Quick visit

On Saturday, we were able to see my side of the family for a day trip to Musgrove Mill. We've done this state historic site before, but there was a trail we didn't get a chance to explore on our first trip. Plus it was half way between for both of us which made the drive nice. 

The first trail was an easy mile loop near the Visitor Center. The day was beautiful although it had rained earlier that morning so it was a little bit muddy. Mud didn't seem to slow Teddy or the girls down!

The second trail was on the other side of the Enoree River so we got back  in the car for a short ride to Horseshoe Falls and a 1.7 mile trail. There was lots of splashing in the creek and waterfall. The trail was nice and not as muddy on this side. 

When we finished hiking, we enjoyed a picnic lunch mostly made of leftover turkey. It was fun to see my nieces and catch up with my sister who we haven't seen since the summer. Plus it was great to enjoy a beautiful day outside where we didn't have to worry about sickness as we kept our precautions. 

It's so strange to hold plans loosely and come up with alternate ways to see your family because of a pandemic. There are days it can really wear you down to think about the difficulties this season has brought. My kids hate school...well really they hate school in a pandemic. We aren't able to see or even meet some family members. Then I ran into a sweet man in the grocery store today. We got to chatting and he commented how tough this has been for him. I promised to pray for him and he would pray for me. It was just a shared moment of humanity that reminded me we're all in the same place of suffering, but God is still God and He is still over all of this. I was reminded of the beauty of His creation today and the simple truth that this is not our home. 

Thanksgiving 2020

It's been a fun week celebrating Thanksgiving at our house. Over the weekend, we were able to put up our Christmas decorations which we have traditionally done every year the weekend before Thanksgiving. Usually we are traveling for this holiday so it's nice to do a deep clean of the house and put up the decos so that when we return we are all ready for Christmas. Well, this year we actually hosted Thanksgiving so it was a little funny having signs of both holidays at the same time. 

Regardless, we loved putting up the decorations. It is always a special time looking at our ornaments we've collected over the years. We usually get one from places we visited or special occasions. And the girls get one each year from us that represents that year. One day when they leave, they will already have their own tree worth of ornaments! Teddy was super chill during all of the decorating and I wonder if he didn't think about why we were putting a tree in the house. 

Other tasks at the beginning of the week included cleaning the house, getting all the groceries for a our big meal and prepping for Gary to arrive. We were excited to be able to host Grandpa for Thanksgiving  while Kathy is away in England visiting John and Jessi and the kiddos. He arrived Tuesday evening. After e-learning for the girls this week, they were happy to see him and be done with school for a bit. 

The girls helped me bake pies and prep for turkey day. I also had to prep the turkey as I decided to spatchcock and dry brine it. After wrestling the backbone out of the turkey, it looked like I was giving it CPR just to get it flat! This is my favorite way to do the turkey because it cooks evenly and for a shorter time. 

Wednesday evening we all hopped in the car to head to Saluda Shoals to see their Christmas light display. It's earlier than we usually go, but I thought it would be a fun activity and I was hopeful there would be a small crowd. It was great! There was hardly anybody there and we all loved seeing the lights on a warmer night. 

On Thursday, we enjoyed the Macy's Parade even though it looked different, a long walk and even some afternoon napping. I had all my dishes lined up and ready to go by mid-afternoon. This year's Thanksgiving dinner included: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, roasted Brussel sprouts, green beans, glazed carrots, yeast rolls, cranberry relish, apple/sausage dressing, pumpkin pie and apple pie. I have to admit that I am very proud of how the whole dinner turned out. It was delicious!! I had to cook my turkey a little longer than anticipated, but after another 20 minutes, it was perfect and we were ready to eat. We were all stuffed and happy! What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had this year.

Lifelong Friends

Paige and Sally both have a special relationship with their teacher from last year. Mr. O is one of those rare gems that brings magic, compassion, learning and charm no matter where he goes. I've written about him before, and it goes without saying that he's one our favorite people ever. I had the pleasure of helping his wife's niece with her resume last week. As we were talking, we thought it would be fun to get the girls together with Mr. O for a little outside visit. So after our half day on Friday, we made the trek to his house on the other side of town (how did he commute all those years?!) and had the most delightful afternoon. 

Sally and Paige were so cute in the car on the way there. They chatted about how they would buy a camper and put it in his backyard so they could hang out with him all day and then he could come watch TV with them at night. They counted down the minutes until their arrival and were so giggly. Then when we got there, it was silence. I think they were just shocked that they could finally see him! No worries though, the words started flowing quickly. 

We met Mallie, Mr. O's dog, and leashed her up for a nice long walk. I was able to have a wonderful discussion with Heidi, while the girls chatted Mr. O's ear off. I could hear them trailing behind us, laughing, sharing book thoughts and generally soaking up every minute of Mr. O's attention. When we got back home, I sat on the back porch for a few minutes to answer some email, when I looked out to find Mr. O and the girls playing acorn war. The light was streaming through the trees. They were all laughing and shouting. It was perfect. I thought two things: he's going to make a wonderful grandpa, one day soon I hope and what a special friendship. 

It was tough to get the girls to leave. I told Mr. O how life giving the visit was and there were plans made for future visits. At one point, I said to him, I hope you know we are lifelong friends. You're stuck with us! On the car ride home, the girls were both sad to leave and satisfied. Their cups had been filled to overflowing. They brimmed over with happiness and claimed it was the best day they had had in months. Their plans then shifted to getting twin beds and putting them in an empty room in his house so they could live with him part of the week. Oh boy! What a gift to have people like that in our lives. 

Meanwhile Anna was back at home enjoying Caroline's birthday lunch, dessert and play time. She was so responsible and helped do many chores while I was away with Sally and Paige. Upon my return, she said I could be the mom again...it was too much work. Ha!

Over the weekend, Paige and I enjoyed a move night with the church elementary kids. We also watch CC for a day. Teddy and CC are nuts when they are together. They love to wrestle. Then they drink a ton of water which means they have to pee. Despite letting them both out at different times every hour, they still both managed to pee in the house. No worries, I had baby gated them into the kitchen so it wasn't a big deal. I believe it was a good 5 hours before they finally settled down next to each other to chill out. Silly doggies (and lifelong friends)!

This Week

 It's been a productive and good week around here. I am happy to report Paige's computer is no longer acting up. THANK GOODNESS! The girls and I have been working hard to get our school work complete. Anna had several quizzes and tests which she studied hard for and I managed to finish up all 120 of my mock interviews yesterday. It feels so good to be done with those! Paige received her narrative report from her teacher. I was so thankful to see she is excelling and doing great with her schooling despite the circumstances. 

We had a cold snap this week so I had to harvest some lingering warm weather veggies and flowers. I got quite a haul of jalapeño, 1 green pepper with some more growing if they make it, bok choy (doing amazing!) basil for pesto and zinnia. I still have snap peas in the garden...I wonder when they will actually bloom as we've never planted these before, carrot, bok choy, lettuce, kale, mescaline, zinnia and sunflower, if you can believe it. I tucked my babies in over night so they wouldn't get frosty. 

The next morning Teddy and I went on a walk and to say he was excited about frost is an understatement. He was darting around like a prairie dog and licked every lawn. Crazy nut!

I've had to be a little more creative and involved with Paige's special areas recently. They are not exactly translating well to Phase 2 of learning. So we skipped PE and did our own thing this week. Sally and Paige got their own yoga mats and did a little Cosmic Kids Yoga, Harry Potter style. I might also insert some art projects along the way too. 

And here are my sweet Friday e-learners. Anna has asynchronous work and Paige has a 1/2 day. It was pajama day! Also, why is that dog on the couch....Anna!?

Finally, can you believe how long me hair has gotten? I haven't cut it in 10 months! I found this tool at Target on sale and read rave reviews, so I thought I would give it a try. Oh. my. gosh! I am a believer!! It is miraculous. Dried my hair in 15 minutes and I didn't even have to straighten it afterward. Now I am getting on board with dry shampoo. Maybe this long hair thing is a little easier than I thought. Plus it keeps me warm and you know how I hate being cold.