Weekly Menu Sept 16

Source: wistfullycountry

This week we have: 

Lemon Banana Bread

Homemade Salsa

Iced Brown Sugar Coffee Bars

For today, Sept 17 ...


Outside my window... The rain has cleared and gone away. We may get a little more tomorrow, but the deluge has passed. I will miss it... I just hope the cooler temperatures stick around!

Source: Pinterest

I am thinking... Sleep is an amazing thing. Yesterday I woke up after just about 4 hours of sleep, and was a zombie the rest of the day. I sat down in front of this computer after dropping the boys off at school and just stared... blankly... Not a thing on my mind. So I bailed. Dragged myself through the day. Went to sleep early, took a sleeping pill, and voila! All better!! I love sleep. I missed my early morning today though. Hopefully I'm back on track now, I was getting to quite like those early hours by myself!

I am thankful... Guess what guess what! We're buying a house! The contracts are signed, the closing date is set, we will be homeowners on October 30th! I wish I could show you pictures, but the sellers still live there, and don't want to spread the news that they're moving quite yet. They still need to find a house to move to. In fact, because of that, this sale almost fell through. It was a VERY stressful week. But we worked it out. They're wonderful people, and I am so grateful that they're selling us their house! It really, no kidding, is my House of Dreams. My adjusted dreams, since my true dream house was a restored stone cottage in Great Britain somewhere, but still. It even, no kidding, has a lilac bush! It was a sign!! And two Bing cherry trees in the front yard, and a beautifully finished basement with a second kitchen for all my jamming and canning and preserving... all it needs is some new paint colors and aspens, which we can plant. I can't wait to show you pictures!!

Source: Pinterest

Around the house... We've had a project the past few weeks, to clean up and restore our old cast iron skillet! Ours was black and crusty and we only ever used it for browning steaks or chops, because everything stuck. We mistakenly thought that built on guck was "seasoning" it. Nope! So following this tutorial, we stripped it down and re-seasoned it. The first time The Geologist cooked eggs in it... Oh my goodness! Not a bit of egg stuck to that pan! It's amazing! I finally understand why people love their old cast-iron skillets so much. I can't wait to keep using it!

I am looking forward to... Choir practice on Sunday! I actually took a break from the Chorale this season. With moving, finishing our homestudy, and my trip in October, it's just not a good time. I'm going to miss the two rehearsals right before the Fall concert, including the tech rehearsal, and that's just not a good thing. BUT! The Lakewood Stake is doing the choir concert with the symphony and the bell choir again! That concert last year was one of the two greatest choral experiences I have ever had, and I am so thrilled we're doing it again!

I am reading... The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton. I used to really dislike Edith Wharton's books, I thought, "Ugh, they're all so selfish and pathetic and unhappy! Why would you write a story like this??" Keep in mind I started reading her when I was 13. It wasn't until I was about 20 that I realized that her books are dripping in satire, sarcasm and irony. They are statements on the society of the times and all their ridiculousness. Now that I get it, I think they're fascinating!! Sure, the characters are still all depressed about their lives, but somehow it's more fun.

In the kitchen... This weekend I canned a double batch of salsa, some leftover tomatoes, and raspberry jam. This week I'm making another batch of Peach Vanilla Bean jam, because we've already finished off two jars of it, and given three more away! I'm loving making my own jam so much, I may never buy any again!

Source: Pinterest

One of my favorite things... Old Hollywood musicals. Remember the days when a Hollywood megastar had to be able to sing, dance, AND act? When everything was happy in the end? When the movies were full of laughter and joy and gorgeous clothes? I know, they still had their dramas back then, but these days I despair a bit for Hollywood. It's partly our (the general public's) fault, if we didn't pay to go see violence and sex and yuckiness, they wouldn't send out so much of it. Oh well. I've seen almost every movie Fred Astaire ever made, had a massive crush on Gene Kelly, wished I could be as gol durn happy as Doris Day... Love those movies. And luckily, so do my kids! Have you ever seen High Society? Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby. LOVE. I love the original, the Philadelphia story, with Katherine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart too. Jimmy Stewart reminds me of my dad... :)

A peek into my day... Bake something for The Geologist's office, get Joe, playgroup (more for the Moms than the kids!) library, butcher, post office. Today is errands day!

Source: Pinterest

Guilty Pleasures... Custard filled, chocolate iced donuts. I know, it has chocolate! For some reason, this is one of the few things I still like chocolate on. Maybe it's the contrasting flavors. Who knows. But a fluffy, fried donut smeared with chocolate icing and stuffed with smooth, creamy custard is completely irresistible for me. Mostly because of the custard. I loooove custard!! 

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