Saturday, July 31, 2021
I've got it all figured out!
Today, somehow it all came together and I feel like Success. It's so hard to see it sometimes but today, today it worked and three of us had a nice day together with zero complaining and lots of accomplishments.
David's in Texas for work, Archer's working and I'm on crutches (long story) but I was able to share this recap with David about all we got done today. And it made me feel like I've got this Mom thing figured out.
Saturday, March 13, 2021
10:20am Breakfast of Champions
Someone's making breakfast, just walked into the kitchen to find the oven's on and this on the counter
10:40am Archer: I forgot to make my corn dogs!
I like when the kids stay up all night and then sleep late the next morning - I can read my book in peace and quiet. And wonder if the breakfast I ate (pretzels and french onion dip) was more or less healthy than Archer's breakfast. Questions to ponder...
Thursday, January 14, 2021
Root River Rollers: Teammate Tuesday!
Teammate Tuesday!
Teammate Tuesday!
We hear if you say it 3 times we'll start skating again. Did it work?
Alright, it might have not worked this time... but we still love to shout out our derby sisters!
This week we are talking to MAYHEM! When we think of Mayhem, we think of how tough and resilient she is. 
She's the type of person who, after breaking her leg in practice still shows up to cheer on her team. Taking fast laps with her teammates as they push her in a wheelchair. Then, when healed, straps those skates back on and pushes herself to learn & do more!
She's the type of person who, after breaking her leg in practice still shows up to cheer on her team. Taking fast laps with her teammates as they push her in a wheelchair. Then, when healed, straps those skates back on and pushes herself to learn & do more! We love Mayhem and are so proud to call her our teammate! Here are some questions we asked for her fans!
1. When did you start derby?
I started spring 2019 at a Boot Camp and then the Fresh Meat program.
2. What made you interested in roller derby?
Everyone was super welcoming and it was something I'd never done before - seemed like good reasons to stick with it!
3. What is your roller derby name and why did he choose it?
My name's Mayhem, a little tougher version of my husband's nickname for me, Amy May.
4. Who's your hero on or off skates?
My husband. Almost nothing ruffles his feathers, he works harder than anyone I know and doesn't back down to challenges. He's always learning new things and getting the kids and I involved in learning them too. Thanks honey!
5. What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I wanted to move to Australia with my two BFFs and be a marine biologist and train dolphins. In the end, I wasn't as interested in science as I thought and didn't want to move so far from home. 
6. What would you sing at karaoke night?
Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrison
7. What makes you laugh the most?
All the stupid little inside jokes with my husband and kids. Like the time I accidentally called them all losers. They'll NEVER let me live that one down!
8. What is your fondest Derby memory?
Skating the 27/5 challenge and hearing my teammates cheering each other on, and making a new personal record. There's nothing like knowing you've got someone in your corner and seeing your improvement from week to week. So empowering!
9. What are you really good at, on or off skates?
Organizing - stuff, time, schedules. I can't guarantee any of it STAYS organized, but there you have it.
10. What are you most excited about when we can start skating again?
Skating together for 2 hours and going home with that endorphin high of working hard, playing hard and having a good time with great people. Can't wait to get the team back together again!
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Field Trip & a Recipe
Christmas is fast approaching, we've got the tree up and presents neatly wrapped and stacked underneath. This has been some strange year. April was the longest year of my life, with days crawling by like months as the monotony of "Safer at Home" forced everyone inside. When I finally returned to the office in June, it seemed like things were maybe getting back towards normal. But as this year drags on, we keep looking for ways to have fun. While wearing masks. Avoiding crowds. Etc. This weekend we drove to a house whose family had filled the yard with Christmas. This was our adventure for the week, if you can call it that. It appeared that the lights were synchronized with music so we went searching for the radio station. What luck! We found the station! The lights flashed along to the tune but the song choice seemed strange, not holiday festivity but more love song crooning. And then, "Thank you for tuning in to Light Jazz..." Huh. Guess it wasn't the right station after all. Moving on. We drove to Culver's for a picnic in the van (they're not open for dining inside). A second trip through the drive-thru for dessert and then home. Nothing too exciting. But at this point, we just need something to break the everything's-the-same-every-day feeling that we have. Because everything's still cancelled.
Anyway, on to a recipe. Original is here, mine is below. I don't usually make recipes like this because too many ingredients and too many steps. But it was worth it, so we'll try to get it into the regular rotation.
Crispy Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients1 1/2 lbs chicken breast
salt & pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup flour
1 cup oil for frying
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1/2 cup shredded provelone
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450
Pound chicken breasts to a thickness of about 1/2 inch, season with salt & pepper
Beat the eggs together in a shallow bowl
Mix panko crumbs and 1/2 cup parmesan together in a shallow dish
Use a strainer or sifter to dust chicken breasts with flour
Dip the chicken into the eggs then the panko crumbs, set aside
Heat oil in frying pan until shimmering, fry chicken until golden on both sides, place in baking dish
Top each chicken breast with about 2 Tbsp tomato sauce, then sprinkle mozzarella, basil, provelone and parmesan on each
Drizzle a little olive oil over each breast
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, cheese should be brown and bubbly and chicken cooked through
Enjoy with a caprese salad on the side, or over garlic buttered noodles, whatever you've got the energy for.
It's a hit, we'll definitely make this again!
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Keep Chuggin' Along
We're well into Work From Home, School From Home, Facemasks Everywhere mode.
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
First Day in a New World
Here we go again! First day of school, everyone's taller than the year before, now we've got kids in 11th, 8th and 4th grade, they've got new teachers and new schedules.... And no one's going back to the schools. No one's getting on the bus, excited to see their friends again and nervous about the whole thing starting up for a brand new school year. Everything's online. After almost six months out of school, we're going back remotely. We've got all the hardware and software and this morning at 8:00 all of my kids started up the new school year. No backpacks, lunch boxes or shoes. Wear your jammies to school every day if you want. This is a whole new world of way to do stuff. Here we go!!
P.S. Dear Shelly, thanks for making breakfast for us this morning! Archer, thanks for helping E get his equipment up and running. And E? Thanks for getting up on time even though I didn't come to wake you up!
Friday, July 31, 2020
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Can you believe...
Can you believe we're surviving a summer of EVERYTHING IS CANCELLED and still having fun? Me neither. It's been tough. I'm going to try REALLY HARD to gloss over the garbage that we're going through, still sort of quarantined but not really, still hearing on the news that everyone's going to die and also that almost no one is dying so everyone calm down. Who even knows about school in the fall. Nothing's for sure anymore.
Ok, I didn't succeed at glossing over the garbage BUT let's try again. Take two. Despite some setbacks, we're managing to Get Stuff Done.
1. We're working on the deck. Still. Hardware Store has back ordered the last of the materials we need to finish.
2. I started a project of re-painting my wooden chairs and that's been going really well. Then Epic Storm rolled through last week and blew one of my chairs away like it was a little feather blowing in the wind. It was damaged beyond repair (thankfully it wasn't one of the chairs I had just finished painting). Silver Lining: Eli had the time of his life using a hammer to smash the broken chair to bits. He loved it. What more can you ask for entertainment for a 9 year old with a desire to destroy everything???
3. Epic Storm could NOT defeat our new windows (victory!!) but our back door had a tough time - the rain was blowing in at the TOP of the door!!!!!!!!!!! There are not enough !!! to express what that storm did in our neighborhood. I swear there were waves of ocean smashing up against our windows. The back of the house wasn't the only one taking a beating, the tree in the front of our house lost another very large limb. It had already lost a very large limb a couple of years ago in a snowstorm. Now our sad little tree was just done. I met someone while I was out for a walk and asked him if he could cut down our tree. I left to go to the hardware store and when I came home, the tree was in pieces by the curb. And then two days later, it was picked up by the Village Highway Cleanup Crew. So, the tree we've had for 12 years is now just a stump in the middle of our yard. Sad. Moving on...
4. Roller skating is back! We can't practice together inside, but we've been getting together in pairs and small groups to skate and walk and exercise. It's so good to see my friends again. I'm just resigned that I'll forever look like Bambi on ice when I skate and fall down all the time, but I haven't had any new major injuries so I forge ahead. Sometimes one of the kids will go for a bike ride with me while I skate, that's nice.
5. We had a 4th of July celebration. Actually, three events at our house in six days. So much cleaning and shopping for more food but it was so worth it. Tuesday we had dinner with our Scout friends, they're such great company and it was nice to get caught up on what everyone has been up to all summer. Then.
Usually we go to the lakefront for fireworks but that was out so we invited our friends over for a campfire and food on the fourth. Also, my parents. So everyone shows up (including my parents! yay! I love you guys :) ) and we have a great time and we're wishing there were fireworks but this is so great, we don't even have to use the outhouse by the fish cleaning station at the lakefront, we have actual bathrooms and air conditioning if we need it AND the campfire. So many friends that we haven't seen in so long. And right around dusk, this is when it began. The Show.
People have been shooting off fireworks in our neighborhood for months. This started when lockdown started back in March - a couple are shot off every night. But this was NOTHING like that. The rockets started and didn't let up for an hour at least. We're watching to the south, now east, there's some over there in the west and if you run to the front of the house, you can see the ones to the north. They surrounded us, they were everywhere and they were BIG. Huge bangs, huge flashes of sparkling lights wherever you look. I have never experienced anything like that. My measly little cell phone pictures cannot do it justice. The community rejected the cancelling of the Fourth of July and responded with better shows than we've ever seen before.
{Disclaimer: Yes I know it's illegal. People get hurt. My children only did safe stuff like smoke bombs. Please be safe everyone and make good decisions.}
Alright, ANOTHER Fourth party, this time on the Fifth with all the Fortiers. We hadn't seen each other since CHRISTMAS!! We needed this, we needed to check in with each other and the cousins needed to see who's driving and who's working and what's up on social media. Mamaw and Bampa showed up AGAIN! Bonus visit! It was such a sweet time, we enjoyed each other's company so much. We tried to keep the food simple without too much grilling or prep required so that we didn't have to spend the whole afternoon in the kitchen. It worked out well and we had a very nice time.
And let's not forget. Smooshed in between all those other things was our traditional Fourth of July Pool Party in HC. A wonderful day as always - snacks, pool time, good conversation, all the stuff.
Probably the best Fourth of July of my life. Because absence makes the heart grow fonder and we've all been absent from everything for too long.
6. David and our friend Mary talked Tom (a guest at the party on Saturday the 4th) into giving them some tips. A couple days later we all met up at the local driving range for golfing lessons and lunch. He's a pro. (Literally. Also teaches golf, for a living.) What a pleasure to enjoy the sunshine and get to see the improvements as Tom patiently guided them through their posture, swing, all the stuff.
7. I'm training for a triathlon which I switched to a duathlon so I won't have to swim and Mary's signed up for the same event. Oh the stuff we talk each other into, when will we learn? We did a little mini duathlon with walking, biking and walk/running last weekend. It was nice to have a partner in the moaning over not liking running and it's too hot and I live in the Caledonia Desert (???) and people are jerks and WHAT did we get ourselves into AGAIN????
Anyway, if you've made it this far, nice work. I just spit out everything that's been building up in my brain for the last two months. Every one of these pictures is a story and if I told them all it would be a novel.
No Shoes Shelly
Mandy & Amy, bank parking lot, hoping we don't get kicked out
Friends!
Machete & Mahem after Mayhem wiped out after only 10 seconds on the track
Mary & Amy, post mini duathlon
Golf lesson!
Tom & Mandy, Fourth
Eli & Amy, sometime
More friends!
Everyone who happened to be sitting around outside when we decided to take a pic :) (Kim, Bampa, DavidAmy, Kim, Mamaw, Grandma)
Eli. Hiding.
Friends!
Dance party on the deck w/ Mary & Heather
David. Stoic as always, or something :P
Bampa & Mamaw
Mayhem & Hella
Ok, I didn't succeed at glossing over the garbage BUT let's try again. Take two. Despite some setbacks, we're managing to Get Stuff Done.
1. We're working on the deck. Still. Hardware Store has back ordered the last of the materials we need to finish.
2. I started a project of re-painting my wooden chairs and that's been going really well. Then Epic Storm rolled through last week and blew one of my chairs away like it was a little feather blowing in the wind. It was damaged beyond repair (thankfully it wasn't one of the chairs I had just finished painting). Silver Lining: Eli had the time of his life using a hammer to smash the broken chair to bits. He loved it. What more can you ask for entertainment for a 9 year old with a desire to destroy everything???
3. Epic Storm could NOT defeat our new windows (victory!!) but our back door had a tough time - the rain was blowing in at the TOP of the door!!!!!!!!!!! There are not enough !!! to express what that storm did in our neighborhood. I swear there were waves of ocean smashing up against our windows. The back of the house wasn't the only one taking a beating, the tree in the front of our house lost another very large limb. It had already lost a very large limb a couple of years ago in a snowstorm. Now our sad little tree was just done. I met someone while I was out for a walk and asked him if he could cut down our tree. I left to go to the hardware store and when I came home, the tree was in pieces by the curb. And then two days later, it was picked up by the Village Highway Cleanup Crew. So, the tree we've had for 12 years is now just a stump in the middle of our yard. Sad. Moving on...
4. Roller skating is back! We can't practice together inside, but we've been getting together in pairs and small groups to skate and walk and exercise. It's so good to see my friends again. I'm just resigned that I'll forever look like Bambi on ice when I skate and fall down all the time, but I haven't had any new major injuries so I forge ahead. Sometimes one of the kids will go for a bike ride with me while I skate, that's nice.
5. We had a 4th of July celebration. Actually, three events at our house in six days. So much cleaning and shopping for more food but it was so worth it. Tuesday we had dinner with our Scout friends, they're such great company and it was nice to get caught up on what everyone has been up to all summer. Then.
Usually we go to the lakefront for fireworks but that was out so we invited our friends over for a campfire and food on the fourth. Also, my parents. So everyone shows up (including my parents! yay! I love you guys :) ) and we have a great time and we're wishing there were fireworks but this is so great, we don't even have to use the outhouse by the fish cleaning station at the lakefront, we have actual bathrooms and air conditioning if we need it AND the campfire. So many friends that we haven't seen in so long. And right around dusk, this is when it began. The Show.
People have been shooting off fireworks in our neighborhood for months. This started when lockdown started back in March - a couple are shot off every night. But this was NOTHING like that. The rockets started and didn't let up for an hour at least. We're watching to the south, now east, there's some over there in the west and if you run to the front of the house, you can see the ones to the north. They surrounded us, they were everywhere and they were BIG. Huge bangs, huge flashes of sparkling lights wherever you look. I have never experienced anything like that. My measly little cell phone pictures cannot do it justice. The community rejected the cancelling of the Fourth of July and responded with better shows than we've ever seen before.
{Disclaimer: Yes I know it's illegal. People get hurt. My children only did safe stuff like smoke bombs. Please be safe everyone and make good decisions.}
Alright, ANOTHER Fourth party, this time on the Fifth with all the Fortiers. We hadn't seen each other since CHRISTMAS!! We needed this, we needed to check in with each other and the cousins needed to see who's driving and who's working and what's up on social media. Mamaw and Bampa showed up AGAIN! Bonus visit! It was such a sweet time, we enjoyed each other's company so much. We tried to keep the food simple without too much grilling or prep required so that we didn't have to spend the whole afternoon in the kitchen. It worked out well and we had a very nice time.
And let's not forget. Smooshed in between all those other things was our traditional Fourth of July Pool Party in HC. A wonderful day as always - snacks, pool time, good conversation, all the stuff.
Probably the best Fourth of July of my life. Because absence makes the heart grow fonder and we've all been absent from everything for too long.
6. David and our friend Mary talked Tom (a guest at the party on Saturday the 4th) into giving them some tips. A couple days later we all met up at the local driving range for golfing lessons and lunch. He's a pro. (Literally. Also teaches golf, for a living.) What a pleasure to enjoy the sunshine and get to see the improvements as Tom patiently guided them through their posture, swing, all the stuff.
7. I'm training for a triathlon which I switched to a duathlon so I won't have to swim and Mary's signed up for the same event. Oh the stuff we talk each other into, when will we learn? We did a little mini duathlon with walking, biking and walk/running last weekend. It was nice to have a partner in the moaning over not liking running and it's too hot and I live in the Caledonia Desert (???) and people are jerks and WHAT did we get ourselves into AGAIN????
Anyway, if you've made it this far, nice work. I just spit out everything that's been building up in my brain for the last two months. Every one of these pictures is a story and if I told them all it would be a novel.
No Shoes Shelly
Mandy & Amy, bank parking lot, hoping we don't get kicked out
Friends!
Machete & Mahem after Mayhem wiped out after only 10 seconds on the track
Mary & Amy, post mini duathlon
Golf lesson!
Tom & Mandy, Fourth
Eli & Amy, sometime
More friends!
Everyone who happened to be sitting around outside when we decided to take a pic :) (Kim, Bampa, DavidAmy, Kim, Mamaw, Grandma)
Eli. Hiding.
Friends!
Dance party on the deck w/ Mary & Heather
David. Stoic as always, or something :P
Bampa & Mamaw
Mayhem & Hella
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