Table for Two!

It turns out that the dreaded meal planning DOES get a bit easier, once the kids move out! Or at least that's how it's been so far in my case. 

Cooking for 2 means mostly that I'm only cooking once or twice a week. The rest of the time we kind-of "scrounge around," but manage to come up with enough for a meal. Like, if I have half a box of fried fish sticks in the freezer (don't judge), and always have tortillas, I can whip up a quick jalepeno tartar sauce and serve fish tacos. It's a meal! But I didn't really plan it! I can't think of other examples. Leftovers, of course, are an option. Last night I made a new "entree" (chicken thighs) but we had a lot of leftover rice and green beans from the weekend, which we ate a 2nd and final time.  

I've reverted back to simpler things like a side of flavored rice from a packet (Knorr or Lipton or whoever makes those nowadays), and a steamed vegetable from the freezer. I guess my kids didn't love those types of meals so I felt like I had to do something more interesting, but Shawn actually likes them - we both do. Maybe it's nostalgia. 

Over the weekend we grilled some shrimp and it was so good! Just marinated it in lemon juice/zest, olive oil, S&P, and red pepper flakes. Shrimp were on sale, both of us like shrimp, so I bought 'em on a whim. (Nothing to do with meals for 2, just one of the good meals we had recently.)

I did make the mistake once of boiling a whole box of pasta -- habit -- and then had pasta in the fridge forever before I threw it out. Learned to NOT do that! haha. 

We're trying not to go out to dinner too much (college girls are expensive!), although it's hard to resist. Still, even if we do, it's half the cost of what it was when we had teenagers' meals on the bill!

We haven't had cereal for supper yet, but it's on the list of possibilities. 

Cooking, and (More Important,) Eating

A friend of Shawn's had been ordering meals from EveryPlate, so we got a discount from them and opened an account. We've received 3 or 4 boxes, each with 3 meals inside. Mostly we've been only mid-whelmed. Not over- or under. The meals have been fine. (Only one that really didn't turn out well, a potato-corn chowder that I didn't even share with the family. I made it for myself, for lunch one day with plans to freeze it in lunch portions. I think I didn't like it because I didn't cut the potatoes small enough or cook them long enough.) 

Anyway, it's not that interesting, except to note that EveryPlate has the same parent company, or is the same company as, Hello, Fresh, to which we formerly subscribed. EP is supposedly less expensive, and I think that's been true. I do enjoy having to buy less on the weekly grocery store run, when a box is delivered. That's a plus for sure. However, this last time I didn't cook one recipe in time and the veggies went bad. 

Overall it's a thumbs-sideways. I'll cancel eventually and then look forward to the million emails and direct mailers/discounts trying to persuade me to come back. 

I'm not in a season of cooking every night, though, that's for sure! Kate's practice schedule, and Shawn's schedule from Jan - Mar, had us scattered to the winds about 4 nights out of 5 during the workweek. I have bought a LOT of Chick Fil A this schoolyear. And Chipotle. Those seem to be our go-to take-out choices. 

BTW, at Chipotle, I have tried, and like, their plant-based Sofritas. It's tofu, but delicious. I don't care for the amount of chicken those Big Burrito places feel is necessary; it's too much chicken! 

When I was in Germany, I once again ate delicious Schnitzel and Kartoffelsalat. And now I feel I need to learn to make them both, for my kids' heritage's sake.

So, what's been on our menu this week? I'll tell you. 

M - Chick-Fil-A After Kate's May extracurricular: Beach Volleyball! 

T - EveryPlate pork soft tacos. These were good, there just wasn't a TON of flavor. But this was one that called for a long green pepper, which went bad, so I had to use a regular red pepper instead, and that might have made a flavor difference. We did enjoy having soft tacos - usually when I make tacos, it's Old El Paso hard shells (the best!), but these thick flour tortillas were a nice change-up.

W - Homemade Pizzas. Kate and I had EP veggie/BBQ/pineapple Flatbreads, technically, and Shawn had pepperoni on naan. 

Th - Tonight I plan to make White Bean Chicken Chili. Haven't had it in a lonnnnnng time. And I think today is the last day before it heats up significantly (properly! this Spring has been too cold so far!), and chili is for cold weather. 

F - Helpie Selfie or leftovers.

S - Out, in Athens I hope. We're going over there to bring back a first load of stuff from Alex's dorm room. He moves out next week! I can't believe his first year is already done!

Still reeling at work! But some dinner menus to share

I'm taking a short break from work. Ugh, I hate it now. 

Not sure when I'll return to liking it. So far, it's a lot of questions I don't have answers for, doing things I'm not sure I'm doing right, and wondering how I will ever, EVER get it all done. (Answer: Never. You never finish a To-Do list. I know this, and yet I still let it cause me stress.)

But since I'm three weeks in (almost), I'm trying to start letting go of that panicked feeling and make room for my regular life to come back to the forefront. I can't continue feeling like I'm in Survival Mode forever. I can only do what I can do, and it's also important to exercise, drink water, take a minute of quiet, etc.! And to eat well. 

Last night, Shawn thanked me for making dinner after a long stressful day. So kind of him. I am grateful he sees that it's work -- but also, I like to cook. Turning my focus from my laptop to the stove and pantry is a relief, sometimes. Especially when it's a new recipe and I get to concentrate on just that. Something about creating, single-tasking, and um, I just like food. Plain and simple! So here are a few of the things we've been eating and I've enjoyed making.

White Bean Enchilada Soup -- I loved this. Had it again for my lunch today and it was equally delish. It seems like a lot of ingredients, but is actually not difficult. I also cooked and shredded some chicken breasts for the people who don't think it's a meal if it doesn't have meat. ;) My favorite part was slicing up some fresh jalepenos for the garnish. I usually don't do that since I have Cholula and diced in a jar jalepenos, always. But this time the extra effort was worth it.

When I went to Pensacola last week with my sister (! so fun to be all four of us, my nuclear family of origin, together again!), she made Shrimp Tikka Masala for us, and it was To Die For. She got her recipe from a subscription service and it's not currently on the online menu for me to link, but the one I linked is pretty close. Yum Yum I could eat it every day. I mean, anything with Jasmine Rice, am I right? I went right out and bought myself a bottle of garam masala spice, to have on-hand, and I will be making this at home toute de suite!

During one of the MANY days I was in the office over the last few weeks, I heard some coworkers talking about Egg Roll in a Bowl; they had never had it before. I've known about it for years but haven't made it in a while, so that was my contribution in Pensacola. It's yummy every time and feels virtuous! And again: Jasmine Rice. 

The rest of this week it's minimal effort for dinner, and we're going to our one out-of-town volleyball tournament this weekend (Sevierville, TN!), so I won't get to enjoy cooking again for a few days. 

Okay, back to the most pressing To Dos and Emails. 

"Go Dawgs" and "Glory, Glory"

A work colleague of Shawn's gave us 3 tickets to this past weekend's UGA game. Tickets are expensive, I have learned, when a college team is highly ranked and reigning national champion. So getting the tickets for nothing was amazing and we're so grateful. 

We left our house at 6:15 am for the noon game on Saturday. Painful to get up that early, sure, but when we arrived at our parking deck at around 8:00 am, we were definitely NOT the only ones. People were setting up their tailgate tents and tables, I presume they were serving breakfast? Not super clear on that. Next time it might be fun to tailgate but we didn't even attempt it ourselves for our first go-round. The "Dawg Walk" was scheduled to begin at 9:45 anyway, so we were there in time to walk to the student center, get coffee, and then Alex met us and showed us where to stand. 

The band lines up on either side of a walkway and then the players' charter bus drives up, and out they walk, very nicely dressed (suits and ties, or suits and handsome turtlenecks), led by the cutie cheerleaders, of course, and the band plays and it's all very spirited and wonderful!

Then there's the game, itself, even more spectacular. The stadium is enormous, and it was FILLED with fans. It was a beautiful 80-degree day (although it felt much warmer than that in our no-shade seats and we did get sunburned!), with blue skies, lovely breezes every once in a while... and our team won. It was a great game, too -- not the blowout we'd expected, but fun to watch and a little nerve-wracking! There were fumbles and interceptions and highs and lows. 

The halftime show was pretty incredible, too. Band parents live for halftime. :)

Afterwards we made the obligatory trip to the campus bookstore, walked over to let Kate see her brother's dorm room (which hasn't changed at all since we moved him in, lol - we thought he might decorate a little, put up a photo or two on the walls, but no... at least it was clean), and took him to dinner at a nearby BBQ place. 

It was such a great day, a full-on Experience. Alex is happy, doing what he loves. We are newly-minted Dawgs fans for life, I guess, with the t-shirts and hats to prove it. 

And Sunday we were (at least I was) exhausted. 

Onward to this week: Kate's Fall Break. I'm working M, T, W and then she and I are taking a girls' trip to Charleston, SC. (What is with schools these days having SO many breaks?! When I was growing up, it was Spring Break, Christmas, and Summer, that was it. But our school district has THREE week-long breaks, one in September, one in February, and Spring Break in April. Plus a full week off for Thanksgiving. Shawn and I have historically NEVER had enough vacation time to take a trip for all three of those. Yet, some kids do. And our kids know about those trips because of stupid Social Media. It pisses me off, frankly.) I do have some banked vacation time now (Shawn doesn't, bummer), so I booked a hotel, bought us tickets to Sherry's theater -- finally! after 10 years! -- and I can't wait for that. I'm crossing my fingers for good weather so Kate can have at least a little bit of a beach day somehow. Other than that, I'm planning on brunch, some exploring in the most beautiful parts of downtown, maybe a pedicure if we can find a place, and just leisurely girl-time. We won't be there too long, but hopefully it will scratch Kate's itch to be somewhere else, and I know it will at least give her some pretty #vaca photos to post to Instagram and BeReal (eyeroll).

Until then, it's a regular week, but I've got fall vibes (it actually is cooler here): 

S - Chicken and white bean chili.

M - Pumpkin-alfredo ravioli, with salad

T - we'll probably get takeout

W - Foil pack Cajun chicken and vegetables, with cornbread

Happy Monday!

Dinners this week, now with less Alex

We survived move-in day. Actually it was very smooth and well-organized, there was not much acute stress involved! Just that low-level stress and dread when you're about to let your firstborn go off on his own. Ha. One tiny frustration when Alex first tried his room key and couldn't seem to get the door open -- it's a sticky, heavy door you have to shove -- and I thought, "Uh-oh, this is not a good way to start out!" But never fear, we/he figured it out. Some bullet-y notes:

• While waking up at 5am was not fun, the 8am move-in slot was a good call -- fewer people around, fresh volunteers ready to help, short lines, etc.
• It was GOOD that his roommate wasn't there yet, because we could get set up easily, using the 2nd bed area to toss empty boxes and stash things while we got situated.
• It was not so good that his roommate wasn't there yet, for loneliness/homesickness reasons after we parents left.
• On the other hand, maybe that was also good.
• Rolling bins! The school provided these deep, wide bins to take things up in the elevator. We got all of Alex's worldly possessions in one bin (plus a few things carried by hand) and made it in ONE trip! This was amazing. The dorm he's in is 9 stories; elevators are critical! Thankfully Alex is on the 3rd floor and right near a staircase if he's ever in a hurry. 
• We were grateful that a huge rain burst didn't start while we had an open cart outdoors -- it waited until we were done moving in, safely under a roof!
• Making a bunk bed is still a PITA! I remember from the one year I had one, ugh. This is why college kids never wash their sheets and I can't say I blame them.
• It's so much easier to have a BOY, particularly one who doesn't care too much about decor. We didn't even get him a futon, just a mini papasan chair. We saw a lot of dads carrying in lots of extra things, like bins and curtains and rugs and ottomans! We did our best to make Alex's tiny room livable, with a small rug, throw pillow, blanket and bookshelf, but... it still looks like a dorm. He has what he needs. (I do hope he'll hang some pictures on his walls but I left that to him -- it's his room, after all.) These moms who do a full-scale magazine spread for their kids are not letting the kid BE HIS OWN PERSON, in my opinion. Have you seen this crazy dorm-room Instagram account? We don't live in MS, but wow, that makes me want to throw things. People HIRE someone to do these. To decorate a DORM. Insanity.
• We took him to (a delicious) lunch, one last little trip to Target, and then we had to leave. It was as terrible as you would expect it to be, for me. I got so choked up. And could see the tears in his eyes, too. I remember that, being in his shoes. Wanting to be brave and excited, but feeling so nervous at the same time.
• Enough of that. I let the tears fall quite a bit in the car on the way home, but I know he's okay and I'm excited for him. Band camp started Saturday morning bright and early, roommate moved in Sunday and I was able to send a little bag with a couple more things I thought he needed. He's doing it! It's going to be great!

And he isn't coming home for dinner, sob... but that has meant: Seafood and creamy sauces! Alex is not a fan. So guess what? We can eat it as much as we want now, haha!

This week's menu: 

Saturday: Sushi rolls we made ourselves. Used both crab and (cooked) salmon, and they were delicious. 

Sunday: Skinny fettucine alfredo with shrimp, and Caesar salad.

Monday: (takeout)

Tuesday: Baked chicken with this creamy veg casserole (I know, I know, canned Cream of Mushroom is so gauche! But makes a yummy sauce, ya gotta admit)

Wednesday: (volleyball so it's Helpie Selfie)

Thursday: I planned homemade margherita pizza, but I couldn't find fresh basil at either store I went to! Will have to go again later this week (which I hate to do, but sometimes can't be helped).

Friday: is the first home high school football game, and I think we're going! 

Our May-to-August gauntlet of huge life-events has finally become a chapter, closed. I am so grateful for all of it, so glad we had those experiences. And so glad they are now in the rearview. Onward! Go Dawgs! ;) 

Stress, a Legacy

It was early last July that I posted about stress dreams, and my year of band boosters board membership was just beginning. In summary, it went like this: marching season, volleyball/basketball season, quick trip to Orlando, holidays, then Senior year/Spring semester/concert season, club volleyball season, then 2 graduations, 2 weeks of Covid (concurrently!), a 4-day work trip to south FL, and an immediate turn-around to our family vacation in north FL, including my sister's wedding! 

Is that a lot? 

I am joking, of course: That is A Lot. Realizing it has made me feel a little better that I've gained a few pounds. Who cares, but evidently I've been in a stressed mode for a long time now and my body thought it had best hold on to its energy reserves just in case of famine. I'm okay with it. And this is not a post about a health kick, although I would like to tackle that, too, somewhat. (I'd also like to let it go forever and not care, but I'm not there yet.)

It's a family trait; the women in my family tree all seem to have similar brains when it comes to overwhelm, to-dos and how those make us feel. Hosting a party? We freak out a little bit, as we're planning and cleaning and getting ready. Going on a trip? It's an Ordeal, until it's a relief that we did it. Even just an invitation to go out, for me, feels like an ordeal until after, when I'm so happy I did it -- I always catch myself complaining about it until I'm there, and it's so fun, and I'm reminded. Wouldn't we love to be the kind of women who just have an easy, breezy attitude about life! But we are not wired that way. 

Frequently, I notice that when I talk to my parents or my sister on the phone, it's a list of alllll the things I'm doing, or have done; a report on the state of the calendar, often with a dose of "and I don't know how it's all going to get done" thrown in. I don't like that. (Not to mention here on the blog!) I wish I could tell stories of our comings and goings with more emphasis on how much fun we had; what the decor looked like; what friends we saw. Maybe I do include those details, I don't know for sure, but I'd like to try to do it better.

I don't know the solution, but I do know what I want to try. More prayer and meditation and gratitude -- I already do those things, but they're the first to go when there are too many events on the schedule, along with workouts. More (and this sounds silly, but) before-bed baths, and naps! Self-care is a good thing, and a bath is so calming! Less marching band, haha -- that one has taken care of itself, although we will have a few college marching band things to attend, I'm sure. But let me keep those in perspective and look at them as FUN instead of something I have to capital-W-worry about. 

I'm looking ahead at Alex's college orientation next week (2 days in the adorable town of Athens, fun!), and then move-in and drop-off a month later. So maybe I'll try to handle those 2 things differently than this entire past year that I worried/panicked/whimpered my way through. I wonder if I can make the mental change? It's gonna take a real effort.

In the meantime, I am cooking a little bit! A few things on this week's menu plan:

• Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken: I made this once when the kids were at summer camp and Shawn and I liked it. Instead of Cayenne pepper, though, since they're here, I'm going to sub smoked paprika and hope it goes over equally well. And I'm going to roast some potatoes to serve with it. 
• Mexican Rice: Yum, with crumbled Fritos on top!
• One-Pot Kielbasa Pasta: Turned out amazing; instead of diced tomatoes, which I inexplicably did not have in the pantry, I used up the zucchini, broccoli, and red bell pepper I had in the fridge. Really, really good. 
• For the 4th of July, I made this yummy Spicy corn dip! You should try it, especially if you like jalepenos. It's great with tortilla chips and also Wheat Thins!

Menu Planning in May!

I guess I gave up cooking in about mid-March, due to all the practices and Cornhole and Board meeting circumstances every night of the week except Thursdays. It has made me feel off-kilter, for sure, but was also a relief to just let it go. We've fared okay. One of Kate's favorite busy-weeknight, pre-volleyball practice go-to meals was frozen potstickers. Any brand, any variety will do. They take about 10 minutes in a skillet to cook up and have a nice crispy edge, and she ate them at least once a week. I know Alex and Shawn have had plenty of Spaghetti-Ohs dinners. Once in a while I've made recipes thinking they would last the week and provide some easy leftovers meals... and then no one ends up eating them but me. Things like red beans and rice in the crockpot, a sausage/pasta baked casserole, and BBQ meatballs.

But THIS WEEK we are without any volleyball or drum/band practices on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday! So I actually had to think a little bit when making a grocery list.

I don't think it's necessary to tell you everything we're eating this week, because it's all my usuals, nothing new -- first I have to see if I remember how to cook, lol. Maybe next week, or better yet, after school ends for the year, I'll venture into trying new recipes again. 

Meanwhile, I hung my just-delivered fundraiser hanging baskets yesterday -- pretty pink-flowered "million bells" -- and set out my 2 tomato plants, so that makes me want to clean up the rest of the planters. I do love puttering around in the garden! We also have some pretty red house finches making a nest on top of one of the columns on our front porch. Interestingly, there seem to be three of them building the nest -- a modern bird family, I guess! 

Would be nice to have a spring meal or two outside among the fresh flowers and birdies before it gets too hot. Also trying to decide if I can manage to host a graduation party for the graduate; if I do, that would likely be in the backyard as well. We'll see. No time to muse about it, my job tasks-list is huge today. But happy Monday and happy new month. I think if I can get through May, ... well, I was going to say "things will calm down," but that may not actually be the case. I will work on ENJOYMENT of each day no matter how busy, instead of "getting through." Remind me. 

Today is Shawn's Birthday

Happy birthday to my Darling Husband! Today, I will bake you a cake! 

(I seriously love working from home.) 

He went to his office, on the other hand, on his birthday. We are both gluttons for punishment; back in June I worked on my birthday, too. BUT: In a wild act of celebration and treating himself, he did not make a lunch this morning. I think he's going to have a Jersey Mike's sub, and CHIPS. And a full-sugar SODA! 

He has some presents to open later and I will make his favorite meal -- say it together, everyone: Chili. :) It's a perfect winter climate for it, that's for sure! I wrote in my planner for January (because I'm so cheesy) that I want to celebrate him and make sure he feels loved on his birthday, and chili is definitely the way.

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Things have been rolling along, here in '22. Kate and I have attended her first club volleyball events, for which I finally broke down and bought bleacher seats with a back to lean on. These tournaments are long days in multi-court gyms, always on metal bleachers, and my lower back is not a fan. Hopefully the seats will help. Still, it's fun watching her have fun. Our determined little athlete. She really plays hard and gives it her all. 

Alex is doing All The Things in his spring semester senior year! And excelling (sorry to brag, but it's my blog and I will keep bragging): He auditioned for the county Honor Band and made 2nd chair clarinet, and then he went on to audition for All-State and made that, too! (He says he's last chair for that one, but I say, it's still a chair!) So there are several concerts in our future, with the preceding day-long rehearsals for him. He's playing cymbals in the Indoor Percussion Ensemble (new instrument!), and I think he's joined the Jazz Band again, as well?! Not to mention his two AP classes. He's a rock star.

Side note: It's so interesting to me, how in my family of origin, one of us kids (me) did all the artsy things (theater, choral performance) and one, my sister, did all the sports (basketball, cross-country, and later, crew and triathlon). History repeats.

All-State Band will be in March in Athens, a 2-hour drive away, and he'll miss a day of school. I booked a hotel. Along with Kate's out-of-town tournaments (one for basketball and one for volleyball), that means I have three hotel reservations at the moment, in the next 2 months. I hope I can keep everything straight. The problem is both kids seem to have events on the same weekends. Shawn and I are having a Big Calendar Meeting this weekend to work it all out -- who's going where and when. I am not stressed about it, just want to get these many ducks in a row. So I don't ...quack. HAHA!

I'm somewhat nervous that my manager is going to throw in work-trips for me, also; we have lots of tradeshows in March, ughhhhh. Pray she doesn't. I suppose I need to tell her about my personal calendar, but you know what's weird? Those things don't really get discussed as much because we don't see each other at the office anymore. We used to go to lunch once a week, but it has been a very long time since that has happened. 

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This semester I am not even trying to make real "meals" every night of the week. Instead, I'm writing "take out" or "fast-food" or a new term we learned from another family: Helpy-Selfy. Haha! I love that. Full meals are for Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays only. All other nights are spoken for with practices. Here are some of the things we've eaten lately:

• A cheater's version of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn: Old Standard. Everyone likes this, possibly even better than "real" meatloaf. I am opposed to the NAME of meatloaf (so unappetizing), but I enjoy eating it. 
• Sushi & Ramen! Using Kate's kit that she got for Christmas, we made homemade California rolls a couple of times. It's fun! ...although the process makes quite a mess.
• Chicken & Dumplings in the crock pot. I like C&D and it seems like something my Georgia native kids should know and love, for some reason. Is it a Southern food? I don't actually know. But this recipe was good, flavorful. I didn't add any vegetables because that doesn't seem right. I want my C&D to be a thick, carby white food. We had salad on the side and crusty bread to dip into the soup.
• Pork Carnitas Tacos (crock pot again). Very yummy. I made a lime crema (learned it from Hello Fresh), and served with black beans, shredded cabbage and cilantro. 

Lots of Proofreading and Memory-Making

It's a busy time for me at work. Our product catalog is in production, as well as another mini-catalog, so that means I'm doing a lot of proofreading. Most of our publications originate in Europe, so that means I change a LOT of "fibres" to "fibers" and "colours" to "colors." And all the "-ise" words to "-ize:" Realise, minimise, accessorise. It's tiresome, but easy work. I can put on an album and get into the flow of it. Our office has moved, but we're still waiting on final inspections before we can actually GO to the new building. I've seen my cute new office (I got a real room, not a cube, woo!), but I can't set my stuff up yet. I LOVE the idea of putting things away in an orderly new way. A place for everything (except all the old stuff I happily threw out) and everything in its place. I bought myself a little violet plant for my new desk (no windows, so it has to be something that does okay in fluorescents), and I have new school pictures to put in my 5x7" frames, so come on, building inspectors! For once, I want to be there! 

For a day or two. Then I want to work from home again. ;)

Updates: Band

Alex's senior marching band season has come to a close! Or, it will, tonight at the Fall Awards Reception. We made it! All the Friday afternoon/evening meals, all the competitions, all the football Fridays have finished, as well as our memorable trip to Orlando. The poor kids did not get to march in a parade at Universal  after all: Weather prevented it. I had seen the forecast for "90%" chance of rain, and thought, "Eh, it's Florida. It will rain for 10 minutes and then clear up again. This happens every afternoon." 

I was so wrong. It POURED rain from 6:00 am until 10:00 pm, non-stop and hard. And cold, for Florida. The high that day was about 65. But we put on our ponchos by golly and endured it, because we had paid money to be there! I guess the band kids were happier, even, because it meant more time on the rides than they would have had. 

Anyway, the Thrash family enjoyed our time at Hogwarts/Diagon Alley, drank our butter beer (yum), practiced magic with our $60 (!) wand, and rode every ride we could fit in. Most of them were simulators with 3D video, which I enjoyed at first. But I'm here to warn you: at age 47 after several of those in a row, the inner ear is not a happy inner ear. I closed my eyes in each of the last 5 or 6 rides we did, and breathed very deep, slow breaths. I still feel a little sick remembering it. 

On day 2, we hopped over to the Magic Kingdom, leaving Alex behind but happy to be in the Happiest Place on Earth. (We really did like Universal, though, and want to go back. Lots of rides were unavailable because of the rain.) I'm so glad we took Kate to Disney again. Last time she went, she was four years old. So this time was completely different -- we rode all the "roller coasters" they had. In quotes because Disney roller coasters are not very scary or big. She was scared of them! But brave! And we loved them all. Seven Dwarves Mine Train (a first for all of us), Big Thunder Mountain (my very favorite), and Space Mountain! We even stayed until the fireworks show (also a first! when the kids were little we never stayed late) at the castle. It was a Magical day, for sure. And we were so tired, after 2 days of it. But it was so worth it.

Volleyball

Club volleyball started last night with Kate's first practice. Here's what I was hoping for: All the moms who've done this before welcoming newbies like myself... someone asking where we live... perhaps finding a neighbor who asked did I want to carpool (the practice locations are a 25 minute drive for us)... coaches giving us parents a friendly welcome speech and "here's how it's going to work," and Kate receiving the $500 worth of uniforms I bought a month ago.

Exactly none of that happened. 

Maybe it will, on Wednesday when the practice is JUST our team (last night was a "master coaching" practice with a mix of several teams). But so far my eyebrow is raised. I can see 2 tournaments on the calendar so far, one local and one in Montgomery, which isn't too far away. So that's a positive...

Meals

When we got back from Orlando last Sunday, what sounded good and was easy was a good old spaghetti dinner. Yummy. The rest of the week we ate:

• Chicken enchiladas
• Chicken and Rice skillet
• BBQ shredded pork (bought for a fundraiser), which we've had two ways so far - once as sandwiches on buns, and once as a "pork plate" with green beans, baked beans, and King's Hawaiian rolls. There's still a lot leftover.

I'm planning one other interesting meal this week, which is:

• Pineapple Pork with Coconut Rice

I'd also like to make a tortellini/sausage soup recipe my sister sent me, but not sure anyone but me would eat it. Bummer. Maybe I should make some for my lunches.

Next week is Thanksgiving! Can you believe it?? We're going to Pensacola to be with my parents and I can't wait to make sausage dressing with my Mom, and Apple "Waldorf" Salad for my Dad. :)

Band-tober Continues

So much marching band! Since Oct. 14, they competed in their highest priority BOA competition in Alabama (came in 5th overall and 2nd in their class, which is not their best showing), played/performed at 2 home football games (those are the busiest, with Events feeding the kids both before and after), and had Senior Night, where Shawn and I got to walk out on the field with our Senior for recognition.

I had a painful blister on my heel in that moment because of setting up the Senior Night reception beforehand -- I stupidly wore "nice" shoes for all the pre-game stuff, because I couldn't figure out how/when I would have time to change clothes before the game. Also I hardly ever wear nice shoes anymore, thanks to Covid! [[Side note: The reception came together beautifully despite the early troubles. We had tons of help, we set it up in an odd location (gym lobby) but it looked really nice in the end with our balloon bouquets, the Pinterest-worthy die-cuts Allegra bought, and my idea of Mason jars with twinkle lights inside. We hadjust enough tablecloths. I got some beautiful frosted sugar cookies made, we gave each senior a small gift, and the food was perfect and perfectly estimated -- not much leftover! Best of all, since I am a senior parent, everyone was making a big deal about me NOT helping too much, so once the party started at 6:00, I was allowed to do no more! I enjoyed it!]] No blisters could dampen the joy of being there, celebrating this sweet, talented class of kids. I love that I know a few of them now, can recognize them when they come to sign in for their meals (never thought I would learn their names, like Luke and Davis and Michael and Carter and Ashley and Maggie and Sarah and Lily, and Rocky and Mason and Kate and Zeke). Not that they care who I am, but it's still fun for me. ;)

I am so grateful for the ones whose parents I consider real friends. Like, GOOD friends. Cindy and Dalia and Heather and Teigha and especially Allegra. I had hoped for this additional benefit of Alex being in band, but wasn't sure it was going to happen, especially with last year and Covid taking away all that time we could have been volunteering. We are trying like heck to get Kate interested in band for next year (she doesn't play a marching instrument but could surely play keyboard in the front ensemble, or join the Color Guard - no experience necessary!), just so I can continue hanging out with my friends who have kids younger than Alex. ;) It's a tough sell and won't work, I'm afraid. Kate wants to forge her own path and we understand that. But I'm going to really feel the loss of these daily interactions with these particular friends. I may have to volunteer with them for a few things on the side, next year, and will definitely have to do my best to get them together for lunch or dinner once in a while. I guess we will still go to football games; Kate will want to, and won't want us around her. We'll be free to go sit in our normal section with the band parents. I also think about the future: Who will Shawn and I hang out with once our kids are all grown and gone? At least one set of the band parents I know is a set I'd like to include in the answer to that question (Allegra and Lawrence). 

All this to say, the high school years are VERY short. I know we still have half the year left, but everything from now on feels like it's "the last" thing. The last football game. The last competition. The last Night of Jazz. Sunrise, sunset.

In the meantime! I pulled Kate from her piano lessons. It was a very, very fraught decision for both of us. But last night after having a few weeks off from it, she reassured me, "It actually wasn't that much fun anymore," so maybe I can stop feeling guilty. She had a say in it, don't get me wrong, but she didn't want to be the one to disappoint me or her teacher, so I had to make the call. Maybe it isn't forever -- maybe she will want to go back to it. But the scheduling, combined with her homework load, combined with She Never Practiced, and I mean Never, and therefore she often came away from lessons upset because her teacher was a little hard on her... it just didn't make sense emotionally or financially to continue. 

Her volleyball practices start soon, and she will be glad to get back into that. And basketball for St. Joe's has already started. Sports! Here we come!

This week and last, I have managed some meals. We eat at 7:30 or 8:00 pm, but at least we eat. You know what's getting harder? Keeping all the ding-dang PHONES turned off and away during a meal. Sometimes we'll get to talking, and need to look something up, either about our calendar or something more fun, like a movie quote or the definition of a word, and then, whoops, whoever looked it up has a moment and Snapchat or Twitter is open. I'll continue working on that. The meals are reeeeeal basic, but they still count:

• Easy Chicken Pot Pie with Bisquick topping (a handwritten recipe from a former coworker that calls for cream cheese in the filling, yes, please)
• Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork (not as delicious as I'd hoped it would be, but serviceable- it made a great taco yesterday for my lunch)
• Hello Fresh Carnitas Tacos - a request from Kate and SO yummy
• Crock Pot Loaded Potato Soup (Alex rightly says, "If I didn't know what this is, I wouldn't think it looked very good." It does indeed look like slop, but add bacon, green onions and cheese, and it's *chef's kiss*)
• Oven Baked (from Frozen) Chicken Tenders/Fritters, with a pasta side dish including some  zucchini I need to use
• Bulgogi Meatballs with rice & broccoli (if they ever stop carrying our Bulgogi sauce at Publix, we will be SOL and very sad)

Guess what? We have a trip coming up, right around the corner. We're going (with band of course) to Orlando for a weekend in early November. They'll march in a parade at Universal Studios and then get to play in the park for a couple of days, and we'll be hanging out with Aunt Kimmy and Uncle Art. I'm excited, when I can stop to think about it for a minute. We haven't gotten to go to Orlando in YEARS. On the 2nd day, we're going to Magic Kingdom (the band is staying at Universal). So, without Alex, but he'll have more fun with his friends anyway. Kate's excited about Disney, since all her friends go there all the time and she doesn't. We plan to pack the day and stay for the fireworks show at night, and we know we'll be bone tired but I think it's going to be worth it. 

Let no one say we aren't making memories this year! I'm grateful for a place to record them, here. I sometimes feel like my blog must be so boring, as mostly a recap of the run-around schedule. Why would you read mine when you have one of your own?! I don't take the time for insight or contemplation, or well-written phrases that make anyone laugh or bring a tear to your eye. I wish I were that kind of writer. But right now I'm a memory record-keeper, and that has to be okay.

Getting Through the Days, vs. Enjoying Tiny Moments of Joy

The days are long, my people, but the years are short. Gretchen is right.

The days are indeed long.

We survived the last week of September, although I cringe to even type that -- "we survived." Of course we did. The only difficult thing we had to deal with was a calendar with too many things on it. Not the Plague that still plagues us, or a death or a catastrophe. Why does my brain default to, "Just get through this long day," instead of waking me up with thoughts like, "Okay, today has some FUN stuff in it, like a Sales Meeting in a pretty hotel with your out-of-town co-workers, and then tomorrow we get to go downtown to the Big City to see a concert at the Arena! On a school night! That we bought tickets for 2 years ago! Wheee!" 

Instead I thought, "Ugh, I have to drive on the Interstate THREE days in a row and I hate driving on the interstate. Meanwhile, I hate to ask other people to rearrange their lives to pick Kate up from school because of this work meeting. Also, I don't even really LIKE Lauren Daigle's music -- and I feel awkward around the people we're going with, as nice as they are -- I wish I didn't have to go to this concert and be out late on a Thursday in scary downtown."

It could have been the pull of the moon if ya know what I mean, but I felt all week like I was pushing myself, that I was constantly behind, especially with my professional work (still trying to pound out 8 hours a day, which hasn't ACTUALLY happened since March of 2020, and I should be okay with that by now), and that I was surely going to crumble from stress. I didn't, of course. I got through it with the help of Shawn, and of kind friends. In fact, the meeting was fine, the Interstate was fine, the concert was quite good -- and no one upon no one knows or cares if I work 8 hours or not.

Tuesday was the best day. It was Alex's college visit at Georgia Tech, and I took the day off work. He loved the campus, and I think it energized his college search/application motivation... at least for that day. ;) We did the official info session, the student-led tour, had lunch on campus, bought a t-shirt, the whole works. He is not sure he wants to go to an engineering school, but I can see him there... maybe. We still have a few other campuses we want to look at, and a lot of work to do, application-wise. But that was a good day.

Saturday was the craziest: Alex had a 9 to 9 band camp day. Kate had a volleyball tournament across town. Shawn had invited friends to our house for a little casual dinner party. Thank goodness the work event for THAT day (oh yes, there was one) got cancelled. I left my own dinner party early to go help at the band camp concession stand.

Through the whole week, I was really trying to find tiny moments of joy. Here are a few I wrote down:

• A short walk with Alex in our neighborhood on Monday
• Talking w/my aunt Kimmy about an upcoming trip to Orlando
• Sitting on the front porch in the cooler fall mornings
• Being in a college bookstore (swoon!)
• Feeling "part of the team" (work)
• Listening to a great podcast while on the Interstate
• Driving safety
• Seeing a sunrise when getting the newspaper 
• The smell of making gumbo reminding me of the holidays and my mom

------

Last night Kate and I went to her first "clinic," or "Train for Tryouts," for a club volleyball team. One of the things I have loved about Kate's school volleyball team is her coach's emphasis on having fun. He's a parent volunteer coach, a really good one, and before every game, I heard him tell the girls, "Hey, let's just have fun out there." I think that's missing from so many kids' sports these days. And it was missing last night, I'll tell you that. This club, while not the MOST aggressive in the area, is definitely in it to win it. The 2-hour clinic was a fast-paced, drill-heavy workout, and Kate left it feeling like she isn't good enough and definitely won't make a team. I'm sure she will, but I'm NOT sure it's a good idea to commit to that level of difficulty. 

She says she still wants to try out, and while I'm hesitant, I guess we'll go to the next clinic on Wednesday. 

This week's evenings are packed with activity, as well, including one Alex just told me about this morning -- his induction into the music honor society at school. Also on Wednesday, ha! When I was planning our dinner menu this week, I decided that since none of us was going to be home at the same times this week, I did not need to plan any sit-down meals. I bought hot dogs and buns, pasta and sauce, pizza crusts and toppings, frozen black bean burgers, and we have leftover gumbo & rice from the weekend. It is WEIRD to not have planned a single weeknight meal! 

Monday Update

I read a really good book this weekend, called The Leavers, by Lisa Ko. I can't remember how it was recommended to me -- possibly the e-library recommended it based on something else I read -- but I enjoyed it a lot. It's about a Chinese American boy and his mom, and how he loses her when he's about 12 and gets adopted by a white American family who change his name and help raise him to young adulthood. I've already recommended it to both my mom and my sister so I thought I'd share it here, as well. Two thumbs up, it's well-written prose and sympathetic characters, and a true-to-life American story I've never really considered very deeply.

Last night I chose my next book; I have several on my Wish List, and the choice was between At Home in Mitford, which I read 20 years ago, and loved, and feel like is a calming, soothing setting and non-stressful characters, and Sharp Objects, which is the complete opposite of that (I watched the HBO series but never read the book). It's a murder mystery with some seriously damaged people. Heh. I think Mitford was the wise choice in These Stressful Times. 

Today on my list, besides work, which is ever-present:

AC repair. Our upstairs AC has been broken for 2 weeks. In Georgia. In the heat of still summer. Thankfully the last 3-4 days, temps have been very mild, but we did buy a window unit for our master bedroom to get us through, and the kids have five fans between their bedrooms. We've survived it but I am REALLY glad the repair guys are here this morning early. 

Fill 125 goody bags with candy and then tie them with grosgrain ribbon, for 8th grade night this Friday at the football game. 8th graders who may be interested in band come play in the stands with our high schoolers, and we feed them pizza and give them goodies. I like doing crafty things and am glad I took this particular task on, I just hope I can finish them by Friday! Maybe I'll do 25 at a time, as a work-break, a few times a day.

Sign Kate up for a few club volleyball "train for tryouts" clinics. Her life is about to be all-sports-all-the-time, because she wants to play both basketball for her school, and club volleyball. I wish she didn't want to play basketball -- it's a bit of a hassle to drive all over Atlanta to the various Catholic schools in the league... and I don't love a couple of the parents. But she's done it since 3rd grade so she might as well finish it out. She's not destined for high school basketball, I don't think, so this will likely be her swan song with this particular sport. And club volleyball -- the one reason I'm glad about it is that she may meet some girls who will attend her high school next year, and that will be a help as she moves from little St. Joe's to giant Harrison High. (KT baby!! In High School next year!)

Fall Concert tonight. Aside from all the marching, our band members are also in class, and have to show their progress. So tonight they'll march until 6pm, then have one hour to eat something, change into tuxedos and take their places on stage. Of course, Kate has (school) volleyball practice at the same time, so one of us (Shawn) will miss the concert. Bummer.

But as a result of all that, I barely have to plan dinner for tonight, yippie! The rest of the week we're going to eat these things:

Chili or chili mac -- the family standby! And it feels like fall, sort-of, so yay!

Pork Chops with Shake 'n' Bake (old-school!), field peas and rice -- Kate will complain about this meal but then will eat it and remember it's pretty tasty

Chicken Quesadillas -- because they're fast

Last week Kate mentioned wanting spaghetti Carbonara. I said that I couldn't eat it, being a person with high cholesterol. But I made it last night with whole wheat spaghetti, and then I guess it was so rich (and I'd worried people talking about egg yolks and bacon being fatty) that no one really ate much of it!! I myself had noodles with pesto instead. So now there's a lot of Carbonara left... and who is the person who mostly eats leftovers because she is at home? Me. Seems a shame that most of it will get thrown out. Oh well: at least pasta and eggs aren't expensive.

Hope you all have a good week! 

Oh wait! Edited to add some thoughts on groceries! In my area, we have noticeable shortages of:

• Gatorade and Gatorade Zero! For weeks! I think it has been about 4 weeks, actually -- the shelves are simply bare and we like Gatorade at our house. Can't find it in the 12-oz size anywhere. Google says this: "According to Beverage Digest, an Atlanta-based newsletter that tracks the beverage industry, several factors are behind the shortage: a particularly hot summer for much of the country, an increase in consumption tied to COVID patients, COVID outbreaks or quarantines among Gatorade production workers, and a tight supply...."  
• Mott's Apple Juice in small bottles. This week I found two 6-packs at Publix and bought them both, because they've been out for weeks, as well.
• Eggo Mini-Pancakes! This is my kids' go-to breakfast item because they can eat them with fruit, or syrup, or Nutella -- but NOPE. We are sorry this item is out of stock.

State of the Garden and other Updates

Despite the extreme heat of the last 3 weeks, my garden still looks okay. This isn't typical for me! This year I have tried not to water every day, but to definitely water every other day. We've had a lot of rain, too. Most every weekend, I've added fertilizer to the water. Here's the state of things:

Tomatoes: We've harvested several, and they taste delicious. They've not all looked lovely, however; some have had cracked sides which I read is from.... too much water! They're too heavy and they just crack. A couple were attacked by squirrels or birds so they were pock-marked. Unless they were really gross, I've cut them up anyway and added them to salsa or salad (cutting around the eaten parts, obviously). I figure, not every tomato in a field is going to look nice, so why should mine? There are three more on the (single) vine at the moment, and last week I saw a blossom but I'm not sure if it will be fruitful.

Petunias: I cut them back by a lot 2 weeks ago and that helped. One pot in the front yard got destroyed when we had the pressure washers here in June. Another pot in the front just burned up and I replaced them with some white Vinca. I'm sick of deadheading them all but it definitely helps them bloom.

Lantanas: These two hanging baskets are the saddest things when they're thirsty! But even when they look nearly dead, a good soak usually brings them back. They've flowered twice and it looks like they might one more time (?). They're supposedly a butterfly attractor, and I'm disappointed to not really be seeing tons of butterflies - but at least they're still alive.

Impatiens: So pretty. So easy to grow in the shade. One in the far backyard looked peaked on Saturday morning but I tended to it and today (Monday) it seems a little happier. I've had to spray to keep critters from munching on that one.

Begonias: Flowery and big! No trouble from these guys at all, they just grow and bloom no matter what I do.

Coleus: These are on the front porch in the shade and I'm not sure if that's the best spot for them, but so far they're okay. I love coleus; the ones I bought this year are green and red.

Jalepeno! Kate convinced me we needed a pepper plant and she was RIGHT! We've used several in our weekly salsa. 

Japanese Maple and Bridal Wreath (3) bushes: These, we planted in the front yard where we took out all of our Bradford pear trees. They seem to be doing okay despite being mostly ignored by me (bushes = not as fun to tend as flowers). 

All in all, it's probably the best garden year I've had, spring to summer. Not sure what I'll do this fall. I would definitely like to plant some kind of bulbs, but I can't decide what type/color or where. 

In Band Mom updates:

I got the pizza place sponsorship, AND one from a chicken restaurant as well, woo hoo! I've learned that people respond better to phone calls and that persistence pays off. And that I don't ever want to be in sales. This week is the first football game and we are taking orders now to feed the kids on Friday afternoon before they board the bus. It's a lot of work and I'm trying not to be stressed about it. The hardest thing is that my co-chair took a full-time job at a school and therefore can't really do any of the behind-the-scenes work during the day, so it's now all falling on me. Argh. Kinda annoying but I am TRUSTING that it will all be fine. We get along well and it's kinda fun having a friend texting me constantly, I must say. I think the worst is really behind us, lining up all those weekly meal sponsors. 

In Extra-Curricular news:

Kate has joined her school's volleyball team! It's been exciting because she has impressed her coaches. They ask me, "Where has she been playing? How much experience does she have?" because they say she's doing so well. But this is her very first time! I think she loves it, and it's a pretty low-key team. Maybe it will lead to more volleyball for her. I feel good about that; especially since the Drama club is still on hold until at least January. 

The only bad part is that the practice schedule makes our weeknights a bit crazy. This is the first year where we just may not eat dinner together many nights. I'm planning casseroles, freezer things, and crock-pot meals as a result. I'm not mad about it. ;)

Sunday: Chicken Tetrazini, made with zucchini instead of mushrooms

Monday: Frozen black bean burgers or chicken patty sandwiches, and fries

Tuesday: Bulgogi meatballs with broccoli and rice, if I can remember to stop at Publix and buy the sauce which wasn't available at WalMart this weekend

Wednesday:  Crock-pot chicken soft tacos (chicken, black beans, salsa, corn in the crock pot, sooo easy)

Thursday: Maybe pasta, maybe Leftovers on Parade (I imagine we'll have plenty)!

Friday: Football game!

Saturday: Band tailgate and parent performance!

It's a very full time of the year/of our lives, that's for sure. 

47 in '21

I definitely should have taken today off work - my birthday. Because it isn't even 9:00 am and I'm dealing with 3 ANNOYING work situations already, and have a meeting scheduled to start shortly. BOTHER.

This is a mistake I won't repeat! Grown adults should always take PTO for their birthdays!

If I had my druthers, I'd be drinking my 2nd cup of coffee on the porch, and finishing my book. (It's a good one!) 

Instead, I will power through this stuff, and then go to Starbucks for my FREE birthday drink (at Kate's urging, of course, so she can have a drink, too), and then probably work on my grocery list and menus for the next week. Don't worry, I find that a fun task. The kids leave for camp on Sunday, so there's gonna be some SPICY FOOD on the list while they're gone! (Do you think about spicy food, and how our taste buds diminish as we age, so we like spicy food more when we're older, as much as I do? I think about it a lot.)

Swift subject change: I just had to do something unpleasant (on my birthday!). I have a friend from college, my "big sister" in the sorority, actually, who is doing a MLM jewelry business. She's been leaving me not only text messages in Facebook Messenger, but also voice memos, so it feels more personal, asking if I want to host parties or buy X for just $10, or whatever. I've been ignoring them for the most part. I did buy some jewelry from her a few months ago, because I was looking for something hypo-allergenic and that's what she sells, but... some of it turned out not to be exactly what I was looking for, and it's not cheap. It was fine, I'm not mad about that, and happy to support her once. Anyway, she had left me a salesy message yesterday (which I ignored), and then this morning sent a Happy Birthday. Argh. I couldn't ignore that, so I had to say thank you, and also "I'm sorry I haven't responded to your other messages. I'm guess I'm not that interested....? Don't want to hurt feelings and I wish you well in the business but I don't want to host parties or anything." Ugh. Makes me feel terrible to write it but please STAHHHHP. (Is it too mean? I'm having Send-button regret! Ack.)

The weird thing is, she's a lawyer. Her husband is a successful real estate agent. It isn't like she depends on this money (I don't think). I just wish she wasn't' so pushy. (She always was kind-of a big personality, though, it fits her.) 

ANYWAY: Fun spicy menu options, let's go! 

Nearly every year they've gone to camp, I've made one of our faves that we used to eat regularly Before Kids: Shrimp Durango. It's super good, but I might need a break from even our once-a-year tradition of eating it. Other options I might try....

Chipotle Shrimp and Rice Bowl -- wow, that looks good. With some guacamole on the side....? Heaven.

Baked Buffalo Wings -- YUM. Definitely a favorite of mine and Shawn's, and I could even make homemade Ranch to dip them in (and bleu cheese for me). Better if I can make them without full-fat butter, and not fried... Or maybe we'll just go to Taco Mac. 

Fish Tacos -- I don't have a good recipe although this one does look good. Usually I use fish sticks, which we keep in the freezer, and make a jalepeno tartar sauce by mixing mayo, diced pickled jalepenos and some of their juice, garlic, garlic salt, and lemon juice. It's always a trial and error recipe but when I get it right, it's excellent.

Sweet Pork Enchiladas - I have a can of green enchilada sauce just waiting to be used... this would be slightly different from the usual enchiladas... but only slightly. It's a maybe.

The dinner-planning funk has been verrrrrrry apparent this last couple of weeks at my house, so it's nice to think about different things to try. Allrecipes.com is so old-school, isn't it? One of the first websites I remember subscribing to, in 2000, probably. 

I might rather eat out all 5 days they are gone, though. We shall see! 

Happy birthday to me! Forty-seven, my goodness. 

Hello, March

Can't quite believe it's March already. I'm gearing up to be negatively affected by memory on March 13. I can't believe it's been a year. I just mean, I think I'm going to be sad about it. Alex wondered this morning if, in the future, there will be some kind of national holiday. Day of Remembrance or something. :(  Sad.

It's a Monday, and the first day of the month. That seems clean and tidy. Last night after dinner, the dishwasher was full, and I said, "I like when the dishwasher needs to be run on a Sunday night. It feels neat and tidy." Definitive, anyway, to wake up Monday morning with clean dishes; it's a new start. 

I have nothing particular to share today. We had a good weekend with nothing much on the calendar (as usual). I got my hair done Saturday morning. It took forever. I hate this about my stylist (or maybe it's my hair), but what can you do? When you've been going to someone this long, you can't just leave her and try someone else. You're friends now, you're Stuck. So, the couple of times a year that I get highlights, along with my regular color and haircut, I get to sit in the salon for nearly 3 hours. And she's nice enough -- she's chatty without talking my ear off the entire time -- but it really does feel like a waste of a day.  Later, Kate and I ran around town doing a few errands, but mostly looking for some stuffed animals she's currently obsessing about. She's 13, but I guess I'm willing to let her obsess about stuffed animals -- let her stay little, just a bit longer. ;) 

I also did the grocery shopping. This week, I went in person. It was nice for a change; I've been doing online groceries for a few weeks and I miss the fun of seeing something new, or on sale, and grabbing it. I've not been doing the "grocery store reports" that others are doing, but I enjoy reading them. Our store had breakfast Hot Pockets this week (good! I bought a large box) but no Sausage & Pancake on a Stick (Jimmy Dean). 

Here's a fun development: Shawn's drinking coffee now. When we met, he'd recently been diagnosed with Crohn's, and coffee did not agree with him at all. But he's had some liver issues lately (probably caused by one of his Crohn's medications, ironically), and he read that coffee can be good for liver health. And the coffee does not make his stomach hurt. So that's fun. He's trying all the flavors and now I have to share my Keruig and my half and half! lol I'm just kidding, I'm happy to share. I can't wait for a coffee-house date. 

Last week I had to go to my office THREE TIMES. That is three times too many! There was an issue with my laptop, and I needed to send out a package. But there is some official news: we are moving our office later this year! This is overdue -- the space we're in does not fit our needs anymore, and it's beaten up and pretty cruddy looking. Not that we're hosting clients or trainings or anything lately, but still. I'm a little worried I will lose the privilege of having an office -- I bet I'll go back to a cube or, at best, will share an office with someone else. But, if I'm working from home more, that's less of a problem. I do hope we get new furniture as well. Just a full refresh would be really nice. The only downside of moving the office is... moving the office. I'm sure there are some days of cleaning out and organizing and packing boxes ahead of me, and no one likes any of those things! Budgets are slashed so I bet we'll have to do lots of the work ourselves. I'll have to use the "what can we look forward to?" technique to get through that process. 

On the home front, here's what we're eating this week: 

Sunday - Turkey breast, stuffing, wild rice and green beans (and cranberry sauce). Why not?! It was delicious.

Monday - Hot dogs and chili, and fries and veggies/dip.

Tuesday - Pork Chops. Not sure yet how I'll cook them. I'm thinking about a Balsamic marinade. Also not sure what to serve them with. The item I wanted (Stouffer's Harvest Apples) was sold out at the store. 

Wednesday - Baking Sheet Nachos. I can't wait for this one. Kate claims she's never had nachos, and I intend to remedy that!

Thursday - Pasta with chicken and broccoli. Some kind of garlic/parmesan thing I will probably look up on the fly. 

Friday - Shrimp Etouffee (and fish sticks, for those who don't like shrimp). I will just need to pick up a loaf of French bread on Friday afternoon. OR maybe I'll get brave and try to make this miracle no-knead bread I keep reading about. ;) 

A birthday party and a backyard project

Our Valentine's Day is always usurped by Kate's birthday on the 15th. Although I must give Shawn the credit he truly deserves for being a great Valentine. I cringe, reading about my bloggy friends whose husbands won't DO SOMETHING for them on Valentine's Day. It is literally so easy!! Why can't they just....? I don't get it, I hate it for them, and I am so lucky. (I do always feel some solidarity with the idea of buying myself chocolates, because YUM. However, with birthday cake in the house I rarely need/want to add more sweets.)

For Kate's 13th birthday this year, I had the idea of a backyard fire-pit birthday. It would keep things mostly Covid-compliant (with friends she sees at school already, and being outside), we wouldn't have to bother the girls (teens!), they could just do their thing, and I thought Kate liked the idea of a campfire, sweater-weather theme. 

I got that part wrong, apparently -- about 3 days before the party she told me she'd never "OK'd" that idea -- but it didn't matter because the weather was rainy and gross for the 3 days surrounding the party, anyway. So no fire-pit. 

In the end, 5 friends DID come over, and they did spend quite a bit of time outdoors in our driveway, and on the trampoline. The rain had stopped by the day-of, but the ground was still soggy/muddy. As for activities, instead of roasting marshmallows, they played a few indoor games, which Kate herself devised and created. She wrapped little gifties and then rolled them into a huge Saran-wrap ball, which they then took turns unravelling to the throwing of dice -- you know this game, right? 

She also put candy into a bunch of balloons and blew them up; these served 2 purposes. One, she threw them all over the floor of our living room for surprisingly festive yet easy decor. And two, the girls at some point loudly stomped them all to pop them and reveal the candy. Easy peasy! 

I was not needed to help with either of these activities. In fact, the rest of us were sort-of banished from the main area of the house. Hmph. Not sure how I felt about that, except this one feeling: A BASEMENT or media room would SURE BE helpful in times like these. We have neither. This was why I wanted the backyard situation. Oh well! I provided lots of snacks, and we were allowed to attend the present-unwrapping and birthday cake portions of the evening, and the whole thing was a pretty big success, I believe. She even thanked me. ;) 

In the backyard, we were planning to complete a long-wished-for project to make the party landscape just *chef's kiss* perfect. We have all the materials, now we just need a non-rainy weekend, to finish it up. It's going to look somewhat like this:

(Not our house; but we bought similar buckets, 4x4s and lights)

I can't wait. I'm grateful Shawn took this on and really think that it's going to make a useful, pretty "living space" outside. We're lucky that Atlanta weather is usually really good for outdoor living -- I'm hoping for lots of use of this area in spring and maybe even summer (haha, it will be way too hot in summer). I also bought 4 adirondack chairs (plastic ones, not the expensive kind), and am planning to have pretty, colorful cushions to liven them up a bit. I'll try to remember to take pictures. 

On to some dinner menus! My 2021 planner has a little area for each day, called "Tonight:" and it's a perfect spot to record what we've had. Some delicious ideas for you from our last couple of weeks:

Southwest Sausage & Rice Skillet (hellofresh) - My crew doesn't care for chicken sausage, so I used regular pork. 

Chicken Soft Tacos in the crock-pot - Couldn't be easier. A little too juicy, if I'm honest, but we used all of this in burritos and quesadillas in the week following, and everyone enjoyed it. 

This was a few weeks ago: BBQ Salmon Bowls w/Mango-Avocado Salsa -- and wow, was it delicious! Kate has recently discovered avocado -- the cool kids on TikTok made her want to try avocado toast, lol -- so it was a big hit.

Kate's Birthday Choice: Spaghetti Carbonara with a Caesar salad kit and garlic breadsticks: YUM. A little cholesterol-heavy, especially when finished with a piece of birthday cake (just a little)! The day after, I ate oatmeal, raw vegetables, and drank a ton of water to atone.

Tonight: Southern Vegetable Plate: Mashed potatoes, corn, mac and cheese, and these green beans. Yikes, I'd better start them right now. This meal brought to you by no-meat Ash Wednesday. Happy Lent! I'm giving up fast food. 

January Goodness

I guess I haven't had it in me to post anything lately. Not that I feel significantly bad/sad/down -- I'm fine. Pretty good, in fact. Just busy. A lot of blessings to count: 

• Mom and Dad had negative COVID tests last week, although most of the rest of my Pensacola family, including my dear Aunt/Godmother and Uncle, were positive. 
• Subsequently, both my parents, I think, are now vaccinated x 1! A measure of relief. 
• Alex also had a negative COVID test this past Monday. Our family's first test! (I say that because I know people who have had to be tested multiple times. One family with 5 nearly grown kids, the mom told me she's waited in the testing line like, 8 times (maybe they should stop going out?).) Anyway, he'd had sniffles and sore throat for nearly a week, including loss of taste/smell for a couple of those days. Yikes. But I'd called his doctor and they advised just letting him wait it out if we didn't KNOW of a positive exposure, and we didn't... Until Monday morning. So off we went to the last available appointment that night, at the most random Urgent Care in town (not a "name brand," had a flashing neon sign in the window, "Covid Tests, $15"). And he's negative. WHEW.
• Shawn turned 52 and we had a very pandemic celebration of ordering his favorite burger for dinner (Ted's Montana Grill, the Green & Hot with guac and jalepenos and chipotle or sriracha aioli), and made a devil's food poke cake that was delicious. (Again, box cakes for the WIN - I don't think I'll ever order a cake from Publix again. We are converted!)
• I've had time and inclination to do 3 things daily, and they all help my mood: Read a little bit (I started Ken Follett's The Evening & The Morning); listen to a song or album that I choose, in iTunes (sometimes I just ...forget (?) about music so it's fun to be intentional about it); and do a Calm app meditation. Really liking the Daily Trip by Jeff Warren.
• I had two days of 5:00 am Zoom meetings this week. That fact isn't the blessing, really -- although it is fun, in a way, to meet with people in Germany, France, the UK, China, Australia, Poland, Russia, etc.(this is why it starts at 5 am Eastern). But I will say that starting so early means my workday is FINISHED much earlier, too! So that's kinda nice. Yesterday I did a long yoga video and took a nap afterwards!
• We did NOT get hit by the tornado that passed through here, about 3 miles from our house! We did get woken up by the county sirens at 2:00 a.m., went downstairs to our coat closet (the most interior room we have), and waited for the danger to pass. And no one really went back to sleep after that, least of all me who had to get up at 4:30 anyway. But we were SAFE. 
• Yesterday the high was 68! It was so lovely, after what feels like weeks of cloudy gloom. I mean, it's weird in January, and climate change is real and all that, but still. I'll take a day of sunshine once in a while, sure. It's supposed to be back in the 20s tomorrow morning, and is rainy today.
• I had a fun discussion with my cousins about spaghetti sauce. A family recipe calls for cinnamon, cloves and, as I learned from them, carrots in the sauce. I didn't use the carrots, but I made this homemade version this week, and it is SO good. So much better than the jarred sauce I usually buy, in my opinion. I'm not saying I'll make spaghetti this way every time from now on, because it is certainly more work than just dumping the jar over meat. And the jar is pretty delicious - we buy Newman's Own and it's quality sauce. I probably WILL, however, always add a lb. of ground pork to the beef, and it's worth making the cinnamon-cloves version some of the time, because I love it so much. My cousin described it as a "warmer," spiced taste, and that's exactly it.

What else are we eating this week? Well:

Sunday - Pork Loin Roast. Why do pork loins always take infinitely longer than I plan, to cook up to temp?? Argh. We didn't eat until nearly 8:00 Sunday because of it, and I was annoyed. We had mashed potatoes, corn and green salad with it, like a real "Sunday dinner," I thought.

Monday - the Spaghetti.

Tuesday - Black Bean Burgers (Morningstar Farms, in the frozen section) or Tyson Chicken Patty burgers, with roasted broccoli/onions. An easy meal, after a work-intensive one.

Wednesday - Tacos

Thursday - Southern Living Ham and Bean soup, a new recipe my mom tried and enjoyed, with our Christmas ham bone. It's been waiting in the freezer since December. 

Friday - leftovers. We have so much spaghetti. ;)

Saturday - I might make chicken fried rice. Haven't had it in a while and already have all the ingredients.

Since I've been in meetings all week, I have tons of actual work to do. Also going in to my office today at noon, but basically only to print something. These times are still so strange. Bye for now! 

Monday Morning at Home

I love, love, love Monday mornings working from home. Back in the day, when Alex was a baby, I used to WFH every Monday and Thursday. Seems so quaint. Now in 2020 it's more days at home than not, and I am totally okay with that. I did realize last week that there's one drawback to all this flexibility, and that is, I used to very happily tell people that I "left work at work," and I never had to check emails after 5pm. Now, not so much. Since I take breaks during the day to workout, and then to do afternoon carpool and whatever errands need doing, I have to go back to my laptop when we get home, before dinner prep begins. (Dinner is later than it used to be.) And sometimes on weekends. But I think that trade-off is worth it.

This Monday morning I lit 3 candles, to help take away the lingering scent of the turkey gumbo I made yesterday. Don't get me wrong, I love gumbo, including the way it smells. But by the next day, I'm ready for the onions/peppers/roux to be a happy memory. (Same goes for oven fajitas, and red beans and rice, which also tend to linger.) Candles make it feel so cozy. I have my coffee, the Christmas tree is lit, and I'm wearing a not-professional hoodie and no bra because no one will know. So see? I love this life. ;)

Here are some updates.

1. We did go to Savannah for Thanksgiving. I feel incredible guilt about it; I know that the CDC said we weren't supposed to travel. But it was a good visit with Shawn's mom, and I think she really needed it. Not that she doesn't see people -- she does -- but still, she lives alone in 2020. We felt that bringing her some joy was more important. She'd had a COVID test a few days before we came and it came back negative while we were there. (So we know if she gets it, it'll be our fault!) We are all feeling fine so far (it's been just over a week). Prayers that it stays that way. 

2. I was thinking about this recently: I owe you a years-later update on Alex's stature. He has shot up in the last year and is now definitively taller than me: 5'3" and 105 pounds in his junior year. I'm so glad we never made him do the hormone shots. I remember when we were considering all that, and Sherry, you told me your brother grew finally in high school/college. Thank you for telling me that back then. He's still not big, but I'm not worried about him anymore. Incidentally, Kate's on her way, as well, so I'll likely be their "little Mom" when I'm old, haha. 

3. Online Groceries: I've done it twice now. It's muuuuuch faster to pick them up on Sundays, I'll grant you that. And both Aldi and Wal-Mart have done a good job; I've never had to wait longer than 10 minutes. It does seem like I forget things frequently, and have to run to a store one more time during the week to pick something up... but I guess those are quick trips at off-times, so it's safer in general. Yesterday I had to go in-person; I needed several holiday-related things, as well (wrapping paper for the Santa gifts, some stocking stuffers/Advent calendar gifties), and Kate was spending the night out, so it had to be done then. I went early on a Sunday morning and the crowds weren't terrible. 

Shawn is recovering from his last surgery of the year (we hope)! He had a hernia repaired last Tuesday. Quite a year he's had, health-wise, with the liver scare, the melanoma, and the hernia. He's impatient that he still isn't feeling 100%, but he was good and pretty much took it easy this weekend. 

I somehow had a ton of extra energy and the weekend was super-productive for me. I feel I should catalog it here because it's pretty rare that I want to do so much. I took care of a lot of Christmas shopping and wrapping on Saturday, addressed some Christmas cards, did laundry, cleaned up the dead plants from our front yard, and even did a couple hours' worth of work-work on Saturday night until about 10:30. THAT did not feel like me, but it was a project I needed OFF my list. On Sunday I got up early for groceries, then picked up Kate from her friend's (a little more guilt, but it's someone she's seen several times since March, for whatever that's worth), made gumbo, did more laundry, and we even baked sugar cookies (the pre-cut ones you just put on the cookie sheet) after dinner. Who am I?! I don't know. I doubt there will be another weekend like that so I'm grateful for it. If only I could put that kind of energy into my work-week. LOL.

A lot of lifeofadoctor'swife's topics the last few days are things I'm thinking about, too. What should we have for Christmas meals? What's making me feel festive? GIIIIIIFTS to buoy up everyone's moods in 2020... but I'll leave those for future posts, I think. Maybe a post a day this week, to continue using my good energy! 

Here is what we're eating this week:

• Chicken/GreenBeans/Potato Bake - super easy weeknight dinner
• Sloppy Joes with tater tots
• Pork Chops with field peas and rice
• Hawaiian Roll Ham Sliders with Pasta/Vegetable Salad
• ... and some really good leftovers on Friday! 

Forward, but How??

It is my policy not to discuss politics in polite company, but what else has been on anyone's mind lately?! (Covid.) I can't decide if it's my age that makes me suddenly more interested in it, or if the news is just louder with politics now than it was when I was in my 20s and 30s so that I can't NOT be interested. I mean, I know that every generation has its huge political issues and battles. But last week, watching the election returns (not) coming in, my gosh, it was long. I couldn't stop refreshing my Twitter feed for those 4 days, and felt like I HAD to know the minute there was a result. And there was such relief on Saturday morning! An answer, an end. (ha, ha, ha)

I feel despondent today about the way forward. Will there be an actual coup? Will the military be involved? What the heck is happening?! Where are the GOOD PEOPLE? AND: How can we possibly work together to understand each other when there are 2 different "realities," based on which news you believe? How in the world can we resolve it? Make each person who speaks publicly do so while wearing a lie detector? (Then the Machines are in charge!! Although, I think that'd be preferable at the moment.) Do away with ALL the news outlets and social media sites, and start over with what?... how...? ...there's no way to do that. News is ruined forever, I guess. Or, put another way, everyone has an agenda. My brain goes in an infinite loop about this. I hope someone out there is smart enough to create a plan to really fix this broken, broken nation.

Meanwhile, I will continue to live my privileged life, typing out weekly dinner menus for my own satisfaction. I guess I can move forward in my world, in some way. 

After cleaning out the fridge and freezer from the hurricane, it feels like we have lots of space and breathing room in our culinary life, lol. I mean, I can see the back of the fridge! There are no olives, no maraschino cherries, no jellies or extra jars. And for a while, there were no Tupperware containers, either! But then, I made a few meals. ;)

S - Jambalaya with chicken and sausage. Family recipe and it is THE BEST. I forgot to buy white beans to put on top, but it was still amazing and made a lot of leftovers.

M - These new-to-us Pork Chops, with green beans and mac and cheese. Our family, aside from me, is not big on vinegar -- not even Balsamic -- but I think enough of it burned off in cooking, or was outplayed enough by rosemary and thyme, as rosemary and thyme do, to not be offensive. I thought they were delicious if slightly overcooked. I'll try them again, probably. 

T - Taco Tuesday on a Tuesday! We like them best with trashy Nacho-flavored shells. :)

W - Creamy Italian Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup and garlic toast. It was a perfect night for it, too, rainy and dark. It only made 4 servings' worth, and I'm bummed about it. Note if you want to try this: Make the pasta separately. Something about cooking the pasta slowly makes it come out gummy and weird. I think it'd be much better if you cook it separately, then put a little serving of it in a big bowl, and then cover that with a ladle or 2 of the soup.

Th - Homemade pizza

F - nothing planned. It's a football game night, but supposed to be cold. Hmmm. Will we or won't we? (Probably will.) 

Other things on my mind include the Holidays... we are supposed to visit Shawn's mom for Thanksgiving - just told her this week, in fact - but I am feeling hesitant about it as cases go up and several older people in my circle (my parents' generation) HAVE Covid right now. I don't want to miss out on seeing her, and I know she needs to feel loved and cared for and visited, but I just am really unsure.

Lastly, grocery shopping. I think I'm ready to give it up in-person for a while. Wearing reading glasses, plus the mask, plus just being around so many people... I don't HAVE to do this, there IS another way. I'm going to try an online order or two this weekend, and see how I feel about it. Maybe it will keep me from picking up extra things I don't need, too (on-sale Cheez-Its, I'm looking at you).

The Best Coffee, Pumpkin Bread and What's for Supper

The best coffee, IMHO, is Barnie's Coffee & Tea Company's Santa's White Christmas. I have been drinking it this fall because they sell it year-round, now. Usually I resist and resist, because I love saving the flavor until Christmas -- it feels very Christmasy to me. However, in These Desperate Times, I have taken a less firm stance on it. Give me the coffee that tastes yummy and makes me feel comfort and joy! 

I also discovered just this morning, the Salted Caramel Barrisimo coffee pods at Aldi. Quite delicious, mild, and budget-friendly. (I've been doing a lot of grocery shopping at Aldi lately. I do think it's saving me money and I'm getting used to it; but I still don't love it. A bit of a mental obstacle for me, to shop at the "discount" store, but I am trying to frame it as being wise/responsible. I'm mostly getting fruits/vegetables and raw meats at Aldi; $2.99 for a bag of honeycrisp apples versus $5.49 at Publix. For some things, like canned black beans or boxed pasta, I am not brand-loyal, and a 55-cent can versus a $1.98 is a huge difference. Or, $7 for a box of 10 Keurig pods at Publix versus $4.50 or so at Aldi. For other items, I do still need my favorite brands (Spaghetti-Ohs, frozen breakfasts, sandwich bread, SWC coffee). Anyway, it takes a little longer going to 2 stores, but it's helping me stick to my newly-instituted (by me) grocery budget, and for that I am thankful, and feeling smart.)

----

I had the time and ingredients to make a delicious pumpkin bread yesterday -- 2 loaves' worth! You should try it. One is in the freezer, but I might as well have left it out because we're halfway through the first loaf already. It uses a box of vanilla pudding mix, so you can imagine how tasty and melt-in-your-mouth it is. Goes particularly well with Salted Caramel flavored coffee, I can attest. 

I haven't posted much about the next topic here, on purpose, but I will say my pumpkin bread with cinnamon butter was a nice celebratory treat this morning, after learning I am down 13 pounds since July. I've been working on it, I didn't just lose weight surprisingly. I'm monitoring calories, drinking lots of water and exercising daily -- my main reason is to lower my cholesterol which was startlingly high in July. Darn you, Quarantine Spring, when we ate cookies and chips constantly, and drank tons of coffee with cream (or, I did). 

Of course, what "monitoring" means is "tracking every bite, every day," and yes, I agree that is a Pain. But I've gotten used to it; I use an app, and it seems to be working, so I'll take it. I won't say more, just that if you've done carb-restrictive diets like I have in the past few years, I think I have finally concluded that, for me, this way is better. No food is off-limits, just stay in your calorie-range. If you want Cheetos, eat some Cheetos, but then eat fewer of your suppertime potatoes or something. Bah. Anyway. I still have a few pounds to go until I feel like I'm finished losing, and I hope to be able to enjoy the holiday indulgences a LITTLE, but not too much. I refuse to have to start over in January. 

SO! For dinner this week: 

S (last night): White Bean Chicken Chili

M: Roasted Kielbasa/Chicken Sausage and Potatoes and Broccoli (Sheet-Pan Supper)

T: French Bread Pizzas and Caesar salad (I might eat bean soup that's in the freezer -- fiber!)

W: Whole Wheat Rotini bake, Garlic Knots to negate the goodness of the whole wheat ;)

Th: Pork Tenderloin with Green Bean Casserole (I need a new way to make green beans, but this way works once in a while!)

F: @football game! I think the team will be back to play a home game so it's hot dogs at the stadium, yay!

And you?