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Friday, August 30, 2019

Gearing Up For A Low-Spend September

It's been a crazy busy week around here and I wasn't sure that I was even going to have time to get a post up and out before September 1st, but I decided that, even if it's a short one, I'd better get it done! My husband and I are so looking forward to a low-spend September!

Last Saturday I did a complete food inventory...refrigerator, fridge freezer, deep freeze, and cabinets. Then, I sat down and made a plan! 

Technically, we have enough food on hand (all but fresh items along the way, of course) to last about seven weeks. That includes canned goods, dry beans, whole grains, and other things counted as staples and stock-up items, but even that stuff needs rotated out, so this is good! 

I took the inventory, made a general plan...soup and bread on Mondays, baked pepper casserole dishes on Tuesdays, chicken dishes on Wednesdays, turkey dishes on Thursdays, fish on Fridays, dry bean dishes on Saturdays, and leftovers, as usual, on Sundays...then, I planned out the first two, full weeks worth of menus (this was for the last week of August and the first week of September, and, so far, we've managed to stay on plan). 

On Monday my cousin and I went grocery shopping. I got all the fresh items and extra ingredients needed to round out the two-week plan.




I spent Tuesday cooking everything that I could for the week (plus) ahead. I baked two batches of muffins, a double batch of meatballs, a batch of turkey Italian sausage-stuffed peppers, pasta, red beans, and several small tubs of cottage berry whip for snacks. A lot of these things were divided into batches and put in the deep freeze to be used at a later date.

I'm curious...is anyone else planning anything along this line for the month of September? If so, I'd love to hear all about it!

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Tuesday 4 Meme - Art Imagination




Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Tuesday 4 Meme - Art Imagination

Greetings, Dear Friends! 

I'm joining Toni over at Tuesday 4 Meme! Here are this week's questions...

Art Imagination

1.   If you could paint a landscape what would it be?

Of the beautiful tallgrass prairies of southwest Missouri where I live and work.

Image may contain: plant, flower, cloud, sky, outdoor and nature

2.   If you could paint a portrait of who would it be?

Chief Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota Sioux...

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Chief Red Cloud
Photo Credit
or of Vincent Van Gogh...


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Vincent Van Gogh
3.   If you could paint a geometrical form what would it be?

A star made out of cubes


4.   If you could paint any object what would it be?

Wildflowers (chicory, thistle, or sunflowers)

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Native Thistle
Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Happy Homemaker Monday - August 26, 2019






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Monday, August 26, 2019

Happy Homemaker Monday - August 26, 2019

Greetings, Dear Ladies! HAPPY MONDAY! 💗 

How was your week and weekend? Ours here was good!


I've got to be out of here shortly, so this is going to be a sweetened, condensed version this week. 😆

Libby and I had a great visit on Tuesday and the "In A Grasshopper's World" library program was a huge success on Wednesday. I worked Thursday and Friday and, on Saturday, I did a complete food inventory and cleaned out the fridge, freezer, and deep freeze. It was a major undertaking, but, one that was well worth it! Now I know what I have on hand again and will menu plan accordingly. I will share more on this at a later date. Saturday evening we had supper with our next-to-the-youngest son and his family and, after church on Sunday, I worked in the afternoon. 


Our Daughter-in-Law Set A Lovely Table
I'm going to get right on into this week's post, so here goes! Won't you join me as I link up with Sandra of Diary of a Stay At Home Mom and all the other lovely ladies that gather there on this week's Happy Homemaker Monday? 💗





Right now I am...

... finishing up breakfast and enjoying a cup a tea while I work on this post.

On the breakfast plate...

... a chocolate chip oat-bran muffin, Triple 0 vanilla yogurt, and hot tea

The weather...

... right now it's 74 degrees and sunny, but severe storms are expected this afternoon.




... On my reading pile...

Am reading On The Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Your Promise of Protection - The Power of the 91st Psalm by Gloria Copeland

On the menu this week...

Monday - Corn chowder and grilled cheese sandwiches 🌽
Tuesday - Turkey Itailian sausage stuffed banana peppers over sauteed zucchini 🦃
Wednesday - Roasted chicken breasts, baked potatoes, and steamed broccoli 🐓
Thursday - Turkey Tetrazzini and oven roasted green beans 🦃
Friday - Broiled salmon, baked sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli 🐟
Sunday - Leftovers

On my 'to do' list...

- Monday - HHM post, plan the week ahead, go grocery shopping with my cousin and for a friend
- Tuesday - Home blessing, laundry, make food ahead and freeze for the family reunion, bake muffins and bread
- Wednesday - Youngest daughter in for a visit 💗 Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy! 💗
- Thursday - Youngest daughter in for a visit 💗 Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy! 💗
- Friday - Work
- Saturday - Work
- Sunday - Attend the Brown/Murry family reunion


In the craft basket...

... just keeping up with the temperature afghan. 



Temperature Afghan

Looking forward to this week...

... visiting with our youngest daughter and attending the family reunion


Something I enjoyed watching this week...

... more reruns of the The Waltons



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The Waltons
From the camera...


I have a story for you. I was on my way to the library Wednesday morning and was held up at the train crossing on Hill Street. I love trains and was watching this one go by like I've done countless trains before. I reached in my purse, grabbed my phone, fumbled to bring up my camera settings, opened my car door, and snapped a quick pic of the moving train. In Casey's parking lot a few minutes later, I opened my photos to see how my photo turned out and was shocked to discover THIS!!! What are the chances of this happening??? 😲

Scripture passage...


Image result for kjv calls us by name

Well, Ladies, that's it for this week! I pray that each and every one of you have a blessed and beautiful week ahead! And I'll see you again next week! 💗

Until Next Time...
~Rebecca


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Tuesday 4 Meme - More About You Continued




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Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Tuesday 4 Meme - More About You Continued

Greetings, Dear Friends! 

I'm joining Toni over at Tuesday 4 Meme! Here are this week's questions...

More About You Continued...

1.   Where is your favorite place to be?

No photo description available.
The Little White Cabin and Boat Dock on Shagawa
Ely, MN
Ely, Minnesota (my second home), of course, but I truly do try to enjoy whatever I happen to be doing wherever I happen to be at the moment.

2.   Where is your least favorite place to be?

I view everything in life as an adventure and try my level best to see the beauty in, the purpose of, or the lessons to be learned in every experience, so it's really hard for me to think of ANY place as my least favorite...BUT...if I HAD to choose just one (and this is no offence to any native Nebraskians or sugar beet farmers that might be reading this post right now) the ONLY thing that comes to mind at ALL is "in the middle of sugar beet fields in eastern Nebraska." 😟

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Photo Credit

A Sugar Beet Field
Now...you get to western Nebraska and it's a whole 'nother story!!!

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Photo Credit

One Of My Most Favorite Places in the World
Chimney Rock in Western Nebraska

3.   What was the last thing that really made you laugh?

Watching the footage of the "spook light" that appeared on one of our surveillance cameras and the way my husband and I reacted when investigating it's presence. It was HILARIOUS!!! 😂

4.   Are you a social person?

As a rule, yes, but not always. 

Until next time...
~Rebecca


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Happy Homemaker Monday - August 19, 2019





Monday, August 19, 2019

Happy Homemaker Monday - August 19, 2019

Greetings, Dear Ladies! HAPPY MONDAY! 💗 

I hope you all had a good week and a great weekend! Ours was FANTASTIC here! There were more birthday celebrations and I had a short work week, and I loved every minute of it!!!! 😍

My birthday was on Tuesday. Daughter, Amber, hosted a wonderful birthday dinner and get-together for me that evening and the whole family was invited! Only two members of our immediate family were unable to attend (which I missed very much) and a couple of extended family members joined us, as well. I had an absolutely lovely time and, honestly, this was one of the best birthdays EVER! 💗🎂🎈🍨🎉🎀 


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Delicious Birthday Desserts
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Peach Cobbler Cheesecake
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!
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They shouldn't have done it, but I was blessed by tokens of love on every front!
Granddaughters Lizzy and Gianna share a birth-date on the 17th. I took G. out on Wednesday for her birthday and had planned on taking Liz out for hers on Thursday, but things got switched up and I had to end up working Thursday (as a result, I got Friday off instead though...which was AWESOME!!!...AND I was off Saturday and Sunday, so what a happy weekend for me!!!!) Anyway...Liz and I rescheduled for Friday and I ended up being able to enjoy a special time of birthday blessings with both of these lovely grandgirls this week! It was a lot of fun! 💗🎂🎀


Granddaughter G and I
Granddaughter Liz and I
Other than that, the rest of the week and weekend were spent working on projects around the house and enjoying a wonderfully rainy weekend! It was FANTABULOUS! 😊

Now it's time to get on with a brand new week! Please join me as I link up with Sandra of Diary of a Stay At Home Mom and all the other lovely ladies that gather there on this week's Happy Homemaker Monday? 💗


Right now I am...

...  finishing my breakfast and enjoying a cup of tea while working on this post.

On the breakfast plate...

... French toast with cinnamon and sugar-free syrup, mandarin oranges, and hot tea

The weather...

... the weekend was somewhat cool and rainy, but, now, we're headed back into the heat. At present it is it is sunny and 89 degrees with a heat index of 102. We are under a heat advisory from 1:00 this afternoon until 8:00 p.m. Tuesday.  Heat indexes are expected to range from 105 to 110 degrees today and tomorrow with little relief overnight. 🌞
🔥😰



On my reading pile...

I am still reading On The Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but have laid aside the other two books that I was reading. 
I finished the original part of Interpreting Our Heritage by Freeman Tilden and enjoyed it very much. (I chose not to read all the additional chapters and notes and things that have been added to the "expanded and updated" fourth edition. I was after the meat of Mr. Tilden's original writings and that's what I stopped at.) 

As for the "I Can Do This" Diet by Don Colbert, it's pretty much an earlier version of one of his other books that I had read earlier and is not nearly as good and direct as Let Food Be Your Medicine, so, I laid it aside after only reading the first few chapters. It will be used best as a reference book. 

Now I'm trying to decide where to go from here. I have stacks and stacks of books in my 'to read' pile! The question is...which one do I choose next??? 📚📚😳📚📚

On the menu this week...

Monday - Chicken With Black Beans and Rice and green beans
Tuesday - Black bean and cheese burritos and salad
Wednesday - Turkey Tetrazini and oven roasted green beans
Thursday - Breakfast for supper (bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits)
Friday - Broiled salmon, brown rice, and steamed broccoli 🐟
Saturday - Dh's night to cook
Sunday - Leftovers

On my 'to do' list...

- Monday - HHM post, plan the week ahead, home blessing, laundry
- Tuesday - Enjoy a visit with my friend, Libby (she is passing through the area and stopping in for lunch and a visit to the park); collect more grasshoppers for the terrarium that I have put together
- Wednesday -  Library programs (In A Grasshoppers World)
- Thursday - Work
- Friday - Work
- Saturday - off
- Sunday - Church; work in the afternoon



Grasshopper Terrarium
In the craft basket...

... keeping up with the temperature afghan. Have had a couple of days in the 70's, so got to include a couple of rows of gold again! (Despite today's heat, fall IS coming!!!) 😁🍎🍁🍄🍂💓 (And I can't wait!!!) 😆


Temperature Afghan Through August 16

For my friends and family in KC -
I'm almost getting into some Chiefs colors there!
Even more proof that fall is on the way! 😆

Looking forward to this week...

... Libby's visit and having Saturday off.


Something I enjoyed watching this week...

... reruns of the The Waltons


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The Waltons
From the camera...


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Ironweed
Scripture passage...

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Well, Ladies, that's it for this week! I pray that each and every one of you have a blessed and beautiful week ahead! And I'll see you again next week! 💗

Until Next Time...
~Rebecca


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Tuesday 4 Meme - Diet? What diet?




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Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Tuesday 4 Meme - Diet? What diet?

Greetings, Dear Friends! 

I'm joining Toni over at Tuesday 4 Meme! Here are this week's questions...

1. Favorite Cake: I have two...German chocolate and angel food with cherry icing

Image may contain: dessert and food
Angel Food Cake With Cherry Icing
2.   Favorite Cookie: Sugar (especially at Christmas)

Becky's Sugar Cookies
3.   Favorite Pie: Peach

Peach Pie
Photo Credit

4.   Favorite Candy: Store-bought - Cherry Mash
Homemade - Brigadeiros
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Cherry Mash
Brigadeiros

Until next time...
~ Rebecca


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Happy Homemaker Monday - August 12, 2019



Monday, August 12, 2019

Happy Homemaker Monday - August 12, 2019

Greetings, Dear Ladies! And Happy Monday! 💗 

How was your week and weekend? 

Our week and weekend were good here. We had a lot going on including more birthday celebrations and an unexpected visit from my friend, Dorothy. She introduced us to her new man and they announced their engagement! We are so happy for them! 💕

Granddaughter, Ruth. 
I enjoyed a birthday outing with this little cutie this week on Thursday. We had lunch at Sweet Creations and enjoyed a cinnamon roll for dessert. It was a very rainy day, but we sure didn't let that spoil our fun! We had a blast! 🎂

As usual, I'm running a bit behind with this week's post, so let's get right on into it...shall we? Please join me as I link up with Sandra of Diary of a Stay At Home Mom and all the other lovely ladies that gather there on this week's Happy Homemaker Monday? 💗


Right now I am...

... Enjoying a cup of tea while working on this post. 

On the breakfast plate...

... this morning I enjoyed leftover Margarita Pizza from the weekend.

The weather...

... Hot and muggy. Right now it's 89 degrees with a heat index of 107. We're under a heat advisory until 9:00 p.m. and there is a chance of isolated thunderstorms overnight. The rest of the week promises to be hot, but not as hot as today.



On my reading pile...

Haven't had a lot of time to read this week, so am still pretty much where I was last week. Am reading Interpreting Our Heritage by Freeman Tilden, On The Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and The 'I Can Do This' Diet by Dr. Don Colbert.

On the menu this week...

Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Supper @ our daughter and son-in-law's
Wednesday - Breakfast for supper (corned beef hash, eggs, and toast) 🐄
Thursday - Turkey burgers (freezer) and oven fries 🦃
Friday - Broiled salmon, baked sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli 🐟
Saturday - Dh's night to cook
Sunday - Leftovers

On my 'to do' list...

- Monday - HHM post, plan the week ahead, home blessing, laundry, wash bedding, wash my car, and start deep cleaning the Van Gogh room...at least start sorting and organizing before going into full throttle fall-mode (I've got school supplies, program materials, and assorted projects piled EVERYWHERE!) 😱
- Tuesday - Celebrate my 58th birthday
- Wednesday - Celebrate granddaughter, G's, birthday 
- Thursday - Celebrate granddaughter, Liz's, birthday; put together a terrarium for an upcoming program on grasshoppers
- Friday - Work; collect grasshoppers (wish me luck!)
- Saturday - It's my Saturday off @ work and I have no idea what I'm going to do...maybe absolutely nothing...maybe something WILD! Who knows??? 😏
- Sunday - Church

In the craft basket...

... just keeping up with the temperature afghan.

Temperature Afghan Thru August 11th
Looking forward to this week...

... celebrating more birthdays and enjoying a Saturday off

Something I enjoyed watching this week...

...pollinators partaking of nectar from tallgrass-prairie wildflowers.
Butterfly on Thistle in Front of the Nature Center
From the camera...

My First-Ever Batch of Cloud Bread
(Thanks for the recipe and instruction, Kelli and Angie! It turned out GREAT!) 😉

Scripture passage...

Image result for kjv bible verse birthday

Well, Ladies, that's it for this week! I pray that each and every one of you have a blessed and beautiful week ahead! And I'll see you again next week! 💗

Until Next Time...
~Rebecca


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Tuesday 4 Meme - More About You Again...





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