Sure hard to believe it is already July. We have HelloFresh coming this upcoming Thursday again. I am looking forward to the recipes this week from them: Honey Thyme Pork Filet and Cheesy Smashed Burgers. Get a FREE box from HelloFresh using my referral code. I suspect a few other meals this week will include spaghetti and potentially a recipe from SkinnyTaste, stuffed peppers. I sure appreciate both HomeChef and HelloFresh though when it comes to menu planning.
It has been a pretty calm week around here. Temperatures have been a bit warm, but it is to be expected as we get closer to July in Texas. The temperatures have been hitting 100 degrees with heat indexes ranging between 105-110 resulting in heat warnings.
I created a Donorschoose project on Monday. The request focuses on basic supplies such as pencils, new sets of color pencils and markers, paper, graph paper, and cardstock. A few years ago, I requested folders using Donorschoose and we created growth folders to allow students to track their growth and progress. Together, students tracked their growth throughout the school year which helped them acknowledge and see they were learning. Students tracked and set goals for themselves. Allowing students to see their success which many times were small, helped them push through when the work became challenging.
Pen and pencil holders have been popular this week! I have received orders from California and Kansas this week for them. Time to work on making new ones for my Etsy Shop! As of this morning, I have reached 175 sales since starting my shop almost two years ago.
This year, I signed Ashlyn up for Kids Bowl Free since Main Event was one of the locations. So far, we have gone twice this summer and we have had a good time. I had a lucky first game on Wednesday with three strikes in a row to begin the game. Normally my first game is better than my second game. Ashlyn primarily did not use the bumpers on these games. She set them up to use, but they were broken and not working correctly. About halfway through, she took them off entirely. However, she's getting better at getting her ball to go straight and actually has a bit of a spin to her ball based on how she is releasing it.
This week, we have a few meals arriving from HelloFresh! Try a FREE box from me!
This upcoming Thursday, we have the following meals arriving on our doorstep. These have been helpful as Jakob recently has decided he should learn how to cook new things. The step by step instructions have been beneficial for him too.
While away, I had a few more items purchased on my Etsy shop. When we returned, the items shipped to Maine, New Jersey, and North Carolina. :) Items sold this past week included lanyard pen holders, classroom window curtains, and a dog bandana.
Ashlyn and her friend, Andy, went swimming on Tuesday afternoon for about an hour. Our HOA in the neighborhood was sponsoring, Pops at the Pool, so we had a popsicle along with enjoying the pool for a bit.
Tuesday evening, Ashlyn completed her BSA Astronomy merit badge. They were able to complete everything but one requirement while camping at the Rocky Mountain National Park. Her last thing to complete was to draw a sketch of the Big Dipper's orientation in the early evening sky. Then a few hours later, sketch it again including the North Star in both sketches and the position. I could sure tell the difference between the views from our campsite, Glacier Basin, in comparison from our house with all the light pollution. It was much harder to see, but it was there. Saturday evening, Ashlyn submitted her last requirements for her BSA Camping merit badge.
What an incredible week at Rocky Mountain National Park last week with Ashlyn's BSA Troop 219 from Denton, TX. This was the troop's summer camp this year. We started our journey on Saturday, June 8th and arrived at Sugarite Canyon State Park in New Mexico. Prior to arriving at the state park, we took a detour and visited the Capulin Volcano National Monument. This was Ashlyn's first time to visit the volcano.
.jpg)
We had a windy evening while at Sugarite Canyon State Park in New Mexico. The girls tented in one big tent, which collapsed on them. The stories were funny between the seven of them since one slept through the tent collapsing and another was content and chill through the whole thing. They were laughing and telling stories the next morning. They ended up packing it up and just slept in a few vehicles instead of dealing with the hassle. Prior to bedtime, we had one of the most beautiful sunsets.
After arriving to Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday June 9th, we stayed at Glacier Basin Campground which had incredible views from our hikes. Our focus for our hikes were within the Bear Lake Corridor Trails. We would either walk over or take a vehicle to the park & ride to catch a bus. This bus would then take us to three specific trailheads: Bierstadt Lake Trailhead, Glacier Gorge Trailhead, and Bear Lake Trailhead.
On Monday, June 10th, we hiked up to Emerald Lake. It was about a four mile hike overall with a variety of terrain changes including snow! This hike was the most challenging out of all the hikes we completed and I am thankful we completed it first. However, the end result was worth it and we had lunch prior to hiking back down.
The following day, Tuesday, June 11th, we hiked about two miles and saw the Alberta Falls. Originally, we had a tubing excursion planned but were unable to complete due to the water speed. Six of the seven scouts went to a water park and had an enjoyable day while the rest of us stayed at the campsite area.
Wednesday, June 12th, we all traveled to Colorado Adventure Center and scouts and adults completed a ropes and zip line course. It was pretty impressive to watch them maneuver through the obstacles.
On Thursday, June 13th, four of us hiked another four miles. We purposely started near the Bear Lake Trailhead which resulted in only a bit of incline and the remaining was primarily downhill. In about three hours, we casually hiked four miles. Our goal was not so fast paced as our previous two hikes had been from Monday and Tuesday! Here is the picture of Bierstadt Lake from the hike. Near the end of the hike, the four of us hiking could see our campsite from the hill.
Also on Thursday, June 13th, scouts and some adults completed rock climbing! I suspect many were tired from the previous day's ropes and zip line course. Those attending rock climbing stated the hike to get where they had to go was pretty brutal. However, from all the pictures it appears they had a great time and experience. Ashlyn mentioned rappelling was a bit challenging and required the most trust from the other person.
As scout led, they did a fantastic job planning out the meals for an entire week. The girls decided to work on a variety of merit badges including astronomy, climbing, camping, cooking, citizenship in the nation, and first aid. A few of the girls also worked on trail to first class. Ashlyn completed climbing, cooking, and the astronomy merit badge. She is almost completed with her camping merit badge too!
Between the scouts and adults, we hiked the trails at RMNP, went to a water park (due to the tubing plans getting cancelled), completed a ropes/zip line course, rock climbing and rappelling, shopped, and a few a scouts visited a Colorado University! It was such an amazing experience and thankful I had the opportunity to attend.
This week, we have a few meals arriving from HelloFresh!
We have two dinners arriving tomorrow: Honey-Butter BBQ Pork Chops and Sweet Chili-Lime Glazed Pork Chops.
We are also making spaghetti this evening and had BBQ Sausage and rice planned earlier this week. What's on your menu this week?
