Now that I’m used to this being behind thing, I’m just going to post on a random Saturday. Liberating. For posterity’s sake, this post covers Nov 9-20, but who cares what week it is anymore? 2020 is just one long, strange week.
So let’s get to the good stuff! Bart and I officially went back on the Keto diet. Don’t ask. Let’s just say that I like Oreos even more than I realized, and most importantly, we both feel SO MUCH BETTER when we don’t overwhelm our bodies with carbs. If you’re wondering if I’m suffering, you decide.
Following are two of the many delicious recipes my husband has cooked over the past two weeks:
For the first recipe we actually substituted macadamia nuts for hazelnuts. Yum. For the second, that’s a thinly cut pork chop with goat cheese butter, a sprig of thyme, and green beans cooked in the skillet with chicken broth. I’d say I’m living the life. Better yet, I’ve lost 5.2 pounds so far and have much more energy than before. #winning
What would help would be adding in consistent exercise, which we have not yet done. Though our girls have been nuts about jumping on the trampoline lately. So much so that Ella wrote this to Zoe:
Don’t ask me what the numbers mean. We try not to interpret Ella… In fact, both girls have quite active minds that we can barely keep up with. Zoe’s class last week had a recycled art project, for which she built this:
Key details to notice:
- Zoe’s wearing slippers, which (if she wears shoes) is common for school.
- That’s a robot. She ended up with “hair” as well and a face that Ella decided to draw without asking… that did not go over well.
- This robot apparently likes to shop or else her purse is truly recycled art.
- In Zoe’s left hand you can see the extra paper she added when the boxes weren’t the same height to allow her robot to stand. Clever.
Is there more clever art at the Johnson house, you ask? Why, of course:
There are in fact over 20 variations of this open/close art around our house. Mostly on the floor. What luck. They also made carrots (well, grew them):
As you can see, they were white carrots, and they didn’t really do what we’d hoped. In the carrots’ defense, we placed them in a raised garden that has huge Four O’Clock flowers whose bulbs have taken over the bed. I did not know this, but “The plants produce elongated, dark-colored, swollen to tuberous taproots that can be a foot or more long and weigh up to 40 pounds in climates where they are perennial.” Everything’s a perennial in Southern California, and I think those bulbs got in the way of our carrots’ growth.
Still, the girls planted, watered and plucked them on their own. If you really want to see some talent (disclaimer: I’m totally biased), watch our beautiful daughter sing Jolene:
I will never tire of listening to her lovely voice. Over the past few weeks, the girls also started piano lessons, so hopefully she’ll soon sing and play! Speaking of playing, Jasmine has discovered that Ella is incapable of closing a dresser drawer, and she doesn’t mind at all.
Yes, that’s underwear. And yes, that’s the top of Ella’s dresser, which is incessantly covered with a zillion items of all shapes and sizes. She is a slob. Or maybe she just really really really likes to play and really really really does not like to clean up. Right. That one.
That said, she’s quite funny. On Thursday she asked me to marry her. After insisting that she make the request on one knee, I agreed. I mean, look at that rock! She also left me an odd note while I was away from my desk–and a butterfly.
I’m somewhat concerned she’s just relocating all the crap from her dresser to my desk. Time will tell. If you’d like to get a real sense of how quirky and terrific she is, check out this video she put up for her teacher just before Veterans Day:
She’s been reading a book to her teacher (via recording) as often as I can remind her to do so. We’re happy to have a little reader, though that does mean we can officially no longer get away with speaking in spelling code. It’s not a terrible loss; Bart can barely spell. Love you, honey. You’re still the most incredible dad on the planet!
And so, that wraps up a couple of weeks, with the exception of some extra special fun we had last weekend that’s a SURPRISE! We’ll save that for whenever I write about Thanksgiving. Speaking of which…
HAVE A GREAT TURKEY DAY!!
No, it won’t be the same, but if you’re reading this, let’s all be grateful that we’re still here and have one another to share this crazy time with–that’s something. Stay safe out there!
Emphasis on Joy 
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