Giant Pizza Sunday!

Hey guys, what's going on? I've been doing pretty good on my not too much social media thing I'm trying out. I swing by Facebook maybe once a week to post a picture (and I don't scroll down, so I actually feel like I have no idea what's going on with anyone), and I stop by Twitter maybe twice a week, scroll for about a minute, and think to myself "this is all awful. Why am I here?" 

So, anyway, point being, if you've come to the blog to see what we've been up to, since I've been MIA on social media, the good news is I'm keeping up with the blog ok. 

(And th good news is, I'm also breaking my social media habit- and I'm much better off without it. The world today is just not good for my anxiety.) 

You know what else wasn't good for my anxiety? That last Bucs game. 

A week ago Sunday was the Divisional Round, and the Divisional Round means we need a giant pizza. Last year, we ordered from a place called Hawkeyes, but they are moving locations and are temporarily closed. So, I did some searching and discovered you could get giant pizzas in Downtown Tampa at Eddie & Sams. So, we placed our order online a few days before hand, and Asa and I ran down there Sunday morning to pick up the pizza. 

Don't mind us, we're just standing on a corner in downtown with a giant pizza at 11 am on a Sunday. 

Eddie and Sam call this a "trunk sized pizza", which is accurate. Shout to to how smoothly the whole place was running on a VERY busy Sunday morning. They had very clearly labeled lines for takeout/call ahead/doordash. 

We did bring a blanket to keep it covered and extra warm on the way home. A Bucs blanket of course. 

We still had to reheat it. But, it was still awesome. And, I kind of like the square cut better than the giant slices. It's not as good for pictures, but it's better for reheating and storing purposes. 

The game however, was terrible. We were out of it, by the end of the first quarter, we had resigned ourselves to losing. And that was fine. We had a good run, you know? I wasn't expecting a Super Bowl again. I'm not a Patriots fan, after all. But then, the Bucs did a very old fashioned Bucs thing, and with like five minutes left, the Bucs scored two touchdowns and tied the game. It was insanity. There was a lot of screaming. 

And then, with a minute or so left, Matt Stafford and the Rams went down the field, and got themselves a field goal and the last minute comeback meant nothing, we ended up losing by three. Devastating. 

This is Etta consoling Asa. Or Asa consoling Etta. Or, a little bit of both I suppose. 

And then of course there was the Tom Brady retiring news, which Cort of all people broke to us- because, you know, less social media puts you out of the loop. But, then, Tom Brady said he wasn't ready to say one way or another, so we'll see. I'm fine either way. We won a superbowl. In Tampa. On Hayden's birthday. It won't get better than that. 

Moving on, to a few other random pictures I've taken. 

You know what's awesome about having your kid work at Chipotle? He brings you home chips and guac all the time! Calib supplied us with plenty on Saturday when we watched the Titans lose to the Bengals, and the Packers lose to the 49ers (which was GLORIOUS by the way- if we lost, at least the Packers did too). 

Here's Hayden cleaning the outdoor ceiling fan. It needed it. BAD. I had climbed up there, and started working on it, and he was like 'mom, let me help with that', and I knew where he was going with that... I thought to myself, I wonder what school work he's going to try and deal. Eventually he asked to get out of his Literature workbook for the day. And I allowed it. That fan was nasty. 

Asa and I also finally tried out our bike rack on our car and took the bikes just over to Connerton for the first time. They seemed pretty secure, and we were ready to try somewhere farther away- but then it got WAY to cold for me to want to go bike riding. 

We also both got a free Aroma Joe's coffee reward. So, I mean, I had the doors open, a nice coffee and some Carcassone. I was a happy camper. 

We also had date lunch one day, and had Panera delivered. I had a coupon code that pretty much made it the same price for delivery as pick up, so we treated ourselves. 

I've also been doing a ton of stuff on my cricut. I specialized all the dogs sweaters/jackets. 

And since Ellie doesn't have one, I made her blanket special for her. 

We've had some shit whether around here lately. The past few days have been really cold, and we've even had some really rainy days in there. Hayden doesn't seem to mind so much. He was super excited to take his umbrella on his walk. 

Of course this Sunday was Championship Sunday, which meant we made our traditional Boboli Pizzas. But man, hardly anyone carries those crusts anymore- except Publix, and they are expensive. I did have a coupon to have Krogers delivered though, so I tried there, and in addition to my coupon, the crusts were $2 cheaper a piece, so I decided to place an order. We don't have Kroger's around here- it's a delivery only situation, but they come with a refrigerated truck and drop it off and everything. 

And as a bonus, they carry Jones Soda! 

Last Wednesday, Asa and I took Ellie out in search of a new rawhide. She loves field trips. So, we nosed around and let her pick something out. 

We also found this awesome guinea pig looking like thing. It's like a naked mole rat and guinea pig mated! But it's like $130 bucks. Still, Ellie liked it. 

She also liked her rawhide, she just laid down in the back and chewed it while we waited for a curbside grocery pick up. 

In other good news, after a couple hard weeks, and three attempts, Peyton passed his latest class! Grandma treated us to PDQ to celebrate. It was a tough class for him, so I was super excited when he passed. He got it in just before his term ended too, so that was good- and allowed him to have a week or so off before his new term starts tomorrow. 

I also have this picture, taken at about 11:30 at night, when all the kids were in our room discussing everything from Economics to Encanto. Sometimes they all just congregate in here and chat. Part of me is so annoyed when they do it, because I just want to go to sleep. But, I also know they won't all be here forever. And, I'm kind of lucky they all want to still talk to me and Asa as much as they do. And, they're usually pretty funny and entertaining when they do this, so it's a good time. 

I have a few more days worth of pictures- but mostly just complaining about the cold, and Championship Sunday pizzas, so I'll be back with those in the next couple days. 

And then you know what it's time for? The Winter Games. And everyone is going to do the Olympics with me ONE> MORE> TIME!! 

 

Max Boosted!

 It's been a hard week around here. We had to say goodbye to our cat, Maybel. She hadn't been doing well, and we're all at peace that she's no longer struggling. Maybel wasn't the sweetest or friendliest cat. She knew what she wanted- and what she didn't. And she was not afraid to let anyone know. She basically was ruled the roost around here. All the animals were bigger than her, but they all feared her, and knew to get out of her way. Still, Maybel had her moments. She'd occasionally cuddle with the boys, and you couldn't resist her little face. 

So long, Maybes. We'll miss you. 

On the covid front, things are getting worse, not better, here. And, I'm kind of over it. We're just trying to wait this wave out before we venture out into public again. When we do go out, we've upgraded to better masks.  Calib obviously has work and school, so the rest of us are keeping our pile as small as possible. Hopefully it won't be long before we're back at Disney again. 

But for now, we're not even on our 'Riding the Wave' chart. In fact, we're WAY off the chart. 

Every wave dwarfs the last, but this one is just bananas. Every day a little more than 1,200 Pasco County Residents test positive. Yikes. 

The good news is Hayden is finally eligible for his booster! If the CDC hadn't approved it for 12-15 last week, he would have only had to wait a few more weeks, since he's almost 16 (believe it or not! It is weird when your youngest is turning 16, guys). It took a few days to be able to get an appointment. But, he made it to Publix, and got himself Pfizer boosted! So, now all Waterstrauts are back up to being fully vaccinated (and boosted!) 

In order to stay busy and not get too bored, I've been working with my Cricut a lot. I made a bunch of coasters, since it used little vinyl and I had tiles in the garage. It helped me see how my designs from Gravit worked in the "real world" and to see which ones I might want to turn into a tshirt (answer: all of them). 

And I played around with some other things, too. I added the logo to our tray in our room that houses Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts. 

And, I made sure nobody will steal my phone charger and get away with it. 

I've also made the medals for the Olympic games! Peyton did have to cancel his flight to the UK (AGAIN), so he will be home for the Winter Games, at least that's sort of a bright spot. 

And I also made a Hamilton shirt! 

This one was for me to wear for our Black History series we're doing this year. We're going to learn about 100 Black People who changed the course of history!

So far, we celebrated a Man Named Jemmy, who led the largest slave rebellion in Colonial America. 

And, Phillis Wheately, the first African-American woman published poet. She wrote "On Being Brought from Africa to America", among others. 

And tomorrow we're moving on to James Armistead Lafayette! He was an enslaved man, who worked as a very important spy for the Colonists, under Marquis de Lafayette. 

Of course, we're on to Playoff Football. We've decided to ditch the taco bars in favor of what we ate during the last round of playoffs. Maybe it'll bring us good luck? 

For the wildcard round last year, we got take out from Hungry Harrys BBQ. This time we got some take out (like their beans and corn casserole!) and mixed it with some stuff we made here, like mac and cheese and Italian Beef. 

I also made some pasta salad and put out a few other sides. 

Of course this year, we got to play the wildcard game at home, instead of on the road. I would have loved to have been at Raymond James, but even outdoors makes me iffy if there's too many people around right now. So, we'd be watching from home. 

Hayden did, however, make us Playoff Brownies! It must have been good luck, because the Bucs trounced the Eagles, easily moving on. 

Calib meanwhile, has been bringing Peyton home some Hot N Ready's, since Peyton got that gift card in the auction. 

And, because of the tough week, my mom offered to pay to take us out to dinner at PDQ. They even have one of those fun mobile pick up lockers now! 

It did help brighten some spirits around here too, so thanks mom! 

And since we were over that way anyway, I collected on my BOGO Nothing Bundt Cakes coupon. 

That's it from here. 

Next Up: If nothing else, there's hopefully a giant pizza in our future for the Divisional Round. Tonight we find out if we'll be playing the Cardinals or the Rams! 

Happy New Year 2022!

When I last left you, it was NYE, and we were all hopeful 2022 would be better. So far, things aren't going great. Peyton cancelled his UK trip, yet again. The omicron variant in Florida is EVERYWHERE, causing us some concern for Calib who has to go out into the blizzard of covid for work, and now school. We've upgraded to some good masks, which cost a ridiculous amount these days. On top of that, our cat isn't doing so well, and Peyton is struggling to get through his latest class. Plus, I spent the last week with serious cramps. 

But, it's only day 12 of 2022. It has to turn around, right? 

We finished off 2021 with some good food. 

Mom wasn't here, because, if you read my last blog, you know my uncle who lives with her had covid, and she had to isolate. Thank God she never tested positive as was able to spend the New Year with both my brothers and their families in Cincinnati, but that left us here on our own. She did buy our NYE spread for us though, thanks mom! I never would have sprung for the shrimp cocktail without her. 

We also grabbed another meal wheel (sandwiches) from Publix, and used the other half of the box of all the frozen appetizer stuff from Christmas Eve. 

And of course some charcuterie (complete with Calvin Coolidge Cheese), and desserts. 

I considered the beach for NYE, but Calib had to work, and there's people everywhere. Plus we had to be home before dark set in... for the fireworks. The poor puppies have a hard time with those. 

I did use my cricut to make us all some NYE shirts though. 

And we spent the evening in the blanket fort playing games, watching movies, and keeping the puppies (and now, apparently, Dipper) company. 

However, we were streaming the ball drop in New York City, which meant we were about 30 seconds behind. We didn't realize it until Asa's phone turned midnight before the ball was even down. NYE is always anticlimatic, but that just made it even worse. 

On New Years Day, I apparently didn't even take a single picture. I can't even tell you what we did. Likely watched some Bowl Games and ate leftovers. Calib worked. That's about all I have for you. 

That Sunday, though, I took a picture when I picked the last of the lemons off the tree, except for one loan lemon. 

We had lemon shake ups with our second to last taco bar of the season. 

And Asa was the lucky winner of the 500th taco. We ended week 17 with 503. 

The rest of the week was still a void. We watched movies, and hung out in the blanket fort. 

I played around with my cricut, getting on gravit to make my designs and then transferring them over. I decided to practice on coasters, because it doesn't use a ton of vinyl and I had a box of tiles in the garage that were here when we moved in. 

Asa did have another graduate, so he had a drink in her honor. 

And this past Sunday saw the first week 18 of the NFL season. It would also be our last taco bar. 

So I made sure we had ALL the toppings. 

And we even put out the breakfast taco stuff... my favorite! 

The official taco count of the 2021 NFL Season: 529. That may seem like a lot. But, that's five people over 18 weeks, having tacos for at least lunch AND dinner, but sometimes breakfast too. 

The good news is the Bucs are headed to the playoffs. Though we don't do tacos for playoffs- so I'll have to figure out something else. They are the #2 seed, so that's pretty awesome. Still, somehow I'm nervous about the playoffs. We'll see how it goes. We always say nothing will ever top last year: A Super Bowl Win, at home, in Tampa ON Hayden's birthday. That was amazing. 

This Monday, Calib was off to his first day of school at USF. He's been off school for a year now, after earning his Associates at PHSC and then waiting to be vaccinated- and then a hiccup with admissions. But, he's finally ready to go back into a classroom. He was nice enough to let me take a first day of school picture, which I know is ridiculous, because he's 21, but whatever. Let me have this. 

Because I need something. This latest wave sucks ass, excuse my language. We had just gotten done with Delta. That was supposed to be the last big wave! And here we are with more cases than ever before. We went from 80 cases per 100,000 to 161, IN ONE WEEK. 114 cases per 100,000 was where we topped out last time. We're not only at the top of our chart- we're way off the scales. We finally flattened the curve... but on the Y axis. 

So, anyway, the world is making me a little bitter these days. So, I'm taking a bit of a social media hiatus. So, I don't have any tweets about the world to save for posterity.  It also means I've kept my phone off of my person, so I have way less pictures. Instead I've been working on things like Black History (it's our project of the year!), the photo calendar for 2021, random things for my cricut, and the Olympics which will start in just three weeks! I guess the only good thing about Peyton not going to the UK right now, he'll get to be home for the Winter Games. 

I did finally get around to taking down all things Christmas, and putting the garage back together from all the decoration totes. And sadly, the blanket fort came down yesterday, so we're getting back to some sense of normalcy. 

Anyway, I will leave you with a couple of Ellie pictures. We've found the dinosaur blanket goes well on her. And we can call her "Oooze-a-sarus-Rex". 

That's it from here. Hopefully next time I come around I'll be a bit more entertaining. 

Next Up: Hayden's been approved to be boosted! And, hopefully the Bucs will win their playoff game.