Category: MENU PLAN MONDAY

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 28 of 2021

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 hope that you all had a safe and wonderful holiday weekend full of fun and relaxation too. Our was a quiet weekend since I was down and out Friday night and Saturday so we took it easy yesterday. With living in the country and the high risk of fires we tends to stick really close on the 4th just in case of firework mishaps.

We’re in a traditional summer pattern now which seems wonderful after last week’s excessive heat from the heat dome. We’ve also been having very pleasant ocean breezes almost daily that make things really, really nice.

I had a bad week and a pretty bad reaction Friday night and Saturday so am really watching what I eat A LOT! Breakfast is hot water and baby food puree.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’ll be doing some laundry today.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have an appointment in town on Tuesday so will be doing my errands that day also.
  • PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS Still trying to get through last week’s pile
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I did get the next couple weeks of menus and grocery lists done over the weekend.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

I’m in the middle of A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean

A Fire Sparkling by [Julianne MacLean]

 

This guy won the patriotism award at our favorite tavern yesterday.

Since we back up to a country highway with tons of brush, hubby was ready for the potential of fireworks mishaps yesterday.

I still have touch ups to do, but I’m pretty happy with this week’s painting 😀 And it was appropriate for the holiday.

I’m trying some new recipes this week from some of my current favorite chefs 😀

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
SKILLET CHICKEN LASAGNA & SALAD
ANTIPASTO SALAD YUM! (Valerie Bertinelli)
SNAP PEA & BACON SALAD (Molly Yeh)
CHICKEN FRICASSEE (Arron May)
Y.O.Y.O./C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
SLICED AVOCADO & LIME SALAD (Molly Yeh)
STEAK & FRIED POTATOES
DESSERT
CHERRY PINEAPPLE CRUMBLE

  • 49er CHILI & CHILI HOT DOG CASSEROLE
  • JET TILA inspired FRIED RICE
  • RESCUE WRAPS 
  • SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD 

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 26 of 2021

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 hope everyone had a wonderful Father’s Day weekend with lots of family, fun and relaxation! Our was quiet with a couple small projects and errands. We also went for pizza (hubby’s choice) at one of our favorite restaurants.

Hello Summer! Bring on the sunshine! I know it’s hot just about everywhere, but it’s really been tolerable here with refreshing breezes – just don’t stand out in the direct sun too long!

Hot water and strawberry banana smoothie

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I got caught up on laundry yesterday
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I do need a few groceries for this week’s menu and hubby and I both have doctor’s appointments
  • PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I have some paperwork I have to get done this week
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING Menus are made through the first week in July and the heat has really set in so I may reevaluate it a bit

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX Tried to watch Black Summer, but not my kind of Zombie series
  • DISNEY+ Hoping to try LOKI this week
  • TUBI We’ve been watching Petticoat Junction which were before my time, but kind of cute for a black and white sit com from the 60’s and have started HIGHLANDER with Adrian Paul 😀 We also saw SNITCH with Dwayne Johnson and an old Jerry Stiller/Anne Meara movie, A Fish in the Bathtub
  • CABLE Just catching up on cooking and baking shows

I’m between books and will be starting one of these this week. A Fire Sparkling by Julianne Maclean, The CookBook Club by Beth Harbison, Seaside Manor Bed and Breakfast by Lilly Mirren or What We Find by Robyn Carr

When we re-did the flower beds, garden beds and whiskey barrels last year we purchased all new garden soil to fill the new beds. While it can’t be explained, evidently there were calla lily bulbs ground up into the new garden soil somehow. We have NEVER planted calla lilies before, but now have them coming up like volunteers beautifully everywhere we placed the new soil 😀

The bees have been having a hey day with the pink mallow and heather especially.

The hummingbirds have been flitting about everywhere with all the flowers in bloom.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
RIBS with PINEAPPLE HABANERO GLAZE, CORN on the COB and FRIED POTATOES
TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE
HOISIN MEATBALLS and SLAW
C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN and SALAD with BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
LEMON THYME CHICKEN and FRIED POTATOES
ALFREDO MEATBALLS and CUCUMBER SALAD
DESSERT

  • CHICKEN MADEIRA
  • CHERRY BBQ CHICKEN THIGHS
  • ORANGE BEEF LETTUCE WRAPS
  • GRILLED SPICY LIME PORK CHOPS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 25 of 2021

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 dear friends! I feel like I’ve been gone from blogland for months instead of just days, but I’m back!

How was your weekend? We helped my mom with her garage sale for the citywide community sales. The weather was horrible on Friday – cold (50’s), windy, rainy and then great on Saturday at almost 80 and almost sunny. We had more people on Friday by far and in the end did quite well with sales. That said I have at least 3 loads of things to drop off to Salvation Army this week, but at least it’s over and mom’s house is cleaned out.

It’s supposed to cool and even a little rainy today and tomorrow and then we’re supposed to head into Father’s day weekend and the beginning of summer with a serious bang in the 80’s and 90’s.

Hot water and peach yogurt

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I was able to get caught up a bit yesterday with what I didn’t get done prepping for the sale. I got the bed changed and caught up on laundry, but I have to be honest I’m exhausted!
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have appointments Monday (pedicure), Tuesday (hair) and Wednesday (endocrinologist) mornings where I can also work in a couple errands (groceries, walmart and post office) each day and dropping off a load of Salvation Army each of those days too. Thursday we need to do a few long distance errands and I have baking to do for the Eagles dinner my friend is hosting on Friday night. She’s making French Dip sandwiches with individual Angel Food cakes topped with a strawberry & blueberry sauce.
  • PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I need to sift through a pile and get quite a few things done.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I was able to get the meal plan done for the next 10 days and have several recipes set aside to make the plan through mid July, but haven’t had the energy yet to get it done.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX Outside the Wire, Beyond Skylines, Time Trap and a couple episodes of Outlander
  • REDBOX The Marksman with Liam Neeson, The Little Things with Denzel Washington, American Traitor, the Trial of Axis Sally and The Courie
  • DISNEY+ We didn’t have a chance to get to Mandalorian this last week.
  • CABLE Most shows have finished up for the season, but Christmas in July is coming to Hallmark soon! 😀

I finished THESE TANGLED VINES by Julianne MacClean which I really enjoyed and am following it up with her THE COLOR OF DESTINY.

I hadn’t even picked up a camera this week with all the garage sale prep, but I did do a little Pinterest surfing and fell in love with this kitchen! so thought I’d share the picture with you.

And then yesterday evening there was a group of #Teenagers that showed up at the #Front door and wanted to trade new tires or $25 for #ANYTHING. They were on a #ScavengerHunt. They started with a single #Penny and had to go #DoorToDoor trading up to larger and #Odder items. Having just had a #GarageSale Friday and Saturday my car and garage were full of the #Leftovers that I need to haul off to #SalvationArmy starting today. So I told them to keep their tires and their $25 AND take whatever they wanted from the pile of donations. They took the #MudFlaps for a #Bounder #MotorHome a #ChristmasCookieJar a #Vacuum 2 #BeachChairs a #BeachUmbrella #Honda #TireChains and … have fun #FamilyChurch #YouthGroup I hope you won😉
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
SHEPHERD’S PIE & SALAD
CHERRY BBQ CHICKEN THIGHS & PASTA SALAD
KUNG PAO CHICKEN with FRIED RICE & CUCUMBER SALAD
CHICKEN, CORN & BLACK BEAN SALAD
EAGLES dinner (French Dips & Angel Food cakes with Strawberry Blueberry Sauce
BEEF & GREEN BEAN STIR FRY & FRIED RICE
HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN with SALAD & BALSAMIC DRESSING
DESSERT
ANGEL FOOD CAKES

  • SHEET PAN BAKED HAMBURGER STEAKS with MUSHROOMS AND ONIONS
  • INSTA POT STICKY PORK LETTUCE WRAPS
  • BETTY WHITE’S CHICKEN WINGS 

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 24 of 2021

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 time last week we were unseasonably high in the 90’s. This week not so much and it looks like it will be on the cooler side all week with a chance of rain for the garage sale days 🙁

Hot water and black cherry yogurt

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’ve been helping my mom the past couple weeks get ready for a garage sale and last minute decided to try and get some things together for it also so have a real need to do some deep cleaning.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I need to head into town and pick up just a few groceries as I’m out of eggs and a few things and will drop off a few Amazon returns and get gas while I’m there. I also have an opthalmologist appointment on Wednesday, need to get the radiator and transmission service done on my car and blood drawn for my annual endocrinologist appoint next week as well as my mammogram on Friday morning. WHEW who planned this week? When I originally planned this week the garage sale was NEXT week and then we found out there was a city wide garage sale THIS week that the chamber of commerce is doing a digital map for so we moved it up.
  • PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I have a list of things I need to get accomplished in this category, but honestly don’t think I’ll have time to get to anything until after the garage sale next weekend.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I need to start planning the last of the month, but have been lacking in energy!

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX Finished Stargate SG1 and was hoping to watch Stargate Atlasntis, but NETLIX isn’t carrying it. We’re also finishing Season 1 of The Crew with Kevin James. We also started Sweet Tooth – looks interesting.
  • DISNEY+ Mandalorian
  • CABLE Finally caught up on everything we missed while we were traveling and am watching cooking shows now.

I’m just finishing up THESE TANGLED VINES by Julianne MacClean and will follow it up with her THE COLOR OF DESTINY.

We went to a car show on Saturday and I was really surprised at the wonderful turn out for the first local outdoor event.  There were quite a few really cool cars and some with some great signage too. But, this dog really made me laugh. So I stuck with a “dog” theme – the hot dog vendor, Hound Dog Salvage and the dog relieving himself. 😀

While cleaning out the attic and going through all of mom’s Christmas decorations we ran across these. She thought I made them, but they were made by kid brother who wants no part of them so this is the last the world will see of these macaroni ornaments.

Hubby found this cute little dragonfly hanging out in the garage and brought him outside before closing the door.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
MELISSA’S SHEPHERD PIE
POTATO TOPPED MEATLOAF
CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
CHICKEN, CORN & BLACK BEAN SALAD
BETTY WHITE’S CHICKEN WINGS & 2 POTATO OVEN FRIES
BEEF & GREEN BEAN STIR FRY
DESSERT
ANGEL FOOD CANDY

  • PICKLED CARROTS
  • BARNYARD PIE
  • COWBOY COOKIES
  • BAKED HAMBURGER STEAKS & ONIONS
  • LEMON CAKE with LEMON CURD FILLING, LEMON BUTTER FROSTING and CANDIED LEMON SLICES

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 23 of 2021

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 hope you have had a great weekend so far. Being military, Memorial day is quite somber for us as hubby becomes quite affected by having lost friends while he was in country.

There has been quite a bit of discussion on the significance of Memorial Day recently. This meme spells it out quite well.

We did have a couple nice lunches out and did some antiquing yesterday. I kept meals simple and was able to score a fantastic watermelon for the warmer weather we’re having.

It is supposed to be in the 90’s here the next couple days (pretty unusual for the Pacific north west in May) and then cool back down to our more normal 70’s for a few days before heading back towards the 80’s.

I’ve been helping my mom get ready for a garage sale father’s day weekend and we have been cleaning out attics, sheds etc… so it’s been hot, dusty, musty and sweltering at times getting things down and out for her to sort through. 

So far it has been quite productive!! with many boxes of 20-30 year old files to go to the shredder, several bags going to e-waste, the trash barrel and recycling almost full (the trash man just came Friday 😀 ), but we’ll make it work. Whatever is left is getting priced and what doesn’t sell will get donated 🙂

Hot water and peach yogurt

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING Laundry is caught up and everything is pretty tidy, but need to pull out some summer clothes. Also, please tell me why it is that ALL my favorite blouses need ironing and are in the ironing pile all at once??
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS No grocery shopping today since it’s a holiday, but I will head into town tomorrow for a Walmart run and groceries.
  • PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS still working on a stack of paperwork, but hope to make some serious headway this week.
  • PROJECTS, CRAFTS & PAINTINGS I have been restoring an old hope chest. Hubby sanded it down for me, uncovering 3 coats of paint (white, black and yellow) and a layer of contact paper on the outside before reaching wood. 😀 Fortunately, they never marred the inside and the cedar is in pristine condition. I did oil the inside with orange oil and have relined the cubbies with new felt on the swing shelf. Unfortunately, I forgot to take before pictures! I painted it with a primer coat followed by a coat of the same candy apple red I had left from when I painted the last chest and then 3 coats of the Milano Teal blue.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I have made the menu plan through mid June and am researching a few celebrity recipes (Molly Yeh and Valerie Bertinelli) for later in June.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX Finish season 10 STARGATE SG1, Army of the Dead, Looking forward to Sweet Tooth that begins on the 4th
  • DISNEY+ Mandalorian
  • CABLE All caught up on what we missed while we we’re gone and now we’ll reevaluate all the streaming services

I finished Jana DeLeon’s Frightfully Fortune. I’ve been so tired by the time I go to bed at night lately I have hardly been reading at all 🙁 though I have several titles in que to begin, just not sure which I’ll read first 😀

  • The Lost and Found Book Shop by Brenda Novak
  • While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky

I wish I’d remembered to take before pictures, but I didn’t 🙁 The first box here I found in an antique store for $10. It was painted in the ugliest black and duck tole pattern, but I loved the shape and feel of the box. When I opened the box though I saw the most beautiful wood on the inside so I took a chance and bought it. Hubby sanded it for me and we found a nicely made box with pegwork and dovetails. After 2 coats of English Chestnut stain this is what I have 😀

In a nearby antique store on the same trip I found an OLD cedar hope chest that had been painted white, yellow and black at different times as you can see from the side of the drawer that still needs repair and hubby is working on fixing it before he sands it. I’m also going to add a knob of some sort to the drawer as it is hard to open. At first when the entire thing was white you couldn’t even tell there was a drawer there. 😀

I was able to pick it up for $60! which was an awesome deal.  With the new lock, paint and repairs we still have less than $100 in it. Most of it has been elbow grease 😀

It is difficult to find the right depths of wood cuts sometimes and he has become a champ at modifying new pieces to fit 😀 Our bedroom is done in teal and gray so I am absolutely LOVING this Milano Teal blue color (though the picture makes it look more robin egg’s blue) on this chest. It will be used solely as a blanket chest.

The inside was in beautiful condition and with a little new orange oil looks like new!

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
BBQ PORK TENDERLOINS
CHICKEN in HERB SAUCE & BALSAMIC CARROTS
BBQ PORK SANDWICHES & COLESLAW
C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
LONDON BROIL NIGHT @ the EAGLES
BARNYARD BREAKFAST PIE HAMBURGER STEAKS & TATER TOTS
Y.O.Y.O.
DESSERT
CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES and LEMON CAKE

  • AVOCADO & PICKLED RED PEPPER SALAD
  • PORK SCHNITZEL
  • GERMAN BRAISED RED CABBAGE

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 22 of 2021

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’m back! Did you even miss me? I missed being able to easily visit everyone and am looking forward to getting caught up this week. We came back to cooler weather, but this week looks like it will be heavenly 😀 in the 60’s and 70’s.

As I settle back into a routine, I see that we are ALMOST through half this year. Where did it go?? I was only gone 3 weeks, but it felt like 3 months – we did 10 days of project research, the family reunion which I coordinate so it can be a bit involved trying to deal with snapfus and such and then a week at my SIL’s house updating her electronics and issues.  WHEW I need a vacation from my vacation 😀

Our trip was wonderful, but it is so nice to have the laundry done and things back in their places, even if just temporarily. Even so, we are planning another trip in August for our BIG anniversary and hopefully the last of the project research 😀

The family reunion went really well despite hating the location! Long story short, we investigated several new venues on the way home for a new site in 2022.  We have this reunion EVERY year (except last year – thank you COVID for breaking our perfect record) and are REALLY excited about the new site we found.The group coordinator I’m working with is wonderful and has even helped us arrange a short trip in August for our anniversary so we can get the “lay of the land”.

It is an RV resort park that will accommodate all the family members with their own RVs or trailers as well as those that want to rent cabins or tent sites. It also has plenty for the littles to do recreational wise and is near by to wine tasting, the Solvang Danish community and even an Ostrich/Gnu farm. I spent most of last week organizing the new venue and letters to family members to get the reservations in place. WHEW, glad that’s over except for the trip hubby and I are even going for in August for our anniversary to acclimate ourselves so that next family reunion goes smoothly.

Hot water and apple, carrot pineapple toddler squeeze.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING Pretty much up to date!
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS way NOT up to date. I’m going this morning to get a long overdue pedicure, do errands, pick up maps for the next trip and get groceries for the week. I’m also helping my mom get ready for a garage sale with her golfing friends next weekend and then another for her house in June.
  • PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I have a BIG stack to deal with this week, but it is HIGH on my priority list!
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I only have menus planned through June 3rd so seriously need to update this category!

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX Army of the Dead, finish Stargate SG1 season 9
  • DISNEY+ finish season 1 of Mandalorian
  • CABLE We have a TON of things from when we are on our trip that we will be catching up on this week, but we did a binge of FEAR the WALKING DEAD last night and got all caught up on at least 1 show 😀

Hubby and I were listening to Jana DeLeon’s Miss Fortune series on audible during the trip and heard 3 books.  Next trip we’ll do books 4-7 or 8, but in the meantime I’m reading book 20 – Fortune Funhouse!

Editing is HIGH on my list. I know many of you have been following along on my InstaGram feed so you know what I mean! But, I do have a favorite, well one of many favorites, but this one is pretty special. I got my niece laughing and she rewarded me with SUPER SWEET picture!

Some old family friends celebrated a REALLY BIG anniversary recently. When I got to my SIL’s house and saw this invitation with a picture of their wedding day, it really made me smile. Can you guess who Ted looks like?
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
BAKED LEMON GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN & ROASTED VEGGIES
EGG ROLLS IN A BOWL with AVOCADO RED ONION SALAD
C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
MELISSA’S CHICKEN & GREEN BEANS
BOURBON PECAN CHICKEN & WILD RICE
HUNGARIAN CHICKEN & CREAMED PEAS
PORK SCHNITZEL & BRAISED RED CABBAGE
DESSERT
CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

  • GARLIC & LEMON CACIO E PEPE
  • LEMON & HERB MARINATED GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 21 of 2021

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 WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
 Still on our trip for a couple more days, so will reevaluate later this week and be back to normal by next Monday!

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • Just what SIL had on her TV and then a couple hotel rooms. We’ll catch up later this week.

Hubby and I will be listening to the rest of the series on Audible while we’re on the road. Last week we heard books 1 Louisiana Longshot & 2 Lethal Bayou Beauty and we will start book 3 Swamp Sniper on our way home from SIL’s tomorrow.

I’ll edit photos after we get home, but I do have these 2 – the 45 foot wide flower that is made of ice plant.  My SIL planted this on her property below her garden area after my BIL passed away and it has truly been the talk of the town for a few years now. It can be seen from the Laureles grade between the Carmel valley and Salinas.

The next picture is of the most wonderful mushroom tamale. In fact it is the most delicious tamale I have EVER had!  It was drizzled with a delicious tomatillo sauce, pico de gallo, micro greens and toasted pepitas.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
ON THE ROAD
ON THE ROAD
ON THE ROAD
??
??
??
??
DESSERT
 

  • SOUR APPLE SLAW
  • CHILE LIME WINGS
  • ITALIAN CHICKEN & RICE

  • ZESTY GARLIC GREEN BEANS
  • VESUVIO CHICKEN
  • BLUEBERRY LIME NO BAKE CHEESECAKE

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 20 of 2021

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’m still on the road, but VERY rural at my SIL’s house this morning so this will be an abbreviated post. We will be heading to the family reunion on Tuesday. We had to cancel last year due to COVID so we are really looking forward to this year.  We changed the location a few years ago and many people want to move back to our original location so I have some research to do.

We received some bad news last week with hubby’s oldest sister passing away suddenly. Last year we were going to have a tribute to my MIL & FIL who have both passed away in the past couple years so we will have that this year and add in my SIL.

Hot water and apple, carrot baby food squeeze

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • Just lots of food, fun and family! Safely too!
WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

I’m reading Frightfully Fortune by Jana DeLeon.  Hubby is actually listening to the series with me on Audible while we’re on the road. Last week we heard books 1 Louisiana Longshot & 2 Lethal Bayou Beauty and we will start book 3 Swamp Sniper on our way home from SIL’s next week.

I took a ton of pictures this past week, but many still need edited. For those of you that follow my instagram you know what I mean 😀 Here is one of my favorites though. SIL has her own beehives and they produce the best sage honey! My new jar is packed and ready to take home 😀
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP & WINGS
??
BBQ STEAKS
STREET TACOS
CHILI DOGS
POT LUCK
??
DESSERT
 

  • ZESTY GREEN BEANS
  • SOUR APPLE SLAW
  • ITALIAN CHICKEN & RICE

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 19 of 2021

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 hope you’re all having a wonderful spring and had a GREAT weekend. We’re on the road again this week and having a great trip so I will make this VERY quick 😀

The weather has been quite nice until yesterday when we began to encounter rain and a cold front. We were treated with a nice thunderstorm last night and today is on the cool side so I’m back to flannels and many layers.

This doesn’t change much for me unfortunately no matter where we are at 😀 but it has been challenging with hotels and the way they handle breakfast during the pandemic. We’ve encountered everything from nothing, bagged to go continental breakfast, regular serve yourself buffet style (which we opted to stay away from) to room service only.

I did pack a supply of my squeeze pouches though so today is hot water with a splash of green tea and baby food squeeze – apricot peach this morning. It’s also a hotel with room service so hubby will choose something easy – fresh apple slices, hard boiled egg, a danish and coffee.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • SEARCHING FOR OUR NEXT PROJECT 😀

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • WHATEVER IS ON THE HOTEL TV 😀

I’ve downloaded 2 new books to start this week during our trip. RETURN TO SENDER by Jennifer Peel and THE COTTAGE BY THE SEA by Hannah Ellis.

There have been so many favorite photos from the past week, but this one is probably the most poignant. I love the history of why Borglum chose these 4 presidents and I LOVED seeing how much the monument has changed and grown with the addition of the state flags and history since I was here last many years ago.

Some of the most fun were the 40 miles of Burma Shave like billboards for Wall Drugs in Wall, South Dakota. We didn’t stop this trip, but have before and it’s a fun once in a lifetime stop if you’re in the area.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
*STILL
*OUT
*OF
*TOWN
*FOR
*THE
*WEEK
DESSERT
 

  • PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY & THYME ROAST CHICKEN
  • P3 ~ PISTACHIO PLUM PLATZ
  • TOMATO SCALLOPED POTATOES

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 18 of 2021

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

Hello sweet friends. I hope you are all doing well and have had a wonderful week. I can’t believe we are back to Monday already! We took a lazy Sunday off, so I will be going at it hard today as we have rescheduled an upcoming trip to leave this week instead. I will probably take a couple weeks off of blogging while we are traveling depending on connections and availability along the way.

Hot water and Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY Just a couple loads and packing for trip
  • ERRANDS POWER Red blood donation, pedicure, hair, oil change and tire rotation
  • PHONE CALLS Just a couple “rearranging” phone calls

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX STARGATE
  • REDBOX VANQUISHED with MORGAN FREEMAN
  • APPLE TV The Year Earth changed, GREYHOUND with Tom Hanks
  • DISNEY+ Mandalorian, Secrets of Sulphur Springs, Secrets of the Whales – ORCA dynasty, Eart at Night – Elephant Plains
  • CABLE  I’m still weeding out and narrowing down my focus as too many shows are becoming repetitive or too dark ALL the time – GGG, DDD, Beat Bobby Flay, Tournament of Champions, Ellen’s Game of Games, Bull, The Resident, New Amsterdam, The Good Doctor, 911, 911 Lone Star, FBI, FBI Most Wanted, Young Sheldon, The Unicorn, Last Man Standing, MOM, NCIS, REBEL, NCIS New Orleans, NCIS LA, Magnum PI, MacGyver, Blue Bloods, Chicago series

State of Affairs: A First Family Novel by [Marie Force]

Marie Force’s State of Affairs, the first in the “NEW” series, A First Family. It is the sequel series to her FATAL series of 16 books.

I’ve been doing the A to Z challenge  using #RailArt as my theme and this tiger from this past week is my favorite.

and a little joke to make you smile!
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
HAMBURGER SLIDERS, SWEET & SOUR BROWN BEANS and SOUR APPLE SLAW
CHILE LIME CHICKEN WINGS & SOUR APPLE SLAW
 😀
C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
??
??
??
DESSERT
 

  • RUSTIC CASSOULET
  • SWEET & SOUR BROWN BEANS
  • P3 PISTACHIO PLUM PLATZ

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 17 of 2021

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 hope everyone had a WONDERFUL week! We had a rare late spring/early summer like week here so hubby and I took a quick trip to the coast and REALLY enjoyed the beautiful weather. It is so unusual for this time of year here that we were able to snag a a beach side room for almost nothing!  We literally turned on the fireplace and slept with the door open and we LOVED hearing the waves ALL night!

We did a little antiquing too and just had a relaxing trip.

Now this week we’re back to the highs in the 60’s and lows in the 40’s. So the sandals are stuck back into the closet and the tennies and sweatshirts back out 😀

Hot Water and Strawberry Pineapple Superfood Smoothie

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING Laundry is done except for a load of sheets tomorrow.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I’m doing most of the groceries & errands today and baking tomorrow.
  • PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I need to finish the maps and trip planning for the upcoming family reunion and project search.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I will be searching through my new found recipe treasures to see what will be on the experiment list. Many of the “new” recipes are so old that they need ingredient research before I attempt them – I just LOVE those types!

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX We have 2 more seasons of Stargate SG1 and then will move on to Stargate Atlantis reruns
  • DISNEY+ A couple of Mighty Ducks episodes to watch as well as a couple of Secrets of Sulphur Springs and Mandalorian 😀
  • CABLE I’m starting to weed out and narrow down my focus – too many shows are becoming repetitive or too dark ALL the time – GGG, DDD, Beat Bobby Flay, Tournament of Champions, Ellen’s Game of Games, Bull, New Amsterdam, The Good Doctor, 911, 911 Lone Star, FBI, FBI Most Wanted, Young Sheldon, The Unicorn, Last Man Standing, MOM, NCIS, NCIS New Orleans, NCIS LA, Magnum PI, MacGyver, Blue Bloods, The Resident, Chicago series

I finally started (I didn’t do much reading last week) SPY MISTRESS by Jennifer Chiaverini. I’ve read her many times in the past with her quilt series and always enjoy her stories.

“enthralling historical novel set during the Civil War era, this time inspired by the life of “a true Union woman as true as steel” who risked everything by caring for Union prisoners of war — and stealing Confederate secrets”…

On our trip I had GREAT success on finding 2 separate vintage recipe boxes FULL of old time recipes! I wish I had taken a picture of the old (1940’s ish based on the color and bakelite handle) American Home Maker Menu box before I did a quick paint job.

And hubby is about to start working on my other old hope chest soon!

The drawer in the bottom needs some repairs as does the swinging drawer on the inside. It’s painted white now, but if you look 👀 under the blemishes you can see it has also been painted yellow, olive and pink at one time or another over the years. I can’t wait to see what the original wood looks like.

It’s really kind of sad that this beautiful old “HOPE” chest that has held so many other people’s hopes, dreams and memories over the years ended up discarded in an old junk shop. We even found a couple of OLD school pictures caught in the bottom drawer edges. ☹️ But we’ll get it restored and it will again be cherished and eventually be full of my quilts and extra blankets. I love that it’s completely cedar lined.

My other one is painted candy apple 🍎 red, but I think this one will end up painted teal blue 😊

If you look 👀 close there are even a couple of future hidden projects inside – some old vintage sewing machine cabinet drawers that he’s turning into part of my kitchen spice cabinet and a great wooden box with beautiful wood that someone had tole painted black! I can’t wait to see what it looks like after he sands off that horrible black paint! The unpainted wood on the inside is gorgeous 😀
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
BBQ PORK TENDERLOINS & SALAD
PULLED PORK PASTRY PUFFS & SALAD
CHICKEN & SAUSAGE CASSOULET
C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
Y.O.Y.O. YOUR ON YOUR OWN
PAN SEARED CHICKEN IN HERB SAUCE & BALSAMIC CARROTS
CHICKEN VESUVIO & BROCCOLI
DESSERT
CINNAMON PEAR PLATZ (GERMAN COFFEE CAKE)

  • BEER BRAISED CHICKEN
  • SHEET PAN MAC & CHEESE
  • PISTACHIO CRUSTED CHICKEN STEAKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 15 of 2021

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 hope spring is treating you well and that you had a beautiful Easter holiday. Spring has FINALLY come to our area and we had a very quiet Easter here. I made an abbreviated menu and had a quiet and simple day 😀

While our lows are still in the high 30’s, we are reaching the high 50’s and low 60’s during the day. It’s now time for light layers as you never wear the same thing all day 😀

Hot water, cottage cheese and pineapple

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING – a couple loads of laundry, pack away Easter decorations, garden clean up, attach garden hoses…
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS pedicure and a BUNCH of little stops today to complete my to do list for the day
  • PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I’ve been trying to get a hold of the same medical office to change an appointment time for a week without a call back and I’m getting VERY frustrated so will stop by there tomorrow while I’m in town.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I spent a good deal of the weekend working on the April menu so I can use up the pantry and freezer items before we travel in May.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX We’re still watching Stargate SG!, but we’re up to season 7
  • REDBOX We saw WW84 – not my favorite Wonder Woman movie
  • DISNEY+ Watched an episode of the Mighty Ducks which was pretty cute
  • CABLE – Great American Food Truck Race, Easter Baking Challenge, GGG, DDD, Beat Bobby Flay, Spring Baking Challenge, Tournament of Champions, Clarice, Ellen’s Game of Games, Bull, New Amsterdam, The Good Doctor, 911, 911 Lone Star, FBI, FBI Most Wanted, Young Sheldon, The Unicorn, Last Man Standing, MOM, Call Your Mother, NCIS, NCIS New Orleans, NCIS LA, Magnum PI, MacGyver, Blue Bloods, The Resident, Chicago series, Law & Order SVU – I was waiting for the new Law & Order with Elliott’s return last week, but was a bit disappointed 🙁

I just downloaded a bunch of fun summer reads and hope to start one this week.

We did make it to the Tulip Festival last week. The day was beautiful, a bit chilly, but nice none the less. I got a few pictures, but the fields weren’t in as much bloom as we had hoped because of the late winter. 🙁

We bought this one for my mom for mother’s day.

I’ve been doing this for years and it works wonderfully!
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
PAD THAI
GARLIC LEMON CACIO E PEPE with ROASTED ARTICHOKES
PISTACHIO CRUSTED CHICKEN with TOMATO RICOTTA SALAD
CHICKEN BACON RANCH PULL APARTS and COLE SLAW
ENCHILADAS
BUFFALO CHICKEN PULL APARTS and OVEN BAKED FRENCH FRIES
BLT SPINACH ROLL-UPS and PASTA SALAD
DESSERT
CINNAMON PEAR PLATZ