Monday, November 29, 2021

What's Been Going On: Thursday, 25 November - Sunday, 28 November, 2021

 

Holiday weekends are so often filled with hustle and bustle, but this one was calm and relaxed around here. Not quite as calm and relaxed as last year, when we went nowhere and did nothing, but still lovely all the same! I hope yours was just as lovely.

Here's what’s been going on around here lately.

 

Thursday, 25 November, 2021

After breakfast, I put the potatoes my daughter and I had made the day before, and as they filled the house with their delicious, cheesy, buttery aroma, I wrote my review for Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) by Lev AC Rosen. I switched the potatoes out for the lentil shepherd’s pie, then I put some of my air-dried dresses in the dryer to briefly de-wrinkle. My husband rubbed my back, which was increasingly cranky, and then I hung up the dresses and got dressed.

And then it was off to my mother-in-law’s, our first maskless indoor gathering since before the pandemic! Everyone was vaccinated (most of us boosted) and feeling fine. It was a little weird trying to get used to being together indoors and not feel some level of paranoia- it’s going to take time and for the pandemic to be completely over for that to even start to happen, I think- but it was wonderful to spend time together again after so long.

 


By the time we left, I had a headache; by the time we got home, it had blossomed into a full-blown migraine. I don’t get these very often, but when I do, they’re whoppers. I fell asleep on the couch for a little bit in the hopes that that would knock it out, but by the time I woke up, it was worse. I went to bed after taking three Advil and two Tylenol PM and had to fight not to throw up until the Tylenol PM knocked me out.

 

Friday, 26 November, 2021

I woke up that morning only mildly headachey, thank goodness! Sometimes migraines hang around for a few days, but this wasn’t too bad. I had breakfast and wrote my Friday post, then posted my review for Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts).

And then it was time to head off to a local pharmacy! My daughter was due for Covid vaccine #2, and I qualified for my booster. She did great, no tears or anything. It’s a relief to know that she’s better protected from severe illness, and should she contract a breakthrough case, she would be contagious for fewer days. I was prepared for both of us to feel a little crummy, since I was down for about 24 hours after the second shot, but we got lucky and neither of us had any side effects!

 


At home, we had lunch, and I made a quick trip to Walgreens in order to pick up some just-in-case children’s fever reducer meds (we haven’t had to use any of ours since before the pandemic, and I’m pretty sure they’re all expired by now). I napped on my chair (migraines take a lot out of me!), then finished The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert.

After dinner, I did my Duolingo, ran the dishwasher, showered, and virtually attended my synagogue’s Shabbat service. When that finished, I began reading Nurture the Wow: Finding Spirituality in the Frustration, Boredom, Tears, Poop, Desperation, Wonder, and Radical Amazement of Parenting by Danya Ruttenberg. My husband and I watched a segment of Wild, Wild Country on Netflix before bed.

 

Saturday, 27 November, 2021

After coffee, I scooped the litterbox. You’re welcome, kitty! <3

I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, tidied the kitchen, then sat down and wrote reviews for Love Is a Revolution by Renée Watson and The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert. I began writing my monthly recap for my book blog (I always enjoy writing these, even though they can be lengthy!). After lunch, I cleaned the kitchen (my husband had made soup, along with a mess!), took out the compost and recycling, then swept both the upstairs and downstairs.

I did my 23 minute Pilates video and settled down to read Nurture the Wow (I wish I’d had this book when my daughter was younger!). My husband and daughter and I went on a brisk three-mile walk; it was cold out, but it felt nice to get moving after three days of cheese potatoes and pie! Back at home, I read more until dinner, then did my Duolingo.

My son stopped by! He’d been at work at his retail job the past two days and was full of Black Friday stories. It’s always so nice to see him. I showered my daughter, then showered myself, and she and I finished reading The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry before she went to bed. I read my own book for a bit, and my husband and I watched another segment of Wild, Wild Country on Netflix.

 

Sunday, 28 November, 2021

What a lovely, slow morning. I slept in late, then spent a long, snuggly morning with my husband and daughter. We don’t have nearly enough days like this, so I really appreciated it!

I ran the dishwasher and read after lunch, and then we drove to a local forest preserve to take a chilly walk with my sister-in-law, her son, and my father-in-law, whom we hadn’t seen since before the pandemic. It was brisk out there!

At home, I started this post, and then it was time to hit the kitchen. Latke time!!! If you’ve never had a latke before, you’re missing out. Latkes are crispy, potato-ey, oniony fried goodness, and I wait all year for them! I make seriously killer latkes. They’re amazing. I use this recipe. I cleaned as I went along (latkes use a LOT of dishes! A lat-ke of dishes? HAHAHAHA I’ll show myself out).

 


I lit the menorah for the first night, and my son stopped by! He had some Thanksgiving leftovers and, of course, some latkes.


After dinner, I did my Duoling
o and showered, and then played some virtual Hanukkah games, like dreidel (we’re a modern family!), with my daughter. I put her to bed and we started reading Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher (almost full again!), sprinkled the stovetop with baking soda and vinegar, to sit overnight, then went upstairs to read. My husband and I watched the penultimate segment of Wild, Wild Country on Netflix before bed.

 

What a lovely week this has been. I’m sad for my daughter to go back to school, it was so pleasant having her home again! She’ll have three weeks and then be off for two and a half weeks for winter break, so I’ll have her back soon. I hope your Thanksgiving- or your weekend- was as equally relaxing as mine was!

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