OMG. I lost another week! Yes, yes, I do know that we are currently wrapping up week 11. But we had a great long weekend for Memorial Day (and my birthday) and were so busy living, I failed to blog about it.

So. Week 10 ended with My Quarantine Birthday weekend! Yes, that unicorn cake is wearing a mask. And yes, that’s a Zoom call. The New Normal. The wonderful friends in that screenshot made my birthday super special by sending a box of fruit (which we enjoyed all week) and delivering dinner from my favorite local spot. I am one lucky gal!

Here’s what grilled fresh pineapple looks like when my husband makes it:

It taste even better that it looks. YUM! With our berries and apples, the girls made tiny cobblers in ramekins, with a recipe my husband made up on the fly. But food wasn’t the only awesome gift that was made just for me for my birthday. Zoe made a custom shirt to help me remember my special day:

She hand-cut all that fringe and the bottom says “(So get outta my way)”. My sister made not only a birthday mask but masks for our entire family, BY HAND:

Bart has one that matches mine, and I even got to watch her make them. Here are a few top secret features of these super cute masks:

• There are THREE layers of fabric!
• The outer layer is cute cotton with a nice weave.
• The middle layer is from a pale purple high thread count bedsheet.
• The inner layer is a soft cotton fabric for comfort.
• Also inside, there’s a white pipe cleaner along the top edge to adjust the mask to fit across the nose (and under my glasses!).
• There are soft elastic bands for fit behind the ears and folded panels along the front allow the mask to fit below the chin.
• Against her best judgment, she allowed me to video her making one so I could try it myself. I have not.
• MY SISTER IS AMAZING!

Ok, if you’ve met her, you already know that last one. And before you ask, I did not make her anything for her birthday. Bad sister. My family also showered me with gifts, including my new favorite leggings and vest from Lululemon (a real treat!), some hand-made jewelry, and a special Spatacular (our home spa, trademark pending) session from Zoe, who is quite the masseuse!

Another tremendous year-long gift was from my mom: A Masterclass Pass. Shawn and I each have access to all their classes for this next crazy year, in hopes we learn something before turning 50. And even better, we’re hopping on Zoom to “share” certain classes we’re both interested in, which started with Steve Martin teaching Comedy. Mom and I started James Patterson on Writing. I also took a gardening masterclass with Ron Finley, and we started the astronaut one. Thanks, Mom! I’m smarter already (and apparently I was already funny).

But enough about me. There are other people in this house, too – ALL THE TIME, I might add. We survived another week of homeschooling (barely) and went for lots of walks. Ella even took her dolly on a walk:

You can’t tell, but underneath that mask (not handmade) is a smile. And in that stroller is a doll, without a mask. We agreed she can’t breathe so that’s OK. Before we leave the subject of Ella, I captured a moment that illustrates exactly how I feel during this pandemic (in the form of a child):

(CLICK FOR VIDEO)

What I relate to most: She has makeup on just one eye (and by the way, I did not approve that). She’s eating crap. Carbs, carbs, carbs. She seems slightly confused but is still smiling for the camera, though I’m sure she has no idea why. She’s seated. She’s wearing a dress and sparkly headband, but what you can’t see is that she’s shoeless, pretty much always. Welcome to my World.

We are also (proudly) still puzzling. In fact, at one point during this week we ran out of puzzles, and Bart talked me out of another one of his birthday gifts (his is on June 6). We are STILL a week away, and here’s the hippie puzzle, completed:

(CLICK FOR VIDEO)

Yes, Ella said “KILL”. Thankfully, the piece fit, and clearly our quarantine movie choices need to move back towards the PG end of the spectrum (as does my language). Speaking of which, both girls are obsessed with The Simpsons. That could explain a lot of their current (and future) behavior. Though it does give us a chance to discuss things like pregnancy, homelessness, alcoholism, workplace safety, profanity, appropriate school behavior (homeschool counts as school), and more. Thanks?

At the risk of this post being all about Ella (and me, but then, it was my birthday), I must share one last photo:

Other than the general mess behind her (yes, Nat the Robot is still standing, Ella’s Cartoon Shop is still in business, and Bart is still cooking), note the highlighter in her waistband. It’s right beside the cutest belly ever. In fact, I was hoping her cuteness would make you NOT notice the mess behind, but I decided to keep it real.

As part of my mother’s Reading Class (she’s still teaching Ella 3x/week), when Ella actually stays focused, she gets to go into Nina’s Treasure Chest. Once an amazing teacher, always an amazing teacher. In fact, though she’s been an avid reader for years, Zoe has been the beneficiary of treasures as well. Our first package just showed up with fun items for both girls. Don’t panic, Mom, but Ella fell in love with the highlighter (which was for Zoe), and they both agreed that was OK. I never get in the middle of an agreement, since there are so many disagreements to mediate.

One last note on the long weekend: We spent an ENTIRE DAY without devices (my birthday, in fact), without even discussing or planning it! From crafts to light gardening to scooter (and stroller) rides to hours in our inflatable pool, we simply LIVED at our house. It was delightful. Well, to be fair, I DID introduce the girls to retro cameras. You’d think I’d invented fire. They spent hours taking pictures and videos. Once I figure out how to get an old-school SD card to work on one of our computers, I’ll write that blog…

As I sit here typing at 8:30 am (on my device), I look over to see my husband on a computer and each daughter on her own iPad. Oh well. There’s a lot of day left!

Hope you are all safe and well. I intend to catch up and share Week 11 tomorrow, since this is one of the only ways I am able to mark time during this insanity. Much love!