Week 47

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! How can it be Thanksgiving week already? This time of year always goes by so fast. It most certainly feels more like fall and also like winter is creeping in with near freezing temps and snow falling in the mountains. The change is nice but does take some getting used to.  As for the remodel, this should be our final week. Shower glass in going in today so aside from the new closet doors which will take a couple more weeks that is the last piece of the puzzle. I can't wait to have my master bath shower back! Closet doors we can live without for a bit longer but the shower is a must.

Now take a look at last week's pictures:

Day 321- Monday, 11/16/20

Not a bad way to start the week with a beautiful sunrise right out my front door.  These clouds mean a storm is brewing so we expect rain for the next couple days.

Day 322- Tuesday, 11/17/20

I've been doing yoga now for the past few months and it has become part of my daily routine that I enjoy.  Trying to carve out time can be a challenge, but I never regret finding the time when I can.  It certainly helps with stress, strength and flexibility--all good things.  And then there is the rain. It came down pretty good this afternoon.

Day 323- Wednesday, 11/18/20

So this just happened.  Anyone--staff, faculty, students, visitors--needing to access buildings on the UC Davis campus must now get weekly COVID testing at the rec center.  I found out about it yesterday and got my first test done today at 6:30am.  I get it, but weekly testing is going to a be a logistical pain.  At least it's a spit test and not a nasal one.  In other news, at home it's still raining, and look at Tyler getting ready to walk the dog in a raincoat with shorts and flip flops.  I think he thinks he's still in LA.

Day 324- Thursday, 11/19/20

Brandon helped me make dinner tonight as we tried pizza rolls suggested by a blogger friend of mine.  They are made just like cinnamon rolls but with pizza fillings and turned out great.  Of course they were also a big hit and didn't last long.  Thanks for the suggestion Jen.

Day 325- Friday, 11/20/20 

Look who I'm with!  I drove up to Humboldt to collect Justin for fall break.  He usually takes the bus and train home, but I don't trust public transportation right now so will be driving him home and back in the safety of my own car.  He's been tested and self isolating, and I just got my negative test results back so it will be nice to have him safe at home for a good week. It's such a long drive that I'm staying overnight so we had time to get an afternoon hike in just before the sun started to go down.  I so love exploring these redwoods and used the second picture for today's photo prompt which just happened to be about a landscape scene from somewhere in the whole wide world.

Day 326- Saturday, 11/21/20

We're back home now and out on a walk I snapped a picture of this tree for a photo prompt about bending and not breaking.  As you can see we have some good fall color right now.  It finally got cold enough to turn the rest of the trees.  Justin is happy to be back and have a nice home cooked meal to enjoy with the family.  John and him are also bonding over music and the release of a new AC/DC album. 

Day 327- Sunday, 11/22/20

This week in remodel land the new mirrors went up just under the new lighting, and I was able to do some shopping for things like rugs and towels to help make it feel more like a livable space and less of a construction zone.  Almost done!  In the mirror reflection you can see our beautiful new shower sitting there without any glass.  That's up next.

Ok--all done! I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and stays safe and healthy.

Week 46

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! We are enjoying some nice fall weather and even a little rain--actually had to turn the heater on for the first time in a LONG while this past week.  Fingers crossed that we'll be done by this time next week with the renovations.  We're so close and now just waiting for things to be delivered that can quickly get installed so we can wrap this up.  Otherwise, not a whole lot going on besides prepping for the holidays.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 314- Monday, 11/9/20

Our bathroom counters, sinks, faucets and hardware were installed today.  It ended up being a really long day but this is a big step forward so I'm happy to see some more useful progress. Now we wait on mirrors and shower glass while other smaller detail things can get done.

Day 315- Tuesday, 11/10/20

This was a fun photo challenge to create a mandala and find our center.  I collected fall items from our neighbor hood to create mine and love how it turned out.  I also used my puzzle board as the background which just happened to be the perfect size.

Day 316- Wednesday, 11/11/20

Happy Veteran's Day and thank you to those that serve to help protect our country.  We are so grateful for all you do.  In other news it's really cold out now so we had a toasty warm dinner and then chilled after by the fire--first one of the season and you can bet we are now turning the heater on in the mornings.  At least the afternoons are still pleasant.

Day 317- Thursday, 11/12/20

Tonight was an Athletic Boosters Club fundraiser at Panda Express so Brandon and I went out to pick up dinner for a good cause.  It was a nice treat not to have to cook.

Day 318- Friday, 11/13/20

It's raining today and Bella and I are on our way to the vet for some blood work she needs before a dental visit.  The best part for her was the car ride and thankfully it didn't rain that much so it was a smooth ride.  Later our Friday night movie was Megan Leavey which was perfect after just having Veteran's Day.  It's been in our Netflix que for a couple years now and just happened to come in the mail this week.  What are the odds?

Day 319- Saturday, 11/14/20

I discovered recently that the faucet on the new tub casts a sunburst off the bathroom wall which is pretty cool.  I was also out today shopping for new towels among other things and found this corner table that fits perfect behind the tub creating a great spot for a plant or a glass of wine or whatever. 😁  I can't wait until I really get to set things up and enjoy it all.  The second picture is a foggy beach picture I took awhile ago near Humboldt, and the photo challenge today was to make a landscape picture into a work of art using filters so this how mine turned out--like a canvas painting.

Day 320- Sunday, 11/15/20

Must be Sunday with football on and John prepping steaks for dinner.  We also just started watching a new Netflix series that's pretty interesting so far.  Even Brandon is into it and he rarely watches anything with us.

OK!! That's it! See you next week just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Week 45

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! Last week was a full, busy, and exhausting week but ended on a good note. This country has a lot of work to do in order to heal but thankfully we took a step in the right direction. I do feel optimistic about our future and I hope we can all be more united in working to better what needs to be done.  United we stand and divided we fall.

Until then, here are last week's pictures:

Day 307- Monday, 11/2/20

Back to work.  With the time change I'm showing up during lit morning hours instead of arriving in the dark but I'm not liking the how early it gets dark later in the day.  After work I packed up all the Halloween stuff and pulled out our turkey decoration.  I left all pumpkins out too that are more a symbol of fall than of spooky things.

Day 308- Tuesday, 11/3/20

I hope you all voted.  We had 4 voters in our family this year and it was a really long day that was not looking good for us. Seriously the best part of today was getting our new turbo flush toilets installed and having them be ready to use.  It's been hard especially in the middle of the night to have to go downstairs to use the only working toilet for the past 4 weeks.  We all jumped for joy when we found out we have 3 functioning toilets again.  It's the little things people!

Day 309- Wednesday, 11/4/20

I picked up my new masks that the university provided for it's employees today and gave one a try.  I like how they look and feel but they are harder for me to breathe in.  Guess I just need time to get used to them.  The other one just says UC Davis without a nod to the Vet School.  At home this afternoon I took this picture of these buds that will soon become winter flowers for a prompt about something small but mighty.

Day 310- Thursday, 11/5/20

This was a big day for Brandon!  He took his DMV drive test right after school and got his driver's license.  We celebrated by picking up dinner at Dos Coyotes to bring back and share with the rest of the family.  Hopefully he can drive himself to conditioning practice starting next week for tennis.  He's decided to take a break from basketball and head back to tennis this year and the school is just now starting sports again even though classes are remaining remote.

Day 311- Friday, 11/6/20

The temps are dropping, storms are moving in, and more trees are turning brilliant fall colors.  I'm all for that change.  And look what else has changed--they finished the bottom half or our stair update today and I love it.  Monday the whole staircase should be done.  We are seeing light a the end of the tunnel with maybe just 1 week and a couple days left for this whole remodel (minus our master closet doors which we'll be lucky to see before Christmas).

Day 312- Saturday, 11/7/20

Today was a good day and we all celebrated with a toast at dinner.  I really enjoyed seeing my children be so involved and constantly looking for updates to see which would be the next state to flip--even Brandon who is not voting age stayed fully invested.  They all learned a lot which will help them continue to be engaged and educated voters in years to come.

Day 313- Sunday, 11/8/20

I needed this fall photo for another prompt but barely got out their in time before the sun went down.  I happens so quick these days and we're now back to walking the dog in the dark.  Ugh! Later after her walk in the dark Bella was very attentive watching Brandon work in the kitchen.  She hates the new floors where she slips and slides so always parks herself here at the corner of the rug begging for food and treats that might come from someone, anyone the kitchen.

That's it!  See you next week.

Week 44

Welcome back, happy Tuesday, happy November, and happy Election Day!  It's going to be a full and crazy week.  Many of us have already voted and now we just wait to see how it all turns out.  Regardless, I hope for peaceful results and I hope this country can come to together and start to productively find solutions to the issues that divide us.

In the meantime here are last week's pictures:

Day 300- Monday, 10/26/20

Must be Monday because this poor kitty is back in lockdown.  During the weekend he's free to roam the house but during weekdays he needs to be locked up until renovations are done.  You can tell he's less than thrilled but has at least resigned himself to it and likes to retreat in his blanket tent while waiting it out.

Day 301- Tuesday, 10/27/20

Aside from the bathrooms we are also having our stairs updated and today they started on that project.  It's kind of freaky using the stairs with no spindles--gives me a vertigo feeling like I'm going to fall.  Speaking of fall I took a close up picture of our pumpkins for a photo prompt to show off some the fine details that got them selected over others such at the stems, dents, scars and unique colors.

Day 302- Wednesday, 10/28/20

Must be nice to do high school from your bed. Brandon has given up on his desk and prefers to hide in the blanket tent on his bed with his laptop to work through his classes.  Kind of like the cat--lol!  Hey, whatever works.  He just finished the 1st quarter with all A's so I can't complain.  I do hate that he has to do it all while also living in a noisy construction zone though.  The boys' bathroom which is right next to his room had cabinets and floor tile installed today which was not a quiet process.  At least he doesn't complain and doesn't stress so I am grateful he's the type of kid that can just adapt to whatever is thrown his way.

Day 303- Thursday, 10/29/20

I found a leaf that would pop against this sweater for a photo prompt today.  Love how these prompt make me really think and also get me outside to find things I can use.  It's not exactly sweater weather here but the prompt was about fall sweaters so I put one on for a few minutes anyway.

Day 304- Friday, 10/30/20

All the tile in our master bathroom is now grouted and finally done!  The floor turned out really nice and Rusty accompanied me while I checked it out.  Hopefully this means the rest can progress at a much faster pace.  I also included here a small photo strip of some of the pictures I took this week for the different prompts.  In the middle one we were supposed to take a costume piece and add filters to give it a whimsy feel.  With 3 boys that are all about superheroes and/or horror/gore the only costume piece I had that would work was a witches hat from my college days.  This prompt really had me working hard and pushed me creatively, but it was fun and I liked how the picture turned out.

Day 305- Saturday, 10/31/20

Happy Halloween!  What a strange Halloween this year with Covid on our minds.  It's usually very active in our neighborhood but we were encouraged by the county health director to stay in and watch movies or do something small so we did just that.  I left out some candy so I wouldn't need to answer the door and we only had about 3 treaters so that was all good.  As a family we made the best of it and had fun carving pumpkins, eating pizza, and watching a scary movie while eating all the candy we didn't hand out.  Tyler did dress up a bit to go out and walk Bella but that was it.  Still a good time for us but sad for all the little kids that kind of missed out.

Day 306- Sunday, 11/1/20

Welcome to November!  For the new month I have a new photo class with new prompts about gratitude and the 1st one today was for being thankful of morning routines which here mostly involves me and the cat since we are the early risers.  Then later Brandon got a haircut and agreed to pose with my monthly marker in exchange for some leftover Halloween candy.  Food bribery works every time.

Wait!  One more-

October's Family Photo

This of course was taken just after carving pumpkins and before Brandon's haircut--lol!  It was fun to have Tyler join us this year since he missed the last four years but also sad Justin couldn't be here.  We'll at least get to see him in a few weeks.  Can't wait!

Ok!  Now I'm done and hope to see you back next week.  Also please remember that no matter what happens with the election be graceful and kind to one another.