Around Here Week 27: 07/05-11

 A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this moment. 

photo cred: Bobby B

photo cred: Jenilee L

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 298+ hours (of 1000)
Up 15+ hours this week with lots of sunshiney summer weather. The blackberries are getting ripe and we have been able to find sweet ones hit or miss on our walks. In about two weeks, I think the majority of them will be ready and Violet is eager to make our blackberry pie! Lots of lightening bugs at night too, Olive is our current lightening bug catcher master! Plus we did a hay delivery this week too! 

Reading Margot's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. I am liking them both, just a little distracted this week with other things going on. Not much reading done this week. 

Summer to do list items completed: 

• I cleared out the upstairs hallway corner that became a dumping ground (clothes that don't fit, a box of trophies) and then redecorated it with a shelf to try to keep it from becoming a dumping zone in the future (this is called house-mapping which I recently discovered and I want to learn more!) It looks very cute.
• Brandon went through all his dresser drawers and put a bunch of clothes in the donation pile
• We cleaned out the cupboards in the laundry room and even removed one cupboard (I'm hoping to have the fellas make me a shelf that would hide the water pipes)
• We took apart the boys' old beds (bunks we've had for 13+ years!) and reassembled two new-to-us beds in their room (thank you Aunt Kitty & Tall boy for gifting them to us in the move!) The kids and I did the project while B was at work and we were all very annoyed but also could not stop laughing because it was a logistical nightmare to get the frames and mattresses up two sets of steps from the basement to the boys' room. Gem and Rusty at the bottom of the steps, Grey in the middle at the turn, and me at the top with all four of us grunting, shouting, and hysterically laughing might be a core memory of motherhood for me. So very grateful to have teenagers in the house who can use power tools and carry heavy things; Gem and Grey did most of the room while I peeked in occasionally to check on them. God bless teens, honestly. 
• B burned the huge pile of wood that we have been collecting over time on a rainy and overcast day. He also took down the old dog shelter in the front yard and burned those pallets too! 
• I went through and sorted all the canned goods into a) food we eat b) cans that can be donated c) cans that are expired (oldest one: 2021!) Once I cleared out the can cupboard, I reorganized them in the pantry because the cupboard they used to be in will be removed for the kitchen/dining room facelift project
• I organized and cleared out the kitchen pantry - huge job and I was mostly cranky about it (sorry everyone! LOL). I got a bunch of mini lazy susans so I could see what we have in stock before randomly buying all the regular stuff without really knowing. I put the non-expired canned goods in there, I put together a shelf for the top to make use of the high ceiling space, and I went through all our reusable and grocery bags (#Lordsavemefrommyself)
• All three of the boys had their well checks and everyone looks good and healthy. Rusty and Grey had vaccines too. I got everyone's paperwork done and ready for the upcoming school year! 

Cousin backyard campout! Violet and I set up the tent in the yard and we made smores over the fire ring. We met a little toad friend on the back patio and then all settled into the tent for the sleepover. It wasn't more than about 20 minutes until all the kids decided they were too chicken to sleep outside all night LOL. So it turned into a kid campout in the living room which was just as fun anyway! We tried! hah! We got a full day of playing on Thursday as I was babysitting the fella boys - we went blackberry picking and played Titanic on the swing on my Agnes Tree. 

Haircuts for my fellas - always appreciate you Lamont! 

Smiling at the videos of Big Boy the steam engine passing through. My family went to go see it and sent videos and our Aunt Marlene brought photos of our gram and pap to the track because they would have loved to see it (crying forever!).

Dropping Violet off at Camp PARC on Saturday afternoon for the next five days!  Camp PARC is "a residential summer camp experience...for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their neurotypical peers." Violet is attending as a peer buddy for the youth mini camp session. So she will be a friend to her camper and then she and her camper also share a junior counselor (a neurotypical teen volunteer). Many young people in our community volunteer at Camp PARC including some of Violet's friends and teammates, so she knows other peer buddies and junior counselors. It's no surprise to anyone that follows along with our family, that Violet was excited to try something new (this girl wants to do all the things!) I dropped her off mid-day and helped her get unpacked in her bunk and we learned her junior counselor and camper's names and then I left her there! I didn't cry the whole time (good job, me) until I was pulling out of the camp and whispered - "see you on Wednesday, baby. proud of you."

Dropping Grey off with the Conns late Saturday night for their trip to Montana. So grateful he gets to go and with such good friends (and safe and loving family - thank you Becky and Dann!!) but good grief, a whole week! I know he will have such an amazing time and experience a new place and that makes me so grateful and happy. HappySad. all the dang time in motherhood - I swear. 

Grad parties this week: friend/ football teammate Kaden Valentine 

Time with family and friends Rusty had a play/quad day with Abe and Calvin, Violet visited Giada's house and G slept at our house that night then she had a play day with Evaley at our house (Ev went Camp supplies shopping with us!) Gemma did a lot of babysitting this week: once for Norah and three times for the Bridges boys.  Gem also had a sleepover with Abby at our house and a night swim at the Lasure girls' house too. Grey went to the driving range with Gabey, Brycey, and Reedy. We had a late night swim at Pappy's house with friends (Brycey, Reedy, Peyton, and Brady) after football and basketball games. The kids cannonballed and swam until 11:30pm!

Heartache for the family of Nolan Xavier Wells. I am astounded every day that it is not a universal understanding that we should all take care of one another. Your kids are my kids. His kids are my kids. Her kids are my kids. Their kids are my kids. All the kids are my kids. One thing about me is I'm going to wait until your baby gets in the door. My kids know that - all their teammates and friends know this. I am not driving away until I see you open that door and walk in. You will be getting home to your momma and dad and I will watch you do it before I leave you. I have stayed long after practices have ended until parents pick up their kids. I have seen kids that did not even come with us waiting and have given rides home or offered my phone to call parents and then waited with them until their parents arrived. I will not leave you until I can see you are safe. Are we not all doing that? Are we not all teaching and modeling that for our children? 

Sporting with one all-star baseball practice for Rusty and then the start of the all star baseball tourney and home run derby on Saturday. Gemma had two soccer kick arounds and one basketball game. She and Grey attended five weight lifting and conditioning sessions too. Grey also had one football joint practice with CV. B went golfing with the football coaches for their annual playdate. 

Making bbq chicken fried rice on the Blackstone, smash burgers (Grey made and grilled), spaghetti, copycat crunchwrap supreme tacos, hot dogs with shells&cheese for the cousin campout, homemade pizza, sheetpan chicken fajitas, takeout pizza for the night swim,  For breakfast, I made pumpkin double chocolate muffins, french toast, pancakes, and chocolate croissants. I've also been adding cottage cheese into the scrambled eggs for extra protein for everyone and it is delicious! For weight room Wednesday I made strawberry crinkle cookies and for dessert I made cowboy cookies (3 dozen of which I packed up and put in Grey's suitcase for Montana!)

Movement: I skated 3.4 miles this week and weight vest walked 5.1 miles this week. Renee and I met at a skating rink that a friend has in his farm fields (her husband plays in a pick-up roller hockey league there and all the guys pitch in to keep it asphalted every few years. There are even lights for night time games - how cool!) What a perfect evening yapping and skating with a friend - we hope to keep it on the schedule!