Thank you so much for all your sweet comments about our Alaska adventure. It truly was the trip of a lifetime.
And then…
Reality slapped me in the face.
Shopping.
Cooking.
Laundry.
Wait…did I mention laundry?
As in nine hours of it.
Coming home from vacation isn’t always the relaxing part. There were so many little unexpected chores waiting for us that by the end of the week I was ready for another vacation!
Cleaning
We are so blessed to have Ryan stay in our home whenever we’re gone for more than a day or two. It gives us such peace of mind. Of course, we don’t expect him to tackle the big chores while we’re away.
The cats, however, had been hard at work.
They’re in full shedding mode right now, so there was plenty of fur waiting for us.
Thankfully, our house cleaners were already scheduled to come on Monday, so they handled the heavy indoor cleaning.
But Mother Nature had one more surprise in store.
As if the indoor chores weren’t enough, Mother Nature had left us another surprise. A huge dust storm rolled through Phoenix while we were away, coating the patio in dirt. After blowing everything off, Hub spent a good part of the morning hosing everything down before we could scrub the furniture and make it enjoyable again.
Welcome home!
Shopping
Hub never minds making the grocery run, so while I was tackling things around the house Sunday morning, he restocked the refrigerator and pantry.
(Although I do enjoy calling it “the larder” every once in a while. It makes grocery shopping sound much more sophisticated.)
As wonderful as the food was on our cruise, it felt good to fill the refrigerator with the fresh vegetables and everyday foods we normally enjoy.
Cooking
I apparently went on a chicken cooking marathon.
One evening I made Skinnytaste’s Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole.
I love her recipes because they rely on fresh ingredients instead of lots of canned or packaged foods.
To make it work for us, I substitute gluten-free flour and Trader Joe’s gluten-free noodles for John. I also simplify things by using frozen Costco broccoli, steamed in the microwave for a few minutes, and I skip the garlic.
Cooking chicken breasts in the slow cooker with a little bouillon and celery makes shredding them effortless when dinner rolls around.
Since the recipe makes a generous amount, I cut it in half so we weren’t eating leftovers all week.
John loves a wedge salad, so I also made the Skinnytaste version but simplified it with Costco’s pre-cooked bacon. Then I topped it with crispy air fryer chicken tenders for an easy summer dinner.
I also made him a batch of spicy air fryer chicken wings that disappeared pretty quickly.
Using one package of wings from Costco this is what I did:
- Coated in a tablespoon of gluten-free all-purpose flour and a teaspoon of corn starch
- Rubbed with: ½ tsp
- ½ tsp Chili powder
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- ½ tsp Onion powder
- ¼ tsp Cayenne
- ¼ tsp Powdered mustard
- After spraying with oil, I cooked the wings in the fryer for about 5 minutes and coated one side with Franks hot sauce. After another 5 minutes, I turned them, sprayed again with oil and did another coating of Franks.
Laundry
The laundry was honestly the biggest surprise.
It wasn’t just vacation clothes.
Every bed had to be stripped. Towels needed washing. Throw rugs had become favorite cat napping spots.
Load after load after load.
By the time everything was clean, I had easily spent the better part of an entire day doing laundry.
There was just a lot. As in a full days’ worth. Crazy.
Exercise
One thing I was especially thankful for was getting back into my regular exercise routine.
A few classes helped loosen up those stiff travel muscles, and this time of year the water classes are absolute lifesavers.
Of course, seeing my workout buddies is the best!
Wrapping Up
Just when I finally felt caught up…
We packed another overnight bag and escaped to Arizona’s beautiful high country for a quick little getaway.
I’ll tell you all about that trip next.
Until then, what’s on your to-do list this week? Did you recently come home from vacation to a mountain of chores, too?
As always may God richly bless you and yours.