Corona Life Snapshots

I am not sure how long we have been under the "stay at home" order, but it has changed our lives significantly. In all honesty, I am thankful to have this slower paced life, full of rich, meaningful time with my family. It is unclear how, or when, we will "re-enter" normalcy so until then, I will take the time to chronicle our Corona Life via occasional snapshots. A sort of a "not so perfect" photo journal through our time sheltering at home.

Toys. We took this bike to the dump this past weekend. We saw no one, except the employees who instructed us through a closed window. This bike has a story like most of our possessions. It starts about 16.5 years ago when our oldest turned 1. It used to have a taller handle that I held onto while I pushed her down the road. She was "riding!" Then the second child used it, then the third. The handle broke, the tires started to skid on the pavement. The older children started pushing the younger children on it. The fourth child used it, then the fifth. The youngest outgrew it over a year ago, but I found it hard to part with it. I even considered saving it for any grandchildren that might come in the far off future. In the end, I knew it was time. It was old and broken in many ways. Still so loved and appreciated. It felt right this past weekend to say goodbye. I couldn't say goodbye without taking a picture. The years of memories from one toy. It was a good one.

Goat milk. My husband and one dear daughter have an allergy to the protein in milk. We have always had easy access to goat milk, but Corona has taken out the goat milk. For the past few weeks anyway. The shelves have been empty. My daughter has tolerated almond milk, vocal in her distaste. But, in her words, "I have to do it Mom, there is no goat milk. And that is okay." Until Saturday when my husband went to the grocery store and found the precious milk. Helping unload groceries, she squeals with delight, "YOU GOT GOAT MILK!!!!" And before I knew it, I had my tall but very petite 10 year old jumping into my arms, squeezing me with her arms and legs, squeaking with delight. I embraced this outburst of joy. I felt a small pang of guilt because I did not go into the grocery store (one family member at a time). I confessed that it was Daddy who found the milk. With matched gusto, she ran and bounced into his arms shouting, "Thank you Daddy, Thank you, Thank you!" No need to promise a trip to Disney World in this house....we just need to buy goat milk.

Seedlings. It has been at least five years since I have started seeds inside. I did this every year with the older three when they were little. They became teens and life sped up. We have been moving so quickly that sometimes it is hard to keep up. This time of slowing down is a perfect time for seeds. Mostly flowers because those make me happy, but some vegetables too. These two are perfect gardening partners.

Books on CD. Need I say more.

Outside togetherness. We have always made outside time together a priority, but it still feels oh so nice during Corona time.

Masks. Sewing is not a gift of mine, but when people need masks for protection, we all step up and help.

What are some simple ways you are finding beauty and hope during this crazy time? Share some of your Corona Life Snapshots. 

Out My Back Door

I walk out my back door into this Winter Wonderland.

I spend an hour or more in the woods.

 Alone or with the kids.

Today it was alone.

It was peaceful, white, and beautiful.

A time of prayer, a time of reflection, a time of stillness.

I feel intense gratitude for the beauty that surrounds me.

The gift of this unmatched scenery.

The winter is long and cold, but this makes it worth it. This is priceless.

I take some time to snap photos of the kids' favorites along the trail.

The Hugging Tree

Entrance To Narnia

Big Rock

Winter has begun. 

Happy Thanksgiving

 For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday. A full day set aside to celebrate thankfulness. A day set aside for spending time with family and friends. A day that is all about looking outside of ourselves and reminding our hearts to be overflowing with gratitude. Sometimes I feel sorry for Thanksgiving....sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas, barely getting a few weeks of prep and focus. It often feels like Thanksgiving is the underdog of holidays. We have even pushed Black Friday shopping so much that families can no longer enjoy the full day.  Not that I am against shopping or Christmas prep...I love Christmas as well. I just want to give Thanksgiving its time. We tend to speed through our lives so quickly; we often forget to pause, take a deep breath, and simply be in the moment. On Thanksgiving, we have the opportunity to be in the moment with a heart posture of gratitude.

Our Thanksgiving lacks any frills. I don't have any fancy dinnerware (that all broke years ago). I buy Thanksgiving themed paper plates and cups. We buy Sparkling Cider and drink it from paper cups. We set a bouquet of flowers (purchased by my husband on his way home from work Wednesday night) on the table, and it is quickly moved when the children sit down to play "The Great Dalmuti." Everyone arrives at noon. We eat in three different rooms because the 19 of us cannot fit in one room. My in-laws bring a folding table....I throw a paper tablecloth on it. We haul out the folding chairs, and enjoy our time. Thankful for who can be with us, while missing those who live too far away to join us.

We don't see the cell phones out on Thanksgiving, unless they are being used for photos or videos. Not because I have made this a rule, but because we all enjoy being with each other. We want face to face time. We want to make memories and not miss a moment of it. After dinner, we play game after game. Everyone participates from the youngest child to the oldest grandparent. We play Mafia, Family Feud, Charades, and Mad Libs Theater. We laugh until we are crying. We get loud....then louder.

We eat dessert. It takes nearly an hour to finish dessert because we are all visiting. After dessert, we visit some more. Friends start to trickle home at 6:00. At 7:00 we are still visiting with family, laughing and almost sad to see the day end. Then it really is time to go home. Everyone participates in cleaning up the house, and it is done within minutes. The "good-byes" start. In our family it takes at least 30 minutes to say goodbye. There are 16 of us to get through. The younger kiddos carry on the tradition of "good-bye" pick ups, giving hugs and picking each other up in the process. The older kids hug and perform their secret handshakes. Everyone hugs everyone...and by the time we are done, we feel the need to do it all over again. At the end, we shut the door. We sit and talk about the great day we had. We pull out Boggle because we are not quite done. We play for a while then the younger ones are put to bed. The older kids sit to watch a movie, and hubby and I crawl into bed, content and thankful. 

We talk about past Thanksgivings. We talk about my Grandpa John and his Thanksgiving saying, "You better get in there quick before all the food is gone." We laugh some more, remembering all the fun and memories we have made. We wonder what the children will remember. What their favorite Thanksgiving memories will be. Then we fall asleep, already thinking about next year. I hope you all enjoyed celebrating with your family and friends! I miss you all!