Updates on Day.... um.... 66, I think?

1. The refrigerator WAS especially dirty! I am so glad I cleaned it. 
2. The scaveola are hanging (ha) in there! They perked up, I've been VERY diligent about moving them under the porch when it rains, constantly watching my phone for weather alerts, and only watering them every other day, only if they need it. I am a farmer like my father before me. ;) But seriously, I am pretty proud of the success of these plants since I usually kill plants easily. I'm nervous that, if I ever have to go back to an office every day, they won't get the attention they require. 
3. I did, in fact, go back to work, from home of course, and it hasn't been all that terrible. Monday was a day of meetings, and I had to pick Kate up from a sleepover across town (let's talk about that below), so I felt like I got nothing really accomplished. But Tuesday and Wednesday were significantly more productive, and that felt good. 
4. The kids have all but finished school. Grades are in (all As). SEE YA, 6th and 10th grades. Alex has his AP Humanities exam today (!!) and Kate still has one "fun" Google Meet scheduled tomorrow, but all the other work is DONE. Kate had so many projects. Science (Google slides re: Hurricanes/Hurricane Harvey); Religion (some kind of family tree thing); Spanish (a menu for a ficititious restaurant); Social Studies (Google slides about Enlightenment thinkers - that was a tough one); and Literature (a paper about hurricanes - cross-class w/Science). Sheesh! Today we have to go to Kate's school to pick up her yearbook and the rest of her locker stuff, which the teachers have bagged up and labeled for every kid! There's a food pantry drop-off, as well, which makes me love our school even more, again. 
5. Both kids report they WANT to go back to school in the fall. 
6. I finished 4 books in the Women of Lancaster County (Amish) series and loved them all. I haven't read a full series in a long time. Now I've moved on to Sisterland, by Curtis Sittenfeld. 

So, Kate has had a couple of sleepovers. The first was Adrianna (neighbor nextdoor), and it was because A. asked me if she could sleep over. !! A little presumptious of her. She claims her parents have been fighting and she wanted to give them some space. (Her mom has told me they've been arguing a bit -- husband is home 24/7 and I think it's driving wife a little crazy, but it's nothing serious as far as I can tell.) I guess it's nice of their daughter but I hope my kids are not that bold to directly invite themselves over to other peoples' houses! No, ma'am. Anyway, we handled it (not without a little moodiness from 2 pre-teen girls), ordered pizza, made s'mores at the fire pit, set them up with a popcorn and movie night, served cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then sent her home. 

The better sleepover was a meetup with her camp friends -- since she won't get to see them at camp this summer. And it was a surprise: Sarah Kate is from Kentucky, and her cousin Olivia lives here. I told Kate we were meeting O. but SK had secretly come down for a visit -- we met up with them for a hike and Kate had no idea SK would be there. Surprirse! It was so fun. They waded in the creek up to their waists, making memories for sure. And then they couldn't bear to part, so I let her go home with them. 

SHOULD we be having sleepovers, technically? Probably no. But geez, we've been isolated at home for nearly 2 months, and the kids have been SO good about not complaining. I absolutely couldn't say no. In my opinion, it's still social distancing as long as we don't do it frequently. The rules don't say, "Never ever see your friends again." They say to do things cautiously. 

In that same vein, I'm getting excited about our June visit to Pensacola. I think we might try to skip the condo in Destin; why haul all the stuff out there when we can stay at Mom and Dad's just as easily? We'll see. They might want to go, to "get their money's worth" from the time-share. I get that. But with a pool and enough beds, and cousins across the street, I think their house would be just fine. Still vacation-y! Getting to see my parents (we've missed 2 full times we should have seen them this spring)! Easier to get groceries in town than at the beach! 

Speaking of groceries, we've had some good meals lately. (I am still so sick of meal planning.)

S - Red beans and rice with sausage

M - Sloppy joes, sweet potato fries and tots (whatever was left in the freezer)

T - marinated pork tenderloin, wild rice, green beans

W - marinated grilled chicken, black bean salad (made w/cilantro and chives from the garden!!), cornbread muffins 

Th (tonight) - PW's creamy tomato fettucine and a spinach salad (will use basil from the garden!)

F - Hello Fresh (I restarted) bulgogi meatballs and jasmine rice, yippie! 

S - order in night