Doing Laundry Like I Don't Care!

Last Saturday, Robb and I went on a road trip to see Mom and Dad's grave.  We hadn't seen the gravestone since it had been installed.  

We took Meri and her bf with us for the day.  They must be getting serious if he's willing to spend the whole day with us! in a car!

The cemetery was pretty emotional for us.  If I was able to redo 2019, I know a few things I could have done to make it a better one.  The outcome would probably be the same, but I'd feel slightly better about certain things.  Not a lot, but slightly.

After we left Nebraska, we headed to my home town in Iowa to see a few siblings.  Nothing family related had been planned for my side of the family since we didn't have the party room at the nursing home anymore and no real reason to GET together.  I guess that's how it happens when the previous generation moves on.

We'll need to make more efforts.

We got to my sister's place first.  It was the same house where I grew up.  But she owns and boards horses so Meri and Shub went on an exploration of the property while the rest of us visited.

I had sewn 52 pillowcases for various family/friends on my Christmas list.  All out of my fabric stash and it looks like I haven't made a dent...  

I also sewed 4 wool ponchos with built in scarves for the girls of my immediate family as well as the shirts/hoodies for the boys.  More on those another time.  

We then visited another sister who had just moved into a fantastic house in the hills/mountains of Iowa.  I didn't think Iowa had roads that if you drove around a corner, suddenly all you'd see was hood and sky and no road.  Take it on faith and keep going and you'll see it.  I hadn't been on a road like that since Jerome, Arizona.  YIKES!  But the house was totally worth it.  My sister got it for a song and thankfully her husband and son are contractors. They're spending their quiet winter months overhauling various areas of the property and house.  Amazing!  Vaulted ceilings, storage galore, two fireplaces. wow.  They've got a lot of work to do, but what a gem.

After that, we met up with my brother and his gf at ye ol' pizza joint that we've been to since babyhood.  YUM... His kids showed up with their kids and after the kids had run out of quarters for the arcade, I handed out more pillowcases.  

I'm thinking the blacked out place on the menu board was anchovies.  I remember them always offering it but I wonder if anyone actually put them on their pizzas...

Shub got introduced to everyone everywhere and with any luck, will pass the quiz that I've devised, this weekend. ;)  Just kidding!  We probably won't see him again until he's over the fright of spending so much time with us this past week.

Like 2021.

We got home late that night.  I spent most of Sunday and free time on Monday finishing the ponchos.  Whew!  The only things left to sew to complete Christmas presents are Leon's hoody, Ryan's hoody (needs Jen to paint it) and a shirt for Jen of her choosing.  She has some ideas and I'll get on that later this week.

On Sunday night, our nephew and his gf came over for supper.  Meri, Shub, Ryan and Jen came too.  We had a great game night after dinner of Chameleon.  What a hoot!  Yet another game where you can win if you are good at lying.  It worries me that Meri is a champ at this...  Robb has a tell.  Josh has a go to answer of "zoom zoom" and then we know he's probably lying.  Every time Shub thought I was the liar, he'd apologize first.  "I'm really so sorry.. but... I think... YOU'RE... the chameleon..."  

Like I'm going to forbid him to date my daughter and/or kick him out of the house! lol!

On Christmas Eve, my SIL and I started this puzzle.  I was at this point yesterday morning 

and by afternoon finished it.  YAY!  

It takes my SIL's kids two hours to put one together.  But with her and me and a couch that roaches your lower back, it takes a week.  I finally wised up New Years Eve and moved the whole puzzle shebang to the dining room table.  We won't need the table until Meri's birthday party next week anyway.

Wow, so that was last weekend and it's Thursday...  I had to work Monday and Tuesday.  Tuesday night, after church, I made some cheesy bean dip as is tradition and Robb and I inhaled a bunch until we celebrated New Years with the people somewhere in New Zealand or the middle of the Atlantic. We were in bed and asleep by 10pm.  Aren't we the wild and crazy old folks?

We haven't done the bagpipes thing for a few years.  No one has mentioned it but who knows what next year holds?

 Spent my New Years Day cleaning the house and doing laundry.  Someone said that doing laundry on NYD is bad luck.  I think it's worse luck if you don't have clean clothes to wear...   

Oh well.  I'm not a superstitious sort so it doesn't affect me.  

I'm intent on getting back into the blogging routine.  We'll see how that goes!  

Also want to come visit you guys more!

  

Have a wonderful new year!  May it be better than the last one in a hundred different ways.