Total and soy milk
Brussel sprouts
Plums and cottage cheese
Mushroom stroganoff.
Blueberries
Posting because the mushroom stroganoff was amazing
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| Before |
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| After |
New knowledge- there is more to life than white button mushrooms. Cremini, portobello and shiitake with garlic, pepper, Italian seasoning and sour cream over whole wheat noodles.
I made food that tasted really good. Such a rarity.
Breakfast- Total cereal w/soy milk.
I've always been slightly creeped out by soy milk. I've always hated the way my belly feels in the morning with a bowl of cereal with cow milk. Go figure.
Lunch- wild rice, corn, bean salad, nectarine and cottage cheese
Snack time- pumpkin smoothie made with ice, pumpkin pureé, soy milk, two packets of equal, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Dinner plans tonight- shrimp with broccoli (maybe over wild rice, maybe not.)
Another accomplishment for the day-I put together a blues cigar box guitar. Complete with glass finger slide bar.
I have another kit ready for using in next year's music appreciation class. It took about 40 minutes (without my magic string winding tool) and will be less now that I know the tricky parts. Just time enough to put it together in class and practice playing it.
Add a little ukulele playing and it's a good day.
Black beans, red beans, garbanzo beans, corn, cilantro, and oil and red wine vinegar.
I must admit to two ice cream sandwiches and some fries on a steak salad but before vacation that was a daily carb/sugar fest rather than a week slip up.
I've been on the fence about the grandson. Given his behaviors at home, what we are experiencing is a little too good to be true.
Case in point- the first thing he did on vacation is ask to join me on a dog walk, telling me all about the "lighter side" of his bad behaviors (with trumplike justifications and avoidance of details that didn't suit his flow of the story) He spent all of mealtime yesterday talking about what he needed to do to do better. It seemed genuine. But it is the same genuine that says he's going to work on the lawn, take out the garbage (for pay even) and then something comes up.
Sadly, I think he is biding his time.
He's not the terrible annoying horrible preteen he once was. He doesn't drive you crazy at every waking moment as he once did with his siblings around.
But he says things like- girls like to get carded because it makes them feel young. (then to me) I bet you get carded.
Then to greathusbandbob (who's favorite movie is Glory-family history connections and all) I love war movies (we were watching Hacksaw Ridge) especially Glory.
Having seen that he hasn't been trouble, the other set of grandparents have asked to have him for the second half of the month. While their näivete will likely allow him to get away with a little more, my guess is he's put himself on probation until he gets back home. You could almost see the glint in his eye as he considered the less strict environment. Of his grandmother he said "she's a real piece of work."
I feel bad for thinking so and I hope very much I am wrong but my instincts say this kid is playing the game- doing his time- until he gets back in his element and does whatever he wants.
He'll have three weeks without any bad behaviors or consequences (and a clean slate) when he leaves here but he has also had very few expectations placed upon him. Our house is the music class to his regular classroom at school Everybody loves it because there are not as many demands.
His uncle says he's a "playah". His mom thinks he has trouble with follow through. What else can she believe of her own child who shows just enough concern and interest to keep her believing.
Time will tell but you read it here first.
A friend of mine recently shared a Facebook post about the heart of summer. There is a moment when goal driven-here's what I'm going to accomplish on summer vacation teacher becomes "it's late July and I have about three weeks left" teacher.
It usually happens after vacation and at said point the reaction to summer goal progress is "meh, whatevs." There's not even enough motivation for the full word "whatever."
After eating every single carb in the house for the first half of summer I have spent five full days with reduced sugar, (a bowl of life cereal in the morning) and fruits, vegetables, and beans. Today I lived on the edge and had some salmon. We went to The big red restaurant with bad service and had broccoli and carrots on the side and no bread. One day at a time.
In spite of a two week sabbatical, duolingo says I'm still 15% proficient in Spanish.
And today I explored this- sorting pieces by color and size I made some progress. Non verbal instructions are weird. Let me read about what to do. Don't just show me pictures. But that wouldn't make sense in this situation and it's a new and different challenge for my brain. It's like putting a puzzle together with clues.
I've got about five weeks of high school music appreciation lesson plans finished. (They may actually be more than five weeks). Additional topics include ear worms and synesthesia.
The last night we were there we had another celebration. Greathusbandbob' oldest granddaughter has come out as gay. After she announced on Facebook I asked her mama if a celebration was in order. Mama asked and gd said "thanks but no thanks." As the week moved on she said "well maybe a cake with a rainbow on it." And so it was done.
The rainbow was really anything but. Hey grocery store, ever heard of roygbv? It was very low key and a chance for everyone to acknowledge celebrate and support the fabulous girl that she is.
Later that night grandfather essentially said "let's play AA" but not really. He had all the grandkids in the room, he brought up a topic everyone got a turn to speak on it without being interrupted (crosstalk) and had to pass when they were finished. His adult children, seeing what it really was, sort of puhpooed it at first but were eventually we're interested enough in the things that kids had to say to participate.
I missed the first round but the three topics while I was there were past/present/future, fear and extraterrestrials. The e.t. Topic was proposed by one of the kids and eventually led to heady conversation about the universe and our place in it.
My favorite line by far came from the age 5 granddaughter who said something to the effect of "how does the earth move so fast spinning around the sun and we don't even feel it."
One grand brought her mama to tears when talking about fears and saying "I don't even know how parents do it."
Son of greathusbandbob shared his experiences with fear and panic attacks and I'm certain it's the first his girls had ever heard him talk about those experiences.
It was quite lovely.
Our only non participant was "the boy" the 15 year old grandson who is staying with us and out of trouble for a little month. There is so very little to do here and Grandfather can be such an imposing figure when needed. He's presumably here to do work but is pretty unaccustomed to the humid climate and is struggling so far. Quote of the day "weedeating is harder than it looks."
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| beets and sweet potatoes in progress |
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| today's wager- will it or won't it happen? |
The kids made dinner. Sort of.
I burned my feet on the sand yesterday. Note to self don't go barefoot on the sand at noon even if the dog thinks she wants to.
I haven't made any food or done any dishes other than my own.
There is a little girl here who I have to ask to speak more quietly and believes every sentence should begin with the word "basically." She is seven.
The one who is five and wouldn't talk to anyone last year or the year before has completed kindergarten and has figured out the whole being in the world thing,
The two mentioned above were having a conversation about their initials (while putting them in a video game) I like to call this "when relatives meet."
Hey, my name begins with a T!
What's?!?!?! Me too!
My last name is Terry.
No way!!!! Mine is too!
Greathusbandbob and his adult children had a pots and pan jam session after dinner.
Tomorrow is a wedding/baby celebration.
The dog is much happier now that the thunder has stopped.
I feel guilty for not basking in the sun and water but then I'm doing what I love (reading, playing with yarn, napping and not worrying about other people) so it is still time well spent.
Nephew Leif recalled my love of Young Frankenstein and ordered it with the coffee pot carafe he had delivered. Last night at movie night we all watched young Frankenstein.
This morning was a big round of MarioKart and some coloring
I've done some online shopping while here. Some more ecowool to finish the giant mandala afghan I started with leftovers before we left and a lego model of a Volkswagen bus because I think maybe I would enjoy doing that and maybe the boy will too.
In a stroke of genius trying to figure out how to have food at the wedding baby celebration we decided to have a sundae bar with gluten free and lactose free options. Genius. Thanks you PBS rewards at school. In addition there will be flowers and balloons.
There were teacher messages on Tuesday night. It's hard to say I miss you to teacher friends because it suggests a desire to return to work. Instead we opted for a swimming pool play date back in the burg next Wednesday. That will be something to look forward to after the return and change in the living arrangements.
Favorite quotes of the day "oh crap" while learning craps. And "don't be sad about losing, be happy about me winning."
The dog is exhausted but got to walk on the beach this evening. Here's the thing. When it's hot and humid I become a sheen of sweat after 30 seconds. It is so unbearable. The house is nice enough that you don't feel trapped while inside and a dip in the pool is on the agenda for tomorrow but for the record, I hate hot. Alaska next year. Anybody? Beuller.
Beach Traffic
Dog at beach house
View at beach house
We had a shopping trip as we came in- not at the tourist store. Fruit, cheese, nuts, treats. Georgia crew just made plans for dinner tonight and breakfast for which we are grateful. Really it's how it's supposed to work. It's just that others in the past didn't figure that out and played "your food and our food." They aren't here this time.
It is a huge house and that is the best. Very close to the shore and that is the best. If you decide cool wins over hot there can still be ocean.
It feels a little silly to check into a hotel at 3:00 after five hours of driving. Greathusbandbob said "now what are we going to do?" But I'm still glad we've done it this way. Four and a half hour drive tomorrow.
Lots of fun texting with the kids yesterday and today. On the flight here-
They're only about twenty miles away but are going to a baseball game in Charlotte tonight. Other family members have been checking in from NY and GA. All very much looking forward.
After some initial slobbering and frothing at every rest stop, the puppers has settled down. She's not even barking at the people outside the hotel room. Just watching a little tv. And has already dug herself under the covers.
Because the big guy did all of the driving, I was on meal recon. I had to drive into downtown Mt. Airy to check out the Mayberry factor. There was a kitschy souvenir shop that I probably would have liked. Lots of burger and shake shacks. This time tomorrow twenty people will descend together. Oy. I'm going to try really hard to fight the introversion. How else am I going to convince one of them to take care of me when I get old!
