Ordinary in the daily routine

During this Covid-19, stay at home, not out of Phase 0, life feeling a touch mundane, finding the Joy. Here is what it looks like:

• seeing my neighbors more frequently.  We meet, on our joined driveway, from a safe distance, for an hour every Friday. This week will be #11.  We've talked about continuing even when the crisis is over.
• Simon has been working at a grocery store for a long while now.  It seemed like he was only getting one 4 hour shift a week.  When busy with college and other activities, that was ok.  He looked for another job, but those were few and far between.  With this pandemic, he has been getting a lot more hours.  Now we happy he didn't find a new job, he might have been laid off. 
• With some birthday money, I bought some journalling stencils.  Been using them in my store bought planner, to make bullet marks; helpful to me for checking things off or highlighting if I didn't get it done.  I have added washi tape, in the back, to designate certain pages as different pages.  Added ribbons, just today, to paper clips, to make it easier to find certain pages, other than the tabbed month.  Yeah, I am a bit geeked out and getting more organized.
• the end of 2019/2020 school year is just days away.  Several subjects have been completed already.  Managed to finalize those grades, package up the work, and get it into long term storage.  Excited by this, because I have been trying to stay on top of the grading all year and it has paid off.
• in our neck of the woods, it is starting to warm up.  Think I have figured out the strategic placing of fans, so that we can keep the A/C off.  Have no firm facts, but seems like a few fans running, certain curtains closed, unnecessary lights off, would be cheaper than running A/C, curtains open and random lights on (a habit I am trying to break).  There is a touch of joy in this for  me.
• last but not least, guys who are content with simple meals and ones they can fix on their own.

What brings you Joy?

Really AWOL

Not sure why I decided to check in, on a blog I haven't touched in over two years.  I am here though.

Things that have changed:

• Oldest is college age and figuring out what the future looks like
• Youngest is rapidly wrapping up Junior year of high school
• Covid-19 has radically changed how life is accomplished around here
• Husband has been working from home since mid-March and we are kinda liking it
• I have taken up photographing, with a dslr camera, and dabbling in watercolor
• I am figuring out what life will look like after the 2020/2021 school year as that is our last year homeschooling

Here are a few photos, of life around our house, as an update:

Resent watercolor& pen postcard

Last strawberry jam from 2019 batch

Theater kid being himself.

Covid schooling doesn't look to different from

regular home schooling.

Some of my favorite flowers. 

Charlotte keeping watch over the front yard.

Big Exhale!

Moon in our back yard!

That started the day.  Woke up from an anxiety inducing dream, with both heart rate and blood pressure racing, almost hyperventilating.  When I realized it was a dream, and not reality, at least my brain was quick to calm down.  Other things calmed, too, reasonably quick.  Large scale anxiety has been something I have been dealing with, for a few years now and a main reason I started this blog.  Not only did I need the medication for my brain and exercise to work off the fight or flight gitters, I needed something tangible, to visibly see the good, the beauty, the joy in life.

Neglecting various aspects, has not been good for me.  Bare with me, as I work to get back into a healthy routine.

The quick, thankful updates:

• All high-school year is going well so far.  Oldest is a senior while youngest is a freshman.
• Made it through the purchase of a new car without to much stress (finances are a trigger for me).
• Made it through the busiest summer yet!
• Son recieved accomodations for ACT's, the first time around.
• Working on getting caught up on my sky scarf.  Earlier this month, tore it almost completely out because the side I carry up the extra yarn looked horrible.  I am now back into July.
• Boys are learning life skills around the house.  Will miss this terribly when they are gone!
• Solar Eclipse, the other day was cool.  Even got to borrow glasses from neighbors.

There is way more I could type about, but this is all I can think of easily.  Will be back, hopefully on my computer, to update the layout and other thinfs around here.

For now, hope your day is joyful!