COVID-19 Quarantine Day 8

Pretty quiet day, today, around the Voss House.  Everyone slept in, including Michael, who took today off, to watch the beginning of March Madness.  My poor hubby...  3 years in a row now he's taken off the first Friday of March Madness to watch basketball all by himself and eat junk food all day...  But that has never happened.  🤦🏼‍♀️  2 years ago we had a garage sale here at our house on the day he took off, so we asked him to watch all 4 kids (our 2 and Sis & Adam's 2, who I was watching at the time).  Last year Connor was sick, so although Michael did get to watch basketball, he also had to care for a sick kid.  And this year, well, you know.  It's probably best if he doesn't request this day off next year...  Who knows what could happen...  😳

Michael made some runs out and about today.  He went to Lowes to get a spreader to put crab grass preventative down.  He tried to apply the stuff to the yard yesterday, but the spreader he had broke, so he went out to get another one today.  While he was out, he also picked up some food for us from Dempsey's Biscuit Co.  It is, IMHO, the best breakfast food in Wichita.  It was delicious!

We spent most of the day playing games, watching TV and movies, and relaxing.  The kids also did Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems and learned how to draw the Pigeon!  They turned out super cute!!  It was a wonderful and nice day.  Looking forward to more days like this in the future. 

COVID-19 Quarantine Day 7

Lots of things happening today!  Here's a quick rundown! 

- Slept in

- Delicious smoked salmon and avocado toast for breakfast

- Avery video chatted with a friend

- Connor video chatted with a friend

- Kids played with chalk, bikes, and hoverboard

- Kids put up their lemonade stand

- More cleaning on my part 

- Checked on the garden, have carrots and strawberries growing

- Played some jumbo jenga

- Grilled for dinner

- Cleaned the deck and furniture

- Group video chat for Life Group

- Kids recorded a couple more videos of them reading stories

- Bedtime snuggles

That's the gyst of it!  Hope your day went well!  More tomorrow!  Night! 

COVID-19 Quarantine Day 6

Not a whole lot happened here today.  As far as I'm concerned, the kids and I are still on Spring Break, so I'm not forcing them to have super productive days (for now).  My breakfast bowl was more of a brunch bowl by the time I got it all done.  I didn't get a picture of the finished product because Avery had my phone.  She was having a FB video chat with twin sisters from school.  ❤  They gave each other tours of their houses (which is funny because they've been here before and Avery has been there before too), did directed drawings together, ate lunch together, and talked about their Spring Breaks.  It was surprisingly normal given the circumstances.  I started rewatching Bones again.  Not sure if it's the show I want to stick with for the foreseeable future, but all my other shows at the moment I have to wait for Michael to watch with me.  We'll see if I'm in the mood for something else tomorrow.  Got some cleaning done in the kitchen and dining room.  We were supposed to have guests Friday-Sunday, a friend of mine from college and her family were coming to town to meet with a doctor about her daughter's diabetes.  But, that was before the world fell apart.  Still not sure if they're coming or not, and if they are, they probably won't stay all weekend after all.  Either way, I should probably get the house picked up.  Slowly but surely.  The kids, Michael, and I spent part of the evening outside on the deck.  We read a chapter from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (book 4).  We all had chocolate frogs that were left over from our HP marathon a week and a half ago.  Then the kids each read a book while Michael and I recorded them.  I don't think I can upload videos here, but if I add it to YouTube I'll post a link here.  Avery's video 😊  I spaghetti squash for dinner!  I inhaled it, so no pictures, but it was very tasty!  Also nice to be getting my veggies in again.  Especially after eating junk all weekend.  I also got my Travis Kelce jersey in today!  I bought it during the Superbowl from a super shady looking chinese app.  I wasn't sure if it would ever arrive and I wasn't sure what kind of quality it would be if it did, because it only cost $17.  But it's great!  I love it!  That's about all that happened today.  Pretty normal day, actually.  Getting outside and not staying cooped up all day really helped.  The kids and I may have to go for a drive or something tomorrow.  We'll see.  That's all I've got for today.  Stay safe and be good to one another.  Love you all!!  ❤❤

Also, I mentioned my chandeliers earlier today, they are so beautiful in the evening too!  ❤

COVID-19 Quarantine Day 6 - Finding the Joy

Wow, the world has changed fast.  As a worn-out extrovert I am embracing the time at home to recharge.  But I know myself, and I know being home and social distancing will wreak havoc on my mental well-being sooner than I anticipate.  So I'm going to take this moment to begin finding joy, celebrating the positive, and praising God for His gifts and blessings.  Here's what I'm joyful about today (in no particular order)...

*I'm glad my favorite coffee shop has a monthly subscription, so my coffee gets delivered to my house and I don't have to go out for it or give it up.

*My chandeliers in the trees behind our house are so beautiful!  I love them in the daytime and at night!  I look forward to seeing how they look when the trees' leaves come in and when the summer sun bounces off the crystals. 

*I can't wait to get my garden up and running!  Is it time yet??  I think this social distancing will be a great time to get some planting done.  The kids will be instrumental this year!  I hope we'll be able to finish the boxes this year like we planned.

*I am really thankful that our church canceled services before things got worse.  I love that we already had live streaming available.  I am so encouraged to see so many people tuning in this last week.  

*I love my LifeGroup.  They are the people I struggle through life with and share my Joy's and burdens with.  They give me strength and point me to Jesus.  They are shoulders to cry on and laughter and praying hands and helpers.  I love them.

*This new slow down to life will give me no more time excuses to ignore my time with God.  It's sad that this is what it took, but I will rejoice in my new focus.

*I spent over an hour this morning contacting parents from Avery and Connor's classes, giving my phone number and suggesting phone calls and video chats between our kids.  The virus can't stop our sense of community.

*I'm having a southwest breakfast bowl this morning and it is going to be delicious!  I'm stoked!  ❤😋

That's what I've got for now.  Kinda rambling, but hey, that's me.  Be good to one another, stay safe, and know that God and I love you!  Praying for our leadership, country, and world in this desperate time.  ❤🙏

Coronavirus Quarantine Days 1-5

This weekend we went out of town for Spring Break.  We started this last year, the whole family getting away for the weekend.  Then after the weekend was over, Mama, the kids, and I stayed for a couple more days.  This worked out particularly well this year, as the coronavirus was just starting to ramp up when we left.  We had a great weekend, and it worked well to isolate, but a lot changed over the weekend.

7 days ago I was laughing and joking about the coronavirus.  I sent a text to my friend, Nate, who went to Africa with me in college, and is also a doctor, and said, "You know, in light of all the coronavirus scare, I just have to say, I brushed my teeth in the tap water in Cameroon...  I think I'm good.  😉🤣"  So much has changed in a week.  Today Governor Kelly suspended in-person classes for all K-12 schools in Kansas.  The word I keep coming back to is surreal.  I figure later in my life I'll look back and read about what life was like during this time.  So I'm going to keep track of how life is changing and what life looks like for our family during this time.

Today we, Mama, Dayton, Avery, Connor, and I, came home from the farm.  We had been out there all weekend with Daddy, Michael, Adam, Sis, and Delaney.  I decided this evening to try to get more vegetables into our diet.  So we had Ramen with Zucchini and Brussel Sprouts for dinner.  It was delicious!  Michael and the kids all liked it!  Huzzah!  Stay tuned for more exciting tales of quarantined life!  ❤  Stay safe out there!  😷

Avery also asked to do one of her face masks.  And as we are still, technically, on Spring Break, we'll be doing plenty of silly, fun, and non-educational things in the coming days.  😊❤

Eating Healthy Again - Take 179

I have not eaten healthy the last year and the scale is definitely showing it.  I give myself too much leeway and don't moderate myself.  I find myself facing similar numbers on the scale as what I saw back in 2015 when I set about to lose a significant amount of weight.  Now, because I was lax with myself, I have that challenge in front of me again.  *sigh*  The good news is I know I'm capable of doing it.  The bad news is that it took me almost a year last time.  Maybe if I'm strict with myself, especially on vacation and around holidays *sobs* I can cut that time down some.  We shall see.  One thing I liked to do when I was losing weight was blog, especially about my meals.  So here we go again...

I made my own ramen bowl last night for dinner.  It had chicken broth, a little tomato bullion, some Asian noodles I got from World Market, onion, zucchini, green onion, sriracha, sesame oil, soy sauce, and a poached egg.  It was MARVELOUS!!  I anticipate having a similar meal tonight or for lunch today!  Yum!!  Hooray for a veggie stuffed meal!

This morning for breakfast I had a veggie hash and a slice of toast.  I was going to have an egg with it, then I decided I would probably be plenty full with just the veggies.  I was right.  I went to Grandma and Grandpa Heorman's last night for some fresh fruits and veggies and I put almost all of them into my hash this morning!!  My recipe included: baby russet potatoes, zucchini, onion, tomatoes, and a bit of shredded cheese.  Since none of my veggies are the same consistency, they all needed different cook times.  I started browning the potatoes (cubed small, as was everything else), then added the zucchini and let it soften a little, then added the onion until it was opaque, then I poured the veggie mixture in an oven safe bowl, topped it with tomatoes and a sprinkle of shredded cheese and broiled it about a minute.  It was DELICIOUS!  I am stuffed!

I am going to try really hard to get veggies into all of my meals.  They keep me full and I love them, so I don't see why I don't eat them more.  Hopefully that will be a regular change for me from here on out.  Wish me luck and hopefully the scale will move quickly!

I should also add, I went on a 5.5 mile walk yesterday!  😪  I was playing games on my phone and just kept going.  Also, it was time put of the house and quiet alone time, so I wasn't in a tremendous hurry to get home.  🤣  It also kept me out of the pantry for a couple hours.  😋  I doubt I'll be out as long tonight, but hopefully I'll be out again.  I was just walking, but I figured I'd note my fastest mile time on here and maybe I'll get better.  Also, maybe (let's just say it, fat chance) I'll start running.  😂😂😂

My fastest mile was: 19:26
My average mile was: 20:04

That's all for now.  Happy Tuesday!  ❤❤❤

My Crunchy Dream

Hey friends!  It's been almost a year since I posted anything of substance on here.  My apologies for the long absence.  Basically, long story short, life is busy and so am I.  But I'm writing today.  No promises for the future, because you just never know.

I desperately want to live a crunchy life.  But it is just not as possible where I live.  So I have a dream of a crunchy life that I thought I'd share.  😉  Maybe someday when the kids have moved out we'll build our own house and some of this dream could come to fruition.  Time will tell.

If you have no clue what I mean when I say, "crunchy life" let me explain.  The term/phrase originated in the 60's with hippies, the original hipsters, I like to think.  They were people who ate raw and organic foods before they were buzz words, grew their own food, lived in tents or busses, didn't shave, etc.  Now please, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of modern conveniences I have no intention of deserting.  Indoor plumbing, big fan, excess body hair on me, not a fan, natural deodorant does not work, but there are a few things that I do think sound awesome.  For instance, I'd love to have a big, nice garden, that actually grew food we could put on our table each night.  Having a few chickens for eggs sounds great.  Even roasting my own coffee beans sounds like a fun challenge!

So someday, when the kids are moved out, when we buy some land outside of Manhattan and build a home for just us, there are a few things I'd like: 
-A nice garden to grow any and all vegetables and fruits I'd like
-A couple fruit trees and even an avocado tree (though it may have to stay in the house part of the year)
-To bake my own bread every few days, and use little to no store bought bread or even tortillas
-To raise chickens and have a small chicken coop for eggs and possibly for meat if I can stomach the dressing process
-Depending on how much land we end up having, a couple cows for beef would be pretty cool too

I suppose most of that is just food related.  It's mostly about being healthy, saving money, and being environmentally conscious.  We're already slightly on the crunchy side, we used cloth diapers, made our own baby food, I nursed both kids so we didn't have to use much formula, I drive a hybrid, and we invest in wind energy.  Now most of that is just because it's cheaper, but some is for the health and environmental benefits.  It's nice when the things we want to do to save money (like get better gas mileage on a hybrid) also have other benefits (like being better for the environment).  The wind energy is the only one that isn't saving us money.  We actually pay more for that service, but our home is powered by wind and that's great for the environment and practical in Kansas, and that's worth it.

Before I get on a political rant, I think I'll bring this to a close.  😉  Enjoy a few pictures of some food I've made in the last few days.  Not all of it is stuff I could grow, raise, or bake myself, but a lot of it is.  Maybe someday!  ❤

PS - If any of the food looks good, send me a note and I'll get you recipes.  😉