Friday Gratitudes

This year I am planning to mix things up on Fridays and do different types of posts.  For the first week I decided to share a few things I am thankful for over the past week.  I am trying to do better with pictures, but I did not plan ahead this week.


Late last night while wandering in the garden I was happy to discover two sprigs of chocolate mint.  I thought I had lost all of it.  I covered up the bed it was in to protect it from big turkey feet.


Many people are not happy with the unusually warm January weather.  I am thankful to get a head start on some garden chores and other yard maintenance.  I know it will be cold soon enough.


I am thankful for a husband who knows how to do things around the house.  This past week he has started remodeling the greenhouse.  The new design should work better and will allow him to set up his aquaponics system in a few weeks. 


I am grateful for the rain we are getting.  Even though everything is still wet from all of last month's rain, we are not dealing with flooding.  My plants are loving the rain water. 


What are you thankful for this week?

Feathered Friends

With the warmer weather this week I was able to get some pictures of some of the feathered animals on our little farm.  The peafowl are doing really well.  The oldest peacock has a lovely full set of feathers, but he never shows off when I have the camera handy.

This is one of the younger peacocks.

One of the peahens

The quail like to nest in the corners.

They are always eager for a chance at a treat though.

The turkeys happily pose every time I have the camera in my hand.

All of these feathered animals have become more like pets.  It amazes me to see how they get used to not only me but the cats and Toby.  They have such individual personalities as well. 

In the Garden

For January the weather in my part of the south is very warm.  The high yesterday was close to 80 degrees.  It feels very strange, but I am not complaining.  I love warm weather.  Warm weather means that I can get out in the yard.  I realize I can go out when it is cold, but I do not like go out there if I have to bundle up in layers.


I took advantage of the warm weather to get out in the garden.  The only thing from my fall garden that the chickens did not get into was the cabbage which are growing nicely.

I weeded some of the herbs and did some maintenance on them.

Catnip with the cage to protect it from the cats

Pineapple Sage

Lemon balm, thyme, and rosemary

Bell pepper

Poblano Peppers

Yellow Pear Tomato Blossoms

Tiny garden pea shoots - Garden peas are a winter crop here.

Tomato seedlings - These came up voluntarily when I prepped the bed to plant the garden peas.  I only wish I could remember what variety I had planted there. 

The January garden does always look so green and lush.  I am sure cold weather will move in soon and the fun will be over.  I am just enjoying it while I can.



2019 Goals

I opted to change things up for 2019.  Rather than doing year long goals I am going to focus on monthly goals.  On the first of each month I will share three to four goals for the month.  Some may carryover into the following month.  I think this will be more relevant to my life as it is now. I hope you will join me in this new adventure.  Now on to January's goals....

1.  Set Up a Routine
After everything that happened with W's job last year, we basically took the rest of the year off.  We worked and did things, but we kept things from being too structured.  Now we both feel the need a set routine or at least as much as possible.  I need a morning and evening routine and a daily checklist for keeping the household under control.

2. Pantry/Freezer Challenge
Our pantry and freezers are out of control.  I want to spend as little as possible at the grocery store this month and eat from what we have on hand.  I do not have any set in stones rules for this.  My goal is to save as much of my January grocery budget as possible.

3.  Plan the Garden
I want to make better use of the garden area this year.  I say that every single year, but this is the year to put it into hard practice.  Rather than trying to pack as much into the space as possible, I am going with quality over quantity.  I plan to take my grocery savings to fund my garden which gives me extra incentive to save. 

That should be more than enough to keep my busy during the month.  I will posts updates on my progress on Mondays.  Are you making goals for the month or year?  I would love to know what your plans are!

Weekly Goals Update: Week 52

This year went by fast and so brought so many changes.  I am excited to see what 2019 will bring.

1. Disaster Preparedness

I went as far with this one as I could.  The weekly tasks were helpful.  Since my area has had two major hurricanes over the past two years, I have been able to practice putting this into practice.  

2.  Makeover the Garden

I was able to finally plant the garden pea seeds this past week.  I also planted some milkweed seeds and parsley seeds.  I transplanted some mint and my thyme plant.  

3.  Organize Recipes - Done

I put this off way too long and am glad to have finished it.

4.  Have 13 No Spend Grocery Weeks - Done

I surpassed this goal and hope to spend less time in the grocery store next year.

5.  Focus on Saving

I tried to make saving more mindful after W was let go from his job.  I kept an eye out for sales and coupons on planned purchases.  Stuff became less important and people took center stage.

6.  Etsy Shop

I still have a long way to go with my shop, but I was encouraged by the start I had over this year.  I have plans to make it better in the coming year.  It is an ongoing learning experience.

There were my last round ups for 2018's goals.  Stop back by tomorrow to see what I have planned for 2019!

Weekend Book Review: The Minimalist Home

The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker promises a room-by-room guide to decluttering and refocusing life.  I think when most people hear minimalist they think living in a bare space with few belongings.  I appreciated that the author takes a different view and focuses on keeping things that are important to each individual.  The ideas discussed are not necessarily new or ground breaking, but they are presented in an easy to follow format.  The sections on maintenance and future are helpful additions.  I wanted to read this book after my home began to feel cluttered after two years.  I am anxious to dive in to the steps now that the holidays are almost over.  The chapter on the yard is a good one as this area is often overlooked in most books of this type.  I am excited to put the guidelines outlined in this book into practice to create a more peaceful home for myself and my family.

disclosure:  I received a review copy from the publisher (WaterBrook) but was not otherwise compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

Deadly News by Jody Holford is the first book in the Britton Bay Mystery series.  Molly has moved to Britton Bay as editor of the town's struggling newspaper.  One of her new co-workers, Vernon, is less than welcoming to Molly.  After she pushes him to dig deeper on a story, he ends up dead, and Molly feels guilty.  She learns that small towns have few secrets, but the identity of the murderer is one that seems to be staying a secret.  The mystery is strong, and the book moved along quickly.  My only issue was the very fast moving romance.  The start of this series was interesting enough to make me look forward to the second book.


The first book in the Eleanor Wilde Mystery series by Tamara Berry is Séances are for Suckers.  Eleanor (Ellie) is a ghost hunter working to pay for her sister's medical care. She is approached by wealthy Englishman Nicholas to rid his family home of a "ghost".  Nicholas' mother is sure that Xavier is real, but Nicholas believes something more is going on.  Ellie finds more than she bargained for in the English village.  The book has a clever plot twist that I will not share so nothing is spoiled.  Ellie is a likeable character, and the basis for the book is different in a great way.  I look forward to many more books in this series.

Santa Puppy  by Lynn Cahoon is a short story which is part of the Tourist Trap Mystery series.  Jilly, owner of Coffee, Books, & More, has volunteered to host a pet adoption Christmas party.  Among the dogs looking for home is Baby whose nameless owner recently passed away.  Jill is determined to find someone who knew the deceased man and give Baby a new home for the holidays.  This is a touching holiday themed book that can easily be read in one sitting. 


disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!