Alabama + Graffiti

Before schools were let out for Thanksgiving, we got emails and texts notifying us that the school system we are in was going back to staggered scheduling.  Which means, S is only attending in-person school on Mondays and Thursdays – and he is home with us the other three days.  When I say that kid was devastated after hearing that, I mean, he was distraught.  He genuinely loves going to school and seeing all of his friends, and he has been doing so well.

I am so worried that we are just not enough for him.  I am, by no means, a teacher.   Those people are so special and so deserving of more – I could never, ever do it.  And I especially can’t do it while I’m working a full-time job.  I can only give half of myself to each.  And some days, it’s more of an 80/20 split, and it’s a crap shoot on which one is getting the short end of the stick.

And since I’m an obsessive worrier – I also wonder what affect this will have on him.  What will he remember from this time?  Will he remember every single time I lost my patience with him?  Will he remember that I was exasperated with him when he was tracing circles on one of his assignments, and it took him thirty minutes, because he had to have them perfect?  Will he remember that he ate so many PB&J’s, that he might as well have just turned into one?  Or will he remember dance parties and riding bikes at lunch?  Will he remember all the times we drew and colored together  – and had pizza and movie nights, because why does that only have to happen on a Friday night?

I can tell which days are hard on him – he’s a little more emotional and a lot more whiney.  And I know he can tell which days are hard on me and B.  There have been a few times those days have collided, and they’ve been doozies.  So many tears and arguments, time-outs and so so much wine drank.  There have been a lot of times where I’ve had to remind myself that this is happening to him, too.  Not just the adults.  He has missed a lot about his first year of school, that he will just not be able to get back.

I know how this whole whiney post sounds – but I am truly grateful that my job allows for me to work from home to be able to be home with Sheffield for home school.  I’m grateful that we have the resources at home to be able to help Sheff be successful in his e-learning.  I know that this too shall pass, and we’ll all come out better (hopefully) on the other side.

I will start with a disclaimer here:  Yes, we traveled on Thanksgiving 2020.  We quarantined the two weeks before we went anywhere, and we are avid mask-wearers and social distancers.  We hand washed like crazy people, and sanitized up.  Now that that is out of the way – here are our adventures.

We started off making sure that we timed it just right, so we could stop for one of my favorites in Atlanta – The Varsity!  Sheff gobbled up his hot dog and orange drink, and my slaw dogs were amazing.  Their onion rings are out of this world – so if you can stop by and get them, do!

After Atlanta, we drove up to our first stop in Charlotte, NC.  We went to The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery for dinner.  They had a huge taproom with outdoor seating as well – their huge patio doors were up and open.  We had a few brews and a giant pretzel – Sheff had fun with his PB&J and his promised pad time.

In the morning, we woke up and headed to Raleigh for brunch, and then headed to Richmond, VA.  We stopped for some amazing pictures in Libby Hill Park – the park overlooked downtown Richmond, and it was just beautiful.  After that, we checked into the hotel and let Sheff take a nap.  We started the Packers game in the hotel, and then walked to Wong Gonzalez for dinner.  It was a Mexican-Asian fusion place, and the food was amazing.  We came back to the hotel – watched the Packers lose, and called it an early night.

The next morning, we headed into Washington, DC!  Sheffield was so excited about this part of the trip.  It was super windy and cold that day, but we powered through it.  We walked as close to the White House as we could, went to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and the WWII and Korean War Memorials.  It was so cool to see how mesmerized Sheff was.  Of course he didn’t totally understand everything, but giant things are always a plus.  For late lunch, we ate at the oldest restaurant in DC, Old Ebbitt Grill.  They are known for their crab cakes, so of course that is what we got – along with a glass of wine.  B and I were stuffed for dinner, so Sheff ate his leftovers in the room, while we just chilled and watched cartoons.  B eventually walked down to a CVS and got us an array of junk food to snack on.

Then Tuesday morning, we were off to Meemaw & Pappy’s, where we ate too much, made a gingerbread house, lounged around watching Hallmark Christmas movies, went on walks, ate some more, played Super Mario Monopoly and then ate some more.

We drove back in one fell swoop, stopping for lunch in Roanoke, VA at Clutch.  It was such a good trip, but we were glad to be back in our own beds.  Sunday, we decorated the house, watched football all day, and had wings and fries to watch the Packers beat the Bears.  Always a good ending to a weekend watching the Bears lose.

I hope everyone had a great holiday however you decided to celebrate.

This year has been fucking ridiculous, right?  I know that the ridiculousness doesn’t end at the stroke of midnight on December 31st – and sometimes that can be overwhelming.

With the extreme rise in Covid cases, I hold my breath every day – waiting for our school to become 100% remote and thus causing me to be 100% work from home.  I don’t know about you, but all of that causes my heart rate to increase and all of those worst-case scenarios to come to the forefront of my mind.

BUT this weekend, I got a gentle reminder from a good friend.  She is running a virtual half marathon for St. Jude, and I donated to her team.  She wrote me back a thank you email and it said, “Miss your face and your amazing positivity.”  And what honestly went through my mind was, positivity?  What positivity?

And so I thought back to when she knew me best – she was my boss when I worked at a previous company.  And you know something?  I did start every day there with a much better attitude than I have now.  Granted, I am in a very different place than I was when I was there – I have a kid, a much more demanding job and different responsibilities.  But even with all of that – why can I not choose to start the day with a much more positive attitude?  I do the best I can at my job, I’m the best mom I know how to be – I need to stop beating myself up over every thing and that especially includes anything that I can’t control.

I’m going to make it a point to try to start the day with a different mindset – I will do what I can at my job, I will not let it eat me alive and drag me down into that dark hole.  Changing my mindset will be something that is fresh and on my mind while we try to make it through this last month a half of the most garbage year ever!

Ok, ok – I know that we see a TON of these chocolate chip cookie recipes ever, but honestly, this is the best.  THE BEST.  I have never ever ever browned butter in my life (like what this recipe calls for), and I did it.  So if I can do it, so can you.  Let’s go!  (This recipe came from Honeysuckle – you can find her YouTube video making the cookies here.)

HOW YOU DO IT

// Melt and brown 8 tbsp of butter – she swears by the Kerrygold brand – I used the Land O’Lakes unsalted butter and they came out just as good.  Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl.

// After the butter has semi-cooled, add the following to the bowl and mix.

* 1/2 cup white sugar

* 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (again, I used light – no big deal)

* 1 egg

* 1 tsp vanilla

* 1/2 tsp kosher salt

* 1/2 tsp baking soda

// Once it’s a ribbon-like consistency, add:

* 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

* 1 cup chocolate chips.

// Mix well, and scoop into round balls onto a baking sheet. I have this cookie scoop – trust me – it’s one of the most used things in my kitchen: get you one.  (Note:  this recipe doesn’t make a ton of cookies – I get maybe 10 or 11).  Sprinkle with salt.  Chill if you must ( I always skip this step because GIMME MY COOKIES!).  Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Cool and serve.

And there you have it – I loved this, because the cookies were delicious and I got to learn a new baking skill.  And with all the Christmas baking coming up – you definitely need to add these to the Christmas cookie list!  Enjoy!

 

 

 

(slow reading month for me – I was in a massive reading funk, but luckily have clawed my way back.  Linking up with Jana and Steph for SUYB)

Anxious People – Fredrick Backman // I am a huge huge fan of Backman – and this one surely didn’t disappoint.  A book about a bank robbery gone bad – and relationships with people really.  The character development in this book is amazing, and you find yourself getting super attached and interested in their fate.  So glad this one was Lindsay’s Virtual Book Club pick.

The Shadows – Alex North // This is the second book of his that I’ve read, and it is so creepy and wonderful.  I loved how sometimes I had a hard time discerning between real life and the lucid dreams, and there was in no way that I saw the ending coming.  Such a good, make-you-look-over-your-should read.  If that’s your thing, definitely add this one to your list.

The Other Mrs. – Mary Kubica //  I cant’ really say much about this book, because I’ll give it away.  It is very much a typical Kubica book – twisty, mental thriller type book, and I loved it.  I can say I only saw half of the ending coming, and whew – what a doozy.  If you’re normally a fan of her books, you’ll dig this one, too.