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Last week got REALLY warm!!!! So, to beat the heat I stayed inside and thought about snow.  Yep, I’m thinking about winter and Christmas already.  I actually started my Christmas cards and am about 75% DONE.  It’s been a while since I made my own and I forgot how hard it is to cut out all the little pieces – boy, are my hands tired!

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. 

WEATHER OUTSIDE
It is STILL HOT! And super muggy – might as well be in Texas or Florida!  We are setting new records all the time.

TO DO FOR THE WEEK

• Finish Christmas cards
• Paperwork
• Appt.s
• Phone Calls

CURRENTLY READING

• What a Girl Wants by Kate Perry
• Resurrection in Mudbug  by Jana DeLeon
• Dead Wrong (Blackmore Sisters series) by Leighann Dobbs

TELEVISION / DVR

• Astronaut Wives Club 
• Complications
• Proof
• Dark Matter
• The Last Ship
• Under the Dome
• Rookie Blue

	BREAKFAST	DINNER	DESSERT
MONDAY	Cereal & Fruit	Y.O.Y.O. / C.O.R.N.
TUESDAY	Bagel & cream cheese	EXPERIMENT NIGHT
WEDNESDAY	Yogurt with Blueberries & Granola	Bunless Burgers & Potato Salad
THURSDAY	Scrambled Eggs with cheese & Toast	Chicken Broccoli Casserole & Salad
FRIDAY	Yogurt with Blueberries & Granola	Sweet & Sticky Pork Chops w/ Dirty Rice
SATURDAY	S*&T on a Shingle	Steaks and baked potatoes with a side of fireworks	Strawberry Kiwi Buttermilk Shortcakes
SUNDAY	Fruit Smoothies	Honey Walnut Lemon Chicken

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS  FROM LAST WEEK

• Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Cake
• Lemon Paprika Grilled Chicken
• Homemade Payday Bars
• Honey Walnut Lemon Chicken
• Beet Cheddar and Apple Tarts
• Beer Battered Zucchini
• Moscato/Chardonnay Chicken

FUTURE RECIPES TO TRY
My favorite neighbor ever surprised me yesterday with armfuls of cookbooks she wanted to get rid of.  I’m so in love with new recipes that I’m not sure where to start.  My nephew is coming for a week soon so I decided to start with kid friendly recipes – he’s young, but he’s a HUGE growing boy so I also needed easy, flavorful and stretching recipes.  Here are the ones I have found so far:

• TexMex Tamale Skillet
• Hamburger Strogaanoff
• Ground Beef Reuben Melts
• Pizza Calzone
• Chili Rice con Queso
• Fiesta Chicken Lasagna
• Italian Lemon Semifreddo 

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS
With summer comes rough, flaky and dry skin.  Here’s a homemade exfoliating body wash that will make your skin silky smooth.

PINEAPPLE BODY WASH – makes 2 week’s worth.  I saved an old Herbal Essence bottle to keep this recipe in.

1 6-ounce can pineapple juice
2 cups castile liquid soap (Dr. Bronner’s or Kirk’s original at Walmart)

• Blend together.
• Shake to mix before using each day.
• Pour a small amount on wash cloth, lather and wash.

“You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go, let go of them. I tie no weights to my ankles.” ― C. JoyBell C.

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

• Air conditioning in triple digit temperatures
• Fresh Flowers 
• Laughing children playing outside

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA THIS WEEK
We’ve been watching these ‘environmental’ platforms for quite some time now.  There are 3 of them in this particular area and all have residents.   The fledglings have been taking test flights and appear to be close to ready to leave home.

The platforms don’t look huge until you take a picture from below and then you realize their actual size.

INSPIRATION