The Homemaker Plans Her Week: Hot, Humid, July

 

I am starting this on Friday afternoon and feeling particularly lazy at the moment, so take that in consideration as you read, lol.  It discolors my perception and makes my disillusionment with summer higher than usual.  

The first three days of the week ahead are meant to be stinking hot and then it's just going to be hot with chances of rain.  I took a long hard look at the flower beds about the house and while weeds are at bay, I keep noticing the corner bed looks especially straggly.  I think it's the seed heads on the spiderwort and the stems on the spent daylily.  I'm genuinely torn. I want it to look nice.  It's HOT.  I think "It can wait until fall...".  I know that's months away but that's how hot it is at the moment.  I don't want to THINK about yard work, much less do it.

Work:

Review the July goals and see how I'm coming along.  Review last week's goals and see how I did.  (Better than I thought on both counts).

If I have any gumption about me at all, get out in the yard for a little bit each morning and do some yardwork.  I'm not hanging hard on this goal.  It's just HOT and I'm not too keen on it.

We have a relatively low demand week, which is great because the weekend ahead is going to be hectic.  I have one day to attend the library with the kids if they even want to go.  They seem to be pretty much over it, which is fine.  I'd still like to go out with them for a little bit while they've got time to spend with me.

Go visit Mama.  

Keep up with basic housework and do whatever jobs I see that need to be done.  Last week I ended cleaning the kitchen cabinet doors.  Pretty sure this week I'll go through the house and dust.

I did little about Bootcamp last week.  I focused on my pantry and freezer organization and planning to use those expired items.  I hope to work on Bootcamp this weekend and in the week ahead.

Kitchen:  

You'll soon see this is the place I plan to expend the most energy.

Go to the peach packing shed to get more peaches.  I put 5 bags in the freezer to make future smoothies and cobblers with.  I'll also plan to go into the discount grocery again and see if they have anything I can process, preserve or otherwise use to extend our supplies here at home.  

I'm going into Kroger Sunday to get my free eggs (Best customer coupon) and buy sale priced cheese blocks. DONE  

While I'm visiting Mama, I'll be near Walmart.   I'll go in to get flour, sugar, and canned pears to restock with.  I'm out of sugar and have only 5 pounds of flour at present.  I have one can of pears.  I prefer halves and have had a hard time finding them this past year.

Strain off the Apple Cider Vinegar I've got on the counter.  Then I put it in jars and move to the closet in the back.  It needs to be dark, and it needs to continue to be covered with a coffee filter or paper towel but the fermentation process if done.  Now it's just the ripening stage and that will take 2-6 months.  I expect with it being warmer it will be a shorter ripening period.

I used my bread machine to make both English Muffin dough and a loaf of Oatmeal bread. I'm trying to break out of my rut.  I can make quick breads with this machine as well.  I should thaw bananas this week and try some banana nut bread.  Goodness knows I've plenty of frozen bananas.

Plan meals using expired pantry items.  I have a post this week about how I plan to use various things I found on the shelves.  DONE

Personal:  

Pedicure/manicure.  I'm better about pedicures than I am about manicures but this past week neither one got done.  DONE

Although I get compliments on my hair, I was shocked at how I looked in the wedding photos.  I've gotten grayer and my hair appears almost non-existent.  I know how hard it is to grow out short hair, but I think I want a little more hair.  I do NOT want to color it.  I put those days behind me, and I have no desire to return to the mess and small of hair dye.  This decision means I need to find a style to work towards.  And I need to take a little more time to see what I can do with my current hair instead of just running a brush through it.

Read, read, read.

While working in the kitchen listen to music or podcasts.

Journal.  My anxiety amped up big time on Saturday.  It began with a comment on a blog I was reading, and while the author is not an alarmist, followed as it was by the news of the assassination attempt on the former President, I was mightily disturbed.   

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