Category Archives: Zach

5 Things Friday

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  1. We have survived our first full week of school. I am tired but at least we survived. Things have been busy as Zach is working on getting his truck ready for driving and we are trying to complete a rather large outside project as well.  The initial goal was to work on it and complete this weekend with the extra day on Monday however I am not at all convinced that will be the case
  2. Zach’s football team has won both games so far. Zach is starting on defense and was announced as a captain last night. Tonight both Zach and Kendall are dressed in togas for the student section for the varsity game tonight.
  3. Zach’s birthday is Monday, we will be celebrating both Saturday night with a large group and then again Monday at lunch for a small group. We had initially planned just one celebration but he now has football practice on Monday and works both Saturday and Sunday.
  4. Lily is going to Florida for the weekend and that is one of the reasons that we are doing two separate celebrations for the birthday.
  5. Summer jobs end on Monday/ Labor Day. The kids have been super busy and honestly I am ready for jobs to stop. Kendall is going to continue working two mornings a week during the school year!

Five Things Friday

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  1. Today is Zach and Kendall’s official last day of school.  Neither one has been to school over half a day this week. Nor has either one gone every day this week.  I have 7 days left but really only 6 as I have appointments next Thursday so I am taking that day off.
  2. We have been getting a small harvest from the garden everyday.  I have been able to freeze a couple of bags of shredded zucchini and 4 more bags of squash casserole. Zach was able to pick blueberries but they did not make it inside the house.
  3. The weather continues to be strange and on top of that our pool (community) is currently not functioning and we have yet to have a swim team practice.
  4. We have been able to obtain some wooden platelets with goals to build a garden box to grow potatoes with easy opening/dumping door. Increase the height of the greenhouse by 2 feet to allow Matt to use comfortably and as the structure for a hydroponic growing system.
  5. Lily has decided that she wants to pursue a certification that will allow her to work with immigrants. This is an answer to prayer and exciting and scarey all  at once.

5 Things Friday

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1. We are entering a different season of life, one that i often dreamed about but never realized how quickly it would come. And to be honest, I am not entirely sure how I feel about it.  All the kids have current jobs and are at home less than me. Lily just graduated from college and is working a full time job and also many side hustles, Kendall is a junior, who works during the school year one day a week at the YMCA as a lifeguard. Zach started taking classes for his lifeguard training and is already employed as a lifeguard for the summer.
2. Lily graduated from Liberty University some time last Friday. This is a campus that none of us have seen.  She did not choose to walk across the stage because of the cost involved. I actually encouraged her in this decision. The only tough part is now she is unsure at 19 what she really wants to do in life or even a course to head to get there. This summer is going to be tough and likely life changing for her. I am praying for peace and wisdom.
3. I am finishing up my final weeks of treatment for the school year. I will have a couple of weeks of paperwork, meetings and office cleaning but the end is in sight.
4. The weather this year is the strangest ever in my book, after running the air conditioner for most of the month of April, we did not need it for the first two plus weeks of May. However, on Wednesday the humidity and heat forced the air back on.  I assumed it would be for the remainder of the summer but it now appears we may get another week in the 70s.  Strange and strange. The other issue is that we have been receiving a bunch of rain, the 5th wettest on record.
5. Kendall is rank 5th in her junior class. This was one thing that she was focused on achieving as this allows her to be a junior marshal.  We are extremely  proud of her!

5 Things Friday

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  1. The weather is always or maybe just the Spring weather is crazy. For the first time that I can remember, I caved and turn the air on for a couple of weeks in April. The temps were in the 80s and the house was miserable. Much to my surprise last Sunday, it was cooler outside than inside so I turned the air back off. I am watching the temperature like a hawk.  It appears we have switched two weeks in April for two weeks in May. I will likely be turning the air back on again this Thursday. Middle of May is usual for the air.  Uggh but at least I saved some money.
  2. The weather also effects how the garden is growing. I did not think there was a chance of getting a Spring harvest due to how quickly it turned and stayed warm.  But with the cooler temperatures for the past couple of weeks, We managed a decent harvest of radishes and the broccoli plants out front are huge. I am doubtful we will get a broccoli head but I am willing to give it another couple of weeks before pulling and feeding them to the chickens.
  3. When the kids were younger, before a Disney trip we would start walking a mile a day as a family. This was usually at least 2 or 3 months before going so that no one would complain about walking. Last year, we did this with Braxton as he was too big for a stroller.  Matt and I have started walking because we don’t want to be so sore and tired from our short trip.  We don’t even have a month but my goal is to get 10 miles in as prep.  So far we have managed 2 but at least it is consistent and something to prepare for.
  4. Summer count down is on, Lily is finished with college and the graduation ceremony is this weekend.  Kendall is finished with her Spring semester which means she has finished an entire year of community college. Kendall and Zach have 4 weeks of school left and I have 5 weeks left!
  5. Zach has switched from baseball to football and this past week was our slowest week until Summer. He and Kendall both have meetings and Life Guard training for the next couple of weekends as well.

5 Things Friday AKA What I did for Spring Break.

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1.We, Lily and I planned a short but packed Disney trip for the end of May, approximately 2 weeks ago.  It is something I am convinced we all need and will enjoy. So, in anticipation of the trip, I am going to save as much money as possible between then and now.  I would love to have $1000 but that is going to be a stretch.  The catch to the saving is that it has to come from extra money, not money that I am budgeting. I have worked out the budget for May already, so this is truly going to be a challenge. One caveat is that money left over from the grocery budget can be counted as savings. In addition, I am also going to say no Amazon buying unless absolutely needed.  I will try and deduct this amount from any savings we get.

2. This is week has been both the kids and I week of Spring Break. I have really really tried to get alot of things caught up and prepared ahead for the next month as well. Which hopefully will help with the goal above. Braxton has been with us for at least half of four out of 5 days this week. He is actually enjoying screen free time!

3. One of the areas I have focused on this week is outside both for gardening and landscaping. I have spent $300ish on additional plants, soil and mulch. This includes paying Zach for lots of hot work applying mulch and helping getting the yard looking it’s best.  I have been able to purchase 2 hydrangeas for $14.00 each on clearance, along with several other “clearance” plants that have helped to completely fill by Greenstalk vertical planters. I found angel trumpet trees on Facebook marketplace. Zach helped me repurpose by painting several older planters with a fresh coat of paint which I think turned out great!

I will give a better garden update on Sunday, but we have not lost any plants from transplanting, and we have a watermelon growing!  I am so pleased. Several hours and bags of dirt went to finishing up the planting space. My goal is to finish all the Spring planting today!  I really only have one area to plant now that the dirt is filled.

4.. The other area that I have worked on this week is cleaning and organizing parts of the house. One was the living room, where we found a 5-gallon bucket of water sealant. Zach used this outside as well. I also moved all the plants outside for the fresh air and sunshine.  The living room is so open now it is amazing!  I also spent time filling and organizing the canning closet. I added 28 jars of beef stock and 8 cans of white beans.

5. I also planned to work on getting our food together for the next 4 to 8 weeks (until Summer break). I actually made multiple trips to Costco and Food lion. I also attempted to use up items in our freezers.  I am proud to say other than 1 lunch at McDonald’s for $10.69 We have eaten at home all week. This is huge! I have made multiple batches of sour dough and frozen some.

Overall this was a great productive week!