Scattered Sundays
Happy Sunday, friends! I’m Denver as we speak, and I’m out living my best (masked) life with one of the best humans on earth. I’m taking a full-on vacation, so today’s post was written earlier in the week. I’ll be recapping my trip next Sunday.
I dropped my car off at the body shop on Monday so they could repair the damage from when the lady backed into me. Enterprise came to pick me up for my rental car, and when they rolled up in a minivan, I said “pretty please can I have any car other than this one”?
Jack was with me and was stoked at the idea of the van. But first, no. Second, it was not well maintained and the seats were both stained and uncomfortable. Hard, hard pass.
We got to the office and I asked so very nicely for another car. And praise be, they gave me a Nissan Rogue. Is this the car I would want to drive forever? No (the front seat seems to only be designed for a size 4 butt). But I’m thankful it was an option for this week.
This car has super cool safety features with 360 overhead backup camera technology. It boggles Jack’s mind each and every time I throw the car into reverse. The center console is super spacious and has lots of pockets and cubbyholes, which really speaks to my heart. But the downside of the console is it makes the front seats feel super tiny.
“Take my picture mom, I look like a REAL soccer player”. Also, he’s wearing Jack’s old soccer shorts which are easily 15 sizes too big.
We had our first micro soccer practice this week! I had done my homework and was prepared with five little games/skills. We also took three water breaks, and yet it was STILL like using a laser pointer for a field full of cats. Kindergarten teachers, you have my utmost respect.
Our second practice was canceled due to a high heat advisory. Yep, once again the PNW is literally and figuratively on fire. It’s been stupidly hot, and we don’t like it. There will be a cooldown tomorrow, and then we’re right back at it with high temps that are not normal for our region.
Last weekend Troy spent a few hours installing a window AC unit for a lady from our church. I’m so glad it happened when it did because she would have been frying this week. Go away bonkers temps! I like Fall for a reason.
Everyone in the house is 98% recovered from the random virus bug that jumped from family member to family member last week. Well, Troy avoided it altogether because when my inlaw’s left for the ocean, and I sent Troy to stay over to their house to stay healthy.
On one hand, I didn’t want him to get sick. But the motivating factor was I didn’t want him to get sick, causing me to cancel my first time away from this house full of boys since January 2020. Troy for his part did his best to pretend that two days alone in an empty house wasn’t the best thing ever.
The one lingering effect I had from the cold, was this hacky cough that is active from 5 – 10 am. We had Jack’s well-check on Tuesday at 8 am, and I felt for the other people in the waiting room with us. I wanted to shout through my mask “I have a negative test. I have a negative test”!
During the appointment, his pediatrician recommended I try MucinexDM to get rid of the cough. Jack and I headed to Target later and grabbed a box of it. And within 45 minutes of taking it, I could now add something else to my list of things that I don’t need in my life.
I walked around for the next 48 hours just feeling so gross. Like I had an avocado pit covered with snot stuck in my stomach. You’re so very welcome for that visual. All food sounded and tasted nasty and I just felt icky.
A few days prior, I had also tried Sudafed for the first time. Two meds in a few days I’ve never tried before! Two meds in a few days which required my driver’s license to be scanned at the store…I feel like that should have been my first red flag.
The Sudafed messed with my head hardcore. First off, I was sweating profusely and my heart was racing. But the worst part was anytime I bent over, my head felt like it was going to explode. It was so painful and super stupid.
I tried new things, but I struck out on cold relief. From here on out, I’m sticking with my tried and true method for getting thru my next cold. I’m going to just ignore it and pretend it isn’t happening, which is the stubborn Norwegian way. It’s always worked for me!
Jack also had an orthodontist appointment this week to check on his progress. He was so anxious to get his expander out and was beyond disappointed that he has to keep it in for another 3-6 months at least. They said the progress it was making was good, but taking it out now meant that his bite was likely going to move back to the original position.
The new plan is to add eight braces brackets with loose wires in September. That will start the next step of the process without losing any of the progress that has been made.
I reminded Jack that NOW is a great time to have braces and mouth hardware since every kid in school is wearing a mask. Nobody even has to know that he has braces or an expander! That’s like a tween dream.
Speaking of masks, I have to tell you what Bennett told me the other day. You know based on reading Sunday posts and seeing pictures of him on Instagram, that this kid lives in sweat pants or soft jammies 90% of the time. He calls them “cozy pants”.
The other day, he was wearing a mask in the car. I told him he didn’t need to wear a mask in the car but he ignored me. About 10 minutes later, I told him again he could take it off. He said “Nah, I like it. It’s like cozy pants for my face”.
In the Garden This Week
We harvested lots of zucchini, tons of blueberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans – oh my! Very little work was done other than heavy watering to keep things alive during the heatwave.
I’ll be putting in greens hopefully this coming week if the weather can just get ahold of itself and calm TF down.
I finally cut that hair a few days after this picture. He was starting to look like a 1980’s newscaster.
Housekeeping
With some parts of the country back to school, and the rest headed that way soon, now is the time to resume meal planning and meal prep. And wouldn’t you know, I can help you with that!
I’m releasing my Prep Once, Cook Twice meal plan solution as a workbook that will walk you through the sexy art of meal and ingredient prep. The workbook includes:
- 5 weeks of meal plans and recipes
- downloadable workbook
- organized meal plans
If the “what’s for dinner” question stresses you out, or meal planning makes you stabby, THIS meal prep solution is for you! You can purchase your copy TODAY and get started changing your meal planning forever. How long? Foooooorever. (<–name that movie).
Reader Spotlight of the Week
Michele left this five-star review on our Baked Tortilla Bowls {Pin this recipe}:
Thank you! These instructions could not have been easier. I made these last night and they were so good!
On Sustainable Cooks This Week
Homemade Pretzel Buns – This homemade Pretzel Bun Recipe is easy to make and they are oh-so pillowy soft. Perfect for a sandwich or homemade hamburger buns, these pretzel rolls are so versatile and delicious. {Pin this recipe}
Blackberry Freezer Jam – Fresh tasting and delicious, this Blackberry Freezer Jam is so easy to whip up. Just three ingredients and 20 minutes (including clean up!), and you’ll have homemade blackberry jam made by your very own hands. {Pin this recipe}
The Five Most Popular Posts This Week
I ran the numbers for this week, and everyone must be gardening their butts off. So many canning/preserving posts jumped to the top of the leaderboard.
- Canning Peaches – this post will likely remain in the top five until September(ish). Get used to it. {Pin this recipe}
- How to Can Pears – first time in the top 5 this year, but it won’t be the last! {Pin this recipe}
- Canning Whole Tomatoes – the best way to give yourself a squirrel stash for making soups and sauces this winter. {Pin this tutorial}
- Refrigerator Dilly Beans – crispy tasty and amazing pickled green beans without the canning! {Pin this recipe}
- Dill Pickle Relish – because sweet relish is the devil’s condiment. {Pin this recipe}
Meal Plan
Monday:: Troy is in charge since I’m headed back from Denver.
Tuesday:: Green Beans in Tomato Sauce (I’ll also make some noodles for the boys) with stovetop garlic bread on the side.
Wednesday:: Takeout to support a local small business.
Thursday:: Soccer practice for everyone and then I have church council right after practice ends. It’s homemade adult Lunchables for everyone.
Friday:: Popcorn, leftovers, and movie night.
Saturday:: TBD depending on the weather.
Sunday:: TBD depending on the weather.
What are you having this week?
If it ever cools down in this part of the works, try making a zucchini hummus soup – a friend suggested it for me the other day…. Very freaking tasty.
Now THAT is a combination I would never have expected!!
I loved all the meals in your Prep Once Cooks Twice pack, they’ve all made it into meal rotation!
Sudafed is my go-to cold relief and I honestly cried when I couldn’t get any when I was ill on a trip to the US because I wasn’t a US resident. Now I always take some with me just in case, like a tiny talisman against illness.
I never thought about the fact that not having a US driver’s license would prevent you from buying it over here!
I’m so sorry to hear about your coughing after your cold! I’m a professional singer, and the last few times I’ve had a colds I’ve gotten a hacking, irritating cough that sticks around for weeks. It makes performing really tough and wears me out! Last time it got so bad that I sprayed Chloraseptic so I could swallow it and deaden my cough reflex for a few minutes. (I should have just gotten my butt to the doctor sooner.) At my examination, my ENT told me that while my cold was over, my leftover congestion was dripping down the back of my throat and causing reflux, so I literally had it “coming and going” (TMI?). And that’s why I was coughing so much even though my lungs were clear. Solution: Frequent saline rinse for my nose to help the inflammation die down and get mucus to move, Guaifenisin for same (I tolerated it all right), prescription antihistamine to calm the swollen sinuses, and a special kind of Gaviscom you can only get from Amazon in the UK, that has a higher level of some ingredient that tamps down reflux. It worked quickly and the coughing stopped, and I can repeat this protocol the next time I am recovering from a cold. Sharing this protocol for you and anyone else with a nagging cough after a cold. Of course, I’m not a Dr. — everyone, go see your Dr. and get checked out! But in case this helps people with nagging coughs, I wanted to share the diagnosis and the treatment that worked for me.
What your doctor said is exactly what our pediatrician said. I’m so glad you found a solution that worked for you! I do have some saline that I could try.
When my throat was really sore, I was dreaming about the Chloroseptic from my youth. That disgusting cherry-flavored numbing magic.
Enjoy your trip and time away from the guys.. they’ll appreciate you I’m sure a bit more upon your return!
Ii know it’s hot everywhere … in Massachusetts it’s 93% humidity with temps of 90😵💫. I can see why you wanted another car … a dirty ole minivan… geeze… And the cold meds.. so glad you decided on not taking anything.. your body will thank you in the long run.. I NEVER take cold medicine … and I don’t want to support big pharm if I can help it! Enjoy everything!
Humidity is disgusting and can go right to hell!
Comfy seats are not to be dismissed in a car. We recently test drove a couple of cars before settling on our wonderful (used) Chevy Silverado. We tested a Kia something-or-other, and it was a brand new SUV and the seats felt like iron fused with the same hard plastic they use to make fast food restaurant benches. And yes, they were designed for Minnie Mouse-sized heiners. My husband was all, HARD PASS. The Silverado has the comfiest seats.
Exactly – for something you (potentially) spend a lot of time in, your want your tushie to be comfy!
When we first started dating, Troy had the grungiest, nasty, old El Camino (seriously). It was barely running half the time, but the seats felt like you were relaxing on a couch.
“Nah, I like it. It’s like cozy pants for my face”. My 5 year old also lives in cozy pants and wears his mask in the car for this reason. I swear they would be besties if they weren’t on opposite coasts.
Imagine the adventures (messes) they could have (make) together.
The amount of trips to urgent care from tripping over all the Lego those two would leave out…
Bennett would be obsessed with your house and the foster cats.
I hope you’re having a lovely time in Denver and the heat calms down. Our crazy weather has been wet, it’s not our usual drizzle, it’s like someone turned a tap on, which is why I’m making green tomato chutney today. This week I will be mostly eating chard. It was time to thin it and we were generous with our sowing of it. I filled a 15 litre bucket with chard. The 15 pounds of plums are in the freezer because I just can’t deal with all of them at once and there is only so much jam one person can eat!
I’m so sorry to hear about your weather! Any chance it will calm down and dry out for the rest of the growing season?
With the chard and plums, check to see if a food bank (not sure what you call them over there) will accept excess produce. Some of ours do as long as they meet certain guidelines.