MEMES & LINK PARTIES – Page 91 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

TUESDAY 4 ~ HOUSEKEEPING

This week the Tuesday 4 topic is housekeeping. Click here to play along.

1 What do you consider the most important job or chore to do in housekeeping?

They are so very important, but the VERY most important job to me is ORGANIZATION and staying one step ahead of always being behind LOL 😀 That means doing the dishes right away, folding the clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer, taking the trash out before it overflows…

2 Do dishes ever sit over night in your sink?

NOPE, I can’t stand dishes in the sink EVER! There is an occasional pot or pan that might soak for an hour, but that’s it!

3 Is being a stay at home mom a real career?

ABSOLUTELY! AND IT IS NOT A JOB FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!

4 Can you share favorite brands of dish soap, cleaners, detergents or perhaps a tip on making house keeping easier?

Once again my answer is ORGANIZATION! I use simple cleaning products – lots of soap, Mr. Clean, Plain old bleach and vinegar.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 28 OF 2020

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

I have found that one of the best ways to deal with this crazy world is to laugh! I saw these 2 memes recently on facebook and I keep been astounded by people’s sense of humor 😀

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING It’s going to be a great week both here and where we’re going and not all that different despite the distance. We decided to go see friends for awhile mid week despite what’s going on in the world. We will be extremely careful, especially because of my lack of immunity, but we are going to an area that has even lower numbers than we have here and I am ALWAYS super careful.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water and Carrot Apple Pineapple Toddler Squeeze – this stuff is actually quite tasty 😀

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

MONDAY	CLEANING & LAUNDRY and I’m still working on getting Savory Kitchen Table more organized and back to my working ways.
TUESDAY	WASH CAR, LAST MINUTE ERRANDS
WEDNESDAY	TRIP
THURSDAY	TRIP
FRIDAY	TRIP
SATURDAY	TRIP
SUNDAY	TRIP

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV We’re hopefully going to finish the last ship before we leave this week. There are some cooking shows and Hallmark that will accumulate while we’re gone.

I’M READING I didn’t get much reading done last week so I’m just starting The Book of Lost Friends and Hurricane Season by Lauren Denton. I’ve also loaded my kindle with a couple more in hopes of some down time to more reading while we’re gone.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA We did a walk around the pond for the 4th and it was relaxing and pleasant with NO ONE around. I still have a bunch of pictures to edit. This is one of my favorite old barns in the area.

INSPIRATIONAL I saw this very powerful image over the weekend that kind of says it all.

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	GRILLED CHICKEN with PEACHES & GREEN TOMATOES	C.O.R.N.	TRIP	TRIP	TRIP	TRIP	TRIP
DESSERT		CHEESE CAKE

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS NEXT WEEK OR SO

SHEET PAN SCALLOPED POTATOES
CHICKEN FRANCAISE
APRICOT VINAIGRETTE
SWEET & SPICY APRICOT BBQ CHICKEN

SUNDAY 6

To play along, link up with Martha at SEASIDE SIMPLICITY

1 WEEKLY RECAP It was a strange week, but oddly quick. I guess the holiday made it seem quicker than it was for some reason. We never go anywhere for the 4th anyway, but falling on a Saturday always seems to make it seem more like a long weekend. Based on the traffic I saw at the gas station and getting on the freeway I think a lot of people were traveling. I have to be honest it scares me because I saw a ton of camping equipment and boats which means there probably won’t be a lot of social distancing or masks going on.

2 WEEKLY TO DO

MONDAY	CLEANING & LAUNDRY
TUESDAY	WASH CAR, LAST MINUTE ERRANDS
WEDNESDAY	TRIP
THURSDAY	TRIP
FRIDAY	TRIP
SATURDAY	TRIP
SUNDAY	TRIP

3 MENU PLANS Since I’m not giving you much of a menu this week, I will give you my FAVORITE cheesecake recipe instead. It’s PERFECT every time! This time I made a creamsicle version.

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	GRILLED CHICKEN with PEACHES & GREEN TOMATOES	C.O.R.N.	TRIP	TRIP	TRIP	TRIP	TRIP
DESSERT		AUSTRALIAN CHEESECAKE

I found this recipe in an old (1960’s) cookbook put together for a lake area homeowner’s association. I have no idea what makes it “AUSTRALIAN” and Ruth Traum is unknown to me so I can’t even ask her. I tried to do research and found several recipes called “Australian), but none of them said WHY they were “AUSTRALIAN”. Best I can tell it’s just a version of a no-bake cheesecake, but it’s SUPER airy and light.

Ruth’s recipe used lemon jello, but it is a simple thing to change up the flavor to your liking. I mixed a box of cherry and lemon, using only half then and saving the other half for another time. You can also substitute ginger snaps for the vanilla wafers or mix in some pretzels for and extra crunch… The second time I made it I used a combination of lemon and lime on the jello… The cherry was better, but we’ll try orange next time 😀

AUSTRALIAN CHEESECAKE ~ LEMON CHERRY
1 small box Vanilla Wafers (crushed to make 2 cups of crumbs)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 small box lemon jello
1 teaspoon vanilla
Juice and zest of 1 LARGE lemon + hot water to equal 1 cup
~~1 LARGE can Carnation milk (VERY COLD)~~ 12 ounces VERY COLD heavy whipping cream
1 can pie cherries in glaze (optional)

Preheat oven to 300°.
Crush wafers and mix with melted butter until well mixed.
Press crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch spring form pan. If you use the 8 it will COMPLETELY fill the pan. If you use the 9 inch it provides a couple more pieces, just not as tall. 😀
Bake for 10 minutes and then cool.
Whisk jello into hot water mixture until dissolved.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Add in jello mixture until well blended.
Beat carnation milk with chilled beaters until very stiff.
Fold whipped milk into cheesecake mixture and pour into cooled crust pan.
Chill AT LEAST 8 hours, but this cheesecake is best made 24 hours in advance!
Top with whipped cream or pie cherries and enjoy!

4 SOMETHING TO SHARE The local paper ran an article on a coin shortage. Long story short the people who work the sorting facilities are NOT working right now so there is an actual shortage of coins in circulation and businesses need your help.

5 PHOTOS OF THE WEEK We did do a nice hike around the pond on the 4th. It was perfect and there was NO ONE else around. Usually there are a lot of people, fishermen, kayakers, etc… so we were pleasantly surprised and happy.

6 CLOSING THOUGHTS

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE – VOLUME 375

It’s time for Wednesday Hodgepodge over at This Side of the Pond.

1 ARE YOU CURRENTLY MAKING PLANS OF ANY KIND? WHAT EMOTIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE PLANNING PROCESS? HAVE YOU HAD TO CANCEL ANY PLANS DUE THE CURRENT SITUATION?

We had to cancel several plans during the spring including a family reunion. We haven taken one trip to my SIL’s house that went well, but was a bit different. And now we are planning a trip to see friends in another state. In a “normal” world we would just take off an see where we ended up along the way. In “THIS” world we are having to check distances, look for “SAFE” stops along the way to buy gas and use restrooms and make overnight reservations at “SAFE” locations. We will be packing a ice chest with snacks for along the way.

2 LAST TIME YOU SAW THE STARS, LITERALLY OR FIGURATIVELY?

Living in the country we can literally see the stars every night – at least those without cloud cover.

3 BLUEBERRIES, YAY OR NAY? BLUEBERRY PIE, BLUEBERRY MUFFINS, BLUEBERRY YOGURT, BLUEBERRIES BY THE HANDFUL… WHAT’S YOUR PLEASURE?

I love blueberries, but I am picky about them. I only like the small WILD blueberries. I LOVE blueberry muffins, but are not a fan of blueberry pie. I am NOT fond of eating them plain, but love them in vanilla yogurt with a handful of granola.

4 SWIM AGAINST THE TIDE, SWIMMING UPSTREAM, IN THE SWIM, SINK OR SWIM, MAKES YOUR HEAD SWIM… CHOOSE A “SWIM” IDIOM AND TELL US HOW /WHY YOU RELATE?

Of those choices SINK OR SWIM fits my life best. It’s along the lines of TRY, TRY AND TRY AGAIN. I just don’t give up , but keep trying until I get it right.

5 SUM UP YOUR JUNE IN A SINGLE SENTENCE.

I don’t need a WHOLE sentence. A SINGLE word will do it! SURREAL 😀

6 INSERT YOUR OWN RANDOM THOUGHT HERE.

Years ago, hubby and I made a pact to quit watching the news so much. We always end the day with some old stupid comedy. As I observe so many others around me I see them watching more and more news, reading more and more facebook posts, many of which are either weeks old, but being passed along as if they are new news or some of them are actually FAKE news. There needs to be less media or MORE RESPONSIBLE media as well as MORE FACT CHECKING, DATE CHECKING, SOURCE VERIFICATION…

TUESDAY 4 – 4th of JULY

To play along join up with Annie here.

1 DO YOU THINK THE 4TH IS AN IMPORTANT HOLIDAY? WHY? I think it is important that we have a national holiday of solidarity such as the 4th of July. I also think that many of the oppressive things (government, taxes, etc…) that led to pilgrimage to America that initiated the need for independence have crept their way into American life anyway over the years. But, it is still a time to come together as Americans and celebrate our freedoms, which are many. Here is a link to the history of the 4th of July.

2 HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE? Personally, we usually stay home at least of an evening. We have traditionally had pets that were afraid of fireworks so we would BBQ at home and stay near them to help comfort them from the neighbors that would start setting off fireworks early. We usually watch the celebrations on TV. In years past we have celebrated with neighbors, but only close to home.

When I was a young girl we always went to my aunt and uncles house who had a pool and spent the day with family. It was a long drive (about 2 hours) and after a day full of food and sun we’d drive home as it was getting dark and I would always look forward to seeing all the fireworks from town to town as my dad headed up the freeway.

3 IN THE TIME OF LAURA INGALLS WILDER, ALL AMERICANS READ THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE ON THE 4TH AND LEMONADE WAS A BIG TREAT FOR THE TOWN PICNIC. DO YOU READ THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE? OR YOUR NATION’S IMPORTANT PAPERS? ARE YOU A FAN OF LEMONADE? This question is the first I’d heard that the Declaration was read on the 4th in previous years, but it is something along with all the important documents that was taught in school at a fairly in depth level so there is a level of knowledge that is understood. And yes, if made well, I am a fan of lemonade, especially strawberry lemonade.

4 PICNIC – DO YOU EAT INSIDE OR OUTSIDE FOR THE 4TH? Honestly this question depends on the weather and where we are living at the time. When we were in Texas it was too hot and sticky to eat outside and sometimes here it can be too rainy or cool.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 27 of 2020

GOOD MORNING As we enter the 2nd half of 2020 I pray that the second half is SOOO SOOO much better than the first half! I recently saw a meme somewhere that suggested we have a “half year” new year’s eve party on June 30th to start fresh for July.

And for anyone who needs to know:

I also saw this cute little cartoon for July 😀

Last week was kind of a blur for me and I’m not sure why exactly! I do know that things we used to take for granted are now a lot more work. We’re planning a trip to see a friend and in the past we would just take off during the week and see how far we got and then find a hotel for the night. Not now though! I spent a couple days researching routes, distances, hotels, etc… so we can stay safe. I’ll pack a cooler with foods for the trip from here to there so we don’t have to stop except for gas. There is NOTHING NORMAL about this year!

We had a few days of excessive heat last week and then it cooled off significantly with rain that moved in Saturday night. We had a good weekend though… I did the laundry and some cleaning on Saturday followed by an afternoon drive where I got some great barn pictures and yesterday was MUCH cooler, rainy and lazy on the whole, but we did BBQ some chicken, watch some NASCAR and binge watched some more of The Last Ship.

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

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING It looks like it is going to be a relatively mild week.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water and Apricot Carrot Pineapple baby food squeezee

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

MONDAY	MENU PLAN & MAKE GROCERY LIST FOR TOMORROW
TUESDAY	GROCERIES & ERRANDS
WEDNESDAY	ORDER A BIRTHDAY PRESENT TO BE DELIVERED AFTER THE 8TH
THURSDAY	PAPERWORK, CALLS & MISC.
FRIDAY	LAUNDRY & CLEANING
SATURDAY	CONFIRM HOTEL RESERVATIONS FOR NEXT WEEK
SUNDAY	PACKING FOR TRIP

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV We just started season 2 of The Last Ship. We also watched a couple of movies on imDb – Hotel Artemis and Lonesome Dove Church. Like always there are also cooking shows and Hallmark movies to watch. Christmas in July begins July 10th 😀

I’M READING

Lately I’ve had 2 books going at all times. I just finished Lisa Wingate’s The Prayer Box and am starting The Book of Lost Friends and Hurricane Season by Lauren Denton.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA Saturday afternoon was so nice we took a little drive and I got a few fun country photos. The clouds were really pretty against the blue sky and sunny afternoon.

INSPIRATIONAL

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	CHICKEN FRICASSE, CREAMED CORN, &CORN CHEDDAR MUFFINS	RANCH CHOPPED SALAD & FARMHOUSE BUTTERMILK DRESSING	C.O.R.N. Y.O.Y.O.	LEMON ARTICHOKE CHICKEN & SALAD	CHILI STUFFED ZUCHINNI & SALAD	GRILLED CHICKEN, PEACHES & GREEN TOMATOES with SALAD	CHERRY BALSAMIC PORK CHOPS & SALAD
DESSERT		WATERMELON & BALSAMIC GLAZE				CREAMSICLE CHEESECAKE

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS UPCOMING WEEK

PAN SEARED CHICKEN with LEMON CHIVE SAUCE
BACON CHEDDAR CORNBREAD
BUTTERNUT SQUASH, BACON & APPLE HOT DISH

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

SUNDAY 6 – week 2

Martha, an old friend that I met through blogging years ago, had a great food blog with and have never actually met in real life, but feel like we’ve known each other forever… has returned to blogging after a couple years absence! She is doing what she calls, Sunday 6 over Seaside Simplicity as a link party. I hope you will play along too! Some of the categories overlap with categories I also do on Monday’s Happy Homemaker and Menu Plan Monday, but I’ll be brief in the overlap categories.

1 WEEKLY RECAP

2 TO DO LIST

MONDAY	MENU PLAN & MAKE LIST FOR TOMORROW
TUESDAY	GROCERIES & ERRANDS
WEDNESDAY	ORDER A BIRTHDAY PRESENT TO BE DELIVERED AFTER THE 8TH
THURSDAY	PAPERWORK, CALLS & MISC.
FRIDAY	LAUNDRY & CLEANING
SATURDAY	CONFIRM HOTEL RESERVATIONS FOR NEXT WEEK
SUNDAY	PACKING FOR TRIP

3 MENU PLAN

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	CHICKEN FRICASSE, CREAMED CORN, &CORN CHEDDAR MUFFINS	RANCH CHOPPED SALAD & FARMHOUSE BUTTERMILK DRESSING	C.O.R.N. Y.O.Y.O.	LEMON ARTICHOKE CHICKEN & SALAD	CHILI STUFFED ZUCHINNI & SALAD	GRILLED CHICKEN, PEACHES & GREEN TOMATOES with SALAD	CHERRY BALSAMIC PORK CHOPS & SALAD
DESSERT		WATERMELON & BALSAMIC GLAZE				CREAMSICLE CHEESECAKE

4 SOMETHING I’D LIKE TO SHARE

I honestly don’t have much to share this week. As I said last week for some reason was kind of a blur. I am still trying to regulate my medications and having eating issues because of the recall to certain medications, but am trying my best to make the best of it all.

5 PHOTO OF THE WEEK

We took the stale breads over and fed the Peacocks and turkeys this week. For a change the turkeys and Peacocks were playing nice with each other and sharing food. My guess is a lot of other people have been doing the same thing as a place to go and get out while still social distancing so they have lots of food and no need to fight over it. That said, we didn’t encounter any other human beings in the park 😀

6 CLOSING NOTES

Every single day I pray to wake up and find some form or normal has returned to our world. Then I have my coffee and realize that while I slept something else crept in to our world unchecked. I just pray that everyone finds it within themselves to be a kinder and nice people to think not only about themselves but all the others they share this planet with.

WEDNESDAY HODEGPODGE

It’s Hodgepodge time! Head over to From this Side of the Pond for this week’s question if you’d like to play along.

1. THIS TIME LAST YEAR WHERE WERE YOU?

This time last year we had just gotten back from my sister-in-laws house and I was working on some fun new summer recipes getting ready to celebrate the 4th with friends. I had just developed my latest cheesecake recipe for Blueberry Lime and learned to make Malasadas. This year will be a super quiet summer while still social distancing.

2. In honor of National Pink Day (June 23rd) tell us your favorite pink food or beverage. Was it on the menu at your house yesterday? Do you like to wear the color pink? If we came to visit would we find this color in your home decor? Blush-fuschia-salmon-raspberry-your favorite shade of pink?

Lately I’ve been loving a guava passion fruit juice and it is the prettiest shade of pink, but last night with dinner we had some pretty pink watermelon too. I have been eating it with a balsamic glaze reduction YUMMY! Typically I am not a pink kind of girl, but I do have a few summer blouses with some hints of pink in them and I did happen to wear a pink t-shirt yesterday 😀 and my toes are a bubblegum pink for summer right now. As for a favorite, probably fuschia bordering on magenta, but you won’t find it in my decorating except at Christmas time 😀

3. Stop and smell the roses, looking through rose colored glasses, a rose by any other name, not all moonlight and roses, no rose without a thorn…which rosy saying currently fits your life in some way? Explain.

HMMMMM tending to be an optimistic person at all times this is a hard choice for me. I’m a real “The Glass is Refillable ” kind of girl so I tend to see 3 sides to most things. If my grams was still with us she’d say Stop and smell the roses, but be careful of the bees or don’t let looking through those rose colored glasses tint how you really feel. I guess if I had to pick JUST 1 it would be a rose by any other name is still a rose. To me that just means that no matter what “spin” someone puts on something it won’t change the facts.

4. Are you a ‘reader’? Do you tend to read lighter books in the summer months? Do you have a summer reading list? If so, give us a title or two.

I am a serious reader – always have at least a book going, usually 2! I LOVE series books and ironically even posted my Wednesday inspiration this morning about just that! I don’t necessarily change genres or theme from winter to summer – just depends on where I am in a series and if there is a new release! I just finished Gill Paul’s The Lost Daughter and right now I’m reading:

Lisa Wingate’s The Book of Lost Friends and The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate. Next up will be Hurricane Season by Lauren Denton

5. Share with us one rose and one thorn from your weekend.

The rose from the weekend was the fabulously good weather we were having and no rain in sight. The thorn was that there was nowhere to go and nothing to do because of COVID19!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I received a letter yesterday from my mail order pharmacy that one of my medications has been recalled. And while it was an informative letter to a certain degree, it did NOT actually address how to handle the issue. So, 3 phone calls later I have dealt with customer service and the pharmacist at the mail order pharmacy and the receptionist at my doctor’s office with the result that I have to have an “early refill” done and pay an additional copay to receive untainted medication. WTH? I was told that I could call the drug manufacturer directly to be reimbursed, but not to hold my breath or waste my time. While on principle I want to deal with this, it is 100% not worth any more of my time. :SIGH: When did it become easier to give in than stand up for what is right?

TUESDAY 4

My friend Martha is back to blogging over at Seaside Simplicity! I love it, because I find more and more ways to get back into blogging more than recipes by following her again 😀 So, it’s time for Tuesday 4 and this week it’s all about summer.

1. WHAT ACTIVITIES DID YOU ENJOY AS A KID IN THE SUMMER?

I grew up in rural southern California (when there was such a thing as rural in southern California) where the sun almost always shined. Summer were hot, but doable in the dry heat and we lived outside playing ball, climbing trees, riding bikes or swimming in friend’s pools or hiking to the frog pond or pig farm in the hills around our area. We were up with the sun and had to be home by the time the street lights came on. We did pop in for meals, but other than that we were expected to STAY outside.

2. DID YOU GO ON VACATIONS? WHERE DID YOU GO?

Vacations were not an every year thing for us. There were a few over the years, but it was usually shorter trips throughout the year that would be our vacations. There were a couple of summers that I spent in Texas with family, but all in all there were no actual summer vacations.

3. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE SUMMER TIME DINNER?

We LOVE salads and homemade dressing in the summertime or anything grilled. Really anything that doesn’t heat up the house. Here are a few of our favorite recipes.

4. HOW OFTEN DO YOU SIT OUTSIDE AND ENJOY AN ICED TEA OR COFFEE?

We do like to spend the early mornings and evenings after dinner on the patio with either our coffee in the morning or a glass of wine and/or a beer in the evening. If it’s nice enough I will sometimes grab an iced tea and my kindle in the late afternoons.

Head over to Annie’s place to play along on Tuesday 4. And I’d love to hear about your summers too!

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 26 of 2020

GOOD MORNING I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and all your dads and hubbies had a relaxing father’s day. I’m in a bit of a hurry this morning so I’ll make this quick.

An old friend from my early blogging days has rejoined the blogging force and I joined in with her yesterday for Sunday 6. It is a really good lead in to today’s Happy Homemaker and Menu Plan Monday.

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

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING I have a long day starting with my mammogram at 830AM so have dressed comfy in jeans and a lightweight blouse with my favorite sandals to accommodate today’s heat.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE I’ll grab a banana and a bottle of water as I run out of the house to eat on my way.

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

MONDAY	Mammogram Nail appointment Errands and groceries
TUESDAY	Pack up some things (winter blankets, etc…) for storage
WEDNESDAY	Letters, filing and phone calls
THURSDAY	Inventory freezer and pantry
FRIDAY	Cleaning & Laundry
SATURDAY	Project Research
SUNDAY	??

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV We finished the Homeland Series – boy was that addicting! Claire Danes did an excellent job (as did everyone else, but WOW just WOW was she convincing). We’re about to begin The Sopranos which we missed the first time around. We’re also watching TAXI and DHARMA and Greg which are always fun. We’re really addicted to binge watching shows these days. There are some cooking shows and NASCAR on the DVR to catch up on.

I’M READING Lately I’ve had 2 books going at all times. This week is Lisa Wingate’s The Book of Lost Friends and The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate. Next up will be Hurricane Season by Lauren Denton

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA There are a few this week. I’m really loving all the floral color at this time of the year. And a local tavern recently sold. They’re testing out paint colors (we vote for the green that’s not in this picture) and they added some motorcycle parking spots. I love that someone thought outside the box and added this cute little broken down pink bike for some humor. And I can’t believe that bumble bee posed for me and I was able to get the veins in his wings while I was on the move with just an iPhone!

INSPIRATIONAL

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	CHICKEN CACCIATORE & SHEET PAN SCALLOPED POTATOES	VINEGAR CHICKEN & TURNIP POTATO GRATIN	STUFFED PEPPERS & CABBAGE SLAW	C.O.R.N. acronym for clean out refrigerator night	CHICKEN PEANUT STEW & CHEDDAR MUFFINS	CHICKEN FRICASSEE, CREAMED CORN, & SALAD	APRICOT BBQ CHICKEN & BUTTERNUT, BACON, APPLE HOT DISH
DESSERT		LEMON LIME AUSTRALIAN CHEESECAKE

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

AUSTRALIAN CHEESECAKE
NATCHITOCHES aka CAJUN EMPANADAS
SKILLET CHOPS & OVEN BRAISED RAINBOW CARROTS
CHEESY TACO PASTA
BUTTER BRAISED PORK ROAST
BALSAMIC GLAZE for FRUIT
IMOGENE’S CHICKEN

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS NEXT WEEK OR SO

CHEDDAR, GREEN BEAN & BREAD CASSEROLE
SNAPPER WRAPPER CASSEROLE
LEMON THYME MARINATED FRIED CHICKEN
VINEGAR CHICKEN

SUNDAY 6

An old friend that I met through blogging, had a great food blog with and have never actually met in real life, but feel like we’ve known each other forever… has returned to blogging after a couple years absence and I was blown away to see she was diving back in as if she never left. Welcome back Martha! She is doing what she calls, Sunday 6 over Seaside Simplicity. She’ll make it a link party if enough people want to join in.

Some of the categories overlap with categories I do also on Monday’s Happy Homemaker and Menu Plan Monday, but I’ll be brief in the overlap categories.

1. WEEKLY RECAP

I had a pretty good week and the weather was good. We did get a couple little half day trips for photos done and overall had a good time despite life being turned upside down right now. I did an inventory of my pantry back stock, freezer stock and menu planned through the 6TH of July so I could get a grocery list made for tomorrow’s grocery shopping. I was also able to get the recipes lined up to post on both this blog and my “recipe” only blog Savory Kitchen Table.

2. TO DO LIST FOR THE WEEK

I have an early mammogram appointment and appointments for fingers and toes on Monday.
Hubby has some VA labs on Thursday.
Planning an upcoming trip to see friends in Montana – this requires so much planning to do it safely these days!
Update some old files and a couple letters that need to be made besides a couple phone calls.

3. MENU PLANS

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	CHICKEN CACCIATORE & SHEET PAN SCALLOPED POTATOES	VINEGAR CHICKEN & TURNIP POTATO GRATIN	STUFFED PEPPERS & CABBAGE SLAW	C.O.R.N. acronym for clean out refrigerator night	CHICKEN PEANUT STEW & CHEDDAR MUFFINS	CHICKEN FRICASSEE, CREAMED CORN, & SALAD	APRICOT BBQ CHICKEN & BUTTERNUT, BACON, APPLE HOT DISH
DESSERT		LIME AUSTRALIAN CHEESECAKE

4. SOMETHING I LIKE TO SHARE

Martha shared a new blog which reminds me I need to get back into finding new blogs. I hate that my favorite reader went away and then there were a bunch of changes to the new one and I hate to admit I lost interest in things when my schedule was so busy. I’m going to try and start seeking out new blogs this year! In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a funny as we approach a new month that is indicative of all that we’re going through in 2020. 😀

5. PHOTO OF THE WEEK

This was a hard category for me – I just had too many favorites from this week and if you follow me on INSTAGRAM you know what I mean! 😀 That said, I have to say this Bumble Bee picture is probably top of the list. I can’t believe I was able to actually get the veins in the wings even. I took this on the move with my iPhone.

6. CLOSING NOTES

Sunday 6, Happy Homemaker and Menu Plan Monday are something I need to do regularly. My Virgo organizational habits are well suited by it 😀 I find I do best when I have a plan, a list or at the very least consistent organization that surrounds me. I hope everyone is having a WONDERFUL and relaxing father’s day, maybe with some back yard BBQ or at least a couple drinks and a good meal.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 25 of 2020

GOOD MORNING dear friends. I hope you had a GREAT week and weekend!

While I’m “AWARE” of all that’s going on around me, I’m choosing to maintain a sense of normal best as I can. It would be so easy to dwell on all that is wrong with just about everything to do with the world right now; the virus, the conflict… well 2020 in general! I did see the perfect MEME the other day though that made me LOL 😀 and if you’re a SYFY fan will make you laugh also! ALL kidding aside, I am putting everything in the hands of faith and optimism that everything will truly work out well… eventually… in the end.

Enough on that, let’s move on to Happy Homemaker Monday!

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

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING The weather has been really crazy lately! The last several weekends have been cool and stormy and then the weeks heat up to extremely warm by Friday before starting the whole cycle over!

This week looks to be starting similar in the low 60’s and ending in the high 80’s. So today and tomorrow, I’ll be wearing socks and tennies instead of my standard summer flip flops 😀

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE My standard fare of hot water and baby food and a banana

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

MONDAY	errands planning a trip paperwork etc…
TUESDAY	bowling maybe – the alley just opened and we’re thinking early on a weekday might be safe
WEDNESDAY	menu planning recipe updates blog updates
THURSDAY	cleaning and laundry continue organizing storage
FRIDAY	Hubby has a blood donation appointment errands
SATURDAY	Farmer’s Market? we’ll see what’s available
SUNDAY	??

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV I watched a really sweet film on Netflix called THE HEALER that is dedicated to Paul Newman and all the kids battling cancer. We used to live near THE PAINTED TURTLE CAMP which was actually an old Thousand Trails campground that his foundation purchased and converted. My girlfriend and I helped clear the grounds and plant new trees before they opened and make quilts for their quilt program. I also finally got completely caught up on all the backed up cooking shows. Now if I could get caught up on all the Hallmark movies on the DVR.

I’M READING 2 books right now and can’t seem to put either down. I love both authors and their story telling abilities to weave history into current day life. The first is Gill Paul’s Lost Daughter and the 2nd is Lisa Wingate’s The Book of Lost Friends.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA On a whim we took a trip to Wildlife Safari last week where humans are captive in their cars and the animals roam free. Our local Wildlife Safari has a globally successful cheetah breeding program. We were fortunate enough to run into a docent that was FULL of wonderful information. Unlike other jungle cats, female cheetahs are loners and do not bond with others, whereas male cheetahs MUST bond with other males to survive.

They have several new cheetah cubs, but they won’t be released for public viewing for another 4-5 weeks and I just wish we’d been able to get better pictures of the cheetahs, but the giraffes and elk were full of piss and vinegar! 😀

INSPIRATIONAL

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	CHEESY TACO PASTA & SALAD	CHICKEN with CREAMY SUN DRIED TOMATO SAUCE & SALAD	BUTTER BRAISED PORK ROAST & SCALLOPED POTATOES	C.O.R.N.	SNAPPER WRAPPERS, SKILLET CORN and SALAD with SPICY 1000 ISLAND	BUTTERMILK ROAST CHICKEN & GREEN BEAN and CHEDDAR CASSEROLE	LEMON CHIVE PAN SAUCE CHICKEN & SALAD and CHEDDAR MUFFINS
DESSERT		LEMON CHERRY AUSTRALIAN CHEESECAKE

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS NEXT WEEK OR SO

IMOGENE’S CHICKEN
BALSAMIC GLAZED FRUIT
CHEESY TACO PASTA
SKILLET CHOPS & OVEN BRAISED RAINBOW CARROTS
NATCHITOCHES MEAT PIES

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

Category: MEMES & LINK PARTIES