QuiltLady – Page 245 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

JELL-O TRICKS

I think most everyone knows this trick by now, but it always amazes me how much better it makes a bowl of Jell-O. So, I thought it was worth mentioning again even though I first mentioned it in 2008.

Around our house we always put canned fruit (peaches or pears usually) in the Jell-O for a little bit of extra UMPH to an otherwise bland snack! AND If I keep this made, we both tend to eat this at night when the munchies strike and stay away from the chips and ice cream.

When you drain those canned fruits, use a sieve and drain them into the measuring cup for the cold water first.
Then just add enough water to bring the level to where you need it. I usually get about 1 1/4 cup of fruit juice. Doing this will make for a better, more substantial flavor to any Jell-O.
Just after I pour in the Jell-o I use a small salad fork to stir up the fruit in each bowl. The fruit will usually end up well distributed in the Jell-O.
We also don’t like the film that forms on the top and I hated trying to stack all the bowls in the refrigerator, so I started using my Pampered Chef prep bowls for making Jell-O. Once you’ve made it, put the lids on and you can easily stack them in the frig.

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HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

My Daddy was the best!

He loved me even when I was at my worst and taught me to be my best.

He gave me strength ALWAYS.

He taught me about life and how to do for myself as well how to respect others, take pride in being myself, having a strong work ethic and loving without fear.

Losing him so close to father’s day 24 years ago has made all the father’s days since bittersweet.

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HUNGARIAN CHICKEN ala TAMY

I originally found this recipe when we were living in the mountains and needed some hearty rib sticking meals in the long cold winters. I found it in an old (1990) cook book called in Sarah Leah Chase’s Cold Weather Cooking. She called this chapter Stormy Weather and Magic Mountains. The recipes were all from the New England area, but really spoke to me as all around cold weather YUM!

According to Ms. Chase the original recipe was one her grandmother concocted for her grandfather to be able to make hearty food on hunting and fishing trips. While her family debated whose version was the best, I have adapted it to my family’s likes.

HUNGARIAN CHICKEN ala TAMY
Serves 4

4 slices bacon, diced
1 small Vidalia onion, halved root to tip and sliced thin
1 shallot, sliced thin
1 Portabella mushroom, cleaned and sliced thin
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery hearts and leaves
2-3 tablespoons SWEET Hungarian Paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup homemade chicken broth
4 boneless, skinless chicken pieces**
1/4 cup Wondra flour
1 cup sour cream
Fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Prepared egg noodles***

In a large skillet over medium-high heat brown bacon until crisp and crumbly.
With a slotted spoon remove bacon pieces to drain on paper towels.
Add onions and shallot to hot bacon grease and saute’ JUST until soft and beginning to brown.
Add mushrooms to pan and saute’ JUST until mushrooms are cooked through.
With a slotted spoon remove onions and mushrooms to paper towels also to drain.
Generously season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Add chicken breasts to bacon grease and sear well on both sides.
Remove chicken (it will not be cooked through yet and that is okay!)
Whisk together the chicken broth, paprika and tomato paste until well blended.
Add tomato mixture to pan along with celery pieces.
Return chicken, onions and mushrooms to the pan making sure to spoon sauce over top of everything.
Reduce heat, cover and SLOW simmer, basting frequently, until chicken is tender and cooked through 30-45 minutes or more depending on breast thickness.
Remove chicken pieces and keep warm.
Whisk sour cream and flour together until smooth.
SLOWLY (so as not to curdle your sour cream) add the sour cream mixture to the tomato mixture until well blended.
Heat though, stirring constantly, but DO NOT BOIL!
Return chicken to pan and coat well with sauce.
Serve over wide egg noodles.

**NOTE: I have also cut the chicken into chunks to make more of a stew with great success. Doing it this way will reduce your simmer time considerably.

***NOTE: Also quite good over mashed potatoes for a more rib sticking comfort feel.

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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THE BAPTIST WHITE LIE CAKE ~ A little Sunday Morning Humor

I received this in an email several years back and LOVED it!

Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this, especially all of the ladies who bake for church events.

Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the Baptist Church Ladies’ Group in Tuscaloosa, but forgot to do it until the last minute.

She remembered it the morning of the bake sale and after rummaging through cabinets, found an angel food cake mix & quickly made it while drying her hair, dressing, and helping her son pack up for Scout camp.

When she took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped flat and the cake was horribly disfigured and she exclaimed, “Oh dear, there is not time to bake another cake!”

This cake was important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her new church, and in her new community of friends. So, being inventive, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake. She found it in the bathroom – a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in and then covered it with icing.

Not only did the finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect. And, before she left the house to drop the cake by the church and head for work, Alice woke her daughter and gave her some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30 and to buy the cake and bring it home. When the daughter arrived at the sale, she found the attractive, perfect cake had already been sold. Amanda grabbed her cell phone & called her mom.

Alice was horrified-she was beside herself! Everyone would know! What would they think? She would be ostracized, talked about, ridiculed! All night, Alice lay awake in bed thinking about people pointing fingers at her and talking about her behind her back.

The next day, Alice promised herself she would try not to think about the cake and would attend the fancy luncheon/bridal shower at the home of a fellow church member and try to have a good time. She did not really want to attend because the hostess was a snob who more than once had looked down her nose at the fact that Alice was a single parent and not from the founding families of Tuscaloosa, but having already RSVP’d , she couldn’t think of a believable excuse to stay home.

The meal was elegant, the company was definitely upper crust old south and to Alice’s horror, the cake in question was presented for dessert! Alice felt the blood drain from her body when she saw the cake! She started out of her chair to tell the hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor’s wife said, “What a beautiful cake!”

Alice, still stunned, sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say, “Thank you, I baked it myself..”

Alice smiled and thought to herself, “God is good.”

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LIFE – IT IS WHAT IT IS!

As I was scrolling through facebook this morning I ran across this post from 7 years ago. I found it speaking to me as it still describes life so well. I’m also pleased to say that even though there have been MANY (cancer, 5 surgeries and The House from HELL just to name a few of the BIG ones) curve balls thrown at me since then, I have de-cluttered my life really well, for the most part. So I offer you a rerun of that post below.

“Life has this funny way of testing us and sneaking in trials and tribulations that weren’t in our original game plan never quite fit into “OUR” plans. That is how it’s been for me the past many months.

As many of you know I have spent the last 7 1/2 months helping out various family members around the country. First it was my elderly in-laws (MIL just turned 90) who begged us to come help them sell everything including the house and move them closer to family (we all know how that went – FIL is still trying to assign sentimental prices to everything in sight) and now it is my aunt & uncle. My aunt has end stage Parkinsons disease, such a sad disease. My aunt is extremely artistic and a beautiful painter – or at least she was. The Dyskinesia from the Parkinsons disease has robbed her of that ability. My uncle recently saw the Oprah episode on hoarders and has decided that my aunt is one. Trust me, she isn’t. I once worked for a real estate company as a stager for homes and they would send me in to work on homes that were similar to those on the Oprah show – those were horrible. So ask yourself, what is my (your) happy medium on the stuff I’ve (you’ve) accumulated? My theory? If you have a place for each item and it’s in its place, you’re NOT a pack rat or a hoarder. I do offer you the definitions below.

This is one of my favorite paintings of hers. She did have a LARGE collection of art supplies and empty tins for storing those items in, but in her defense men do think in simpler terms and this is just a meeting of the minds discussion. And in his defense they should be getting rid of most of this as she is now in a assisted living home and will not be able to use these items again. Donating them to the church or a school while they are still usable would be best, but can’t be forced. I pray that I will have more grace regarding these type of decisions if I reach that point and give up things more willingly, but none of us can ever be in one another’s shoes and truly know what we would do.

PACK RAT

~~Also called trade rat. a large, bushy-tailed rodent, Neotoma cinerea, of North America, noted for carrying off small articles to store in its nest.~~
A person who collects, saves, or hoards useless small items or an old prospector or guide.

HOARD

a supply or accumulation that is hidden or carefully guarded for preservation, future use, etc…
to accumulate money, food, or the like, in a hidden or carefully guarded place for preservation, future use, etc…

Long story short (I know too late), I have decided it is time to take back MY life. So, over the next couple of months I will be making some changes. Some big, some small, but ALL necessary to be myself and get a handle on MY life.”

My aunt passed 4 years ago and in the end they found she did not have Parkinson’s disease, but did have Lewy Body disease. Unfortunately the only way to tell for sure is through an autopsy. The treatments are similar and in the end would not have changed much. She was offered the DBS (deep brain stimulating) surgery early on and refused it (surgery scared her to death – especially brain surgery). As her disease progressed she wanted the surgery, but had waited just too long and it was no longer a viable option.

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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

VANILLA COGNAC BRINED PORK and GINGERSNAP GRAVY
APPLE PIE SNICKERDOODLES
PIONEER BEAN DINNER

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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PIONEER BEAN DINNER

PIONEER BEAN DINNER
1/2 pound ground chuck, browned and drained
1/2 pound bacon, crisply fried and crumbled
1 small onion, chopped small
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce*
1 tablespoon molasses
16 ounces pork and beans
16 ounces black beans

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine everything into a greased 9×9 baking dish.
Bake for 45-60 minutes.

NOTE 1: *A-1 works also

NOTE 2: This recipe works really well in a slow cooker all day also.

VANILLA COGNAC BRINED PORK with GINGERSNAP GRAVY

This recipe originated from the Southern Living cookbook, Off the Eaten Path as Vanilla-Cognac-Brined Pork Tenderloin with Gingersnap Jus. It’s from the Krazy Kat Restaurant at The Inn at Montchanin Village in Delaware. I made just a few changes to work with what I had on hand and really liked them so will keep the changes for future meals.

VANILLA COGNAC BRINED PORK with GINGERSNAP GRAVY

1/2 cup cognac
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons corriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons tri-color peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 vanilla bean. split and scraped
3 cups water
1 1/2 pounds bone-in pork chops

Whisk together everything except the pork chops.
Place pork chops in a Tupperware marinader or ziplock bag in a bowl (in case it leaks).
Add brine mixture and close, marinading for 24 hours. If using the Tupperware turn it over every few hours.
Begin gravy before grilling chops.
When ready to grill, drain pork chops of all marinade and pat dry.
Grill 3-5 minutes preside depending on thickness until 155˚.
Let meat rest under foil 10 minutes.

GINGERSNAP GRAVY

18 gingersnap cookies
1 1/2 teaspoons avocado oil
1 Shallot, diced
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 cup Marsala wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons molasses

Pulse cookies in food processor until finely ground.
Heat oil in sauce pan over medium-high heat.
Saute’ shallot and caraway seeds until onion softens.
Add wine, vinegar and broth.
Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Slowly whisk in cookies and molasses until well blended and gravy thickens.

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SNICKERDOODLES an ALL TIME FAVORITE

APPLE PIE SNICKERDOODLES
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400°.
Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, beating well after each addition.
Gradually add in flour mixture until well blended.

3-4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon apple pie spice

Combine sugar and apple pie spice until well blended.
Form cookie dough into small balls about walnut sized.
Roll each cookie ball in the sugar spice mixture and place on un-greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden.
Cool 2 minutes before placing on wire rack to cool completely.
Decorations are melted candy bark and sprinkle.

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Sweet WHISKEY Sour ~ August 2, 2002 to May 29, 2017

Almost 15 years ago hubby got me the BEST birthday present ever, the golden retriever puppy I had always wanted. We wanted a buddy for our 6 month old black lab, Gunner.

It was difficult to find a female puppy and eventually we found one, but there were a couple catches. She was two hours away and had to be named before we ever even saw her because they had to file the paperwork immediately. Oh and hubby had just had knee surgery, was on crutches and had National Guard Duty the weekend she HAD to be picked up.

We were at the VFW and trying to think of names. I knew her mom’s name was Ruby so we started thinking about drink names that used alcohols that were amber or ruby in color. I started browsing through a Mr. Boston cocktail book and that is when we decided on SWEET WHISKEY SOUR. Since we had never met her we figured the name covered EVERY possible aspect of personality. We sure didn’t need to include the sour part. Whiskey was the sweetest, most perfect dog ever.

Since hubby couldn’t take me to get her, my brother did. We were NOT prepared the amount of cuteness we were going to encounter when we arrived. She was one of 12 puppies and I think 10 of them had some form of alcohol name… Amaretto, Brandy, Cognac … Turned out she was the runt of the litter. Teeny tiny really, fit in the palm of your hand size, wear my scrunchy for a collar size.

For all these years I can only truly think of maybe two times she ever got in trouble. Our plan for her to be a buddy to our black lab, Gunner didn’t work out immediately. She was so tiny that she couldn’t be left alone with Gunny. So, she started commuting to work with me and keeping the customers company at the Auto Repair shop I managed. She became a seasoned traveler and loved to climb into the package shelf of my Camry so she could see everything. I had a LONG drive (65 miles each way) so she really got to see A LOT of things that she thought were really cool. Eventually she grew into her breed size and she and Gunny became best buds.

This past weekend was one of the saddest and hardest ever with the air conditioning going out and NO ONE available until tomorrow to fix it and then waking up on Memorial day today to the fact that we were going to be saying goodbye to the sweetest dog ever and with no warning!

Her breed has a life span of 10-12 years and we had been battling with seizures and chronic ear infections for years, and then more recently hip dysplasia and multiple tumors the past few months so knew we had been on borrowed time for quite awhile. We have been having to help her up and down for a couple months now and then today she had some form of Inner Ear Infarction and could not stand or walk. The vet says it happens all of a sudden, but that doesn’t mean we’re not kicking ourselves for not finding a way to prevent it. Making this decision killed us, but ultimately her quality of life (or lack of) was the most important thing to us. She was hanging on for us, we knew that and it made it even harder to make the decision, but her sweet face in agony made the decision for us. Our vet has been in awe of her making it to 14 3/4, actually all our animals being so old for quite some time. We lost a 21 year old cat, Dickens a few years ago as she died in my arms and still have Gunny the black lab at 15 1/4 and Sady the cat at 19 later this week.

She wanted to go out with hubby so bad and stood at the back door waiting until he returned. There is so much more I could write, but honestly I am still so torn up emotionally that I just need some down time to mourn her.

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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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Author: QuiltLady