HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY – Page 5 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPE LINKS week 18 of 2024~ BLOG 366.120

**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 CANNOT believe that it is almost May already! This year is speeding by way too fast.

We’re at that time of year where the highs in the 60’s are good for about a 2 hour window in the afternoon, but we are starting the day in the high 30’s-40’s and the weather pattern changes several times a day from partially sunny, to cloudy to rainy and back again with some strong breezes thrown in around noon time lately. So layers are the name of the game! Today is Levis with a black tank, buffalo plaid flannel and a favorite hoodie. I’m cleaning out my closet this week and getting a bag together for donation

I went to the County Quilt Show last Friday and had a great time. A friend of mine won 2 of the prizes with her great eye for color and designI’m hoping to get a post done with the other wonderful quilts I saw later this week.

Sandra posted her baby birds last week which made me wonder where I had filed my own pictures 😀 I just LOVE watching the birds each morning as I have my coffee. SO I started looking and I found them. I took these outside my SIL’s back door last year.

Broom Hilda and The Grinch made an appearance in our little timber town recently.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING Laundry is up to date, but I need to vacuum and do the bathrooms and kitchen.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I don’t need much this week, but will get those few items when I do the Eagle’s shopping on Wednesday.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS I’m still waiting on a few callbacks from several people, and working on final plans for the upcoming family reunions.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m ahead of the game on this category, but will quickly fall behind with the upcoming trip and all the cooking for the cribbage weekend and 2 June dinners at the Eagles.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

DVR is caught up (almost) and have been watching the spring baking championship, 24 in 24, season finales for a few shows and a few old movies.

I finally finished The Alice Network which I really enjoyed. I have no idea why the first half of the book read so slow for me and I LOVED the twist ending. I’m now reading I STILL DREAM ABOUT YOU by Fannie Flagg.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

	4/29 MONDAY	4/30 TUESDAY	5/1 WEDNESDAY	5/2 THURSDAY	5/3 FRIDAY	5/4 SATURDAY	5/5 SUNDAY
DINNER	PERUVIAN VERDE ARROZ con POLLO	cooking at EAGLES ~ CHICKEN CHILI & CORNBREAD	CHICKEN MARSALA and NOODLES	PAN FRIED PORK CHOPS and BROWN RICE	cooking at EAGLES ~ BEEF FAJITAS	HALIBUT ENCHILADAS and BEANS	SEAFOOD SALAD
DESSERT		STRAWBERRY POUND CAKE			CHOCOLATE ANCHO CHILI CUPCAKES

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY wtih MENU PLANS & RECIPE LINKS week 17 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.113

The weather has been ALL over the place! We are getting an hour or so each day that’s nice, but still having multiple weather patterns each day. We are seeing a couple of spring poppy blooms finally though and the hummingbird vine is coming in quite well. Today is Levi’s and a favorite hoodie kind of day. Highs in the low 60’s (maybe) and lows in the high 30’s to low 40’s.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’ve been doing some deep cleaning, sorting for donations and a friend’s garage sale and just some much needed overall organizing. Laundry is up to date and actually folded as well as put away.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have some grocery runs to do for the Eagles this week and an oncology appointment in a neighboring town an hour+ away so hubby and I will take that day to maybe do a little antiquing and have a nice dinner.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS This is all part of my organizing. I have notes everywhere and am attempting to organize my busy life into a single notebook in hopes of simplifying things – wish me luck 😀
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m still taking this one week at a time…

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

We are finally caught up on the DVR shows and even watched an old movie that we’d never seen before Tidal Wave – No Escape with Corbn Bernson and The Homesman with Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank. We started watching COACH at night when we go to bed – hubby can’t seem to fall asleep without the TV while I read.

I am back to finishing The Alice Network at night on my kindle, but have been so tired I only get about 10 minutes in before I fall asleep. During the day when I have time I’m reading I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg on my phone app.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

	4/22 MONDAY	4/23 TUESDAY	4/24 WEDNESDAY	4/25 THURSDAY	4/26 FRIDAY	4/27 SATURDAY	4/28 SUNDAY
DINNER	FIGGY BALSAMIC PORK & RICE	LOOSE MEAT CHEESESTEAK SAMMIES	CHICKEN FAJITA BOWLS	BAVETTE STEAK IN DEMI-GLACE	BALSAMIC TOMATO & HERB CHICKEN	SWEET CHILI PORK & CABBAGE STIR FRY	BROWN SUGAR BOURBON PORK CHOPS
DESSERT		BUTTER BISCUIT BERRY CRUMBLE

Years ago we rehabbed a Queen Anne Victorian that was 120 years old. It came with some really old German bearded iris bulbs. When we left there I dug up several and brought them with us. Obviously they were VERY hearty stock! They still look beautiful today.

Hubby has been working diligently on the power washing after the long wet winter. This year is the worst it’s ever been! Each section is taking a very long time, but it is starting to look better little by little. And aren’t these baby chicks adorable? I check them out every time I go to the feed store. 😀

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENU PLANS & RECIPE LINKS week 16 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.106

It’s cloudy and gray, which is no big surprise 😀 Today’s high is supposed to be around 50 or so and then clear for the rest of the week. Clear will be awesome during the day, but will bring back some cold nights. Levis and a favorite long sleeve t-shirt. I am trading in the UGG’s for tennies in hopes that spring really is here to stay.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I got caught up on all the laundry and cleaning this weekend. 😀
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I only need a few things for me this week, but I’m preparing dinner Tuesday AND Friday for the Eagles and need several things for those meals. Fortunately, I only have to cook for tomorrow and not serve. I have a hair cut and first pedicure for the season tomorrow and will pick up the groceries I need at that time.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS My main goal today is to get caught up on this category! Yesterday I was heavy into spring cleaning and sorting through linen and bathroom type things. Another friend has been doing the same thing and my car is full of donations from the 2 of us.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m still doing a few slow cooked meals and looking for lighter spring recipes.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

NETFLIX I watched the BRICKLAYER an action packed CIA type movie
PRIME We’ve been watching a new series called FALLOUT with Walter Goggins – a bit weird and even raunchy in places, but intriguing too.
CABLE The DVR is pretty well cleaned up, but there are a few lingering shows to catch up on – WHEN CALLS THE HEART, SPRING BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP, TRACKER, NCIS, LAW & ORDER, BLUE BLOODS, GHOSTS, YOUNG SHELDON, GOOD DOCTOR…

I’m still trying to finish THE ALICE NETWORK by Kate Quinn on my actual kindle – just can’t talk myself into walking away completely. I did start Fannie Flagg’s I STILL DREAM ABOUT YOU on my kindle phone app which I’ve been reading in waiting rooms and such.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

	4/15 MONDAY	4/16 TUESDAY	4/17 WEDNESDAY	4/18 THURSDAY	4/19 FRIDAY	4/20 SATURDAY	4/21 SUNDAY
DINNER	SLOW COOKER CHICKEN & DRESSING	OVEN BBQ CHICKEN	BAVETTE STEAK	BROWN SUGAR BOURBON PORK CHOPS	COBB SALAD with JALAPENO RANCH	HONEY THYME PORK	CHICKEN FAJITA BOWLS
DESSERT		MARGARITA CAKE with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING			LEMON BLUEBERRY COFFEECAKE

I didn’t take many photos this week, but did see these adorable chicks up at the feed store. And these bulls were on opposite sides of the road and VERY vocal when the female came trotting up to one of them. It was fun to watch them. 😀

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENU week 15 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.99

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

What can I say? April in the Pacific North West is unpredictable at best! You hope for the best, plan for the worst and in reality live somewhere in between. So Levis, a comfy sweatshirt and favorite UGGs it is – AGAIN! 😀 The forecast for this week WAS (was being the operative word) high 70’s and sunshine. The reality so far is low 50’s and clouds with pockets of rain.

Last Friday was supposed to be beautiful ALL day per the forecast, but when I went up to our little town to run several errands I encountered 5 different weather patterns within 3 miles! It was sunny and a beautiful 60° when I left my house and when I reached my girlfriend’s house 2 miles later it had clouded over and dropped to 55°. From there I went to the market less than 1/2 mile away to recycle some cans and it was sunny again, but breezy and quite cool. From there I went to the post office, again less than 1/2 mile away and while I was inside it completely clouded over again, dropped to 49° and started drizzling. From there I went to the feed store (our UPS drop off in this small country town) and while I was inside for just 2 minutes the temperature dropped to 36° and started hailing fast and hard with BB size hail that hurt! From there I went 1 mile back towards home to the Tractor Supply and it became sunny again though the temperature only went back up to 50°. It then proceeded to start raining as I got home and continued to do so off and on (more on than off) for the next several hours. And there you have a typical April in the Pacific North West. 😀

I have a lot going on, but so few words to describe it all. My girlfriend’s father passed away early Saturday morning so I want to be available for her and her family if they need anything this week.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING Laundry is up to date, but I need to do some vacuuming and de-cluttering from all the projects I’ve had going. I’m hoping to get some sewing done later in the week.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS Eagles shopping on Wednesday and hubby has an eye doctor appointment on Friday.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS This is all part of the de-cluttering. No travels until May except for the Great Junk Hunt next weekend with a girlfriend for the day.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING Another part of the de-cluttering as I have been searching for spring menu items.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

Been catching up on the DVR still from being away in March and think I’ll be completely caught up by the end of the week 😀 We did watch a couple of oldies on Saturday – Beetjuice which I hadn’t seen since it was new and Real Genius with Val Kilmer as a kid that I had never seen.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

Once again, have I mentioned that I am absolutely in love with my new slow cooker? 😀

	4/8 MONDAY	4/9 TUESDAY	4/10 WEDNESDAY	4/11 THURSDAY	4/12 FRIDAY	4/13 SATURDAY	4/14 SUNDAY
DINNER	SLOW COOKER BEEF IN GRAVY over MASHED POTATOES	SLOW COOKER SALSA CHICKEN and CHEESE	SLOW COOKER CHICKEN and SAUSAGE GUMBO	SLOW COOKER ORANGE TERIYAKI CHICKEN and RICE	JAMBALAYA	CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT THE REFRIGERATOR OR YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN	OVEN BAKED BBQ CHICKEN
DESSERT		CHILI CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES with CHILI CREAM CHEESE FROSTING			BLUEBERRY PUDDING CAKE with LEMON SAUCE

My neighbor’s daughter was down visiting last week with her Rag doll cats. This is Miss Blue who is so sweet, soft and pretty! Mister Bear decided to be coy and chose to avoid the camera all together. And yesterday was the “Last Stroll” on our one way bridge. It will be demolished soon as the new two way is about to open completely.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENU week 14 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.92

Today is going to be gorgeous and 72° (though it’s only 35° right now)! Tomorrow is supposed to be gorgeous and 74°. Wednesday is supposed to be a high of 47° and dropping so we can have snow on Thursday. 😀 And then we will return to our regularly scheduled programming of the Pacific North West at its best – cold and rainy every day.

This week will be a bit slower thankfully! I worked a cribbage tournament last week that kept me not only busy, but exhausted! After today that is! There’s a lot of clean up to do from the cribbage tournament from this weekend that had me working from Wednesday through most of Easter and there is also a lot of maintenance to do on clogged sinks, drains and over weighted attic areas at the Eagles. The rest of the week will be much slower for me then.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING Laundry and cleaning are up to date
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I’ll be shopping on Wednesday
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS Thursday will be my catch up day in this category
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m working on the next several weeks, but need to get more serious about spring recipes

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

SPRING BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP, TRACKER, YOUNG SHELDON, GHOSTS, CHICAGO SERIES, NCIS, FBI’s, TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS and a few HALLMARK MOVIES

I have been falling asleep almost as soon as my head hits the pillow, but I’m hoping to get back to reading this week.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

My new slow cooker will be here this afternoon so the rest of the week will be a slow cooker collection in honor of the winter/spring custody battle going on in our area.

A friend and I are working together making the Cinco de Mayo Auxiliary dinner for the Eagles and I’m in charge of dessert. So, I’m trying 3 different recipes this week for us to decide from.

	4/1 MONDAY	4/2 TUESDAY	4/3 WEDNESDAY	4/4 THURSDAY	4/5 FRIDAY	4/6 SATURDAY	4/7 SUNDAY
DINNER	FETTUCCINE & MEATBALLS with BOLOGNESE	ORANGE TERIYAKI CHICKEN & RICE	MEATLOAF, POTATOES and GRAVY	CORNED BEEF, POTATOES & CARROTS	POKER NIGHT CHILI & CORNBREAD	SMOKED BBQ BRISKET	SALSA CHICKEN & CHEESE
DESSERT		MARGARITA BALLS	CHILI CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES with CHILI CREAM CHEESE FROSTING	MARGARITA CUPCAKES with KEY LIME CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 13 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.85

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

Good morning my friends. I’m so glad you are joining me in my corner of blogland. Pour a cup of coffee and grab a slice of my Lemon Blueberry coffee cake (the recipe will be posted next week) while we chat. This is going to be a super busy week to end March with. And Easter will be the topper.

I’m mostly recovered from my month away, but still dealing with a few issues I haven’t unpacked mentally yet. Some things after I’ve finished unpacking them will not see the light of day and for that I refer you to my inspiration category this week. 😀

It may be spring where you are, but here we’re still having mostly winter. Spring pops in for an hour here or there, but has yet to make a notable appearance. This week is full of rain with highs near 50°. So I have yet to put away flannels, turtlenecks and UGGs.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’ll finish with the deep clean this week, but am caught up on laundry. I’m trying to clean out drawers and the closet as spring approaches.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have an appointment in town tomorrow and will pick up just a few things after.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS I have so much paperwork to catch up on! This week will be jam packed with so much to do!
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m looking into some spring recipes that are a bit lighter.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

We’re ALMOST caught up with the things that recorded while we were gone – TOURNAMENT of CHAMPIONS, CSI, FBI’s, CHICAGO SERIES, GOOD DOCTOR, YOUNG SHELDON, GHOSTS

I have never stopped reading a book before, but I’m about to if I can’t get done this week with THE ALICE NETWORK.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

	MONDAY 3/25	TUESDAY 3/26	WEDNESDAY 3/27	THURSDAY 3/28	FRIDAY 3/29	SATURDAY 3/30	SUNDAY 3/31
DINNER	RANCHERAS CHICKEN FRIED STEAK	HERB ROASTED CHICKEN with MASHED POTATOES	TEXAS STYLE STEAKS with CHEDDAR RICE	FRIED CHICKEN SALAD	working the cribbage event at the Eagles so not cooking at home	working the cribbage event at the Eagles so not cooking at home	HAM, SCALLOPED POTATOES, GLAZED CARROTS
DESSERT		LEMON BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE					DUTCH APPLE PIE (HUBBY’S REQUEST)

It’s mating season at the Peacock Farm 😀

that said I’m loving my new shirt: 😀

Easter is upon us so here are a few color combos that I’m in love with 😀

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY weel 12 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.78

I hope you’re having a wonderful start to the week. I’m off and running as I have a ton to get done today. Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

We got home last night and it was absolutely gorgeous – 68° and sunny! Today is supposed to be the same, but the as the weather page said “Drag The Jackets Out Again; Winter Isn’t Done“! Tomorrow is supposed to dip to mid 50’s and then by Wednesday we’re back into the 40’s and really wet. Today is Levi’s and a lightweight flannel with tennies.

There is A LOT for me to “UNPACK” both physically AND mentally from the past 3 weeks. I’m not really ready to go there yet here on the blog, but I am glad I did the “right” thing.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I have 3 weeks worth of laundry to do and some general cleaning.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS There is literally NOTHING in the refrigerator so my first stop will be the grocery store.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS It will take a few days to get all my ducks in a row and get back on track. At least they are all in the same pond this week.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING This week is planned, but I’m going to start some spring recipe research for some lighter versions of our favorites.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

We have a mess load of shows to catch up on the DVR. We watched a few movies while we were gone though. A couple I’m surprised I didn’t catch the first time – UPGRADED, The OTHER ZOEY, ALIENS ABDUCTED MY PARENTS, HITCH, OVERBOARD, THE PROPOSAL…

I’m about half way through THE ALICE NETWORK by Kate Quinn – I’m really enjoying books about WWII, especially about women spies. And especially when it covers multiple time periods in history as in this case both WWI AND WWII.

“1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She’s also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie’s parents banish her to Europe to have her “little problem” taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.

1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she’s recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she’s trained by the mesmerizing Lili, code name Alice, the “queen of spies,” who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy’s nose.

Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. That is until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn’t heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth . . . no matter where it leads.”

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL SOUP	TOMATILLO CHICKEN	CHICKEN FRIED STEAK RANCHERAS	CABBAGE BEEF SOUP	HAM & BEANS with BUTTER BISCUITS	POT ROAST & VEGGIES	LEMON HERB ROAST CHICKEN
DESSERT		BUTTERMILK DEVILS FOOD SHEET CAKE

I still have a bunch of pictures to edit from the trip, but a few of my favorites are from The Cadillac Ranch.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 11 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.71

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

This past week was extremely warm (mid 80’s) and very humid for March in southeast Texas, but then the weekend turned almost cold and windy bringing back out the sweatshirts we started the trip with. Fortunately we’ll be leaving here later today before the warm weather returns. So I’m starting today in Levi’s, a favorite t-shirt, sweatshirt and some tennies that I should have broken in better before the trip.

I’m glad we came to help my cousin and be here for the memorial. My aunt passed several years back so now both of my god parents are gone. I know my aunt and uncle are looking down and proud of my decisions. That said, I’m glad to be heading home having done all I can do to help and be leaving it in my rear view mirror. I’m going to leave the rest of my thoughts mulling over in my brain until next week 😀

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY I got caught up on laundry yesterday so we’ll start the trip home will ALL clean clothes.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I ran across a few of my aunt’s old recipes that were wonderful as a child, but will need to be converted to scratch now. Who really knows what this week will bring for a menu. The one thing I do know is a lot of eating out for our main meal.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

Not much as it’s all at home on the DVR, but we did watch a couple Amazon movies – UPGRADED, THE OTHER ZOEY and ALIENS ABDUCTED MY PARENTS

I just began THE ENEMY at HOME by Kevin O’Brien, a WWII historical suspense novel. I’ve really been enjoying historical WWII novels.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	DIL’S CHOICE	DIL’S CHOICE	OUT	OUT	OUT	OUT	OUT

Other than a few outings to favorite haunts for some long missed meals our week was spent working on clearing out my uncle’s house – throwing away the trash from the shed, house and garage, packing up the donations for his favorite charity and helping my cousin pack what she is taking home with her to Kansas. We’re exhausted and ready to start heading home!

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 10 of 2024 with MENU PLANS ~ BLOG 366.64

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

Snowing at home and a balmy mid 70’s here. A real toss up for me! I LOVE the snow and cooler weather, miss my friends and volunteer projects, but so love the restaurants, shopping and things to do here! But, like they say, you can’t go home again. We’ve been gone from here a few years now and in that time the traffic has gotten even more absolutely horrendous, the people are absolutely EVERYWHERE and it seems like a lifetime ago since this was my hometown.

For the past year I’ve been working with a girlfriend on estate sales and have loved doing it. We just finished one right before we left to help my cousin with her father’s estate. I have to say this is so much easier when you don’t personally know the person 🙁

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’ve been doing some laundry and cleaning here at my uncle’s as we begin “THE SORT”. My cousin will be here on Friday to begin going through things and loading her van and trailer to take things back home.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS There are a couple errands I need to do while we are here in the city that I can’t do elsewhere and I’ll bring in a few groceries at that time.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS we’ll see what I can get accomplished from afar.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m trying to get caught up on posting for Cooking Thursdays.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

Not sure what this week will bring.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀 Since we’re still on our trip dinners will consist of some of our favorite old haunts

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	GRACES KITCHEN	RAZOOS CAJUN	CHUY’S	PAPPASITOS	UNCLE JULIO’S SCRATCH MADE KITCHEN	TORCHY’S TACOS	IRMA’S CAFE
DESSERT

I put a few photos on Instagram and Facebook this week from our journey before deleting them, but saved the “ODD” ones for here 😀

HOT CHICKEN SALAD
PINEAPPLE LEMON CHICKEN

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 9 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.57

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

We’re beginning our LONG journey to my uncle’s funeral today so this will be quick.

I think the weather will change hourly for the next several days. I am starting with a turtleneck, flannel, levis and Ugg’s. It is supposed to be exceptionally cold and snowy here this week with the latest storm moving in.

I’m feeling a little melancholy about what this weekend will bring emotionally. I also feel bad for hubby as Saturday is a BIG birthday for him, and no matter how we tried, we couldn’t arrange the service at any other time to accommodate everyone. As much as I LOVE to travel I’m not thrilled about traveling during this time of year, but you know my motto – IT IS WHAT IT IS! 😀

The weather on the other end of this trip will be much warmer so that also increases the amount of packing and layers necessary.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

Nothing to do this week or next, but will do a bit of recipe research while I’m gone. I will also visit my favorite spice shop and farmer’s market while I’m gone.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

Whatever is on in hotels for the first few nights.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	We’ll be on the road for the	next several days so there	is no menu except visiting some	favorite old haunts along	the way.	Hubby’s birthday dinner is being set up by my cousin since we’ll all be together for the funeral.	I’ll take hubby someplace special tonight – just the 2 of us for his birthday.
DESSERT						chocolate cake of course

I found this fun alien #RailArt near the local lumber yard the other day and I planted a crocus, but it was a bit too soon. This is the prettiest it will ever be 🙁 Herbie on the other hand has mainly artificial flowers planted in it so looks absolutely adorable.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & MENU PLANS week 8 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.50

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

The weather this week is supposed to be all over the place – anywhere from the high 30’s to the high 50’s during the day and in the 30’s at night with primarily gray, cloudy, foggy and rainy off and on ALL week. Hoodies and Levis are the uniform of the week 😀

I’m trying to get better organized! Things are still a bit jumbled and chaotic with so many repairs and issues going on. It has truly been Murphy’s Law around here. Hubby replaced the parts for the kitchen sink drain and all is well on that front again, but we have black ants now (the kind that are looking for warmth or water) that are a pain in the winter. They hang out in outlets and shower drains and such. We’re having issues with rim leaks on a specific tire that is the issue of the day, for multiple days now. If it isn’t one thing it’s another.

The roofers came last week and said they fixed the leak (AGAIN) in the relatively new roof. Unfortunately, they didn’t 🙁 but fortunately the new project manager is a good and reasonable guy. He brought a small crew over last Saturday and took up the less than 2 year old section and changed all the flashing and laid new roof. They checked inside and out, but I’m leaving the bucket in place for a week or so just to be sure since they claimed to have fixed it many times before. There is still a lot of back and forth with my uncle’s passing. He lived in Texas, my cousin lives in Kansas and I’m in the Pacific North West. We have been having multiple conversations for weeks about everything and taking care of things from a far. It is all still a work in process, but obviously weighing heavy on my mind as we prepare for all this entails.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING Laundry is up to date and ironing is on today’s to do list!
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have a haircut on Wednesday, but not much more this week on this front.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS Tomorrow will be the day for phone calls and they are the kind that will require A LOT of time on hold unfortunately.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m hoping for a weather change to update the menu soon, but for now will be focusing on soups, chilis an stews for March.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

AMAZON PRIME We’re almost done binge re-watching GRIMM.
PARAMOUNT+ We’re almost done with re-watching CHEERS at night.
CABLE We need to get caught up on the DVR now that the new season has begun.

I’ve been so busy lately that I fall asleep quickly and have gotten very little reading done! I’m hoping to finish Canary Girls this week. It’s a very good book and I’m leaning so much!! I’m really sad it’s taking me so long to read.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	HAM & POTATO SOUP	HOT CHICKEN SALAD	CHICKEN ENCHILADAS	OUT with a CLOSE FRIEND for hubby’s upcoming BIG birthday	BURGERS	C.O.R.N.	C.O.R.N.
DESSERT

This is Miss Maya, a sweet little cat at a recent job we were working on. This has been such a wet winter that the moldy moss and grass growth is REALLY bad this year! I took these pictures downtown near a business we frequent. BUT, there is hope! These daffodils made a brief appearance on a sunny day.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & MENU PLANS week 7 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.43

CONGRATULATIONS to the Super Bowl Champs and Jean as well as the rest the faithful Chief fans – it was a heck of a game! Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Today and tomorrow are supposed to at least be clear though cold and then the rain begins again in time for Valentine’s Day. As usual I’m wearing Levis, a mock turtleneck and a flannel with my favorite UGGs to stay warm. Temperatures will be in the high 40’s to low 50’s with night time lows in the 30’s this week.

I’m sorry I haven’t gotten as much visiting to blogs as I’d like, but hope to rectify that this week. It’s been a traumatic week or couple of months. My uncle who is also my godfather has been sick for awhile (a couple of years, but in and out of the hospital since November 9th) and passed last week on the 6th. He lives in Texas, my cousin lives in Kansas and I’m in the Pacific North West. We have been having multiple conversations for weeks about everything and taking care of things from a far. It is all still a work in process, but obviously weighing heavy on my mind as we prepare for all this entails.

Last week we kept waking up to odd puddles of water on the kitchen floor… they didn’t appear to be coming from the ceiling, but they also were in the middle of the room and not near a water source (evidently there is a slight slope to the floor)…long story short it turns out the 5 year in-line water filter behind the refrigerator developed a tiny pinhole leak (at 2 years 11 months and 3 weeks) and was spraying out water that took most of the day and night to recreate itself with gravity and then the roofer was here Saturday and I think (fingers crossed) that they have FINALLY solved the leak in the laundry room! Fortunately, it has all been warranty work on the new roof so no money spent! just after he left though the kitchen sink decided we needed something more to do 😀 and that’s still a work in progress isolating the problem – seems to have something to do with the original installation and when the dishwasher drains…

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING We’ve been gone a lot so I need to get caught up on A LOT of things! The laundry is caught up, but I still have a pile of mending and ironing to do.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have an Endocrinologist appointment on Wednesday and a pedicure appointment of Friday when I’ll pick up a few groceries for dinner with neighbors on Friday night.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS getting caught up on several things and planning an upcoming trip.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING just this week is done for now.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

AMAZON PRIME We’ve been watching GRIMM while waiting for the shows to return. Have really been too busy to watch much else.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

	2/12 MONDAY	2/13 TUESDAY	2/14 WEDNESDAY	2/15 THURSDAY	2/16 FRIDAY	2/17 SATURDAY	2/18 SUNDAY
DINNER	C.O.R.N.	Filling in as the chef at the Eagles – so dinner is chef’s choice	WHISKEY PINEAPPLE CHICKEN with BUTTERMILK MASHED POTATOES	HOT CHICKEN SALAD	CHILE LIME SALMON, ROASTED BABY POTATOES & ASPARAGUS	TOMATILLO CHICKEN with CILANTRO RICE	SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL SOUP
DESSERT					OATMEAL CREAM PIES

It was a SUPER BUSY weekend with multiple events, but a friend snapped this fun picture for me. And yes I’m wearing cat ears 🙂 they were a gift from the band that night.