The Homemaker Plans Her Week: Finishing Strong

 

We had a perfectly lovely week last week and I enjoyed it greatly.  The weekend behind us was a busy one, too.  Family visits, project work, sitting outdoors on the porch, making meals, and cleaning the house (yes, I love doing those things most days), small group meetings, church...  It's all been lovely.

I feel I'm doing well in reaching goals this month, at least touching on many items if not completing them.  I went over my April goals during the last of this past week and I was surprised how many things I could say "Done" to after I'd read my intention.   I am already looking ahead to May.  Yes, I am!  

You see the wheels in my brain have been turning and turning over the last few weeks on homemaking tasks. I see ways to improve and recall former ideas that had validity but I didn't have time to commit myself to them at that time.  No good idea ever dies.  It just may not come to fruition until a little later down the line.  An idea doesn't always occur in the season when it makes sense to implement it.

Anyway, I'm pushing to finish my goals here in April before I abandon this month.  I want to get things done!  I'll have Millie one day, have an appointment one day, and I think Katie and Caleb will be over one day.  So this week may be busy. It won't stop me from working, though. 

Work:

Zone 4 Master Bedroom and Bath.   This week I plan to strip off the mattress cover, vacuum and turn the mattress, and then replace the winter spread with the lighter-weight summer spread.  I'll likely end up using the old pillow shams since I've not found any new ones I can either afford or like.  I'll also be removing the velvet pillow covers and returning to using my coral pillows.

I plan to dust the blinds in this room and aside from the usual cleaning tasks that will be about it for this month.

Continue to work in the shed.  I have a pile of trash and a pile of donations.  I haven't even touched the shelves.  They must be cleaned, the items on them wiped down, and then I need to sort what I'll keep and what I'm letting go of.  I need to make some hard choices, not because I need the room but because it's really gotten to the point that nice things are just sitting there unused and someone might appreciate having them.  This will be a work in progress for probably another month, but I've made a good start on this job.

I have three more flower beds to weed.  One is tiny, the other needs minor work and the third one is only the front half of the bed is all that needs to be weeded.  Not a lot of work, but enough.  

Home Depot has mulch on sale as well as gardening soil.  I'd really like to get a chance to go buy some of both.  We'll see if I can manage that or not.  It always comes down to the same thing: John hates to use the car to haul the stuff and yet, I've no other resource for hauling it.  If I go alone to do it, I often can't get any help to load it on the buggy or into the car.  I kind of need his muscles.

Kitchen:

I will continue to sort through my freezer.  This week I'll focus on the beef basket, the broths, and the fruit/vegetable baskets.

I have bread pieces I want to figure out a use for this week.  I was thinking of making French toast.  I don't need croutons or crumbs at present. However, I was reading earlier that I could vacuum seal the jars I store croutons and crumbs in, so I may do that just to keep them shelf-stable.

That warm weather master menu?  Getting done this week!

Meals:

We ate out.

Vegetable Soup, Fruit, Cheese and Crackers.  I happen to have two quarts of vegetable soup I made in October thawing because today the temperatures will be in the upper 60's.  I know we won't have many 'soup days'

Italian Pepper Steak Sandwiches, Fries.  I have a small piece of steak in the freezer, as well as a loaf of French bread.  I thought I'd make sandwiches using some of the bread.  The steak will be stretched with bell peppers and onions.  This is an easy meal which suits me after a busy weekend and a day of childcare.   Millie's usually good but child care is child care.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Pasta, Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Rolls

Filet Mignon, Baked Potatoes, Broccoli

Chicken and Rice Bake, Everything Green Beans, Salad.  Something I've done often lately: Drain canned green beans.  Toss into a pan with a tablespoon of bacon fat, and heat thoroughly.  Then sprinkle with Everything Bagle Seasoning.  This is sooo good!  

Ham Steak, Potatoes Au Gratin, Green Peas, Biscuits

  

Personal/Leisure:

Watch Enchanted April.  Finish The Rosemary Tree.  Start April Gold.

Proper manicure and pedicure this week for sure.  It's getting to be sandal weather and I like to have a pretty manicure for spring.

I have not been happy with my self-image lately.  I'm between sizes.  Too heavy for one size, too small for the next size up.  My hair is looking thin and flat.   Frankly, I'm not taking care of my body overall as I ought to.  This week I am going to take a full block of time as a beauty day for myself.  I know I have planned a busy week but this is to help me feel better about myself.  

Take time to set up outfits that make me feel pretty.  

Sit on the porch.  Journal.  Dream.  Stop filling my mind with empty things.  Oh, so much more!