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…
- BBQ chicken sandwiches
- french fries
- coleslaw
Tuesday…
- tacos
- chips & salsa
Wednesday…
- stir fry
- rice
- wontons
Thursday…
- Japanese beef and vegetable curry
- rice
- toasted pita bread
Friday…
- chicken & rice
- broccoli
- biscuits
Saturday…
- leftovers
Sunday…
- breakfast casserole
- fruit
- orange rolls
IN MY HOME:
REVIEW OF LAST WEEK
Monday…
I had a Zoom call at 11 a.m. and wrote the “This Week” blog post. After lunch I went to town to pick up a small amount of groceries at Braum’s for my mom and us. Neither of us needed enough for a regular shop. I had cooked several things for my mom on Sunday:
- Golden Touch Beans
- candied carrots
- Spanish rice casserole
I packaged them all up, putting the casserole in small freezer containers. At 5 p.m. we went out to work on Grandma’s mobile home and I took Mom her groceries and the foods I had cooked for her.
I made Tuna Noodle Casserole for dinner which I served with candied carrots (had made extra on Sunday), Crunchy Broccoli Slaw and cranberry sauce.
Tuesday…
This was Mardi Gras but I didn’t do anything to celebrate. We had a lot going on and would be leaving the next morning for a short business trip.
I did the usual household chores and daily blog admin tasks. I also did several loads of laundry. I am in the process of washing all the bedding (from four beds!), towels, and other linens from Grandma’s mobile home. We will be donating it all but I want it freshly washed before I take it in.
I had a Zoom call for Lisa’s Retro Homemaking Club which is always enjoyable.
For dinner I make our usual tacos.
Wednesday…
This was the beginning of Lent as well as Valentine’s Day. Chris took David into town early to pick up the rental car. Then David went to the donut shop to buy donuts for all the kids for Valentine’s Day. After we got packed up and the car loaded, we dropped off donuts and gifts for Charlotte first. Matt came outside to get them as “the girls” were still asleep. Before we were out of town we had received an adorable video of Charlotte opening her Valentine’s gifts and showing us that her fingernails were painted the same color as the box of donuts. She’s such a cutie pie!
We then dropped off donuts for Lisa and Justin. We left some for Chris at home. We finally got out of town – it always feels like it takes an act of Congress. Ha! It’s about a 7 1/2 hour drive but fortunately we enjoy one another’s company. We also listened to several hours of an audiobook which makes the time go by faster.
We got to our hotel around dinner time. Mexican food sounded good to both of us and I found a place that had good reviews. David ordered via UberEats and it was delivered in a surprisingly short amount of time. The whole order was correct and they remembered the forks and knives. (I actually keep some disposable ones in our travel bag because more than once the delivery person has not gotten them.) The food was excellent.
We had exchanged cards and gifts that morning. David bought me a few new nightgowns as he had noticed some of mine were looking a bit shabby. He’s very hard to buy for so I ended up getting him a big bag of Jelly Bellies which he loves.
Thursday…
David went to the shop to meet with the engineers and was there from around 6 a.m. to a little after noon. We had arranged for a 1 p.m. checkout. I was all packed when he got there and we were out of the room in plenty of time. We got a fast food lunch and hit the road. David had decided we should drive part of the way home and had reserved a room in Plano, Texas. Again, we arrived around dinner time. There was a Salt Grass restaurant next door to the hotel so we ordered dinner to go and David walked over to get it. He had a steak and I had blackened redfish with shrimp and crabmeat on top. It was quite good!
Friday…
We weren’t all that far from home so we made it back before 1 p.m. We unloaded the rental car and David loaded his drum kit into the back of mine. He hasn’t played it in years and decided to give it away. He found a youngster who is taking lessons and needed a kit. After dropping off the rental car we met up with the mom and boy and gave them the drums. David is happy to have the extra storage space in his “craft room”. That’s what I joking call the room where he builds models. 😉
By this time it was around 3 p.m. and we hadn’t had lunch yet. We went to Sonic and got chili coneys which we enjoyed in the car. Back home, I unpacked and put some things away. Since we had eaten so late I didn’t cook dinner. We just had tea and toast later that evening.
Saturday…
I was pretty tired so I didn’t do much this day. I did get some social media content scheduled for my pages/groups on Facebook and did some laundry.
For dinner I cooked frozen breaded chicken breasts from Aldi (always a good thing to have on hand for easy dinners!), baked potatoes and frozen mixed vegetables.
Sunday…
Early this afternoon we all went out to the mobile home to load up the furniture and boxes. David and Chris had picked up the enclosed trailer from where they work and I met up with them in my car. Matt, Joy, Charlotte and Joy’s mom met us out there. The three guys moved all the furniture and I boxed up the rest of the things.
While there I dropped off some things I had ordered for my mom (cat food and cat litter).
I just had to share this darling photo. This is my son, Chris holding Charlotte. She calls him “Chris Chris” which is utterly adorable.
After we got home I started some more laundry from the mobile home, made our weekly menu, ordered groceries to pick up Monday, watered the house plants and wrote a blog post.
We had “breakfast for dinner” – sausage links, toasted bagels, scrambled eggs with onions, peppers and grated cheese, and hot chocolate.
David and I watched an episode of The Gilded Age when we went to bed. He went off to sleep but it was close to 1:30 a.m. before I fell asleep. Such is my life…
THIS WEEK
Today I picked up the grocery order, several items at Braum’s, two bottles of the lemon scented foaming hand soap my mom and I both like for our kitchens from Bath and Body Works (we had both run out about the same time), and ran by Lisa’s house. She had made chocolate chip muffins for my mom which she wrapped individually so they can be frozen. She also made some for us as well as gave us the rest of the HUGE bag of movie popcorn they had ordered from Door Dash this weekend. Before heading home I picked up coffees from Starbucks for David, Chris and myself.
I’ve got the groceries put away and BBQ chicken in the slow cooker. I haven’t decided if I’ll take my mom’s groceries to her before or after dinner. Depends on what time it is when I get this blog post finished.
Tomorrow I need to go out to the mobile home one last time to run the vacuum and check for any last items to dispose of.
The weather is going to be quite nice this week so I’d like to get outside a bit. I bought a bunch of bulbs which never got planted. I need to get them in the ground and hope for the best.
I probably have at least half a dozen more loads of laundry to do from the mobile home and then I’ll take it all to the Re-Use Center. David is taking the trailer load of furniture and boxes there tomorrow morning but I’ll take the linens after I get them all done. I know there will be people very happy to get the furniture and all the household items. Nothing is very expensive but it’s all quite serviceable and in good condition. Grandma would be very pleased to know her things are going to help others.
WORK
I have three Zoom calls this week and have quite a backlog of emails to deal with. That’s my main work task I’d like to get done.
READING
Currently reading:
I am about 2/3 of the way through the audiobook, Mulberry Lane Babies. I listened to some when I ran errands today and will listen to more when I drive to my mom’s and back (about 20 minutes each way). I’m really enjoying this series. It’s the third in the series and I’m getting quite “attached” to some of the characters. There are 10 books in the series so I’ve got plenty more time with these “friends”.
Other books ongoing…
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady ~ Edith Holden
An Incomplete Education ~ Judy Jones and William Wilson
I’m reading this month’s LWD Book Club selection, Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen. I’ve read four chapters so far. Didn’t get any more of this one read last week.
David and I finished Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West. It was about 22 hours long so that feels like an accomplishment!
I think our next Audible book will be Around the World in 80 Trains: A 45,000-Mile Adventure.
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 have always loved to color and have a few adult coloring books, markers, colored pencils and crayons. Watching David really delve into his current hobby (building model cars) has made me determined to embrace my hobbies in a more intentional way. I found that there is a whole world of adult coloring on YouTube.
I’m going to explore this more deeply and plan to use some of my Amazon gift card money to invest in a few things. First up is to find an adjustable stool to use at my drafting table. I’ve got a nice big space to set up my coloring supplies and enjoy this hobby but I need a stool. I’m also looking for a good way to organize my supplies.
If you are into adult coloring and have any suggestions, please share.
HEALTH & FITNESS
Our weather is quite nice now so daily outdoor walks are my goal.
FUN ACTIVITIES
Early in the pandemic we developed some routines to give structure to our weeks. David and Chris watched a movie together on Mondays, Chris and me on Thursdays, and all three of us on Sundays. We are getting back to that this week.
David is planning to go fly fishing with a friend one day this week. I think while he is doing that I’ll look at my “artist date” idea list and choose something from that.
HABIT OF THE MONTH (FEBRUARY)
The LWD challenge for February is to “Romanticize Your Life”. Each day, look for at least one way to make the ordinary special. I’ll be sharing ideas for this in the Facebook group throughout the month. I’d love to hear your ideas, too!
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…
Creating Creativity and Hobby Centers in the Home
Theming My Evening Leisure Time
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