Thanksgiving Week

260th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was a sunny 48F.

I went to the thrift store to supplement Christmas piles.  I also found Billy a coffee maker!

For dinner we had egg fried rice.

------

259th Day of Quarantine.

47F, cloudy.

Aunt Wanda sent some shirts for the kids.  They were happy to show them off.

My mom came over so that Billy and I could have a date!  We went to the dollar tree, then to a thrift store to look for Christmas gifts then had a patio date at  Buddies.  Yes, in November, when it is barely above freezing, but indoor restaurant dining is currently forbidden in Michigan. We brought Burger King for everyone else.

My mom treated us to a drive in theater experience to see the Croods 2.  We took two cars, since they have a limit of 6 people per car.  It was really really cold, but comfortable enough for the kids.  I brought two big comforters and 7 pillows, but Billy ended up spending a good part of the movie on his phone in the front seat, because it was just tough to get comfortable.

My mom has been bringing over Christmas gifts from Sarah's basement, and brought over the bulk of what I had stored there.  I sorted through everything that I'd bought today and what I already had, so that I could see my deficiencies.  Alice was sorely lacking.  She's tough to buy for.  So, I went to the internet for help, and they recommended a weird Japanese instrument.  I think Alice will really like it.

-------

258th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was a cloudy 44F.

Avia came over for Thanksgiving.  She and the twins spent quality time together while I reheated the Bob Evan's feast that we ordered.  They helped her add her handprint to our tablecloth.  I'd like for all present at the table to be represented each year.

After we finished the meal and cleaned the kitchen (the poor dishwasher is currently on round 3 of the day, as I type this) Avia took another round of Christmas card photos for us, and we finally got one that was "the photo." = )

After decorating for Christmas, I finally sat down and ordered our Christmas cards.  I don't think I've ordered this late in along time. = 0

One of the ones we used:

And a couple that we didn't:

For dinner we had leftovers, of course.  = )

After dinner we decorated for Christmas! Grace was a big helper, and helped me with almost every task I worked on!  We did the outside lights first, so that we could be out there while the temperature was still at it's "warmest."

Juliet eventually came over to help with the ornaments, and she and Grace did a good job!  Then, I knocked over the tree. = (  I ended up breaking Emily's first Christmas ornament, and was so sad.

But, Grace and Juliet were patient, and helped me put all the ornaments back on, a second time!  Aren't they sweet?

After all the decorations were up, I pushed myself to order our Christmas cards.  The weeks spent between our first pictures and the one we actually used have been long (and wasted as far as shipping is concerned.)  So, it was important to me that I get them ordered ASAP.

------

257th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was a cold, rainy 44F.

My Christmas present, a portable wood stove, arrived today.  Billy started to put it together, but it was missing a pre drilled hole and thumb screw.  Since he and William were going to get haircuts (before super spreader Thanksgiving) they went to menards for the screw.

When he got home, he was not able to drill through the metal with his drill bits, so but he attempted to attached it with tension alone.  This was a fail, and the leg broke around the hole in the outer part of the leg. = (

So, we contacted customer service to request a new leg, but they only send out complete replacements.  This meant a trip to UPS to return the broken one, in the rain.  Sadly, I could not lift it, and so we all went as a family.

For dinner we had chicken penne alfredo. 

--------

256th Day of Quarantine.

The high was 35F.

Since I was picking up thanksgiving meal, I loaded the car with the thrift store boxes in the mudroom, as well as the FedEx box that delivered the medicine.  Sadly, the thrift store was not accepting donations, except for on F/Sa so I ended up at Goodwill to make the donation.

I had the opportunity to ensure that my meal was packed properly, and sadly was missing gravy and cranberry relish.  They were able to remedy that, and I was able to order the extra mac and cheese my family loves. = )

I helped each child clean out their computer cabinet.  We got almost two full boxes of stuff to get rid of from their cabinets!  Grace enjoyed playing with one of William's favorite toys, that she doesn't have access to very often, since they are not allowed in each other's cabinets.

For dinner we had sausage and beans.

-------

Today was the 255th day of Quarantine.

The high today was a brutal 44F.  It was sunny, but far from warm.

I knocked out my task of coats and boots, and cleaned out a bunch from the stash that I've been keeping "just in case."  

For dinner we had pizza.

While we were watching a movie, Grace asked me where you can "buy a boy" [to marry]  I told her that you can go to a place called college, look in all the doors and pick one.  And that I paid $5 for daddy.  Billy laughed, and corrected this falsehood.  Don't tell the seller, but I would have paid $10. ; )

-----

 254th Day of Quarantine.

Today barely rose above freezing with a high of 34F.  There were lots of snowflakes, but the road was just wet, and there was only a small accumulation on the grass.

I went to my Kroger appointment, which felt like I was there with everyone else!  It was super busy, all 6 spots filled up again.

For lunch I grabbed some Burger King, and was greeted by a bunch of helpful, hungry grocery unpackers.

My mom came over with Seven, once her church service ended, and watched a movie with the kids while Billy and I went on a drive thru coffee date at Biggby. = )

We did not go to bed early enough last night, so I was sleepy this morning, and took a nice (short) nap after we got back.

For dinner we had spaghetti.

For some reason, there has been another run on toilet paper, and my delivery has been delayed indefinitely.  I don't know why, because it seems like people would have still had plenty from last spring??

-----

later days

3rd Week of November

253rd Day of Quarantine.

Today was a much cooler high of 47F.  It was sunny, with a mild breeze, so it didn't feel awful if you were bundled up.

Sarah tasked me with a project for a Christmas gift she was working on, and while I was upstairs sewing, I made another mask, a mask & doll mask set for Grace's friend Zoey, and a doll mask for Grace's Molly, that matches her mask.

Billy and I have been on a movie kick. I think it's because we don't want to get wrapped up in other unfinished shows.  With Supernatural being over, I'm feeling a little bit of ennui, but I'm content now with the ending.

For dinner we had hamburger helper and corn.

-----

252nd Day of Quarantine.

Today we were still at 60F.  It was warmer than we are used to this year, and makes me happy. = )

I knocked out all kinds of projects today!  

We finished the salt dough ornaments that we made in Nature study yesterday.  They weren't fully hardened, so I put them in for another four hours, and that seemed to do the trick.  The kids painted them with the paint markers, and I added the ribbon to hang them.  They each picked one to send to Enisi and Edudi, so I got those boxed up and ready to ship.  These are the ones we are keeping.  I forgot to take a picture of the ones we are mailing.

I ordered a few more Christmas gifts (and feel like I must be getting close to being done!)  Speaking of Christmas gifts, I made Seven a reversible bandana to wear during Christmas time. = )

While I was digging out that material, I found a material that made me think of Erin Elise, and so I made her a mask.  And, while I was doing that, Grace came up and wanted to make a mask for Molly out of the scraps.  So, I did that too.  Doll masks take just as many steps as full sized masks, they just have less workspace.  = )

We also got Billy's tag renewal for his car, so I made up the check for that, since there is a fee if you do it through the website.

I also knocked out a few projects in the kitchen.  I needed to use up the other half of the fajita chicken from earlier this week, so I made some homemade chicken and dumplings.  It was too salty, so I need to tone down the bouillon, or up the water.  The dumplings were good though!

And, as part of my paranoia, I have been looking for ways to use up pinto beans, since that is something we have a lot of in our 'crisis' stash.  One of the recipes I found was how to make a pinto bean chocolate cake.  It doesn't take a ton of pinto beans, just a can, but my modified recipe worked really well.  The ultimate test, of course, was what the kids thought, and I'd say it was a success.   Grace cleaned her plate, and Emily and Juliet both used a tag to call a piece tomorrow. = )

------

251st Day of Quarantine.

Today was in the 60s, you read that right, a balmy 65F in fact!  For the clothes we typically wear this time of year, we were shedding layers!

The last day of school ran long, still trying to push Alice to finish her 4th grade review, which is now new material...

We also made salt ornaments and our first year of table cloth handprints!

For dinner we had a delicious beef crockpot roast with potatoes and carrots. Started it at 8:15am!  The house smelled wonderful all day.

Supernatural had it's finale tonight.  I didn't hate the ending, but I am very sad.  To stave it off we watched my favorite episode (Tuttle) and Billy's favorite episode (The Ringbanger) of M*A*S*H.  They are actually back to back episodes in season one, which made it easy and enjoyable.

--------  

250th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was 46F. 

For dinner we had BLTs with pringles and strawberries.

------

249th Day of Quarantine.  Tomorrow, the state will rejoin us in our quarantine efforts, as many things are shut down or have lowered capacity for 3 weeks.

The high today was a cold 37F, and we saw flutters of snow!

I presented William with his shirt to match his roblox character!  (I couldn't buy one, so I had to make one)  It was well received, and he was so excited to wear it, and tell Avia, the doctor and the nurse all about his new shirt! = )

Today was a rushed day, but we made it through!  We quickly progressed through much of our routine this morning, and forwent a break, so that we could be ready to go to William's appointment at 10:45. We worked through material that would be hard to pack, or that we could not pack.

 My mom came over to help corral and load the crew.  Then, when we arrived at the Doctor's office, she sat with the girls while William and I went it.  I brought William's reader, but neglected to bring it inside, so she had to rescue us by sending pictures of the next few pages.

While we were inside, the nurse went out to the vehicle and got the girls' flu shots all taken care of! It was awesome.  Very time conservative. = )  William got all positive remarks from his doctor! He is well on the curve in height, and weight, giving him a nice 11% BMI rating!  The curve in his spine was recently reviewed by the orthopedic doctor, and he cleared him for now. (But we need to get x-rays every few years, as a preventative measure.)

The original plan was to run to McDonald's then return to the doctor for the girls' shots, but since we knocked it all out at once, we went through the drive thru and headed to our grocery appointment.  We were early, but still had a tiny bit of school left, plus our read aloud.  

We finished up and were some of the first to arrive in the hour block we picked.  Sadly, my car is still at the mechanic (yep, month 3) and most of the time, this is not a problem, but it was particularly annoying today, when we were trying to knock our our school in the car.  The good thing about Billy's car over mine, though, is that there was more light by which to work.

By the time we came home, we brought in and put away groceries, cleaned out our work form the car, and Alice was doing her second round of math (she's still playing catch up, but making great strides!) it was almost 4pm, and our cleaning lady came today.  So, it was rush rush rush. 

For dinner we had chicken fajitas.

I finally got to sit down and relax once I got the kitchen cleaned and some laundry started.  Now, it is time for bed.  Sadly, the kids get to go first!

------

248th Day of Quarantine.

The expected high today was a chilly 45F.

Alice progressed with her math, finishing and entire 4th grade unit today.

We had chili cheese dogs for dinner.

------

247th Day of Quarantine.

The expected high today is a cold 51F.  The wind is something else today, I'd rate it as a Fresh Gale on the Beaufort Weather Scale.

I left my grocery order too long, and with the uptick in corona virus cases, I could not get my usual Kroger time (or any time near it.) So, I'll be saving the big trip for Tuesday.  We'll pick it up on our way home from William's well child visit. I've also set a reminder in my phone to schedule it earlier in the week, so that I can get my preferred day.

Billy and Alice made up some gumbo tonight.  It was really tasty.

-----

later days

2nd Week of November

246th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was only 43F, but it was sunny, so we went out to the cross country trails by the high school to take some Christmas pictures.  I'm not convinced that we got "the" picture, so we will try again during Thanksgiving week, maybe.

We might end up with one of these, depends on how the next ones turn out.

For dinner we had leftovers, with fresh made green beans.  The green beans were a big hit. = )

-----

245th Day of Quarantine.

The high today is staying chilly, at 49F.

For dinner we had Bob Evans chicken tender meal.

------

244th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was warmer than yesterday, but there was frost on the ground and it was a cold 51F.

We finished out our first week of term 2, after 4pm.  I'm trying to help Alice play catchup in math, and we are finally to new material, so it is rush, rush and push push.

For dinner we had hamburger helper.  

I made my annual Mops apple pie, and logged in to the live feed this evening.  My table leader brought by the ingredients and recipe, and Billy grabbed the oats for me at the store when he went out for lunch.

I watched the penultimate episode of Supernatural.  I watched live, again, since I couldn't get into the MOPS virtual zoom.

It was a a bit of a let down, I hope the end of series does not disappoint.

------

243rd day of Quarantine.

The high today was a cold (and usual) 46F.  Brrr.

Avia came over to eat birthday cake for breakfast with our birthday boy!  She stayed through most of our morning so that they could play with silly string during recess.

After math, they all played with a slime 'assortment' that William received as a sub part in a present for his birthday (from us.)  The kids all played in the bathroom, on an old shower curtain, and it still made a huge mess!  We ended up with impromptu showers for all. = /  I do not like slime.

We did set up tea and poetry this afternoon, but I told the kids that they are going to have to contribute more to set up and clean up if we are to continue.  I made a list for them to help out next week.

For dinner William requested teriyaki chicken and rice, so that is what we had.  No one else seemed to care for his twizzler cake enough to have some for desert, so hopefully he likes it a lot!

------

242nd day of Quarantine.

The high today was 74F.

We finished the trebuchet in science, and it worked!

During reading time, we made the rain stick that Aunt Wanda sent, since we learned about the Hopi tribes and their rain rituals!

And we had shrimp and rice for dinner.

We also made William's 8th birthday cake, since this is his final night as a seven year old!

When we were decorating, Billy accidentally popped the giant 8 balloon, but we still put up many of the rubber ones, so it looked festive.

------

241st Day of Quarantine.

We broke a weather record set in 1977 with a high of 78F!  It was nice enough to be out without a jacket.

Avia came by during recess today, to pick up some boxes of returnables and say hi.  I also sent her with the remaining meatball meal that Billy made last night.

We worked ahead a little in science, making the base for the trebuchet that we were not scheduled to make until tomorrow.  This gave it time to properly dry before we start using it to fling rocks.

After school Grace and I went to pick up her replacement glasses frames, and get a new screw put in William's frames.

For dinner we had Tikka Masala, complete with naan and hummus from horrocks! = )  

------

240th Day of Quarantine.

Today the high was a lovely 74F.  We opened the window, on November 8th!!! because when I went to take out the trash it was warmer outside (71F) than inside (68F.)

After online church, I went to a later than usual appointment, since my regular timeslot was already taken! = (  It wasn't awful, I went at the very beginning of my time.

For my "birthday" dinner, Billy made a Gordon Ramsey meatball recipe, with fresh ingredients we picked up at Horrock's.  It was soooooo good.  He served it on giant noodles, which are not my favorite, but made it better for the kids. = )

I spent my extra time (not cooking) working on William's birthday shirt. I'm still waiting on the actual shirt, but it should be here soon!  I cut out the old adidas logo, and I'll do my best to make it look like his roblox avatar! = )

------

later days

William Answers his Birthday Survey: 8-years-old

William's survey was another casualty of 2020. So, this post, just like Alice's 11th, is delayed several months. It is currently March 2021. I'm posting it to November of 2020, so that I'm able to find it to link back to this year. = )

He typed is own answers this year!  I translated, and commented in the brackets.

I am 8 years old.
My favorite color is:g [green]
The coolest person on earth is: me
The thing I do best is:nofing [nothing = ( ]
If I could change my name, it would be: fid
My favorite toy is: [nerf] gun
When I grow up, I want to be: plis [police]
I like to watch: youtob
My favorite song is: sans [Undertale - Megalovania]
My favorite book is: max [Maximum Boy - Dan Greenburg]
3 words to describe me are:will sad mAD [He had stopped typing halfway through, and I had to beg him back, so I'm hoping he is talking about how is is feeling right now.]
When I was little, I used to: eat
My favorite season is: sumir [summer]
The food I like most is: baq sawit [Barbeque Sandwhiches]
One food I really don't like is: nodos [Noodles]
My best friend is: muting [mutti = )]
For my birthday I want to: have fun
My best memory is: sliping [sleeping, despite the fact that we just went snow tubing today!]

He is still 8, and not as far into the year as Alice, so I'm sure his answers will change by the time this November rolls around. = )

later days

You can check out his 7-year-old answers here.

Hello November!

239th Day of Quarantine.

Today the high was 72F.

I woke up after a solid 11 hours of sleep!  This week was the busiest we've had in forever.  The cases of covid are increasing, and yet, we managed to go more places than we've been in forever. = /  Not the best combination.  

Billy and I enjoyed a full breakfast, thanks to our shopping trip Friday evening. We readied to go quickly, and ran to Sam's to pick up a surprise for William. (He saw a toy he wanted on our Wednesday trip, and I didn't get it, telling myself that I'd buy it online.  When I went out to order it, they carry it in store only!) = (  So, we made a special trip just for this birthday surprise. = )

After that, we went by Wendy's to pick up the lunch we ordered online.  It wasn't quite ready, so we waited for a while.  While we were in line the monthly siren test went off. In consideration of the announcement of Biden winning the presidential election, and our proximity to the capitol building, I'll admit, it freaked me out just a bit.  

It sounded exactly like the air raid sirens in the old war films, and my psyche is less stable than I've enjoyed for the majority of my life.  January 21st is a long way away.  Do I sound paranoid? I feel paranoid.  

This year has been a tough one.  

Between covid and presidential elections and governor kidnapping schemes and homeschool and cancelled everything and a weird Halloween I feel isolated.  Hopefully January will help restore some normalcy, or be long enough in this rut that it will start to feel normal.

For dinner we had a charcuterie board of all the things Billy and I failed to finish, as well as some of the bonus items we didn't even open Friday night.  

We finished the Hunger Games series, and watched Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

------

238th Day of Quarantine.

The high today reached a lovely 74F!

I took advantage of the warmer temperatures to burn all of yesterday's tree trimmings, and then did some more raking!  There are so many leaves, I gave it an entire hour, and there are still leaves everywhere.

The vacuum truck came through before I could get the big girls back out for pictures, so we went out today after my leaf clean up.  Emily was a willing model, Alice not so much.

My mom came by after our dinner of cheesy chicken noodles, and surprised the kids.  She's been her in quarantine for 2 weeks, and I managed to not tell them!

She took them for a night at Aunt Rocky's for my birthday. Billy and I went on a "date" to Horrocks to get some tasty treats for a night in.

We watched the third hunger games movie, but were both so tired, we went to bed at our usual bed time, despite being kid free!  

------

237th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was a lovely 65F.

It was our final day of Term 1 exams, and the big girls continued to plug away at their math.  Emily finished her third grade review*! And my amazing Alice worked through 3 units in 3 days!  

We took a break, with the unseasonably warm weather, to trim some of the low hanging tree and bush branches.  Also, I spent time raking up some leaves to the curb, and had a few helpers come help me. = )

For dinner we had teriyaki chicken with rice.

*A poor understanding of the software, led to much more than a review of her old material, and pretty much the big girls are completing an entire year of material in mere months. = 0 But, as we come close to the end of the year, we desperately need to get started on their current grade, so the rush is on.  

------

236th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was a pleasant 72F!

After exams for school today, William and I headed out to his appointment with the orthopedic doctor.  The traffic wasn't bad (and there were no road blocks) so we arrived my 15 comfortable minutes early.

We waited for a while in the waiting room, and then even longer in the exam room.  It was an hour past his appointment time by the time we finally saw the doctor.  Thankfully, it was good news. He said William's ankles have improved, even more than the last time that he saw him!  This means that he is now released from this doctor (unless of course we have issues.)  So yay!

From there we went to QD to try and turn in a registration for my card, but they no longer accept them in person, so I am going to have to call.

Our final stop was Sam's to return a box of exploded cocoa (on and in a few other items.)  It was simple enough.  I also tried to swap out a package of dented chicken in a can, but the order wasn't finished in their system (or something) and they didn't have any in stock to trade out.  So, we bought our few items, thankfully the scan and go app was working, and then drove around to pick up our order.  Then, we found out that their system was also not working for the pick up and ended up in the customer service line a third time in one night.

By the time we finally got our groceries it was dark and I was tired and hungry. Billy fed the girls the sloppy joes I had planned, and William and I filled up on the Doritos he had picked out at Sam's.  I do not enjoy unloading groceries at the end of a busy, frustrating day.

But, we made it happen!  Now it's time for shots (of course) and then a quick bedtime for all! 

------

235th day in quarantine. 

The high today was a pleasant and unseasonal 64F today.

For dinner we had Salisbury steak and potatoes.

------

234th Day in Quarantine.

The expected high today was 47F, but it seriously felt colder than that, and I could hear each and every time the heater kicked on, since we were doing exams, which are a little quieter at the table one-on-one.

We finished around the time we usually do, but the big girls are knocking out some extra math (30 minutes worth) each day, so that they can get started on their current grade math.  I had them review, last summer, and thought that they would quickly move through the material, but it was so.much. And we weren't familiar enough for them to use the 'shortcuts.' So, now they are both in some end of year material that they weren't taught last year, and so the end is going slow, and we are playing catch up.  I'm hoping that they will progress quickly this week, since they are allowed to work on math when they are not testing.

I went to pick up my car this afternoon. Grace came with me, since she left her glasses on the floor yesterday with disappointing consequences. So, our next stop was the glasses shop.  We picked up my car first, then her broken glasses were given a temporary fix, and new frames ordered.  We were halfway home when the light came on in my car that we just paid $2500 to repair.... So, we turned around and dropped it back off, picking up Billy's car that we had left in the lot to retrieve once he got off of work.

I was angry and sad and annoyed. So, I tried messaging and calling Billy, but since his phone is not working, it made me feel even worse.  I ended up emailing his work account, so that he could contact me so that I could at least retrieve dinner while we were out.

For dinner we had Taco Bell.

I also read today that coronavirus cases are ticking up, again.  Many European nations are reinstating their lockdowns.  Here, in America, we are not. With the election coming up tomorrow, and coronavirus on the loose, I have an unusually high stress level.

Here's hoping for a happier birthday.

------

233rd day in Quarantine.

I could hear the rain blowing in as it cooled way down overnight, leaving us with just a 37F high for today. = (

After church, Billy went to pick up the groceries and then went to the cell phone shop to see if they could help fix his connectivity issues.  The problem: his phone is too old. = /

We got some non-sticking snow today, first snow of the season.  I am still not ready.

We listed some of his 3D printed numbers in my Etsy shop today, maybe people will like them as much as we do!

For lunch I made a quiche, and for dinner we had chicken fajitas. 

-----

later days