Summertime, Socially Distanced of Course

Our summer is quickly coming to an end with schools starting soon.  Our oldest goes back to college in two weeks!  The youngest goes in three weeks and our middle goes in 4.  Three kids at 3 different schools is fun, really.  I am thankful they are all in-state.  We are 1 hour and 15 minutes from two of the schools and 1 hour 30 minutes from the other.  They are just far enough away that coming home is possible but not likely to happen too often.  For the first month, they will stay put and we will come to them if they need anything.  The semester will go quickly as they will all be home for 8 weeks the end of  November.  Already looking forward to it! 

Monday our state becomes a masked state.  I know it is a controversy, especially if you have clinical reasons not to wear a mask.  I just wear mine and go about my life.  Hopefully, this trial will ease some soon. 

We did manage to get up to Lake Michigan for a day trip on Jeff's staycation week.  We were able to avoid the crowded beach.  We had a yummy lunch at one of our favorite restaurants.  We walked up a dune trail.  We sat on the beach and read books while Grace produced a lovely watercolor.  I never want to take for granted again these times with my kids at the beach.  I was tempted to despair a little.  I wanted a week at the beach, not 3 hours!  But I realized that 3 hours was more than some get so I needed to be thankful for them.  

We have been riding our bikes, playing disc golf, walking to the little park when the weather is not unbearable. We were going to go camping but the weather turned super hot and humid so we have put that on hold for September and October.  I am looking forward to camping this fall, something Jeff and I can do together without children.  

Speaking of the empty nest, since the kids have been home since March, I am ready to send them off!  It is time for them to be working towards something productive. Yes, I will miss the daily interactions.  I will probably not hear from the oldest very often.  I will eagerly await any and all text messages.  Thankfully, I have been down this road a couple times now and I am prepared for the emotional toll.  I am actually looking forward to a few of the perks of the empty nest, especially, less food to buy and fewer dishes to wash.  It has been 22 years since Jeff and I lived alone.  

Summertime freedom is almost over but there is still a lot of summer left to enjoy! 

Normal Life

Oops!  I missed a week!  I think it was due to that "getting back to reality" adjustment after the holidays' thing.  Life is now back to our normal with work, school, church and the like.   I think this will be a "newsy" post since there is nothing else coming to my mind!

We got both college students back to their schools.  I only cried a little.  Is it so bad that I love being with them?  I do really like them. We had such a lovely break.  I  wish they could be here and at the same time I know I would never really want that.  I want them off making a life for themselves.  Who knows, maybe they will come back and live around here after graduation. 

Our youngest started his last semester of high school and I have, as they say, "all the feels!"  First of all, I have senioritis which started last year when our daughter was a senior.  I am tired of school.  There, I said it.  Ha.  Thankfully, he is able to do it all on his own and he doesn't share my apathy.  He is expecting another college acceptance letter any day now.  He can basically go wherever he pleases with his good SAT score and grades.  Yay! Secondly, I find myself often thinking about how life will change when he is away at school.  I will be doing a chore and think, "Who will help me do this then?"  Please tell me I will be OK.  His leaving will be hard!!!  I am at the stage where I cling to each opportunity to do anything for him as it was my last chance. 

Jeff has returned to work. He is doing so well. I am so thankful for this blessing.  I feel as if he is getting a second chance at life!! 

We are enjoying a bit of a quiet weekend with all three children gone, our youngest being at a winter retreat.  It has been a lovely day at home doing as we please.  Maybe life after kids will be more pleasant than I fear? 

Have a lovely week and do stop by again!  (Do you like my new coffee table?  The cats are not sure.)
~Jenn

My Happy Spring "This and That" Post

We are now in the season that I dearly love! Gone are the extremes of winter!!  Well, not totally gone. We are expecting a snow storm tonight and tomorrow.  But for all intents and purposes, the weather will moderate and life will improve a great deal because of it.

Last week, my dear college student was home.  We had a great time.  We got to see a couple movies as a family.  Mostly we just enjoyed being together.  This is a huge praise as things were not as friendly at the beginning of the school year.

While Ryan was home we celebrated his belated 20th birthday.  It was so odd not actually seeing him on his special day.  We did have birthday cookies delivered to him at the dorm, but it wasn't the same.  This is the hard side of letting go!  (It's all hard!!)

This coming Friday, the other two students are going to Quebec with their grandparents for 5 days.  They have their passports and are eager to see the sights.  I know they are going to have the best time.  Trevor will get to practice all the French he is learning.

My mouth continues to heal.  In two weeks I can have coffee again.  (Yay!)  I even survived the start of daylight savings time without coffee.  I was tempted to get an iced coffee that day but decided to be tough.  It is interesting how I used to think that I needed coffee to survive.  I am actually glad to know that I am not addicted to caffeine.

While the kids are away, my dear aunt is coming for a few days.  I am trying to think of something fun to do.  I know how to entertain children and teens, but not sure what an older woman would want to do.  Perhaps we will go to an antique mall or two.  I love those!

Tax season ends in 26 days!  Right now my dear husband is working ridiculous hours, but soon we will have him back.  I am so thankful that he has a good job and good health.

There are only 66 more calendar days until the end of our school year.  There is still plenty to do. Trevor is working on a term paper.  He also has more state-mandated testing in April.  Grace has that SAT to prepare for.

Both kids are going to the school's prom in April.   Trevor is on the prom committee.  Grace will be taking a good friend.  Our families will be having dinner out and then take the kids to the venue.  We have purchased a lovely dress for Grace and rented a tux for Trevor.  Fancy!

We celebrated the year anniversary of adopting our little Pippin the Cat.  He is such a joy and big part of our family.  I cannot imagine life without him.

A few pictures...

Until Next Time,
Jenn

Life These Days

Wow, it is hot!  We have had a string of 6 days over 90 degrees F which is very unusual for our part of the world.  We have also been in a drought.  Our world is brown, yellow and fading green.

Otherwise, things have been in a good routine with our schooling.  The kids are excelling in their online school.  Grace is active in the National Honor Society with weekly peer tutoring and a new mentorship program starting up.  Both Trevor and Grace love their youth group.  In fact, Trevor is going with some friends from church to watch another friend's soccer game and have dinner tonight. Grace and I are starting to explore colleges.  It is an exciting time to be her! It is an exciting time to be them.

As for me, I have been taking meals to others in need.  I have found that a good roasted chicken makes a nice meal for a new baby's family or someone who has been ill.  Plus, it covers a lot of the different restrictions on grains, eggs, dairy, and whathaveyou.  This last week I took a meal to someone who has an egg, gluten, dairy, soy, red meat free diet.  Challenge accepted!  I took her a roasted chicken with honey/cilantro glazed roasted carrots, mashed potatoes (vegan butter) and a cut up cantaloupe.

We have all decided we need to be more active physically, so we have returned to riding our bikes. It has been too hot to walk, but I feel that we will be back to walking when things cool off.  Jeff is back to playing disc golf.  I will join him, again when it cools off.  And we plan to bowl at least once a month.  Bowling can be expensive though.  

Grace and I have been enjoying being a part of the Kindness Rocks Project.  We are painting rocks, hiding them for people to find and be encouraged.  Have you found any rocks in your area?

Well, that is us in a nutshell.  We are blessed.  We are trying to bless others.  What more can one hope for?

May, You Sure Went by Quickly

May, you sure went by quickly!  School finished up and a first graduation came upon us.  We celebrated quietly with just the grandparents and our family.  The graduate requested no big open house.

We also started bowling with the Kids Bowl Free program.  So far we have managed to go quite a few times and are enjoying the challenge of learning a new activity.  We are so lousy but it is fun.

We have no camping trips planned as we are trying to save money to get the house ready to sell, hopefully by the end of the summer.  We need to get our graduate ready to go to college before we list the house.  It is too emotional to do both at the same time.  Patience is called for here.  Houses are selling so quickly, too. The timing is just not right at the moment.

June is shaping up to be a full month as well, but not as crazy as last year.  We can now find time to visit the library!  All winter I had been only reading their ebooks.  We also will visit our city's zoo, swim, take a day trip to the lake, and hopefully spend some time playing board games, reading and relaxing, the usual summer stuff.

Grace and I got our garden boxes planted.  I am very excited about them.  This year I have started 12 sunflower seeds.  Will the bunnies let me have a few grow into beautiful blooms?  Time will tell.

How is your summer shaping up?

Halfway Through Winter

This coming Thursday we hit the halfway through winter mark!  Time to celebrate! Perhaps I will bake a cake.  Yes, for certain I will.  And I am going to start making plans for Valentine's Day.  I love to celebrate this holiday as a way to show God's love to my family.  I cannot wait!

 Last week was so wet and dreary that today's sunshine is most welcome.  My new favorite winter day is sunny and above freezing.  Thankfully, this week might just be filled a few of these wonderful days.

The sunrise from my favorite beach cam.

 It is also going to be a wonderful week because I don't have many extra social engagements on my calendar.  Last week was too busy.  You know it is too busy of a weekend when you are secretly longing for Monday so that you can be home!

Eiffel Tower picture from my mom's trip.  

Best of all, my sweet mother and father are back from their trip to Paris, France.  Oh, how I missed them.  I talk to my mom each day, so a whole 10 days without a hello is too long.  I savored every text she was able to send my way last week.

Mom and her exhausted puppy, finally home! 

My list of books to read has grown.  I am currently trying to read five books and not doing so well, as I bought a new book this week and downloaded an electronic library book.  I must stop and finish a few before I add any more to the ever growing stack.  This must stop.  :)

Better get reading!

We have received our state testing dates and times.  These tests no longer strike terror into the hearts of my sweet children.  They are so smart, they say,"bring it!"  :)  I love their work ethics with their school work.  They love their online school.

My darlings.

Lastly, I am contemplating how to help a little outside cat who likes to hang around our bird feeder. There is a community cat program that loans traps to people for strays.  The cats are seen by vets and neutered if needed.  They are then brought back to the community where they came from.  I have set up a shelter and feeding station with a heated water dish.  He seems very scared of people.  I need to go over and talk to the people about getting a trap, I guess. I hesitate because I do not know how that would all happen.  I must go investigate.  At the moment he seems well enough.

My adorable Dorothy. 

So there we have a little this and that from my corner of the world.  I hope that your week is off to a good start!