The Homemaker Plans Her Week: Fresh, Bright and New

 

In my home this week, I'm trying to find my bearings.  With the need to work at the house in town to get it cleaned up, I'll still be giving up part of my week to that, but the change will be that I can tend to those things in the morning when my energy is higher and then come home and putter about my own house.  I've given myself a target date of two weeks to get the house cleaned up and ready to put on the market. 

It's always a bittersweet moment when you realize that your time is more or less your own once more after having given it over to someone else's need.   It makes me feel a bit lost.  That's why I need to see how I fit into my own life once more.

As well, before the end of this year...God willing...I want to start to get a little time for us.  Whether we want to make day trips or go on a picnic or simply spend a whole long day at home...I hope we get to do just that.

Work:  

While helping Katie on Thursday evening, I realized which areas are going to be the most tedious and which are not.  It's a help to know this ahead of time.   I expect that some days, given a set amount of time to work, I'll get more than one room knocked out.  And other days I'll work on a couple for multiple days. But Steven truly did a huge favor for us in that he just socked in and cleared a load of stuff out of a couple of room of the house, which I appreciate more than I can say.    Cleaning is so much easier when there isn't a load of stuff to clear in order to do the cleaning.

Keep Caleb/help load up truck.

I'm assuming we'll need one day to just recover.  What with loading a truck and/or watching Caleb, etc., we may end up having to help unload in her new home state.  Which means a six or seven hour round trip drive on top of all the hard work.  I'm typing this on Friday so that's not written in stone but it's a good possibility.  I can't discuss this with Katie until the end of the day, so we'll plan for it and perhaps it won't at all be necessary.

I'm going to try to take some time one day to prep meals, so I have that slight reprieve.  I'll touch on this again in Kitchen, so won't elaborate here.

Make out a small grocery list.  Moving is expensive in more ways than you expect it to be.  It's not just the moving but the need to purchase fittings and hoses for machines, deadbolts, the perishable grocery items that sat too long, a meal for the moving crew even if part of that was homemade.  We were glad to help a wee bit, but it does mean care until our pay comes in mid-month.  So basic necessities are needed: eggs, lettuce, fruit, coffee (that should go HEAD of the list!).  Add to this one that we need to plan a trip to the grocery, too.  Because I've had grocery lists for weeks and we've not gone to the grocery store even once.  Oddly enough NONE of that food just appeared in the house.  So, the trip to the store must be necessary, lol.

I have a few plants and pots that need to be removed from our yard where frost killed off the annuals.  I'll repurpose the soil in a few for pansies here this month.  I looked for pansies and kale this past week at Lowe's, but they were limited in the selection of colors for pansies and had no flowering kale at all.  I'd love to buy some of those this month.  In the meantime, I can prepare the pots for planting.

All the usual household stuff.

Kitchen:

This past week I didn't do a fridge clear up.  I felt that given how empty it was, there was no need.  I was so wrong.  I caught it in time, but I found two or three items that absolutely needed to be used up.  I had to change plans at the end of my week because I didn't check at the beginning of the week.  I'm glad I caught it, but lesson learned.  Clean and organize the fridge twice a week regardless of how empty it might look!

I need to make bagels again.  I have enough for this weekend's morning meal for John (again I'm typing this on Friday).  

I plan to make two big pizzas on Saturday.  I figure that we'll need to feed the help, whoever that might end being.  I'll have to go buy soda.  My alternative plan is to make three pizzas if I somehow end up with all the kids, which might also be a possibility.  In which case I'll call someone to run out and get it.  Again, I'm planning in the air because that's where all the plans are as far as I don't know certain things.

All that aside: plan and prep meals for the week ahead.  If there's a plan, meats are thawed, salads made, etc. and in a few cases the entree completely prepared and just needs reheating, then the week ahead will be so much easier for me and less likely to end in tired frustrations.

I need to bake something for snacks/desserts.  I have a package of cookies tucked back for an emergency but that may end up going to feed the work crew tomorrow.  Oh, oh, oh!  I just remembered I have a Butternut Squash pie in the freezer that can be thawed.  That will be a huge help this week.  

Meals: 

 

Saturday is really up in the air for meals.  Pizza for lunch, yes.  Will we be home at suppertime?  I've no idea.  I'll plan six meals and we'll see how things go.  

Creamy Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Baked Apples.

Chicken, Broccoli and Rice, Sweet Potatoes, Herbed Rolls.   I never made this last week though it was on my menu.  It's tasty and good and easy to make ahead. I'll need to thaw and cook some chicken.

Baked Pork Chops, Stuffing, Peas, Mashed Potatoes.  Thaw meat.  I'd love to stuff these, but I think they're too thin and they are boneless.

Pepper Steak over Rice, Garlic Toast, Salad.  I have some venison tenderloin I'd like to use, and this will be the perfect way to do so.  I'll need to thaw the tenderloin, slice peppers and onions.

Burgers and Fries, Orange Julius drinks.  Simply thawing meat.  The burgers and fries are in the freezer, as are the buns.  Easy meal for sure!

Brenda's Slow Cooker Kielbasa, Fruit Salad.  I'll slice the onions and potatoes ahead of time.  I have found I can keep potatoes covered in water in the fridge without affecting them negatively.  This can be layered in the slow cooker and cooked while I'm away.  Perfect meal to plan for this week.

Personal:

I know myself well. The house in town needs work and I want it done NOW.  However, this week I mean to be kind to myself.  I am setting a work time limit of 2 hours a day.  I'm planning one day of NOT working and having a day out, something we haven't done in the longest time.  

Pick up that Mary Stewart book and start reading once more.  I think I'd made it to Chapter 4 and then I laid the book aside to attend to a dozen other things instead.  Time to read is very important to me.

John insisted I buy an amaryllis the other day.  If I plant it now, it ought to be ready to bloom along about Christmas.  

Be kind to me.  When I'm feeling super tired and weary and just can't, I won't.  I'll rest.  My deadlines are mine, not those of someone else and I can be a harsh mistress of self.  As overwhelmed as I felt two weeks ago, thinking of what all needed to be done, I realized Thursday night as I walked through the house that the rooms will be largely empty and that will make a huge difference.  It was what needed to be packed on top of the cleaning that really overwhelmed me.

Let go of all my expectations of the future and how things ought to be and just let life happen.  I'm so tired of trying to figure out what everyone needs and then planning ahead to cover all the needs.  It's time to let go.