My kids will be home for school tomorrow (Monday) in observation of Veteran’s Day.  That means this week will be a four day week with an early release day on Wednesday.  It’s not a busy week, but sometimes shorter work weeks feel more work than a regular work weeks because you try to get as much done in fewer days.

On Thursday evening, I will be joining the Tampa Bay Bloggers at the Oxford Exchange for a special holiday preview.  I just love the Oxford Exchange and I am so excited about this event!  It’s such a fun place to dine, shop and explore and the perfect spot to find a gift for that hard to shop person.  I have a few people of those on my Christmas shopping list.

Speaking of hard to shop for people, Iron Chef Allan has been craving stew for about a week now and fantasized about decorating our new Christmas tree while listening to Christmas carols and gazing at glistening lights with a big bowl of stew.  The only thing that’s missing from that scenario is much cooler weather.

For some, it may seem too early to decorate a tree but we just bought a new pre-lit tree and erected it in our living room last weekend.  I’d rather decorate it than stare at a bare tree until Thanksgiving weekend.  So decorating the tree and slurping on stew is our plan for today.

As for the rest of the week, here’s our dinner menu.  My youngest daughter requested “Pumpkin Chili” which has been added just for her.

S – Beef Stew

Meatless Monday – Linguini with Roasted Tomatoes and Arugula

T – Butterflied Whole Chicken with BBQ Sauce with Low Fat Classic Coleslaw

W – Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili

Th – School’s McDonalds Night Fundraiser and Oxford Exchange

F – Pizza

 When do you put your tree up and decorate for Christmas?  What’s on your dinner menu this week?   What are you pinning and planning?