The Weekly Ramble – August 21, 2026

Greetings from our staycation! Technically, I’m not here. I wrote this before our vacation began, so details of the actual staycation will be saved for next Friday.

However, this shot is from a little sneak peek we gave ourselves on Sunday after church. We stopped at Pizza Port for drinks and a pizza. The breeze was cool, the patio not overly full, and it was a really sweet respite from an otherwise hot and blustery summer.

I can’t imagine a world where I will wear something more than shorts and a t-shirt, but I’m hoping fall brings the chill.

In the meantime here’s an update of what’s been going on pre-staycation.

Don’t you love the little staycation basket I made? I spent Wednesday cleaning the house and shopping for fun food. It isn’t a vacation without a trip to Trader Joe’s, don’t you know?

I decided to take my own advice and stage the house as if we were loaning it to friends for the weekend. I grabbed a basket from the overflow decor and put it on the kitchen counter, like you would find at an AirBNB.

Bryan and the girls did a double-take when they came home, “Who’s the basket for?” Ha! 🥸

I’ve planned some fun food, like steak, shrimp, and pizza as well as wine, cheese, and chocolate. Oh! and ice cream! I figured a vacation means you get to eat a whole pint to yourself if you want. I got Haagen Dazs Butter Pecan for myself and a variety of uber-chocolate options for Bryan.

Did I mention this is a kid-free staycation? The boys are in Spain until Saturday and the girls are in Sacramento until Tuesday.

Back in May when I was writing all that staycation stuff, I was inspired to do this for ourselves. I knew that it would be hard to sync all the kids’ schedules into vacation mode so I just waited until they were all gone!

We’d done family staycations when they were younger, but it would be challenging to get everyone in the same vibe without going away, which is expensive. Now we get a little getaway, while also getting to sleep in our own bed!

Here’s what else I’ve been doing, eating, listening/watching, and/or reading this past week:

What I’m Learning

Ever have one of those “badly done, Emma” days? I did this week. I didn’t know it at the time, but afterward upon reflection, I realized that I hadn’t behaved in the best manner.

Not to exaggerate the point, but the phrase, “not like a Daughter should behave” came to mind. It had me googling and the AI Overview was surprisingly convicting.

I would say those ideas are all scriptural. I can’t vouch for this writer, but here’s the post the AI linked to. I found the Disney princess analogy helpful.

What I’ve Been Doing

Aside from staycation prep, it’s been a very chill week: the first in decades when I was home alone!

In fact, it’s been almost 30 years since I was home alone for more than a few hours. It was quiet, but good.

This won’t be my regular gig this school year, but it was a fun little twist in my regular routine. It will mostly be Mr 25 and I working from home, which is nice, too.

What I’ve Been Eating

A few weeks ago I was not pleased with my pizza dough, so last week I made three different kinds, my regular crust plus two from this Pizza Book. I really loved this cracker-style crust and will be making it again.

Bryan still loves sourdough and asked if I could make it more sour, so I did a bit of research. I let it sit on the counter a little bit longer than normal and when I fed it, I used dark rye flour.

The boules I baked were excellent, definitely more sour and a little more rounded in flavor.

I’m also enjoying afternoon tea and biscuits!

What I’ve Been Listening/Watching

Three years ago, I listened to all the Bruno books that were in existence at the time while I was packing up and cleaning our house of 14 years. They were the first audio books I ever listened to and with few exceptions, the only ones.

A new one recently came out and I listened to it in a day. The books are not true mystery novels, not in the sense that you can solve things out like with Poirot or Miss Marple.

Set in the Dordogne, where Bryan and I traveled back in 92 when I was a student in Bordeaux, the Bruno books explore many subcultures within France, all with a tinge of the writer’s politics. Like all journalists, he leans a bit left, but not in a super annoying way.

Spoiler: Bruno is a bit of a hussy. The books aren’t “graphic” on the spice scale, but despite the MMC’s claim that he wants a wife and children, he sure gets around. When I explained it to Bryan, he shrugged and said, “He’s French,” which is exactly what I told my girls. lol.

I enjoy learning about modern France and there’s a ton of food in the books which may explain some of my staycation basket choices.

What I’ve Been Reading

On the other end of my reading spectrum. I am almost done with the Bible! I will have finished by next week.

I started The Pilgrim’s Progress. I splashed out on this edition which includes some interesting front matter including a foreword by John Newton from 1776! TPP was the second most read book after the Bible for several hundred years.

I finished A Gentleman in Moscow and can definitely recommend it. Very good!

What I’ve Been Writing

I’ve been working on Christmas content! Usually I do a little bit each month, but this year, I’ll be cramming it into September. I’ve got a new Advent Calendar in the works, which I love!

There are also some new posts on Good Cheap Eats:

Okay, then. That’s all for now. I wish you a very restful weekend. Would you leave a comment so I have something fun to come back to when the staycation is over?