Making a House a Home

Whew!!! Life's been SO busy lately!! Last weekend, Mr. U's father and mother came to visit us. It was wonderful getting to spend time with them. Whenever we go visit them, other relatives are always around so we hardly ever get them to ourselves. :)

Tomorrow we are leaving on a little family vacation for a few days. We are going to be staying in a villa that has a kitchen, so I've been trying to get some food together so that we don't have to eat out all the time.

I do look forward to being gone a few days and r-e-l-a-x-i-n-g!!!! Church is starting to head into a busy season with the holidays coming up. It'll be nice to catch our breath for a few days.

So, I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit your blogs lately. I have checked Julieann's because I've been worried about the fire in California being near her family. If you or a blogger you know is near the fire or their home is IN the fire, please let me know. I want to PRAY!!! I cannot imagine what it must be like to see flames like I've seen on TV.

Have a blessed weekend, y'all!

Just in case anyone was wondering, I have had my "Fall vitamins". Today, as a matter of fact.

Have you had your "Fall vitamins" yet?

Surely these MUST hold some special nutrients for Fall, don't you think? Tee hee!!!

Ladies, when was the last time you received a hand written letter? When was the last time you sent a hand written letter?

Why not take some time this week to sit down and write a note to a dear friend or family member. There's nothing like opening the mailbox to find a letter from a friend!!!

Most of y'all have already heard by now that October is Pastor Appreciation Month. So, when was the last time that you thanked your pastor for following the Lord and leading the sheep in your church? Write him a note of encouragment, tell him how thankful you are for him and is faithfulness to the Lord and PRAY for him!! Pastoring a church is a hard job and pastors deal with so many issues that the majority of church members don't know about. He needs your encouragment and your prayers, so please tell him how much your family appreciates him.

I found a wonderful link at Revive Our Hearts entitled "31 days of praying for your Pastor". This would be a great tool to use to lift your pastor up in prayer!! Why not start today!!

Look what I found waiting for me in my mailbox yesterday!!!



Yes, Victoria Magazine is in full swing and I am one happy lady!! Oh and their website has wonderful treasures, too! I can't wait to spend time there, too!!

So, you all know what I am going to be doing today!!

Okay, so I do not normally wear cleaning gloves... but when I saw the super cute gloves that Kim and Aggie were wearing, I knew I needed to find some!!!

While I can't find their exact gloves, I did find a website with adorable cleaning gloves! It's called ComfyBath and the gloves are called Gloveables (how cute is that?). So in case anyone is interested in purchasing something besides the standard yellow gloves that we can find at any store, we now have a choice!!

Do any of you wear cleaning gloves on a regular basis? If so, how long have you been wearing them to clean?

(And yes, those are the cleaning gloves that I want!! TOOO CUTE!!!)

I LOVE to read!! I love to curl up with a good book and get lost in the pages. Be it homemaking, historical fiction, biography, cookbooks or Christian fiction, I LOVE to read!!

One of my favorite places to purchase books from is Vision Forum. They have wholesome, Christian literature that is encouraging, challenging and uplifting. They have wonderful sales, too!! When one of their catalogs arrives in the mail, you will find me all alone, s-l-o-w-l-y pouring over the pages to figure out what newest adventure I want to go on through the pages of a book.

I just LOVE to read!!!

What about you? Where do you like to purchase your books? Do you LOVE to read, too??

This is the recipe for the Taco Soup that we had yesterday. My sister-in-law gave me this recipe and we all love it. It's easy to make and pleases everyone who eats it. This freezes well, too, so doubling it would be a great idea!!


Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef
2 onions, diced
1 package taco seasoning*
1 (15 ounce) can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 large (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 small (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour Cream

In a stock pot, brown ground beef. Drain if it is greasy. Add diced onions to the beef as well as the taco seasoning. Cook about 10 minutes over medium high heat until onions start turning translucent. Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer about 30 minutes until all the flavors are combined. When you serve it, top with cheddar cheese and sour cream.

This is also very good on top of fritos!! YUM!!

*I did not use a taco seasoning package. I always make my own. Here's the recipe I use.

Taco Seasoning Mix
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

"Depending on how spicy you and your family like your dishes, use as little or as much as you want."

I just love walking outside in the mornings and being greeted by these happy morning glories!!! The Lord is SO sweet to give us such beautiful things to look at and be reminded of Him and His creation.

Today is going to be a rather quiet day around our home. Just normal household chores to be done- Elizabeth's laundry, vacuum the house, clean the master bathroom. For lunch today (lunch is our main meal of the day), I am making my sister-in-law's Taco Soup. YUM! And I just may make Kelli's Maple Cookies. They look SO delicious!!!

I look forward to days like this that aren't so busy. I get time to read more, make a few phone calls to friends I haven't spoken with in a while, and I will take time to read some of the deeper, more meatier blogs that I don't always get around to.

So, what are you up to today? Is it a busy day in your household?

Choose the biscuit that you would like to eat.


If you cannot pick up the entire biscuit, carefully pick up a piece in your hand.


Take a bite of your biscuit.


Enjoy eating your biscuit (but please try to keep your mouth closed while you are chewing).


Eat only as much as needed. You do not need to finish the entire biscuit if you aren't that hungry. Oh, and mommy will happily clean up your dishes. :)