Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 6 (4th of July and Brewery Date Night with 10 Other Couples)

Another week of summer is done, and I can’t believe we’re already halfway through.  Let’s get to last week’s recap…

Monday, July 3

Brian took Monday off so he could have a long weekend, and Monday was pretty lazy in our house.  We slept in, I made homemade waffles for breakfast, and then I caught up on some blog reading and got showered while B and the kids drove to get fireworks. 

After that, it was a shower for me, and then when B and the kids got back, I headed to Walmart to grab everything we needed for our July 4th party. 

We had leftovers for lunch, and then the kids got the house tidied inside and out, and then they played video games while I did some blog work.  My uncle came over midway through the afternoon for some computer assistance, and then I got some things done around the house that I’d been wanting to do.

I made sausage, pepper, and onions tacos for dinner, and then after dinner, I finally got out for a proper run… in the nearly 100-degree weather.  My hip/knee/SIJ situation had been feeling pretty good, so I decided to go for it, and it went fairly well.  I almost died from the heat – haha – but it felt good to finally get in an actual run.

After that, I showered and got in my PJs, and then we popped some popcorn and settled in for family movie night.  We showed the kids one of my favorite movies of all-time – The Wedding Planner!!!!  I’ve been counting down the days until the kids were old enough to watch all of my favorite old 90’s movies, and that day has finally come… depending on the movie, of course.  We did show them Serendipity last December right before our New York City trip, too.  They loved that one and they loved The Wedding Planner, too!  My job here is done.  Haha.

After they went to bed, B and I watched an episode of Platonic, and then we headed upstairs to bed.  I had started the book A Flicker in the Dark, and I couldn’t put it down!

 

Tuesday, July 4

Tuesday morning, we slept in and while I was unloading the dishwasher before breakfast, I saw something slink out of our back yard and through a small opening in our back gate.  It looked like a fairly large animal, so I freaked out looking for Maui as I had just let her out, but thankfully, she was already safely back in the house. 

A few minutes later, Brian came down, and just as I was telling him about it, the animal squeezed back through the gate and into our back yard again.  It turns out that it was a fox, which was a relief since I’d originally thought it might be a coyote since our neighbors are always talking about seeing them around here.

We all had breakfast after Fox Watch 2023 ended, and then I had my hot tea while I caught up on some blog reading.  After that, I did a stair stepper workout while I read my book some more (seriously couldn’t put it down!) and then I headed outside to lay in the sun and read some more.

At lunchtime, I came in and got some leftovers ready for everyone, and then I got showered and ready after lunch.  The kids played all day and then they watched Brian play Zelda for a little bit.  The afternoon was filled with lots of thunder and lightning, but no rain at our house (although there was serious flooding in some of our area), so there wasn’t any outdoor time to be had.

Thankfully, the storms stayed away for the rest of the evening, and we were able to have our 4th of July party as scheduled.  Because of the storms that had come through, the temps were comfortable, too, so it wasn’t blazing hot like it had been earlier in the day.

Unfortunately, several people who we invited over weren’t able to make it as regularly scheduled, but my parents, my brother and his roommate, my Mama Cass, and my father-in-law were all able to join, and we had a great evening together. 

We had all of the yummy July 4th food including burgers and hot dogs, mac n cheese, baked beans, potatoes salad, chips and guac, watermelon, and homemade chocolate chip cookies, and we were all stuffed by the time the night was over.

About an hour before dusk, we all went outside to hang out.  Brian and my FIL and the kids played Cornhole, and the rest of us lounged and chatted, and then at dark, we started our fireworks.  Our neighborhood goes ALL OUT for the 4th, so in addition to all of the ones that we had, there were neighbors doing massive fireworks all around our neighborhood for hours.  We ended up sitting outside watching them until 10:30 and we had a spectacular show right in our own back yard per usual.

 

The kids passed out in their beds when we got inside, and then B and I sat downstairs with Maui for a bit before heading off to bed ourselves.  We squeezed in a bit of The Bachelorette while we waited for her to get sleepy and then we headed to bed.    

 

Wednesday, July 5

Our neighbors continued doing fireworks well past midnight, so I didn’t fall asleep until sometime after 1, so I allowed myself to sleep in a bit Wednesday morning.  Poor B had to head off to work bright and early, though. 

I pulled myself out of bed around 7:45, and then I got busy cleaning up after our party.  We’d let most of the stuff go undone Tuesday evening, so I had lots of serving trays and dishes to hand wash, a full dishwasher to unload, tables and counters to wipe down, and stuff to put away.  Once that was done, I sorted all of the laundry that I was behind on, and I got a load going, and then I watered the plants and tidied up the whole downstairs.  By the time all of that was done, it was after 9 and both kids were still sleeping. 

Jacob finally came downstairs around 9:15 and he and I ate breakfast together, and then Olivia made her way downstairs at 9:45.  This summer has definitely been the summer of sleeping in for them!

After that, the kids watched cartoons for a bit while I got some things done in my office, and then they went outside and cleaned up all of the debris from the fireworks while I showered and got ready for the day.

Once that was done, we all had lunch together, and then we headed to shop for a few things to cheer up our friends who’d had a bit of a rough weekend.  We put together a little gift basket for them with some snacks and fun things to do, and then we left it on their front porch and headed home.

The kids played video games for a bit while I worked on the blog, and then I headed downstairs to make some dinner.  We had tons of mac n cheese leftover from July 4th that my Momma had made (hers is soooo yummy, too!), so I reheated that and did some roasted broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and green beans to go with it.  I also made rolls for anyone who wanted one.

After dinner, Brian worked on burning some CDs for the kids – LOL.  They’ve been wanting to be able to listen to their favorite songs, and we don’t really have a way of sharing all of ours since they’re on our phones and the kids don’t have phones, so we decided to go old-school and burn some CDs for them.  They each made a list of all of the songs they want, and then B got to work. 

While he did that, the kids played upstairs, and I taught them how to tie off a potholder they’d made on Olivia’s loom.  After that, I headed out for a walk/jog, and I was grateful for a storm that was off to our east, because it cooled things off tremendously without giving us any of the actual rain.

I did 2.55 miles, and then at home, I got in an arms workout, and then I got showered and ready for bed while B and the kids watched an episode of Weird But True.

After they were in bed, B and I watched some more of The Bachelorette and then we headed to bed, too.

 

Thursday, July 6

Thursday morning, I was up at my regular time of 7:15, and I got showered and ready for the day while the kids were still asleep.  By the time I was ready, they were both up, so we all had breakfast together, and we did our devotional time as we always do.  After that, they watched cartoons for a bit while I did some blog work and laundry. 

After cartoons, Olivia wanted to do her Magic Mixies Cauldron, so we pulled out her last refill packet and did that together.  She still loves that thing all these years later, so I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a really unique gift for Christmas.  (Yes, I know it’s still five months away, but it’ll be here before you know it!)

After that was done, the kids made some more potholders on Olivia’s loom, and they were able to tie them off themselves since I had taught them to do it Wednesday evening. 

Around 11, both kids settled in for an hour of summer homework, and I worked on laundry, laundry, laundry.  So much laundry.  Haha. 

Once they finished up, we all sat down and had lunch together, and then they settled in for an early round of video games while I did some more blog work.

At 3, we headed to the music school for Jacob’s piano lesson and Olivia’s voice lesson, and Jacob had his second lesson with his new teacher.  His new teacher really does seem like a great guy and an excellent teacher, so I’m hoping that lessons will continue to go well.  He isn’t quite as outgoing as Jacob’s previous teacher (which is what Jacob prefers as it pulls him out of his shell a bit), but he is a genuinely nice guy and he and Jacob seem to be vibing well so far. 

Jacob’s old teacher had touched on the pedals a little bit before he left, but Jacob hadn’t really gotten much into that, so his new teacher started working with him on that a bit on Thursday and it went well.  His teacher played an entire song using the pedal and he told Jacob to watch his foot the whole time, and then he told Jacob to sit down and try it, and Jacob ended up nailing it.  His teacher was super impressed, and Jacob continues to amaze me every single time he sits down to play.  I swear, he has a photographic memory.  He has to.  He can see something one time and then remember all of it. 

After music lessons, we headed to my parents’ house to get their mail and water the plants as they were out of town.  Then, we headed to the library to return a couple of books and pick up a couple of new ones.

After that, it was back home to make breakfast for dinner, and then Brian sat down to finish burning the kids’ CDs that he hadn’t finished the night before.  While they worked on that, I went for another walk/jog, and it was blazing hot yet again. 

When I got home, I showered, and then we all sat down together to watch an episode of Is It Cake? because the new season was just released on Netflix!  If y’all haven’t ever watched that, you totally should.  It’s a great show for the whole family… we all enjoy it so much!

 

Friday, July 7

Friday morning, I was up early because I had an appointment with my therapist at 8:15.  After I was done at her office, I swung by Olivia’s friend’s house to pick up the sleep mask she’d left, then I got some gas, and then I headed to Walmart to do our grocery shopping.  I’ve been saying all summer that I was going to move grocery shopping day to Fridays since B works from home, but I hadn’t moved it a single time until this week… now that summer is half over.  Haha.

Back at home, I unloaded and put away all the groceries, and then I headed to my office to do a couple of things… most importantly, download Taylor Swift’s new album!  ;o)

By the time that was done, it was time for lunch, so the four of us ate together, and then the kids and I all went outside to play basketball and hoolahoop AKA get some fresh air and move our bodies. 

It was soooo hot Friday, though, so we were only outside for about 30 minutes before we were miserable and ready to go inside.  The kids did some summer reading after that, and then they settled in for video games while I settled in for some blog work.

It stormed like crazy for the rest of the afternoon, so we stayed inside.  In the early evening, I swung by my parents’ house to grab their mail and water their plants, and then I picked up Five Guys for dinner and brought it home.

By the time we were done with dinner, the rain was gone, and the sun was coming out, so we went for a family walk around the neighborhood before heading back home so the kids could shower and get ready for bed. 

We ended the night with an episode of Is It Cake? and an episode of Weird But True, and then B and I watched two episodes of Trying.

 

Saturday, July 8

Saturday morning, I made waffles for breakfast, and then we were lazy for a bit.  The kids watched some cartoons, and I got some laundry started, and then I got in a mixed cardio workout. 

The kids played outside for the next couple of hours before it got too hot, and we also planted round two of sunflowers for Olivia.  Her first batch was planted right before we had, like, 14 straight days of torrential rain, so I think all of the seeds just washed away the first time.  It’s a bit late to be planting them, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed that something pops up.  This time, we planted 22 seeds, so hopefully the odds are good for getting at least a couple.  Haha.

After that was done, we all had lunch together, and then I did some work in my office while the kids showered and then played video games.

We had a date night planned Saturday evening, so we got ready and dropped the kids at my father-in-law’s house, and then B and I headed to the new brewery in town to meet some friends. 

I’ve mentioned many times on the blog that we’re really close with many of the parents of kids at our kids’ school – many of them have been my friends since I graduated from there (and most go to our church, too) – so we were meeting lots of friends from our school and church framily Saturday night.

Olivia’s grade has a bunch of the teachers’ kids, and they happen to be our friends as well, so we’re a pretty close-knit group, and we get together pretty often.  One of my friends (who also happens to be Jacob’s math teacher) put together this date night, and it ended up being THE MOST FUN.  We ended up having eleven couples show up, and we spent almost five hours with all of them at the brewery. 

We went to the same brewery that B and the kids and I had gone to the previous week, and it was a great place to go with a large group since we didn’t have to worry about finding a table and waiting on food for 22 people.  There was ample seating, and we were all able to sit together and mingle and mix up all evening.  The guys played rounds and rounds of Cornhole and the girls ran their mouths all night.  Haha. 

There’s an excellent BBQ place next door and you can walk over and order and then carry your food back to the brewery, so everyone was able to pick up food whenever they wanted to.  I ended up eating way too much and drinking way too much (ha!) and we had the best time together. 

I didn’t take a single picture after we left our house (such a bummer!), but I was just too caught up enjoying the moment to even think about it.  We had the best time talking about the upcoming school year, and it occurred to me that eight years from now we’ll probably still be doing the same thing, but discussing the kids’ upcoming senior year.  I just know that time is going to fly, and I’m grateful to have such a wonderful group with which to share it.

By the time we got the kids picked up and in the bed, it was after 11, so B and I spent a few minutes with Maui and then we hit the hay.

 

Sunday, July 9

Sunday morning, I slept later than usual, and we got a late start to breakfast.  I made cinnamon rolls, and then I watched my Sunday sermon, did some yoga, and planned the week ahead.  I always love our slow Sunday mornings.

Late in the morning, we all got ready, and then we headed to our favorite local French café for brunch.  The boys opted for pizza and Olivia had an omelet, while I had one of their ham and cheese croissants… they are soooo delicious.  After we were done eating, we let the kids each pick a treat, and B and I shared a cannoli.  Jacob loves their lemon squares, and Olivia usually opts for a macaron, but this time she decided to try the peanut butter tart.  It was basically a fancy Reese’s cup, and she loved it.

After lunch, we headed to Mama Cass’s house.  She’s been wanting to go through her old VHS tapes to get them digitized since there’s so much footage of my late grandfather, and she needed help getting the VCR set up.  Brian to the rescue!!

Once we got her all squared away, we ran by my parents’ house to grab the mail and water their plants one more time… I had forgotten my key, though, so we ended up going home and then I had to go back over there to finish up.  Once that was done, it was time to get the house and food prepped and ready for Sunday dinner since we were hosting.

My parents made it back to town just in time, and they joined us along with Mama Cass, Uncle Billy, and my littlest brother and his roommate.  I made baked ziti, steamed green beans, garlic cheesy bread, and a Hershey Pie for dessert. 

I spent most of the evening trying to persuade my Momma to take a trip to New York City with me, my aunt, and my cousin this December, and I think I’m finally wearing her down.  ;o)  She has never flown before, so she is apprehensive about going, but I think we’re finally going to make it happen.  I KNOW YOU’RE READING THIS, MOM!!!!  LET’S GOOOO.

After everyone left, we watched an episode of Is It Cake? with the kids followed by an episode of Trying after the kids went to bed.

Happy Thursday, y’all!