A New Great Routine

It is tempting to be sucked into the vortex of the internet in times like this. As a small measure of counteracting, we have begun nightly read-aloud time. Bob is a good reader, and we are enjoying learning about Hudson Taylor and his China experiences. Makes the current challenges seem pretty insignificant - it is about perspective.

Spending Time with Friends

On Sunday afternoon, we took a walk with friends. Staying outside, not too close, and no touching satisfied the social distancing and CDC recommendations of less than ten people. Afterward, we enjoyed cocktails on the front porch. The slowing down of the pace is opening up room for visiting and spending time in fellowship.

Sunday Church

Everyone is getting ready for church  - no restrictions on food or beverages in the 'sanctuary.' Another benefit, no need to get dressed, and no travel time - which meant sleeping later. We are grateful for the technology that allows us to worship with our church family even in times of social distancing. 

Serving Our Community

Covid 19 is affecting many people around us. Our church is offering us several opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a world that is hurting. One tangible participation is making a meal for the homeless shelter, which is no longer receiving any leftover food from the local grocery stores.  Noah handled the cookie baking, while Lukas experimented with bread roll recipes. At the end of Saturday, we had 110 chocolate chip cookies and an easy and tasty roll recipe.

creating a video of cookies baking in the oven  - technology has to be part of it :-)

Multi-Tasking

Lukas keeps writing on his thesis - while listening to music and monitor his various chats and online business opportunities.

A New Dining Room

Wishful thinking became a reality over the break. "Rice cracker" beige is not a terrible color, but on all walls? The challenge when we have considered painting is where to stop, with tall ceilings and no clear delineations between areas - the consequence of an open floor plan. However, our dining room could be separated... A few trips to Home Depot, more color swatches than we could carry, and several paint samples on the walls, and the project was underway. Bob and Noah moved the china cabinets, and Noah taped all the edges. Bob quickly but carefully painted the majority of the room with assistance from the rest of us - mainly Noah. That same night, the room was back to its 'normal' state, and we enjoyed a leisurely dinner in our formal dining room.

Last Ski Run

Since it was spring break, the boys headed up to Snowbowl for some skiing. It was fortuitous that they did as the mountain closed the very next day. Covid is becoming a reality in Flagstaff. A few days later, as we woke up to almost a foot of fresh powder, we longing gazed at the mountain.

Men's Shirt

Lukas pulled out the sewing machine after a quick trip to the fabric store. His next project, a men's shirt. It was his first time working with a paper pattern and also his first apparel project. Noah worked as his fit model.

looking to match up the button holes

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

After Noah had completed the baking of cookies, it was Lukas turn to take over the kitchen to make rolls. He measured and mixed, and he kneaded and rolled over 100 bread for the shelter. Since he was not happy with his trial batch, he adjusted the recipe adding a nice milk wash on the top.

Puzzle

Covid-19 canceled our plans for spring break. It would be cruel to cancel the entire spring break, so we did school light and spent time on projects. The beautiful National Parks puzzle was the first thing to be pulled out. It did not take Noah long, with just a little help from Mama to complete it. Now, the question is, to put it back in the box or frame it?

Relax

After a long morning of SAT testing, Noah was ready for some downtime. The mood lighting added to the relaxation as he played video games with his friends on the east coast.

Second Saturday Service Project

While Noah took the SAT, the rest of us headed over to a local school for our church's monthly service project. Since the weather was not suitable for painting parking lot lines and four squares on the playground, we worked inside cleaning. Armed with big buckets of soapy water and spray bottles with bleach, we set out to deep clean contact surfaces and high traffic areas.

New Snow

The snow is falling on the mountain and graciously not in town. We could not resist heading up for a few runs after the last big dump. It was a different kind of skiing, lots of wet powder. Our thighs muscles got a real workout!

The view from the top was impressive with the low clouds over the town.

Bread

There are few smells as tantalizing as that of fresh-baked bread. The patience muscle is exercised as the loaf sits on the counter to cool down for a few minutes.  It does not take long for most of it to be gone...

Sunday Afternoon Hike

Sunday after church, we headed out for a hike to enjoy the sunshine and blue sky. Although a road closure thwarted our initial hike, we exercised our flexibility muscle and found another trail to explore. It was an enjoyable afternoon. We all returned with muddy shoes, some of us being more adventurous had muddy wet boots.

Breakfast Staff

On Saturday morning, we woke up early and headed out to a local retreat center to cook breakfast for a Navigator's group. Lukas managed the pancake cooking, Bob scrambled the eggs, and Christina made sure the coffee was hot, and the berries for yogurt cleaned. Noah stayed home to take a practice SAT in preparation for the real deal this upcoming Saturday.

Headed Back Home

After several fantastic days with mor, it was time to pack up the bags and head back home. I am grateful for my travel scale as I added lots of treats to bring back to my family.