Our Week - The One with Quarantine, Week 58 (Volunteer Work and a Visit with Extended Family)

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May-cember is upon us and we are feeling it over here… we have been soooo busy these last couple of weeks!  I’m certainly not complaining after literally not being able to go anywhere this time last year, but I’m also feeling the stress of trying to get everything done that needs to be completed before the kids get out of school.  I’m just rolling with it at this point, and I’m finding myself mostly feeling grateful for the busy because being able to get out and see people most definitely beats being stuck at home.  Yeesh. 

Monday, April 19 (Day 402 of Quarantine)

I started the week with a Publix run, and then spent a couple of hours working on the blog.  Just before lunch, I made a trip to the liquor store to pick up everything I needed for the class contribution to our upcoming school fundraiser.  Our theme is “It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere” so I bought a bar cart and then stocked it with beer, wine, champagne, Moscow Mule ingredients, and some fun decorative items.  The owner of the liquor store just happened to be there when I arrived, and when he found out I was purchasing all of the items for the school auction, he was kind enough to offer 10% off of the entire purchase which enabled me to throw in a $25 gift card for the auction, too! 

While I was there, B ran out and brought back lunch from our favorite Greek place, and I was grateful because Monday was such a busy day.  Between the school fundraiser and a baseball fundraiser + teacher appreciation week and other stuff coming up very soon, I had a ton to do!

Monday evening, Jacob’s team had a game and it was another close one.  The other team ended up scoring a bunch of runs in the last inning to bring the final score to 14-10, them, which was a bummer, but Jacob played well!  He ended up walking and scoring once, and then he got a hit, but it went straight to first base causing him to be out pretty easily.  We had an injured player Monday evening, so Jacob played third base, which is crazy since he’s never played or practiced at third before.  He did really well staying alert and watching the plays, but he surprisingly didn’t get a lot of action over there.

Tuesday, April 20 (Day 403 of Quarantine)

Tuesday morning started with a cardio workout, and then I spent the morning working on the blog.  Tuesday afternoon, I got the bar cart set up and decorated for the class auction so I could make sure everything looked good, and y’all, IT TURNED OUT SO CUTE!!  I’m hoping everyone loves it and that it raises a lot of money for the school!

Tuesday evening, Jacob’s baseball practice was canceled unexpectedly, so we had a quiet evening at home… we haven’t been getting many of those lately, so it was nice.  I cooked my beef and parmesan pasta, and we sat out on the back porch since the weather was so lovely.  B and I might have even snuck in a mid-week glass of wine, which is very rare.  ;o)

Wednesday, April 21 (Day 404 of Quarantine)

Wednesday was another busy day… I had to drop off the auction items at the school first thing, and then I headed home for a quick yoga workout and some blog work.  The rest of the day was spent organizing tickets for the baseball BBQ fundraiser, catching up on my horrendous email inboxes (SO out of control), and prepping for teacher appreciation week that’s coming up soon.

While Olivia was in dance, I finished cleaning out my email inboxes and then I caught up on a few other things I’d been neglecting, and it was a very productive day. After dance, she and I stopped at Publix to grab some marshmallows for Jacob to take to school for field day on Friday, and then we headed home so she could finish homework.

When the boys got home from baseball, we had breakfast for dinner, and we also snuck in about 30 minutes of American Idol.  We’ll never get caught up and we’re always going to be behind, y’all.  Why does this show have to be four hours per week?  We’ll be lucky to finish it in June at the rate we’re going.  Haha.

The kids were able to get to bed at a decent hour, although not quite on time, but that’s  a win during baseball season.  After the kids went to bed, B and I watched a couple of episodes of New Girl and then we hit the hay, too.  We’re nearing the end of New Girl, too, and I’m going to be sad when it’s over.  I think we only have a season and a half left.

Thursday, April 22 (Day 405 of Quarantine)

Thursday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then met B at the Kia dealership to drop my Telluride.  I don’t know if I ever mentioned this on the blog, but when we were in the mountains last October, somebody in the apple orchard parking lot whacked my door with what we’re assuming was their door and it put a VERY deep gash in it.  We weren’t there when it happened, but it was easy to put two and two together… all of the cars were parked sideways on a very steep hill, so the doors very easily opened on the side of the car that was pointed down the hill… I know because I had to help Jacob out of our car so we didn’t hit the car next to us. 

Naturally, the people who did it were awful, and they left without leaving a note or contact info, so we were stuck with the damage and the bill.  I had literally just gotten my Telluride when it happened, and B and I were both sick to our stomachs that it happened.  The gash was so deep that the metal was showing.  Sigh.

When I got my car serviced for the first time last month, I had them check it out and give us an estimate.  Had it been a small dent, we probably wouldn’t have bothered to have it repaired, but since it was more of a gash, the paint was damaged, and we were worried about the exposed part of the metal rusting.  Sigh.

B met me there and brought me home, and then I spent the whole morning working on the blog.  I had a school spring fundraiser meeting at 11:30, so I took B’s SUV to that… thank goodness he’s working from home! 

This was the first time all school year that our Home and School Association was able to meet in-person, and this was the first volunteer work I was able to do for the school for the first time in over a year!  The school is still being very strict about protocol, but they have loosened things just enough to allow for parents to volunteer outside the building.  We’re still not allowed in the school hallways or classrooms, though.  And now that I’m fully vaccinated, I felt totally comfortable going to the meeting.  I won’t be going all out or anything, but it’ll be nice to resume some of my pre-pandemic activities.

Our meeting was outside on the football field so we could be outside and spread out, and it was so nice to be back in action with my Home and School Association ladies!  The meeting was super productive in the hour that it lasted, and we’re all kinds of prepared for the Spring Event in early May!

I headed back home for a couple of hours after the meeting and then turned around to pick up the kids from school.  Brian got off of work a little early, and we went to the dealership to grab my Telluride before heading to my mother-in-law and step-father-in-law’s house.  My MIL has two brothers and two sisters who live in Minnesota and Florida, and they get together every year, typically in Minnesota. 

Due to Covid, they obviously didn’t get together last year, but because everyone is vaccinated/has Covid antibodies now, they all decided to get together this year.  They all came here this year, so we were able to visit with them Thursday evening before they all flew home on Friday.

I’ve seen one of Brian’s sets of aunts and uncles several times throughout the years as they come to visit every now and then, but the rest of them I’d only met once or twice.  As a matter of fact, I hadn’t seen one of his aunts since our wedding back in 2007!  It was nice to be able to catch up with all of them… outside and socially distanced, of course.  :o)

Jacob and Olivia played in the hammock for some of the time while we were there, and they also played baseball with my step-FIL.  They can’t get enough of baseball with Poppie!  We also had a chance to get a family picture with my MIL and step-FIL!

My Telluride wasn’t quite ready when we’d stopped by to grab it on the way to my MIL and step-FIL’s, so we swung back by there and grabbed it, and then the kids and I headed home while B picked up Chipotle.

He met us back at the house, and we spent the rest of the evening eating dinner and watching more of, yep, you guessed it… American Idol.  Lol.  My aunt and uncle and cousin also stopped by to drop off something for us, so we got to say hello to them as well.

Friday, April 23 (Day 406 of Quarantine)

Friday was Field Day at the kids’ school, and it was the first school-wide event that parents were allowed to attend in over a year!!!!  It was outside on the football field and practice field, so we were all able to spread out.  Everyone was required to wear masks, too.  It didn’t start until 8:30ish, so I ran back home for about an hour after dropping the kids, and then I was back at the school a little after 9. 

My momma walked over from her office to join me, and we watched Olivia on the football field for a while before switching to Jacob’s activities on the practice field.  After my momma left, I spent the rest of the time chatting with one of Jacob’s fellow classmates’ dads (who also went to school with me) and it was nice catching up with him since we haven’t seen him or his wife (who is one of my bible study girlfriends) in so darn long. 

Jacob’s class finished up around 10:45, so I had about an hour to kill before they got out for the day.  I was going to sit in the parking lot and read, but I had forgotten my book, so instead, I drove to TJ Maxx that’s just about three minutes down the road and I browsed there for a while before heading back to pick up the kids.

Since they got out early, they didn’t eat lunch at school, so we grabbed Chick-Fil-A on the way home.  The rest of the day was spent hanging with the kids and then doing some work while they played video games. 

Jacob was supposed to have had a game Saturday afternoon, but the forecast looked rough, so the coaches moved it to Friday evening.  We weren’t super stoked about having a Friday evening game, but it’s better than making it up this week and having THREE late nights in one week.  EEK!

The game ended up being great… one of the most exciting ones he’s had yet.  It was so close the entire time, and we ended in a tie after five innings because time expired.  Jacob had his best game of the whole season, walking once, getting one single/RBI, and getting one double/scoring a run.  He did so well he got the game ball for the first time this season!  Thankfully, all of his grandparents were there to see, and it was a really nice evening at the ball field!

His game was at 5:30, so we hadn’t eaten dinner prior to the game, so we swung by our favorite pub to pick up some takeout on the way home, and then we spent the rest of the evening watching American Idol. 

Saturday, April 24 (Day 407 of Quarantine)

Saturday, we woke up to thunderstorms and the threat of severe weather, so we stayed inside all day.  I did a long cardio workout, tidied the house after the long week, knocked out a few loads of laundry, and got some work done.  We also played Sorry and worked on Olivia’s string art, too. 

Thankfully, we never had any bad weather, so B was able to grab Mexican takeout for dinner and we made margs at home to go along with it, and then we watched another Netflix movie for kids.  And when I say we, I mean B and the kids because I promptly passed out on the couch.  Haha.

The kids went to bed after the movie, and B finally talked me into watching Coming to America, the original version.  I’d never seen it, and he’s been wanting to watch the second one, so he wanted me to see the first one before we did that.  I’ve mentioned several times here on the blog that I’m not a big fan of 80’s movies, and I felt the same way about this one.  There were some funny parts, but overall, I thought it was kind of slow and I also thought that a bunch of scenes could have been shortened to make the overall movie a bit shorter… it felt SO long.  I guess I’ll give the second one a whirl, but I don’t have high expectations.  Haha.

Sunday, April 25 (Day 408 of Quarantine)

Sunday morning, B went out and grabbed some donuts for breakfast since we hadn’t had them at home in so long, and then we watched church virtually.  The rest of the day was spent making a Hershey Pie, getting homework done, reading, and spending lots of time outside because the weather was INCREDIBLE on Sunday.  I did some reading on the back porch while the kids played, and I also blew bubbles with them in the yard for a long time. 

I squeezed in a few minutes of work before heading downstairs to cook dinner – baked ziti, salad, and bread to go along with the Hershey Pie I’d made earlier in the day – and my Momma, Daddy, and Mama Cass all arrived at 5:30. 

We ate on the back porch and marveled over the weather the entire time – seriously, it was perfect – and my Mama Cass regaled us with several tales from her teenage years.  I just love hearing her stories and learning about her life!  It was another lovely weekend and another wonderful Sunday dinner with the fam! 

And now for a few current things…

 

Currently Reading

 

In April, I read The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver and it was FANTASTIC.  I couldn’t put it down.  I think it’ll probably be one that sticks with me for a long time.  I’m also finishing up Growing Boldly by Emily Ley, and I’m loving it so much.  In this book, Emily provides tools and inspiration for how to build a life you love while also getting to know your most true self.  I am about halfway through as I type this, and I’ve found the book to be very inspiring.  I feel like a lot of the personal growth books fall flat for me, but this one is one I’ll be likely to recommend.  

 

Currently Watching

 

We’re still rolling through This is Us, Shark Tank, A Million Little Things, American Idol, Saturday Night Live, and All American + New Girl on Netflix.  We also finished Secrets of Sulphur Springs on Disney+ with the kids and we’re all dying for the second season… unfortunately, we’ll be waiting until 2022.  Boooo.

 

I’m also just casually rotating The Wedding Planner, Father of the Bride 2, Notting Hill, and My Best Friend’s Wedding in a never-ending cycle while I work in my office.  I’ve probably watched each of these 15 times in recent months and I like to call it my happy background noise, y’all.  Why do they not make movies like these anymore?

 

Currently Listening To

Bring on all the warm weather, happy vibing music!!  I’ve been shuffling all of our warm weather faves, and my newest obsession is Beers and Sunshine by Darius Rucker.  It could not describe this world better right now!

Happy Tuesday, y’all!