A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this moment.
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| photo cred: Michael O'Ship |
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| photo cred: Michael O'Ship |
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| photo cred: Michael O'Ship |
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| photo cred: Michael O'Ship |
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| selfie cred: Reddy |
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| photo cred: Peyton L |
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| photo cred: CTHS |
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| selfie cred: Uch |
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| photo cred: Uch |
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| photo cred: Uch |
Intentional Outdoor Hours: 5+ hours (of 1000)
We got another tree dropped off this week and it was a big one from a local wedding venue. The goats were thrilled and it was perfect timing with all these freezing temps and so much snow! Thank you to The Willow for the giant goatie snack! On Saturday, we added more hay and wood chips to the goat houses and chicken coop to keep everyone nice and cozy as the temps continue to stay in the freezing levels. Ughhh, I know it's just the start of February, but winter - can you please move along (Groundhog Phil said No on Groundhog's day. 6 more weeks of winter, unfortunately!)
Reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami and This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger both of which are books for my Lit Ladies book club. I am just not getting into The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, so I'm skipping it for now and jumping into This Tender Land in hopes that I can get one of the finished before our next book club meeting!
Projects all around! Grey had to do a Vietnam project (he chose to create and write about an example of a care package that a soldier would have received during that time) It was actually so interesting to learn alongside him. Rusty had a Valentines' card box to create. He picked out the design of a mailed package that looks like a dinosaur eye is peaking out of. We printed out mail stickers (like: Heavy: lift with care and Warning: Live Reptiles) and then ripped the brown wrapping paper so the giant dino eye was peeking through. Violet is working on her art submission by sewing little felt creatures and then she plans to crochet a white mitten that they can all fit inside and putting them all within a watercolor background (sheesh!). All inspired by one of our favorite winter books: The Mitten by Jan Bret. I updated our fridge calendar for the new month of February and I also submitted the order for the 5th grade promotion party tshirts after the PTA meeting.
Proud of Reddy who won the Student of the Week award and got a Sammy Eagle. He has been holding and sleeping with that little eagle stuffy ever since. He and Olive both got their report cards this week and they are doing so well and school and learning so much. Impossible that my two littlest babies are growing up so much - how do mommas ever not baby the youngest ones? yikes. So very proud (and also a little heartached about the growing up).
Laughing about the two very different personalities of our kitties. Blazey is completely domesticated and loves to be in the house lounging or snuggled up with one of his people. He goes outside for a little and then will wait by a door to be let back in. Meanwhile, Nova would prefer to be 95% in the wilderness. Wants some food every few days, but would rather hunt and run all over the mountainside living that feral life. He was gone for 2 days this week in our extreme cold warnings (wind chill -25!!) and I was sick with worry - didn't sleep properly for two days. I kept going down to the doors to check for fresh cat prints outside, praying we wouldn't see his frozen body somewhere in the yard. At 4a going on day3 of him missing, I thought I could see fresh cat prints, so I opened the back door and whispered 'Nova' and he comes bounding happily around the corner without a care in the world. Are you kidding me?!
Thankful for a mostly quiet Saturday morning as Uch and Kevin took four of our kids to the trampoline park! Grey, Rusty, Reddy, and Olive all spent the afternoon bouncing with their cousins. Thank you Uch and Uncle Drip, best day!
Major rearrangement happening! We moved the girls' bedroom furniture to one part of the living room because we really need another bedroom. Four kids (ages 11-4) in a double bunked room was just not cutting it anymore. So the girls are moving to the living room and Brandon and Pappy are building a semi-permanent (approx 12 years temporary, LOL) wall to put up to give them their own space. We pushed the move up to now because we got our new carpet install scheduled for next week and since we'd have to move furniture anyway - we might as well just really move it! That space in the living room was really not being used in a functional way anyway - just a toy dump zone and gave a lot of space for the kids to run and play. It will be a big change for them to not be able to play indoor baseball (LOL) or set up winter four square in that space (Grey is probably our worst at change and he was a little mopey on Saturday because it is hard for him to get used to things not being the way they've always been). But I feel a lot better about having an extra bedroom for now in this phase of our life and we will figure it out!
Time with family and friends Olive, Reddy, and Rust got an evening with Abba and Chum so that they didn't have to trek all the way out to Grey's basketball game in River Valley (thank you!) Rusty got off the bus at Chum and Abba's once this week and had a sled riding party at school with the third grade classes (thank you 3rd grade teachers - you are amazing!!) Violet spent a day at Evaley's house, sewing class with Kuma, a birthday party for Jacey, and sleepover at Bristol's house. I got to visit for a minute with my friend Renee at her bookstore The Laurel & Leaf when I picked up my book order and I got plenty of time with Peyton (one of Gemma's besties) at all the basketball games (love you Peytie!)
What could possibly be done or said by this administration that would be too awful for it's base? There is no end to the hypocrisy and crudeness and indecency and immorality. The headlines of the next terrible thing come at us so fast and it appears to have liquified backbones and muddied moral consciousness. It will be studied in the history books and I know with absolute certainty that our great grandchildren will look back at this time horrified and bewildered. When you know better, you do better - so find your spine.
Teaching my elementary students in my new room which requires some practice in logistics and expectations. Then we started watching Pachamama since we learned about Bolivia. My Expo students began their geography unit. Spanish 1 watched Ferdinand this week and finally finished their bullfighting unit (extra long because of all the FID days last week). Spanish 2 finished the Ekeko novel this week, also extended due to FID last week. We are all just trying to get through these dark, cold, and bitter months of the school year! God bless Loni who organized the Souper Bowl potluck this week where everyone brought soups, desserts, and sides to share for lunch all week (xxox - love you community builder and friend!) and Miss Heather who stops by my room for lunch and chatting during the week. And Miss Jenn from the elementary school who pulled some strings and got me a proper desk in my new room (you are amazing!) I find I can get through these long months a little easier when I recognize all little kindnesses that find their way to me from good people.
Sporting as Violet had one Sparks indoor soccer practice and one basketball game. Gemma had two basketball practices and two basketball games. She twisted her ankle in the game on Friday and will probably be out for a few days as it is very painful and can't hold much pressure. (Ms Jenilee our trainer is incredible! we appreciate you!!) She did not play in her Gators indoor soccer game on Saturday because of her ankle, but she went in support of her team. Grey had one baseball open gym, three basketball practices, and two basketball games. Brandon had the SAFCA dinner and was proud to be there to support our two football players, Brennan and Liam who were honored as offensive and defensive players of the year with the Southern Alleghenies Football Coaches Association.
Making Salisbury meatballs over mashed potatoes, crockpot meat spaghetti, copycat Chick-fi-la mini sammies, Korean beef (with brisket - not our favorite, we like ground beef better for this recipe), chili, teriyaki chicken with noodles and broccoli, baked Hawaiian sammies, and take out pizza. For breakfast I made cinnamon rolls and boiled icing from scratch and Olive helped me make some brownies for dessert.
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