Spring BREAK!

So it was Spring Break this week.  Agenda was supposed to include a trip to Utah followed by a trip to Great Wolf Lodge.  Hmmm...nope.
But we took 2 drives.  Oh yes!  Drives!  Where we ate in the car and had to find sketchy bathrooms because things aren't open.  But we got out!
One drive included a caravan with another car of people!
Oh how excited we get over the little things these days.

True confessions first.  We let another family into our quarantine circle.  We had to.  Couldn't take it anymore.  And, it was a good thing we did, because Ben and Willow got married.  And life has been better with friends.  

Our drive to the Tulips.  I've actually never done this before--but its a PNW tradition.  I probably wouldn't do it again...because if you add any traffic, it wouldn't be worth it.  But it was nice.  So nice to be out. 

Our caravan partners are in the "at risk" category.  So Grandpa stayed in the car.  Grammy got out for a few socially distant pictures. 

The tulips are awesome, but isn't the sky also so amazing? 

Our Thursday drive (with dad) took us past the tulips again, but the destination was Deception Pass.  It was basically a fail because it was roped off.  But we drove over and back.  Beautiful high speed views. 

Then we got the car washed!  (Car washes down here are closed!  So we got the "KITCHEN SINK!" 

Another car wash view

Then we explored La Conner WA.  Parks there are open if you are socially distant.  So we played for a few. 

Jumping for JOY! 

That was our Friday Spirit Day 

We got yummy takeout at the NET.  Gut bomb deliciousness. 

We finished off Spring Break with a lot of screen time.
But some of it was intentional.  Libby created a movie theater for our extended quarantine family.  We watched the Willoughbys...it is based on a quirky funny book by Lois Lowry.  The movie is also quirky and funny--although it of course doesn't follow the storyline exactly.  (Read the book!)
She picked some candies and we made "real popcorn."

I'm ready to get back to learning.  Sort of.  I miss school and doing it the way we always have.
It was surreal to bag up my students' belongings for pick up this week.

But, like with everything...I just want to get it done!

Corona Cafe Week 2 and 3

You know how something is fun the first time, then gets a little harder?
Well my idea to have each kid host a restaurant on Friday nights was that kind of idea.  But we soldiered on.  We added takeout for the grandparents too.

Sarah wanted a seafood restaurant 

It was delicious.  But we struggled a little with our restaurant manners (aka, Libby didn't like the place settings and swapped it out, and made a rude comment about the menu and all H-E-double hockey sticks broke loose).  But the food was good and enjoyed by all but Libby...who attempted to return and eat multiple times.  Keeping it real--it is hard to be with your family 24/7 for weeks on end. 

Note to self: You can't make a quick run to Costco on a Friday afternoon.  So the restaurant got started a little late.  Okay.  Like an hour late. 
2nd note to self: Cheesecake isn't something you can make and eat right away.  It needs some time to set up.  Also, doesn't work well with cheesecake that is a little too cold.  It seems weird, but this is the first time I've ever made a cheesecake that has to be baked.  I've got to give it another go some other time. 

I had two ovens going full time to get it all ready, but I was able to plate everyone at almost the same time. (Maybe offset by a few minutes).  It turns out that they don't really like having a restaurant that serves one entree.  But I don't like preparing more than one entree per night.  (It's all I can do to make one!)

The week before that was Ben's Corona Cafe--Mexican Week.  This one was actually not to bad to provide multiple entrees, when they are things like cheesy roll-ups and taquitos.  We worked together on the enchiladas, so that was fun.  But I was quite frankly exhausted.  These teaching from home/managing kids schooling/doing housework, etc. days are no joke! 

Dad was able to pick up some Mexican sodas to complete the meal.  

So, our restaurant business is over.  Now considering opening a "movie theater."  Ha!

Easter Pics--Warning, Not Professional

A couple of years I gave up on trying to get us together for Easter pics. And I didn't even think about getting us matchy matchy Easter outfits.  But I told them to get on their finest and we went to a park in the evening to snap some pictures.  So here they are as they like to get dressed up.  (Ben hates his new shoes though...)
It was chilly, even though it was beautiful, so each kid got a couple of pics.  I got all 3 for just a few minutes.

Excessive jewelry?  Yes, thank you.  But she was pretty excited to pose and smile. 

Sarah looks so amazing.  It is fun to see her shine. 

Ben was NOT excited about this.  

He was "freezing." 

But I managed to get a couple of winners.  Love this guy! 

So Happy Easter from a very strange 2020.

A Really Happy Easter

So if you are a regular reader of this blog, you might remember last Easter.  Not one of my better mommy moments.  In case you forgot, you can read about it here. This year, my kids clearly remembered my threat that any lack of gratitude would lead to NO MORE EASTER BUNNY EVER. 
It was smiles and joy and "thanks Easter Bunny" all around.
We did some egg dying.  And by we I mean Ben, Libby and me.  Sarah couldn't be bothered to stop reading (or rereading--she loves rereading).

Can you spot my "veggie" eggs?  I got to do more than my allotted number because even artistic Libby burned out.  

Ben with his favorite egg.  He stayed with me to the end! 

Missing school a little around here. Libby made an Einstein Middle School egg.  Orange and Blue. 

I love Easter at 8:30 am.  I got to get up and hide eggs (actually tidy up before I hid them too) without setting an alarm. 

The low key baskets.  I hate stuffed animals, and how the accumulate like dust bunnies.  But it was an easy way to provide joy.  They also each got a card game.  We need more entertainment around here for sure.  

Loving their squishmellows.  And eggs.  

After their egg hunt, I had them go hunt down all the Easter decor.  Best idea ever.  They were super helpful.  I wonder if I can use this with Chistmas decor? 

We did Zoom church, including taking the sacrament together as a family.  It is so nice!  I also had a FB live RS lesson.  I miss the connection, but I could get used to having church in the comfort of my home!

Derek, Ben and I walked to Maren's to pick up some sour cream for the potatoes.  We left Ben and walked back.  Not long after she came to our house, with Ben and we had our hunt with Maren.  Usually it is a big affair.  Libby's comment, "It isn't quite as fun if you aren't fighting for eggs..." kind of summed up the smaller version.  But between all the eggs in the morning and Maren's eggs, the Libby got $19.  So she wasn't complaining. In fact, she said, "Money and Reese's--my two favorite things!"

Then we headed to surprise Geneva and Brion with a Easter dinner drop off.  It included not just Maren (as we had told them) but all the local family at an appropriate social distance.  We sang for them (Easter Carolling).  I played my guitar.  I rocked it for our family sacrament meeting.  It was a little harder in the cold with a moving book holder.  But they were delighted.

Then we had a big Easter dinner (and when I say big, I mean I still cooked like we were feeding everyone, even though it was just us and Maren.  So we are going to eat leftovers all week!) and a Randall family chat.  We finished by going out for an Easter photo shoot and an early-ish bedtime.
Anyway, it really was a Happy Easter this year. 
(See photos in another post.  I still need to go through them.)

Sarah's Room Update

I got as far as I'm going to for now on Sarah's room I think.  I am actually very busy now that we are creating lessons for the districts and meeting with our classes.  Oh yeah, and doing lessons with the kids, cooking, cleaning, you know.  Dealing with being at home all day?
But I'm glad I tackled this project.  It got me through those rough weeks when we were waiting for direction.  Several good books helped me get through this project: Where the Crawdad's Sing, A Place for Us, Dad is Fat, Life with Lucy, Surviving the Applewhites, the Westing Game and many podcast episodes. (Is it weird that I look at walls I have painted and think immediately about what I was listening to for that project?)  Dave Barry and Jim Gaffigan helped me paint a ceiling with more cheer and gusto that I thought possible! 

Before, the actual window wall. 

Before: including graffiti from her siblings. 

I found this random wallpaper under the desk when I was starting to consider taking on this project back in December.  I expected to find it under a few of the walls at least.  NOPE!  It was here and only here.  So strange.  Maybe they used it to level up the wall?  But it seemed fine underneath, so I can't figure it out. 

Before, there was a giant window looking out over the entryway.  I put up the curtains so she could have privacy until summer when I was ready to tackle the job. "Summer" came early, Covid-19 style. 

Outside of the window before. 

During--this wall had a blue a red stripe that made this V shape under the window.  Very interesting. 

Our contractor came out and framed up, patched up the "window" over the entryway.  

No way we were going to patch the wallpaper out here, or peel that whole wall (it's the grass cloth painted over, and I've tried that before).  So I came up with a different way to cover up the spot.  (Keep scrolling!) 

3 of the walls in the room were awesome.  Easy peel.  Don't get me wrong.  It's sticky and messy.  But it came off cleanly because there was paint underneath.  Then I got to the biggest wall.  And of course.  It was the original accent wall.  Wallpaper right on the sheetrock.  They had tried to peel it off before the wallpaper I was peeling.  Some of it they had primed over.  It was a hot mess.  I had to do a LOT of patching and texturing.  Don't look too close at the finished product...although it was better than some that I've done.

And I'm finished.  The walls are almost the same color that the wallpaper was.  But they are a nice clean paint.  The ceiling is a nice bright white.  The curtains are hung.  There are no longer random hooks hanging from the ceiling and a bunch of extra holes around the walls.    

Here she is, happy in her own space, even if it won't be fully decorated until summer.  

The stencil I did on the frame.  

I didn't want to lose all the light that the former "window" gave us in the entryway.  So I decided on a mirror.  A big mirror.  Our contractor built the frame and his glass guy that got us a great mirror.  I painted the frame to match the entryway red wall.  When Ben saw the frame, he didn't understand.  He said, "we don't have anything red in the entryway!" I had to point out the red wall.  Apparently he never noticed it?
The only problem, I do need to clean the mirror.  I think a new ladder is now on the shopping list. Although many family members (aka all) were skeptical about the mirror, I think we have all decided that we love it!