HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 44 of 2017

How was your weekend? Mine was productive and quite pleasant weather wise. I went to my first craft festival of the season on Saturday where I ran into a couple friends and received a wonderful Christmas Eve party invitation.

I am working on a 2 year update on the HOUSE FROM HELL that will be up in a few days. Other than that I am just doing EVERYTHING I can to prepare for selling the house and move on ASAP which we are hoping to do just after the doctor gives me the ALL clear after surgery.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We appear to be having a few days of fall weather finally with cool evenings and pleasant days, but they are going to be short lived it appears.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

English muffin with Peanut Butter and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads
  • LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but need to do floors like always
  • KITCHEN… quite clean actually
  • STUDIO… now a storage room
  • YARD… nothing as we head into November
  • BLOG… still doing some recipe updating and planning for future posts

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

I’m still reading the Bridge to a Better Life by Ava Miles. Just can’t seem to stay awake long enough to finish a book.

The Holiday Baking Championship(11/9) and Guy’s BIG Project(11/5) both start in the next couple weeks.

  • BIG BANG THEORY and the new YOUNG SHELDON when it returns later this week
  • NCIS, NCIS NEW ORLEANS and NCIS LA, CRIMINAL MINDS, S.W.A.T. starts this week
  • MADAM SECRETARY, SCANDAL, DESIGNATED SURVIVOR
  • CHICAGO FIRE, CHICAGO PD, CHICAGO MED later this season
  • BRAVE, VALOR, SEAL TEAM
  • LAW & ORDER SVU, BLUE BLOODS, HAWAII 5-0
  • MACGYVER, SCORPION, BLINDSPOT, ORVILLE, WISDOM OF THE CROWD
  • Z NATION, WALKING DEAD, FLASH, DC LEGENDS, INHUMANS
  • THE GOOD PLACE, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE, SPEECHLESS, GREAT NEWS
  • THIS IS US, ONCE UPON A TIME, THE GOOD DOCTOR
  • GUY’S GROCERY GAMES, BEAT BOBBY FLAY, BOBBY AND DAMARIS

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

I’m saving this category for recuperation time!

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
ENGLISH MUFFIN with PEANUT BUTTER & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRENCH TOAST
BACON & EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
BROWN SUGAR PORK CHOPS
C.O.R.N.
OUT
OUT
OUT
OUT
LOADED GARLIC BREAD
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

 

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

We are FINALLY moving forward!!! Looks like surgery will be in the next 2-3 weeks (they are working out a schedule with the hospital which I should know later today hopefully) and will only limit Thanksgiving! DR. said that I can do Christmas as long as everything is in teeny tiny bites! YAY Christmas is my favorite. The biggest drawback will be that it is a 6 hour surgery to fix what the previous doctor had done, I’ll be in the hospital for 2 days and ZERO lifting or straining of ANY kind for 8 weeks or so. I am so not a sit around girl, but am amassing a list of sit still projects to TRY and keep me occupied.

When we met with the doctor we discussed all the pros and cons of both surgeries and determined the best course of action. There are always concerns and risks, but after talking it all over with the doctor I’m feeling pretty good about the decisions.  I never thought I’d be a statistic for late night lawyer commercials, but apparently I now am.  Evidently the “BIO MESH” previously used is now being routinely found to be faulty.  The surgeon was wonderfully explicit and even drew easy to follow diagrams about how he was going to do a permanent fix. I’m all for NEVER going through this again.  I’m going with the adage that third time is a charm. Originally, pretesting, the surgeon didn’t think he’d be able to do a 3rd fix, but after testing he found that the bio mesh is all but missing, or so he suspects from what he saw on the EGD. I’m very happy my surgeon has gotten rave reviews from patients and doctors alike and what he has to say about this more permanent fix. The only drawback is that it will be a lengthy surgery so he can make sure it’s all done right.

Here’s how it this all started. In 2011 I had my cancer surgery which went wonderful and I began the long trek back to health and fitness.  All in all, I was already pretty healthy and fit – I mean I cook from scratch, perimeter shop without the junk food and eat extremely little fast food. I don’t really drink, have never smoked or done drugs.  The oncologist said that those things probably helped save my life as the cancer had nothing to feed on in my body.

But, the length of surgery caused another problem.  Turns out I had a Hiatal hernia that my cancer doctor didn’t fix while she was in there and the stomach acid seeped up and started eroding my esophagus as I laid on the operating table for such a lengthy surgery. So, a year later I had to have another operation to remove part of the shredded esophagus and rebuild the valve.  Then 9 months later an allergic reaction to a prescription they gave me for my Fibromyalgia started lowering my potassium levels and shutting down my heart. I collapsed, literally close to death.  Fortunately, hubby insisted they take me to the hospital despite the idiot ambulance driver who was convinced I’d been drinking (strongest thing I EVER drink is iced tea) and tried to get me to sign a waiver so he didn’t have to transport me. The hospital staff worked quickly to revive my potassium to a safe level and life went on.  When I came to though out on the street I became violently ill.  A few weeks later I knew something was wrong (I had torn open the repair) and several weeks after that, I had surgery to repair my stomach and esophagus, AGAIN.

Fast forward a few years later and guess what? Here we are again.  Turns out I appear to be a statistic, a part of those late night commercials for the class action suits against products that fail. I have been doing research and it appears from the last article I read that the type of mesh used to previously repair my stomach failed 17 out of 24 times – not very good odds in my opinion.  I cannot eat most foods, I cannot sleep flat in a bed and I’m still having issues with syncope/balance so I’m going to do what is necessary to get back to a regular life.  I know this ALL happens for a reason, but I’m READY for it to be over!!!

We do know I will be a liquid diet for quite a few weeks , but now know that I will only miss Thanksgiving and Christmas will be an extremely small meal, but real food. Have I mentioned that I’m looking forward to 2018 and the start of a new season of life?

I have begun again amassing cooking magazines and simple projects like changing over the address book, password book, etc… for when I’m laid up.  Unfortunately, this surgery will leave me with ZERO lifting, stretching or straining for 8 weeks – literally cannot lift anything heavier than a bag of flour. I will be unable to do much more than walk, MAYBE LIMITED SLOW TREADMILLABSOLUTELY no lifting, no stretching, etc… I figured I would use the time to read, develop some ideas for new recipes and work on updating the blog compilation. I might be able to do a few simple craft projects too.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

We did take a little adventure last week…

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday, Terri at Darling Downs Diaries and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 43 of 2017

WOW is this year moving fast! We had a nice weekend that ended way too fast.  Saturday was an uncle’s 75th birthday party and we went and picked up my aunt’s caretaker from year’s past that can no longer drive and lives 45 minutes away to bring her to the party and take her home after the party so Saturday was pretty full.  I was able to see 3 cousins that I don’t normally get to see often as we all live in 4 different cities in 2 different states. We had a great visit full of love and laughter accompanied by 2 of my cousin’s munchkins stealing the show as they had fun.

We woke up Sunday to a storm whose wind was rivaling hurricane Harvey and heavy rain so the day quickly turned into a do nothing day where we made brunch, watched football and racing while really doing nothing at all.

The long awaited day is finally here.  WRONG – 12:05 UPDATE -doctor’s office just called and rescheduled for Thursday saying he was in an emergency surgery that was taking longer than expected. I know this ALL happens for a reason and I don’t want to be unreasonable, but this ALL began LAST November 2016!!!! I’m READY for it to be over!!!

All of my testing is done and my follow up appointment with the doctor for all the test results and to set a surgery schedule is later today Thursday so I’m a bit apprehensive until I know more. We do know I will be a liquid diet for quite a few weeks and will more than likely be missing both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners so I will be doing a combo holiday meal for hubby, myself and the good uncle just before surgery and then freezing meals for hubby.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We’re supposed to be down in the 80’s all week and sunny.  As long as the humidity stays low, that’s okay by me. I’d prefer a proper fall, but I’ll settle for a mild Indian summer since we haven’t had a proper frost here.

The term Indian summer usually means warm and dry with above normal temperatures after the first cold spell or frost of the season, but just for trivia’s sake it does not have a positive origin.  It refers to a period of time after the settlers had experienced the first frost of the season and were preparing for a long winter.  The settlers had let their guard down and the Indians had taken advantage of the settlers being unprepared according to farmer’s almanac.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Fruit smoothie and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… quite a few loads this week, towels, bedding and clothing
  • LIVING AREAS… plan on doing a deep clean today and tomorrow
  • KITCHEN… pretty clean
  • STUDIO… is mainly storage these days so nothing going on there
  • YARD… nothing much after the weekend storms, just too wet to do anything
  • BLOG… some recipe updating, future post planning and holiday post planning

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

I’m reading the Bridge to a Better Life by Ava Miles.

The Holiday Baking Championship(11/9) and Guy’s BIG Project(11/5) both start in the next couple weeks.

  • BIG BANG THEORY and the new YOUNG SHELDON when it returns in November
  • NCIS, NCIS NEW ORLEANS and NCIS LA, CRIMINAL MINDS
  • MADAM SECRETARY, SCANDAL, DESIGNATED SURVIVOR
  • CHICAGO FIRE, CHICAGO PD, CHICAGO MED
  • LAW & ORDER SVU, BLUE BLOODS, HAWAII 5-0
  • MACGYVER, SCORPION, BLINDSPOT
  • Z NATION, WALKING DEAD, FLASH, DC LEGENDS
  • THE GOOD PLACE, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE,
  • THIS IS US, ONCE UPON A TIME
  • GUY’S GROCERY GAMES, BEAT BOBBY FLAY, BOBBY AND DAMARIS

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

I’m beginning to work on Christmas cards.  I’d like to have them finished and ready to mail just after Thanksgiving.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

 
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
KITCHEN SINK FRITTATA
BACON & EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
SLAM DUNK WINGS & SALAD
PANZANELLA SALAD
CHILI CHEESE DOG CASSEROLE
GRILLED STEAKS AND SALAD
STUFFED CHICKEN MARSALA
DESSERT
 BANANAS FOSTER BREAD

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

As always I’m praying for world peace, SERIOUSLY! I hate waking up to so much tragedy through the world more and more frequently.

I’m also praying that the doctor has great answers today in my follow up appointment.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

I’m still moving right along on getting ALL but the essentials packed.  We still don’t know when we will be moving, but at least we’ll be ready! I love bubble wrap.

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday, Terri at Darling Downs Diaries and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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HAPPY HOMEMAKER and MENU PLAN MONDAY week 42 of 2017

Oh my gosh, it’s Monday! Where did last week go? We are down to the last 10 weeks of the year and you know what that means – Christmas is only 70 days away! I lost 2 days last week with invasive testing and another 2 days with just feeling like crap.  The good news is the doctor announced that even though the recovery time is the same, he can do the better for me in the long term surgery.  The bad news is he decided he needs one more test this next week and unfortunately it is the uncomfortable test he previously changed. Oh well, at this point I’m just praying this is all over before the holidays.

After surgery I will not be able to lift anything for 6-8 weeks so I have been working like a dog to get as much sorted, packed and donated that I can before the surgery. We are so ready to be done with this house from hell and move on to a better way of life soon.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We had a “COLD” front move in last night LOL so we are only supposed to be in the mid 80’s this week, but the night time lows are supposed to drop into the 60’s and the humidity is supposed to drop 20-30% so I’m hoping for a more enjoyable week.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Banana, red grapes and Coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads
  • LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but as always with animals and husbands I need to do floors
  • KITCHEN… mop and empty the dishwasher
  • STUDIO… I did a DEEP clean last week when I started piling boxes in this room so it will be okay for awhile
  • YARD… A little pruning
  • BLOG… some recipe updating, planning for future recipe posts and BLOGMAS 2017

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

I’m reading Ava Miles Dare Valley #7 The Perfect Ingredient.

  • BIG BANG THEORY and the new YOUNG SHELDON when it returns in November
  • NCIS, NCIS NEW ORLEANS and NCIS LA, CRIMINAL MINDS
  • MADAM SECRETARY, SCANDAL, DESIGNATED SURVIVOR
  • CHICAGO FIRE, CHICAGO PD, CHICAGO MED
  • LAW & ORDER SVU, BLUE BLOODS, HAWAII 5-0
  • MACGYVER, SCORPION, BLINDSPOT
  • Z NATION, WALKING DEAD, FLASH, DC LEGENDS
  • THE GOOD PLACE, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE,
  • THIS IS US, ONCE UPON A TIME
  • GUY’S GROCERY GAMES,

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH DICED HAM
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
SLAM DUNK WINGS
SHEPHERD’S PIE QUESADILLAS
BRUSSELS BISQUE
CHILI MAC CASSEROLE
GRILLED TWICE BAKED POTATOES
PEANUTTY CHICKEN WINGS
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND

I grew up in California and unfortunately fires are a fact of life out there, especially in October with the Santa Ana winds.  I’ve also been mandatorily evacuated more times that I would like and even watched from a cruise ship one year while our tiny town of 500 was on CNN in one of the fastest moving fires in LA history, but there was usually a lot of brush and trees burned and even a few structures, but in ALL those years I cannot remember any combination of fires as horrific as what California is experiencing now, especially with loss of life. Please keep California in your prayers that containment comes soon and there is no more loss of property or life.

As horrible what California is going through, there is still so much destruction and rebuilding going on that is also impacting people ALL over the country and world!

Several months ago I told you about some roof leaks that we had that required major patching and when we went into the attic to investigate the source were confronted with 40 years worth of crap that my grandfather and cousin had accumulated back in a corner we “missed” originally because it was just that, in a hard to reach corner.  Unfortunately we had to bag it and move it in order to reach the area that was leaking.  We also discovered about 500 pounds of “good” (by my grandfather’s terms) boards that I’m sure he was saving for a project as well as a bunch of bricks – really bricks in an attic? I can’t even begin to figure out what those were for. So, we bagged it all up and moved to a pile in the center to be removed later.  Well, it’s now later!

In order to get all the bagged stuff and boards down from the attic we needed several things, the first of which was cooler weather which we don’t have yet, but are running out of time on.  The second was to empty out the master closet so we didn’t get all the insulation and dirt all over our clothes. So, we bit the bullet the other day and emptied the closet so we could bring down 11-30 gallon bags the next morning.  It got too warm so we’re saving the boards for later this week.  Trash will pick up large items on Fridays so we are trying to time everything for every other Friday.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

I took this picture several years ago down at Brazos Bend State Park, but always find myself looking for the alien cow every time we go back.

My birthday was last month, but I got a WONDERFUL birthday surprise just this past week from my brother aka PINYON RIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY. He is a VERY talented photographer with a vast array of BEAUTIFUL photographs and yes I am biased, but they are truly SPECTACULAR.  This one is printed on metal, my new favorite medium and is just awe inspiring.

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday, Terri at Darling Downs Diaries and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 41 of 2017

WOW, WHERE HAS THIS YEAR GONE? I can’t believe we’re in October already.  I hope you had a great week and weekend with fun fall activities.  It has turned quite warm here again and we spent most of the time indoors watching Movies, Baseball, Racing and some football as well as catching up with the DVR.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

This past week was supposed to be better weather and this upcoming week was supposed to be even better… then there was Nate, Hurricane Nate entering the gulf changed everything and we’re back to temperatures in the 90’s and high humidity.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Some left over omelette and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

I had been using the spare bedroom as a storage area for all the things I have been getting packed and then hubby had an epiphany and NOT a good one.  He pointed out that the boxes and totes were blocking both the window and the closet (DUH! it just never occurred to me) and that anyone looking to buy the house was going to want to see both. So I spent 2 days rearranging the spare bedroom and studio so that NO windows or closets are blocked. I did at least get a few more items into the donation box or given to my neighbor.

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads
  • LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but really need to do floors
  • KITCHEN… quite clean, but I plan to make a mess soon.
  • YARD… mowing and edging
  • BLOG… some recipe updating and planing for future posts.  I’m even working on BLOGMAS 2017 plans and recipes

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

I’m about to finish reading Book #2, Second Chance Girl by Susan Mallery and will move on to Ava Miles Dare Valley #7 The Perfect Ingredient.

We have tried a few of the new shows and are giving them a second (and sometimes a third) chance to decide before we narrow our list down.  There were a couple shows that had characters depart and one in particular that we did not care for how they handled it so we are dropping that show.

Some of the old favorites are already in the DVR line-up:

  • BIG BANG THEORY and the new YOUNG SHELDON
  • NCIS, NCIS NEW ORLEANS and NCIS LA
  • CRIMINAL MINDS
  • MADAM SECRETARY, SCANDAL
  • DESIGNATED SURVIVOR
  • LAW & ORDER SVU
  • BLUE BLOODS
  • MACGYVER, SCORPION
  • HAWAII 5-0
  • Z NATION
  • THE GOOD PLACE, THIS IS US, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
NOTHING procedure day
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
BACON & CHEESE OMELETTES
PANCAKES
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
PORK CHOPS with PEPPER JELLY SAUCE
CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS
CHICKEN & ONIONS with WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE
FONTINA STUFFED PORK CHOPS
CHEESY & MUSHROOM CHICKEN
BOURBON HAM BALLS & ORANGE GLAZED BEETS
APPLE POMEGRANATE SALAD with VINAIGRETTE
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

 

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

YAY!! I’m finally having both of my tests on Tuesday. If all goes well we will know within the next week (one of the tests is a monitor I will where for 2 days that will need to have the results interpreted) which surgery and when I will be having it.  The time of not knowing is hopefully coming to an end.  I AM SO READY TO GET ON WITH LIFE!!!

I do find it amazing how medical technology has allowed us to determine diagnoses and treatments with less invasive procedures and wirelessly.  I am not thrilled about going under anesthesia again and then again for the surgery, but am willing to do whatever it takes to get back to sleeping comfortably in my own bed instead of trying to sleep in a recliner and living life to the fullest.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

I have had the most beautiful butterflies in my garden lately.  They seem to especially love the yellow Lantana. The top one had the prettiest silver iridescent wings.

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday, Terri at Darling Downs Diaries and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY

I hope everyone had a wonderful week. Mine turned out quite busy in a weird, but also productive way. I can’t believe it’s October already, mainly because it’s so dang hot here still, but it also means Christmas is right around the corner and I’m not sure where we will be so it makes it seem sort of weird.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

YAY we’re finally down to the 80’s, high 80’s but at least NOT 90’s.  The evenings have been quite nice, here’s hoping they continue to get better and better!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Protein drink and coffee YAY only 8 days until my tests to determine surgery type and date.  I’ve been so miserable – unable to eat, sleep or completely function waiting for this.  It has been one REALLY long year getting to this point.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

We found on Thursday that we did not get through hurricane Harvey completely unscathed.  When we had the atrium professional painted by a contractor last year they sealed the upper windows (at the 20 foot level) first, or so we thought. I discovered that the exposed brick wall behind the bar area was discoloring from the water that had been dribbling through the defective caulking. As we began researching the issue deeper we ended up having to disassemble the cabinets in the bar area, resealing the windows (inside and out) with the proper type of caulk (what they used had shrunk horribly causing huge gaps – and you know water – it takes the path of least resistance) and repainted the wood and the bricks including those behind the cabinets.  Then redid the cabinets.  We thought about calling the contractor and making him do it, but so many people in the neighborhood have had bad experiences with him and we just decided to write it off to one more issue with the HOUSE FROM HELL

At least now we know it is done right this time. Hubby did the outside while I did the inside so they should seal well now. Because of tearing apart that area, I was able to get several more boxes packed and ready for the move.  I had to take down all the plants so decided to go ahead and transplant them into the pots I was going to use to give the plants to my neighbor when we do move and that made quite a mess, but it sure feels good to have it done.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads
  • LIVING AREAS… dusting and vacuuming
  • KITCHEN… mopping and bleaching sink
  • STUDIO… I did a DEEP clean  after reassembling the atrium.
  • YARD… some pruning and fertilizing
  • BLOG… some recipe updating from the blog compilations and planning for future posts.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

I’m currently reading Book #2, Second Chance Girl by Susan Mallery

YAY the new television season is finally here.  We have tried a few new shows and are going to give them a second chance to decide before we narrow our lists.  There were a couple shows that had characters depart and one in particular that we did not care for how they handled it so we may be dropping that show. Some of the old favorites are already in the DVR line-up:

  • BIG BANG THEORY and the new YOUNG SHELDON
  • NCIS, NCIS NEW ORLEANS and NCIS LA
  • CRIMINAL MINDS
  • MADAM SECRETARY, SCANDAL
  • DESIGNATED SURVIVOR
  • LAW & ORDER SVU
  • BLUE BLOODS
  • MACGYVER
  • HAWAII 5-0
  • Z NATION
  • THE GOOD PLACE

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

We were supposed to be away for a few days, but out poor old pup is having a rough time this week so we’ll be here instead and I’m hoping to get my canvas updated since there wasn’t anything already on the calendar to get done this week.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

BREAKFAST

PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE

PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE

PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE

PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE

PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE

SHIRRED EGGS

WAFFLES & BACON

LUNCH

SALAMI & CHEESE WRAPS

GRILLED CHICKEN & TOMATOES

SOUP & SANDWICHES

MAC & CHEESE WITH HAM

SALAD & FRUIT

PASTRAMI SANDWICHES

OUT

DINNER

NOT YOUR MAMA’S MEATLOAF with MEXICORN CUPS

BACON BRUSSELS SPORUTS SOUP

PANZANELLA SALAD

KING TOT RANCH CASSEROLE

STIR FRIED CHICKEN with SNAP PEAS & BASIL

SHEPHERD PIE BITES

TACHOS

DESSERT

PB & BANANA CHOCOLATES

SNICKER DOODLES

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

Waking up to such horrific news in Las Vegas has me a bit unsettled. I just can’t understand so many things and people in our world these days. Senseless tragedies leave me feeling very agitated about so many things. Praying for peace for the families and friends off the Las Vegas shooting as they begin to deal with so much trauma.

About a year ago I purchased a cordless vacuum and was EXTREMELY happy with it for the first 9 months.  Then it began to not always turn on and then when it would turn on I couldn’t get it to turn off without removing the battery. I set it aside to call customer service, but put it off because I haven’t had the best luck talking to helpful people at ANY customer service recently. Well, I was nearing the end of my warranty period and growing tired of using corded vacuum after using my lightweight vacuum and loving it so much so I bit the bullet and called.

The call was NOT going well as the guy I was speaking with kept insisting that I was giving him a non-existent serial number despite the fact I was reading it directly off the machine itself.  Long story short he was made aware (I assume by someone monitoring the call) that I was indeed giving him a correct number and then after a brief time on hold he returned to the line with a much improved attitude informing me he would be sending me a fedex label via email and after they received my machine back would be sending me a new one.

I printed out the label on Wednesday morning, dropped the vacuum off at Fedex just before lunch.  I figured I would have the new vacuum sometime in the next couple weeks.  So, imagine my surprise when the doorbell rang on Thursday afternoon and my new vacuum was there!!  Moral of the story, BISSELL stands behind their products and does right by their customers.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

Ever since hurricane Harvey, the clouds have been more amazing – at least it seems that way to me. I THINK I’VE BECOME SLIGHTLY OBSESSED WITH CLOUDS.

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 39 of 2017

I hope everyone had a GREAT weekend. It took me all week, but I finally got caught up from being gone and even though I wasn’t able to get everyone visited from last HHM, I PROMISE to be back on track this week! I also finally caught up on all my laundry from the broken washer and with hubby’s help moved one of the recliners into the bedroom so I can sleep better until after surgery and recovery. I CANNOT lay flat and sleeping is difficult at best.  The recliner isn’t comfortable either, but at least I’m not choking.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We just can’t seem to catch a break weather wise.  We’re still supposed to be in the 90’s this week, but at least it has been a little better humidity wise, especially in the mornings.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

I’m at the point where I’m drinking more and more of my meals waiting on my surgery so breakfast is a PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE so I can eat dinner later.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… WHEW after last week I’ll settle for today’s 2 loads.
  • LIVING AREAS… I did a serious deep clean last week and everything still looks pretty good.
  • KITCHEN… LOL my kitchen is always in various states of food prep, but all in all is pretty clean this week.
  • STUDIO… is a complete wreck as I have made it my staging area for ebaying and packing up the house.
  • YARD… the post hurricane/ flood grass re-seed is growing fairly well and hubby will mow and edge later this week.
  • BLOG… I’m still working on combining into this blog the recipes from my old blogs.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

Most of the new shows begin this week so we’ll do a lot of DVRing and try them one at a time until we narrow the list to our new favorites.

I’m reading You Say It First by Susan Mallery.

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

I’m working on a mixed media canvas that I hope to have finished soon so I can show you.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

BREAKFAST

PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE

PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE

PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE

PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE

PROTEIN DRINK and COFFEE

QUICHE LORRAINE

PANCAKES & BACON

LUNCH

SALAMI & CHEESE WRAPS

GRILLED CHICKEN & TOMATOES

SOUP & SANDWICHES

MAC & CHEESE WITH HAM

SALAD & FRUIT

OUT

BACON BRUSSELS SPROUTS SOUP

DINNER

STIR FRIED CHICKEN WITH SNAP PEAS & BASIL

BLT MAC & CHEESE

KING TOT CASSEROLE

PANZANELLA SALAD

NOT YOUR MAMA’S MEATLOAF

SHEPHERD PIE BITES

TACHOS

DESSERT

PB & BANANA CHOCOLATES

SNICKER DOODLES

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND & THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

We’ve been doing A LOT of research this past week and have narrowed our search to 2 different regions.  One we are fairly familiar with from a search a few years back, the other is close enough to check out for a few days before my surgery.  I’m still pretty worked up about how things have worked out with helping family here with this house and TOTALLY PISSED OFF that it caused us so much grief and pain, not to mention how much money it has cost us. We would have to stay here for at least 10 years to get our money back.

On another note, but along the same topic it appears our fears regarding my uncle being pursued by a gold digger are true.  We were recently notified (by her) in an almost threatening way that she has his power of attorney and that we should deal directly with her from now on.  As far as I’m concerned she still doesn’t exist as she was the one notifying us without any legal proof – so she can go jump in a lake. The uncle I’ve known all my life would NEVER forsake the little family he has left without being under undue influence or duress.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

Gunny gets a few more treats now that he’s older.  He’s made it clear that he wants them served on a plate from here on out.

The post hurricane Harvey thunderstorms have been amazing and left us with some interesting skies. There are still debris everywhere and traffic beyond belief, but it looks like most things are getting back to normal.

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 37 of 2017

Oh my I can’t believe it’s Monday again already! I hope you had a great week/weekend.  We are personally back to normal after Hurricane Harvey, but so many aren’t including our house/dog sitter who unfortunately lost her car, her job and house was flooded during the hurricane.  She’ll be here this week to “regroup” while waiting on materials for new walls and floors at her house. She’s on a waiting list to get a rental car – there just aren’t enough to go around!

My tests and surgery have been pushed out 6 weeks after being canceled during the hurricane.  While I’m not happy about this because of the way it is affecting my life, I do understand what a scheduling nightmare it would be to push everyone out 2 weeks to accommodate everyone that was canceled.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We’re enjoying some milder weather finally.  Unfortunately it is because of the Florida situation so I would take the heat and humidity back to save all those people from what they are going through.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

We made coffee to go, but will grab something on the road after we get out of the morning traffic.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE & WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… washer is having an issue so will have lots of loads to do next week
  • ALL LIVING AREAS… perfect! I did a deep clean before the house sitter got here.
  • YARD… NOTHING! New seeds have begun to come up and is looking good.
  • BLOG… still doing some recipe updating and planning for future posts.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

  • READING – I seem to fall asleep after just a paragraph or 2 – Ava Miles #5 Dare Valley – The TOWN SQUARE

The new season is finally about to start.  I do have some cooking shows to clean up on the DVR, but there are plenty of things still going on:

  • ZOO
  • THE STRAIN
  • SALVATION
  • NIGHT SHIFT
  • MIDNIGHT TEXAS
  • CHESAPEAKE SHORES
  • AMERICA’S GOT TALENT
  • GUY’S GROCERY GAMES
  • Guy’s Family Road Trip
  • Great FOOD TRUCK race
  • MASTER CHEF – there are some interesting characters left this season and some I can’t wait to see go – hint hint JEFF still HAS TO GO!

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
on the road
FARMHOUSE RESTAURANT
hotel
hotel
hotel
hotel
hotel
LUNCH
on the road
??
??
??
??
??
on the road
DINNER
??
??
welcome reception
?? out for my birthday
banquet
on the road
DESSERT
cake of course

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

There are so many things going on EVERYWHERE right now that I am just praying for the world and our country to level out and be still for awhile! This kind of comically sums it up though.

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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MENU PLAN & HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 36 of 2017

I hope you all had a GREAT week and are taking a much deserved break today for Labor day. We have had a busy week recovering from Hurricane Harvey.  This has been and continues to be chaos even as life tries to go back to normal.  We were blessed to be in an area that received 3 feet of rain and tons of wind, but no serious damage or flooding except for a the few neighbors we were able to help out.  But, that has left us on a “virtual” island not able to go too far in any one direction without running into closed roads and freeways.  They are still releasing waters from the overflowing reservoirs so residential flooding as well as downtown is still a HUGE concern.  Also of concern is a dozen or so flooded toxic waste dumps, mosquito season and raw sewage in the flood waters.

My long awaited testing for my surgery last Friday in the downtown medical center was canceled and has yet to be rescheduled, but I’m hoping to have some answers tomorrow. I know there are other concerns right now, but I am miserable and unable to sleep, eat or function well so am hoping as they reopen they have developed a plan to deal with the week’s worth of patients in limbo in a timely and efficient manner.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We are warmer and humid again, but the skies are blue and full of fluffy clouds.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Protein drink and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

I’m blessed to have a house to complain about being messy!  I need to clean well though. So much time spent indoors while the hurricane/tropical storm raged and away after to help friends and now the holiday weekend that I have neglected normal day to day items, but I’ll get those back together as the week moves on.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple of regular loads – just finished 10 or so loads of towels and blankets used to help neighbor with her flood.
  • LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but need to do ALL floors
  • KITCHEN… laundry room is at the back of the kitchen and I have been doing so many loads of wet towels and such that the whole room needs a serious deep clean.
  • STUDIO… I’ve been packing so there is a bit of a mess that will remain for awhile.
  • YARD… Hubby just reseeded the yard and put on a layer of manure.  It seems so odd to be watering after just receiving 3 feet of rain, but we really want the new seed to take root and this seemed like the best time while the ground is soft.
  • BLOGstill doing some recipe updating and planing for future posts.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

  • STILL READING – I seem to fall asleep after just a paragraph or 2 – Ava Miles #4 Dare Valley – The Holiday Serenade

Waiting for the new season to start, but there are plenty of things still going on:

  • ZOO
  • STRAIN
  • SALVATION
  • NIGHT SHIFT
  • MIDNIGHT TEXAS
  • CHESAPEAKE SHORES
  • AMERICA’S GOT TALENT
  • GUY’S GROCERY GAMES
  • Guy’s Family Road Trip
  • Great FOOD TRUCK race
  • MASTER CHEF – there are some interesting characters left this season and some I can’t wait to see go – hint hint JEFF HAS TO GO!

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS & COFFEE
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS & COFFEE
SOUR CREAM WAFFLES AND BACON
SHIRRED EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
& SALAD
RUSTIC CREAMY PARMESAN CHICKEN
WILTED SPINACH SALAD with GRILLED CHICKEN
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

I saw this on facebook and this is soooooooooooo cool and helpful.
https://www.facebook.com/firstmediasoyummy/videos/1862813597366116/

 

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

I’m probably hypersensitive this week with all the stress, but it just concerns me that people “stir the pot” so easily in social media. It’s so easy these days to “say” something via the written word on social media that you would have thought twice about before saying verbally without really thinking through the implications.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

We were so fortunate where we were in Hurricane Harvey’s path.  The rescue helicopters made it super surreal though as we were apparently in a flight pattern.  My oldest friend (we’ve known each other since we were 2 and 3) Leslie called to check on us though and said her ex SIL was flooded and had to be rescued by boat.  She said she was taking a 4 day weekend and driving down to Help Joan now that the waters were beginning to recede.  We decided we would try to get there to help.  I say try, because where we are kind of became an island of sorts. We couldn’t travel in any direction without  coming upon primarily closed flooded out roads. These trucks were full of police in tactical gear coming from a heavily flooded area.

So on Friday we took boots, gloves, a HUGE pot of chili and started out for a location 11 miles away.  It took us 2 hours, but we got there.  It looked like a war zone!  The primary goal was to get all the carpeting, flooring, drywall and ruined furniture and appliance to the curb.  At some point the city will be picking these things up.  With the humidity here, mosquitoes and mold are the worst fears.  I have to say that for the most part my faith in humanity was restored as people just showed up and offered their  services to cut out drywall, move refrigerators and just offer their talents any way they could.  High school guys offering their brute strength, cub scouts passing out water, friends of friends just pitching in…

There were a couple instances of active tries at looting, but neighbors banded together and ran off these offenders.  Joan lives on a cul-de-sac and the guy on the corner has been parking his car sideways at night and standing vigil with an assault rifle to keep people who didn’t belong there out.  The neighbors a few streets over that were not flooded brought dinner for the whole neighborhood the first night they were allowed back in. Then on Saturday sack lunches and the kindness continues!

About half way through removing the debris and these pictures are just 2 yards of the many thousands that look just like this or worse. They are urging everyone to put out EVERYTHING that was in flood waters, even what appears salvageable because of the toxins, parasites and such that is in the flood waters.

And while we have too much water those poor people in Montana need rain desperately.  Praying for ALL those affected by the wildfires.

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 35 of 2017

My week took a bit of a turn last Wednesday when “Harvey” decided to “reform” in the Gulf and suddenly we were under Hurricane Watch with the “promise” of Historical rainfall. Not everyone gets a solar eclipse, hurricane and tropical storm in the SAME week, but we did ~ LUCKY us, NOT!

There were quite a few things I had slated to do over the weekend, but I had to speed up and get them all done ALL at once on Wednesday and Thursday because I was NOT going to be out on the road during the hurricane.  Hubby got the generator ready and made sure we had plenty of gas.  I was going to the grocery store anyway on Wednesday, but once I was there and overheard the local firemen talking about how they were preparing for the weekend I added a few extras and rented some movies so I wouldn’t possibly need to go back out for anything and could stay in and out of the storm. SURE GLAD I DID!

The overlapping tornado warnings have been emotionally exhausting as have the bayou overflows and flood water close calls and I haven’t even left home. We did get an emergency “HELP! “call from our elderly neighbor across the way at midnight Saturday. She has the mirror image of our house. But, my grandfather enclosed the atrium patio off the living room and dining room to enlarge the area back in the 1980’s. Unfortunately, her house didn’t get the same enclosure which allowed for a 13×13 area that basically is just collecting water like a bathtub and with this amount of rain just wasn’t draining despite the fact that she recently had the drain area redone and enlarged.  It drained well before the recent work so I was pretty sure that the contractor messed up and that would be an argument for after this storm until it happened again. So from midnight to 3 AM we moved furniture, wet vacuumed 3 rooms and wrung out towel after towel after towel of gallons of water. Fortunately, the contractor finally showed up late yesterday afternoon and had to take it all apart so it would drain.  He found a 3 inch rock inside the “NEW” pipe that was completely blocking the flow of the water. Evidently when they pushed the new pipe into place, they hadn’t cleared out all the debris.  Costly error on his part!

We secured all the loose items (patio furniture, light weight potted plants, wind chimes, etc…) on Thursday and Friday and went out every lull in the storm after that and collected the loose branches as well as checked all the drainage to clear it of debris.  Unfortunately, the lulls became less an less as time moved on and we had to start doing this during the storms creating lots of wet clothes. The flooding and tornadoes were the biggest issue for where we are. About 6 months ago, crews dredged and really cleaned out the bayou next to us as well as widening it a bit which was sorely needed as we are at the back end of it. I walked down there again this morning (the picture below was taken yesterday morning and hasn’t changed much) and their work certainly is making a difference in it NOT flooding us out, but barely!  I wasn’t sure that was going to be the case Saturday night.  It was a SERIOUSLY LONG weekend and the storm isn’t anywhere near over yet. Our rainfall is just under 50 inches a year.  Just since Friday we have received over 28 inches right here. The last 72 hours feels like it was 3 weeks long! I can’t sleep more than a couple hours at a time hence why I’m writing this at 4AM. Schools and many local services have been canceled for the week and many communities have instituted curfews.

Oh and I stepped in a fire ant hill of pissed off ants with flip flops on and have a couple dozen bites that required medication because of my allergy AND I broke my favorite glasses. 🙁 Fortunately I keep the medication on hand as well as an extra pair of glasses. Unbelievably we have not lost power or internet! YAY!

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We’ve been seriously needing rain, but NOT ALL at once! It’s not over yet either.  We are in the expected 2-3 feet zone and have already gotten almost all of the predicted rain for this storm and the storm is supposed to sit over us for another 4 days! So, we’ve  gotten every bit of it and then some!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Protein drink and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE ~ WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRYseveral loads yet to do.
  • LIVING AREASlet’s face it, it’s a wreck under the circumstances and I really need to do ALL the floors from all the wet feet.
  • KITCHENquite clean, but as always I plan to make a mess soon.
  • STUDIOI did a SERIOUS DEEP CLEAN while we were hunkered down and am now working on new ebay pictures.
  • YARD… waiting for it to be a yard and not a pool and then we’ll do some reseeding and fertilizer.  The flowers are all but dead from the over watering the hurricane brought, but I’ll just leave them until then and see if they regenerate.
  • BLOG… STILL working on some recipe updating and planing for future posts.  BLOGMAS 2017 is moving right along as I plan forward.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

We did get a few movies from RedBox before the storm so have had something besides news coverage to watch. Fortunately there is a RedBox in walking distance to return them to since I can’t drive to where they where originally rented from.

  • Guardians of the Galaxy 2
  • Blind
  • Alien Covenant
  • King Arthur

Waiting for the new season to start, but there are plenty of things still going on:

Pre-season Football has gotten a little boring so NASCAR is dominating as it gets close to the “PLAYOFF” time, formerly known as “THE CHASE”. Unfortunately, NASCAR was pre-empted here locally for Hurricane Harvey coverage. PLUS, Defenders has started as well as Guy’s Family Road Trip and the Great FOOD TRUCK race.

We still have a few summer shows going.

  • ZOO
  • STRAIN
  • SALVATION
  • NIGHT SHIFT
  • MIDNIGHT TEXAS
  • CHESAPEAKE SHORES
  • AMERICA’S GOT TALENT
  • GUY’S GROCERY GAMES
  • MASTER CHEF – there are some interesting characters left this season and some I can’t wait to see go – hint hint JEFF HAS TO GO!

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

I started a few Christmas gifts this week while we were sequestered for the storm.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE
PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE
PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE
PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE
PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE
SHIRRED EGGS
BACON & WAFFLES
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
MARRY ME CHICKEN
CHICKEN STIR FRY
SLAM DUNK WINGS & TWICE BAKED POTATOES
CHILI MAC CASSEROLE
COQ AU VIN
PORK CHOPS WITH PEPPER JELLY
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND & THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

Still grappling with family issues out of my control because the drama is being created by someone who does NOT know how to communicate and seems to refuse to treat others with the Golden Rule. Yet, it weighs on me because I cannot fix it.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

Unfortunately, there are no pictures that could begin to depict the horrific reality of this past week that haven’t already been plastered all over the television and social media, but I did get a few.

INSPIRATION

I originally selected this inspiration:

But really think this one is more pertinent today:

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 33 of 2017

HAPPY MONDAY everyone! I hope you had a wonderful week/weekend. It was tax free weekend around here with the kids starting back to school today plus a SERIOUS heat advisory so I avoided going anywhere and pretty much stayed inside with preseason football and racing all weekend. I did make it to the Farmer’s market early Saturday morning and picked up just a few groceries for some luscious salads, but other than that it was a productive weekend at home. We know for sure that we won’t be staying here, but are still uncertain exactly when we will be moving since we are still waiting for tests 3 & 4 to be performed to determine surgery type and date.  So, I’ve started packing ALL non-essential items (Christmas china, winter clothes, studio items, etc…).  This will help on so many levels after my surgery and keep me busy now while I wait for the test and surgery.  LOL it’s a vicious circle, but keeps me busy.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We are back into serious heat advisories and triple digit temperatures, but it’s blue skies full of fluffy clouds and sunny.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Honey Nut Cheerios with a banana and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

I am very happy with everything I got done over the weekend.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads
  • LIVING AREAS… GORGEOUS
  • BEDROOM… GOURGEOUS TOO
  • KITCHEN… just a little tidying to do
  • STUDIO… I did a seriously DEEP clean Saturday and am not sure I want to make a mess so soon.
  • YARD… YAY, nothing
  • BLOG… still working on some recipe updating and planing for future posts as I continue combining my old blogs into this one.

MONDAY – APPOINTMENTS & ERRANDS
TUESDAY – When I cleaned the studio, I got the table top photo booth set up for ebay pictures and want to get at least 20 items a day photoed, edited and listed.
WEDNESDAY – ebay, packing
THURSDAY – ebay, vacuuming
FRIDAY – ebay, ?? out for our anniversary
SATURDAY – helping my uncle
SUNDAY – ??

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

  • READING – Ava Miles #3 Dare Valley – Grand Opening

Pre-season Football and NASCAR have dominated around here quite a bit lately, but we still have a few summer shows going.

  • ZOO
  • DOUBT
  • STRAIN
  • SALVATION
  • NIGHT SHIFT
  • MIDNIGHT TEXAS
  • CHESAPEAKE SHORES
  • AMERICA’S GOT TALENT
  • GUY’S GROCERY GAMES
  • THE “F” WORD will conclude this week also – I love this fun new side of Gordon Ramsay, but not sure this show will make it.  The background noise that Gordon is always trying to talk over drives me crazy.
  • MASTER CHEF – there are some interesting characters left this season and some I can’t wait to see go JEFF HAS TO GO!
  • FOOD NETWORK STAR finished this week– I LOVED Jason, Corey and Rusty.  Corey and Rusty had their unique styles, but Jason was so funny on the Holiday Baking Championship which he won against professionals.  He is pretty innovative with flavor combos and I just love his country accent and euphemisms that I was pulling for Jason to win ALL SEASON! SPOILER ALERT: AND he did!

NEW THIS WEEK:

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
RED PEPPER HAM STRATAS
SHIRRED EGGS & HAM
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
CEDAR PLANKED SALMON & GARLIC CHEESE CAULIFLOWER & BROCCOLI BAKE
JUCY LUCY BURGERS
SLAM DUNK WINGS & TWICE BAKED POTATOES
BBQ SAUSAGE & CREAMY CUCUMBER SALAD
OUT TO EAT FOR OUR ANNIVERSARY
PORK CHOPS with PEPPER JELLY
MARRY ME CHICKEN & GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND

PRAYING for all the hatred and animosity to come to an end in our country.  We have to start helping each other up instead of tearing each other down!

2 1/2+ more weeks until tests 3 and 4. Some days I’m not sure I can last that long let alone until the surgery, but since there is no alternative I’ll just draw on my strength and live with the pain and put one foot in front of the other every day moving forward.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

My old guy still likes to play and is seeming more puppy like lately. He never lets his favorite tennis ball get too far from him.

INSPIRATION

 

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 31 of 2017

Did you have a great weekend? Ours was full of errands, cooking and racing. Because of the crowds here we try really hard to go no where from Friday afternoon through Monday. So, we have begun to really enjoy our homebody weekends.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Last week was pretty nice until Friday and Saturday when the heat indexes surged upward again to unbearable around 120, but they are supposed to drop again this week to just around 100 – won’t matter much with the threat of rain every day though with the humidity. I really am ready to leave this 2 season (late spring and horrible summer)  place and go back to ALL 4 seasons!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Scrambled eggs and green tea

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

The bug guy is coming Wednesday for our quarterly spray so today is going to be my deep clean day before he does that, but at least the clutter is all picked up and ready for the deep clean.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRYjust a couple loads
  • LIVING AREASmostly tidy, but need to do dusting and floors
  • KITCHENready for it’s DEEP clean
  • STUDIOready for it’s DEEP clean
  • YARDA little pruning and deadheading of some blooms
  • BLOG… still working on some recipe updating from my old blogs and am scheduling the posts I move over to slowly migrate day by day into the new blog.

MONDAY – DEEP CLEAN

TUESDAY – APPOINTMENTS & ERRANDS

WEDNESDAY – BUG GUY, SORTING and PACKING

THURSDAY – PAINT MAILBOX, PRUNE BACKYARD

FRIDAY – MOVIE or BOWLING

SATURDAY – WORK AROUND HOUSE, RACING

SUNDAY – WORK AROUND HOUSE, RACING

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

Had a MAJOR DVR glitch last week after a power outage from the phone guys working in the area pulling in new fiber optic cable and in the end LOST ALL of the Christmas movies I had been stockpiling on the DVR from the July premiere on Hallmark!  Not to mention we had to go without television while we waited for the new DVR to be shipped to us.

There are a couple new shows starting on the Food Network that I’m looking for to.

I’m still only half way through with Book #2, French Roast of Ava Miles’ series for Dare Valley. I keep falling asleep LOL. And then there are my summer standards:

  • MIDNIGHT TEXAS
  • THE NIGHT SHIFT – I’m ready for T.C. to come home.
  • SALVATION – We’ll see where they go with it.  I’m still undecided.
  • AMERICA’S GOT TALENT – always a fun watch – loving the new softer side of Simon and fun side of Tyra.
  • ZOO – is back. I wasn’t sure I liked the 10 year jump into the future, but am getting used to it since they are using the same characters, just took some adjusting.
  • FOOD NETWORK STAR – I LOVE Jason and Matt and Rusty.  Jason was so funny on the Holiday Baking Championship which he won against professionals.  He is pretty innovative with flavor combos and I just love his country accent and euphemisms.
  • AMERICA’S GOT TALENT – always a fun watch – loving the new softer side of Simon
  • The Returned
  • The OA
  • Friday Night Lights
  • DATE MY DAD – it’s pretty cute and I want to look as good as Raquel Welch does when I’m her age!
  • GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW – I just love this show – they are always so civilized and nice with recipes that make me WANT to be a better baker. SPOILER ALERT!! NO NO NO I didn’t want Benjaminia to go home!!!!
  • MASTER CHEF – there are some interesting characters this season and some I can’t wait to see go home as well as a couple I thought I was NOT going to like that are growing on me.
  • THE “F” WORD – I love this fun new side of Gordon Ramsay with his funny antics and pranks with disguises.

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

I’m starting on a new canvas this week (I hope)

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

I’m still working with old recipes that need new pictures to make them look right with an experiment each week.

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
DUTCH BABIES
HAM & RED PEPPER STRATAS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
TUNA TARRAGON
MEAT & CHEESE ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE ROLL-UPS
C.O.R.N.
C.O.R.N.
DINNER
MAC & CHEESE HOTDOG STUFFED PEPPERS
BAKED CHICKEN TAQUITOS
C.O.R.N.
HONEY SESAME CHICKEN  STIR FRY
HONEY GLAZED FRIED CHICKEN
SOMETHING ON THE GRILL
DESSERT
PEANUT BUTTER BLISS BROWNIES

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND

Spending a lot of time wondering what makes some people tick. Especially those that are so self-centered and feel they are entitled to everything without having compassion, empathy or even sympathy for others let alone respect for them.

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

  • Two of four tests are completed in helping diagnose the next step in my health process. One was normal, the other was not and the doctor will be able to tell more about that status after tests three and four.  Unfortunately tests three and four are a month off so I’m still miserable and unsure until then. Still praying for a non-surgical end to all of this.
  • “Summer” is half over which means psuedo Fall is not too far off. Real fall never really happens here LOL.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

These days my old Gunny spends more and more time in his favorite position, NAPPING next to his favorite toys. I’m really glad we got him an orthopedic bed a while back.  He LOVES his bed!

INSPIRATION

Have a wonderful week and be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 30 of 2017

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Can you believe we are more than half way through this year already? I spent the weekend sorting and packing and have been able to make even larger donation boxes and feel quite liberated by it.  While the weather was better, it was still not great and I can’t tolerate the heat with what’s going on in my body so spent the weekend inside and was able to catch both NASCAR races and watch some Hallmark Christmas movies too.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We’re still having high temperatures in the mid 90’s, but the dew points have dropped making the heat indexes a bit lower so it’s a bit more tolerable even with high humidity.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Nothing as I’m fasting for an 11AM test.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads
  • LIVING AREAS… I spent the weekend sorting and packing so have a bit of mess, but nothing I can’t live with.
  • KITCHEN… quite clean, but I plan to make a mess soon.  I’m such a messy cook as I invent
  • STUDIO… Nothing this week
  • YARD… Hubby just mowed so we’re good for now
  • BLOG… still doing some recipe updating and planing for future posts as I re-do some pictures from the blogs I’m combining

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

Midnight Texas Starts tonight. I have been stockpiling Christmas movies on the DVR all week during the Christmas in July premiere at Hallmark and we found a few more Netflix shows we’ve been trying.

I’m still only half way through with Book #2, French Roast of Ava Miles’ series for Dare Valley. I keep falling asleep LOL. And then there are my summer standards:

  • THE NIGHT SHIFT – I’m ready for T.C. to come home.
  • SALVATION – We’ll see where they go with it.  I’m still undecided.
  • AMERICA’S GOT TALENT – always a fun watch – loving the new softer side of Simon and fun side of Tyra.
  • ZOO – is back. I wasn’t sure I liked the 10 year jump into the future, but am getting used to it since they are using the same characters, just took some adjusting.
  • FOOD NETWORK STAR – I LOVE Jason and Matt and Rusty.  Jason was so funny on the Holiday Baking Championship which he won against professionals.  He is pretty innovative with flavor combos and I just love his country accent and euphemisms.
  • AMERICA’S GOT TALENT – always a fun watch – loving the new softer side of Simon
  • DATE MY DAD – it’s pretty cute and I want to look as good as Raquel Welch does when I’m her age!
  • GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW – I just love this show – they are always so civilized and nice with recipes that make me WANT to be a better baker.
  • MASTER CHEF – there are some interesting characters this season and some I can’t wait to see go home as well as a couple I thought I was NOT going to like that are growing on me. I was quite surprised with this week’s ending, at least with the final challenge and who Yachecia choose to battle against and was impressed that she chose to save 6 others instead of herself.  I really thought she’d pick Jeff. I just don’t care for him and I really thought he should go after yelling at Gordon Ramsay.
  • THE “F” WORD – I love this fun new side of Gordon Ramsay with his funny antics and pranks with disguises.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
BAKED OMELETS
SHIRRED EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
ITALIAN BBQ CHICKEN and SALAD
SLUMBERING VOLCANOES
C.O.R.N.
FONTINA STUFFED PORK CHOPS
CHICKEN and ONIONS in WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE
C.O.R.N.
SESAME CHICKEN
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

 

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

The first of the four yucky tests is over and the second is later this morning and then I have to wait 5 weeks due to scheduling availability for test three and four which fortunately will both be performed at the same time while I’m under anesthesia by my doctor. Last Friday’s test was a ClusterF**k of technicians and misread orders that left me flustered and agitated.

At this point I almost don’t care what they find as long as the find something that can be cured and cured sooner than later.  This has all been going on for over a year now and it is no way to live!

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

The older (over 100 in human years based on the current dog years to human years calculator) Gunny gets, the easier it is to do this to him on a regular basis.  He also sleeps through thunder and door bells now too.

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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