INSPIRATION – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY, MENUS, RECIPE LINKS week 33 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.232

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

WEEKEND RECAP

The Eagle’s Madam President dinner was a HUGE success! I have given up MANY of my day to day operational, maintenance and support duties because of the new board and their inability to follow rules and guidelines in the best interest of others, but I still support my sisters when and where I can with my cooking and baking. A friend asked me to bake her desserts for her fundraising dinner functions that occurred on National Lemon Meringue day and on the eve of our local Blackberry festival so I made her lemon blueberry scones, cherry lemon scones and blackberry pie bars. She made a fantastic dinner and had a dessert bar with one of the largest turnouts ever!

Hubby and I planned on being at the Show and Shine first thing Saturday morning because we were going to be under a red flag warning later in the day for dry lightning strikes. Well mother nature had other ideas! The coffee had just finished brewing when the power went out. Long story short a lightning strike took out a transformer transmission pole for several small towns. I took a shower by candlelight and then we still went to the Festival which fortunately was in an area unaffected by the power outage. Afterwards we went and had breakfast with a friend and the power was back on just as we got home. The serious rain began an hour or so later and the lightning storm continued throughout the evening.

I was able to get the tomatoes picked and garden cleaned up before the rain began and spent the day making my kitchen sink (clean out the veggie crisper) bolegnese sauce with the tomatoes I picked.

Sunday was planned to be almost as lazy. And then we changed our mind. 😀 It was our anniversary and the restaurants (there are only 2) that we had to choose from for a nice dinner out are now closed on Sundays so we decided to go out tonight instead and head to the coast yesterday which was a GREAT choice for us until it wasn’t LOL traffic to and from the coast was heavy so we changed our mind again and went back to the lazy Sunday idea and had a late breakfast/lunch at a local haunt that runs wonderful specials for the Blackberry festival.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

This week is going to be pretty nice with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the low 50’s. I really hope this means fall is right around the corner. It’s only 3 weeks to the ‘BER’ months and I am ready!!! Please no Indian Summer this year!

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING Everything is actually up to date except for some vacuuming.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I don’t need much and have a haircut appointment on Thursday so will pick up anything I need then.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS I have a slew of paperwork to sort through.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m really looking forward to the fall months and have planned several new recipes to try for fall. Some of the recipes are: CIDER GLAZED CHICKEN THIGHS, CIDER BRAISED BRISKET, PARMESAN ROASTED GREEN BEANS, PEPPERONCINI CHICKEN & RICE, STUFFED PEPPER SOUP, CHICKEN TAMALE PIE, ALMOND CHERRY POKE CAKE, SHEET PAN SCONE CAKE

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

STREAMING I am just about done with the OLD MacGyver reruns and will then finish the OLD Matlock reruns. We’re still watching Stargate Atlantis of an evening and then the OLD Night Court comedy for late night.
CABLE I’m looking forward to the fall line up in a few weeks, but in the meantime have been getting caught up on the DVR cooking shows and spring back load of shows.

READING TIME

I’m reading Gill Paul’s The Collector’s Daughter: A Novel of the Discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	8/19 MONDAY	8/20 TUESDAY	8/21 WEDNESDAY	8/22 THURSDAY	8/23 FRIDAY	8/24 SATURDAY	8/25 SUNDAY
DINNER	OUT for our anniversary since everywhere we wanted to go last night was actually closed 🙁	PORK CHOPS with PINEAPPLE RELISH, RICE & SALAD	CHERRY COLA BBQ CHICKEN and COLE SLAW	SPINACH SALAD with WARM BACON VINAIGRETTE	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	LEMON CHICKEN, HONEY GLAZED SNAP PEAS and ROAST POTATOES	CHICKEN TAMALE PIE
DESSERT			BLACKBERRY PIE BARS

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

This past weekend was our annual Blackberry festival – always a fun time with a show and shine classic car show, movie in the park (AMERICAN GRAFFITI), favorite craft and food vendors, a chili cook-off and lots of homemade blackberry goodies of every kind. Saturday did bring rain, thunderstorms, red flag warnings for lightning and a little bit of humid heat.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPE LINKS week 32 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.225

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

WEEKEND RECAP

It was the County Fair last week. We went on Thursday (Military Day and hubby got in free). As much as I LOVE the fair, it was a miserable day with high heat, high humidity, horrific air quality from the fires all around us and it was REALLY bothering my eyes. Friday we were going to spend the day antiquing in a town to the north and have dinner out, but after we got there and made the first stop I just didn’t feel right so we stopped for a late lunch and came home so I could rest more. Saturday and Sunday were just spent lounging around the house and getting the laundry done as well as watching the closing OLYMPIC ceremonies.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

This week looks like it will be beautiful, sunny and in the high 70’s. The real determinant will be wind direction and the smoke from ALL the local fires.

ON MY MIND

I got my stitches out last Wednesday, but incisions were still infected so was put on an additional week of antibiotics. I’ve been doing so well before this with staying healthy that it concerns me to be backsliding. Being immunocompromised really isn’t any fun!

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING ALL up to date!
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I need to pick up a few things for the desserts on Friday as well as the normal groceries for the week.
PROJECTS & TRAVELS It’s the annual Blackberry Festival this weekend with a classic car show and all things blackberry.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m starting to think forward to fall recipes. But, this week I’m concentrating on blackberry themed recipes for desserts for a friend’s fundraiser dinner on Friday.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

STREAMING SERVICES We have been watching Stargate Atlantis together and Orphan Black Echoes. Down the day I have old Macgyver and Matlock episodes playing in the background while I recuperated. Late at night we’re watching really old Night Court episodes.
CABLE Still watching the Great American Food Truck Race and the BBQ Brawl as well as a couple other cooking shows and NASCAR races.

READING TIME

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	8/12 MONDAY	8/13 TUESDAY	8/14 WEDNESDAY	8/15 THURSDAY	8/16 FRIDAY	8/17 SATURDAY	8/18 SUNDAY
DINNER	BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN SALAD	CORN MOUSSAKA & SALAD	ROAST CHICKEN and SMOTHERED POTATOES	SPINACH BACON SALAD	BUFFALO CHICKEN SLOPPY JOES	APPLE BBQ CHICKEN SALAD	OUT for our ANNIVERSARY
DESSERT				LEMON COBBLER	BLACKBERRY PIE BARS

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

Here are a few of my favorites from the fair last week. The pigs are one of my favorite next to the bunnies. And my friend, Teri took 3rd place in the quilts.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS
Obviously we eat A LOT of chicken!

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPE LINKS week 31 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.218

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. I hope you all enjoyed your week! After being pretty much a homebody for 10 days we FINALLY really got out and about on Saturday. We started early and visited 3 different farmer’s markets in 3 surrounding towns and had a pizza at a favorite brewery, but the smokey fire air was getting to my eyes along with the heat and humidity so we came home mid afternoon and I binge watched a couple shows and then we watched a SYFY movie called MADAME WEB after dinner.

Sunday was more laid back, but I did accomplish getting the laundry caught up as well as some deep cleaning and organizing. I’ve been doing little projects where I can stay away from dust and bacteria. I ended up in the on-call ophthalmologist’s office last Tuesday with a slight infection starting so ended up on antibiotics 🙁 nipping the infection right away and at least I get my stitches out Wednesday! 😀 I also pickled the beets I bought at the farmer’s market and grilled BBQ chicken for an early dinner.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

This week is supposed to be a lot of partly cloudy and still in the 90’s with A LOT of smoke, so not the prettiest of weeks. This will be definitely be a flip flop week with comfy Levi’s and tanks with lightweight blouses. I’m hoping Thursday is a really good weather day since most of it will be spent outside at the county fair. I will wear actual shoes that day 😀

ON MY MIND

For the past 2 years I have been trying really hard to stay up with blogging daily. So, 3 days a week I have set up to do WORDLESS WEDNESDAY, SATURDAY COFFEE and SILENT SUNDAY. These 3 days seem like all I do is post a meme or special picture, but a lot of thought goes into deciding these and they each mean something to me in a positive way I want to convey to others. My husband asked me if that was cheating? I don’t think so – it’s just my Type A personality staying focused and organized 😀 I do post Happy Homemaker Monday in depth and 2-3 recipes, tutorials or trips on the other 3 days that require much more thought.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING ALL done!
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I’ll head to town in a bit to get a few things.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING August is done, but I’ll start September soon and am looking for some fun fall recipes.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

NETFLIX We finished the SWEET TOOTH series with James Brolin narrating – love his voice.
AMAZON PRIME We have spent more time inside the past week with me still recuperating and the wind shifting so we were getting HORRIBLE smoke and ash from the fires in the eastern part of the state. So, we watched SPACE CADET which was cute, kind of like a space version of LEGALLY BLONDE from years ago. We finally watched THE BOYS ON THE BOAT. We also started watching STARGATE ATLANTIS as binge reruns.
CABLE Cooking shows – BBQ BRAWL, FOOD TRUCK RACE, MARY MAKES IT EASY
THEATRE The smoke was really bad, but we were tired of staying indoors so went to see TWISTERS! It was really good, but then again it was a Spielberg film 😀

READING TIME

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	8/5 MONDAY	8/6 TUESDAY	8/7 WEDNESDAY	8/8 THURSDAY	8/9 FRIDAY	8/10 SATURDAY	8/11 SUNDAY
DINNER	OVEN FRIED CHICKEN with SPICY HONEY & SLAW	LEMON PARMESAN CHICKEN with SUN-DRIED TOMATOES & HERBS	stitch removal day so will eat out!	COUNTY FAIR DAY so it will be a CORN/YOYO day CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR OR YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN	PULL APART CHEESY PIGS in a BLANKET	HAWAIIAN CHICKEN SALAD	BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
DESSERT		APPLE FRITTER CAKE

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

We took back roads a lot this weekend and I noticed that so many farms are starting to stockpile bales of hay for winter. And I LOVE barns, so getting a few pictures of some of my favorites was quite nice. I also LOVE finding these rocks and re-hiding them!

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY ~ BLOG 366.213

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPES week 31 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.211

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

WEEKEND RECAP

We were supposed to go to a going away party on Saturday, but skipped it because it was moved to a smaller venue and with me still having stitched incisions (stitches come out on August 7th) and a recent COVID outbreak in our area I just thought it would be a prudent move.

Hubby did take me out to lunch though at a favorite haunt where I tried a new menu item. I LOVED half of it (the salad), but have ruled out the other half (the burger) from ever ordering it again 😂 There was a several hour power outage at home while we gone when a turkey vulture somehow blew a transformer and put 3,500 people out of service.

Yesterday we did go visit a few friends for a bit, but other than those 2 outings, it’s been super boring being at home, but unable to do much.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Today is going to be beautiful (81°) and then we jump back up toward triple digits (mid-high 90’s) and higher humidity for the next 9 days! At least the nights are getting down in temperature (high 50’s) making the days more tolerable. Glad I’m spending so much time indoors. The smoke has been pretty bad from a fire or two in the area.

Monday 🌞 81/56
Tuesday 🌞 86/58
Wednesday 🌞 95/63
Thursday 🌞 98/62
Friday 🌞 94/61
Saturday & Sunday 🌞 94/60

ON MY MIND

Can you believe August begins this week? It literally feels like this year is flying by!

I’m dealing with a level of inactivity I haven’t had to deal with in several years and it’s driving me stir crazy! I have only been out of commission for less than a week, but during that time the things that have happened at the Eagles has confirmed my decision to back off and find other avenues of volunteering. The first thing that happened was that out of desperation they actually contacted me 2 days after surgery to ask me to work the kitchen as a “short order cook” Saturday night even knowing I’m out of commission until the end of August! Not sure what they thought no lifting or bending means.

The stitches come out on August 7th and I will be readily working my way into a new daily routines sans Eagle’s duties though! See THOUGHT FOR THE DAY above!!

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING Hubby has been really good about staying up on the laundry and getting me everything I need as well as doing enough to keep me from feeling like I need to do cleaning things.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS Hubby is going to take me grocery shopping this morning and to COSTCO. I’m going to start doing the cooking again this evening so need a few things. I did enjoy hubby’s scrambled eggs, pizza and Kraft mac and cheese with hot dogs, but am looking forward to getting back to some scratch cooking.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS Probably not much this week, but I am still sorting through and organizing some papers and files.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING Have been limiting my screen time as it is so hard on my eyes, but have found that has helped me have more time with paper books and recipes so have the August menu researched and planned.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

Being down this week has given me A LOT of time to catch up on movies and shows. We FINALLY saw The BEEKEEPER with Jason Statham which was quite violent, but I loved the basic story plot. We also saw a couple of cute Disney movies and are halfway through the 3rd season of SWEET TOOTH. We also watched GHOSTBUSTERS-FROZEN EMPIRE and I found an interesting British show called BONEKICKERS about archaeologists who explore and test our knowledge of history with their discoveries. I’m almost done with the OLD MACGYVER series. I also found a new cooking show that begins August 9th about BLUE RIBBON BAKING that I’m looking forward to.
CABLE I’m also caught up on the FOOD TRUCK RACE and the BBQ BRAWL as well as MARY MAKES IT EASY.

READING TIME

I just finished Fannie Flagg’s I STILL DREAM ABOUT YOU and began Heather Webber’s A CERTAIN KIND OF STARLIGHT. She’s one of my favorite authors. I did start listening to Philippa Nefri Clark’s THE COTTAGE AT WHISPER LAKE the first few days after surgery, but it keeps putting me to sleep when I close my eyes, so that’s not working.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

I get to start cooking again today and resuming MOST normal activity so I wanted a fun menu. The first 3 recipes of the week are adapted from Mary Berg and have become favorites. The BBQ Chicken Legs are made with my ALOHA BBQ sauce, the DIANA Burgers are based on the cheeseburgers my friend makes us at her Bar & Grill and the Spicy Chicken Skewers are also adapted from the internet for summer recipes.

	7/29 MONDAY	7/30 TUESDAY	7/31 WEDNESDAY	8/1 THURSDAY	8/2 FRIDAY	8/3 SATURDAY	8/4 SUNDAY
DINNER	STUFFED BANANA PEPPERS and SALAD	BRAISED LEMON CHICKEN THIGHS with ONIONS and POTATOES, CARROTS & LEEKS	CHICKEN and SNAP PEA PASTA with CREAMY GARLIC BASIL SAUCE	BBQ CHICKEN LEGS and MACARONI SALAD	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	DIANA BURGERS and MASHED POTATO SALAD	SPICY CHICKEN SKEWERS and CUCUMBER SALAD
DESSERT			COCONUT CRANBERRY MACAROONS

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

I didn’t get out to take many pictures this past week, but did get out into the backyard yesterday and am amazed at how well my tomatoes, cucumbers and butternut squash are doing. I’ll be making some tomato sauce today for my dinner of stuffed banana peppers.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPES week 30 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.204

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

WEEKEND RECAP

I spent the entire weekend volunteering for a Community event, the BBQ ThrowDown. We had a wonderful turn out and a GREAT time also. Besides that we helped a friend who got locked out of her house and another that needed some electronic wiring work straightened out.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

After the storm on Saturday night yesterday cooled off by almost 20 degrees and it’s supposed to remain that way throughout the entire week 😀 which makes me REALLY happy! I’m wearing a favorite pair of Levis, plaid blouse and birkenstock thongs.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I was able to get everything done last night so I’m ready for the downtime after tomorrow’s surgery. I don’t do sitting well, so the no lifting or bending is going to be really hard on me!
GROCERIES & ERRANDS Cleared the week and hubby will be cooking from what’s in the fridge and pantry!
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS Nothing this week.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING Nothing this week.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

We started a series, Hudson and Rex that was really cute, but at the end of the first season they wanted us to subscribe to yet another streaming service. 🙁 So, we switched back to finishing MACGYVER and COACH
CABLE ~ I still need to get caught up on the BBQ Brawl and a few Mary makes it Easy

READING TIME

I downloaded a few books (TRULY MADLY by HEATHER WEBBER, THE COTTAGE AT WHISPER LAKE by PHILLIPA NEFRI CLARK and WICKED APPETITE by JANET EVANOVICH) to audible for this week. I’m not allowed to do anything after the surgery so will wear my headphones and listen to books Wednesday through Friday at least.

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	MANDARIN PORK and ARTICHOKE CAKES	surgery day so hubby’s choice the rest of the week 😀
DESSERT

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

The BBQ Throwdown (BAGS, BBQ & BREWS) was another HUGE success in our little town. Last year was the first year and there were 29 BBQ teams from around the country and one of the judges even flew in from Ireland!

This year we expanded to 40 BBQ teams and more Breweries and Wineries joined in too! We also have a HUGE Corn Hole tournament. I love the old trucks and trailers that were retrofitted into taps! There were several local vendors also including a young man who makes GORGEOUS hand made bowls of all types and his mother helping him get a start in business.

Thanks to Terry and his wife Lisa, local business owners who along with Dan and Nicole spearheaded this endeavor for ALL of their hard work doing everything and anything it took to make this event happen successfully. It supports scholarships for trade and tech schools. Not sure yet how much their doing this year, but last year they gave out $20,000 in scholarships. Not bad for the first year! I’ll update this after I find out what this year’s total is. There were also really unique and innovative awards handed out.

The food was plentiful and oh so yummy! Saturday was super hot (mid nineties and humid) and I came home that night with a little heat stroke and collapsed, but yesterday was absolutely gorgeous (mid seventies) after a thunderstorm roared in with a lightning storm and lots of rain. Tough on the BBQers that were manning smokers, but made for a gorgeous day Sunday. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend. And I couldn’t have done this again if I tried, but a guy set his beer on the table while he bought more chips from me. I dropped one of the chips and it bounced perfectly into his beer.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPES week 29 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.197

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

WEEKEND RECAP

We started the weekend Friday by traveling to our “BIG” go to town an hour+ away in order to pick up my Hallmark Premiere order for the Keepsake ornament club, do some antiquing and eat at a favorite restaurant (though they were not as good as normal) and I even started my Christmas shopping 😀

It was a fairly quiet weekend though for us despite all that was going on around us (Music Off Central, Bull Riding Stampede, Graffiti Week with classic cars, the Lavender Festival and Lots of LIVE bands everywhere! We did go see TIMBERWOLF on Saturday night with friends and while the guys drank Annette and I worked the door and raffle. Sunday was much quieter and I was able to get the laundry done as well as see a dear friend for a few hours.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We’re NOT in triple digits, but are oh so close 😂 At least the humidity is fairly low around 20% so I WILL NOT complain about summer though I am already looking forward to fall! I have on Levis rolled to capri length, my favorite birkenstock thongs and a pretty pink paisley blouse.

ON MY MIND

I can’t help wondering when exactly we declined as a polite society? I know this is mostly a rhetorical question, but seriously I pray we wake up (AND SOON), starting talking to each other and finding middle ground instead of senseless violence. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I had several loads of laundry to do and was going to work them into my free evening hours this week to avoid taxing the appliances in the heat of the day, but was able to get them done yesterday. Just a bit of sorting and general clutter pick up otherwise.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS & MEETINGS I have to go to town and sign the surgery consents today so will pick up the necessary groceries for home at that time. I also have a few meetings this week regarding the upcoming BBQ Throwdown in our little town next weekend. This will be the second annual, but the first was such a HUGE success that I really have high hopes for this becoming a permanent event! Everyone seems to enjoy it and we have attracted sanctioned BBQers from ALL around the country. There is also a high stakes Corn Hole Tournament.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS Slowly, but surely I am making progress on a couple projects and sorting old paperwork, but it’s a SLOW process.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m still researching some summer recipes and making progress in re-writing some older favorites to update them to current ingredient styles. I’m also going to make some banana ketchup this week for my first time.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

NETFLIX We started the sequel to REBEL MOON, but just can’t get into it – they were taking too long to get “there” and have “borrowed” too many things from other favorite SYFY movies s we started binge watching SUPERNATURAL as we never watched it when it was on regular. I am also watching the old MacGyver series with Richard Dean Anderson.
CABLE I have a few cooking shows to catch up on, but haven’t had much TV time.

READING TIME

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	7/15 MONDAY	7/16 TUESDAY	7/17 WEDNESDAY	7/18 THURSDAY	7/19 FRIDAY	7/20 SATURDAY	7/21 SUNDAY
DINNER	PEACH JALAPENO CHICKEN	NUMERO UNO PIZZA	PORK CHOPS with APPLE PIE STUFFING and BAKED STUFFED CARROTS	APRICOT SALSA CHICKEN and ARTICHOKE CAKES	CHICKEN PARMESAN MEATBALLS, PASTA and SWEET & SOUR GREEN BEANS	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					BUTTER BISCUIT CHERRY PINEAPPLE COBBLER

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

I really didn’t take many photos this week, but love the ones of my tomatoes looking so awesome and I did find this one from a restaurant we ate at amusing. Evidently they are FINALLY keeping people out of the landscaping with a sense of humor 😀

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPE LINKS week 28 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.190

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

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

WEEKEND RECAP

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were the last American Cribbage Congress events for 2024 in our little town. My girlfriend, Annette and I have been doing these for over a year now and really enjoy the challenge of feeding these wonderful people for 3 days! BUT, 4:30 AM came earlier and earlier each day leaving me REALLY, REALLY exhausted by last night! And it was not easy to get to sleep on the 4th with my neighbor shooting off illegal fireworks under my bedroom window so I began that first early morning at a deficit for the weekend. But, it’s a new week!

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We hit triple digits on the 4th and they are supposed to last a couple more days and then drop down into the 90’s for the rest of the week. Even as warm as it has been I have NO complaints as it is still cooling down quite a bit at night and is relatively low humidity.

ON MY MIND

I’m going to be having a bit of surgery in a couple weeks that will limit what I can do, lift and such for a few weeks so am making lists trying to get ahead for whoever will be doing my work at the Eagles. Between you and me I’m hoping someone wants to take it over permanently.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I have a couple of loads of laundry to do and a bit of ironing too.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS We got back from our vacation in time for me start the Cribbage tournament so there was no time to do our shopping. I do have a pedicure on Thursday and will do my grocery shopping then while I’m in town. In the meantime we will eat from the pantry and freezer.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS I need to sort through a few things and get my next project organized.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I need to sit down and get organized to make a new meal plan for the rest of July and August.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

NETFLIX Last night we watched REBEL MOON and then realized it has a sequel 😀
AMAZON PRIME We just finished re-watching EUREKA and need to find another show to binge watch in the hot summer months.
CABLE I have a few cooking shows to watch and some Christmas in July movies too.

READING TIME

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	7/8 MONDAY	7/9 TUESDAY	7/10 WEDNESDAY	7/11 THURSDAY	7/12 FRIDAY	7/13 SATURDAY	7/14 SUNDAY
DINNER	MANDARIN PORK & BAKED CARROTS	TACO ROLLS & SALAD	PORK CHOPS, APPLE STUFFING & SALAD	LEMON CHICKEN with SWEET & SOUR GREEN BEANS	OOT for an appointment so will find a FUN place to eat 😀	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	APRICOT SALSA CHICKEN & ARTICHOKE CAKES
DESSERT			BLUEBERRY LIME CHEESECAKE

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

I didn’t get many pictures edited this week yet, but did get a couple from the 4th done. We went and watched the parade in a small neighboring town that we see every year. Our neighbor and their youngest grandson Griffin squirming before the festivities began. They shot off the fire department water truck at the end for the kids to run in.

Our friends and neighbors across the street had their grand kids visiting and we did an early family friendly fireworks show.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

I couldn’t decide if this was a tip or a funny! 🙂

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY ~ BLOG 366.185

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & RECIPE LINKS week 27 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.183

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

This was supposed to be super brief as we are still away having a fabulous time on the coast with beautiful weather, at least weather we like – cool, cloudy, 60’s, breezy… Thanks to a dear friend we had the opportunity to spend several carefree days in the coastal resort community of Ocean Shores. But, I couldn’t sleep and was ups so early I found quite a bit to say.

We left last Thursday after my eye doctor appointment to avoid the Friday traffic. Well, that didn’t work. Between construction and just way too many people, traffic was still a nightmare, just not as bad as it would have been on Friday. We ended up in a cute little and colorful town for the night.

Friday we trekked down to Cape Disappointment that has 2 light houses and seriously earned its name for more reasons than the internet will tell you. 😀 We then crossed one of our favorite bridges to Astoria, home of the Goonies where we visited a favorite antique store, but didn’t buy anything for a change and had a fabulous late lunch/dinner at Astoria Brewing Company before checking in at Ocean Shores. Such a beautiful place and what a view! We also had a momma deer and her fawn that spent the evenings in front of our balcony.

Saturday we spent at the Sand & Sawdust festival followed by a little antiquing in junk stores and then beach combing in the afternoon at low tide. We found odd things to buy this trip like a vintage pair of pinking shears that hubby is going to oil for me and 3 OLD knobs for a set of drawers I already have as well as an OLD rusty hand saw that hubby will clean up for me so I can paint it for a Christmas tree. I LOVE the new architectural salvage company we found.

Sunday found us having our coffee with having a bit of a storm and turbulent waves that sounded glorious by the fireplace while we had the sliding door open. The weather was such that we were certainly glad we had opted for indoor activities which included a coastal drive where we encountered an odd “new” (built in 2005) little town, Sea Brook, that is a planned community resembling Pleasantville or home of the Stepford Wives or maybe the Truman Show or even the fictional town of Stars Hollows from the Gilmore Girls in a location previously abandoned by the navy after WWII and left off maps for years as well as a visit to make a deposit at the local casino for a friend LOL. Here’s an article that really spells out that odd little town. We also had brunch/lunch at a fun little spot called, Brunch 101. Oh my was the food awesome. This was half of an amazing chicken and biscuits Benedict that hubby and I shared. But I LOVE their motto! “Brunch without mimosas is just a sad late breakfast”!

Unfortunately, today we will be saying goodbye to Ocean Shores and heading homeward, but will stop somewhere tonight near a few towns we like that have some great antiquing.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Can you believe it’s July already? It seems like the days are running on double time. I’m not ready for July!!!!! For heaven’s sake it’s only 177 days until Christmas!!!!

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

The weather is glorious here, but will get warmer and warmer as we trek towards home. I see at home we will finally and consistently reach the 80’s this week, so I’ll enjoy the 50’s-60’s here as long as I can.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

There is a cribbage tournament this next weekend that I will be shopping for on Tuesday on our way home, but with the holiday I’m not planning much else this week except trying to get a hold of the primary doctors office to process a necessary referral to the ophthalmologist.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

Whatever taped while we were away. I know Christmas in July started on Hallmark and the Summer Baking Championship will be on there.

READING TIME

I’m about two thirds through Phillipa Nefri Clark’s House at Angel’s Beach. I decided to wait on the The Memory Thief until we get back – just seemed too heavy for a vacation read.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

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

	7/1 MONDAY	7/2 TUESDAY	7/3 WEDNESDAY	7/4 THURSDAY	7/5 FRIDAY	7/6 SATURDAY	7/7 SUNDAY
DINNER	OUT	TACO TUESDAY	MEATLOAF & SAUER POTATOES	HOBO PACKS on the GRILL	CRIBBAGE TOURNAMENT CORN/YOYO	CRIBBAGE TOURNAMENT CORN/YOYO	CRIBBAGE TOURNAMENT CORN/YOYO
DESSERT				BUTTER BISCUIT CHERRY COBBLER

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

This is a wide open category this week and if you have been following me on Facebook or Instagram you know I’m really behind in posting pictures 😀 so I’ll just give a couple of the highlights from this weekend – A couple of sunsets from our balcony, a foggy rainy landscape, Irwin the friendly raccoon who was living in the boulders I was crawling on to get a lighthouse picture, the town hall from the cute little town of Sea Brook.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & RECIPE LINKS week 26 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.176

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

After working so much and doing the auxiliary dinner at the Eagles last Friday we went for a lazy weekend. We visited a few garage sales. I cleaned and did some laundry, read a little, worked on menus and recipes, but nothing strenuous or that used a lot of brain power.

OH MY, it really just hit me that we are almost literally 1/2 way through the year!!! Can you believe there are only 191 days left in this entire year of 366 days!! Or in realer terms, Christmas Eve is 6 months from today. 😀

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Lows in the 50’s here and highs in the 70’s here at home. We’re going north to the coast though for the end of the week and it’s supposed to be in the low 60’s during the day and low 50’s at night so no complaints here!

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS

LAUNDRY & CLEANING ALL caught up as of last night, but you know how laundry is 😀
GROCERIES & ERRANDS None other than the Eagle’s shopping on Wednesday before we go.
PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS Nothing that won’t wait until next week 😀
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING Right now I’m planned through the end of July, but open to changes.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV

We watched ATLAS with Jennifer Lopez which was quite good and LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND with Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke that was just plain weird and even a bit disturbing.
I’m also watching the SUMMER BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP and GUY’S ROAD TRIP on the food network.
We’ve also been binge rewatching EUREKA and COACH at night.

READING TIME

I finished Marie Force’s State of Suspense last night and will start Emily Conlin’s The Memory Thief tonight.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀 With leaving on Thursday for a short trip it’s a pretty basic menu this week.

	6/24 MONDAY	6/25 TUESDAY	6/26 WEDNESDAY	6/27 THURSDAY	6/28 FRIDAY	6/29 SATURDAY	6/30 SUNDAY
DINNER	GREEN CHILE BEEF CALDILLO and REFRIED BEANS	CAJUN CABBAGE and SALAD	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator or your on your own 😀	OOT	OOT	OOT	OOT
DESSERT

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

I’ve been cat/house sitting since Thursday for a neighbor. KitKat and I had a great time together. My English Lavender and Calla Lillies are looking absolutely gorgeous this week. The bees LOVE them! I have rarely seen a spotted cucumber beetle, let alone get a picture of one. They are considered BIG pests, but are so unique looking. And my Clematis are looking really nice also with HUGE purple blossoms.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

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 🤣