Happenings

 Well, have you been checking out the new bloggers?  Miss Makin' Lemonade and Teen Angst?  Just kidding, The Mind of a Teen Boy?  They're making me look bad with how often they blog, but let's be real, they just want to be on the computer.  ;)  There's been a lot happening here, so I figured I'd catch you up with pictures.

He looks so different here, no?

The kids steal my phone more often than not these days.

They went to the father/daughter dance a couple weeks ago.  They had a good time.  They got there kind of late, so Marz didn't get any Chick-Fil-A nuggets.  She was scorned.

Marz wanted to try to make macarons.  It wasn't a complete success.

The directions said that you should be able to hold the meringue over your head without it falling out.  I'm glad she was the guinea pig.

Alas, they didn't turn out.  We tried.  I'm sure we'll try again later after I've recovered.

The kids got so many Monopoly games for Christmas.  We finally got around to playing Bibleopoly.  It was interesting especially when you had to tell something about the biblical city on the board.  

Again with my phone

On Fat Tuesday when we were trying to eat all the food, someone put a Samoa into the sugar cookie container.  We all thought it was funny and denied doing it.

I can't remember why I took this picture, but it's funny to me.  I'm pretty sure I sent it to Kevin and captioned it with, "Yours."

And taking my phone again

For the macarons, there was a buttercream icing recipe.  For Valentine's Day, Marz made a strawberry cake, and we tried to make homemade buttercream icing.  I heard it was good since I didn't try any.

Do you see what I mean?!?!?

Our friends gave the kids Marvel temporary tattoos.  I saw Marz putting on one, and then I turned around to this!  

And this!

Meanwhile in Relic land...

I made a new corner in my bedroom to pray or sit and talk on the phone.  There was no other place to sit but the bed or the stairs.  That pink pillowcase is from when I was a kid.  I love it!  And the "Nora" blanket my mom got me goes perfectly.

Speaking of the dog, this is me doing my workout on the treadmill.  We were the only two downstairs.  Apparently, Kevin had put one of Relic's beds here for when he was on the treadmill.  

In other news, the kids have been on a kick redoing their rooms.  Rory started it, but I don't have pics of hers yet cuz she's still changing some things.  This is Marz's room before.

This is her room after.  She changed the bed to go up against the wall instead of under the window.  Rory did the same thing, and Logan's thinking about it too.  It just gives the room a more spacious feel.  I'll post pics of Rory's when she's done.

New Bloggers Coming Your Way

 Apparently, my spawn has caught the blogger bug.  They are using their school snow day to create their own blogs.  I'll link them here when they are done.  For now, I'm hoping this will light a fire under my blogging, so I post more.  School was canceled today (YAY!), so the kids are playing in the snow.  I made Logan shovel the driveway with me this morning, and Marz came out to make a snowman.  Here are some things we've been up to.

Since the March for Life was virtual (stupid), we went on a Mini March at a neighboring church.  It was great.  We went to Mass, and then we marched to the courthouse in the middle of town.  Father stood on the corner, and we prayed a Rosary.  Some bystanders were nice about it, others were not.

Taking my glove off to get a pic.

That weekend we went traveling back to our old house because Rory accidentally had some things shipped there.  The guy who bought our old house set them outside for us to pick up.  While we were out, we went to our old neighborhood BK because the kids are convinced no other BK has pink lemonade like our old one.

We've got a daddy/daughter dance coming up this weekend, and the decorators are asking for dads in pics with their daughters as place settings.  Of course, K'lyn won't be going to the dance, so she didn't have to be in the pic.  I tried so hard to get Jesus and Mary photo-bombing in the background.  I did get it in one pic, but Marz was making a face, so I couldn't use that one.  

Here's the snowman Marz made.  His name is Xavier Bert IV.  I don't know where the first three Xavier Berts are, but I've never met them.  

January Daybook (due to Marley's prompting)

 Outside my window...

It's partly cloudy and cold.  We were supposed to have a winter storm this past Monday, but it didn't amount to much until we got to school and the whole entryway was ice.  I'm still bitter they didn't cancel that day.

I am thankful for...

a warm house, a warm bed, food and family.  I've been trying to be more aware of my surroundings.  It might have something to do with my word for the year, but we'll get to that later.

I am thinking about...

dinner, school next week, and the dentist.  I think I want to switch dentists again.  I don't think we've found a good new one yet.

In the schoolroom...

it's a mess.  I'm trying to get it cleaned up, but Relic is fighting me every step of the way with his endless shedding.  I could vacuum everyday in this house and fill it up each time.  No joke.  Other than that, we're all counting the days to Easter vacation.  So what if we just got back from Christmas!?

From the kitchen...

I'm trying to meal plan again.  Seriously, I wonder how many times I've said that in this blog, and it never sticks?  We're into the second week of it, and it's already getting wobbly, but I think we'll make it.  It's shameful how much money we spent on out food.

I (we) am(are) creating...

a budget.  We're getting back on track after Christmas chaos.  

I am working on...

a plan for Lent.  I'm going big this Lent.  Last year, if you remember, we were living in the RV for Lent.  I'm not going that big, but I am giving up some things that will definitely hurt.

I am reading...

St. John of the Cross Spiritual Works.  He's a Carmelite saint worth reading repeatedly.  This is my second time going through some things and spending time getting deeper.  

I am praying for...

family.  

I am hearing...

Kevin on a work call and the humming of Logan's computer as he works on schoolwork. 

Around the house...

nothing much.  We cleaned up the basement a while back.  The house needs a good cleaning.  I tried to do this thing where I paid the kids to clean.  It worked one week and the past two times, their work has gotten seriously sloppy.  I'll either try it again and be mean pointing out all the things they didn't do correctly to go over them again, or I'll do it myself.  it depends how much energy I have this weekend.  Before then, I definitely have to vacuum. (refer to in the schoolroom)

One of my favorite things...

The Chosen.  Have you seen it?  It's a series on the life of Jesus.  Normally movies only have two-three hours to get the whole story in, but this has eight episodes so far, and they're currently filming season two.  It's free on YouTube and Apple and a bunch of things.  It's SO GOOD.  We've watched it three times already which is lovingly referred to as "bingeing Jesus."  Please watch it.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Kids have school tomorrow.  We're going to Mass Friday morning and walking from there to the courthouse carrying our Pro-Life signs to at least have some sort of march since DC was canceled (lame).  We should have a pretty big group.  Saturday, we'll be visiting folks back home.  Other than that, cleaning.  

Some pics for you...

One last pic before we took the tree down.

Logan wanted to play Risk, so we did.  We think Marley ended up winning.  She was Russia.  How appropriate for our times, don't you think?

This picture is from before I went back on the wagon.  Kevin and I snuck drumsticks in the middle of the day and hid out in the laundry room while we ate them.  I'll be busted once the kids read this, but we have no more drumsticks left so ha!

Relic had a birthday!  He's four year old.  I made his usual birthday cake, but this time I put treats around the outside and put strawberries on top, last year it was raspberries.

Still daddy's lap dog...

He wanted to sniff the fire.  

This is the opening song to every episode of The Chosen.  Marley has danced to it since the first episode and continues to do so.  I sent it to the creator of the show.  We'll see if we hear anything back.  I'm sure he's busy.  I hope he's busy.  We want season 2!!!!!

Happy New Year, Happy Birthday, Happy Epiphany!

 Our fearless leader had a birthday this past week.  Unfortunately it was a rainy day, but we made the best of it.  We ran some errands and had a really good dinner.  After that was cake and presents.  It's funny that as we get older, the kids remember how old we are fast than we do, or I should say faster than I do.  :)  

We've gotten back into the swing of school routines and getting to sleep before 10p.  That part has been nice.  The school part not so much, but it's really not as bad as I make it out to be.  The worst part is preparing for school, but the actual day is never that bad.  Mental note for next year, I will not be scheduling myself for a full day of volunteering at school the first week back after a big break.  That was a mistake.

Here's to a great new year of new opportunities.  Praying for our nation, or what's left of it.

I can't leave my phone alone at all these days.

End of the Year Reflections 2020

My friend, Courtney, normally does end the year reflection questions.  I do too, but I haven't checked to see if I did them last year.  Anyway, here we go.

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

We moved.

2. What was the single most challenging this that happened?

We moved.  

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?

Sheltering in place with the family.  We still got to go places and see people, but things slowed down, and I was able to add things to my routine, like daily Mass.

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?

Sheltering in place.  ;)  Our family became really dependent on tech.  I don't like that.

5. Pick three words to describe this past year.

serendipitous

eye-opening

slow

6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your year—don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you. 

challenging

exciting

busy

7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their year—again, without asking. 

challenging, exciting, busy

8. What were the best books you read this year? 

Theology of the Home

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships? 

my family

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

leaving my community and trying to join a new one 

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally? 

I had to let go of a lot of relationships that I tried to hold on to.  Moving is always emotional growth.

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually? 

I had to trust God COMPLETELY.  I went where I was led, and I tried to do His will.

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically? 

Unfortunately, I grew sideways.  ;)

14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others? 

Since we were always together, I needed to be more patient and forget about my agenda a lot and just love.

15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)? 

Since I knew we were moving, I enjoyed my work more.  I found the joy that had been missing in teaching although I was still glad for the COVID respite from it.  I love creating a new home.  I did too much and burnt out, but it's still the warm and cozy I was trying for.

16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)? 

It was challenging because I wanted to leave my work with everything done for them.  I was working on creating a new classroom, and I had to leave in the middle of it.  At home I'm not much of a designer, so that was hard.

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year? 

PAINTING!  I kid.  It wasn't a time waster, but I sure spent a lot of time doing it.

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year? 

DAILY MASS

19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year? 

Trust in the Lord.

20. Create a phrase or statement that describes this past year for you.

Don't look back.  You're not going that way.

Christmas in Pictures

Let's start with Christmas cookie making!  Every year we make lemon cookies.  We shape them, paint them, and bake them.  It's a fun tradition!

 Rory got a bit obsessed with making Captain America cookies and built herself an army.  Then she ate them all!  I think we had one pan of actual Christmas cookies.  Besides the Captain America pan, we had an animal pan, and a Percy Jackson series pan.  All I know is that I just kept making gingerbread man shapes.  :)

I've always wanted to make our own peg doll Nativity.  I actually did it this year!  Marley did the angel, Jesus, made the manger, and the shepherds' staffs, and sheep! 

Our goofy tree picture in Christmas jammies.  I love Kevin in this!

We did our secret Santa pictures first.  We all got nerf guns from K'lyn and had a nerf gun fight.  Aunt Paula got trapped in the crossfire.

Santa came!

Stockings and church Christmas morning.

Grandma and Grandpa's.

Playing with new toys.

We actually have room to host family!  I made sure to take pictures for Papa's birthday calendar next year.  ;)

Our angel of the pageant!

It has all gone by so fast, and I'm not ready for break to be over.  Kevin and I slept in until 830a this morning!  I cannot tell you the last time that happened, but it's been YEARS.  We're all hanging out doing a bunch of nothing, and it's been great.  School starts back up next week.  UGH!  Before that, we have a birthday boy to think about.  Stay tuned and MERRY CHRISTMAS!