HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY 11~21~2016

Good Morning everyone. I hope you had a great week.  Monday is upon us again and it's time to kick it into high gear with Thanksgiving only 3 days away.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE
It's absolutely GORGEOUS.  The overnight temperatures have been so low that the days are EXTREMELY pleasant and today will be no exception. The rest of the week is supposed to be ALL the same except for some rain on Wednesday morning. Thanksgiving should be PERFECT.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE
Oatmeal with brown sugar and golden raisins with coffee of course.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE
It's a managed chaos as I am compiling everything I can into the dining room to make the carpet installation go quickly and smoothly.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS
The carpeting was supposed to be going in right after Thanksgiving, but there is delay - (of course there is) and it won't be installed until December 6th  so we are doing double duty this week and next trying REALLY hard to finish up ALL the messy projects that require paint or grout. I'm still being a squeaky wheel trying to get them to move it up to the original date.

• Monday - paint kitchen ceiling now that it has set for an entire week and should be really dry from the new mud.
• Tuesday - finish caulking nail holes in all the new molding and paint as much as we can.  Molding and all the fine lines seems to take twice as long.
• Wednesday - finish painting and do last layer of grout on entry way.
• Thursday - HAPPY THANKSGIVING! It'll just be the 2 of us so I have ALL day to cook and watch the parade and football. I'm going to try an apple cider brined turkey.  I figure with just the 2 of us, it'll be a good time to experiment.  The rest of the meal will be tried and true traditional recipes
• Friday - SORT, SORT, SORT in the studio.
• Saturday - SORT, SORT, SORT in the studio.
• Sunday - ?????  and Football

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

• BIG BANG THEORY
• PURE GENIUS
• NCIS
• BLUE BLOODS
• THIS IS US
• BULL
• SCORPION
• SUPERGIRL
• CHICAGO MED, PD, FIRE
• THE GOOD PLACE
• HEARTLAND
• HEART OF DIXIE
• STRANGER THINGS
• LONGMIRE
• Z-NATION
• DESIGNATED SURVIVOR
• MADAM SECRETARY
• ONCE UPON A TIME 
• CHESAPEAKE SHORES
• ICE PILOTS
• ETC....... I'm sure I forgot a few...

READING

• I just finished THE BLACK SHEEP (North Moon Bay #1) by Patricia Ryan and am about to start the (North Moon Bay #2) THE MARRIAGE ARRANGEMENT. I LOVE reading books in a series when I'm busy because you are already familiar with so many characters that books 2, 3 4... just seem like you're reading a new chapter of the same story.

CRAFTS & PROJECTS
As soon as Thanksgiving is over I will get started for real - I have NO choice!

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
BREAKFAST	YOGURT & FRUIT	SCRAMBLED EGGS & CHEESE	FRUIT SMOOTHIE	QUICHE LORRAINE	MAPLE OATMEAL & RAISINS	OUT	BACON & EGGS
LUNCH	FRUIT & CHEESE	SOUP & CRACKERS	SANDWICH	OUT	MEAT & CHEESE	LEFTOVERS	SANDWICHES
DINNER	BUFFALO CHICKEN PULL-APART BREAD	RED CHICKEN CHILI	C.O.R.N.	all from scratch: APPLE CIDER BRINED ROAST TURKEY, PARMSAN MASHED POTATOES, DRESSING, GRAVY, GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE, CRANBERRY SAUCE	SNAPPER WRAPPERS	TWISTED PEPPER STEAK	RUSTIC CREAMY PARMESAN CHICKEN
DESSERT				APPLE PUMPKIN BRULEE' TARTS

SUCCESSFUL RECIPES and their links FROM LAST WEEK

• HONEY CARAMEL MACADAMIA TART
  
• HARVEST SOUP - PUMPKIN TURNIP
  
• RUSTIC CREAMY PARMESAN CHICKEN
  
• BUFFALO CHICKEN PULL-APART BREAD
  

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND
Praying for my Uncle Bob and his condition.  He's had managed (treated and then in remission) bone cancer for many years, but unfortunately it has now metastasized to his brain in a late stage form and we are on a day to day basis as he struggles with this.  My mom will be flying back to Pennsylvania to see him on Thanksgiving day.

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

• My ability to roll with the punches as we experience more delays at completing the house from hell.
• A small, but planned relaxing Thanksgiving weekend.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA
The wall crack is from the large vent to the slab and was more noticeable before the foundation work.  He has now taped it twice (the first taping was done poorly and bubbled and cracked immediately) and retextured the ENTIRE wall to match. Even with him here for 2 days he left imperfection "issues" that I was able to sand and patch.  I really didn't want that man in my house a 3rd time.  After the first time I asked his boss to make sure he brought different tarps with him the next time as the tarps smelled to high heaven with mold and mildew and I have such a compromised immunity it was too much risk.  Well, he fooled me.  He just didn't bring any tarps the 2nd time.

So much with waiting 3 months for the highly recommended contractor.  He won't be receiving any recommendations from us!

These are the before and after from the recent dry wall guy hassles.  I was able to sand and fix his imperfection "issues" and they are no longer noticeable.

Once the carpeting goes in and the furniture is back in their proper places it will look more finished.
INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.