January 2022

January started off with a complete wipe-down of the kitchen.  Cooking with all the grease the day before made it a mandatory chore.  Everything felt, looked, smelled, etc. much better after I was done.  

January 4th I was all ready to clean the carpets and had gotten two stripes in when the carpet cleaner died!!!  Steve went and bought a new one while I took Avian to get their Covid booster shot.  I also helped Laura Arias power wash the side of one of the rental properties.  She was stressed because only half of the family was able to come back from Brazil as planned.  Three of the six tested positive for Covid and were not allowed to fly back.  It was a fun job to do with my friend.  Back at home I cleaned the carpets with the new cleaner.  I didn't realize how badly the carpets needed to be cleaned and just how ineffective our old cleaner was.  This new cleaner is amazing and so much easier to use. The living room carpets look amazing.  I ALMOST don't think we need to replace the flooring.  ALMOST but not all the way.  

January 8th was our day to clean the church.  Angie wanted to help out so Steve and I picked her up and took her with us.  She is so excited to serve in the church!

Back at home, Steve worked on a butcher block table top for a friend and I got to go on a walk with Sandra and catch up on everything that happened over the holidays.  Avian and I did the grocery shopping when I got back.  Avian has figured out that if they help me with the shopping they can pick out a little treat.  

January 11th we went to Providence Day to cheer Lili Booker as she faced her old school in a basketball game.  Lili had started playing for Providence Day the previous year, but it was not a good fit and had transferred to the Cannon School.  This was already a rivalry game, but was heightened due to the history Lili had with the opposing team.  It was an exciting game!  The score stayed close all the way to the end.  Cannon was down by 1 point with  1 minute on the clock.  They got the ball and Providence Day was doing everything they could to foul and stop the clock.  They deliberately fouled the worst foul shooter on the team with 29 seconds left in the game.  She went up to the line and missed the first shot.  Tensions were high as she went for the second shot which - - - - she made.  We were up by 1 point.  All we had to do was keep them from scoring.  YESSSSSSS!!!  We did it.  I have not cheered that much at a basketball game in a long time.  It was amazing to watch!  So satisfying!

January 12th Steve got to hang with Kev and cut some wood.  Good friend, wood and tools always makes for a great day.  

January 13th I took Avian to have their eye test so they can get a limited driving permit for their behind the wheel time in driver's ed.  We are getting close to having another driver in the house.  

January 15th Jeremy opened at Lowe's and was gone by 5 am.  I headed to the church for the baptism of Sadie Cathey.  It was a privilege to be a part of her special day!  I am really enjoying being a part of the missionary committee.  I get to meet all the people the missionaries are teaching and help set up their baptism.  

Sadie and the Elders

Nick worked on Bishop Shawkey's brakes. Steve and I had to take Nick some extra tools because he broke his screwdriver head trying to get a rusted screw out.  We helped him get the screw loose and then went to buy some bottled water for Angie.  There was a snow storm forecast for later in the day and it was supposed to be a good one.   Steve went and helped the Madix family move some furniture.  Once we got everything set and prepped for the coming snow storm, Steve went to work on pimping Dr. Graham's rolling desk.  The wheels were giving out and I told her Steve could make it a lot easier to roll.  She gave him the green light to do his magic.  He was excited to have another good challenge project.  It was a busy day!!

The Cannon Curse.  I can only find the left glove!!!  

Dr. Graham's desk - the before picture

Dr. Graham's desk - the after picture.  New, bigger base and four, multi-directional, rubber wheels for smooth and quiet rolling.  Also, a longer and taller piece on the desk so things wouldn't fall off as easily.  

January 16th we woke up to a winter wonderland!  The roads were like an ice-skating rink so church was cancelled.  We all put on our winter wear and went for a walk in the pelting sleet!  It was a fun walk to be all together, minus Jeremy who stayed at home and hibernated in his bed.  When we got home Steve took Nick and Jeremy out to practice driving in the snow so they could get themselves to and from work.  What we learned is that neither of them like driving on ice.  It snowed all day long and was absolutely beautiful.  Nick fixed his RC car and took it out for a drive in the snow.  He DID like driving and sliding his RC car though.  

This is early on in the day and look how much snow we already had.  

Toasty warm and completely happy.  

I haven't had this in the house for WAY too long.  I miss the snow days when the kids were little.  

9:00 p.m. and still snowing.  

January 17th we didn't have school.  That was not a surprise as the world was covered in a sheet of ice covered in snow.  Steve drove Nick to work in his Xterra in 4-wheel drive.  We delivered the Dr. Graham's new desk and my new chair to the school while no one was there.  The roads were practically empty as no one else wanted to be out in the snow.  My mammogram was also rescheduled. Avian's piercing appointment was also cancelled.  They were not amused, but it felt like a bonus day off for me.  

January 18th was also a day off.  The roads were still rather icy.  I helped a friend with their furnace that was making weird noises.  It ended up being a really dirty filter.  Once we got it changed out it was perfectly fine.  She had never been in her attic before to see what her HVAC looked like so I took her up and showed her.  She had a great time going through boxed her son had left with her before he moved to New York.  Back at home Avian and I went out to find some green hair dye.  Success!!  We came home and dyed their hair the prettiest color green. 

January 19th there was a delayed start to school to give the ice a chance to melt just a little more.  

January 21st it snowed again.  We fed the Elders that night and Nick went running in the snow.  He LOVED it!   

January 24th Steve went over to Lowe's to pick up a few things for another project he has and got talking to the store manager.  They were clearing out a lot of the display tools to make room for the new models.  Steve got a multi-speed scroll saw for $25.  It was like Christmas all over again.  I had my mid-year review and everything went well.  I let immediately from that and met Avian at the truck.  We were finally going to get their ears double-pierced.  It was a really cool little shop and the process was a lot less traumatic than the piercing guns.  I thought the needle would hurt more, but Avian said it they really didn't feel it.  Jeremy had his first day back on campus for the new semester.  They were waiting for the Omicron variant to die out a little bit.  He loved seeing his friends and is considering joining the speech club.  Nick went to family home evening with the single's ward.  He said it was "interesting".  

January 30th - it was a quiet week, thank goodness!!!.  We did get more snow on Friday into Saturday.  It was just a dusting and was melted by noon.  Avian and I got all the grocery shopping done in the morning.  Nick helped clean at the Hilliard building.  His calling is the building coordinator so he set the whole thing up.  It is cool to watch your kids take on responsibilities.  Jeremy worked the early shift.  Steve worked on a sign he has been commissioned to make.  When Jeremy got home from work we headed to the fabric store so he could pick out the fabric for his jacket.  He saw the one I made for Avian for Christmas and wanted one.  It was fun to be in the fabric store with him.  He loved all the different colors and patterns.  We also picked out some flannel so I can teach Nick and Jeremy how to sew.  They want to learn and I think it is a skill everyone should at least know the basics of.  When Nick got home from work, he and Steve worked on a set of paralets for Nick's workouts.  That night we made pizza and watched DUNE as a family.  

January 31st, we ended the month with having the house appraised.  We are looking to refinance and consolidate all our bills into one.  We have plenty of equity in the house and interest rates are at an all-time low.  What a way to start out 2022!

 

 

November 2021

My view while walking from the high school to the middle school.  I love the fall colors.

November 1st, Nick got a raise at work.  He was really excited until his coworkers started giving him a bad time about it.  Thank goodness his boss helped squash that problem.  

November 5th, Avian got to go to a UNCC volleyball game with the LNC volleyball team.  It was a great experience to watch a college team play.   Jeremy was excited because he got to drive the ballymore at work. He has wanted to drive one since he was a small boy and he would see the people using one to get things off the top shelf at the hardware store.  

November 6th and 7th, Steve and Avian worked together on a custom-made knife for Avian.  It turned out really nice.  

Avian added  their own touch by carving a feather into the handle.  

November 10th was the volleyball banquet.  It was a great season and this party was the perfect way to celebrate.  Avian is already excited to try out again next year.  

Addison gave everyone a custom-made LNC fan because they are all so cool.  

November 12th we celebrated Avian's birthday as a family since their actual birthday was full of fun activities.  We had stroganoff  and then opened presents.  It was super fun surprising Avian with the Chloe Moriando sweatshirt.  I had ordered it back in August when it was first available, but I told Avian I forgot to order it just so we would have one thing that was a surprise.  It worked.  Thank goodness I really do forget to order things otherwise I don't think I could have pulled this off.  

Avian's birthday haul. 

Traditional cheesecake

Traditional candle-blowing picture

November 13th started off with marching in the Huntersville Veteran's Day Parade.  It wasn't a long parade and it was really nice weather.  

Avian, Bella, Leah, Maeve and Keagan waiting for the parade to start.  

Bella and Avian

Time to march

Avian is excited - can you tell!?

Perfect weather and gorgeous trees.  

Marching and playing in the heart of Huntersville for the judges.  

After the parade we went home and had a couple of hours before Avian's friends showed up for part one of the party.  Avian wanted to try a Rage Room.  Nothing says Sweet Sixteen like smashing things.  

Avian, Maeve (Goose), Anthony and Leah all suited up and getting some final instructions.  

They started with throwing bottles against the wall.  

That mound of plastic used to be a television.

The aftermath.  Steve had suggested that we could set up our own rage room in the garage and save a bunch of money.  It was totally worth not having to clean this up!  The kids had a great time!

Back at the house, the rest of Avian's friends came over for pizza, firepit, smores and games. It was a really fun night.  

Playing Apples to Apples.  Ryland has this thing with giving two thumbs up in all his pictures. He is really good at it (even when marching and playing the drums - watch for him in the Christmas parade pictures)

Opening presents

Keagan, Anthony, Andrew, Ryland (thumbs up), Leah, Mia, Arias and Ashley
This is really a good group of kids.  

November 14th, Ryland had extra tickets to a college performance of the musical "The Heathers".  It is one of Avian's favorite soundtracks and they were so excited when Ryland asked if they wanted to see it.  Avian came home talking about how amazing it was and they wanted to see it again.  

Avian managed to get this picture during one of their favorite songs. 

November 15th and 16th I got to help out in the 5th grade doing the chicken leg dissection lab.  It was so much fun.  The kids love seeing how all the muscles and tendons and ligaments and fascia and everything works.  The highlight of the whole thing is when I break the bone and show them the marrow inside.  Science is sooooo cool!

November 18th Jeremy earned his first star at Lowes for working so hard.  He is really loving his new job.  

November 19th we had a Relief Society activity centered around entertaining for the holidays.  We have quiet a few newly-married ladies in our ward and this is the first time they have had to play hostess.  It was fun to get everyone together and learn from the master of hosting, Carolyn Baggett.  Everything about the night was amazing.  

The Croshaw's generously volunteered their house to host the event.  Their back porch was the perfect location.  

November 25th - Thanksgiving Day!  It was a nice and relaxing day with family and friends.  We had a quiet family dinner and were joined by Shea and Ari for dessert.  

Things at work have been crazy and it was nice to have few days off to get myself back into the right mindset.  I was about the quit and let someone else take the position as I felt completely inadequate and was feeling the pressure from one co-worker, in particular, who was making it really hard to do my job properly.  Thank goodness for time and a very patient and wise husband who talked me off the ledge.  I did take the time to set up an appointment to go to the temple to help me get further clarification for what I should be doing right now.  

November 26th I started setting up for Christmas. It took me several day so the pictures are on the December blog.  

November 30th, Nick found out he doesn't have to serve jury duty.  He was so excited to have a day off to do what ever he wanted.  

Nick's diploma and picture finally arrived.  We were able to hang it on his wall!

December 2021

 I got the house decorated for Christmas at the first acceptable moment!!! I love the lights and festivity of it all.  

Front door without the light on.  

Front door with the light on. 

Our tree in all it's glory!

The living room.  This makes me soooooo happy.  

December 4th LNC marched in the Davidson Christmas parade.  It was 79 degrees outside.  I was worried someone was going to pass out from heat stroke.  The band sounded amazing!

The calm before the storm.  Relaxing while they can.  

Warm-up and practice. 

Scaringelli LOVES these parades!  He even broke out the beard ornaments for the occassion.  

And we are off.  

The middle school dance club marched/danced behind us.  

In the heart of downtown Davidson. 

Steve is the buffer between the band and the dance team.  He made sure the band had plenty of room.  

Dang, they look good.  

It was a fun day.  I love this parade.  The kids were phenomenal.  It was hot and the parade route is 2 miles long and they ROCKED it!

December 7th, our nephew, Avery Madsen, opened his mission call.  He is going to Montreal, Canada - French speaking.  He is beyond excited.  

December 8th I got to work from home while I attended an on-line MTSS conference.  The speakers were amazing and I learned so much!

Nick preps all his meals for the week every Sunday.  This is his solution for successfully cutting onions.  

Avian helped cut out snowflakes for the middle school media center.  Mrs. Mervine, the art teacher, walked in and said, "Those are gorgeous snowflakes!  Avian did them, right?"  Avian's were the most intricate and artistic.  

December 9th, was a great day.  Cindy had decorated my desk for my birthday.  Avian had everyone sing to me during after school.  It was payback for the time when they were in 7th grade and I got the entire lunchroom to sing to them on their birthday.  We had Chinese food for dinner and key lime/mango cheesecake for dinner.  It doesn't get much better than that.  

Cindy decorated my desk for my birthday.  She is the best coworker!

December 11th, Nick ran the Huntersville Half-Marathon.  He decided he was going to relax and just enjoy running it this time.  The funny thing about that is the first half-marathon he pushed and finished in 1 hour 35 minutes. This one he relaxed the pace and finished in 1 hour 44 minutes.  He was laughing because he would pass people who were struggling and he was singing at the top of his lungs, not really winded.  He said the looks on their faces was priceless.    I love watching him run.  

Before the race

And they are off!

He liked this picture.  He said is shows off his amazing behind.  

I had to take a picture of this sign because it is so funny and so true.  You cannot see what is written on the computer in the bottom left but it is people signing on using inappropriate log on names.  TRUTH!!  The struggle was real.  

The race photographer caught this one mid-race.  

Coming down the finish chute!

Flexing for the crowd.  He really enjoyed this race.  

That night Avian was supposed to march in the Kannapolis night parade but a huge rainstorm came through and the parade was cancelled.  We spent the night Christmas shopping instead.  We found the perfect thing for everyone on their lists.

December 12th we had both a musical sacrament meeting and a musical Relief Society.  It definitely put everyone in a Christmas mood.  After church I got to deliver dinner to a family that had just had a baby.  On the way home I dropped off several birthday treats to sisters.  The best part of the day was the baptism for Angie Newman.  She is an amazing sister who had been searching for the gospel when she saw an add for the Church on Facebook. She knew it was the true Church after only a couple of lessons.  She is an inspiration to me about having faith and believing.  

Angie and the Elders

Steve spent the day working on wooden bowls for a friend who ordered some for Christmas.  Jeremy finished up his final project for the semester.  It was a great day.  

December 14th was the first indoor, in-person band and chorus concert since Nick performed in 2019.  It was so nice to see everyone and hear the amazing music.  Nick came to see Mr. McSwain and the support Avian.  It was an amazing night!  

December 15th was the LNC staff Christmas party at Boatyard Eats in Cornelius.  Kim Ribbans and I rode together and had a great time at the party.  There was live music and food and lots of outdoor space so we could safely mingle and talk.  

Me and Cindy in front of her traditional book tree.  I love my co-workers.

Officer Bo "commissioned" Avian to do the artwork on this jacket for his brother-in-law.  It turned out amazing.  Officer Bo was blown away.  

December 16th Steve had his work Christmas party.  Everyone got their own snacks and dressed in their Christmas best and then hopped on Zoom.  He said it was a fun and relaxing time getting to know his new co-workers.  

That night I went to the Relief Society Christmas Party.  We did a travelling party with food and activities at each house.  At the second house, while everyone was busy quilting and making ornaments, I jumped on the trampoline for a bit.  It was there just yelling to be used.  The funniest thing about his situation is that I was one of the three oldest people at the party.  It just goes to show that age is just a number.  

December 17th Avian and I went out and did some more shopping.  It was fun to spend the day with them.  

December 18th Avian and I spent part of the day making caramel/white chocolate pretzel sticks.  Avian said it was a tradition they had missed doing the year before. The pretzels were a HUGE hit with our friends.  

Over the holidays, our friends went to Brazil to be with family and they asked us to take care of their cats and chickens.  We would go up every morning, let the chickens out and feed them.  It was fun to have them follow you until you set down their food.  The cats also loved us because we were feeding them.  

December 19th we zoomed as a family to give Mom and Dad their Christmas present.  They had been paying WAY too much for their phone, internet and cable.  We talked them into consolidating everything and surprised them with a SMART tv so they could use their new internet package to its fullest.  Mom doesn't have to DVR things anymore because we showed her how to find shows on-demand using the internet.  They were so surprised.  Dad spent the next several day watching nature shows and marveling at the picture quality.  

Jeremy went to dinner with all his high school friends who were back in town for Christmas.  I love that he is still in contact with them.  

Steve and Avian went down to the church to play volleyball with the youth.  Avian may not like going to church on Sundays, but she is more than happy to attend an activity, especially if her good friend, Mia, personally invites her.  I am so grateful to Mia for her good example.  

December 22nd Steve and I had an appointment at the Columbia Temple.  I had been feeling an urgent need to get back to the Temple for quite some time and the earliest I could find two available seats at a time we were available was into December.  The build up and anticipation made it an even better experience.  We didn't know if we were going to make it on time.  There was so much traffic trying to get out of Charlotte,  but we tried to be patient and have faith that we would get there on time.  On paper we should not have made it, but because we were supposed to be there and we didn't give up, we made it on time.  I am so glad we did.  I really needed to be there!

December 24th Avian and I started painting their room as part of their Christmas present.  The new color is a very nice shade of green and makes the room feel brighter.  

Nick decided to be festive and went running in a Santa hat.  It was a sight to see. 

That night when Nick and I went to put the chickens to bed, there were only 5 of them.  We spent an hour looking everywhere to find the last chicken, but did not have any luck.  Our hope was that it had found a safe place to roost for the night and would show up the following morning.  

December 25th was a good day!  We woke up, took care of the animals (still only 5 chickens), ate some breakfast, opened presents and relaxed during the day.  I set up the target outside and practiced with my new bow Steve got me.  I am pretty good, but Avian is dead on.  They hit the middle of the target almost every time.  

The aftermath!

December 26th, when Steve and I went to feed the cats and let the chickens out we saw three hawks on the property.  Two were perched in trees and one was brazenly staring at us from the rooftop.  We scared the one on the roof away and went to the Tractor Supply store and got some metallic strips to hang from the trees.  It is the most ecofriendly way to keep hawks away from the chickens.  Their yard looks sparkly and festive now.  We also found an owl decoy in one of the gardens and put it on the post right outside the chicken coop.  We aren't going to lose any more chickens on our watch.  

December 27th I had my annual visit with Dr. Moll. Once again I am a very boring patient (translation - very healthy!)

December 29th Nick went out for a run and didn't come back in the usual amount of time.  I was starting to get really worried when he came through the door.  It had been an adventure-filled run.  He was in the neighborhood next to us and saw an Amazon driver getting out of his truck.  When the driver stepped down he twisted his ankle and collapsed to the ground yelling in pain.  The homeowner was on the doorstep yelling at the Amazon driver to bring the package to him.  Nick ran over, took the package to the homeowner and then helped the driver dial 911 since his ankle was very obviously broken.  Nick stayed with him until the ambulance arrived.  Definitely an adventure while running today.  

December 30th, Steve went to the shooting range to try out his new rifle.  One of his friends wanted a cedar platter for his wife for Christmas so he and Steve worked out a trade - cedar platter for a rifle.  This friend had just inherited his father's gun collection and was looking to sell some of them anyway.  That is what I call a win-win. 

December 31st we did the annual Chinese New Year.  We started cooking in the afternoon and had friends over in the evening to share the food with us.  It was so good to have friends in our house again.  The Bookers, Jo & Kev, and Shea & Ari helped us celebrate.  The year ended with a family group hug at midnight.  Goodbye 2021!  Hello 2022!  

Food prep

All done!