MONDAY
Errands! This was one of those catch-up days where we had to run all over town. Walmart for cat supplies, Walgreens for a prescription, the bank, and then Costco for peanut butter (and hummus, because COSTCO HUMMUS!!!). By the time we were done, it was lunch time and then nap time for my daughter. During her nap, I prepped for dinner- Cauliflower Potato soup and cut-up cantaloupe. After dinner, I took my son for a haircut (there are so many people who do great haircuts at home on their family members, but I'm not at all confident in my ability to do that without making my husband and son look like improperly shorn sheep). I helped my son with his summer French homework, and then watched some television with my husband.
TUESDAY
My son wanted to take his girlfriend on a picnic, so I volunteered to do some baking for him. As soon as I got up, I got the bread started, then I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned! When the kitchen sparkled, my daughter and I threw together some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bars. She loves helping me in the kitchen, and I love spending that time with her.
Done! Two loaves of bread, one dish of bar cookies. NOM.
After we finished with our baking, my daughter and I did our Reading and Geography lessons (Bosnia and Herzegovina). I then rearranged my pantry, which ended up not needing too much rearranging, so I cleaned out the dish cabinet, weeding out some old sippy cups and plastic cups we didn't need. Totally streamlined the entire cabinet, so that made me happy. I organized the little storage area next to the fridge as well, then straightened my daughter's room (TOYS. SO MANY TOYS *sob*). We made a trip to the library, where my daughter played and I read a not-on-my-list book. In the evening, I helped my son with his French homework.
WEDNESDAY
This was the day I tackled a much-needed project: I cleaned out my kitchen island. Holy cow, that thing was in desperate shape. Freezer bags all over, plastic storage containers and a collection of lids scattered everywhere, it was dreadful. I took everything out, tossed two disgusting frying pans that no one should have been cooking on, collected all the freezer bags in one giant bag, stacked the plastic containers in a way that I could easily access what I needed, along with the corresponding lid. The whole thing looks SO much better, and I heaved a huge sigh of relief once that was done. I had thrown the laundry in beforehand, and I hung it out to dry afterwards. I took the kids out to lunch at a local burrito joint, and during my daughter's nap, I helped an online friend with some vegetarian recipes and organized my over-the-stove cabinet.
Fancy? No. Organized? YES.
When my daughter woke up, I read to her for a bit from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility while she played, and then I practiced the piano. I've got three pages of my current piece (still Angel Eyes by Jim Brickman; I haven't had much of a chance to practice lately) down pretty well, so I'm focusing on working on the final two. After dinner, I mowed half the lawn and read my library book.
THURSDAY
One of those days where nothing much gets done. I spent the entire morning giving my son and his friends a ride to a not-so-local amusement park, then finished my library book during my daughter's nap time. And then...
New pet!
Just kidding. We went to the county fair with my sister-in-law and her son. My daughter looks forward to this event all year long, chattering about riding the carnival rides and asking when we're going again when it's 20 degrees and snowing, so this was huge for her. We got to check out the farm animals, my daughter and her cousin rode those super-scary, I'm-always-worried-they're-going-to-collapse carnival rides, and some of us ate disgusting fair food. It's not a cheap night, so I'm glad it's only once a year!
FRIDAY
Yard sales were a bust again. I don't necessarily think it's because the quality of sales are going down, just that my needs have changed. A local church has an enormous sale twice a year, and that's where I get most of my daughter's clothing. I'm good in regards to clothes, as are my husband and son; I don't buy knickknacks for the house; we don't need furniture; my daughter is full up on toys... There are a few things I have on my list that I'm still looking for (a digital kitchen scale, a pasta maker, canning jars), but really, I don't need much, and honestly, I'm kind of enjoying that.
Post-fruitless yard sales, my daughter and I did Reading and Geography lessons (Brazil; she was fascinated by the Carnival costumes). During naptime, I did dinner prep, making a tofu and veggie curry with a curry sauce from Aldi; this is a great meal to make when you have a lot of produce you need to use up! After that, I watched a TV show for free online, and when my daughter woke, we went to the library, where we picked out new books and my daughter practiced her reading. We came home and ate dinner quickly, then returned to the library, where we enjoyed a children's show where the performer juggled and spun plates (which kind of felt like a metaphor for my life some days!). I finished a book from my Goodreads To Read list that night.
SATURDAY
After kid gymnastics, we hung out in the backyard for a bit, dealing with the garden.
Soon, my pretties. Soon...
We were able to get our first harvest of any size...
Green onions, basil, and cherry tomatoes. YUM!
We have so many tomatoes out there, it's not even funny. I'm going to be drowning in tomatoes in a few weeks!
During naptime, I finished a book from my Goodreads To Read list, then finished weaving in the ends of my dishcloths.
FINALLY DONE!!!!!!!!!
Friends of ours had generously invited us to a barbecue at their house, so we went there for dinner and enjoyed a lovely evening with friends. At home, I helped my son with his French homework, then began watching the new season of Orange is the New Black with my husband on Netflix (NO SPOILERS!!!!).
SUNDAY
I cleaned the kitchen in the morning (how does the kitchen get so disgusting on weekends?), then started knitting a Christmas gift mitten, which I worked on throughout the day.
Just needs to be sewn up!
The yarn I'm using is Malabrigo, and I'm not impressed. Several times, the yarn was frayed and/or broken entirely. I don't know that I'll purchase this kind again. I'm hoping to sew this up sometime today and then get a start on its buddy.
We had lunch with family (I brought my knitting), and at home, I helped my son with his French homework, then read a book from my Goodreads To Read list during naptime. Post-nap, my sister-in-law and her son came over, so we enjoyed a visit with them (I knitted while we chatted), and then had dinner together at a local Chinese restaurant. I read a little in the evening, and my husband and I watched another episode of Orange is the New Black on Netflix.
One other small update:
So, while I was in Door County, my husband cut down our apple tree. This was planned. When we moved in here, I was SO excited to have an apple tree; I've always wanted to live on a property with fruit trees. Unfortunately, this tree was absolutely not healthy. The first year, we got a few apples, but after that, they were all mostly rotten, the leaves were spotted, and the trunk was half-hollowed out (that first year, a rotten branch did a slow crash onto one of our cars! No damage, but that was when we realized how unhealthy that poor tree was). Ants had taken over part of the trunk and really did some damage, as you can see in this pic:
Isn't that terrible? Poor tree. :(
Just awful. I was really sad about having to cut it down, but it had to happen. Last year, I read Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, which utterly convinced me of the importance of trees, of taking care of them and planting them, and so I insisted that we needed to replant. My husband listened, and so I'd like to introduce you to our new baby:
Isn't it sweet????
It's a hybrid plum tree, one that grows well in our climate. I'm so happy! Fingers crossed that it thrives and provides us with years of fruit, shade, and happiness. Soon, it'll be joined by a new buddy, but I'll save that for another post. :)
It was a pleasant week here. Looking at these pictures and re-reading what I've accomplished and the things I've done throughout the week really makes me appreciate my life. I've got a wonderful husband, great kids, a house that keeps me warm and dry (it needs updates and some work, but it's HOME, you know? Even with all its warts, it's the place I cook nourishing meals for my family, the place where I'm teaching my daughter to read, the place where my son comes down the stairs in his fancy choir clothes and looks so handsome and grown up, I can't believe 16 years have already flown by. This is home). I'm grateful for every part of this life. :)
How was your week?
Goodreads To Read list: 161 books
Dishcloths: 18
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Stephanie I hear you on the fruit trees. It’s not always as easy as plant a tree, then harvest fruit for 20 years! So sorry about the apple tree but yay for plums. What a wonderful productive week you’ve had. Love, Mimi
ReplyDeleteWouldn't that be nice if it were that easy? I know fruit trees are susceptible to a lot of diseases, and the birds and insects like them. If it ends up not working out, we'll keep trying, perhaps with something else if necessary. I love fruit trees, but I love trees in general and don't want there to be an empty space there. We'll see. Crossing my fingers! :)
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