Aaahhh what a hump day!!!!

Today was the start of Holly @ Home! All of the elementary co curricular teachers in my district have a google classroom page. We loaded our lessons using a variety of platforms for students. It was really fun to see everyone’s lessons that were prepared for kids. I recorded School Song and uploaded it to YouTube for my students. I then embedded the YouTube video in google slides. I am not a movie star so this has been a completely new adventure. I am getting better at looking at the camera but wow is it different. My song had 46 views today. So, that is pretty cool. One student messaged me that she sang it twice today and loved the song! It’s a pretty cool way to touch kids!

Today was the gridlock protest in Lansing today. I have many mixed feelings about it. I understand people wanting to go back to work, needing a haircut or missing the gym. I have someone in my family that would likely die if they were infected with Covid-19. I also have friends that are working on the front lines in hospitals and care centers. I think it’s incredibly selfish to risk getting sick or infecting others to prove a point. If you disagree with our Governor’s decisions understood but those thoughts can be shared without endangering others’ safety. I’m sure there are people that disagree with me or will state that most were following social distancing rules, etc. It just takes a few people to infect a community. I hope our numbers continue to flatten or decrease and we don’t see a change in the infection rate in a few weeks. Thank you Governor Whitmer for making the tough choices and decisions. I am so glad you are our Governor! Okey.. rant off now!

We all worked out together before dinner. Matt lifted weights and Campbell and I did the WOD together. We had a great time and both of us completed 7 rounds. Campbell beat me by only 3 reps, that’s a win! It’s fun to work out together and cheer each other on in the workout. We ordered some equipment from Rogue back in March. It still isn’t here yet, it’s so hard to be patient.

Dinner this evening was hamburgers. I gave everyone three options, pasta Bolognese, sloppy joes or hamburgers. Hamburgers won by a landslide! They were really juicy and tender with a tiny bit of pink in the middle. Matt made guacamole dip to go with our burgers. It’s another quick and easy meal but super yummy too.

Tonight was a quiet evening at home! Campbell had a band social hangout thus evening so Matt and I got to choose the TV show. We watched more of the Marvelous Miss Maisel! I love that show and the actors are spot on hilarious! If you haven’t watched it, check it out. As we were watching TV Lucy kept wanting to leave and just go to bed. She was pretty funny.

Hello everyone! Ahhh, we are now in week 5 of staying home and staying safe. This time at home has been a blessing and a small inconvenience too. I have been careful to keep looking at the positive energy in this new reality. What have I been able to do that used to be difficult to accomplish? Have we spent our time well together? Once our lives start to become more normal will I feel that I’ve spent this time well? Will I have any regrets? Will we remember this time as a blessing?

Campbell and I have spent quite a bit of time making music. We purchased a book of selections from Les Miserables. It’s been so much fun to play and sing together! It’s something that we never had time for, nevertheless every day or evening. I’ve been cherishing that time together! She also made a guest appearance in one of the videos I created for my students. We are donning berets and everything. We’ve spent so much time laughing, giggling and getting a little slap happy.

She has also been playing her oboe, she practiced twice yesterday and the day before too. It’s really amazing to listen to her practice and continue to develop her musicianship. When she was skating every day she just didn’t have the time to really practice. She loved making music but just didn’t have as much time on her hands. I am so thankful that she has her music too. I never wanted her to be the kid that only had one interest. What would happen if she couldn’t do her “one” thing anymore? I am so thankful that Campbell has many interests! She misses skating and it will be waiting for her when she gets back on the ice again.

I started creating lessons for my students to post on the co curricular google classroom! It’s been a lot of fun with some learning thrown in for good measure. The camera on my school laptop isn’t working so I am using our desktop computer. Luckily it’s in the piano room and it has a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Matt got me a fancy microphone for Christmas a few years ago so I am all set! I am thrilled that I figured out how to record, upload my video to YouTube and imbed it in google slides! Woo hoo!!!! As the weeks continue, I look forward to making more content for my students!

Dinner tonight was smoked sausages that Matt purchased when he was in Austin, Texas. I also made Boston baked beans and fries. They were so good but so not good for you. Yes, I used Rancho Gordo beans; so yummy and good.

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It seems like Michigan had an uptick today in deaths from Covid 19 today. I’ve noticed people complaining about our Governor’s stay at home orders and conversations about reopening our country. I have a friend from college that is currently in China. He just wants to shake our country by its shoulders…. I agree with him, we are talking about people going out to eat but we can’t readily purchase soap and hand sanitizer. Michigan currently has a 6.3% case fatality rate; the highest in the country. New York’s case fatality rate is 5%. Our numbers are scary and that is why Governor Whitmer is keeping us home.

Keep doing your part everyone, stay home and stay safe!

Mr. Rogers, thoughts for Easter and time together…

Hello! What a great day today! This morning was all about cleaning house! I cleaned both bathrooms, vacuumed, mopped, dusted and cleaned up. Campbell did an amazing job of helping me clean up and organize this morning. Shew… it feels great to have that done today. There is no better feeling than that clean house feeling!

I have been wanting to make a recipe for fried rice on New York Times recipes for quite a while. Today was the day! I bought Kimchee from the Brinery and still had leftover cabbage on hand too. The recipe was amazing and the fried rice tasted so yummy!

We all went on a walk together this afternoon; actually Lucy took her humans on a walk but who is keeping track? We walked towards the high school, through the Karl Gemel Arboretum and then back up 3rd Street towards home. It was nice to take a different walk from our usual downtown track. Lucy found lots of yummy smells and we enjoyed looking out over Brighton Lake.

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Dinner tonight was pork chops, pan fried potatoes and steamed carrots. I didn’t get pictures of dinner but it was yummy. Sparrows sold me thick pork chops and I’m used to the thin ones. I prepare them by browning on the stove and finishing in the oven. They were really yummy and turned out well. The pork from Sparrow meats tastes so clean and fresh! Lucy decided the pork smelled delectable to a dog and she should have some too! She shared with us her expert pout pose all through dinner.

We finished up our evening with watching the Tom Hanks Mr. Rogers Movie, It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. When I was growing up, I watched Mr. Rogers in the morning, at lunch and again before Sesame Street in the late afternoon. I loved how he talked to me and the comfort I felt in his presence. I needed to know that I was special and was loved for just being me. As a kid growing up, we never talked about our feelings. We kept them inside and soldiered on, keeping that stiff upper lip. Mr. Rogers was a place to talk about feelings, know they were okay and to handle them in a way that was safe. My outlet as a kid was playing piano. The piano was my friend and confidant.

This time away or this pause from working life has brought an opportunity to play piano, learn new repertoire and expand my musical horizons. I ordered some new pieces a few days ago, it will feel great to start working on them.

Tomorrow is Easter! We have a lot of yummy recipes planned for our meals tomorrow. Take care! Sarah

We woke up to this…. really???

Hello everyone, TGIF!!!! Once I woke up this morning and got over the shock of seeing white stuff on the ground, I was ready to start my day. The morning started with a co curricular team google meeting. It felt so great to talk with each other and work on our distance learning plan. We are a unique group of educators with varying areas of interests. Thank goodness for our STEM educators. They already knew how to set up google classrooms and were a fantastic source of knowledge. We all had a great time chatting today!

Lunch was sausage and peppers. I love making this for a meal. The peppers I bought from Gelardi produce were fresh and wonderful in our dish. I also bought a large bag of oranges when I was there and we’ve eaten all of them; they were that good. I am going to have to go back. Yikes….

Today I placed another order with Sparrow Meats in Ann Arbor. I emailed my order today, called in and paid for it, drove there, called and they brought it to my car. So, so easy! I also placed an order for fish from a fishery up north, DMS Fish. Same thing for tomorrow, placed my order by email, called with payment and picking up tomorrow. I am putting a name placard on my dash so they can just bring the fish to me. It’s nice to support small businesses and cut down on Meijer trips. I don’t think I’ll need a real grocery store until next week at the earliest. A possible Two week spread between trips to Meijer sounds wonderful!

Dinner was leftovers. Super simple and easy. We cleaned out the fridge a bit before Easter. What is everyone having for Easter? I have something yummy planned, I am really excited!

Take care everyone and keep staying home. Enjoy your house just like Lucy!

Mother Nature, you’re so funny…..

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We’ve experienced some crazy weather in the last twenty four hours, oh Michigan how we love you!

It’s Thursday and another eventful day at home. This morning as I was folding laundry, Matt commented, “How did we get this all done and work at the same time?” My response, “We were really busy and a tad stressed.” This morning was filled with laundry, sweeping, cleaning and vacuuming. Campbell was supposed to get new carpet so we moved her into what was going to be Matt’s office. With Matt now working from home, we ordered him a desk last week and it came today. He chose a fancy motorized stand up desk. He’d been working in the dining room, it wasn’t a convenient setup. So, we moved her back to her room with the old carpet and set up his desk tonight. I hope that helps us manage working at home together. We also need to put together a family calendar with conference calls and meetings. Teaching music or practicing oboe aren’t exactly quiet occupations. Wish us luck!

I decided to check out Gelardi Produce in Brighton, Michigan today. I’ve noticed postings on Facebook about them so I went to check it out. They are located on Rickett Road past the railroad tracks by the nursing home. There is a sign out front with Produce painted in red. They were wonderful to work with. You take a produce box to collect your things as you are choosing products. They also have plastic bags to bag produce too. I purchased onions, Yukon gold potatoes, fresh fruit, grapes, oranges and bell peppers. They had gorgeous Brussels sprouts and mushrooms. The prices were reasonable and comparable to the grocery store. They do prefer cash for payment. Their hours are 9am-4pm. Check out their Facebook page for more information.

Today’s workout was a lot of fun! In CrossFit the workouts are programmed with weight standards or requirements. When I started at Menace, I knew I wouldn’t be pressing the Rx button very often. My body isn’t built to lift big weights but I still get a really great workout. I was just at the point where I was Rx’ing workouts every once in a while. It was always a sweet feeling to press that Rx button. Sometimes workouts will have an Rx+ option. The movement might be more difficult or more weight added to the workout. Today, I pressed the Rx+ button. That was a great feeling! I did 180 25 pound dumbbell single arm hang power cleans. Woo hoo! There were also push ups and air squats each round too. The workout was fun and it felt great afterwards! There is nothing better than the post workout wiped out feeling!

Tonight’s dinner was simple, cheeseburgers. Campbell was hankering for a hamburger so that was the choice for today. Tomorrow’s meals will be way more exciting!

As I am writing this, Campbell and I are sitting together and she is watching Riverdale. I am so grateful for our time together. Good night everyone!

It feels like summer!

Hello everyone and Happy Wednesday! It’s a hump day filled with news, sunshine and fun!

We bought milk last week, the expiration date wasn’t until April 17 but it’s already sour. Campbell is making chai lattes but that is on hold until I get to the grocery store again for more milk. So, she joined me in a cup of coffee this morning. I am usually the only one that drinks coffee in the morning so I always brew a pour over with single origin beans from roasters like Madcap in Grand Rapids, Intelligentsia or Ritual. The better the beans, the better the coffee. Campbell loved her coffee this morning.

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Today started off with work right away. Matt is doing some work in the basement and my job was to prime woodwork this morning. It took forever this morning but it will be lovely in the end. He ordered some shelving from Elfa to store basement supplies.

Today’s workout was wall balls and chest to bars. I subbed strict shoulder presses for chesto bars since I don’t have a pull up bar. It felt great to workout and lift weights today. The sun felt wonderful, oh to feel the warm sun on my skin today!

Campbell’s love is Harmony and theatre on ice. She loves nothing more than to be on the ice telling a story, skating and working with her teammates. Today, we received word that Theatre on Ice Nationals is cancelled this June. Harmony has spent the last year preparing, training and creating programs to skate at Nationals. So many kids will miss out on that magical moment on the ice, the moment where the audience cheers and each person skates with all of their hearts. We are proud and honored to be a part of the Harmony family but saddened to miss out on a special yearly tradition.

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Tonight’s dinner was one of my favorites! Grilled chicken legs, mashed potatoes, and corn. I got the idea from Thomas Keller, the chef at the French Laundry. It was in his cookbook and he called it dinner for Dad. It’s such a wonderful, comforting, and summery meal. Dessert was shortcakes with fresh blueberries (we picked them last summer and froze them) and whipped cream! Aaahh, summer heaven!

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As we continue to stay home, I’m searching for reasons to be grateful for this time off. If we were in school today, I most definitely wouldn’t be wearing shorts and a tank top. We also wouldn’t get to enjoy the time outside in the sun through walks, bike rides and workouts as a family. I actually attended a staff meeting on my front porch in a comfy rocking chair. So, cool! I do truly miss my students and I look forward to getting to attend some classroom google hangouts. I can’t wait to see my students again!

Is he real? Discussions on a simple walk…

(Please don’t allow young kids to read today, adult content in the next to last paragraph.)

Hello everyone! I missed yesterday’s blog; it was just one of those days. A couple of catch up pieces from yesterday, I had leftover waffle batter and made the rest of the waffles yesterday. This time, I took a picture. I use the waffle recipe found in Joy Of Cooking. I am gluten free so I substitute Cup4Cup gluten free flour.

Today was Xolair day at the allergists office. It’s palpable that members of the community are really scared. A couple of patients were wearing face masks or holding cloths over their mouths. I am required to wait 30 minutes after my injection. Patients on allergy shots were not waiting after their shots but were leaving immediately. I always feel much better after my shot, it is crazy the difference I feel after my injections.

Today’s lunch was left over pork carnitas tacos. They are still yummy a few days later! I love topping them with salsa, cabbage, radishes and queso fresco cheese.

I went on a bike ride this afternoon after completing some school work. I completely miss my road bike, it felt great to ride again. There was a roadie in a full time trial kit riding pretty fast today. It was crazy watching him pass me like I was standing still. It felt great to ride, feel fresh warm air and exercise.

So Campbell and I went on a walk downtown and she asked the question every parent dreads, “Is Santa real?”. My first reply was, “What do you think?” I went straight to the play it cool approach, hoping just hoping that she will acquiesce and drop the subject. She kept pressing, “Mom tell my the truth!”, and I had to give up the cause. My reply, “Yes, he isn’t real, Dad and I are Santa Claus.” Shew…. that wasn’t as hard as I expected. She then asked about the elf and the Easter Bunny. “Yep”, was the reply. I’m not at all disappointed about the Elf. As fun as he is, it’s not much fun to be relaxed in bed, almost asleep and realize…. urg… that d*^%# elf! Anyway, Campbell is growing up and it’s all good!

Dinner for tonight was Butter Chicken. I started making this over the past holiday season. We stopped by Artisans Bench in Brighton for some Christmas shopping. The owners wife made dinner for all of the employees and it was butter chicken. It smelled incredible and was something I wanted to try at home. I love curries and this is a classic. We eat it with rice and peas or peas and carrots.

As I am writing this, I’m listening to a beautiful thunderstorm. I love the sound of rain and thunder. We moved my car into the garage just in case we have hail tonight. I hope everyone is doing well, finding joy in this time away and staying healthy. Keep washing those hands…. Sarah

Gorgeous beautiful day!

Hello on a beautiful Palm Sunday!

When I was a kid, Palm Sunday used to be one of my favorite Sundays at church. We got to sing Hosanna again, which I really thought was Oh Santa and we received swords, errr palm fronds, at the end of the service. We haven’t been to church in quite a while for a myriad of reasons. Some which are valid, some that are just excuses. I still really miss Palm Sunday! It was just a joyous occasion, the hymns were cheery, the volume just a little louder and everyone was much more joyous. I think Palm Sunday is a good time to remember that joy as springtime has started to arrive in Michigan.

Today was waffles for breakfast, one of my all time favorites. If I choose breakfast, it’s waffles 90% of the time. I love mine made with butter, the outside is crisp but the inside is light and airy. If you’re going to consume the calories, it better be completely worth it! That will be my philosophy until the day I die so to speak.

After breakfast I did dishes, picked up a bit and created my plan for the day. I decided to make pork carnitas in the Instant Pot for lunch. So, I made my spice rub, seasoned the pork, practiced piano while it marinated and then started it in the Instant Pot. It takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the instant pot verses all day in the crockpot. While the pork was cooking, I started my workout.

CrossFit headquarters has stated a workout series to support local boxes. Today was the Covid 19 benefit workout. It was a 10 minute AMRAP, 10 squats, 9 right hand barbell snatches, 10 push ups, 9 left hand barbell snatches. Before the workout, I warmed up and then did 50 Med Ball sit-ups. The MedBall still smells like Menace, gosh I miss that place. I felt like I was there, even though I was outside on the patio. After my warmup, I started the workout. I completed 5 rounds and 5 addition reps in 10 minutes. I felt great about my results. After the workout I talked Campbell into a run downtown. Lots of fun!

Campbell and I came back home, the pork was finished in the Instant Pot but Matt was still working in the basement. We waited a bit until he was ready for lunch. After lunch, Campbell and I went outside and did yard work. We’ve had this Holly bush that the previous owners just let go and never pruned. We’ve always looked at it, got overwhelmed and focused on other plants that passers by can see as they walk in front of our house. Campbell and I worked on it together pruning, trimming, sawing and pulling weeds. When we finished Campbell said, “Wow, there is dirt underneath there.” Ouch…. We finished the rest of spring cleanup and I spread Preen in all of our beds. It was a lot of work and Campbell helped out so much. She did an amazing job!

My school family at Rose Pioneer is putting together pictures to share with our kids and families. I miss my students so much! It is sad to think we aren’t going back to school tomorrow. The picture I chose for my students looks just like how they see me but at my house. Yes, me with a guitar in my hands but sitting on my front porch.

We had carry out for dinner tonight. We all worked so hard today and we were all tired. The meals I planned for the week didn’t take yard work into account. We ordered from Brighton Bar and Grill. We’ve been eating there since we decided to buy our house and move to Brighton. They had a safe system in place and our food was wonderful.

Anyway, keep staying safe and stay home. This week is going to be tough in Michigan. Take care and see you all later. Sarah

Yes, it is grey… I promise!

Hi Everyone! Today was another quiet day at home. I woke up early this morning in a panic that I forgot to set my alarm. Campbell has ice skating on Saturday morning at 7am, we leave the house at 6:40. I then reminded myself there is no skating and tried to fall back asleep. There are days when I really miss my alarm, waking up, making lunches and running out the door. It was purpose and structure.

We were sitting outside as a family today and Matt happened to look at the top of my head in the sun. He said, “Oh my gosh, look at that grey hair. Is that what happens when you’re home with us all of the time.” He truly didn’t realize I had grey hair. I was supposed to get my hair cut and colored right before we were to go on vacation. Hair stylists were chosen as non essential the day before my haircut. Angie does such an amazing job my husband didn’t know I was turning grey. So, awesome…

Campbell and I went on a bike ride today. It was fun to ride to Hornung and back. Later this afternoon I went on a longer run through town. It was peaceful to run on my own, focus on the sound of my feet and listen to the breeze. It is so calming and refreshing. I really needed that for today; especially after being my reminded of my grey hair.

Dinner tonight was flank steak, roasted fingerling potatoes and peas. We also enjoyed the Bucheron and Rogue Smokey Bleu from the cheese shop downtown. I had an argh moment as I was making dinner. We started buying tellicherry black pepper from Zingermans a few years ago. Once you start it is difficult to go back. I am out of black pepper and we were just there yesterday. Aaack… Zingermans was out of Campbell’s amazing raisin bagels on Friday. I have heard about her disappointment all weekend. Is black pepper essential? Maybe?

Well, I miss seeing all of you. Just in case you were concerned, Matt and I are still married, even after the grey hair incident, white blinds that don’t match and a discussion over built ins, and so on and so forth… Silly, boys… take care and keep staying healthy, wash your hands, and give your loved ones a hug even if they eat all of your jelly beans.

Acceptance

Hello, everyone and happy Friday! We celebrated today (if you could call it that) I’ll share it later in the post.

This morning started off with a weekly trip to the grocery store. I worked on my grocery list last night and finalized it this morning before heading to the store. I went at about 9:30am this morning. I was trying to decide if I was going to wear my homemade mask or not to the store. I decided to put it in my purse and I would think about it on the way. I got to the store and debated the mask concept for a few more minutes. Can I wear it and not touch my face? Will I feel comfortable? In the end I decided to put it on, I’m glad I did.

I bring a disinfecting wipe with me and wipe down the cart, throw the wipe away and sanitize my hands. Off to conquer the grocery list. My first job was to hunt for peroxide. It still isn’t available, I’ll try next time. As I walked the aisles, I was glad I wore my mask. It brought a layer of comfort and protection. I felt another wave of sadness float over me as I was shopping. Everyone seemed scared and uncertain of even being there. There was no chit chat or even looking at others. We all looked like robots procuring our groceries. This one lady in gloves touched every bag of carrots looking for the perfect bunch! Seriously folks, please don’t touch everything. I just wanted to say, hey keep what you touch, especially with the 3rd bag you’ve grabbed to investigate.

I used to pride myself on the healthy foods in my grocery basket; it felt like a badge of honor so to speak. Yes, I grab a lot of fresh fruits and veggies but the potato chips feel a little much sometimes. Sometimes I feel bad with the amount of food that I’m choosing each week. I have to keep remembering that we used to eat out at least twice a week and I would make a big trip and a couple of small trips a week. It’s just a complete readjustment in our trips to the store and lifestyle. My grocery bill has been consistent each time so that is good.

Campbell and I loved the weather today. We went on another bike ride and took Lucy on a walk downtown. I called in an order to Culture Beer and Cheese in Brighton. We picked up some cheese, Rogue Smokey Bleu and Bucheron. They were also selling Gelato today so Campbell and I had a nice sorbetto for the walk home. Once we walked in the house, Lucy was so tired from our walk she didn’t even make it to the couch. Poor girl…,

We decided to celebrate today. We love ramen from the Slurping Turtle in Ann Arbor. Meijers didn’t quite have everything I was looking for as well so we decided to go on an Ann Arbor run. I love Sparrow Meat Market in Kerrytown. I was able to call in and pay for my order. I parked in the farmers market area, called and they brought me my order. I opened the trunk and she put it in my car. I am excited to get some flank steak, chicken, rosemary ham, Swiss cheese and a few groceries. Matt and Campbell has a Zingerman’s list. We were able to do the same thing as well. They aren’t even allowing customers inside the deli. I was so glad to see them keeping people spaced apart. I walked up to the courtyard, picked up my order and then headed to Slurping Turtle. I had placed and paid for my order online, drove up, gave them a call and they brought me my order. It was easy, seamless and it felt great to get some yummy food I can’t cook at home.

It was so sad driving through Ann Arbor tonight. Our trip would’ve been very different just a few weeks ago. We would’ve walked the entire time and then maybe headed to Blank Slate for ice cream afterwards. I miss the hustle and bustle of walking through a city alive with people.

I also thought that since we ate out tonight there would be no dishes…. wrong… we brought it home. It was still worth it though.

Today the CDC recommended that everyone wear a cloth mask or handkerchief in public. I think more and more data is showing that this virus is airborne and contagious. A text I received from the state of Michigan stated that one person can infect 40 people. Please, please, please stay home. If you must go out be smart about it. Lots of healthy thoughts friends and keep washing your hands. Sarah