Homemaker Happenings #6 (8.29.25 – 9.4.25)
Welcome to Homemaker Happenings! I am so happy you’re here.
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And just like that, we are moving into September! I have officially been in Pennsylvania for more than two weeks, and wow, am I glad to be home! It’s been a whirlwind the past few weeks, but I feel more like myself than I have since moving. Even though I don’t officially live in Pennsylvania anymore, it feels more like home than ever before. When I come back, it’s like nothing has changed. Pennsylvania will forever be my home, no matter where I live. If you need a reason to move to PA, just visit at any time of the year. Each season is unique and beautiful. Spring and summer are filled with lush greenery, fall brings in gorgeous foliage of all different colors, and winter shows off the beauty of the farmland. There’s something about the nature of this land that is unbelievably beautiful and like no other place on Earth.
As I continue my time in Pennsylvania, I’m reminded of how grateful I am to call this place my home, even though I live elsewhere. This week, I challenge you to think about what you love about your “home,” whether you still live in your hometown or have moved away. Are you someone who could never leave your home state, town, or county, someone like me who had to move away for one reason or another, or someone who chose to leave because you wanted to? Wherever you are, whether you love it or not, there are reasons to appreciate where you love. Maybe you’ve found an awesome church, great friends, wonderful parks or scenery, or a great restaurant scene. Whatever it is that keeps you where you are, make sure to remind yourself to be grateful for it.
Weekly Menu
The recipes featured in this week’s post don’t really have a theme, rhyme, or reason. This week, they are simply recipes I came across recently (or long ago) that are sounding good to me. Enjoy 🙂
Breakfast:
- Use up those peaches by making these delectable peach muffins.
- My quick and easy breakfast bowl is a great recipe to make when you don’t have much time in the morning.
- Breakfast tachos. Enough said.
- I’ve been making these pumpkin breakfast cookies for years. They are a taste of fall that are also light yet filling.
Lunch & Dinner:
- These sesame garlic ramen noodles are a staple in my household. I add beef and usually stir fry veggies on the side.
- When I looked at this recipe for sweet chili chicken with coconut lime drizzle, my mouth started to water. Yum!
- Street corn pasta salad sounds like the perfect end-of-summer meal, especially with corn being in season.
- Hot honey peach wings would be great to pair with the street corn pasta!
- This Philly cheesesteak wrap is a winner every time. I like to caramelize the onions for even better flavor.
Sweet Treat:
I made these peach shortbread bars for a family gathering last Sunday, and only one was left! This isn’t a stunning picture by any means, but I can assure you they were fantastic. I had to make a few tweaks – I added peach juice to the shortbread mixture and I baked them for longer. This is such a delicious summer recipe.
My Weekly Agenda
The Weekend
This weekend is Labor Day weekend, and to celebrate, my mom, one of my best friends, and I are headed up to my family’s cabin in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. If you’ve never been to Wellsboro, it’s one of the most adorable towns you’ll ever visit. It feels like something straight out of Gilmore Girls and it’s such a quaint place. It’s surrounded by nothing but farmland and is so peaceful and quiet. We’ll get plenty of R&R and time away from screens. The area offers great hiking in the mountains, as well as one of my favorite ice cream places, Pag-O-Mar’s. I highly recommend you check out the area.
The Week
We are looking at a very busy week ahead! Monday is Labor Day, which means the Musser family reunion. This is a tradition which has been happening for decades and usually draws close to 100 family members (My mom’s dad was one of 14 children!). As for the rest of the week, I’ll be preparing for my mom’s retirement party and my half marathon, both taking place on Saturday. This should tell you a little about my personality! I’ll be looking forward to having both of those be over so I can spend some time recuperating and resting, because I definitely need it at this point.
Books of the Week
Fiction Recommendation: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
This is a book I started a long time ago and have yet to finish, but I did start reading it again. I think it’s a great read for this time of year as we move into September, because it’s about a young girl who tries to solve a murder mystery in England. You can’t get more fall-like than that! Also, Flavia, the main character is extremely fun and witty, making it a book that had to go on my weekly recommendation.
Synopsis: It is the summer of 1950–and at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events: A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath.
For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”
Nonfiction Recommendation: Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
September means the start of Gilmore Girls season for me, so there’s no way I couldn’t recommend Lauren Graham’s book. I still can’t believe I haven’t yet read it, but Lauren is full of witty remarks and fun stories, just like her character, Lorelai. I hope you enjoy this recommendation as much as I plan to.
Synopsis: In Talking as Fast as I Can, Lauren Graham hits pause for a moment and looks back on her life, sharing laugh-out-loud stories about growing up, starting out as an actress, and, years later, sitting in her trailer on the Parenthood set and asking herself, “Did you, um, make it?” She opens up about the challenges of being single in Hollywood (“Strangers were worried about me; that’s how long I was single!”), the time she was asked to audition her butt for a role, and her experience being a judge on Project Runway (“It’s like I had a fashion-induced blackout”).
In “What It Was Like, Part One,” Graham sits down for an epic Gilmore Girls marathon and reflects on being cast as the fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore. The essay “What It Was Like, Part Two” reveals how it felt to pick up the role again nine years later, and what doing so has meant to her.
Some more things you will learn about Lauren: She once tried to go vegan just to bond with Ellen DeGeneres, she’s aware that meeting guys at awards shows has its pitfalls (“If you’re meeting someone for the first time after three hours of hair, makeup, and styling, you’ve already set the bar too high”), and she’s a card-carrying REI shopper (“My bungee cords now earn points!”).
Including photos and excerpts from the diary Graham kept during the filming of the recent Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, this book is like a cozy night in, catching up with your best friend, laughing and swapping stories, and—of course—talking as fast as you can.
On the Hunt
Check out the fun items I’m searching for this week!
Overmont 5.5 Qt. Dutch Oven in Cream White
Women’s Classic Canvas Sneakers in Grey
Tip of the Week
Try a new hobby! Fall brings in sweeping changes, along with cooler weather, so it’s the perfect time to try nothing new. Some hobbies you may want to consider trying include baking, diamond art, cooking, writing, candle making, crocheting, kitting, or needlepoint, canning, or learning a musical instrument.
