Monday, March 29, 2021

Hello Monday of Spring Break! I am linking up today with Heather, Tanya, and many more here!

I am tired! I don’t think it is just physical, either. I am mentally, emotionally, and physically tired and I don’t think I could have added travel to my plate.

This marks a milestone for me – my first spring break without my boys home with me! We traveled about half of the time over the years. Tom took off all our part of spring break most years, too. I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, but I do have some fun plans and a long list of things I want to accomplish.

Let’s back up to Thursday…

This is my school’s Fine Arts Center. Our entire faculty was back in this space at 8:00 after over a year of being in the building together. We have about 120 teachers. It was weird and kind of like a family reunion! I have been there for 21 years so to say this has been a big part of my life is an understatement!

We had meetings in this space both Thursday and Friday and alumni donated our breakfast and lunch both days, and gave us a really nice pullover with our school logo. How awesome is that!

Most of both days we had to continue getting our rooms ready. I made copies for the first time in over year! Makin’ copies! I made 12 seating charts. Yes, 12. I teach 6 in person classes Monday and Tuesday and then teach 6 in person classes Thursday and Friday with a different group. The seating charts are super important for contact tracing. I think I am almost ready to go for April 5, but I will have to do some work over the break. I am also teaching 4 virtual classes a week without students in the room.

Friday after work, I needed to be in my anti-gravity lounger on my porch. If you don’t have one of these, get one now. Make it your Mother’s Day present if you must. I face my bedroom doors because I don’t want to face the neighbor on the other side of my house.

I am going to have to figure out my new routine to be out of the house by 7:00. I will of course do my night routine of shower, then do my 10 minute hair and face routine in the morning, and use one of my outfit formulas – post coming this week, I hope!

I finished reading my Friday blogs and Ernie is a big star! He was featured on Preppy Empty Nester! Katie features a reader’s dog at the end of each post. If you don’t already read Katie’s blog, you must start now! She is hilarious and has beautiful taste in clothing, homes and home decor, and Amazon products!

We are trying to make sure the fame doesn’t go to Ernie’s head. Have I told you I make boiled chicken for him, along with canned green beans and carrots. He requested filet mignon Friday night.

Friday night was special because Jack came home to watch his brother live streamed in his play! Mason took a required theatre course in the fall semester at college, tried out for a play and got a role, then tried out for another play and now thinks he might double major in English and Theatre. So, the acting bug has officially bitten both of my kids.

Mason played Torvald in A Doll’s House. It stinks that they had to wear masks and be without an audience. I really miss theatre, concerts, and movies.

Here he is; he cut his hair for this role!

He was wonderful, of course – totally unbiased Mom opinion. So, Tom, Jack, and I had dinner and watched the play together.

Jack is in Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors in May and Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Shakespeare in the Park series this summer. I have not gotten to see Jack act since the month before the pandemic started in Pride and Prejudice.

Saturday morning I got to enter my library! I have so missed this place!

And, I went to Trader Joe’s and there was no line. I needed to replenish some of the staples that I buy there each month – brioche bread, ciabatta bread, bagels, and a few other things. I keep all of these items in my freezer.

After that, I headed out to the country – about 30 minutes away from my house – to do something really cool! My aunt and uncle from Michigan have been in Florida for the winter and they were visiting on their way north. My mom arranged for the three of them and me to meet their cousin’s daughter who has lived near me for years but whom I had never met. My mom and aunt had met her before.

She and her husband have a beautiful home and property that looks quintessentially Kentucky with horses grazing all around the adjoining properties. She has created three cookbooks and is an excellent cook.

Beautiful Easter table setting:

We had chicken salad on croissants, salad, and potato soup. I started eating my soup before I remembered a photo.

And, homemade cream puffs for dessert!

The person who built the house had this Kentucky Derby mural painted in the basement.

The basement bar:

The wine room:

The house is incredible!

We looked at old photos and toured the house after lunch. It was a really great day spent with my mom, aunt, uncle, and third cousin and husband.

I came home and made a pink lemonade cocktail and read a bit before making dinner. I made Jack bowtie pasta chicken alfredo and Tom and I chicken caprese sandwiches.

We watched some shows together and Jack did some homework. We were hoping to see Mason after his final performance Saturday night but he remembered they had a cast party to celebrate. So, we will celebrate him next week. The kids have Good Friday off from classes and Easter Monday off.

Sunday I was pretty lazy. I did go to World Market and Kirkland’s because I am wanting to add a few things to my lower patio and upper deck. Last year I did palm prints and I think I am going to keep that theme going. I did have a thought about doing two different decor schemes – using lemon trees and all things lemon on the upper deck? Anyway, neither place had much. And, it turned pretty cold on Sunday so I didn’t even want to work on it yet. I was very sad about that after such a nice day Saturday. It seems harder to take the cold once you have gotten used to the warmth!

How was your weekend? I hope it was great!

Thanks for reading,

Amy