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We managed to
avoid most of the winter weather that much of the country is dealing with, but
it sure is freezing here this week!
Monday, January 19
Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, so the kids were out of school
and Brian was off work which meant we had a three-day weekend.
I got up at 8:45 and had breakfast, I unloaded the dishwasher, and then I
finished my blog post for the next day.
Meanwhile, Olivia Facetimed with one of her friends while Jacob and his
friend slept in late.
The boys got up around ten and grabbed breakfast, and then they played
video games for a bit. While they were
doing that, Olivia and I worked on cleaning out her room. She has kept it very tidy since the last
cleanout, so this was the easiest one we’ve ever had to do. She had been requesting to get all the
children’s books off her bookshelf and moved somewhere else so she could
utilize that space for other tchotchkes and room decor, so I helped her move
them all out and we stacked them in the playroom temporarily until we had more
time to clear out some space for them in there.
She also wanted to clean out her bows and get rid of most of them (all
the tears!), so I helped her do that, too. She did hang on to a few, though.
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We all had lunch after that, and then Brian and I spent some time looking
over some hotels that he had found for a summer weekend trip that we’re
planning this year. We settled on one
and he got it booked, and then I started working on my blog post for
Wednesday.
WJ’s grandparents came to pick him up around three, so we said goodbye to
him, and then I got the towels folded and put away before going out for a walk
in the freezing cold. I made it my goal
to walk 41 miles outside this month, and it has certainly been a challenge with
the weather we’ve been having. It has
been colder than usual this winter and we’ve had some rain, too, but it hasn’t
stopped me, and I’m thisclose to my goal!
When I got home, I grabbed a snack and made some tea, and then I worked
on my blog post for Wednesday some more.
The rest of the afternoon was spent working on cleaning out the playroom
with the kids. We got about halfway done
and then it was time to start dinner. And
just like Olivia’s room, there wasn’t nearly as much to go through as they have
been keeping it much tidier than it used to be.
I had some leftover vodka sausage pasta sauce in the freezer from a
previous meal, so I thawed that, made some fresh linguine, steamed some green
beans, and made some buttery garlic bread from some hot dog buns that were
about to expire, and it was a quick, easy, and delicious dinner.
I helped Brian clean the kitchen and then I got the meal plan and grocery
list made for the next couple of weeks while the kids showered. The four of us finished the movie Independence
Day that we’d started a few days prior, and both the kids loved it. It was always one of my favorites when I was
a kid, so I was excited to show it to them.
It has definitely stood the test of time, too. It looked like something that could have just
been filmed and released recently!
We all headed outside after that because there was a chance that the
Northern Lights would be visible here, but sadly, we didn’t see anything. Brian and I even went out again before bed,
but we didn’t see anything at all... only a whole lot of stars!
Late in the afternoon, Olivia said that she was feeling congested, and by
bedtime her nose was really stuffy, so we could tell she was coming down with
something. Both kids got into bed and
then Brian and I watched the National Championship game before heading to
bed. I didn’t stay up to finish it since
I didn’t have a team in it, but Brian stayed up to watch the whole thing, and
it ended up being a close one.
Tuesday, January 20
Tuesday morning, I went in to check on Olivia, and she was still congested,
but otherwise fine. We decided to keep
her home to be considerate to others, but she ended up being fine all day aside
from the congestion and feeling a little tired, probably because she’d had some
trouble sleeping due to the congestion.
She went back to sleep, and Brian stayed home with her while I took Jacob
to school and then went to the orthodontist to get my braces off!!!! Finallyyyy!
After three long years, the braces finally came off Tuesday.
Unfortunately, I have to wear a retainer 24/7 for the next eight weeks
other than when I’m eating, so while it’s nice to have the braces off, I’m
still not 100% home-free because the retainers are causing their own problems. Sigh.
After eight weeks is up, I won’t have to wear them during the day at
all, but I’ll have to wear them at night forever I guess?? The orthodontist said we’d discuss all that
at my next appointment in March.
Before I left my appointment, they told me to put the retainers in to
make sure they fit, and it took me forever to get them in because they were
soooo tight. My orthodontist uses the
Invisalign retainers, so they cover my entire surface area of teeth, top and
bottom. I honestly didn’t think I was
ever going to get the retainers in, but they finally clicked in to place after
I started looking in the mirror.
I went to Walmart and Publix to grab groceries after my appointment, and
after I got home, I went to take the retainers out to have my morning snack and
hot tea, and I couldn’t get them to budge.
I tried everything I could think of for 15-20 minutes – I even cut my
fingernails to get a better grip on them with my fingers – and they wouldn’t
remotely come out. I low-key started
freaking out a little bit, and I called the orthodontist’s office. They told me to come in right away, so poor Brian,
who was just about to walk out the door to go to work, ended up having to stay
at home longer. Whoops.
When I got to the orthodontist, the assistant tried to pull the retainers
out and she couldn’t get them to budge either.
She went to get a little hook that’s used specifically for pulling out
Invisalign trays, and they still wouldn’t budge. Bless.
Finally, after much poking and prodding, she was able to get both
out. I asked her if it was common for
them to be that tight and hard to remove and she said no. Haha.
Why oh why do all the weird/rare medical things always happen to
me?! Haha.
She was able to shave the retainers down a little to allow them to fit
less snugly, but they were still SO tight.
I was able to practice popping them in and out a few times with the hook
just to ensure that I could get them in and out, and after doing it a few times
I felt satisfied that I could leave.
When I got home, Brian surprised me with a card and some Almond Joys (one
of my favorite candies that I haven’t been able to eat because of the almonds),
and then he headed off to work, finally.
I made lunch for Olivia and me, and then I worked on my blog post for the
next day while Olivia started learning French.
She asked me out of the blue if she could download the Duolingo app, and
of course, I obliged – we always encourage them to learn new things! – and she
then told me that she was going to start learning French. It cracked me up because it completely came
out of nowhere. She has never once
mentioned wanting to learn another language other than ASL (she loves to look
at my old ASL book that I used in middle school), so I thought it was so cool
that she wanted to learn French. She has
been practicing a little bit every single day since then, all on her own, and
I’m excited to see if she sticks with it!
I had to send a few emails about the upcoming Daddy / Daughter Dance that
I’m co-chairing at the school, and then Olivia and I went in the playroom to
work some more on cleaning it out. We
were able to clear a few shelves for the books that were in her room, and we
got those in place. We almost finished
the whole room, but I had to stop to make dinner.
Golf practice was cancelled, so Brian picked up Jacob from e-sports and
brought him home, and then we all sat down to eat meatballs, mashed potatoes,
and steamed broccoli. And I had also
made a batch of fresh cinnamon muffins for the week ahead.
After the kitchen was clean, I tidied the house a bit, and then I
collapsed on the couch for the rest of the evening. I felt so exhausted, so I watched Jeopardy
and Wheel of Fortune with Brian and the kids, and then Olivia requested
to go to bed at 8 PM because she was so tired.
Haha. I just love how she knows
her limits! Jacob will stay up as long
as you let him, but Olivia? She will put
herself to bed when she’s tired. It
never fails to make me laugh, too, because that goes against both of their personalities. It seems it should be the other way around!
Jacob stayed up and watched college basketball with us for a while, and
then after he went to bed, Brian and I watched another episode of The Beast
in Me.
Wednesday, January 21
Wednesday morning, I dropped both kids at school, and then I headed to
the hospital for my annual mammogram and ultrasound. I’m nervous every single year when I go ever
since the doctor found a tumor back in 2023, so it’s not ever a pleasant
visit.
All was well this year, thank goodness, but I did get a little bit of a
scare when the ultrasound tech went over and over a new spot taking lots of
pictures. Waiting for the doctor to come
in felt like forever and I was convinced something bad was going on, but
thankfully, he cleared me for another year, although, there does appear to be a
new spot that they’re keeping an eye on.
When I got home, I caught up on responding to all blog comments, I caught
up on blog reading, I caught up on both email inboxes, and then I started my
blog post for Friday before heading to the school to pick up the kids.
Olivia was still congested and she was tired after the long day at
school, so we kept her home from dance just to let her body rest and heal. Both kids studied and I did my quiet time,
and then all of us finished cleaning out the playroom after that.
I got dinner in the oven after that (one pan chicken, potatoes, and
broccoli), and then I went out for a two-mile walk while it baked. I had just enough time to do that, stretch,
and take a quick shower, and I was back in the kitchen just in time to set the
table and sit down to eat.
After dinner, I spent some time with Jacob, ordering some new sheet music
that he wanted, and then I hung out with Olivia in her room because she wanted
to put up the new LED lights that had arrived in the mail.
These lights are SO cool, y’all.
It’s 130 feet of lights on two long plastic ribbons, and they plug into
the wall (a win because we don’t have to deal with batteries!). You control them with the remote control or
the app on your phone (or iPad) and you can completely customize them – the
colors, the movement (blinking, chasing, breathing, etc.), the speed of the
movement, the brightness, and you can even make them dance to music or move to
the sound of your voice. They do ALL OF
THIS and they were only $9.99. Olivia is
in love and I am, too, because I had very low expectations for them and they
blew my expectations completely out of the water.
I helped her wrap them through her footboard and route them behind her
bed to string them through the headboard, and she still has 65 feet left that
she can do something with if she ever wants to.
Olivia had one more thing she needed to do for school, so I tested out my
new dusting gloves and dusted off one of our sets of blinds in our bedroom
while she did that, and I was SO impressed with those, too.
We all started the newest episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians
after that, and then Brian and I wrapped up the night with an episode of The
Beast in Me.
Thursday, January 22
Thursday morning, I dropped the kids at school, I grabbed some gas, and
then I headed home. I got a couple of
loads of bedding washed, I finished my blog post for Friday, and then I had to
go back to the orthodontist AGAIN because my retainers had been gagging me all
day Tuesday and Wednesday and they were cutting the back of my tongue. Since they cover every single tooth including
back molars, they hang over slightly behind my back molars and I could tell
that part was the culprit.
Thankfully, the assistant said that it is SUPER common and that she could
adjust them to fix this, and sure enough, her adjustment helped
tremendously. It did take a few days for
the back of my tongue to heal, but I’m happy to report that it’s no longer
cutting me, it’s no longer gagging me, and I can pop them in and out a little
easier now. Who knew a retainer could be
so complicated?
My only issue now is my bite. The
retainer is making me hold my mouth a certain way, so my bite is way different
when I take the retainers out. The
orthodontist and the assistant both told me that’s super common, too, so I’m
hoping everything will end up okay in the end.
Unfortunately, over the weekend, they started making my jaw and neck
feel strained like the braces rubber bands did, so I’m keeping a close eye on
that because y’all all know I DO NOT want vertigo again. I’m already counting down the days until
March 26 when I can stop wearing them during the day.
I ran by Target to return something after that, and then I ran by
Michael’s to drop off my frame for my remaining Taylor Swift autographs… I had
them put UV protective glass in it, so the autographs won’t fade over the
years. The guy was able to cut the glass
and install it right there while I waited (the last time I had to drop it off
and pick it up another day, so it was nice that he was able to just knock it
out right then!), and then I headed home.
The afternoon was spent cleaning off my computer desktop, shopping for
Valentine’s Day (just little things… we don’t do anything major), tidying my
office, and getting my autographs in the frame.
After school, we went to music lessons, and I sat in with Olivia. She is still working on The Fate of
Ophelia, and she was able to get even further in the song. It’s coming along well!
When we got home, I did my quiet time with a cup of tea to accompany me,
and then I got out for the shortest walk before the rain rolled in. I ended up walking in the rain for the last
five minutes, but I got home just in time for it to start coming down harder. On another note, I loved my devotional from
this day…
Brian and Jacob left to pick up his friend, WJ, after that, and then
Brian got them dropped off for a Teen Advisors event. I bagged up all the donation stuff in the
playroom while he was gone, and then when he got home, he and Olivia and I all
ate breakfast for dinner.
As I was bagging up the playroom items, I came across Olivia’s old Beauty
and the Beast Lego Storybook set, and I decided to keep it for myself since
Beauty and the Beast has been my favorite Disney movie my whole life. It’s a very small set that folds up inside a
storybook, and it looks darling on my office shelves.
However, all the pieces were mixed together in a GIANT pile of all her
other Lego sets (thousands of pieces) so I wasn’t even sure we’d be able to
find all the pieces to complete the set.
After dinner, Olivia and I sorted through them, and we managed to find
several of the pieces before we gave up for the night.
She got showered and then we downloaded the app for her new bedroom lights,
and we had wayyyy too much fun playing with them. They are seriously so cool!
Jacob got home around 8:30, he showered, and then both kids got in bed a
little after nine. Brian and I watched
another episode of – you guessed it – The Beast in Me, and then we
headed to bed.
Friday, January 23
Friday, I dropped the kids at school and then spent the day crossing
things off the list:
-
Catching up on emails
-
Catching up on some planning
-
Starting and finishing my blog post for Monday
-
Tidying my office
-
Calling the eye doctor about our new insurance
-
Sending several emails and texts to plan for
upcoming events
-
Tidying our bedroom
And several other menial tasks.
When we got home, I did my quiet time with my cup of tea, and then I put
away a few things, folded and put away the bedding I’d washed, hung my TS
autograph downstairs, did some blog housekeeping tasks, cleaned out the
organizer next to my desk, cleaned out the reading nook in my office, and I
wiped down a few things on the kitchen counters.
We had friends over for poker night Friday night, so I made baked ziti
with beef, I tossed a salad with some toppings, and I warmed some garlic cheese
bread. Everybody came over a little
after six, and we spent the rest of the evening eating, drinking, and playing
rounds upon rounds of poker while we talked and laughed and had fun.
The kids all hung out together, and it was just the best evening, as
poker nights always are.
After everyone left, we cleaned up the kitchen, the kids went to bed, and
Brian and I watched the last two episodes of The Beast in Me. It was a laaaate night, but we wanted to
finish the show because we were both dying to see what happened! It was SUCH a great watch.
Saturday, January 24
Saturday morning, we slept in and I made waffles for breakfast. After breakfast, I spent some time at my
computer while I enjoyed my cup of tea, and then it was time to get moving and
get some stuff done around the house. I
ended up cleaning out my whole office and dusting it really well. It didn’t take a ton of time because I
cleaned my office out well years ago and I’ve been great about maintaining it. Plus I don’t have to worry about things
getting cluttered or out of order since nobody else uses this space (except for
Olivia when she sneaks in to borrow my craft supplies), so most of my cleaning
out just consisted of opening drawers, peeking inside to make sure everything
was still the way it should be, and then closing them. I did take some time to clean out the baskets
at my desk as I wanted to rearrange a few things and get rid of some things,
but other than that, it was quick and easy!
When I was done, I helped the kids finish finding the last of the Lego
pieces for the Beauty and the Beast set, and then once it was done (I still
can’t believe they were able to find every single piece!) we bagged up the Lego
pieces that Olivia wanted to get rid of, we centered the couch back on the wall
now that the Barbie Dreamhouse is gone, and I cleared out the donation, trash,
and recycling piles. Olivia vacuumed,
and the room was officially completely done.
Looking at these pictures, I’m also realizing how ready I am to
redecorate that space. We kept it bright
and fun for the kids since it was used as a playroom when they were little, but
now that they’re getting older, it would be nice to do something a little more
sophisticated there. Sadly, we don’t
need to be spending money on another couch (or chairs) right now, though, so
the decor will be here to stay for a while.
I am so ready for a new wall color, some new curtains, a couple of
chairs, and a side table and a lamp in there, though! One of these days…
After the playroom was done, it was time for lunch, and then after that,
the kids and I cleaned out the games cabinet downstairs. We got rid of all the puzzles and games that
they no longer play with, and they’ll all go to our church’s thrift store so
they can go to good homes.
The kids finished up with their laundry after that was done, and then
they settled in for some screen time while I worked on a couple of things in my
office. I made the mistake of going on
social media and the first thing I saw was that another person was executed in
the street in Minnesota by ICE. Just
like last time, our government released statements that contradicted what
literally everybody else was saying – making it sound like the shooting was warranted
– but all news outlets were reporting that he’d done nothing wrong. These days the truth is more important than
anything, so unfortunately, I had to watch the video for myself so I could see
with my own eyes and hear with my own ears what had actually transpired, and
yet again, I found that the government was gaslighting (AKA lying to) us.
The profound sadness and fear that swept over me was immediate – sadness
for Alex Pretti, the victim who was brutally murdered for doing absolutely nothing
wrong (recording events on your phone in the streets is NOT illegal), for his
family and other loved ones, for the other people who had to witness the events
in person, and for people all over the world who have had to witness what
happened on social media because we felt we had to see it for ourselves since
the United States government refuses to tell the truth and take responsibility
for their actions.
No matter who you voted for, no matter which “side” you’re on, I pray
that we all agree that it’s abominable for any human being to be shot down in
the streets for all to see, especially when they haven’t done anything
wrong. Our administration is blatantly
ignoring the very rights on which our country was founded, and that, my
friends, isn’t good for anyone, no matter where you stand politically. I hope and pray that everyone will use their
voice to speak up and speak out against these atrocities that are
occurring.
So many people have been sharing this quote from George Orwell’s book, 1984,
on social media and it’s terrifying how accurate it is for this point in
time.
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
What a stain these events will be in our nation’s history. It’s truly devastating.
After seeing some of the coverage from Minneapolis, I went out for a walk
to clear my mind. It was cold and yucky
outside, but I went out anyway and I walked until my lungs felt like they were
going to burst from the cold and I prayed and prayed and prayed.
When I got home, I grabbed a cup of hot tea to warm my bones, and I spent
some time with my devotional. By the
time I was done with that, it was time to get ready for church.
After Mass, we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant with our usual
group, and then we headed home. We
finished season two of Percy Jackson and the Olympians with the kids and
Olivia was so sad to have to wait for season three. She loves that show!
After that, we watched a few Disney shorts for fun, and then the kids
went to bed. Brian and I started His
& Hers and I was excited because I’ve heard so many people talking
about it.
Sunday, January 25
Sunday morning, we slept in, we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and
then I did my usual Sunday morning tasks – got my planner ready for the week
ahead, transferred photos from my phone to my computer, organized the photos,
and listened to the sermon that I listen to every Sunday.
We managed to avoid all the bad winter weather, but we did have a cold
and rainy day Sunday, so we all bundled up before heading to my mother-in-law's
and step-father-in-law's house for lunch.
Olivia and I were twinning in our Taylor Swift hoodies. ;o)
We had a delicious meal over there and then we headed home to be warm and
dry and cozy inside for the rest of the afternoon until it was time to go to my
parents’ house. I turned on The
Wedding Planner (surprising no one) and I got under my electric blanket
while I organized pictures and started writing this blog post. The kids played video games, and it was just
a slow, lazy afternoon.
Sunday evening, we had dinner at my parents’ house, and my mom made Santa
Fe Soup with all the toppings. It was
the perfect, hearty meal for the weather we were having, and it warmed me up
all the way to my toes!
My parents filled us in on the situation in Nashville with the weather…
my aunt lives there, and she said that Nashville was really having a tough go
of it. They got a bunch of snow and ice,
and the power was out at her house with no end in sight, likely for days. The temps there are going to be brutal all
week, too. She has trees down all over
her property including one on her roof over her bedroom and a bunch across her
driveway, so she has no way to get out even if she wanted to. Thankfully, she had loaded up on firewood
before the storm, so hopefully she will be able to stay warm until they can
restore her power. I spoke to her Monday
night and she said that it’s freezing in her house and she’s spending all of
her time huddled in the bed to try to stay warm. I’m hoping they’ll be able to restore her
power ASAP.
When we got home, we started watching Ready Player One with the
kids, and then after they went to bed, Brian and I watched an episode of His
& Hers before going to bed. We
also found out that the kids were going to have a two-hour delay in the morning
due to the weather as we’d had so much rain they were worried about the streets
icing over during the night.
And that was our week!
Sending lots of love and warmth to those of you who were affected by the
winter storm. I hope you are all faring
well!
And now for some current things…
Currently
Reading
In January, I read 5 books – Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea (5
stars), Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez (5 stars – I loved this one
so much), The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden (4 stars), Better Than
the Movies by Lynn Painter (4 stars), and Just for the Summer by
Abby Jimenez (I’m wrapping this one up in the next couple of days, so I haven’t
rated it yet).
I also started my new devotional for the year – Called by Name: 365
Daily Devotions for Catholic Women by Kelly M. Wahlquist.
And I’m still reading my Bible along with The Bible in a Year with
Father Mike Schmitz.
Currently
Watching
With B: In January, Brian and I started and finished Pluribus, we started
and finished season two of Platonic, we started and finished The
Beast in Me, and we started (and will probably finish) His & Hers.
We also watched the movie The People
We Meet on Vacation, and of course, all the college football playoffs and
the National Championship Game.
With the Kids: In January, we finally finished The Eras Tour
Documentary, we finished season two of Percy Jackson and the Olympians,
we started and finished Man Vs. Baby, and we watched a few movies – Oceans
11, In Your Dreams, and Independence Day. Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune
are also often on in the background in the evening as we’re all prepping for
the next day.
Alone: I watched Serendipity one last time and then I switched
back over to The Wedding Planner on Sunday afternoons while I work.
Currently
Listening To
I’ve been all over the place and listening to a little bit of everything,
but most recently, I’ve probably been listening to Folklore: The Long Pond Studio
Sessions by Taylor Swift. Folklore
is my favorite album by her and one of my favorite albums of all-time, and that
acoustic Long Pond Studio Sessions version is just incredible.
Happy Wednesday, y’all!
