The Last Couple of Days and Comments

First of all, I turned off the "prevent cross-site tracking" feature under preferences in Safari so I could reply to the recent comments you have left. As I was almost through doing this, I realized that instead of replying to each individual comment, I added my own comment to the post. So, I tried to respond to everyone......except for Polly. (Polly and I have been emailing, so I think we have caught up.) :)

Well, it's gotten hot here! Like all springs here in Mississippi, we have pleasant weather for many weeks, and then one day it's HOT. But I love the sunshine, and I try to sit outside with a book for at least 30 minutes each day.

I finished The Dearly Beloved on Audible, and I am dying to discuss this book with someone. I have so many feelings and opinions about Lilly and Charles and Nan and James.....their choices, their fears, their faith, their struggles. I would like to reread it one day in book form. I am currently reading two books: Greensleeves on my iPad and another Ann Patchett book, Bel Canto. They are totally different, but I am enjoying both of them so much.

Yesterday I had the great joy of keeping precious Mae all day long. Julie had a doctor's appointment (she's 28 weeks now), and I told her to just go home and enjoy a day alone. Since we are done with school for the summer, I have offered to keep Mae all day once a week so Julie can have some time to rest, read, clean, or whatever she wants to do. Mae kept me busy! I fed her breakfast as soon as she arrived, which included chocolate milk! Because she's at MiMi's house! Next we played with toys in my den and read some books. Then we went outside and enjoyed taking a walk, blowing bubbles, drawing with sidewalk chalk, and some swinging. Leah woke up while we were outside and Mae was beside herself with happiness to see Leah! Leah!

She loves her aunt Leah so much. Leah played with her some and they watched about 30 minutes of Frozen 2 in our camper (Mae asks to go inside the camper). After that Jimmy took her out to the barn for a little while and then it was lunchtime. I made her a grilled cheese which she ate almost all of, and best of all, I gave her two BBQ chips! (MiMi's house). She also ate some fruit. :) We played some more (inside and out) and then it was nap time.
I read her some books, sang her some songs, and rocked her to sleep (just like I did her mama and my other children when they were little). She must have been worn out, because she slept for almost two hours!

After her nap Leah and I played in the pool with her until Julie came to get her. I think the day was a huge success, and I cannot wait for her to come again for the day next week.

Side note: I did have to order takeout last night from our local restaurant because I could not get supper started while she was here, and I was too tired to begin it at around 5pm when she left! (Not sure how I did all did when my five children were little!) I will plan better next week and maybe get supper started while she naps.

Also this week I have been helping Clay get all his ducks in a row for pharmacy school. What a lot of digital paperwork, documents to collect, websites to visit, etc. He found out this week that he is missing one class in order to begin pharmacy school in August (a mistake in his scheduling, totally his mistake). So he has scrambled to get permission from the pharmacy school (UTHSC) to take the class this summer--it's Anatomy and Physiology II), and then apply to, gain admission to, and find the class offered at a community college. I think he's gotten it all figured out. If all goes as planned, next Tuesday he should be able to sign up for the online class which begins June 1 and ends June 26. He's working, so I guess he will be doing school every night plus on his days off. Fun summer!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone!

Some Things We Have Done

I'm glad I took some pictures over the last six weeks, because I had already forgotten about some of these things. (And I'm sure other people in my family have pictures of other activities that I don't have.)

The four of us did some hiking at Dismals Canyon in Alabama.

Mae has come to visit us a lot.

Clay worked in his forge. He made some pliers completely from raw materials. (I need a picture of the finished product.)

We celebrated Clay's 21st birthday.

Mae loves to color.

And be outside.

Big Sam and I have given quarantine haircuts! I trimmed about 4 inches from Leah's hair and 5 inches from Julie's (no picture.)

Sweet Mae again!

Sam and Clay built a rock climbing wall. This is during the construction phase.

And this is the finished product.

The Easter Bunny came.

Leah, Sam, and Mae dyed Easter Eggs.

Clay made homemade bread and this homemade flan, pictured below.

I deep cleaned my oven (not using the self-cleaning feature). It took about three hours! This is the before picture. I am embarrassed to say that I have never deep cleaned my oven, and it is 15 years old!

After--not perfectly clean, but as clean as three hours of hard work, baking soda, vinegar, scrub brushes, norwex cloths, norwex cleaning paste, and elbow grease could get it.

Jimmy planed some boards from trees that had fallen or been cut down last fall.

Leah did a couple of Bob Ross art classes online as well as created much art on her iPad.

All in all, it has been a fun, productive shelter at home experience. I have kept up with my housework and even cleaned out a couple of closets and drawers.  Jimmy pressure washed all our concrete around the house and backyard/pool area, and he also finished a beautiful desk he has been working on for years. Sam built a go cart from an old piece of yard equipment....he attached a trailer hitch to it, and it will pull his four-wheeler. I need to take a picture of it!