Murder Mystery at the English Inn: Pheonix Protocol

For Christmas, Billy gifted me tickets to a murder mystery interactive theater at the English Inn, and I gifted him a night at the English Inn.  = )

Sadly, my mom was out of town, but Sarah stepped up, to sleep at the house with the kids (and was able to slip away first thing in the morning, since it was a Sunday-Monday night stay, but the kids were out of school for the week.)

I was able to reuse the hat that I bought for my murder mystery birthday party and wear my Grandmother's pearls.  I did buy a special dress (that I've since worn again!)

It was so nice!  The food was fantastic, we were each given a pin and pen to commemorate the event. The actors were soooooooo good.  They rotated through the tables and we were able to interrogate them!

I was so excited! We totally guessed the culprit, but got our sheet in too late, so we weren't the 'top team' but we had so much fun.  In fact, we came home and signed up for the next one, in October!

The October theme is a masquerade!  I'd never been invited to a masquerade before, and picked out a mask on the internet that I *loved* but was waiting to buy it.  However, the next Tuesday, while Emily, Grace and I were at the thrift store, we found a fancy mask for Billy (and it was only $4.50!)

I found a dress that would match the mask that I love and since it was only $10, I didn't feel bad about buying the mask in time for Jessica's birthday party (especially since I know I'll have one more occasion to wear it!)

So many murder mystery events lately have me feeling like I am just living my best life! = )

later days

edit: written 6-16-23 backdated for continuity.

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.

-------

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.

--------

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. = )

-------

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.

---------

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.

----------

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.

--------

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.

31st May, 79th Day of Quarantine

The high today was a brutally cold 64F. 

I finished the masks for my friend, ran some copies, printed some pages, wrote some letters.

The kids played outside to help with bedtime.

I read some of my book, and also read how to use the German with Miss Mason and Francois.  So, I'm excited about the foreign language aspect of the fall now too. = )

For dinner I made stew in the slow cooker.  It was well received.

Everything is ready for tomorrow morning, and Sarah and I have an appointment at a different thrift shop at 10am.

Tomorrow marks the final week of instruction for my littles ones, and we are all ready for summer break!

And, after 5 months of daily updates, this will be my final intentional daily entry.  I'll continue to log the temperature and daily dinner choices, but I'll be switching to a weekly format for the rest of the year.

later days

30th May, 78th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today is 65F.  It was chilly inside our house this morning with all the windows left open overnight.

After putting in times for the kids summer reading logs, I found myself jealous of all the time they are forced get to read every week, so I spent my day reading Book 1 of the Witcher series.

We watched the first rocket launch from American soil in William and the twins' lifetimes!  Alice and Emily don't remember the last time (in 2011) so they were really excited to see history being made!

Billy ventured out and bought us Wendy's for dinner.

We (except Billy & Alice) watched Finding Dory.  Somehow I'd not seen that one, but now I have!  I spilled water behind the dresser, so Billy had to pull it out (for the first time since we moved in.) Naturally I cleaned everything out, in addition to the ice water mess.

One of my friends requested some masks for her daughter's first communion, so as my final evening activity I cut the fabric for all the masks, and finished her daughter's (just in case something crazy happens, I figure hers is the most important should I fail to finish tomorrow.)

I got in a few project pieces to help organize our supplies for the fall, but that will be a project for another day.  (The timeline is a little longer than the week window I have for the masks.) ; )

A good day, but I'm pretty tired considering I was far less productive than yesterday.

later days

May 12th, 60th Day of Quarantine, 35th Day of School at Home

The high today was 56F.  It was sunny and warm-ish, we are expecting one more night of freezing temperatures, so the plants are staying put in their bathroom holding room.

My day started a little earlier than usual with a 7:45 phone call from the company that services our water softener.  They wanted to come by between 1-3.  Today I didn't mind so much (since we're almost always home now anyhow) but usually their less than 24 hour notice drives me nuts.

Homework went smoothly for most of my crew.  Today was a William feet dragging day though, so we were still trying to get through his assignments at 2pm.

I got the regular survey call from the district, and in an effort to expedite the questions, I wrote down my survey answers yesterday.  So, today, I didn't have to listen to the questions or scale, it worked out brilliantly.

Once William finally finished his work, I found the time to finish the masks bound for the Helterbrand House.

I even got them packaged up and ready to go in the mailbox!

Emily had a meeting with her teacher, then a little while with later her entire class.

At 3:30 we went out to see if we could spot the Blue Angel flyover for Lansing, but we are just too far out, and there are too many trees.

For dinner we had beef brisket fajitas (I had intended to make tacos, but lacked the lettuce.)

It was warmer today than we'd seen in a while, but still just a little chilly.  The weather from here on is looking promising though.

later days

May 9th, 57th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today was a sunny, misleading, cold 51F.

In the morning I worked on some masks for the Helterbrands. Since I'm doing them all at once, my goal is to do one or two steps each day, so they are all still unfinished. = )

Sarah came over and detailed my car.  She enlisted the kids to wash the mats with the hose, since they could do that without getting too close to her.  So, they helped, for a few minutes, but she spent hours making my car cleaner and shiner.  I love how clean it is!

For dinner I made General Tso's chicken with rice.

Emily made some Bueno Nachos for us (her, me, Grace, Juliet, William, and eventually Billy!) to enjoy while we watched Kim Possible.

later days

April 11th, 29th Day of Quarantine, 9th Day of Spring Break

The expected high today was 57F.  It was sunny, and looked really warm outside, but it was a lie.

At Sarah's request I made 3 more masks for her to send out to her friends, and threw in a fourth one, just to keep it even.

The twins were super sweet and unloaded the dishwasher for me this morning!  I cooked up some bacon, and washed Easter dresses, in between steps on the masks.  I finished some time after noon, and got them all ready to ship out.

And, today was the day we cut Billy and William's hair.  It was tolerable to be outside, but not warm by any means.  William's looks pretty good, Billy's shows that I've never taken a cosmetology class, but it will do.

Grace took a picture.  = )

Billy's hair does not look professional, but it doesn't look awful.

After a dinner of tortellini, Billy and I had our fourth wine date!

We then stayed up way past our bedtime to rewatch episode one of the Witcher series (since the filming of, well, everything is currently on hold.)

It was a productive, busy, happy Saturday, at home.

later days

April 9th, 27th Day of Quarantine, Day 7 of Spring Break

The expected high today was 44F.  This was miserably cold after our 2 days of lovely sunshine.  The weather was all over the place today.  Showers kept passing through, of rain, snow, hail and graupel!

Emily was the first one awake this morning, but as the twins woke up we sang happy birthday.  I had Emily help them open the matching dresses first, so that they could wear them the whole day!  Then, I asked if they wanted to eat their birthday cake, for breakfast?  It was a unanimous yes. = )

The inside of Alice's cake design!

We opened presents right after cake, and they had a good time opening them (and so did the bigger kids.)

They spent a lot of time at the table enjoying the new toys. = )

Aunt Rocky called over with a new gift for them too, a Disney+ subscription!

First pick: Frozen II.

I spent the movie time making masks for the remaining members of our family who were without, plus one for Sarah, and one to mail to a friend.

I forgot to take a 'finished' picture, and I'd already sealed off the one for the mail. I had to pull out the rest of them from where they will live for a while.

Grace and Juliet each took a turn Zooming with their friends (two separate calls, of course. lol)  

For dinner, we were going to eat take out from the Ice Cream Shop, but when I got online to look up their menu, I found that they closed at 3pm today, and will be closing up for the next few weeks. = (

So, plan B, I went up to Wendy's and everyone got a frosty instead of ice cream.  It didn't meet with the ideal in my head, but the twins didn't seem to mind. = )

I watched 3 or 4 episodes of Kim Possible with Grace, and now the kids are watching the original Frozen.

Hopefully the twins had a great day, they were asking when they get to have their party (which we still do not have any sort of timeline on.)

And the weather for the next 10 days looks just miserably cold.  I'm really ready to be warm again.

later days

April 5th, Playing Hide and Seek with Corona, Day 23, 3rd Day of Spring Break

The high today was 53F.  It was sunny and pretty for most of the day.

After a nice Palm Sunday service at home, I found the motivation to finish the three N95 mask covers that I had cut out during my last sewing session.

Intermittently Grace would come up, and wanted to make a mask.  Once I was in a good place to pause, I helped her make one out of the material she picked.

Well, of course, once Emily saw Grace's she wanted to make one too.  But, she made hers almost entirely on her own!  I helped a little with winding the bobbin, tying the elastic and ironing, she did the rest!  This is when I asked her to hold up 19 fingers (for Covid-19.) lol

Once I finished the masks I had set out to finish, I made a prototype of a scrub cap, since I had a request for some. I only made one, just in case it's not what she had in mind.
Then, right before I put away my sewing station, I made Billy a mask to wear out.  So, Emily tapped Billy to help hold up the 19 fingers. = )

Sewing took up most of the day, and by the time I had everything put away, it was time for my weekly busy mom's zoom.

It was a small group, just Sara, Rachel and me. I love having the social time each week, and am thankful that I don't have to go anywhere to enjoy it. lol

It was nice to be able to do a quick bedtime, since we are on break all week!

later days