Around Here 48: 11/22-28

 A glimpse into the blissful chaos that is this moment right now in our home. 

Intentional Outdoor Hours:  529+ hours (of 1000)
How many weeks can I claim that I'm too cold? But seriously, I am. and too tired. ughh. 

Reading Outlander by Diana Galbaldon and The Sun is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (thank you to my student, Cheyenne for the borrow!)

Waiting on Covid test results from Saturday all the way until Tuesday night. Brandon and Gemma got tested after being exposed and also feeling a little crappy. We were hopeful that it was just fall weather stuff but with Redland, and Brandon's Mom, and teaching - there was no taking any chances. But that also meant quaranting until we had the news - so no school or work for Brandon and I on Monday and Tuesday and all 7 of us were home getting through virtual school and chores and working-from-home. Thankfully we got the call on Tuesday night that we were all clear!

Feeling a little nostalgic actually during our two days home while we waited on the Covid results. It reminded me of being hunkered down this spring, all of us together figuring out space and time and work and sharing all our meals and all the chores and all the everything. Is that who I am now? Nostalgic about lockdowns? hahaha, I think it is. Also we have so many kids that while everyone else thinks being stuck at home is boring, I'm all like - whaaaaaaaaat. It is a stinking party at our house every day, all day. Oh sheesh, I'm officially losing it. 

Laundry update: still an overwhelming disaster, BUT not folding the kids clothes and just sorting them into piles that they are responsible for putting in their drawers (unfolded) has lifted quite a burden. Baby steps, people. 

Celebrating Thanksgiving at home. small, simple, and kind of loving it.  We did get to see my Dad on Thanksgiving eve (also his birthday!) he stopped over so the kids could give him their homemade cards and sing to him. Then my mom and sister Kitty came over on Thanksgiving morning for a little while to drop off potatoes (thank you!) and watch the parade and snuggle. Pappy had Thankgiving dinner with us and honestly, it was kind of blissful to be at our own house all day where Red could nap if he needed and the kids could wreck the place and I wasn't feeling worried about their noise or energy, and we all wore comfy clothes. It was a huge effort to cook and clean up, but then we were jammied and watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation by 6:30p. Kind of wonderful actually. (although I missed all of our extended family obviously! Love you all. So nice to Zoom for a little while with Aunt Lisa, Uncle Matt and cousin Kara who lives in Vermont!)

Thanksgiving Menu: 21 lb turkey! (we did a dry brine the night before which is basically just salting the heck out of it and then like a cup of butter rubbed all over the next morning. Blast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes then bake for 4 hours and 15 minutes at 300. It was so juicy and delicious!), mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes delivered from Abba & Chum (thank you!), stuffing (some in the bird and some cooked in a casserole dish), steamed corn and creamy corn with jalapeños (my favorite part of the meal!), homemade rolls (my first time!), green bean casserole, homemade pumpkin roll, and pecan cookies with maple frosting (so yummy!)

Dealing with 'ole cranky pants Redland as his third tooth in two weeks come in. Good grief, sleep -where are you? I miss you so. 

Kissing Brandon and Grey goodbye for the weekend since it is the opening of rifle season here in PA and if you know rifle season that means full day hunting. They spent the day in the woods on Friday kicking up spots, then all day on Saturday (leave before dawn, return after dark). I really don't mind hunting and fishing as long as I know the timeframe - that's why rifle season is easy: I KNOW I will not see them all day, so I can plan accordingly. Cousins Ray and Reid drove in to spend opening weekend with the boys, and they stayed at our house which brought so much joy to B and Grey. The little kids love cousin Reid too because he humors them and all their little questions and requests. 

Winter sporting = all cancelled for now and honestly that's totally fine with us. too cold, too tired, too much holiday'ing to do anyway.

Teaching two days through Schoology (sub in school), and one day in person after the covid tests came back negative. I was so grateful to get one day in school right before the break since we are going virtual again next week. I was able to pass out papers, collect hard copies, and make sure everyone was clear on expectations for attendance and participation while virtual. 

Making cinnamon rolls from scratch on Tuesday morning for brunch. Fried rice with vegetables, firecracker chicken over rice (SO GOOD!), and meatball sandwiches. I used some leftover turkey for turkey pot pie and I used leftover cranberry sauce to make cranberry bars for dessert. 

Around Here Week 47: 11/15-11/21

 A peek into what it is like to live in our home just this minute. 

Intentional Outdoor Hours:  529+ hours (of 1000)
bleh.

Reading Outlander by Diana Galbaldon and reading the intro to our next Project Lit book Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Astonished that our new shed held up in the crazy wind on Sunday during the storm at our house. Since the weather had called for high winds, Brandon thankfully spent a portion of Saturday tying down the shed with cranks and we crossed our fingers as we kept glancing out the window to see if the shed stood it's ground in the 60+ mile winds. It did! (thank goodness, because honestly we just bought that thing this month and for a bit of money and that would have just been such a bummer). We had multiple pine trees crack and fall in the wind though - including the beautiful pine tree that we love in the goat pen right next to their shelter. And our trampoline flipped off the legs and cracked the frame. We still may be okay on the trampoline (that poor thing has taken a beating up here on the mountaintop over the last 8 years of owning it). 

Thrilled to get a new vacuum on Monday after ours officially kicked the bucket this weekend. Aunt Uch and Gem picked it up for me on the way home from the basketball game (thank you!) and I immediately unboxed that sucker and plugged it in and went to town vacuuming the whole house at 8:30p at night. I think that's how you know you are officially old and boring - when a vacuum brings you joy. (I got this Shark and I'm loving it, really great at pet hair #twodogfamily)

So glad that Violet finally pulled that very wobbly front tooth out! She doesn't let anyone else pull her teeth out and she literally waits until it is dangling out of her mouth. It's so gross and makes me crazy, but she pulls it out on her own, so whatever. She caught us off guard and we ended up getting the "rich" tooth fairy that night because um...no change for a $5 bill! She was pumped, but the kids all know that normally we have the "poor" tooth fairy - HAHAHA. 

And as one kid loses teeth, another gets his first teeth. Red is still cutting teeth and oh boy the slobber, cranky, fussy little squishem is making me nuts. Good thing he's so darn cute. 

Re-organizing schedules on Thursday and Friday when the kids' school went virtual. They will be learning from home until at least December 8th since covid is hitting our community pretty hard. The kids all have chromebooks from the school and they've been practicing all year how to access their teachers' online classrooms and digital homework. So it will be an adjustment, but I'm grateful that their school took precautions to keep everyone safe and the kids are familiar with what should happen - so we are going for it with hearts wide open. They are stationed in my classroom as I teach virtually and it's a chaotic mess, but also okay. We are together and getting through it and we are safe. So okay. Their teachers have been amazing too (we love you CT teachers!)

Getting the thumbs up for Gemma on her foot. She had her follow up appointment at Children's Hospital on Thursday and she is all cleared and looking good!

Sighing and letting B use the 'ole "but it's the last day." Oh hunters' wives, you know what I'm talking about. For any of you outside of the hunter wife zone, 'but it's the last day' is the line that husband's give you with big sappy eyes about how they definitely need to be out in the woods on the last day of the season (it was archery season in this case). So wives sigh and figure out a way to manage all of the children for the day so that their hunting husbands can spend the day in woods from dawn to dusk. B did say that having the whole day without responsibility to the children and being in the silent, vast open woods was like salve to his soul. But ugh, 'the last day' line makes me nuts. Where is my "the last day" - yeah there's no equivalent which is why it's so annoying. (I love you B, but also...grr).

Smiling about Grey taking siblings out to spot deer for Dad with him. The meatballs (Violet and Rust) just think he is about the coolest dude ever - so when he asks them to go with him they are so happy. He took Violet out and watched for deer, saw the horses chase a deer out of the horse fence (they said it was so cool!), and came back to the house right before dark. 

Getting Covid tests for Gemma and Brandon after they received news that they had been in close contact with people who had tested positive. To be honest, we've all been feeling pretty crappy - congestion, dizzy, hot/cold, so tired, crabby and cranky. Fingers crossed that they are negative but for now we are hunkering down and resting until we get the results back on Tuesday. 

Winter sporting with a game on Monday night for Gemma and her first basket! Aunt Uch took her to the game and was the witness to her bucket while B and Grey headed off to the first CT basketball practice and I kept the littles at home. Gem had practice on Tuesday night but by the weekend we had received phone calls that both Gem and Brandon may have been in close contact with people who had tested positive through basketball ....so for now basketball season is on hold. 

Teaching virtually from school this week. Our high school decided to do a week of virtual learning as we were having lots of kids out from positive tests or close contact quarantines. I taught through Schoology using Google Slides, Screen Castify, Audio recordings of myself reading Spanish novels aloud, writing feedback and comments on students' spooky story drafts, and hosting conferences for writer's workshop. It was a really busy week between converting all our work to digital versions and answering emails and messages - but the kids did great and we were in such a better place in preparedness than we were in the spring. I had my own children in my room doing their virtual learning on Thursday and Friday which made for real chaos and running to and fro to help with homework and Zoom log ons. Very grateful for my coworkers who were happy to shoot hoops with the kids for awhile in the gym and requesting their help to decorate their classroom Christmas tree. (thank you!!) 

Making Mississippi Roast in the crockpot, wild rice and broccoli soup with beer bread, tacos, Korean beef over rice with green beans. We had Teachersgiving at school on Thursday and I made mini cheese balls with a pretzel stick skewer to bring to the potluck. 

I wish we were rich

child: I wish we were rich. 

mom: we are rich!

child: we are definitely NOT rich, mom. 

mom: well, not rich in money, no.
but we are rich in everything else. 

child: what else is there to be rich in?

mom: love for one. we are definitely rich in love.

child: okay mom, come on. 

mom: no, for real.
we are rich in family who love us and support us.
we are rich in laughter and hugs.

child: we are rich in friends.

mom: yes, we are very rich in friends. 

child: okay I get it.
we are rich in pets.

mom: we are. maybe too rich in pets. 

child: haha, maybe 

mom: we are definitely rich in cute babies!

cute baby: <squeals> and <slobbers>

child: yes! hahaha!

mom: we are rich in happy memories and traditions. 
we are rich in belief and prayer when we feel scared. 
we are rich in knowledge
and special talents
and curiosity. 

child: okay, you're right, we are rich. 

mom: we may not be rich in money, but sweetheart,
some people are so poor all they have is money.*

photo by bnash_photography

quote credited to many people including: an Icelandic quote by Odin, artist Patrick Meagher, and/or artist Bob Marley. 
But our kids will tell you that their Momma says that.