Greetings, Dear One! 💗
It's an absolutely gorgeous Monday morning here on the tallgrass prairies of southwest Missouri...55 degrees and sunny with a high of 72 expected. I hope that you and yours had a nice weekend and that your week is off to a great start!
I went out a bit ago and took a little tour of the yard. The sun was just starting to peek through the tall trees at the back of the property and big, black crows called to one another in their harsh, raspy voices as they fled the scene of the crime...stealing their fill of good, meaty nuts from the tall tops of the pecan trees.
Weather-worn leaves laid strewn across the back of the property and others gathered where the fencerow prevented them from going any further.
My weekend was good here. Saturday was National Bison Day. In celebration, we had two naturalist-led hikes at the park. I manned the nature center while the naturalist took visitors out to view the bison.
It was nice. This was only the second Saturday that I've worked since before John got sick. I really haven't been up to being around people much, but, everything went well and I did good. It was great talking with visitors and hearing their stories. In fact, it turned out to be the most "normal" day I've had this year and, for that, I was (am) truly thankful.
I went back out to the park after lunch on Sunday and put in a few hours cleaning and restocking supplies (pop fridge, cleaning supplies, paper towels, etc.). It helped to pass the day a little faster.
Saw this pretty little fellow on the way home..
Loggerhead Shrike
Now, here it is...Monday morning and a brand new week, with all it's ups, downs, and in-betweens. Let's get started on this week's post...shall we?
Oh, Deer!
This week's master to-do list...
- work
- clean house
- do laundry
- finish weatherizing
- get that back fencerow cleaned out
- cut small trees and brush
- pick up pecans (have already picked up a bushel or more and the ground is covered again...will make good eating this winter and nice Christmas gifts, as well)
- clean and organize the Van Gogh room (a.k.a - my office)
- decide how I'm going to spend Thanksgiving
- get outside Christmas lights up
- work on submissions for a family Christmas publication
- start filling out Christmas cards
My First Christmas Goodie Bag of the Season
(THANK YOU!!!)
This week's menu plan...
Monday - Turkey burger with brown rice, black beans, and cheese
Tuesday - Crockpot onion swiss steak (using turkey breast fillets instead of beef) with mashed potatoes, oven-roasted carrots, and sautéed celery
Wednesday - White Chicken Enchiladas with black beans and spinach salad
Thursday - Corned beef and cabbage (freezer) with baked potato
Friday - Bison chili with crackers
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Leftovers
Recipe...
I made this delicious cake recently and it was quite a hit! Thought I'd share it here with you.
CHOCOLATE OATMEAL CAKE
1 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cups hot water
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour water into oatmeal and let it thicken about 5 minutes. Mix sugars and oil in a bowl. Beat egg whites in another bowl and pour into sugar mixture. Mix well. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; blend. Add oatmeal and vanilla and mix well. Bake in greased 9x13-inch pan for 30 to 35 minutes. Serves 18.
Until next time...
~Rebecca
Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...
Friday Hodgepodge - Rising and Holiday Food Prices, Free Printable Cookbook, A Cheetah Cam, and More
Higher Holiday Food Prices, Food Shortages, and A Thanksgiving Planner
Dry Beans - Useful Hints and Tips and A Basic Dry Bean Mix
#MasterList #Monday #MenuPlanning #ToDoList #MasterListMonday
Girl you've got a lot planned for this week! I picked up a friend from the cancer center today, I will do so again tomorrow. She's at Mercy Joplin. I am honored to do it as I remember all you did for me. Thank you so much for being there for me. You'll always have a special place in my heart for being just who I needed right when I needed you AND being like minded spiritually.
ReplyDeleteI lost your phone number when I got my new phone. If you have mine, will you text me your name please?
Sending you hugs. I'm sure you have someplace to go for Thanksgiving, but if not, I'd love you to come here.
Hugs and more hugs,
Laura
P.S. Started THM in earnest today.
I do have a lot planned, but, with the help of daughter-in-law and grands, got a lot of it marked off my list today. Yeah!!! I'm so glad that you're able to be there with your friend through this. It definitely forms a special bond that no one can break. You don't have to keep thanking me. Thank YOU for letting me be! I sent you a text message. Hopefully you got it. As for Thanksgiving I have lots of places I could go but don't really want to go anywhere. I miss our days of providing Thanksgiving dinners at the church and wish there was a mission somewhere close by that I could help serve at. THAT is what I really WANT to do Anyway...praying it out and thinking about it.
DeleteLove and Hugs,
~Rebecca
P.S. - Am trying to get started on THM earnestly myself. I feel that it's really what I should be doing.
P.S.S - Thanks for the invite. I'll keep it in mind. Love and appreciate you, my friend!
DeleteI always enjoy seeing your nature photos so much. I've never seen a loggerhead shrike before, looks like a very pretty bird. We need to figure out our Thanksgiving as well. Hope you find a way to spend the holiday in a way that brings you comfort. Have a wonderful rest of your week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jean! The loggerhead shrike is a rare find, indeed, and it is a very beautiful bird. If you ever make it down here again we'll go see if we can find you one. Blessings for a great rest of the week! :)
DeleteSeeing a buffalo up close would be an experience for me. I've only seen one at one safari park around our area and it was at a distance.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a great experience for sure. We have a herd of about 30 animals right now, but, at one time, we had a herd of about 120. We ask that visitors keep a distance of 100 yards between them and the animals (a football field's length), because there's no way to outrun them (they can run at 35 mph) and they can turn on a dime. What's neat though is when they're down on the road. Many times we have sat in the car completely surrounded by the herd and THAT is one of the coolest experiences EVER! Bison are some of the most magnificent and majestic beasts ever created! I don't know where you live, Tracy, but, if you ever find yourself in southwest Missouri give me heads up and I will give you a personal tour of our park and take you out to see the bison. Blessings for a great rest of the week!
DeleteI am in TN. If I ever come that way I will look you up.
ReplyDelete