The Weakly Tribune Vol. 1 Issue 11

THE WEAKLY TRIBUNE

Well, it has proved to be harder than I thought it would be to get back into the daily writing of our days! So here are bits and pieces of the last two weeks!

Monday 10/3

Time to “reclaim the house” again after the weekend! Made a trifle bowl full of banana pudding per Bill’s request for his birthday dessert. After school, Danielle and I met Karma and her kids at Gwen’s to belatedly celebrate Gwen’s bday. Crumble cookies, fresh fruit, salty snacks, and iced coffee hit the spot as we relaxed and visited while the kids wreaked havoc on the shop. Cleaned up there and then cleaned up more at our house before Pops and Nana arrived. Then I ran to get pizza and cheesesticks from the Hut for supper. Super enjoyable evening celebrating Pops’ birthday! The day for belated birthdays I guess! 

Tuesday 10/4

Happy Birthday, Karma Jill! Managed to mop the floors! I’m not on any sort of cleaning schedule these days other than “wait until things look dreadful, then attack!” Worked a bit at my piled-high desk. Melvin is here trying to get Tub Number 2 installed! This one isn’t chipped, but is obviously poorly poured from the factory!! So annoying. But would Tub Number 3 be any better?! He thinks he can make this one work! Met Tina, Anne, and Karma at The Coffee House for a lovely brunch. I got the Pick 3 for $13 brunch special! Conecuh sausage, fruit/granola parfait, and avocado toast along with the featured Cinnamon Dulce latte! Yummers. Then we bebopped along and shopped at Philanthropic Seed, Cotton & Co., Vintiques, Junky Pearl, WeCare, Primrose, and William’s Station Embroidery & Consignment. I netted a book, 2 egg baskets, and a tiny golden pitcher. Lainey came home from school with us to play for a couple hours. Did not love the gator burger tacos I made for supper. I shopped online for much needed clothing items for myself and Danielle with some measure of success! Fingers crossed everything will fit properly! I “went to bed hungry hoping to wake up skinny” (see quotes by Marilyn) but instead was too hungry to even sleep! So after tossing and turning for over an hour, I got up and fixed myself a cup of Jersey milk and a slice of sourdough bread, and read in Once Upon a River for a while before slipping into a satisfying sleep with a happy tummy. 

Friday 10/7

Happy Birthday, Tiffany Jill! Couldn’t seem to get my morning brain fog to fade very fast! My head ached from sinus congestion too. Our dry and dusty earth is becoming more parched by the day! It just feels like if the world would get washed, we could all breathe better again! Melvin came to continue working on the tub/shower project. Gathered up my stuff and headed for school to help put on Glow in the Dark Fall Party for Danielle’s class! Lots of black lights, glow sticks, and bright colors along with fun foods and crafts made for a glowy good time! Picked up Larisa for a scheduled weekend on our way home from school. Sat in the chair with my feet up for a bit, drinking Diet Coke and Wordling. Got fresh fall sweet corn from Steve’s Farm to go with our supper which was shrimp & grits, and artisan sourdough bread from Rhonda! 

10/13 Thursday 

Woke up to the beautiful sound of God watering the world! It didn’t last long, but at least the dust is settled! Made butter for the second time with the cream skimmed from the Jersey milk. Cooked a box of cook’n’serve Jello vanilla pudding for part of my breakfast, while enjoying a lengthy WhatsApp convo with Rhonda. Prioritized getting in a 30 minute walk to close my exercise ring for once! I mean I have closed it before, but it’s been awhile! Worked at my desk; THE SECOND DAY THAT I STILL CANNOT GET MY PRINTER TO PRINT. Truly, I consider myself a person not easily riled to anger, but techy issues that occur with seemingly no reason or solution are my triggers. Chatted with Aunt Sue while getting sourdough bread into pans. Ran to town for several things, the most important one being a sealed galvanized container from Truckers in order to move the chicken feed outside on the back porch instead of continuing to feed unwanted critters by leaving the bag open in the laundry nook. Picked up Danielle from school, baked the bread, ran bread, farm eggs, and fresh butter to Gwen for her Bake Day, and stopped by Erica Lynn’s for yard sale price stickers. Danl and David were out by the fuel tank when they noticed a pigmy rattler! His life ended shortly thereafter, but it was much too close to the asphalt pile where Danielle loves to play! And the disturbing thing is that pigmys don’t rattle a warning rattle! Danl mowed while I made supper which was simple but very tasty! Grilled London broil medium rare, sliced paper thin and eaten with horseradish, fresh bread, and sweet corn on the cob. I decided to try another option involving an ethernet cable to get the printer to connect to the new WiFi. But alas! The desk drawer that I knew it was in WOULD NOT OPEN. And I knew why; the last thing I had stuffed in it was a metal license plate that apparently had gotten STUCK and was not about to budge. I was beyond frustrated and ready to get the saw or the hatchet and go to work on dismantling my desk when God told me to calm down, surrender my bad attitude, and simply pray. So I did. And then the thought came to PUSH the drawer in instead of frantically trying to PULL it open. I did that, and it opened immediately with no struggle whatsoever. God really does care about every little thing in our lives!! I wish I would remember that it never pays to “kick against the pricks.”

Saturday 10/15

13th Annual Yard & Bake Sale! Loved the addition of the Craft Booth! Danielle made $54.30 selling toys! Took in the 2nd Annual Walnut Hill Heritage Festival. Got milk and salad stuff. Delicious rib supper at David’s. Made plans for being gone in November. Sat by the fire; perfect way to end the full day.

Sunday 10/16 

Listened to church while I baked Dad’s German Sweet Chocolate birthday cake. Baking a cake always makes me happy. Navajo taco lunch at folks. Loved getting in some family time again! The kids put on a small talent show outside. Volunteer service at church in the evening. Too many dog messes to clean up today. Growing old, dog or human, is not for the faint of heart.

The Weakly Tribune Vol. 1 Issue 10

THE WEAKLY TRIBUNE

 Monday 8.22.22

Such a thrill to type out a nice even numbered date! Left straight from school and headed for Crumbl for breakfast! I had heard if you go on Monday, there’s a good chance you can still get last week’s flavors in addition to the new ones! I had so badly wanted to try the French Silk Pie, Raspberry Cheesecake, and Lemon Poppy Seed from last week! So I got those and a regular Chocolate Chip for Danielle. Got my Target Drive-up, but they had not substituted one item I really needed. So I went in to get that plus other stuff that I had forgotten to add to the order! Looped around through Pace to get meds from Publix @ 5 Points. Hunkered down at my desk until 2:30. Pretty pleased with the amount of stuff I got itemized. Let’s just not think about how much I have yet to do. It was a rainy day like usual. I worked on my MR since it got skipped this AM! Got the Wordle in 2 tries! CRIME, then MERIT. Yippity Yay! Did a bank run while Danielle went with Danl to check a job. Made chicken Alfredo and canned spinach for supper. Our new neighbor stopped by to meet us. We really liked him! A young Escambia County deputy who works the Pensacola Beach area. I helped Danielle add fresh pine shavings in the chicken coop. 

Thankful for: Good neighbors! Excited to meet the rest of the family now! 

Tuesday 8.23.22

In keeping with my decision to Say No during school hours, I sadly did not stay for Morning Music at school. Hunkered down in my Hobbit Hole aka my Desk Nook again. Took a walk mid-morning to get some fresh soggy air. Tried to take particular notice of all the beauty a saturated world can produce! I noticed a wide variety of mushrooms and moss; even a tiny snail slugging its way along a green-covered tree trunk. Got the Weakly in the mail for the paper copy subscribers. Once I met my office goals, I even sat down to finish the dress I’ve been slowly seaming along on since June! But alas. It’s either too small or I’m too big. Took another walk with Danielle on her bike which she soon ended up parking along the wayside and playing in the mud, making dams and rivers. Made yellow cheese sauce and venison lazy tacos for supper. Felt good to be tucking Danielle into bed at 8:42! Hasn’t happened enough lately. 

Thankful for: Moss & Mushrooms!

Wednesday 8.24.22

An On-the-Go Day! Dropped Danielle at school, came back and sent in all the info for an liability insurance audit, which is a lovely thing where they go over your financial/payroll records to see if there’s any chance they can charge a bit MORE for insurance for the coming year! Yay! Yeah right. Took extra canning jars to folks for storage, then took Diesel to the vet at 11:00 for a Quality of Life Assessment. It was deduced that his lymphoma is sort of in regression! Dr. Shirley couldn’t believe how well he was doing and said he didn’t think the cancer had spread anywhere new! Wonder if it’s due the Ivermectin we’ve been adding to his medication plan?! We made a plan to put him out next week to have his teeth cleaned and to zap a few more spots. Dropped him at home, heated some leftovers to eat on the road, and headed to deliver some parts for Danl in Pace. Dashed into Dollar Tree. It flooded on the way back to pick Danielle up. We met Gwen and kiddos at Snobiz for snack. Where else other than Down South does the sno cone shack stay open year around but just add fall/winter flavors?! Can’t beat that! I had to try a new Fall Flavor - Salted Caramel Cheesecake! Definitely Recommend. Danielle had her usual Rainbow. Then we all went to WeCare. Danielle got a Moj Moj Toy Claw Machinefor $3.99 for her One Thing which actually works! We didn’t know it did until we got home and put 3 D cell batteries in it! It retails new for $229.99 on Amazon due to being collectable! Who knew?! I scored a stuffed elephant, a dress for Danielle, a dress pattern for her, and a couple tiny cute frames for the Li’bry. Oh and a unique woven fabric belt! Good times. Then to the bank and to Tractor Supply for laying feed for the chickens. The constant rain ruined my plans for grilled pizza for supper, but Danl actually agreed to a Breakfast Supper and helped me make Conecuh bacon, fried farm eggs, and crepes with caramel syrup! Yummers. 

Thankful for: the unexpected positive report on Diesel’s health. 

Thursday 8.25.22

After making some hotcakes fried in bacon grease for breakfast, I plunked myself out on the front porch on a towel to keep dry for my Morning Sit so I could listen to the rain steadily drumming down on the tin roof. I wonder if we’ll ever be able to properly cut our grass again. It’s starting to smell kind of rotten outside; like it just desperately needs a small chance to thoroughly dry out again for once! I tidied the house and then stayed really focused at my desk; working on old business and new business. I did have an afternoon cuppa Summer in London tea with Jersey cream and honey while reading my book. Danl ran to Pig for me and came home with much more food than the small list I had texted him lol. I love that he enjoys shopping for groceries now and then. He also picked Danielle up from school for me much to her delight. And got us each ice cream from Steve’s Farm! Erica messaged and wondered if we wanted to hang out at their place for the evening. Yes, of course! After much deliberation, it was finally decided to have a meal of comfort food from Popeyes for supper! I was most impressed to see the huge fairy ring of giant mushrooms in the grass near Popeyes. I wanted to stand inside the circle and make a wish that the sun would shine hot and heavy and long again! Erica also made green beans, red beans and rice, sweet tea, to go with the chicken and dry biscuits. (Church’s, we miss your biscuits!) Lemon crinkle cookies got baked later on! 

Thankful for: Friends that are like family. 

Friday 8.26.22

These days once Danielle is to school and Danl to work and everything is quiet except for the dogs snoring and the chickens squawking in the backyard feel like a gift. A glowing golden gift wrapped in emerald ribbon. And it’s up to me to open it promptly and use it productively until 2:35! It almost seemed a bit sunny so I decided to do a quick litter walk before sitting down at my desk. Our PLEASE DO NOT LITTER signs have been making a difference but I still picked up a large bag; some of it old trash that is visible now that the roadsides were mowed. Mr. Pete Coon arrived mid morning and FIXED MY OVEN! Let the hallelujahs ring! Supper was a fun feast at Jalisco’s with Warren, Em, and family, Ella Schneider was also along to give Naomi a bit of company. Em and I both tried the new weekend special tacos birria which was phenomenally delicious and felt very authentic! I even asked our waiter for the proper eating procedure; he was happy to explain even though Danl thought I should quit pestering him. 

Thankful for: New foods and old friends. 

Saturday 8.27.22

Even though I love our School Schedule Mornings, it felt blissful to Danielle and I to sleep in and lounge around again. Danl basically never sleeps in and for sure didn’t get to today. Nana arrived shortly before noon to spend the day with us. We headed to the Wearhouse for a delicious salad bar and soft serve ice cream lunch. We were surprised to see Tara walk in the door and we ended up talking so long we didn’t have time to get meat and cheese sliced. I had forgotten that they closed at 2:00 pm on Saturdays! Bummer. Then we stopped to walk through and check the progress on my folks new place. It’s looking good! I can’t wait to see the cabinets installed and the shower tiled. Once home, Mamalisa said she was gonna help me put together the storage cabinet that I ordered on Prime Day back in July! Yay! Just what I needed; someone to tell me that Now was the time to Just Do It. It took us awhile, but wow! Thhe corner of our bedroom was transformed from a frustrating storage heap into an organized pleasure. Danl grilled steaks so huge they were like individual roasts along with potatoes, mushrooms, and onions. I made the Tangy Raspberry Salad from the July issue of SL. 

Thankful for: Happy Endings

Sunday 8.28.22

Baked a red velvet sheet cake to take to David’s for lunch. LOVE being able to bake again! Due to my TPAD (time passage awareness disorder) we were late to church. Again. Taught Junior Sunday School for the last time. I’ll miss them, but I’m not sure they’ll miss my sermons lol. We had lots of good 2 sided conversations though too! Galen preached an encouraging sermon on the Promises of God. David and Tara had fixed a feast of cured wild hog ham, gourmet potatoes, Caesar salad, sourdough bread, and fluff which Tara was so grieved over due to the raw milk clashing with the Cool Whip which resulted in a rancid flavor. We sure didn’t go the least bit hungry though! Cake and coffee and the couch made for a great afternoon. Later on, some played softball/catch and some of us watched them while the mosquitoes sampled us. Tara made the leftover ham into amazingly tasty ham salad to eat with fresh oatmeal rolls. Yummers. 

Thankful for: Heart to heart conversations.

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.