I Love New Socks (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: I haven't had any food delivered to my house since Door Dash/Uber Whatevers/Grub Whosits became a thing. My normal preference is hot and fresh food straight from the oven to my mouth, and I don't want to pay delivery fees, so delivery isn't really for me. But on Monday, Scotty and I were going on a date, and I thought it would be fun to have Chick-Fil-A delivered for the kids. 

A few minutes after the food arrived, my kids called and said there were two kids' meals missing. I called Chick-Fil-A, and they couldn't account for the missing meals, but they informed me that my order was the last one they filled before their fryers went down, and that they had actually had to close the store and couldn't make any replacement food. They offered to refund our whole order, including the tip and delivery fee!

Fact #2: Summer is quickly coming to an end. We started back-to-school shopping today. I'm realizing all the things I planned to do this summer and haven't done, and now I'm trying to cram whatever I can into the next three weeks along with finding pants long enough for my giant of a son.

Why we can't shop at IKEA

Fact #3: We normally go to the lake several times during the summer, but this year we've only gone once with our kayaks and once without. I bought some "throwing" paintballs and water balloons that we've never used. I promised (myself) I would give Eva and Zoe laundry folding lessons. I was going to read 100 books with Eva (we have a sticker chart, but instead of reading books, she reads text messages over my shoulder and gives herself a sticker). Our library books sat unused for weeks and weeks. We stopped going to the library and never replenished them. We didn't go on any hikes (which I'm fine with because, as much as I pretend to like hiking, in reality, I suffer). Our bikes are all broken, and we haven't gone camping as a family.

So we'll see what we can fit in before August 18th when the kids go back to school.

What I really want to do is lay in bed and watch TV for three weeks straight, but for the sake of my kids, I'll suck it up and be a parent. 

Fact #4: Zoe is going through a phase where she's suddenly into grappling hooks. She told me she had a vision that she made her own grappling hook. Now she is asking for a grappling hook for her birthday. 

Fact #5: Sadly, I have issues with rope and do not want any accessible for our children. So that makes grappling hooks a difficult request. 

Fact #6: On Monday, Zoe had her first Chaco Taco mere hours before learning that Chaco Tacos have been discontinued. She didn't handle the news well. 

She saved a Chaco Taco wrapper and put it in her "special" box. Our rule with the special box is that I'm not allowed to throw anything away that has been properly stored in the special box. Can't wait to see what it smells like a few weeks from now.

Fact #7: Which reminds me... I roasted a turkey for the 4th of July, and now I know why we do turkeys for winter holidays and not summer. Our garbage can could kill a yak from two miles away after I pressure washed it.

Fact  #8: Yesterday I went to see Where the Crawdads Sing, and I loved it. It's been so long since I read the book that I can't compare the book to the movie for accuracy. But I remember the book annoyed me when I read it because I had a very low tolerance for birds at the time. In fact, my review on Goodreads states, "I can't decide which I like the least - reading about dogs or reading about birds" (August 14, 2019).

Now I probably wouldn't mind the bird talk as much. 

But I still don't need to read any books about dogs.

Fact #9: My interest in birds is complicated. I have learned to appreciate birds since Wingspan came into my life in December of 2019. But sometimes I still find them annoying. Like when they chirrup outside my window for two hours straight every morning. And when the dang quail park their butts in the middle of the street, and I have to stop my van and wait for them to get out of the way. And when the magpies peck at my living room window. 

I'm also annoyed with robins and house sparrows for being so common.

Fact #10: Last week, Christie and I tricked our husbands into wearing the same shirt to go see Thor. 

Seeing Thor with Christie is always a trip. You never know what's going to come out of her mouth. But it’s usually along the lines of, “Oh, yum!”

In which I likely convince you to grow a garden

If you’ve been a regular visitor to my blog this season, you may have gathered that I’m a bit obsessed with my garden. I used to garden just because it seemed like something I should do. I didn’t particularly love it - I just did it to be like a real grown up. But now I really, truly enjoy gardening.

If you’ve never been entirely sold on the idea of having a garden, what I’m about to tell you will surely be a selling point. I don’t want to make anyone feel bad for not having a garden, but this might hit you to the core. 

Having a garden means you can spend a lot of money on soil, fertilizer, and water. You can use an abundance of your time out in the elements pulling weeds. Then you can wait 2+ months for a crop of green beans to grow from seed until the time arrives to spend over an hour picking them on a hot July night. 

And the fun doesn’t end there! Because after you pick the beans, you can spend another hour or more snapping the ends off. And if you, like me, do not like the texture of fresh green beans, you may proceed to bottle them!

This requires a pressure canner, jars, and lids, and a few hours of sweating to death in your kitchen. No big deal.

Because, in the end, you will have enough for your family to eat beans with dinner once every 7 weeks for a whole year! And with that comes the satisfaction that YOU made it happen! You gave of yourself endlessly to have those beans. I mean, sure, you could have gone to a case lot sale and purchased quadruple the amount of beans for $13, but why would you do that? Why would you take the easy route when you can invest so much time, money, and energy into growing and canning your own?

Pretty convincing, isn’t it?

July Reads

Suddenly we find ourselves at the end of July! 

I.

Am.

Exhausted.

I just got back from girls (church) camp today. Four days and three nights in the mountains with other people's children is quite an adventure! In all honesty, it went really well, and I can't complain. The girls were really well-behaved and they all seemed to have a good time. Nevertheless, this morning, I told them, "I love you all very much, but I'm excited to send you home to yo muthas!" 

I took a book to girls camp knowing full well that I wouldn't be reading it (and I was right), but there was just something comforting about knowing it was there! Instead of reading myself, I talked to every reader at camp about their books, and boy did I get an earful of Percy Jackson! I also got the rundown of a few graphic novels and several teen series (The Lunar Chronicles and Gallagher Girls to name a couple). Then in turn, I gave each of them a presentation on The Book Thief and Les Miserables which they didn't really listen to, and I thought, "This is what it must feel like to be an English teacher."

Now I’m sitting in my backyard watching the baby chickens fight over a bug whilst I type on my phone and eat mint chocolate chip ice cream straight from the carton.

Here are the books I’ve read in July:

The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth

(contemporary, chick lit)

Source: e-book

Summary: After the suicide of her husband following his involvement in a Ponzi scheme, Eve takes a job as a cook at a care center where she meets Anna and Luke, two young Alzheimer's patients who are in love but are kept apart for safety reasons. 

Content: language and mild sexual content

Review: ****

Final statement: I didn't love the Anna and Luke story, but there were things in this book that really appealed to me - particularly Eve and her daughter reconciling their husband and father's choices. I was leaning more toward a three-star rating until I read the author's note at the end. Sometimes those author's notes are what win me over.  

The Lost Girls by John Glatt

(non-fiction, true crime)

Source: audiobook

Summary: This is an account of the abductions and rescue of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina Dejesus in Cleveland, Ohio.

Content: This story contains the worst of human nature - abduction and abuse of all kinds. 

Review: ****

Final statement: Do you remember when these girls were found? Do you? Because I do, and I was glued to the news. I COULD. NOT. BELIEVE IT! This story is absolutely horrific. If this book were fiction, I would criticize the author for inflicting every possible type of pain and suffering on the characters - to the point of making the book "too far-fetched," and yet, this really happened. Some of the content made me sick, but I am very intrigued by human behavior, and if I ever pursue further education or a career, it will likely be along the lines of social work or therapy, so as repulsive as it is, I am drawn to stories like this. I want to know how the victims survived and how they are healing. 

The Witness Wore Red by Rebecca Musser

(non-fiction, true crime, polygamy, cults)

Source: e-book

Summary: A memoir from one of the wives of Rulon Jeffs of the FLDS Church featured in Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey. 

Content: various forms of abuse, cult indoctrination and behavior

Review: ****

Final statement: I've always been fascinated with the FLDS, and as I stated from the book above, I want to know how the victims survived and how they are healing. I can't imagine what it's like for these men, women, and children to leave their community and face the outside world after being so heavily isolated and indoctrinated. 

We Hear Voices by Evie Green

(light sci-fi, paranormal)

Source: audiobook

Summary: during a pandemic, child victims of the illness begin to report imaginary friends.

Content: language

Review: *****

Final statement: This book doesn't have great ratings on Goodreads, which is usually very telling - 3.6 stars - but I really liked it, so I'm not sure what that says about me. 

The School for German Brides by Aimie K. Runyan

(historical fiction, WWII)

Source: e-book

Summary: an alternating storyline between two women, Tilde and Hanna, who are both young, German woman during WWII.

Content: one swear word that I remember, but I would let my grandma read this. 

Review: ***

Final statement: My rating on this one is a bit low, but I read a lot of books that take place in WWII. So due to oversaturation, this was just "another WWII book" to me, but to someone who hasn't read a lot, it may be more enjoyable. Also, I was expecting it to include more "bride school" being that it's titled The School for German Brides, but in reality, the bride school wasn't even part of the book until the last 30% and was a very small part of the story. If you're looking for a relatively clean historical novel, consider this one. 

Breaking Free by Rachel Jeffs

(non-fiction, true crime, polygamy, cults)

Source: audiobook

Summary: a memoir from one of Warren Jeffs' daughters who escaped the FLDS. 

Content: descriptions of child molestation and sexual abuse, cult indoctrination and behavior

Review: **** (it's hard to give a rating to someone's personal story, but there tended to be some plot holes - or things not well explained - in this book. Just a note).

Final statement: This story was heart-breaking and further proof that Warren Jeffs is a very evil man. 

--------------------

Here are the books I read this month, but didn't care for enough to review here:

 

Our Backyard

Yesterday I mentioned that I like to walk through my garden and spend some time in the backyard in the mornings. We’ve lived in our house for 18 years as of February, and our yard has gone through a lot of changes.

When we first moved in, the perimeter of the yard was lined with rose bushes, and Scotty wanted those taken out immediately. The yard had no shade, so it was always really hot back there, and we never wanted to go out there in the summer. It was also mostly weeds since the previous owners' dogs had worn out all the grass. 

Over time, we planted some fruit and shade trees, laid sod, and poured a concrete patio. But it was still way too hot back there for several years while we waited for the trees to grow. We struggled to keep the lawn alive and we didn’t have a cover on the patio.

We made a garden, which we have since redone three times. First it was just a dirt patch. Then we changed to garden boxes. Then we added more garden boxes. And most recently, we moved all the garden boxes.  

Our garden in 2011

When Nicky was about 18 months old, we invested in a wooden play set. 

Play set 2011

That play set has gone through some changes over time - most recently, a horrible paint job. 

Play set currently

Scotty built 85% of a shed (he’s never finished it, but it holds stuff just fine, and it was mostly free). We added chickens - first having their coop under the playhouse where the sandbox normally goes and then building them a bigger place when we got more. 

The coop

Obligatory chicken photo

We also had rabbits for a while. Their cage is gone, but Scotty built them a little play area that still remains - with a Spartan logo on the door because he used the scrap wood from Nicky’s Spartan Race themed birthday.

For a while we had a dog run because we were taking care of my mom’s dog while she was moving and having her yard fenced. 

At one point we had an arbor with honeysuckle growing on it and a fence with grapevines. That’s all gone now. Our fruit trees gave us a few wonderful harvests, but then one by one, they all got diseases or bugs and died. So they’ve all been removed now.

We had a stone patio for a while, and then we removed it because we got another shed and had to put it in that spot. 

We had raspberry bushes for several years, but they're gone now. I don't need any raspberries for now because I take care of Scotty's mom's raspberries, but I'd like to have them again someday. 

I found an awning on clearance at Sam’s Club, so I bought it and we bolted it to our patio. 

We had patio furniture, and then it got really worn out, so we got rid of it. Now we just use stackable Adirondack chairs and a picnic table we inherited from Scotty’s grandma.

Obviously we use our patio wisely

Our shade trees are finally big enough to protect our yard from the sun. We felt like we would never have shade, but with time, it came!

A few years ago, we had curbing installed near the house and filled it in with rocks because we could never get grass to grow there. That eyesore is somewhat managed, but we still have several patches in our yard where we have repeatedly laid sod or grass seed to no avail. 

Then last year when we moved all our garden boxes, we had some curbing put around it.

A small glimpse of the curbing from a month ago

We wanted to plant sod where the garden used to be, but then we found ourselves in a drought, so we decided to wait. We’re still in a drought, so this year, as a temporary fix, we put some bark down where we were originally hoping to put grass. My mom was redoing her landscaping from bark to rock, so we took the bark.

The bark - which we just laid a few days ago, so we still need to trim the weed cloth

When Nicky was an infant, I bought a sand turtle from the thrift store for $10. It's still out in the yard today - drifting from place to place. We've used it as a sandbox and a swimming pool, but mostly we use it for holding dirt, rocks, or bark while we move it from place to place. 

We also have a pond form we use for everything but a pond. 

Here's one of those spots grass won't grow

Popsicle lounger

Chicken play pen

We'll never be able to get rid of it because it's been so useful for the 18 years we've had it!

As our backyard has evolved through good, bad, ugly, and kind of weird, I can't help but feel immense gratitude for our little piece of earth. I don't think we'll ever have the nicest lawn, and we'll probably never be free of the pile of junk that plagues our patio, but we still have a lot of pride in our property, and we're happy to have it. I look around the yard and see everything we've built and grown and worked for. To me, though imperfect, it represents so many of our values and memories. It represents mistakes and learning opportunities. It also represents something we have stewardship of, and even though yard work can be a huge hassle, it’s also very rewarding. 

Portrait of a Morning

Today's cloudy, rainy, and just what I need! I wouldn't say it's cool, but it's not as hot as it has been, and I am so grateful for the respite. The heat lately has been wiping me out. I have so little energy, and I'm always sweaty and uncomfortable. I feel like the Swamp Thing.

Confession: I don't actually know what Swamp Thing is, so I just googled it, and ew! 

But yeah... I feel like I just crawled out of a swamp, and I look it, too. And now that I have a visual of Swamp Thing, I can only assume he's Vecna's older brother. Or younger. It's hard to assess the ages of the creatures. 

Anyway, today started out just right. I'm a morning person - most of my energy and enthusiasm each day is gone by 10:00, so mornings are very important to me. I don't have a set routine because each day is different depending on the schedule, especially in summer, but I do have some morning preferences. If I can achieve several of my morning "preferences," I set myself up for a better day. Some of my preferences include:

• Wake up by 6:00
• Read a Conference talk
• Do Wordle
• Go for a walk
• Drink water
• Sit outside for about 20 minutes
• Kids sleep til 8:00 (hey, I'm just stating "preferences" - this doesn't actually happen)
• Get a chore started (usually a load of laundry or dishes)
• Read or listen to an audiobook
• Check the garden
• Eat breakfast
• Update the budget
• Finalize a dinner plan
• Grocery shop, if needed

(Notice that showering doesn't make the list. I'm not sure what that says about me...)

This morning, I was able to hit several of my preferences. I woke up at 6:00 and walked three miles. 

I keep hoping to find the cougar, but my walking friends aren’t so excited about the idea

When I got home, I filled up my Maverik cup with ice water and went outside (I've been drinking out of this cup for two weeks because I'm soda sober again, and something about drinking from a soda cup helps me cope). 

I put my earbuds in and turned on an audiobook while I did my garden check, let the chickens out, and gathered the eggs. 

I sat in a chair under a tree and finished Wordle and enjoyed just existing. Sometimes it's exhausting to exist. Other times, it's rather delightful. This morning it was delightful. I watched the chickens scavenging around the yard, admired the flowers I've grown from seed (a huge triumph, as I am not good at flowers), and basked in the not-too-hot temperatures, and I recognized how simple bliss can be. 

Then my kids came outside and started fighting. 

THE END.

Saving the Monies

Right now I'm trying really hard to be budget-conscious. I don't have to tell you that food and gas prices are putting a damper on things. We're all feeling it! I routinely debate whether I should pursue some form of employment in the fall when my kids go back to school, but ultimately, I want to continue to stay home if I can. To do so, I have to be wise and careful with what we have. 

Yesterday that meant having hot dog bun French toast for breakfast. 

One problem I'm having, though, is Prime Day. 

Every year, I know that the best way to save money on Prime Day is to not buy anything. You don't save money by shopping on Prime Day (or Black Friday, or whatever "money saving day" it be). You save money by not shopping at all! Yet every year, I sneak a little peek - just out of curiosity - and I end up buying crap. So this year, I said to myself, "Britt, don't even look! Just stay away completely!" and I set a goal to buy NOTHING on Prime Day. 

This is how Prime Day is going...

Me: I know Prime Day is sometime soon, but I'm going to do myself a favor and not look at the dates. If I don't know when Prime Day is, it won't be a temptation to me.

Internet: It's PRIME DAY! It's PRIME DAY!

Me: I guess it is now Prime Day. This day shall pass, and I shall be strong and unaffected.

Internet: PRIME DAY is two days!

Me: I can make it through two days without looking.

Internet friends: Here are ten links to lists of the best things to buy on PRIME DAY!

Me: I will not look! I will not look!

Also me: Just one little peek won't hurt.

Me: Don't do it! 

Also me: But I'm curious...

Me: What you don't know won't hurt you!

Also me: FOMO! FOMO! FOMO!

Me: Save all the monies! It's not worth it.

Also me: You can just look... you don't have to buy anything! You're so curious!

Me: No! No! No!

Amazon: You made it through day one, but you'll never make it through day two! Admit it! I have you in the palm of my hand!

Me: Stand back, Amazon demon! You will never own me!

Amazon: Prove it!

Me: Just... a few... more... hours... I... can... do... this…

Daisy: Mom! All the Sharpies are dried out!

Me: There might be a deal on Sharpies for PRIME DAY!

Also me: No! Don’t check!

Amazon notifications: PRIME DAY! PRIME DAY! PRIME DAY!

Phone robots: Beep bop! We detect someone is trying to resist PRIME DAY! 

Facebook: PRIME DAY!

Email: PRIME DAY!

Instagram: PRIME DAY!

Pinterest: PRIME DAY!

Me: Must… stay… strong…

Currently {July 2022 Edition}

Reading:

Wearing: the clothes I went walking in this morning, which I intend to change out of and shower at some point today.

Update: Hammer pants I got from the thrift store and Scotty's XXL Brocation shirt from 2019 (I've been writing this post since June 29).

Annoyed by: fluid in my ears (see #40-42) and my Apple watch telling me I need to stand up right after I sit down. 

Struggling with: my Church calling. 

Excited for: In the Heights this weekend.

Update: went today. Great show put on by a community theater in our area. 

Listening to: 

Update: FINISHED! I liked it, but it only has a 3.6 star rating on Goodreads. 

Thinking about: what I'm going to wear to church tomorrow and whether it requires me to do a load of laundry. 

Deciding: what I will do when I’m done with this blog post. I’ve been awake since 4:00 this morning, so I might need to take a 20-minute snoozer so I can function. Other options include: work on laundry, shower, make my bed, plan my lesson for Sunday (I’m subbing in primary), or spend time with my daughters (Nicky is out golfing). 

Update: I did not get that nap.

Celebrating: Scotty's birthday - July 2. Speaking of naps, guess who's having one right now? The birthday boy, of course! 

Avoiding: public outings with my kids. I’m not in the mood to go out and do stuff with them right now. I feel bad because I’ve been keeping them cooped up a lot, and they’re bored. 

Building:

I just finished this puzzle from the thrift store last night. It was missing two pieces.

This morning I started sorting a puzzle my friend Trixie (who chose her own pseudonym for my blog - “I’ll be Trixie,” she said) gave me.

Update: I'm almost done with Trixie's puzzle now. 

Trying: to convince Zoe that she doesn't need to decorate her bike for the 4th of July, nor does she need to host a family restaurant for breakfast tomorrow, being that it is Fast Sunday, and I don't want to deal with her messes. 

Watching:

Rooting for Keaton. I love that he doesn't fit the typical dancer profile - he's a linebacker farmer boy. 

Playing: Clue. Because it's July. See #35.

Buying: a thermometer for our fridge. 

Singing: "Somebody that you used to know" by Gotye

Update: "Paciencia y Fe" from In the Heights

Feeling: a-okay… now. Yesterday Thursday I was in complete breakdown mode. I thought the world was falling apart all around me. I felt hopeless, doomed, and worthless. I was starting to worry that I would need to increase my antidepressants. Then I realized… it’s PMS! Oh, thank Heaven!

No matter how long I’ve been a woman (38+  years at this point), I am still always taken by complete surprise when I have PMS. When I’m experiencing emotional turmoil and distress, I never stop to consider the time of the month. 

Wanting: to find the mountain lion that's been roaming our area for the past couple of days. 

Amber and I are pretty much the human version of Wonder Pets, so you don't need to worry about us.

Cooking: nothing. I told my kids, "I'm not cooking, so find something to eat." They're eating Marie Callender's chicken pot pies. 

Needing: a new laptop. My current one is on its last leg. It was already in rough shape, and then Eva dropped it. Now it's falling apart (even more), and the keyboard is bowed. I have to use pliers to plug in the charging cord. 

Eating: Red Robin for lunch today. Which is partially why I'm not cooking dinner. 

Missing: my flip-flops. I lost them over a week ago, and they haven't turned up yet. 

Looking forward to: bed time for my kids. For Pete's sake! SHUT THESE PEOPLE DOWN!

Dreading: going to the dermatologist this week. 

Sick of: sweat.

Craving: lots and lots of water. 

Grateful for: our good, old swamp cooler.