Around Here Week 32: 08/03-09

 A glimpse into what it is like to be in our family just this moment. 

photo cred: Pappy

photo cred: Gemma (at her engagement photo shoot shadowing!)

photo cred: Bridge Perspective

photo cred - team photog mom: Stacy

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 413+ hours (of 1000)
And I hit a 60 day streak of intentional outdoor hours - yippee! I finally snagged a couple hours just sitting at youth football / cheer practice this week (reading my book - yay!) But there has been so little time for that so far this year as I feel like I'm just a chauffer trying to get everyone to everywhere they need to be. No one has had practices line up and if they do - I have a booster meeting in the middle of it. But this week, I had one night that I just had to be at the elementary field and I packed my book and chair and read while I watched on to Rusty and Violet's practices. It was wonderful. 

Reading Shark Heart by Emily Habeck and really finding it beautiful and touching. It's making me have all the feelings and I am really enjoying it. 

Listening to almost nothing but KPop Demon Hunters. Golden on repeat over here. (the reels are cracking us up!)

It's beginning to feel like hunting pre-season as Pap and Grey spent Sunday morning clearing space for tree stands and setting up trail cams. Violet also got to sight in her rifle with Pap and was so proud to do so well; she was showing off her target to anyone who would look. Pretty soon it will be all camo around here and the boys can hardly wait! 

When one thing breaks, it all seems to go and that felt true this week. Dishwasher pump was acting up and we had to pull it out of the counter and mess with it a bunch of times to get it to work again (thank goodness). The upstairs shower started leaking again (through the kitchen ceiling where we still have a hole there from trying to fix it earlier this year). The flat tractor tires finally off the rims. And, I forgot to turn the hose off after morning chores at the farm which wouldn't be a big issue, but while we were on vacation the hose blew out and there is a huge leak in the middle of it. Ugh, I was so annoyed with myself that I wasted that much water (not to mention the bill this month!?) I didn't realize until after 9p when Gemma said, "why is the water pressure so bad?" when she was filling up her water bottle and I was like, "noooooooooooooo" Ugh, so dumb. 

Restabilizing for the school year in baby steps: kids are sleeping in their actual beds twice a week! We have NOT practiced waking up at the right time (yet!) including me!? I am still trying to work out how to figure out the farm chores and feeding for everyone and getting everyone out the door in time. That feels like maybe a next week problem to solve (hahha)

Photographer shadowing for Gemma. How thankful I am for Serena and Bobby of Bridge Perspective to allow Gemma to shadow them and learn more about photography (something she has been curious and passionate about for several years). She got to go with them to an engagement shoot this week and learn more about the business, camera settings, and angles. She even got to take some photos and I loved hearing her break them down for me. Thank you Serena and Bobby - you make difference and we are so grateful for you! 

Braces off for Gemma Rose! She was so excited and her teeth turned out beautiful. We were cracking up as we were pulling out of the parking lot and she was literally shouting out the window to random cars passing, "How do my teeth look?" Hahhha! Sheesh, people thought she was older than she is before...?! I don't know how, but she literally looks at least 2 years older even more so now. Twice since her braces have come off people have asked where she is thinking about going to college...LOL, and she's like, um, I'm in eighth grade. #sendhelp 

Road trip with Grey. We had to drive out to Greensburg (1hr away) for his eye appointment and while we were there we grabbed a snack (onion rings and milkshakes at Red Robin!) and did some school clothes shopping. He definitely needed to update his wardrobe because of all the height growing and muscle growing he did in the off season. But if you have a teenage boy, you know my pain when we walked into Dick's and had to gulp, gulp gulp. It had to be done and he was very appreciative (and also horrified, hah!) We made some compromises in brands (ie. pricetags) and afterwards when we got in the car and I told him that I did technically promise him a proper lunch out, he was like, "Mom?!! NO. We have food at home" and I thought that was proof of maturity. LOL but also good grief. 

Belated Birthday party for Gemma (this girl had a homerun of a week!) It was a two-day event that we called "Thrift Shop Trend Dinner." On Wednesday evening after soccer practice, I took Gemma and her friends to the thrift store with a $20 budget for each girl to pick up an outfit for each other (they each pulled a name out of a hat). They had to stick to budget, but the goal was to pick the silliest outfit for someone else. Then on Thursday night, they all came to our house dressed up in the outfit that was picked for them. Everyone did such a great job finding and choosing outfits - they all looked perfect! I took them out for appetizers and dessert at Primanti's all dressed up. They were nervous at first, but they got the best reactions from everyone and even the manager of the restaurant had their teenage server wear a costume they had in the office (I was cracking up!) We went to 814 Lanes&Games to play one round of Laser Tag too in our outfits. It was so fun and silly and the girls had a great time.

Annual end of summer Que day with the Conns! We did our annual end-of-summer afternoon at the Que and although it started out chilly, the sun came out and it warmed up so that the kids weren't even too cold swimming. The big boys got some fishing in and even "accidentally" fell into the water (hah). I had a perfect time catching up with Becky and Gemma read several chapters in her book. Rust and Violet were very happy to spend the afternoon playing with their cousins Brookie and Benny too! 

Uzelac family reunion on Saturday (it was the 56th annual!) Earlier in the week, I picked up the custom reunion shirts from Lilac's Graphic & Design (our favorite custom shirt small business - Katie is amazing!) and put together a raffle basket (cozy fall themed). On Saturday morning, B loaded up with all the kids (except Olive who wanted to stay with me) and went to the annual softball game. Reddy loved it and was sliding into all the bases. Then we all met at Solomon Run Firehall for lunch, Bingo, raffle baskets, karaoke, horseshoes, spikeball, and catching up with our very big family. It was all so nice and the kids love spending time with their cousins all day running around and getting properly filthy and tired. Bravo to our Abba who is charge of putting it all together and keeping it going after all these year. (My grandma Irene - my mom's mom - was the third child of fourteen kids! We have a lot of cousins!) 

Celebrating at Hannah & Levi's bridal shower. It was beautiful and so nice to see our Studer side of the family. The meal was incredible (it was at Balance Restaurant, so you know I ate as many brussels sprouts it takes to make me physically ill which is a very serious flaw I have). I laughed a good hearty amount with cousin Tammy, aunt Pam, and Hannah and got to catch up with our southern cousins Tamara and Katie (so good to see youns!) Can't wait for the waiting in September!! 

Back to school prep: 

• ordered magnets and updated prints for offices / classroom / lockers (we are loyal to Shutterfly - I have never had any issues with them. Not a paid plug - I do just actually feel grateful for them). 
• created my focused calendar for the next four weeks (until Labor Day) to make sure we can get all the stuff in! 
• Greyson's school clothes shopping done (ouch) at Dick's with new shirts, shorts, and even a new backpack. It was a big financial hit, but he has grown so much that I just had to bite the bullet and he looks handsome and confident so it is what it is. I will be over here selling my organs for the next few years (LOL)
• putting out feelers for a babysitter for the first few days because Red & Olive don't start school until my first student day, but the big kids go back 4 days earlier and I have teacher professional development days.

Time with family and friends: Olive had a playdate at Pappy's house all by herself (she loved it!), Reddy went fishing with Pappy and caught a 15inch rainbow trout on triple waxies (hah). Violet hosted a playdate with Evaley at our house and then had a sleepover with Brookie and Brady Lasure at their house. Violet also got a sleepover at Pappy's house and then got to sight in her rifle for deer season with him. Grey went golfing with Chum (Chum won!) and also had a sleepover with Bryce and Reed and then went fishing with their Puppa (grandpa) for bass.

Intrigued by this explanation of the Panic Paradox theory from Ismatu Gwendolyn...because YES, exactly. 

Teacher prepping by checking out my schedule and rosters for the year! Powerschool has been updated! I also started filling out my curriculum map for the year. I have Spanish 1, Spanish 2, and my expo classes all done. I only have my elementary school special left to go - and that will take some time, but I'm trying to think creatively and work heart-wide opened. I updated my schoology course photos and started to move some Schoology stuff into the new year. 

Sporting with fall sports in full swing. Rusty had two minors football practices (full pads). Violet had three cheer practices, and Gemma had soccer heat acclimation five days this week. Grey and Coach Daddy started Heat Acc week (five days of 3 hour practices) and Gem, Vi, or Rust attended the varsity football practice to help with water and assistant our trainer Coach Jenilee. It is officially football season and our whole house is happy! Grey participated in the Spike Ball tourney fundraiser for the football team too! I used my Canva skills to support the football boosters with magnet designs and shareable schedules. I created the camp awards poster for the locker room and a few music playlists for Coach Daddy. I attended the Soccer Boosters meeting (signed up for flyers & tickets designs, jr high girls team mom, and help with fundraisers), and I ordered our football spirit sale orders in by the deadline (miracle)!

Making some new stuff this week because I am tired of the same old thing. Instagram and Pinterest provided my inspiration.  We had baked chicken with sun-dried tomatoes (kid-approved!), Braised Hawaiian Pork over rice (Brandon was obsessed), Hot Honey chicken nachos (SO YUM), sloppy joes, buffalo chicken dip, and peanut butter noodles with chicken.  I used up a bunch of cranberries (we have so many dried cranberries packets?!) and made orange-cranberry mini loaves (and one regular loaf) and I used some for homemade trail mix too with cheerios and chocolate chips. I whipped up some rice krispie treats to take to the Que. For the reunion, I made crack chicken mini Hawaiian roll sammies.

Miles Walked: 2 miles