any kind of goal, or cleaning out last year's files, until around March - 3 months into the new year. Every year I felt like a failure for it taking so long to conquer these tasks that I knew were important, but every year I would keep the same rhythm and not get going until March or so. 

What I'm just now discovering is that this is the natural rhythm of life! I wasn't failing; I was reacting to the natural seasons, as God has laid out, with the winter months being slow and deliberately less productive, even regenerative for our bodies and souls.

Imagine a world where you allowed yourself to take January and February to relax more, hibernate, if you will, and slowly live in rhythms that coincided with the seasons. You slowly moved through your tasks, you slowly made plans for Spring, you slowly enjoyed this time of rest and renewal and allowed all of the frantic pace of the holiday season to melt away, one day at a time, by choosing rest over crazy. 
Essentially you would start your year off with renewal and not more stress-induced goals, after having lived through two of the most stressful months of the year. 
For me, this makes so much sense. It explains why I never felt like I was getting anywhere until months after New Years and it takes the pressure off of having to live in a constant state of stress. 
The older I get, the more I think doing the opposite of what the world deems necessary, is the way to live. The world is always striving and stressing; grasping for more. But the rhythm of God's word is that everything has a season and the things that need to happen will happen in due time. 
So now I can move through the next few months without guilt or insane expectations of myself. I can enjoy the slower pace of life without feeling like I'm behind and I can rest in knowing that Spring will bring new energy, new life, new excitement as the world comes to life at the proper time. 
And for me...this will make all the difference in how I enjoy my winter.

Until Next Time...
Blessings! 

 

Hello Friends!Are you as ready to move on from holiday talk and just get back to our normal routines and daily life as I am?
We've been busy moving carloads of things to our house, unpacking them,putting things where they go and going back for more the next day.We are slowly making it look like a home again and the moversare scheduled to move the big stuff on Saturday. 
So for now we are sitting in a sparsely furnished apartment,with some bare walls, no dining chairs,and anticipating what to move next so that we can be donewith nothing but the big pieces left for the movers. 
In the meantime, I haven't been to the store since before Christmasand I was really hungry for something sweet,so I made a batch of these Blonde Browniesand let me tell you...delicious!  
I love desserts that are tasty, but not icky sweet,and these are perfect. 
The recipe calls for sprinkling chocolate chips on top,but I chose not to. I also used chopped pecans instead of walnuts, because I like pecans better (and it's what I had available).
This is one of those recipes that comes from the most basic ingredients,so you can pretty much make them anytime. 
They pair great with a cup of coffee in the evening or even for breakfast.If you make a batch, let me know what you think.☕
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Until Next Time...Blessings!