Fam in Florida Trip - Day 1

 We made it to Florida!  

I woke up at 3:30, and couldn't get back to sleep worrying that I would miss the flight.  So I got up, and started some of Jacob's laundry.  Jess was due at 5:30, so I could get the boys up at 5, and I remembered to pack coffee and decaf, and the picture frame for Mom and Dad.  A million thoughts were running through my head, no wonder I couldn't sleep. Bless Jess for getting us to the airport on time. 

The Boys were Superchamps at the airport.  I was a nut, and even though we had no carry ons, an I'd pre-registered online, I waited for half an hour with them at the Departure Airline to check in.  I didn't need to do that.  But the kids behaved well.  

We had seats, all in a row, Chris sat across the aisle from me with strangers.  The kids were happy because they had all the screens they wanted.  Jacob had his DS, and the big boys their phones.  Though I did let J borrow my phone to play solitaire while we waited to take off. 

We made it on the plane on time, and I had the boys take a pic to send to Eric, just before we took off. 

The Willmans take over the row! 

The one where I got a new skein of yarn. 

I pulled this from my stash, it's a Pima Cotton by We Are Knitters, and I am making swatches. I'm making swatches, in order to knit them into a patchwork sweater, probably a cardigan.  

Meanwhile, this one is called Sunrise. 

I thought it would be Perfect, since we're going to the East Coast of Florida, where if I play my cards right, I'll see a Sunrise. 

Meanwhile, Jacob watched the sun rise, and watched us Take Off in Baby's 1st Window Seat Flight.

Chris told us he wouldn't fall asleep on the plane. 

He lied. 

It's that pillow blanket, Putin (what he used to call Penguin when he was little). He snuggles up with it and he is Out Cold. 

About halfway through the flight, Sam offered Jacob a trade, time with his DS in exchange for the window seat.  He made a good trade. And until the landing, everyone was happy. Sam was excited about the Landing, and Jacob also wanted to watch.  

2021 - Happy New Year!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank goodness 2020 is Over!

We pray that 2021 is a Better year! 

Gearing up for the new year, we watched the Rose Parade this morning.  

We are 'hopefully' gonna need to prepare for our  big trip to Macy's this coming fall. 

So let's get used to Parades! 

Her Royal Highness takes over the couch when the boys aren't looking. 

She didn't want to do much but lay there.  

I don't blame her, I think she spent most of the day Recovering 

from everyone staying up so late last night.

I'm so Close, I spent most of the day finishing this hat that Jacob asked for. He finished knitting his first scarf, and he wanted a hat to go with it.  Reminds me of a Mouse a Cookie book. 

We played games. 

Here we're playing Apples to Apples. 

It's fun now that everyone is old enough to participate in most games. 

The Family tradition is to do Ham and Cabbage.  

We mutated it to Grandma Willman's Ham Balls and Cole Slaw. 

Some folks use other meats for good luck, or black eyed peas, but E's fam swore by ham and cabbage. They used to just do a huge crock pot / boil.  But we've changed it over the years. 

I missed having the fam around for the holidays. But it's kind of nice to have the quiet too. 

I was a woman on a mission.

I finally finished it, nearing midnight.  That counts right?!

Maybe yellow is my color too? 

I'm looking forward to 2021 being a quieter and calmer new year.

Happy New Year.

New Year's Eve - 2020

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Ahsoka has the right idea. 

New Year's Eve is a good time to relax and chill. 

It was a little weird this year not to have any fam come over. 

With the Pandemic, we opted to stay in, and just put on a spread by ourselves.

It ended up being quite nice. 

I did my nails with some Colorstreet from my friend Jess.  

It's Berlin It To Win It with a Coming Up Rose God overlay. 

Now I'm ready to PAR-TAY! 

Grandma and Grandpa got the kids a Drum Set for Christmas.  

And it is loud.  We put it together yesterday, and the kids couldn't wait to play. 

Thank goodness Santa also brought headphones. ;) 

The kids played hard. 

We also watched Avatar: The Last Airbender 

The movie isn't nearly as good as the tv show. 

Though New Years' is always about food. 

Since we were staying in, and just being home by ourselves, we put out quite a spread.

As on any special occasion, Eric started the day with a special breakfast. I love how we do this as part of our regular routine. We used the leftover Christmas bacon to put on egg, cheese, and honey flakey biscuit sandwiches. Oh My Goodness! They were heavenly. 

Our Charcuterie tray (s)

Since we were going to be home by ourselves, we put out a Charcuterie tray... or 3. 

Honestly though, we've been doing fruit/cracker/cheese/meat trays for years, we just never called them Charcuterie. 

These were pretty "cute" though, weren't they?  

And more importantly everyone ate!  

As a treat for me, and a nod to Mom W, Eric got me some shrimp cocktail. We picked up a small pack of frozen shrimps and had some St. Elmo's cocktail sauce from my Dad on hand.  Dude.  That sauce packed a punch.  

As another nod to Mom and Dad, we included veggies. We don't often remember veggies, that's usually Mom's job on New Years to make sure we remember to eat veggies. We did do a good job on our own. 

Eric found some toasted treats, some Brazi Bite Brand Empenadas. 

They were a little different from my traditional Brazi Bites.  I think I prefer the originals better.

We got a sprinkle of snow, and that made Ahsoka go nuts. 

She loves to bound and leap in the snow. 

And she insists we always go out with her. 

She's a maniac, but she's really been a great joy for our family this year, she really refreshes our lives, and makes us laugh every day. 

Like when she does stuff like this. 

She's a nut with a frisbee. 

Or when she sleeps like this. 

It's not the most flattering shot of the kids, but the dog is hysterical.

Or this. 

If you're getting tired of pictures of Ahsoka, I'll stop now.  

We stayed in, stayed up, and simply watched the Ball Drop together. 

Cheers with our Sparkling Grape Juice.  

The kids love it and so do I! 

Cheers! 

Happy New Year! 

Testy Tuesday

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It started out a typical Tuesday.  But it wasn't.

The kids are back in school after Fall Break, I got to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee after everyone got on the bus.  

My Reunion Group was meeting halfway across the sky.  W is working from home, so it's pretty far for her to come out to Salsa Verde, our usual meeting spot.  It's a bit easier on everyone if we meet at Trader's Point at Luciano's, rather than hoof all the way out to Avon.   But it's also more expensive. ;) 

So we don't do that very often.  However, we haven't been able to meet very often because of Fall Break and Work From Home and a zillion other things.

Taco Tuesday.

Luciano's has Tacos Al Pastor, marinated with pineapple and decorated with cilantro and onion, these tacos are delicious. I don't even open the menu. 

I thought it would be enough to be able to do that today. 

But my friend wrote that her daughter isn't doing very well at Riley.  

So I asked if she had food.  Of course, she hasn't been thinking of eating.   

I understand completely.  Been There. 

So after my gals and I met, I took some tacos down to her at Riley.  

Riley - Simon Tower.  

I'm so thankful I don't have to be there. 

My friend is thankful that I have been bringing her food and stuff, but I feel rather selfish. I get a lot out of it.  I get peace of mind, that I'm physically doing something in addition to Prayer.  And by making things easier for her Mama, I'm helping in Anna's recovery.  Does that make sense?

But as with all visits to Riley, it's emotionally draining.  I know all I did was drive.  But I came home and needed some rest, I just dozed on the couch for a bit.  Being strong drains me.  I know how much it drains the families of the patients.  I've been there, I've been one.  And I wrestle with the guilt over how much I'm not there now, even though we're having rough times, it's not that rough.  I don't have to go in, and smell the soap.  That soap sets me off.  

When I got home, the vet had sent me a single red rose, and a card of condolence.  

How nice to be remembered.  

And still, it's bittersweet.  

I missed my dog.  

It progressively got worse, after the kids got home.  Chris was in a bad mood, and he took it out on me. 

I should find comfort in the fact that he lets his guard down at home, and can act however he wants, because he knows he's safe, that I'll love him anyway.  But sometimes he can be mean. 

Meanwhile, Jacob had a good day.  

So to reward him , we went out for ice cream after Scouts. 

Custard.  Culver's.  His choice.  

Do you see the sucker tattoo on my forehead?

The Oreo Overlord.  

I thought that's what the board said the flavor of the day was, Oreo Overlord.  Just kidding.  

It was Oreo Overload.  Either way, Jacob wanted it.   

And he got some.  

I guess he was the Oreo Overlord.

Mama got a pumpkin spice milkshake. 

Also not too shabby. 

Carbs are my reward for a rough day.