Life Right Now #31

On my bedside table: Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn; The Haunting of Drearcliff Grange School by Kim Newman

On my tv this week: We’ve kept at our spooky movie month theme. This past week we watched both versions of Brazil and a few making of featurettes. Such different movies!

Listening to: Nothing really. Not much time for music or podcasts this week.

On the menu for this week: I’m at the point of the year that I hate meal planning… But I’m going to attempt some meals this week.

• Monday - Baked Potato Soup

• Tuesday - Out for me (not sure what the kids and J will eat)

• Wednesday - Tilapia and rice?

• Thursday - Probably about before the zoo

• Friday - Lemon Chicken Thighs with Potatoes

• Saturday - Halloween party cookout

• Sunday - Spicy Shrimp Burrito Bowls

On my to do list: The list is in shambles currently. I need to carve out about 30 minutes this afternoon to redo my list and get it organized…

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home day

• Tuesday - Last trip to Vala’s for the season; Trivia night for a friend’s birthday

• Wednesday - Dentist for Q and then Home day

• Thursday - Coop; Boo at the Zoo

• Friday - Home Day

• Saturday - Coop Halloween Party

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Nothing. I’m in a weird lull. I really should carve out some time to make some Christmas cards, but that would require cleaning my office. I should really do that this week.

My simple pleasures: Going to bed early, a nice hot cup of tea, wrapping up in a light but cozy sweater.

Looking around the house: I really need to get the boys to pick up their stuff. It has spread throughout the entirety of the downstairs and I’m a bit annoyed.

From the camera: Trying to capture a picture of the inside of this butterfly’s wings was very difficult. Almost 30 photos taken and this was the best one. I just love the irridescent purple on the inside. The outside is a very pretty brown pattern, but it’s the inside that stunned me.

Life Right Now #30

Right now I am: Relaxing after getting the kids put to bed.

On my bedside table: Malorie by Josh Malerman; Love Lettering by Kate Claybourne

On my tv this week: We’re deep into spooky movie month, so mostly movies this week.

Listening to: Mostly catching up on podcasts. Although I did make sure to listen to music while running around doing errands.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Pork and Green Chile Stew

• Tuesday - Vegetable Beef Stew

• Wednesday - Leftovers

• Thursday - Swahili Fish with Rice

• Friday - Baked Potato Soup

• Saturday - Spicy Thai Noodles

• Sunday - Parmesan Tilapia

On my to do list: Well, I did have flu shots on my list, but I just scheduled those for Wednesday afternoon. Guess I can cross that off my list. I do need to do some coop management tasks, submit my work hours, and deal with the meal plan. I should also take a look at my big list and maybe pick a small project to complete this week. Possibly dealing with the health insurance and appointments.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Normal day

• Tuesday - Arbor Day Farm field trip

• Wednesday - Normal morning; flu shots

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Durham Museum field trip

• Saturday - Normal day

• Sunday - Normal day

What I am creating: A giant dinosaur unit for homeschooling. This will be our science unit for the rest of October and most of November. We’re really diving deep!

My simple pleasures: A night alone without any interruptions. It happens so rarely, I have to take advantage of the time. Last night, J went to see a movie with a friend. I ended up watching a movie that I knew he didn’t care about and then read a ton of book. All in peace and quiet. It was glorious.

Looking around the house: Meh. Things are here…

From the camera: View of my reading nook. A bit messy right now, but I love the light!

Life Right Now #29

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny with a decent breeze. I had a lovely morning read before it got too warm in the sun.

Right now I am: Making a grocery list. I really hate the part of returning from vacation and you realize that no one is going to make you food or acquire food or even tell you what there is to eat (because there’s nothing in the fridge at all). Guess I need to get working on that.

Thinking and pondering: Where should we go next year on our family road trip? And when? I’m thinking early May at least (fall is so busy around our house). Maybe west-ish?

On my bedside table: Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov (the penultimate book in the big Foundation series) and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

On my tv this week: Nothing as we were away on our family road trip. I am hoping to catch up on Bachelor in Paradise this afternoon or tomorrow.

Listening to: We spent the road trip listening to an audio book and almost all of the second in the series. The kids really enjoyed it and I loved not listening to a movie they wanted to watch.

On the menu for this week: Crap. My family expects at least two meals a day…

• Monday - General Tso’s chicken with rice, edamame, and egg rolls

• Tuesday - Buffalo Chicken sandwiches and fries

• Wednesday - ???

• Thursday - ???

• Friday - ???

• Saturday - ???

• Sunday - ???

On my to do list: I have almost put the house back together after our trip. Now I need to check out my big to-do list and get it updated. I know that one of my next big things it sorting out Aetna and CHI to get well-check visits for the boys scheduled. I also want to get flu shots taken care of soon.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Picking up our glasses, Board Games playdate, groceries?

• Tuesday - Field Trip to the pedestrian bridge across the Missouri River

• Wednesday - Normal home day

• Thursday - Coop Day

• Friday - Home day

• Saturday - Home day

• Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: Working on a few small craft items fro the bookish retreat. I hope to finish at least one or those by Thursday.

My simple pleasures: Quiet on the back deck, my own bed (seriously hate hotel mattresses), clean laundry

Looking around the house: The kitchen is a bit of a mess after unloading the uneaten snacks, but everything else looks good.

From the camera: We love looking at fossils. We took a detour, but finally made it to Ashfall Fossil Beds to look at. the ancient rhinos in the volcanic ash. Very cool!

Life Right Now #28

As I look outside my window: The birds are very excited this morning. Lots of singing and fighting.

Right now I am: Doing the last load of laundry so I can pack my clothes for the road trip.

Thinking and pondering: What am I forgetting to take on the road trip There’s always something. I’m hoping that whatever I forget is easy to replace.

On my bedside table: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren and Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay - two rereads for book club and a buddy read

On my tv this week: We finished S4 of AP Bio (love that show) and caught up with Rock and Morty, Lower Decks, and Archer.

Listening to: I’m been listening to the random favorites playlist on Apple Music this past week.

On the menu for this week: We’re heading out on our road trip, so no meal plan this week.

On my to do list: I need to make a few phones calls during the road trip. I hope I can sort out the health insurance and the issues with the school district’s food service department.

Happening this week: Road trip!

What I am creating: Nothing special. Although I do have a few lists for the bookish retreat started. I need to work on the book recommendations during the road trip.

My simple pleasures: A good historical romance, a cold shower, good conversations with new friends

Looking around the house: I am hoping to finish cleaning part of the house today so we can return to a clean house net week.

From the camera: Two happy kids running on an empty soccer field.

Life Right Now #27

As I look outside my window: It’s very nice outside. A bright and sunny, but not hot morning.

Right now I am: Prepping brunch. We’re having homemade waffles today with bananas and raspberries.

Thinking and pondering: I wonder how many lists I am going to make this week? Seriously I have so many things just rattling around in my brain right now.

On my bedside table: Rest of Asimov’s Foundation series; The Governess Game by Tessa Dare; A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (my first Chambers!)

On my tv this week: We’ve been in a lot of sitcom land this past week.

Listening to: Nothing that exciting this week. I just didn’t have much time for myself.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Sesame Chicken

• Tuesday - Leftovers

• Wednesday - Orecchiette with Broccoli, Sausage, and Sun Dried Tomatoes

• Thursday - Ranch Cheddar Chicken

• Friday - Maple Bourbon Chicken

• Saturday - Spaghetti

• Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list: Prepping for our road trip! We leave in a little more than a week and I have some things to do before then. We need to pack, obviously, and I need to get snacks for the road. Plus, I need to get the house in order for us to leave. Library books need to be paused. Trash needs to be disposed of. Laundry needs to be done.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Nothing thankfully

• Tuesday - Quentin Dentist Appointment; Board Game Afternoon; Doctor Who Trivia night

• Wednesday - Farm Field Trip with Coop

• Thursday - Coop; Groceries

• Friday - Home Day

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Besides making piles and lists for our road trip, I’m trying to decide on a few little crafty things for the retreat. I have basically two weeks to work on them… I need to review my options and decide which ones I really like and which ones are feasible in my time constraints.

My simple pleasures: Finishing another Asimov book! Only four more to go (and about 20 days to do it before the tv show drops). Peopling with new friends (and not just random strangers). The boys and I are all loving making new friends through the coop.

Looking around the house: Better than last week, although I shattered our salt shaker last night prepping dinner. We swept, but I should probably do it again this morning and then wet swiffer to catch any stray pieces (and the rest of the crumbs and dirt).

From the camera: Book club out on the patio of the food court was the best this week! Great book talk and amazing food.

Life Right Now #26

As I look outside my window:

Right now I am:

Thinking and pondering:

On my bedside table: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo; A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe

On my tv this week: Nothing super exciting, just the usual current shows and ongoing shows (Hustle, Star Trek: Voyager).

Listening to: I’m finally catching up on my back episodes of Dungeons and Daddies. Plus I’m trying to keep up with my usual podcasts.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Blackberry Bacon Grilled Cheese

• Tuesday - Pineapple BBQ Chicken

• Wednesday - Blackened Salmon

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Peanut Sauce Chicken with Broccoli Rice Bowls

• Saturday - Mosterdseop

• Sunday - Pesto Stuffed Shells

On my to do list: I need to make a few appointments. I imagine that I need to make a bit more progress on my big projects (Road trip and Bookish retreat). I also need to update my big brain dump list.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Grocery Day

• Tuesday - Field Trip to Fontenelle Forest

• Wednesday - Dentist for Me

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Home day

• Saturday - Home day

• Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: I hope that I can finish one or two bookish retreat crafts this week. No peeks, but I have some good ideas.

My simple pleasures: Alton Brown’s Blueberry Muffins (so friggin’ good), space adventures, cooler temperatures

Looking around the house: Blergh. My laundry room is out of control. Guess what I’m doing today…

From the camera: Yummy ice cream after book club. I got a scoop of lavender lemon and a scoop of mango raspberry habanero. So good!

Life Right Now #25

On my bedside table: Foundation by Isaac Asimov, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

On my tv this week: We’ve continued our watching of Star Trek: Voyager and Hustle along with starting the new season of Lower Decks. As for our movie nights, we got to Ant Man. I love that movie so much.

Listening to: The usual podcast. I haven’t listened to anything that new lately.

On the menu for this week: Umm… I have some chicken in the fridge. Other than chicken ranch tacos, I have no idea what we are going to make this week. Maybe we should do brats on the grill again or maybe some salmon.

On my to do list: I need to do a bit of cleanup of my big brain dump. From there, I have some small retreat projects and coop projects to prep.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home day

• Tuesday - Big day full of a field trip, board game playdate, and trivia night.

• Wednesday - Errands probably

• Thursday - Coop day, Book club evening

• Friday - Home day

• Saturday - Home day

• Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: I’m working on coop lessons for our birds theme. I have so many ideas, but I really need to pare it down.

My simple pleasures: Smores, good science documentaries

Looking around the house: I probably need to focus on some housework this week. I need to vacuum and do some deep cleaning of the kitchen.

From the camera: We finally visited stingray bay. The boys absolutely loved touching the stingrays.

Life Right Now #24

As I look outside my window: The storm from last night has moved on (leaving parts of downtown flooded, but clear in my part of the city) but left some clouds and the humidity. It’s still supposed to get in the high 90s. Not a fan.

Right now I am: making (not from scratch, thanks Trader Joe’s) chocolate croissants and quiche (thanks Imperfect Produce) for brunch.

On my bedside table: I’m slowly but steadily reading Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain and Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World’s Most Infamous Items by J.W. Ocker. In addition, I have more of Asimov’s Foundation series on tap to dive into.

On my tv this week: In addition to a few movies (Jolt - terrible; The Suicide Squad - stupid but pretty fun), we have been watching two music documentary series: American Epic (origins of American music) and Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson (various aspects of modern music). Both have been really really good! We’ve also been watching S2 of Ted Lasso and Schmigadoon.

Listening to: I’ve fallen behind on many podcasts that I love. I’m going to take some time today to catch up on a few while doing other tasks.

On the menu for this week: My meal plan is a giant mess right now. I guess that will be my task this morning. I do want to do a pantry and freezer inventory/cleanout to get things back into shipshape. Maybe I will tackle that this morning and then make the meal plan using ingredients I’ve cataloged…

On my to do list: I need to make some appointments for everyone (eye and well-check) as well do a check-in with the twins. I’ve got my various projects (retreat, coop, road trip) to continue working on in between. And I really want to organize a bit in my library/craft room.

Happening this week: Trying for a slightly lighter week

• Monday - Grocery day

• Tuesday - Field trip to OPPD Arboretum for nature exploration

• Wednesday - Home day

• Thursday - Coop Day!

• Friday - Possible Park Morning

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Mostly just lesson plans and coop plans. I really want to made some kind of book retreat craft this week, but we’ll see how busy I get.

My simple pleasures: Listening to the rain. New friends. Securing our lodgings for the retreat.

Looking around the house: Meh. It is what it is right now. I should probably vacuum today, but it might get put off until Tuesday.

From the camera: I made pudding cups for a first week of school treat.

Life Right Now #23

As I look outside my window: It’s very overcast and humid today. Still going to be hot, but right now it’s kind of nice outside.

Right now I am: Heading out to read my book on the deck.

On my bedside table: Dating-ish by Penny Reid; lots of Isaac Asimov

On my tv this week: Continuing with Hustle and Voyager and the Marvel movies with the kids (we just watched Guardians of the Galaxy).

Listening to: Nothing that exciting

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Hawaiian Pulled Pork Nachos

• Tuesday - Fish of some kind

• Wednesday - Vietnamese Crab and Asparagus Soup

• Thursday - Jamaican Prawn and Sweet Potato Curry

• Friday - Fiesta Chicken

• Saturday - Fish and Chips

• Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list: So many things probably. I’m almost finishing with road trip planning and getting close to finish August’s lesson plans for homeschooling. I should definitely update my brain dump list.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home day

• Tuesday - Lincoln Adventure Day: Zoo and Ice Cream!

• Wednesday - Errand Day; Music Bingo Night

• Thursday - Park Playdate and Splashpad

• Friday - Home day

• Saturday - Bookworms Book Club

• Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: Mostly lesson plans. I really hope that the fall season allows more time for my personal crafting. But for right now, I’m just working on curriculum for the next homeschool year.

My simple pleasures: A good cup of coffee and listening to nature sounds on the back deck.

Looking around the house: Decent, but I should really make one day a chores day to maintain things around here.

From the camera: Loving my Sunday morning ritual of coffee and a book on the back deck.

Life Right Now #22

As I look outside my window: The rain from yesterday has cleared up. It’s not super hot right now, but very clear and bright.

Right now I am: Making my coffee to go sit on the deck and read a book.

On my bedside table: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 3; Beauty and the Mustache by Penny Reid

On my tv this week: We finished S1 of Loki and I’m so incredibly sad that it’s over. I need more Loki in my life. We also continued with our usual shows and started Schmigadoon.

Listening to: My usual politics podcasts. Nothing that exciting really.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Honey and Line Jalapeno Chicken

• Tuesday - Green Chile Enchilada Soup

• Wednesday - Baked Cod with Fennel and Lemon

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Crab and Asparagus Soup

• Saturday - Hawaiian Pulled Pork Nachos

• Sunday - Prawn and Sweet Potato Jamaican Curry

On my to do list: Mostly a lot of prep work for August. We have so many things happening this fall. I need to get a jump on a lot of them.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Mahoney State Park Visit

• Tuesday - Lincoln Adventure Day

• Wednesday - Grocery and Library

• Thursday - Park Playdate

• Friday - Home Day

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: So many piles! Working on our first couple of weeks of school and making lesson plans.

My simple pleasures: Mid-afternoon rain storms, putt putt fun, ice cream

Looking around the house: Better than it was yesterday. We cleaned the playroom and it made me feel so much better!

From the camera: The boys got new Dog Man books and immediately sat down and started reading. Love it!

Life Right Now #21

As I look outside my window: The storms have cleared up leaving much cooler temperatures. Perfect for sitting on the deck.

Right now I am: Outside reading my book. I’m deep into People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry and I love it! I might just finish it this morning.

Thinking and pondering: Why are people so hesitant to commit to little things? I am really getting annoyed by the wishy-washy comments from people in regards to my homeschool coop. Seriously, just join or don’t. Stop telling me that you are “unsure” of your plans for August.

On my bedside table: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 3; Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

On my tv this week: We’ve watched a few movies this week (The Tomorrow War; Black Widow; Inside) and continued with Star Trek: Voyager and Hustle.

Listening to: The usual podcasts. Nothing new or special.

On the menu for this week: Oh goodness. I have no idea what we’re having for dinner this week. Guess I know what my big task is today.

On my to do list: First thing I need to do is update my big to-do list. Beyond that, I’m sure I should work on the road trip planning, reading retreat planning, and homeschool lesson plans.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Grocery trip

• Tuesday - Lake Beach Visit; Disney Villain Trivia

• Wednesday - Park Playdate

• Thursday - Home Day

• Friday - Pirate Putt; Lunch Out; Ice Cream

• Saturday - Normal Day

• Sunday - Normal Day

What I am creating: Math in Nature lesson plans for our STEAM coop in August.

My simple pleasures: Chocolate Chip Cookies, gentle rain at night (not the high winds thunderstorm we had), watching the bunnies in our yard

From the camera: Pizza and beer outside for book club this week…

Life Right Now #20

On my bedside table: So many good books! Definitely too many choices right now… Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir; Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid; People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry; Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

On my tv this week: We caught up with episodes 2 and 3 of Loki (so incredibly good!). Plus we introduce the boys to Captain America for movie night. Keeping it in the Marvel family this week.

Listening to: Mostly my usual podcasts. Nothing super new or exciting.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Fish

• Tuesday - BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf

• Wednesday - Leftovers

• Thursday - Thai Red Curry Soup

• Friday - Pizza Night

• Saturday - Fish n Chips; Crab Rangoon

• Sunday - BBQ Ribs/Ring of Fire Chicken

On my to do list: So much…

Happening this week:

• Monday - Zoo Day! Taking advantage of it not being 100 degrees this week.

• Tuesday - Book Club!

• Wednesday - Park Playdate

• Thursday - Home day

• Friday - Possible state park day

• Saturday - Home day

• Sunday - Home day

What I am creating: Time blocks for July and August. I have so many big projects coming up and really need to organize my time to accomplish all the planning. I hope I have a good routine set up.

My simple pleasures: Air conditioning, good books, ice water

Looking around the house: I put away the kids’ clothes! Hooray!

From the camera: Loving my Sunday morning ritual of coffee and a book on the back deck.

Life Right Now #19

As I look outside my window: It’s lovely and bright outside. I’m actually watching our backyard neighbor work on building a swing set for his kids.

Right now I am: Finishing my cup of coffee before I have to go get brunch started.

On my bedside table: The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon; Swamplandia by Karen Russell

On my tv this week: J and I finished the one and only season of Running Wilde with Will Arnett and Keri Russell. He had seen it back when I aired, I never did. It was a nice light show in between more serious things. Plus, Loki started and I am so incredibly in!

Listening to: Mostly politics related podcasts. I’ve been really enjoying What a Day from Crooked Media. It’s a nice little daily news roundup.

On the menu for this week: Umm…. I have a ton of possibilities, but am still formulating a plan. Possibly we will be eating -

• Monday - Broccoli beef with rice

• Tuesday - Red Curry Noodle Soup

• Wednesday - Buffalo Chicken Sliders

• Thursday - Balsamic Pork Roast

• Friday - Leftovers

• Saturday - Chili Verde

• Sunday - Baked Cod with Fennel and Lemon

On my to do list: I need to update my big to do list. I knocked off a ton in preparation for book swap. I need to do a brain dump today and get it all down…

Happening this week:

• Monday - Normal school day

• Tuesday - Park Playdate; Trivia night (My team won last week and had so much fun, we’re doing it again. This week’s theme is Disney Princesses.)

• Wednesday - Grocery and library?

• Thursday - Zoo or State Park Day (haven’t picked yet)

• Friday - Normal school day

• Saturday - The usual

• Sunday - The usual

What I am creating: Future plans. I really want to get back to crafting, but for now, I’m just making plans for all our fall events (book retreat, family road trip, 2nd year of homeschooling, and potentially a kid birthday party).

My simple pleasures: Good conversation with friends, sitting on my back deck in my new patio furniture with a cup of coffee and a book, not 90 degree days…

Looking around the house: Because of the book swap yesterday, my downstairs is looking really good! I went on a cleaning binge and it was well worth it! Today I need to tackle the clean clothes in various bins upstairs and do a general sweep up of random things.

From the camera: My book club finally had our Christmas 2020 book swap get-together yesterday. I hosted and we had lovely conversation, yummy food, and great books! Can you guess what one of our upcoming book club reads is? Trick question: there are two on the table. For July we are reading Malibu Rising (which I won!) and for November we are reading Code Name Helene! June’s selection is The House in the Cerulean Sea, so a friend gifted TJ Klune’s earlier book. I gifted Let’s Pretend This Never Happened because I just finished Jenny Lawson’s newest book (Broken) and had to share my love for her. (J made a strawberry pie and a strawberry-rhubarb pie to go with our meeting)

Life Right Now #18

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny with a lovely breeze. The temps are supposed to top 90 today, but this morning it is lovely.

Right now I am: just coming back inside after enjoying a book and an iced coffee sitting in my new patio furniture on the back deck! It’s so nice to actually sit out there more now.

Thinking and pondering: about ways to make my life easier… blocking, grouping, planning ahead.

On my bedside table: The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks, The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

On my tv this week: We’re progressed with our watching of Hustle and Star Trek: Voyager. We might be done with at least Hustle by end of June.

Listening to: Nothing much really. I haven’t spent much time listening to podcasts this past week. I did catch up with Currently Reading and my politics podcasts this weekend.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup

• Tuesday - Ginger Glazed Pork Chops and Brussels Sprouts

• Wednesday - Leftovers

• Thursday - Chicken Parmesan

• Friday - Broccoli Beef

• Saturday - Brinner

• Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list: My immediate tasks are to print curriculum, do laundry, put away laundry, and pop into the library (holds and prize bundle we won). From there, I need to do a big task list brain dump for the rest of June.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Strawberry Picking

• Tuesday - Trivia Night

• Wednesday - Park Playdate

• Thursday - Normal Day

• Friday - Cleaning and Errands

• Saturday - Book Swap!

• Sunday - Normal Day

What I am creating: Mostly just lesson plans. I am also working on plans for the retreat, the coop, and road trip.

My simple pleasures: Hot weather cocktails, being cool, watching the breeze through the trees

Looking around the house: I spent a ton of time doing other tasks yesterday and didn’t get around to my cleaning tasks. Guess what I get to do today? Plus I really want to switch out the clothes and organize the shoes. I would love to have a clear foyer.

From the camera: I got to go to book club… in a restaurant!

Life Right Now #17

As I look outside my window: The clouds seem to have moved out for the day. Maybe we’ll get some good sunshine. My plants need it!

Right now I am: Being very lazy. I can’t seem to muster much motivation today…

Thinking and pondering: About how much vacation planning I should do now. I love a good project, but the vacation itself is still up in the air due to COVID. It wouldn’t be until late fall (September), but I do love to be prepared just in case.

On my bedside table: The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn; The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn - Getting ready to jump back into Regency romance.

On my tv this week: More Star Trek Voyager and more Hustle. We keep bouncing back and forth between the two.

Listening to: Nothing really

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Tater Tot Casserole

• Tuesday - Leftovers

• Wednesday - Kale and White Bean Soup

• Thursday - Avocado Bruschetta Chicken

• Friday - Brinner (Sausage Crescent Rolls and Eggs)

• Saturday - Steak on grill

• Sunday - Chicken Corden Bleu Dip

On my to do list: Top of my list is to finish fixing the laundry room and put away all the clothes. Beyond that, I guess I should consult my giant brain dump list.

Happening this week: A bit of a lighter week, but still some activities.

• Monday - Dentist appointment for me

• Tuesday - Possible zoo day; Nebraska Outdoor webinar; Girly Book Club (zoom)

• Wednesday - Playdate at Chalco

• Thursday - ?

• Friday - ?

• Saturday - ?

• Sunday - ?

What I am creating: I finally finished by December Daily 2020 album. I’m hoping to work on my 2021 Memory Planner this week. Need to start with January…

My simple pleasures: Getting lost in a book, finding hidden gems while road trip planning

Looking around the house: My craft room is just about cleaned and set. J hung some pictures for me (I’m so bad at getting things level and straight). I finally got rid of the giant pile on the floor. Now I just need to remove the recycling and trash pile and find a spot for my Christmas craft supplies and Project Life stack.

From the camera: Choosing my Top 15 picks from the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide. I already have Broken on my nightstand, so I guess I’ll start there.

Life Right Now #16

As I look outside my window: It’s drizzly and cooler than yesterday. Thinking I should open the windows and get some cool air circulating.

Right now I am: Prepping a smoothie for J who’s going to a sale thing with a friend today.

Thinking and pondering: How much cleaning do I want to do today? It might just be a lazy day…

On my bedside table: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary; Cursed

On my tv this week: We’ve been alternating between Star Trek: Voyager and Hustle with a splash of MythicQuest.

Listening to: Not much of anything this week. Where has the week gone?

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chorba Frik

• Tuesday - Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken, Broccoli, and Bacon

• Wednesday - Leftovers

• Thursday - Texas Cheese Fries

• Friday - Chicken Pad Thai Nachos

• Saturday - Baked Potato Soup

• Sunday - Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus

On my to do list: The one thing on my list today that I really want to get through is to finish putting away the laundry room.

Happening this week: A very light week comparatively…

• Monday - Normal day

• Tuesday - Park Playdate in Council Bluffs

• Wednesday - Grocery and library

• LoThursday - Park Playdate

• Friday - Normal day

• Saturday - Normal day

• Sunday - Normal day

What I am creating: Possibly my December Daily 2020 album if I find some time this afternoon.

My simple pleasures: A nice cozy blanket, strawberry smoothies, neat and orderly piles.

Looking around the house: I was a cleaning machine yesterday and got so much done. I’m much less twitchy now when looking around the house. I still need to finish the laundry room and put away the shoes, but the rest of the first floor is looking very nice.

From the camera: Love to see him reading independently!

Life Right Now #15

As I look outside my window: It’s cloudy, but the rain has cleared up mostly. It’s supposed to be under 70 degrees all week.

Right now I am: Finishing up dinner cleanup and getting ready to put the kids to bed.

On my bedside table: I have two novellas by P. Djèlí Clark sitting on my nightstand (Ring Shout and The Black God’s Drums). I also started reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.

On my tv this week: We watched a few movies (Mortal Kombat was actually not bad!) and continued with Star Trek: Voyager.

Listening to: I’ve been really enjoying my Apple Favorites playlist. So many good songs!

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chicken with Black Beans

• Tuesday - Baked Potato Soup

• Wednesday - Chicken Pad Thai Nachos

• Thursday - Leftovers/Take out

• Friday - Pulled Pork

• Saturday - Sweet Potato Nachos

• Sunday - Lemon Shrimp and Asparagus

On my to do list: I hope to get the laundry room put together plus do some homeschool planning and take a look at our calendar.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Normal home day

• Tuesday - Park playdate

• Wednesday - Grocery, library visit

• Thursday - Bees of the Heartland scavenger hunt field trip to Auburn, NE

• Friday - Normal home day

• Saturday - The usual

• Sunday - The usual

What I am creating: Lots of recipes today! Beyond brunch, I made a blueberry breakfast cake, lemony lemon bars, pesto twists, gazpacho, and dinner. It was a productive day in the kitchen!

My simple pleasures: Good adventure/horror novellas, a walk in the woods, the sound of rain at night.

Looking around the house: Our laundry room is looking so nice! The washer and dryer are officially in their place (need to adjust a bit this week), the walls are looking good, the door is off, and I’m ready to finish this thing! I have an order coming with a nice bar for hanging clothes, a shelving system, a curtain for the closet, and some new laundry baskets! I’m hoping it have to all organized next weekend.

From the camera: Pretty scraps from my gazpacho making.

Life Right Now #14

As I look outside my window: It’s a bit overcast today. The forecast calls for high temps until this evening when the rain comes.

Right now I am: Finishing a Sicilian Orange Breakfast Cake in the oven before cleaning up the laundry room from yesterday’s painting.

Thinking and pondering: What should we put on our Summer Bucket List? I completely spaced on a spring list and really want to make sure to get a summer list. I think I need to enlist the help of the kids.

On my bedside table: The Toll by Neal Shusterman; Still Life by Louise Penny; In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick

On my tv this week: We watched some Star Trek and then switched over to finally watching The Queen’s Gambit. I’m very intrigued…

Listening to: Nothing much except a few podcasts and my Apple Music favorites playlist. I love how it updates every week so I get a slightly different mix.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Teriyaki Chicken and Rice

• Tuesday - Grilled Cheese (not sure what kind yet)

• Wednesday - Blackened Salmon

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Coffee Rubbed Pork Loin

• Saturday - Pizza Night?

• Sunday - Chorba Frik

On my to do list: I need to do a brain dump in Roam today to catch all the little things. I do know that I want to wallpaper the built-ins and make a plan for shelving in the laundry room. The Container Store is having a closet sale and I want to take advantage of the sale prices.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Library and grocery runs while it rains

• Tuesday - Park Playdate

• Wednesday - Normal day

• Thursday - Dentist appointment for me for my permanent bridge!

• Friday - Trip to Arbor Day Farm!

• Saturday - Normal day

• Sunday - Normal day

What I am creating: Mostly lesson plans right now. I haven’t crafted for me in forever. Hoping to do that soon.

My simple pleasures: Finished curriculum folders, nice white walls, a cool breeze

Looking around the house: We are installing the new washer and dryer in the freshly painted laundry room today. Hopefully that means that I can do laundry tomorrow. The room went from a terrible beige to a nice warm white. It even looks good in the dark. Now if I can paint the rest of my interior walls that same color, I would be so much happier.

From the camera: I picked up Ocean by Stacy McAnulty to go along with the rest of the series (Earth, Moon, Sun, and Mars). I loved the illustrations so much!

Life Right Now #13

As I look outside my window: Another sunny but slightly chilly weekend. Although the temperature is supposed to reach 75 degrees today!

Right now I am: Laying out clothes for the week. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be 88 degrees, Tuesday 74, and then going back and forth all week. So I guess shorts for the kids tomorrow and short sleeves all week?

Thinking and pondering: How to structure our homsechooling next year in relation to the coop that’s forming? We don’t have the details worked out yet for the coop, but I need to start planning our schooling before we take our break in July.

On my bedside table: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust; The Toll by Neal Stephenson (finally finished the Scythe trilogy!); Still Life by Louise Penny (another three chapters for our read along)

On my tv this week: We finally finished S2 of Star Trek: Voyager. The series itself is a bit uneven, but I do like Janeway a lot. Hopefully we finish all of Star Trek before I die.

Listening to: Mostly podcasts, although I once again had Architects’s new album on repeat a few days.

On the menu for this week: I still have to be careful with my temporary bridge (permanent going in on May 6th), so my meal plain is a bit disjointed.

• Monday -

• Tuesday -

• Wednesday -

• Thursday -

• Friday -

• Saturday

• Sunday -

On my to do list: We really need to get the laundry room finished this week so we can install the new washer dryer set. The plumber last week had to replace the entire water line box as the old was severely corroded. We figured, but it meant that he had to cut out the drywall that we now have to replace. J picked up the tools and plans on doing that bit today. Then we can sand, prime, and paint a nice shade of white (same as my craft room actually) and install next weekend. I’m so ready to have a functioning laundry room again.

Happening this week: A few things on our list for this week, but thankfully none are dentist appointments. I just realized that I didn’t plan for our grocery trip in here. Crap.

• Monday - Trip to the garden center for plants (I put this off last week because of the freezes; finally getting some plants); Book Club

• Tuesday - Gifford Farm visit (they now have piglets!); Book Club

• Wednesday - Park Playdate with coop families

• Thursday - Normal day

• Friday - Normal day

• Saturday - Laundry room cleanup

• Sunday - Laundry room install

What I am creating: Just plans. No crafting although I just got my new Stampin’ Up catalog and I’m itching to make something paper craft related.

My simple pleasures: Being able to chew at least on one side again.

Looking around the house: Really wishing to get rid of the random bins in my hallway, but we need to fix the laundry room first.

From the camera: Second vaccine down! I felt fine yesterday (I got it on Friday), but J suffered a bit of a reaction.

Life Right Now #12

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny. A little on the cooler side, but decent today.

Right now I am: Prepping to make brunch and then make a run to the library.

Thinking and pondering: How to structure our Ocean unit? We’ll be focusing on the ocean for the last week of April and all of May. I’m still working out how to break down the topics.

On my bedside table: Lady Mechanika Vol. 5 and 6; Girl Serpent Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

On my tv this week: We flew through Staged. Oh how I love David Tennant and Michael Sheen. They are absolutely hilarious. We also watched a few more episodes of Star Trek: Voyager. Eventually I will make it through all of Star Trek.

Listening to: Beyond podcasts, I’ve been listening the new album, For Those That Wish to Exist, from Architects. It’s so incredibly good!

On the menu for this week: I’ve had to redo a lot of the meal plan to accommodate my anticipated pain.

• Monday - Brown Sugar Chicken

• Tuesday - Leftovers

• Wednesday - Spaghetti

• Thursday - Cawl Cennin (Welsh Leek Soup)

• Friday - Spicy Black bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

• Saturday - Smothered Pork Chops

• Sunday - Spicy Shrimp Burrito Bowls or Green Chile Enchiladas

On my to do list: Just focusing on making it through the week…

Happening this week: This coming week is going to be my own personal hell week…

• Monday - Dentist appointment (permanent crown to be put in)

• Tuesday - 3 Hour!!!! Dentist appointment (temporary bridge to be put it); Also the plumber will be here to fix our laundry room water lines

• Wednesday - Home/recovery day

• Thursday - Park Playdate

• Friday - 2nd dose of the vaccine!!!!

• Saturday - Expected lazy day due to anticipated side effects of the vaccine

• Sunday - Normal day?

What I am creating: Nothing much.

My simple pleasures: Being able to chew on both sides of my mouth (this will be lovely), new friends

Looking around the house: I’m feeling less twitchy than I was on Friday. I cleaned out the main walkways and I plan on getting the boys to help clean their playroom today. There are random bins everywhere still as we had to clean out the laundry room in anticipating of some basic renovations. At least the mess is contained to a corner.

From the camera: I made this scrumptious raspberry coffee cake last Sunday. I might make an orange cake later today.