In My Home This Week: Summer Daze

This week in my home...

 ...It was a quieter week than we've had in the week's just past.  The big news this week was getting the kitty out from under the back porch where she'd hidden herself for four days.  We got water and food bowls set up for her until we could concentrate on removing her to the pet crate.  This is one of Bess' cats that managed to escape last week when she picked them up from kennel.  Violet is now at home with the rest of the kitties.  They moved her there yesterday. 

Bittersweet.  That's what this past week has been and I expect this week will be also...It's the last week with the family here.

I'm torn, truly I am.  On Saturday the kids went down to spend time at the new home, albeit the empty home.  John and I whisked around and moved furniture and vacuumed deeply and cleared up toys and the house looked neat and pretty.  I realized I've missed the orderliness of my home, though it's hardly been a mess.  I suspect I shall also miss the clutter and the cars on the kitchen counter (Josh can just reach them now and is constantly pushing cars up on them).  I shall relish the peace and quiet and miss the mayhem and noise.  I'll enjoy being alone and miss having ready company. 

It's always so isn't it?  Can't have this without losing that, can't have that without losing this...One more week...

...we plan meals:             

I think most of all, I shall miss the dual meal planning sessions.  New ideas and recipes have been a constant inspiration for me.  I'm just sorry as can be that the crock broke this past week.  I'm thinking this week's meals shall have to be cooked in the much underused electric frying pan, to keep from heating the house up with the oven.  It's mighty warm outdoors and I am most certainly not planning to heat up the indoors.

Sliders, Southwestern Bean Salad, Whole Grain Corn Chips with Flax Seeds

Meatloaf, Squash Casserole, Pink Eye Peas, Salad, Peach Cobbler

Chicken Parmigiana, Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread

Open Faced Meatloaf Sandwiches, French Fries, Tomato and Lettuce Salad

Beef Shish Kebabs,  Roasted Vegetables, Rice, Salad

Whole Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Carrots, Onions and Apples, Steamed Green Peas, Rolls

Pizza, Salad

...I plan my work week:

Oh the plans I can make...and the distractions and other things that make them all for naught.  Last week, Bess sort of precipitated the little freezer clearing out so I spent a day sorting out the big freezer in order to accommodate the things she'd moved.  I did a sort of mini inventory while I was digging about and got a better idea of what I had and what needed to be used or tossed.  I made a good start on the long promised compost heap...

So this week's tasks include many of last week's list:

Mop the kitchen. 

Begin work on third quarter budget sheet.

Create pantry and freezer restock lists and determine how I'll go about managing funds for both.

Plan a new wardrobe list.  Some of the shirts I'd purchased in Spring (the least expensive additions to my wardrobe) never fit me as well as I'd hoped.  They were much too snug.  They happen to fit Bess just fine, so I passed them on to her.  This leaves me with a dearth of tops for summer use.  I also need shorts or lightweight pants for home wear.  Jeans are far too hot.  And new nighties. Not a long list perhaps but it helps to plan so I can piece out purchases over a period of time.

Make it a point to save water to use to water plants.  Yes, it's a pain.  No, it's not drought conditions but why pay to run water when I might save half on these long hot days by using up gray water from indoors?  Watering is a necessity just now due to the continuous warm dry breeze.  We haven't even had dew in the mornings of late.

If I can find a moment this week to run into town, I mean to bring home my first lot of things from the store.  I want to clear off a small shelf unit that the store owner had loaned to me, and bring home an item that Bess expressed interest in having for her kitchen.  Much better to give to her now so they can take it with them than store it until I happen to see her after they move.

...I plan my leisure:

No big plans for relaxation this week, but I do mean to keep cool and look nice.  I'm so over the whole schlumping about the house in ratty things look.  I find it very disheartening.  To that end, I mean to take time this week to make myself pretty.  Granted it's hot and work can make me hotter, but a cool shower, a touch of make up, a fresh top, a pair of earrings can do a great deal towards lifting spirits and making me feel I'm at ease.

Read.  There's a review book to be read...but I think I'm going to bring out an old friend book to visit with.  John's input on Friday was that I need to make time to read once again, real enjoyable reading as I used to do.  It's a nice way to 'get lost', you know?

Dream.  Plan. Because those things lift my creative spirit and feed it.  I need that just now, especially when it's hot and difficult to even imagine wanting to do anything that resembles work.   I have files filled with inspiration for home and yard and self.  I have magazines.  I have materials I could use.  I just need the plan and the inspiration.