Covid Blues. Covid Blessings.

It's been seven long months since Covid invaded my life. 

 

It was supposed to be the beginning of Spring break 2020. We had fun surprise vacation plans for our family. We had purchased plane tickets to bring home our college daughter for a long weekend and I was sooo freaking excited to surprise the rest of the family! Instead it was a chaotic mess of school being canceled, canceling plane tickets, renting a van and finding emergency child care so we could drive across the country to pack up and bring our oldest daughter home from college, and worrying about our son who was on a band trip in Florida. That was just the first weekend. 

 

Then came the anxiety that took away my ability to sleep. Oh, and all the new mama duties. My anxiety was "pushed" to the side as I concentrated on helping my college student get set up to finish her semester from home, filtering the news my kids had access to, and constantly re-evaluating my family's mental health. All while my personal mental health spiked. Making masks. Oh my heck, we made a bunch of masks! And all the early morning trips to Walmart! It was the only time we could hope to find toilet paper, hand sanitizer, or Clorox wipes. I tried writing - hahahahaha. My brain definitely wasn't functioning on that level. TV shows didn't help. Exercise . . . well, I never was super fond of running. Oof. 

 

Rescue came in the form of home projects. 

 

Just prior to the Covid shut-downs, we had refinanced our home with the intention of hiring businesses to replace flooring, paint everything, and re-do the kitchen. At the time, there was a possible job transfer on the table and we wanted to get everything prepped in case we needed to sell quickly. The company put all moves on hold. That was a blessing. My hubby suggested that perhaps I'd like to focus on the home repairs. That ended up being my saving grace. 

 

Can I just tell you how satisfying it is to rip out hardwood floors? I was totally channeling my inner-Charlee from Love Under Construction. All the old, yucky water-stained hardwoods came out and new flooring went in. I got the kids involved and we remodeled the entire main floor from April through August. I even set up home MTC for my daughter in July and sent her off in August. Home repairs were good for working through all of that angst too. 

 

September was all about setting up the kids for school and running the Storymakers & Indie Author Hub Writers Conference. Everything is still all virtual - school, conferences, etc. And now it's October. And all I want to do is . . . 

 

Go to a store just to hang out and browse. Oh, and touch things. Lots of things to just feel the texture of the product. Smooth china. Soft, snuggly bedding. The various textures of home decor at Hobby Lobby. 

 

Go to see a movie at the AMC theatre, specifically in one of the dine-in theatres with the semi-comfortable recliners, a big bucket of extra extra butter popcorn and a giamongous vanilla coke. 

Eat out at a restaurant. Not grab take out and eat it in the car for a date night or take dinner home for the family. Like actually go into the restaurant and let them all serve me. Unlimited chips and salsa, yummy yummy food I didn't have to cook, and no clean up for the mama. Sigh. 

 

Travel. Oh man. I sooo miss traveling. Getting on an airplane. Hiking a mountain. Enjoying the sound of the ocean. Sight-seeing. Browsing museums. All the things.  

 

Hugs. I really, really, really miss hugging my friends. I mean, I super miss seeing my friends. Social media is the closest I get to them these days. But what I really miss is that happy moment you reconnect with a friend and you give him/her a big squishy hug. Ah. It's the happiest feeling. 

 

 The list could go on and on. 

 

So yes, I have the Covid Blues. And it's totally okay to have the blues. It's pretty darn normal actually. And I'm honest about it with my kids, because they need to know that it's okay to feel down about all the things they're missing too. But you know what else we talk about? The things we like about Covid.

 

We discovered my kids actually enjoy remote school classes. Don't get me wrong, they'd prefer to be at school because, hello, friends. But what they don't miss is all the drama and bullying that happens at school. They love to learn and have awesome remote teachers through our school district. So blessings for that. 

 

We've had a chance to remember that we actually enjoy being together as a family. I mean, we did know that, but middle school/high school/college/church missions have kept us so freaking busy, the opportunities for family time really just happened during vacations. And man, Covid created on super crazy long summer vacation. And we actually liked that part of it. We did lots of walking, setting family goals, reading the scriptures together, lots and lots of board game and video game marathons. LOL. And thank goodness for Amazon. We bought a ton of books since the libraries were closed. 

 

We got to be a part of Sister Ferguson's home MTC. That was so much fun! We loved hearing about the things she was learning, her district, and hearing her share her love for the Savior each day. What a blessing we will treasure forever. 

 

What I'm grateful for the most is that so far we've been safe. We've been masking, social distancing, and doing the best we can to stay healthy. That's not to say we won't get Covid. It's a virus and there's nothing you can do to completely stop such a teeny tiny menace. We just do what we can to stay as safe and healthy as possible. I've seen so many friends get sick. Some who have recovered, and some who have died, leaving giant gaping holes in their families' lives. 

 

So while there are so many things I miss and am super yearning to do, I'm praying for patience. I'm praying to focus on the blessings and not the challenges. I'm praying for safety, comfort, and peace for me, for my family, and for my community. 

 

I'm praying for all those things for you, too. 

 

A Crazy Whirlwind - And Chapter Four!

Our house went up for sale yesterday . . . and received a full price contract in two hours. I kid you not. It was insane! We were packed with showings all day, with more scheduled for this weekend for back up offers. The best part is that we're finally at the point where I get to start looking for our next home. *Crossing my fingers and hoping for something that fits all our needs and near friends*

For my awesome readers who have been drooling over each Sweet Confections chapter - #4 is up and ready for your to devour. Thank you so much to everyone whose been sending emails, comments on Facebook and Twitter. You make me smile each and every day!

Have a fabulous weekend. And just think - we're almost to the 1 week mark for Release Day!

An Update & a Book Review: The Stone Traveler by Kathi Oram Peterson

Wow. It's seriously been forever since I've posted on my blog. Not just a video, but a real update. So, here's a brief blurb about what's been happening at the Ferguson house.

My oldest son started Cross Country this week. He absolutely LOVES it! I saw him out running around his school with his team earlier this week and just thought, "Wow! Is that really my kid out there, running and running, and actually liking it?" I mean, this kid has always loved to run - but he most definitely does not get that from his Mama. I tolerate running. It's great cardio and burns a lot of calories, but I'd rather be in a Zumba class burning calories than running on a treadmill (or outside where there are - gasp - hills!!!). But not my son. He can run, run, run, and at the finish line has a huge smile on his face and says, "That was awesome!"

My oldest daughter found out she's going to be a Munchkin in The Wiz for her acting class. She's super excited. And so am I! I was a munchkin in that same play when I was about her age. Only I lived in Pennsylvania and my acting class was during the summer at the Millbrook Playhouse. It's fun to see how excited my daughter is about the play, her lines, and dance. Super cute!

My youngest son is taking swimming lessons - and once again, is an excited kid. He's also my goof ball. He gets so excited and does goofy things to show off. It's hard to describe, but he makes silly faces, does silly dances and is just, well, silly!

My youngest daughter is a not so happy story. She's having the hardest time having the older kids gone at school all day. It almost makes me wish I had signed her up for preschool through the school district so she could go 4 days a week instead of just 2 days a week at the private preschool where she currently attends. It's been a difficult adjustment for her - and for mom. I really don't like all the crying and melt downs as she tries to get more and more attention. I'm hoping that we'll find a good routine that will work for both of us soon.

As for me, I spent a couple of days in bed, not feeling well. There are some advantages to not feeling well. The best one is all the books I got to read! One of which is today's review, The Stone Traveler by Kathi Oram Peterson.

I was first introduced to Kathi's writing when her first book, The Forgotton Warrior, came out - which I totally loved and am STILL waiting for the sequel! (hint, hint - Kathi!) Kathi also has a Christmas themed book called, An Angel on Main Street, which is honestly one of my favorite Christmas books ever. It's a beautiful story. So, you can bet that when I was asked to participate in this blog tour, I responded super fast with a huge YES!!!!!

Here's more about The Stone Traveler:

Sixteen year old Tag can't believe he's in this much trouble. He's not actually a member of the gang known as the Primes, all he did was spray paint some graffiti that caught their attention. In all honesty, ever since his dad and brother left, Tag just wants to be alone. And it's certainly not his fault that the Primes nearly beat up his goofy cousin, Ethan. But his mom is furious about these gang-related activities and insists that Tag send the whole summer at his grandpa's lakeside cabin, which is not Tag's idea of a good time. So he does what any self-respecting teenager would do: run away. But he doesn't get far before he encounters three strange men carrying an even stranger object, a stone that glows with radiant light as bright as a thousand sparklers. Tag doesn't steal the stone, not exactly. He feels like he is supposed to take it. But he doesn't expect the stone to transport him through space and time to a place he's never seen before, a place that looks an awful lot like the ancient lands described in the Book of Mormon. And he definitely doesn't expect to join Sabirah, the entrancing daughter of Samuel the Lamanite, on a quest to rescue her father and brother from the evil King Jacob. And he absolutely doesn't expect to be captured by Jacob's minions and prepared as a sacrifice to the evil idol of the city. But just as Tag faces his death, a terrible storm begins to break, and the ground cracks into jagged pieces. And he's not sure which event will impact his life more: his captor's knife coming at his body, the violent tempest sweeping the land... or the men who later appear, glowing even more brightly than the traveler's stone. 

My Review

There are very few writers outside of the romance/chick lit genres that I just really truly enjoy and can't wait to get my hands on their books. Kathi Oram Peterson's book are one of those few. Kathi has a gift for bringing to life complex, down-to-earth characters that I connect with. She sets up a story in today's world that pulls me in, and then BAM! There's a twist on reality as the character is sent back in time and immediately put in the middle of great conflict. The Stone Traveler was a great read and one I'm excited to share with my oldest daughter who has been digging through my LDS Fiction bookshelves all summer. You can find out more about Kathi's books at her blog or her website. You can also purchase The Stone Traveler at your local bookstore or online at Amazon through the link below.



Now don't run off! Check out Kathi's CONTEST!

Kathi is giving away some awesome weekly prizes during her blog tour . . . as well as one huge prize at the end - a Kindle! So be sure to go check out this post on Kathi's blog and start entering right away! I know I am (I would LOVE a Kindle!)

Book Review & Prayers Request

Have you ever read a book and then had something happen to you that made you connect to it even more?

Saturday night, I finished reading Awakening Avery by Laurie Lewis. It's an incredibly deep book about a woman (Avery) whose husband died of a massive heart attack. She and her children deeply grieve his loss, in many different ways. I've been gradually working my way through this book for the last two weeks. I would read a chapter or two, then think about the characters - their thoughts and emotions. Awakening Avery has so much more depth than any other fiction book I've read for at least a year, possibly more. There are just layers upon layers of feelings, decisions, consequences, developing relationships, and rediscovering joy in the gospel. Awakening Avery was an engrossing read, which I appreciate even more now.

Sunday afternoon, my hubby's mom called to say his father had a major heart attack late Saturday night. He has major blockage in four arteries and will undergo a quad by-pass either today or tomorrow. Yesterday was very emotional for my hubby, myself, and our children. My hubby flew to Wisconsin to be with his parents for the next week or so. Our prayers here at home have been more frequent, and filled with more emotion, as well as gratitude for the atonement and the knowledge that families are forever.  While I know our family is very concerned and emotional, I cannot imagine if I were the spouse, sitting next to my husband. Thinking of Avery gives me a bit of insight to how stressful and topsy-turvy my mother-in-law's world is right now. Would you please pray for my father-in-law and his family? He, his wife, and their kids all need as many blessings and prayers coming their way as possible right now. Thank you!

As for Awakening Avery, if you enjoy engrossing books that make you think and feel - you would most definitely love this book. You can find out more about Awakening Avery on the author's website.

I'm Back!

Hi everyone! I'm finally back from vacation. It's been a fantastic three weeks - and some away time I've not only needed, but most definitely enjoyed.

As a mom of a son with autism, there were some moments I worried how my son would react to being out of his routine and away from home for such an extended period of time. While there were definitely a few days he had a difficult time, I was super impressed that for the majority of the trip, he did a fabulous job! It took some extra patience, firm instructions and guidelines from Mom, but it all worked out surprisingly well. In fact, it went so well, I'm actually looking forward to another trip next summer!

I already posted about our Oklahoma trip. Over the next week, I will post some fun spotlights about our Pennsylvania trip and catch up on some book reviews. I had planned to post updates while I was in PA, but I didn't have much time to get to a computer that had internet access.

Aside from catching up with everything that's happened in blogland, I am getting ready for my two sons' birthday parties this weekend, preparing the final details for the munchkins to go back to school on Monday (woot!), and making plans for my upcoming wedding anniversary. Of course, I'm sliding all of that in between some freelance editing, my own writing, and a few house projects. Vacation is sincerely the only time life slows down around here!

So, what are y'all doing to get ready for school? And when do your munchkins go back? I'm excited to check out everyone's blogs and see what all has happened this past month!

Summer Fun

We've had so much going on this summer. It seems like we've been on the run and I know I've been neglecting my blog. Sorry everyone! I hope you enjoy seeing some of the "coming and going" we've been doing.

First up - my awesome son, Isaac, earned three pins and completed his Webelos badge on July 8th! 

My totally cute hubby is the Cubmaster of the pack, so he got to present Isaac with his last cub scout badge.

Thankfully, he didn't stick me when he gave me my Webelos pin!  =)

Isaac, Mom & Dad after the pack cheer for Isaac.

Second up - Rob and Anna had some cute stuff going on . . .

Don't they look like angels getting ready to go spread some mischief?

And finally - some birthday love with our adopted mama, Marge Gifford. 

John and I were invited to a family & adopted family surprise party. All of Mom Gifford's kids flew in from around the U.S.  We had such fun catching up and playing! My daughter, MJ, played photographer and got some awesome pictures. It's always fun to see how much more relaxed people are when kids take the pictures . . . 

MJ even takes good pictures of herself! She totally gets that from her Dad.

John and Steve (Dad) Gifford

Mom Gifford enjoying her grandkids.

John and Mom Gifford

And of course, no Gifford get together isn't complete without some games - 

- and my opportunity to try to kick Nathan's butt. 

Unfortunately, I haven't succeeded in that venture yet.

But the day will come, Nathan. Yes it will.   =)

 So, that's a tad bit of what we've been up to. Right now, I'm working on laundry and getting ready to pack everything up for some family vacation time. I'm so excited to spend some time with my sweetie and no work phone calls! Wohoo!  

I hope everyone is having an awesome summer. Please tell me what you've been up to!

Osage Beach Vacation

Last week, we went on vacation to Osage Beach in the Lake of the Ozarks. We had a fabulous time. Here are a few highlights from our trip.

Hiking in Ha Ha Tonka State Park

My hubby & the kiddos

Checkin' out the bugs

Two studly hikers

When the trail got steep, Anna decided it was easier to "climb like a doggie." She even barked at people passing by.

This castle's ruins was our destination.

Two little chickies sittin' on a wall
(um, actually a window frame, but wall sounds so much better!)

Aha! A dungeon - just what those little rugrats need!

My hubby and the kiddos again

This is another area of the park where there's a beautiful natural bridge you can explore.

My hubby the goofball!

Card night!

And of course, lots of time in the pool!

A very sweet sibling picture.

My family with my dad after he got out of the hospital.
I'm glad he was working so close to where we were!

Welcome to the newest little Bauman!

Everyone, say hello to my totally cute little nephew, Michael Graydon Bauman, Jr.
Who shall be known to all his family as Junior . . . except for maybe Aunt Danyelle who's trying to sneak in Mikey, but Junior's Dad isn't quite warming up to it yet. :)

Mama & Junior

The very proud Daddy (my brother Mike), his daughter Chastity, and little Junior.

Aunt Danyelle and her little Mikey!

A really excited MJ holding her new little cousin.

Big sister Felicity holding her new little brother. Isn't she so cute?

Dad, Felicity, Chastity, and Junior - a very happy family!

Labor Day Weekend Recap & Preschool

My oh my. Labor weekend was fun! I'm posting LOTS and LOTS of pictures so you can enjoy our adventures.

To kick off the weekend, we participated in Isaac's Cub Scout Space Derby:


Check out Isaac's totally awesome rocket! He told me we were making a friendly dragon . . . then he told all his friends it was a dinosaur. :) Isaac did all the work except for the fine details (eyes & claws). The box is an ocean and the dragon is sitting on his island - or at least that what he told me it was!




Well, look at those two cute chickies!


The hard part about the Space Derby is that all the rockets have to be wound up the same amount. After trying to get Isaac's wound up to 100, I lost my grip on the propeller and cut my finger. All the wives got really smart and left the winding to the Dads after that.

During the wait between races, the kids all ran around playing chase and other fun games. Poor Rob. He couldn't keep up with all the kids. So I gave him my camera to go take pictures to his heart's content. Let me tell you, he took about 100. I thought you'd enjoy a few . . .


Anyone missing any body parts?


Hmm . . . that's a little spicy for Rob, don't ya think?


This was actually a pretty good picture of me & Anna Banana.


The kids really enjoyed hamming it up for our little four-year-old photographer.



At some point, the camera changed hands and MJ took a turn:


Ah, yes . . . Mr. Rob sucking on his thumb . . .


Some of the Cub Scouts hangin' out.


This is Isaac's former Wolf den leader. He's now in the Bear den.


Isaac playing the Lego Star Wars game on his Nintendo DS. We thought this would be the best way for him to not get super bored or overwhelmed by all the noise and echoes.


Hmm . . . two Robs sticking their tongues out! Rob above is from our congregation's bishopric (he's perfect for working with the kids, don't you think?) and the Rob below is our family clown.




Look, even Strawberry Shortcake made an appearance!


This is the actual loading dock for the rockets to race.


Anna playing with one of the young women.


Some space derby races . . .












At the end, each of the boys received an award for their rocket. This is Isaac receiving his award from John.

Whew! Didn't I warn you - lots of pictures! And there's still more to come.

We've been experimenting with Anna's hair. Doesn't she look totally cute? This is when she was getting ready for church this past Sunday . . .





Over the weekend, we also worked on my new office area in the kitchen. Here's some pics of John workin' hard . . .


John had to remove some of the supports under the bar to make way for the cabinet that will be installed along the side of the bar.




Here's the cabinet. It still needs to be painted. So far, John has installed a side door so he can access the wires at the back of the computer and a sliding door at the bottom so it's easier to move the computer in and out. There are also two adjustable shelves for the top of the cabinet. And of course, a door to hide it all. :)

And now, to wrap it all up, here are pics of Rob's first day of preschool:


Rob & Mrs. Steinhouser. Rob totally loves having her as his teacher!


The first place Rob goes each day . . . right to the puzzle tables.


Of course, all of his other friends go right to the fun stuff they can dig in . . . today it's macaroni noodles.

Anna and I left Rob to enjoy his morning at preschool. While he was having fun, so were Anna and I. Four of the other preschool moms from last year came over to my house and we all had breakfast to celebrate the start of school. We each brought something yummy to share and enjoyed talking the morning away! Then back to school to pick up our munchkins . . .


Anna Banana likes coming to the preschool, too. She gets to play outside while we wait to pick Rob up. Today, it was really rainy, so she got a bit wet.



I hope you were able to wade through all the pics. We had a great Labor Day weekend and we hope you did, too.