*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Last week was a busy one and I’m grateful that this week will be a little more chill! Let’s get to the recap!
Monday, October 12
Monday, the kids were still on fall break from school, so I slept until 8:30 AM and then I lay in bed for a few minutes just soaking up the last lazy day. Brian was already up because he was working from home, so I didn’t have to rush to get up and let Belle out.
I headed downstairs in my pjs, and I made my breakfast, unloaded the dishwasher, took my vitamins, and tidied the kitchen, and then I made a cup of coffee to take to my office while I worked.
I took Belle upstairs to my office, but she was being annoying and getting into everything, so I took her back to the kitchen about 30 minutes later. I look forward to the day that she’ll just lay down and nap consistently. Haha.
On the agenda Monday was to finish my blog post for Tuesday and to get all the laundry done, so that was exactly what I worked on all morning. I also sat down with Olivia to order some squishies that she wanted to buy with her own money, and Jacob and I also ordered his Halloween costume.
Right before lunch, I got dinner in the slow cooker, and then all four of us ate together. We cleaned the kitchen after lunch, and the kids did some Pokemon battling and trading while I finished my blog post for Tuesday and got some blog housekeeping done.
Later in the afternoon, I made some hot tea and did my Bible study for the day, and then I put on some workout clothes and ran Olivia over to dance. When I got home, I did a stair stepper workout, and while I did that, Jacob made cinnamon muffins for us to have with dinner / for the week ahead.
We all had dinner together when Brian and Olivia got home, and then afterward, I cleaned the kitchen while Brian got out in the yard to do some work. We have a couple of huge oak trees in the backyard that we grew from saplings, and the branches have always hung down and nearly touched the ground. Belle never went back there for the first couple of months after we brought her home, but lately, she’s been more adventurous since she’s settling in, and now it’s her favorite place to be.
The problem is that there’s a lot of overgrowth back there, and likely poison ivy, and possibly snakes?? so Brian went out there to clear out some of the branches he’d cut down and clear out some of the brush so Belle doesn’t get into anything she shouldn’t be getting into.
There’s also a big hole in the back corner of the yard. There’s a big dropoff at the back of our property that leads down to the neighborhood walking trail, and when we had our fence installed, we had them put it right near the edge of the dropoff. Since then, the ground has eroded a bit underneath, so the back corner of the fence is hanging off the dropoff which means there’s a hole that Belle could crawl under and get out. So, Brian filled the hole with a bunch of brush and pine straw.
We’re hoping to have all that cleared out so it’ll be a safe space for her and for us, and that we’ll be able to get to her easily if she decides to run back there and hide. It’s soooo annoying right now when she goes back there because we aren’t able to get to her because of all the thorny vines and brush, and there have been some days where I thought I was going to be late picking up the kids from school because I couldn’t get her to come inside. Haha.
While Brian worked in the yard, the kids got showered and ready for bed, and I meditated and lay down to rest my neck. I had a little vertigo spin while I was sitting at the table for dinner and that made me soooo frustrated and sad. I haven’t had actual vertigo for a long time now – just the lingering dizziness which is totally different – and every time I have one of those little vertigo spins it freaks me out because it makes me remember just how awful it was.
After Brian was done working in the yard, we all settled in to watch a couple of episodes of Friends, and then I finally opened a Walmart package that had delivered a couple of days prior. When I opened the package, I saw that they’d delivered totally the wrong item. I’d ordered some Vicks VapoRub, some of my Neutrogena face cream, and a gift for Olivia for Christmas (yes, very early), and instead, Walmart had delivered a this Paris Hilton kitchen item. WHAT?! Y’all, I cracked up when I saw it because a) how on earth do you mess that up?? and b) Paris Hilton is still relevant?? She has her own line at Walmart?? I was soooo confused.
Anyway, the reason I mention this in my post is because I immediately jumped on the Walmart app to get the issue corrected, thinking it would take all of 30 seconds. I’ve had issues with Target before, and it literally takes just a couple of clicks in the app and they issue a new order to send you your correct items. Well, y’all, per usual, Walmart’s customer service SUCKS and I had to jump through hoops to get everything sorted out.
I ended up having to chat with an AI bot in the app before finally being transferred to a human in the app, and the human wasn’t any better than the AI bot. I ended up going back and forth with him for THIRTY WHOLE MINUTES to get him to resolve my issue, and the best he could do was refund the whole order. He couldn’t ship any replacements, so I immediately took my business elsewhere. He also made it seem that I was the problem and that he was going above and beyond his pay grade to make things right, and that he was doing me a HUGE favor for refunding the items, and I was like, WHAT?! Your employees at your company are the ones who messed up the order. Are you kidding me?!
So, I ended up wasting the rest of my evening chatting with some AI-like human only to be told that they couldn’t even ship a replacement order. Sigh.
Brian watched football while I was dealing with that, and then we went to bed.
Tuesday, October 13
Tuesday morning, I slept until 6:30 AM and I skipped my shower since my hair guy was supposed to be coming to highlight and cut my hair (finallyyyy). Brian went down to let Bellie out first thing as he usually does, and when he came back inside, he told the kids and me that he’d seen a really crazy thing in the sky, and he’d filmed it because it was just so bizarre.
We all watched the video with our eyes bulging because it truly looked like aliens (LOL), and we later realized that there had been a rocket launch that morning and we could literally see it from our house!!!! My first thought was that it was a rocket, but I quickly squashed that idea because a) I usually know ahead of time when there’s going to be a launch, and b) I had NO CLUE that we would ever be able to see a rocket launch all the way here in Georgia, but y’all, we could see it plain as day right from our back yard! It was SO COOL and I’m so sad that the rest of us didn’t get to see it in person.
I was absolutely desperate at that point, because my roots were inches long and my hair length was ridiculous since Jamey hadn’t cut it the last time I saw him. I wasn’t sure how long he’d be down sick, so I immediately started researching salons to see if anyone could get me in the same day.
We have 84,000 salons here in town, and sadly, there wasn’t a single one that could get me in the same day, but I was able to find one that looked good that could get me in Friday, so I went ahead and booked the appointment.
Jamey has been doing my hair for 15+ years, and before him, Sara did my hair for almost 10 years, so after having the same two people do my hair my entire adult life, I was terrified to see somebody new. Needless to say, my research took me nearly two hours because I wanted to make sure I found a place that was on my side of town, I wanted to find someone who had lots of experience, I wanted to find someone who had reasonable prices (which apparently is nobody these days because I am spoiled since I’ve been charged the same price for 15 years), and I wanted to find someone who could get me in the same week.
It was SLIM PICKINGS finding someone who could do it the same week, but I found a girl, I stalked all her socials (LOL), and I finally took the leap. Jamey’s hair salon closed a couple of years ago after his dad (the owner) passed away from cancer, and he’s been kind enough to do my hair at my house ever since then even though doing hair is no longer his primary job, and I’ve been dreading the moment that I had to find someone new. And even though this is hopefully just a one-time thing seeing someone else, it was still nerve-racking. (So dramatic, I know. It’s just hair, I know. Haha.)
Anyhoo, that research ended up consuming my morning unexpectedly, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime and I’d barely gotten anything done. I took Belle outside and played with her for a while, and then I ate.
Then, after lunch, I filmed a Reel. Sigh. Haha. I asked y’all on Instagram recently what you wanted to see more of from me here on the blog and over on social media, and with regard to social media, a lot of people said that they wanted to see more everyday life and that they wanted to see more Reels, so I’m going to tryyyy, y’all.
I ended up filming how I put away laundry (riveting, right? Haha) and what would have normally taken about 15-20 minutes ended up taking more than an hour since I had to film it. I’ve mentioned before that I absolutely love watching Reels, but I absolutely loathe making them because the editing is so tedious (and I’m a perfectionist which doesn’t help one bit), and doing this Reel reminded me just how tedious it is.
When Olivia and I got home, I made dinner for her, and then we opened Amazon packages that had been delivered because her squishies were in there and she was ecstatic.
While she got ready for dance, I did a Bible study and my devotional, and then I dropped Olivia off at dance.
Brian picked up Jacob from e-sports on his way home from work, and then the boys and I had turkey and cheese sliders on Hawaiian rolls with chips and fruit. Simple and yummy.
After dinner, I went to walk for a bit, and then I showered while Brian picked up Olivia from dance.
Wednesday, October 14
Wednesday morning, I was up at 6 AM, I got ready and did all my other morning things, and then I took the kids to school.
While I was there, I talked to her about Ehlers-Danlos and POTS since I’d had two other doctors tell me they suspect I am a candidate for testing for both of those, and she agreed on both accounts. She said based on everything she knows about me, it does sound like it’s likely that I have both, but she said the surefire way to know is genetic testing, but that costs and arm and a leg, so I’m not going to pursue it at this time. She told me in the meantime to drink a ton of water and continue eating a ton of salt (for the POTS). My BP is always crazyyyy low (and my sodium was also on the low side on my blood test despite the fact that I eat a TON of salt) so my body obviously needs it. Guess I need to be more consistent about consuming this every day.
They offered me my flu shot while I was there, and I said yes so fast! I have been getting a flu shot every year for 20+ years and ever since I started getting it, I have avoided getting the actual flu. Prior to that, I got the flu often, so I never miss my flu shot!
After my appointment, I had to swing by Walmart to grab some supplies for poker night and our tailgate later in the week, and then I went home to put the groceries away. I played outside with Belle for 30 minutes after that, and the whole time we were out there she wouldn’t go to the bathroom. When I took her up to my office, the first thing she did was pee on my floor, so I promptly took her back downstairs to the kitchen. Bless.
After that, I started and finished my blog post for Friday and then I had lunch and went outside with Belle for a while again. While she ran around, I started editing my Reel that I’d filmed, and I also responded to a few emails.
I tidied the house and then when Brian got home, he and I made breakfast for dinner together. We took Bellie for a family walk after that and then I walked one more mile by myself. I did a functional strength training workout when we got home, too, and then once everyone was showered and ready for bed, we watched three episodes of Friends, and then Brian and I started the last episode of Outer Banks.
Thursday morning, I was up at 6 AM, I took the kids to school, and then I headed home to start my blog post for Monday.
I had an appointment with my therapist for the first time in a couple of months, and on the way there, I swung by UPS to do an Amazon return + Target to return a few things, and then I headed to my appointment.
After that was done, I went home and spent some time with Belle outside, I had lunch, and then I took Belle to my office to get some work done. She was trying to get into everything, so I locked her in the kitchen yet again. Haha. This puppy phase is going to do me in, y’all! Haha.
I finished my blog post for Monday, and I did some more blog housekeeping, and then it was time to pick up the kids from school. They both had music lessons after school, and it was my day to sit in with Jacob. He started working on The Great Pumpkin Waltz on his own at home last week, so he had brought the sheet music in for that to work on it during his lesson. It’s amazing how he can just pick something up and play it now.
When we got home, I made Olivia some chicken nuggets for an early dinner, Jacob played with Belle outside, and I did a Bible study before freshening up. I dropped Olivia at dance and then headed to my favorite Thai restaurant to eat dinner with my girls!! Only four of us were able to make it this time, but all four of us were able to be there by 5:30 PM, so that was good because we beat the crowd (downtown was PACKED), and I was home by 7 PM. That was especially nice since I felt so behind on everything and still had a lot I needed to get done.
Brian picked up Olivia from dance, and they got home around 8:30 PM. She immediately got showered and ready for bed, and while she did that, I secured the bats to the mantle since they had all fallen since I hung them a couple of weeks ago. I ended up using these to secure them and they worked like a charm. Going to start using that every year going forward! I've been using them for other things for more than a decade, but for some reason I never think to use them for stuff like that! They're pretty brilliant, actually.
The kids were in bed by 9 PM and then Brian and I finished watching Outer Banks. While we watched, I pulled up the ballot for Georgia since we were going to vote Friday morning because I wanted to review the amendments. I always like to go in prepared and fully researched so I don’t get blindsided by anything unexpected.
Friday, October 16
Friday morning, I was up at 6 AM and Brian and I took the kids to school together since we were going straight to the voting precinct to vote early. We were literally in and out in less than five minutes and we were home by 8 AM.
I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed straight to my office to start and catch up this blog post. I’m already at 3,510 words as I type this, so as you can imagine, that took a while!! I also took the time to catch up on a few emails and do the never-ending blog housekeeping, and I also spent some time with my planner getting a few things organized, and then it was time to shut everything down and get started on a few things around the house before I left for my appointment. Side note, I never get tired of this view...
Once that was in the slow cooker, I scarfed down some scrambled eggs for a weird late brunchy/lunchy thing since I had a hair appointment from 11 AM – 1 PM and I couldn’t eat at my normal lunchtime, and then I headed out.
As I said earlier in this post, the same guy has been doing my hair for around 15 years, and he wasn’t able to do it this week, so I was desperate. I ended up booking an appointment at a new-ish salon, but the girl who did my hair has been doing it for years, and she did a fantastic job. The salon was beautiful since it recently opened in a newly constructed area, and it’s only 10 minutes from my house which is a bonus. It was so serene in there (unlike the hustle and bustle of most salons), and they played excellent music the whole time so it was an all-around great experience.
Unfortunately, the price to get my hair done there was an arm and a leg compared to what Jamey has charged me for the last 15 years, but I know I’m lucky in that department since prices have gone up so much. As much as I’d like to start going to this girl at this salon all the time, I definitely can’t pay that much every time, so I’ll probably alternate between her and Jamey until Jamey decides he doesn’t want to do my hair anymore.
When we got home, I did a few more things in my office, I finished picking out my clothes and packing for Saturday, and then I went downstairs to get ready for pooooker niiiight! I had already put the chicken in the slow cooker, so all I had to do was make some mac n cheese (my Momma’s recipe!) and set everything out. On the menu was barbecue chicken sandwiches + hot dogs, mac n cheese, cole slaw, and chips.
I was a whirlwind for the next 45 minutes, getting the house tidied and cleaning some random spaces, getting dinner prepared, etc. and Brian and the kids helped a lot, too. Jacob vacuumed (since our kitchen floor is always a disaster now) and Olivia cleaned the toilet to make sure it was good for the guests, and Brian did all the other things, and then Jeannine’s and Khristina’s families arrived a little after 5:30 PM.
We spent the rest of the evening eating, drinking, and playing poker while the kids hung out in the playroom. Bellie got to meet all our friends for the first time, and then she passed out in my arms for the rest of the night at the table because it’s exhausting being a puppy. Poker night is always one of our favorite nights of the whole month and I truly cherish these friendships so very much. We’ve been doing these monthly poker nights for nearly FOUR YEARS now and I love it so much.
Saturday morning, we were up at 6:30 AM to get ready for the game. We were out the door by 7:45 AM to get Bellie to my parents, and then we hit the road for Athens. The rest of the day was spent tailgating with my Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg + my cousin and her fiancé and all their friends, and the weather was just perfection. Fall finally arrived just in time for the game! It was cool, crisp, and sunny, and we loved every second of it.
On to the next game!!
Sunday, October 18
Sunday morning, I slept in until 9 AM, and I let Belle outside since I was the first one up. It was 48 degrees Sunday morning and it was just glorious. Gah, the cooler weather is always so invigorating after a long, hot, miserable summer.
I made homemade waffles for breakfast, and then I immediately headed to my office to do all the things – transfer photos from my phone to my computer and get those organized, get my planner ready for the week ahead, work on this blog post, catch up on emails, etc.
Meanwhile, Brian worked out in the yard getting some more of the brush under our trees cleared out and he also put gas in my car while the kids showered, did their laundry, and played video games.
We all had leftovers from Friday’s poker night for lunch, and then Brian headed off to a tennis match while the kids and I stayed home. I got all the towels washed, I helped Jacob buy some sheet music and a Lego set he wanted, and I worked on this blog post some more.
I headed downstairs to make a meal plan and grocery list, but Bellie was snoozing, and when I sat down to pet her, she climbed in my lap and went promptly to sleep again. So instead of doing what I went downstairs to do, I ended up sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor snuggling with her for a while. I had to get ready for church, so I woke her from her snuggly cocoon, and then I took her upstairs with me while I got ready. This on repeat for the next few months!
After church, I pulled the car up to the church and Aunt Joy walked Mama Cass out. I drove Mama Cass and the kids to my parents’ house and Brian met us there with Belle for Sunday dinner. We celebrated my littlest brother’s BFF / roommate’s birthday with chicken alfredo, salad, broccoli, bread, and a Hershey cake, and it was a nice night catching up with everyone since we hadn’t been to Sunday dinner the weekend before that.
We got home a little after eight, and we all got into pajamas. I made a quick meal plan and grocery list since I hadn’t earlier in the day, and then we had just enough time to watch one episode of Friends.
