Scattered Sundays

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Who is watching Yellowstone? Can we talk about season four? Spoiler alerts ahead so skip down a few paragraphs if you’re not caught up. Ok, so everyone else who is left…let’s discuss.

Episode one: whoa, that was intense! The first 10-15 minutes was just non-stop action. My friend said she pretty much held her breath the whole time. But, I need to talk about Beth coming out of that bombed-out office because it’s a Hollywood trope that drives me bananas.

Of COURSE, they had to make her dress torn and burned so that she stumbled out with her bra exposed and boob on display. I turned to Troy while we were watching it, and said “they’d never have a guy in this scene walking around with one burnt ball exposed”. <—this is exactly the case for shows and movies to have more women in the writer’s room.

Also, I HATE the Beth and Jamie storyline. I always have and I want it to just go away. Why is Jamie even on the show anymore? I think Beth is just awful but at least I get to see Rip on screen when she’s there. Jamie’s sideburns bother me so much; I just want to shave his face whenever he is in a scene. Either write him out or let me give him a haircut. Please.

(big-time spoilers!!!!!) Speaking of Rip, I loved the ending of episode one, when Sawyer from Lost (I never bothered learning his character’s name on Yellowstone) got snaked right in the face. What a genius way to make it look like an accident! Also, I’d love to petition to make “getting snaked” a real term.

We watched episode two the next night, and I can barely remember what happened. How did they go from non-stop action to a total snoozefest? We had to wait almost two years for season four and they made me sleepy on episode two. Boo! Hiss!

100% well enough to be at school and not bothering me.

Yesterday was Bennett’s last day of soccer and this soccer mom/coach is here for it! We did cupcakes and trophies at the field after the game. I said a little thing about each of my players and thanked the parents for being involved/driving the kiddos to practices and games.

Will I coach next year? TBD. First, I’m not sure that Bennett even wants to play again. If Jack ends up making the select/travel soccer team, then I probably will. Simply because it gives me control over when and where Bennett’s team practices. 

Those sweet little drunk cats got me a mug and two gift cards.

Jack’s final rec soccer game was on Saturday afternoon. What a fun and frustrating season! They got hammered by a team last week and later we found out that the team had 13 and 14-year-olds on it. Our team is all 11 and 12-year-olds. I fail to see how that is fair to either team. Give the big kids real competition, and give the littles a chance.

The parents of the rec team elected to do a tournament…that we were told starts after Thanksgiving. Surprise! It actually starts this coming weekend! Just when I was looking forward to having one weekend without soccer…alas.

Me: what’s with all the candies on the board?
B: That’s my garden.

This week was the bonkeriest (<—-that’s a word. Back off spellcheck) of bonkers when it came to weather. We had multiple storms, intense wind, and a region west of Seattle even had a tornado warning at one point! That same day, we went from rain so heavy it looked like it was dark outside, to intense sunshine and blue skies. The birds and humans were CONFUSED.

Last week Jack had the sniffles and was home for a day. I do miss the days where a snotty nose could just be a snotty nose, but I am 100% willing to follow the rules for school. He wore a mask around the house and was fine within 24 hours.

Then on Monday, my nose went wild mid-day. I had uncontrollable sneezing and a snotty nose. I threw a mask on proceeded to sneeze my face off for hours and hours. By dinner, I was so flushed that I had to switch into a t-shirt and open all the windows in the kitchen.

It was when I got the full-body sweats that I realized this exactly mimicked how I get in April/May when my allergies start getting out of control. I thought back to mid-day and realized that it was a rare day of blue skies and…every single one of my neighbors started mowing their lawns at lunchtime. And what is my biggest allergy trigger? GRASS.

I proceeded to overdose on allergy meds (a mixture of over-the-counter antihistamines, nose spray, and these homeopathic tablets that I love), and take a shower and suddenly I felt right as rain again. Phew! I mean, the cocktail of allergy meds did make me see dancing unicorns for a few hours, but it’s a small price to pay to end the sneeze-induced boob sweats.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t allergies when Bennett woke up all snotty on Wednesday morning. His was just a version of what Jack had. I kept him out of school knowing that even though he was fine, they’d probably have to send him home anyway. 

Thankfully, Bennett is the kid who can do his own thing for hours at a time. Jack can now, but definitely not when he was five. Maybe it was an only child thing, or maybe it was just his personality, but that kid needed eyes on him at all times. Bennett hunkered down at the table with a ton of crafts and left the rest of us in peace.

Having both boys home for a few days over the last two weeks makes me wonder how we got through 15 months of lockdown. How in the world did any of us survive that? I love my kids but I do not like them that much for that long.

Crafts and 2 tsp of my iced coffee. Living his best life.

The last month I have been in a total snit about my photos. They look great (well, they look fine) on my camera and are fine on my computer when I’m editing them. But when I upload them to the blog, they’re blurry and don’t look like they do on my editing software.

I compress my photos when they’re uploaded to the blog so that the site loads more quickly. Some of that leads to a bit less “crispness”, but this was getting excessive. I checked the settings for my compression software and it was fine.

I then blamed the time of year. Fall and winter light is a lot more “blue” so it is harder to get photos to look nice. Or maybe it was the fact that I have terrible eyesight? Do I need to switch to using a tripod so there is less movement?

Welp, I’m an utter moron and the problem all along was…me. A few weeks ago we went to a pumpkin patch with two families, and I took family photos for both of them. I edited them in Lightroom, my editing software, and I switched the setting from “sharpen for screen” to “sharpen for printing”. And then didn’t remember to switch it back. Doh!

So, these next few weeks will find me downloading the same photos with the proper settings, and then uploading them to the blog to replace all the ones I already published. This is the kind of stuff that drives me batty and I have no one by myself to blame.

As always, Bennett is adding lots of value to the situation and is not remotely in the way…

Housekeeping

I recently read about RE+NEW+ALL candles in People Magazine a very high-brow publication. RE+NEW+ALL employs victims of human trafficking to provide them with gainful employment.

From their website: our mission is to provide meaningful work in a safe and nurturing environment for women survivors. Through this, these women have an opportunity to gain a renewed sense of purpose and skills that will allow them to earn an income and secure future employment. (source)

Not only do the candles have an amazing mission behind them, but because they’re made in the US, you’re not left waiting for the item in a container ship that is offshore. You can buy them online or check their site for retail locations (they all seem to be in Tennessee or Mississippi).

I don’t earn any affiliate income if you purchase them. Using my platform to highlight amazing organizations is probably my favorite thing. Pro tip: if you stay on the website for a few minutes, you’ll get a pop-up to opt into their email list for a 15% off coupon. 

What I’m Listening To This Week

Apple podcast targeted me accurately this week by suggesting Gone South. From the website: In 1987, a former prosecutor named Margaret Coon took her dog for a walk in one of Louisiana’s safest and most affluent parishes. The next morning, she was found dead on the side of the road with a single stab wound in her back. (source)

What really piqued my interest was the fact that the crime happened in the gated community that a friend of mine lived in for most of her childhood. I’m sure she is “loving” me constantly texting her with questions and observations about a place I have never visited.

What I’m Reading This Week

I downloaded a BUNCH of ebooks from the library this week. It’s an embarrassment of riches! Libraries rule so hard.

I finished up The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters (fun, interesting) and have just barely started The Lincoln Highway. The Lincoln Highway is written by the same author as A Gentleman in Moscow, a book that I enjoyed very much in 2020.

The rest of the books I downloaded are mostly memoirs, but I always find that I need a fiction book to slot in-between non-fiction and heavy memoirs.

Reader Spotlight of the Week

I love how long-time reader, Izzy, jumped on this new recipe and made a batch of Instant Pot Lasagna Soup within a week of it being published! {Pin this recipe}

Made this tonight & it was crazy good! Definitely going in my cold-weather recipe arsenal. Thank you Sarah for your epic recipes.

On Sustainable Cooks This Week

Air Fryer Home Fries – Crispy and perfect, these roasted Air Fryer Home Fries are a fast and delicious side dish. You’ll love that they’re Whole30 compliant, vegan, and vegetarian, and packed with so much flavor! {Pin this recipe}

Easy Pickled Shallots – This quick Pickled Shallots recipe is a fast and easy way to create a delicious garnish for eggs, tacos, sandwiches, and more. This 10-minute flavor-packed recipe will become your new go-to homemade condiment. {Pin this recipe}

Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce – It’s so simple to whip up a batch of Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce for holidays or any time you’re craving a delicious cranberry side dish. Use fresh or frozen cranberries and just a few simple ingredients for this perfect sauce. {Pin this recipe}

The Five Most Popular Posts This Week

1. Air Fryer Egg Rolls – this is back as the #1 post for the first time in months! {Pin this recipe}
2. Canning Apple Butter – this post has both canning and freezing instructions. And it will make your house smell AMAZING. {Pin this tutorial}
3. How to Freeze Pumpkin – tis the season! {Pin this tutorial}
4. How to Can Pears – our family’s favorite canned fruit! {Pin this recipe}
5. Canning Applesauce – such a tasty sauce that can be made without any added sugar. {Pin this tutorial}

Meal Plan

Monday:: Troy is making pasta and salad. He only makes one of six things on rotation but at least I don’t have to cook. 🙂

Tuesday:: TBD. Waiting on an update for soccer practice.

Wednesday:: Air Fryer Salmon Cakes from the freeze (hurray for Prep Once, Cook Twice!), a side dish from the freezer (I’m testing it for reheating instructions), and salad.

Thursday:: A new recipe that I’m testing. It will be a one-pot wonder (hopefully)!

Friday:: Popcorn, leftovers, and movie night.

Saturday:: Takeout to support a local small business and my sanity. Jack has a soccer tournament all day in a town 40 minutes from us. The last one ends at dinner time.

Sunday:: Troy is grilling pizza using our 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipe. Plus salad or grilled veggies.

What are you having this week?