Finishing out 2020

295th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was 34F.  I woke up this morning to a very quiet street.  When I looked outside, I was greeted with white everything.

By the time I got on my layers and made it outside with my shovel, several of my neighbors were also out clearing away the snow.

Against our snow gauge:

The consistency of the snow was strange.  It was fluffy and frozen on top, but mushy and wet on the ground.  So, I wasn't slipping around as I cleared aw the snow, and the road seemed to be pretty clear as well.  Once I finished clearing the snow, I decided to make the slow trip to Sam's club to get salt for the water softener.  My first stop was the car wash though, because Billy's side and back windows were pretty dirty, and I needed all my line of sights as clear as possible.

At the carwash I found that my mom was willing to make the trip out with me, so I went to Sarah's to pick her up.  All the roads were plowed, and some were only wet, not even slushy, until I got to her neighborhood.

The trip up was uneventful, and Sam's was not as busy as usual, for a Saturday anyhow, I'm sure.  Our next stop was the new urban Meijer in downtown Lansing.  There was plenty of parking, and it was a very nice store.  I'd heard lots of good reviews of their sandwich shop online, so we split "the Lugnut" sub.  It was very good!

When I arrived home, Billy and I had to make several trips to unload all the salt that I bought.  Billy had put together the camping stove in my absence, so once the groceries were tucked away, we loaded it up with wood and even cooked up some eggs!

The stove puts out lots of heat, and I can see how it would make a tent (or any enclosed area) warm enough to be hospitable. 

For dinner we had leftovers and sandwiches.  Everyone snacked so much on the fruits and other goodies that I brought home from Sam's that I didn't make the cornbread casserole that Juliet and I assembled yesterday.

-----

294th day of Quarantine.

The expected high today was 32F,  which gave us a snowy rainy mix, and made the roads and sidewalks slushy and nasty.  Then tonight, they will freeze over. = (

For a late breakfast I turned the leftover bread from yesterday into French Toast!  It was quite good! 

For the afternoon and evening, I put out a charcuterie spread.  I also made some cornbread muffins, but they weren't nearly as good as the last round.  I must have used the other mix last time.

Emily was not a fan of my cornbread muffins.

Today felt like a good day to do a pantry clean out!  I threw out half a dozen expired things, and placed a few things that I hadn't even open in the pile to see if my mom or sister could use.  Once I finished that, it felt so good, I cleaned out the bathroom closet next!  I threw out bags of expired creams and medication, and managed a small box of things to send to the thrift store.

My resolution this year is to learn how to do something new every week.  This week was how to make a plastic bag rope, without using any tools.  It was a really easy start, and hopefully by the end of the year, I will know 52 new useful skills!

-----

293rd day of Quarantine.

32F was the expected high.  We got a little snow, but it must have been on the 'frozen' side of 32F because it didn't melt on the ground and just stayed powdery.

I finished my "winter break" to do list today!  The final item was to run copies of the the math pages for WGJ, and I did it!  Grace even helped me hole punch them and get them into binders this time. = )  

We broke out the hats early, so that we could celebrate the entire day, since I had no intention of staying up until midnight.

I made up an egg and ham casserole to finish off the rest of our Christmas ham.  I'm pleased to say that we threw out very little this year (and it had all be made into other things, but we just ran out of time to eat it!)

I also baked a loaf of homemade bread today! (I had to mix it up yesterday though so that I could sit for 24 hours.)  This is something that was super popular to do in 2020, but I didn't have a big enough, oven safe pot.  Since Billy got me a dutch oven for Christmas, I have now checked a box off the popular to do in 2020 list!

For dinner we had leftovers.

New year at 9:30, but we didn't get to watch the Netflix ball drop, because I could not find it. The kids didn't complain, since they got to make lots of loud noise and drink sparkling grape juice. = )

And, now I've updated my blog every single day, for an entire year!!! #resolutioncomplete

------

292nd Day of Quarantine.

38F is the expected high.

Sandwiches made to order for dinner.

-----

291st Day of Quarantine.

The expected high was 30F.

Today I went to the thrift store with Emily, and we met up with Avia. It was the final Tuesday of the month, which is their 50% off of everything day.  Had we not been meeting my mom, we would not have even gone in.  We were after some puzzles, since we knocked out the one yesterday in one evening!  Sadly, they only had one 300 piece puzzle, and it was the type with a single interlocking shape (versus the lovely assortment we had in yesterday's puzzle.)  We waited in line a long time to check out, and they had all three registers going.

We did come home with 3 new puzzles, which Emily, Grace and Juliet put together all in one evening!

My mom sent us home with a pot of New England boiled Dinner that she made with the ham bone from Christmas dinner.  Everyone enjoyed it, once they got over the cabbage smell. I even had a second helping, since it's been years since I've had it. 

-----

290th Day of Quarantine.

The expected high today was 32F.

Emily, Grace and I went to two different thrift shops today. We made a donation at our first stop, then bought some books, a puzzle, and a few toys at the second.  Our final stop of the day was menards to get some cedar blocks.

Juliet was very excited to work on the puzzle, so we spent some time working on in, before our "watch party" with Aunt Wanda.  She sent us a very cool Nutcracker popcorn tin that was a music box!  Then, at 7, we logged into Amazon and watched the Nutcracker ballet, while we chatted with her off to the side!

William wasn't terribly interested in the ballet, but did come over to enjoy the popcorn.

After the show, we finished the puzzle!  It turns out that it was one piece short. = (  So, we marked it on the box so that the next person will know.

Coming home so close to our watch time, all I managed to do was throw together some leftover ham and other cold cuts for dinner with some sliced up fruits and veggies.

-----

289th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was a dry 38F.

After online church, I ran the recycling over to Sarah's, but was noisy enough that it upset Seven and I woke her up anyhow. My next stop was getting gas and groceries.

Avia came over after her church service ended (and I wouldn't have run by the recycling if I'd known that!)  She played a long round of Uno with Emily, Grace and Juliet.

I knocked out my sewing project that was on my to do list.  Sarah requested a new (larger) Aggie dog collar for Seven.  It didn't take me long once I sat down and worked on it.

We had oven heated pizza for dinner,

I watched a couple of Christmas movies, despite Christmas having passed: Noelle and Godmothered.  Both were really cute.

-----

later days

2nd Week of August

Today was the 155th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was supposed to be 87F.

Today I finished and submitted my grocery order.  It's weird, since Monday has been my grocery day for soooo long.  But Monday we will be doing pictures and schultueten, so I want to leave the extra time for that.

I convinced Billy to sand the wall, with his new power sander, so that I could paint it before the school year began.

I ended up making a run to home depot, because when I opened the paint we bought (the first month or so that we lived here) rust fell into the paint. = (  It wasn't nearly as packed as I would have thought, at least for a Saturday afternoon.  And on my trip there I observed that Creyts road is reopened and smooth!

Since Grace helped me tape before I left, all I had to do was wipe the wall and roll on the paint.  It didn't take long at all!

We had tacos for dinner with tomatoes from our tiny garden and lettuce from the farmer's market!

Once the day was mostly spent, I finished it off with a few episodes of Supernatural.

I added a few extra canned items and dry beans to the list for our emergency storage.  The USPS is undergoing some scary (at least according to the untrustworthy media) changes, and life is so uncertain right now.  I am trying not to worry, and I hope November 3rd can just stay a normal day and not be the beginning of the end of life as we know it.

-------

154th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was 87F.

Alice got to say goodbye to Osage during an early playground playdate.  Juliet was the only other one awake enough to want to come, but was sad that Osage's little sister was not there to play with.  A bee spooked Alice after about thirty minutes, so we left earlier than we thought we would.

Billy went to the doctor and brought home Taco Bell for lunch.

I found an outdoor rummage sale advertised a few weeks ago, and was excited to shop as soon as Billy got home.  It's the only one I've seen this year.  Granted, I've not been driving around as much to see if there are other sales, and there are probably fewer since they would need to be held outside.

I found a couple of books from our list and some embroidery supplies for our handicrafts!  I also got a birthday present for one of my nieces and some shirts for Avia's consideration.

For dinner we had General Tso's Chicken and rice.

We finished off the day with Kim Possible and Bueno Nachos.

-------

153rd Day of Quarantine.

The high today was 86F.

I had everyone get up and out the door two hours earlier than Emily's dentist appointment, because my car needed an oil change.  We us a family place down in Mason, which is at least in the right direction, but a little out of the way. There was no wait at all, so we were very early for her appointment.

The Scooby Doo disk that William picked would not play, and when I inspected it, it was really roughed up!  Not scratches, but white pits or decay (?) under the plastic.  I've never seen a cd with that kind of damage.  Thankfully, optimistic Grace saved the day by bringing a Hello Kitty disk that no-one else wanted to watch.  It's amazing how quickly they went from "no" to "yes" when it was the only game in town.

Emily's appointment felt really long, and the kids were bored.  Billy had his own appointment today, or I would have happily left the crew home with him.

We got word today that Billy's company is going to start bringing people back in at the beginning of October. = (  I will miss him being here with us all the time.

And this afternoon William was treated to an end of summer ice cream treat from his first grade teacher.  We sat 6 feet apart in the park across from the ice cream shop and William got to read to her and show her how much he has improved this summer.  I am devastated that the twins are going to miss out on her next year.  Even though I know that homeschooling is the best answer for our family i find myself focusing on "what should have been" versus the reality of "how it will be."

Saying goodbye was hard for both of us.

For dinner we had quesadillas and farmers market finds (tomatoes, squash, blueberries, chips and queso.)

I organized the new books that came in, and labelled the binders that Sarah sent over.

-------

152nd Day of Quarantine.

The high today was 86F.

We walked down to get William a professional haircut from the barber.  Billy was only about halfway through his 2nd quarantine haircut when he just could not finish, so his hair has been looking rough for a few weeks now.

Before (grumpy boy:)

After (happy boy:)

I ironed out a few other things in my lessons for next week, then went to a different thrift store in search of book and Christmas gifts.

For dinner we had chicken and cheese flatbread sandwiches.  They were well received considering they were 'microwave' dishes.

-------

151st Day of Quarantine.

The expected high today is 83F.

Billy was up early again, to get blood drawn, since yesterday they skipped his turn, and I needed to get to the grocery store.  (I offered to take the kids, but he kindly went back today instead, so that we could all have a little easier of a morning.)

Before my dentist appointment, I bagged up the first 12 weeks worth of science materials!  I was impressed by the curriculum, since it had both a master list as well as cards to help group each experiment ahead of time! It only took me an hour or so, since I've been rounding up things from the master list since the spring.

My dentist appointment was short, and I headed straight to the thrift store from there.  I scored a few books from the list, and a few other books of interest.  I also bought a few things for our handiwork time in the afternoon.  I might have purchased a few more Christmas gifts and dropped them by Sarah's.  Maybe.

Then, when I arrived home, we got a brain teaser book in the mail from Aunt Wanda!

For dinner we had beef and broccoli with rice.

------

150th Day of Quarantine.

The expected high today is 88F.

Billy was up early, fasting and heading to get his blood drawn for an upcoming doctor's appointment.

Once he returned home, I headed out to pick up a Kroger order and then off to Sam's for another order.  Thankfully Sam's delivers many of the items that we eat, which has helped me space out my trips further.  This was probably the final trip until Avia returns, since we are starting school next Monday.

I was able to go to the dentist and have my temporary cemented back in place (for the next 24 hours.)

The afternoon was reserved for finalizing our school schedule and making sure I had every book that I needed for the entire first week ready to go.  I also made sure that I have all the links we need to videos saved on the tablet.

For dinner, Grace requested the hot dog spaghetti squid.  I told her that was fine as long as she helped me make them.  When Juliet came over to ask what we were having for dinner I told her, but then asked "where's Grace?" It turns out, Grace had gone into her room and fell asleep under her bed.  ::sigh:: But, Juliet picked up the torch and helped me make the squid for dinner. = )

------

149th Day of Quarantine.

The expected high today was 90F.

After online church, I disassembled our summer schedule supplies to fit them in with our school materials for next year.  The masking tape color is the child, and then I labeled them with subject.  Sarah is printing off the remaining pages, so I have 5 outstanding binders, and then I think we are ready to go.

The folders match the tape color, except for William.  His sleeves are clear, since the multipack didn't have red (only pink.)

That pile of "stuff" in the back, that's for our science!!

I still need to assemble everything for the first week, to make 100 percent sure that we are good to go.  In between doctor appointments this week, that is my goal, is to get all my materials prepared and ready to roll!

Emily, William, Grace, Juliet and I played Uno tonight.  William won.

For dinner we had soup and leftover pizza.  My mouth is really hurting me where my temporary crown is being held less than ideally in place by the denture paste.

I finished the second book in the Dresden Files

later days

First Week of August

148th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was 86F.

Emily's replica arrowheads came in today!  She ended up with 50 of them, but sorted them by color and size and didn't seem to mind. = )

For dinner we had a platter of meat cheese with chips.

My temporary crown came off yesterday (this is the first time I've ever had this happen!)  I went on a walk to Carl's to get some Fixodent, since it is a weekend and my appointment is not until Tuesday.

We watched some episodes of Supernatural, and Billy was interviewed for a game that he is playing online.

-------

Today was the 147th Day of Quarantine.

The expected high today is a pleasant 82F.

I started my morning by walking down to a garage sale here in town.  I only spent two bucks, but got a couple of glass storage containers for Sarah, a length of pretty purple fabric (not that I need any,) and a pointless arrow for Emily and I to mimic when we make our own.

The kids finished up their art this week with origami.  William did track down his star in time for the picture. = )

Alice made an elephant in pajamas, Emily a butterfly, William (and I) made a ninja start, Grace made a paper doll house, and Juliet made a swan. = )

When I came home, everyone was awake and it was time to finish up our summer schooling schedule!  Next week I'll be prepping all of our materials for us to start on the 17th!!!

We finished most of everything, and loaded up to go pick up summer reading prizes! = )  The kids enjoyed their trinkets (and I really liked my chocolate and stainless steel straw. The books were a nice variety, and we added a new Fly Guy to our collection.

Sarah came over to mow the lawn.

For dinner we are having mac and cheese.

We watched several episodes of Kimd Possible.  Then I found that The Princess Bride was also on Disney plus, so Grace and I watched that too. = )

-------

Today was the 146th Day of Quarantine.

Today's high was only 78F.

William throwing the "ninja" star he made in art this week (origami.)  It is currently MIA which makes me sad, since I was going to have an "art show" at the end of summer so that they could see all of their lovely creations in one post!

After our summer schedule this morning, I headed out to the thrift store that was closed on Tuesday. They were still having their sale, and they were picked pretty clean.  I found out that they have moved to a new location.  (whew.)

I returned to the thrift shop I went to on Tuesday and tracked down a book I had seen, from next year's booklist (just in case.)

Then I went to the new location of the VoA and was wowed by the size.  It is so massive!  I found 2 more titles from the book list, some for our series and a few other fun books.  I also got a few treasures for Christmas for the kids.

I grabbed a late lunch from Chick Fil A then dropped off the presents at Sarah's so that I don't have to find a hiding spot in my house. = )

Billy, Alice, Emily and I worked through lots of the puzzles in Eight Ate: A Feast of Homonym Riddles.  Family time doesn't always look like my preconceived notion. ; )

For dinner we had spaghetti and meatballs.

------

145th Day of Quarantine.

The high today was a slightly warmer, but still very cool 75F.

The summer reading program at the library officially ends Saturday, and I've scheduled a Friday pickup time for our prizes. One of the activities worth some points was an Impressions 5 science experiment.  So, after finishing up our summer lesson this morning, Emily and I poured a cup of water, clear soda, vinegar, milk and cranberry juice, then dropped a tums in each.

The experiment was supposed to represent how drinks affect the calcium in your teeth.  Vinegar was by far the quickest to dissolve, followed by Soda, then Juice, next Milk and the least aggressive was water.

For dinner we are having baked ziti.

-----

144th day of Quarantine.

The high today was an impossibly cold 67F for August.

After we finished our summer activities on the schedule, I went to the thrift store, only to find out that their hours have changed and the are now closed on Tuesdays. = (  So, I went to the smaller, more expensive thrift store at the other end of the shopping center, with all the other people who were thwarted in their shopping expenditure.

I found some transparencies for science (hard to find as they are currently being used in homemade face shields.)  I also managed one book from our list, and a handful of others for fun.

When I arrived home, Emily and I walked down to the park to "look for arrowheads."  They are discussed in the book she's reading, Brian's Winter, and I thought it would be fun to go search.

Unsurprisingly, we did not find any, but Emily did return home 15cents richer.  Which is no small feat in the middle of a national coin shortage.

For dinner we had hamburger helper and popcorn.

------

Today is the 143rd day of Quarantine.

The expected high today is 75F.

I was out the door early to drop a load of recycling at Sarah's, then a quick trip to Menards to return all of the extra drywall repair that I bought Saturday, then gas and groceries. I rounded out my trip with a run by the bank.

Only Alice and Juliet were awake when I got home, so they had unload the car duty.  But, they were the first to see that we got some Dunkaroos this time!

Also, after my 4th call to reschedule WGJs dentist, I finally got them on the calendar for later this month.  Sadly, it is the week we start school, but hopefully it will be okay, since it is late afternoon.

------

Today is the 142nd day of Quarantine.  I do like to point out every so often that we are currently self imposed with our solidarity, almost everything is reopen now.

The expected high today was 74F.

For at home church, the kids were learning about the parable of the sower, and made some flowers from cupcake liners and pipe cleaners.

We had 'clean out the refrigerator' leftovers for lunch.

For dinner we had teriyaki chicken breasts with rice.

later days

28th May, 76th Day of Quarantine, 46th Day of School at Home

The high today was a warm (and wet) 74F.

William had a morning and afternoon meeting with groups of his class today.  The three younger ones were up and working diligently and finished most everything before I went up to the MOPS end of year drive thru at the church.  

It was nice to see everyone and say goodbye at the "party."  

From there, I sent Sarah a text letting her know that I was on my way up to our thrift appointment.  Sadly, she wasn't able to come with me, since work called her back in.

I was happily able to donate my massive pile, before shopping.

I spent an hour and a half pouring through all of their books.  I did find (2 copies) of one of the books on our homeschool list! And, bought a few extra. ; )

My appointment was only supposed to last an hour and a half, but the group after me was not full, so I was able to stay and peruse the other wares too.  I found lots of things for our homeschool classroom this fall, and Emily requested some toys, so I bought a little something for everyone.  = )

I went through a very lengthy Chick-fil-a drive thru line to bring home a late lunch/early dinner for my crew.

Since I didn't get much of my certification done this morning, I worked on it some this afternoon.  Once I got all of my purchases, gifts, and Sarah's discarded pantry items relocated.

We had our weekly parent meeting night for Alice's class. They are getting shorter and shorter, just like the school year.  Not much time left at all!

For a short week, it sure has felt long!

later days

27th May, 75th Day of Quarantine, 45th Day of School at Home

Today the expected high was 86F.

I woke up with my alarm this morning (for the first time in over a week!) but was up and working on my certification nice and early.

Alice, Grace and Juliet had video meetings today.  William had a hard time getting started on one of his end of year assessments, so he ended up working in the (dry) tub as a way to get his brain in gear.

Once all the school work was finished, we went back to the park and played in the river.

I was not thrilled with them getting soaked, but showers at home went pretty quickly.

For dinner we had barbeque sandwiches and grapes. It's a William favorite, the rest of us are kind of over it. But, the person who needs the weight has more sway on the menu than the rest of us.

I poured through some more of the materials for the fall, but I still have a long way to go before I feel "ready." Having all the books and materials will help me feel better I think.

I made an appointment with a thrift store for some shopping tomorrow.  I forgot to ask if they were able to accept donations, so I packed up my car, just in case. ; )

Hoping for a smooth morning tomorrow so that I can get out the door for my mops event and then distance shopping with Sarah!

later days