Well, it’s almost February 14 and I’m starting the post. The first few weeks have been crazy busy which is also seen by the fact that I never got more posts written after the ones I’d written back in January. Sigh, I’m tired.
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Week 1
I took a lot of picture this week, but it was a lot of variations on look at this ice. Isn’t it amazing? Look at this frozen tree. I know it looks like this other frozen tree, but it’s totally different. I did not show all of you that, because I know they are not as interesting as I think.
So the first few days was just the city covered in ice, and then the next few days was everyone recovering from the ice storm and comparing who lost the most trees, and trying to pick up the various broken branches and stuff like that.
We’ve been practicing for our last play together as a family before Batman heads off into the army. That top corner picture is our final rehearsal before the show. It was a potluck, and I made our Solomon Islands recipe for the potluck because I figured the recipe might not be a hit, and unlike most potlucks there was not a lot of food left. It was an interesting recipe I liked, but wasn’t overly amazed by.
But, the Malawi dumplings, or maybe it was a pot sticker? I forget exactly. That was a hit. Very popular, but I didn’t have enough defrosted dumplings to make more. Sadly the dog got into the dumplings breaking my dish.
I don’t specifically remember playing any games this week.
I did however read a couple of books, both of which I have very mixed feelings on and probably will not read again:
- Embracing the Outcast
- To Heal a Wolf– the author has another book in the series coming out and I probably won’t buy it, the only reason I bought the second was because it was on sale for $1 and the first was full price (I did eventually buy the first book when it also went on sale)
Week 2
This is when the month started to go very weird. I guess it did start off weird with the bad weather.
Most of the really big things that happened this week aren’t pictured.
Okay, so we had a big youth event at our church and I’d set up for an interpreter to come so our deaf students would be able to attend, and then Monday he wasn’t able to come because he was scheduled for work. Many panicked texts later, we had new interpreters set up, and it was even better because they were able to come for the session he couldn’t come, AND one of them was her former small group leader!!!!!
Okay, so that settled I was settling in and all ready to clean my house like crazy for the 8 students staying at my house. Then I got sick on Wednesday, so sick all I did was throw up and sleep for a day straight, oh and read really easy books to read (most of the books I read this week, I’d read them all before and so could kind of skim).
I was panicking and thinking I would have to tell the church they needed to find a new host home, and then Thursday I woke up feeling fine. I texted all my friends who were praying and while I had no energy, I could sit and brush up on ASL through SignIt ASL (read my SignIt ASL review). Then I got a call from Jeff, “I’m fine, but the Expedition is probably totaled,” this led to a bunch of panicked phone calls as we tried to figure out what car I could drive the girls in, since I was going to be driving them around for the weekend. Thankfully someone loaned me their car for the weekend, it was their super old minivan and she gave me a detailed explanation of how to make sure the car didn’t have any problems.
Coming back to add, I totally forgot the other part. I had insomnia on Thursday night, which then turned into sitting up with the dog as she had over 10 seizures starting at 3 AM going through when we left for DNow on Friday, she’d eaten some of a bag of almonds. It was less than pleasant as she lost all bladder control with the seizures so I was mopping the floor wherever she had her seizure and various other stuff.
Then DNOW happened, that’s the picture with all the smiley faces. It was amazing and I loved all that happened with the girls and the conversations we had.
When the weekend was over, the boys all played a zombie game together, and we had another round of Cthuthlu Dead May Die. I’m slowly gathering pictures to write a review of the game.
Superman is taking a set of coding classes from a group called Code2College which offers internships and things like that, that’s the bottom picture, he’s really enjoying it.
And on Valentine’s Day I cooked a Senegal fish recipe, and that was…. not good. I tried, I tried really hard, but everyone hated it. But wait, the recipe I tried for this next week was even worse.
Games played:
And books read:
- Wolf Soldier– I read/reviewed the second book in the series, and then went back to read the first
- Blind Date with a Supervillain
- On the Run with a Supervillain
- Captured by a Supervillain
- Engaged to a Supervillain– the author is writing the next in this series (which she originally only planned as a one-off), so I decided to skim it again
- Coiled– this is vaguely a Beauty and the Beast or maybe Cupid and Psyche retelling
Week 3
Let’s see, now to week 3, which I’m writing on February 24, it really has been a month like this.
With the big freeze at the beginning of the month there has been a lot of downed trees and tree branches (we didn’t lose any trees, but we had friends who did), this is our second pile of brush of this size set out to be collected by the city, as I’m writing this I’ve put in the request for them to come pick it up, but we got a “We have a lot of people requesting pick up, so who knows when we’ll get to you.” Paraphrase mine. Adding in as of March 1, that pile has doubled in size.
Batman has gotten into woodworking and ordered a large block of wood to try and carve/whittle into a mask. It’s been interesting watching him work on it.
Jeff and Batman went up to Dallas for a Faith and Science conference, then Saturday The Artist went to an AHG retreat, and so it was just Superman and myself. We decided to spend the day playing Shadows of Brimstone and make queso. The Artist was thoroughly disgusted that we essentially ate queso all day long rather than actually eat anything healthy.
I regret nothing.
Soooo….. that chicken picture. We were studying Sao Tome and Principe and I was trying to find a recipe I thought everyone would like and I found a “coffee chicken” recipe, and I thought, “Jeff loves coffee. The Artist loves coffee. How can this go wrong?”
The answer is many many ways, it did not go at all well. Not at all. Coffee and chicken was not a hit.
And finally, Batman did his overnight with the army for his physical, and while there he was kind of sort of sworn in. It’s not 100% official because he isn’t 18 yet, but he’s also kind of in the army now. I was not prepared for that particular bit of news.
So, that big picture is Jeff’s lockscreen on his phone. It’s their Halloween costumes from several years ago and he realized Batman was dressed as a soldier with Superman a milk carton and Princess a fairy princess. Which means, if everyone else grows up to be their costumes, then somehow Superman will turn into a milk carton, I really have no clue how.
Games played: Shadows of Brimstone (how to organize Shadows of Brimstone)
Books read: (I have to hunt this down because I forgot to write down what I read)
- Neverland Heirs: Journey to Mt. Smoulder- apparently on Kickstarter right now, I got a beta-copy
- Crown and Cinder
- I spent a lot of time just not particularly wanting to read this week, nothing sounded good
February Week 4
Okay, it’s the end of February and I was going to finish this up last night, but the kids wanted to hang out together, so no writing last night, and the post is coming out at 3:30.
Oh crud, I need to see what I have planned for dinner tonight, be right back.
I have to go get chicken defrosting oops… Okay, now to write about this last week. It’s been quite momentous.
So, that top picture which is ever so slightly blurry, we went out to dinner to celebrate Batman’s “signing up” with the army, and that big picture in the middle is his new army t-shirt.
Friday, the bottom right picture, Batman and The Artist led their weekly Bible study for our co-op, which always warms my heart to see them doing.
Then Saturday was The Artist’s level event for AHG, she hosted a fund-raising tea party for Simple Sparrow Farm, and raised a fair amount of money and donation items. I’m pretty proud of her. That top left picture is of her Little Sis’ from AHG, they have such a fun relationship as her Little Sis’ is definitely in the “I am only here because my Mom made me” phase, and likes to see how far she can push things before she gets in trouble. The bottom picture is Mom, The Artist, and I together all dressed up.
The top right is one of two meals I made for countries this week, first was Rwandan chicken, which most people were rather meh on, no firm dislike and no firm this is awesome. However, the New Zealand ginger chicken, was a hit, partially because it’s grilled, which just gets some delicious chicken to eat.
OH! And one more thing happened that I didn’t get a picture of, Jeff and I got a new car. It’s weird thinking we now have a car we can’t easily have all 5 of us go on a long car trip in.
I don’t particularly remember any games we played this week, it was a bit full.
And the books I read this week, some were short stories, and one was read off and on throughout the month for our Lorehaven Book Club:
- Cora and the Nurse Dragon– an adorable middle-grade book, that I highly recommend for elementary-aged readers
- Wolf’s Daughter– a short story twist on Little Red Riding Hood
- CinderEddy– a short story twist on Cinderella (also amusing to me because I’m pretty sure there is also a picture book version of this)
- Rose Petals and Snowflakes– the book quest at Lorehaven this past month
- Please Return to the Lands of Luxury– a great middle-grade book that explores tough themes like memories and loss in such an amazingly age-appropriate way, now to write my review of the book (it’s coming out in a few weeks)
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