Here we are! Still distancing ourselves from most of society and doing just fine! Things are starting to open back up...outdoor dining at restaurants (on March 25th we ordered take out using a gift card for our anniversary but other than that we have yet to purchase food from a restaurant), more stores, and there are talks of the zoo and the library offering limited access and availability. So slowly but surely society is starting to face this thing...an attempt to resume a new and different way of life. Normal is not the word. Our family continues to thrive in our bubble. We are okay, we are embracing the simplicity and the ease of this quarantine life. Three meals a day everyday around the kitchen table as a family. Life is good! L is a project maniac, I am a sourdough maniac, and Luke is a fort building maniac. These are the people we have become! I will always remember our quarantine endeavors and activities with love and pride. Yes, there is a sense of monotony and repetition and Luke misses school and his classmates but we are also very aware of what really matters and what all in life is "extra". A daily reminder of what I always say...that the ordinary is indeed the extraordinary!
Trimming limbs with a borrowed chainsaw on a pole. Who invented such a thing?!
Daily trips to the creek. SO thankful for our neighborhood outside spaces!
Every Friday I host an activity for the "quarantine kids" . These 5 kids have never been separated throughout this whole thing...we had a conversation as a group of parents and decided that we are comfortable with them continuing to play together. So far we have done:
An Egg Drop
A Neighborhood Wide Scavenger Hunt
A Paper Airplane Competition
The Covid Olympics
And next Friday we will be celebrating the arts with Charades and Win, Lose, or Draw!
It gives the kids something to look forward to each week and a little something different to occupy their time! So Fun!!
Jasper injured one of his toes. Had to be sedated to have his claw removed. They don't let you inside the vet these days so we read in the car waiting for our sweet boy. He is just fine now! The only pictures I have of the injury are a little too gruesome to post. Poor guy!
Mother's Day! My requests are always the same! A bagel with cream cheese for breakfast and a long family walk...I was not disappointed and I had the BEST day with my favorite guys!
In the last quarantine post I mentioned that I made bread. I used yeast. Now you cannot find yeast to save your life so....I am growing my own! I am growing a sourdough started to use to make bread so that I do not need commercial yeast. It is a process, and I love it! All the science behind this bread making is so interesting and fun to me! Who knew?? So I am officially a sourdough maniac and I may start giving sourdough starters as gifts. You can do so much with it! All it is is flour and water. That's it. You leave it in a somewhat warm place (hence the top of our fridge) and you basically let it ferment. You have to feed it (water and flour) twice a day...like a pet! When you feed it you discard a portion of it and I save that discard to make other things other than bread. The discard has become just as important to me as Yolanda (we named her) herself. Yolanda will be used to make a proper loaf of sourdough bread when she is fully ripe. I have been feeding her for 2 weeks and she is just about ready!!!
I used some of Yolanda's discard to make these beauties! They didn't rise quite as much as they probably should have because I used discard but they were still super tasty!
We were gifted a canoe when our next door neighbor moved and we took it out on our maiden voyage! So fun! It was a super windy day out on the lake so it made for some pretty tough paddling but we had a blast! Luke packed our lunch and we ate on this little island in the middle of the lake. Such a great family adventure!
Family walk wildflower goodness!
Luke's weekend chore..painting the mailbox. He complained about the concept of a second coat but he got the job done!
Covid Olympics!!
Each kid had to represent a nation other than the US and come with a handmade flag and be knowledgeable about their nation's capital and an interesting fact of two! They did a GREAT job! We had a parade of nations and 5 Olympic events! So fun!
The events were:
Archery - pictured above
Diving - throwing a toy dolphin out the second story window into a bucket of water
Golf - picture to come
Pin the toilet paper in the bathroom - blind folded and spinned before finding the "bathroom" square on the garage door
Basketball - who could make the most out of 10 shots (5 forwards, 5 backwards)
I used sourdough starter to make cookies!!! Yolanda is the gift that keeps on giving!
Delicious!
Luke's favorite.
Olympic Golf
The day prior to the Covid Olympics Luke was out in the backyard whittling a stick.....because what else would he be doing at 7:30 in the morning?!?! Ha! Anyway, he sliced his finger...a lot...deep...TONS of blood. Off to the ER we went! He was a trooper and very brave! I was so proud of him!
The doctor said that if he was an adult he would have stitched it up but because he is a kid and can't be trusted to keep it clean, dry, and limit activity he would glue it and ask him to wear a splint for a few days! Luke and the nurses were so thrilled and relieved!!
DAILY trips to the creek for fort building! Their fort looks great and they even received a compliment from another fort loving group of kids.
"Dear Whoever built this, We think your fort is really cool. From - other kids who play in the woods."
Isn't that so sweet?! Luke and his buddies have written back so perhaps it will be a fort pen pal situation. Adorable!
Homeschooling continues to go well. I enjoy it. Luke's teachers have been doing such a wonderful job with the lessons and zoom meetings.
Crackers made with Yolanda's discard - my favorite!
Our quarantine life leaves plenty of time for Pokemon battles. I'm getting better and better but have yet to beat Luke without him assisting me in some way.
I had a socially distanced meetup in an empty parking lot with some of my friends! It was so much fun and nice to see their beautiful faces!
L and I (mostly L) cleaned out the shed!
L rebuilt the ramp to get into and out of the shed and a big problem was that it was very slippery so when he rebuilt it and was ready to paint he covered the first coat of paint with grits for traction! Grits! He let them dry on there and then painted over them. It worked GREAT!
Homemade sourdough biscuits, thanks again to Yolanda!
L's favorite.
After school water balloon fun!
Endless family game nights!
Sometimes Jasper helps me with laundry. :-)
Drag the canoe to the middle of the yard and have lunch. Little changes make a big difference
Luke was so pleased with this family walk find!
We brought out our clubs for some backyard wiffle golfing
This is where Luke does quite a bit of his schoolwork. Whatever works!
A paddling break on our canoe trip! A gorgeous day out on the water!
Our neighbors gifted us some paper towels so we gifted them some toilet paper. A sign of the times!
Luke brought his Chinese Yo Yo to the park for PE one day. I just thought this picture was so cool!
Another picture from our canoe day
I thought he was completed his science observations, instead he was using the magnify glass to set the paper on fire. HA! That counts as science too!
This kid has never painted so much in his entire life! So many projects!
Quarantine Tully Tidbits:
1. We have always been a nature loving family. Hiking, kayaking, camping, those are some of our favorite things but I really think this time of isolation and distancing has brought on such a greater appreciation and respect for our natural world. We see so many more people enjoying the woods, the paths, the creek and I really think that this time has brought so many people back to basics, back to necessities, back to appreciating and making do with what we have. The kids spend HOURS at the creek....building, playing, talking. Memories that will last a lifetime.
2. Luke has devoured the Hunger Games series. It has been difficult at times to get him to stop reading to eat a meal. We love our bookworm!!
3. The dog lost a claw and Luke sliced his finger exactly one week apart. Quarantine excitement....HA....nothing happens for weeks on end and then....BAM!
4. This pandemic is a terrible thing, it is scary and worrisome, and trying. But I can't help but think that it is something we are all fighting together. Something that is tying the human race together. EVERYONE is on the same side of the war. I hope these attitudes of grace and kindness and respect continue long after this is all over.
5. Luke's teacher put a sign in our yard letting him know that she misses him. A gesture that means more than she knows!
6. L has begun in earnest his research and his eyes light up and he talks faster when telling us about it at the kitchen table. Today marks one year since he (we) made this leap of faith. We have zero regrets and he is flourishing and shining and totally in his element! So proud!!
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