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
A London cafe with books, a cat and a perfect cuppa? Yes, please!
MENU:
Monday…
- steamed artichokes
- Creamy Vegetable Chowder
- cornbread
Tuesday…
- Rice and Bean Pie
- salad
Wednesday…
- baked potatoes
- salad
- asparagus
- yellow squash
Thursday…
- Homemade Macaroni and Cheese with Caramelized Onions
- candied carrots
- wilted spinach
Friday…
- pot roast cooked with onions and carrots
- mashed potatoes and gravy
- salad
- homemade rolls
Saturday…
- leftovers or takeout
Sunday…
- waffles
- eggs
- sausage
- orange juice
IN MY HOME:
REVIEW OF LAST WEEK
Monday – I made homemade soup for dinner. I had several leftover items which I included in it. I really enjoy making soup and am fortunate that both of my guys love soup. It’s such an economical meal and a great way to use up leftovers.
As usual, I washed our sheets and remade the bed. It was rather late and I discovered that the top sheet had gotten twisted in the dryer. It was still damp in spots so I ended up ironing the whole sheet rather than just the top few inches. A little time consuming but I do love the feel of a crisply ironed sheet. I listened to an audiobook while I ironed so I didn’t really mind.
Tuesday – I had planned to run a couple of errands but David offered to do them since he had to go to town. It’s a 15 minute drive each way so it saved me close to an hour. I do enjoy having him work from home! I wrote and sent out the LWD October newsletter, scheduled some social media, cleaned the guest bathroom and did the usual daily household tasks. I made tacos for dinner which always makes the guys very happy.
Wednesday – This was the day they did the emergency system test. There were so many crazy conspiracy theories circulating so we had a lot of fun joking in our family group text about turning into zombies.
For dinner I made shrimp in a honey garlic sauce. Here is the recipe:
20 Minute Honey Garlic Shrimp
David isn’t a huge fan of seafood so I baked a herb parmesan chicken breast for him instead. I try to keep a bag of these from Aldi in the freezer. Super easy! I also made rice and broccoli in cheese sauce.
Thursday – I had an order from Azure Standard co-op to pick up in town. I went early and went to Bath and Body Works first. I like to keep several of those little pocket hand sanitizers on hand and I was down to my last one. I also needed some hand soap. Well, “need” might an exaggeration. Let’s just say I wanted certain scents. I like switching them out in the bathrooms seasonally. And while I had an unscented hand soap in the kitchen, I really like their lemon scented on and was out of that. So I’m all stocked up now. And I resisted the urge to even look at candles. I definitely have plenty of candles already.
The co-op order was late arriving. I didn’t really mind as I just listened to an audiobook in the car. I had ordered a few things for Lisa and dropped those off at her house and we chatted awhile. By the time I left I decided I wasn’t in the mood to cook. I picked up chicken sandwiches and fries from Burger King.
At nearly 9 p.m. Joy texted and asked if we were busy. Little Charlotte had apparently been talking about “Grandma and Grandpa” all day and wanted to Facetime with us. We are never too busy for something like that! It was fun to see her little face light up and chat with her. We really should do that more often. In fact, we might set up a Zoom call with her tonight.
Friday – David and Chris both took the day off. They each have a lot of vacation time left for the year and it turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day. David got his Mustang out, put the battery back in and made sure it was running so we could take it to the cruise event Saturday. The car hadn’t been started for at least a year. I rode with him that afternoon to get gas in it and vacuum the inside.
I did one of my least favorite things – I made a phone call. I had received a letter from my doctor about an upcoming appointment that had been changed. I’m requesting a different doctor (not because of this) so I was nervous about making the request. However, all I had to do was fill out an online form. Like most things, the dread is usually worse than the actual action.
I made Cajun chicken Alfredo for dinner along with salad and garlic toast. It was so good! I used to make it all the time but it’s been years. I sent the leftovers to my mom and she said it was the best thing she’s eaten in a long time. I really need to make it again soon, take photos and share the recipe here on the blog.
David and I then did our Friday night ritual – watched The O.C. while sipping our cocktails. He always makes me a gin martini with a lemon curl in it. I’m not sure what he had this time. We watched three episodes and then turned in for the night.
Saturday – We had been up quite late watching The O.C. so we both slept in. David washed and polished the Mustang. I colored my hair. We took the car in around 5:30 for the Main Street cruise. It was really well-attended. People were parked all up and down the street to watch. There were lots of children which was nice. One of my favorite things we saw was a truck pulling an open trailer with hay bales and children on it. The first time we passed there were around 6 children. Each time we passed, there were more kids. By the time we left I counted TWENTY children on the trailer! I have no idea where they came from. Were they just picking up kids from the spectators? In any case, they were having a good time.
We really enjoyed driving our Mustang. This was David’s first car that my dad helped him buy before he turned 16. We did all of our dating in this car – so many fun memories. We brought a couple of cds of music we listened to in high school – Journey and Steely Dan – which just added to the memories. We cruised for a couple of hours and then had dinner at Sonic. We normally order unsweet tea but decided to have shakes this time. I had a strawberry shake. That was my grandpa’s favorite and I always think of him when I have one.
Sunday – David had offered to buy food, drinks, paper goods and such for a dinner being hosted for the volunteer fire department he serves on. I decided to go to the store with him and get some groceries for the week ahead. If you missed the grocery haul post, here it is:
Chris picked up sub sandwiches from Jimmy John’s for all of us for lunch. Each of us just ate half at lunch and the other half for dinner. No cooking for me – yay!
As for the house, last week was Zone 1 and I wanted to work on the front porch. I did manage to find a time when the kittens were elsewhere so I could use the blower on it and the walkway. I removed a dead plant from one of the pots and replaced it with an artificial fern I already had. But I didn’t ever get around to buying mums, pansies and pumpkins. I absolutely MUST do that this week.
THIS WEEK
This week is Zone 2 – the kitchen and pantry. That works out well for me as I need to give the refrigerator a good overhaul. I bought a huge box of apples, 5 pounds of carrots and some celery for juicing from the co-op last week. They are in the fridge but not as organized as I’d like. I also want to give these items a good scrub and prep some for juicing this week.
The pantry needs some organizing and I want to do an inventory. I like to make sure I have a good stock of items as we head into winter.
And the kitchen floor REALLY needs a good mopping!
I didn’t get the sourdough starter going last week but I do have fresh flour sitting next to the jars ready to go. The instructions I’m following call for the addition of some rye flour or organic whole wheat. I’ve got several buckets of wheat berries and a wheat grinder. While I’ve got it out I think I’ll bake some whole wheat bread or rolls.
WORK
I have Zoom calls Tuesday and Thursday this week. I have a blog series in mind I’d love to do this fall so I’d like to get that outlined. Hint: my fellow Anglophiles will love this one.
READING
I started a new audiobook since I had finished one last week. It’s the second in a series:
I really enjoyed the first in the series and so far am liking this one, too.
My morning books include:
1. The Road to La Papillon: Daily Meditations on True Contentment by Shannon Ables
2. The Living Bible – The Book of Common Prayer daily lectionary readings
3. Shelley – poetry
4. Monet – part of the Basic Art series
5. 30 Chic Days at Home, Vol. 2: Creating a serene spa-like ambience in your home by Fiona Ferris
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
I colored my hair this past Saturday and added another coat of polish to my toenails. I did not, however, get my nails done. That is on my list again this week.
HEALTH & FITNESS
David and I are taking a walk together most mornings. I’m also doing well with my morning exercise routine. I’m up to 7 push-ups so far. Don’t laugh – I know that’s not much but I’m gradually getting stronger. Maybe I can add another this week.
FUN ACTIVITIES
I’d like to plan a movie night this week. The weather is quite nice so perhaps we’ll set up the outdoor screen and projector on the patio. I also want to do something from my “Artist Date” list.
HABIT OF THE MONTH (OCTOBER)
The LWD October Challenge is daily meditation or prayer. I believe we all need to spend some time being still and quiet each day.
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?
You may also enjoy…
Homemaking Basics ~ A Collection of Resources
Old-Fashioned Homemaking ~ 14 Tips From the Past
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