BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 22 ~ INSPIRATIONS & STORIES ~ BLOG 366.355B

Every year I think about the world and all that is going on around us looking for way to make Christmas better for others. This year has been different than others in this post pandemic era, but the need is still great so it has also been rewarding to be able to help others.

I’m always searching for inspiring stories that show the goodness in people as well as the true meaning of the season with maybe an uncanny miracle too. Here are a few stories:

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THE TRUTH ABOUT SANTA A Wonderful Way To Explain Santa To Kids Without Them Feeling Lied To

In our family, we have a special way of transitioning the kids from receiving from Santa, to becoming a Santa. This way, the Santa construct is not a lie that gets discovered, but an unfolding series of good deeds and Christmas spirit.

When they are 6 or 7, whenever you see that dawning suspicion that Santa may not be a material being, that means the child is ready.

I take them out “for coffee” at the local wherever. We get a booth, order our drinks, and the following pronouncement is made:“You sure have grown an awful lot this year. Not only are you taller, but I can see that your heart has grown, too. [Point out 2-3 examples of empathetic behavior, consideration of people’s feelings, good deeds etc, the kid has done in the past year]. In fact, your heart has grown so much that I think you are ready to become a Santa Claus.

You probably have noticed that most of the Santas you see are people dressed up like him. Some of your friends might have even told you that there is no Santa. A lot of children think that, because they aren’t ready to BE a Santa yet, but YOU ARE. Tell me the best things about Santa. What does Santa get for all of his trouble? [lead the kid from “cookies” to the good feeling of having done something for someone else]. Well, now YOU are ready to do your first job as a Santa!”

Make sure you maintain the proper conspiratorial tone. We then have the child choose someone they know–a neighbor, usually. The child’s mission is to secretly, deviously, find out something that the person needs, and then provide it, wrap it, deliver it–and never reveal to the target where it came from. Being a Santa isn’t about getting credit, you see. It’s unselfish giving.

My oldest chose the “witch lady” on the corner. She really was horrible–had a fence around the house and would never let the kids go in and get a stray ball or Frisbee. She’d yell at them to play quieter, etc–a real pill. He noticed when we drove to school that she came out every morning to get her paper in bare feet, so he decided she needed slippers. So then he had to go spy and decide how big her feet were. He hid in the bushes one Saturday, and decided she was a medium. We went to Kmart and bought warm slippers. He wrapped them up, and tagged it “merry Christmas from Santa.” After dinner one evening, he slipped down to her house, and slid the package under her driveway gate. The next morning, we watched her waddle out to get the paper, pick up the present, and go inside. My son was all excited, and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. The next morning, as we drove off, there she was, out getting her paper–wearing the slippers. He was ecstatic. I had to remind him that NO ONE could ever know what he did, or he wouldn’t be a Santa.

Over the years, he chose a good number of targets, always coming up with a unique present just for them. One year, he polished up his bike, put a new seat on it, and gave it to one of our friend’s daughters. These people were and are very poor. We did ask the dad if it was ok. The look on her face, when she saw the bike on the patio with a big bow on it, was almost as good as the look on my son’s face.

When it came time for Son #2 to join the ranks, my oldest came along, and helped with the induction speech. They are both excellent gifters, by the way, and never felt that they had been lied to–because they were let in on the Secret of Being a Santa.

CREDIT: Charity Hutchinson

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Here are a few more stories from CAMILLE STYLES that I found inspiring.

When Michigan resident Chad Rose just happened to have an extra Christmas tree that was used on his business’s parade float, he did what any decent person would do: he posted on Craigslist to give it away for free. For some, a tree is an annual necessity and integral part of the holidays, but for many it’s an expense that needs to be saved for daily essentials. After posting the ad, his inbox was immediately flooded with touching stories of why various families deserved to have the tree.

With each e-mail he read, it became clear how significant a simple tree can be in contributing to the holiday aura. One email, which he shared with MLive.com, read, “Having a real Christmas tree would be such a great blessing this year [because] usually we draw a Christmas tree on a large poster and hang it in the corner.” Realizing that $25 towards a tree was too much for some families to spare, Chad went out and bought 40 more to give away for free. He spent most of the next day going over his list of emails, checking it twice, and not paying much attention to who’s been naughty or nice – just deserving.

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Canadian airline WestJet delivered holiday cheer for 250 passengers on a flight to Calgary. The airline placed a digital Santa Claus at an airport, and asked passengers what they wanted for Christmas. While everyone was in the air, 175 WestJet workers sprinted to nearby stores and bought everything they asked ‘WestJet Santa’ for — from pairs of socks and underwear, to big-screen TVs. When the passengers arrived at their destination, every one was met with their dream gift at baggage claim.

This isn’t the first time WestJet has whipped out the holiday cheer, either. Last year, a flash mob of 150 volunteers performed a jolly dance in the waiting area for a red-eye flight, complete with Santa on the tarmac and stockings stuffed with new iPods.

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Sixteen year old Jordan Cox has a knack for extreme couponing, a talent he uses to help he and his struggling mom get by, according to the Telegraph. But this Christmas season, the savvy teen decided to also use his unique skill set to help struggling families in need. Jordan collected hundreds of coupons and purchased about $935 worth of groceries for less than a penny. He then donated it all to Doorstep, a nonprofit that disperses food to disadvantaged families.

“I decided I wanted to help as many people as I can, and to also show that it’s possible to shop very cheaply, if you know how,” Jordan said.

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But my all time favorite is a true story from Pastor Rob Reid:

THE TABLECLOTH

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities.

When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc. and on Dec 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On Dec 19 a terrible tempest – a driving rainstorm – hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.

The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.

On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. “Pastor,” she asked, “where did you get that tablecloth?” The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the tablecloth.

The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. She was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a house-cleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.

One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn’t leaving.

he man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike?

He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety, and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between. The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride.

They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.

He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman’s apartment, knocked on the door and there he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine and was blessed with the ultimate Christmas gift.

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

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

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