Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Happy April Fool’s Day! It’s not too late to plan some fun and innocent little pranks! Google them or check out my post from yesterday for a few little ideas. I haven’t decided if I will pull any pranks yet; life itself seems like a giant prank right now so I might not need to add to it for the other adult and the almost adults in my household.

I thought today I would do a chatty post just telling you what is up. I did not drive my car anywhere on Monday or Tuesday and I guess it’s starting to feel kind of normalish now not to drive much? Today I have a Kroger pick up. Yes, I just did one on Friday and then I went to the store early Sunday morning for a few items. With all four of us eating all of our meals at home, I need to plan better and we simply require more food, I guess.

I told myself I should take my travel coffee mug and just go for a drive one morning. I also love to drive down to the river and just watch it flow. The neighborhood streets seem so quiet. I love seeing all the people walking, riding bikes, etc. with just their family units I hope. We’ve had open windows and we cannot believe how loud the birds are! Ha! But, they give us hope and it’s such a welcome sign of spring and new life?

My husband is still going to work like normal but his building is very empty. Most people are still continuing to work from home. I am a little bit worried about him going, but he only interacts with a few people and he isn’t going out for lunch anymore because he can’t – only carry out now. He has been coming home for lunch and that has been nice.

I’m letting the boys sleep later than I normally would because it’s spring break and I think that sleep is good for the immune system. Next week they will need a more normal schedule because our distance learning starts.

My husband has been so busy and productive when he is home on the weekends – and a bit after work or during his lunch break, too. Here is the photographic proof!

He put our new shutters on the house and they look so much better. They are the same color as before but the old ones had multiple slats and these new ones have cleaner lines.

He stained the deck. We bought reclaimed wood for this project and the stain really brings out the beauty of the wood, in my opinion. We need to do another coat and then seal it, I believe. There will also be railings that will make it look smaller. I am anxious to furnish the deck but I don’t know exactly where to look or even what I want. I think we want two chairs and a table. I am wondering if Adirondack chairs with pillows would look good? I want to save room for some potted plants and it’s not a huge space. I have been looking on Wayfair but I am a little nervous about ordering without seeing it in person. We did have great luck with our covered patio sectional, though. Any suggestions for where to look?

Ernie got his first real bath in his new dog wash last weekend. He swam in the river and he needed it. Unfortunately he didn’t have real dog shampoo and he smells like boy Suave.

I cleaned out my linen closet including my makeup collection and that was so needed.

I feel like I spend a crazy amount of time each day dealing with dishes and cooking even though the boys pretty much always empty the dishwasher after dinner. We are running the dishwasher more than usual, too, I guess.

One of my sons made his college decision! I hope my other one makes his soon, but I think he is dragging his feet because of all of the uncertainty in the world right now.

What is up with you?

Stay well,

Amy

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Well, today is the last day of March. Have you seen the meme that March came in like a lion and out like a T-Rex? Isn’t that the truth? Tomorrow is April 1. We heard that we will continue to socially distance ourselves until the end of April.

Again, if all we are is stuck at home then we have a lot to be thankful for.

I think bloggers are in quite the predicament as to what to write about. For many, this is their living and it is already at stake. But, it seems irresponsible to tell people to go spend money right now on luxuries. Cooking and frugality blogs have a good audience right now talking about pantry staples and budget meals at home. Design blogs can talk about rearranging your nest and making your home an oasis right now.

My strategy right now is to try to find ways to help people who may come across my blog. I like fashion, cooking and creating recipes, drinking coffee, drinking cocktails, reading, watching t.v., being outside in nature, but I am not an expert in anything really.

I am going to try to take it one week at a time, one day at a time, and even one hour at a time. There may come a point when I need to step away from blogging. For now, this is a healthy outlet for me and if I help even one person, I will be happy.

Tip: Celebrate the obscure holidays that you wouldn’t usually have time for!

April 1: April Fool’s Day!

This is tomorrow and this would be great fun for the kids. Google ideas but think about the people in your household. What are their routines and what could be funny but not harmful? You also ask older kids to google the origins of the day.

I have a great memory from childhood where my mom came up with the idea to switch the sugar in the sugarbowl to salt to trick my Dad when he came down to drink his coffee. My two little sisters and I were involved in the process and we thought it was hilarious.

I have a feeling that when we get through this, your children will remember the happy feelings of being home together and the fun moments and memories that you were able to create.

-Switch out the sugar for salt

-Open a pack of Oreos and change out the filling in the first couple of cookies to toothpaste

-Change out their favorite chip or treat to something else (don’t waste the treat of course – just put elsewhere)

All of these are innocent and wouldn’t result in any harm – or much waste!

Some upcoming obscure holidays:

April 2- Peanut Butter and Jelly Day – Make sandwiches and look up songs about this combo

April 7 – NO housework day

April 10 -National Siblings Day

April 13 – Scrabble Day

April 22 – Jelly Bean Day (get some off clearance from Easter – maybe create art with jelly beans)

April 26 – Pretzel Day (try to make your own soft pretzels?)

April 24 – Arbor Day – plant a new tree

I think you could pick a few of these and have some fun!

Goop Recipe

You may just have these things on hand:

1 cup cornstarch

1 cup water

food coloring (it will stain hands so feel free to leave it out)

You can’t really make anything with this but it has a cool texture and you can squeeze, pull, etc. and it would be fun for kids! I made this with my boys when they were little.

Monday, March 30, 2020

Well, I guess it’s Monday! How are you doing? I will link up with Heather, Tanya, etc. right here.

I don’t have too much to share but here we go!Friday was grocery pick up day. I opened the Kroger app on my phone either Monday or Tuesday of last week and the earliest pick up they had was Friday! I jumped on it and added a few extra things over the week as needed, but we did a good job of using things we had. Again, 2020, I’m listening, it’s a privilege to go to the store on a whim when you just don’t FEEL like eating what is already in your home.

So, this may seem a bit over the top, but I took everything out of the bags and then wiped everything down with a bleach solution I made (I just looked at one of my things of bleach and it expired in 2007 – oops? ) and after I wiped each thing the boys took into the house. I also thought about leaving non-perishables in the garage for 3 days. Is anyone else doing this? I watched a video and I felt like this was worth doing.

All last week hub said he wanted to support our local German restaurant so Friday morning I placed my order and you had to pick it up between 12 and 3, so I went to pick it up and look what they did to their statue.

So, we ate as a family and then hub and I sat on our new furniture on our old patio and listened to music and read magazines. I have a new cocktail recipe I will try to share soon, and some mocktail ideas.

I only left the house in the car three times last week – to pick up groceries, to get take out twice, and to do a curbside bookstore pick up. I treated myself to several magazines by ordering on the phone at the bookstore.

I read some more Saturday morning with an iced coffee.

Saturday lunch for me on the patio – raspberry lemonade, egg salad, salami, cheese, crackers, and some crackers with garden veggie cream cheese.

My friend texted and asked if I wanted to walk in the park after lunch with our other friend, too. I was a little bit worried about too many people but I went and we managed to walk kind of like this the whole time – about 6 feet apart. There were several people but everyone kept their distance. Our parks are open but the playgrounds have tape and signs around them. Our basketball hoops have been taken down.

I went home after walking and it felt good to have done something normalish like that.

We had burrito bowls for dinner as a family.

Sunday hub worked on sanding the deck so we can stain it. I want to help but I think he is afraid I won’t stain it to his standards. The stain doesn’t come in until Wednesday anyway because we had to order it from the local hardware store. Oh, and hub put our new shutters on the house. I was so excited to have shutters again! I didn’t think to do before and after photos.

This would’ve been our spring break. The boys don’t have much homework and I’m not required to work but I need to plan my distance learning lessons and I want to do a couple of video lessons this week – where I tape myself teaching and/or put my voice over a powerpoint. This old dog has a lot of new tricks to learn – for some perspective, I started teaching in 1994 when we were still using the card catalog, the fax machine, and we didn’t have the internet.

This past year the boys have developed different social circles and they have been busy with different social events and extra curriculars. I have noticed that they have really enjoyed having some extra time together. It makes me happy.

I also feel like life has slowed down so much. I am usually in such a hurry and I just feel like I don’t have to hurry anymore. Do you notice this change of pace, too?

Well, this was really boring! Are you still there? LOL! Thanks for reading!

Stay well,

Amy

P.S. – I posted a bean soup recipe yesterday if you find yourself with a bunch of beans in your stockpile.

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Did anyone buy a bunch of beans during a panic grocery shopping trip? I am going to share my Dad’s bean soup recipe. It is written for me in his distinctive handwriting. I think you can read it well enough. You don’t really need many items and you may already have them on hand. I think you could leave the ham out or subsitute bacon.

My Dad liked to talk about how when I was little I requested his bean soup and grilled peanut butter sandwiches! There’s an idea for you – try to grill a peanut butter sandwich and see what your kids think. My Dad loved peanut butter, too!

This would go well with some cornbread or grilled cheese sandwiches, too.

Let me know if you try it!

Amy

Friday, March 27, 2020

How are you doing? This week went by pretty quickly and it’s hard to believe it’s already Friday.

-Putting on a real outfit, doing my hair and makeup – I did this 1.5 times. I put on a spring outfit Monday and then on Wednesday I was dressed from the waist up for a faculty meeting on Zoom!

-Dropping what I am doing and going outside when the sun comes out – this is a rule I have made for myself. That Vitamin D really helps!

-Asking how I can serve the people in my house – making favorite foods usually!

-Limiting the news I watch – I watch our governor nightly at 5 but I need to try to limit my morning news.

-Limiting my time on social media -while I enjoy connecting it is also a place of a lot of grim information and sometimes it’s too much. I have reconnected with some former colleagues and some former students lately and that has been so nice.

-Doing something creative – blogging, taking photos, or cooking are my creative outlets.

-Real phone calls – I have enjoyed actually talking and not texting!

-Gratitude – I have to remember to be thankful for what I can do and not dwell on what I can’t do right now.

-I put on some self tanner just for fun.

Here is a dinner from this week – mini penne with turkey sausage and cream sauce.

This quote hit me.

Curbside pick up at bookstores – We ordered from our local bookstore and from Barnes and Noble because they had what my son wanted. I am allowing this splurge right now because our library is closed and I want to support the local bookstore. Our local hardware store also has curbside pick up. The businesses have gotten creative.

Tonight we are getting German food! We are looking forward to this!

My nails are a mess! The dip did a number on my nails so it was really time for a break. They keep breaking off. This is a good time to work on strengthening them.

Our first mowing of the season. Hub hates mowing but he did it after work one day.

A candle, a bourbon, and a new magazine yesterday afternoon.

Walking in the neightborhood.

What helped you this week?

All we are being asked to do is stay home so this is nothing like what many are doing. Thank you to the healthcare workers, the truck drivers delivering supplies, the grocery store employees, and so many more for what you are doing!

Stay well,

Amy

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Ideas for Teens in Quarantine:

I did a post about ideas for younger kids and for adults (and many of the adult ideas can be used for teens, too) last If you have a special teen in your life, please share with them:

Shout out to my dear student Tori for helping me with these ideas!

-Really clean your room and closet. Watch Kon Mari method videos on youtube for inspiration. Have a goal of x number of bags to donate.

-If you are a senior, call college admissions and get your ducks in a row. They are still available for you by phone. Apply for community scholarships. You didn’t have time to do this when in school and now you do.

-Watch a show virtually with a friend using Facetime, Skype, or Zoom

-Have a virtual meal – Order the same food and eat together virtually!

-Have a cooking challenge with a friend

-Make a friend a playlist and they make you one

-Plan a pretend vacation for a friend and vice versa

-Create a fantasy wardrobe for a friend. Money is no object!

-Read a book you always wanted to read

-Get an adult coloring book or print pages online

-Start a journal; this will be important later on in life when you look back on these strange times.

-Explore a new podcast

-Start your own podcast

-Learn to meditate; there are lots of apps for this

-Do a face mask/beauty treatment

-Cook for the family

-Do a Chopped Challenge where you put together a basket of ingredients

-Find an online exercise program

-Learn a TikTok dance and record it

-Write thank you notes to send via snail mail to people who have shaped you

-Start a gratitude journal and write 3 things you are grateful for each day

-Watch old home movies

-Offer to teach grandparents how to use technology – over the phone of course!

Any other ideas you would throw out?

Amy

–

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

I am participating in a fun link up with some ladies right here!

You respond to the prompts they give you so here we go…

What We’re Eating

Last night was Taco Tuesday. I served them with leftover rice and a Trader Joe’s southwestern salad mix that I got a week ago.

Monday night we had a craving for pizza. We did a local carryout and it felt good to get in my car and drive to go get it. I hadn’t gone anywhere since the grocery Saturday morning. This is local Diorio’s Pizza.

What I’m Reminiscing About

The Facebook reminders are bittersweet right now for two reasons – I am nostalgic for the days when my boys were young and because it is a reminder of when life was normal.

All kinds of academic team photos have been popping up. Both of my boys did this from 4th grade – 8th grade, then only Jack did it 9th grade and this year only Mason did it. Quick Recall team will always hold a special place in my heart. Look at those sweet young faces!

What I’m loving

Ahhh… having the washer and dryer off of the kitchen will be a game changer! Before I had to go down to the basement to do laundry. And, moms of young kids, guess what happened yesterday? Mason brought his own hamper to the laundry room and simply did his own laundry. I didn’t say a word, he didn’t ask me anything, and it was a beautiful thing. I was wondering when he would think his hamper was too full.

What we have been up to

We have made use of the time at home and set up our new master bedroom and set up the mudroom. We have watched at least one show a day together. The boys have mostly worn pajamas.

What I am dreading

I am dreading having to do this for too long.

What I’m working on

I am working on a plan for teaching online. We think we will be given autonomy to decide what is best for our classes. We also have to work together with our departments to make some decisions. We start April 6 for teachers and April 7 for students.

What I’m excited about

I am excited to use my bike. I dusted her off and put air in her tires. This was an anniversary gift for maybe our 5th year of marriage? You know, the traditional five year anniversary gift of a Schwinn? I used to ride my bike to school.

What I’m watching

I really haven’t been watching much t.v. I watch our governor at 5 p.m. and I watch some Bravo shows in the evenings. I watch one show as a family. On Bravo, I’m watching Family Karma, Below Deck, and Summer House, and I’m excited for Real Housewives of NY to come back soon!

What I’m reading

I am really sad about no library. I had so many books on hold that I was going to get for spring break! My son and I placed an order from our local Carmichael’s bookstore and we picked up some books for his Women in Lit class and I picked up a cute book called Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane. I can’t remember who recommended it. I need funny right now!

What I’m listening to

I am listening to my podcasts when I walk. I need to listen to more music and less news.

What I’m wearing

Nothing cute! I did get dressed Monday and felt like a human! I have been wearing leggings most days. It has been pretty chilly for much of the day.

What I’m doing this weekend

I have no idea. I would like to do another Zoom game night.

What I’m looking forward to

I am excited about these warmer temps.

What else is new

My husband wants me to research cutting the cable and switching to a streaming service. We have ATT Uverse right now plus we pay for Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu and that adds up to a lot. I have to have a DVR – seriously my fave invention! And, we need ESPN, Fox Sports, Bravo, Food Network, Discovery, and HGTV. Anyone been through this process?

Both boys are deciding between two colleges. I am anxious for them to make their decisions but I don’t want to stress them out. They may pick the same but I want them to make that decision independently and they would have different roommates.

Tonight or tomorrow night we are supporting our local German restaurant! We are trying to do local takeout 2-3 times a week.

What’s up with you? Leave me a comment for one of these categories and any advice about cutting cable is much appreciated!

Stay well,

Amy

Tuesday, March 24

I was feeling uninspired last night so I thought I would bring back a old post.  Some of you may be struggling to cook so I thought this could be helpful!  What is your go-to recipe?  Maybe I haven’t thought of it!  

 

Sandwiches: (We will often have a sandwich meal on the weekend and I will serve these with soup, frozen fries, salad, broccoli)

BLTS or BLATS (add avocado – yum!)

Grilled cheese

Hot subs

Ham and Swiss on Hawaiian rolls 

Bowls:  (This is kind of a riff off of the Qdoba naked burrito)

Southwest bowl (go to Momfessionals for the yummy aioli she has but I do shortcuts using rotisserie chicken, frozen corn, frozen rice from Trader Joe’s) and add her aioli with guacamole, beans, cheese, salsa.  Your family can make their own, too

Greek Bowl – rice, cucumbers, tomatoes, lemon juice, tzatziki sauce, olives, feta

Mexican:  

Tacos, rice, beans

Quesadillas with side salad

Enchiladas

Mexican lasagna (use tortillas instead of noodles and do a mixture of beans, corn, salsa, sour cream, chicken and cheese – so good!)

Taco Salad with Doritos 

Fish Tacos 

Salads:  

Spinach, cheddar, green apple, red onion, with oil and vinegar from Polka Dotty Place Blog (shown above – my husband and I love this! – you could add a protein

Taco Salad 

Greek Salad

Cobb Salad

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Feta, Avocado, Cucumber, lemon juice salad from Lisa at Coast to Coast Blog 

 

Italian:  (garlic bread and ceasar pre made salad is easy)

Penne with turkey sausage and olive oil in photo above

Spaghetti 

Baked Ziti

Fettucine Alfredo

Bacon Alfredo bake from Grace and Love Blog

Other:  

Quiche and side salad

Roasted vegetables on sheet pan – baby carrots, onion, red potatoes and a rotisserie chicken 

Chicken and Noodles 

Chili

Baked Fish with cajun seasoning and panko bread crumbs

Pioneer Woman Perfect Salmon

Brats, macaroni and cheese and green beans

Ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls 

Lunch for dinner (something you would typically make for lunch)

Breakfast for dinner (my family won’t do this!)

Amy

 

 

Monday, March 23, 2020

How was your weekend? Did it feel any different than the week? You may have been ready for a break from online school/homeschooling? I am linking up today with Heather, etc. if they provide the link up today here.

Our Friday was gorgeous and sunny until dinner time. I took advantage of the weather and spent some time outside. Then, from Friday evening until late Sunday afternoon it was chilly. The trees are blooming beautifully here.

Hub installed our blinds. They open from the top or the bottom by simply pulling on a little plastic piece. I was adamant that I did not want the beautiful windows and doors covered by treatments. I think I am going to like these. They were still super expensive but we saved a lot of money by installing them ourselves.

Friday afternoon before it turned cold we took Ernie swimming in the river where we keep our boat. Can you tell how high the river is from all of the recent rain? It was a lovely shade of brown, too. It was nice to go somewhere.

We got carryout for dinner – trying to support local restaurants. I am worried we will lose that option eventually. I hope not!

Then, Friday evening, Tom and I bought a ticket to livestream our favorite singer – Bob Schneider. It was really cool. Support your favorite artists like this now if you can!

After the concert ended at 9:00, our power went out! It was only out for two hours but it was the weirdest thing. We didn’t have bad weather or anything. I decided to read my book by clipon battery powered book light!

Saturday morning my plan was to hit the grocery at 7 when it opened for just a few things. Well, everyone else had the same idea. I don’t know if you can tell, but the parking lot had at least 100 cars. There were lots of people wearing masks and rubber gloves while shopping – that is a harrowing sight. I didn’t find everything but I did get a pack of ground beef. There are many shelves that are either almost bare or totally bare but they were trying to restock some shelves. I heard some people complaining about not finding things. I hadn’t been in Kroger since maybe Tuesday?

I made Joanna Gaines chocolate chip cookies. I accidentally bought the mini chips.

The day went by super fast because we worked on setting up our new bedroom now that the windows are covered.

For dinner, I decided to make mexican at home. I made chicken enchiladas, queso with Rotel and Velveeta, and Spanish rice. For dessert I made chocolate chip cookie sundaes and I also had my homemade margarita.

Here is what the bedroom looks like so far. I am happy to report a good night’s sleep and we both can’t believe how spacious the room still feels with the bed in it.

Sunday the boys helped Tom move our washer and dryer up to the mudroom!

I started this book. It was so cold I didn’t want to go out but I did take my walk and I called an old friend, too.

We ate dinner as a family and then Tom and I played trivia using the Zoom app with our friends. It was really fun!

How was your social distancing weekend?

Amy

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Have you always thought about baking bread? I love the book Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist. She really gets you excited about cooking for your people! My friend Tanya at The Other Side of the Road blog posted this recipe from http://www.homegrowntraditions.com and I am here to tell you that I have made it twice and plan to make it until my supplies run out. I had trouble finding flour at the grocery about a week ago. A tip is to try Walgreen’s or CVS because they have baking supplies. Of course, try not to go out if you can help it and you may already have these items at home.

Here we go!

You need:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. active dry yeast (this is not quite a full packet of yeast if you buy it by the packet)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 and 1/2 cups warm water

Mix together with a wooden spoon and over with a tea towel or plastic wrap for 2 hours

After two hours preheat oven to 450

Place a pyrex dish with water in the oven (I forgot one time and it didn’t matter so I will probably skip this step)

Shape your dough into two round loaves and score the top with a knife (Simply make slits in the dough)

I had to add more flour to be able to work with my dough but I found it very relaxing.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

It really is best eaten right away. Thank you Tanya and Homegrown Traditions!

Amy