HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY – Page 3 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY, MENU & RECIPES ~ week 2 of 2025 ~ BLOG 365.13

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

LAST WEEK RECAPPED

Using British slang today – this past week has left me completely knackered! It was just the kind of busy that was non-stop. I did 20,000 steps alone on Monday when I put up the Christmas decorations. Every day since was over 15,000 – just had so much to do! The weekdays were full of Eagle’s maintenance chores and shopping for the bar and kitchen. Two of the older trustees were getting married on Saturday and I wanted to get things stocked up well!

My girlfriend, Dana did the Friday auxiliary meal which had A LOT of moving parts. The menu was a choice of Reuben soup with grilled cheese dippers or Chicken Chile Verde soup with a mini quesadilla and a Kahlua brownie trio. It was all quite delicious. I ended up taking over for her on the grill and soup and then we did an extra deep clean for the kitchen that night as the wedding reception was being held there on Saturday and Nellie (the lady who owned my favorite sandwich shop until she decided to retire! 🙁 ) was catering and I wanted to leave it good and clean for her.

Saturday was the wedding and reception which went well, but no one had made arrangements for keeping things stocked or clean up. Nellie asked me to keep the trays stocked with food and to take charge of her personal items, but I took it upon myself to keep plates, forks and napkins stocked, stray items and bar glasses picked up and the dishes done because we opened at 3PM for business after the reception and had a band that night.

Sunday was spent watching NFL playoff games, helping another friend fish her diamond out of her bathroom sink drain and sorting the pantry and freezer, making menus for the rest of January and February to use what I have on hand in an effort to rotate things well and cleaning as I went so we could take apart the laundry room to clean it well and install new flexible venting on the dryer today. I guess I have really started an early spring cleaning. 🙃

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

BRRRR COLD!!!! Our lows are getting into the 20’s and highs barely into the 40’s which is NOT a great combination when it’s a WET COLD that seeps into your bones!!! Lots of layers are the plan this week for anytime I have to leave the house!

ON MY MIND

🙁 Having grown up in Los Angeles County in Southern California with Santa Ana and Devil Winds, living in rural areas where we always had a go bag packed with important papers and a change of clothing, my heart is just breaking for all of those affected by the devastating fires this past week. 🙁

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING Christmas is ALL cleaned up and stored so the deep cleaning has begun. I’m starting in the laundry room as I noticed the dryer vent is having an issue so we’ve replacing the flexible venting first. After that I’ll get busy on the baseboards and the dust that collects deep in the edges. I’ve already done under ALL the sink areas.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have some things to pick up for my Fundraiser dinner on Friday as well as the shopping for the kitchen and bar at the Eagles. I also have a meeting tonight that I hope goes super quick because it’s in the middle of the playoff game I really want to see!
PROJECTS & TRAVELS Nothing this week, but we are going to the coast for a CRABFEST at the Lions the 24th-26th.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I have the next couple weeks planned using much of the freezer and pantry up, but will start working on February’s menu soon.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

STREAMING We’re re-watching BONES and then HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER for a late night comedy (we always end the day with a comedy to go to sleep by).
CABLE I think there are a few new shows starting this week. I’ve also been taping the Saturday Night Hallmark movies. 😀

READING TIME

I’m just about done with The Rose Code by Kate Quinn and am going to start LILAC INK THE KNOCKNASHEE STORY by Jean Grainger

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	1/13 MONDAY	1/14 TUESDAY	1/15 WEDNESDAY	1/16 THURSDAY	1/17 FRIDAY	1/18 SATURDAY	1/19 SUNDAY
DINNER	CHICKEN CABBAGE STEW	REUBEN SOUP	BEEF & SWEET ONIONS over RICE	PORK CHOPS IN CREAMY GARLIC SPINACH SAUCE	CHICKEN ENCHILADAS and RE-FRIED BEANS for the Eagle’s Auxiliary Fundraiser Dinner	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own!	PORK & BEAN BREAD
DESSERT				GOLDEN BREAD PUDDING	LEMON, CARROT and CHOCOLATE EARTHQUAKE CAKES

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPES COMING UP THIS WEEK

LEMON MELT AWAYS
TEXAS TRASH DIP
BACON CHEESEBURGER BALLS
APPLE WALNUT CAKE with CARAMEL GLAZE

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with RECIPE LINKS & MENU ~ week 1 of 2025 ~ BLOG 365.6B

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

I don’t care for Christmas and New Years falling in the middle of the week! Last Wednesday felt like a Sunday and I was messed up for the rest of the week! I’m looking to return to a routine this week!

So our “weekend” really began last Wednesday. We watched the Rose Parade, went and saw a friend who had to work (fortunately she runs a bar and grill so we got breakfast) and then watched the Rose Bowl before we ate Black Eyed Pea Chili made from our left over Christmas Prime Rib for dinner.

I spent Thursday cleaning the refrigerator and freezer and making an inventory list for both to start the year out fresh. Fortunately, it was also trash day, so that helped a lot. The woman who normally mans the Eagle’s kitchen for me on Thursdays had to bow out because her grandson came down with the flu virus while he was staying with her and we didn’t want to expose people, so I ended up covering for her.

Friday we were getting a bit of cabin fever from all the rain so decided to take a drive down to the river and were rewarded with a fantastic new little restaurant. On the way we encountered a barn that made me think of Jean so I took a picture for her. But, Jean and Carrie, I’m so sorry about the Chiefs and Packers yesterday 🙁

The rest of Friday through Sunday was spent de-cluttering and washing linens from Christmas and beginning to pack it all away for another year. I’ll finish packing away Christmas today. We also watched A LOT of football for the final regular season day.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

While the temperatures are still supposed to be in the 40’s we are supposed to FINALLY dry out a bit this week, at least enough to dry out a bit and not be so soggy. That said, nighttime lows will be much lower with clear skies.

ON MY MIND

I was so saddened to wake up on the 1st to hear about all the senseless terror situations in New Orleans, Las Vegas and all over the world! I pray for an answer every day to the senseless violence!

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’ll need to deep clean after I finish putting away the Christmas decorations. I also am going to try and deep clean the baseboards. Fortunately, I’m up to date on the laundry.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I’ve searched high and low for an 11×14 frame for my small jewelry tree and finally resorted to ordering one from Amazon. I TRIED to shop local!!!
PROJECTS & TRAVELS I’m trying to finish my jewelry “forest” so I can get it packed away until next Christmas.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING working on next week’s menu

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

STREAMING We finished season 6 of Virgin River and Man on the Inside – can’t wait for the new seasons of both.
HALLMARK When Calls the Heart’s new season started last night. I’m excited for the changes that this new season will bring. And The Way Home started last Friday.
CABLE New season starts this week so we’ll see – looks like a couple of promising new shows.
THEATRE I saw a preview for FLIGHT RISK (opens 1/24) with Mark Wahlberg that looks like it’s going to be pretty good.

READING TIME

I’m reading The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. I LOVE WWII stories that empower women! ~~The new book club book was supposed to be announced last night~~, so we’ll see what her “wheel of chance” chose for us. We’ve all been feeding her titles and to make it fair she’s using an APP that chooses at random. I just checked again and the book has been chosen, NONE Of This Is TRUE by Lisa Jewell. So many of the titles the others are throwing out have such a sinister true crime, psychological thriller type vibe to them, not titles I would choose on my own 🙁 we’ll try another month and see what comes of it.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	1/6 MONDAY	1/7 TUESDAY	1/8 WEDNESDAY	1/9 THURSDAY	1/10 FRIDAY	1/11 SATURDAY	1/12 SUNDAY
DINNER	NUMERO UNO PIZZA REMAKE	COCA COLA PORK LOIN with CARROT CASSEROLE	PIZZA EGG ROLLS	BEEF & BBQ BEAN STEW	GREEN CHICKEN CHILE	SWEET CORN DIP & HOT DOGS	BEEF & NOODLES
DESSERT

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPES POSTING THIS WEEK

CREAMY LEMON PARMESAN CHICKEN
CLASSIC BURGERS with BACON AIOLI
SLOW COOKER TEX MEX CHICKEN

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

CHICKEN TOSTADA CUPS
COUNTRY FRENCH CHICKEN GARLIC SOUP

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with RECIPES & MENUS week 52 of 2024 ~BLOG 366.365

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

Good morning sweet friends! I hope your Christmas was wonderful and you had a great time with friends and family celebrating. Do you have any BIG New Year’s plans or will you be home safe and snug celebrating it with your loved ones?

With Christmas and New Years falling on Wednesdays this year it has really thrown my scheduling off. While I’m not normally a BIG new years resolutions person, I am going to try and bring a bit more organization and productiveness to my new year, but more on that later.

Oh my, can you believe tomorrow is New Year’s Eve? Where did this year go? Really, where? I can’t believe it’s over already! While I’m sorry to see it go, I am going to try and make 2025 even better for me and my family.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Oh the weather outside is frightful!… I just keep hearing that song in my head! We tried to go and see all the Christmas lights on Christmas eve, but the fog was horrible and prevented any decent picture taking! Christmas day was cold and rained for 24 hours straight! We ended the evening with a violent thunderstorm and loss of TV signal several times with some REALLY heavy wind. And then we had nearly 4 more inches of rain over the weekend. We are a bit drenched here with the back to back to back atmospheric rivers we’ve been having! We took a drive yesterday and saw that the local streams, creeks and rivers have breached their banks for the most part, but fortunately, not to an alarming rate yet. Hubby did get me some wonderful new flannels and hoodies for Christmas, so at least I’ll stay warm.

ON MY MIND

I’m working on New Year’s resolutions (which I don’t normally make), but in the sense of permanent lifestyle changes that will make me and my family happier in the end. This is still a work in progress, so more about that on the 6th of January when I talk about the epiphany. I’ve already planned some organizational updates and ordered some filing folders that will help. I’m planning on really getting into the swing of things paperwork wise during the end of January and February.

Our Eagle’s secretary has announced she’s not going to go forward after this year. (Our year begins June 1st) and many have pointed at me to take over for her. BUT, and I say this with all the conviction possible! that will not happen!!!! Not that I’m not invested at making things better (I do fill in for her now and again and know the job pretty much), it’s just that my plate is FULL with what I already LIKE to do and I just can’t (and don’t want to) take on anything more!

I’m about to wrap up my 2nd full year of blogging daily and want to continue that habit into 2025 for another year. And I have already rehabbed my BLOGMAS list for next year to just 10 days of posting that will free up a good deal of time by combining many categories into single days. As I reread many of the categories I realized there was a lot of overlap.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I have some bedding to do, but am pretty caught up otherwise. I am trying to sort through and pull out things for donation in an effort to downsize and start the year off right.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I purposely kept this week free of most of these things. I do have a few exchanges to do for things hubby bought me for Christmas that don’t fit right. I also have the Eagle’s New Year’s Party shopping to do.
PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I purposely kept this week free of most of these things. I do have to deal with a health insurance thing though!

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

STREAMING We watched a good movie on NETFLIX called Carry-On that left you on the edge of your seat at times. It won’t be DIE HARD replacement, but it does take place in an airport on Christmas 😀
CABLE I’m working on clearing the DVR of all things Christmas and or FALL shows. We watched a really sweet Christmas movie called A Dance in the Snow that I really liked.

READING TIME

I finished the book club book, The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak. My friends warned me that the ending would tick me off and they weren’t wrong. Then again, the whole book kind of set me off!! It wasn’t one I would have chosen myself.

I’m now starting BLUE WATERS a CARIBBEAN ADVENTURES book #1 by Eric Chance Stone and THE ROSE CODE by Kate Quinn. The book club hasn’t chosen their next book yet. I understand we’ll be using a wheel of chance that my friend has input all our suggestions into.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀
Hubby stuffed my stocking with a bunch of soup recipes so I’m going to try and make a new one each week.

	12/30 MONDAY	12/31 TUESDAY	1/1 WEDNESDAY	1/2 THURSDAY	1/3 FRIDAY	1/4 SATURDAY	1/5 SUNDAY
DINNER	TOMATO BASIL SOUP & GRILLED CHEESE	LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN	BREAKFAST BAGEL CASSEROLE BLACK EYED PEA CHILI	CHAR SIU MEATBALL SLIDERS	SWISS SCALLOPED POTATOES & HAM	LEMON CHICKEN & RICE SOUP	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own
DESSERT	NONE this week!!! We need to clean out ALL the Christmas goodies still hanging around.

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

You might ask why the car pictures are favorites? Well, because I am so thankful that the top of this 100 foot or so tall tree totaled my friend’s car in the middle of the night instead of her! We had a violent thunderstorm with tons of lightning and wind. The alternative was that it would have landed in her bedroom while she was sleeping. So, this was the best of the worst possibilities.

And thankful for such a wonderful Christmas meal even if it was just hubby and I this year. The leftovers will be our New Year’s Day chili.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

COUNTRY FRENCH CHICKEN GARLIC SOUP
CHICKEN TOSTADA CUPS
MAPLE WHISKEY BOURBON PUMPKIN BUTTER

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 51 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.358

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

GOOD MORNING dear friends! Here we are in the FINAL STRETCH of holiday preparation! Are you ready? I hope you are taking the holiday week by storm and crushing it, BUT also going slow enough to REALLY enjoy it!! One thing fell through the cracks for me this year, mainly because Thanksgiving was so late. I normally have my cards ready before Thanksgiving, but didn’t this year. I have been working on them amongst all my other commitments. So, if you normally get a card from me, they are almost ready, but this year they will be a between Christmas and New Years card 😀

I stay connected by doing BLOGMAS each day to get me started in the right spirit. That said, I often do multiple posts ahead of time and schedule them while we are watching football or a Christmas movies throughout the month of December. I think next year I’ll combine many posts together and go with an every few days approach.

Last week was a SUPER BUSY one for me! There was something BIG literally every day – dinners in with friends and neighbors, dinners out with girlfriends and going to see a play, A Christmas Story at the local community theatre, parties at some of our favorite places with some of our favorite people…

I have FINALLY learned how to slow down a bit and enjoy it even more! I have a girlfriend who comes over every few months and I usually make a “SPECIAL” drink and dinner for us. She has finally convinced me to make it “simpler” and you know what? We had an even better time with bacon cheeseburger balls, super creamy mac and cheese and a simple green salad. I did splurge and make mini raspberry cheesecakes 😀

Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS my friends. Enjoy your families and remember the reason for the season! And here’s a clue, it’s not perfection or commercialism.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We’re in the beginning stages of an atmospheric river back-up of storms here. According to a NY Times article, there is going to be one right after another for the next 10 days or so. So, wet weather attire will be worn at all times as we head into this first full week of winter!

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING ALL done until the unwrapping mess on Wednesday.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS NOT on your life am I going near a store this week.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

CHRISTMAS MOVIES of course and clean out the DVR for the end of the year!

READING TIME

I’m reading The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak for book club. I’m really hoping to have more time for reading soon.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
DINNER	LEMON CHICKEN & RICE SOUP	MARINATED FLANK STEAK, FRIED POTATOES and MUNCHIES	CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST CASSEROLE ~~BAKED HAM~~, PRIME RIB, GLAZED ROASTED CARROTS, LOADED MASHED POTATOES	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	PEASANT STEW, BUTTERMILK BAKED BISCUITS	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	HAM TETRAZZINI, GREEN SALAD
DESSERT			RASPBERRY TRUFFLES, MOCHA BANANA RUM BALLS		CRANBERRY CHEESECAKE

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

Here are a few pictures from last week’s girl’s night for dinner and the play and the UGLY Sweater Christmas party at the Offyce.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

ROAST CHICKEN with APRICOT HABANERO GLAZE
NEOPOLITAN CAKE

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & MENUS & RECIPE LINKS week 50 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.351

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

LONG AND BUSY weekend here. Friday was a chaotic and odd day putting out fires for the Eagles. Saturday we helped an elderly friend get rid of her moving boxes and trash and then I spent a good amount of time getting presents wrapped as well as preparing the chicken wings and doing some baking for the Christmas party at the Eagles yesterday. The Christmas Party was a success, but super busy! It was a lot of work and I was exhausted!!! I still am, but have A LOT to do this week so need to get on with it!!!

And I have my first delayed package of the season. It originated about 500 miles away and almost made it here, but then somehow ended up on a plane to Kentucky! It was supposed to be delivered yesterday, but they’re now saying Friday! As long as it’s here by Christmas I guess it’s all part of the season. I hope you all have a blessed and productive week.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Can you spell W E T? or even C O L D? It’s our normal Pacific North West winter that’s quite gray, wet and cold though not as cold as normal, but wet enough to make it feel even more cold. 😀 I prefer a dryer cold. Snow is preferable to ALL this rain!

12/16 MONDAY 49°High 37°Low Rain
12/17 TUESDAY 49°High 40°Low Rain
12/18 WEDNESDAY 49°High 47°Low Rain
12/19 THURSDAY 47°High 43°Low Clouds & Rain
12/20 FRIDAY 48°High 46°Low Clouds & Rain
12/21 SATURDAY 48°High 44°Low Rain
12/22 SUNDAY 47°High 43°Low Rain

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING Need to deep clean this week after all the girl’s night projects and gift wrapping, but the laundry is up to date.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS BUSY, BUSY week starting with a pedicure today. I’ll pick up everything I need today for dinners I’m hosting Tuesday and Wednesday as well as potluck dishes for parties Friday and Saturday while I’m in town.
EVENTS
- Tuesday hosting dinner here with friends
- Wednesday hosting dinner here with another friend
- Thursday out with the girls for dinner and a play
- Friday Christmas Party
- Saturday Christmas Parade Tailgating

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

CABLE FINALLY getting caught up on the DVR and back up of the past couple months.

READING TIME

Book club met yesterday, but no one had much time to read the new book so that made me feel better. I’m about to start the book now, THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING by Jason Rekulak

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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	TARRAGON CHICKEN & PASTA	APRICOT HABANERO ROAST CHICKEN, ROAST CARROTS and CREAMY MAC & CHEESE	BACON CHEESEBURGER BALLS, CREAMY MAC & CHEESE	GIRL’S NIGHT OUT to DINNER AND PLAY	CHRISTMAS PARTY POTLUCK	OUT	LEMON CHICKEN & RICE SOUP with BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
DESSERT		CRAN CHERRY CHEESECAKES	CRAN CHERRY CHEESECAKES

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

The first batch of foster gifts has been delivered! Niki and I tried out the photo booth before the dance and I found this adorable cow chowing down when I went to retrieve a donated tree for the Eagles.

And here are a couple of alternate trees from girl’s night. I didn’t get a picture of Lu’s finished one, but as you can see she has a fun eye for color as does Dana. 😀

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

ROAST TURKEY BREAST
RB’S BAKED BEANS
PUMPKIN PULL APARTS

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

LAYERED SALAD
CRAZY PIZZA BREAD
CLASSIC OLD FASHIONED OATMEAL COOKIES

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 49 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.344

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

Thursday morning’s earthquake off the coast of California triggered a TSUNAMI warning for us. Have seen the signs for years, but never experienced an actual warning until now. Friday was spent cleaning and finish winter prep around here.

On Saturday I FINALLY completed my holiday decorating inside and hubby finished the outside just before the rain began. We literally finished just before we had to leave and meet friends to watch the DUCKS vs. PENN STATE game which did not disappoint. DUCKS won (45-37) and are now 13-0! We ALL had a GREAT time.

Then on Sunday we stored all the boxes from the decorating and I began planning my baking schedule for the neighbor plates I’ll be making and checking to see if I had all my ingredients. I also started arranging things for girl’s night this next Wednesday. I’ve also been wrapping the gifts for the Foster kids that I’ll be delivering this next week. Congratulations Jean on the Chiefs win last night – 2 inches more to the left and it would have been a loss.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

12/9 MONDAY – MOSTLY SUNNY after the fog burns off 43°/26°
12/10 TUESDAY – MOSTLY CLOUDY after the fog burns off 44°/30°
12/11 WEDNESDAY – MOSTLY CLOUDY after the fog burns off 46°/38°
12/12 THURSDAY – RAINY 46°/38°
12/13 FRIDAY – RAINY 45/37°
12/14 SATURDAY – RAIN!!! 45°/38° YUCK WE’RE DOING WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA AT 1PM 🙁
12/15 SUNDAY – RAINY 44°/38°

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I was able to get EVERYTHING done over the weekend. I will need to spruce up a bit after my prep for girl’s night on Wednesday.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I am LITERALLY cooking out and planning my menus around the freezer and pantry cleaning them both out to start the new year completely fresh! The good news about this is that I have very little to shop for except a bit of produce and dairy here and there. I also lucked out and have no appointment until I drop off the foster kid gifts on Friday morning 😀
PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I have tons to do, but most will wait until Thursday or next week.
PROJECTS Jewelry trees, homemade vanilla and some painting projects for girl’s night Wednesday.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

STREAMING We’re watching HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER as a late night comedy.
CABLE I’ve finally gotten the DVR cleaned up until November so will keep working on dwindling it down as I bake this month.

READING TIME

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	12/9 MONDAY	12/10 TUESDAY	12/11 WEDNESDAY	12/12 THURSDAY	12/13 FRIDAY	12/14 SATURDAY	12/15 SUNDAY
DINNER	roast chicken, glazed carrots & mashed potatoes	brisket sandwiches and coleslaw	beef stew and biscuits	lemon chicken and rice soup	out	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	pot roast, glazed carrots and mashed potatoes
DESSERT		grasshopper brownies					bacon and waffles

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

I have a friend that LOVES to try all the crafts she sees on Facebook and she made this BIG star for me out of yard sticks and light string! I LOVE it!!!

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

OLD FASHIONED OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
CRAZY PIZZA BREAD
LAYERED SALAD

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENU & RECIPES week 48 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.337

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

WOW, what a whirlwind weekend! I’m glad it was a long one! I hope your Thanksgiving was as relaxed as ours was full of yummy food, family and friends. I didn’t even leave the house except to feed the neighbor’s cat and still managed to do over 12,000 steps on Thursday alone!

On Friday we met my girl friend and her mom at our local family owned and managed Christmas Tree Farm to help her with her tree and buy our wreaths for the holiday season. I’m so glad we did it when we did because sadly, the wreath room and flock room along with multiple pieces of equipment were destroyed in a fire early Saturday morning! I was impressed that with all they lost (power, water, wreath making abilities, flocking machines…), they were open again on Sunday for trees only. Small towns rally together to take care of their own.

Saturday was a flurry of activity that started by meeting with the ladies helping our “Angel Tree” gift program for the holidays because we received the names on Wednesday evening and need to be done shopping and wrapped by the 11th so I can deliver them on the 12th. It’s a super quick turn around this year.

Sunday was just as busy meeting with a friend to design flyers for her bar and grill’s Christmas party, shopping for the Eagle’s lodge since we skipped last week with the Thanksgiving crowds, helping my mom pack to finally leave on Monday for her snowbird run, laundry and cleaning. Sadly, a close friend lost her son suddenly on Sunday afternoon 🙁 My heart aches for her and I’ll be picking up as many meal prep and chores for her that I can while she’s away.

Don’t forget that BLGOMAS 2024 has begun. I hope you can join in!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Layer season is here! In fact it has become MULTIPLE layer season 😀 It’s cold, but sunny with highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the high 20’s or low 30’s for most of the week until the weekend when it is supposed to start raining again. UGG’s, turtlenecks and flannels have become my best friends again!

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING Laundry is up to date, but will be deep cleaning today so I can go full on decorating mode tomorrow. We had decided to do a live tree this year and planned to go get it tomorrow afternoon. With the fire at the tree farm, we’re rethinking it and probably going to do our artificial tree again this year.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have a hair cut appointment in town on Wednesday and will do the grocery store on the way home.
PROJECTS I’m hosting a “GIRL’S NIGHT” next week so am concentrating this week on finishing ALL my decorating and getting some baking done. “GIRL’S NIGHT” will be a BYOB, SNACK, PIZZA and project night. Some will finish Jewelry trees from last year, some will be making an adorable painted stacked wood project we just found, some will do both, some will just eat and drink… 😀 the whole point of the night is just to have some fun together. As for the BYOB some will definitely drink, but the BYOB is mainly for making homemade flavored vanilla.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

STREAMING Have been watching or should I say re-watching BONES which is now 20 years old! Where did that time go? We’re in season 5. Also re-watching late night HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER which is almost as old.
CABLE Trying to get caught up on everything on the DVR. The Hallmark movies will be something I’ll have on while decorating this week.

READING TIME

Yesterday was book club (SOCIETY of LIES by Lauren Ling Brown) and sadly I didn’t finish the book in time. I was only 75% done, but fortunately neither did half the others. We did pick the next book (The LAST ONE at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak) though and I got it ordered. 😀

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	12/2 MONDAY	12/3 TUESDAY	12/4 WEDNESDAY	12/5 THURSDAY	12/6 FRIDAY	12/7 SATURDAY	12/8 SUNDAY
DINNER	BEEF & SHORT RIB LASAGNA (COSTCO)	TACO TUESDAY with FRIENDS	OUT	ROAST CHICKEN	PIZZA ROLLS (homemade – recipe soon)	GERMAN MEATLOAF	TURKEY NOODLE CASSEROLE
DESSERT	NONE THIS WEEK

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

In case I’ve never mentioned it I have thing for barns… 2 of these may not make it another year if we have a heavy snow as they are barely standing on their own now.

INSPIRATIONS

I probably should have shared this one LAST week, but I live by this ideal, so I guess anytime is a good time to share it! In fact, I have only ever done 1 black Friday sale when I was in my early 20’s and have NO intention of ever doing another.

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPES COMING UP THIS WEEK

LEGENDARY POTATOES
MEAT LOVER’S SAVORY BREAD PUDDING
SLOPPY JOE SLIDER BAKE

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPES week 47 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.330

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

My weekend was a whirlwind that began with the bomb cyclone hitting us here in the Pacific North West with lots of wind, rain, slippery roads and power outages early in the week. It also started with prep for a charity meal that my friend Dana and I did on Friday night for the Eagles. We had shopped on Tuesday to avoid crowds and being last minute which was fortunate because the bulk of that storm hit Tuesday night and the first round of power outages.

For the dinner we made Brisket sandwiches, her yummy baked beans and coleslaw and I made a fun new recipe for dessert, Neapolitan cake full of fudgy chocolate, french vanilla and raspberry strawberry cake topped with a lemon cream cheese frosting.

Saturday I went to a friend’s craft fair, did laundry and cleaning and Sunday was the normal lunch with a friend and football. I made a yummy smoked brisket potato soup using up my portion of the leftover brisket from Friday night.

While this week is the same length as any other, it ALWAYS seems shorter because of all the prep for a mid week holiday!

Here’s your reminder to start defrosting your turkey if it’s frozen 😀 And if you’re traveling this week, be safe! HAVE A BLESSED AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

And don’t forget BLOGMAS begins on Friday, November 29th. I look forward to you joining in.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Highs in the 40’s with lows in the 30’s ALL week and LOTS of rain today, but then we’re supposed to get some actual sunshine for the rest of the week! 😀

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING COMPLETELY caught up for a few minutes at least. 🙂
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I did all the major shopping for the holiday last week, but I do need to pick up the turkey and a few fresh produce items on Tuesday. Dana and I are taking her mom on Friday to get a Christmas tree and our wreaths and will then go to lunch.
PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I’m not even going to try and make calls this week with it being such a short work week. I do have a couple meetings today, but after that I’m good.
PROJECTS I’ll be adding a bit of an extension to the bed frame today to accommodate a bulky mattress. I’m also building a nativity scene for decorating this Christmas season.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING After I get the projects and Christmas decorating done over the next week I’ll get back to thinking about menus.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

STREAMING We’re still watching BONES and late night we’re re-watching THE MIDDLE
CABLE A lot of shows have gone onto winter hiatus this week giving me time to get caught up on the DVR before they begin again in January.

READING TIME

I’m reading SOCIETY of LIES by Lauren Ling Brown for book club next Sunday. It’s not a book I would have chosen on my own, but I’m getting it done!

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀 And lunches are generally leftovers or out depending on the schedule for the day.

	11/25 MONDAY	11/26 TUESDAY	11/27 WEDNESDAY	11/28 THURSDAY	11/29 FRIDAY	11/30 SATURDAY	12/1 SUNDAY
DINNER	OUT WITH FRIENDS FOR A LATE LUNCH/EARLY DINNER BEFORE SEVERAL MEETINGS	CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE	OUT with a friend before PAINTING CLASS	BRINED TURKEY BREAST, DADDY’S STUFFING, GREEN BEANS ALMONDINE, MASHED POTATOES & GRAVY, PINEAPPLE CRANBERRY SAUCE	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	OPEN FACED BURGERS with BACON AIOLI and CORNBREAD SALAD	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own
DESSERT				APPLE WALNUT CAKE

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

There was a short break in the rain yesterday and I came across this cat slinking across the sheep field.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPES COMING UP THIS WEEK

PEAR WALNUT CRISP
PEASANT STEW
CHICKEN CHILES HOT DISH CASSEROLE

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPES week 46 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.323

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

It was a whirlwind weekend, but a good one that really started on Thursday again. We went to pick up my holiday Hallmark order and made a day of it since the nearest Hallmark is an hour and a half away. Hallmark stores are far and few between here and when the one I normally dealt with closed a family owned and run old time drugstore took over for Hallmark. This drugstore is like an old time Woolworths or TG&Y and so much fun and the woman who runs the Hallmark section is so nice. Because I live so far away she puts back for me anything I need until I can get there. I even one the door prize from last month’s premiere event! So, I picked up a nice little haul to get me in the Christmas spirit.

While we were there we visited a local hardware chain that does their garden area as a Tinsel town for the holidays. We didn’t need much, but it’s always fun to look. I did pick up a white projector light for the new nativity we’re doing this year and some paper white bulbs.

We had a wonderful lunch along the river at a favorite haunt and then did some antiquing on the way back in a favorite store, 5 Flying Monkeys and finished the day with a dinner at another favorite haunt and had a yummy Thankful Thursday turkey dinner. On Thursdays they do Thankful Thursday for veterans, first responders and moms at half price. They rotate meals throughout the year doing either the turkey, pot roast or meatloaf. All three are exceptional! My favorite is the turkey or the pot roast because it comes with the BEST glazed roasted carrots I think I’ve ever had!

Saturday brought the annual craft fair at the community center. I had several friends selling their wares there so that was a lot of fun! Then Sunday was spent with a bestie. I was also able to get a lot of organization done during the weekend as well as catch up on laundry, football and NASCAR as it was super wet and cold ALL weekend.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The first one is probably better for next week, but is also something we should all remember this time of year as we are getting together with friends and family. We should all remember that our differences aren’t as important as our commonalities and love for each other. So enjoy your friends and families over the holidays.

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

I’m going to sound like a broken record, but it’s cold, wet and rainy 😀 like always in November. We’ve had a fairly mild autumn up until now, but it feels like winter is going to hit a bit early. Highs this week in the 40’s and 50’s with lows in the 30’s and 40’s. Layers and flannels are a definite for this week.

ON MY MIND

There’s a “GIRLS NIGHT” in a a couple weeks to finish the Jewelry Christmas Trees we began last year. We’ve decided to “simplify” things this year and just order pizza. We’ll each provide a little something else like a favorite cookie, drink makings or ???? I’m thinking of making this cute charcuterie board appetizer board with some crackers. How cute is that?

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I got all the laundry done yesterday!
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I’m putting together my list for this week to get all the errands and groceries done this week. Crowds are already crazy around her and I have no inclinations of going near stores the week of Thanksgiving EXCEPT to pick up the turkey from the butcher next Tuesday.
PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS & PROJECTS I’m chairing this year for the Eagle’s holiday families and foster kids so have LOTS of paperwork and organizing to do.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING Menus are done through November, but I’m starting on December. With the cold we’re having I’m envisioning a lot of soups, stews and chilis.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

STREAMING I’m getting caught up on the things on the DVR FINALLY
CABLE I’ve been recording all the new Hallmark Christmas movies and am saving them up for when I start decorating for Christmas.

READING TIME

I joined a book club that started yesterday and we’ll be meeting every 2 weeks. I missed the first meeting, but they chose the book, SOCIETY OF LIES by Lauren Ling Brown. I downloaded the book and started it last night.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	11/18 MONDAY	11/19 TUESDAY	11/20 WEDNESDAY	11/21 THURSDAY	11/22 FRIDAY	11/23 SATURDAY	11/24 SUNDAY
DINNER	RB BEANS AND CHARRED HOT DOGS	BURGERS & CHILI CORNBREAD SALAD	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	CHICKEN ALA KING and PEA STUFFING	COOKING AT THE EAGLES with a FRIEND – BRISKET SANDWICHES, COLESLAW, BAKED BEANS and	BEEF & BEAN STEW	GOULASH and ROASTED CARROTS
DESSERT					NEOPOLITAN CAKE

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

There is a BIG hardware store called Jerry’s here that reminds me of a combination Fleet & Farm plus a Menards that turns their garden area into a Tinsel Town for Christmas. I never need much, but it’s always fun to look. I LOVE how they display their lights making it easy to envision what they’ll look like on your house or project.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPES COMING UP THIS WEEK

PICKLED PLUM CRUMBLE/CRISP
GO TO SLOW COOKER RECIPES ~ BLACK BEAN SALSA CHICKEN, GREEN CHILE CHICKEN, BUTTERMILK RANCH PORK CHOPS and TERIYAKI WINGS

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY, MENUS & RECIPES week 45 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.316

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

AHHHHHH a weekend away was just what the doctor ordered! Last year my girlfriend and I went to a great holiday market at the fairgrounds in the county 100 miles to the south of us. We did it all in one day along with a trip to a HUGE Hobby Lobby and it was A LOT to cram in.

So this year we planned it as a weekend and took hubby along. Unfortunately, the holiday market was not as good as last year, though we did manage to find several of our favorite vendors and start the Christmas shopping with a bang!

We were also able to get in some quality antiquing time as well as some great happy hour time at a Jimmy Buffet hotel we stayed at for Friday and Saturday nights as well as some amazing food at mom and pop restaurants along the way. This picture is silly and so optical illusion like. Dana is 6 inches shorter than I am and didn’t think she could get in and out of this HUGE chair so stood in front, but it makes me like so tiny by comparison 🙂

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

COLD, WET & RAINY! This is the only way to describe this week. And so far, it’s not that normal kind of cold, but the bone chilling kind that makes you feel like you’ll never be warm again! 🙂 So it’s layers time! Highs will start in the 50’s today and tomorrow and then drop into the 40’s with lows in the 30’s along with lots of rain and gray clouds all week.

ON MY MIND

Once again weighted down by Eagle’s responsibilities and dealing with unprepared close minded people. At this point I am committed through the holiday season, but seriously wondering if there isn’t a better way to volunteer my time, talents and money.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING LOTS to do with being away 3 days!
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I will make a list in a bit and get everything done on Wednesday. I have an appointment to the north tomorrow.
PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I have an auxiliary meeting tonight that looks like it’s going to be canceled and some calls to make regarding the stove replacement at the Eagles.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING ??????????? I did get a couple “new” vintage recipe boxes/books with some promising meals soon.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

CABLE I’m NOT even sure what recorded while we were gone, so will get caught up over the next few days.
STREAMING I’ll finish SCARECROW & MRS KING this week.

READING TIME

I’m reading THE KEEPER OF STORIES by Sally Page.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	11/11 MONDAY	11/12 TUESDAY	11/13 WEDNESDAY	11/14 THURSDAY	11/15 FRIDAY	11/16 SATURDAY	11/17 SUNDAY
DINNER	LEMON CHICKEN and RICE SOUP with CRUSTY BREAD	RB BAKED BEANS and HOT DOGS	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator nigh or you’re on your own	CHEESEBURGER BALLS, COLESLAW and LEFTOVER RB BAKED BEANS	CREAMY LEMON PARMESAN CHICKEN, NOODLES and MUSHY PEAS	CHILI and CORNBREAD	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator nigh or you’re on your own
DESSERT		GINGERBREAD PEAR PUDDING CAKE

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

It’s my FAVORITE time of year!! Burn piles, hay barns and clouds!

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPES COMING UP THIS WEEK

PEANUT BUTTER BREAD
PARMESAN ROASTED GREEN BEANS
PORK MEDALLIONS with ONION GRAVY

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY, MENUS & RECIPES week 44 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.309

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

I don’t know about you, but I always sleep weird the first few days after a time change! I wish they’d go back to standard time and leave it alone!!! Or even Daylight Savings time, but either way, leave it alone after that!

My weekend was good!

Friday started with meeting a repairman to try and get the stove at the Eagles handled (FINALLY!) While we were there waiting for the repairman during a 4 hour window, a friend and I de-decorated Halloween in the lodge. It POURED down rain ALL day long and according to the rain gauge we got almost 2 inches that day alone!

Saturday also poured, though a little less. I worked on the sewing machine drawers a bit, but it got so cold in the garage that I came inside to watch a NASCAR race and get warm. I tried to convert a favorite recipe to a slow cooker recipe and wasn’t thrilled with it at all unfortunately.

Sunday’s weather started out gorgeous and then turned gray and cold so that was also a day spent inside. My THRIVE grocery order arrived with quite a bit of damage (the kosher dill pickles were broken along with the pickled jalapenos and a bag of flour – what a mess!) so I spent an hour on the chat line getting that handled and then went to a late breakfast with hubby that was horrible! Well, the food was good, but the service was the problem. I spent the rest of the day working on menus, doing laundry and watching football.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The thought works for forwards AND backwards, fall or spring 😂

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

It’s official, flannels and turtlenecks are back! A little bit of rain today and then sunny and cloudy until the new storm moves in on Friday. The whole week should be in the mid 50’s for highs and high 30’s for the lows.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING All caught up! YAY!
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I think it’s going to be a boring week on this front as we leave Friday for the weekend and I’m not doing much before the trip.
PROJECTS & TRAVELS We’re going with a friend for the weekend to a big HOLIDAY MARKET we like and are splurging on a fun Jimmy Buffet hotel. I’m looking forward to the relaxed pampering!
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING Recipes are scheduled through Thanksgiving, but I’ll start making a December menu plan next week after we get back.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

STREAMING We’re watching BONES and then next weekend the FINAL episodes of YELLOWSTONE begins.
CABLE Lots of Hallmark movies on the DVR that I’ll get to after Thanksgiving. Holiday baking shows are taping also.

READING TIME

I just started reading THE KEEPER OF STORIES by Sally Page

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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 TOSTADA CUPS and SALAD	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	RB BAKED BEANS & HOT DOGS	CAMPFIRE CASSEROLE	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own
DESSERT		PEAR GINGERBREAD PUDDING CAKE

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

I’m going to do up a separate post that is more in depth, but I have always LOVED this little church and was FINALLY able to see it from the inside when I went to their annual Christmas Bazaar last Saturday.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

I found a FUN link I found for making your own Thanksgiving centerpiece.

RECIPES FROM LAST WEEK

RECIPES COMING UP THIS WEEK

SNAP PEA SALAD
PEPPERONCINI CHICKEN & RICE
PECAN PIE BROWNIE BOMBS

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY, MENUS & RECIPES week 43 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.302

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

4-6 PM Saturday was TRUNK or TREAT in our little town. The weather really showed up with a pleasant 71° and sunny which was great because Halloween itself is supposed to be pouring down rain and only 50° so Saturday may be the only Halloween some of these kids see.

TRUNK or TREAT has taken on a life of its own the past couple years. Surrounding towns bring their kids to our little area. It has also become quite an expensive endeavor. The kids have a great time and so do the businesses, but where and how do you draw the line on events like this? Our population is only 8,200 so how is we now have upwards of 2,500 kids participating? We did the math and between the candy, extra employees needed to man the booths and decorations it’s costing the average business between $500-$1,000 or more for a 2 hour event, especially if you’re located near the haunted house where the lines are long.

Sunday rained and the temperature dropped 20° so it was the perfect day to watch NASCAR, read a little and just do what you want kind of day. 😀 We did have a bit of a momentary break in the rain and we went and fed stale bread pieces to the peacocks and the deer that had wandered down into the park.

Let’s get on with Monday!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We’re supposed to get quite a bit of rain this week which we REALLY need, so I’m okay with that. The highs are supposed to be in the 50’s and 60’s with lows in the 30’s and 40’s.

ON MY MIND

I know Halloween is this week and we haven’t even celebrated Thanksgiving yet, but because Thanksgiving is late this year I am trying to get a jump on ALL things December! BLOGMAS is one of those things that keeps me happy and motivated through the holidays and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

That said, I did condense a bit and I have come up with my BLOGMAS timeline for 2024. Doing as many of the posts in advance that I can also helps me keep my sanity through the busy holiday season. I REALLY hope you can and will join in whenever possible.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I thought I had finished the laundry and then I realized we were wearing clothes and it wouldn’t stay done 😀 for very long.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I’m making a list for a very few things I need for this next week. I’ll pick those things up on Thursday when I head in to town for my pedicure appointment.
PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I have a couple calls to make this morning for information for my meeting tonight.
PROJECTS & TRAVELS I’m working on a painted pot and repotting of a Christmas cactus for a friend’s surprise birthday party on Wednesday. And I’m working on a “new” antique set of sewing machine drawers (pictures in the favorite photos section). I made reservations for a weekend getaway with a girl friend for a large Holiday Market we like to go to each year.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING My menus are planned through November, but I’m beginning to research some hearty soups, stews and casseroles for December and January.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

STREAMING We finished watching FRINGE and NIGHT COURT. We’re currently trying to figure out our next binge watches.
CABLE I have been taping the new Hallmark Christmas movies, am about to finish the Halloween season of the baking shows and will start the new holiday shows next week.

READING TIME

I started reading RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE by Karma Brown

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	10/28 MONDAY	10/29 TUESDAY	10/30 WEDNESDAY	10/31 THURSDAY	11/1 FRIDAY	11/2 SATURDAY	11/3 SUNDAY
DINNER	STREET CORN CHICKEN ENCHILADAS	PEASANT BEEF STEW	RB BAKED BEANS and HOT DOGS	CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN	SLOW COOKER LEMON CHICKEN	GARLIC ONION SLOW COOKER CHICKEN & RICE	LASAGNA SOUP & GARLIC BREAD
DESSERT		SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIES

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

I found a cute “set” of sewing machine drawers at a friends store recently. They even had the rare “secret” top drawer fairly intact. The drawers had been “finished” by her brother, but they were in sad shape with too dry wood, missing drawer guides and “gummy” areas that were dried and yucky. They were also done as two separate units. I’m in the process of rejuvenating them with oil and putting the two towers into a single piece. Hubby is making me a top and a bottom for them, but this is a start for now.

And just a few pictures from the TRUNK or TREAT event. Many of the parents dressed up also. I have to say the Jack Sparrow was one of the more popular ones. He would accept candy from the businesses and then seek out one of the shyer kids to give it to. I also love the BIO HAZARD scarecrow and McDonalds pulled out the stops with their drive through window.

The deer joined the peacocks today for some joint snacking time.

Living in the country gives us some fun local displays for holidays also.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

With Thanksgiving coming up and so many stories in the news of bacterial diseases on the rise I thought it would be helpful to remind us all that food safety is so very important.

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

Tag: HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY