We made it to the beach and we’re having a blast! Wish you could have seen the look on the kids’ faces when they saw the ocean for the first time 😭.
We’re taking this week off YouTube and the blog to soak up the beach with the kiddos and our family. Our friends Matt and Beau from ProbablyThis are here, too, and it feels so good to hang out with actual friends again after so long.
Have a lovely week, friends!! See you soon. xoxo
After talking about it for more than two years, we’re finally taking our kiddos to the beach for the first time!
PJ loves the beach. Loves it. We actually thought about buying in Florida last year during all the craziness of the pandemic and possibly MOVE TO THE BEACH (can you imagine? we’ve since come to our senses and have realized that was an emotional decision); that’s how much he loves it. The beach and the ocean both calm and restore him, not to mention make his skin and hair look/feel amazing (his words, not mine).
We’ve been looking forward to taking the kiddos to the beach since we first got them. We can’t wait to see their faces when they see the ocean for the first time!!! Can you imagine?? We bought them all new bathing suits a few months back (they’re so cute), and a bunch of new beach clothes here recently, so they will be ~stylin and profilin~ in Florida 😎.
It’ll also be the first road trip we’ve ever taken as a family of five, so that should be interesting :). I remember loving road trips with my family as a kid, relaxing in the back seat listening to Britney Spears my Sony Walkman over and over again. It’ll be a whole new experience to be on the other end of that, and I’m excited. Everyone is potty trained except little sis, but thankfully no one goes number 2 on themselves anymore, so I’m hoping it will be a somewhat smooth ride down there.
We have a house sitter to watch over the animals and make sure everything is okay while we’re gone. Our family is going to be joining us, which will be so nice to catch up with everyone since we’re all fully vaccinated now. Plus, more family members = more eyes on the kiddos, which means maybe there will be a night we can sneak out for a date night for two?
We’ve been looking forward to this for so long and it’s almost here! Now we just have to finish packing.
I pretty much lived in these pants all last year and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
We all stayed home more than usual last year, and admittedly there were many days (okay, most days) where clothes with buttons and zippers and belts weren’t required. I was craving comfort, as we all were, in so many different ways, and one of the biggest was in the clothes I was wearing.
Enter Tommy John.
We’ve worked with Tommy John a few times since 2019 and are completely in love with everything they make, but in particular, their Second Skin Lounge Jogger. Y’all, these things are, as the title of this post says, the most comfortable pants I’ve ever worn. Ask PJ- I didn’t take them off all last year. They’re stretchy and breathable and so soft that it almost feels like you’re not wearing anything (which sounds weird but it’s a good thing, I promise). We both got a pair in black but they have other go-with-anything colors like Charcoal Heather and Dress Blues Heather.
Did you find yourself living in comfy clothes all last year, too? To be honest, it’s 5 months into 2021 and I’m still wearing these all day every day, with no plans on stopping anytime soon.
PS: you’re ignoring our dirty mirror, right?
PJ came in from feeding the sheep this morning with some sad, unexpected news.
”Four of the geese are dead,” he told me. What? How?!
I know that death is a natural part of life and a big part of farm life, and I know this is nothing compared to what will inevitably come once we start adding more and more animals. But I’m an emotional and somewhat sensitive person (and in other news: water is wet 😂) so things like this hit me hard. I’m going to have to toughen up and I know it, but for right now I just want to say that I feel sad that 4 of our poor geese are dead. Because it is sad.
We’re still trying to figure out what happened, but we know at least they weren’t attacked, and we know that our precious baby Pumpknot wasn’t one of the ones that died. We love that little guy so much and I will be absolutely devastated when he dies (which hopefully isn’t for a very long time).
Farm life. I’m so not good at goodbyes.
We went by PJ’s dad’s farm yesterday to get a few things for our farm, and spent some time wandering around the over 100 acres. PJ grew up here and always talks about what a wonderful childhood he had out there. I could listen to him tell me stories for hours (and I have). I sometimes find myself wishing I had known him forever. Do you do that, too?
I always try to picture little him running around barefoot, climbing and swinging from trees, swimming in the creek, accumulating his many scars he now has as an adult from all of the shenanigans he got into when he was younger. My little wild man- so cute!!
It really is a beautiful farm. Doesn’t it look like something out of a fairytale? Like a little woodland creature could pop out behind a tree at any minute? Our farm doesn’t nearly have this amount of beautiful trees (some more shade would be nice out at our place!!), and we don’t have a creek like this one, either.
The farm has been in his family for 100 years and it feels old, established, historic.
Magical indeed.
xoxo
Together with USA for UNHCR, we’re observing International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, or IDAHOTB.
Created in 2004, IDAHOTB was formed to observe the violence, persecution, and discrimination that many members of the LGBTQ+ community face every day for simply being themselves. It is currently observed in over 130 countries around the world, which, truly, is a high number that signifies great progress for LGBTQ+ rights, but sadly there are still more than 68 countries that have laws criminalizing same-sex relationships and different gender expressions.
The heartbreaking truth is that many in the LGBTQ+ community are forced to become refugees and flee their homes in fear of persecution. It is quite literally a matter of life or death and leaving their home, their family, their friends, and their country, is sometimes the only way to survive. And this happens every day in countries where being gay is still illegal, so they have a choice of either living in secrecy or feeling for their lives.
USA for UNHCR shared a story about Estefanía (whose name was changed for protection), who lived in Honduras:
“As a transwoman living in Honduras, Estefanía never felt safe. Every day, she faced harassment and discrimination that affected her daily life. In many Central American countries, discrimination against LGBTI individuals is so entrenched in the culture that people like Estefanía are forced to live without access to basic services or work.
One day, Estefanía decided she could no longer take the abuse and fled the country with a group of other LGBTI Hondurans. During their journey, they were violently attacked and Estefanía needed to be transported to a hospital and received seven stitches in her head.
Despite the attack, Estefanía is glad she made the journey to Mexico as she now feels safer to be herself in a more open-minded community.”
The pandemic has lifted the lid and exposed everything that was already wrong with the refugee crisis. Refugees are some of the most vulnerable people on earth, and many LGBTQ+ refugees are now even more at risk because of the pandemic, which has left them without access to sanitation supplies and facilities, and has forced them to live in conditions that make social distancing virtually impossible.
If you’re looking for ways to help, USA for UNHCR explains the easiest thing you can do is to speak up for those who simply cannot. What does that look like? It could be as simple as reaching out to someone you know who is struggling or post messages of solidarity online letting the millions of people around the world who live in secret know that they’re not alone. Simply posting your support online may not feel like concrete action, but it does let others know where you stand on a subject, and for those being persecuted, sometimes, it means more than you’ll ever know.
You can also become a monthly donor to USA for UNHCR (or a one-time donor!). By donating, you are helping UNHCR build programs that are inclusive of LGBTQ+ refugees and that will help them settle in new homes and communities for a better life.
Thank you dear friends, and as always, any little bit helps!!
(above photo and info via USA for UNHCR’s website)
Happy Friday, friends!
First off, I’ve loved reading everyone’s thoughts and perspectives on yesterday’s post. Thank you for weighing in!! I find it so interesting to hear what people from all over think about the CDC’s new ruling and how you plan to protect yourselves and your family going forward with or without a mask. Whatever you choose, please stay safe!
Secondly, today has been the most beautiful day. Perfect start to the weekend. Sis and I had to run into town to pick up groceries we had delivered to our house, which, now that I’ve finally bitten the bullet and done it, I am never going back! Have you ever tried it? I don’t love all the plastic bags the groceries come in, but right now our Walmart isn’t letting anyone bring their own reusable bag anyway due to COVID, and it’s soooooo convenient! All of our groceries were patiently waiting for us on our front porch when we pulled up. Total bliss.
I made a beef stroganoff for dinner tonight using a really cool appliance that we’re doing a partnership with, and I am obsessed with it!!! Some of our readers from other countries might know what it is, and if you do, it’s likely you love it, too. We’ll be able to post about it next month, but just know, it’s absolutely amazing and so much fun to cook with.
Two movies featuring two of my favorite actresses (Angelina Jolie & Amy Adams) came out today, so I think we’ll watch one of them tonight after the kiddos go to bed- so excited!! They both look thrilling in different ways, but I think we’ll start with The Woman in the Window; it looks like a good wine and popcorn on a Friday night movie, doesn’t it? And you know what I mean whenever I say that.
Meanwhile, our oldest kiddo is trying to make a deal with me that if he wins in a “race challenge” outside he will get his T-Rex toy back that he lost as a consequence earlier today, so I’m off for the weekend.
Have a good one, y’all!! xx
As of today, the CDC says fully vaccinated people are not required to wear masks outdoors or indoors anymore (yay!!!), but will you still wear one anyway?
"We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Thursday. "Based on the continuing downward trajectory of cases, the scientific data on the performance of our vaccines, and our understanding of how the virus spreads," Walensky continued, "that moment has come for those who are fully vaccinated."
The CDC also says you’re no longer required to social distance (in most cases) if you’ve been fully vaccinated. Doesn’t that sound weird for some reason? I think we’ve accepted this as our new normal, as hard as it’s been, and I never thought a return to normalcy would happen so “soon”.
Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, thinks "It’s exactly what we ought to be doing right now.” Over 35% of the population (around 117 million people) has reportedly been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC, so it definitely seems like things are moving in the right direction.
Over the last year masks have, sadly, almost become a political symbol, and are often signs of what your values and morals are, both personally and politically. As a family, we’ve all proudly worn our masks to protect ourselves and our loved ones, and socially distanced according to CDC guidelines. However, with the news breaking today, and with both of us being vaccinated, I think we will be easing up (if not completely foregoing them all together) on the mask wearing.
What do you think? If you’re fully vaccinated, will you be leaving the mask at home? Or are you still going to take every precaution until you’re fully comfortable? Whatever happens, I personally feel so much joy and am looking forward for more breakthroughs like this. And of course, as always, I’m endlessly grateful for the scientists working day and night to help keep us all safe.
Take care of yourselves, friends!! xo
I was completely useless yesterday.
We both got our 2nd COVID vaccines two days ago (which, looking back, may not have been the smartest thing to do, as we probably should have staggered them a little more instead of both getting them on the same day), which we’ve been looking forward to, as everyone has, for a year. We’re taking our first family vacation ever in a few weeks and we wanted to be fully vaccinated before going.
So we got the vaccines at 11a and felt fine the whole day. I was a little more tired than usual that night, but that’s about it. However, the next morning was a completely different story.
I woke up and felt like I had an enormous hangover. I was tired, dizzy, had a massive headache, and felt achy all over my body. Everything hurt. Everything. PJ and I already suffer from back issues, but the achiness amplified every single one of them, making it difficult to get comfortable even when lying down on the couch.
I had a fever of 100.4 and had chills all day. I couldn’t get warm. But when I finally did get warm, I was burning up. The social distancing really paid off last year as none of us were sick past March, and I gotta say, I didn’t miss being sick one bit.
I had no patience the entire day (because does anybody really have patience when you feel like crap?). I may have yelled a little louder than usual when the kids were running around the house as I was trying to rest on the couch. Usually only one of them is taking naps right now, but I put all three down so I could get some sleep and try to relax, but there was a fly buzzing around the entire living room (this being a farm and all, there are lots of flies) whose only mission in life seemed to be to keep me from falling asleep. Mission accomplished. However, I was able to fall asleep for a few minutes a one point or another during the day.
And can I just say: feeling under the weather when you have kids is in no way shape or form ideal. It’s the opposite of ideal. It’s…awful. There’s no other way to put it. I felt so much shame and guilt because PJ and I both have responsibilities when we’re out here: PJ installing fences and clearing brush and renovating Holiday House, and I cook and clean and take care of the dogs and do showers and blow snotty noses (which there are currently three of in this house and they all belong to people under the age of 6). When one of us isn’t 100%, it’s noticeable and felt throughout the whole house. It means the other person is going to have to pick up the slack, and I always hate it when that person is PJ. So, friends, remind me never to get sick with kids again.
The kids and I took a few walks in an attempt to let the fresh air do its thing and make me feel better. Spoiler: it didn’t work. Our evening walk was a lot better than our afternoon one, though (where I actually felt like a zombie walking through the hot sun, stumbling through the field as I tried to keep my eyes open), because the sun was going down and the air was cooler and honestly just looking at the mountain calms me and instantly made me feel more relaxed. Forever grateful to be out here. AND! Our oldest kiddo picked me some flowers so that I would feel better. How sweet is that?
One of the biggest mistakes I made was not showering all day. I always feel better, no matter what, when I shower, but I just couldn’t muster up the energy to do it until after the kids went to bed last night. And when I finally did, I felt worlds better. My fever had broken at that point and I was mainly just weak and tired. I felt at least 70% better by 10p, so I put on a big comfy shirt, sat on the couch with PJ and Meryl and Jolie, popped some popcorn, and resumed watching Jupiter’s Legacy with Josh Duhamel on Netflix. Have you seen it? Highly recommend!
So even though it was hell for a day, it was obviously worth it (that goes without saying) and I’m grateful we both finally have these vaccinations. It gives us so much peace of mind to leave for vacation knowing we’re that much more protected, and it brings us one step closer to a return to some normalcy (whatever that means).
Today I feel better, but still a little blah. I’m still feeling super cold one minute and super hot the next, and I’ll break into sweats here and there, but my fever is gone, thankfully.
Have you gotten both of your vaccines yet? How did you feel afterwards? Sending virtual hugs your way regardless!!! xoxo
I couldn’t get enough of the sky at the farm the other night.
It looked like it was on fire and was drawing me in closer every second the sun was lowering beneath the clouds. It looked like a painting. Isn’t it so…majestic?
In the photo above, I love how the pink clouds are peeking up from the mountains in the bottom left corner. Just saying hi!
xoxoxo
Good afternoon friends, and happy Friday!!
I let the dogs outside this morning and it was so chilly and breezy that it felt like an early fall day in the most refreshing way. I know the calendar says May 7, but it could have easily been October 7 this morning. PJ and the kiddos went for a walk and found some teeny tiny strawberries that we have scattered throughout our fields at Ocoee Farm. PJ thinks it could have been a strawberry farm or something at one point. Who knows?
Mother’s Day is this weekend and I have a confession: I have yet to get my mom anything. I will be the first to admit I am the world’s worst shopper. I never know what to get people, even PJ (especially PJ), as gifts for special occasions. Gift cards are always easy to fall back on but I usually feel guilty and lazy when I give those. Do you know what I mean?
The kiddos and I came into town for a bit to do some laundry that has been piling up for way too long now. We still don’t have a washer and dryer out at the farm so we have to come home every few days when we need to wash clothes and towels. But you know, it always feels nice and different to come back to our house in town after being out at the farm for a while. It feels…new, like I’m looking at the house we’ve lived in for the last four years for the first time or with a fresh set of eyes. It makes me even more grateful for this old house of ours.
Speaking of being at home, how beautiful are the roses on PJ’s climbing rose bush?! They’re blooming and they’re SO BIG. PJ’s been training this thing for many years and how lucky are we that we get to experience the fruits of his labor? That’s pretty much the story of our lives, so I’m going to go ahead and say we’re pretty lucky :).
Below are some of the knockout roses in our backyard:
I love the way they just seemingly take over everything and give the backyard a sense of magic and wonder. Our backyard is small and has almost no grass (next year!), but the roses make it feel beautiful and private back there.
The kids are napping currently and I’m thisclose to laying down on the couch to take a nap, but I think I’ll just make some coffee instead. And then maybe take a quick nap after that.
Have a great weekend, friends!! xoxo
The Biden Administration recently raised the refugee admissions cap in the United States to 62,500, which, even though that number seems low, it’s a significant increase from the previous administration’s admissions allowance of just 15,000 (which seems unsettling compared to the highest number in 1980 of 200,000).
The refugee resettlement program will help save tens of thousands of lives and Biden’s decisions sends a message to the rest of the world that the US is supportive and here to help the global refugee crisis. There are more than 80 million refugees and displaced people worldwide, and nearly 90 percent reside in low to mid-income countries, so hopefully the decision to raise the cap in the US will allow other countries to see that we’re taking the refugee crisis seriously and that we stand behind them in solidarity.
While we know what raising the admissions cap means for so many people, and are extremely grateful for Biden’s pledge, we believe that number could be even higher annually. USA for UNHCR has started a petition to support drastically increasing refugee admissions in the US. Sadl,y we as a country have not adapted to the growing need to help refugees in the last few decades, having steadily lowered our admissions amount every year.
We need to act and take action now. Please, if you can, click here to sign the petition and add your name to show your support in renewing the United States’ commitment to refugees by greatly increasing its annual refugee admissions.
Every little bit helps and together, we can all make a difference in the lives of many.
Thank you so much, friends!!!
(photo by Arielle Moncure and info via USA for UNHCR)
The Advocate shared a few photos from the beautiful new book LOVING. A Photographic History of Men in Love, and I found them so fascinating and, to be honest, somewhat heartbreaking.
Seeing these men, who look so in love (hence the name of the book), and knowing they had to hide that love and who they truly were from everyone in their lives, made my heart hurt a little. I can’t imagine what life was like back then for the LGBTQ+ community, though I know how hard it is still today in pretty much every part of the world.
The photos are intimate and stunning, and The Advocate describes that the book:
“…portrays romantic love between men in hundreds of moving and tender vernacular photographs taken during the 100-year period between the 1850s and 1950s. This visual narrative of astonishing sensitivity brings to light an until-now-unpublished collection of hundreds of snapshots, portraits, and group photos made in the most varied of contexts, both private and public. Some are formal studio portraits, others were shot at the beach, in suburban settings, in the countryside, and at home. The range of individuals shown is extensive, covering nineteenth-century working class men, fashionably dressed businessmen, university students, and soldiers and sailors of all ages—spanning the time between the Civil War and World War II, and into the 1950s.”
You can click here to order LOVING: A Photographic History of Men in Love, and check out The Advocate to see more and read stories of the photos.
All three kiddos had dentist appointments this morning and we’re happy to report everything went smoothly! We were only five minutes late (okay maybe nine but we made it) and all three appointments only took 30 minutes. Everything looks good and there are no issues (finally), only lots of smiles on the way out the door.
Now we’re heading to go eat somewhere since everyone was so good. Hoping and praying all future appointments are this easy, though I know that’s foolish wishful thinking on my part :).
I’m sitting at the new desk area I made in the living room at Holiday House writing this as the rain pours down outside.
The sky is dark and cloudy; the mountain barely visible through the grey, misty fog. The thunder sounds like bass coming through a subwoofer it’s so loud and it shakes the whole house every time it goes off.
Two out of three kiddos are napping, so we’re about to rip up the floor in the dining room and paint it (as a temporary solution to the vinyl flooring that currently occupies every room) before getting all new floors out here at Holiday House. PJ mentioned today is the perfect day to do such a task and I agree. It is the perfect day to do it.
By now you must know my love for dark, rainy days like this one. I don’t wish for them every day, but when they come I welcome them with open arms (and a candle and a cup of coffee, of course).
Have a cozy one, y’all! xx
Have you ever, and I mean ever, seen anything more beautiful than a cotton candy sky? And you know which ones I’m talking about!
We get the most breathtaking sunsets out here at the farm, with blues and pinks and oranges and purples illuminating the entire sky, making it feel like you’re in some kind of intergalactic dome on some other planet. The sunsets somehow both shrink the distance from the ground to the sky (where you feel like you can touch the clouds by stretching your hand in the air) and also amplify it (so that it feels like you’re a million miles away).
It sort of looks fake in these pictures doesn’t it? I remember thinking, as I was taking them, that the sunset looked fake in real life, too. But I believe something this magnificent has to be captured so you can relive its beauty over and over again. I have about a thousand sunset picture on my phone, and I know I’ll never get tired of looking at a sky like this, so I hope you don’t ever get tired of me posting about them!
The Property Lovers is a daily blog by PJ and Thomas about our adventures as husbands and dads living in our small hometown, life in our 100 year old Craftsman, and fixing up our farm. Welcome!
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