Friday’s Fabulous Finds ~Fashion, Food, Flowers, and Fun #COVID-19 #StayHome #FlattentheCurve #StoptheSpread

So many of us are spending all day, every day at home...

working, schooling, cooking, cleaning, and perhaps creating.

Find something to wear that is casual and comfortable,

but still makes you feel good, like a cheerful yellow.

With Spring in the air, our favorite stores are posting

fresh fashions on Facebook, Instagram,

and in frequent emails.

So many times, I already own

some of these pieces in my wardrobe.

I appreciate the photos that show

new options for putting them together.

The caption (where can’t this go?) made me chuckle.

Right now, most of us are not going anywhere,

except out for essential errands...

And for those of you faced with challenge of

finding nutritious foods for your children...

breakfast, morning snack,

lunch, afternoon snack,

dinner, and bedtime snack.

Aren’t these just the cutest?!

Older children can even create their own.

Here’s another fabulous food find.

One of our local establishments, Dempsey’s,

posted their Pizza of the Week.

It is available as a Take & Bake, so Hubby promptly called in an order

and picked it up in the late afternoon.

It was the perfect Friday Night Dinner plan.

Back to my Fashion Finds...

Spruce up your Spring Coat with a Scarf

when you go out for your daily walk.

A scarf also provides a way

for you to cover your nose and mouth

if you are without

the recommended fabric face mask.

I remember when I was a little girl.

Easter was one of the few occasions when I got a new dress.

This is what my Grandma was wearing

when we got to her house for Easter Dinner.

This generation of Nana Gigis has a very different style.

For the next several weeks it is important

for all of us to stay safe in our homes.

Enjoy the hobbies you love,

like cooking, baking, gardening, and creating.

Let’s flatten the curve and stop the spread together.

Take care,

~Natalie

Thursday ~The Little Things that Make Me Smile ~Here’s the Day We Made Mac & Cheese

Here’s the rest of the story

about my Facebook Profile Photo.

Jack’s Mama put in some long days of training for her new job.

Jack and I were on our own for lunch.

“Gigi, are you serious? Do you really know how to make this?”

“Macaroni and Cheeeze”

”The directions are right here on the back of the box.”

“Just stir it all together like this.”

“I’ll wash the dishes while Gigi sets the table”

“Sooo Yummy!”

“Next to my Mama,

Gigi, you are the best lunch date!”

Stay safe and well, everyone.

Take care,

~Natalie

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

The Little Things That Make Me Smile ~What’s in my Inbox ~Gigi Misses that Little Boy

This Nana Gigi spent three weeks staying with our family

and looking after our Grandson

while his Mama was training for a new job.

Like all toddlers, we had lunch,

then read some books, and settled down for a little nap.

I kept watch via his monitor.

Sometimes he woke up on his own...

and sometimes it seemed like he could sleep all afternoon.

However, if you have cared for a toddler,

you know that one must limit that nap time,

so they will eventually go to sleep at night.

After two+ hours, I’d slip quietly into his room,

turn off his sound machine, open the blinds,

and sit in his rocker/glider.

From there I’d softly sing some songs.

Songs that I learned in Sunday School years and years ago.

Jesus Loves Me...

Into My Heart...and,

I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in my Heart.

Soon, he would let me know when he was ready

to get up and out of his bed.

The afternoons, right after naptime

were perhaps my favorite time of our day.

If he was still a little sleepy, he sit on my lap

and we’d rock and sing some more.

And he never seemed to care how well I can sing!

So, if you can imagine, I am missing those times...

Those after nap snuggles and that sweet smile.

I have cherished all the photos

that have since come in my text messages.

Thank you, Mama!

Papa and Gigi look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Take care,

~Natalie

What’cha Workin’ on Wednesday ~Spring Cleaning ~Room by Room: the Foyer ~Social Distancing ~COVID-19 ~Flatten the Curve ~Stop the Spread

I have been home for a week and a day.

Since I had traveled home from a high risk area,

in two planes, through three airports, 

I committed to self-quarantine for 2 weeks.

If  I am carrying the Virus, I don’t want

to pass it on to anyone else.

As you know symptoms don’t always show up right away,

 and the recommended time to self-isolate is 14 days.

So far, I feel perfectly fine.

When I returned home I first cleaned

everything with Lysol Spray...

my luggage,

the doorknobs,

the light switches,

the remotes,

and all the handles in the house.

Since most of you are stuck at home, there is

no better time to start your Room by Room Spring Cleaning.

As you can see, I stripped the room

and cleaned everything from top to bottom.

  I have displayed some of my grandmother’s hats.

Remember, a lady did not leave her house

without covering her head.

This is my Grandma, Hilda,

with her mother’s headstone in 1964.

He mother, Caroline,

would have been 100 years old that year.

 

On the back if that vintage frame, my mother’s handwriting...

From over eight decades ago.

These are the names of the girls

that she lived with in that Girls Dormitory.

Other keepsakes in our foyer include this

Vintage Chair from the Normania Country Schoolhouse,

which was just a mile from our farmhouse.

I purchased that shopping bag at the World Market

when our daughters and I traveled to Hawaii, years ago.

This doll greets everyone who visits our home.

Notice those little scissors?

They belonged to my mother’s great aunt, Birdie.

She always carried them in her purse.

Your foyer is the introduction to your home.

While it may be the smallest room in your house,

it is also important to feature the style and colors

that visitors will see when they visit the rest of your home.

It feels so good to have the foyer clean from top to bottom,

that I have moved on to tackle the next room.

And most of all, stay in touch with your

family and friends

during this time of self-isolation.

Stay safe and well.

Take care,

~Natalie