Weekly Update: 1.18.25
This week was like waking up from a long sleep. It's been so long since we were in our normal routine. We were getting ready for Christmas for weeks. Then, just when we were ready to start relaxing and celebrating, we got sick for weeks. Since the beginning of the year, this was the first week we started to reach toward normalcy -- and it felt really good.
Our week started sunny and snowy. The kids, several adults, and the dogs all spent time outside enjoying it. On Saturday afternoon, Bonnie-Jean helped our nieces make snow day cupcakes, which became a tradition for my sisters back when we were in college.
We even found a moment over the weekend to hold our holiday eggnog roulette game. Jeremiah invented the game a few years ago, and it quicklly became a tradition. We had planned to play it Christmas week, but then everyone was too sick. Every year, Bonnie-Jean mixes up a nasty, savory mayo-based fake eggnog. We fill one cup with this nasty drink, and the rest with eggnog. Then we do rounds of the game where people are eliminated by drinking the mayo-nog. Once you get the yucky cup, you're out. This game is not for the weak-stomached, and I'm always glad when I get out on the first or second round. This year, though, I went all the way to the end. For the final round, it was just my niece Chloe and I. When I knocked back my final cup, I was ready to just gag it down. It turns out luck was with me, though, because I won!
Once the eggnog was out of the fridge, we got back on the paleo wagon. We had tried to be balanced with our food choices over Christmas, but weeks of sickness had sent us right down the path of canned soup and ramen packets. It felt good this week to make healthier choices. Plus, I've missed my egg and veggie hash breakfast every day.
Since I've still been fighting a cough, I did a lot of low-dust work this week. I started updating our planning board, mapping out what we have left to finish our bunkhouse build. I spent time researching and planning how we will do our bathtub surround. We want to do corrugated metal, but we need to make some decisions on the actual techniques we will use. My mom and I also started researching options on bathroom vanities to go under the tops we purchased last year.
While I've been working on planning and drafting, Grace and Bonnie-Jean have been working on interior siding. It was Bonnie-Jean's first week helping with this part of the project, and she did a fantastic job jumping right in and figuring out what we were doing. My sisters worked on the half-bath a bit. They also did some caulking and touchup painting in Jeremiah's office/bedroom.
When our dad and brothers were off work, they helped move everything forward. Jeremiah stained and hung his pocket door, which looks great. Our dad installed a light and helped us girls with siding. Levi milled a bunch of interior siding on the table saw.
We also made a real effort to work in a little recreation into our schedule. My mom and I spent some time working on family history. Grace took a photo walk. Bonnie-Jean spent time with her dogs. And Friday night, we all managed to sit down and play a couple of the games we got for Christmas.
It wasn't an exciting week, but it was satisfying to be moving forward again. Along with the productivity we managed, we got organized for the next months. It's exciting to be so close to the end of our build. It's been a longer adventure than we expected, but I know we will treasure the memories we are making forever. And so, as cold weather descends on us again, I'm ready to pour myself another mug of tea and enjoy normal.