HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENU PLANS week 2 of 2023 ~ BLOG 365.9

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

I started blogging over 15+ years ago as an outlet for the woes brought on by a house we were forced to rehab after discovering mold (that the previous owner knew about, but painted over) during a routine bathroom update. It was supposed to be our forever home, but little did we know God had other plans for us. Each journey led us somewhere else to help someone else or a new project like rehabbing my grandparent’s home after my cousin died. This too was supposed to be our “new’ forever home, but God again had yet more new plans for us.

All these years later we have been all over the country care taking first for my in-laws and then several other family members as well. Each time we questioned why we were in those places and each time there was am underlying reason like when we landed in Texas and I was matched up with the best Cancer center around who saved my life when I had Ovarian Cancer… or the wonderfully gifted Gastroenterologist that again saved my life when he had to remove my stomach during a routine hernia repair… God always had a reason being where we were.

At one point, early on in my blogging days I thought about jumping on the bandwagon and monetizing my blog and turning it into an income source…Let me just say I am SOOOOOO glad I didn’t do that. I believe it would have just taken the joy out of blogging for me. I still link up with a few meme parties and many have gone the monetized route and are just no fun to follow anymore šŸ™ This is one of the reasons I’m choosing to do BLOG 365 along with Sandra. I will probably do a lot of Wordless Wednesdays along with some Thursday 13s and what I’m calling Silent Sundays in order to accomplish this, but I will do it šŸ˜€

So, for my own journey, to stay positive in this life, I’ll be adding a “Thought For The Day” category each week. Just a little something that speaks to me šŸ˜€ at the time. Most weeks it will probably have no commentary and be more like a Wordless Wednesday šŸ˜€

This week is a clone of last week šŸ˜€ gray, cloudy and foggy ā€“ yet another typical Pacific North West winter week full of bone chilling ā€œwetā€ cold with highs in the 40ā€™s (barely) and lows in the 30ā€™s (definitely) 😀 It will be another week of layered turtlenecks and flannels with Levis and UGGs.

I started to “DE”decorate Christmas last Friday, but multiple spontaneous AND fun opportunities for me to procrastinate happened and now I HAVE to finish more quickly for my own sanity, but also a bit exhausted!

Toady is Apple Carrot and Pineapple toddler squeeze (they’re portable šŸ˜€ ) with some ice tea because of the early morning.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I have SOOOOO much to do, but hubby has a SUPER early appointment today that requires me to drive him so I will get a LATE start to my day and week. I have de-decorating to finish followed by standard cleaning and vacuuming as well as several loads of laundry. I’m also downsizing as I go through EVERY tote, drawer and closet. I ran across a pretty good article about decluttering sentimental items that is helping quite a bit.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS Depending on what I accomplish Monday and Tuesday I will probably go to town Wednesday or Thursday to do the weekly shopping and errands.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS this category will wait until next week…
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING My menu is planned through the weekend so at some time this week I will be taking a more serious look at the rest of January and February.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX We’re still watching How I Met Your Mother reruns at night to go to sleep by
  • CABLE There are still some TCM movies to watch, but I got pretty caught up on the cooking shows and Hallmark movies.

I’m reading State of Shock, First Family #4, Fatal series #1 off shoot by Marie Force

MONDAY 1/9
TUESDAY 1/10
WEDNESDAY 1/11
THURSDAY 1/12
FRIDAY 1/13
SATURDAY 1/14
SUNDAY 1/15
DINNER
SICILIAN SPAGHETTI
Ā HAMBURGER STEAKS with CREAM HASHED POTATOES
Ā UNDONE CABBAGE ROLLS and BUTTERED CARROTS
Ā APPLE BALSAMIC CHICKEN and SOUTHERN CORNBREAD STUFFING
Ā LOADED HASH BROWN POTATO SOUP
RISOTTO CARBONARA
OUT or C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT FRIDGE NIGHT
DESSERT
Ā BLUEBERRY POUND CAKE
Ā 
Ā 

We did happy hour with some neighbors last Saturday and their daughter and her 2 cats were visiting. KitKat and Blue are both super sweet and oh so soft, but Blue is a real snuggler!

Mandy

Those kitties are super sweet! My blog started for fun, and then I fell down the monetized trap for yearsā€¦doing reviews and fluff posts, etc. it did suck the joy out of blogging and I just couldnā€™t keep up with all of the ever-changing rules one must learn to keep up with that sort of thing. So now, Iā€™m back to personal blogging, although I do still have Google ads because I canā€™t figure how to get them out because they are embedded into my blog theme that I paid dearly for seven years ago when I was still into earning money with my blog. I know they are probably very intrusive, but I hope to figure that out one day. It certainly doesnā€™t make me a fortune. Haha!

Carrie@northwoods scrapbook

Hello my Lovely!
I’ve missed blogland and visiting here. I’m so grateful to have found a wonderful friend like you and I love that you enjoy blogging and share such amazing content here!!
I haven’t taken my Christmas things down yet – trying to get this chronic back pain under control. I believe you’re so right. That the Lord leads us where we’re meant to be….even if we don’t know it at the time.
The kitties are SO pretty and sweet. I love all of your inspirations as always. I hope you have a very blessed rest of your week. xoox

QuiltLady

Aw thank you so much. And we missed you! Sure hope you get the back pain under control soon! I’m enjoying taking my time to take down Christmas šŸ˜€ since it’s still so cold and rainy here I figure there’s no rush! I hope you’re having a wonderful week.

Jean

I enjoy your blog so much! Feel as though I’ve made so many friends over my time blogging and none through the monetized blogs which seem to lose their personalities a bit for me. Checking out the link on the sentimental items as that’s one of my hardest things to let go. Aw, that kitty looks so squeezable and loveable. Hope you have a wonderful week!

QuiltLady

Thank you!! I agree about the “losing personalities” – they become just another “shopping” link and I hate how they do recipes! Maybe they have a minimum necessary words to meet – seems like they say the same thing OVER AND OVER!

I too have made many friends blogging, several of which I’m still in touch with after they “quit” blogging and one of those I’ve met in real life. When I was in Texas we would get together for lunch a few times a year. Sandra is one of, if not the longest blogging friends I have and we will also be meeting in real life later this year if all things go as planned. And if that happens that means I’ll be back in the Midwest and maybe you and I can meet up in real life one day also. I still have a cousin in KC and my brother now lives there 1/2 time so I’m sure I’ll be making my way there…eventually.

I hope the link helps. I had done pictures several years ago. My family (both sides) seem to feel I am the “dumping” ground to be the sentimental keeper for the family. Before I started this downsize I told to come get whatever they want because if not it would end up in the garage sale. My daughter is the only one who wanted a few pieces – so I’ve been dealing with EVERYTHING for everyone else all these years! Well, no more. Come April I will only have what I want to keep and even then it MUST be usable and displayable! The only thing packed in a box will be the Christmas items and even then they will only be what we use regularly! As I put things away this year they are being gone through thoroughly! Fortunately?, the weather is COLD & WET & DREARY this week which is giving me plenty of sorting time indoors. šŸ˜€

Lucie

On my way to visit the decluttering of sentimental items. tomorrow I will post about all that was decluttered in 2022. did not think it was that much as I had already decluttered in the prior 2 years.

QuiltLady

Thank you! Blogging has become a daily source of relaxation for me. Hope your week is going well and you’re not getting too much snow.

Sandra

What a gorgeous kitty Tamy ā™„ I emailed you last week, but I’m not sure if you got it. I hope you did. lol

I also thought about monetizing my blog a couple of years ago, and quickly decided not to. I just don’t like what blogs have become, they’re not home, cozy, family oriented anymore, and it’s quite disappointing.

Anyway, I hope you have a fantastic week my friend, and thank you again for my beautiful Christmas present. (that’s what I emailed you about so hope you got it lol)

QuiltLady

Thank you! I wish she was mine! She went home with Lisa though – no more snuggles for me šŸ™ I hope your week is going well.

QuiltLady

Thank you for mentioning the email. I went and searched it out to answer you šŸ˜€ You are absolutely correct that they lose their cozy feel! I’m glad you liked the apron and clothespin bag! Hope your week is going well.

QuiltLady

Thank you for mentioning the email. I went and searched it out to answer you šŸ˜€ You are absolutely correct that they lose their cozy feel! I’m glad you liked the apron and clothespin bag! Hope your week is going well.

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