Week 47

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving holiday. Last week was so nice for us with the boys home.  One week wasn't quite enough but they will be be back soon for winter break and get to stay for a whole month then.  We'll be counting the days and prepping the home so it's all decked out for Christmas when they return.

Until then here are last week's pictures:

Day 324- Monday, 11/20/23

Rusty is happy to have his napping buddy back.  Otherwise today was a day to get haircuts and preventative shots done.  Brandon was in dire need of a cut but Justin surprisingly got one just before he came home--first time in 4 years that happened so it was a nice surprise.  Sadly the colleges were not holding vaccine clinics on campus this year so they both need those especially since traveling frequently this peak flu and covid season.

Day 325- Tuesday, 11/21/23

We had Korean short ribs for dinner tonight, one of everyone's favorites and then we started binge watching Ahsoka with the boys as an evening activity through the week.

Day 326- Wednesday, 11/22/23

Today was a full on baking day in prep for tomorrow and also to have yummy treats to enjoy here and there for the week.  Poor Brandon--we haven't had too much time with him since he's had to work remotely a lot but thankfully after today he's off until next week.

Day 327- Thursday, 11/23/23

Happy Thanksgiving! - We had a nice little spread for a light lunch at home before heading to Lupe's family's house for a Thanksgiving feast.  We brought ham, cornbread stuffing and pies to share while they served tamales, pozole, turkey and pineapple upside-down cake.  It was all very good and a great opportunity for our younger boys finally meet her family.

Day 328- Friday, 11/24/23

Time to pack the pumpkins away for another year and sadly to send Brandon off on his flight back to school.  At least it was later in the day so we still had time with him before departure.

Day 329- Saturday, 11/25/23

Early today Justin headed back to school after getting one last cuddle with Rusty. Once the house was empty I was able to get out for a fresh cut and color.  It's great to have the boys home but also exhausting even with their help so it was nice to be able to get out of the house and do something for me.

Day 330- Sunday, 11/26/23

We're not fully decorating yet but at least we got the tree out and a few items we had handy in the garage.  I'll need Tyler's help before next weekend to pull the rest of the Christmas stuff out of the attic.

That's all folks!  Time to brace yourself for the next big holiday season in a new month.

Week 46

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  We are enjoying a full house again and it's nice for a good change of pace.  Now I have to step up my meal planning and cooking game but I don't mind.  It's so great to see all 3 boys back together again razzing each other and wanting to play competitive games for fun.  Thankfully I have the week off to enjoy all that with them.

Now for last week's pictures:

Day 317- Monday 11/13/23

Nothing Bundt Cakes for work Fall birthdays.  Yum!

Day 318- Tuesday,  11/14/23

On my lunch break I was able to run out to See's and pick up the chocolate turkeys for the big day.  Last year I waited too long and almost couldn't find any.  Later at home it was cold in the house so as soon as I sat down Rusty joined me for a nice warm nap.

Day 319- Wednesday, 11/15/23

Wednesday at work as I walked across campus to pick up a sample I marvel at all the colorful fall leaves littering the ground.  It was windy yesterday so a lot of leaves were dropped overnight.  Outside at home I spied a good number of lemons ripening up on our neighbor's tree and thankfully a lot of them are one our side of the fence.  I can't wait to put them to good use especially since last year there were hardly any to be found.

Day 320- Thursday, 11/16/23

Since I knew the boys would be home soon I made sure the traditional fall candy dish was full and ready for them.  First home was Brandon.  He flew in at 10 pm this evening and was eager to sleep in his very own bed cave again.  Yawn--it's way past everyone's bedtime.

Day 321- Friday, 11/17/23

TGIF!  As I head out from work and get ready to fight the traffic home I see there is a storm brewing.  The skies look angry and heavy rain is expected tonight into tomorrow.

Day 322- Saturday, 11/18/23

 Justin made the long journey home today first by bus and then by train. While we waited for him we saw rain bursts after rain burst before the clouds finally parted and the sun came out in full force.  Thankfully the weather did not affect Justin's travels and when he arrived was pleasantly surprised that John was there with me to greet him at the train station in Davis..

Day 323- Sunday, 11/19/23

Fun times with the boys after Sunday dinner.  Our house and hearts are full.

That's it!  Have a fabulous Thanksgiving all.  May you be blessed to gather with wonderful family and/or great friends.

Week 45

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! We're getting excited for Thanksgiving coming up. The college boys will be home the end of this week for a whole week and we're all looking forward to it. Since this is the last full work week before the big day it's stacking up to be a busy one especially with me planning to take most of the holiday week off. It will be worth it though to spend more time with my family while they are all here.

Take a look at last week's pictures when things were pretty chill and I had a lot of time to get outdoors:

Day 310- Monday, 11/6/23

We started the week with rain, rain, rain.  My drive to work was dry but about 30min after when I looked out the building windows it was dumping.  Good thing I brought a jacket with a hood today.  Later back at home I saw that John made the PT social media post for using their new VR trainer to help fine tune his balance.  He's come so far!  The first picture was him back in March having to take a a much needed break after a short attempt at walking. Now he's kicked the chair to the curb, is driving, walking mostly without a cane, and wanting to try skiing again this winter. Just like the words on the wall say, "Nothing is impossible."

Day 311- Tuesday, 11/7/23

Working remote today I got to see the morning fog out front and the afternoon sun out back--it was a typical fall day.

Day 312- Wednesday, 11/8/23

This afternoon I was checking on plants out back and noticed the pretty red leaves popping up on the bush lighting up in the sunshine.  Later on a walk to the park and back as I passed this huge palm tree I looked up and marveled at it's underneath pattern and beauty against the very blue sky.  Not sure why but I was really connecting with nature this week.

Day 313- Thursday, 11/9/23

Pomegranates are in season and so many people at work are bringing them in to share.  This one and couple others I got came from my boss. The only downside is how messy they are to eat. Now for my favorite tree at home--it's leaves have quickly gone from all green to green with yellow and now mostly yellow with brown soon to be all brown before the drop to the ground.  I'm so glad we live in a part of Calif that has seasons and great fall color changes.

Day 314- Friday, 11/10/23

TGIF!  It's a work holiday for Veteran's Day and thank you to all those that serve and help protect this country.  I had a nice relaxing day with a slow start.  It was super cold this morning so I was happy to enjoy a couple nice warm drinks.  Later, once it warmed up, I spent more time in the yard to help get it ready for harsher weather to come.  Much to my surprise this plant, in one of our side yards, is thriving with many blooming and vibrant flowers.  Bet they won't be there much longer as our nights are getting colder and colder.

Day 315- Saturday, 11/11/23

We got to go to a fun event this afternoon.  It was a SCI-FIT customer appreciation taco feast where clients got to pie their trainers as fundraiser.  They were all such good sports and everyone really had a great time.  John made sure to get in on his fill of the action buying enough pies for every trainer and then some.  What a mess!

Day 316- Sunday, 11/12/23 

The best part about weekends is having my college kids check in and send me pictures.  It's nice to see they look happy and healthy especially when I know there's been some challenges.  Justin also asked me for my cranberry orange muffin recipe and sent me a picture of the ones he made for him and his roommates.  Looks like they turned out great.  As for John and I we've been working our way through the many seasons of Suits on Netflix and thought we were almost done at season 7 but turns out that Netflix only has 7 seasons for now but there are at least 2 more seasons that we'll have to find and watch somewhere else.

That's it for now.  Check back next week when we'll have pictures of us with a full house again.