Category: MENU PLANS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 32 of 2017

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

It’s still very warm and humid with a chance of thunderstorms ALL week, but a bit more tolerable than it has been.  I ran to Costco and did some errands on Saturday and got caught in one of the worst thunderstorms I’ve ever been in.  I think partly because the people around me were so panicked and unable to cope.  Gheesh people, it’s just water.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

BOOST Nutritional drink 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 AS ALWAYS
  • KITCHEN… NOT quite clean, but just a little tidying will do
  • STUDIO… Just don’t know where to start this week in here
  • YARD… hubby needs to mow and edge, bit nothing for me to do 😀
  • BLOG… some recipe updating and planing for future posts

MONDAY – APPOINTMENTS & ERRANDS
TUESDAY – PAPERWORK, CLEANING
WEDNESDAY – EBAYING, SORTING and PACKING
THURSDAY – PAINTING TOUCH UPS
FRIDAY – ??
SATURDAY – WORK AROUND HOUSE, FOOTBALL & RACING
SUNDAY – WORK AROUND HOUSE, FOOTBALL & RACING

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

With being under the weather and being cooped up so much I’ve been watching a bit more TV.  Rented a few movies the past couple weeks too.

There are a couple new shows starting on the Food Network this month that I’m really looking forward to.

READING: I switched over to Marie Force’s #10 book in the Fatal Series.

  • GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW – I just love this show and I’m not ready for it to be over! SPOILER ALERT! – I do think Candace winning was the best though.
  • MIDNIGHT TEXAS
  • THE NIGHT SHIFT
  • SALVATION
  • ZOO
  • 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 and love that Laverne Cox golden buzzered Celine this past week – such a grown up voice out of such a cute little girl.
  • The Returned
  • The OA
  • Friday Night Lights
  • DATE MY DAD
  • 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, but JEFF HAS TO GO!
  • THE “F” WORD – I love this fun new side of Gordon Ramsay.


MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FIESTA EGG & POTATO BOATS
WAFFLES
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
C.O.R.N.
DINNER
BOURBON HAM BALLS  & BROCCOLI SLAW
PEANUT CHICKEN WINGS & SALAD w/ HOMEMADE ITALIAN DRESSING
CHILI MAC CASSEROLE & SALAD w/ ZESTY BUTTERMILK DRESSING
C.O.R.N.
 CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS
CHILI CHEESE DOG CASSEROLE
C.O.R.N.
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND

I literally dread  having to call customer service ANYWHERE!  I had to call AT&T as well as AMAZON several times this week. Lately every customer service I have had to call is outsourced to the Philippines and they are reading from a script, don’t truly understand what they are doing and don’t seem to really care. I spent over an hour on hold with AT&T to deal with a rude and obnoxious man who told me “to deal with it”.  When I asked for a supervisor, he said he was the supervisor.  I told him he reported to someone so I wanted to talk to them.  At the 2 hour mark I was transferred to the customer loyalty department who was 1) in the USA 2) completely apologetic and said I should have been informed from the get go that the computers had been down most the day and that no one could have helped me.  They gave me a direct dial number to use the next day which also got me a wonderful man here in the states who took care of my problem in nothing flat.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

This is only my favorite photo because I had a wonderful customer service representative at Amazon who finally made a week’s worth of horrible interactions with not so nice customer representatives right in the end.  The new plates should be here before the end of the day.

This picture popped up on Facebook yesterday as a memory though so ALL is good in the favorite photo department.

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

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads
  • LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but need to do dusting and floors
  • KITCHEN… ready for it’s DEEP clean
  • STUDIO…ready for it’s DEEP clean
  • YARD… A 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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HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 29 of 2017

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Once again it is sunny with fluffy clouds looking really nice – until you open the door. We’ve needed rain and then we got it in a BIG storm Saturday night, but once again we are getting super high temperatures (82 ALREADY this morning (not even 8AM), but then again it doesn’t get very low even in the middle of the night) on its way to mid 90’s, high dew points (82+ degrees), high humidity (81%+)  making the heat indexes extremely high, (feels over 100°+ according to weather underground‘s calculations). IT’S JUST PLAIN miserable and makes you dehydrated so quickly!  Oh, and there is a threat of thunderstorms all week that will just make it even more sticky!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Orange flavored Nutrition Drink and Green Tea

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

  • LAUNDRY… just one load today of sheets
  • LIVING AREAS… It’s a bit cluttered as I’ve spent the past few days sorting and packing a few things.
  • KITCHEN… quite clean – hubby cooked yesterday so I did a DEEP clean after.
  • STUDIO… I did a DEEP clean yesterday as I was sorting and packing, but the rest of the house suffered for it.
  • YARD… just mowing and watering
  • BLOG… still doing some recipe updating, making lists for recipes that need new pictures and planning for future posts as I combine old blogs into this one. I’m doing some recipes and pictures in advance for BLOGMAS 2017

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

We rented the Lost City of Z this past weekend. It was interesting, but seriously not what I thought it would be.

We’re done binging on The Walking Dead with the finish of Season 6 and are eagerly awaiting season 7 on NetFlix.  I can’t wait for season 7 so we can be totally caught up before the season 8 starts in the fall. We also finished Between and are waiting on its next season.

We’re still catching up on Dare Devil and Jessica Jones. We’ve also added The Fall with Gillian Anderson from the X-Files to our list of newly started series along with Travelers.

I’m half way through with Book #2, French Roast of Ava Miles’ series for Dare Valley.

  • 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.
  • THE “F” WORD – I love this fun new side of Gordon Ramsey with his funny antics and pranks with disguises.
  • SUPERHUMAN – some of these people amaze me SOOOOO much!  I wish I was this talented.

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

Here are a few more ideas from my Pinterest board for Christmas cards and cute wrapping idea with photos for tags.

KITCHEN WISHES

I LOVE this kitchen I found on Pinterest and want to do my next kitchen quite similar, but maybe not so blue. I think it is the back splash and shades I don’t like in particular. I have sunflowers as a decoration now and love and want to keep a sunflower theme, so am thinking a distressed white with a hint of blue for the cabinets and a pale yellow for the backsplash and not shades, but short shutters instead, but LOVE the layout overall.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

Starting next week I’ll be making recipes exclusively that need “NEW” pictures.  I can probably go through the rest of this year with NOT repeating anything LOL.

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
DUTCH BABY PANCAKE
ROASTED RED PEPPER STRATAS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
HOT CHICKEN SALAD
RITZY CHEDDAR CHICKEN
CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK
FONTINA STUFFED PORK CHOPS
 MEXICAN NOODLE  BAKE
LEMON BUTTER CHICKEN
C.O.R.N.
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP/TUTORIALS

TUTORIAL LINK FROM LAST WEEK: GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR PRESSURE COOKER

ON MY MIND

I finally met with my new surgeon last week.  I have to say I like him and I really like that he “HEARD” the whole story and his first inclination is to “FIX” the problem and maybe without surgery though it will require 4 more tests, one of which requires anesthesia, one of which is a 24 hour study that will be less than comfortable, another that requires nuclear medicine for an all day test and one that is short, but uncomfortable and one that will be just plain miserable.  BUT, if any one of these points to a way to “CURE” me without surgery, I am ALL for it.

He already took me off of 6 prescriptions that other doctors put me on trying to “SOLVE” my problem which I am THRILLED about.  So many times doctors just keep throwing medicine after medicine dealing with the symptoms instead of the root cause.  In this case it’s kind of a CHICKEN OR THE EGG situation, but he is trying hard to figure out which came first.

I did the research and if these tests go the way I’m now hoping, I’ll be able to get off ALL my current prescriptions and just take two different ones to create a better way of life with NO surgery.

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

  • Finding a surgeon whose first instinct is NOT to cut, but cure.
  • Cleaning up the old blogs and deleting old data

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 28 of 2017

Last week was busy and productive too. I actually stayed on schedule with my second chat time which makes me feel like I may really be getting back on track with my blog.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

It is sunny with fluffy clouds looking really nice – until you open the door!

We need rain and got a little last night, but once again we are getting super high temperatures (88.9 ALREADY this morning) on its way to 95, super high dew points (88+ degrees), super high humidity (98%+)  making the heat indexes extremely high, (feels like 124°+ according to weather underground‘s calculations) well over 100 degrees, miserable and makes you dehydrated so quickly! Last night’s rain just makes it feel that much worse. This is why they have me staying indoors so much.

Have I mentioned that I really like weather underground as it gives you so much information, but love the videos on The Weather Channel to.  In another life I would love to have been a storm chaser.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Orange BOOST and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

There’s a little to be picked up, but not too bad.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • APPOINTMENTS… FINALLY the appointment with the surgeon later this week which should give me a timeline for getting life back on track as well as a few other appointments that will keep it a busy week.
  • LAUNDRY… I’m doing a major baking soda & vinegar wash and rinse on ALL the linens to freshen them up from the horrendously hard water we have here.
  • LIVING AREAS… Did the floors last week, but need to a deep clean on the bathrooms. The horrendously hard water will take a toll on our brand new sinks and toilets if I don’t do this regularly.
  • KITCHEN… quite clean, but I plan to make a mess soon as I probably only have this week and maybe next to cook before things get crazy and hubby goes into bachelor cooking mode. 
  • STUDIO… I’m doing some recipe updating and planning for future posts as I consolidate all my old blogs into this one. At least I’ll feel like I‘m cooking while I’m on such a restrictive diet for the next few months.
  • YARD… Nothing – I ordered a new “lawnmower” for hubby and it will be here tomorrow though.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

We’re still binging on The Walking Dead and afnished Season 6 last night unaware that season 7 is not yet on NetFlix. I’m really glad my brother advised us not to get too attached to any one character! I was mad when they killed off Hershel and now I’m mad that Tyreese is gone too!  I can’t wait for season 7 so we can be totally caught up before te regular season starts in the fall.

We’ve added The Fall with Gillian Anderson from the X-Files to our list of newly started series along with Travelers and Between.

I’m still almost done with Book #1, NORA ROBERTS LAND of Ava Miles’ series for Dare Valley. I do love to read series where you really get to know ALL the characters, but just haven’t been reading much lately – figure I’ll have plenty of time to do that soon.

  • NIGHT SHIFT
  • SUPERHUMAN – some of these people amaze me SOOOOO much!  I wish I was this talented.
  • 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
  • THE “F” WORD – I love this fun new side of Gordon Ramsey

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

Here are a few more ideas for homemade Christmas presents.

MENU PLANS

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

PASTRAMI SANDWICHES

APPETIZER PLATES for the RACE

DINNER

PAN SEARED PORK CHOPS with PARMESAN BUTTER

CROSS CHICKEN with MUSHROOM GRAVY

CHICKEN GUMBO and SALAD

CAST IRON SKILLET CHICKEN

KICKING MEATLOAF with PARMESAN POTATOES

BUNLESS BURGERS CRY BABY BURGERS with

SEAFOOD SALAD with PARMESAN CRUSTED ROLLS

DESSERT

RUM RAISIN NOODLE BAKE

SNICKER DOODLES

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

I gave all the plants serious showers, haircuts and root refreshings this past week.

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 27 of 2017

I hope everyone had a great week. Mine was busy and productive. We’re still not completely unpacked from the move here which is making it a pain in the butt to start packing all over again.  I’m trying to go through box after box of old paperwork and shred what I can to lighten the load, but it is so time consuming.  We’ve been trying to piece together all the missing pieces of our life that were lost or stolen during the last move.

I am trying to get back into a more regular blog schedule also and started writing my weekly wrap up with Chat Time this past Friday.  We are still trying to research and make decisions about moving, but my upcoming surgery is messing with our timelines.  We were supposed to go next week and check out an area we are interested in, but had to cancel when the only opening the surgeon had for my consultation was in the middle of our trip. So, it seems like the more we move forward, the more we stand still. BUT, at least we are NOT moving backward.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

It is sunny with fluffy clouds looking really nice – until you open the door! We need rain, but instead we are getting super high temperatures (89.2 ALREADY this morning) , super high dew points (88 degrees), super high humidity (98%)  making the heat indexes extremely high, (feels like 125° according to weather underground‘s calculations) well over 100 degree, miserable and makes you dehydrated so quickly! I do like weather underground as it gives you so much information.  We’ve been using it to compare places in our research also.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Black Cherry Yogurt and Green Tea

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

I’m thinking all is good around here.  Just a few stray areas to be cleaned up, but I did a super deep clean over the weekend as the 4th of July celebration is here tomorrow.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads
  • LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but need to do floors (AGAIN)
  • KITCHEN… YAY, clean for once!
  • STUDIO… I did a DEEP clean last week so all is good for now
  • YARD… not a darn thing
  • BLOG… I’m doing some recipe updating and planning for future posts.  I’m even thinking ahead to BLOGMAS 2017 making some headers and lists.
  • COMPUTER… I need to do MAJOR back-up and move some of the photos on both computers to their respective flashdrives.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

We’re still binging on The Walking Dead and are part way through Season 5. I’m really glad my brother advised us not to get too attached to any one character! I was mad when they killed Hershel!

We also started the Travelers and Between.

I’m almost done with Book #1, NORA ROBERTS LAND of Ava Miles’ series for Dare Valley. I do love to read series where you really get to know ALL the characters.

  • NIGHT SHIFT
  • SUPERHUMAN – some of these people amaze me SOOOOO much!  I wish I was this talented.
  • AMERICA’S GOT TALENT – always a fun watch – loving the new softer side of Simon
  • DATE MY DAD
  • 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
  • THE “F” WORD – I love this fun new side of Gordon Ramsey

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

I saw a mixed media project that really interested me when we at hubby’s military reunion a few weeks ago. It will be a multi-layered mixed media project that will need drying time between the layers because of its intricacies. I am gathering all the parts, and there are quite a few, to make my own as best I can from memory.  It’s also a project that I can do while I’m laid up so I’m hoping to finish it during that time. I tried to find a similar image online, but can’t even come close so hope the image in my mind works on the canvas and I have some pictures of the actual work soon.

I’ve also been searching pinterest boards for Christmas ideas to incorporate into our Homemade Christmas and my Blogmas posts. The link above is for my HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA BOARD. Here are a few of my current research ideas.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

We will be barbecuing for the 4th of course, but the rest of the week I will be trying new recipes wile I can.  Hubby is (in a weird way) looking forward to being able to eat bachelor style while I can’t cook or eat regular food.

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
BLT FRITATTA
PANCAKES & EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
INSIDE OUT HOT BROWNS
MARINATED SKIRT STEAK with APPLE SLAW with CARAMELIZED CIDER DRESSING
TANGY CHICKEN FRICASSEE
SAUSAGE CHEDDAR BALLS and SALAD with PARMESAN HERB DRESSING
 CHICKEN with SNAP PEAS and SALAD
HOT CHICKEN CASSEROLE
C.O.R.N.
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

  • No major house projects going on at the moment
  • Doctors have pin pointed the source of my health issues – now just the wait time to get it fixed and then the long recovery that will follow
  • FINALLY getting organized now that the house projects are completed on the HOUSE FROM HELL

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

Another beautiful sunset earlier this week after a storm.

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 26 of 2017

Can you believe that this is the last week of the first half of the year already? It sure seems to be going by quickly – too quickly.

I hope you had a wonderful week!  It was a quiet week for me as I recuperated and did as the doctor ordered and hubby enforced. I am still a bit under the weather, but 90% better than this time last week. I also had the first of a more definitive testing to determine the root cause of my health issues.  Keep a positive thought for me as we go in later today for results.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

It rained all weekend, but as it’s summer and I’m stuck inside anyway, that’s okay. We are supposed to be warm with thunderstorms off and on all week.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Black Cherry yogurt and coffee.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

I’m pretty happy as I was feeling better and was able to get quite a bit of the housework done over the weekend and it’s looking pretty good.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads
  • LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but need to do floors like always – oh the joys of having pets and husbands
  • KITCHEN… I did a serious deep clean this past weekend and it looks great!
  • STUDIO… Still looking good, but NEEDS to be messed up LOL
  • YARD… YAY, nothing for a bit.
  • BLOG… some recipe updating and pre-planning for future posts. I’m still thinking ahead to BLOGMAS 2017 and working on some new recipes, jams and candies

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

We have FINALLY been watching The Walking Dead!  We just started season 3.  I’m really glad my brother advised us not to get too attached to any one character! We are just not sure how watching this show hasn’t happened before now. We have so much to catch up on!

I’ve cleaned out most ALL cooking shows, lifetime movies and Hallmark shows while I was sick. We’re also still trying a few new shows on NetFlix and Amazon Prime.

I started Ava Mile series for Dare Valley with NORA ROBERTS LAND. I do love to read series where you really get to know ALL the characters.

  • NIGHT SHIFT – though I do HATE that they made the 1st one of the season a “TO BE CONTINUED”
  • SUPERHUMAN – some of these people amaze me SOOOOO much!  I wish I was this talented.
  • AMERICA’S GOT TALENT
  • WORLD OF DANCE
  • DATE MY DAD
  • 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
  • THE “F” WORD – I love this fun new side of Gordon Ramsey

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

I’m finally back among the living so let’s give this weekly menu a new try this week!

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRITATTA
BACON & EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
TOMATO PORK CHILI
TAMALE PIE
BUFFALO CHICKEN AND POTATOES
FONTINA ROLLED CHICKEN
 CHICKEN IN RAISIN SAUCE
C.O.R.N
C.O.R.N.
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

I finally finished the HOUSE FROM HELL update and it is here if your are interested.  All I can say now is that we are anxious to move on and as soon as we are done with doctors, surgeries and treatments we will do just that.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

Tropical Storm Cindy was originally supposed to hit us, but then turned and spared us.  We were however left with a GORGEOUS sunset.

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 25 of 2017

I have been REALLY under the weather.  I thought it was just a sinus/allergy thing, but it turned out I have Pneumonia and Pancreatitis.  I am so ready to be healthy again! But, it looks like we’re just starting the next round of diagnosis testing to find the definitive source of my issues after I get over the pneumonia.

So, I’ve been under hubby induced house arrest while I fought off the high fever (which finally happened late Saturday night when it finally dipped under 100°) and got some antibiotics and such into me.  Hubby has been taking really good care of me, he makes the BEST scrambled eggs which is about all I have been able to tolerate while my throat was also so swollen.  I think I sat on the couch more in the past week than in the past year.  Now he was really glad that while all I wanted was scrambled eggs and such that he could eat “GUY” food like Kraft mac & cheese and hot dogs.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE
I think this has become my stock answer as we move deeper into summer. It is VERY warm (mid to high 90’s), high dew points (75+), high lows (75+) and VERY humid (80%+) with lots of cloud cover and a threat of thunderstorms all week as a tropical storm is forming. After all, it is June on the Gulf Coast of Texas so not much changes – HOT, HUMID and OPPRESSIVE – HURRICANE SEASON PREVAILS.

 

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Scrambled eggs and Green Tea

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

It’s a wreck! I haven’t done anything since I got sick last Tuesday so have tons to do, but it will wait another day or two.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads – hubby did keep this up for me while I was down.
  • LIVING AREAS… what a wreck – lots of dusting, vacuuming and tidying to do.
  • KITCHEN… total wreck – hubby tries, but it needs a deep clean.
  • STUDIO… it also needs a deep clean, but I am making progress on the ebay elimination pile.
  • YARD… nothing this week YAY since it’s way too hot to be out there!
  • BLOG… some recipe updating and planing for future posts.  I’m adding a “WHY HIS RECIPE WORKS” section to my new recipes like they do in America’s Test Kitchen. I’m even thinking ahead to BLOGMAS 2017 and making some vague Christmas plans as we are not sure where we will be exactly, but do know we are changing a few things for a more home style Christmas.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

I’ve cleaned out most ALL cooking shows, lifetime movies and Hall mark shows while sick. I’m trying a few new shows on NetFlix and Amazon Prime. We have FINALLY started watching The Walking Dead!  We are just not sure how that hasn’t happened before now.

I did finally get through my stack of magazines while I was laying around.

  • SUPERHUMAN
  • AMERICA’S GOT TALENT
  • WORLD OF DANCE
  • DATE MY DAD
  • GREAT AMERICAN BRITISH BAKING SHOW
  • MASTER CHEF
  • THE “F” WORD

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

I’m updating our address book and password books into new books and really cleaning out! It was the one thing hubby would “allow” me to do sitting still and actually didn’t make me feel worse.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

I have high hopes for enough energy to cook this week, but only each day will truly tell.  I may be taking last week’s menu as well as this week’s menu and recycling them into July. Fortunately I did have a couple recipes ready to post so it looks like I actually did something last week (SHHH, I won’t tell if you don’t.)

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
QUICHE LORRAINE
WAFFLES
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
??
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
PORK CHOPS with SWEET SOY GLAZE and SCALLION SESAME RICE
BACON WRAPPED APPLE CHICKEN
CRAB and CORN CAKES with LIME SOUR CREAM
FONTINA STUFFED PORK CHOPS
 PORK TOMATILLO STEW and TORTILLAS
CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN
BAKED HAM with ORANGE SAUCE
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

Having just traveled I really wish I’d seen this first one BEFORE we went. It’s a GREAT idea!

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

I ask myself why did this happen this way? Repeatedly!  Even our lawyer asked what was he (my uncle) thinking?  This was supposed to be a simple transaction to help family.  He held ALL the cards and paperwork necessary to make it go smoothly.  LITERALLY! He held ALL the necessary pieces for EVERYTHING to fall into place, but yet he went from toasting his wonderful niece and her husband for coming to help save him from this holy hell at a family dinner to sending me a text telling me to feel better and thanking me for providing him with some information he needed to suing us for doing nothing to aid him or the property in our time here.

Obviously some undue influence (disease, new girlfriend, etc..) is affecting his ability to think clearly. In the end his wrongfully suing us brought to light his own issues that would have left us with thousands of dollars more of encumbrances and mulyiple ensuing legal battles done by his actions had we followed the simple plan he had originally laid out, not to mention he had done the paperwork when gramps died and it was filed in the wrong county and such.

This could have taken years to straighten out.  Hiring a lawyer cost us A LOT, but saved us more in the long run probably. In the end is being an ass was a blessing.

I’m working on my latest update post on this horrific house.  It should post later this week as I’m still filing in the middle of narrative, but here is the beginning to give you a feel for where this is going:

…“We were on day 500 and still finding things to donate and un-clutter from our lives as we struggled to finally finish this horrific rehab project. Unfortunately, on day 476 as I was planning the BIG day 500 post, we received some distressing news. I was going to go ahead and do a follow up post, but was so emotionally distraught from the frustration and hurt of my uncle’s contentious betrayal with that news, not to mention that we were now about to be embroiled in a legal battle, so felt it best to wait and not say anything until after it was over. Well, it’s pretty much over, at least legally. The very definition of those two words (contentious and betrayal) sums up who my uncle has become.  Needless to say these attitudes do not go together well with good family relations.

  • Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence which produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship among individuals. Often betrayal is a complete break from previously decided upon or presumed norms by one party from the others. Someone who betrays others is commonly called a traitor or betrayer. In this case the betrayal actually borders on being defrauded or swindled since we were NEVER told the true depth of the situation. He glossed over ALL the important parts making them non-issues when they were HUGE issues in actuality.
  • Contentious is the likelihood of an argument or vexing issue being at the root of your problem.  In our case my caustic, toxic, self-centered uncle has become the actual issue complicated by what appears to be medical issues that are being NOT being diagnosed or dealt with.

…I am so thankful that I have kept an active chronicle of descriptions, hourly work logs and pictures of our work (so were the lawyers), Chronicles of My Misguided Cousin Beth, Life in Remodel and Rehabbing Grams and Gramps House. No matter which category you choose, it all adds up to A House from Hell!…

He recently told my mom what a deal he gave us on this house.  Evidently his idea of a “deal” uses his family and THEIR money to his benefit and then he kicks them while they are down.”  Personally, I have NO USE for anyone, let alone family who uses ANYONE and basically steals everything from them, but especially from the family who is helping you and you are supposed to be helping too. The mere fact that he calls my mom just to chat like he isn’t screwing her little girl takes a lot of balls! He will have to answer to God for what he has done and I KNOW Karma will be knocking on his door VERY soon.  You don’t treat people like crap without it coming back to haunt you. I don’t even need to witness the KARMA EXPLOSION to know it will be HUGE.

The house is done, the legal battle is done and so are we! In the end we’re still on the hook for $70,000 more than we should be for the whole project, but at least we can sell, not even beginning to break even and move on to begin again, but know that we did the right thing to help family, even if they are unappreciative.

…For the past several months he has been jumping up and down like a child throwing a tantrum DEMANDING that we close this transaction immediately. We stuck to our guns as he had yet to satisfy the liens and such.  We refused to sign anything or invest anymore monies in this property without him making things right with HIS creditors.  For some reason even now he believes he has been right all along and that we have NOT done anything to better the house or HIS situation.  I never even factored in all the days I worked 10-12 hours on the house, took a quick shower and then spent 4-5 hours at night sitting with my aunt so he could get out and do what he wanted.  AND he will be getting a bill for the first 1050 hours that dealt only with cleaning out the property from the vermin infested mess it was…

INSPIRATION

This seemed like the best quote for this week.

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 AND MENU PLAN MONDAY week 24 of 2017

We were away this past week for hubby’s military, 1st Cavalry, reunion and while the reunion itself was good (there is serious room for improvement for organization by those in charge of the actual events and the hotel was not staffed or equipped to handle a crowd of this size appropriately – the food really SUCKED!), we enjoyed seeing some old friends and catching up though. The weather was beautiful so it was really nice to head north and be relieved from the oppressive heat and humidity here at home.

We also spent an afternoon in a local college town who happened to be having a street fair that had good food and great music! AND I also found some parts I needed for some Christmas presents in one of their antique malls.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE
VERY warm and VERY humid with lots of cloud cover and a threat of thunderstorms all week.  After all, it is June on the Gulf Coast of Texas so not much changes – HOT, HUMID and OPPRESSIVE – HURRICANE SEASON PREVAILS.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Green tea and Honey Nut cheerios with a sliced banana.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

Today and tomorrow will be serious deep clean days since we were gone and the house sitter was her with Gunny and Sady. I usually vacuum every other day, sometimes every day with the animals so being away so long makes my OCD go nuts LOL!

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… SEVERAL loads from being gone 4 days and not doing before we left – dang I should have thought that through!
  • LIVING AREAS… need to do a deep clean after being gone and not doing much before we left
  • KITCHEN… quite clean since we were gone, but I plan to make a mess soon. I’m such a messy cook as I invent
  • STUDIO… Needs a good cleaning, but still hoping to get to Christmas cards soon.
  • YARD… A little mowing, edging, pruning and dead heading of some old blooms.
  • BLOG… some recipe updating and planing for future posts.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

We just got home so will try to catch up on anything that accumulated on the DVR and will check for anything that might start this week so I can set it to record.  We always record so we don’t have to watch commercials.

As for reading, I’m now in between series so have to decide what series to start next.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
TOASTED FRENCH TOAST
CHICKEN & WAFFLES
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
CREAMED CHICKEN & MARINATED CARROTS
HUMPTY DUMPTY HAM
HUNGARIAN CHICKEN & SALAD
C.O.R.N.
 FOIL WRAPPED CHICKEN
CASHEW CHICKEN with LIME MARMALADE DIPPING SAUCE
SOMETHING ON THE GRILL
DESSERT

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND

Still trying to resolve the family situation with my uncle. We CANNOT wait to have this burden lifted from our shoulders. We pray every day will be the day the resolution happens and soon.

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

My heart and soul are still refreshed from watching A DOG’S PURPOSE and THE SHACK.  BOTH movies spoke directly to my heart and soul to restore order to my world. It is just that simple! I’m reveling in this renewed spirit.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

This is a picture of a picture from 2002 and already in a scrapbook, but is truly one of the best ones ever.  When Whiskey was young I had to keep her and Gunny apart for about the first 6 months of her life because Gunny was SOOOOO BIG and she was so tiny. So when we were at home I kept a baby gate up between the front and back of the house (we had an old house with an actual door to a hallway that led to the back of the house) so I could monitor them.

This one day Whiskey was up on her toes at the gate and Gunny came along and wanted to play.  Gunny took her ear in his teeth and put a paw on her head.  Then he made the mistake of tugging forward on her ear and pushing back on her head at the same time.  Whiskey became ALL teeth and needless to say ran the roost from then on.

I just can’t even tell you how much I MISS her! We did receive her beautifully carved box of ashes this week and I had a special tag made for it. Watching Gunny (who is even older yet) miss her so much is the hardest.

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 23 of 2017

I hope everyone had a wonderful week/weekend. Our Memorial Day weekend was hot and humid when the air conditioning went out and we couldn’t get the A/C guy here until Tuesday morning – seems like these things always happen on a holiday weekend. Then, just shortly after I posted Happy Homemaker Monday last week my world fell apart and I lost most of the week.
 
Grief is a strange thing in how it affects us. We had to make the worst decision of our life at the emergency vet Monday morning.  Losing my best friend, my Whiskey dog, truly was the last straw in a string of multiple deaths the past few months and I just fell all to pieces. I know she was almost 15, but I just wasn’t ready for it to happen the way it did.
 
Once I started to pull out of the deep hole I was in I did get a few things done, but will try and take up the slack this week. Hoping to get back to myself this week.
 
THE WEATHER OUTSIDE
 
I have given up on listening to the weatherman – the weather will be what it will be. The only thing I can count on is that hurricane season is here and it will be hot and humid! We did have a HUGE storm yesterday and have a pretty high chance of thunderstorms again today and tomorrow.
 

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Oatmeal with brown sugar and golden raisins with coffee.

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

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads of towels to be folded.
  • LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but need to do floors.
  • KITCHEN… quite clean, but I plan to make a mess soon as I do the last resurfacing of the countertops. 
  • STUDIO... I did a deep clean week before last and was planning on making messes as I began some Christmas cards but never got around to them with all the sadness from losing Whiskey.  I just couldn’t get into the spirit.
  • YARD… Adding some grass seeds and fertilizer.
  • BLOG… some recipe updating and planning for future posts.  I’m even thinking ahead to BLOGMAS 2017

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

We did watch two amazing movies this week.  I’m convinced RedBox released them just this week especially for me! Both movies were in perfect timing with the tough week we were having. The first was A DOG’S PURPOSE and then THE SHACK. They both spoke to my heart and soul to restore order to my world. It is just that simple!

Ironically, the quote that spoke the loudest to me was also the one Sandra posted.  We must have both felt the same thing, which is a good thing in my book.

I need to check and see if there are any new shows starting this week for the summer, but for now we are just watching some Netflix shows and waiting for the summer season to really kick in. At least America’s got talent is back and I like Tyra Banks as Nick Cannon’s replacement.

Still trying to finish the Ava Miles Dare River 5 book series. I’m on book 5 finally, The Fountain of Infinite Wishes

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

Last week’s menu never happened so we’ll try again this week. I did have a couple recipes from last week that were already ready to post at least.

 
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
OUT
OUT
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
OUT
OUT
DINNER
BEEF STROGANOFF & SALAD
VENETIAN CHICKEN AND MASHED POTATOES
PIONEER BEAN DINNER and CORN BREAD
ARTICHOKE FRITTERS & HOMEMADE MAC & CHEESE
 PECAN CHICKEN with MAPLE CREAM SAUCE from LYNN’S PARADISE CAFE
OUT
OUT
DESSERT
              

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY or ON MY MIND

There have been so many things going on in our life the past few years that I have been fretting about or just being upset about.  I keep focusing on a time in my life when I wanted to do something (who can even remember what now?) and saying something along the lines of “That’s NOT fair!” and my dad replying with “who said life was gong to be fair?”. That one statement was maybe one of the best lessons I ever learned in life.  There are a few things I know for sure:

  • BAD things DO happen to GOOD people.
  • We can NEVER know for sure what someone else is thinking or feeling. 
  • OUR life experiences are only ours as are OUR reactions to events.

The scene in THE SHACK where Mack meets Wisdom spoke volumes to me.  It truly reminds me that we need to realize and remember that we are truly here to help others, NOT be their judge. Our path to happiness and a sense of purpose in this life that leaves us content depends on our ability to do just that.

The other important scene to me was where the Father teaches him about forgiveness. Forgiveness is for you as much as anything so you are not wallowing in your own grief and discontent. You can NEVER change the past so you MUST find a way to live in the present and be available to a future that is happy and loving.

LOOKING FORWARD TO

  • A short trip later this week for hubby’s military unit.
  • Planning our research trip for next month.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

Granted this is from 15 years ago, but I had to post it. IT IS ONE OF MY TWO ALL TIME FAVORITES. I found enough old pictures to do Whiskey’s memorial post while I had it me to do it.

INSPIRATION

That said:

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 22 of 2017

I CANNOT believe we are entering the 22 week of the year!  Where has the time gone? Memorial Day Weekend around our house is usually a VERY relaxed time where we pretty much do just what we want. We did watch a couple NASCAR races (rain delays and all) and we were going to truly finish the last project, putting up the shade cloth for the back patio so we can no spend a little time out there with our coffee in the morning or a glass of wine in the evening, but alas the air conditioning went out on Saturday and we were just too warm and miserable to bother. Of course the air conditioning went out at 6pm on Saturday of a holiday weekend! W.O.R.S.T. case and time possible. It looks like it will be Tuesday sometime before we can even get it looked at so we’re just hanging in there hoping for cooler temperatures.

 
OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Already too warm for me today and with a dew point and humidity it looks like it’s going to be a VERY warm week with high humidity and we have a fairly high threat of thunderstorms EVERY day!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Ensure clear (berry flavored) and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

I see plenty to do, but it will mostly wait until tomorrow.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY… just a couple loads
  • LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but need to do floors
  • KITCHEN… quite clean, but I plan to make a mess soon.  I’m such a messy cook as I invent.  BUT, I also need to finish  the granite countertops.
  • STUDIO… I did a DEEP clean yesterday, now on to making messes as I begin some Christmas cards
  • YARD… A little pruning and deadheading of some old blooms and putting up the shade cloth if the weather permits
  • BLOG… some recipe updating and planing for future posts.  I’m even thinking ahead to BLOGMAS 2017

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

We are just watching some Netflix shows and waiting for the summer season to kick in.  At least America’s got talent starts tomorrow night.

Still trying to finish the Ava Miles Dare River 5 book series. I’m on book 4, The Promise of Rainbows.

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

I need to get busy deciding on bindings, but I have yet to find the box with the rest of the material yet. At least these are ready for their bindings. I’m also still looking for the box with the ones that need to be finished pieced.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

There were a few recipes I didn’t get around to last week so have added them to this week’s recipe list.

 

 
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
QUICHE LORRAINE
BACON & EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
STEAK on the GRILL with BBQ BEANS and CORN on the COB
PECAN CHICKEN with MAPLE CREAM SAUCE from LYNN’S PARADISE CAFE
COGNAC BRINED PORK TENDERLOIN with GINGER SNAP JUS and SALAD from KRAZY KAT’S RESTAURANT in Delaware
C.O.R.N.
 PIONEER BEAN DINNER and CORN BREAD
WILTED SPINACH SALAD with GRILLED CHICKEN
C.O.R.N.
DESSERT
              

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

I drink a cup every night before bed. I figure it can’t hurt.

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND

We are still in a holding pattern on being able to move forward on this.  We do appreciate your continued prayers and support as we go through this mess.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

Whiskey our almost 15 year old lab is starting to have mobility issues, but she is still the MOST adorable pup I’ve ever had.  Lately she’s been laying wherever she can to use shelves and such as resting places.

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 21 of 2017

I hope everyone had a wonderful week and weekend. I got quite a bit done around here, just a bunch of little stuff. We also watched both the NASCAR CAMPING WORLD truck and NASCAR MONSTER ENERGY car races as they were in the evenings.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We have been rather dry (for here anyway) for the past couple months, but no longer. The skies finally broke open late last night and have yet to stop.  At least the sod we planted and fertilized will have gotten a good head start.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Scrambled eggs with cheese and coffee.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

This week I have a ton of straightening up to do after a busy weekend.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • Ebay which seems never ending
  • Cleaning – really need to do deep cleaning on the floors
  • Laundry
  • a Couple of appointments
  • Grocery Shopping
  • a few errands

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR CRAFTS & PROJECTS

We are really getting into a summer schedule of nothingness and I’m searching for more and more Netflix and Amazon at night.  We just finished IRON FIST on Netflix that we are really enjoying and just started Jessica Jones that might be okay – season 3 just started, but we’re binge watching 1 and 2 first. 

I’m almost done catching up on all my cooking shows and I’m looking forward to America’s Got Talent coming back at the end of the month. We really enjoyed Nick Cannon as the host in years past so am interested in seeing how his being gone changes the dynamic of the show.

I’ve also ben watching some old Father Dowling Mysteries. I loved Tom Bosley, Tracy Nelson and Mary Wickes.

I’m currently reading Ava Miles Dare River 5 book series. I’m on book 4, The Promise of Rainbows.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

For several weeks I tried the Blue Apron home service and then also Home Chef and Home Fresh.  I loved their recipes, the recipe cards and the fresh ingredients, but in the end had too many issues with slow or late delivery (which I’m sure is the delivery people and I’m probably at the end of the route as things wold show up at 8PM) and not enough choices that my family would like.  I already do the Saturday morning Farmer’s market for my fresh produce and have been scratch cooking for MANY years so I came to realize I just need to search out some new recipes.  This week I’ve chosen a cookbook from my shelf, Southern Living’s Off the Eaten Path, and am going to try some of the recipes I have marked.  We’ll just go book to book from there.

 
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
FRUIT & COFFEE
SCRAMBLED EGGS
OUT
BACON & EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP
MEAT ROLL-UPS
SALAD
MEAT & CHEESE
C.O.R.N.
??
DINNER
PECAN CHICKEN with MAPLE CREAM SAUCE from LYNN’S PARADISE CAFE
CAROL FAY’S FAMOUS MEATLOAF from the LOVELESS CAFE in Nashville
CHICKEN S.O.S. with SALAD
 VENETIAN CHICKEN and SALAD
PIONEER BEAN DINNER and CORN BREAD
COGNAC BRINED PORK TENDERLOIN with GINGER SNAP JUS and SALAD from KRAZY KAT’S RESTAURANT in Delaware
DESSERT
              

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND

UNFORTUNATELY, this continues to be a sore subject.  The “ADULT” creating all our drama who continues to JUMP UP AND DOWN making demands on time and money that cannot be ignored and is throwing a tantrum like a small child is the same person that CANNOT seem to get his ducks in row (pieces to the playing board, bricks into the load… – you choose) to end the drama that he created, but is imposing on us. We are PRAYING for a resolution by the end of the month so we can move on with our life!

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY
Hubby has a military reunion where we will get to see some old friends and it is not too far from an area we are researching for our next project. The best part is that we have family there and are really looking forward to seeing that after way too long!

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

INSPIRATION

Unfortunately, I know too many of these “Negative Nellies”. Some people are just self centered enough to not play nice in this game we call life.

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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