I Don't Know What Day It Is

I'm not really sure what day this is of the quarantine.  Day 18-19-20?  I just know that we are following the "Stay At Home" order from Governor Mike DeWine and we have been Distance Learning for almost 2 weeks now.  So I think that means we've been social distancing for 18 days but it's all such a blur.

Distance learning is going fine.  I could do better, but we are doing ok.  I set up a schedule for the seven year old today so he's not playing Nintendo Switch for 12 hours a day.  But it's hard.  What else is there to do?  It's sunny and 55 today but it's been cold and rainy the last several days.  Even today, it's so windy that I felt like I was walking through a wind storm on my daily walk.

The daily walk.  The daily walk is my saving grace.  I don't know what I'd do without that little reprieve.  I need that to clear my head and try to keep my stress levels down.  I have to keep reminding myself to "put it in God's hands".  But I do better at some times vs. others.  I'm trying.

The high school has the older boys on a pretty good schedule and I don't really need to do much there.  But I know the separation from friends is very difficult for them.  It's especially difficult because not people are following the social distancing guide lines.  That makes me the "bad" guy because I will not yield on this issue.  I wish I could fix this for them and make it better, but it's out of my hands and clearly in Gods.


Even more difficult then social distancing is keeping them in food.  I do not want to set foot into a grocery store if I don't have to.  I've been trying to use pick up or Instacart delivery.  I don't like the fact that Instacart adds $30-40 dollars to my weekly grocery bill with fees and tips but I really don't like exposing my family to the corona virus either by visiting stores which appear to be packed every day.  We are fine on food and there is no issue there, except that I have to shop weekly and the amount that I'm spending is causing me massive stress.  But these boys can eat!  And I don't know what to do.

I miss church.  I miss mass.  I miss receiving the Eucharist.  We are a little over one week away from Easter and I can't wrap my brain around the fact we will not have Easter Sunday service.  We are watching mass on YouTube, but it's a small consolation.

I'm not even going to touch on the fact that I have a high school senior this year and prom, graduation, even college in the fall are all in jeopardy.

I am thankful that right now, we are all healthy.  We have a safe home, food, and I scored some toilet paper from Amazon the other day.  We have each other (even if a child who shall remain nameless is mad at me right now).  Our extended family seems to be healthy (even if they are putting themselves at risk by not following the social distancing requirements as well as they should be).  I'm thankful that spring is on it's way and not winter.  At least we'll be able to get outside on a regular basis soon enough.  I'm thankful that we have this time together.  It's uninterrupted and that 's what I had wished for (less sports, more family time).

So for right now I'm going to focus on all the positive (and I'm going to stop on-line shopping so much).  I'm asking God to protect all of us and if you are reading this, that includes you.

Unprecidented Times

Well, I've been crafting a blog post in my head for weeks.  I was going to tell you about how I'm preparing for Lent.  I was going to post pictures of my Lenten tree or our Lenten table.  I was going to tell you what I was reading and what I think about it.  But I've been busy.  And while I construct blog posts in my head.  I don't actually put them here.

But in light of the Corona virus, it all seems to so mundane and nonsensical.  I'm not terrified and I'm not hording toilet paper (although I bought some today).  But I am concerned and I'm praying because I'm not sure too many of us in our time have had this type of situation happen to us.

Yes, I was 31 and pregnant during September 11 and I remember all of it vividly.  I will never forget that day.  It was horrific and terrifying.  This is different though.  It doesn't just affect the U.S., it affects the entire world.

I honestly don't know what to think.  I'm following the CDC.  I have doctor friends and actual doctors of my son sharing information.

Obviously school is out and we will be staying home and social distancing.  It's not easy with active teens, but I'm not bending on that issue.

I still plan on attending mass on Sundays.  I need the Lord right now more than ever.  Missing mass seems so wrong to me.  But I'm not sure about Easter mass.  It's usually so crowded and there is barely room to breathe.  That one I have to seriously think through.  I can't imagine missing Easter mass, but right now, I can't imagine going either.

I'm not so concerned about myself.  I'm concerned about my immunocompromised son.  He has barely controlled asthma.  He's my main concern at the moment.  I'm also concerned for my immunocompromised parents.  I wish they would self-isolate.  But I know they can't.

So stay safe my friends.  I'm praying for you and for all of us.  Maybe I'll do a Lenten post at a later date.  But right now these are unprecedented times.  And I'm at a loss for words, a loss for what to do.  All I have is prayer.

Corona Virus information from the CDC

Social Distancing Fact Sheet

Corona Virus Prayers from Finer Femininity

How to pray the rosary

January: It's Cold

Yes, I know I live in Ohio.  Yes, I know this weather is typical.  No, I don't care.  I'm not a lover of cold.  I'm just not.
But I'm trying to get better with it.  My favorite form of exercise is walking.  So I'm still trying to get outside and walk a few days a week even when it's cold outside (but not today.  Today I'm sick and it's only 7 degrees outside, so NO WAY).

We've actually been very lucky.  The snow this year has been a minimum and the weather has been warmer than normal.  But of course all that changed at the end of last week.  And as luck would have it, my son had a wrestling tournament in southern Ohio over the weekend when the snow storm hit.  Due to his food allergies, I made sure that I went and took all his safe food for him.  I also ended up being the food lady for the team.  So loaded up with several coolers and my 50 pound suit case (I do not pack lightly), I left the day before the storm and headed to Cincinnati for the tournament.  It's a four hour drive and I was by myself.  I'm not usually an audio book person, but I downloaded an audio book from our library and it really helped make the trip pleasant and made time seem to go quickly.  I love that the library also has audio books and digital books that you can take out at no cost.  That audio book saved me!  I found the book by recommendation on the Simply Luxurious Life blog.  The book is Death at the Chateau Bremont by M.L. Longworth and the mystery was very entertaining.  Some of the reviews for the book mentioned that there were too many details of French cuisine and life in France in general, but I really liked those parts.  I'm interested in French food and French culture so for me, it was an added bonus.  I plan on continuing with the series, but right now, I'm in the middle of two other books, so it will have to wait.

Luckily we missed the second snow storm on the way home too.  I'm a nervous wreck driving in the snow and I prayed to miss it all, and we did.  Prayers answered.

The tournament was good and two of our four guys placed.  My son is a newer wrestler, so it was good experience for him.  But I am glad that it's our only tournament that we have to travel to.

In other news:

In a few weeks, my oldest son turns 18.  How is that even possible?  18?  It's just amazing to me how quickly time goes.  I always want to impress to moms of littles how quickly it goes and to enjoy every minute.  But when you are in the midst of those "littles" years, that is really the last thing you want to hear.  It can be hard.  And tiring.  And you really can't enjoy every moment because in many of those moments, you want to run and hide.  But believe me, those moments ARE hard, but they go by SO quickly, even when it doesn't feel like it.  Even if you can't enjoy every moment, try to take it all in.  Those years are so precious.  I'd suggest starting a diary or an online blog/journal and writing down the daily mundane.  It's sweet to go back and revisit those days.  Before you know it, 18 years will be gone in a blink.

Things I like for January:

Essential Oils for mood (I don't sell oils and I don't buy from one particular company, so I'm not hocking anything here):  Essential Oil for Treating SAD (graphic on Pinterest) I like citrus blends, thieves oil, or a blend of peppermint, lavender, and lemon.

Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea This tea is so cozy and uplifting at the same time.  It's my favorite for this time of year.

Sherpa Throw from Walmart  This blanket is such a great size and it is super warm.  And it's SOFT! The kids fight over who gets to use it.

When I walk outside, I wear these leggings under my heavy sweat pants.  They are fairly warm.  If I were rolling around in the snow, I'd probably want something else, but for walking, these are plenty warm and the price is right.

From Thanksgiving, a birthday, Christmas, to New Years

 SO MUCH has gone on since mid November.

First we had Thanksgiving.  There were 11 of us.  And this year we did two turkeys.  One I did traditionally in the oven and the other my husband fried.  It was a nice, relaxing day.  I love Thanksgiving.  It's just a relaxed holiday with zero expectations.

The power went out the day before Thanksgiving but I was still able to get prep done with my handy dandy headlight lamp

The main table.  We also had a kids table in the kitchen.

The oven baked turkey.

Next up was my 50th birthday.  I'd rather not even discuss turning 50, but it did happen.  My husbands company Christmas party was at our house on my birthday weekend, so my husband planned the celebration for the following week.  I requested NO PARTY and I put my mom in charge of making sure that no party happened.  She did a great job because of course my husband wanted to do a party.  But instead he planned a night at a local glass works where we made Christmas ornaments and then went to dinner.  It was a fun night with just our family of 5, my parents, and my mother in law.

Me getting some instruction on working with glass.

Next up is Christmas.  It was a wonderful day spent with family.  The boys loved all their gifts and I love watching them open them.  It's 6 months worth of effort over in 45 minutes.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.

This years tree.

A gift from his big brother.

The aftermath.

And lastly New Years Eve.  It was another quiet night with just the 5 of us to start with and then just 4 of us because the 17 year old went to a friends house.  We usually do fondue, but we decided to have homemade chicken wings and French fries.  I bought everything for the fondue, but we were too full for it so maybe we'll use it this weekend instead.  After food, we decided to watch The Swiss Family Robinson on Disney+.  3 of the 4 of us made it to midnight.  The 7 year old went down at 11 pm.

Some of the wings.

I love homemade fries

The fondue pots were on standby.  Maybe we'll use them this weekend instead.

I can't believe the holidays are over.  It just goes by so fast.  But it was good and I couldn't ask for anything more.  Now on to the new year.  I'm hoping to get this house more organized in the new year.  I'm joining The Bowl Full of Lemons 2020 Home Organization Challenge.  I follow her on Instagram and I find her so inspirational.  I may or may not update my organizing here.  So stay tuned for future updates on how that's going and also what our family is doing in 2020.  Lots of major happenings this year!

Senior Night

I realized I never came back and updated on Senior Night.  I did manage to go and get something decent to wear.  I always feel like I'm a troll because I'm an older mom.  I know clothes won't fix that, but if it makes me feel better, than so be it.  It was 20 degrees that night so most people looked like they were going out to shovel snow.  I was vain enough to not even wear a coat.

I still can't believe that I have a senior.

And Halloween went ok.  We did not get anymore kids than we have the last few years, but I did FINALLY get to meet that new neighbors (who aren't that new) and their sweet baby girl.  And mom is having another baby in March.  Maybe our Halloweeners will increase with all the new babies!

My guys:  The Cow, Ice King (from Forte Nite), and a Cleveland Indians player.

Halloween and More

Tomorrow is Halloween.  I think I'm ready.  I really do think that I should get more candy.  But we usually get 7 kids trick or treating so I've probably got MORE than enough.  But a few new kids moved into the neighborhood so I'm hopeful that we'll get more.  But this is a "negative" for living rural.  At the peak, we would get 20-25 trick or treaters.  But that was when the neighborhood was new and most of the families (almost ALL families actually) had young children.  18 years later and most of the kids have grown up and moved out.  And the ones still here are older, like my oldest two at ages 17 and 15.  We used to get kids from the surrounding farms, but even those kids have aged out and moved on.  It's sometimes sad to see the changing households.  BUT we do have a few grandkids that have come, and we do have a few new little ones so I'm hopeful that I'll get a few glimpses of Halloween cuteness.

Friday is Senior Night for football.  That I AM NOT ready for.  We got word 3 days before senior night that parents will accompany their sons on the field.  I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR.  This is what happens when mom puts herself last all the time.  So I'm hoping to go shopping tomorrow to buy an outfit that isn't 8 years old.  But I got an email today requesting that I help out with the first grade Halloween party tomorrow.  Some how I have to fit this all in and make it work.  It's not the end of the world if I don't get anything new, but I really hate to look like a homeless person on my sons big night.  This is of course my own fault.  I didn't buy anything new last year because I was going to lose weight.  Well, that didn't happen.  And all of my old clothes just got older.  I noticed the "shabby chic" look of my clothes as the weather got colder.  I did buy myself a new trench coat (my old one was discolored) and I bought two new pair of fall shoes (my other ones were falling apart).  And I bought new workout shoes last week (the old ones blew out and caused my ankle to bleed).  So not only is buying everything at one time expensive, but it's stressful.  Lesson learned.

1.  Don't wait to lose weight to buy something new.

2.  Replace things as they start to look shabby.

3.  Don't always put yourself last.


So wish me luck getting everything done before time runs out.  And wish me luck that I don't bawl like a baby on the football field on Senior Night.

It's Fall Ya'All.

It's fall!  It's my favorite season.  I love the warm days and the cool nights.  I love the changing color of the leaves.  I LOVE the smell in the air.  That smell is earthy and spicy and just magical to me.

I love fall!

I'm not going to think about what happens next (I'm not a fan of old man winter).  But I love fall.

The older I get though, the more melancholy I get at the end of summer.  Summer is warm and full of fun, sun, and precious memories.  It's the most time we get to spend with the kids.  Whether it's vacation or just carting them back and forth to sports, it's OUR time with these wonderful boys.  During the school year, they are not ours.  They belong to school, sports, friends, etc.  But during summer, they are all ours.

In the fall, they go back to all those things that take then away from us. It's their time.  It's them growing and moving forward.  And that's the way it's supposed to be, even if it makes me sad.

But even though I feel a bit melancholy, it's still my favorite time of year.

I have my candles ready.  I have some new ones this year.  I've only stuck with fall scents so far.

Dried Lavendar & Oak is my favorite so far.

I bought Farmstand Festival but I haven't lit it yet.

Spireside Ghostly Castle is my Halloween scent.  I really like it.

South candle Campfire reminds of fireplace or an outdoor campfire.  It's a really nice scent.

I did not buy this one (YET!) but today I came across Root Candle Tabacco Vanilla  It's such a nice, relaxing scent (I'm sure I will buy this one before he season is done).


I have also bought some Lori Mitchell figurines for Halloween.  I have a few for each holiday.  They are too cute.  But we thought we had the candy corn kids and it turns out we did not.  So of course we HAD to stop into our favorite store Chagrin Valley Antiques to pick them up.  And we ended up picking up those AND a few more.  And finding some that I just have to have for Christmas.

Chagrin Valley Antiques is one of my favorite stores.  I have been going there for almost 20 years.  The owners are amazing people.  I had not had the opportunity to go there for a few months.  And I really missed it.  Sadly, I found out that Tom, one of the owners passed away unexpectedly.  Please keep his wife in your prayers.  She is an amazing lady and they have been a part of our lives for so long.  I'm heartbroken for her and for our community.  We lost an amazing person.

The boys also went to homecoming.  At least the big two did.  The seven year old is still my baby.  They both had a great time.  I'd post pictures, but they asked that I NOT do that so you'll just have to take my word on how handsome they looked.

The oldest is playing football this fall and the middle is playing fall baseball.  Sports have kept us busy.

Last week we hosted Senior Football Dinner.  22 senior boys descended upon my house.  THOSE KIDS CAN EAT.  Luckily, the weather was good enough for me to set them up on the patio.  And luckily we did not run out of food.  They are 22 special young men and it was a pleasure to have them. I used That Hawiian Guy's BBQ for the food and it was delicious.  If you are local, please check them out.  Not only is the food amazing, but so is the owner.

And that's my update for now.  I know more has gone on but this is the major high lights.  We do not have Halloween costumes yet.  But we planted mums. College applications are in the works and FAFSA is completed. Hopefully I can get on here more often and update with minor coming and goings.  But for now, this is the crux of it.

So happy fall ya'all.  Enjoy every moment, every scent, every color, and every second.