What's Up Wednesday: June 2023

Phew. We finally made it to the last day of school. As of 3:20 today, both of our kids are on summer vacation!!! And as of next Tuesday afternoon (if not earlier), I'll be joining them. Yay! I cannot wait!!! However, I still need to get through the rest of this week first. Ugh. 

As always on the last Wednesday of the month, I'm linking up with Shay at Mix and Match Mama and Sheaffer at Sheaffer Told Me Too for their What's Up Wednesday post.

image from here

 

What we're eating this week... Honestly, this week is a little scattered. Dave is on a work trip out of the country, we've had something happening every night, and the last thing I feel like doing is preparing any kind of food. So we're eating "catch as catch can." I've had more than one meal of cheese, crackers, and fruit. I want to get back into a better meal planning schedule, but that's going to have to wait until I'm done work, Dave is back from his work trip, and we have a chance to breathe again.

I'm so happy that our CSA is back for the summer because that's the only reason we're eating any sort of vegetables right now! We enjoyed our first (but definitely not last) "CSA and BBQ meal" of the summer last week and I'm excited for more of them. And the kale salad I discovered last summer has made an appearance again, and it's just as good as ever.

What I'm reminiscing about... Today is Rachel's last day at our elementary school. She is a Grade 6 graduate. Next September, for the first time in ten years, we won't have a kid at our beloved elementary school. So I'm reminiscing about the beginning of our school journey and reflecting on how wonderful that community has been.

What I'm loving... Even though I'm single parenting this week, during one of the craziest weeks of the year, I am so thankful for my community which is surrounding me and helping me out while Dave is away. From friends who are feeding the kids when I have to work late, to friends who are letting Rachel come over early in the morning before school, to Dave's parents who are taking the kids for a few days, to Janice who isn't letting me spend my anniversary alone -- I am just so thankful. So I'm loving my community. And I was reminded anew of this as we saw so many friends while celebrating our kids' Grade 8 graduations a few nights ago. Sam has a great group of friends all entering high school with him and I'm just so thankful.

At least half of these kids have been friends since Grades 2 & 3.

What we've been up to... All the graduations! We attended Willem's Grade 12 graduation and Sam's Grade 8 graduation. I attended the graduation at the school where I work, and Rachel's been doing Grade 6 celebration activities. Throw in a couple of baptisms and it's been crazy, celebratory times around here!

What I'm dreading... Well, I was really dreading Dave's work trip which coincides with the last days of school/work for me, and our anniversary tomorrow. However, by 3:45 today the kids will be off with their grandparents for a few days and I can just look after myself and my end of year wrap up at work. And the bunnies. Ugh.

What I'm working on... Our neighbours built a really high fence right through my beloved patch of day lilies. Thankfully, they dug up the day lilies and gave them to us so we've been working on extending the day lily bed and replanting them all. We got it all done but they looked so sad after we had to cut them back. So this past weekend, I put some annuals in there just so there's some colour. We'll have to do more work on the end of the bed by the cedar hedge but I think we're going to wait until fall to do that. So I've been working on way more landscaping than I had intended to this past month.

 

 

What I'm excited about... Vacation! Summer Break! Not having to get up so early every day! Being able to relax!

 

What I'm watching/reading... I haven't been watching much of anything. I'm trying to get my piles of work down to nothing as I prepare for summer break but they just keep growing. Ugh. And I've been watching the weather forecast because we've had so much rain lately. I'm always trying to figure out if I'll be able to hang a load of laundry or walk to work.

In terms of reading, I was doing really well with reading a wide variety of books but in the stress and busyness of these past couple of weeks, I've fallen back on the In Death books by JD Robb. I'm on my fourth or fifth one in the last week. I think I just need light predictability right now and these provide it for me.

 

What I'm listening to... I started listening to "Here's Where It Gets Interesting," a podcast by "American's government teacher," Sharon MacMahon." I listened to her series on How Women Won World War II, which was all about different women and their involvement in World War II. I listen only while I'm folding laundry and now I've started her podcast on the Japanese interment camps during World War II. I really enjoy learning something while doing a chore which is not my favourite. I'll wash and hang laundry all day long but folding it and putting it away is where it all falls apart on me, so having something interesting and engaging to listen to helps so much.

What I'm wearing... I saw this skirt at Joe Fresh but they didn't have my size. I looked online and at at three different stores. Then I randomly found one at a store about two weeks later and it was in my size!!! I love how bright it is, I love how fun it is, and I really love that it has pockets!!! It's my new favourite summer skirt!!!

What I'm doing this weekend... We're spending some time with my cousins who are visiting from out of province and maybe we'll even get some swimming in -- we haven't been to the pool yet which is kind of sad.

 

What I'm looking forward to next month... VACATION!!! We're going to one of our favourite places to see some of our favourite people for a few weeks and I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm counting down the days until I see this view again...

What I bought on Amazon... We didn't buy anything on Amazon again this month. It's a rare thing for us to make Amazon purchases.

What else is new... Last What's Up Wednesday, I mentioned that I had good job news that I couldn't share at that time, but I can share it now. While my secretary position at a middle school is not yet permanent, it is only going to be temporary for another five months. So instead of having to apply for my current position (again), I get to just "bridge into" the temporary position. Hopefully (prayers said and fingers crossed), it will become permanent sometime shortly after January 2024 and I will just be the Head Secretary at this middle school until I no longer want to work there. So I'm very excited about that. I have been working at this particular school full-time since March 2022 and, despite all the challenges, I really do love it.

Okay, I'm off to get my kids ready for their last day of school. Summer 2023, we cannot wait to enjoy you!!!