hmm, what shall we do today?

The girls made cake pops yesterday...vanilla cake, homemade buttercream frosting, then dipped in white chocolate. I had the great idea to put them in the empty egg cartons as they dipped them...:). And no, I did not eat one.


We went for a walk the other night...Paul lets the dogs off leash for a bit, on an uninhabited part of the road...


Yesterday was supposed to be sunny and warm. Well, it was neither. Since the clouds refused to move the heck out of the way for the sun, it was just that coolish, 50+ degree day, which was okay to be out in, but just a hint away from being gorgeous. I wanted sunshine on my skin, darn it!

Spring time in central NY state, I guess.

We "need" a new gas grill, as the old one is all rusted through. Is it worth it to spend a little more, or just plan to replace it in two years again? We use it so much, winter time too. I don't know. It is a luxury, isn't it?

The dryer if fixed, but it still stops frequently. So in you go to the laundry room, open it up, close it again, place the black electrical tape across the door to help it stay firmly closed, turn it on again, and sometimes, most of the time, it works fine. I had to really stop myself from grumping about it this morning, and be thankful that we have one.

The kids are not up yet, probably awake in their beds...I have to admit, I am feeling like this whole thing is getting old, but I am not going to give in to that feeling. As the mom here, I acknowledge that like it or not, I do set the tone here. What good will it do if I give in and cry, and feel sorry for myself? Honestly, I do feel a bit sorry for the kids. Sonja is a senior in high school. She is in this excellent program where she went to the hospital every day, witnessed procedures and learned about different medical specialties, first hand. She misses it, misses her friends. I know she is one in several million across the world who is in the same boat, but I still feel bad for her. It's the old, "Just because other people are suffering, that doesn't negate one single person's suffering." (I just made that up).

In the big scheme of things, there is no cause to "feel sorry" for Sonja. She has a loving family, a warm home, plenty of good, hearty meals, siblings to "lockdown" with...and she is being a great sport about everything. But, she is turning 18 years old on Sunday, none of her older siblings, or her friends, will be able to come over to celebrate. Again, just like everyone else in the entire world. But still, right?

Jonathan turns 16 tomorrow. We'll make his favorite dinner, hot sausage with peppers and onions. Then, peanut butter fudge brownies with peanut butter frosting. I have one gift for him, and yeah, I do feel a bit bad for him. He has been trying to get his four wheeler working lately, I wish I could just go buy him one that works, but that ain't happening, ha.

Miss Charlotte Claire turns 14 next week...maybe we'll order food out or something...curbside pick up. :)

The bottom line is that I want my kids to have a good life, but apparently we all need a good shaking up, and we KNOW that tribulation produces perseverance...(Romans 5). Our faith needs to be tried by fire.

So maybe I'll look through my paint stash and decide on a color to paint the laundry room door. Maybe I'll drag the sewing machine out and make some more masks.

My daughter Emily is heading to Buffalo this Sunday for a six week stint in the ICU, Covid patients. She has made herself available for NYC, Boston, ect., but hasn't been needed. She was actually offered a position in NYC, but it was rescinded because they don't really need more right now. I don't love it, but she has been adamant that she would help where needed, sort of like when war breaks out and all the young men line up to join, they want to do their part.

Have a really good day...are all doing okay? I do have concern about a blogger named Tracy, she writes linesfromthevine.com has 14 kids, she was writing every day, and the last day she posted, she wasn't feeling well...it was March 23rd. She had a cough, ect. Now she hasn't updated, so I've been praying for her...anyone know anything?

Are all of you doing okay?