COVID-19 Day 32

- Shelter in Place order is extended until May 26
- Schools are closed through the remainder of the school year
- Nolan discovered the Magic Tree House Library Aunt Sandy and Paige gave to us

COVID-19 Day 31

-  Finished my first paint by number!

Quarantine Day 30

- Nolan has his first Zoom meeting with his teacher and classmates, which instantly improves a difficult day
- Indoor campout!  They were SO excited about this!  We made s'mores in the oven and they slept downstairs...Nolan on the air mattress and Livi in her tent.  They both made it through the night with no issues.  It was super fun and they hope to do it again!

Easter

Easter looked drastically different this year for our family.  It was the first time in my life, or my kids' lives, that they haven't been to church on Easter Sunday.  I'm usually doing music for all the Holy Week services too, which was also different this year.  After our church services, we usually come back to our place with our parents and Tom and Sara for an amazing Easter brunch.  Eric usually makes the perfect lamb or beef tenderloin and his trademark Eggs in a Basket, while I cover the egg and asparagus side and fruit salad.  Patti usually brings cheesy hashbrowns; Mom brings the lamb cake.  We eat and drink Mimosas and Bloody Marys and it's one of my favorite gatherings of the whole year.  We didn't get to do that this year due to COVID.  So, we did our best to make the best of it.  The kids found their Easter baskets and the Easter eggs hidden in the yard the day before  - today we got a huge snowstorm <insert eyeroll>... We had a delicious meal of quite a few of the favorites - ham, cheesy hashbrowns, the egg and asparagus side, beautiful sugar cookies the kids and I decorated, and a strawberry cream cheese pie.  We facetimed with Mom and Dad and porch talked with Steve and Patti (the day prior due to the snow) and had a nice time together as a family.  Here's to hoping that by next Easter we'll be able to be back together with our loved ones to celebrate Jesus' resurrections together.  

Quarantine Day Twenty Nine

- Everything is white again, which just makes everything feel depressing.  We got almost another foot of snow.  HOpefully it melts quickly!
- Hodag gets a mask!
- Simon is a messy eater

Quarantine Day Twenty Seven

- Lots of food prep for Easter...Nolan made his own pumpkin bread and Olivia helped with banana bread

- Uncle Tom and Aunt Sara dropped off some Easter treats

- We decorated cookies from our kit from BC Cakes

- Cleaned and organized the garage

- Grandma Patti dropped off Easter baskets

- The kids found Easter eggs outside

Quarantine Day Twenty Six

- Good Friday...probably the first one I can recall that I didn't attend church

- Received small business loan from the government to cover payroll and avoid layoffs.  This all happened really quickly.  The bill passed in Congress and within a week, our accountant and banker insisted our application was in.  One week later, we were notified that the application was accepted.  It's really more of a grant...it will provide the funds for payroll expenses for the next two and a half months, so long as we don't lay off any workers.  We do not have to pay this back.  Though we haven't seen a big change in the business' income, we are grateful to have this cushion as we face the uncertainty ahead.

- Participated in Front Steps Photography project.  Here's what the photographer from Soft Light Photography had to say about it:  As a photographer, I typically spend hours every week capturing images of families in times of joy. Those moments are still there but they are in curfew right now. The purpose of this project is to bring us together and take care of our neighbours. I aim to highlight the faces of our community during a time when we might not see them in passing at the grocery store, coffee shop, restaurants, bars or at the gym. Participating in this project is also an opportunity to step up to help those who need it most right now in Northwoods.  I am asking you to make a good faith donation to Northwoods Alliance of Temporary Housing or a non-profit organization of your choice to support our elderly and in-need.

- Six cases in Oneida County

- Injured wrist from too much Paint By Number

- Colored our Easter eggs using this life-changing device from Grandma Patti's Steals and Deals! Seriously, this thing was awesome!  Mess-free, easy for the kids to use, and made colorful, beautiful eggs!

- Grandpa Jim developed no symptoms and is no longer required to be quarantined.