A Very Productive Weekend!

I can't believe how much I got done this weekend! It's always such a good feeling when I'm able to cross off items on my to-do list. I am finally sitting down for the first time this weekend and boy let me tell you, I'm tired! I will definitely sleep good tonight!

Here are the main things I did over the weekend:
-made pancakes for Saturday's breakfast
-got groceries at Wal-Mart and Fareway
-took Sofie for a walk
-made 2 loaves of banana bread
-put my uppercase living 'Spring' decal up (I've only had this for about 2 years!)
-vacuumed entire upstairs
-swept, swiffered, and hand-washed the kitchen floor
-made 5-hour stew (see recipe below)
-made BBQ deer meat (enough for 2 freezer meals! Yea!)
-washed and put away all the dishes
-cleaned the bathroom
-played with Sofie
-washed all of the walls in the dining room to prep for painting next weekend
-washed all the walls in the kitchen for spring cleaning
-washed 2 loads of laundry
-made a birthday card for my mom

I really debated on whether or not to go to Des Moines this weekend. I still have Christmas gift cards to spend, but I decided to stay put and get some things done at home. I'm really glad I did, too. It's nice starting the work week with a clean house. I also have my meals all mapped out for the week so I feel organized. Supper tomorrow will be 5 hour strew leftovers; Tuesday will be BBQ deer sandwiches with chips; Wednesday will be meatloaf and potatoes; Thursday will be leftovers; and Friday will be pizza. Since I've mentioned 5 hour stew twice already, I better give you the recipe. This is my mom's recipe and boy oh boy is this ever good! It does take some prep work but once that's all done, you put it in the oven for 5 hours (hence the name) and it's ready to  be eaten whenever you are ready!

5 HOUR STEW
2 lbs of stew meat cut into bite-size pieces (my mom and I use round steak)
1 onion (my mom and I omit as we don't really care for onions)
5 potatoes, diced (I kept the skins on them)
6 carrots, cubed
1 cup celery, bite-size pieces
1 can peas (don't drain the juice!)
1 can tomato soup
2 T tapioca
1 T sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a roaster or big, deep casserole dish (it makes a lot!). The roaster or casserole dish MUST have a lid. Cover the roaster or the casserole dish with the tight lid. Bake at 250 degrees for 5 hours. DO NOT PEEK during the cooking as it robs necessary heat!

So what was the big thing(s) you accomplished this weekend?