Sunday, August 30, 2020
8/30/20
I asked the kids to send me some photos. This is a bridge over the Iowa River taken by Matthew.
GREAT PHOTOS KIDS!!
I just returned from the ball diamond. Joel hasn't umped for the last 2 weekends (not many games happening) but he was assigned 2 games this week! It was MVP team vs. MVP team....interesting to watch. There were many sluggers on the MVP teams.
Saturday, August 29, 2020
8/29/20
Lot's of kitchen time today! I made this salsa for Matthew....little low on ripe enough tomatoes, but it is what we had! (Will see him on Thursday, when I pick up Carolyn to come home for the long weekend. She has online classes on Friday, so I will pick her up after her last in person class Thursday)....Matthew doesn't need to come home yet :0) and Carolyn isn't ready to drive on I80 to come home for Labor Day (I assume).
My cookie makers....making some dough to cook on Wednesday, before going to see Matthew and today to take to a friend with dinner who has Covid :0(
From our garden....hoping they make Matthew's salsa hot...but last time I checked a pepper I couldn't feel my tongue for awhile, so I am just guessing here!
I asked Matthew if I could bring him anything on Thursday and he asked if there was any more produce from the garden. Alas, very little due to the heat and drought. I tried to get him a the last few green beans as I pulled up the plants, but looking at them indoors I realized it wasn't happening. I do have a summer squash to share....and tomatoes and a pepper. It made me so happy that he wanted garden food in Iowa City!!
Thursday, August 27, 2020
Covid update
The 2 major universities in Iowa are doing rotten with Covid spread....thanks thoughtless 18-21 year olds going to bars and parties.
The governor shut down the bars in Polk county (Des Moines) as well as the locations of those 2 universities and a few other hot spots. I feel not one bit of sadness for the bars in Iowa City. Last weekend they totally ignored the rules for indoor venues!
My office-mate Amy's daughter's college roommate has Covid. Although her daughter's first test was negative, I am not hopeful for her or even for Amy. The roommates slept in the same room for over a week!
My friend's family has Covid. (well 3 of 6 have Covid and the other 3 are getting tested). Pray for their little girl B. because she has Down's Syndrome and had heart surgery in early August or late July. So far she is doing great. (not sure which of the 4 kids has Covid along with the mom and dad)
8/27/20
First Day of 11th grade (online today)...note barefeet and Chromebook
First day of 8th grade
"I thought you might want a mask picture" (I did, but didn't want to push my luck by asking :0)
Then the kids went off to Cross Country. Anna just had a meeting where she learned that they will not wear the official cross country uniform, since they don't want the girls in the locker room. Instead we ordered a t-shirt that she will wear all day and just run in the race wearing. They only will have 4 races this year to dramatically lower contact etc. (They normally run in a bunch of races, each with a bunch of teams, but that isn't safe this year. All races but one will be just with one other school.)
After arriving home we made a grand 1st day of school dinner (not typical). I made coconut chicken tenders, Joel made Thai peanut dinning sauce and Anna made arroz con leche for dessert!)
8/26/20
Grandpa (Gpaschill) gave Anna some cash to get Dairy Queen when we were in Burlington last week. That day however, she already had a cookie and pie at Gpa's house, so she kept the money for another day.
We went of for a last hurrah before school started. We actually got an Acai Bowl because it was lunch time and it could pass for lunch and a delicious treat!! (see the fresh fruit on top of the acai and granola!)
The sun was so bright that Joel's eyes were closed, but I couldn't see this detail on my phone (cuz the sun was so bright 👦haha!)
Thanks Gpaschill!
8/25/20
In theory Carolyn took a picture on her birthday that I will post here!!
Ok....so the jig is up. Carolyn (and Matthew) forgot to take a photo at the cupcake shop where they met (with Carolyn's roommate) to celebrate! Happy birthday girl! Here is is about 1 year younger!
8/24/2020
We were able to talk to Carolyn via Facetime....I love it - so fun to see her (post-shower). She seems to be doing well.
Sunday, August 23, 2020
what not to do when your kids leave for college
look through old blog posts and be sad....don't do that! (I should have thought about that a few minutes ago)
8/23/20
Despite taking a UHAUL to Iowa City August 1st....Here is what we fit into Matthew's car today! (You can tell he packed himself and that he knew on August 1 he didn't have to be fully packed yet. In his defense....much was used in during August and another bunch is food for his apartment.)
Matthew has to get his router re-delivered (since his name wasn't yet on his mailbox in early August...who knew that he had to do that??) and his computer fixed, because the case broke last Tuesday (of course at the very end of summer). Here is to full time adulting. I asked if he was sad (about returning to school during Covid). He said he was a little disappointed (marching band) and a little scared (I don't think of Covid, but maybe of living in an apartment???). Sigh. Off he goes!
Saturday, August 22, 2020
8/22/20
I made Carolyn a book-mark like the ones she made for be before she left! I put it in another birthday card for Matthew to bring to Iowa City. I wish she would be home for her birthday!
I spent time harvesting in my garden. I needed to make something right away....I hate harvesting, then throwing away stuff from my refrigerator that I didn't get around to processing!!! I made my favorite Greek green beans, gazpacho and pesto!
8/21/20
Carolyn left Anna some "curly" hair gel. Anna said Carolyn had originally hoped to hold her curls that she needed for show choir, but realized it was really made for naturally curly hair. It sure made Anna's hair cute! But she looks so old. We took this picture to show Carolyn the results of her gift.
Pan out on the photo above! Anna made some cookies and we will send them to Carolyn on Sunday when Matthew returns to campus.
Anna and I watched the last chapter of Harry Potter read by super-fan families. Look at this little sprout reading! He did great job. This was definitely something we did throughout the pandemic together, fun!
8/20/20
Hardest day of pandemic, hands down. After leaving Carolyn in Iowa City yesterday.
Before she left she made me these book marks.
With sweet messages.
It was easy to start the pandemic....bringing Matthew home, the other kids home safe from school. This is harder. Sending Carolyn and Matthew back to Iowa City, soon the others back to school soon.
Joel made Arroz con Leche and I might have eaten a weeks worth.
Thursday, August 20, 2020
8/19/20
Ken and Matthew took Carolyn to the University of Iowa today. Anna and I left a few minutes later and drove to Burlington to see my dad at a distance. After that visit, we met Carolyn and the boys at the Coralville Walmart. The boys headed to see Ken's folks and the girls and I went to say hello to my brother and sister-in-law who live in Coralville. Then we zipped over to Carolyn's dorm where she got a few more things settled. We then wandered until we found some good take out! We walked back to our car and kissed good bye! It was a 12.5 hour trip that felt like it lasted 2 days! We will sure miss this girl!!
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
8/18/20 The big reveal!
Tonight they announced the Spectrum show that Ankeny is doing in conjunction with 10th Street Edition, the top choir from LinnMar (which is from: Linn County/Marion schools....cool because Ken grew up in Marion, although he went to the other high school). Our director and theirs are friends and they are trying to make this year special despite the inability to compete.
Here is their announcement...
https://twitter.com/ACHSChoralMusic/status/1295858012465307650
All week they gave the kids clues....some of which were meant to lead them down the wrong path perhaps.
Here are some screen shots from the announcement:
both Anna and Joel know this book backward and forward and told me all about it. They indicated that I had read it, but I don't think I did because I don't like dystopian books. We did watch the movie, but I think I fell asleep, which isn't a critique of the movie as I regularly fall asleep watching TV. We think we own this book, so I plan to read it as soon as I find it.
8/17/20
Carolyn and Matthew found this recipe, shopped for the ingredients and created this lovely beef pot-pie for dinner! yum
Friday, August 14, 2020
Marching Band news..theirs and his
Received from Facebook:
It's still time...
...to get ready for The Boom! During the week of August 17, 2020, 260 marching Hawkeyes will return to campus for Band Camp. We've spent the last six months preparing for a marching band season that prioritizes student health + safety above all. Our plan is based on guidance from public health experts, the latest research on aerosols and wind instruments, and the guidelines set by the University of Iowa. Our protocols, policies, and procedures for the 2020-21 Hawkeye Marching Band season were developed in partnership with the School of Music and Iowa Athletics, with support from epidemiologist and UI College of Public Health faculty member Dr. Kirk Phillips, who also serves as our HMB Alumni Advisory Board president.
The HMB will be divided into four bands (I, O, W, and A) of approximately 75 students.
Matthew has decided that marching band is too risky and will not participate.
my antibody test (from my blood donation)....good to know (Matthew was negative too)
My Test Results
Test results are performed on every donation and results for each donation are made available to you online. Check in at your convenience!
| Test Date | Value |
|---|---|
| 08/13/2020 | NEG |
8/14/20
The last of the quartet from Joel's Cub scout troop finished his Eagle Project today....Below are Evan and Joel helping out! Joel hasn't done much scouting in the last year, but it was very important for him to do this!! (I am pretty sure Levi and his dad helped Matthew, Joel and Evan with their projects.) They put in 2 watering centers at On With Life. (Levi built these with his grandpa.) This facility helps people with brain injuries rehabilitate.
I got a sweet email note and so I am sharing it here!!! It made my day. Joel is a good helper!!
Hi Betsy,
I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate Joel and his good influence on Evan. I was so glad they went to help with Levi's project. I don't think Evan would have done it on his own.
Sally
Here is Carolyn's cute new college hair cut!!
8/14/20 newest school news
| ||
As you know, this past week we experienced damages and power outages to our school buildings due to Monday’s storm. In particular, the duration of the power outage substantially impacted our ability to ready our buildings for the 2020-2021 school year. As a result, Ankeny Schools will delay the opening of school until Thursday, August 27. An ongoing list of the storm damages and Ankeny Schools’ response can be found here. Because this is an emergency situation - much like a snow day - and the calendar is well over the required number of hours needed annually, we will be able to make this delay without adjusting the 2020-2021 school calendar. --------------- No surprise here....the storm was truly devastating and did damage to at least 2 of the Ankeny schools. --------------- I just learned that my kids go to school on Tuesday/Friday and every other Wednesday for at least 6 weeks. This works fine for me since I work both T/F. |
Thursday, August 13, 2020
8/13/20
Here is what I know:
- Natural Disasters don't care if you are in the middle of a pandemic.
- Ken's parents are still without power (I heard Cedar Rapids/Marion was hit worse than Ankeny). We asked if they want us to come or if they want to stay in Matthew's apartment, but "no" to both.
- You shouldn't sit under a tree with bad branches. (Joe...not Schilling...but the parishioner Joel mows for...has a huge sycamore, badly damaged. They worked on it Monday, but branches still remain high in the tree and unstable. Randy, our youth minister, told him YESTERDAY not to sit in the front yard. Today and branch fell and hit him on the ear and arm! He is doing fine, no medical care needed.)
- Kids will still need to educated! Here are my kids sorting through the school supplies donated by parishioners for Holy Family School. It is an inter-city Catholic school in Des Moines.
Sorted and counted (to let the church know of their impact). My favorite items were a couple of backpacks that had one of everything on our list included!!!!
|
8/12/20 Big (10) Announcement
Fall sports have been cancelled for the Big 10! Biggest among these sports is Football. Most important for me is Marching Band. (although to be honest, we didn't care if they cancelled Marching Band, even if football was played...I mean how safe can blowing horns be?) Here is the note posted on Facebook by the band:
"We know this:
The Hawkeye Marching Band is the sound and heartbeat of our university. We play on, because our purpose is always to bring Hawkeyes together--no matter what that looks like or how it happens. To our Iowa Hawkeyes family, while this fall is not what we hoped for, we are looking forward to the next time we will all come together in Kinnick Stadium for Hawkeye Football!
While we hoped this wouldn't be the scenario, the Hawkeye Marching Band has preparing for the possibility of a fall without football. This season will look different, but we're excited about what we have planned for Fall 2020! We can't wait to share it with you later this week!
On Iowa, and Go Hawks!"
Really - what can the possibly do?
pretty sure this is from 2018...pre-season game when it was too hot for the complete uniform
8/12/20 The training continues
8/10/20 Derecho
This is the picture Carolyn sent to me at work, looking out our front door. I knew we had bad weather, but even this picture did not prepare for the devastation when I returned to Ankeny Monday afternoon. Interestingly, no houses appeared affected, which was odd give how many trees were down. (Later I did see a house here and there with a tree on it, but it wasn't anything like a tornado in that regard, but everywhere you go trees branches and trunks line the street.)
This was what I saw pulling into my cul-de-sac.
We had a few big branches down from our trees in the back, but it was hardly noticeable when you looked at the tree. Many hands made light work!
The red tree in the background was not ours. Just the tiny pile behind Carolyn and Joel. Later we helped our neighbor and put some of their tree on our piles as they ran out of places to stash all their limbs!
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