Category: HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 45 of 2019

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

GOOD MORNING sweet friends.  I hope you all had a GREAT week and safe Halloween.  Our Halloween was a bit quieter than previous years, but the little ones had the cutest costumes.  It was another of those weeks that just flew by for me and I didn’t get my entire list accomplished. I’ll reorganize, reprioratize and try to get it finished this week 😀

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE  Normally at this time of year we are a bit dreary.  I don’t know what happened this year – maybe it was the early COLD snap or something, but it has been a perfect fall – COOL, CRISP and CLEAR.  This week is supposed to be the same, but a bit warmer day and night before the gray, rainy days look like they’ll be reappearing. 

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Banana with caramelized balsamic vinegar and hot water

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… looking good
  • YARD… all set for the winter
  • APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… hubby has a couple and I have a nail appointment
  • BLOG… BLOGEMBER posts, a few recipes and some crafts coming up
  • CRAFTS/PROJECTS… Bowling Pin snowman family and Christmas card tower

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY So far I have kept up with BLOGEMBER posts and finished strong on BLOGTOBER too.

I wish they’d just leave Daylight savings time alone! Go back to the way God intended and make life just a little less confusing 😀

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED The DVR is mostly clear of our normal shows we watch and we saw a couple of Red Box movies:

  • 10 MINUTES GONE
  • CRAWL

I’M READING SWAMP SANTA by Jana DeLeon, part of the Miss Fortune series.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA Unfortunately this week I didn’t do anything except food photos 🙁

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

BTW it’s only 51 days until Christmas 😀

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – TERIYAKI ORANGE CHICKEN on the grill & SALAD with homemade 1000 ISLAND with PICKLED BEETS
TUESDAY – C.O.R.N.
WEDNESDAY – BUFFALO CHICKEN MEATLOAF & SALAD
THURSDAY – CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN with MASHED POTATOES & PEPPERED GRAVY
FRIDAY – WINTER PORK ROAST with ROASTED CARROTS & SALAD
SATURDAY – CHICKEN & GREEN CHILE COBBLER & SALAD 
SUNDAY – C.O.R.N.

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR NEXT WEEK

  • PICKLED BEETS
  • CHICKEN & GREEN CHILE COBBLER
  • ORANGE TERIYAKI CHICKEN

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 44 of 2019

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

GOOD MORNING Where did last week go?  It was Monday morning and I was working away.  Then, the next thing I knew it was Sunday afternoon!  Obviously it was a busy week and I did get a lot accomplished, but I really prefer a little slower pace where I can remember what day it is and appreciate it a little more!  Sorry I was so late visiting everyone last week, but will try VERY hard to make the rounds earlier this week.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING

Fall is in full swing here with very cool crisp nights full of freeze warnings and cool days that warm up for a couple hours in the afternoon.  Despite the picture above, more often than not mornings begin a bit gray and foggy only breaking to sunshine around lunch time for a couple hours – one of the main reasons why “snowbirds” travel south for the winter.  It will only get worse after next weekend with the time change. I wrote the 2nd because I do it BEFORE I go to bed even though it technically doesn’t change until 2AM on the 3rd 😀 

I’m on my way to the shower, but will putting on some warm socks to go with my Levi’s, teal hoodie and favorite gray POPS.

 

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE When I was at the grocery store the other day, there was a man handing out samples for this amazing Epiphany Pacific Northwest LOCAL caramelized balsamic vinegar.  One of the things that really attracted my attention was he had SEVERAL different labels for what turned out to be the SAME vinegar.  He was market testing and trying to educate people that it can be used on SOOOOOOOO many more things than what are traditionally done. 

He had samples with various “odd” foods for people to try and I have to say I was PLEASANTLY impressed.  One of those “odd” foods was a banana.  So I sampled and I probably looked like a kid in a candy store.  I know my eyes got huge with surprise and a grin broke out on my face.  This is the long way of saying that my morning banana is now made with a large drizzle of this amazing caramelized balsamic vinegar!  Oh and I have my normal hot water.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… needs a bit of touch up which I will work on today…
  • YARD… hubby finished the new flower box this past week (part of what took up so much of our time) and I repainted (for the last time) the metal trellis that the clematis grows around in the spring.  The trellis had not been done previously (and should have been) so many areas of rust have eaten through beyond repair 🙁  It does have what repair could be done and a FRESH coat of paint giving it a couple more years of life.  Hubby also got the water spigots covered and the hoses drained.
  • APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… I finally have the appointment with my primary this week, a nail appointment and hubby has some things too at the end of the week.  We got my step dad home from rehab at the end of last week and home health care is supposed to do an assessment this week too.  And of course all the wonderful kiddies and their costumes will be here Thursday!
  • BLOG… I need to get caught up on BLOGTOBER and am still working on a few future recipe posts.  I’m also working on BLOGMAS and a new to me set of blog prompts for November that I think I’ll call BLOGTHANKS? or BLOGEMBER?. I’ve made the list of prompts to start next Friday, but can’t settle on a name yet 😀 I’m NEEDING the prompts to keep me motivated and not have my subject matter get stale.
  • CRAFTS/PROJECTS… I have a couple of snowmen projects to finish, but have just NOT had the time yet 😀

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED We caught an old movie from 2010, The Next Three Days,  on Amazon with quite a few big names (Russel Crowe, Liam Neeson, Elizabeth Banks, Daniel Stern to name a few) and are not sure how we missed it when it originally came out.

I’M READING Swamp Santa by Jana Deleon – one of the Miss Fortune series

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

There was an evening with an absolutely beautiful sunset!

George and Elmer here would like to wish you a Happy Halloween! 😀

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

There’s still 2 months left to 2019 – make it so!

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – POT ROAST & VEGGIES with SALAD
TUESDAY – SOUP KETTLE – an ANTIQUE RECIPE re-creation
WEDNESDAY – MINI CHICKEN POT PIES & SALAD
THURSDAY – C.O.R.N.
FRIDAY – MINI CAJUN CHICKEN POT PIES
SATURDAY – SWEET & SOUR BRISKET
SUNDAY – GARLIC LIME CHICKEN ala SLOW COOKER

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS NEXT WEEK

  • SOUP KETTLE – an ANTIQUE RECIPE re-creation
  • CAJUN CHICKEN POT PIES
  • GARLIC LIME CHICKEN ala SLOW COOKER

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 43 of 2019

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

GOOD MORNING sweet friends.  It was a busy week that seems to have just swept by when I wasn’t looking!  I’m jumping in with both feet this morning because of an early morning appointment.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING We’re supposed to have a relatively mild and dry week with cooler crisp nights. 🙂 We have an appointment this morning so I’m wearing Levis and a burgundy lightweight sweater with my new gray POPS.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Black cherry yogurt, string cheese and hot water

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… Standard tidying up to do
  • YARD… Need to cut back the clematus and start working on the flower box that is falling apart
  • APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… I have my annual physical and follow-up for the vitamins and minerals post surgery, getting my hair done, hubby has a couple of appointments also, visiting with stepdad at rehab…
  • BLOG… I’ve been working on Blogtober, a few recipes and BLOGMAS posts
  • CRAFTS/PROJECTS… Made some more pumpkins with the munchkins yesterday.  I’m also working on a Snowman family made from old bowling pins.  They are still naked, but at least started 😀

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY Doing Blogtober has helped me get away from doing JUST recipes and I’m really enjoying it.  I think maybe I need prompts for every month of the year to keep me motivated.  Last week’s posts from BLOGTOBER include:

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED

I’M READING nothing right now 🙁

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA We had our pumpkin making family day this week! I think the girls had fun making their own little families and using their imaginations to decorate them.  I made a couple new ones too for my ever growing family, including a set of twins.

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – HAM & SCALLOPED POTATOES with SALAD
TUESDAY – SOUP KETTLE – an ANTIQUE RECIPE re-creation
WEDNESDAY – MINI CHICKEN POT PIES & SALAD
THURSDAY – C.O.R.N.
FRIDAY – MINI CAJUN CHICKEN POT PIES
SATURDAY – SWEET & SOUR BRISKET
SUNDAY – GINGER ALE CHICKEN

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS NEXT WEEK

  • MINI CHICKEN POT PIES
  • MINI CAJUN CHICKEN POT PIES
  • HAM & SCALLOPED POTATO CASSEROLE
  • GINGER ALE CHICKEN
  • ANTIQUE SOUP KETTLE
  • CREAMY CHICKEN & VEGGIES

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 42 of 2019

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

GOOD MORNING dear friends.  I hope you had a wonderful week and weekend.  Ours was busy, but good. Hubby and I got a lot of projects accomplished and he’s about halfway through scrubbing all the gutters and covers down from the inevitable grunge that builds up in this type of climate.  We attended some local events, watched NASCAR and Football.  I did get some crafting time in as well as some “cookbook” time too 🙂 I was supposed to get some munchkin craft time on Sunday, but it was postponed to next Sunday.

We’re still dealing with illness around here and I’m really not sure how I have avoided getting any of it with my lack of immunity, but I guess staying in my ‘cave’ has paid off. 

My mom is doing better, but has a way to go.  My stepdad was finally moved from the hospital to a rehab facility to regain his strength and we have an appointment with his case manager later this morning.  Unfortunately, they are just not doing enough to keep him motivated and working forward in my opinion letting him wallow in his own self pity 🙁

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING It’s cooler weather, gray and rainy again here in the Pacific North West and I’m loving it! I have on my normal ‘uniform’ of Levis,  a brown long sleeve tee shirt and pink plaid flannel with my beige POPS.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water, peach yogurt and a Tillamook medium cheddar cheese stick

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… need a bit of sprucing up
  • YARD… HA HA we did have a flower bed that needs replacing that we planning on starting this week, but depending on the rain will probably wait.  The plant itself needs cut back so we will probably get that accomplished though.
  • APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… meet with stepdad’s case manager to work on getting him out of the rehab center, hubby has a VA appointment and last week’s fun day with the munchkins to make pumpkins was postponed until this week…
  • BLOG… BLOGTOBER, BLOGMAS, recipes
  • CRAFTS/PROJECTS… I finished my Pumpkin family on Saturday and you can find the directions here to make your own 😀 Also, it’s 72 days to Christmas Are you handmade gifts ready?

ON MY MIND  A post from my facebook memories from several years ago popped up the other day and I hate to admit I had second thoughts about re-sharing it despite it being about how I really feel.  The entire social media platform and how easily offended people are recently concerned me.  So I decided NOT to re-share it – at least not to re-share it there as I just don’t want to start any arguments or feel the need to defend myself or my beliefs.  I am sharing it here though because this is MY space and I believe this to be true.

“NOTE, CORRECTION & EDIT: LET ME BEGIN BY SAYING THAT THE FOLLOWING IS NOT AN ABSOLUTE ABOUT ALL PEOPLE. Just my perception at the time.

THANK YOU TO ALL THE WONDERFUL SAHM AND PARENTS WHO ALREADY FEEL AND ACT THIS WAY!

We have a cultural decay problem in this country. Life as we once knew it will NEVER be again. We have a lack of parenting problem in this country. As parents our jobs are to raise children into functioning adults first and to be their friend second. Teaching children to be independent, hard working, respectful, happy and gracious is the best thing you can do for them, you and for ALL the people they will encounter in the future. Teaching them about the ups AND the downs of life is realistic.

There is an apathy, a lack of respect, a lack of accountability, a lack of responsibility, a lack of courtesy… A silver spoon entitlement complex is taking over. Political correctness has become an insane concept trying to make life fair. WAKE UP PEOPLE! Life ISN’T fair and NO ONE every said it would be. Doing the best you can each and everyday is all you can really control.

Watching the news is not always just hearing the factual events as it once was. Commentary and social media have taken over – everyone wants to be the first to break the “NEWS” whether it is complete or correct. Fact checking seems to be a thing of the past in many cases. Spin doctors manipulate news every day.”

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED I think we’ve tried all the new shows and have weeded things out quite a bit as of this last week.  Some of the old favorites are still at the top of the list and a few of the new shows made the cut.  Unfortunately and sadly some of the new shows I had high hopes for just aren’t holding up to the hype 🙁 Still on the list are:

  • COMEDIES – Young Sheldon, The Good Place, American Housewife, Almost Family, God Friended Me, The Unicorn, Perfect Harmony?, Bless This Mess?
  • MILITARY, POLITICAL & CRIME DRAMAS and a couple that qualify as comedies – NCIS, NCIS New Orleans and NCIS LA, S.W.A.T., Seal Team, Macgyver, Law & Order SVU, Blue Bloods, Hawaii 5-0, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Bull, FBI, All Rise, Bluff City Law, 911, Evil, Stumptown, The Rookie AND for their final seasons Criminal Minds, Madam Secretary, Blindspot
  • DRAMAS & REALITY – The Good Doctor, This Is Us, The Resident, New Amsterdam, The Masked Singer, Dancing with The Stars
  • SYFY – Emergence, The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, Flash, Supergirl, DC Legends, Orville, Supernatural (Final Season)
  • HALLMARK – Cedar Cove, Christmas Movies, When Calls the Heart
  • COOKING – Guy’s Grocery Games, Beat Bobby Flay, Worst Cooks in America Celebrity, Holiday Baking Championship, Kid’s Baking Championship, Master Chef Jr., Master Chef
  • AMAZON – Mrs. Maisel

I’M READING Marie Force’s Deceived by Desire – I’ve read many of her series before, but this is the first period book of hers I’ve tried and I just started so am really undecided about it. 

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA We got up early to attend a local FLEA Market that was raising funds for the Museum in their town and these are a few of the shots along the way that really tell the story about our foggy mornings up here 😀  Unfortunately the FLEA market itself was a bust, but the antique stores in town all took advantage of the FLEA market and set up vendor sales in the parking lots that were worth getting up early for 😀 along with these early morning pictures.

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – BEEF RAGU & SALAD
TUESDAY – CREAMY CHICKEN & TOMATOES over MASHED POTATOES
WEDNESDAY – RED CHICKEN CHILI & CORN TORTILLAS
THURSDAY – C.O.R.N.
FRIDAY – CHICKEN HOT DISH & SALAD with TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE
SATURDAY – MAMA’S RETRO MEATLOAF & SALAD
SUNDAY – PAN SEARED CHICKEN with McGILLUCUDDY SAUCE & SALAD

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS NEXT WEEK

  • PINEAPPLE CHILI MEATBALLS
  • BALSAMIC CHARRED GARLIC CARROTS
  • LEMON LIME BARS
  • MEXICAN SOFRITO
  • SMASHED BANANA BREAD
  • FARMHOUSE HOT DISH

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY WEEK 41 OF 2019

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

GOOD MORNING We had a productive weekend.  On Saturday we removed the last of the dead garden.  The last little corner showed one last remnant of the opossum’s reign of vandalism with more half eaten tomatoes!  Hubby got the soil turned and we covered IT with heavy black plastic and pavers to preserve it for spring.  He also sprayed the areas that the blackberry vines were trying to desperately climb through the new fence and take over – they sure are invasive things!!! 

On Sunday we watched some football, NASCAR races and I watched over and played with the munchkins for several hours which is always so much fun and a huge JOY for me 😀 I worked on some recipe posts and the BLOGMAS list while we were watching football.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING We had a seriously fall week with a slightly warmer weekend, but are scheduled to drop back down into the high 50’s and low 60’s for this week with a little bit of rain tomorrow.  Today is starting cool, but will get to about 70 so I’m in layers; Levis, short sleeved t-shirt and hoodie to shed later with POPS.  I just love POPS at this time of year.  The broken in ones are like being barefoot while still being warm 😀

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Breakfasts still aren’t very exciting, but at least they allow for better lunches and dinners 😀  Today is the exciting hot water, banana and string cheese combo.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… Need to do some serious touch up cleaning
  • YARD… Got the rest of the garden pulled out and covered in black plastic for the winter.  I’m sure we have one very pissed off Opossum family 😀
  • APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… Hubby has a VA appointment later this week and I’m getting my nails done mid week, but other than that just some errands and grocery shopping.
  • BLOG… I’ve been doing BLOGMAS consistently for many years now and really enjoy it as a way to stay in touch with the season.  I’ve been working on a list for this year’s BLOGMAS 2019 series and pending any better suggestions this is what I’m thinking.  I really hope you’ll join me again this year.
  • CRAFTS/PROJECTS… I’m making some testers of these this week that I found over at Salvage Sister & Mister. Next weekend my friend Heather and I along with the munchkins will make some pumpkin families 😀

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED I’m still sorting through the new shows, but I like quite a few of them.  So many of my favorites have been killing off favorite characters though which I know is their way of spicing things up, but I’m still not sure I like it! I do like Ziva being back on NCIS even though I don’t like how harsh they have made her. 😀 There are still a few more new shows that start this week.

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY My mom is doing much better (probably 80%) from her go round with pneumonia, but my stepdad is still in the hospital (8 days so far). Hopefully he will be moved to rehab today to get his strength back so he can come home.  They both had their pneumonia shots and still got it!  It’s going to take some time to get their energy back and we’re hopeful that is numbers are better soon and he finally gets out of the hospital.

I’M READING I finished my last book and my paperwhite died almost immediately after so I’ve yet to start a new book while I wait for the new one to arrive tomorrow 🙁  I was pleasantly surprised when Amazon offered a great trade in price along with a significant discount on the new purchase.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

Had a GREAT day yesterday with my munchkins playing games (Mario Monopoly and Clue) and doing crafts!

I don’t understand why the opossum only eat part of the tomatoes and then move on to another tomato.  It was also interesting that they left this pile of peelings off to the side.  I suppose because of our recent cold and the tomatoes staying so green the peelings are more bitter?

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – HARVEST PORK CHOPS, PURPLE ASPARAGUS & TOMATOES
TUESDAY – TAMALE BUNDT PIE & SALAD with TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE
WEDNESDAY – CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE MEATBALLS with COLESLAW
THURSDAY – CHICKEN with BASIL AIOLI, BROCCOLI and SALAD with PICKLED BEETS
FRIDAY – ORANGE GINGER CHICKEN, RICE PILAF and BRUSSELS SPROUTS
SATURDAY – C.O.R.N.
SUNDAY – C.O.R.N.

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 40 of 2019

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

GOOD MORNING We had a quiet weekend with some antiquing and lunch out on Saturday and a munchkin birthday party yesterday.  I can’t believe he’s 13 already!   Quickly he’s probably not going to like me calling him a munchkin 😀

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING So it’s for sure that fall is here!  I saw the first geese flying south and honking loudly yesterday and the heat clicked on last evening during the football game!  We even had our first frost warnings over the weekend and again tonight.  I have to admit I was kind of glad to trade in my flip flops for real shoes, socks and pull out the hoodies 😀  Today is a teal blue lightweight hoodie, Levis and denim POPS.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water, banana and kiwi

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… all caught up
  • YARD… cut back squash and tomato plants for recycling
  • APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… just a couple
  • BLOG… I guess this is where I’ll be doing the countdown 😀 Can you believe it only 87 days until Christmas?  I’m working on the BLOGMAS 2019 schedule looking for ideas to make it interesting – Any suggestions?
  • CRAFTS/PROJECTS… I’m finished some Christmas bulbs to match the new garland.

ON MY MIND Worried about my mom and step dad who both came home quite ill from their trip to Nova Scotia and praying they take care of themselves!

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED I’m still sorting through new shows, but like quite a few of the new ones.  So many of my favorites have been killing off favorite characters which I know is their way of spicing things up, but I’m not sure I like it! 😀

I’M READING  I’m still reading:

Ava Miles’ Merriams #3 Valley of the Stars

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA So this appeared behind the house over the weekend along with all the digging flags.  Just hoping that whatever they’re doing on the highway doesn’t result in a power outage! Or affect the new fence, etc…

INSPIRATION

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – TAMALE PIE with SWEET & SOUR TOMATOES
TUESDAY – HONEY GARLIC GLAZED CHICKEN
WEDNESDAY – MARMALADE MEATBALLS & SALAD with TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE
THURSDAY – C.O.R.N.
FRIDAY – CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN with PEPPERED GRAVY
SATURDAY – MEATLOAF, BROCCOLI & MASHED POTATOES
SUNDAY – C.O.R.N.

My weekly links and pictures are now in a separate post 😀

HAPPY HOMEMAKER week 39 of 2019

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

GOOD MORNING I hope everyone had a wonderful week!  We had a VERY productive week despite the rain.  After my illness and massive weight loss I’d been putting off dealing with my wardrobe until I finally realized I was never going to gain any weight back and it was time to get rid of things.  I LITERALLY had to try on every piece of clothing I own and FINALLY sort it all out.  It was one of those projects that literally took days, but in the end I had to part with MOST of my favorites including coats, jackets and shoes!  Who would have thought you could lose shoe sizes?  It took several trips, but in the end I was able to donate over 200 gallons of clothing and shoes.  I did itemize it all, but in the end I categorized it by bag size and how many bags I used 😀

I also sorted through ALL the Christmas ornaments and decorations and put together 4 large totes of items to sell on ebay, ETSY  as well as several for the local memory care home of items they could use like tablecloths and such.

We had so much wet rainy weather that these turned into the perfect projects last week. Now on to this week. Yesterday was wet and rainy too so we got caught up on the DVR so it would be empty for the fall season and some football of course 😀

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING Right now it’s cool and overcast but, we are supposed to have a couple warmer, milder days before the temperatures will be dropping again with some rain chances. Yesterday was supposed to be 78 and never got above 66 so I have my doubts on any real warmth this week.  It’s that time of year where the mornings start with cloud cover and the sun breaks out around lunchtime so the height of the day temperature wise only last a couple hours anyway 😀

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Fall and the crisp cooler temperatures? I had to go to town yesterday and took the back way home through the country and was thrilled to see so many leaves beginning to fall.

I’m wearing Levi’s and a favorite purple pullover.  I’ve even broken out the POPS tennies to replace the flip flops 😀

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water, peach yogurt and a banana

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… Did a deep clean last Friday, so all is still good.
  • YARD… Hubby has been cutting back the garden from all the Opossum damage and it’s just that time as the temps are dropping and the plants are not producing much more.  The zucchinis have been HUGE though , literally doubling over night.
  • APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… eye doctor, dentist, VA…
  • BLOG… I guess this is where I’ll be doing the countdown 😀 Can you believe it only 94 days until Christmas?  I’m working on the BLOGMAS 2019 schedule looking for ideas to make it interesting – Any suggestions?
  • CRAFTS/PROJECTS… I’m working on some Christmas bulbs to match the new garland.

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED The new season starts this week so I’m looking forward to some old favorites that are coming back and a few of the new shows look interesting.

I’M READING I’m still reading:

Ava Miles’ Merriams #3 Valley of the Stars

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA We’ve had a pesky Opossum feasting on the garden tomatoes!  Every day he leaves just a small sliver.

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP Halloween is coming up and here’s a little something I wish I’d known years ago!

After you scoop out and carve your pumpkin, dip it in a large container of bleach and water (use a 1 tsp:1 gal mix). The bleach will kill bacteria and help your pumpkin stay fresh longer. Once completely dry, (drain upside down), add 2 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to a quart of water. Brush this solution onto your pumpkin to keep it looking fresh for weeks.”

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – BACON WRAPPED GRILLED CHICKEN WINGS & BBQ BEANS
TUESDAY – TAMALE PIE & SALAD
WEDNESDAY – OVEN FRIED CHICKEN & BISCUITS with SALAD
THURSDAY – COUNTRY CHICKEN & GRAVY with GREEN BEANS
FRIDAY – CHICKEN & BROCCOLI COBBLER with HONEY ROASTED CARROTS
SATURDAY – HONEY GARLIC MEATBALLS with PARMESAN MASHED POTATOES & SALAD
SUNDAY – C.O.R.N

The food portion of my Monday posts has gotten so big I’m now doing a separate post so this one is NOT photo heavy. 😀

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 38 of 2019

Be sure to join us and link up with
Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy Homemaker Monday,
Christy at  at Southern Plate for Meal Plan Monday
and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

GOOD MORNING ladies.  I hope you had a GREAT week and weekend and that your weather is as wonderful as mine is!  I had a VERY productive week and we watched the Nascar races, the RAMS game, the Steelers game and rented a couple Redbox movies for the rainy weekend.  Yesterday was my birthday and I had a visit from my favorite munchkins, cooked some fun food and relaxed!

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING Outside my window FALL has arrived 😀  I cannot tell you how happy this makes me!  A storm rolled in yesterday and the temperature dropped while the rain began to fall just to punctuate the new season.  I’ve packed away the summer clothes and pulled out the fall clothes which aren’t much different except for sleeve length and adding sweatshirts 😀 So today is Levis, a long sleeve purple t-shirt and gray Jelly Pop tennies.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE I’d like to say that the eating issue is better, but well, I can’t 🙁  I remain hopeful though.  Each day is a new day and we try fresh to make it work.  Today is black cherry yogurt, hot water and oatmeal

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… laundry is caught up, but I need to do a deep clean on the kitchen and clean up my clothes sorting mess from the living room
  • YARD… it’s wet, but hubby is getting things cut back for fall
  • APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… yesterday was my birthday, but I didn’t want to go anywhere in the rain so I think we’ll take off Wednesday or Thursday and go to the coast antiquing and out for lunch
  • BLOG… Can you believe it only 101 days until Christmas?  I’m starting to plan some BLOGMAS 2019 posts
  • CRAFTS/PROJECTS…  I finished the garland and have been sorting through Christmas boxes to decide what to use this year and what to donate to the local memory care facility.

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED The season starts next week with the exception of Dancing with the Stars which begins tonight so the DVR is virtually empty, but I will get it programmed this week for the new shows we want to try.

I’M READING Ava Miles’ Merriams #3 Valley of the Stars

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA I didn’t get anything but food pictures this week.

INSPIRATION

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – Baked Pineapple Salmon and Mystery Honey Roasted Carrots
TUESDAY – Chicken Lombardy and Salad
WEDNESDAY – Pull Apart Flautas with Sweet & Sour Tomatoes
THURSDAY – Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatball Pasta Bake & Broccoli
FRIDAY – Bacon Wrapped Chicken Wings & Salad
SATURDAY – Split Pea Soup and Corn Bread
SUNDAY – Lemon Lime Pepper Chicken & Rice Pilaf

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MEAL PLAN MONDAY week 37 of 2019

Be sure to join us and link up with
Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy Homemaker Monday,
Christy at  at Southern Plate for Meal Plan Monday
and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

GOOD MORNING I’m back from our trip and we had a GREAT time.  I still need to finish editing pictures, but all in good time.  Right now I’m trying to get back into a routine and organized.  Traveling was hard on my system with trying to regulate the hypoglycemia and stay hydrated while getting enough activity and the proper diet.  I had a few reactions, but all and all we were able to keep it under control.  I’m looking forward to visiting everyone now that I’m back and returning to my regular “blog routine”.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING I follow 2 different weather sites and they are usually quite similar 😀 It is supposed to cool down a bit this week despite one day in the 80’s and rain too which works well for inside projects.  I love that my birthday falls mid September and is usually in the 60’s with the added bonus of being the gateway to FALL, my favorite season!!  It’s only 2 weeks away.  Fall officially begins on September 23rd!! I have on Levi’s, a plaid blouse and pops. 

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE hot water, peach yogurt and snap pea pods

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… pretty clean and caught up on laundry 😀
  • YARD… some weeding and clean-up
  • APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… a long overdue nail appointment now that we’re back from our trip, sort through winter clothes which will be a serious project as EVERYTHING needs to be tried on since all the medical issues with the excessive weight loss and trying to get some things together for ETSY and EBAY sales before October.
  • BLOG… I need to start thinking about BLOGMAS for 2019 and get back on track with the antique recipes.
  • CRAFTS/PROJECTS… hopefully the final parts arrive today to finish the Christmas garland.  BTW it’s only 107 days until Christmas, just saying 😀

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY While we were away hubby’s father passed away.  This is really sad for us, but was also somewhat expected. The part that is on my mind is how things are being handled by my SIL.  Hubby has 3 sisters and a brother.  One of the sisters is a, hmmm what do I say here, let’s just call her controlling.  So much so, that in the past EVERYONE just gives into her instead of standing up for what is the best or right thing to do.  His mom passed away 2 1/2 years ago and it was decided then that her ashes would be put on the mantle to wait for dad to pass and then we would do a joint celebration of life.

The part that is on my mind now is hubby is quite upset because the controlling sister is not communicating and just deciding unilaterally how the celebration of life is going to be handled as well as EVERYTHING else!  She has chosen the worst and most inconvenient time (Thanksgiving Day) and decided to do a “dinner” at her house.  Did I mention she has a small house?  He has a few issues with this as does his brother, but she won’t listen to hubby and the 2 older sisters just won’t confront her.  Issue number 1 is that Thanksgiving is like 3 months from dad’s passing.  Issue number 2 is that she lives in smaller neighborhood with limited parking.  Issue number 3 is that we have a HUGE family and everyone would like to be there and many family members are now married with kids and grand kids or blended families making Thanksgiving completely a poor time choice.  Both brothers are in favor of giving mom and dad their own day and having the celebration at the Elks where there is ample space and parking.  They also believe that mom and dad would want it that way and so do I.  I support hubby and what he wants, but it’s not my place to get into it with his sister and so I pray that the situation works itself out without too many bad feelings between siblings.

Dad was 97 years, 8 months and 1 week old.  Mom was 4 days short of her 97th birthday. Makes me feel ancient to think of it, but then I remember hubby is 20 years older than me and wasn’t the eldest so everything goes back into perspective for me.

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED I’m looking forward to the fall season, but in the meantime football is back, Chesapeake Shores has returned and there are some Hallmark movies on the DVR 😀

I’M READING I’m now working on Women and Children First: Bravery, love and fate: the untold story of the doomed Titanic.  I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed The Secret Wife by a wonderful historical novelist, Gill Paul and her amazing ability to weave a tale that makes you feel like you’re living the history yourself.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA – I’m still editing the trip photos, but here’s another peek from the amazing wildlife we encountered.  We LITERALLY ran across 2 different herds just hanging out by the main road and neighborhoods.  This is about a third of the herd that was moving through this neighborhood.  The guy that owns this house won’t need to trim his hedge or fertilize his lawn for quite some time!

INSPIRATION

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU MEAL PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – BACON WRAPPED GRILLED CHICKEN WINGS & SALAD
TUESDAY – LEMON LIME PEPPER CHICKEN & SALAD
WEDNESDAY – BACON RANCH CHICKEN CASSEROLE & SALAD
THURSDAY – BAKED PINEAPPLE SALMON & COLESLAW
FRIDAY – CHICKEN LOMBARDY & GLAZED CARROTS
SATURDAY – BREAKFAST ENCHILADAS, CHEESE & POTATO STUFFED PORK CHOPS & BROCCOLINI
SUNDAY – BREAKFAST SLIDERS, BLUE HAWAIIAN COLADAS, TUSCAN CHICKEN & PINA COLADA CHEESECAKE & NO CHURN COOKIES & CREAM ICE CREAM for my birthday 🎂

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 36 of 2019

Be sure to join us and 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.

GOOD MORNING we’re still traveling so this is just a real quick pop in to say hello.  We’ll be back in a few days and I’ll get squared away on the blog 😀

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING It’s in the high 70’s here and I’m wearing black Levis and a favorite blouse.  We’re going to explore today so I wanted to be super comfy.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE yogurt and a banana with hot water.

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED LOL who knows – I will evaluate this when we get home.

I’M READING I found a fun new historical novelist, Gill Paul and she has an amazing ability to weave a tale that makes you feel like you’re living the history yourself.  I’m finishing The Secret Wife and about to begin another one, Women and Children First: Bravery, love and fate: the untold story of the doomed Titanic.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA I got this great shot of a horned owl hanging out on an abandoned train trestle, but haven’t gotten to it yet in the photo editing so this bison from the National Bison Range will have to do this week! 😀

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – OUT
TUESDAY – OUT
WEDNESDAY – ??
THURSDAY – ??
FRIDAY – ??
SATURDAY – ??
SUNDAY – ??

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK – none

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 37 of 2019

Be sure to join us and 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.

GOOD MORNING I’m just popping in real quick from our trip to update for the week.  We are enjoying our time and have had great weather and traffic conditions to get to our first stop.  We had the best time visiting the local farmer’s market and exploring the region.  We also found an awesome little neighborhood grill with the BEST food!! Food continues to be a challenge for me and coupled with traveling, altitudes etc… day 3 of the trip was extremely challenging for me.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING It’s gorgeous here with an expected high of 77 today.  I’m wearing Levis, my favorite hikers and a lacy t-shirt.  The whole week for us looks great though.

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY 27 days till Fall. 120 days till Christmas.  

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA These were from the farmer’s market we went to on Saturday – really wonderful vegetables! I got some great local honey and hubby bought some Jalapeno Wine lemonade.

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK Traveling ALL week, so no menu this week 😀

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 34 of 2019

Be sure to join us and 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.

GOOD MORNING dear friends.  We had a productive week and fun anniversary weekend at the Blackberry festival and hanging out together until a couple of reactions left me without energy.  Hubby has been very supportive through my reactions.  They just take so much out of me and leave me more and more drained each time.  I had an appointment with the endocrinologist on Friday and will be trying another new medication trying to get a handle on the situation.  Yet I had a reaction Friday night and again on Sunday.  I guess my body didn’t get the memo that help was on the way 😀

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING When I checked the weather I was shocked to find that the weather channel page repeatedly kept showing a VERY low temperature for our area!  Leaves me wondering if this is an omen for the weather to come – either way it was funny! 

Reality  is that we’re still in the mid to high 80’s for the week and the same will be true for where we are traveling to later in the week except they will be having much cooler evenings.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water, banana and blueberry yogurt

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY, LIVING AREAS & KITCHEN… pretty good, but I’ll do a final load of laundry Wednesday before we leave
  • YARD… nothing – too warm to do much
  • APPOINTMENTS & TO DO… I’m going to try and get some crushed boxes gone through today, hubby has a doctor appointment Tuesday and I may watch munchkins… I have several phone calls to make.  I’ll also work with my stepdad to get him oriented to his new to him apple computer…
  • BLOG…  a few recipes will post this week, but nothing much until after our trip
  • CRAFTS/PROJECTS… waiting on parts to finish garland 😀

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA Years ago I wrote several family reunion cookbooks for hubby’s family and they were a HUGE hit – so much so the younger kids are asking for a new one so they can contribute.  I LOVE this idea!  On my facebook memories recently this picture came up.  I had given one of the cookbooks to a military friend and it just warms my heart to see how much she uses and enjoys the cookbook.

INSPIRATION & A FUNNY

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY – PORK CHOPS CREOLE & GREEN BEANS
TUESDAY – SLOW COOKER MUSHROOM CHICKEN & SALAD
WEDNESDAY – C.O.R.N.
THURSDAY – OUT
FRIDAY – OUT
SATURDAY – OUT
SUNDAY – OUT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THE WEEK