The first template is based on this layout about Lilah's "funny face" pose.
You can download the template here: MyRainbowCoalition Template #53
It's also the first day of the month, so it's time to do a round up again. Once again, I've missed a month, so this will be another combined roundup. I'm using the roundup tool from Katie Nelson
1. What did I watch, read, and listen to during May and June?
I'm all caught up with Game of Thrones, and I'm so sad that the season is over. I've been kind of doubling up on Game of Thrones (both watching the show and listening to the books). At this point, I've listened to all the books so much that I often randomly choose one of the 5 books at a random point and just start listening. I know that a lot of people might find that a bit disorienting, but for me, it's like listening to a granparent's life stories: you've heard most of them before, so once you have recognized it, you can settle in and it feels like home...well at least that's how I feel.
I'm also listening to the Enchanted, Inc series. It's really silly, far fetched, and shamelessly ROM-COM, but with everything else that's been going on in life these days, it's nice to be able to retreat to something ridiculous and insignificant.
2. What fun things did I do with friends and family?
The girls and I went to the Zoo in May with my friend Stacy and her son on the 24th. We had a really great time, and it was fun to watch her teenager struggle to deal with my toddlers going completely GaGa for him. He might have felt slightly tortured, but he was somewhat consoled by being able to have lots of desserts that day.
The girls and I went to Disney world while we were in Florida, and had an absolutely fabulous time! Since the trip was so last minute, we used some air miles to get a hotel closer to the parks (partly because we didn't want to just show up on my sister-in-law's doorstep: we decided to go the day before we got there). We did the entire 14 hour drive in one day, and went right into Magic Kingdom (yeah, I know, I'm insane) because I lucked into fastpasses to meet Ana and Elsa, but we had to be able to make it there for that time. Both girls were totally excited. After two nights at the hotel, we stayed with Crystal for a day before we headed down to Miami to see the rest of the family for the weekend. The "real" reason for the trip was that I was picking up the last of my aunt's belongings for her from her apartment. I have a Mazda5, and I have to say that I HIGHLY recommend that car to anyone who wants to be able to haul a lot of people and/or things without going the Minivan or SUV route. I really should talk about that car more on here some day....Oh, how I love it!
3. What milestones, holidays, or special events did we celebrate in May and June?
I had a fun crop night at Scrapbooks Plus in Chantilly, VA for NSD. They had a great goodie bag. I really do love that store. It's so nice. I've been there several times since I found out about it even though it's an hour away. I'm so sad that it's closing (and don't even get me started about 2peas).
The whole family went to the Black Hog (a local BBQ chain) for Mother's Day/my aunt Jane's birthday. There were 10 people at the table with us all there! Alfred, the girls, and I made paper flower bouquets for all the other Moms and the Birthday girl, and I made my chocolate cake with white chocolate peppermint ganache and dark chocolate ganache between the layers (the Mother's day cake) and our family's traditional birthday cake (devil's food with caramel icing) for Jane's birthday cake.
We decided at the very last minute to go to Florida (without Alfred: sorry he had to work) the week of Father's day, so the day before we left (June 9) we had an impromptu father's day celebration: a pizza picnic in front of the TV and gave him his present: a handmade photo book of my favorite shots from the last year. That seems to be becoming his traditional gift (the third year in a row)
We spent father's day with Alfred's mother's side of the family, with good food, lots of talking, laughing, and showing off my babies.
4. What progress have I made towards my goals in May and June?
I completed another LOAD: 31 layouts in 31 days.
I finished my application to teach high school in the district where I live, as well as my Maryland certification application.
That's pretty much it. I've mostly been busy with unexpected things for the last couple of months.
5. What were the good, bad and unusual things that happened in May and June?
In short: Jane. We've known for a long time that she was sick, and needed a new liver because of a genetically caused cirrhosis, but in between hospitalizations, she was able to do lots of things. She wasn't even on the transplant list because her condition wasn't bad enough. All of that changed over the last couple of months. She spent most of May and all of June in the hospital. The degeneration of the liver caused her to be confused and disoriented, so we've tried to have someone from the family with her at all times when it was possible.
The day that I left for Florida, we thought that she was getting ready to go to Rehab as soon as we found a facility that would work for her, but before she could go, her kidneys shut down. That was both a curse and a blessing, because it meant that her MELD score, which determines your position in line on the transplant list, was actually high enough that she might be able to get a liver relatively soon. I was gone for 9 days, and in that time, she went from well enough to leave the hospital to sick enough that she was at the top of the transplant list, and on June 20 she got her new liver! We are grateful for the donor's gift that saved her life. There is a long, hard road of recovery for her, but I'm so happy to be able to be there to support her, in whatever limited ways I can.
6. What were the everyday routines in May and June?
I couldn't describe any part of life as routine right now. I feel like I've won a battle if the kids are fed and the dishes are washed. I don't even remember what my house looked like when it was clean and not under construction.
That's it! LOL. I hope your life is less stressful than mine, and you're getting plenty of scrappy play time!
Remember that 3 Scrappy Boys is having a subscriber drive this month. They have some great incentives.
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