December Menu

It is cookie month for me! Cookies for my family, cookies for various parties and activities, and three large trays of cookies for my husband to bring to work.

That explains the photo above.

(I won't add that cookies become their own food group in the month of December.)

Also, both high schoolers start winter sports today, which means quick (or make ahead) dinners with easy clean up.

01  Mon  Pasta Night:  Ziti with jarred sauce and lots of mozzarella cheese, salad, garlic toast (note to self: preheat oven before picking them up).

02  Tue  Chicken Enchilada Casserole, corn.

03  Wed  Fast Food from practice to youth group.

04  Thu  Soup and Sandwiches (btw practice and scouts)

05  Fri  Calzones/pizza for two (everyone else is gone).

06  Sat  School Play:  Pantry Taco Soup

07  Sun  Boston Road trip to see daughter's dance performance.

08  Mon  Pasta Night:  pasta with jarred sauce and mozzarella cheese, salad, garlic toast

09  Tue  leftover Thanksgiving turkey (from freezer), stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans

10  Wed  sloppy joes, rice, mixed veggies *note, cook chicken for Friday

11  Thu  hot dogs, baked beans, corn

12  Fri  chicken quesadillas 

13  Sat  something out or pizza, a busy night - tis the season!

14  Sun  time for some chicken soup

23  Tue  pasta, salad, garlic bread

24  Wed  Christmas Eve at my sister's: bringing green bean casserole, chocolate chip cookies

25  Thu  Bringing Christmas dinner to my in-laws:  Spiral sliced ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls

26  Fri  TIME TO REST pasta for kids, rice and beans for me and hubby

27  Sat  Quesadillas, corn

28  Sun  Chicken soup

29  Mon  pasta, salad, bread

30  Tue  Take kids really far away to large dance, who knows about dinner

31  Wed New Year's Eve - who knows about dinner

Note for New Year's Day:  salmon!

Happy Homemaker Monday

I don't know about you, but I am finally feeling like I can take a deep breath and relax. I love the holidays, I love having my family around me, but it is such a busy time for us moms, isn't it? All of the shopping, wrapping (my daughter did all of that, love her!), decorating, cookie baking, meal planning, shopping, preparing, and events to attend, it is crazy busy. I would really like to take advantage of this hiatus from school and seminary to do some cleaning out, but so far I haven't done any. Do you do anything for New Year's Eve? We might be; those plans always come together last minute for us.

The weather outside is

starting to catch up to the calendar. It isn't horrible - 34 degrees right now - but it has been in the 40's and 50's, which meant it was comfortable in the house, but now I am starting to get chilly. It is, however, sunny with blue skies, and that is much appreciated! No snow in the forecast so far...

On the breakfast plate this morning

was waffles with peanut butter. And some candy. I have SO MUCH candy - I always overbuy for stockings. So glad the kids are home for another week to help me eat it up!

As I look outside my window

the sky is blue, the trees are brown/gray, and my deck is holding just the table and my covered grill. Hopefully it will work in the cold on Thursday - I have been craving salmon and that is the day we will eat it! Would be nice if we can cook it outside.

Right now I am

typing this up before going grocery shopping. I cannot procrastinate that because my daughter needs the car to go to work this afternoon. Our van is being unreliable and is going back in the shop tomorrow (yep, here we go again!). So, I have to be back with the groceries (and a full tank of gas) in time for her. Fortunately I will have a couple of boys plus my husband to help unload and put away!

As I look around the house

my tree is lit, and I am still enjoying it. We put it up so late this year (one week before Christmas) so I will probably let it go until this weekend to put it away. We still have our gifts piled in the family room, and empty boxes that we use every year, but it looks festive and bright and cheery, so I am not complaining.

On today's to do list

For laundry I will be washing at least one load of bed sheets, plus I have whites to do. And, I have a load of rags in the dryer that need to be folded and put away. I am guessing my daughter has some laundry to to, so the whites may be put off another day.

For shopping I have groceries and gas. Tonight we are going to the mall for returns and then the movies to see Into the Woods.

For cleaning the main floor needs a good vacuuming, and the kitchen floor needs to be mopped. (Notice I wrote what needs to be done, not necessarily what will be done!)

For cooking I will be making chicken soup (switched with pasta which we had yesterday) and rolls - a quick meal so we can get to the mall and the movies when my daughter gets home from work.

Currently reading

I have a few books on my kindle. Hopefully I will get to read at least one during my hiatus...will post when I have read something.

On the TV today

Besides watching Christmas movies (we have gotten to Scrooge, The Homecoming (the Waltons), A Christmas Story, Mrs. Santa Claus, and A Christmas Carol), I have been watching Jesus of Nazareth - am about half way through.

On the menu this week

You can see my monthly menu here and here (which are not complete).

Favorite photo

My gift from my foster son, LOL!

Prayers, Inspiration

Have a great week!

Happy Homemaker Monday December 8, 2014

I finally participated last week after a two month absence, but never linked up! So maybe today I can actually do that. It's the most wonderful and busiest time of the year! What am I most looking forward to this Christmas? My daughter being home! I have seen her a few times - she was home for Thanksgiving - but it goes by so fast and she had a lot of studying to do, but she has five weeks home at Christmas, woohoo! Back to Happy Homemaker Monday, coming at you from Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom! Here goes:

The weather outside is

confusing! I woke up this morning with a weather alert on my phone - flood warnings - yet it is dry as a bone outside. I guess I should be grateful, lol. But it is COLD 18 degrees this morning but it warmed up to a balmy 23 (it's now 3 pm). We are supposed to get rain the rest of the week, but at least it is also supposed to be above freezing. Ice is a big concern around here.

On the breakfast plate this morning

was waffles with peanut butter.

As I look outside my window

I see gray skies. All of the color is gone, sigh.

Right now I am

listening to Christmas music (that is pretty much constant this time of year) and sitting at my kitchen table. I am also putting off grocery shopping, lol.

As I look around the house

I kept the house looking so good last week! But then I got involved in a project that I could not finish due to other obligations, and now there are things hanging around that need to be put away. The main floor also needs to be dusted and vacuumed, kitchen floor washed.

On today's to do list

last week I spelled out my entire week, and it was great because I did a good job answering to that list. I didn't complete everything (every time I dust and vacuum I am compelled to organize...), but I did get a lot done. So here is my week:

Today:  quickly running out of time for grocery shopping, so it will be a quick stop at my local grocery store, pick up son #2, let him drive home (learner's permit, help!), make dinner, possibly pick up son #3 (he may get a ride), seminary lesson

Tuesday:  dust and vacuum kitchen and living area, mop kitchen floor, clean bathroom, same pick up routine, seminary lesson

Wednesday:  upstairs bathrooms, seminary lesson, pick up son, laundry

Thursday:  tax seminar all day, have no idea how I am going to get son from school, dinner, seminary lesson

Friday:  tax seminar all day, hopefully husband will take the day off and pick up son from school, same husband whom I have been trying to call all day and hasn't responded..., laundry

Saturday:  bookkeeping, seminary lesson, be in two places at once at night, laundry

Sunday: lesson, rest!, dinner, keep thinking there is something I am forgetting...oh yea, put up the tree!

On the menu this week

You can find my menu here.

Favorite photo

son #2 was his school's production of Dracula this weekend. He played Grimm. This photo is courtesy of my wonderful neighbor with an excellent camera!

Prayers, Quotes, Devotionals

Have a great week!

Happy Homemaker Monday December 1, 2014

My my, I haven't participated in HHM since October. I don't really know why. Well, I guess I do. I have been working very hard on my seminary teaching - trying to follow the Lord's direction on what and how to teach and contemplating and praying for my students. It has been a wonderful and edifying experience, but also very draining. So I manage to peruse Facebook and Instagram, but that is about it. But I miss Sandra and HHM, so instead of napping I am here, ready to participate! And let me start by saying, Happy December! And please visit Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for more Happy Homemaker Monday!

The weather outside is

frightful. Actually, it isn't, but I wanted to say it! It is currently 48 degrees. The snow we slowly accumulated over the Thanksgiving holiday is also slowly melting. I am hoping for dry roads by the time it gets into freezing temperatures again. Especially because I once again have a student driver in the house. (And another on the way.)

On the breakfast plate this morning

oatmeal, if I get around to making it!

As I look outside my window

I still see some areas of snow, bare trees, but a blue sky!

Right now I am

sitting at my kitchen table, listening to the washing machine. I am so backed up on laundry. We have a well instead of city water and we tend to run out of water on Thanksgiving; I guess because of all of the dishwashing and cleaning going on. So, I held off on the laundry right before and the few days after and my, oh my, what a load. Still, I have to pace it out, three loads spaced throughout the day, no more.

As I look around the house

I see a lot of Christmas decorations. My daughter was home for Thanksgiving and she has taken over the decorating of this house, which is fine with me! But, as I look to my left, I see an orange chrysathemum that my husband bought for our anniversary, and a fall decoration that was missed when packing things up. So I am sitting between two holiday seasons!

On today's to do list

I really need to list the whole week, because it is a doozy:

Today:  lesson preparation, laundry, teeth cleaning, stop by mechanics to have him check out the van (check engine light is on), credit union deposit, grocery shopping, dinner preparation, back to mechanics with car #2 and return with car #1 (we have four cars that need fixing - the van is car #4), pick up youngest at 5, have him practice driving until picking up second youngest at 5:30, eat dinner, finish lesson, pack for tomorrow, go to bed by 9 pm!

Tuesday: lesson prep, laundry, upstairs bathroom cleaning, dinner prep, switch car at mechanic (if he is done), pick up boys from school

Wednesday: lesson prep, laundry, dust and vacuum bedroom, clean basement bathroom, switch cars?, pick up boys, fast food, youth group

Thursday:  lesson prep, laundry, main floor dust and vacuum, switch cars?, dinner prep, pick up boys, drop off at scouts, pick up from scouts

Friday:  lesson overview, laundry, clean kitchen, bake cookies for bake sale, take youngest to rehearsal, pick up dinner,  go to play

Saturday: bookkeeping, lesson prep, laundry, bake cookies for bake sale, dinner prep, take youngest to rehearsal, eat dinner, go to play

Sunday: church (hopefully), drive to Boston for daughter's dance program, drive home, fall into bed exhausted

Currently reading
What constitutes current? I have lots of books that I have started, but I haven't read in weeks.

TV
none

On the menu this week
you can find that info here or just scroll up to the top post

Favorite photo from camera (phone)
Saturday was our girls day at the mall (and I mean all day). This year we had my daughter and her friend from college to keep us company.

Our mall has a Cheesecake Factory!

Inspiration

Have a great week!