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
MENU:
Monday…
- Curried Chickpeas (with veggies)
- rice
- pita bread
- coleslaw
- chilled apricots
Tuesday…
- enchiladas
- Mexican rice
- chips & salsa
Wednesday…
(We didn’t end up doing this last week so it’s on the menu again.)
- spaghetti
- Brussels sprouts
- salad
- garlic bread sticks
Thursday…
- Split Pea Soup
- homemade bread
Friday…
- Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken
- mashed potatoes
- candied carrots
- salad
Saturday…
- leftovers or takeout
Sunday…
- waffles
- eggs
- smoothies
IN MY HOME:
REVIEW OF LAST WEEK
Monday…
David had cataract surgery and we had to be at the surgery center by 6:30 a.m. Yikes! From start to finish he was there for two hours. I sat out in the car and they called me when he was ready to be released. It all went well and he is thrilled to be able to see so well with that eye. He has worn glasses since he was a kid so this is all new to him. He gets the second eye done on the 20th.
For dinner we had vegetable stir fry, a boxed stir fried rice and frozen wontons.
Tuesday…
I had a Zoom meeting at 2 p.m. and took David to his eye doctor at 5 for a quick check to make sure everything looked okay. I had jokingly told David that if he was good I’d run into Braum’s and get him some ice cream afterwards. He wanted something with cherries so I quickly grabbed a carton of cherry amaretto. Later that night I got myself a bowl of the ice cream and after a few bites realized it had almonds in it. I’m allergic to a few types of tree nuts so I avoid almonds, too. Oops. I took a Benadryl and hoped for the best. Fortunately I didn’t have a reaction.
For dinner we had tacos, coleslaw, chips and salsa.
Wednesday…
It was a gorgeous day so I suggested we drive up to Norman (about an hour and 20 minutes away) for dinner at Scratch. They have a patio with heaters and there was only one other person out there through most of our meal. We had a lovely dinner and cocktails. I love their Manhattan and David nearly always orders a Sidecar when getting a cocktail. I had a spicy seafood pasta and David had meatloaf. It was so nice to enjoy a delicious meal that I didn’t have to cook.
Thursday…
It was rainy and a bit chilly this day. I had foreseen this when I made our weekly menu. I made a rich and slightly spicy turkey chili for dinner, along with a pan of cornbread. It was just right for the weather.
Friday…
David and I needed to get our flu shots and Chris hadn’t had his Covid booster yet. We met at our pharmacy around noon and got this taken care of. Chris had to get back to work. David and I decided to get lunch at Sonic. We didn’t do too much that afternoon.
For dinner I made salmon for Chris and myself, and a chicken breast for David. I also roasted a big pan of fresh vegetables – red potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and onions.
Later than evening we watched a few episodes of The O.C. David made me a martini but he was chilly and opted for a big mug of decaffeinated coffee rather than his usual Friday night cocktail.
Saturday…
It was another pretty day. I finally planted the flat of pansies I had bought a few weeks ago. Here is a photo of them on my potting bench that David built for me for Christmas last year.
We have some shelves by our front door and that’s where I plan to move these but I need to wipe some summer grime off it first.
I also took out the blower and blew the leaves off the patio, front porch and walkway. It’s probably a futile endeavor right now as the leaves are still showering down with every breeze!
Sunday…
My mom needed some groceries and I’m trying to keep her well and out of Walmart so I masked up and went to Pruett’s (local grocery store) which is never busy. I could have gone another week but since I was there I picked up some things for us, too. David drove and afterwards we picked up iced coffees at Starbucks. We met my mom at a halfway point and I loaded her groceries into her car for her.
For dinner I made sausage links, fried eggs, English muffins for Chris and myself, a bagel for David, and orange juice. David loves “breakfast for dinner” and despite having been on my menu for quite a few of the past Sundays, this was the first time I’ve done it in quite awhile.
We then did a Zoom “cocktail party” with friends. We’ve done this many times over the past few years and it’s a fun way to catch up when we can’t get together. Nobody has to dress up and get out of the house but we can still laugh together. This is David’s fly fishing buddy and he told us about his recent “adventure” fly fishing in Mexico with guides who didn’t speak a word of English. Rob speaks a little Spanish but not enough to make them understand that he doesn’t know the PIN for his card. They drove him around to various ATMs while he tried to make them understand. It all finally worked out but I doubt his wife will be letting him play that little game again. She and I have to keep an eye of these guys – ha!
THIS WEEK
I have four Zoom meetings this week but two are at the same time so I’ll just be “attending” three.
I need to decide what our Thanksgiving plans will be. I do already have a turkey in the freezer from last year and I bought two bags of cranberries Sunday which I tossed in the freezer. I had also bought a box of Stove Top Stuffing last week and a 10 pound bag of potatoes. Oh, and a can of orange Danish rolls which is our holiday morning tradition. So I have most of the essentials covered. I’ll see if I can find out who I’ll be serving and then make a menu.
WORK
Just the usual blog work and my ongoing writing project.
READING
I finished “The Echo of Old Books” and it was SO GOOD! It was our October LWD Book Club selection. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.
Next up: this month’s book club selection, Tom Lake.
So far I’ve read 33 books this year but I set a Goodreads Challenge of 50. If I’m going to reach that I’ll need to read a few shorter books. I may pull out a few of my favorite children’s books to revisit.
Favorite Children’s Books
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
Sleep…that really needs to be my ongoing focus. We put up the kittens in the laundry room at about 9 p.m. and if we were wise we would take that as our cue to go to bed.
We like to watch an episode or two of something in bed. David then goes promptly to sleep but I read awhile first. I think I’ll try to go directly from telling the kitties goodnight upstairs to take my shower and then get in bed. Even if I read an hour or so after we watch our nightly episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” (our current nighttime series) it would still be a lot earlier than I’ve been going to sleep.
HEALTH & FITNESS
My hip is finally feeling about 90% better the past 2-3 days. I’ve started taking short walks again while being careful not to get it stirred up again.
FUN ACTIVITIES
I did a bit of coloring in my new Autumn coloring book this weekend. I’d like to finish the page I started this week. I’m also hoping to start on a paint-by-number I bought a couple of years ago. I would link it but it’s no longer available on Amazon. However, I now have this one in my Christmas wishlist:
Today I pulled out the canvas and am going to iron it. David saw it sitting out for me to take upstairs to iron and offered to build a wood frame for me to staple the canvas to. Many years ago I took a few lessons and did some oil painting. It’s something I’d really like to get back into and I figure a few paint-by-number kits would be a simple way for me to ease back into it.
We hope to meet up with friends for lunch on the patio of a local Mexican restaurant one day this week since the weather will be pretty nice.
We’ve been invited to a big birthday bash on Saturday. It will be outdoors with a food truck and live music. We will go for a little while at least. It will be a little chilly but if it doesn’t rain it should be tolerable. We’ll dress warmly and see how long we last. I know cold weather will soon be upon us so we are trying to take advantage of outdoor activities while we can. Soon enough we’ll be in hibernation mode!
HABIT OF THE MONTH (NOVEMBER)
I’ve really been enjoying this month’s LWD challenge. Saturday night I spent a couple of hours listening to favorite New Orleans musicians we either know personally or have at least heard live. It was a nice little trip down memory lane. I’ve also made a couple of playlists so far this month.
If you aren’t already in the Life With Dee Facebook 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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Chicken Creole ~ Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Recipe
I was THRILLED with the results of my cataract surgeries a few years ago! I began wearing glasses when I was age 4, and it’s wonderful not having to wear glasses all the time anymore.
He is like a little kid at Christmas – so excited!
would they not let you go in David?
I guess I could have sat in the waiting room but no one is wearing masks and I don’t want Covid. Or flu or RSV. I sat in the parking lot and they had my phone number. I went in when he was ready to go so they could review his instructions with me.
I love reading your weekly doings – they inspire me to drag my carcass around and accomplish something! The menu ideas and music playlists are always helpful. I must listen to your “La Musique” playlist on Spotify at least every couple weeks! I appreciate your efforts!
Aw, thanks! I’m glad to hear that. 🙂