Weekend ReCap and Monday’s Challenge: Living Room, Menu for This Week, Declutter Fabric Stash

I had a great weekend! Did you? First of all I was so thrilled to get to announce the winners of my Followers Are Special Give-Away and post all the prizes for next month’s contest…here.

Congratulations to Kristen, CountryMama, Scarlett of Frugal and Simple Living, and Deb of Jeremiah 29:11! Click here to read all about it.

Whirlwind of Activity!  The kids helped me do a major cleaning marathon so that they could have a couple of friends over for dinner before heading off to the Teen Scholarship Fund Raising Square Dance in Huntsville. They explored the woods, ate pizza (no I didn’t eat any!!!), had a classical ‘jam fest’, (one of the boys is a member of the Houston’s Young Symphony Orchestra), and after the dance, they came back and had ice cream and rode Tex. And while they were doing that, I cooked my FOUR King’s Ranch Chicken Enchilada casseroles to sell as a fundraiser for my son’s trip to Nationals!  What a job! But we made $80.00 so it was worth it. :o) I would rather have gone square dancing, but I just couldn’t fit it all in.

Frugal Tip: By the way, have you thought about the idea of cooking ahead for Mother’s day?? I sure plan to!! We will be gone for three days at Austin’s Regional Invitational Speech & Debate tournament..the whole family! We drive home on Mother’s day and I’m afraid the week’s expenses will preclude eating out. So while I’m still fresh and cheerful, I’m going to double a casserole this week, Lasagna perhaps, and then we can just pop it in the oven when we get home!  You may prefer something more elegant, in which case you might like to check out my post for an inexpensive, easy, elegant dinner…that even hubby could do—it’s a great tutorial..pictures all the way!!

 

\While the kids were gone to their dance, Tim, Christian, and I put together a HUGE wardrobe that was given to me while Jacob, my older son was doing a friend’s yard work! Thank you dear Lord for manna from heaven! My fun job this week or next will be to fill it with all my sewing stuff, freeing up another hutch for miscellaneous office stuff, like my father’s estate papers which I work with daily, gift stash, glassware waiting to be painted for gifts, cd collection etc.  Our sewing room looks fabulous thanks to getting this extra storage space! It’s so big I just could not physically get it all in one picture.

We also helped a retired friend, Mrs. Beverly, unload her attic and disconnect all her TV’s and other electronic equipment for shipping as she is moving next weekend.  Tim and the boys love to do stuff for her. And look what she gave me!! She is a crafty queen and decorator on a shoestring ‘par excellence’. Thank you Beverly! Ahhh…the projects I can foresee in the future if my dear daughter, Rebekah, doesn’t get wind of this fabric before I can hide it from her!! Uh Oh…here she is and boy is she smiling!

Ok, enough about me, it’s time to plan for THIS WEEK… are you ready for another Monday Morning challenge? I knew you were! :o) This week’s assignment is to deep clean the living room. We want it all nice and pretty so we can relax on Mother’s Day….right?

Comin' Home's Monday Morning Challenge!

Week 4 - Master Bedrooom and bathroom 
O Launder: Wash area rugs, curtains, (shower curtain if necessary), Bedspread, mattress pad, and dust ruffle (turn mattress)
O Floors: Vacuum, sweep, scrub and/ or wax floors
O Scrub toilet, shower door, tub (use Bathroom cleaner for water deposits and scum)
O Dust high and low, (ceiling fans, floorboards,) cobwebs, polish furniture and wood
O Clean windows, mirrors, switchplates, walls and doors, medicine cabinet, dresser tops (409/ Windex)

Menu for the Week
Monday~Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Rice (one dish)
Tuesday~Florentine Lasagna (cook ahead—make one for Mother’s Day!), Salad, and Toasted Garlic Bread
Wednesday ~Crockpot Meatloaf with Fresh Vegetables
Thursday~Herb Roasted Chicken and Veges (go easy on the chicken and add extra sides, bread, salad etc. or roast two and save one for Saturday’s Alfredo)
Friday~Kid’s Cook--Easy Taco Salad, sliced fresh watermelon
Saturday~Easy Chicken Alfredo, Steamed or Microwaved Asparagus (amazingly green, fresh, and easy!!) Just zap it!,
Sunday~Lasagna Casserole from Tuesday or Elegant Steak Dinner (see my tutorial)

DeClutter Challenge: Craft or Sewing Stash

I think this week would be a great time to declutter our sewing stash. I’m so glad my friend, Beverly, did!  Thanks Beverly! And pass it on to a friend, you’ll be glad you did. :o)

Print it out here. Preview here.

Coming soon…

• Readers’ Q and A: How to Have Family Devotions
• Mother’s Day Gift Ideas
• Cat’s Make Lovely Home ‘Decor’
• Readers Q & A: Blogging Helps: Photos, Networked Blogs, Speed Bumps
• Frugal Friday: Bartering…a Lost Art
• Note: We’re off to a tournament later this week, so there won’t be any weekend posts.