Sunday, March 30, 2025
5:30a wake up with B and Olive on the couch because we were watching March Madness and then fell asleep and never made it up to bed. I sneak off the couch and head upstairs to brush my teeth and try to wake up by scrolling for fifteen minutes. It didn't work, I was actually almost falling back asleep, so I just got up.
6a. down to the kitchen to heat up yesterday's leftover coffee and start making the cake and cupcakes for Reddy's birthday party this afternoon. Happy that the chickens are producing so well because I need six eggs just for the two boxes of mix. I also start the laundry cycles and start a new pot of coffee. Then I sit in the oven chair (to hold the oven door completely shut) while blogging so that the cakes all bake properly.
7:30a. Cupcakes and cakes are out and cooling. Morning chores like dog out and food and water. Guinea pig moved outside and water. Making my list for the morning that is for the whole family to see today's checklist and finishing a little gift I have for Uch since my nephew Wells has a surgery tomorrow.
7:50a Kids are waking up and Reddy is all smiles for his party today. Olive wants a "macheet" (chocolate milk) and I make chocolate croissants and heat up leftover cheesy potatoes for breakfast. That means more sitting on the oven chair which feels like a time waste so I work on meal planning for this week (yikes, going to be a tricky one!)
Monday - chicken & gravy mashed potato bowls
Tuesday (Reddy's choice) - Sheetpan chicken fajitas and pumpkin roll for Red's birthday dessert
Wednesday - Meatball sub sammies
Thursday - crack chicken sammies
Friday - grill (burgers / hot dogs / brats) and air fryer french fries
Saturday - continue to think about (first day of trout!)
I also set up the cooled cakes and cupcakes on the platter and put strawberry jam between the cake layers are Reddy's request.
8:20a breakfast with B and the kids as we look at Reddy's baby book to laugh and smile about how sweet he was (and is!) Then Olive's hair needs a little refresh while B and Rusty clean up the living room from last night. I switch the laundry and cart up some stuff to our bedroom to get it out of the kitchen before the party to minimize party clutter (like my computer and school bag).
8:45a Get ready for Sunday school and waking up Gemma. I get dressed and do her eyebrows real quick (because it's an emergency situation over here, mom!) and it's off to Sunday school by 9:10a!
9:15a Sunday school and today the parents were asked to be there with the kids who are going to get their first Holy Communion this year. I stayed in class with Rusty and Mrs. Sotosky is so great at leading the class and had fun activities and even bread and honey to try for the communion kids. After Sunday school, the kids and I stopped at Dollar General to grab the last few things we needed for the party (paper plates, tablecloths, juice bags) and then it was home just in time to wave goodbye to the insurance adjustor who was at the house checking out our siding that got ripped off by the last storm?!
10:30a Doing all the pre-party tasks: icing cupcakes and cake, sweeping, setting up tables, vacuuming, loading the dishwasher, and starting the crockpots. B had done a bunch of stuff on the list while we were at Sunday school thankfully, so we already had a bit of a head start. He and Grey had brought up tables, done all the animal chores, and cleaned up the backyard a big. I also had to do non-party stuff like switching the laundry and responding to texts with coaches and boosters (hah) because real life don't ever stop!
1p Red's fifth birthday party at our house! B cooked hamburgers on the grill and we had baked beans and buffalo chicken dip in the crockpots. We are always blessed with people who show up with smiles and arms loaded down with goodies to share (we love and appreciate you!) Abba brought pasta salad, Mimi made no bakes, Heather brought little smokie pigs in the blankets and fruit salad, Miss Hannah brought her famous brownies, and Miss Emma brought juice bags.
Even though it sprinkled most of the time, that didn't stop the kids from jumping on the trampoline, playing spies, and visiting the animals. It was a wild and fun time for the kids and lots of yummy food and chatting for the grown ups. We sang to Reddy (5) and Mimi (87) and the kids tried to cook smores in the rain (moderate success). Everyone was sufficiently tired and soaked through by the end of the party.
5:30p Everyone had hugged goodbye and helped carry everything into the house. It was time to clean up and reset. Grey helped condense everything with the promise of a Sundowner hamburger for dinner (hah). Then he went and organized a game of indoor baseball in the living room with Reddy's new foam bat while I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher and washed the big stuff. I texted photos to the friends and family who were at the party and said thank you again.
It will be leftovers for dinner because we have so many random things left from the party and from the week in the fridge. B took Gemma to Gators soccer practice at 6p while I did a quick vacuum on all the pieces of grass that found their way into the house from wet socks during the party.
6:15p Four loads of laundry needed sorted so I could switch the laundry again. I still have at least 3 loads to do before tomorrow (that would be ideal, but we will see). B hung out to chat with me while kids came in and out to talk randomly. The boys went back outside to try out Red's new rocket launcher and I tried not to cry while matching socks (hahaha, honestly will be the end of my sanity someday). I got Olive's, Red's, and all the towels put away after sorting the clothes.
7:20p in the attic to find cleats and shin guards to see if we can assemble some kind of a season without having to buy anything else new. I also carried up St Patrick's decorations that needed put away but upon entry to the attic, I see the kids have been up there digging through bins of clothes...but that giant mess is for another day - so I choose to ignore it and dig on through the sports equipment. B went to pick up Gemma and I carried down the possible cleat options and as many shinguards as I could find (literally all mismatched which is classic and exactly how I feel about socks...so great).
7:45p I heated up leftover pizza and ate it standing up while laughing at Red who is so thrilled about his back scratcher that my dad got him (the same one my dad has). Red said, "I wish my friend Jeremiah could see my back scratcher!" and then a few minutes later, "I just love this back scratcher!" Haha, it's always the simple things that kids like the best! I asked Rusty again to show me the cleats he has for tomorrow and he showed me last year's pair size 2. I was like, "dude. what size shoe do you wear?" and he was like, "what? a 4." babes. Not going to work. So it's back up to the attic again.
8p. I found a size 5 but with socks they work for Rusty so I think we are covered enough for tomorrow's practice. I will need to order Olive some tiny cleats that actually fit but for tomorrow she's wearing 2sizes up because that's what we got. I got Queen Barb the guinea pig ready for bed (hah) and then made Grey his sundowners (hamburger, egg, mustard, cheese, chili). I reminded Rust to empty his backpack and got the rundown about practice from Gemma while she reheated some pizza for dinner.
B took the kids up to bed (Olive needed carried since she was already asleep on the couch after such a fun day!) except Violet decided she was hungry. So she heated up a leftover cream cheese chicken taco. Gem came back for a piece of cake before bed and I realized I had only two dishwasher tabs left...add that to the grocery list. And then Reddy came down wanting to take his back scratcher up to bed...him and this back scratcher?!
I fed my sourdough Celebrina and put her down for a long Springtime Snooze in the fridge until we finish spring sports season. Eeek! goodnight Celebrina, we love you. Take a rest - you earned it!
9p. B gave Bullet his old man pain medicine and I checked the laundry and realized the settings were changed today on the dryer and our clothes were not actually dry yet. Ugh..so I restarted the dryer and the wet clothes waited. Dishwasher started and B washed the last of the big stuff. Gemma wanted her hair in heatless curls and Then it was finally time for pajamas - Thank Goodness! and some time on the couch with B, my hot tea, and a book!
We finished watching the last 25 minutes of the Joplin tornado documentary and then we both knew if we stayed down there any longer we would fall asleep on the couch never to make it to bed. So we forced ourselves up and checked on all the kids one last time and then yay for heated blankets and nighttime.
A long busy day and tomorrow starts a full work week with soccer practices and baseball games and B's annual fishing trip. Sunday scaries for sure, but it was a good day and everyone was so generous and helpful. So very grateful for everyone who shows up for us everyday and in every way they can. thank you, love you, keep keeping on!
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