GREAT START TO THE WEEK!

Thought I would do a short update before I do my normal Monday blog hopping. I have high hopes for the week and Monday did not disappoint!  The studio floor that started out poorly yesterday went lickety split today with hubby’s help. We even got the hallway done also.

This is where I began yesterday.
This is where I ended yesterday.
This is where we ended today – the floor ALL in and the furniture in place.  I even got all the felt pieces under the furniture as we went.
The hallway meshed up with the living room, bathroom and spare bedroom well.  We’re not sure yet whether we can salvage the carpet in the spare bedroom, but we’re sure going to try.  It’s in good shape except for a couple “unknown” stains.
It finally feels a bit more like a house!
When we bought the flooring they only had 10 boxes which is 13 square feet LESS than we calculated that we needed.  Fortunately we had VERY LITTLE waste and this is all we had left!

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY

We had a good and productive week. I even had a productive Sunday… until… a stupid fall. I have been climbing all over this house, ladders, the roof and I trip over a hammer while carrying a heavy box – just too ironic.

 I spent the rest of the day with ice, a blanket, my book, a nap and the Nascar race.

WEATHER OUTSIDE
Fortunately our weather has returned to a more normal spring time level.  Thank goodness as I am NOT ready for summer in ANY WAY, SHAPE or FORM!

TO DO FOR THE WEEK/HOUSE PROJECTS

  • Finish the flooring and organization in the studio.
  • Paint spare bathroom.
  • Install spare bathroom floor.
  • Install spare bathroom vanity.
  • Drop off next load of donations.
  • Cook and prep for Easter.  I’ll be cooking at our house and then transporting it to my aunt and uncles as she is still under the weather.

CURRENTLY READING

TELEVISION / DVR
Not much except what comes our way at the end of each day.

CRAFTS & PROJECTS
I’ve been working on my studio and hope to have some new crafts next week.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & FRUIT
SCRAMBLED EGGS & CHEESE
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
YOGURT & FRUIT
MAPLE OATMEAL & RAISINS
EGGS in the CLOUDS
BACON & EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP & CRACKERS
SANDWICH
OUT
MEAT & CHEESE
LEFTOVERS
SANDWICHES
DINNER
CRISPY PORK CUTLETS with BUTTERED NOODLES
SMOTHERED STEAK TIPS
C.O.R.N.
SAKE CHICKEN and BROCCOLINI
BROCCOLI CHICKEN QUINOA
PAN SEARED WINE and HERB CHICKEN
ADULT STRAWBERRY LEMONADE, DEVILED EGGS, TROPICAL PORK ROAST, POTATOES AU GRATIN, RITZY BROCCOLI AND CARROT CASSEROLE,  CHOCOLATE BERRY BASKETS
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPES and their links FROM LAST WEEK

RECIPE FINDS TO TRY LATER
I took a bit of a fall yesterday so I took the afternoon off to ice my leg and finally caught up on many of the cooking magazines that I unearthed the other day and found a BUNCH of great recipe to try!

  • Fresh Pineapple Cake with Candied Carrot Ribbons
  • Purple Potato Soup 
  • Glazed Grilled Roasted Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Ribs
  • Swedish Cocktail Meatballs
  • Moravian Sugar Cake
  • Beer Batter Cheese Bread
  • Cider Baked Ham
  • Potato and Caramelized Onion Gratin
  • French Chicken Stew
  • Chocolate Malted Milk Cake
  • Butter’s Carrot Cake
  • Broken Dumpling Soup
  • Parmesan Pepperoni Chicken
  • Mississippi Mud Brownies
  • Creamy Chicken and Biscuit Bake
  • Pasta with Lemony Chicken and Asparagus
  • Rum Glazed Grilled Pork Tenderloin
  • Pan Seared Cod with Herb Butter Sauce
  • Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops
  • Sesame Green Beans
  • Sauteed Lemon Chicken Strips
  • Drunken Steak
  • Chicken and Mushroom Fricassee
  • Apple Dapple Cake

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP
A tip to making your baking pans non-stick is to whisk together equal parts of cooking oil, shortening or butter and flour. Using a pastry brush to coat your pan(s).  Your baked goods will not stick!

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

HOLIDAY FRENCH TOAST

I originally found this recipe in the December/January 2008 Cook’s Country issue. As always I made it as written the first time. I did then trim the time and enhance the flavors to my family’s taste.  This recipe is so sweet we changed it from their original Sunday Brunch French Toast to Holiday French Toast and make it as a special treat for the kids on holidays.

HOLIDAY FRENCH TOAST
8 slice sourdough sandwich 
6 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon PURE vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt 
2-4 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons REAL maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

  • Preheat oven to 475°.

  • Trim (optional) and toast bread. 

  • Place 2 tablespoons of the butter on a jelly roll pan and place in oven to melt. When melted use a pastry brush to make sure the entire surface is well coated.

  • Whisk together the eggs until smooth.

  • Add the whipping cream and milk, whisking again until smooth.

  • Add vanilla, lemon juice and salt, whisking again until well blended. 

  • Pour into a shallow dish.

  • Dip each piece of toast into egg mixture, coating both sides well.

  • Place toasts on jelly roll pan.

  • Bake for 8 minutes.

  • In a small mixing bowl use a fork to mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup until your consistency is wet sand.

  • Remove pan from oven and flip each piece of toast.  At this time add more butter if necessary.

  • Sprinkle sugar mixture over toast pieces and return to the oven for 6 more minutes or until sugar is deep brown and bubbling.  

  • Let cool for 2 minutes. 

  • Top with butter and maple syrup.
Sprinkle with sugar mixture just after you flip the pieces.
Notice all the beautiful caramelizing bubbles!

NOTE: If you don’t like crispy edges, trim crusts before toasting.
*The original recipe called for “hearty white” bread, but we prefer the sourdough flavor.
**The original recipe called for 1/4 cup vegetable oil, but I changed it to butter for flavor preference.

BYE BYE YELLOW, HELLO CRISP GREEK VILLA

So far it has been a VERY productive week.  We decided to take a break from flooring today -since we need to go buy more flooring plus it’s getting hard to scoot around on our butts day after day.

So hubby worked on the spare bathroom and a few odd projects while I started on the studio paint.

I could NOT wait to get rid of this horrible yellow in my studio.  Don’t get me wrong, yellow is a perfectly acceptable, bright and even pretty color.  BUT, it belongs on flowers and such NOT walls!! And of course this room needed the most patching so it also took the longest! It took me ALL day, but the entire room and ceiling has now had 2 coats and ALL the yellow is gone! Now to find the right flooring for here!
Have you ever seen this trick?  I taught hubby today and he thinks I walk on water now.  He was putting up the Wainscotting in the spare bathroom and came across an area that had 3 cut outs.  You can measure and draw it all out, but I read somewhere that if you use lipstick and then put your wood up against so you’ll know EXACTLY where to cut.
I don’t normally pay much attention to other people’s trash, but this mirror that my neighbor was throwing out caught my attention the other day.  It was actually quite ugly, but I figured painted it white it might just be what we needed for the spare bathroom.
So I taped up the actual mirror and started on all the crevices with canned air to clean it up. Then 3 coats of white paint later we have a winner for the spare bathroom. It was getting humid outside so I brought it in to finish drying, but forgot to get a better picture before I set it aside to finish drying.
But the true high point of the day was my dining room rug was delivered! We just LOVE it!
And a sure sign of spring, my air ferns started blooming!

MID WEEK UPDATE

So far we are getting quite a bit accomplished this week.  Yesterday we FINALLY started on the laundry area.  LOL we had to since we wanted to finish the kitchen floor and the old laundry area “framework” was in the way.  To make things funnier we ran out of flooring today before we actually got that far.

This wall has been a sore spot for quite awhile and was the first thing opened up after they stared the foundation work because of the plumbing they broke so we’ve been anxious to get this done.  At first glance it doesn’t look so bad, but there are SO MANY things happening here – like the rotting header above and the collapsing water heater base below.
If you look close you’ll see 2 white PVC pipes.  If you look even closer you’ll see that the yellower one connects to nothing LOL
Looking a little better, but so far yet to go.
After I opened the outer wall I found this mess.  At least this rat’s nest really was old and abandoned, but got really freaked out by the egg shells below.  Needless to say I took a really long and really hot shower as soon as we were done with this area!  Today was trash day also so everything was bagged and out of here ASAP!
I just don’t understand how a professional installed this new water heater 2 1/2 years ago and did so on this rotted collapsing base instead of bring it to code.
New header and temporary ceiling.  Finishing this area will be a multi-stage process involving the electrician and plumber, but at least it is ready for the next step now.  The water heater closet is getting moved to the far right behind the door. To the left of that will be a stacking washer and dryer set.  To the left of that will be 3 feet of base cabinet and 3 feet of upper cabinets to match the rest of the kitchen.
Back to buy more flooring, but so much better than the slab we’ve been walking on!

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY – #11 2016

Can you believe we’re on Monday number 11 for this year? I can’t wait to be finished with this remodel and be able to do more things that I truly believe will make time seem slower.  We did take half of Saturday off and go to the rodeo.  I’m so glad we did, it was a lot of fun and the weather was gorgeous!  We did get quite a bit done on the house too.  Unfortunately I did find another OLD and not recently LIVED in rat’s nest when I demolished one of the laundry room walls.

WEATHER OUTSIDE
It’s supposed to be quite warm the next few days and then back down to normal on Thursday along with a new storm system.  Fortunately this is supposed to be a minor system compared to the 15 inches of rain we received in last week’s system.

TO DO FOR THE WEEK/HOUSE PROJECTS
I have FINALLY and AGAIN begun work on my studio.  But first this week I will be helping hubby with the dining/kitchen floor and laundry area for the next couple days and then the studio is ALL I plan to work on until it’s done.

I did get the walls patched yesterday as well as 80% of the carpet, padding and tack strip removed. There were quite a few cracks around the window in particular from before the foundation work was done.

I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL THIS YELLOW IS GONE!

 I love that patching is now pink and dries white!  Makes it so easy.

IF ALL goes well I’m hoping that we also get the master shower refinished and the majority of the spare bathroom completed this week.

Then of course I have the standard grocery shopping and errands to do.  I’d say laundry, but that all depends on what we find doing that area.  Cross your fingers that there are no more surprises.

We did get the new lights hung in the kitchen and dining room on Saturday.  They are called Saturn lights and use LED.  Supposedly each light will only use $1.93 of electricity per year! We also put one in the master bath and I LOVE IT!  You can actually see in there!

I just CANNOT figure out why it looks like there was a woodpecker in the kitchen ceiling.  My cousin had an industrial fluorescent light in the kitchen and the only thing I can figure out is that she couldn’t find a stud to mount to.  Oh well, what’s another dozen holes to patch?  Thank goodness for good caulking and paint.

CURRENTLY READING
I’m still reading and hope to finish this week:

TELEVISION / DVR
I finally watched the AGE OF ADELINE and really enjoyed it.  Redbox makes catching up so easy! I’m also looking forward to the new Gary Sinise Criminal Minds Beyond Borders that begins this week.

CRAFTS & PROJECTS
I did get a couple of “models” made for a few of the items I’m making for Christmas gifts this year.  Not the greatest picture, but you get the idea.

I’m really loving the beaded wire crosses and the wind chimes which are made from old antique lamp glass prisms and antique silver pieces.

I’m also hoping to try and make some home made dryer sheets with a recipe I found on pinterest using non-chemical ingredients, essential oils and fabric squares.

IMAGE CREDIT

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & FRUIT
SCRAMBLED EGGS & CHEESE
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
YOGURT & FRUIT
MAPLE OATMEAL & RAISINS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP & CRACKERS
SANDWICH
C.O.R.N.
MEAT & CHEESE
LEFTOVERS
SANDWICHES
DINNER
C.O.R.N.
DESSERT

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA
This cow from the rodeo had the prettiest eyes!

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY

We had quite a bit of progress on the master bathroom this past weekend and I’m looking forward to refinishing the shower on Tuesday. Once the shower is finished the only thing left to do will be the last coat of paint, at least in the master bath!

WEATHER OUTSIDE
It is WAY too warm for the first week in March!  I’m hoping we cool down a bit for actual spring when it hits.  We are supposed to get hit with a HUGE storm thus week.  As of now they are predicting over 3 inches of rain each day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but today is just overcast and getting a bit windy.

TO DO FOR THE WEEK
Today I will be running ALL my errands for the week, so it will be a long day.  I also want to go see my aunt today. She is home from the hospital (which I think is a mistake, but Medicare will only pay for 2 weeks of a rehab facility despite the doctor saying she cannot put any weight on the leg for 8 weeks).  Rehab now comes to her and my uncle is left with trying to keep her off her leg.  With hr Alzheimers this is a difficult task for him – she just plain forgets.  With the storm they are predicting I don’t want to be ANYWHERE out in traffic this week.

CURRENTLY READING

TELEVISION / DVR
Whatever happens our way as we collapse in exhaustion each day.

CRAFTS & PROJECTS
I have been acquiring the parts to make some beautiful wind chimes, decorative wall crosses, personalized pillow cases, homemade dryer sheets and fun pincushions.

HOUSE PROJECTS
This week we are hoping to finish painting the last coat on the living room, install the new living room fan and do the walls in the spare bathroom.  I have tons of “detail” work to finish in the master bathroom, but we did finally achieve running water, a flushing toilet and even a door this past weekend.

KITCHEN WISHES
The washer and dryer are REALLY on their last legs.  I’m praying they hold out another month so they can be part of the April budget, but we found our new ones by accident on Saturday and wish we were more ready for them, but we still need to do the walls, ceiling and move the water heater to bring it to code and that will take time and money.  I didn’t used to be fond of stackables, but these I think I will like.  They will also give me 36 inches more of kitchen counter space!

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & FRUIT
SCRAMBLED EGGS & CHEESE
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
YOGURT & FRUIT
MAPLE OATMEAL & RAISINS
EGGS in the CLOUDS
BACON & EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP & CRACKERS
SANDWICH
OUT
MEAT & CHEESE
LEFTOVERS
SANDWICHES
DINNER
C.O.R.N.
C.O.R.N.
C.O.R.N.
POTATO CRUSTED BEER BRAISED CORNED BEEF & CABBAGE
SMOKY ROAST CHICKEN
SPAGHETTI CHILI
DETROIT CONEY DOGS
DESSERT

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

  • NOT having to go to the other end of the house to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.
  • Completed projects

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA
I was in need of some spring color and LOVE Lantana so bought a couple to plant near the front door.  They grow and spread so fast, are easy to keep pruned and are ALWAYS full of color!

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

STUFFED MEATBALLS & ROASTED VEGGIE SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE SAUCE

 

  • I start with whatever vegetables I have in the vegetable bin. Today was Roma tomatoes, celery stalks, green onions and snap peas.
  • Then I drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper over it all and bake it for an hour at 400°.
  • I started the sauce with a can of Contadina tomato paste, 1 teaspoon Better than Beef Bouillon paste, 2 cups orange juice and a V8. This truly was a clean out the fridge day.
  • When done roasting add the vegetables to the sauce and set to simmer all day. The vegetables will continue to cook down into a uniform consistency with the sauce. Salt & pepper taste.


For the sauce:
1 pound COSTCO organic ground beef
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
5 large Roma tomatoes, slice thin
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Lasagna  Noodles, prepared or oven ready**

  •  Brown ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic. Drain fat.
  • Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauce.
  • Stir in sugar, salt, pepper, basil, Italian seasoning and fennel, mixing well.
  • Lay tomato slices evenly on top. Cover.
  • Simmer for 2 hours over low heat. Stir in tomato slices until well blended.  At this time you can proceed to finish the lasagna or refrigerate the sauce until ready.

For the meatballs:
1 pound hamburger
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
3 large slices sourdough bread, crumbled
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Align Center1/2 teaspoon fennel
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
1 bunch green onions, finely minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
mozzarella cheese, about 4 ounces, cut into 1 inch cubes

  • Crumble bread into a large bowl.
  • Toss in Parmesan cheese, parsley, green onions and garlic.
  • Add meat and with your hands mix extremely well until you have a uniform mixture.
  • Roll meatballs around a Parmesan cheese cube.
  • Chill Meatballs until sauce is done.
  • Just before the sauce is finished, brown meatballs.**
  • Add the meatballs to the sauce and bring to a medium high simmer until meatballs are cooked though, about 20 minutes.
  • Prepare pasta and Parmesan Cheese Bread while meatballs are cooking.
  • Enjoy

**If you prefer you can add the meatballs directly to the sauce and SLOW simmer for a couple hours instead of browning.

DAY 128 RANDOM UPDATE towards the LIGHT at the END of the TUNNEL

We are a LONG way from done, but we rounded a HUGE corner today!  Two BIG things that were weighing on our progress were the 3 VERY LARGE pieces of furniture that were still here taking up real estate in our living room and the need to paint  a 20 foot ceiling and wall as well as sealing around the triangular windows at the 20 foot height.

BEFORE

The painters were here for 5 hours doing the one room, but the wood had not been painted in 40 years and after 5 gallons of paint and 3 coats we decided that it looked perfect the way it was.  I will have to do some touch up after we install the linen cabinets tomorrow, but we are SOOOOO relieved to have it done and neither of us had to be on the ladder at that height.

1ST COAT
2ND COAT
AFTER

My uncle donated the desk, credenza and bookcase to his local volunteer fire department and they finally came and retrieved them today.  They showed up just after the painters left.  We can actually start painting the living room tomorrow and arrange for the carpeting! YAY!

HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY

We had a VERY productive week around here! I hope you had a great week too. We’re on day 125 on this house and getting VERY exhausted, but hoping to complete the living areas by Easter which we volunteered to host.  I also found some fun new recipes for Easter that I’ll share soon.

WEATHER OUTSIDE
LOL it’s TOO warm and drizzly.  I’m ready for spring, but definitely not for these pre-summer temperatures.

TO DO FOR THE WEEK
Hubby’s birthday is this week so we are going to actually take a WHOLE day off and do something fun. After that we are hoping to finish the living room paint and molding.

CURRENTLY READING
I’m still reading the same book LOL.  Maybe I’ll actually finish it this week.

TELEVISION / DVR
Whatever we stay awake for at the end of the day.

HOUSE PROJECTS
We are starting to see serious progress – at least we were! I was looking for something yesterday which made a HUGE mess of things still packed that I will have to clean up today.  We did do something though that will make things better – we hired a contractor to paint the Atrium.  Every now and then you have to realize that just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you HAVE to.  Hubs and I both have been dreading this room as it as a 20 foot apex that is a pain in the butt and we just decided that it was smarter to pay someone else to do it.

Unfortunately we still had to do all the repair work from the dry rot.  Fortunately, it went smoothly and hubby and I knocked out all the repair work in one day.  Next week I hope to show you a truly finished room.  We have the floor and 3 cabinets to install next Friday. They’ll be here Thursday! YAY!  

Before and after the repairs.

 I can’t wait to finish this room! Well, I actually can’t wait to finish ANY room in its entirety!

We did manage to get the vanity in place in our bathroom but unfortunately the faucet didn’t fit so that will get exchanged later today.  So we decided to install the toilet instead, but that was too big for the back of the wall so we’ll go in search of a different style later today also.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & FRUIT
SCRAMBLED EGGS & CHEESE
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
YOGURT & FRUIT
MAPLE OATMEAL & RAISINS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP & CRACKERS
SANDWICH
OUT
MEAT & CHEESE
LEFTOVERS
SANDWICHES
DINNER
C.O.R.N.
DESSERT

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

  • Donating unused items to organizations that do for children
  • Spring like weather

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

He is NEVER without a toy in his mouth!

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

BACON CHEESEBURGER HAMBURGER HELPER NOT!!**

For some reason hubby loves Hamburger helper. Must be left over from his bachelor days. Now I can’t have pre-prepared foods so I made him a substitute recipe that tastes even better. I make in advance too which makes a great weeknight casserole ready to pop in the oven when you get home. Hubby likes the texture of Velveeta, but I find it a bit rubbery. So I tried Land of Lakes American cheese and it slices great while still giving you that smooth creamy cheese texture when it melts.


BACON CHEESEBURGER HAMBURGER HELPER NOT!!**
6 bacon strips cooked crisp and crumbled
1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cups green giant frozen corn, thawed
2 large Yukon potatoes, sliced
Land o’ Lakes American Cheese Slices

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Toss bacon and corn together.
  • Layer potatoes over top.
  • Generously salt and pepper the potatoes.
  • Place a thin layer of cheese slices over potatoes.
  • Brown hamburger and onions together. Salt and pepper well while meat is browning. Drain off fat.
  • Layer over the potatoes and top with another layer of potatoes.
  • Salt and pepper again and layer with another layer of cheese.
  • Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
  • Uncover and bake another 15 minutes.

**I like to make these back to back (that way I also have 2 meals ready to go with half the mess) so the left over bits of browned sausage and caramelized onion add flavor to the hamburger.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY

I had a horribly busy week between the house projects and my aunt’s surgery and I think I overdid. Even yesterday morning I woke up pretty good, but ended up sick by the afternoon.  I’m still feeling a bit under the weather today, but will try to get a few things done anyway.

WEATHER OUTSIDE
It’s too warm for February and we’re having cloudy days with a big storm on the way.

TO DO FOR THE WEEK
It looks like we’ll finish the master bathroom this week and be well under way to completing the spare bathroom.  I’m hoping to also have the living room painted by the weekend.

CURRENTLY READING

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & FRUIT
SCRAMBLED EGGS & CHEESE
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
YOGURT & FRUIT
MAPLE OATMEAL & RAISINS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP & CRACKERS
SANDWICH
OUT
MEAT & CHEESE
LEFTOVERS
SANDWICHES
DINNER
C.O.R.N.
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPES and their links FROM LAST WEEK

ON MY MIND
I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed at ALL there still is to do here.  My logical mind KNOWS we are making progress, but I’m just so tired that some days it stills seems insurmountable.  That said, here are a few pictures of what we did get accomplished this week.

Playing with the pattern.
ALL glued down and setting up!
We STILL don’t know what ALL those holes in the wall were for, but hubby did get the thermostat moved to the living room side of the wall and got the piece of drywall cut out and replaced.  I will get it patched and get this alcove painted this week.

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

  • Pretty Sunsets
  • Long walks with the dog
  • Small project completions

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

I ordered this pillow from a friend this weekend that sells Thirty-One products.

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.