and now the pix

here are the promised pictures! finally got them uploaded to this new computer….

winter break fun

i am making no promises to keep up the blog. jovie asked me about it the other day and i reminded her that we don’t really have a lot to publish.

so it was really great to finally do something “blog-worthy”. we were able to spend the winter break at Jekyll Island. it was so great! The Mr. & i had never been here, but jovie was able to go to her 4H camp here last year and she loved it! we enjoyed our time at St. Simon’s Island 4 lifetimes ago in 2019, so we had great expectations for this. and it delivered!

we were able to find a condo on the marsh to rent on vrbo. it was absolutely lovely. well-built. homey spaces. the owner did a great job so it was the perfect landing spot. lovely patio for reading and coffeeing over the marsh. sunsets were spectacular!

we got in on very cold, gloomy sunday around dinner time, so we just relaxed and unpacked. we had an easy dinner & enjoyed watching the gameshow The Floor for this trip.

monday was spent driving around the island, going to driftwood beach (astounding!) and embarrassing jovie by swinging by the 4H camp. at least she got a pic in front of the sign. we had a delicious and cold outdoor lunch (tacos & queso were still great). we spent a little time at the village area nearby. The Mr. & i did a lot of reading while jovie spent part of the afternoon walking in the village/beach/trails. it was so relaxing!

tuesday we went to the Mosaic. that’s the jekyll island museum. it was pretty neat to learn how it was basically just a millionaire’s playground for 3 months out of the year (think rockefellers & his crowd). fascinating that the first cross-country telephone call was made on the island. after we got lunch we headed for a dolphin tour. a very chilly dolphin tour. we saw dolphins, tho’ so it was a success. another relaxing evening as we ordered pizza and watched The Floor.

wednesday was our final day and it was slightly warmer and less windy. we rented bikes for the day and biked all around some of the trails and the village. it was great. jovie wanted to be sure we did this, because it was one of the things she loved from camp. we were just so glad The Mr. was up for it. he even went off on his own while i went back and read awhile. jovie was doing her walk. that evening we walked over to the marina (we were just next to it) and grabbed dinner. we got to view the sunset from there. [every night we saw sunsets and they were all so spectacular!]

thursday morning the two of them woke and went to the beach to watch the sunrise. i opted to stay warm and wake up leisurely before we had to pack up and leave.

it was a fabulous relaxing vacation with awesome weather. The Mr. felt good all throughout and we had some fun times! we are looking forward to taking a little jaunt for spring break, too!

…pictures coming just as soon as I can figure out how to get them from shutterfly!

so proud of bean!

The Mr. & i have been talking quite a few times recently how proud we are of jovie.

she is doing well her FRESHMAN YEAR!! and though she will never say she likes school, and every holiday she begs to stay home the next day, nonetheless she is doing well and being responsible.

the school periodically sends home random things/events they know about. one of which was a camp. when i saw it, as a parent, i thought it sounded like a great opportunity. when she saw it, she said it sounded cool! so we encouraged her to consider it.

this is a leadership camp done at Emory University, and it’s my understanding it is state-wide (not just Metro ATL kids)

she decided to try for this camp. she had to do an actual application with a personal essay. she also needed a community leader to give a letter of recommendation. (Her 4H leader was happy to provide that!)

right after she submitted it, we got an “oh no- oops” email. i guess their system forgot to include an actual wordy intellectual hypothetical situation response. about business. and running a business. (she’s 14). i could cut and paste it here for you. but really, just know the question itself had a lot of involvement and thought.

so she submitted a response for that, too.

then she was granted an interview. an IN. TER. VIEW.

we kept telling her that this right here seems very collegiate. of course we spouted off all the usual parenting words of pride and counseling that if she doesn’t get in, it’s a great experience, yadda yadda yadda.

welp- she got in!!! she will spend a week in June with 75 other people learning about business and entrepreneurship. it will be hard fun work. learning, sleeping and dining at Emory University.

The Mr. & i are happy she will get some kind of exposure to different majors/life opportunities. [her high school puts them on a career path for their classes- don’t get me started- and the one she is on is teaching] . and this seems to be an every-year type of camp where she can just network and improve upon her experiences each year she gets in.

she even has it all worked out in her head all the responsible stuff she needs to do in order to go to this camp as well as a 4H event that weekend before.

we are so proud of how hard jovie works & how responsible she can be.

another one bites the dust

very glad this year is ending. i’m sitting here in the coziness of the christmas-fied living room, thinking about the time my pal (the nanny, photographer, friend) christina asked me if i blog anymore.

i’d like to. i really would. for the past 3 years we have been living in a snowball-roll of unbloggable hell.

i’d love to focus on the fact that jovie just had a great first semester of HIGH SCHOOL. i’d love to tell you of all her fun 4H excursions & activities. i wish i could tell you of anything fun going on (none)…

….since last we spoke (you know, when i was hoping we could put the ugh-y summer behind us, what with ER vets & covid & sinus ear issues)…..

The Mr. had not one but 2 several days-long stints in the hospital! very scary and worrisome times (& life-threatening) over here.

things are looking on the up right now. we have a rare, lifelong and hopefully/seemingly manageable diagnosis.

but, though i try to stay ever-positive, it’s hard to look up & forward. for 3 years we have been reeling in some fashion.

Autumn 2019, The Mr. & i had the most challenging year for us. Jovie lost 3 family members in 6 weeks’ time. I inexplicably became sick and had several appointments & procedures (not life-threatening). things started to become more manageable, and normalish.

then came Spring 2020 —-and all of that uncertainty, fear and woe. 2020 was filled with stressful times for several reasons. now this becomes our most challening year.

2021 rolls around, as the pandemic gets more coped with the world seems to look forward but then the political strife is off the wall insane & worrisome.

August 2021 i began another bout of uncertainty and lost even more weight again. in the middle of my trying to get back to the dr to address this, BAM our world changed permanently when grampa had his horrific biking accident. obviously this was the hardest time we’ve ever had to deal with.

until our ugh-y summer bled into September 2022. which then led to October 2022. and for the rest of the year…

luckily meds & treatments have abated some of the symptoms & life-threat The Mr. has been dealing with, and we were able to have a very relaxing christmas time.

lots of reading, video games, sleeping in, yummy food, hot cocoa, cookies (so many cookies!) stovetop popcorn, movies, cozy staying warm days were had.

it has been nice being able to visit with grampa some. so glad he got to be around for the holidays, and not stuck alone in michigan like last year! unfortunately, gramma ended up getting Covid herself; so we were unable to go visit with her. (So very glad she’s feeling better!)

at least i can enjoy the coziness of today and know the year ended in a better way! we are all surely trying to look forward to 2023. but i’m also considering hoarding all the bubble wrap i can find so i can try to keep jovie-bean safe & sound!

here’s to a good year for anyone reading this!

an eternity

Seems like forever since I last wrote about our adventures in Maine! & now we have a 14 year old High Schooler!!

I am not keeping up with this here blog very well; I’m not sure if anyone out there’s been waiting… but i doubt it!

This summer was not a great one, save that lovely time up in Maine.

Luckily for Jovie, she still got to enjoy it. She went to 2 back-to-back summer camps. camp #1 she stayed in the exact type of campground you imagine- little cabins in woods. streams, etc. she got to go whitewater rafting and loved it!! Jovie came home for the weekend and turned 14!! Then she jetted off to camp #2 at Jekyll island where she had tons of fun, biked the island and even went on a dolphin tour and sent me the coolest pic!

The Mr. & i were looking forward to some alone time. we planned a few days on the 4th of July to go to a B&B in the sweet town of Blue Ridge. Then we were going to maybe finagle a Braves game outing or something during the essentially 2 weeks she’d be gone.

Best laid plans………

we spent these essentially 2 weeks alone worried for our cat NC, 5 hours on the 4th in the ER Vet, the canceled B&B, lots of worry and waiting for her to get better and then boom, I had Covid. For 10 days I tested positive and spent our whole alone time in my bedroom. The Mr. had to take care of both me & NC. and jovie spent her 14th birthday far away from me with no hugs. she was in the hallway for breakfast time, present time & cake time. i was so sad.

we were doing everything we could to protect her so she could go on her next fun camp time. it worked. she was negative (as was The Mr…. the only one who hasn’t had it yet!)

I finally was able to escape the bedroom only to realize that the sneezing & sinus stuff The Mr. felt strongly in Maine only got worse. So he’s been feeling crummy all summer long as well. He is managing right now as best as he can (his 3rd round of steroids is hopefully helping) and he has a follow up with the ENT after seeing that the CT scan didn’t show anything majorly serious and scary (whew!)

So now we have a 9th grader on our hands…. she’s getting in the swing of things; and found all her classes way better than i could when i was with her. she’s enjoying some of her classes (AP human geography & art) and not as much some others (algebra).

We look forward to putting this summer behind us and everyone feel better!

ME- finally!

the title is not a venture into self-centeredness; it is actually where we just came from!

whew! after having 5 vacations/plans change throughout the year the 3 of us were overjoyed with finally being able to take a much-needed vacation! gramma & grampa were surely happy for us as well.

we should have seen 4 states this year, but nothing would have topped the lovely state of Maine, anyway! Acadia National Park is as phenomenal as they say. many years ago we had been looking forward to this state; and it was perfectly-timed.

after all of the stress and worry we have endured with grampa (and all that comes with that), we wanted to have a vacation that was like nothingness. no planned stops. no touring many cities and driving all around. just to veg. or not veg. it was the first vacation we took where i didn’t plug options into my spreadsheet! we vrbo’d a house and just – whatevered- for an entire week! the house was perfectly placed near downtown Bar Harbor for the shops and restaurants and shore path walk and super close by Acadia Loop drive where we were able to drive, picnic, hike and climb mountains 4 of the days we were there.

we are so grateful that grampa is doing well and he’s settled so we were able to make this trek. we definitely missed visiting with him, but luckily, he is a trooper…. & he probably enjoyed the quiet (haha).

after spending 2 days in a row climbing both Beech & Parkman Mountains, the 2 days of rain that kept us indoors was welcomed. The Mr. & I played games those days while jovie teenaged upstairs. the afternoons we were able to grab a coffee & drive the loop some more. you couldn’t see the views, but that was pretty apropos for us, anyways! sadly for The Mr, his birthday was rainy so he was feeling a little cooped up. we ventured for a(nother) delicious dinner and all was not lost.

the weather way up north was very welcomed. especially, because as soon as we came home, the overpowering heatwave ramped up in most of the country! unfortunately, it was *slightly* warmer than anticipated. luckily, The Mr. threw in a pair of shorts for, as he said “changing on the plane coming back to GA weather” was pretty necessary for the hikes and daytime. The evenings were nice & cozy for walks and porch-sitting.

it was a picture-perfect week. and now that we are home, jovie is already ramping up activities with 4H. the summer will fly by, i know it. the vacation came at the perfect time!

The End-ish

We are fast approaching the end of 8th grade; ie: the end of middle school!

Jovie has not had a normal middle school experience at all, so no doubt she’s looking to put it all past her! The other day it dawned on me that she hasn’t even had a “last day of school” experience yet.

Last night was her (final ever) Chorus performance. Even her teacher was remarking that this was their first (and last) spring performance. [They performed 12 songs from Hamilton and did a great job. Lots of kids had solos and it was very well-done!]

Hopefully I can upload pictures from last night and post them soon. Gramma is here visiting Grampa**, so she was able to come, too. Glad Gramma finally came to visit, and a fun week of special things to have.

Jovie has exams today and tomorrow. Friday is the last day. She is very much looking forward to the summer and all kinds of fun plans with 4H and hopefully some friends.

She is a little eager for high school; excited to see how it will be, but also wanting on the daily to be home-schooled. She keeps asking. I keep reminding her I am only fit for a 1st grade teacher!

We are looking forward to things hopefully returning to some amount of normal now that Grampa** is close-by. No doubt, tho’ that the summer will fly by…… much like middle school did!

**I don’t think I have ever vocalized that Grampa was in a tragic accident in September, and it’s been pretty hellish. Luckily, Grampa now lives close by to us, and is finally out of Michigan [where the accident took place]. Amazingly, Grampa has been working hard and making progress & trying to keep in good spirits! We’re so very proud of him!!

spring break

another school break; but another week at home. hoping we’ll be able to travel somewhere this summer!!

luckily, 4H doesn’t stop. and they have filled jovie’s week (again)

she is going to someplace called TopGolf tomorrow, which, I guess is a thing. i was surprised she wanted to go; as she’s not competitive, and also her one experience golfing left her in tears. (however, the tears were because she got a hole in one (!!!) and everyone cheered for her).

on weds she will go exploring lake ecology and on friday she’ll go berry picking at a sweet local farm that she probably doesn’t even remember she went to on a field trip when she was -i dunno- 3?

glad to fill up her days. this year is speeding by for her.

speaking of Valentine’s Day

So the last time I wrote was on Valentine’s Day and now I want to write a tidbit about The Mr. because I know I’ll forget this most perfect situation.

I have a zillion recipes I have collected and always enjoy trying new things as well as loving old favorites. Oftentimes, I want help planning what to make, but both The Mr. & the bean are pretty indecisive. (OK to be fair, if ever asked, jovie always says Cajun Shrimp Mac & Cheese for dinner. Always. and lately her dessert go-to is a “seventeen layer red velvet cake”)

For Valentine’s Day I wanted to give The Mr. what he would want. Here is precisely how that conversation went:

me: Do you want a red-velvet cake this year? more doable than 17 layers, of course.

The Mr: nah.

me: Ok. what would you like?

The Mr: surprise.

me: [my gears are working because little does he know i have a recipe in my book called “surprise cupcakes” but surely he wouldn’t want that over all the other choices]

…ok what flavor profile would you like? PB/chocolate? just chocolate? caramel? mint? coconut?

The Mr: earthy

so, ask and he shall receive!

i present to you a delicious “surprise cupcake” topped with “surprise ganache”

I am so glad that The Mr. being The Mr. had to be snarky & funny. I had been wanting to try this cupcake for a couple of years. And let me tell you- it was good! And moist, even on day 4. The only thing I did was leave out the spice because I wanted to authentically taste a chocolate-avocado dessert. I know they’ve been around a bit. While it doesn’t fall into your typical decadent Valentine’s special occasion dessert, it is worth having a mostly healthy dessert that was enjoyed by all of us.

Winter Break

Hello, and Happy Valentine’s Day. Let’s all enjoy a sweet little treat today.

We are out of school this week, and Jovie is already filling up her days. A lot of 4H stuff coming up. Which turned out nicely for her because we originally were planning a trip out west for this week. To go to the Hoover Dam afterall.

We decided not to travel right now. Between the pandemic and trying to coordinate things with gramma & grampa, it’s just not a good time to jet set.

Yesterday, Jovie kicked off the week by going rollerskating with a friend from school. She said it was fun and that she didn’t fall. 4H will be going ice-skating at the end of the week…. I wonder if she’ll be equally lucky. Wednesday she will take a trip to some local zoo. Today & tomorrow, there will be some of her regular club meetings.

Last week, she actually missed school to go to 4H Day at the Capitol. She said it was a good time. Lots of walking. They even got to visit a Representative at his office after having lunch with him. The neat thing about him is he is from Fayetteville, too, and he was in 4H back in the day.

She is ramping up a lot of competition-style clubs in the coming weeks. She’s enjoying the program and some of the kids!

holidays

well so many holidays have passed (and here we are on another holiday long weekend). none of our holidays were normal & typical, but they were nice enough nonetheless. we enjoyed our time together; enjoyed the lazy days; enjoyed the yummy food.

for thanksgiving, we went up to see gramma & had a semi-typical holiday meal. what i was almost just as excited for was getting indian takeout the night beforehand. football was watched, walks were taken, and grampa was dearly missed!

christmas was quite different this year. for the first time in 25 years, we did not spend christmas with gramma and grampa. after the whirlwind of this past autumn, we tried as well as we could to just enjoy relaxing together and making the most of things. it was nice to be able to talk to gramma & grampa; but we missed our normal traditions in some ways. in other ways, it was also nice to have a lazy pajama day. our intention was to go see gramma just after the holidays and spend a day or 2 there.

however, during the first 3 days of the break, jovie teen-led a 4H day camp. and promptly came home with covid. luckily, she’s been vaccinated (got her booster yesterday!) and likely it was omicron. so it wasn’t too bad. she felt kinda miserable, but she never got a fever, so it was a lot less than it could have been. so that meant we were staying indoors. perfect timing, except the planned trip to greenville.

The Mr. went up and helped gramma with some technology and spent 24 hours up there; trying to keep some distance, because at that point we weren’t positive what it was. she was confirmed and lazed around the entire break and was ready to go to school when it was time. lucky break! i think jovie was pretty bummed she wasn’t really eating a ton, so a lot of the fun christmas treats were not devoured.

for new year’s eve, we all stayed up again & waited for the countdown on Animal Crossing. (such a cute video game!!) lots of football was watched. some christmas movies. some marvel movies. lots of reading. and lots of yummy eating (for some of us).

and now, it is a blistery cold & rainy day. an enjoyable long weekend. we are hoping gramma is safe & sound (we hear greenville is getting/has lots of snow today!) …yet another weekend where we won’t leave the house for a couple days.

mask up & stay safe out there!

tippy toes just to be EVEN taller than gramma

we found a new path in gramma’s neighborhood!

autumn is awesome

jovie’s had a nice and busy autumn, so far. we are currently on our thanksgiving break. we’re looking forward to a quick trip up to g’ville to spend a few days eating & relaxing & visiting. things are gonna be different this year, but we are making the best of things!

this past weekend, she spent a very fun and busy 24hours on an overnight with a 4H conference. she had a blast!! The Mr. & i spent it being very boring and fuddy-duddy. we did what we always do…. football saturday and a nice autumn walk. but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

she’s been in drama club this past semester as an after-school activity. even though she has spent a lot of time on stage, this time, she wanted to do sets. she had a great time, and i was complimented by the teacher at how indispensable she was. i don’t have a great pic, and the other pics i have have other kids in them, so just forgive this one.

she also had a fantastic (and productive!) halloween. she filled up my regular mixing bowl all the way up!

she got to go with her friend anna, and i stayed home and spent time with gramma who was visiting. it was a perfect autumn evening, and i was so glad she got to go! she and anna were Hogwarts kids. (Jovie is a Hufflepuff).

it was also great that she got to be a part of her first Friendsgiving with 4H. lots of stuff going on; it’s been quite nice at times!

so much

The Mr. & i have been proud of how jovie has stepped into routines & school this year. and now we have a report card to prove she’s adapted well so far!

she continues to be heavily involved with 4H, and last night was her first Chorus concert since xmastime of 6th grade.

recently she got to enjoy several days off of school. during that time, she spent the weekend with our friend who lives here again- christina the nanny, the photogrpapher, the friend and now the mother. christina said she was a great help; and her little ones just adored jovie. jovie kept asking me how they have so much energy!

we’ve had a ton going on around here, since the date of my last post. our life turned upside down that day, so i am keeping this brief. but here’s some recent pictures just in case grampa or gramma are looking for some.

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5 weeks

we’re one day shy of finishing the 5th week of school. and unless something utterly crazy happens tomorrow i’d say it’s been going pretty well!

she’s mentioned a few friends. she more or less likes her classes and all her teachers except for one.

the transition of waking up, being “on” all day, doing homework— has all gone well. she’s handled it well and is pleasant. she’ll even occasionally share some things that are going on!

she signed up for drama club. she had waited in 6th grade and now’s her chance. she’s only had one meeting, so the jury’s still out. but i think it’ll be good. she knows some of the kids in it and she’s hoping to be behind the scenes.

all that on top of 4H. she’s really enjoying that and it kicks off a little more fully this month.

however, the other day she checked out of school early to do the forestry judging competition. she enjoyed a few hours with her friends. she did great, and her team placed 2nd.

she’ll have more judging classes, cooking class, service club, and some social events.

i can’t believe so much of school has already passed; now we’re looking forward to it FEELING like school (autumn weather)

this weekend is a super-long one with labor day and they’re off on tuesday.

we’ll watch hamilton on disney+ because she’s going with chorus to see it at the end of the month.

lots of fun!

y’all take care. mask up. and stay safe.

back to school

yesterday was the 1st day of school! jovie, the 8th grader, was a good sport. after not having to be at real school in 507 days she woke up as pleasant as can expect.

this year will be a transition for sure. but day 1 went pretty well. here’s hoping the next 178 go as well.

back to a crowded building with daily expectations and a gaggle of kids. back to learning on an all-day every-day basis, unlike virtual school, which was treated somewhat like a college schedule. back to new opportunities for extra-curriculars. she’s very excited to delve into 4H full-throttle this year. back to chorus, performing, and even field trips!

back to normal-ish.

IOU paid in full

i finally was able to get my pics uploaded to my computer. here’s just a glimmer of how lovely vermont is. and to let you know what a teenager looks like! (haha)

not a shabby picnic spot

moss glen falls

texas falls

that “warning” sign & that kid crack me up.

quechee gorge

bottom of quechee gorge

the bridge in the background is where i took the first photo. so proud that jovie went across it, too!

we snuck in New Hampshire! 31 states now. (Lebanon, NH)

she spent her 13th birthday in 2 libraries. this is in the Bixby Library in Vergennes, VT (their oldest town)

not a shabby picnic spot part 2

we were supposed to spend a few hours on this schooner in the front. lake champlain was quite windy that day, and sadly we had to cancel.

but the Ethan Allen III was departing around the same time, so we took this tour instead. Happy 13th birthday!-
The Mr. is ever funny, trading the beer in the pic.

we hated to say goodbye & leave our lovely view. (Lake Champlain; Burlington)

teen!

a lot has been goin on since i last popped on here! not the least of which is we have a bona fide teenager on our hands!

we were so fortunate that gramma & grampa came for a visit at the end of june to wish jovie a happy birthday, and since we haven’t seen them in ages. they must have heard through the grapevine that we had plans to go to Italian Oven for dinner for our first outing to celebrate all of us being vaccinated! That’s a favorite of all of ours, and it was perfect how it worked out.

on the 4th of july The Mr. had a rare time off from running the Peachtree Road Race. I know he missed it; and they really seemed to do a good job trying to support such a mainstay of Atlanta traditions. Hopefully next year will be normal again.

meanwhile, we enjoyed a relaxing day at home until the late afternoon where we headed for our trip to Vermont. The Mr. & i went 10 years ago and loved our time. we were so excited that they opened up tourists… our plans were up in the air a little bit for a while. we wanted to do something to celebrate jovie’s birthday. much like when she turned 11!

we rented a charming house which was the perfect location to lots of hiking and scenic drives. the house was incredible. the host even had some birthday gifts for jovie!!

we had such a great week. i have many lovely pictures…. all of which are currently stuck on my phone. when i can get them uploaded to my feisty computer, i’ll share!

we got in super late July 4th, and jovie and i got to see some fireworks from the plane. we did lots of hikes, had beautiful drives, many picnics, a few waterfalls, a swimming hole (a cliff to jump off for The Mr.), quite a few bookstores & 2 libraries.

we came home saturday evening and spent sunday doing laundry so jovie could go to her first away-camp experience. covid made a “week long camp” into basically a “2 1/2 day camp” but i’m sure she’s enjoying herself.

we are enjoying ourselves by watching handmaid’s tale and hopefully a dinner date.

IOU some great pictures. of a 13 year old!!! wow. i’ve always said she was born a teenager…….. but now here we are.

almost the end

so i guess it’s safe to assume not much is going on since i haven’t written since march!

we had a nice and relaxing spring break. we even went to the zoo one day. jovie’s done quite a few things with 4H, and her group got 2nd place in both Wildlife & Poultry Judging competitions.

we had no idea what all those things entailed, but she had to learn a lot!

and now, after a lovely mother’s day weekend, and quite a bit of lovely weather, we are nearing the end…..

of 7th grade. of lovely weather (really?? 95 soon before june!) & hopefully of covid? The Mr. & I have been fully vaccinated, and Jovie goes tomorrow for her first dose! HOORAY for being 12!

virtual school definitely had its perks!! as well as its challenges!

this year will probably be pretty memorable in her school-life. but she’s (mostly) looking forward to joining the world again for 8th grade. we were pretty much edging that way anyway….and now with the kids’ vaccine available, we can’t see what could happen that would change to make her virtual again.

[tho’, did anyone see March 13, 2020 coming??]

like most everyone, we are looking forward to being cautious, but mostly back to normal. summer plans are in the works, and we seem to be breathing a little easier.

be well, and stay safe!

tidbits

as you can imagine, there’s not a whole lot to tell. we mostly keep to ourselves these days (for the past year)… although we do let jovie go to 4H …classes? meetings? activities…. whatever they are called. it is socially distanced and masked up. outside when appropriate. & with i think like 4 or 5 kids.

she’s been doing things with them for a couple years now. sadly, our town doesn’t have a lot of participation, so it’s half-expected some fun nights get canceled.

she is currently doing some activities that have been scheduled weekly. so now our life feels a little more normal and when you look at our menu board and see “easy night” 2x a week- that sounds much more like pre-pandemic!

this past weekend, jovie got to do a virtual summit through them that was about ocean conservation and endangered species. she thought it was fun/interesting. it’s a shame, because I think this weekend would have been offered as an overnight in savannah had things been in normal-times.

we are looking forward to being able to probably visit with gramma & grampa for a bit on Easter. luckily they will have had their full dose by then, and barring any side effects, we will settle in for some mac n cheese! [this is grampa’s favorite!]

spring break is right after that. this is the first year (other than last year’s panic chaos) we are purposefully not planning anything. The Mr. & i kept going back and forth. some of our favorite houses are already booked up. and with it being the day after easter, we figured we’d wanna stick around and enjoy just some time off of school. i think we have a couple hikes planned, and jovie would like to go to the zoo again. that’d be nice. we haven’t been as a family since she started kindergarten!!! we used to go a ton when we had more time during the week.

all 3 of us are doing pick’ems for march madness. this past weekend was fun. winner gets to choose dessert.

and i’m looking forward to braves opening day. i already have hotdogs on the menu!

spring has sprung and it’s been lovely and enjoyable (so far).

hope yours is too. mask up. stay home. let’s get back to normal!

cozy break

even though it seems quite unfathomable now, what with the windows open, the sun shining and a picture-perfect 70* day- not too long ago we spent a very cold and cozy break in a house we rented on Lake Hartwell.

the impetus for this vacation house was so we could deliver some of that Thanksmastine’s turkey to gramma & grampa. we were there 2 weeks ago and the weather changed dramatically after we left. but it was awesome anyways. it was quite chilly but still lovely to look out at the lake. the house was charming, and it was near enough that we could spend all day with gramma & grampa. we fed them lunch and dinner, and it was all laid back, informal, and cozy! the day before they came was rainy and chilly…. the perfect day for a PJ’s & movies day. complete with hot cocoa!

since the rain stopped for their visit, we all decided to take a little excursion to Hartwell Dam and walk around in the winter day. it was nice to get out and about and walk around a place none of us had been to. incidentally, 2 years ago when we adopted the school calendar, i already had going to a dam all mapped out for this week-long break. it’s the wrong dam, but i guess it’s what we get in the middle of a worldwide pandemic!

NOT THE HOOVER DAM

we enjoyed our time, and feel so fortunate we got to do this and travel safely! luckily they will be getting their vaccinations soon and we’re already making plans to visit for easter. which will be so welcomed after last year’s covid-cancellation.

Thanksmastine’s Day

i’ve been ordering my meat from ButcherBox for years. we’ve been very happy with the ability to have organic and sustainable meats delivered to our door. it is anxiety-saving, especially in the early days of the pandemic!

long ago- before we knew what would ultimately end up happening for celebrating Thanksgiving with gramma & grampa, i ordered a big ol’ turkey. i did not intend for it to be quite so large, but what they sent was 17 whole pounds of turkey! woah.

then, i saw that since it seemed like we just wanted a quick afternoon visit, i saw that i could order just a breast… so that’s when we had turkey sandwiches on thanksgiving. …. with that big ol’ turkey still in the freezer.

then i saw i could order a ham, so we had ham sandwiches on christmas for another quick afternoon visit….. with that big ol’ turkey still in the freezer.

now it’s valentine’s day and that turkey needs to get eaten, and our freezer needs to get emptied. so just us 3 are going to enjoy a Thanksmastine’s turkey dinner. but luckily, we planned it so we can give some of the many many leftovers it will provide to gramma & grampa, too. jovie’s out of school next week and we will be able to have a nice visit with them for an afternoon. plus i can give them some homemade food. win-win!

we are looking forward to a break from school for a bit. sleeping late and watching movies, along with playing video games…. can’t wait!

stay safe out IN there.

nice time of year

even though we are facing so many challenges in the country/world, it is a nice time of year so far. we are enjoying a start to a lazy christmas “break”. tho’ with The Mr. working from home, and jovie doing school virtually, it seems less like a break and just more of the same. (jovie would beg to differ, though, because NO SCHOOL WORK). i definitely feel so very fortunate and try to keep that in the forefront of my mind!

we had an awesome start on monday by going to observe the “christmas star”- the conjunction of saturn & jupiter. we actually went to jovie’s (old) elementary school to view it. and when we came home, it was right over our neighbor’s house. so i have a photo of our cul-de-sac.

we have been enjoying playing video games & reading. we’ve gone to look at xmas lights and even got to enjoy the CFA peppermint milkshake. today (christmas eve) is a rainy day; bringing cold weather just in time tomorrow.

we are excited that gramma & grampa are going to come spend the afternoon with us tomorrow. we know we will do like at thanksgiving, and wear masks and be distant. but we are looking forward to seeing them again for a little while.

have a wonderful holiday season, and enjoy the hindsight that will soon be 2020.

much luck and good wishes in 2021!

giving thanks

in this horrible year of years, i try very hard to be grateful; and to remind The Mr. & jovie of the little nice things we can still be thankful for. and the current thing we are all thankful for (besides our obvious decent health) is that we were able to spend some time with Gramma & Grampa.

yes, our Thanksgiving definitely looked a little different this year, but it was a fantastic day, nonetheless.

because the CDC recommended smaller get-togethers, even though it’s always just the 5 of us, we wanted to at least limit the amount of time we usually spend for the holiday. initially i was a little bummed about not having some of our traditions upheld. but we made it work, and parts of it worked out even better. The Mr. especially liked the less work and cleanup feature of it.

so instead of spending a few days together, we were so thankful gramma & grampa made the drive to come down for lunch and then leave before night. we hated all that driving for grampa, but i think he was well-rested (and definitely well-fed).

so instead of the traditional turkey spread, i just made a turkey breast (in the slow cooker, even! saved up the oven) and we sliced it with our electric knife….it sounded like Potter Thanksgiving for sure! and we had sandwiches. i did make sweet potato souffle & cranberry sauce, but that was mostly to make it “holiday-esque” and we all enjoyed sandwiches and chips in front of the TV with all the windows open. watching those poor lions lose their football game on Thanksgiving…… i guess some traditions are still upheld.

it was so great to visit. it was relaxing for sure. and of course, there were pies! that’s always pretty welcomed.

after they had to leave, we just continued doing a lot of what we normally do. video games, reading, football. and then, even though i staunchly refuse to acknowledge christmas until december first, it was my suggestion to watch an xmas movie that night! we watched Klaus. so adorable! popcorn (and coke!) for dinner. it was pretty fabulous!

we are not sure what christmas will bring… we are hopeful we’ll get to spend at least part of it together! even though, no doubt, it will look different. until then, i will remain grateful for anything i can be.

everyone mask up, stay home, and be safe.

so overdue!

I know grampa is wanting to see the blog updated on his new ipad. Sorry grampa!

october is (the best!) almost over. unbelievably.

it has been a good month, as far as pandemic months go.

the highlight was when we ventured back to that same lovely mountain house to break up the days. it was lovely. the colors were beginning to show; and even in the few days we were there we saw more come through by the end!

it was especially lovely that gramma & grampa came up for a day to enjoy it as well! we celebrated by having Easter Dinner. but with apple pie for dessert. because- autumn!

we had pretty awesome weather. not as cool or chilly, but not too hot either. some rainy lazy days. watching the braves (woot woot!) and saturday football with fog surrounding us.

we left the house one day after the rain and drove around. it was really very nice. and when we left to go back home, i realized that i didn’t wear shoes once. a slipper vacation!! perfect.

it was so great to visit with gramma & grampa. even with all the extra precautions we took. we have missed them. jovie was talkative (!!) while i was in the kitchen making dinner. so glad to know she can enjoy them.

the rest of october has been pretty nice.

—we went hiking one day and enjoyed the scenery at a place we’ve been quite a few times before.

—my birthday weekend was pretty spectacular. the weather cooperated and that is 90% what i need for a decent birthday.

— jovie has had a few masked/socially distanced 4H activities, so it’s been nice having her go out and about a little bit.

it’s kind of weird how 7months later and i’m STILL not sure how time is marching on so quickly. october is quickly leaving us.

since last year jovie stopped trick-or-treating, it makes this year much easier to not worry about. we will have our own fun. apparently the movie Hocus Pocus is all the rage; so we plan to have a movie night with marshmallow popcorn, candy corn, & another fun little dessert.

i will leave you with some nice pix….

hiking @ sprewell bluff

the mountain house with some color

Easter Dinner…. 6months later

foggy,rainy Saturday… perfect for football

A first!

we interrupt this blog about jovie to document that i had my first true pizza! not that anyone is keeping track, but i already said i had my first pizza way back when in Arizona!

that was delicious, for sure! but it was probably more like a bacon cheddar bread than anything else. however, since it had been ordered as a pizza, i maintained that i had a pizza.

The Mr. doesn’t buy it. after 25 years of togetherness, he still brings up more often than would be expected the fact that i don’t eat pizza.

so early on in this pandemic, as i was trying my hand at pizza doughs, i was going to make a delicious pizza with garlic white sauce that i could eat. that didn’t pan out because, according to The Mr., a pizza is tomatoey and probably pepperoni-y and sausagey.

yesterday i was feeling inspired and i made TWO pizzas. so he could have his boring one. and i can try this delicious one…

i am SO very glad i found the food blog Baked by Rachel. she also isn’t a fan of tomatoey! so when i saw this- i knew i wanted it.

and NOW i know i LOVE IT! guess who else loves it??? The Mr. he literally ate his words and was very happy with this actual, real live, true pizza that is not tomatoey.

i guess it is now making its rotation on pizza saturdays!

added spinach instead of onions from her recipe