Friday Favorites: Slowly Returning to Normal

Life is starting to feel a bit more normal again.  This week we got our hair cut, ate inside a restaurant, and did quite a bit of shopping!



I started my day off early on Friday with a grocery shopping run.  It was so great to get back to my favorite Market Basket!!  We had run there once or twice during quarentine but since it is such a popular market the lines were always super long; now we don't have to limit how many people are in the stores and it was almost like "normal" times (with masks and one way aisles).  I bought myself another pretty bouquet to celebrate.



In the afternoon the younger boys and I went to get hair cuts; they still aren't drying hair so pardon my appearance but it felt great to get those dead ends cut off and have my layers fixed up.


After we picked up lunch from Panera-- curbside.


My husband was working late so I cooked up some terriyaki chicken and cheesy potatoes on the grill while Alec watched over the corn on the cob on the stove top.

Ian headed off to work Saturday morning and I volunteered to help my husband empty out his entire truck (even all the tools from the utility body); it was quite the job.  We picked up Subway for lunch and ate it by the side of the river.



The younger boys and I hung out with my mom and step father in the afternoon while Ian headed off to work with my husband to remove the now empty utility body).  For dinner we grilled up steaks, herb roasted potatoes, and served it with a fresh salad.

My mother in law had a good 11 or so trees she wanted taken down at her house and my husband rounded up the two younger boys Sunday morning to work on that with him.  I stayed home reading and working on my blog.

For dinner we made Shake n Bake pork chops with egg noodes, peas, and salad.

It was a beautiful day on Monday.  Ian headed off for his first official FULL day of work leaving the house at 6 and getting hom at 5:45!  He loved it!!  The other two boys went to breakfast with my mother in law and ate inside the restaurant without masks on.  They were thrilled and I loved having a good hour or so to myself to sit outside in the sun and read my latest book-- Hello, Summer.



After a quick cleaning and rearranging some furniture we headed out for a hike.  We hiked just under two hours and then swung by the furniture store to look for some father's day recliners.  I had this idea a few years ago and never followed through.  I can share today that we did buy two new ones because they're being delivered this morning! I'm sure I'll have pictures of them on next week's blog.





We tried some new chicken meatballs with spaghetti and sauce for dinner with our usual tossed salad but none of us liked the chicken meatballs.  They were chewy and had an off flavor to them.  Luckily they had been included free with a meat order I recieved so it had been worth a try.

It was a HOT day on Tuesday.  The younger boys and I did tackle a bit of housework and headed out for a late afternoon walk around the neighborhood but mostly we hung at home either in the air conditioning or under the patio in the shade.  I did sit out in the sun once or twice too but I can't sit out there for very long as I tend to burn pretty quickly.



We grilled up some ham steaks and I made a macaroni salad which we served with the last of the salad.  After dinner my husband and I headed back to Market Basket as we were already out of all fruits and veggies (we tend to eat a lot as they are zero point foods on Weight Watchers).

It was cooler on Wednesday morning so after eating breakfast the younger boys and I piled into the car to go check out a new hiking place.  We found it with no trouble and I used my handy All-Trails app to keep us on the right paths.  We hiked for a little over an hour and while we all agreed it was a nice spot to hike the bugs were awful.  It was a narrow trail and filled with cobwebs too.  We all agreed it might be best to only use this trail in fall or winter.

Anyone else think the no jogging sign is a bit odd?





Once home we had lunch and then Alec and I worked on making a 4th of July themed no-bake cheesecake for a blog party next week.  I finished up my book and roasted up two whole chicken for dinner (they were small so we needed two full ones) along with some roasted green beans, butternut squash, and potatoes.




Ian wasn't going to work on Thursday as he was taking an online class to get his boating liscence.  It was our first time using Zoom and I was a wreck that we weren't going to get it working on time or correctly. Added to that we had wild winds and storms in the forecast so I was worried about what we'd do if we lost power too (as that happens frequently!).  Thankfully we got most everything to work in time (we just couldn't get OUR video to work but that was OK).

I quickly ran to the library in the afternoon to pick up some more books.  I am just loving that they're open for pick-up again- I even got to walk in the building (we have to walk in one door, pick up our bag of books with our name on it, and walk through a separate exit).  I can't wait until I can actually walk around and browse once more.

For dinner Alec and my husband cooked up a shrimp & chicken stri- fry (chicken for the younger two; shrimp for the Ian and my husband).  I ended up not eating as I was in a lot of pain and feeling pretty nauseous.

Linking Up With: On the Edge, 



Comments

  1. We are planning to actually ENTER a restaurant this weekend, and I am inordinately excited about it!

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    Replies
    1. Woo hoo! I hope to do that this weekend too; just hubby and I as a date night I think since most places have a maximum of 4 per table anyway.

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  2. Glad Ian go to go into work. Sorry about the bugs on the hiking trail, it looked pretty. That’s a good book. Have a super sweet weekend!

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    Replies
    1. He is really loving going to work each day.

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  3. Love your patriotic dessert- looks great- Happy Summer!

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    1. It was delicious but I am so glad we only made enough that I could only have one slice. All these delicious treats are killing my Weight Watchers momentum. LOL

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  4. I need to add Hello Summer to my list! And we have yet to eat in a restaurant. We’re opening things up very slowly here in Ky. Have a wonderful weekend!

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    Replies
    1. It was a fun read. I have yet to eat in a restaurant either and truthfully I'm not sure the one my boys ate in was "legal" as I heard they are opening up indoor seating in our state this coming week. I know that nearby states are allowing indoor seating so a few of our friends and family members have gone there (we are just 15 minutes away from 2 other states).

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  5. Things are slowing opening up in NY. We only have outdoor dining as of now, but we haven't tried that yet. I wish my kids were into hiking as much as yours are. My husband and I enjoy hiking but we have to drag the kids to join us. Have a great weekend!

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    Replies
    1. We only have outdoor dining too and we haven't tried that yet as most restaurants will only seat 4 at a table. My younger two don't love hiking but they don't hate it either so they're usually willing to go as long as they know we won't be hiking for hours on end. My oldest pretty much needs to be bribed or dragged along!

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    2. Rhode Island is letting people eat inside and I think that's where my boys went with my mother in law.. or else they ate at one of the very few restaurants who aren't adhereing to the protocols.

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  6. I am really happy that the stores are slowly starting to open up. It's so nice that all of your were able to get haircuts. We still have to wait here for salons to open up again. I looks like you all had a good week and enjoy the weekend.

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    Replies
    1. Our salons had been promised an opening day and then 24 hours prior to opening up were told they'd have to wait another 2 weeks then a compromise was made and they opened 7 days later. It was crazy! There were protests at the captial both for and against opening up... I am so glad I am not a policy maker right now.

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  7. when you talk about home schooling, it sounds so chill. I feel like I need to know more from you about how to stay so cool. Also, now I want Panera.

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    1. It is pretty chill most of the time. I do have occasional bouts of doubt and fear but for the most part I just try to trust in the process and focus on making fun memories and having great discussions with my boys.

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  8. It's so good to hear about life slowly returning to normal. I can't wait to browse the library either! have a good weekend!

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    1. I've heard that phase 2 is supposed to start this Wednesday and that includes opening up our libraries!!

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  9. Sounds like a lovely week. I am a wimp about bugs and cobwebs, so that trail would not be for me.
    Blessings, Dawn

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    Replies
    1. I'm not usually great with them but at some point I just turned my mind to finishing up the trailand powering through.

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