Author Archives: Jen
Working with dad is RUFF.
It took three tries
Anna crocheted a hat…
Betcha didn’t think it would be for the dogs!
And there was snoring coming from the crate…
I was working in the office and was on my way to bed… Olive was sacked out and I could hear Ivy from inside the crate!
Friday Fave: Mexican french fries supreme
Y’all. I love Mexican food and I love fries, so when Taco Pros opened and I saw they had Mexican fries supreme I WAS IN. And holy crap were they delicious!
The serving is plenty for lunch for two. And with the addition of steak it’s only $9! In other words it’s a perfect lunch date (which we had this week)!
And yes, they now have margaritas!! It wasn’t the best, but I had to try it at least once!
Here we go again.
Look what I found on Katie’s phone…
A YouTube account.
Sigh.
I guess I technically knew about it because I’d heard her and Owen talking about posting things and about how many views they had (I think they were having a competition). But long story short, there more videos on her account than I’d thought — not quite as bad as her TikTok account but still some things I didn’t like — so we had a rational discussion. She could keep the account but had to change her username and delete some of the videos.
I’m hoping that this will give her enough room to feel older without being dangerous.
Time will tell.
She’s not spoiled
More proof they really love the stroller
Milwalky Trace
Date lunch! I got a lobster roll and Tom got a brisket and short rib burger and both were freaking amazing. And definitely get the slaw. Highly recommend!
Getting the dogs ready for a stroll.
I went to the doctors to get my anxiety meds refilled
Y’all. I went to the doctors to get my anxiety meds refilled and he asked if I’ve ever thought of going off it as a trial since I’ve been on it for two years.
I said dead straight I HAVE AN 11YO DAUGHTER and he just laughed. And gave me a refill. And said “maybe when the kids go off to college.”
Christmas Ivy
Yes we have a dog stroller.
Katie has been begging for one and we finally told her she could buy it with her own money—thinking it would put a stop to it. Nope. She had most of the money and said she’d pay off the rest. Okay then.
And they liked it. They let Katie roll them around the house.
The next day Tom and I watched them sniffing around it and trying to get in it. So I helped.
Demogorgon down!
Finally a good picture of our cheerleader!
Holiday nails!
She wanted to build a snowman!
And she did a great job!!
The bad thing about high ceilings.
We need a ladder to change the clock.
Now it’s time for Christmas!
Friday Fave: deal sites
I always love a deal but on #BlackFriday there are so many it’s hard to sort through everything…so I rely on deal sites to show me the best of the best! One of those is Slickdeals! You can even set your own personalized deal alerts and get a customized feed in the app!
What’s your favorite deal site?
Thanksgiving 2023 is over…
Thanksgiving Day 2023
Friends of ours—Scott and Wendy—also joined us this year as she was visiting from Seattle and they didn’t have other plans! She loves Thanksgiving and cooking so she brought most of the sides to go with Tom’s smoked turkey and smoked ham!
Thanksgiving tip? Gravy in an insulated pitcher! Pourable plus it stays warm!
The evening was spent watching football, playing cards, puzzling, and visiting!
Pre-Thanksgiving 2023
Everyone was coming for Thanksgiving again this year! So Day 1 dinner prep—smoked ribs—started early!
Gramma Fixit
Yay! Gramma and grandpa are here early for Thanksgiving! So we put Gramma to work sewing up a hole in the beanbag!! Olive thought it was a perfect spot to nap.
It was all fun and games until…
It took longer to check out than we anticipated and consequently we didn’t have enough time to go to a restaurant like we had talked about (in order to make it back in time for her parent/teacher conferences). So she was pissy. We still went to Panera for takeout but she still wasn’t happy. I can’t wait for this stage to be over.
A girl and a snuggly dog
I feel you, Olive.
Deer camp day 3: driving
There were no more deer to be had, but Owen had another first—Tom let him drive his truck on the back roads to camp!
This is how teens make their bed.
Yep, just leave the mattress protector scrunched down at the bottom in the corner and pull the sheets over it. (I discovered it because I was removing all his bedding to wash before Thanksgiving guests and I thought maybe a towel had gotten stuck in the sheets.)
You can only laugh, right?