3rd Week of July

134th Day of Quarantine

The high today was 87F.

I spent a good portion of my day reading. I've almost finished Ghost Story, from the Dresden Files.

Emily cooked Salisbury steak and potatoes for dinner.  She's been on a cooking kick, and I'm not going to complain!

Watched the Jim Gaffigan special and the first few episodes of Upload.

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133rd Day of Quarantine.

The expected high today was 82F.

Our art project this week was spirographs.

The twins got in their new shoes. They decided to dress up as "unicorns" including fairy wings and painted nails? Oh, and their new shoes.  Speaking of which, I brought them over separately to show them their options, and they picked the same ones.

Emily made egg fried rice for dinner.  = )

We ended the day with a Kim Possible and Tea marathon.

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132nd Day of Quarantine

The high today was 81F.

Billy comes home today!!!!!!

Sarah came over to mow the lawn and also retrieved the tomato cages (that I couldn't even pay my children to collect from behind the shed.) She Brought seven, and he was none to happy that she "left" him.  William tried to console him as best he could.

The three little ones had their yearly follow up appointment with the plastic surgeon.  It took less than 5 minutes. I am so thankful for these virtual appointments!

My current, slow, project is renaming all of the pictures that cycle through my frame with names, locations and years.

Billy wants to get a digital frame when he returns to work, and this might help if he wants to know more about the picture that cycles through. = )  Plus, eventually, I'm not going to know all of these things any longer.  Some of the pictures from a few years back are starting to fade in clarity.  Thank goodness for pictures!

For dinner we had honey chicken.  Billy surprised my by coming straight home and actually eating my cooking (so I had to reheat it.)  I'm so happy to have him back though!

Tonight I finished Charlie's Angels, this time with Emily.  Grace fussed at me as I was cleaning up that I didn't "tell her."  I guess I thought that carrying the teapot through the living room was obvious. = )  There was enough in the pot left for her though. = )

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131st Day of Quarantine

The high today was 83F.  We are expecting some heat this weekend though.

Sarah came over with Seven and donuts this morning.  She played games with the kids while I went to the dentist.  I also had to wait in the car for a screening, but my dentist office answers the phone and is not ridiculous. They have all sorts of protection in place too!

I paid some bills and worked on gathering the paperwork for the kids' insurance appeal.

For dinner we had chicken noodle soup (Campbell's.)  William decided it was so bad he would rather sleep at the table than to eat the terrible dinner that everyone else really liked.

Once the kitchen was clean, I watched Twilight and Grace and I shared some tea.  I miss Billy.  We started Charlie's Angel's, since I hadn't seen it in years and years.  But I started the sequel first, so now they are both partially watched in my queue. lol

Grace snagged Billy's spot for the final night of his trip.  Or as she told aunt Rocky, his "vacation." haha.

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130th Day of Quarantine

The high today was 83F.

We managed to get out the door with much more time to spare than I thought we would, so we drove a goodbye gift out to the Mitterling's before Emily's appointment.  It was a bucket filled with items that you always seem to need (and can't find) the first day of a move! (toilet paper, scissors, writing utensil, etc...)

Emily's dentist appointment was just after 11, and we made it there with time to spare.  I really am annoyed every time we go.  I sent them a text when we arrived, didn't hear anything back, so 10 minutes before her appointment i called, and no one answered, and then they came to the door in a huff.  Since William and the twins go to a specialty dentist now, I really need to move the big girls.

For lunch we went to Chick fil A.  They were busy, and got busier when we were parked and eating our lunch.

I finished watching the ABC murders, and when Grace saw me in the room watching the show she talked me into another pot of tea. = )

For dinner we had quesadillas and grapes.

William lost tooth ($10!)  He was excited to sleep with the tooth pillow.  I was sad that I had to stay up late to be the tooth fairy.

Alice and Emily fought over Billy's spot last night.  I ended up laying a row of pillows between us, so that I didn't wake up to knees or elbows in the night.

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129th Day of Quarantine

The high today was a pleasant 83F.

I picked up groceries, it was uneventful.

When I cam home Billy was all packed for his trip.  He left just before noon, and I felt restless the rest of the day.

For dinner we had tortellini and ravioli with tomato sauce.

I finally watched Hamilton, I definitely get the hype, it is quite good.

I also watched a new adaptation of the ABC murders. It was well done, but David Suchet will always be Poirot to me.
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128th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today is 82F.  It is currently dark and rainy.  Once the rain cleared it was a perfectly lovely evening.

We called Avia and sang a happy birthday before we ate a birthday cake, in her honor of course.

I made oven chicken nuggets and corndogs for lunch, then packed them up and we took them to go.  I made up paper bags with an entrée, yogurt, pretzels, cookie and prize for my little ones.  Apparently food tastes better out of a paper bag and in the car, since I had no complaints. = )

Billy needed to run to mendards for some screws, and I was assembling a goodbye gift for the Mitterlings who are moving "up north" this month.  I also did some shopping for Grace and Juliet's schultüten!  I cannot believe that the twins make for my last round, already!  I feel like Alice just opened hers.

For dinner we had a combination of leftovers and individual freezer meals.

later days

2nd Week of July

127th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today is a respectable 90F.

Today we made a birthday cake for Avia to eat for breakfast after we call her in the morning!

For dinner we had leftovers.

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126th Day of Quarantine

The high today was a pleasant 86F.

I spent the first few hours of my day trying to get a hold of someone at the insurance company, since they are denying the kids medicine, again, due to some missing records from long ago.  I'm pretty sure the records are in California, but they might be in Houston.  So, I've secured forms from everyone, and I'm in contact now with Jacq, our contact at the drug company, and their current endocrinologist' office.

It's so frustrating, but I think that I made some good progress yesterday, and am hopeful that it will be resolved before their current script runs out.

For art this week, we made paper airplanes!  The assignment was to create one from the booklet out of scratch paper, then they could choose one piece of  "nice" paper to create the final product if they wanted.   The only one who wanted to improve her plane was grace. = )

Billy had to run into work today, while he was gone I knocked out a couple of masks to mail to Chelsea.

Once Billy came home, I left to retrieve groceries from Carl's to deliver to Alyssa.  Her baby was in the hospital, and my heart just aches for her her.  Thankfully the babe was released yesterday evening with a round of antibiotics and seems to be on the mend!

For dinner we had pizza.

We finished off the day with a few episodes of Kim Possible.

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125th Day of Quarantine

The high today was 78F.  It was dreary and misty all day.

Another moth picture, this time for Juliet, to draw into the nature journal today.

After our morning lessons, and knocking out my chores, I finished sewing my pile of started masks.  Then I cut out my next round.

I threaded ear straps, stamped my mark, then packaged them up for delivery.  These three are being mailed out to some special people tomorrow! = )

Billy made a trip to Menards and picked up lunch from Bob Evans.  We still had a gift card leftover from Thanksgiving, so I called it in so that we could use it up!

Once he returned I ran to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription and some empty syringes for a project he's working on next week.

For dinner we reheated some of the leftover Bob Evans.  I do love their green beans. = )

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124th Day of Quarantine

The high today was 88F.  We didn't see any rain today, so according to Swithin's Day lore, we will have 40 fair days to follow. = )

Does this tree look like it's leaning to you?

In our nature journal this week the kids are drawing moths.  Emily and I studied one the night before her day, and she drew it from memory.  William picked one from the nature guide.  But today, Grace and I found where one sleeps!  We snapped a picture, and then she drew it from there.

We picked up Billy's car, and the check engine light came on on his trip home.  Sadly, we will not have time to take care of it this week or next. = /

I finally scored some chocolate bars in my grocery order yesterday, so we made a little fire and cooked up s'mores tonight!

And Billy trimmed William's hair for the second time this quarantine.

For dinner we had steak fajitas.

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123nd Day of Quarantine

The high today away 84F.

I picked up groceries, despite that it was a Tuesday.  William's Monday surgery is making my week feel all kinds of weird.

I took Billy's car in with Sarah.  She met me in Mason and gave me a lift home, since she was coming over to mow the lawn anyhow. = )

The twins were singing along to parts of the Frozen II sound track.  It's a little annoying and very adorable.

We had Lunchables/light fare and leftovers for dinner.

Billy and I finished season one of  Carnival Row.

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122nd Day of Quarantine

The high today was warm with a cool breeze, topping out at 78F.

William and I woke up at 5am, so that we could be in the hospital by 7:15.  We made good time, and pulled into the parking garage just after 6:30.  We were quickly taken back, then had a lot of waiting.  Once the time drew near, the surgeon came in and went over the procedure.

Then, it was time for William to have the pre-anesthesia anesthetic.   He seemed to take to it slowly, then it hit hard.  He started talking in mumbles and then laughed an almost maniacal laugh.  Just a few minutes later they wheeled him back.

They had a coffee station in the waiting area, and so I enjoyed a cup while waiting.

His procedure was super short, and he was in recovery longer than he spent in the operating room.  The surgeon came to let me know that it went well, then a while later they called me back.  He woke a little fearful.  He did not like that he could not feel his toes.

The nurse put on a show for him to watch, and when he was coming back around to himself, she brought him a frozen cherry treat!  Once he finished that, he had to be changed back into his own nightgown.  He was excited to ride in a green wheelchair all they way back to the car!

We left the hospital just after 11, and continued the tradition of going to Sonic as a treat.  When we returned to Lansing, we picked up McDonald's for everyone else.

William was charging around and dancing within just a few minutes of returning home.

We bid adieu to our kitchen rug of 13 years, since my new  one came in.  I was sad to say goodbye, but it was frayed on the sides and was developing some pretty big holes in in the middle.  Our new one looks pretty good, since it was purchased to match our current kitchen.

For dinner we had lasagna and the rest of the avocado ranch salad.

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121st Day of Quarantine

The expected high today is 81F.

Billy broke out the jumper cables from his car to see if it were indeed the battery, and it is.  Sadly, Walmart's automotive is currently closed because of the corona virus, and this battery is well within it's warranty. = (  AutoZone and the like will not touch Billy's car because of the terrible engine configuration that makes changing the battery challenging*. So, on Tuesday, because tomorrow is William's surgery, we will have to take it in.

It doesn't escape my notice, that I was finally going to take my car in to the dealership for a laundry list of small issues as soon as this surgery trip was over.  But instead, we'll be taking in Billy's car.  Sad times.

For dinner Billy cooked up some steaks.

I made cupcakes for William so that he could store up some calories before his morning of fasting.

later days

*compared to my Chrysler Sebring, it is an improvement. At least Walmart will change it despite the additional labor.  My Sebring required taking off the left front tire to change the battery (I'm not kidding) so Walmart wouldn't even touch it.

1st Week of July

120th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today was 80F.

We had a lovely lazy day.

Before lunch, Billy walked to Carl's to get the makings for chips and queso.

Grace made spaghetti and meatballs for lunch, with just a little help from me. = )

I made a little progress on the pile of masks.

Billy went to get Wendy's for a late dinner, but ended up taking my car since his car did not start. = (  Hopefully it's just a battery issue, but we won't find out until tomorrow.

We watched some Jim Gaffigan comedy and the first episode of Carnival Row.   I'm not that into it, but we might give it another chance, sometimes it takes a few episodes for things to get going.

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119th Day of Quarantine

The high today was a warm, rainy 79F.

We were up and at it early today, since we had quite a list of things to do!

For Art this week, the kids followed a tutorial to draw some funny monsters!  They each inserted their personalities into their products and I was so impressed!

Once morning activities were finished, Emily and I ran some 'consolation' packages by the Eaton's & Stepp's.

Jessica modelling some of the goodies! <3

Matt and Deb with their gear:

We then dashed home so that I could grab William and get to Hastings for an 11:50 covid test for him, in preparation for his surgery on Monday. 

There is not a good direct path, so we ended up zigzagging the backroads.  I had trouble twice, due to road names being the same.  In Vermontville, Main Street intersects with Main Street!  And in Hastings, two roads called State Rd. come in from the East.  We did make it on time, but just so.

We were there less than 5 minutes, and only that long because William fought me when it was time to take his sample.  (This was not the awful test with the swab in the throat, but an easier one that they just need to poke the swab in his nose.)

When we left, we decided to go to a few touristy spots on the trip home.  We saw a park called Fish Hatchery Park.   It was a very nice park, and there were tons of fish in the water!

I found 6 fish (or most of a fish) in this picture:

The playground was open, but there was a party going on in the pavilion, so we were trying to keep our distance from the other park goers.

We found a very cool tank in downtown Vermontville. William thought it was cool enough to get out and take another picture. = )

We stopped for gas in town, since we have such an early morning Monday.

Once we got home it was time to pick up and put things away.  Then check the mail, and get started on dinner, since we had a Zoom scheduled with the Stepps at 5!  It was nice to 'party' with them for a few minutes and catch up.

The weather today has been very rainy, so, had the party occurred as planned earlier this year, we would have all been in the carport with our swing music, root beer and liquorice.

For dinner we scarfed down Hamburger Helper (that Juliet requested.)

We finished off the day with some Kim Possible. = )

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118th Day of Quarantine

The high today was 93F.  We had some light rain blow in this afternoon dropping the temperature to not so warm by the time I took out the trash.

I spent some time today cleaning the mailbox and painting the flag back to a bright red.  It isn't perfect, but it does look better. = )

For dinner we had PF Chang's Honey Chicken and rice.  Everyone liked it.

I spent some time picking out fabric and cutting out masks to give away.  I think they will go up to the kids' (previous) school (assuming it opens.) If not, I'll find somewhere else to donate them.  I also made myself another mask using my bluebonnet fabric that I found buried deep in my fabric chest. = )

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117th Day of Quarantine

The high today was 90F.  We had some clouds roll in this afternoon, bringing rain (hopefully) and cooling things off. = (

Alice finally had her final appointment with her eye therapy doctor today.  Originally it was scheduled for April, and was bumped back today.  She exited the program with flying colors!  She will not have to do the exercises any longer.  And, as a bonus, the doctor did her yearly 'check up' so we won't need to make another eye appointment for her until next year!

After we left the doctor, we went up to Menard's to gather science supplies.  It feels good to have most of the list squared away at this point.  = )

For dinner we are having beans and hotdogs.

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116th Day of Quarantine

The high today was 94F!  We spent some time on the porch this afternoon enjoying the warm air and cool breeze.

For Alice's monster, she chose to draw the flag of Albania, inspired by one of the monsters in the book. = )

The washer repair man came today and fixed my washer (just as 5pm approached.)  It seems to be working perfectly.  Now, I just need to get caught up on my backlog of laundry!

A nurse called for William's pre-surgery chat.  She gave me bad news about his covid test.  We will have to go on Friday to a hospital almost an hour out for him to be tested.  = (  I'm not looking forward to this additional drive on top of his 7:15am ear tube procedure.  Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the early timeslot (since he will have to fast) but two drives just days apart for less than fun medical procedures is not really my favorite.

For dinner, I made grilled cheese served with a side of grapes.  It was simple, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. = )

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115th Day of Quarantine.  

Thought I'd take a moment to reiterate that it is currently voluntary.  We are not required to distance ourselves from society by any governing entity. I'm feeling lonely, and I know the kids are missing their friends, and Billy is missing the comradery of the office, but it is for the best.

It was bound to happen, and finally did.  Someone that I knew (in high school) is living through the corona virus.  He's posting updates each day, which might be helpful should the virus find it's way to us.  Michigan is fairly isolated from the raging cases in Texas and Florida, but as people travel, gather and party the situation can quickly change.  

The high today was a perfect summer temperature of 92F!  Billy worked out on the porch (but did commandeer the box fan from our room.)  We ran the air conditioner inside though.

Today was busy.  This morning I picked up groceries, got gas, went by the bank, dropped letters at the post office, took the medicine recycling box to FEDEX, and then dropped the mixed recycling at Sarah's.

When I came home, I decided to tackle the science list, and it is a doozy.  I have many of the items, but will need to claim a few from future recycling and make a trip to Menard's for the rest.

I've been feeling a bit introspective the last few weeks, as old memories crop up.  I recognized that one of the main influences in my skirt wearing was probably my 2nd/4th grade teacher (Mrs. Gerrick) who wore broomstick skirts much of each year.  Also, Mark Lester (of Oliver circa 1968) was the vision of how any of my boy children would be.  William does have some traits, though not the ones I would have predicted. = ) 

I also came to the conclusion today that very soon many people are going to switch to homeschooling, and it would be best if I finished purchasing the books for the later terms.  I realize this will mean that some of them will not be used (since I'm combining Forms I & II) but I don't want to not be able to get a book that we need, due to lack of supply.  So, finishing up book shopping has moved up on my todo list.

For dinner we had leftover steak & veggie PF Changs veggie egg rolls.  I though it was tasty, the kids thought I was trying to kill them.  ::eyeroll::  Billy was middle of the road, but didn't' complain.

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114th Day of Quarantine

The temperature today is expected to reach 90F.

I emptied the pool yesterday, cleaned it and started to refill it today.  Most of the kids spent their 'hour outside' in the filling pool.

The laundry is quickly piling up.  I'm ready for our repair guy to come Tuesday!

For dinner we had frozen dinners.

I'm trying my best to engross myself in another book, but am still feeling too emotionally involved in the cormoran strike series to fully engage in another series.

Our 'indoor' plants that I place outside for the nice temperatures were eaten and torn apart (probably by a chipmunk) so I moved them inside for safety.

later days

End of June

113th Day of Quarantine

We are expecting a lovely high of 88F for the Fourth of July!

After sleeping in, I ran to Sam's to buy a table to home Billy's 3D printer.   We are setting it up in the girls room, but needed to get rid of the queen bed (that no one sleeps in) first. 

So, Sarah came over and I helped her disassemble the box spring, then we loaded up the bed into her truck.  I ordered a twin set up to replace it, but it should fit under the bed entirely, making it a 4 person single bunk bed.

Those of us who dressed up for the holiday:

Billy grilled out steaks and hotdogs for a late lunch.  We ate part of the leftovers from lunch as well as other leftovers for dinner.

I tried to start a few new books, but as of now, none will replace what I've finished. I feel so listless.

William helped me cut up our first watermelon of the season!  

Emily, William and I went out to watch the lightening bugs and see if we could spy any fireworks.  We saw a few over the treetops. = )

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112th Day of Quarantine

Today the expected high was 91F!

Sarah had to put Meggie down at the vet this morning.  It started the day very sad.

In art this week, the kids used a 3D printed heart lid whose handle broke.   Their job was to create art using the heart as a stencil.  Emily decided to mail hers off to the Helterbrand cousins, along with the stencil, so that they could make some too!

We had a Toy Story marathon, where we watched all 4 of them back to back!

For dinner Billy walked down to pick up Pizza.

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111th Day of Quarantine

Today the expected high is the long awaited 90F!

And, since we are approaching a holiday weekend (as always) my washing machine failed.  in the middle of a wash.  = (  I tried a few tips and tricks before calling the warranty company.  They had me try a few other troubleshooting measures, then set me up for an appointment next Tuesday.  In terms of waiting that is an eternity.

I called Sarah to see if I could come wash the load that was unfinished, and the load that Juliet threw up on this morning.  She was out, so she offered to come get it and launder it for me.  Seriously, what would I do without my sister?

I pulled the wet towels from the wash, and went outside to wring them by hand.  Seriously tough work for me in my machine filled life.  Now I understand why those wringers over the washtubs were ubiquitous. 

For dinner we had leftovers from last night.  = )

I'm suffering from a great deal of ennui after finishing the last published Cormoran Strike book.  The next one isn't due out until September.

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110th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today was 89F.

Sarah came over to mow the lawn before we are officially in the 90s this weekend.  She splashed the kids while they played in the pool, then gave Alice a second driving lesson.

For dinner we had chicken alfredo and chips and queso.  So, mostly chips and queso.

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109th Day of Quarantine

The epected high today was 87F, again, but we broke down and turned on the ac.  Outside was pleasant, but inside it was just too warm without a nice breeze.

For dinner we had a smorgasbord of leftovers and small freezer entrees.

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108th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today is 87F.

I was out the door for my grocery run before any of the kids came down.  I dropped the packages in the mail then headed to Sarah's to dump the recycling.   When I got to Kroger, I found out that I can now check in with the app, and I don't even have to call!!!!

William has been very interested in knives as of late, so I told him that I would teach him how to use it properly.  He cut up a sweet pepper, and ate it with fervor, then asked to cut another.  As long as he is snacking healthy, I told him go for it.

Grace had a virtual pulmonology appointment.  It was such a short appointment, I would have been annoyed to make the long drive to Grand Rapids to attend in person. So, I was thankful for the virtual meeting.  We will go in in 6 months to check her lung function (or something along those lines.)  If the results are normal, she won't have to go back in for a few years.  And if it's not, well we'll discuss it then.

I finished the suspenseful 3rd book in the Cormoran Strike series and was thankful that there was a fourth one to move onto.

For dinner we had orange chicken. Alice started her period today, not even 11 years old. = (

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107th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today is 85F.

After online church, I finished assembling the 'souvenir' packages to mail out, and took care of various other tasks.

Once all of my chores were tended, I went outside to watch the kids swim.  Everyone went out, because Sunday bedtime was becoming unreasonably difficult on days they did not go out to play.

After assembly line showers, I spent the evening reading the third Cormoran Strike book.  This one is the most intense so far.

Billy was troubleshooting his printer for the past few days, since he could not get Emily's heart shaped box to print.  Turns out it was the nozzle.  So, once he got that changed out, her box printed out beautifully and he started on an owl for Juliet.

For dinner we had a variety of leftovers. Since my grocery day is Monday, it is clean out the refrigerator day.

later days