Home With Mr.C Today

 I Actually Stayed Home All Day! 😂

Well, folks… I think I may have actually done it.

I stayed home ALL DAY on Sunday! 😂

I know, I know. I said something very similar about Saturday, and we all know how that turned out. But Sunday was different. I was determined. I told myself that I was going to stay home, hang out with Mr. C, and just enjoy a nice, quiet day around the house.

I don’t think Mr. C really believed I could do it.

But guess what?

I showed him! 😂

Mr. C was up at 4:00 in the morning. I knew he was up, but I decided there was absolutely no reason for me to get out of bed that early. Nope. Not today!

It was my weekend, and I didn’t have anywhere to be, so I stayed right there until about 6:30 a.m. And honestly, it felt pretty good knowing I didn’t have to jump out of bed and get moving.

Lemon Cake to Start the Day

Once I finally got up, I decided to get my lemon cake started.

I had planned ahead and had all my cake ingredients ready to go. I wanted to bake it early in the morning so I wouldn’t be turning the oven on in the middle of the day and heating up the entire house. That seemed like a pretty smart plan to me!

I got everything mixed up and ready for the oven.

There was just one little problem.

I thought I had confectioner’s sugar to make the glaze.

I did not. 🤦‍♀️

So, after a little pantry investigation, I found a can of vanilla icing. I figured I could warm it up in the microwave once the cake came out and drizzle it over the top.

And that’s exactly what I did.

I used my Bundt cake pan, and let me tell you… that lemon cake turned out SO moist! It was really, really good.

In fact, I almost wish I had left the icing off completely because the cake itself was that good. Sometimes simple really is better!

🍋 My Easy Lemon Pudding Cake

If you’re looking for an easy, moist lemon cake, this one is definitely worth trying. The lemon pudding mix helps make the cake extra soft and gives it plenty of lemon flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 box lemon cake mix
• 1 small box instant lemon pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup water 
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar for the glaze
  Or, if you’re like me and discover you don’t have powdered sugar, vanilla icing works too! 😂

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan really well.
3. In a large bowl, combine the lemon cake mix and lemon pudding mix.
4. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, water, and lemon extract.
5. Beat everything together until smooth and well combined.
6. Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan.
7. Bake for approximately 45–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10–15 minutes before carefully turning it out onto a plate.
9. For a simple glaze, mix powdered sugar with a little lemon juice until you reach your desired consistency and drizzle it over the cooled cake.
10. Or… warm up some vanilla icing in the microwave for a few seconds and drizzle that over the top like I did!

And trust me, don’t be afraid to taste a piece without the icing. You might decide you like it better that way!

🍳 Breakfast at Home

After getting the cake taken care of, Mr. C and I made breakfast.

We had scrambled eggs with biscuits and gravy, and it was so good. There’s just something about a good breakfast at home on a Sunday morning that feels comforting and cozy.

After breakfast, I decided it was time to tackle something else that had been waiting for me.

🖨️ Breaking In the New Printer

My new HP printer!

This printer is one of those tank-style printers where you actually fill the ink instead of constantly replacing little ink cartridges. I’ve never owned one like this before, so I was pretty excited to see how it worked.

I followed the instructions the best I could, and I will admit it took me a little while to get everything set up and going.

But once I got it working…

I went a little printer crazy. 😂

I probably printed off 60 random sheets!

Okay, maybe not quite 60, but it sure felt like it. 😂

Some of what I printed was important paperwork that I needed to organize and put into a binder, so I got that taken care of. I also printed off a couple of pictures, and that’s when I really noticed the difference.

This printer is NICE.

I can already tell that spending a little extra money for a good printer was worth it. The quality is noticeably better than some of the printers I’ve purchased in the past.

Sometimes you really do get what you pay for!

💻 A Little Blogging Time

Once I got my little printer project finished, I spent some time working on my blog.

I’ve been saving blog post ideas and drafts, so I went through and added some of those to my blog. I’m trying to get myself into the habit of publishing around six to eight blog posts a month, so I wanted to get things organized and updated.

And while I was in my productive little mood, I also managed to write a pen pal letter to Joanie.

That means I’m only one pen pal letter behind now, which feels like a pretty big accomplishment to me!

🍲 Sunday Lunch: Chicken Fiesta Soup

By this point, it was time for lunch, so we put together a quick chicken fiesta soup.

I had bought some shredded cooked chicken the day before, so this was an easy meal to throw together. I didn’t even bother with the crock pot because everything just needed to heat up.

We put it on the stove, let everything warm together, and had ourselves a nice Sunday lunch.

🌶️ Easy Chicken Fiesta Soup

This is one of those recipes that is perfect for a lazy Sunday because you can throw everything into a pot, heat it up and you’re done!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• ½ cup salsa, optional
• 1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese, optional

Directions:

1. Add the chicken, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes with green chilies,  and chicken broth to a large pot.
2. Stir in the taco seasoning.
3. Add salsa if you want a little extra kick.
4. Stir everything together and bring it to a gentle simmer.
5. Let it cook for about 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is heated through and the flavors have had time to come together.
6. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheese if desired.

You could also add tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream, cilantro or jalapeños on top.

And the best part?

No crock pot required! 😂

🏡 A Successful Day at Home

And after lunch?

We pretty much just hung out.

We watched TV, relaxed, worked on a few things around the house, and enjoyed being home.

No running around.

No getting in the car.

No “where are we going today?”

Just a nice, easy Sunday at home with my husband.

And you know what?

I actually enjoyed it! 😂

Don’t get me wrong. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to get out and go. I love a good adventure, a road trip, a grandchild outing, or just finding somewhere we’ve never been before.

But every now and then, staying home is exactly what you need.

So I think I can officially say that my Sunday at home was a success!

I baked a lemon cake, made breakfast, broke in my new printer, organized paperwork, worked on my blog, wrote a pen pal letter, made chicken fiesta soup, watched TV, and spent the day with Mr. C.

Not too bad for a day when I wasn’t supposed to do anything!

Maybe I really can stay home once in a while.

But don’t get too excited, Mr. C. 😂

Have a great day!

Cheers,
Karen ❤️

Change of Plans

 

So Much for Staying Home! 😂

Well, I have a confession to make…

I told everyone I was going to stay home ALL weekend.

Apparently, I lied. 😂

Because this morning, we were up before 6:00 a.m. and heading out the door! We were going over to Brody and Savannah’s to watch Landon and Sophie while Lane had his football game. His game started at 8:00 a.m., and honestly, what better way is there to start a Saturday morning than getting to see some of your grandchildren?

I truly cannot imagine my life without all of our grandchildren. They bring so much joy, laughter, and love into our lives. Even when my plans involve staying home, sometimes Nana just needs a little grandbaby time.

Savannah and Lane got back to the house around 9:45, and then we headed to Marlow to make an important breakfast stop at Sonic. Super breakfast burritos and drinks were calling our names! We brought everything back home and enjoyed our breakfast before getting started on a few things around the house.

Mr. C had ordered some new black curtains for our bedroom to go behind the pretty red curtains we already have. And let me tell you…we like our bedroom DARK.

I always joke that we must be vampires because of how dark we keep our house! 🧛‍♀️😂

We don’t use light bulbs over 60 watts. EVER. A lot of that started because of the electrical load in our house. Higher-wattage bulbs seem to blow out quickly, so over the years we learned what works best for this old house.

And speaking of old…our house was built in 1981.

It’s funny how you become accustomed to things when you deal with them day after day and year after year. Things that might seem strange to someone else just become completely normal to you. That’s the beauty—and sometimes the quirkiness—of living in the same house for many years.

I also wrapped Savannah’s birthday present. It was a little awkward to wrap, but I finally conquered it! 😂 I’m going to use the same wrapping paper for Whitney’s birthday gift, too. I’m just waiting for the last part of her gift to arrive later today.

Then it was time for another Nana adventure.

I called Kendall to check in and see what time he wanted me to come out. I left the house around noon and went over to help clean up a little mess where some milk had been spilled. I also put a new pad and some towels down in his chair.

I stayed until about 1:45, and then I decided I wasn’t quite ready for my grandchild fix to be over.

So I called Sherry, Jessica’s mom, and asked if Brooks and Hattie were home and if I could come by for a visit.

Well…you would have thought Nana had arrived with a truckload of presents!

Brooks and Hattie were SO excited to see me, and that absolutely made my heart happy. ❤️

Of course, Nana Karen had to inspect all the toys, and I definitely had to see all of Brooks’ LEGO masterpieces. That boy is amazing with LEGOs! He builds some incredible things.

We played ball, and then Hattie “read” a few books to me. And honestly, those are the moments I treasure.

Nothing fancy.

Nothing expensive.

Just sitting around, playing, laughing, looking at LEGO creations and listening to a little one “read” a book.

Those are the memories that stick with you.

I finally left around 3:30 p.m.

So much for my quiet weekend at home with Mr. C! 😂

On the way home, I stopped at Taco Mayo and picked up a Mexicali Bowl for us to share. It is always so yummy! We really do eat out more than we probably should, but sometimes you just have to admit that somebody else cooking dinner sounds pretty darn good. 😂

I also stopped and picked up some shredded cooked chicken for a dish I’m preparing tomorrow, along with the ingredients to make a lemon Bundt cake.

Once we got home, we didn’t do much of anything else. We watched TV, talked, and just relaxed.

Aaron’s friend Larry W. called because he was concerned about Grandpa Kendall, so we visited for about ten minutes. Larry has become pretty close to Grandpa Kendall over the last several years, and it means a lot that he checks on him. I told him I would call if we needed anything.

Trevor called later, too, and I told him he needs to be calling Grandpa more often. 😉 While I had him on the phone, I also got his sizes for the 4.0 base layers I’m planning to get him for Christmas.

Now I just need to get Blake’s sizes.

And just like that, my “stay home ALL weekend” Saturday turned into a day filled with grandchildren, errands, chores, breakfast burritos, birthday presents, LEGO masterpieces, books, Taco Mayo, and family phone calls.

Would I call that staying home?

Absolutely not.

Would I do it all again?

In a heartbeat. ❤️

Because sometimes the best days are the ones that don’t go according to plan.

And sometimes Nana just has to admit…

She lied. 😂