Creations, Getting Creative in our Lifestyles

I have been amazed at the creativity and resilience I have seen lately!
I thought it might be fun to share some things my family and friends have been doing
Perhaps give you a few ideas,
and I’d love to for you to share some of your experiences
as our lifestyles have so dramatically changed
I’ve been living at the beach house the past 2 months
Even the boaters have been social distancing when they park on the shore!
HHjr and his boys have been here with me most of the time
I am so proud of HHjr and his inventive home schooling methods
Last week both of his sons had birthdays
HHjr took them back to the “city” to celebrate with their mom
She invited family and friends to “drive by”
and they could wave and visit from their porch
Monday was Big E’s birthday
When DD’s family got near their house,
NG stopped and taped streamers of balloons to the back of his truck
Then when they arrived
CC and Charlie Brown hopped into the truck bed
to greet their cousins with big birthday signs
The birthday boys were then doused with silly string
They loved it!
Then Thursday, it was Super Boy’s birthday,
and the boys were ready for their cousins!
They got their uncle NG with water ballons
Is there anything more fun for kids than a water balloon fight???
Besides our family, the boys had friends, other cousins, friends of their Dad’s,
and even school teachers came by with cards and birthday wishes
I bet this is one birthday week these boys will never forget!
I stayed on the coast and missed the birthday fun,
But, they are already back at the beach house for a week
and the beginning of Snapper season
I feel so badly for all the events people have had to cancel, miss, reschedule…
One of my friends brought her daughter, a few friends,
and their cap and gowns to the coast
They are going to have their own graduation celebration on the beach,
throwing their caps to the sky
I had my first Zoom meeting with The Tales of the Traveling Tote group
I set up my laptop so the water and palms would be my backdrop
This was such a great way for us to get together!
Our June 1 post is coming up so be sure to check back by~
The Tales of the Traveling Tote group will be sharing their isolation stories
and you can enter the giveaway for MKC canape knives!
My hair stylist called me early last week
and offered to come to my house to do my hair!
I was VERY excited!
She and I have become good friends,
She has been doing my hair for 15 years,
and we have shared each others ups and downs
DD and her whole family go to her too
I have to be in the “city” for a couple of days this week anyway,
so we’re going to have a family hair salon party on my patio,
all getting beautified!
💇🏼♀️ 🙍🏻♂️ 💇🏼♀️ 💇🏼 💇🏼♀️
One of our favorite things to do on the coast is go out for a Bushwacker
The Bushwacker is the official adult treat on the Gulf Coast
Vanilla ice cream blended with ice and a variety of liqueurs
HHjr decided since we couldn’t go out, he’d make them at home
With a little help from Amazon he created his own recipe
and wow, his Bushwackers are dangerously good!
I have posted several recipes for homemade Bushwackers
See the recipes here and here and HHjr’s recipe is below
You can also make Bushwacker Pie here and Bushwacker Ice Cream here
Please drink responsively

Ryan’s Bushwacker
Ingredients
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream very soft
- 1/4 cup Coconut Rum
- 2 Tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Creme
- 1 Tablespoon Creme de Cocoa liqueur
- 1 Tablespoon Kahlua liqueur
- Chocolate sauce
- Crushed ice
Instructions
- Swirl the inside of a 16 oz. glass with a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
- Fill with crushed ice.
- Combine ice cream with liqueurs and mix well to blend.
- Pour over ice in glass. Garnish with a swirl of chocolate sauce if desired.
Notes
What have you learned, experienced,
or created to deal with this “new norm” in our lives?
I would love to hear!
😷 😷 😷
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Meal Plan Monday Love Your Creativity What’s for Dinner?
Between Naps on the Porch, Make it Pretty Monday
Turn About Tuesday Celebrate Your Story, You’re the Star
All About Home/ Common Ground Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Tasty Tuesday Oh My Heartsie Girl Full Plate Thursday
Happy birthday Big E and Super Boy, it looks like their birthdays were fun and memorable. Your family is so beautiful Jenna, and I know you are so proud of them. Life has changed, but we seem to adapt. Love all of the artwork in this post. It is such a fun post.
I saw several photos yesterday from Gulf Shores/Orange Beach and it looked like a lot of people on the beach. One friend who has a condo said she had never seen that many people at this time of the year. Stay safe and Happy Sunday!
Thank you Pam, I love that my children and grands are all such good buddies as well as family, we always have so much fun 🙂 Yes, it is crazy down here, the boat traffic is insane, I’ve never seen so many boaters! My son said he saw so many out of state cars when he was driving down yesterday he couldn’t believe it…I think everyone is ready to be outside and enjoy summer…I drove thru Publix drive thru to pick up a Rx and couldn’t believe the masses of people going in and out in large groups, children, and hardly any masks! Yikes…my son has been going to Rouse’s {they are always much less busy} at 7am and sees hardly anyone, and I’ve used Shipt a few times…fingers crossed that it doesn’t ramp back up and things have to close again…
Good morning! Looks like fun birthday celebrations happen no matter what.
Our travel group (5 couples) have been house-bound so we decided to meet at a restaurant that had pick-up service. We all called in our orders, picked up our food & set chairs out in their overflow parking lot (side field) & had a wonderful meal & visit together (safely apart). Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Bushwackers look divine, – what is that beautiful red machine dispensing the drinks?
Thank you Charlotte, your dinner sounds like so much fun, I love that you were able to see your friends! The red machine is just an ice crusher, there is a link in the post to amazon where he bought it. He makes sno cones for the kids with it too. Thanks for your upbeat attitude!
Hi Jenna, with these times, we have to get creative. The birthday looks like fun. How special to have your son and the kids with you at the beach house. Love your artwork! It was great seeing the ladies from our Traveling Tote group on Zoom. I look forward to our next meeting. What a great cocktail. I think I would need a nap after drinking one of those. Kudos for getting your hair done. I haven’t really been out, so my hair is growing. Happy Sunday.
Thanks Linda, I love the American spirit, people will find a way!
I love your free, happy sketches! I did my first drive-by the other day to celebrate a friend retiring from his post at the U. It was fun! Other than that, the usual. Long walks, cooking, painting, writing. And all good.
Thanks Jeanie, I am enjoying having more time for art these days, that keeps me happy!
You & yours are coping with this new normal exceedingly well! My husband and I are retired introverts, so our day to day really hasn’t changed that much. We have more time to indulge in our hobbies without any social commitments. For me, that is jewelry-making, wire-wrapping, crocheting, and soon transitioning to a plant-based diet. I also bought a lifetime membership to Babbel. I want to learn Spanish.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Good for you MIchelle, I look forward to hearing how you like Babbel. Yes, I agree I love to have endless creative time also!
I enjoyed seeing how you and your family are making the best of these difficult times. The birthday celebrations looked like so much fun.
thanks Sheryl, isn’t it wonderful how people are coming up with solutions to ease the tensions!
Happy Birthday to All! What fun and they will remember this celebration for sure! What a fun and beautiful family you have, Jenna!
I loved seeing all the artwork. You are amazing!
Isn’t Zoom fun! I Zoom once a week with my Ohio friends. We have chatted about our fears that were at the beginning of this craziness and now the different ways we are coping and also the different new hobbies etc. It’s our once a week Happy Hour.
Then our neighbors try to gather once a week on our street… we live on a cul de sac… so we social distance and keep up with each other.
And of course we try to go on an adventure once a week… we even can social distance doing that with other jeeps!
So as you can see we are very busy! The only thing I am truly missing are antique stores and thrift shops, Hobby Lobby and Home Goods! And I believe they are slowly starting to open up here. We may go to a cute antique place this week. As long as it’s not busy we will go in!
I’m just praying that the people flocking to beaches, bars, Restaurants etc., don’t cause a second wave. We can do this re opening if we just go about it wisely.
That cocktail looks yummy, delicious and worth every single calorie!
Stay safe my friend!
Thank you Nancy, I do think these past months will be something we all always remember, and it sounds like you haven’t missed a beat! I am grateful everyday for the ways modern technology is keeping us connected! I do miss Home Goods and Hob Lob, but have also had fun doing things with what I already have. I share your fears about a second wave, here on the Gulf Coast people are beaching and boating and filling up restaurants like it’s all over…I loved hearing all your solutions, sounds great!!
Jenna, I loved reading about your beautiful family. Happy Birthday to your grandbabies! Both of my children are already homeschooled. So, nothing has changed in that department. I have done lots and lots of baking and cooking. Sweet treats and delicious dishes always seem to lift the mood and keep spirits happy. We have been able to get online orders from local nurseries. My hubby and I have been enjoying building flower beds and gardening. I have learned to give the boys in the house haircuts. I am by no means a professional so we have had lots of laughs over these haircuts. Take care, and have a happy Monday!
I know gardening is wonderful therapy Shannon, plus you get to enjoy the hard work when you have blooms or vegetables! It is amazing how human beings can adapt, I just love hearing how people are coping, thank you!
Oh I have enjoyed your delightful post so much this morning Jenna. Looks like we all sharing birthdays with our family right now. Love it! Girl, your hair dresser coming to your house is awesome!!! I have been with my hairdresser for about 15 years but she is working her booty off right now and can only let so many at the time come in her shop. Now that is what I call a fish! WOW! That is awesome. I would love to go off shore and do some fishing. I am so sad for all the folks missing out on such important moments in their lives with graduation, and all the ceremonies. In our small county I must say our county has went above and beyond to recognize our seniors and to be honest, they have had more recognition than they would have otherwise. It has been quite awesome. So glad you got to zoom with your friends too. Hope you have a great week Jenna. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Aww, thanks so much Cindy! That is truly wonderful that your county has really taken care of the seniors, the giving, human heart can be so amazing! I know your upbeat attitude is keeping many spirits up!
What a wonderful way for your beautiful family to celebrate birthdays and I can see they were all having a blast! Such a great way for all to get hair clipped and “beautified” and all together at your home in the city. And, back at the beach, a great place to isolate. I know you and the boys have enjoyed everyday. Celebrating with the beach cocktail sounds wonderful. Our plans are to head south to the beach as soon as things are better. I can’t wait………
So much fun and creativity while quarantined, love the birthday fun! I wish my hairdresser would do house calls! NC is still in lock down for two more weeks for salons. I’ve been trimming my hubby’s hair and wearing a hat when out for my weekly grocery store trip. My last trip to the hair salon was mid February so it’s pretty scary looking. 🙂 Zooming with your fellow ‘toters’ sounds fun. We’ve done several online wine classes via Zoom, a good excuse for happy hour. 🍷
Zoom wine classes, how fun! A few close friends are coming over this afternoon to have a social distance happy hour on my patio, can’t wait!
I always love seeing pictures of your family and their smiling, happy faces! What fun for the birthday kids!!! My hairdresser made me a hair color kit that I picked up, and my son mixed it up and put it on for me. He cut the back of my hair, and I did the sides and bangs. You and your daughter will have a good time at your private beauty party. Now about those Bushwackers…I’d love one!!
Wow, that’s awesome that your hairdresser mixed color for you! My hairdresser did come yesterday and it was such a luxury to have my hair done at home! It was a perfect 75 degrees, so she did all the trimming outside, no mess to sweep up! She said she really has enjoyed going to peoples houses, my daughter and I are going to see if she’ll do it regularly!!
Loving this post, a bit of this and that…which we have to learn to take pleasure in with the shut downs. Loved all your commentary to—! Thanks, Sandi
Thank you Sandi!