Our Week - The One with a Movie Date, an ENT Appointment for Olivia, Poker Night, and Fall Decorating!

Last week was fairly low-key, which was nice since this week is going to be pure craziness.  And so is the week after that, and the week after that, and the week after that… haha.  ‘Tis the season, y’all!

Monday, August 19

Monday morning, I got the kids to school and then I hit up Publix for grocery shopping.  I’m still boycotting Walmart after the “Olivia touching the case of beer incident” this summer – haha – and I’ve been enjoying my shopping at Publix SO much.  I’ll probably start shopping for groceries at Walmart again soon (so Brian doesn’t kill me since Publix is more expensive), but I’ll never buy alcohol there again.

After my shopping trip, I got everything home and put away, and then I spent the whole day working.  I had a lot to catch up on picture-wise since my phone and computer had not been playing nicely together on Sunday, so between that and getting a blog post done for Tuesday, that consumed much of my day.

I got to the car line and ended up hanging with our resource officer for most of my wait as he was taking a late lunch and was patrolling the front of the school.  It’s always nice to have somebody to chat with because it makes the time pass faster!

When we got home, I got my Bible study done for the day, and then I headed downstairs to cook dinner – sheet pan sausage and veggies and Cheesecake Factory brown bread.  It was nice to have a large dose of veggies since we hadn’t had many the previous week!

After dinner, we got the kitchen cleaned up, and then I went out for a run.  It was blazing hot and sunny yet again, and the ragweed is in full bloom, so I really struggled with my pace.  I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to finish, and I ended up doing a slightly shorter run than usual.  When I got back home, I got in an arms workout, and then it was shower time followed by a last-minute wrap-up of a couple of things on the to-do list.

After the kids went to bed, Brian and I watched some of Dark Matter, and then we headed to bed!

Tuesday, August 20

Tuesday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I headed home to finish a blog post before it was time to meet my mom and my aunt at the movies.  We went to see It Ends with Us, and it started at 10:30 AM (LOL), so I made a lunch to take with me, and then I swung by to pick up Momma. 

I really loved the movie… I think I might have even liked it better than the book, which never happens for me!  I typically don’t love movies after I’ve read the books, but the beautiful sets in this movie + the fact that it was Blake Lively really made me love it.  They, of course, had to leave a lot of details out since it’s impossible to squeeze all of them into a two-hour movie, but all in all, I thought it was really well done.  If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, I do advise you to look at the trigger warnings first, because it could be upsetting for some.

 

Once the movie was over, I dropped Momma back at home, and then it was nearly time for me to get in the car line.  I had just enough time to get gas, drop some donations, and *try* to pick up a prescription from CVS, but they were closed for lunch.  I always forget that they close now for lunch, and somehow, I always show up during that 30-minute window.  Sigh.

I headed to school to pick up the kids after that, and then we headed home.  I got in my Bible study, changed clothes and freshened up, and then it was time to take Olivia to dance.  While I was there, I picked up the USB with her recital performance from May, and then I headed to pick up some trial contacts to try since I just had my eye appointment. 

Tuesday night was Parent Night at the school for Jacob and I arrived a little early, so I got a couple of things done in my car before I went in.  Then the next hour and a half was spent going from class to class for Jacob.  I got to sit in on all of his classes, and learn what to expect for the upcoming year, and as always, I was very impressed when I left.  I truly love our school, and sitting in with each of the teachers year after year just reaffirms how we have our kids exactly where they need to be.  I’m so grateful to have them at a school that is excellent academically, but most importantly, I’m grateful to have them in a faith-based environment that always puts God ahead of everything else.  Every single class, whether it be math, science, ELA, sign language, or history always, always gives the glory to God FIRST. 

By the time I got home, it was nearing 8 PM, and I hadn’t eaten dinner, so I made a quick green smoothie with some protein powder, and that was my dinner.  I don’t typically use smoothies as meal replacements, but it was so late that I didn’t want to eat anything heavy. 

By the time I was done with that, the kids were all showered and ready to watch TV, so I hauled my stair stepper downstairs and did a workout while I watched America’s Got Talent with them.  Then, after they went to bed, B and I watched another episode of Dark Matter.

Wednesday, August 21

Wednesday, I had no place to be while the kids were at school, so I literally worked all day on the blog.  I knocked out two whole posts, prepped a couple of others, went over my editorial calendar for the last quarter of the year, and I got a few things organized.

I grabbed the kids from school at 3, and then we headed straight to Olivia’s semi-annual checkup at the ENT doctor for her thyroid.  For those of you who are new here, Olivia had a minor surgery to drain a nodule on her thyroid back in March 2018 (when she was four) and thankfully, it was benign.  However, within two weeks of them draining it, it filled right back up again and has been present ever since.  We had it drained and tested a second time in 2022 (when she was eight) and, thankfully, it’s still benign, but unfortunately, it popped right back up yet again. 

Since it’s in such a delicate space (it’s attached to her thyroid) we have been having it monitored quarterly and eventually semi-annually.  Our ENT doctor (who we adore) does an ultrasound at every visit to measure it to ensure that it’s not growing too rapidly because if it gets too big it could obstruct her airways/esophagus causing breathing/swallowing problems.

We arrived at the office about 40 minutes early (we went straight after school) with the hope that maybe he could get her in a little bit early as she had dance at 5:15, but unfortunately, when we arrived, the nurse told us that he was running about an hour late.  Yeesh. 

We ended up being there for about two hours – both kids did their homework and read their AR books, Brian came to pick up Jacob so he wouldn’t have to stay forever, and then Olivia and I were so bored towards the end that we did what we always do while we have to wait forever at a doctor’s office – we took Snapchat pictures with all of the fun filters.  Haha. 

Her appointment went great, and upon measuring the nodule, the doctor reported that the matter still looks the same inside (thick and dense, which is good) and that the nodule hadn’t grown any.  He measures it on three sides (length, width, and depth) and two of the measurements had decreased by a millimeter or two while one of the measurements had increased by a millimeter.  In other words, the overall size hadn’t really changed (which is good), but the shape had changed a little bit (because it is fluid it stretches out with her as she grows).

We are currently biding our time until she gets just a little bit older, and then she’ll have to have a major surgery to have the nodule surgically removed.  Since it’s attached to her thyroid, there is a chance that the doctor will have to remove part (or all if it’s really bad) of her thyroid, which would obviously present an entirely new set of problems.  Therefore, he wants to wait until she is older and bigger in size to make the surgery easier and safer.  He mentioned at this appointment that he’s thinking we could possibly have it removed next summer, but it is obviously a choice that we’ll make along with him, so we have some praying to do.  I’m not sure I’ll be ready next summer as I’d rather wait until she is a little bit larger in size.  And I also worry about it from a hormone aspect, of course.

Anyway, by the time we got out of there, it was almost 5:30, so we hightailed it to the car, Olivia ate the dinner that I had packed for her in a cooler on the way to dance, and we got her there about 30 minutes late.  She has a LONG dance night on Wednesdays this year, so she’s there well after dinnertime, which means that she has to eat before.

By the time I got home, it was after 6, so I immediately got started on dinner.  I did Pizza Joes and steamed broccoli since it was quick, and then Brian, Jacob and I all sat down to eat together. 

After dinner, we cleaned up the kitchen, and then I got in a strength workout, watered the plants outside, and did a very late Bible study.  Brian and Olivia got home as I was finishing up with my Bible study, and she jumped in the shower. 

We didn’t get the kids in the bed until 9:30 which is later than we usually aim for on school nights, but since Olivia has that late class all year, every Wednesday is going to be a late one for the next 10 months. 

After the kids went to bed, B and I watched a few minutes of a new episode of Dark Matter, and then we headed to bed.

 

Thursday, August 22

Thursday was another day of blog work, and I also stepped out mid-morning to purchase some guitar strings from our local music store and pick up a prescription from CVS.  I haven’t been motivated this past week (I’m usually not very motivated in August), so I also chatted with friends throughout the day via text and did more scrolling on social media than normal.  I usually don’t do much mindless scrolling until nighttime after the kids have gone to bed, but I let myself indulge Thursday because I just didn’t feel like working.  And I’m sure I’ll be regretting that decision all this week while I’m busy and running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  Haha.

I grabbed the kids from school at 3, and we headed straight to music lessons.  Jacob worked on Clair de Lune some more, and Olivia was PUMPED to work some more on Fearless.  For the first half of the lesson, her teacher taught her how to change out guitar strings since hers needed changing, and then for the second half, they tweaked the beginning of Fearless since Mr. Steve had one chord wrong initially. 

When we got home, I got my Bible study done, I quizzed Olivia for her spelling and vocab test, and then it was time to get the kitchen ready for dinner.  We did breakfast for dinner, and as always, it was a crowd pleaser.  Our kids would eat breakfast for every meal if we’d let them.

After dinner, I headed outside for a walk/jog, and y’all, it was only 84 degrees!!!!  It’s been 90-100 degrees for every single evening run/walk/jog that I’ve taken since June aside from a couple of days after it has rained, but the kicker was that the humidity was super low, too, so it felt great outside.  It was the first time I haven’t come home drenched in sweat in months!  I also didn’t want to come in and I ended up doing a longer route than usual.

After a quick shower, we all sat down and watched some more of America’s Got Talent, and then once the kids were in bed, B and I watched some more of Dark Matter.  I am enjoying that show, but I’m not completely riveted.  It’s definitely worth a watch, though!  

Friday, August 23

Friday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then headed home to work all day.  Again, I had zero motivation so I had to push myself, and I spent much of the day texting with Emily (some of you OGs may remember her blog A Little Bit of Emily) and texting with various other friends.  Why oh why is it that when I have a huge stretch of time in front of me that I feel unmotivated to get stuff done, but when I’m overwhelmed with a million things to do that I feel like I need to be tackling all the things?!  Anybody else??  Haha. 

I really think it’s just this time of year, though… I’m usually motivated for the first couple of weeks after the kids go back to school (although I wasn’t this year!) and then August just drags for me.  It’s my least favorite month of the year, probably because I feel so uninspired as the LONG HOT SUMMER feels neverending. 

Anyway, I ended up getting a decent amount of stuff done.  I finished a blog post, prepped several others, filmed a Reel, and got myself a little bit ahead, although not that much.

At 3, I grabbed the kids from school, and we headed straight home.  I let them have some video game time since it was Friday, and I did my Bible study and tackled a few random things that have been way down low on the to-do list – fixing a painting that had partly slid down the frame in my office, updated the letter board for the bar cart, got some things filed that had been sitting out, etc.

Then, once Brian was done with work, we headed to our friends Khristina and Ian’s house for poker night.  Our usual group was there – the two of them, the two of us, and my friend, Jeannine, and her husband, James + all the kiddos.  Khristina and Ian had grilled burgers and hot dogs and made a few sides to accompany them, and the adults all retreated to their sunroom to eat, drink, and be merry while the kids ran around outside and then hung out in the living room. 

I ended up having a good night card-wise and I won quite a few hands, which was better than I’d done the last few times we’ve gotten together… I’ve been on a losing streak.  Haha.  But we had the best time hanging out with them… as always, good conversation flowed, there were lots of laughs (one that made Jeannine and I both laugh until we cried – the best), and it was a great night.

That morning, I had these pictures pop up in my Facebook memories from 10 years ago – that’s baby Olivia and baby Mack when they were just six and eight months old – so it was the sweetest that they got to hang out again on the same night 10 years later.  We joked that we should get them to recreate these pictures with a cookie but they weren’t having it.  Hahahaha.

We got home around 9:30 and got the kids in bed around 10, and then B and I watched some more Dark Matter before heading to bed.

 

Saturday, August 24

Saturday was the best day because – COLLEGE FOOTBALL WAS BACK ON TV!!!!  It was week zero for college football, and although, only a few teams played (Georgia didn’t), we were still pumped.  We got up and had homemade waffles for breakfast, and then turned on ESPN College GameDay – EEK!  Brian and I spent the next hour and a half watching that on the couch and being lazy, and then I finally got up, got changed, and did a mixed cardio/strength workout while I watched the rest of the show.

After my workout, I pulled out all of the fall boxes (EEEEK again!) and Olivia and I got the whole house decked out for fall.  Yes, I know it’s still August, and yes, I usually wait until September (specifically Labor Day weekend), buuuut, since college football was on and the PSL was officially back, that was enough for me to say it was perfectly acceptable to decorate.  Never mind that it was 90 degrees on Saturday.  Haha.  We will also be at the first Georgia game next weekend, so I wouldn’t have been able to do it Labor Day weekend anyway.  ;o)

I’m all in my fall feels and nobody’s gonna kill my vibe, ‘mkay?  Oh, and everyone on College GameDay picked Georgia to win the SEC Championship Game and two people picked us to win the National Championship Game.  Fingers crossed!  EEK!

After Olivia and I finished up downstairs, she headed upstairs to decorate her room for fall (love her!!) and I got lunch ready for all of us.

After lunch, I got everything cleaned up from decorating, and then I headed to my office to get a few things done + a Bible study before it was time to get ready for church.

After Mass, we headed out for our “last supper” as my mom called it before football season begins next weekend.  Once football Saturdays take over, our gang, as well as my aunt and uncle who always eat dinner with us tend to stay home on Saturdays to watch football (or we’re out of town watching them in person) and we go to Mass on Sundays, which means that our Saturday Mass and dinners together will be rare to non-existent for the next four months. 

We let Mama Cass choose where to go and she wanted pizza from the place we always go to, so we headed there right after Mass.

When we got home, it was nearly dark, but I took Maui for a quick walk around the block anyway.  She made it less than a quarter of a mile before she wanted to turn around, so we ended up clocking less than a half mile total.  My tiny girl is reaching the point where the distance she wants to go is shorter and shorter.

When we got home, we hung out with the kids for a bit, and then we got them in the bed before watching more of Dark Matter.  We were on track to finish the season, but I fell straight to sleep on the couch, so Brian had to turn it off.  I’ve officially reached the point where I can no longer stay awake because of all of the early wakeup calls for school.  I’m so very excited for fall, but I sure do miss the laziness of summer and being able to stay up late and sleep in more often!

Sunday, August 25

Sunday morning, Brian got pumpkin donuts for breakfast, and then he and Jacob headed out to play a round of golf before it got too hot.  While they got ready to go, I watched my sermon and did yoga, and then after they left, I spent the morning hanging with my girl.  She had a religion test to study for, so we snuggled up on the couch to study for that first, and then we watched Descendants.  She’d never seen it and she’d been wanting to watch, so she was excited to finally check that one off of the list!

When Brian and Jacob got home, I headed straight upstairs to get my life together AKA plan the week ahead in my planner.  I also looked ahead at September, and YEESH, we’re going to be busy.  While I was consulting my trusty, rusty planner, I took some time to text Jeannine and Khristina to go ahead and schedule our next poker night and our annual trek to Pumpkins at Callaway because our weeks were all filling up very quickly.

Once I was feeling good and organized, we all had a light lunch, and then I spent some time going over a science quiz with Olivia since she had a test coming up.  Then, it was shower time for me followed by Sunday prep – sorting laundry, tidying the house, putting the dishes away, etc. – and I also organized all of our fall soaps and got those put out.

The rest of the afternoon was lazy for the whole family – I watched the end of Save the Last Dance that I’d started another weekend followed by The Wedding Planner while I worked – and I was super productive.  Brian worked out and watched something in his office.  Jacob played video games and Olivia watched Descendants 2.  It was a good, restful, productive Sunday.

We headed to my parents’ house for dinner, and per usual, it was a great way to complete the week!  I took Maui for a quick walk when we got home and then B and I finished Dark Matter... and that was our week!

And now for a few current things…

Currently Reading

This month I’d hoped to read two books, but with the back-to-school craziness (and exhaustion) I only ended up reading one – The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin.  Emily Giffin has always been one of my favorite authors, but this one wasn’t one of my favorites by her.  Was it worth reading?  Yes.  Was it riveting and up to par with the rest of her books?  No.  I’d give this one a solid 3.5 / 5 stars and while it was worth it to read it once, I probably won’t ever read it again.

I’m also still reading New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional by Paul David Tripp as my daily devotional. 

And I’m still working my way through The Bible and The Bible Recap… I’m on Day 263 as I type this (Thursday, 8/22), and I lost a couple more days this month since we were so busy.  I’m still 28 days ahead, though, which means I should still be on track to finish it by the end of this year.  I cannot believe I’ve officially read 33 whole books of the Bible in order from start to finish, y’all! 

 

Currently Watching

With B:  This month, we got halfway through One Day and stopped (it had amazing potential but I didn’t love it), and we started and finished Defending Jacob (excellent), Black Bird (also excellent), and Dark Matter (really good) + watched a whole lot of The Olympics.  We also started watching college football, baby!

With the Kids:  We watched a whole bunch of The Olympics and then we picked up America’s Got Talent once The Olympics were over.  We also watched Trolls Band Together since we’d never seen that, and I watched Descendants with Olivia.

Alone:  The Wedding Planner and Save the Last Dance on repeat every Sunday, and during the week, I just listen to music while I work.

 

Currently Listening To

Pretty much the same as last month – Taylor (I cannot stop with TTPD), DMB, Abe Parker, Teddy Swims, Phil Wickham, and Brandon Lake.  And various other worship music.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!