Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

The last days of summer are here, and I can’t believe how I have barely written over the last few months! It’s really just been go, go, go with all kinds of things. But the days are starting to get a little less crazy and we are adjusting to a much quieter house.

The boys are doing great in college and just enjoying every minute. Noah loves his classes (well, except for Mathematical Logic, which he finds boring — ironically, I loved Logic when I took it my freshman year)! He has also found a new band, so he’s out there playing a bunch too. Jake is in an apartment this year with some friends and one of the things he is enjoying is cooking. In fact, he’s been making his own pasta! Leave it to him to keep his roommates well-fed!

Laura’s killing her Freshman year in high school so far. Volleyball has been a little rocky, but she’s sticking with it. She left one practice in tears, and then the next day played what she felt was the best she’d ever played. This year she doesn’t have her best friend on the team, so I know that is making it a little more challenging, but I’m proud of her determination.

As for me it’s just the usual! Over Labor Day weekend our town held its annual Community Day. It was a long day (and LOUD because our booth was position right near the band), but it is always fun seeing old friends and meeting new people. Here I am with the Library Booth!

I’ve been working on some knitting and crochet projects, too. I am almost done with this adorable bear hat for a couple up the road who just had their second boy. You forget how tiny baby clothes are! What else… ugh, tomorrow I’m off for an ultrasound first thing in the morning. I usually get it right after my mammo, but this year they had to split it up. My mammo was fine, but my doctor wants me to do the U/S to be sure so that’s where you’ll find me bright and early. There’s a Starbucks next door, so maybe I’ll treat myself to a fancy coffee afterwards.

Today is cool and rainy and really has me excited for Fall! I have so many things that I’m looking forward to in the next few weeks:

  • taking a trip to Lake George
  • attending An Evening with Al Franken (which should be especially entertaining/enlightening with everything currently in the news)
  • going on a walking tour of NYC churches and Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral 
  • my birthday
  • Laura’s Confirmation

I’m also hoping to squeeze in a trip to The Clark to see the Edward Munch exhibit before it’s over. Oh, I just love this time of year!

Hoping you all are doing well — I’ll definitely try to visit all my blog pals this week and catch up on things!

And August ends…

Wow, just like that the summer is over! The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity (and driving all over the state). Last week both boys headed off to college!

August

Jake headed off to the western part of the state, 5 hours away, for his senior year! He is finishing up a psychology program and as of right now he plans to apply to grad schools for next year. He would like to get a certification in mental health counselling to start. It’s no surprise, really. Earlier in the summer we found some old home movies when he was so very little and he always had this thoughtful, caring way about him. He is in a student apartment this year and is thrilled (yes, really!) to be cooking on his own. He really enjoys cooking and has requested that I put certain recipes in a Google Doc to share with him. Love it!

August The next day we brought Noah about an hour south to start his first year at college! Noah was accepted into a unique studio composition program within his school’s music conservatory. He sees himself composing music for television, film, video games, etc. School is just a train ride into the city, so I’m sure over the next four years there will be so many opportunities to network and perform. All of the professors are working musicians, and I know he is just so excited to absorb all the knowledge he can.

I’m so curious to check in with him over the weekend and see how Week 1 went. Hopefully all is going well and he’s settled into his dorm by now.

Friday was Fair Day. Drew and I both took the day off. Laura and her friend spent hours and hours on the rides. It was so strange for me and Drew, walking around by ourselves! He indulged me as I spent way too much time in the barns talking baby talk to the pigs, goats, and sheep, LOL! 

AugustI loved looking at the floral displays too, especially the two pictured below — pumpkins and corn fashioned out of flowers. Cute!

August

AugustThe fair food wasn’t all that enticing to us, so we only indulged in a few things (though the choices we made were delicious at least). We got pickles on sticks and then for dinner he got a gyro and I got this kielbasa Reuben (which was really good). I also bought a candy apple to take home and enjoy later.

August I think we are good for a few years now. The last time we went was 2019 and we agreed that there did not seem to be as many vendor booths as in years past. Even for the competitions — the handicrafts and culinary and kids’ stuff — the participation just seemed low. Hopefully it’ll pick back up. In the meantime, the Sheep & Wool festival is always awesome, and I think Laura and I might try this Handcrafted Harvest Festival happening at the end of September. It’s kinds of nice living close to the county fairgrounds — all this fun stuff is less than 15 minutes away!

August School here doesn’t start until next week (that’s right — we are one of those rare districts that doesn’t go back until after Labor Day), but high school sports are in full swing. Laura has volleyball practice every morning, so we are up bright and early and at the school around 7:45. Today they had a pre-season game and she was a little bummed that neither JV or Varsity won, but like I told her — the season is just getting started.

As for me, work has been keeping me busy as usual. Saturday is Community Day so I will be at the library’s table from 9-4. There are some good food trucks scheduled to be there, at least! Hopefully the time will pass quickly. Next week I’m taking some time off just to organize the house after the chaos of summer and maybe even do a little reading and crafting. Wouldn’t that be something?

Wishing you all a great long weekend!

Another birthday celebration

Birthday celebration

Yes, it is a double birthday week! Yesterday we celebrated Noah, who turned 18. It was a pretty low-key day, but we all enjoyed a fun dinner of noodle bowls from his favorite Asian fusion restaurant. So delicious! A week from now he will be settled in his dorm, so I am soaking up the last few days with this guy at home. 

It’s birthday week!

I hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was very fun, but very busy! It is birthday week here so on Saturday we had a family party celebrating these two goofballs!

Birthday celebration

I always try to find a silly cake for theme and I thought the dragon was pretty cute! Noah joked that it was too scary, LOL! Always kids at heart! The food was great! I made chicken schwarma, tumeric rice, and salad. I was up at 7:30 grilling the chicken thighs ahead of the party, but it made things much smoother once people started arriving.

Yesterday I drove Laura up for her week at Camp Veritas. She had such a great time last year that she couldn’t wait to go back! (And as a bonus for parents, in our parish attending camp means your kid can skip the weekly CCD classes.) It was adorable as we were hauling her stuff to the cabin and all these girls she made friends with last year would yell out her name and come over and give her a big hug! I’m sure she’ll have a fantastic week up there.

And today is my oldest’s 21st birthday! So hard to believe!

Birthday celebration

He does have to work all day, but I think he plans to hang out with some friends afterwards. Then we will have a late dinner around 8 because I also have a board meeting I need to attend for work. Later this week will be Noah’s big day and college for both of them next week! The time just flies!

Welcoming August

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Hello, hello! It’s been a while, I know, but summer is just such an incredibly busy time around here that the blog had to be put on the back burner for a while. The time just flies by, doesn’t it? I can’t believe the last time I wrote was in early June. But things start to slow down a little in August so I thought I’d pop in and say hello!

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Noah, of course, graduated at the end of June and will be moving to college three weeks from today! I am so excited for him — the program and the school are just a perfect match and I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do! Laura wrapped up the club volleyball season and her team came out on top, which was exciting! Now we are getting ready for JV tryouts later in the month. And Jake has spent the summer working and hanging out with friends. He also goes back in three weeks and will be a senior. It’s just unreal to me that we will have two college students and one high school student. Wow!

We’ve been watching lots of great shows and going to the movies. For TV my favorite summer watch so far has been Will Trent, which we watched on Hulu. It was so much better than I expected it to be and I am really looking forward to the new season. Something about it reminds me of Monk, another favorite show. We also binge-watched The Last of Us this weekend and oh my God, talk about just constantly having your heart ripped out. Amazing writing, amazing acting… absolutely worth the hype. The second season of The Bear was amazing too! For movies, no surprise, Barbie has been my hands-down favorite! I was Barbie-obsessed as a kid, and to this day love her. We all wore pink to the theatre (no I didn’t even ask anyone to!) and it was so fun seeing how many other people in the audience did as well. I thought the movie was so smart and funny, while successfully dealing with many issues facing women today. My husband and son enjoyed it just as much as my daughter and I did! I want to see Oppenheimer, but I think I may wait and stream it or watch it on DVD. I know it’s going to be a heavy movie (not to mention, hello, three hours long) and I think my comfy living room might be best.

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Let’s see, what else? Earlier this summer we were hit hard by the Spongey Months (formerly known as Gypsy Moths). The oaks around our house were eaten bare. The leaves have since grown back, but at the end of June it looked more like early spring. And then, of course, the disgusting sound of the caterpillars. Yuck!

Weatherwise, with the exception of this week, the weather has been the pits this summer. Either oppressively hot and humid or thundering/lightening/storming. It’s been like nothing we’ve ever had here.

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I’ve been crocheting and crafting whenever I have a chance. Oh! Everything worked out fine with my D&C — the polyps were benign, and my recovery was, honestly, pretty easy.

I guess I’ll leave you with some random photos from the last couple of months. Gorgeous sunsets, delicious food, and flowers everywhere!

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Hope you all are doing well and I will be around to visit soon!

No, I haven’t disappeared (really)

Summer Wine

Yikes! Well, so much for that Blog365, LOL! I didn’t expect a two-week hiatus, but honestly I just have not had time to blog or visit everyone. Things have been just non-stop since I last wrote! Well, I definitely plan to pick up the pace again. Probably not every day, but I’m going to shoot for a few times a week during the summer. 

Honestly, I’m not even sure what to catch up on so I am just going to keep this short and sweet for now and say hello! I’ll write more soon (really, I will LOL!)

Busy book sale week

Hi everyone! It is book sale week here in my little world, which means 7 days of chaos! Organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless. It is busy with volunteers and organizing and training people how to use Square on iPads and praying for good weather on Saturday when we have all of the community groups in town set up tables outside. Well, it’s gonna be what it’s gonna be, right? I also have a busy work week with a number of meetings (groan!) and book club (double groan!). Jake comes home from college this week (yay!) and Noah and Laura both have field trips so there is a lot on the calendar and I am trying not to hyperventilate every time I look at it.

Linking up with Sandra again this week for Happy Homemaker Monday

The Weather…

I need the weather forecast to stay just like this. Today is just gorgeous out, and we are being really spoiled by perfect spring weather over the past couple of days. I don’t want it to get hot or humid… just like this is fine! 

As I look outside my window…
The highway guys are mowing the field next door and birds are flittering around the feeders.

Right now I am…
Checking email, chatting with with my co-workers, typing up this post

Thinking and pondering…
Thinking about some friends who are facing some tough personal challenges right now and how much I admire their grace and strength.

Listening to…
There’s a group of ladies who meet once a month to paint and I’m trying not to eavesdrop on their conversations, LOL…

How am I feeling…
Relieved but nervous, if that makes sense! Last week I had to reschedule a doctor’s appointment, if you remember, and I was able to get in first thing this morning. The appointment has to do with some GYN issues I have been dealing with for a while now, and my doctor and I decided on a path forward that makes the most sense. So the good news is that I don’t need to go for two more invasive tests. Instead, she scheduled me for surgery in June to have a polypectomy and D&C. So I am relieved that action is being taken, but of course I am a little nervous about the surgery. I had three c-sections, but for this I will be under general anesthesia, which makes me a little anxious. It’s a common outpatient surgery, and this doctor actually is the same one who performed my last c-section, so I am extremely comfortable with her. Hopefully this all will help the variety of “lady problems,” LOL!

On the breakfast plate…
Half of a cinnamon muffin with cream cheese

On the lunch plate…
Leftover pizza

On the dinner plate…
Hot dogs, baked beans, salad. Not the most nutritious day is it? Sometimes that is how it goes, though.

What I’m wearing…
Jeans, strappy sandals, floral top, mustard cardigan

On my reading pile…
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Comedy, Comedy, Comedy, Drama by Bob Odenkirk 

On my TV this week…
Finishing Season 4 of What We Do in the Shadows

Sprung

Impractical Jokers

On the menu…
Monday: Hot dogs, baked beans

Tuesday: Spinach-artichoke chicken, baked potatoes, salad

Wednesday: Ham, macaroni & cheese, ramen cole slaw (Making double of this meal and delivering to a friend)

Thursday: Chicken wraps

Friday: Burgers, maybe?

Saturday: Definitely take-out after all day at the book sale!

Looking around the house…
Not too bad because I cleaned yesterday morning (yes, on Mother’s Day! It was what I wanted to do so I could actually relax later). Just some crafting stuff that needs to be put away. I dropped off a bunch of donations for the Historical Society’s tag sale and that made a lot of extra space in the dining room, so I am happy about that.

To Do List…

– Dig out Jake’s Social Security card for his summer job

– Laundry (always)

– Update summer calendar

– Set up our new outdoor gazebo (!)

From the camera…
Sadly nothing to share today…

 

Wishing you all a great week ahead!

A fresh week

It is a new week so I am getting this post up bright and early, and hopefully I won’t far too far behind with my blogging for once, LOL! Hopefully you all had a great weekend. We enjoyed gorgeous spring weather here in the Hudson Valley. In addition to trying out the new boba shop in town, we took Laura to volleyball practice, did a little shopping, and did a little planning for a backyard refresh.

Today is a busy one, too… N. has his AP Calculus exam this morning, I have to reschedule a doctor’s appointment (ugh… I hate having to do that), work is going to be a busy one and then I have my board meeting tonight. So let’s get off to a positive start, shall we?

Linking up with Sandra at Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday,

The Weather:::
It’s bright and sunny as I am typing this out, just before 7 AM.
 
Monday – Sunny, 51/72
Tuesday – Cloudy 44/63
Wednesday – Sunny 39/70
Thursday – Partly sunny 45/75
Friday – Rainy 49/78
Saturday – Cloudy 53/77
 
As I look outside my window:::
Spring is in full bloom and I am loving it! The kids will be outside my window any minute as well, waiting for the bus.
 
Right now I am::: 
Chatting with Laura about styling jean shorts, LOL…
 
Thinking and pondering:::
If I will be able to reschedule my doctor’s appointment within a reasonable time frame.
 
On my bedside table:::
Water cup, thyroid pills, basket of random odds & ends
 
On my tv this week:::
What We Do In the Shadows
… need to start another show or two
 
Listening to:::
It’s quiet in the house, so just me typing!
 
On the lunch plate:::
Not sure yet… 
 
On the dinner plate:::
Buttermilk grilled chicken
 
On the menu for this week:::
Monday – Buttermilk grilled chicken, potato salad, zucchini
Tuesday – Turkey burgers
Wednesday – Italian sausages and pasta, green salad
Thursday –  Halal street cart chicken (copycat recipe)
Friday – Pizza maybe?
Saturday – Pot roast (bumped again!)
Sunday (Mother’s Day) – Grab something out after L’s volleyball game maybe?
 
On my reading pile:::
The Writing Retreat  by Julia Bartz
 

On my to do list:::

Some houseplant care
Laundry (never ending right?)
 
Plans for this week:::
Visiting my folks on Wednesday
Volleyball practice Thursday
Middle school dance on Friday
Volleyball game on Sunday
 
What I am creating:::
Still haven’t completed this from early April —-> Still working on Laura’s bag. I need to take an inventory of all my crochet WIPs and finish them before starting new projects.
 
My simple pleasure::: 
That first cup of coffee. Probably one of my favorite things.
 
Looking around the house:::
As you’d expect after the weekend! I’ll sort it out a bit before work.
 
From the camera:::
Sadly, I did not really take many photos last week and I am not at all caught up on my Copperplate alphabet, so I don’t have anything to share.
 
Wishing you all a good week ahead!