This Week With Dee – where I share our menu, my planned home tasks for the week, what I’m reading, self care plans and more. I hope it will give you some ideas for planning your own week or at least a glimpse of one homemaker’s life.
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THIS WEEK WITH DEE
Last week when I wrote the “This Week” post we were iced in. Today it is sunny and 72 degrees. Can you guess which I prefer?
MENU:
I made and posted our weekly menu before I found out that we’ll be out of town for a few days. I’ll just move those meals to next week.
Monday…
I had chili dogs on my menu then realized I’m out of the canned chili we like on hot dogs. I’ve got an order of Hormel no bean chili coming from Amazon but it won’t be here until Wednesday. I *could* switch my menu but the hot dog buns really need to be used. Oh, well…
- grilled hot dogs
- French fries
- salad
Tuesday…
- tacos
- chips & salsa
Wednesday…
- Hawaiian sheet pan dinner (smoked sausage, bell pepper, red onion & pineapple with sweet & sour sauce)
- rice
Thursday…
- out of town
Friday…
- out of town
Saturday…
- out of town
Sunday…
- eggs
- sausage links
- fruit
- orange juice and coffee
IN MY HOME:
REVIEW OF LAST WEEK
Monday…
As usual, I washed our sheets and remade the bed. Since I had the iron set up to iron the pillowcases, I ironed a dress which had come from the dryer rather wrinkled. I also watered all the houseplants, did dishes and all the usual daily homemaking tasks. I wrote a blog post, did a Duolingo lesson, journaled, meditated and read.
For dinner we had something I hadn’t made before – Eggs Creole. (Recipe here: YouTube) It was quite good and we all agreed it was a keeper. I served sautéed spinach as the side dish.
Tuesday…
I made the bed, did laundry, washed dishes and cleaned the toilet upstairs. I wrote a blog post – Fussy Eater Vegetable Beef Soup. I read, journaled, meditated, did a Duolingo lesson and watched an episode of The French Chef as part of “My Year of Julia Child“.
For dinner we had Lentil Tacos. The lentil mixture was from the freezer. My recipe makes quite a bit so I freeze it in meal-size portions. Makes for a really easy dinner!
Wednesday…
As usual, I made the bed, did some laundry, and washed dishes. I also cleaned the upstairs bathroom mirrors, sink and counter. I did my usual “daily admin” tasks (responding to blog comments, social media notifications, email, etc.). I outlined a blog post. I also placed a grocery order to pick up tomorrow and added up my mom’s various orders from the past month. I’m currently doing all of her shopping for her.
I read, journaled, meditated and did a Duolingo lesson. I also had an afternoon Zoom call.
I made a really good soup for dinner with smoked sausage, onion, cabbage and egg noodles. It was a big pot and there were no leftovers so that tells you something, right? I served it with biscuits and some leftover cranberry sauce.
Thursday…
This was a busy day! I had a Zoom call at 10 a.m. After lunch I picked up my grocery order, picked up a few items for Mom at Braum’s, and ran into the library to get a book.
I then stopped by to get a hug from Charlotte. She was at the door saying “Gramma! Gramma!” when I got there. She wore my necklace and my cardigan while I was there. I couldn’t stay long since I had groceries in the car but it sure was good to get lots of hugs and kisses from our little darling.
I went home, sorted out the groceries, put mine away and took Mom’s back out to the car. I started dinner in the slow cooker – Chicken Enchilada Soup, then took my mom her groceries.
I finished a blog post – My Favorite Books of 2023 – and had another Zoom call at 6 p.m. It was an hour and a half long so we didn’t eat dinner until 7:30. Somewhere in between Zoom calls and errands, I made the bed, did a load of laundry, washed dishes, read, journaled, meditated, and did a Duolingo lesson. I do remember telling David at the end of the day that I was tired!
Friday…
Bed, dishes, laundry – you know the drill, right? I had a Zoom call at noon, did the usual daily admin tasks, started a blog post, read, journaled, meditated and did a Duolingo lesson.
We had a very tasty dinner. I made scalloped potatoes, brown sugar glazed ham steak, mixed veggies and the last of the cranberry sauce.
Saturday…
We did a fun thing. We had a Zoom call with our adult kids in which we shared our predictions for 2024. We downloaded and printed bingo cards and each of us filled one out before the call. We then took turns reading one square at a time. Some were funny and we had a good time sharing and chatting. I think we’ll make this an annual thing. Now to see who had the most right!
I had planned to turn the leftover scalloped potatoes and ham into a casserole for dinner but when Christ threw out the idea of Chinese food, that sounded like a great idea to all of us.
Sunday…
David started his day fairly early doing something for the fire department. Apparently he was in work mode when he got home and decided it was a good time to take down the Christmas tree. I was in the middle of finishing a blog post so he undecorated it himself and just laid out the ornaments on the game table in the family room for me to box up later.
After dinner he and Chris carried the tree to the garage. It’s in a big canvas carrying bag which is pretty awkward and needs two to carry. David had already taken the three Rubbermaid totes of Christmas decor to the garage before dinner. I vacuumed some of the glitter from the carpet (yes, we bought a glitter covered tree – beautiful but messy!).
We need to move a table back into its usual spot and then I will finish vacuuming. All we have left of Christmas to put away are two wreaths, the small tree in the kitchen and switch the decorative flag outside from Christmas to winter (or maybe I’ll order a Valentine’s Day flag?). I’ve been reluctant to say goodbye to tree but now that it’s put away I feel ready to look toward spring.
THIS WEEK
This morning I found out that David needs to make another business trip to south Texas and he asked me to go with him. We will leave early Thursday morning and return Saturday evening. That changes some of my former plans but I do enjoy traveling with him.
We are having some nice weather right now and that makes me happy. It’s sunny and in the upper 60s today and tomorrow. Hopefully we can pick up Charlotte tomorrow afternoon and bring her out here to play.
I’m not sure yet if Mom will need more groceries before we leave town. I will probably make her a couple of things she can reheat for a day or two. I also ordered several things for her from Amazon which will be here Wednesday so I’ll run those by that afternoon.
WORK
The LWD Book Club and Art Appreciation posts are due up this week so I’ve got to get busy on them.
READING
I finished The Girls of Mulberry Lane by Rosie Clarke and started the next in the series – Mulberry Lane Babies.
Currently reading:
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady ~ Edith Holden
An Incomplete Education ~ Judy Jones and William Wilson
Celia’s House ~ D.E. Stevenson
I still haven’t finished this one yet but getting close.
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear ~ Elizabeth Gilbert
This is the LWD January book club selection. I picked it up at the library last Thursday and have read several chapters.
David and I should be able to finish Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West on our road trip this week. We have about 13 hours left on it so it should be close.
If you don’t already have Audible, you can get a free trial here. We’ve definitely been enjoying it on long drives.
SELF CARE
My self care task for last week was to give myself a manicure which I did this weekend. Since it’s warm enough that I may be able to wear sandals again for a few days, I’ll polish my toenails.
HEALTH & FITNESS
I’m still working on increasing my water intake. I’m looking for just the right water cup/bottle. The two I really liked need to be replaced. My mom gave them to us years ago. The flip top broke off one some time ago. I dropped and broke the lid on the other last week. I’m not interested in a pricy Stanley cup but I want something insulated, with a straw or a hole for one, and not so big that it’s hard to hold. Part of what I liked about the ones I’m replacing is that they are tapered toward the bottom so I can hold them easily. If you have a recommendation for one you absolutely love, please share!
FUN ACTIVITIES
- Play with Charlotte tomorrow
- Start a new puzzle
- Choose an “artist date”. I’ll be in a hotel room by myself all day Friday so I’m thinking about something I can do during that time.
HABIT OF THE MONTH (JANUARY)
I must admit I haven’t done as much decluttering as I had planned for this month. I hope to do at least one more small project this week. I haven’t decided what the February challenge will be yet.
If you aren’t already in the group, here is the link:
LIFE WITH DEE
I’d love to see pictures of your challenge so feel free to share them in the group or on Instagram and tag me:
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What’s on your plan for the week ahead? Home tasks? Menu? Fun? What are you reading?
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