This week was frantic, I was very busy with appointments and getting ready for Anna’s 20th birthday. I felt rushed everyday and I can see it in every single photo. Some missed focus, chopped body parts, poor composition… but you know what? Anna had an amazing birthday and I managed to capture the memories. That’s what matters. <3
Day 57, February 26th, 2021
Little Lola Cuddles
Most evenings, Anna takes her shower then I’ll read to her in her bed before she goes to sleep. We are on book 6 of the Harry Potter series. Lola always joins us on the bed and curls up sideways across Anna’s belly for tummy scratches. Lola desperately needs a haircut. I’ve been waiting for a warm spell before I shave her down again which, in looking at the long range forecast, might be next weekend! She is the sweetest little dog. (Note the cherry furniture in the background… it plays a role in later photos!)
Day 58, February 27th, 2021
Mammogram Time
I was due for my annual mammogram in December but because of COVID-19 restrictions, the soonest they could get me in was late February. I’ve never had a mammogram on a Saturday before and the hospital felt completely empty. I was 20 minutes early for my appointment and they got me in right away. 4 squishes later, I was on my way home! No results yet, but I’m sure it was normal or I would’ve heard from them by now.
Day 59, February 28th, 2021
Big Gift was a Big Hit
Even though Anna’s birthday was two days away, we celebrated the bulk of it Sunday because Jenny could join us. She brought her dogs, Granger and Sonya (you can see Sonya curled up beside Anna here in this picture). We told Anna she had two major gifts, one on Sunday and one on Tuesday. She opened her last gift, which was a purple (her fave color!) suitcase, and inside was information about a trip we have planned this summer, 4 nights in Key West, Florida! I loved her reaction, her face was priceless! She LOVES airplanes and travel more than anything so she is super excited that we are all going (minus Jenny, wah!). We’ve never taken the kids on a real vacation before, this will be our first!
Day 60, March 1st, 2021
My Gift To Anna
Anna’s other big gift was finishing the redecorating of her room which I started at Christmas. When we moved here, Anna inherited my mom’s old bedroom furniture that was 25 years old. It was a cherry finish and very pretty… but didn’t really go with anything… especially after replacing her bed, bedding, and drapes. I found the nicest modern furniture at IKEA; a 3-drawer dresser, a 4-drawer dresser, a nightstand, a bookcase, and a storage cabinet. All together, 12… yes TWELVE boxes of furniture to assemble. I picked it up Friday and worked on it every spare moment I got. Curtis and Dominic were a big help carrying boxes up and down stairs (I assembled some of it up in the spare room) and bringing some of the finished pieces back down. I love putting furniture together! This was the bookcase that I worked on upstairs.
Day 61, March 2nd, 2021
Brimnes Dresser
I decided to go with the Brimnes line of bedroom furniture from IKEA. I was surprised by how sturdy and spacious the pieces were once assembled. This was a 4-drawer dresser that I put together on Anna’s birthday while she was at school. The pool table was the perfect work surface… great height and plenty of space to spread out the parts. I used the shelf under the wall print to sort the tools. This dresser was the last thing I had to complete then all I had left to do was transfer everything over from the old furniture to the new. Mom helped me a little with that project!
New Room Complete
Here is the final product. (Remember the old furniture in the background of the picture of Lola lounging on Anna’s belly from Friday?) I didn’t expect the white furniture to be such a drastic difference. I’m SO glad I went with the white and not black… it was a tough choice. I thought the white would make the room look bigger and I was right. Some color on the walls would make the room even better but I’m happy with it for now. I love the frosted top drawer on the dressers and nightstand. Mom got Anna these super cool lamps that are comprised of circles. They go great with the polka dots on her bedding. Jenny got her the rainbow LED light on the tall dresser. The airplane canvas was a gift from her Aunt Shelley last year.
The Big Reveal
We all weren’t really sure if Anna would like her new room. She can be kinda hard to predict in how she will react. I was prepared for a “That’s nice, thanks” and not much else. But as soon as we were done with dinner, the whole family trooped into her room for the big reveal. Anna LOVED it! She loved the lamps, the furniture, and how much bigger her room felt. Even though the furniture takes up more room, the white color it makes it feel bigger. She had fun exploring everything and playing with her new lamps. That’s her “Ooooohhh” face!
Day 62, March 3rd, 2021
Anna’s in Heaven
Wednesday was COVID vaccine #2 for me, Curtis, mom, and Anna. Dominic got his first shot on Tuesday though we had to drive him to San Marcos to get it (CVS has the Pfizer vaccine which is safe for 16-year olds). Curtis dropped the kids off at school on Wednesday and got his shot early. Our appointment last time was at 3:30 but this time they were only vaccinating between 8:00 and 2:00. They told us to come anytime but we’d heard horror stories of an hour long wait outside from the day before. Mom and I picked up Anna early from school and headed over to the Civic Center. We were nervous that it would be a longer wait coming so close to 2:00. No worries though… we found a primo handicapped parking spot (Anna’s disabilities qualified us for permanent plates). We were picked up by a golf cart and transported directly to the front door which is nice because mom was still recovering from her fall a couple of weeks ago and was using a cane. There was no line at all. We had our paperwork ready and went right in for the shot. Anna noticed all the firemen standing around and was flirting heavily on our way in. When she sat down, she told the nurse that she was a little nervous and remarked on all the firemen. The nurse offered to get a fireman to come hold her hand and Anna’s eyes lit up. Mr. Garrett came over, kneeled down, and held Anna’s hand the whole time she was getting her vaccine. (Watch March’s ISE to see that in action!). Mom sat down partway through Anna’s shot across from us and thought Anna had a good idea. Well she got 2 firemen!!! After we waited our required 15 minutes post-vaccine, I asked the firemen to pose for a photo with Anna. I wish they were all in focus but I had to work quickly and not get any patients in the picture (HIPPA you know). Anna was in heaven and has been talking about those firemen ever since! Thank you, NBFD!
Day 63, March 4th, 2021
One of My Specialties
I did a huge grocery run Wednesday morning in anticipation of getting our second vaccines. I wanted to be prepared in case we all felt yucky and didn’t feel like cooking. So I made a big pot of vegetarian chili Wednesday afternoon. The original recipe is my mom’s but I’ve tweaked it a bit over the years. Curtis likes to add shredded habanero jack cheese to his. If you’re curious, the chili has green peppers, onions, corn, garlic, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, petite diced tomatoes, and tomato juice with chili powder, cumin, and oregano spices. On the Weight Watchers green smart points plan, it’s zero points! I’m glad I did that because we all felt awful Thursday and definitely did not feel like cooking. Chili to the rescue!
Thanks for looking!
