Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
WEEKEND RECAP
4-6 PM Saturday was TRUNK or TREAT in our little town. The weather really showed up with a pleasant 71° and sunny which was great because Halloween itself is supposed to be pouring down rain and only 50° so Saturday may be the only Halloween some of these kids see.
TRUNK or TREAT has taken on a life of its own the past couple years. Surrounding towns bring their kids to our little area. It has also become quite an expensive endeavor. The kids have a great time and so do the businesses, but where and how do you draw the line on events like this? Our population is only 8,200 so how is we now have upwards of 2,500 kids participating? We did the math and between the candy, extra employees needed to man the booths and decorations it’s costing the average business between $500-$1,000 or more for a 2 hour event, especially if you’re located near the haunted house where the lines are long.
Sunday rained and the temperature dropped 20° so it was the perfect day to watch NASCAR, read a little and just do what you want kind of day. 😀 We did have a bit of a momentary break in the rain and we went and fed stale bread pieces to the peacocks and the deer that had wandered down into the park.
Let’s get on with Monday!
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
THE WEATHER OUTSIDE
We’re supposed to get quite a bit of rain this week which we REALLY need, so I’m okay with that. The highs are supposed to be in the 50’s and 60’s with lows in the 30’s and 40’s.
ON MY MIND
I know Halloween is this week and we haven’t even celebrated Thanksgiving yet, but because Thanksgiving is late this year I am trying to get a jump on ALL things December! BLOGMAS is one of those things that keeps me happy and motivated through the holidays and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
That said, I did condense a bit and I have come up with my BLOGMAS timeline for 2024. Doing as many of the posts in advance that I can also helps me keep my sanity through the busy holiday season. I REALLY hope you can and will join in whenever possible.
TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS
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THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
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DVR/TV TIME
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WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
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READING TIME
I started reading RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE by Karma Brown
FUNNIES
MENU PLANS
BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀
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10/28 MONDAY
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10/29 TUESDAY
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10/30 WEDNESDAY
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10/31 THURSDAY
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11/1 FRIDAY
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11/2 SATURDAY
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11/3 SUNDAY
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DINNER
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STREET CORN CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
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PEASANT BEEF STEW
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RB BAKED BEANS and HOT DOGS
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CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
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SLOW COOKER LEMON CHICKEN
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GARLIC ONION SLOW COOKER CHICKEN & RICE
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LASAGNA SOUP & GARLIC BREAD |
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DESSERT
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SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIES
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FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA
I found a cute “set” of sewing machine drawers at a friends store recently. They even had the rare “secret” top drawer fairly intact. The drawers had been “finished” by her brother, but they were in sad shape with too dry wood, missing drawer guides and “gummy” areas that were dried and yucky. They were also done as two separate units. I’m in the process of rejuvenating them with oil and putting the two towers into a single piece. Hubby is making me a top and a bottom for them, but this is a start for now.
And just a few pictures from the TRUNK or TREAT event. Many of the parents dressed up also. I have to say the Jack Sparrow was one of the more popular ones. He would accept candy from the businesses and then seek out one of the shyer kids to give it to. I also love the BIO HAZARD scarecrow and McDonalds pulled out the stops with their drive through window.
The deer joined the peacocks today for some joint snacking time.
Living in the country gives us some fun local displays for holidays also.
INSPIRATIONS
LIFE TIP
HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP
With Thanksgiving coming up and so many stories in the news of bacterial diseases on the rise I thought it would be helpful to remind us all that food safety is so very important.
RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK
- CHICKEN ENCHILADA BAKE
- PULL APART CHEESY PIGS & COPY CAT ARBY’S SAUCE
- BROCCOLI, BEEF & CHEESE STRATA
WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS
- SWEET LEMON GLAZED MEATBALLS
- STACKED SUIZA ENCHILADAS with PICKLED RED ONIONS
- CREME BRULEE FRENCH TOAST
Our town did a few years of Halloween in our street and the next one, with kiosks of free hot chocolate but it cost us a fortune in candy. People complained so now they are doing it at municipal hall. I had 152 little ones yesterday and that is quite ok for me… not much decorating in our street. next street with lots of decorating my sil had over 300. I just close the lights when I decide it is enough.
Have a great week… love the drawers!! yay blogmas!
I like the community events! 😀
I really enjoyed all your pictures. They’re so much fun, especially the quotes.
As I read this, I think I have the peace of mind: no Thanksgiving in the Netherlands, no Halloween, and I don’t actually celebrate Christmas. So… I can slow down. I love your blogmas idea; I should do something similar! How about a series called ‘Stay Bright: Daily Tips to Beat the Winter Blues’? Each day, I could share a fun tip to keep the winter depression away—like enjoying hot chocolate in cozy socks or finding joy in small daily treats! Creating ittle moments of happiness to fight off the winter gloom.
Your wooden drawers are beautiful. Do you think they are made of oak? I really love them!
Thank you!
I love your idea for a stay bright daily tips postings.
The drawers are oak. It’s one set of the 4 sets I’m working on. I got a bit more done today and hope to do a post about them soon.
I honestly think everything nowadays is way too much, too expensive, too for show. Nothing is organic or simple anymore, it’s quite overwhelming at times. I love Blogmas too and have thought about doing it this year, but like you, I think I will need to do posts in advance so that I don’t get stressed during the busy time of the year.
Have a blessed week my friend ♥
YEP, you hit the nail on the head EVERYTHING is just TOO over the top! The friend I was helping out who manages a local business decided to scale WAY back after the owner had HUGE fits at last year’s cost of the event. The “RICH” businesses had FULL size candy bars and the lines to prove it. Personally I won’t feel bad if we get the expected cold rain on Thursday and the actual day of Halloween is a bust.
There are so many BLOGMAS posts that just don’t change that much from year to year and that don’t require much “new” information so having the “shell” of the post ready will go a long way towards not feeling overwhelmed. I may even do some of it on Halloween as we are now expecting over an inch of rain 🙂
Hope your week is very blessed also ❤️
Hello beautiful Friend! Miss you and our MOndays. 🙂 Finally back from more epic travels!
The trunk or treat looked so fun and I love all the costumes! I’ve already had Xmas thoughts (& music) going on over here. Some shopping too! It will be here before we know it. I love that you’re so good about Blogmas!
I love those drawers you found. What a great upcycle plan to clean them up and that your hubby will help build something for them! Can’t wait to see the finished product.
Blessings on your week ahead.
Missed you too my friend, but glad you were having epic travels! Hubby cut the tops and bottoms for me today, but I have a few projects to finish up before I get back to the drawers. I have several sets of just 2 drawers and I use them all over the house, but this set is going to be special. I can’t wait for BLOGMAS – I LOVE celebrating the holidays in all ways possible. Have a great week my friend.