In My Home This Week: In Season

In my home this week:

We had another bit of company.  This time, it was Katie and Taylor come to spend the night and part of Saturday with us.  So glad I cleaned up that guest room!!  I told you all it would get a work out this year, I could feel it in my bones.  One day, I hope to be able to put a truly decent mattress on that bed and have it a really nice looking room.  But that is still on my some day list.

I won't mention weather.  It's July and it's Georgia, and I laughed at the young Texan woman I met this past week who had just come from Oklahoma who announced that as far as she could see, the biggest difference in Texas and Oklahoma and Texas and Georgia is that humidity adds to the overall misery of July.  I think there are moments in July that are rather nice.  I like the morning hours when the birds are busy about the yard.  I like the lulls that occur in the afternoons when thunderstorms rumble in the distance and a sudden cool breeze refreshes.  I like standing in the sun and just soaking in some of that truly good warmth.  I like watering plants and deadheading flowers while the hummingbird darts about.  I like that moment in the dark when the air suddenly goes soft and slips about you like a cotton sheet, with just enough weight and warmth to be noticeable, but not feel oppressive.  I like the fuzzy feel  of peaches and the green smell of garden plants, especially of sun warmed tomatoes.


I love visiting with those of my children I can.  I love that Facebook makes it possible for me to at least get a glimpse of my two oldest children's lives and to see photos of my long distance grands whether it's merely miles or circumstances that separate me from them.  I like that my guest room is truly being purposed as a place for visitors to come.  And even though I don't know what this year is meant to hold, I like that God has a plan for me, even if I can't see it;  He has a purpose for everything, even if I don't know it.  I'm liking this season of life.   

...I plan meals:

Katie and Taylor were here to spend the day today.  It was nice to have another woman in the kitchen once again.  I think Bess spoiled me in that!  The result of having  an extra hand in the kitchen was a new to me recipe to try.  It was something Katie had improvised in her kitchen this week and we further improvised in mine.

Cheese and Ranch Chicken Breasts, Squash, Potatoes, Green Beans, Homemade Creamed Corn, Cucumbers, Tomatoes
If this all sounds like a lot it wasn't really.  There are leftover beans and potatoes and a few tomato and cucumber slices, but there was only one squash.  The squash, cucumber and tomatoes were all gifts from Katie's little garden (and a lovely little jalapeno and another cucumber still to be used).  I reheated potatoes and opened a can of green beans for Taylor's benefit.  Our meal must have been pretty good because tiny girl kept saying "Mmmmm!  Yummy!" all through the eating.

For the chicken, we mixed half a packet of ranch dressing with about 1/2 cup of plain yogurt.  Katie crushed most of Taylor's gold fish crackers and mixed with some Parmesan cheese.  We dipped the chicken breasts in the yogurt mixture and then in the crumbs and baked.  It was truly tasty.

Adler inspired soup, Corn Bread pancake, Sliced peaches with whipped cream
An odd assortment of leftovers saved over the week will make up my soup.  I've a bit of meatloaf and broth from that baking, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, some onion.  John will be away at work so this will likely be two meals for me.

Spaghetti with Meat Balls, Whole Wheat Pasta, Mixed Greens Salad, Garlic Toast, Lemon Tiramisu

Mongolian Beef over Brown Rice, Steamed Broccoli, Sliced Cucumbers

Deli Grocery Day

On My Own

Fiesta Chicken Bake, Salad, Tortillas, Cinnamon Chocolate Pudding Cups

....I plan my work week:

Pay day this week: pay bills, run donations to the thrift store, grocery shopping

Finish unpacking and sorting out the stuff from the booth.  True, I don't mean to keep all of it but it must be unpacked.  And if I find I desire to keep a little more of it then so be it, lol.

Move garden items to the other shed so those things will be in a central location.

Frugal Boot Camp, Week Six continues.

Straighten up my closet. 

Alter a cushion cover I made that isn't doing as I'd like.

Work on my next 'photographic' area.  Not sure yet what space this will be, but I've ticked off the kitchen/laundry/back entry from the list entirely.

Continue to work on deep cleaning the kitchen.  I'm not knocking myself out hard on this, just getting a few things done all through the week in spare moments here and there.  Thanks to ants, I did knock myself out. 

Start cleaning up the back porch now that John's moved his tools and the garden tools.

...I plan my leisure hours:

Continue to play about with the genealogy notes.

Have more coffee conversations with John.  We've done a world of talking this past week and I've enjoyed it. 

Get a haircut.

Have a beauty morning.

Determine what my next book will be.  I should finish the Miss Buncle series of books this week.  I've been enjoying my leisure reading despite all my Frugal Boot Camp reading work.