What’cha Workin’ on Wednesday ~Spring Cleaning ~Room by Room: Living Room #Flatten the Curve #Stop the Spread #COVID-19 #Stay Home

When I returned home from staying with family,

I made a commitment to self isolate for 14 days.

Since I had traveled from out of state,

I did not want to take the chance of

spreading this virus, just in case I was a carrier.

This photo illustrates what is most important.

Notice the words...

Home and Families.

Staying at home is a perfect time to tackle Spring Cleaning.

With our foyer complete, I moved on to the Living Room.

It had been a while since I cleaned all the way to the edges.

Remember, last spring I was occupied with

a temporary part-time job,

a trip to stay with family in Okinawa,

a trip to visit family in NH & MA,

and a fractured fibula.

So, it is good to feel like I have some

purpose and direction while here at home.

The Living Room is where I like to “show off”

some of my favorite things...

Great Aunt Birdie’s Sewing Machine,

gifted to me by Aunt Mona.

I also used this opportunity to change the centerpiece

and pillows from Winter to a Spring theme.

We are all set for April Showers and May Flowers here.

When I’m not Spring Cleaning,

I have spent some time in my Sewing Studio.

This Face Mask pattern was posted

on the Avera St. Lukes Hospital Website.

It goes together pretty quickly.

Let’s all do what we can to stop the spread

of COVID-19 so we can return to our lives and enjoy

familiar spring and summer activities.

Stay in your homes.

Wash your hands.

Don’t touch your face.

As of yesterday, my 14 day self-isolation expired.

Thankfully, I feel fine.

Stay safe and well.

Take care,

~Natalie

Weekend Road Trip ~Country Roads ~Sand Lake Wildlife Refuge ~Social Distancing ~Flatten the Curve ~Stop the Spread ~A Message from Jack

The Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge

is a quick drive from our home.

I have not ventured out and about since returning

from my trip out East to visit our Family.

This was a great opportunity to break my 14 Day Self Quarantine...

a road trip to see all the geese that are migrating north.

I had not been out here since our girls were young.

I highly recommend it.

Load up your vehicle, immediate family only.

You should be spending time with just the people

that live under your roof. It will be a nice change of scenery

from the inside walls of your home.

From a distance, that looks like snow on the lake.

But when you get closer,

it’s easy to see that it is all snow geese.

It is a stunning site to see.

(Be sure to watch the video in my comments.)

We enjoyed making our way home,

driving through the small towns,

and detouring around the flooded roads.

Jack says, 

”Get outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.”

Enjoy what’s left of your weekend.

Stay Home and Stop the Spread of COVID-19.

Take care,

~Natalie

Monday Memories ~Celebrating our Family’s March Birthdays ~Emily’s Party Report ~And The Anticipation of Jack’s Big Day

It was a wonderful time to visit our family.

I enjoyed visiting our daughter and family in their new home

and helping to provide childcare for our grandson.

While there, I loved getting to see both daughters and sons in law,

and especially having them together under one roof...

even if it was just for an overnight stay.

Jack and his Aunty Emily have a birthday

just one week apart.

She and her hubby celebrated

with a special lunch date out while still at home.

Then the next morning, they made the 90 minute

drive to celebrate family-style with us.

With all the family chefs in the kitchen,

we put together this amazing meal of

Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce,

Pot Stickers, and Ham Fried Rice.

Jack says, “I am not waiting for any photo,

I must taste this right now!”

Amy captured this selfie with

the Birthday Boy and the Birthday Girl.

After dinner, we watched Emily open her gifts,

and Jack and Uncle Jake play with Trucks and Cars.

That Morning, Amy, Jack, and I had visited a local Italian Bakery.

We saw the most amazing Cakes, Cannolis, and Pastries.

We brought home that sweet little cupcake for Jack,

and four generous slices of the Peanut Butter Mousse,

the Tiramisu, a Lemon Cake, and a Ricotta Cannoli Cake.

There was enough so we could all have a taste of each,

and some for the next day!

We had fun talking about the details of a party for Jack,

planned for the following weekend...the guests, a menu,

the cake, and age-appropriate activities.

At that time, we were still looking forward to having Papa

join me there to cherish time with family.

Of course, those plans are on hold.

I feel so fortunate to have had the time with them,

and it will be even that much sweeter

when we can be all together again.

Stay Safe and Well, everyone.

Take care,

~Natalie

Sending Birthday Hugs to this Special Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday to this Big Boy. Today he is two years old!

As you know this Papa and Gigi had plans to be there

for his Birthday Celebration. Since those plans changed,

we were happy to FaceTime with him today.

Look how much he has changed...

His Mama posted this Birth announcement two years ago.

I was fortunate to be able to travel to Okinawa

to visit him when he was four weeks old.

He already had so much to tell me.

And then, he came to visit us in the Midwest,

when he was four months old.

Jack enjoys the water...

Playing with his toys...

And eating good food.

I visited the family again last spring.

It has been so fun to watch him grow.

Since we couldn’t celebrate with him in person today,

we chatted and watched him open his gifts on FaceTime.

Happy Birthday, dear Jack.

We hope you had a wonderful day!

Take care,

Papa and Nana Gigi

What’cha Workin’ on Wednesday ~Social Distancing ~Self Isolating ~Sheltering in Place ~COVID-19

On Monday, we were forced to make a difficult decision

to book a new flight and get this Nana home a week early.

I spent my last morning with this little guy while his Mama

went to the supermarket to stock up on supplies.

Over the last few days,

Amy received daily notifications as to the effects of

COVID-19 on families and the community.

A state of emergency; job status changes;

the library, schools, and YMCA closing;

travel restrictions for military and their families;

restaurants and bars closing to eat-in patrons;

...just to mention a few.

Nearly everyone has been touched by this crisis.

Part of me wanted to stay to help our family,

but the best choice was to make arrangements to travel home.

The situation is probably going to get worse before it gets better,

and travel restrictions will become even more strict.

It wasn’t easy to say goodbye.

So, I quickly packed my belongings

and moved out of the “Mother in Law Suite”.

The line to check my luggage was short.

I made it through TSA in record time.

It was a sunny day to travel home.

I didn’t feel quite so sunny on the inside.

This is a risky time to travel.

The Minneapolis Airport...

Have you ever..ever..seen it this empty?!

Home again, Home again, Jiggety Jog.

It was a long day, nearly midnight when

our flight landed and we collected my bag.

After a good night’s rest, here we are,

all gathered at the counter.

Our Governor has closed state government offices,

so hubby is working remotely from home.

I had some emails to send and messages to answer.

This is how we now spend our early mornings.

Lizzie likes having us all together, again.

And for now, I am choosing to stay home.

Since I just returned from a high risk area

and through three airports,

I will continue to do my part to flatten the curve.

Take care,

~Natalie

My Home Away From Home ~Where I’ve Been Sleeping ~The Mother in Law Suite ~My Suite Mate ~Visits from Jack

The house where Jack lives has a private guest area

up on the third floor. Jack’s Daddy might refer to it

as the Mother in Law Suite?

The guest bedroom has these charming little windows...

...and a very comfy bed and reading lamp.

Dressers with empty drawer space allowed 

me to unpack my big suitcase.

I have my own private bathroom...

...all to myself. Except, there’s a little hint

on that previous photo, as to the identity of my suite mate.

There’s another room with a play area,

for the occasional visits from Jack.

Here’s Bella, my suite mate.

She eats, drinks, and sleeps here. You can see

her bed is over there by that sunny window.

Here’s my visitor yesterday.

He has mastered the art of stacking six blocks.

Along with this puzzle to practice

the names of colors and shapes.

I have a fabulous view of this quaint 

New England neighborhood.

 Hey, Papa, we’re all looking forward to

having you come to stay!

Take care,

~Natalie