The Homemaker Plans Her Week: Plan A/Plan B

In my home this week, I could easily make out a list a mile long and still not have everything I see that needs to be done on it.  I'm at the point where I just do what I can and then go on to the next thing.  The truth is, it's never all going to be done, there's always going to be something else that needs doing.  I've made up my mind to do what I can and what I can't I'll help brainstorm what can be done about it but I won't knock myself out trying to do it all by myself.

We went to the local Strawberry Festival today.  We had to park at Katie's and walk the five blocks into town.  That didn't include walking at the Festival.  Nor the walk back.  Thankfully Katie called to say she'd come pick me up and take me back to her house to get our car.  

It was a hectic hour after that, driving home, coming in to greet Katie and the children, putting lunch together, feeding everyone and then Caleb had to have a bath as he had a comedy of a diaper change that went from bad to the very worst.  I know these days are winding down.

Tomorrow the families are coming to dinner.  The plans are for a Gramma's Fried Chicken dinner but so far I can't get a call through to the store.  Do I have a plan B?  Not yet, but I'll make one shortly just in case a Plan B is necessary.

Work:

Zone 4 sheds and porches.  The back porch looks pretty cluttered up with stuff.  I'll find out what John's plans are for stuff he's asked to save.  If he really wants it I'll have to make room in my shed for it.  Just last week he was fussing because he has things all over his second shed.  I suggested he might move some things into the first shed but ever since he found the shed snake skin in that shed he's not been too keen to go into that one.  The skin was found three or four years ago.  I'll cart things out there if he's still leery about going in.  Skins don't scare me.  Its the snakes I care nothing for, lol.

My own shed is fairly well organized.  I have a load of stuff that needs to go out there. I want to put it all away properly, look for the faux peonies to have as flowers in the house (and I think there's some Lily of the Valley somewhere as well).  I also want to blow out the shed.  There are fourteen hundred Mexican bean beetles out there that came in last fall and died.  I can use the blower to blow them all out.  While I'm out there I need to sort out plant pots, too.

The tomatoes are going outdoors daily.  Next week I'll start acclimating them to the direct sunlight.  It's pots for those I really need.  I think I have two or three five gallon buckets we've drilled holes in for planters I can use.

Indoor plans: I guess I'm going to have to get up on the step ladder and at least attempt to finish the painting in the bathroom because John is ignoring it.  It's been three months and I'm tired of waiting on him.

I am contemplating taking same paint and using it on the guest bathroom. Maybe.   I'm not going to get too ambitious until I get ours finished.  The guest bath is a lot smaller and shouldn't take nearly as much time to paint as our bathroom did and I can't complain over that one taking too long.  It was a couple of hours work, maybe three.

 I want to lay weed mat in the corner bed.  I'll leave Maddie's favorite corner untouched.  I contemplated fussing at her over the daylily she dug up the other day but (a) she did alert us to the huge pig of an armadillo trying to get under the porch and (b) the daylily were very overcrowded in that spot and I was dreading having to dig them out.  I don't especially want her digging them up for me because she doesn't get the tubers she rakes off the tops, but I won't fuss at her over those just now.  If I make it out of town I'll try to get several bags of mulch and get started on the mulching at this house and the town house, too.  

At the town house, we're going to work on the one remaining end of the house where the shrubs are still growing.  It's very overgrown and there's an oak tree that is slender yet but nearly as tall as the peak of the roof.  I also need to show John which of the Japanese Maple branches should come off.

I know John plans to mow at least two yards this week.  It's meant to rain one day at least.

All the usual housework and anything else I find that might require my efforts.  

Kitchen:  

I need to check to see how many bagels we have left.  I think we've enough to go another week.  

I would like to make some Raisin Oatmeal bread.  I've made it in my bread machine before and have the recipe in my binder.  I love a cheese sandwich on raisin bread, or cheese toast made using raisin bread.

There's a roll of sugar cookie dough in the freezer I'd like to use to make cookies.

Meals:

Our temperatures are warming up.  The next ten days will be anywhere from 83-90F.  No need of planning hearty winter fare any longer.  Time to start pulling out the warmer season recipes.

Leftover Chicken Pot Pie, collards, Pear Salad

Gramma's Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Mac n Cheese, Green Beans, Green Salad  (Plan B: not necessary.  I finally got through to the deli).

Tuna Casserole, Sliced Tomatoes, Green Peas  I've actually been craving a tuna casserole.  At the moment I happen to have two bottom of the bag portions of crushed potato chips that will top it quite nicely.

Italian Pepper Steak, Rice, Green Salad, Rolls  I'd like to make shish Kebab but I cut up all the peppers into strips and put them in the freezer.  That being the case I'll fall back on a dish that uses the same ingredients (Sirloin, onions, peppers, Italian dressing) and make another old favorite recipe that I've been making for about 44 years.  

Roasted Chicken Breast, Zucchini au gratin, Red Potatoes with Butter and Lemon Zest

Tamale Pie, Corn, Salad  Planning an easy meal just in case I work as hard as I did last week.  It's a heavier meal but I have chili in the freezer, so this casserole is practically made.

Bbq Chicken Legs, Succotash, Slaw  I have a few butterbeans in the freezer, not enough for two, too much for one. I thought Succotash might be a good use of that.

Personal:

I keep making all sorts of promises to myself about what I'd do each week for leisure and honestly, I'm not very good at this part of my week.  I'm just not.  I work hard.  And when I stop working, I will write hard and when I'm done writing, I literally waste hours on the computer watching vlogs or playing games.  I'm sick of this pattern.

Read.  This is something I will do.

My skin is not looking it's best.  It needs something more than the sensitive skin products I've been using.    I find that as I'm older my skin is dryer rather than oily as it used to be.  I'm going to have to research what would work best for me.  

Continue to try to moisturize my body each day.  I'm doing better with this. Not every single day but most days I'm remembering this.

Set up some more outfits. Of the five I set up a couple of weeks ago and shared here, I've worn all but one of them at least twice.  That one would have been ideal for a cooler Sunday but now it's heating up outdoors, I'm afraid that's one outfit that's going to have to be rethought.  Two of those outfits made me feel so well put together that I'm encouraged to get in there and play in my closet a bit more.

Set a time limit on the morning Instagram review.  Thin out the list.  

Shut off the computer by 9pm each night.

The pollen is greatly decreased.  I want to start taking coffee on the porch once more before it gets too hot to do so.