The Weakly Tribune Vol. 1 Issue 4

 

THE WEAKLY TRIBUNE

Monday 7.11.22

Awoke a little after midnight to Danielle telling me she had to throw up. Some ended up on the floor, some in her bed, but thankfully most in the sink! I think Danl telling her last night that she could eat gelato until she couldn’t eat anymore was not the best idea since she downed copious amounts before reaching that point. Ugh. Back to bed. Danielle was totally fine the rest of the day! Got a late start with my Morning Routine. Helped Danielle refill the birdbath and bird feeder. Worked at my desk. Did Payroll. Heard about little Betsy Dyck gaining her angel wings. And other children too! Beyond tragic. My head and heart cannot comprehend all this pain. Finished typing and posting The Weakly Tribune; feeling that our Normal Days are more precious than ever. I’m so pleased with my compact pedal exerciser! Pedaled over 30 minutes while catching up on my phone. Danl got home early and ran to the bank and vet for me. Danielle went with him. Thought again about last week’s Thursday Cleaning and actually dusted the ceiling a little. It gets so buggy and dusty. But decided since it’s getting so close to Thursday now that it’ll just roll over! Waaah. Why don’t I love to clean?! Wanted to clean out our little pool and mow the backyard, but a small hurricane blew in and dashed that idea. Danl and Danielle went to Piggly too and brought home hamburger and tater tots. Pan-fried the burgers and fries the tots in the house due the rain. Sat out on the back porch and watched the sky while Danielle “roosted” with her chicken inside the coop. It looked like the flaming golden doors of Heaven were so close, just beyond the treetops. Even the air seemed to be an odd golden hue that wrapped around the Earth like a hug. Celebration in Heaven; heartbreak on Earth. Life is a juxtaposition. 

 Tuesday 7.12.22

Another day of Birthday Celebration! Turning 36 has proved to be a Very Good Thing! Met Erica Lynn and Summer at the teacher’s house for a walkthrough before heading for Pensacola. Stopped at the Ministry Village thrift store where I scored a little wooden deer. Lost Pizza for lunch. I highly recommend The Lucille on thin crust! Then to the mall for pedicures where I proceeded to drop my phone into my foot bath! Thankfully it was unharmed after a speedy towel off. Ross Dress for Less afterwards. Sweet Cone Alabama for ice cream was next on our agenda. The girls loved playing in the sprinkle pit and swinging on the indoor swings! I loved my waffle cone with a scoop of Dark Chocolate and a scoop of Roadrunner Raspberry! Ended our outing with Walmart Pickup before heading home. Ate venison fajitas together at our house since it was Taco Tuesday. Birthday Days are the Best! I still have one more celebration on the books before it’s over for this year though! 

 

Wednesday 7.13.22

Woke up ready for a Home Day that was not to be. Hate feeling behind even before the day gets started! Barely made it in time to the STEM (I had to look it up; it’s an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) class I had enrolled Danielle in at the Atmore Library. Was a really cool balloon car project! Danielle went home with Ms. Karma and her kids, while I ran to the Pig, then to Southern Harbor to get my freezer food I’d been storing there. After some readjustments and decluttering of older food, I was able to cram everything into our rented freezer. Made an Oreo ice cream dessert for Tracey’s bake day. Karma followed me over there and we delivered our food before going on to Gloria’s. I did her payroll again, before joining the rest at the pool. Sun actually shone a little bit right before it was time to leave! The Lotus icee Karma had made for me hit the spot too. Yum. The kitchen was a wreck and I was not inspired to cook. Danl suggested trying Rocky’s Pizza again, but after getting quoted $34 for what would be their equivalent of one Meat Lovers pizza, I said No Thanks! Proceeded to order a large ML, cheese breadsticks, extra marinara, and a medium cheese pizza all for only $27 from Pizza Hut! Sorry, Rockys! Felt so good to go to bed; I was more than ready for my “Low on Patience; High on Spunk” day to be over so I could try again tomorrow. Quickly put in a Prime Day order before that countdown ended. Also noticed that it had been a “High on Screen Time” day… no wonder I felt so Blah. 

 

7.14.22

Danl and David got our freezer moved under the mancave lean-to first thing! I know we’re gonna love having it there instead of way out in the barn. Helped Danielle get going with the crystal making kit she picked out for her One Thing on Tuesday. Got all the poop scooped and was gonna mow the jungle in the back but it started up raining again. Ordered an arrangement to be delivered for Matt & Kelli. Finally finished my Morning Routine and had a late lunch. Danl came home early since he was rained out, bringing delicious meats and treats from Costello's Butcher Shop & Deli. Oversaw another batch of hydro-marble painting. Then I announced to my family that Thursday Cleaning was about to be underway! Danl fled to the mancave and Danielle to her room. I did the basic cleaning plus deep cleaned the shower, vacuumed the dust off the dog fan and the AC closet door, and washed the curtains in the dogs’ area. So pleased to finally have a fresh house again! But somehow Cleaning always makes me feel grouchy and I want to be a Different Person! Someone who isn’t a Slob and has Much Less Stuff all over the place. I assisted Danl in cooking World’s Best Philly Cheesesteaks. I made us a tiny Oreo ice cream dessert since I have “had a taste for it” ever since making them for others lately. Danl mowed and I did a thorough wipeout inside and out on the freezer before plugging it in. Pedaled and enjoyed some Oreo dessert in one of my green glass dessert dishes from Leona Peters. 

 

7.15.22

Roosty’s Morning Crow is sounding more polished! Danielle has taught Rocket how to Sit and Stay like a dog lol. Did Morning Routine, listened to most of little Betsy's funeral, helped Danielle on the next step of Crystal Making, and worked at my desk. FaceTimed with Aunt Sue while I got my lunch around and ate it on the back porch to enjoy the sunny day! Ran to WeCare where we saw Carmela, Rosalie, and Karma and kiddos all unplanned. Scored a Hearth & Hand mug for the teacher’s house, a copper ladle, a whisk, a book, and a shallow clay pot perfect for succulents. So annoyed to see a pedal exerciser for only $2.99! Of course I would find one just after ordering. Argh. Went to Waves for a much-needed wash and vacuum, then to Walmart for watermelon. I can’t pick out a good watermelon to save my life, but I thumped them soundly just for looks before just putting 2 in my cart. Got our weekly milk from the Landis cows. Made baked beans and went to Summer’s 2nd birthday party! Such a fun feast of Italian fried chicken, tater salad, beans, pasta salad, watermelon, and Oreo and fried ice cream desserts! 

 

7.16.22

School Cleaning! And exactly 1 month until the First Day of School! Should’ve journeyed to Steve’s for watermelon because the first one I cut was inedible; the 2nd one was somewhat better. Wanted to be there by at least 9:00, but it was 9:30 when we arrived. When I told Danielle she could wipe the baseboards in the room we were working in, she replied, “What’s a baseboard?!” Be sure your lack of cleaning shall find you out! But now she knows! And maybe she’ll clean ours. Karma, Kinsley, Danielle and I headed for Pensacola shortly before lunch was served, since local Pensacola author Emily Ley had rescheduled her book signing at Barnes & Noble. Lunched at Panda Express. Weren’t fortunate enough to be given fortune cookies. Joined the small semi-circle of women and children gathered around Emily! She was every bit the epitome of southern elegance in her white eyelet dress with her 3 adorable kids around her. She read her new children’s book You're Always Enough, interjecting interesting comments here and there as she went along. Then we got to speak with her and she signed ALL my books. Only 5 copies of When Less Becomes More and 3 copies of You’re Always Enough. From there we went to Crazy Cazboys, only to be disappointed to learn that they are closing next Wednesday. Didn’t seem like they had gotten a new shipment on Thursday either. Next stop was Hobby Lobby. Wall Decor was not 50% off this week, so I just Idea Shopped for the teacher’s house. Crumbl Cookie was up next! Tried Lemon, PB&J, Pop-Tart, and Danielle wanted a Chocolate Chip. Then to Ever'man Coop for vitamins and Lemon Zinger fresh pressed juice drinks. Last stop was Ministry Village thrift shop before heading home. Grilled sausage, a packet of squash, onions, and bacon, and steaks for supper. Jace’s stopped by and chatted since they were bebopping around in Bonnie. 

 

7.17.22

Breakfast was super thick sliced bacon with the rind still on from Costellos; along with Crumbl cookies and coffee for me. Felt so good to be back in Southern Harbor for Sunday School and church! Went to David and Tara’s for delicious burgers, leftover beans from Summer’s party, and Brazilian potato salad created by David. The sun amazingly shone all day! Tara, Danielle, and I went down to the creek for several hours to enjoy the sunshine there. Danielle had a blast making friends and playing with two little boys named Ezra and Chip. Snacked around some more (had my first taste of Brazilian cheese bread! Yum!) before heading back home. A very good relaxing day. I’m trying to have Sunday’s be a Mostly Screen-Free Day like the Wade Kaufmann family does. Pretty pleased with 2 hours 3 minutes. Could be better, could be worse!

 

Simple Satisfaction of the Week: Realizing in Sunday School that if I knew tomorrow was my last day on earth, that I would simply want to be on my phone less, while praying, hugging, and laughing more! 

Rueful Regret of the Week: Not starting to sew new frocks for Rachelle’s wedding.

19 for 2019 (original version)

Once upon a time, I penned a list titled 19 For 2019! Then as I read over it, I didn't think it lined up very well with my theme of the year which was "Rest Up and Dress Up." If you want more details on that, read this old post. So I wrote another list, leaving some items on, adding new ones, and taking others off! In the end, I completed some items off both lists! So this post will detail the the original list, with the restful, revised version coming on another day.

Original 2019

1. Establish Core Wardrobe. This is too vague to know if it should be marked off! I did make some strides, but have realized that it will always be a work in progress!

2. Pottytrain Danielle. Woohoo!!! Several weeks after she turned 3, I whipped out the big girl panties, an old shower curtain for her to play on, and proceeded to potty train! Danielle said, "Panties have holes and Pull-ups don't." Really?! Who would have known?! She already had it all figured out. It was a breeze and I wondered why I had prolonged the process so long with Pullups instead of going cold-turkey panties!

3. Get FLS t-shirts designed and printed. They turned out great! And I've since even gotten another batch done. I highly recommend our local "Boss Man Ink" out of Atmore.

4. Visit London! It's still almost beyond belief to me that Danielle and I really did this! It was amazing; a trip with friends that will never be forgotten and will still hopefully be blogged about some day.

5. Stain the roof of Danielle's playhouse. I have this lovely red stain that I purchased back in 2018 just patiently waiting under the bed to be used. I did go out once, and painted a strip but decided that it wasn't the right day, as a yellow pollen-speckled red was not what I had envisioned.

6. Frame all the things! I just have so many things that need framing! Original artwork, printed quotes, various uniquities. But alas, my perfectionism stands in the way once again. Because of course I need the perfect frame to compliment each piece. Preferably purchased at a bargain at a thrift store. 

7. Grow roses again. And I've only killed and replaced one! See this post to know which bushes I selected. "Malibu" was the one that was laid to rest.

8. Conquer C25K. Thanks to my exercise partner! #heidiharms

9. Bop off my bunion. I decided it wasn't painful or annoying enough to be on crutches for weeks!

10. Buy dog collars & tags. Wasn't this on 18 for 2018 too? Our poor homeless looking dogs...except they are fat, so they look well fed which counters the homeless look of no collars.

11. Go to the Pensacola Museum of Art. Just didn't prioritize this, and wham. The year was over. I still WANT TO DO THIS.

12. Make chandelier that I have envisioned and created for my office/dressing room. Does anyone want to apply for the job of making my ideas come to life?! Will pay with more ideas for anything you need ideas for!

13. Paint the living room and hallway. SCORE! At last I get to use the strikethrough key again! Rhonda and Danielle helped to transform more of our house to the lovely shade of Benjamin Moore's Cloud White.

14. Put a new lightbulb in the globe. I've almost forgotten how lovely it looks lit. But I need to research how to take it apart to see what kind of bulb it needs. Simple, but somehow major enough to not get done.

15. Make the meat thing Danl wants. He saw this most amazing huge meat pocket recipe, and sent it to me. But alas, I didn't save it well, and now can't find it! Hopefully he forgot all about it too.

16. Buy a planner in October. To go through not having a planner come January was definitely not something I wanted to repeat! And I found the loveliest "Eccolo" hello 2020 planner at tjmaxx for only $9.99. It has cool quotes and stickers, and tabs, and everything I wanted! 

17. Attempt to get invited to the SL test kitchens. Just kept on dreaming, but didn't give my dreams any wings. If anyone from SL is reading this, please invite me and my mom to come see y'all! We are huge SL fans and having been making your featured Christmas cover cakes for 4 years now...

18. Get new living room curtains. Down with the chocolate brown, in with the light airy white!

19. Can homemade dill pickles. PTL for Claussen brand dills. #likehomecanned

Happy 2019!

Happy New Year!!

Don't you just love the freshness, the "clean slate," the "start-over" feel of a brand new year?! 

What? You say it's MARCH 1????! HOW did this happen?? Two whole months of 2019 have already slipped into oblivion?! Wow. Let me regroup. I guess I will post my New Year's Letter in its current state and MOVE ON!

Had family Christmas in Guntersville on January 1! Twas hard to believe that 2018 had already begun.

An anniversary in February called for some time away; so down by the beach in Navarre for a few days we did stay.

Party time for our princess in the third month of the year; we celebrated this donut-loving 2 year old who’s always in high-gear!

Practically zoomed to MS in April to witness Kyle say “I do”; certainly enjoyed seeing Grandma and Aunt Sue too!

Yehaw! Tried something new which was Blue Apron in May, a food service meal that only brought my hubby dismay!

Next in June was the nuptials of Cam & Mel; then of Isla’s 1^st birthday celebration in Calgary I could tell.

(And the rest of the year was amazing as well!) 

OK. March 1, 2019. 

Here in the Sun-doesntshineitjustrainsandrains State, Spring is just around the corner! Everything is GREEN! Did I mention we have not lacked in moisture lately? And that I have done something wildly different for me?! I have decided to GROW ROSES AGAIN! This goal was one of the "not done" things on my "18 for 2018" list. It got plopped again on my "19 for 2019"  list, and this time I'M DOING IT! I've ordered 5 hybrid tea roses from Jackson & Perkins, and I could not be more excited! I'm nightly soaking my black thumb in essential oils... LOL not really!
But I do hope I can keep these babies alive and be able to pick gorgeous bouquets to place artistically about our home! I dabbled in rose gardening at the old home place prior to marriage with some success! And lots of spraying! Black spot is rampant down here Zone 9. If y'all have any tips for getting the flower of love to flourish, please send them my way!


(Mister Lincoln)


(Malibu)


(Gemini)


(Clouds of Glory)

(John F. Kennedy)

P.S. Before I could get this posted, I got an email from UPS saying they had been delivered on my front porch! Yippity-yay!
And once I got home from work, there they were in all their ugly, bare-root beauty! Now, for the planting thereof.
Forward, MARCH!

a GRATEFUL heart

I am thankful for life... and that it goes on.

For God's protection, our guardian angel, for my friend who breathed a prayer particularly for me earlier in the day...

For airbags, car seats, safety restraints, and crash-testing technology...

That no one was injured when I rear-ended a Dodge pickup yesterday evening in the gloaming...

that the couple I hit were not angry or upset...For family and friends who stopped so soon to make sure we were OK... and got my Jeep off the road before anyone hit it...and came and got my groceries and purchases from earlier in the day...that Danl was home and could come comfort us and sit with me for the hours we waited on FHP. That Danielle was not traumatized...and seemed to understand that the Jeep was seriously injured and needed to go the vehicle hospital...That the young officer who worked the scene was kind and considerate and gave me the least possible citation.

I am thankful for pecans... And that I had plenty to re-toast for tomorrow's candied sweet potatoes since I severely over-toasted the first batch! #burnt

I am thankful for family recipes with notes at the bottom. 

#auntrose #candiedsweetpotatoes #schneidercookbook

I am thankful for the MRGA Book Club. It has, and is, totally enriching my life in in so many ways!

I am thankful that Mel brought me coffee this morning and took Danielle home with her to "help" take care of Baby Ellie.

I am thankful for crispy, ice-cold Diet Coke.

I am thankful my parents lent us their extra van for me to drive until we get our insurance rental.

I am thankful for Katie's crumb-topped banana bread. #perfection

I am thankful for ibuprofen.

I am thankful for our cozy home, for the warm bed into which I am about to crawl!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Y'ALL!

My Thankful List 08-20-17

I'm THANKFUL...

...that I'm taking this opportunity to write! Today I decided that during Danielle's  meager naps, I should try to focus on doing "forever" things like writing on this blog, recording in baby book, creating the light fixture I dreamed up years ago etc... instead of  doing "daily always" things like eating, folding laundry, washing dishes, pittering and frittering and so forth! So, here goes!

...for chocolate chip cookie dough WITH PECANS! Oh my word, why do we ever bake the dough into cookies?! It's SO much better in its raw state. And it saves electricity! Score! (Side note: I AM eating whilst I'm typing! I decided it was OK to combine a "forever" with a "daily always.")

....that Katie and I carpe diemed a day and half and transformed Miss Smith's classroom into a tasteful world of ice cream! Retro string lights, hanging cones, a wonky ice cream truck, wild fun facts, and a frosty little night light that's on its way from eBay all added to the magic! Every other year we seem to end up with a food theme...Wonder why?! 

I used this marc johns pic for my bulletin. 

#lovemarcjohnsart

...that it works to use baking soda and Axe body wash to wash filthy work clothes when you discover that you have NO, NONE, NIL laundry detergent  to do laundry in order that your husband might have the benefit of bestowing clean clothing upon himself the next day!

....for Google! How else would I know how to do laundry without the proper soap?!

...that Danl unearthed a cool brown glass bottle on his last home site clearing job! Some guys might not bring home to their wife the world's weird uniquities, but mine does! :)

 (Why isn't uniquity a word?! I should patent it. Uniquity: noun; meaning something strange or unique, not common.) 

....that Daniel kept Danielle so I could attend Katie's classy woodland-themed baby shower as a "sister" instead of a "mom." Don't get me wrong, I ADORE being a mom, but it was awesome to take in the magical decor and delicacies without worrying about my child dismantling them! #daddydaughtertime #happymeal #mcds

...that God answers prayer! Sometimes I don't know if He changes the situation or just helps me to accept it, but I do know that Prayer truly is the Power! One of my friends mentioned in Sunday School a couple of weeks ago that "You can never pray too much!" What an inspiring proposition!

...that I finally figured out how to listen to a podcast! One of those simple things that seem hard until you just do it! I've only listened to Typology Episode 1 (Is anyone else familiar with the Enneagram typing system?? I was just recently introduced to it by a friend, and I am definitely intrigued!) and How I Built This - Spanx: Sara Blakely so far. Totally fascinating! America truly is the place where anything and anyone is possible!

...for the lovely summer vacation we had July 17 - Aug 1! We had the best time ever with old friends and new places! I still plan to do a belated trip report another day, another post. 

....for being able to cuddle and love little Isla Francine in RealTime! So thankful Pierre and Alisha and our beautiful black-haired niece could spend a week in soggy Florida!

...that we will be able to welcome Baby "Bob" before too long! Katie's due date of September 12 is swiftly approaching! 

...for darling Danielle who turned 1 year and 5 months today! She stomps around all grown up in her little rubber rain boots, Coach purse on her shoulder; not a trace of the chubby baby she once was. Until she spies her precious bottle of milk!

 End of story.

Shots & Shopping

Today Taby and I loaded up quite late and headed to Pensacola for my (gasp! second to last dose, I believe!?) shots and a dose of much-needed retail therapy. Except I'm not sure that shopping with a one year old is truly therapy! With Danielle, it vacillates between being the sweetest, funnest thing ever and living in one of those dreams you are happy to wake up from! Lately, she loves hearing her voice so "echo-y" in the stores and sort of shrieks out bursts of noise! It baffles me how to cure this without appearing to abuse her.... (please give me ideas!) Sometimes I squinch her fat cheeks together and shush at her, or flick her mouth, or whisper at her to use her store voice. Mostly though, I stuff her little pie hole with Cherrios or raisins. That works the best! I have the tjxrewards credit card from T.J.Maxx and it gives the loveliest rewards! Armed with $30 reward certificates, I planned to purchase a gorgeous and well-fitting swimsuit! For some reason, I just don't buy swimwear. And that is not a good thing. After hunting through aisles of unorganized suits packed too tightly for proper observation, I plucked approximately 6 of them for the fitting room finale. Alas, either I am a far cry from model proportions (check) or a disaster of a perfectionist, (another check) so none met my criteria for THEE suit of the year. But I had fun selecting some gift items and a couple summery tank tops for Danielle. Next stop was Wendy's for our usual "4 for $4" meal deal. It's perfect for us! I eat the double stack burger, she eats the chicken nuggets, and we share the fries, Diet Coke, and Jr. Frosty that we get complimentary with every purchase due to the 2017 Frosty key-chain I bought because it was so cute! Not only is this tag super cute, it also helps support foster care adoption!

At Dr. Cleveland's, Danielle eyed the nurses in their sterile scrubs very warily as they jabbed ME instead of HER with their fierce needles! While waiting the mandatory 30 minutes, we sat in the back of the Yukon with the half-glass up (this looked odd to the passersby I am certain, but at least I didn't have to worry about Danielle annoying the other clients inside or have to chase her all over outside!) and enjoyed the sunshine and finished our Wendy's while FaceTiming with Nana and Aunt Alisha. We are all so antsy for little Isla Francine to be born!! Come ON, already! Can't wait to meet my sweet lil niece! Then we be-bopped over to Marshall's to do the whole bathing suit thing all over, but only bombed out again. But I scored a modest black and white striped knit dress for $24.99 that I am super thrilled about! And some flip-flops and a Father's Day present. And a too-tired toddler!!! Waaah... cancelled meeting Katie for a cone at Marble Slab, and went straight to Walmart to pickup our groceries. Once on the road, Danielle zonked out almost immediately. Poor thing. And although I have proclaimed this oft' afore, I ADORE Walmart Pickup!!! I could "Keep Calm & Shop On" while my baby "Kept Calm & Slept On!" Per Daniel's suggestion (love him!) I stopped at Tom Thumb in Molino and got a ready-to-eat rack of ribs, and sides of greens, mac 'n cheese, and apple/peach cobbler for supper! One and Done! Not sure if that slogan applies well to this supper subject matter...but I'm a mom and "One and Done" comes to mind, thanks to our favorite Huggie's wipes! When one starts writing about baby wipes, they should cease writing; therefore this post is Done and Done! 

Over and out.