Friday Favorites: Thanksgiving, The First Week of December, & Starting a Quarantine

 I didn't mean for this post to turn into a two week wrap-up but that's exactly what happened.  With the holiday last Thursday my days got a bit messed up and by the time I realized it was Friday it was much to late to post so I just rolled our Friday Favorites over and kept it going for another week.  


After tackling all our schoolwork on Friday the boys and I headed out on a hike.  It was 60 degrees, sunny, and so beautiful out!





Once home I went for a second walk with my "real" camera and took some more pictures. Here are a few of my favorites:




I also captured a very pretty sunset. 



We cooked up chicken parmesan for dinner and watched Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (we had planned to watch Bill & Ted Face the Music but the boys insisted they had not watched the first movie).  


Ian and my husband headed off to work on Saturday.  I laid in bed blogging and reading for a bit longer.  I really enjoy watching the sunrise over the lake especially when the water is still and reflective. 




Alec had karate but before we left, I spent most of my morning working on the blog, wrapping some Christmas gifts, and getting my holiday cards all ready to mail out later in the week.  


We left karate early with Alec looking a bit sick.  He doesn't handle the heat well and it was HOT in the studio with the sun shining in. He took a shower, ate a light lunch, and spent the rest of the day taking it easy.  

My husband and I went grocery shopping and then cooked up some steaks, green bean casserole, and roasted potatoes for dinner-- Alec felt fine by them and came downstairs to eat with us. 

After dinner my husband and I watched Unhinged; what a disturbing movie.  



I finished up my Christmas wrapping on Sunday in between working with the whole family on fixing our road.  Ian also worked with the excavator to make a berm in the afternoon and my husband and I went for a short ride in the Rangers. 

I cooked up some chocolate chip cookies (which will never make it to Thanksgiving!).  



Alec made some homemade flatbread pizzas for us all for dinner which we served with salad and frozen fries. 



Monday we spent most of our day concentrating on schoolwork.  Ian and Evan had just about every subject to work through since it was a shortened week and Alec had a full day of online classes.  It's always hardest on those weeks when 1/2 the grade is in the building and the teacher's attention is divided.  

We finished up school around 4:30 and then it was time to start dinner.  I made some pecan crusted chicken with squash and couscous then Alec and my husband headed out for haircuts. 

Ian headed off to work on Tuesday and Evan and I got a late start since I was helping Alec with math.  Alec had a very easy day of school; because we worked ahead on most subjects Monday, he only had work to do in three of his classes! 

Evan and I were looking at protozoa stained yeast we had activated in water under our microscope.    



While Alec was working I put together my new plant stand; I just LOVE it! 


I also found time to paint my nails.  I just love how this pale blue sparkles and I think it will go well with my white and navy sweater I just got in the mail to wear on Thanksgiving. 

It's called Coming in Hot



After school we went for an hour long hike at the dam and swung by the library to pick up books that had come in.  I had a lot more fun with my camera while hiking. 

I zoomed waaaay in to capture these ducks.  

If it weren't for the noises they were making I would never have spotted them in all of these stumps




I had thrown together a ham, broccoli, and rice casserole earlier in the day using up some leftover spiral ham we had in the freezer.  I just heated it up for dinner and offered up some salad for anyone that wanted it.  



Ian headed off to work again on Wednesday and both Alec and Evan settled in for a shortened day of school.  While they worked on schooling I was busy in the kitchen mixing up some BBQ Chex mix (I'm working on writing up a recipe post for it), pumpkin chili, and some chocolate chip pumpkin bars.  




Once Alec was done school we went for a short hike to the tri-state marker. 



When we got home Alec made up the crust for his jam tartlets and then we made some cornbread in our cast iron skillet to go with the chili for dinner.

After dinner we cleaned the whole downstairs working together to get everything ready for the grandparents to join us for Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving (Thursday) was quite different this year as I woke up feeling a bit under the weather.  My husband took over in the kitchen and with Alec pitching in they made all the food.  I laid in bed watching Schitt's Creek and sleeping the day away.  I just had stomach pains that wiped me right out; I was able to eat small amounts of food all day long without feeling nauseous and really enjoyed the turkey, mashed potatoes, and rolls.  

Alec's jam tartlets were delicious-- which I ate the next day

Friday I woke after sleeping for 12 hours straight feeling perfectly fine.  We began taking down all the fall decorations and put up all our Christmas décor.  A full home tour will be up on the blog soon!



I went out in the woods with my husband and Ian to do a trail sweep and took a few nature photos.  It had rained the day before and I just loved the light glistening off all the water droplets everywhere.



I had leftovers from Thanksgiving for lunch and they did an amazing job cooking! I did some laundry, finished reading my book, and my mother in law ended up coming over for leftover pie and tree trimming. We ended our night re-watching the Christmas Chronicles.

Saturday morning I tackled the garland on the stairs and across the balcony so I could be all done with the holiday decorating.  Alec skipped karate complaining of stomach pains; he spent the day in bed but did eat and drink and sleep so I assumed he had whatever 24 hour mini bug I had had.  


I spent my afternoon menu planning and grocery shopping.  I put together a batch of chicken orzo soup and fresh bread. After dinner watched The Christmas Chronicles 2-- which we mostly mocked.  While we all enjoyed the first movie the second one just seemed a bit silly; maybe it's meant for much younger audiences?

My husband and Ian took my car to service it on Sunday but as soon as they came back home Evan and I took off to do a bit of Christmas shopping together.  He bought gifts for his dad and brothers and we had a fun time at Target; it's amazing to me how quickly he gets in, gets what he wants, and is ready to get back out!  

I spent my afternoon working on making some Christmas gifts with the help of my Cricut.  I really had to force myself to get to it as I am just not in the mood to work on making gifts this year but once I got started I just kept right on going until it was time for dinner.



We had burgers, hot dogs, fries and salad for dinner and then watched Elf! Alec ate a hot dog and some fries and seemed to be feeling much better by the time he went to bed. 


Around 9:30 or so while my husband and I were lying in bed watching TV we could hear a weird water dripping sound.  At first it sounded like someone was having a shower but upon closer inspection we found that the toilet in our bathroom was leaking.  The pipe leading to the toilet tank had sprung a leak and was spraying water everywhere.  He turned the water to that toilet off in the basement and we used a 1/2 dozen towels to clean up the (thankfully clean) water.  We kept a towel wrapped around it just in case... 


So bright and early Monday morning my husband went over his repair plan with me which includes fixing not just our toilet but ALL the copper fixtures in our house.  We're talking ripping out walls, floors, ceilings, etc.  Thankfully we used plastic Pex on the majority of the house but  I'm not looking at all forward to living with the messes of home renovations or the cost of it all either but I can't argue with his logic. 

Ian, Evan, and I flew through our schoolwork and Alec had virtual culinary shop where he worked out of his bedroom.  He was only one of 5 kids that had finished up all the bookwork last time they were in shop so he had a pretty easy day while all the rest of the kids played catch-up. 

I ran out with my husband to try and find some new bathroom fixtures then came home to make lunch for everyone.  I rarely do that during the week but I offered to make English Muffin pizzas.  

I spent my afternoon working on a few more Christmas gifts with the Cricut (a set of garden flags for all seasons). 

For dinner I made a shrimp (and chicken for the boys) stir-fry with rice.  My husband was home late and immediately set to work fixing our toilet.  While I wasn't thrilled with the new hole in the dining room I do love having a working toilet less than 24 hours after it broke!


Tuesday was so unusually warm that after dropping Alec off at school Evan and I decided to head out for a hike and set aside all his schoolwork for the day.  We hiked for nearly an hour and a half.  



By lunchtime my husband was home from work with the other two boys.  We found out that we had been in contact with someone that tested positive so we started our quarantine (thankfully we were already a good 4 or 5 days in since it goes by the last time we had contact). Alec finished up his school day online getting another 100 on his math test.  His friend sent him a photo of the cookies Alec had made earlier in the day and didn't get to finish. 



I figured out how to place a contactless grocery pickup from our local store for Wednesday and then folded clothes while reading my book. 

For dinner we made grilled steaks, roasted potatoes, roasted squash, and salad.  Then we watched Christmas Vacation before heading to bed.


My husband headed out bright and early on Wednesday to go check on his hydroelectric plant.  He needed to do a bit of raking and adjust the waterflow after all the rain we had on Monday.  

I settled at the table to do school with Evan and Ian while Alec attended school virtually and my husband worked out of our office/playroom.  It's kind of weird having everyone home.  


After lunch and schooling was over for everyone, my husband and Ian headed out to work on the road. We're prepping it to get repaved now that they are finished running the new water lines.  I finished up my book and started another one.  

For dinner we just had spaghetti, meatballs, sauce, and salad. 

Thursday went much like Wednesday.  We did find time to clean the upstairs and after Alec was done school we all went on a hike together.  


After our hike my husband went to get tested; he has no symptoms (none of us do) and his doctors told him that anytime after 5 days and a negative test he can go back to work.  I worked on a new craft project and folded laundry until dinner. 

For dinner we made tacos and then my husband and I watched the Social Media Dilemma on Netflix. I had watched most of it before and wanted him to see it too. 

How was your week?

Linking Up With: Fancy Friday, On the Edge, 












Comments

  1. You have such a beautiful hiking trails near you! I am glad none of you have symptoms and are doing alright! Have a great weekend! Be well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We do have lots of beautiful hiking trails nearby and they're almost always deserted too.

      Delete
  2. I am so jealous that you have all of your wrapping done!! Your tree looks beautiful too. Have a wonderful weekend Joanne!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It feels so nice to have such a jump start on the season! I've been able to wrap the other gifts as they come in since they're all trickling in just a few at a time.

      Delete
  3. All your outdoor pictures are always so pretty! That is so fun to watch Christmas movies....we need to get started on that before December comes and goes. I am impressed with gifts being wrapped! That is on my list for the weekend. Have a good weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! It's harder to find pretty outdoor shots this time of year.

      Delete
  4. Love all the hiking/nature pics! It's amazing what a difference using a "real" camera vs. a phone camera makes! Where did you get your plant stand? I need something like that! So many tasty eats! And we still have to watch Elf, which is an annual family tradition. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I got that plant stand on Amazon! I bought this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HNCTHMH.

      Delete
  5. Your scenery is beautiful! Chocolate chip cookies won’t last but maybe three days in our house, and I have to admit I eat most of the them. I love the color you painted your nails! I have been looking for a darker blue shiny color to wear in winter! That color would be perfect! Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a lot of blue and green shades of nail polish since I wear so much blue and green too.

      Delete
  6. Love all the nature pics and yummy food and your decor looks great! I’m sorry about feeling sick and the quarantining, it all just sucks! And I’m so sorry about the home repairs darn it! But I know you’ll make the most of it and I hope you have a beautiful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The only two that seemed hampered by our quarantine are my husband and middle son since they can't go to work and school. For the rest of us it's just pretty much life as normal without running any errands. It's supposed to be cold and snowy this weekend anyway so I'm content to snuggle by the fire.

      Delete
  7. I love all your outdoor pictures and I hope you all get back to normal without getting sick. I can't wait to see a full home tour as the little bits of decorating I see are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The home tour is scheduled for this coming week!

      Delete
  8. Your nature pics are so pretty! And all that baking/cooking - YUM!!! I need to start thinking about making some Christmas cookies to have around here!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We're brainstorming some Christmas baking ideas today! We're thinking eggnog mini cheesecakes with chocolate drizzle.

      Delete
  9. Holy cats, you guys were busy this week. My oldest said that the movie Unhinged was intense. We have free HBO this month so I am not sure we will watch it. We watched Home Alone 2 for the first time last night. I know, I can't believe it was the first time. I am not a huge fan of sequels. But it was cute, not as good as the first one. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the first Home Alone is the best but my boys like all 4 of them.

      Delete
  10. Dang, sorry y'all were exposed, but I'm so glad you are all hanging in there with no symptoms. Fingers crossed it stays that way! Thinking of you guys!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hopefully so; we do know quite a few people that have it right now and so far they all have very mild symptoms so I'm hoping that even if we do come down with it we'll stay nice and mild too!

      Delete
  11. Too bad about the exposure! It's hard to believe that doesn't happen more often! We've just been told of indirect exposures so far, luckily. Also sorry you were sick on Thanksgiving, that's sad! Loving all the nature pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love all the Chrstmas gifts you're making! Sounds like a busy two weeks. Hopefully no symptoms show up and you all get to go back to normalcy. Such lovely photos of your hiking area.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm having so much fun making Christmas gifts this year; once I forced myself to sit down and do them that is. I think seeing how nicely they were turning out prompted me to do more.

      Delete
  13. It is scary to wait if you get symptoms isn't it. Glad you are all okay. Enjoy your weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not really nervous at all; everyone we know that has caught Covid has had really mild symptoms so I'm fairly hopeful that even if one of us did get sick we would be just fine.

      Delete
  14. I'm loving all of the pretty nature shots! We take advantage of being outside when it's nice out too. I don't do well with disturbing movies so maybe unhinged wouldn't be a good one. We also watched the Christmas Chronicles 2 and I think my kids enjoyed it more than I did. I hope you have a good weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! We just got home from a 2+ hour hike and I took a few more photos.

      Delete
  15. Oh my goodness, I just emailed you to tell you that I wasn't able to view your blog, but this time it worked!! You have been busy with life. Your hikes are so beautiful , Joanne, and all the food looks wonderful. I hope all goes well with you and your family if you don't get the Covid, but if you do, I hope all goes well.
    p.s. Your photos are wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know what is going on with my links not working; sometimes it works for me too and other times it doesn't. I can't figure out what is going on.

      My husband test just came back negative so hopefully that means we're all in the clear.

      Delete
  16. Glad your stomach issues was a fast 24 hour thing!
    That's funny - we liked the 2nd Christmas Chronicles better than the first. ... I just remembered pieces of the first - maybe I'll rewatch it. I enjoyed the 2nd one though - totally thought it was for the young, but that's OK - that's usually what Christmas movies are

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We re-watched the first one before watching the second so it was fresh in our minds.

      Delete
  17. Matt and I watched Face the Music too. I had never seen the other ones though, so we had to watch those first. I love all the pictures from your hike. Sorry to hear about the exposure, hope it all works out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We still haven't watched Face the Music yet! Hoping to get to it this weekend.

      Delete
  18. You are so creative and make so many lovely gifts. I am glad you all are better. I hope the renovations can wait until after Christmas.
    Blessings, Dawn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I do think the rest of the renovations will wait until after Christmas... at least I hope so.

      Delete
  19. What a packed two weeks! I love that you fit in so many hikes because your photos are gorgeous :)
    I used the Friday after Thanksgiving to get out on a few hikes as well, and it was so nice to have that long stretch of weekend ahead of me to not worry about fitting everything into two days.
    #Lifethisweek

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We love hiking and since it's just about the only form of exercise I actually enjoy we try to go quite often.

      Delete
  20. What a busy week! We've been watching a Christmas movie a day (mostly Hallmark/Netflix ones) I like to save the bigger and better movies until last :) That's disappointing about the Christmas Chronicles 2, I was so looking forward to watching it! How great that you watched Bill and Ted with your boys. Our puppy is called Teddy Roosevelt but we call him Ted for short, if we get another dog, we will have to call him Bill just so I can keep calling "Bill and Ted"!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That would be so fun! I love thinking up funny dog names like that.

      Delete
  21. What a full on time you've had with everything! You certainly mange to keep busy :) #lifethisweek

    ReplyDelete
  22. That was such a lovely tour and foodie one too. Thank you. Being out and about when COVID remains so rife in your country is quite scary. So far, all OK in Australia but we are ever vigilant. Your home is beautiful. Now I see what I cricut does...I must not look any more...lol.

    Thank you for linking up for Life This Week. Next week is the last Share Your Snaps for 2020 and then only one week to go after that before a short break with Life This Week returning on Mon 4 January 2021. Hope to see you next week too. Denyse.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They sure are handy little "tools" but like most crafts I find there is always something I need to buy to go along with it.

      Delete
  23. Oh no, I am sorry to hear that you had to quarantine! Although a 14 day quarantine would make my life look no different than it does now! Haha. I am loving your hiking photos and I just can't get over that view you wake up to! So beautiful. Thanks for sharing these little bits of your life with us! It is always a pleasure to read, my friend.

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! I said the same thing to my husband- neither mine nor my youngest son's schedules changed in anyway due to quarantine. We also found out that the CDC changed their guidelines to a 10 day quarantine so by the time we knew we had been exposed we were already 1/2 way through our time.

      Delete
  24. Lucky you to get some warm weather so you could enjoy so much time outdoors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's funny how it seems to seesaw back and forth from freezing cold/rain/snow to nice/warm/ and sunny!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Share Our Lives: 5 Items I Can't Live Without

Prime Purchases in February 2023

Let's Look At... Our Grocery haul