Whew, last week was something, y’all, but it’s a new week, and I’m ready for it!
Monday, January 18 (Day 311 of Quarantine)
Monday, we were all off for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We didn’t have any plans, but I did head out first thing to grab groceries from Publix. The rest of the day was spent playing outside, doing some reading and delving into MLK’s old speeches, cleaning out a couple of small spaces in our house, and preparing for heading back to school after four long weeks at home.
I got the coat closet decluttered and reorganized, I cleaned out the microwave (it was long overdue – eeks!), and B got our big oak trees trimmed back in the back yard. We planted them when we first moved in our house back in 2009, and they were just teeny tiny saplings. They’re now both HUGE and they’ve never been trimmed back, so the branches bend all the way down and touch the ground which makes it hard to utilize the ample shade they both provide.
We’ve been wanting to trim them back for some time now, but the only time we ever think to trim them is when they get all big and filled out during the summer. Supposedly it’s best to trim them when they’re dormant in the winter, and B finally remembered to do it Monday. We sized up the space between them while we were out there, and I’m thinking it looks like the absolute PERFECT spot for a hammock, so that’s something to revisit this spring!!
Tuesday, January 19 (Day 312 of Quarantine)
Tuesday, the kids went back to school in person after two weeks of Christmas break and two very long weeks of virtual learning. They were both thrilled to be going back, and I was thrilled (although, a little nervous) about sending them back. Thankfully, the new positive cases have started to go down in our city again, so I’m hoping we’ve hit our peak for the winter and things are going to start getting better.
I did a quick 30-minute workout when I got home, and then I spent the whole morning working and getting caught up on life stuff. Having the kids home for four weeks, I got really behind on the life stuff, and I had so much to do. I had to get them registered for the 2021-2022 school year, pay a few bills, buy raffle tickets for our school’s upcoming fundraiser, plan Olivia’s 100-day project for school, update some insurance change forms for a couple of doctors since we had some changes, and I also started whittling away at my personal and business email inboxes. Man oh man, the emails certainly got out of control those four weeks that the kids were home!
2:30 came WAY too fast, but I was excited to grab the kids so I could hear all about their first day back. They both chattered with excitement all the way home because they’d had the best day.
Tuesday afternoon was spent doing the usual – snacks, homework, and cooking dinner, and the kids got to spend so much time outside because the weather was warm-ish and sunny. B and I wrapped up the evening with a couple of shows and that was our Tuesday.
Wednesday, January 20 (Day 313 of Quarantine)
Wednesday morning, I had a checkup at the allergist, and since I was already going to be out that morning, I decided to make that my errands day. First up was Hobby Lobby to grab some supplies to make Olivia’s 100 Days of School shirt, and then I finally made it to Target to return a couple of things that we’d been needing to return since Christmas. Of course, the Dollar Spot sucked me right in, and I couldn’t resist getting a couple of lovely floral dish towels. I also got started on Valentine’s Day prep because I have no clue when I’ll be going back out anywhere again. We’re still avoiding going out in public when possible.
My checkup at the allergist went well, and best of all, my lung tests came back fantastic which means my daily inhaler is still doing its job! That was great news since asthma sufferers can be more likely to have severe cases of Covid due to having compromised lungs.
I finished up at my appointment just after 11, and I rushed back home to get there in time to watch The Inauguration at 11:30. I ended up watching the entire thing from start to finish for the first time in my life… in the past I’ve always been at work or school, so I’ve only seen highlights later in the day.
I spent most of the morning and early afternoon feeling very emotional and very inspired. Everything was just so uplifting, and it all made me feel very hopeful. I wrote more about my thoughts here if you’d like to read them.
Thursday, January 21 (Day 314 of Quarantine)
Thursday morning, I spent the morning hustling to get stuff done, and then my grandma’s funeral was that afternoon. Just to clarify, this funeral was for my dad’s stepmom. When I posted about it on Instagram stories, several people had confused Grandma with my Mama Cass (my mom’s mom) whom I’ve mentioned several times here on the blog. I guess I should have been more specific. My Mama Cass is the one with whom we’ve had several yard visits recently, and she is still doing well, although, going a little stir crazy like the rest of us.
Back to Grandma – she has been a part of my dad’s life since 1965 when she married his dad (my Pop), so she was a part of my life for my entire life. I never thought of her as a step-Grandma… I always just thought I was lucky growing up because I had three grandmothers when most others only had two. Sadly, my Pop passed away when I was 19, so he’s been long gone (20 years this June), and we buried my Nana (my dad’s mom) just over a year ago as well as her partner (my Papa John) just before that, so that means I no longer have any living grandparents on my dad’s side of the family, biological or otherwise. That makes Mama Cass (my mom’s mom) my very last living grandparent.
The weather was rainy, gloomy, and cold on Thursday which pretty much fit my mood all day. The funeral was originally supposed to have been a graveside service because of Covid, but because of the weather, they opted to have it inside the funeral home at the last minute. Sigh.
Fortunately, the room was very large, they had all of the tables and chairs spaced to ensure proper social distancing, and everyone was required to wear a mask. My parents and I opted for a table on the outer corner, so we were about as far from everyone else as possible.
We all headed to the grave site afterward, and thankfully, the rain had slowed to a gloomy mist. The graveside service was very quick, and then we said our goodbyes to the family, and everyone left.
My parents and I ended up hanging around for another hour after that, just talking in the cemetery (kind of weird, haha), but that was the first time I’ve really gotten to spend any real quality time with them in ages, so it was nice to finally get that time with them.
After they had lowered Grandma’s casket and covered it up, we walked back over there to visit my Pop’s grave as he’s buried with Grandma now. I hadn’t visited his grave in quite some time, and it was long overdue. My cousin lost her one-day-old baby this past May, and he is buried just down from my Pop and Grandma, so we visited his grave as well. It was a somber day.
Friday, January 22 (Day 315 of Quarantine)
Friday was the 100th day of school, so Olivia wore her shirt that we'd made the night before, and then her principal sent me another one of her at school later that morning.
I grabbed the kids from school Friday afternoon, and then we spent the rest of the evening reading, eating Five Guys takeout for dinner, and then watching the live action Beauty and the Beast with the kids. B and I saw it in the theater when it came out, but the kids were too small, so this was the first time they’d seen it and both of them loved it. It’s really long, so I wasn’t sure if it’d hold their attention, but they were enamored from start to finish… just like their momma! Haha. The OG Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie ever, and Belle was always my favorite princess, so I loved the live action. And I loved it even more the second time around.
After the kids went to bed, B and I started New Girl to try something different. I’ve had that on my watch list for a long time, and it didn’t disappoint. We made it through the first three or four episodes, and it was hilarious. I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard at a show in a long time.
Saturday, January 23 (Day 316 of Quarantine)
Saturday morning, I made homemade waffles for breakfast as I always do, and then I finally got in a really good 50-minute cardio workout. After not working out most of the week, it felt good to get my blood pumping.
After my workout, I immediately started tackling my list of things to clean out for the new year, and I got to work on the kitchen cabinets. They really weren’t in bad shape at all since I completely organized our kitchen and gave everything a place last year, but I did receive some new champagne and cocktail glasses for Christmas that I needed to make room for, so a few old glasses had to go.
I also cleaned off the counterspace nearest the garage door entry… we use that space for my purse and any other thing that needs to leave the house with us (store returns, stuff to take to our parents, etc.), but it has a tendency to turn into a MAJOR dumping ground for all the crap that we don’t know what to do with, so I finally got it all cleaned off and organized. Y’all, it looks SO much better and it’s been making me happy ever since!
After lunch, B and the kids played soccer in the back yard while I finished up in the kitchen, and then I also got some things organized in my trunk of my SUV. After that, it was shower time for me and then a little bit of work while the kids played video games.
B headed out to pick up takeout from our favorite barbecue restaurant and then after dinner we watched The Princess Bride. Y’all, I know this is going to be a very unpopular opinion, but I have never understood the appeal for that movie. It is a complete and utter snooze-fest to me. Haha. B loves it, though, and the kids ended up following in his footsteps and enjoying it, too.
After they went to bed, we watched a few more episodes of New Girl, and I’m loving it more and more the further we get into it.
Sunday, January 24 (Day 317 of Quarantine)
Sunday morning was virtual church, cinnamon rolls, and planning the week ahead, and then I spent an hour cleaning out the kids’ art station in the kitchen. It has a tendency to get really bad really fast, and it was in rough shape. I plan to dedicate an entire blog post to all of my decluttering, so be sure to look for that post in February sometime.
After the art station was cleaned out, Jacob worked on his Google Classroom homework for the week while Olivia and I read her AR books together, and then we had leftovers for lunch.
B and the kids played some soccer in the backyard Sunday afternoon, and then we went on a family walk to the playground as we do most Sundays. B and I walked the whole time the kids played, and we got in three miles.
And now for a few current things…
Currently Reading
I
don’t typically do a lot of reading this time of year as I’m always focused on
cleaning out the house since it’s the start of the new year, but this month, I
chose one book to read – It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way. I’m about three quarters through as I type
this, and while it’s definitely worth reading, it didn’t resonate with me quite
as strongly as I’d hoped it would.
There’s still a good bit left, though, so I’m hoping there are some good
nuggets remaining.
Currently
Watching
This
month for network TV, we started the new Bachelor, and we’re still
working our way through This is Us (even though it recently went on
hiatus because of Covid) and Shark Tank.
I’m super excited because All American is finally back on the
CW!! B and I binged the first two
seasons last year, and then the third season got delayed because of Covid, so I am ecstatic that it’s finally back!
Long overdue! We also watched the
college football National Championship game, and were excited to see Bama beat
Ohio State… gotta keep that title in the SEC!
We
finished The Wilds on Amazon Prime, and y’all, oh my goodness, we loved
that show so much. It starts out one
way, and then morphs into something completely different, yet better. The character development was excellent, the
acting was great, and it was just a really unique show. We are now patiently awaiting season two.
We
also blew through Bridgerton and Away on Netflix this month, and
we loved both. Bridgerton started
out a little slow for me as I don’t typically like period shows, but good
golly, The Duke is so dang hot, I couldn’t stop watching because I didn’t want
to take my eyes off of him. I’m glad we
stuck with it because I did end up enjoying it, and I’m now convinced that
Rege-Jean Page might just be the best-looking guy on the whole planet. I mean, SWOOOON.
I
didn’t really have any expectations for Away since I didn’t know much
about it, but I ended up loving it SO much.
The show was well produced, and Netflix certainly didn’t waste any money
making all of the space and shuttle scenes look realistic. What I didn’t expect, was just how much of
the family life aspect they were going to bring into it, and that was the best
part for me. Again, the character
development was excellent, and the show just had so much heart that I fell hard
for it. Sadly, Netflix announced it
won’t be back for a season two because it’s so expensive to make, but
thankfully, the first season ends in an acceptable manner for the first season
to stand alone. However, there were a
couple of minor things left unresolved that could have turned into BIG things
and I was very much looking forward to seeing where the series was going to
go. I’m praying that another network
will pick it up since it was highly rated across the board.
We
also, of course, started The Good Place and New Girl just in the
last week, and while The Good Place is holding my attention, I’m not all
that impressed with it so far. We’re
about nine or ten episodes in as I type this, so at this point, I’m wondering
if it’ll ever turn into anything that I really look forward to. New Girl, on the other hand, captured
me pretty quickly, so I’m looking forward to watching more of that. I adore Zooey Deschanel, and she is the
absolute cutest thing in this show, so I’m sure I’m going to love it.
Oh, and I'm also re-watching Dawson's Creek on Netflix while I work. It was one of my faaaavorite shows when I was a teenager, and it's been awesome watching all of those episodes again.
Currently
Listening To
January
is always a little strange for me music-wise.
I’ve always just come off of two full months of solid Christmas music,
and I always feel a little lost delving back into the world of regular
music. I hadn’t given Taylor Swift’s new
album the attention it deserved since it came out during my Christmas music
bingeing, so I’ve been listening to that one quite frequently, and I’ve also
been on a major Dave Matthews Band kick.
When in doubt, just turn on DMB… that’s how I always see it. One of my favorite albums of theirs ever is
Live at Luther College, it’s an acoustic show with just Dave Matthews and Tim
Reynolds, and y’all, it is just pure gold.
I’ve been listening to that album since 2001, and it just takes me right
back to being 19 again.
Happy Monday, y’all!
