Weekly Recap 8/28/20

Hey Mom!! Guess What?!

That, those 4 innocent words ☝️ …sure, innocent and sweet until they are repeated 10,000 times, in.a.row.

Don’t get me wrong I love when the kids want to share something wih me. And I LOVE that they have finally had their fill of electronics and are using their imagination more and more. Maybe I need a “Hey Mom! Guess what?!” meter that resets each day. Fills a bit each time the question is asked. Once full, all requests must wait until next day after rest occurs.

Or, I could give out vouchers. Weekly coupon books. "Here is your ration of 'Hey Mom! Guess what?!' for the week. Choose wisely."

But nope, each time I muster up all energy reserves to excitedly say, "What?! Tell me!" Feeding the imagination each time, "Yes, you could sleep dart a turkey and keep him in a cage, but the more important question is what costume would you put on him to wear each day?"

Needless to say, if I'm delayed (more than usual) responding to any of the things just know I am preparing medicine for the stuffed polar bear surgery, planning turkey costumes or finding the perfect cardboard tube for a sword sheath.

Senior Pictures

I never truly felt old when I would say the age of the kids aloud until B hit high school. Something about saying I had a child in high school, I swear the gray sparkley hairs doubled each time the words came out of my mouth. Now here I am, my oldest is starting her senior year in high school and I’m busy keeping the sparkley hairs fully colored.

Each time B gets a piece of mail from a college I shout out, “B we got another college to add the list of places that are dead to me and you can’t go to!”

I’m bummed this year won’t be all she dreamed off, but we are making the best. I tell her that chances are that no other class ever will have the experience she will have. To document it, get creative, lean into what it is and find ways to make it fun.

So, first item on the list is senior pics. My sweet girl wants me to take them. Which let’s me honest I’m kind of shocked that I haven’t traumatized her the last 16 years with, “stand here… back straight… whoa, easy on all the teeth”. We started this week with 2 trips, to Yates Cider Mill and Blake’s U-Pick for sunflowers. I do love the time with her. Here’s a sneak peek of what we got so far…

Reading

Finished Reading

“Fierce, Free, And Full Of Fire” by Jen Hatmaker
I laughed. I cried. I just loved this book. It combined so many things I think about… self, faith, what I want, who I want to be, saying yes, saying no… all through stories and a truth that made me feel fully seen.

“No thank you universe. I’ve tasted the fruit of hogwash and it’s going to be a hard pass for me.”

Now, I read this all through audible and I’d do it again. Jen incorporates additional stories, clips from her podcasts, you name it. As she put it, it’s her book and she’s reading it, if she can’t do it here, well she is doing it here.

Jen gets into her faith, a bit of the bible but really to make her point of, God made and loves all of us. Regardless of gender identity, background, wrongs, church attendance. She tells a story how she and a group of women made signs for a gay pride parade to give hugs away. “Free Mom Hugs”… free grandma, sister, friend hugs. It got me.

Eats

Sweet, delicious Michigan summer corn. After most likely years of talking about it, my Mother-In-Law and I finally made it happen… a day (actually, turned into a 2 day venture) of prepping, bagging and freezing corn to hold us over until next summer (I’m kidding no one, we’ll be lucky if any bag makes it to spring).

Steps…

1. find a local farm and buy a ridiculous amount of corn
2. turn off the wifi
3. send kids outside where they will find said corn along with garbage bags and buckets, get to shucking there kiddos
4. clean corn, and give it a 3min dip in boiling water
5. as soon as Alexa tells you your timer is up corn goes straight from boiling water to ice water bath to cool (and probably stops the cooking process but I’m no Alton Brown)
6. out of the ice bath and lay it all out to dry some then time to cut those kernels off
7. have your daughter cut vacuum seal bags; have some pre-cut and ready cause she will Tik-Toking so much you’ll be lucky to get any, and sizes will randomized

8. measure into bags, vacuum seal, freeze
   

   
   
   
   
   

Grateful For…

1. My baby girl for being such a great model on our senior pic adventures. You are gorgeous inside and out and I’m grateful you want me to capture every drop of it.
2. Corn peelers. Corn Zippers. Whatever your weapon of choice. It makes peeling corn from the cob super easy. Do not, I repeat do not fall for that round dealio that claims to “strip” corn. Pack of lies.
3. The super sweet neighbor who stopped one night to chat with me while I was starting my walk and told me, “Stop by on your way back to your house I got banana bread in the oven and some tea for you to try.” So nice. Good people. And worth noting, her take on banana bread involved pecans 🤤
4. Summer dinner with the fam… windows open, potatoes, green beans and corn from the farm along with a beef brisket. All sitting together chatting, no distractions. Grateful for all of it! Even the 3 times I had to tell the bouncy one to sit. ☺️