Homemaker Happenings #5 (8.15.25 – 8.21.25)
Welcome to Homemaker Happenings! I am so happy you’re here.
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I have officially made it to Pennsylvania as of last Saturday! I have had SUCH a busy week in the best way. I’ve spent time with some of my closest friends and will continue to do so while I’m in PA. It’s such an incredible feeling to be home and out of Colorado. I will be honest, since moving to Colorado last July, I have struggled with be content, and it’s been even harder since we are not living there by choice. I do not enjoy the West or living in an urban/suburban area. I miss the lushness of PA, farms, and back roads. Coming home is bittersweet because I know it’s just temporary and Colorado will call me back sooner than later.
When I think about it, I know God is trying to teach me contentment. This is a theme that seems to keep coming up in my life. God knows I’m not entirely happy in Colorado, but since I have little choice in the matter. My sister-in-aw had similar sentiments about where she is living, and came to the conclusion that she could either continue to be discontent and breed resentment, or learn to be content with all the blessings she currently has. While I dearly miss PA when I’m not there, I have so much to be thankful for about Colorado: A great church, a nice house, wonderful friends, and beautiful scenery all around me. If you are feeling similar to how I am, think of one thing per day you are thankful for and practice thinking about it over and over. I promise it’ll change your life.
Weekly Menu
Hello, Pennsylvania!! This week, I am featuring some of my favorite Pennsylvania/PA Dutch/Mennonite/Amish/family recipes that I have enjoyed making throughout my life.
Breakfast:
- When I was young, my grandma always made pancakes for breakfast, but she used boxed mix pancakes. Try this delicious ones instead.
- You can never go wrong with Amish breakfast casserole.
- Anytime we had leftover mashed potatoes, my grandpa would make potato pancakes.
- A staple for my grandfather was fried apples.
Lunch & Dinner:
- While we made it with ham instead of chicken, this pot pie recipe is a classic Pennsylvania Dutch recipe.
- It may not be the healthiest dinner option, but chickenetti is a taste of my school days for sure.
- You may not be familiar with it, but ham loaf is my favorite food and an absolute delicacy in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
- Baked corn pairs extremely well with ham loaf and is the casserole you never knew you needed in your life.
Sweet Treat:
Every year in the fall, after getting a haul of apples, we make apple dumplings. They are apples that are wrapped in a sort of pie crust and doused in a delicious brown sugar and cinnamon sauce. You will want to eat five of them!
My Weekly Agenda
The Weekend
Weekends spent with friends and family are the best! Today, my best friend and I will venture through our hometown. We’ll do some shopping and then get lunch. That evening, another one of my best friends are meeting up in town for coffee and to catch up. Saturday will be spent running *sigh* 10 miles. Prayers, please! On Sunday after church, my mom and I are meeting up with some old famiy friends and then spending time with cousins later in the evening. What a great weekend it’s going to be!
The Week
I am so excited for this week because it’s FAIR WEEK!!!! Every year, the last week of August, my hometown puts on one of the best Fairs in our state. There are so many fun things to do there, and no matter my age, the Fair never gets old. The final weeks of my half marathon training have arrived, so I will be getting in 16+ miles each week until taper week. Stay tuned as I keep you in the loop of all things Pennsylvania!
Books of the Week
Fiction Recommendation: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
As we move closer to cozy season (we’re halfway through August!), I’m looking for reads that reflect the time of year. This book sounds all things cozy and mysterious in all the right ways.
Synopsis: Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
Nonfiction Recommendation: There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda McGurk
As someone who grew up in a rural area, outside play was a regular thing. Snow, wind, and rain, we experienced it all. This book is for the weary parent who’s concerned that the only good weather for kids to play outside in is a sunny day.
Synopsis: Could the Scandinavian philosophy of “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes” hold the key to happier, healthier lives for American children?
When Swedish-born Linda Åkeson McGurk moved to Indiana, she quickly learned that the nature-centric parenting philosophies of her native Scandinavia were not the norm. In Sweden, children play outdoors year-round, regardless of the weather, and letting babies nap outside in freezing temperatures is common and recommended by physicians. Preschoolers spend their days climbing trees, catching frogs, and learning to compost, and environmental education is a key part of the public-school curriculum. In the US, McGurk found the playgrounds deserted, and preschoolers were getting drilled on academics with little time for free play in nature. And when a swimming outing at a nearby creek ended with a fine from a park officer, McGurk realized that the parenting philosophies of her native country and her adopted homeland were worlds apart.
Struggling to decide what was best for her family, McGurk embarked on a six-month journey to Sweden with her two daughters to see how their lives would change in a place where spending time in nature is considered essential to a good childhood. Insightful and lively, There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather is a fascinating personal narrative that illustrates how Scandinavian culture could hold the key to raising healthy, resilient, and confident children in America.
On the Hunt
This week, I am on the hunt for items that remind me fall is oh, so close.
Lancaster County Coffee Roasters – Dutch Apple Crumb Cake
AUTOMET Long-Sleeve Pleated Shirt
Snuggle Sac Orange Throw Blanket
Tip of the Week
Enjoy each season as it comes. Yes, I love fall and am posting about it before September is even here. However, I am also loving every bit of summer that’s still here. My tip for this week is to enjoy the current season you’re in, even if it’s not you’re favorite. Soak up the sunshine while it’s still warm and go swimming! Before you know it, we’ll be wearing coats and boots.
