Corona Virus Week 6

Jared and Lydia have been spending some good time at our creek the last week or 2.  I went down and joined them one afternoon and we had a lovely time together.  I hadn't spent any significant time by our creek for years.  We can see and hear them from our deck and let them explore by themselves.  They built villages and towers and lookouts and had some figures to use with them. I got down there and decided it was time to clean the leaves out of the creek bed so there could be more flow and less decaying stuff and got a lot cleared. The stepping stones we placed to cross the creek with had been buried by leaves and sticks from when the creek filled up from rain storms so we got them back in place.  It looks great.

Final mile for marathon in a month!  We did our last mile Tuesday and finished with medals and Klondike bars.  It was a little sad to not be with friends to cheer each other on when they crossed the finish line and have a Popsicle party with but Lydia and Jared were great sports.

Some friends here in Charlottesville decided they wanted to do a marathon in a month too after seeing our pictures but then the husband challenged then to do a marathon in a week so they decided to go for it and Jared, Mark and I are joining in.  Jared and I went on a 4 mile walk this morning and it was so great.  I loved having that one on one time with him.  It was so lovely.  We had lots to talk about and just enjoyed being outside together. He is a really great kid.  We need to finish by Friday so it will be intense.  After 2 days (we started yesterday) Jared has 8 miles, I have 10 and Mark has 12.  Mark really wanted to go on a walk this evening and Jared and Lydia were not buying it so he and I decided to go and had a nice brisk walk together.  Like a corona virus date. Mark set the pace and he is much faster. He pointed out that today is April 26th which is the day we got engaged 16 years ago so it was perfect to slip away together for a little bit.

4 miles later! 

Work project:  This week I had a nice time intensive project to work on which made me happy.  I even spent one day at the office (well 2 hours there) working on it.  UVA's Spring semester is ending soon.  This coming week is the last week of classes I think.  Normally there is an end of the year awards picnic for the Chemical Engineering undergrads but clearly that was not going to take place this year.  So it was my job to collect the engraved Jefferson cups from the business and get them ready to mail to the students who received them. I went to the post office and waited while the sweet worker processed the 35+ packages needing to go out.  Fortunately only one person had to wait and they came in when we were about half way done.  It was a lot. 

UVA Virtual Run With Jim.  I really like UVA President Jim Ryan.  When he started working at UVA in 2018 he started organized school/community runs a few times each semester.  I have wanted to attend one but timing is hard.  I am a sweaty mess after I run and driving to UVA, finding parking then running and either going to work all gross or coming home and then driving back seemed wasteful.  So I have yet to attend.  Friday night I saw on Instagram (yes I follow him that is how great I think he is) that he was hosting one virtually Saturday and decided to join in.  It was fun.  Jared and I did 4 miles and Mark ran 10.  He just keeps adding another mile each week, he is dong great. Over 3,000 people signed up just over night! When they start up again in person I am just going to go for it.

While I was making donuts Lydia and Jared were having a mini Harry Potter marathon.  They both started reading the books again this week. I knew it was only a matter of time before they did during COVID 19.  Jared read 1-4 this week and Lydia read 1-3.  We decided Lydia could read 4 but will make her wait to read 5 and 6.  We had planned to let Jared read 7 after the school year ended but he gets to start a little early due to this pandemic.  So they watched the first 2 movies and enjoyed some delicious butter beer. They both want to do some more exploring on Pottermore and I told them about the new site J.K. Rowling put out because of the pandemic so we will do that too. 

In between movies they got some good time jumping on the trampoline in the rain which made it extra fun.  They always want to do this and were so happy it was just rain not thunderstorms.  They got drenched and loved it. 

Donut Saturday:

I have noticed that Saturdays are my hardest day.  A full day of no structure and not many places to go is really hard on me.  So I decided to choose a day long activity for myself.  This week was donuts.  I love to bake yet I had never made donuts.  They always seemed like such a hassle and  I like how store bought ones taste better so I did not see any reason to make them at home.  But should I ever live somewhere and not have access to American style donuts and find myself really wanting some I figured I better learn how to make them myself.  I tried 3 no yeast but still fried in oil recipes and 2 baked donut recipes so 5 recipes in all.  It was a great, time intensive activity, just what I was looking for.  The first baked recipe was a total flop but the second one was pretty good.  Not what I was looking for but good.  The fried ones were better and I think the third recipe ended up being my favorite but still not quite what I was looking for so even though I was trying to avoid it (2+ hours for donuts is so long!) I think I will have to try the yeast ones to see if I can get that store bought/bakery taste.  I was trying to replicate Duck Donuts and wish I could have found a copycat recipe online. It was fun to try out lots of different glazes. I don't generally choose chocolate donuts when we get donuts but it was my favorite.  Surprisingly they actually tasted better the day after which I thought was impossible.  Maybe I was just burnt out on them yesterday.  

Vanilla, Chocolate, lemon, and maple glaze.  Lydia suggested PB glaze after I had glazed the donuts and I wish I thought of it when I started. I made all the glazes before cooking the donuts so I could dip them soon enough.  We added cinnamon sugar mix and sprinkles as well. 

Got a fun, safe visit with a good friend to borrow her candy thermometer.  It was nice to visit with someone in their driveway and even be in a different driveway.  I also chatted with a friend who lives far away for tips and loved that this activity helped me check in with people. 

Baked donuts.  The mini ones were fun. 

My poison ivy is finally starting to clear up.  It has been so rough this week.  It was waking me up at night and just being irritable and itchy and gross all week. I finally called my doctor's office to see if they could get me some relief and after a video appointment I got a prescription.  I so wish I had called sooner.  Hopefully it will get better in just a few more days.  So that was week 6.  School was fine, much the same and we are just going to keep on trying to stay positive.  Jared and Lydia are being such good sports and enjoying being together for which I am really grateful. 

Corona Virus Week 5

Last week of Marathon in a month.  We will complete our last mile Tuesday.  Jared and Lydia have done very little running this time around but have enjoyed walking at Chris Greene Lake.  This week we added frisbee into the mix which Mark loves and it also brings back lots of fun childhood memories for me.  We are so happy to pass it on to Jared and Lydia and make it a family memory for them.  They had a great time and both greatly improved their frisbee playing skills.

I wish these showed up as motion.  They are super fun. 

Walkie Talkies now make a regular appearance and add more fun to walking a mile as well. 

Come Follow Me: King Benjamin.  When Jared and Lydia were planning their lessons for Come Follow Me they loved the idea in the manual to build a tent and tower so we did and it was fun.  I hope they have some good memories for family scripture study.

Outside time.  We've still been doing all kinds of yard work.  Mark, Jared and I got our first case of poison ivy so the "safe" time to work in our yard is over.  I hoped for more time but no luck.  I mean the area nearest our house, the trampoline, hammock, campfire (high traffic areas) are fine but all the stuff behind the campfire is questionable and that is what we have left to clear out.  I think Jared got it from the woods though, not our yard. I am so pleased with how our yard currently looks but have a hard time staying motivated because as soon as it stays warm ALL the weeds come back and its just a losing battle.  We had another campfire and made smore's this time.  We let Jared and Lydia stay up late to star gaze and were treated with beautiful clear skies.  I am glad we did this now before the sun sets even later.

We refilled our sandbox and it has been a great addition to staying entertained while at home.  The preschool chalkboard is making a comeback too.  The trampoline is getting more use too which is awesome.  The safety netting around it had been looking bad so we got rid of it a few months ago.  I feel quite rebellious letting my children play on it with no net.  I hope this continues to go well and does not make us end up in the ER, one of the last places we want to be near currently.  Luckily its just the two of them and maybe they are almost as likely to get hurt with or without a net.
Jared got this hat for Easter.  They came up with a new game, "Get the Hat" and play it frequently.  This second picture makes me laugh.  Lydia is quite intimidating.

The Internet brought us: Disney Dole Whips, sidewalk chalk mosaics and 5 ingredient bagels. All of which were very well received.  I was surprised at how much Jared loved the Dole Whips. I knew Lydia would since she loves pineapple but I was not sure about Jared.  He was crazy about them.  We made some Saturday and Sunday.  

One day Lydia and I were talking about things to do and I talked about the sidewalk chalk mosaics that so many people had been making.  She loved the idea so Sunday afternoon we all worked on it together.  We took our church music outside and enjoyed the amazing weather together. It was a really nice Sunday afternoon activity. 

5 ingredient Bagels.  I decided to try this out Friday and loved them so much I asked Mark to make  another batch (I had to start working).  The recipe only made 4 which was not enough. These are cinnamon sugar and one is plain with kosher salt on them. I love that I had the ingredients on hand.  I made some egg salad for lunch and ate it on the plain bagel and was so happy. 

Online School started and went well.  To be honest, we all liked the schedule and stuff Mark and I came up with more.  It felt more varied and more structured with time for them to pursue some of their own interests.  They can still do that but once they finish the "required" stuff they are ready to be done for the day.  Jared decided he wanted to be on a regular daily schedule so he now sets his alarm for 6:30 which is absurd because he has no need to be up at that time but I am not going to tell him he can't get up and start his day. I love routines and schedules so I get it. I just think he should push it back like 45 minutes to an hour.  It could be just a reaction to this whole situation and wanting to feel like now that he has requirements from his teacher he wants to feel more normal, more in control. I don't know but if he wants to establish good daily routines than I am good with that. 

I seem to be following a pattern of staying busy and engaged and then losing all motivation one day a week.  This week it was Saturday.  It was a long empty day and I had zero motivation. I wasted so much time looking at stuff online and just didn't want to do anything.  It was too windy to blow leaves which was the yard work I want and need to do.   I just could not think of anything I wanted to do. Could I clean the kitchen? Sure but why bother when I will have plenty of time to do it any other day of the week. It was a rough day.  It is reminding me of those early days after having Jared. I wasn't working and only had one very easy going baby to look after.  I would divide up the things that needed to be done in a week allotting one or two tasks per day even though I could have done it all in 2 days not 5 just so I could feel productive each day.  I am so grateful to UVA for allowing me to work.  Even if I only have one or two tasks to complete it is 4 scheduled hours Monday - Friday that I am accountable for.  I am pretty sure it is keeping me sane.  

Recipe: 

Whisk together

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

Add 1 cup plain greek yogurt

Pour dough on lightly floured surface and knead it.  Recipe suggests 15 turns

Divide dough into 4 equal balls

Roll into snakes and shape like a bagel.  Pinch ends together. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush with egg wash.

Bake at 375 for  25 minutes

Recipe recommend letting cooked bagels sit for 15 minutes. 

Easter

We had such a great Easter this year.  We made treats, did art projects, had an Easter devotional each night, dyed eggs, had an egg hunt, went on an Easter walk and went Easter caroling. I was asked to give a lesson on Sunday and enjoyed preparing for it.  (After 2.5 years happily serving in nursery I was called to be a RS teacher the last week of actual church. I think it was time and that it will be a good thing for me) It was such a great Easter season with a good balance of time given to both fun activities and the importance and blessing of Easter.

Easter Devotional
Last year, Don't Miss This hosted a week long study of the people who were with Jesus the last week of his life.  They made seven (one for each day of the week before Easter) 5-8 minute videos about different people and each video included an invitation and a tradition.  We watched one night and completed the tradition too.  Mark and I also decided watching the special witness videos of the 12 current Apostles would be a good pre Easter activity too. So each night after dinner we watched the Don't Miss This video, 2 special witness videos and opened two of our Resurrection eggs.  This combined with preparing for my lesson really helped me feel like I was giving time to the real reason we have Easter, which I have not been as good at as I would like in the past. It was lovely. We all enjoyed the videos and hearing the hosts love for Jesus. I want to talk about Jesus more with Jared and Lydia so they can develop a strong relationship with Him as early as possible and I can strengthen my own relationship with Him as well.

Forget knot bracelets:  this was the tradition that went along with Simon (day 2).  They talked of how he performed a great service for Jesus by carrying the cross for Him.  We tied these to our wrists to remind us to look for ways to serve others to forget not.

Treats: Resurrection Rolls, Bunny Buns, Carrot Cake Pancakes, Homemade Reeses PB Eggs, Bunny Tails and Mini Cadbury Egg cookies. I feel Corona Virus encouraged me to do a little more baking than I normally do.  Note to self:  start halving recipes. Pre Covid 19 we would eat what we wanted and then Mark or I would take the extras to work to share but now there is no sharing and we have too many treats lying around.  That is actually why I made the Reeses Eggs.  I had a conversation at work about them a few weeks before this all went down.  There are quite a few people in my office who love Reeses PB Cups and Jen almost always has a bowl filled with them in her office.  Everyone particularly likes the Reeses Eggs which led to a discussion about the huge PB eggs you can apparently find at places like Amish stores here in VA.  I had never noticed them before but Jennifer and Ricky who are Virginians through and through mentioned them and I said I would make some.  It was sad to not get to take them to work but now I have a great recipe and I told them I will make Reeses pumpkins if we make it back to work for the Fall.

This was a little thicker than necessary but so good.  

Orange flavored rolls with orange glaze added. 

So delicious. 

Resurrection Rolls

Mini Cadbury Egg Cookies

I had spent a lot of time in the kitchen by this point (Sunday afternoon) which I did not mind, baking is my thing, but I happily turned these over to my family to bake.  They made them while I taught my lesson and they did a great job.  

Carrot Cake Pancakes.  Mid laugh photos are so great. 

Mark made the glaze while I mixed them and cooked them.  Sunday pancakes are a weekly thing at our house.  We have them for lunch every Sunday.  I have about 5 recipes I rotate through and we were excited to try a new recipe.  They were good but I am not sold that they should be in the regular rotation. 

It was fun to make favorites and try some new things. I really love to bake.  I loved the how the Reeses Eggs turned out and Jared and Lydia asked if resurrection rolls could become a new tradition which is fine by me.  I didn't think they were that amazing to taste but did enjoy explaining what the ingredients represented in the Easter story and how the marshmallow disappeared.  Their excitement was really fun. The more family memories we can make with them the better.

Projects: PEEPS houses and water color crayon resistance eggs
I have never been able to get on board with Gingerbread houses at Christmas. I have always thought they were fun but there is just so much other stuff going on so we never make them.  I have seen ideas to make Halloween Haunted houses but it also just felt too busy.  Enter PEEPS houses.  These were so fun.  We all had a great time making them and then we let Jared and Lydia eat them the next day for our family movie treat.  It was great. We will definitely be making them again. 

Lydia and Mark worked on the first one and Jared and I did the one on the right. 

We did a few art projects but this was the favorite.

Easter Baskets, Dyeing eggs and the hunt.  Jared and Lydia opened their baskets on Saturday were happy with the contents.  I finally bought a copy of Monopoly for Jared.  A new board game seemed like a good idea for this time at home and it was one that we knew he would love. Lydia and Mark were good sports and played with him Sunday.  I might be willing to play if we set a limit on how long or how many turns each person got.  I have become more and more like my Dad as far as board games go.  He could not stand them.  He was known to say "they are called Bored games for a reason."  I totally get that.  I am a big puzzle person and have been working on one the last week but strategy or just long board games are not my thing. I will play them but I always feel like I should be doing something more productive with my time. Mark is a really great sport about playing them with Jared in particular.

Lydia reading: you can tell she was really into it. 

This year I wanted to get creative and try new ways to dye eggs.  We picked two new methods and also stuck with the standard PAAS kits.   We tried making speckled eggs and marbled eggs.  The speckled eggs turned out awesome and Mark and Lydia managed to make some cool marbled eggs while Jared and I did not.

Speckled

We dyed the rice with food coloring and then placed the egg in the bag and shook it.

 They were so pretty. 

Marbled

Food coloring and cool whip

PAAS: just regular old dye was the favorite but the speckled eggs were a close second because they looked so cool.

Right to left: Speckled, PAAS, Marbled

We hid 12 candy filled eggs for each of them.  Lydia's were purple and yellow and Jared's were green and blue.  They each had one giant money egg with 2 dollars in it as well.  Mark and I felt awesome about our work hiding the eggs.  They were so much trickier than expected.  There were multiple times Jared or Lydia walked right by one of their eggs.  The best was Jared's money egg.  Mark hid it on the basketball rim.  He stood under it for quite a few minutes and walked by it multiple times.  It was a lot of fun.

Easter Caroling:  Mark really wanted to do this.  Jared and Lydia did not.  I was pretty excited to try it out.  We won Jared and Lydia over with the idea that we would decorate each family's driveway with sidewalk chalk before we sang.  We picked 4 families to carol to and sang "He is Risen and Christ the Lord is Risen Today". We went out the day before Easter just our little family.  I printed out a pretty little "He is not Here For He is Risen" quote on photo paper and put together a bag of Easter candy.  The families we visited were so surprised and I think they were really happy to have some visitors.  We stayed a good 8-10 feet away from them as we sang and I think it really cheered people up which was so nice.  The sidewalk chalk was really fun, Jared and Lydia loved it. One of the families works at UVA Health and we were glad he was home so we could hear how things look from his viewpoint and get to thank him and his family for their sacrifices.  I am sure Mark would like this to be a yearly tradition.  One of the families asked if they could come with us next year.  It was a really nice outing and we felt safe doing it.  We maintained our distance, stayed outside and never had more than 10 people.

Easter Walk.  Not only did I give my RS lesson Sunday but I was also in charge of our Family Home Evening (morning for us) lesson as well.  I found a cute idea on LDS Living to go on an Easter Walk.  I read a cute story and a scripture and then we went on a walk with scripture clues.  After reading the scripture to hear the clue Jared and Lydia figured out what symbol the verse talked about and then we found an example of it.  We walked down UVA Research Park and enjoyed the great weather and the last of the flowering trees.

Thorns for the crown of thorns, wood for the cross, rock for the stone in front of the tomb and something living for resurrection.

This was one of the best Easters that I can remember. I think it has to do with the fact that we are used to not being with family.  There was no large family gathering to miss out on. I am grateful we had a great week having fun and thinking of Jesus more together.