This week in my home...
...I have been thinking about this week and this month and a little beyond. It's getting nearer our holidays and John's mentioned both Thanksgiving and Christmas. When that man of mine starts thinking of holidays ahead it's high time I started my planning!
The weather is nice. Friday it was 97F and I was one wretchedly hot and wrung out woman after my day out. I was irritable when I arose Saturday morning and it hadn't cooled noticeably but this morning, at last, I stepped out on the porch and sighed deeply with pleasure. I braved the chill air without a sweater but honestly? It was a bit chilly out there. Lovely! Typical of Georgia autumns it will slowly warm it's way back into the 80s this next week but I am hopeful that we've seen the last of the mid and high 90s for months yet.
I got a good start on bringing my pantry up to date. I purchased a few more sales items today. I spent the last of my allowance doing that. I just didn't have it in the main account budget to do but wanted to go ahead while sales were good. I'll keep track of what I've spent personally and repay myself here in a few weeks when I'm done. Still, I'm pretty pleased at the dent I made in my restock list and will look for sales to continue replenishing and bringing that pantry of mine up to date. As I said, my goal just now is a three months stock of what we typically use. When I've met this goal I'l work on bringing it up to six months level, then nine and finally to a full year's worth of foods on hand. I think I'm going to be able to accommodate all in my guest closet pantry very nicely, though I may end up having to get creative with the paper products storage, and put shelves in the bathroom cabinets to help hold the personal care items.
I have much more to say but most of it has to do with plans and such for the week and months ahead so why don't I just go on and start these weekly lists?
...I plan my work week:
I have two tomatoes left on my vines so I think they are ready to be pulled out. I guess they did okay considering the plants cost me nothing and produced about 1 pint of tomatoes. I've saved two or three to use for seeds for future plants.
I'll use the soil in the tomato pots to fill up planters so I can plant all those mums and flowering kale and snapdragons I bought two weeks ago.
I have one section of wall to wipe down in the kitchen and I'm done with that job. I would like to get the kitchen rugs washed and hung on the line while it's sunny this week.
Plan fourth quarter budget. Now we're three months into the new schedule and altered pay I have a better idea of what we have for income and can plan accordingly.
Make out a Thanksgiving Day menu. There's a rumor I might expect guests for dinner and I told John if I'm making up a dinner for four I might as well make up a dinner for 20 or so...Do you like my philosophy? lol I think he's working the night before but he's off the day of Thanksgiving and h says he'd like to do something. A rare family meal ON a holiday might be nice. Plan now and adjust plans later on.
Make autumn leaf cut out cookies. I bought the cutters last year and then didn't make the cookies. When I mentioned making these John immediately said "Oh but it would be nice if you'd make Stove top cookies, instead." I pointed out that was exactly why I didn't get autumn leaf cookies last year. He wanted something else and I gave in to his wants each time. This year I shall have my autumn leaf cookies.
Friday while out with Mama, I added the last items to my wardrobe. I purchased a purse. Mama gifted me a long jacket, a light cream denim jacket and a cardigan sweater. I think I am good for months to come now. I plan to set up five or six outfits this week, complete with shoes and accessories. I also need to check how much hem I need to put in one pair of pants.
Hem those pants.
Mop floors...Want to guess what job I didn't bother to do last week?
Here's another: mail off that package to Amie. Good thing she's not expecting it! Start packing up a box for another of the girls...
Porches need to be cleaned up. There's green algae on the front porch and the annual mildew mess on the back porch. Both floors look muddied up from the dog and cat and foot traffic. I guess this is my next Fall cleaning area and I think my last one since we've just moved all the furniture and washed the curtains, etc. in the other rooms.
Since I'm going to work on the porches anyway, I think I'll add a wee bit more color to the two wreaths I have on the doors now that it's October.
Sort out the magazines. I have a whole stack of current year September magazines I've yet to go through and a pile of October issues, both vintage and current waiting to be read.
I could go right on and plan 100 other jobs but I guess this is enough extra. I often fit in a few more tasks as the week goes on but no sense in over planning.
...I plan meals:
I need to make up some sandwich fillings. I have plenty of eggs so I think egg salad, and perhaps I'll boil some extra chicken for chicken salad. I think a bit of pimento cheese would be nice. Truth is I'm more partial to that than I am to egg salad, and John's more partial to egg salad than he is to Pimento Cheese so that always works out fine for us, lol.
on my own 2xs
Chili, Yellow Rice, Green Salad, Banana Nut Bread
It looked cooler outdoors even though the air conditioner kicked on routinely all through the morning. I didn't have a plan going into the weekend because I'd thought I'd have time Friday to plan something. I had no idea how busy and long that day was going to turn out to be. I have a quart of leftover chili in the fridge, but may move it to the freezer.
Fried Chicken, Macaroni Salad (John) and Potato Salad (me), cherry tomatoes from our plants and Gelato
There's enough leftover chicken and salads for our meals tomorrow. John's is going in his work lunch. I'll happily eat mine around noon tomorrow. Happy to know I don't have to stop to make a meal.
Macaroni and Cheese, Steamed Broccoli, Sliced Tomato Salad
I've had this on my menu several times now but have yet to make it. John's mentioned wanting Mac and cheese so I'll be sure and get it made this week. And hopefully make enough for a pan for the freezer as well.
Baked Chicken and Dumplings, Black Eyed Peas with sweet tomato relish, Coleslaw
leftovers for our lunches on this work day
Today is the best day to look ahead to the weekend and plan those meals. Then I can do prep on Friday.
Fancy Pants Burgers, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Corn Muffins
A 1950's burger stuffed with cheese and simmer in tomato sauce...sounds just great for an autumn meal to me!
...I plan my leisure:
I did watch the TV shows last week and I got my calendar pretty much laid out, too. I didn't add those documents to my genealogy notebook, though and I've got a longing to run down rabbit trails, so this week I'm going to try and get lost a few hours in family history.
The weather is nice enough just now to spend some time on the porches. I'm going to treat myself to coffee or tea on one of the porches at least once each day.
I will listen to at least one hour of music daily. Even if I'm working, there's something very pleasant and relaxing about having music on in the background.
Pull a stack of books to be read in the month of October...and start one!
Take time to read a magazine each day. No matter if it's vintage or modern.
Go ahead and in my leisure time make any lists I think I want to make. I love making lists!
Journal daily.
...and that's my week planned...What do you have planned for your week?
9 comments:
Our oldest daughter's family leaves for the mission field on the 11th. We have just as many times to see them over the next ten days as we can pack into the schedule. They will be serving in Germany and planting a church in the city where they will be living right downtown in a lovely apartment building. No one can visit until they are through language school in July of 2019 and they will not be home to the states until July 2022. I covet everyone's prayers for us all. Our hearts hurt and the grandchildren know they are leaving us. I finally said to my husband that this is how we raised our children. We raised them to obey God's calling and to serve others and to trust our good, good Father. We trust that He will care for our hurting hearts, too.
I think I agree that cooking Thanksgiving for 4 or 20 is about the same.
About the cookies, I say make both and put the extras in the freezer for later.
I worked in my pantry today after yesterday's shopping. Feels good to have it in order and know what is there.
And I'm very happy you have your fall wardrobe complete. I know it's just clothes, but I just function so much better when my clothes look right.
You make me feel better about putting something on the menu and then not making it. I've done that with spaghetti the last couple of weeks. We had unbelievable hot weather too now it's getting cooler. Have a great day.
Hi Teri, I'm in Alabama and this morning when I stepped out on the back porch to see hubby off it was COOL! And it was wonderful! This is what I call my "heaven weather"-what I think heaven will feel like all the time. I wanted to write and say that I have been reading awhile and you always encourage me in my homemaking and pantry-building. I am also going to follow your lead and make sure to have a cup of coffee on my swing each day this week. It is a good idea to just have some "sit and stare" time as I call it each day.
John wouldn't be getting you to think about the holidays so you forget about the honey do list for fall that needs done? Naw, nothing like that, nope, nope. Gramma D
Well let's see. It seems you are culling books and I'm buying them!! I have discovered thriftbooks.com and have purchased several books I've had on my thrift store list plus a couple that were recommended to me. My first big stack came yesterday and it was so exciting to get those in the mail box!
I need to do some decluttering - again. Always, again. LOL
I also need to do floors - vacuum, sweep/mop
And I'm sure there is lots more I need to do. I have doubts I'll get very much of it done. I'm gone two nights a week after a full day of work and the other nights are simply me trying to catch up on rest after coming home, cooking supper, cleaning it all up, etc.
Terri, I'm still chuckling about the cat that eats Brussel sprouts!!
We had several days last week of no a/c and it was blissful. I always look forward to the cool mornings in early fall and late spring when I can go out on the patio, use a lap blanket, have my coffee and read a few chapters. I expect I'll get to do that by next week.
I started unpacking my Halloween décor this morning. I have some wonderful, small gold colored Christmas lights that I found on clearance years ago. I use them in fall to add a nice glow above our fireplace. I was tickled when my husband asked about them last month. He said they make everything so cozy!! I will hopefully have everything up and done by tomorrow. I bought a wonderful pumpkin at Aldi, but I'm waiting for the temps to drop before I set it on the porch.
It's crazy, but we just harvested our FIRST tomatoes of the summer. We had a sloooowwwww season. Several of my friends gave up and pulled theirs out. The bushes were green & leafy, but slow to flower. Then there were no tomatoes. We had a couple turn orange last week, but made the mistake of leaving them for a couple of more days and something ate them! So now our plants are full of green tomatoes and I'm watching the night temps in case I need to pull them off and bring them in to ripen. Crazy, but they sure are good!!
I've been thinking about leaf-shaped sugar cookies, too. It's been a long while since I've made roll-out cookies of any kind, and now that I have easy access to the cookie cutters, I think I'll make up some dough. First, though, I did promise Silas muffins this morning, so I should get to work on those. No school today, so we're baking pumpkin pie for the boys to take home.
There can never be too many cookies! Make both. Then, you can either add a few to the packages you are sending out, or freeze them for later. Like Thanksgiving dinner:) Leaf cookies would be such a nice addition for that. I haven't make them for a few years, but you are inspiring me.
It sounds like you have a nice, busy, but not too busy week ahead! Sounds fun!
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