Be sure to join us and 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.

GOOD MORNING we’re still traveling so this is just a real quick pop in to say hello.  We’ll be back in a few days and I’ll get squared away on the blog 😀

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING It’s in the high 70’s here and I’m wearing black Levis and a favorite blouse.  We’re going to explore today so I wanted to be super comfy.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE yogurt and a banana with hot water.

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED LOL who knows – I will evaluate this when we get home.

I’M READING I found a fun new historical novelist, Gill Paul and she has an amazing ability to weave a tale that makes you feel like you’re living the history yourself.  I’m finishing The Secret Wife and about to begin another one, Women and Children First: Bravery, love and fate: the untold story of the doomed Titanic.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA I got this great shot of a horned owl hanging out on an abandoned train trestle, but haven’t gotten to it yet in the photo editing so this bison from the National Bison Range will have to do this week! 😀

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – OUT
TUESDAY – OUT
WEDNESDAY – ??
THURSDAY – ??
FRIDAY – ??
SATURDAY – ??
SUNDAY – ??

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK – none

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

• PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH HOT POTATO SALAD aka GERMAN POTATO SALAD
• BAKED APRICOT PINEAPPLE GINGER SALMON
• BLUEBERRY LIME CHEESE CAKE
  

Be sure to join us and 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.

GOOD MORNING I’m just popping in real quick from our trip to update for the week.  We are enjoying our time and have had great weather and traffic conditions to get to our first stop.  We had the best time visiting the local farmer’s market and exploring the region.  We also found an awesome little neighborhood grill with the BEST food!! Food continues to be a challenge for me and coupled with traveling, altitudes etc… day 3 of the trip was extremely challenging for me.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING It’s gorgeous here with an expected high of 77 today.  I’m wearing Levis, my favorite hikers and a lacy t-shirt.  The whole week for us looks great though.

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY 27 days till Fall. 120 days till Christmas.  

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA These were from the farmer’s market we went to on Saturday – really wonderful vegetables! I got some great local honey and hubby bought some Jalapeno Wine lemonade.

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK Traveling ALL week, so no menu this week 😀

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

• HOME STYLE CHICKEN & MUSHROOMS ala SLOW COOKER
• CREOLE PORK CHOPS
• SWEET & SOUR CARAMELIZED CHICKEN

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

• PORKY PIG FARMER’S MARKET SALAD
• ITALIAN GARLIC SUPREME PIZZA
• PUMPKIN MUFFINS

Be sure to join us and 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.

GOOD MORNING dear friends.  We had a productive week and fun anniversary weekend at the Blackberry festival and hanging out together until a couple of reactions left me without energy.  Hubby has been very supportive through my reactions.  They just take so much out of me and leave me more and more drained each time.  I had an appointment with the endocrinologist on Friday and will be trying another new medication trying to get a handle on the situation.  Yet I had a reaction Friday night and again on Sunday.  I guess my body didn’t get the memo that help was on the way 😀

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING When I checked the weather I was shocked to find that the weather channel page repeatedly kept showing a VERY low temperature for our area!  Leaves me wondering if this is an omen for the weather to come – either way it was funny! 

Reality  is that we’re still in the mid to high 80’s for the week and the same will be true for where we are traveling to later in the week except they will be having much cooler evenings.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water, banana and blueberry yogurt

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

• LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… pretty good, but I’ll do a final load of laundry Wednesday before we leave
  
• YARD… nothing – too warm to do much
  
• APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… I’m going to try and get some crushed boxes gone through today, hubby has a doctor appointment Tuesday and I may watch munchkins… I have several phone calls to make.  I’ll also work with my stepdad to get him oriented to his new to him apple computer…
  
• BLOG…  a few recipes will post this week, but nothing much until after our trip
  
• CRAFTS/PROJECTS… waiting on parts to finish garland 😀
  

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA Years ago I wrote several family reunion cookbooks for hubby’s family and they were a HUGE hit – so much so the younger kids are asking for a new one so they can contribute.  I LOVE this idea!  On my facebook memories recently this picture came up.  I had given one of the cookbooks to a military friend and it just warms my heart to see how much she uses and enjoys the cookbook.

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – PORK CHOPS CREOLE & GREEN BEANS
TUESDAY – SLOW COOKER MUSHROOM CHICKEN & SALAD
WEDNESDAY – C.O.R.N.
THURSDAY – OUT
FRIDAY – OUT
SATURDAY – OUT
SUNDAY – OUT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

• • SHEET PAN PORK & BROCCOLI & NAVY BEANS
  • CANTONESE CHICKEN STIR FRY
  • CREAMY ROQUEFORT DRESSING
  • PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH HOT POTATO SALAD
  • ROASTED SALT & VINEGAR POTATOES

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THE WEEK

• CREAM OF CARROT FENNEL SOUP
• BUFFALO MEATBALL SLIDERS
• SEA SALT & CARAMEL RICE KRISPY TREATS

Be sure to join us and 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.

GOOD MORNING It was kind of a quiet weekend here.  We’re getting ready for another trip soon and have been laying low to rest up.  It didn’t help that I had several “reactions” last week.  Each one takes so much out of me and leaves me needing even more rest to catch up 🙁  We did watch a couple movies and the NASCAR races as well as got a couple long walks in too!

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING We did have some much needed rain late Friday night into Saturday that also cooled things down for a bit.  We are expected to be warmer again as the week progresses. 

As normal for me I have on Levis, a comfy t-shirt and flip flops 😀

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Blueberry Yogurt and hot water

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

• LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… ALL caught up for the most part
  
• YARD… nothing
  
• APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… blood work and Endocrinologist appointment
  
•  BLOG… still have some recipes to post and update
  
• CRAFTS/PROJECTS… 2 strings of garland are done.  I’m just waiting for a few more parts to arrive to get it completed.

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED Nothing much at all as it’s summer and not much on so easier to stay caught up 😀 

I watched a few Hallmark movies, but my favorite this weekend was LOVE and SUNSHINE with Danica McKellar and Mark Deklin.  And was pleasantly surprised to see Bess Armstrong.  I really liked her in HIGH ROAD TO CHINA with Tom Selleck years ago and haven’t really seen her in much lately.

We also watched The Command about the controversial Kursk Russian submarine disaster.

I’M READING Marie Force’s ONE YEAR HOME which is technically a standalone as was FIVE YEARS GONE (which I’d already read), but they are secretly a series 😀

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA I was clearing out the photo file and ran across a couple hubby took when we went to the family reunion AND when I wasn’t looking!  I usually do most of the picture taking so these kinda surprised me 😀

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP It’s that time of year for camp outs and I thought these checklist and meal planner were nice.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – CANTONESE CHICKEN (didn’t get around to it last week)
TUESDAY – SWEET & SOUR CARAMELIZED CHICKEN (didn’t get around to it last week)
WEDNESDAY – C.O.R.N.
THURSDAY – CREOLE PORK CHOPS
FRIDAY – SPAGHETTI BOLEGNESE
SATURDAY – TAMALE PIE & SALADSUNDAY – Y.O.Y.O.

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

• LONDON BROIL
• IRISH CHEDDAR SHEPHERD’S PIE
• CHIPOTLE ORANGE CHICKEN
• JEAN PERRY’S ANTIQUE CORN BREAD
• TERIYAKI SALMON & WALNUT COLESLAW
• BALSAMIC BROWN SUGAR BRISKET

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

• BLUE CHEESE RANCH DRESSING
• ROAST LEMON CHICKEN
• ALMOND WALNUT DANISH
  

Be sure to join us and 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.

GOOD MORNING sweet friends.  I hope everyone had a wonderful week.  Can you believe it’s August already?  Summer is already half over and I for one am looking forward to fall, one of my favorite seasons! 

We spent a few days away last week researching one of the areas we are considering for our move.  While we were there, a large vintage, antique fair was at the fair grounds.  I made out well with a few antique recipe boxes full of old recipes and some beautiful cruets for my flavored oils and vinegars.

I absolutely LOVE finding old recipe boxes!  Some of the recipes are really unbelievable and irreplaceable finds.  This time I even found some written in old pen and quill type ink – apparently quite old and many of them were signed 😀 And the cruets were bargain priced!

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING This week is going to be about 10 degrees cooler and sunny 😀  I’m going to do some errands and shopping this morning so I have on Levi’s and a favorite t-shirt with flip flops

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE weak coffee with saltine crackers

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

• LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… ALL caught up
  
• YARD… nothing
  
• APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… one doctor appt for hubby and more sorting and repacking for me
  
• BLOG… a few new recipes to upload and some ETSY research for a new idea
  
• CRAFTS/PROJECTS… researching some alcohol painting and homemade inspired gift ideas from the antique show we went to last week.  I also started the Christmas garland (pictures below) and am looking forward to finishing it soon!
  

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY & FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA I FINALLY was able to get the garland started and am about a third of the way done!!

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED Nothing really, ALL caught up here also.  We did watch Disney’s John Carter which was quite entertaining!

I’M READING I finished the Ava Miles series Dare Valley Meets Paris series and have moved on to Karen Ann Hopkins Lamb to the Slaughter Book #1 of the Serenity Plains secrets series.

INSPIRATION

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – CHILI & CHILE CORNBREAD
TUESDAY – CANTONESE CHICKEN & MUSHROOMS with SNAP PEAS
WEDNESDAY – C.O.R.N. / Y.O.Y.O.
THURSDAY – APPLE ORANGE SALAD & CHIPOTLE ORANGE CHICKEN
FRIDAY – TERIYAKI SALMON & WALNUT COLESLAW
SATURDAY – BALSAMIC BROWN SUGAR BRISKET & ROASTED SALT and VINEGAR POTATOES
SUNDAY – SWEET & SOUR CARAMELIZED CHICKEN and SALAD

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

• SWEET & SOUR CABBAGE ROLLS
• CHICKEN & STRAWBERRY SALAD with STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE
• BAKED APRICOT PINEAPPLE GINGER SALMON
• GREEN BEAN CAESAR SALAD
• IRISH NACHOS
• PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH SLAB APPLE PIE

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

• BALSAMIC BROCCOLI & BRUSSELS & CHICKEN SAUTE
• CARAMEL APPLE PIE BOMBS
• SEAFOOD SALAD & PARMESAN CHEESE ROLLS
  

GOOD MORNING How was your week?  Mine was kind of a blur as we were quite busy dealing with our storage units and the boxes crushed by the movers.  We are at least consolidated into a single unit for now.  Unfortunately, I now have to begin the arduous task of repacking all the crushed boxes.  I also have several totes of clothes that are going to need to be tried on piece by piece to see if I can salvage anything with the extreme weight loss. I see a HUGE donation load or two in my future as we minimize our life.

We are taking 2 more research trips this next month to check out several regions we are looking at.  This too is an arduous task trying check out EVERYTHING from churches, volunteer programs, health care… to daily traffic patterns, grocery stores and entertainment.  We really only want to do this move one last time so are being thorough in our research and trying to immerse ourselves into the local cultures.

Be sure to join us and 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.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING Later this week we leave for a few days to check out one of the areas we are thinking about.  One of the things I have been watching every so many days is the weather in each area.  Here are the four areas we are thinking about.

The upper one is we live and the next one is where we will be visiting later this week.  Not much difference now, but the winters are quite a bit different with the lower area being a bit drier and cooler than where we are now on average.

These 2 lower areas are certainly warmer now and really quite similar to here, but are both quite a bit colder in the winter with actual snow and 4 actual seasons each year!  Hubby and I are fonder of the cooler drier climates.

The one thing we have learned is that summer is summer and it’s hot EVERYWHERE!  The big differences (snow, rain, etc…) are the OTHER 9 months of the year 😀

Today I have to go to an early doctor appointment so I’m already dressed in Levis and a comfy blouse with my favorite sandals.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water and grapes

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

• LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… pretty good – got the laundry finished yesterday and vacuumed
  
• YARD… nothing
  
• APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… doctor appointment for me to remove the stitches and one for hubby too
  
• BLOG… still updating some recipes and hoping to get to the past trip posts soon
  
• CRAFTS/PROJECTS… LOL 😀 as always the garland is pending
  

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED We watched the NASCAR races and a few old TCM movies I’d never seen, but other than that the DVR is empty:D  Looking forward to the fall line up.

I’M READING I finally finished Ava Miles’ Love Among Lavender (Merriams #2) and picked up  Jana Deleon’s Cajun Fried Felony (Miss Fortune #15) for a fun summer read

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA Wow I just realized I didn’t take many pictures this week except on my phone and have yet to convert the HEIC to JPG so don’t have anything today.

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – GRILLED CHICKEN STRAWBERRY SALAD
TUESDAY – BAKED APRICOT GINGER SALMON & SALAD
WEDNESDAY – BALSAMIC BROWN SUGAR BRISKET & SALAD
THURSDAY – OUT
FRIDAY – OUT
SATURDAY – OUT
SUNDAY – OUT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

• BEEF & CABBAGE STIR FRY
• ORANGE PEANUT APPLE SALAD

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

• FRENCH ONION PASTA BAKE
• BLUEBERRY LEMON CHEESECAKE CAKE
• PAN SEARED CHICKEN with BROWNED PARSLEY BUTTER

Be sure to join us and 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.

GOOD MORNING everyone!  How was your week?  Mine was long, but somewhat productive.  I have an early morning here so will get right to it.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING This whole week looks like a ground hog day episode with very little change from day to day – nice mornings, hot afternoons and warm evenings.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE yogurt and coffee

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

• LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… not too bad
  
• YARD… nothing
  
• APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… looking for paperwork in storage and organizing
  
• BLOG… same as always LOL 😀 recipe uploads
  
• CRAFTS/PROJECTS… we’ll see how the storage bit goes, but I hope to FINALLY get started on the garland.
  

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY The human condition, you know the characteristics, key events, and situations which compose the essentials of our human existence, things like growth, emotions, aspirations, conflicts, and ultimately our own mortality.  Sounds deep right? LOL 😀 Yet, they are all relevant to where we are and where we ultimately want and/or need to be.  A neighbor asked us recently, why not here?  There are many answers to that question and ultimately the big one is the health care or lack of it with all my health issues as well as not getting any younger.  We have a whole list of things (health care, economy, church, activities and things to do, property taxes, local government, demographics, base life, groceries, shopping… etc…) we research with each area.  Health care though seems to top the list each time. I have to say health care was the best in Texas, but that was also a double edge sword with the source of my ailments coming from the HOUSE FROM HELL and being complicated by the hot humid weather of the area not to mention the family betrayal that just left a sour note EVERYWHERE!

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED I wish I could say there was plenty to watch (which of course there is, but so much of it just doesn’t interest me!  Honestly I wonder how someone spent money to produce half the crap that show up on the screen!) We did watch an old movie on Amazon with Tom Selleck and Ellen DeGeneres called the Love Letter and another on Netflix called Secret Obsession that were both pretty good. We also rented Dumbo and Pet Sematary – I know what a combo!  I’m a fan of both Disney and Stephen King – go figure!

I’M READING LOL still reading the same book, just haven’t had the energy to finish this one, but not for the lack of trying 😀

Love Among Lavender The Merriams #2 by Ava Miles

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA When we first moved back here, our storage unit only had 3 small units available so we had to take what was available.  This has made it really tough while trying to locate things.  We also hired movers since I was in such poor health and unable to do much at the time.  My strength and stamina as well as my energy are still a bit fleeting with not being able to consume enough food, but we’re making the best of it as a larger single unit has become available.  Hubby and I are spending mornings moving things into the new unit so we can begin to sort and find the necessary things.  The moving men were given IMPLICIT instructions on stacking things.  As we began emptying the first unit we quickly realized that the moving men just didn’t listen nor were they evidently too bright as they stacked heavy garage items on top of clearly labeled TOP ONLY FRAGILE boxes or turned things on their sides when they had clear messages saying NOT to!  To say I am beyond ticked off would be a serious understatement!  We are having to ALSO re-box many things as we begin this arduous process!  FORTUNATELY for me we just helped our friends move a mile and a half away and they used ALL new boxes that they are filtering back to us so we can re-pack the broken by the movers boxes!  Thank you Heather & Josh!! 😀 

We still haven’t narrowed down the next project or the area, but we are working hard to do just that and want to be prepared to move when that happens so all this work will be a godsend in the end.

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – SWEET & SOUR CABBAGE ROLLS or ASIAN CABBAGE STIR FRY
TUESDAY – SWEET & SOUR CARAMELIZED CHICKEN with MIMOSA ASPARAGUS
WEDNESDAY – C.O.R.N.
THURSDAY – TAMALE PIE FRIDAY – SALMON with ASIAN WALNUT SLAW
SATURDAY – MINI CHICKEN POT PIES
SUNDAY – Y.O.Y.O.

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

• Pan Seared Chicken in Lemon Wine Sauce
  
• Braised Tomatillo Pork
  
• Braised Green Beans & Potatoes
• Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
• Creamy Chili Chicken
• Mandarin Chicken Broccoli Salad FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK YAY! My Honey Lemon Pepper Salmon and Shrimp was featured last week at Eclectic Red Barn and at Life with Lorelai!

• HERBED TOMATO VINAIGRETTE
• STUFFED BALSAMIC CHICKEN
• CREAMSICLE CHICKEN
  

Be sure to join us and 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.

GOOD MORNING sweet friends.  I’m still playing catch up after our trip, but I’ll get there this week.  We had a good trip and it was informative in the way that it ruled out several places and routes for us for.  I took yesterday to do not much at all other than catch up with my friend and munchkins, prep parts of today’s dinner which is labor intensive, made a Pennsylvania Dutch Apple pie, dishes, vacuumed, organized, laundry… oops I guess I didn’t take yesterday off after all!

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING It’s been a tad warm in the afternoons, but with a slight breeze so not really too bad at all… for summer… 😀 This morning’s uniform is cutoffs and a soft t-shirt

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE hot water and yogurt

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

• LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… done and clean
  
• APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… just a couple
  
• BLOG… still working on some updates and new recipes
  
• CRAFTS/PROJECTS… ?? maybe depends on some other activities this week
  

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED all caught up and DVR empty – summer makes TV watching just plain weird

I’M READING same book as last week – just came seem to stay awake long enough to get more than a paragraph or two read which kind of sucks since I am enjoying the book.

Love Among Lavender The Merriams #2 by Ava Miles

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA We’re back and I haven’t yet sorted pictures, but I love this one of Multnomah Falls.  I wish I knew the people in the bottom of this picture, but they gave it context either way 😀

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

I laughed at this much… Just thought I’d share!

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – CREAMY CHILI CHICKEN & BRAISED GREEN BEANS with POTATOES
TUESDAY – ORANGE PEANUT CHICKEN APPLE SALAD
WEDNESDAY – C.O.R.N.
THURSDAY – CHICKEN ANDOUILLE GUMBO
FRIDAY – MANDARIN CHICKEN BROCCOLI SALAD
SATURDAY – PORK TENDERLOINS & ??
SUNDAY – CHICKEN & WINE SAUCE with ROASTED SALT & VINEGAR POTATOES 

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

• CUCUMBER SALAD
• ASIAN SESAME VINAIGRETTE
• FLOATING FRUIT CAKE
• PORK TENDERLOIN with PEACH BOURBON SAUCE
• CASHEW CREAM AVOCADO RANCH DRESSING
• RICOTTA MEATBALLS & GRAVY
• BROCCOLI PARSLEY SLAW

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

• SESAME CHICKEN
• BEEF & BROCCOLI ALA CROCK POT
• BACON WRAPPED MAPLE GLAZED CARROTS

Be sure to join us.  You can 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.

GOOD MORNING sweet ladies.  I hope you had a wonderful week and enjoyed your Independence day celebrations!  Ours was a quiet 4th.  I helped a friend paint her new house and hubby pulled his back so spent it on the heating pad! 

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING We’re still trying to narrow down “where” we are going to settle for good and are taking a small trip this week to immerse ourselves into one of the areas we are considering.  And by immerse I mean walk the streets and neighborhoods, talk to the local people and get a true feel for the area.  The weather was predicted to be MUCH warmer when I first started watching it, but a “cool” front has evidently moved in and dropped the temps by 10 degrees!  We’re going to be LOVING it!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE hot water and cheerios

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

• LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… pretty tidy and caught up until we get back Friday
  
• YARD…  hubby had to sideline the gate repair with his back and will hopefully get it finished today and if not after we get back Friday
  
• APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… nothing but research this week
  
• BLOG… there are a few recipes set to post this week, but I need to get caught up on translations 😀
  
• CRAFTS/PROJECTS… I was hoping to get some of the garland done this past week, but it will wait until next week 😀
  

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH in NO particular order

• The Good Witch
  
• The Great American Food Truck Race
• Guy’s Grocery Games
• Beat Bobby Flay
• Reef Break
• Elementary
• MasterChef

I’M READING Love Among Lavender The Merriams #2 by Ava Miles

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA I spent the 4th of July helping my friend paint her upstairs in preparation for the carpet installation today.  We got A LOT done!  Her mom and the youngest munchkin made us a foursome for the day until the middle munchkin got home from a sleepover and joined the fun.  My favorite photo was of the munchkins helping paint their brother’s bedroom.  Just look at those smiles – I can NEVER resist them!

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – RICOTTA MEATBALLS with SALAD & AVOCADO RANCH DRESSING
TUESDAY – OUT
WEDNESDAY – OUT
THURSDAY – OUT
FRIDAY – OUT
SATURDAY – ??
SUNDAY – CREAMY CHILI CHICKEN & SALAD

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

• HAM STEAK & RED EYE GRAVY
• CHURCH SUPPER RINGFEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

• 4 WINDS S & S SLAW
• HONEY LEMON PEPPER SALMON & SHRIMP
• LEMON SHRIMP FETTUCCINE

GOOD MORNING I hope everyone had a wonderful week!  OH NO it’s July already!  The year is officially half over! LEON day (exactly 6 months between Christmases) was last week and we are officially on a downhill road to the holidays!  That said, there is still plenty of summer to go around and I hope you have some fun trips and vacation plans as we head into the long 4th of July weekend.

Be sure to join us and 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.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING Last week we had some fast moving and fantastic thunderstorms that brought in much cooler weather too.  This week not so much, we’re supposed to get quite warm again and be sunny all week.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE The new doctor has at least assigned a name to my newest health issue.  Retroactive hypoglycemia.  Unfortunately, it does not have an easy fix, instead it puts me into a vicious never ending cycle of low blood sugar and needing to eat, but being unable to do so.  He has said the same thing as the gastroenterologist – there just isn’t much data for patients that ended up with this procedure when they didn’t need to lose weight to begin with and we’ll just have to experiment.  So, breakfast is back to hot water and baby food again most days with 2 hour grazing of a bite or 2 here and there. 🙁

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

• LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… I hadn’t done laundry all week and needed a distraction after we were finished Saturday so I got all caught up at once as well as some tidying up after the weekend
  
• YARD… hubby is working on updating the gate repairs
  
• APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… paperwork, phone calls to set up new appointments
• BLOG… still working on some recipe work ups on new recipes and a few updates and new pictures on some older ones
  
• CRAFTS/PROJECTS… I have been working on a plan for the garland I’m assembling and actually got the pieces together all in one place AND got a picture taken.  Now just to get it started finally.  I’m going to be making this in 8 foot lengths that will get clipped together as needed with some decorative star clips.
  

I’M READING Love Among Lavender The Merriams #2 by Ava Miles

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH in NO particular order

• The Good Witch
  
• The Great American Food Truck Race
• Guy’s Grocery Games
• Beat Bobby Flay
• Reef Break
• Elementary
• MasterChef

FAVORITE and SADDEST PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA We spent last week helping our friends and neighbors move to their new house, which BTW we can drive to in 2 minutes time, but it was still SUPER bittersweet.  They lived in this house for 13 years and had brought each and every munchkin home to this house as a baby so there was A LOT of sentimentality attached. Needless to say Saturday was a bittersweet day for EVERYONE and many tears were shed.  We’re super sad to see them go, but ALSO super excited for them in their new home and can’t wait to see how they make it their own. The munchkins have even picked out their room colors and painting will begin soon 😀

INSPIRATION

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – CHURCH SUPPER RING & SALAD with BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
TUESDAY – PORK TENDERLOIN with BOURBON PEACH SAUCE & BROCCOLI
WEDNESDAY – C.O.R.N. & PEACH COBBLER
THURSDAY – BBQ
FRIDAY – CREAMY CHILI CHICKEN & VEGGIES
SATURDAY – RICOTTA MEATBALLS with NOODLES and GRAVY & CUCUMBER SALAD
SUNDAY – HAM STEAK with RED EYE GRAVY & SALAD with ASIAN SESAME VINAIGRETTE

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

• LOOSE MEAT BACON CHEESEBURGER SLIDERS
• SLOW COOKED COUNTRY CHICKEN & GRAVY
• OVEN BBQ CHICKEN
• HERB SALAD with BROILED TOMATO & CREAMY CUCUMBER VINAIGRETTE

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

• LEMON BUTTER CHICKEN
• BANANA NUT ROLL
• FRENCH ONION SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS