The Weakly Tribune Vol. 1 Issue 9

 

THE WEAKLY TRIBUNE

Monday 8.15.22

Danielle and I relished our last lazy weekday morning for the time being! Then we got up and moving and drove to Pace so Danielle could spend her last day of summer with her Nana! I shopped groceries and household supplies at Dollar General on my way home. Then ran clear up to Atmore to drop a check at Lamb’s Dozer for dirt at the McMurphy job. Finally to the Li’bry feeling panicky about how much finishing up we had yet to do before Orientation at 7:30! Hammered down and PTL, the “Hobbit Hole” was proclaimed Magical and Mysterious and Done Enough around 5:30 pm. Flew around getting a supper of white rice, brown gravy, and venison patties for my family. Marked Danielle’s name on all her school supplies. Why this hadn’t been done sooner, one will never know! The evening went well; the kids got settled in and I got elected to serve on School Food Committee, a 2 year term. Back home, I just needed to trim around the neck hole and add some jeweled brads to Danielle’s dress before hitting the hay. I thought. But instead I accidentally cut a hole in the dress and had to figure out a way to cover that boo-boo up. Waaaaaa. Stitchwitchery and extra buttons to the rescue! 

Magical Moment: Seeing the sparkle in the kids’ eyes when they took in the new Library decor. 

Tuesday 8.16.22

The First Day of School 2022! Danielle was more than eager to pop out of bed at 6:30! I got dressed and ready to go too so I could stay for Devotions. After they were over, a bunch of us moms stayed and chatted awhile, reluctant to get back to Real Life. I delayed the mess at my house further by giving blood at the Firehouse. Saving Lives is much more important than Sweeping Floors! And I hit my 4 gallon donation mark today! Dinked around on my phone and eating breakfast as if I had nothing important to accomplish, which could not be further from the truth. Finally got in gear after lunch and got things whipped back into shape before 2:30 arrived and it was time to go get Danielle. Decided on a whim to get snacks from Steve’s Farm and eat them at the Ruritan Park. The thunderheads were building rapidly though, so we didn’t stay long. It was flooding by the time we got home. Made a simple supper of Turkey and havarti paninis, lime jello, and Lays Baked Potato Chips. 

Magical Moment: Hearing Danielle pray, “And now I lay me down to sleep…”

Wednesday 8.17.22

Danielle was an Eager Beaver again today! Got her delivered to school, then stopped by my folks and enjoyed chatting with Dad awhile. Once I got home, I made myself French toast with Jersey cow cream and a yard egg! Talk about decadent. With Cool Whip and dark sweet cherries canned at the orchard in Bigfork, MT! Thanks, Mamalisa! Proceeded to procrastinate with Desk Work, but stayed very busy bustling about doing this and that. Procrastiworking as Gretchen Rubin would say. Floated a bit on the raft in the backyard pool after my tasty lunch of fried green tomato tacos. Sunshine is a rare commodity these days! Talked on the phone with Aunt Sue. Picked up Mason and Dillon along with Danielle and met Karma and Kins at The Wearhouse Market & Bakery for After School Snack of soft serve ice cream and hot soft pretzels. Yum. Fueled the Audi. $80. I miss the days of Trump. Made a rather gourmet supper of grilled medium rare venison steaks and sautéed onions and potatoes topped with a garlic butter lemon cream sauce with freshly snipped chives. Danl was impressed. It helps to have several low-bar meals leading up to a grand one. 

Magical Moment: Detecting a “hint of chill” in the air this morning! Or was it my imagination?!

Thursday 8.18.22

Thankful for the drive-thru canopy to drop Danielle off under this morning as the sky was crying right from the get go. I dashed in with my umbrella and dropped off the snacks I picked out at the Wearhouse yesterday for the Teacher’s Bake Day. I know I’m sorta copping out, but my oven is still on the blink! Happily devoured the lemon roll with candied pecans I had gotten yesterday at the Market. Completed parts of my Morning Routine before sitting down at my desk for a couple hours prior to Noah and Annabelle arriving to spend the rest of the day since Katie had a couple baby apts. They played and napped well, but were pleased when Danielle got home from school. She proceeded to start classes with them, and soon had Noah reciting 1+1=2! They left around 5, and I headed to town for milk and pizzas from the Hut. Had to choose a Deal, as my normal 30% off Online Orders coupon refused to work! We also sliced open the Last Watermelon of the Summer (Fall for me starts on Sept. 1 this year!) that I had purchased from Steve’s Farm on Tuesday. It was thoroughly chilled and SO GOOD. Thanks, Robyn, for picking it out for me! 

Magical Moment: Savoring the last days of Summer… It will still be sweltering for awhile, but Fall is a state of mind down South anyway!

Friday 8.19.22

Dropped Danielle off; then parked and went to the Li’bry to add the tiny bottle labeled  “Drink Me” to the Alice in Wonderland tea party table and label the cake with an “Eat Me” tag. Slowly but surely we will keep adding details that we just ran out of time to complete! Then I went straight to folks to drive Dad around on various errands. Once I was back home, I was hungry for French Toast again even though it was noon! This time I added some lemon extract to the dipping mixture! Definitely will be doing that again! Worked on tax stuff until Mr. Pete Coon arrived to investigate the oven. He quickly deduced that we were getting zero volts when it should have been reading 240! A new panel for around $150 should fix it! Decided that after this week until Sept. 15, I was hunkering down in my office during school hours and would be saying NO to everything and everyone until my TAXES at last are done! How’s that for a catchy little rhyme?! Tried last minute to go to Jalisco’s with Warren and Em, but they already had plans. Now I had a taste for tacos, so I just made them at home with leftover venison steak and some hamburger. Also tried making what I called Mexican Fried Rice with leftover white rice. Fried it with butter and olive oil with green cilantro salsa and lime juice sprinkled over it. Danl was getting the wild pig captured on Jace’s field ready to cook and somehow managed to severely smash his hand between the metal hook thing on the tailgate and the ice chest. I’m suspicious it’s broken. I quickly ran up to the Pig for some needed groceries, and to SH for ice. Danl was in a lot of pain and opted to sleep on the couch, so Danielle piled out in our bed with me.

Magical Moment: Seeing how spry Mr. Coon is for going on 84 years of age! His attitude is worth emulating. To quote, “People would be bored if things didn’t go wrong!” #goals for Growing Old Gracefully!

Saturday 8.20.22

Woke up for the first time shortly after 6. Daniel’s hand was still hurting badly, but he was eager to go start cooking the pig with David. Once he was gone, I snuggled back in bed with Danielle and we had a Glorious Sleep-in that ended around 8:30! I got taters and eggs going in the IP for Tater Salad, and proceeded to trash the kitchen making it and the Last Freezer of Homemade Ice Cream of the Summer. Can you tell I’m trying to consciously be doing small Ending Season Ceremonies?! Got to David’s a quarter past noon to feast upon the smoked wild hog, tater salad, baked beans, watermelon, and ice cream with Jace’s, Jacob, and Nina and Brina. Soon oozed out in chairs to relax and let our full bellies settle. It was a perfect day for hanging out! Tara baked sourdough bread later on, and its tantalizing smells drew people out of the nooks and crannies and corners of snoozing and sleeping to be devoured slice by slice, either plain or with butter and honey. David got some hams curing, and processed the rest of the pig. We nibbled and noshed, eating everything again, and it was all as good or better than the first time! 

Magical Moment: Realizing once again that every day is a Special Occasion meant to be shared and celebrated!

Sunday 8.21.22

Wonder of wonders, we got to church before the first song started! Somehow getting to church before 10:00 remains a hardship, even though we can easily get to school by 7:45ish. Makes no sense, I know. Getting to be in women’s Sunday School was good again after teaching 2x in a row. I sure will miss my Junior kids after this month ends though! They are a delightful bunch. Mr. B preached on Pardon, A Part of God. He doesn’t say we haven’t sinned, but He takes away the sentence. Danl had been helping Ken on their new property, so he wasn’t home for lunch. Danielle and I had leftover pizza. Danl dozed once he came home. Today was a record on the daily egg hunt! We found 5! 2 in the old dog house, 1 in the coop, 1 under the elephant ears, and 1 in the flower pot on the back porch! I finally looked all the way through the July issue of Southern Living, cleaned up the kitchen, tidied the house, put in a load of work clothes that I should have washed yesterday, wrote missed days of the Weakly, and watched it rain. “Praise the Lord the drought has ended!” as Danl likes to say! When it seemed to let up a bit, I went to get our Jersey milk since I had totally forgotten about it yesterday! Met Tara to give her their gallon, and ended up getting quite soaked as the floodgates had opened again! Changed into dry comfy clothes, lit a couple candles, and brewed myself a cup of Copper Kettle tea with a spoonful of honey. Danl oversaw the making of delicious sandwiches with leftover grilled pig on toasted buttered French bread, topped with caramelized onions and havarti cheese! Fed Susie the Sourdough Starter. Read in the Magic Treehouse #4 to Danielle. I’ve had to make a rule that she is supposed to check out at least 2 new books next time instead of getting again 4 books she has already read! This mama has limits. 

Magical Moment: Listening with closed eyes to the melodious harmony of acapella congregational singing. 

The Weakly Tribune Vol. 1 Issue 8

 

THE WEAKLY TRIBUNE

Monday 8.08.22

Felt more tired than I should feel it seemed! Little Debbie apple pie, cheese, and coffee made me feel more ready to slay the day! But even though I wanted to leave around 9, it was around 10 before Danielle and I headed to Pensacola! Argh. My life is like that saying, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get!” I need to redo the Jordan Page course and get back on track with Time Management! Our first stop was Teen Challenge Thrift Store where I scored a pair of white heels for my book club Diner en Blanc. Also a macrame belt (Do I really like macrame or do I just think I should like it?!) a peach T-shirt dress, and 3 more coffee mugs for the Teachers House! On to the Goodwill next door where I found a pretty bright white dress, black sandals, (which I’ve since decided I don’t love) a wooden owl and a tree votive for the library. Danielle got a free book, a stuffed wiener dog and a stuffed dinosaur, and a Dabble Lab marble engineering game! Fun finds. Tjmaxx for macarons and French butter cookies for the White Dinner. Then Chick-fil-A for a kids meal for Danielle and a peach milkshake and grilled chicken wrap with avocado dressing for me! Finally over the bridge and to the Beach Ball parking lot where Tommi and Karma picked us up! Absolutely surreal to see Tommi and her family after so many years! Headed down to the beach after a quick condo tour. It’s the most beautiful classy beach condo I’ve ever seen! Disappointingly, the surf was not at all beautiful. Nasty bits of seaweed everywhere in the water. We soon moved back up to the condo pool. Then later, back out to the beach! Catching up on quality girl time while seeing our kids happily playing together in the sand with the brooding thunderheads in the distance will be a treasured memory. Way too soon it was time for us to head back home. Danielle begged to stop at the Ice Cream Shoppe. I was asked if we were from England? In my dreams lol. Danielle got scoops of mint and birthday cake, while I settled for one small scoop of lemon sorbet since I had already had a peach milkshake! Danl had already made himself steak and eggs with the leftover steak from yesterday since it was after 7:00 by the time we got home. Danielle wasn’t hungry which wasn’t surprising! I made myself a bowl of Public Goods ramen. 

Tuesday 8.09.22

Scrambled to come up with Plan B since Plan A location for the White Dinner had fallen through! Scouted out a second location on the north side of the old hay barn on the Smith property, which actually seemed much better than the corner of our backyard anyway since we could be under the wing of the hay barn if it decided to rain. Danl did get our mower working then and got it all mowed up so nicely for me! He puts up with and helps me so much with all my far out ideas! Had to reminisce about him helping me chop up loads of parsley to make homemade tabbouleh for my last Book Club meal! Borrowed some items from folks, dropped Danielle at Mel’s, washed the car at Waves, shopped Walmart, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Piggly, and Family Dollar to finally get everything on my list! Cut out and spray painted a gold cardboard Eiffel Tower and wrapped it in fairy lights. Made chicken salad, got dressed all in white, loaded my picnic basket, and went to set up the Eiffel Tower and tiki torches before meeting at Nes’s place. Everyone looked amazing and so classy in their white outfits! We took two white vehicles, Danl’s truck and Stacia’s SUV, crossed the “River Seine,” aka the small runoff stream, and walked the short distance to the Le Diner en Blanc location, where we proceeded to set up our little tables and chairs for dining in high style! Real dishes, candles, white cloth tablecloths, and gourmet foods! It really did feel magical! We began with the iconic Napkin Wave and ended with the Sparkler Wave! We also sent up Chinese lanterns which had been done at the White Dinner in the book. Life is truly what you make it! And we definitely put forth the effort to make it magical and momentous this night! 

Wednesday 8.10.22

Started my day the French way, with leftover croissants, chocolate, havarti cheese, macarons, and butter cookies with my Eleanor Espresso. Had a very low gear morning, relishing the fact that I got to be home all day. Kicked it into high gear after lunch and did a thorough House Tidy Up, payroll, and loads of laundry. Started Thursday Cleaning since it had been rolled over from last week and I’ll be gone working at school tomorrow. Decided I had just enough chicken wings to have Larisa join us for them and loaded French fries. Finished vacuuming and mopping after supper. Danielle set up a drum set with little pots and pans and proceeded to make Beautiful Music. In her opinion. All of us except Danl downed some Blue Ribbon chocolate & vanilla ice cream. Prayed hard for Neil since Wade’s were taking him to the ER due to him being confused and vomiting profusely. 

Thursday 8.11.22

Woke up to the news that Neil had been diagnosed with a severe migraine. Took Danielle up to Mel’s for the day, then took myself to school. Met the new teachers, cut and painted both sides of the Hobbit Door, and brainstormed more decor with Tina and Gloria. Jalisco’s for amazing pineapple pork tacos, Dirt Cheap for a $.50 frog, Dollar Tree for more moss etc., and WeCare for adorable spectacles! Back at school, I hung one of the doors, took more mugs and a laundry hamper to the teachers house, and then it was time to go get Danielle. A crazy man with a big stick close to our house detained Danl for awhile, so I cut out Danielle’s sparkly unicorn First Day of School Dress. Since I had only been to Atmore 3 times, decided to go the 4th for pizza and cheese sticks. Can’t beat free cheese sticks redeemed with Hut Rewards, and a large thin ‘n crispy extra cheese for only $11.85 using code 8326. Jace’s stopped by for the evening on their way home from town. Felt great to catch up with them again! 

Friday 8.12.22

August is speeding by! Another breakfast of all the French stuff before making up a Borax solution to crystallize an old book for display in the Li’bry. Met Karma at Dixie Heart’s Merc; Danielle went home with her and I went to school to work in the library again. Tina and I made superb progress overall I thought! It’s starting to feel pretty magical in there! Danielle had had the best day playing with the Swarey kids and their new pets; two long-suffering parakeets and the softest little grey bunny! For supper, I browned a ham steak in butter, made a box of shells ‘n cheese, and fixed individual butter lettuce salads. Danl and I both went out to mow. It almost feels like it’s growing as you’re mowing! 

Saturday 8.13.22

I think I’ve had croissants, chocolate, and Havarti cheese with my coffee for breakfast every morning since Tuesday! Tidied up, then welcomed Justin, Tommi, & kiddos, and Tommi’s mom Leslie here for a quick visit shortly after 11:00. Once Danl got in from work, we all journeyed up to David’s Catfish where we met Gene’s for a delightful lunch. The guys headed off to drive around and we girls went to Karma’s house. Wedged a quick trip to Dirt Cheap in amidst visiting, looking after the kids, and snacking on fresh chocolate chip cookies. Danielle and I said our sad goodbyes and dashed into WeCare for another pair of spectacles for Li’bry decor. We had way too many ideal places for the only pair we had nabbed the other day! Lazed around for awhile; finally decided to get Chinese takeout for supper since I needed to get out and get our fresh dairy milk anyway. Stayed up too late sipping on hot chamomile tea with honey while reading Picnic in Provence. 

Sunday 8.14.22

Kept falling back asleep after I thought I really WAS awake! Still managed to walk into church on the first verse of the first song. Danielle was so excited to meet her new teacher, Miss Hailey Koehn from Macon, MS! Galen preached on Discipline, how it’s so needful but painful for us. Fried homemade tater chips and venison back-strap, and steamed some spinach for lunch. I sewed Danielle’s First Day of School dress, getting it all done except adding the brads, which me being late to the brad game, have never yet done. I don’t usually sew on Sunday, or at all for that matter lol, but it felt like my ox was in the well due to putting time in at the Li’bry of late. Danl tried unsuccessfully to nap, and Danielle worked on her “Gem by Number” art she got from Dirt Cheap yesterday. Fixed us fish tacos for supper and went to my folks “new” house to see the remodeling progress. It’s looking so good!

The Weakly Tribune Vol. 1 Issue 7

THE WEAKLY TRIBUNE

Monday 8.01.22

AUGUST! How did this happen?! Day by day is how it happened. Made myself another batch of Coconut French Toast. Danielle gathered another egg and scrambled them both for what she proclaimed to be the best eggs ever! One even had a double yolk! Or “oak” like she calls it. Ordered Adderall, finalized a Target Drive-Up order, did a bit of desk work, and set out for 9 Mile Road. Also went to Ross on Davis to look for laundry baskets for the Teacher’s House. Found 2. Then to Mamalisa’s to join Tara, Rhonda, and Neil who had already been swimming for an hour and were rained out by the time we arrived. DoorDashed Santinos since Socios is sadly closed on Mondays. Chatted a lot and read a little. Enjoyed Tara’s scrummy cinnamon rolls with coffee. Finally the sun came back out and we swam a bit before tidying up the house. We were fixing to head back home and pick up Danl’s meds, but the ding-a-linging of the ice cream truck making its rounds through the subdivision delayed us a little! Since today was definitely a Special Occasion, we all got ice cream! Made tacos even though it wasn’t Tuesday with leftover grilled porkchops. Sat on the back porch catching up on messages and cracking up at the antics of the chickens. 

Simple Satisfaction: Laughing as a family at funny fail videos. 

Tuesday 8.02.22

The third morning in a row for Coconut French toast! And it was still just as delightful as the first two mornings other than I got this batch a little over-toasted. Sewed a few seams on the dress I’ve been working on since June and also mended a dress. Why is this elastic thread not “holding a seam?!” Mr. Steve came to do the Quarterly Bug Spraying. For once, I was very pleased that I did not have to do extra tidying so as not to be embarrassed for him to see all the rooms in the house. There are no secrets from the Bug Man. Danielle wanted “breakfast” and proceeded to devour 1 pullet egg and 4 mini waffles close enough to lunchtime that I just considered this her lunch for today. The little Dash waffle maker we gave her for Christmas gets used almost daily! Many a morning she wants waffles around 10:30 once her chocolate milk has worn off. I just keep a box of “just add water pancake/waffle mix” handy in the pantry. Danl got rained out, so Danielle stayed home with him while I drove to school while enjoying leftover Santino’s pizza for my lunch. I needed to hash li’bry (as the Brits would say) decor ideas with Tina, Gloria, and Rhonda. Then Rhonda and I went to the Teachers House where she washed new Corelle and helped me put up wall decor. To collage or not to collage?? I think we ended up with a satisfying arrangement. Folded a bunch of laundry and made open-face venison roast sandwiches with fresh brown gravy, canned spinach, and a box of Velveeta shells and cheese for supper. Later we all had rainbow sherbet with ginger ale. Danielle was super pleased to discover the first two tiny blue eggs from her Easter Eggers, Chubby Chick and Fast Feathers! Aggravatingly, none of the hens lay in the nest boxes though so far. It’s just here and there and everywhere! Every day is like an Easter egg hunt! I finally finalized and posted the Weakly for week before last. To bed around 9:30. 

Simple Satisfaction: Using up leftovers in a meal that turns out better than the original one. 

Wednesday 8.03.22

Microwaved Baked Oatmeal sounded good for breakfast. Marinated chicken tenders for Italian Fried Chicken for supper. Inspired by all the rain we’ve had lately, I composed a short poem. Edited and posted last week’s Weakly. Discovered I had missed Wednesday, so added it in after some frustrating formatting issues. For some odd reason, my phone glitched and didn’t downtime like it is supposed to, resulting in me having way too much morning screentime. Danl was home around 2:00 rained out. I made a big batch of strawberry peach smoothies for everyone. Sewed another seam on my dress.  Danl left to go bid a couple jobs. Just wish we could tarp the clouds so he could actually do them now! FaceTimed with Nana making plans for our little Girls Vacay! Finally stopped procrastinating and started to take care of the peaches that were rotting before my eyes! The chickens were very pleased to “put up” the squishy ones while I put up 8 two cup pkgs and 2 six cup cobbler-ready pkgs. Danielle dated the bags with an orange Sharpie. Actually found a few peaches that were still green enough to leave out for fresh eating. Loud shrieking cries sent me rushing to the backyard to discover that Danielle had been running with a piece of bamboo chasing her chickens and had fallen. The bamboo scraped her quite severely just below the shoulder. Phew. Could have been much worse! Don’t run with scissors or with bamboo! Once Danl was finally home again, I fried the IFC nuggets, and heated up a can of corn. Danl and Danielle passed on the large spinach salad with an entire tomato and chunks of feta cheese that complemented my meal. Supper tasted so good since I had skipped lunch other than the smoothie! 

Simple Satisfaction: Chatting with friends I hadn’t connected with in a long time! 

Thursday 8.04.22

Started attacking my To-do List until it became a Ta-da List! So many things to get checked off before Danielle and I could head out to meet Nana at the Splash RV Resort & Waterpark! Like writing out Diesel’s Care Instruction Sheet, getting the chickens’ food and water stocked up, and buying groceries for Danl. Finally we arrived at the posh, yet laidback and family friendly RV park! Seeing Nana again felt amazing after them being gone 2 whole months! The sun was actually shining its heart out, so we quickly changed and went to check the water park out! I particularly loved the real flame lanterns lining the entrance pavilion. Totally Fairhope, AL vibes! While floating the lazy river, we reconnected with some family friends we had no idea were vacationing there as well! So that was super fun for everyone; Danielle had lots of fun with Lyla who just turned 7. With rumbling tummies, we went back to the motorhome who is aptly named Ruby. Nana fixed us delicious spaghetti and meatballs which is a treat for us since Danl despises it. I prepped a couple salads. We bebopped around on our rented golf cart, taking in the various lights and decorations at people’s campsites. This place also has the cutest modern cabins and even Conestoga wagons for rent! DJ, Lauren, and Lyla stopped by with cupcakes from Lyla’s birthday party. We visited their setup then before calling it a good day! 

Simple Satisfaction: Fun in the Florida sun; I’m glad we live here. 

Friday 8.05.22

Woke up and had coffee and Jimmy Dean griddle cake sandwiches! Yum. Then geared up and headed for the waterpark again. Relaxed and swam for hours, soaking up the sun! I was amazed at the splendid weather! Danielle made more new friends; I even exchanged numbers with the mom of one of them. A super nice family from Huntsville, AL. We went back to Ruby for a late lunch of leftovers and grilled cheese sandwiches, then lazed around for a couple hours, reading and being on our devices. Went back out and swam several more hours, before coming back to enjoy grilled burgers and hotdogs for supper. Danielle and I zoomed around on the golf cart again, people watching and waving to all her new friends! She proclaimed, “This is the life!” And I rather agreed.

Simple Satisfaction: Chatting with Danl and knowing that he and the dogs were doing just fine without us for a few days.

Saturday 8.06.22

Departure Day! Got all our stuff packed up and moved to the car. Said our goodbyes to Nana and Pops and went back to the waterpark to do all things again for one last time. It was very FULL of people, but people are nice and they were nice people. Ended up staying longer than I had planned, but my little fish did not want to head for dry land! Some snow cones from the food truck hit the spot. It was HOT! Finally got on the road, got some late lunch from Dairy Queen, and got home around 3:30pm. I made myself unpack everything right away very virtuously! I can’t remember what we did for supper. I’m writing this rather belatedly. I know it was a good evening being reunited with Danl and the dogs!

Simple Satisfaction: Even though we didn’t go on an official Summer Vacation, we had so many fun days close to home!

Sunday 8.07.22

I know I taught Sunday School. And only had 2 students. The rest of this day is quite blank in my mind! So I’ll sign off and try to do better with writing more promptly!

Simple Satisfaction: Knowing that I can flub up on the Weakly Tribune, and y’all will forgive me anyway!

The Weakly Tribune Vol. 1 Issue 6

THE WEAKLY TRIBUNE

Monday 7.25.22

Beach Day with Gwen and Karma and our kiddos! We were gonna do this so much this summer only to have this be our first time! Argh. How the days do fly by! Used Karma’s Ft. Pickins passes. I hadn’t been there in years! Set up the canopy and I constructed my Sand Free Zone. Enjoyed our packed lunches and the fact that the sun was shining on us while it was obviously raining on others to the north.  At one point, we thought we spied some folks we knew down the beach. After taking an investigatory walk, it was discovered to be the Ronnie Schneider extended family and friends! We packed up around 2:00. Stopped at Chick-fil-A for frosted coffees, nuggets, etc. Made hamburger steak with ground venison for supper. 

Simple Satisfaction: Being on the edge of the earth where the water meets the shore. 

Tuesday 7.26.22

Covid Tested again since I felt somewhat achy and congested. Negative for the 4th time. Picked up Miss Smith and dropped Danielle at Mel’s while we shopped groceries at Atmore Walmart. Got Danielle again and went through the McDonalds drive-thru on the way home. Did Payroll. Mr. Melvin came by to check a couple soft spots on the floor (probably just the plywood beneath the flooring coming unglued) and to scope out our upcoming shower project. Worked on Nette & Magen’s Housewarming registry and piddled with the remaining Morning Routine. Picked up Larisa around 5:00 so she could spend the evening with us. Made cheese dip and venison tacos for supper. 

Simple Satisfaction: Signing my name with a flourish on payroll checks. I think signing checks is the most fun part of my job! 

Wednesday 7.27.22

The last day of STEM class at the Atmore Library! Was wonderful to be there since we missed going last week. It’s hard to beat our little local library! This time they went all out with supplies for building marshmallow guns out of PVC pipe that worked really well! From there I dropped my car at Novus to get the windshield and front side windows retinted. Karma picked me up and we went to her house. Had pizza delivered for lunch, the kids swam and played, and we sewed. Well, I sewed a little while Karma sewed a lot. I spent a good portion of the afternoon shopping for and adding things to Nette and Magen’s registry and then getting it posted on the Ladies' Chat. Let the fun begin! Shane wasn’t able to retint my windshield since Mel was so sick with Covid that he went home to help out. Sierra got the side windows done though! Danielle was so tuckered out she fell asleep for an hour or so after we got home. Danl was super late getting home from work. I grilled 3 pizzas topped with our favorite toppings! Cheese and more cheese on one, and thinly sliced tomatoes, fresh spinach, and mushrooms on the other two. 

Simple Satisfaction: Receiving and reading the most delightful letter from Loralee telling all about Unit Life.

Thursday 7.28.22

Time to get school supplies! Rhonda and I had planned last week to go together like we did last year. Now it’s a Tradition lol. But Neil only has one more year of school after this one! Found out that Banesa Fernandez had been kidnapped! Daniel went right away to help in the local search, while we started praying for her safe return. Left my car at Wade’s, and we headed first to Target. Managed to get everything needed for school but shoes, which I’ll order on Amazon. Danielle has some picked out that look FAST, which is Very Important to her. Next was La Hacienda for lunch so we could eat near the Neat Fountain, then to Derrels for a new light bulb for my sewing machine. Felt surreal to see someone we knew on the Amber Alert billboards all about Pensacola! Next stop was Hobby Lobby for supplies for decorating the library door like a Hobbit Hole. I’m super excited about our Magical World of Reading theme! Then Rhonda had an eye exam at Dr. Gupta’s office. Dropped her off and Neil, Danielle, and I went across the street to experience the SkyZone trampoline park! Which ended up being an affordable experience instead of an expensive one since the girl checking me in felt sorry for me having to redo all the paperwork/waivers due to a computer malfunction. The kids had a blast while I relaxed in the lounge area. Received the wonderful news that Banesa had been safely located! PTL. Rhonda still was waiting to see Dr. Gupta, so I got Neil and Danielle snacks at SkyZone before going to Petland to pet puppies and look at all the animals! On to Petsmart, but they didn’t have much to see. Rhonda finally got checked out! Picked up my Target Drive-Up order, then scooted over to Crumbl to redeem my Free Birthday Cookie! Wow! I chose the delicious coconut one and Danielle got her standard chocolate chip. Cooked a late supper of shrimp pasta and garlic bread. 

Simple Satisfaction: Seeing things getting marked PURCHASED on Nette & Magen’s Housewarming Registry. 

Friday 7.29.22

First H💖ME Day of the week! So pleased that I didn’t have to leave the premises all day! Repotted the money tree, watered all my plants, cleaned the bugs out of the kitchen light fixture, (Danielle said she felt sorry for the bugs who had flown in never to fly out!) and dusted the living room ceiling fan, in addition to finally tackling the Thursday Cleaning which had been rolled over from last week! Danielle was delighted to clean the toilets and proclaimed she wants to have 50 in our new house! Spare me. Shane came and picked up the Audi to re-tint the windshield. Cycled indoors and enjoyed the last of the mango sorbetto I found buried in the freezer. Finished the cleaning with a smile on my face for a change since I took Tara’s advice of popping in my earbuds and listening to something uplifting during the drudgery! Thank you! Y’all are gonna solve all my Pain Points through the Weakly Tribune! Danl and Danielle picked up Larisa around 5. I scooped all the poop in the backyard jungle, weeded the rosebed, and dead-headed the roses. Danl fried bream and lots of tater tots to go with cheese grits for supper. I proceeded to push mow, dumping bag after bag of clippings. Then Danielle wanted ice cream so she made a little freezer of homemade vanilla basically by herself! She, Larisa, and I played Go Fish. It ended up being a late night, but it was a good day! 

Simple Satisfaction: a shower so hot it’s just under scalding. 

Saturday 7.30.22

Danl fixed a delicious breakfast hash with the leftover tater tots that we enjoyed in fresh tortillas. Dinked around doing my Morning Routine, played Dino Junior Monopoly with Danielle, and purchased Danl’s deer tag for Nebraska. FaceTimed with Nana. Cannot wait to soon see her and Pops again! Danl had to meet some customers, then took Danielle with him to Tractor Supply and Piggly. I went to get our weekly milk and my box of peaches from Kathleen. They look so pretty! Danl concocted a scrumptious buffalo chicken dip which we devoured with tortilla chips! Danielle wanted a bowl of ramen. She was super “eggcited” to discover the first tiny pullet egg from one of her Rhode Island Red hens! We will never know which “Mrs. Hen” laid the first egg! Danielle can’t tell them apart so she just named both of them “Mrs. Hen.” I worked at my desk, filing and paying Second Quarter Stuff. Then I decided to tackle cleaning up and decluttering my Sewing Nook area. You know how they say, “It won’t take as long as you think!” Well, for me it always takes even longer! Started at 4:40 and by 6:30 I was finally sort of done. Now hopefully I’ll sit down daily on Home Days to mend and/or sew! Danielle got in the pool with our new $4 raft from Target. I helped Danl make a tasty supper of marinated peach wood smoked porkchops, grilled baby butter potatoes with onions and freshly snipped rosemary, and canned asparagus. Helped Danielle get some “Corn Pops” aka canned corn frozen in muffin tins with a little water, ready for a summer treat for her chickens! Sat on the couch eating rainbow sherbet with diet ginger ale while playing Fishdom with Danielle on her IPad. Danl had a bad headache and went to bed before we did. Another late night by the time I had a venison roast in the crockpot and the house tidied up. 

Simple Satisfaction: Pushing my 6 year old on the swing, because I know it won’t be long before she will no longer ask me to do this…

Sunday 7.31.22

A truly sunny “Sun”day! I fixed Danl the leftover breakfast hash burritos, before making myself a most amazing breakfast of Coconut French Toast! I used Cynthia’s recipe in the Schneider Cookbook, added coconut and vanilla extracts to the cream mixture, then dipped each dredged slice in shredded coconut before frying them in butter. Toasted the extra coconut in the pan as well, then topped the whole mess with homemade caramel syrup and a big blob of Cool Whip! Soaked up some sun outside in the backyard while listening to Galen preach on The Privilege & Power of Prayer. “Lord, teach us to pray...” And sometimes He chooses to teach us to pray by sending us adversity. Wow. What a thought. Cooked a box of seasoned wild rice to go with our venison crockpot roast. Helped Danielle tidy up her room. Again. I am glad she does truly play with her toys though! Assisted Danl in making pan-fried “butter burgers” for supper. Went to Walnut Hill to take in the Girl’s Class Program. It was inspiring to see how close these girls got in just one week!

Simple Satisfaction: Seeing the Toenail Moon hanging in the sky over the dark silhouetted pine trees. 

The Weakly Tribune Vol. 1 Issue 5

THE WEAKLY TRIBUNE

Monday 7.18.22

Finished the last of the Crumbl cookies for breakfast. Hard to say which was my favorite, but the Pop-tart one won hands down for presentation! Faried all the freezer food out to the lean-to freezer, and wiped the Baber’s freezer out before they came and picked it up. Sure was ready to see it go, but it definitely saved the day(s)! My phone completely froze up; I couldn’t make or take calls. Thankfully I was able to do a hard reboot and get it working again. I MUST prioritize getting a new one ASAP. Right after lunch, Gwen picked up Danielle to go swim at Kevin’s Pond. I had too much Work to do to go along. Got the last of the pink-eye peas from Mr. Byrd simmering on the stove with lots of fatback. Our peaches from Steve’s Farm are ripe and delicious! Ready to be put up, but alas, I have no FruitFresh. Worked at my desk, edited, posted, and mailed The Weakly. Commenced to make kombucha again! Enjoyed the peas, country-fried steak, instant mashed taters, and white gravy for supper. Danl had to run to the barn and to check a job. Danielle and I did a thorough clean out and refill on the pool. Lit the torches filled with mosquito repellent fuel and sat in the firelight while Danielle splashed and slid and swam! The fresh hose water was too cold for me. Once Danl got back home, he took a turn on Antics Watching, and I made us a batch of fresh peach/orange smoothies. Yummm. Then fed my very first sourdough starter from Karma! I named her Susie. Really feeling like a homesteader today with two things brewing and bubbling. Got to bed quite late with my Evening Routine not even touched. 

Simple Satisfaction: Seeing the bubbling activity in Susie; life exists everywhere. 

Tuesday 7.19.22

Woke up to the discovery that Diesel had had an accident in the night. He has always been such a dignified dog and was so embarrassed and ashamed. Bless his heart! Cancer is not for the faint hearted. Cleaned up the mess. Discovered I did not have enough flour to make sourdough bread. Ugh. Mel brought Ellie and Zach over to swim in our little pool. So good to get in some long overdue sister time again! And to soak up some sun! Scrounged up some lunch together. Gave the house a much-needed tidying. The rain couldn’t stay away for long, but it felt cozy to hear it pittering again, so I lit the tapers and put some cold orange juice in my strawberry mug since it’s too hot for afternoon tea. Sipped and read in The Secret Life of Bees. Finished Morning Routine and was just gonna start putting up peaches when Danl came home. Made cheese dip and served leftover fajitas from last week with fresh flour tortillas. The meat didn’t quite stretch, but I was not in the mood to cook, so I had an avocado “fajita!” Delicious. Cleaned up the kitchen and put up 6 bags of freezer peaches. Danl was feeling off and went to bed early. Danielle and I grabbed some snacks, blankets, and pillows and had a fun stargazing session. Nothing like hearing little girl giggles and crickets chirping under a starry summer night sky. Life is good. I opted to sleep on the couch to be able to let Diesel out if needed. Stayed up too late adding things to my Walmart Pickup for tomorrow. 

Simple Satisfaction: Slipping the skin right off a fresh Georgia peach. 

Wednesday 7.20.22

The Day of Ramen! Daniel is for sure ill. I should’ve been more thankful for these two last weeks of wellness! Fried the rest of the rind-on bacon for everybody, then made myself a most decadent pile of French toast topped with a fresh peach and lots of Cool Whip since I was the only one interested. Highly Recommend! Use Cynthia’s recipe in the Schneider cookbook and add a small splash of both almond and vanilla extracts. Worked on clearing up storage space on my phone. Made Danl some ramen. Ate lunch on the back porch before hoping to swim, but those plans were dashed with a tremendous summer thunderstorm!  At one point, lightning struck so close and so fiercely that it blew our front door open and made the fire alarm shriek out! Felt sad that I wasn’t sewing as I worked at my desk all afternoon. Good thing I put some hours in, because I was about to fire myself! Danl wanted another bowl of ramen; then Danielle asked for a bowl! Kept on working like a good secretary should. Danielle has a huge Play-doh production ongoing. Got really off-schedule as the evening went on. Push-mowed the backyard, then swam with Danielle to cool off as the sunset glimmered pink and gold. Got her some supper, and finally made myself some Public Goods ramen around 10:00! Eating ramen at home has been leveled up with the awesome authentic ramen bowl with wooden chopsticks Gwen gave me for my birthday! Read No Girls Allowed to Danielle before settling myself in for another night on the couch. 

Simple Satisfaction: Seeing the mounds of bagged grass clippings outside the fence. 

Thursday 7.21.22

Danl had ramen for breakfast. I had peach French toast again. Danielle actually wanted to scramble herself a couple eggs! Puttered around majorly; it’s so hard for me to stay on schedule when life isn’t normal and sickness hovers heavy. Swam with Danielle in the backyard. Headed for Pensacola around 2:00 for a quick stop at Dollar General, Hobby Lobby, and Walmart for Pickup. Kinda neat when they substitute 11 containers of fresh raspberries for the 6 bags of frozen ones they didn’t have! Ate a whole container for a snack on the way home. Danl was feeling good enough to help with supper and grilled the chicken while I put away mounds of groceries and made mac ‘n cheese and green beans. Listened to Russell Spence give a lecture at the Care Meeting in Texas while pedaling. I really love my new little contraption for exercising! Bounced around with Danielle pretending we were dodo birds before going to bed. 

Simple Satisfaction: Hearing Danielle shriek with laughter while we play-acted. Goal: More Grinning, Less Griping!

Friday 7.22.22

Right away, clouds of doom and gloom wanted to settle heavy on my shoulders like a crocheted shawl from the 1960s. I really tried to shake it off, but like I’ve learned from the past, sometimes you just need to accept it and wear it for a while. Then later, you realize that it slipped off somehow when you weren’t even aware of it happening. Danl went to the barn for a bit, but was soon home and back in bed.  After making sausage biscuits for breakfast, I read for too long in The Secret Life of Bees. Such a great book! Worked at my desk. Danielle pretended to be a puppy. She has the boxes that contain the storage cabinets I ordered on Prime Day arranged into a “pen.” She even goes outside, then taps on the back door with her “paw” like Diesel does, and barks. Danl suggested I get a pizza since I had to run to town to deliver an invoice and pick up a check. Did more desk work, then Danielle and I were gonna swim only to be halted by the sky starting to cry. Danl drummed up enough energy to help me make Philly cheesesteaks for supper. Danielle helped me put together a 3 layer cart on wheels that is really gonna improve the hall bathroom organization! Finished my book and went to bed. 

Simple Satisfaction: When a book ends well; not “happily ever after” but just realistically “good.”

Saturday 7.23.22

Slept in again. Our schedule has gone to pot with Danl being ill. Discovered my oven has decided it no longer wants to heat! Conveniently right when I needed to bake the crust for my Raspberry Pretzel Dessert for the wedding too! Thankfully Katie saved the day by offering to switch her already baked crust for mine when borrowing my glass jars for girl’s class decor. Phew. Finished the dessert, wrapped wedding and birthday presents, picked up milk, and Danielle and I went to Paige’s 7th Birthday Party! It was a festive fun event held in their spacious new shed. Gwen had one corner all decorated up with an adorable kitty theme, and Nes had made a stunning cake. After a delicious feast of hamburgers, beans, pasta salad, watermelon, cake and ice cream, the kids (and some adults) had a blast tie-dying T-shirts!

Simple Satisfaction: Fixing the skirt on a dress from shein.com so I would have something newish to wear to the wedding. 

Sunday 7.24.22

Happy Wedding Day, Landon 💛 Rachelle! Left around 9:40 to pick up Miss Smith, thinking we would be plenty early! We weren’t, but were thankfully early enough to snag Sanctuary Seats! It was a lovely wedding! Particular highlights to me were hearing It is Well sung so serenely after the vows, and seeing all the whimsical bouquets of greenery with splashes of white. The meal of Smoked Turkey, Wedding Salad, (the bbq frito twist one) Baked Mac ‘n Cheese, and Orange Fluffy Salad, with a dessert choice of either Lime Chiffon or Raspberry Pretzel did not disappoint either! Kristi and were the ones privileged to wash the Bride’s Table Dishes. At first, I was very dubious of my capabilities for this task, but Rachelle had not chosen dainty dishes and the kitchen company was most pleasant. Next time I’m asked to do this job, I will say Yes with less hesitation! Connecting with old friends was wonderful but felt cut short. The new Mr. & Mrs. left in the rain driving Ronnie’s old green van! Took Miss Smith home and then took myself home. Soon everyone at our house was hungry but no one felt like cooking, so I volunteered to run up to Popeyes for a box of chicken, biscuits, and Cajun rice. Did lots of WhatsApp chatting reporting on the wedding etc. 

Simple Satisfaction: Knowing that love will never end. There will always be new vows vowed and old ones renewed.