MENU PLANS – Page 2 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & RECIPE LINKS week 25 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.169

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

WEEKEND RECAP

Friday night we were supposed to go to a local winery, Joseph Jane (who has one of my all time favorites, Pink Panik) to meet friends for wine slushies and brick fired pizzas, but they bailed so we did too and will try again in a few weeks after we get back from our trip. Then on Saturday the temperature dropped A LOT! (high was 55°) and it rained off and on so I got the baking done for the Eagles event, researched some recipes and planned our upcoming trip. I actually pulled out a hoodie and then yesterday was Father’s Day and hubby got to choose everything 😀 which did NOT include the father’s day event at the Eagles this year, but I did make a pan of pecan pie bars for them to have. Hubby decided he wanted to exploring so we went down to the river as we hadn’t been there much since the Archie fire a few years ago and ordered our favorite sub sandwiches (the FLY FISHERMAN and the SWIFT WATER SUB) from a favorite little hole in the wall trading post on the way home.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Whenever I read the title for this section a Christmas song pops into my head! “The weather outside is frightful”…, but in reality it is the BEST time of the year weather wise, at least in my neck of the woods. I absolutely LOVE this time of year when the weather is just about as perfect as possible.

Temperatures are mostly in the 70’s during the day, but still getting down into the low 50’s at night… ABSOLUTELY my PERFECT weather. BTW since I brought it up, it’s time to start those summer Christmas projects so they’re done in time!

😂

ON MY MIND

I’m making a list of all the things I have been putting on the back burner and trying really hard to get back to my organized self! My biggest need is blocking out section of time to make this happen. July seems to be the time this will happen after my obligations are done at the Eagles and we have gotten back from our trip.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING All caught up!
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have to have a low pressure sensor checked today so will pick up some groceries while I’m in town.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS I’m beginning to see my way through a couple piles of paperwork.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’ve been planning a summer menu, but the cold this weekend kind of left me lacking the energy to plan much for next week.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

We watched a wide and varied range of things this past week, EVERYTHING FROM DISNEY+ Marvel movies (MOBIUS and LOGAN) to old classics like CHARADE with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart in ROPE by Alfred Hitchcock. I also watched quite a few cooking shows – GUY’S ROAD TRIP, MASTER CHEF, MARY MAKES IT EASY

READING TIME

I finished Jana DeLeon’s Baskets and Beignets so am down to 2 books which is more manageable as I seem to binge read anyway – Marie Force’s State of Suspense and Philippa Nefri Clark’s The House at Angel’s Beach.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	6/17 MONDAY	6/18 TUESDAY	6/19 WEDNESDAY	6/20 THURSDAY	6/21 FRIDAY	6/22 SATURDAY	6/23 SUNDAY
DINNER	TERIYAKI CHICKEN MEATBALLS with RICE NOODLES	BEEF TIPS IN BALSAMIC SAUCE over GREEN BEANS	CARIBBEAN CHICKEN with PINEAPPLE SALSA	SALISBURY STEAK, SAUER MASHED POTATOES & GLAZED CARROTS	YAY!!! LAST CHEF NIGHT AT THE EAGLES!!	FIRECRACKER CHICKEN with CRISPY PARMESAN POTATOES	PULLED PORK ROLLS & SALAD
DESSERT				CHOCOLATE CHERRY DOODLES

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

Friday afternoon was absolutely beautiful! We had an absolutely gorgeous and unusual double halo rainbow around the sun. From what I read this usually indicates that it is caused by ice crystals when the sun or moon refracts off them in a thin veil of cirrus clouds. It also said snow or ice is coming. We didn’t get either, but did get a severe drop in temperature and rain 🤣

Trees and the landscape are FINALLY trying to grow back after the devastating Archie Fire a few years back.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & RECIPE LINKS week 24 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.162

GOOD MORNING dear friends. Summer is quickly approaching and I still have so much I want to do for spring! The weather has FINALLY turned nice here on a consistent basis and I have FINALLY packed away the flannels and jackets. Though I do have a sweatshirt in the car for those places that are now cranking the air conditioning so high it’s like a meat locker.

Highs in the mid 70’s with lows in the mid 40’s – my FAVORITE combination of temperatures! So today will be my most comfy levis, a plaid blouse and flip flops.

I’m adapting a new attitude and trying extremely hard to NOT to let the idiots, blowhards and the like affect me. The “changing of the guard” is going to be hard for me to adapt to at the Eagles. Those few “in charge” as of June are either repeats from the past with serious egos and attitudes that aren’t good leaders or they tend to drink too much and spout off orders and rude comments to people or they have zero idea what it’s all about. Worse yet are the ones who were talked into filling a vacancy so we can keep the doors open, yet they aren’t either qualified to fill the slot, too easy to be pushed around by the blowhards or they don’t know how much work it will be and here we sit waiting for it to all fall apart, because it has before with these same people in charge. I am prepared to turn in my duties and find new avenues to donate my time. A couple friends and I had “bets” on when the first would fall. I wish we’d actually bet money. My bet was for 1 week and the first of the five resigned last night. 🙁 Sad, but true.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I have a load of sheets to do and a pile of ironing
GROCERIES & ERRANDS / PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS Taco Tuesday, Eagles Bar and Kitchen Shopping
PROJECTS & TRAVELS Drinks and pizza at a favorite winery with a friend on Friday, find a matching fabric for some quilted place mats I’m working on, buy a birthday present for a close friend. Make reservations for the day before and after a trip we were recently gifted at the end of the month.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m working on a summer menu plan for some lighter dishes.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

AMAZON PRIME ~ Time Changer, From Time to Time, Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop
CABLE ~ Cooking shows ~ Summer Baking Championship, Girl Meets Farm, Mary Makes It Easy, Best Bite in Town

I went from not reading at all to having 3 books at once going. I’m reading Marie Force’s State of Suspense, Jana DeLeon’s Baskets and Beignets as well as Philippa Nefri Clark’s The House at Angel’s Beach.

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	CHICKEN CAESAR PASTA SALAD	PERUVIAN CHICKEN with SALT & VINEGAR POTATO SALAD	GRILLED CHICKEN PEACH SALAD	CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN	OUT	STRAWBERRY JALAPENO CHICKEN with SALAD	BRUSCHETTA GRILLED CHICKEN and SALAD
DESSERT						PECAN BARS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & RECIPE LINKS week 23 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.155

GOOD MORNING! Can you believe we are in June already? This year is zooming by! There is so much I had hope to have already accomplished by this time, yet here we are almost to summer and I haven’t. For me, it was our lack of a real spring this year and the “extended” wintertime that seems to be holding me back. 😂 At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.🤣 I do have the garden beds planted FINALLY! and yesterday’s rain seems to be helping them settle in quite nicely.

We had quite a bit of rain yesterday and a much cooler temperature. Today is supposed cooler still (than normal), but at least sunny and then we should be getting much warmer by the end of the week. Spring temperatures are FINALLY here. I’m still carrying a light sweatshirt in the car at all times because it takes all day to get to the warmer temperatures 😂

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING Laundry and cleaning are up to date 😀
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have no pending errands or appointments this week that can’t wait. I do need to get the tires rotated on my car and address a brake squeal that shouldn’t be happening because they are pretty new brakes 😀
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS Because I don’t have many actual errands, I’m hoping to get a bunch of paperwork handled.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I found some OLD, really OLD taste of home magazines in an antique store and will be going through them in hopes of finding some new and fun recipes.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

AMAZON PRIME We’ve been re-watching WAREHOUSE 13 ~ it’s been so long that it feels new again, but with characters that feel like family 😀
CABLE We ran across an old Hitchcock movie that starred Jimmy Stewart called ROPE which was kind of fun on a rainy Sunday morning.

After a couple of weeks of audio books I’m having a tough time getting back into reading 🙁

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	BBQ BEEF PATTIES & ASPARAGUS RICE	SOUR CREAM PORK CHOPS & CORN TAMALITOS with GREEN BEANS	ORANGE TERIYAKI CHICKEN	HONEY THYME PORK TENDERLOIN	YOYO CORN your’re on your own or clean out refrigerator night	BALSAMIC HERB CHICKEN and PARMESAN MASHED POTATOES	JAMBALAYA & SALAD
DESSERT				PECAN BARS

We took a walk around the pond the other day and I found that the blackberries are starting to bloom. Hopefully they’ll be on time this year for the festival in August.

There is a neighbor who spearheaded a grant program to “build up” the pond. Unfortunately, most of us don’t share his vision. There are tons of construction changes (paving walkways where there used to be a well used path, tearing out the trees that lined the south side of the pond, adding pavilions and tons of concrete…) and upgrades going on that are disrupting the local neighborhood peace. Many of the animals aren’t happy either. The 9-10 swans that were living on the island are gone, literally just vanished, many of the birds are no where to be seen, we haven’t heard the frogs this year, the beavers that built this dam have lost most of their trees and vegetation in the area…

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENUS week 22 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.148

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 happy to be home and maybe back to a more normal routine this week. I hope you are all enjoying the long weekend, but also remember that this is not just a BBQ holiday. It’s a time to honor those that gave all for our country.

Honestly, I’m exhausted!!!!!! It’s been an exhausting month!!!!!! I need a vacation from my vacation!! I’m going to take a couple days to rest up and then think about what needs to be done next.

Also, I’ve spent a great deal of my time volunteering for the Eagles over the past 2 years. June 1st will bring about a “changing of the guard” in officers that I have some serious doubts about. So, I’m branching out to other organizations with my volunteer efforts. This is a good thing for me, but requires a mind change.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I have a couple loads of laundry to get caught up on.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have to make a list and get several groceries this week when I go to town for my pedicure on Wednesday.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS Hoping to spend Thursday and Friday getting caught up on multiple projects.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I really need to hunker down and go through several recipe piles and trim down my want to make list.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

AMAZON PRIME We started watching WAREHOUSE 13 of an evening. We really enjoyed it the first time around.
ROKU We are watching COACH reruns for hubby to fall asleep to.

Now that I’m all caught up from the trip and a non-stop week of food prep for the cribbage tournament over the holiday weekend I can finally start a new book. 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 😀

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	BBQ BEEF PATTIES and TOMALITOS	TUSCAN CHICKEN and ASPARAGUS	CORN / YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	ORANGE TERIYAKI CHICKEN and RICE	BAKED HAM with RASPBERRY SAUCE	CORN / YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	BAVETTE STEAK in DEMI-GLACE AND SAUER POTATOES
DESSERT

I’m still sorting through all the pictures from our trip, but I did get a couple this week with my super early mornings that were particularly nice and spoke to me.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENU PLANS & RECIPE LINKS week 21 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.141

It’s cool and foggy here this morning, but we should hit some pretty nice weather as we travel home today. That said the weather at home appears to be running on the cooler side so we’ll see what tomorrow brings. The weather app on my phone says the high for tomorrow will be a cloudy 49°. I did get a new hoodie and flannel on the trip that I’ll wear one today and one tomorrow.

I’m a bit tired, but happy that I was able to get so much accomplished for my SIL in a short amount of time. We also had a smaller than normal group (only 42 due to graduations, proms and weddings) for the family reunion, but it was a great time. I’m hoping next year’s group is bigger again.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’ll have a few loads of laundry when we get home, but the cleaning was done before we left.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I’ll definitely to do grocery shopping on Wednesday 😀
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS ??
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING ??

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

We’ll see what’s on the DVR when we get home 😀

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	OUT WHILE ON THE ROAD	OUT WHILE ON THE ROAD	ORANGE CHICKEN and CHOW MEIN	JAMBALAYA and DIRTY RICE	OUT working CRIBBAGE WEEKEND	OUT working CRIBBAGE WEEKEND	OUT working CRIBBAGE WEEKEND
DESSERT				CAJUN CAKE

I’m not posting ALL the photos from the family reunion, but if anyone is interested here’s a link to see how much fun we had.It was a little bit colder than normal, but we didn’t let that stop us! 😀

We had lunch at the wharf before we headed down to the family reunion. It was a cold, but pretty day!

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENU PLANS & RECIPE LINKS week 20 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.134

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day! Ours was spent traveling and then having a wonderful late lunch with my SIL and then a late dinner with a favorite nephew and his family. I’ll be accomplishing SIL’s honey do list (mostly technological stuff – updating her cell phone, changing out her modem and router…) for the next couple days before we leave for the family reunion.

We traveled this past weekend to spend time with my SIL before the family reunion this next weekend. What a shock to the system! We were warm at home, but only for 2 hours a day. We crossed the state border and the temperature jumped almost 40 degrees at 10AM! It’s a beautiful 70 degrees here at SIL’s house.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

SIL’s choice

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

	5/13 MONDAY	5/14 TUESDAY	5/15 WEDNESDAY	5/16 THURSDAY	5/17 FRIDAY	5/18 SATURDAY	5/19 SUNDAY
DINNER	SIL’S CHOICE	SIL CHOICE	SIL CHOICE	HITCHING POST with friends driving up for the night	STREET TACOS	POTLUCK	SIL’s CHOICE
DESSERT

Winter has gone on and on this year. I didn’t think we were ever going to be able to start a garden. Then this week the temps finally hit spring! The feed store was down to their last tomato starters so I bought them because they said they wouldn’t be getting anymore and am hoping for the best.

We also had an old box spring that needed disposed of. The local disposal site wouldn’t take it unless it was broken down into pieces and even then it was going to cost $18 for us to take it to them. Hubby took all the batting off and broke it down and then folded it in half so it would fit in my car for transport. It was then that the light bulb went off in my head. Let me introduce you to the new tomato cage. I think it will help support the tomato branches much better than the old cages.

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

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 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 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.

Category: MENU PLANS