- Yes, being home alone gives me time to quietly reflect on things. It’s normally a welcome change of pace after being so busy during a school year but now, in summer, it feels like an empty void I am trying to fill. So after the kids are dropped off to camp, I putter; I grade papers and look for jobs and clean. With oldest and hubs being out of town, it’s just really weird. I’m almost excited to go pick up the youngers later!
- Yesterday I back-sweetened my blueberry maple mead. In about a week I will bottle it and store it for our October competition. If it turns out well, anyway. It was slightly sweet on Monday, with not a ton of blueberry flavor coming through but we’ll see as it ages. The one I made with oranges, raisins and nutmeg is getting better and better and I’ll put that one in the comp too. We have one guy in the club whose mead is amazing so I’m not thinking I have a chance to win but maybe 2nd or 3rd place.
- I’m planning to make hibachi chicken and fried rice tonight. I even pre-cooked the rice yesterday because all the recipes say it has to be a day old. I’m hoping it turns out well! Tomorrow I’m making my grape jelly meatballs and mashed potatoes. I do not yet have a Thursday plan. There’s a taco truck everyone raves about and it’s right near the camp. They had a sign out the other day that said $1.00 tacos all summer so… maybe?
- I am full on committing to staying busy with small things while I’m the only one home. I plan to work on cleaning up our game room/the room where everything gets dumped. It’s technically the dining room but our table is out in the sun room and Ash turned this room into the space for all his old consoles. We literally have two CRT TVs and a flat screen, every console since NES, and a literal arcade cabinet and game controller. But we also have a bunch of old beer we inherited, an indoor cycle, a set of speakers, and some boxes that also reside in there. Needless to say, it needs to be tended to!
- I was reading out on the living room last night and thinking about how I could go room by room and just look for stuff to tidy. For example, there’s a book shelf by said couch and on one shelf, in one corner, there are some card games instead of books and for some reason, the kids leave tiny things there like trinkets, magnets, and the ends of snack wrappers. Ugh. That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about but in every room. That could very much keep me busy for a long time!
- OK, I have so far today, cleaned out Ash’s car and worked my way through papers. I am finally going to mail back the old phones we’re trading in when we switched phone companies and mail some baby blankets my mom crocheted for family who have recently given birth. Once I do that, I am treating myself to something to eat! Wish me luck.
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Good luck!
I think it’s great that you have the time to do the little things that generally don’t make a cleaning schedule cut. I’m sorry that being alone in the day feels like a void- I definitely felt that when my youngest went away to college on the days that I didn’t sub. Time did help that feeling go away- that and realizing I had the time to do tasks that I’d put off for a long time!
That’s usually what I do when I’m home alone, too. Tidy up and clean. Have fun!
We watched the Ballad of Wallis Island the other night and we both really liked it a lot. Thanks for the rec! Sometimes those little jobs add up to a lot in terms of how much tidier the house looks.
I’m glad you liked the movie!