Blog-less but Not Lifeless

I am finally sitting in my blogging chair for the first time in almost a week. Yes, there is a preferred chair where this body sits while these fingers type the words your eyes are reading. It's just been one of those weeks - not all bad, just busy. Here's a bit of a rundown of my week since my post on November 10th.

Thursdays are special days in our lives because it is officially "Grab Grandma and Grub" day. My 85 year old mom lives alone, and, as she would say, "does amazingly well for the shape she's in." However, her driving days are done. So on Thursday, I take her to Kay's Shady Nook to get her hair done. After that, we support a local restaurant for lunch. This week, after dropping her off at 1:45ish, I took a few breaths before I hit Spoiled Salon for my 2 hour stint of coiffed care that happens every 8 weeks or so. Check. Home for a bite of supper and to say "hello!" to Hannah, who buzzed in for the weekend, and then off to our church for 3 hrs of clothes' sorting in preparation for our church's clothing drive. Home. Bed. No blogging.

Friday dawned a normal school day, and Mary Grace and I hit it hard during the morning hours. But with Hannah home, we had to do something fun too, and we spent a couple of hours after noon wandering through the Christmas open houses here in Bolivar. We then made a quick run to the store to buy tofu (a first!) for a new dessert I was trying before heading home to make supper.

Chocolate Mousse Fudge Cake: (Mousse = tofu)

Supper for 8 was served before heading to SBU's most excellent production of The Sound of Music with the entire clan. Home. Bed. No blogging. (Follow through Friday deadline missed)

Saturday brought more fun opportunities. I had signed up a couple of months back to help with the first annual Polk County K-Life Peacock Tail Trail Run at Dunnegan Park. Two of the girls had signed up to run too, so we were up and at the park by 8 a.m.

Elizabeth has trouble waking up to run a 5K...and she was cold

Mary Grace, Elizabeth, Rachel Custer

Mary Grace - definitely a 2 thumbs up kind of girl

Feeling good!

After a successful couple of hours there, we hit another open house, which served complimentary white beans and corn bread (our lunch) - before heading home. Everybody went to the big soccer game at 1 p.m. that our high school boys played in but me. I was feeling a bit under the weather, so I crashed on the couch for 20 minutes or so before I tackled mail and laundry. At 3:15, Hannah and I left for Springfield to attend the district choir concert that Faith was singing in. We were leaving Springfield by 6ish, picked up some Papa Murphy's, and back to Bolivar for dinner. I was really dragging at this point, and fell asleep in the living room by 9. So, no blogging.

Sunday, up and at 'em for Sunday School and church. El Rodeo for lunch, then home to prepare my lessons for Classical Conversations on Monday. I worked on that for a couple of hours, and then we headed to church to help put the building back in order after the clothing drive. We went straight from there to small group. From there to the grocery for Faith's birthday cake fixins, and then home for Amazing Race with family. Lou and I then readied the house for Faith's birthday. Check. Bed. No blogging.

Monday, I made Faith's favorite breakfast, biscuits and gravy, to start our day. Then, it was off to work. Monday is my day to work...outside the home, at least for a couple of hours. From 9-12, I actually attend the Foundations class of Classical Conversations of Bolivar with Mary Grace. For more insight on the Classical model of education and Classical Conversations in particular, here's a helpful link. In the afternoon, I'm the tutor for the Essentials class at CC. That time and those students are a real joy to me. And I have learned far more than I've taught.

My Essentials class from last year
Jay, Will, Grace, Mary Grace

After class, I swung by my mom's to take care of a couple of things for her, then home to warm up food for the fam before I left for a friend's birthday supper before the big Drury- SBU game. (We are celebrating Faith's birthday Thanksgiving weekend). After the SBU game, we came home to sing Happy Birthday to Faith and devour some Chocolate Eclair Cake. Luke skyped us so he could wish Faith HB face to face. Then...bed. No blogging.

Happy 17th, Faith!

Which brings us to today - Tuesday. Another full day of school, volleyball details for a club team I'm trying to help start, Bible Study with some friends, a quick stop at the grocery, home for meal prep and a couple of loads of laundry. Right after supper, at 6, Lou and I attended Faith's induction into the National Honor Society. That was a brief ceremony, so unbelievably, I have an evening to breathe, catch up, and blog!

It's really crazy how much I enjoy blogging. My kids might throw the words obsessed or addicted if they were pushed to describe me and my blog. I'm very glad that I'm sitting in my blog chair typing away. But you know what I love even more than blogging? Living life with the ones I love. And even I know that's way more important.