Off to a GREAT start!

 I was given a sourdough jar kit for Christmas and broke it out this last weekend with a "from scratch" sourdough starter.  After 5 days, I bit the bullet and made a loaf with some of the discard.  I'm SURE I'm doing this wrong...

But the bread is pretty good!  I probably need to pull it out of the oven a few minutes earlier next time.

I just joined a sourdough group on Facebook and will figure this out.

Anyway, it's been a crazy ride since early December!  In case you hadn't realized, we celebrated Christmas and New Years... I started a puzzle, lost some pieces and gave up on it by 1/15/24.  It was one I'd done before and somehow lost pieces the last time I attempted it too.  Where on earth are the rest of the sky pieces?!  Oh well.

I went out to eat with one of my widow friends and the restaurant happened to be at the same hotel that Robb and I spent the weekend before he passed at.  It was emotional for a bit.  And I've changed my hair conditioner since then and it isn't quite as staticky as that anymore. :)  

Afterwards, she and I attended a Candlelight Christmas Concert and it was beautiful!  We finally found the building and got inside TWO minutes before they locked the doors.  SO worth the run through downtown Des Moines in heels and freezing temps.  If you're the homeless couple we almost tripped over in a doorway, we apologize!

It was a rush trying to get everyone for a Christmas photo so we did a collage.  Here is Ryan and part of his crew.  The Christmas letters were finally mailed between Christmas and New Years and some were missed entirely. It was a 3 pager this year!

Leon getting all spiffed up for his school vocal program.  I agonized all afternoon, driving all over Des Moines to end up finding the shirt and pants at the Walmart, 2 blocks from his mom's.  He's wearing one of Robb's Christmas ties!  And he was one of maybe three kids (100 kids on stage) wearing ties.  Oh well, he looked great!

I LOVE this photo of Leon and his baby sister!  She's a LOT bigger now!

Aggie loved the Christmas tree and now the living room seems kind of naked without it, but there is definitely more room for her toys, which has done a good job of filling in the gaps.

I found the "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window" toy that my kids had loved so much. 

She loves it too.

Meri and Aggie at Christmas

More Aggie and the tree pics.

And Aggie and me!

and the tree.  Thank goodness for BeReal, or I'd never have pictures of myself!

Christmas program at church.  It turned out really well.

Leon and I spent a day with Maddy and Matthew between Christmas and New Years, I had the week off.  We did so much that day!  Lego competition, with ourselves, at the library, 

We saw the movie, Migration, after lunch (so fun!), Bobo tea, mini golf, supper back at their house and then home again.  We'll need to do that again but maybe take a couple days next time.

And it finally snowed!!!  Middle of January, but it snowed more than a usual years worth all in 48 hours.  Mr Snow Plow man did us a solid and plowed 2.5 feet of solid, packed snow at the end of the drive.  It took over 2 hours to get it all cleared.  Then a few more times since, including once today from the 3 inches we got yesterday.

It can be spring now.  I'm ready.

Tis the Season

We celebrated McThankMas with Robb's side of the family this weekend!  Pasta bar and lots of goodies.  YUM!  I gained 4 pounds.  I'm trying to work it off but cripes.

It was a lot of fun getting together with everyone.  

Hadn't seen some of them since last year and a couple for several years.  And met a couple new grandnephew/nieces this time too.

Also had a wedding shower for a nephew and his fiance who are getting married this next summer.

My sister-in-law knocked herself out with her planning and organizational skills.  She's amazing!

However after only cooking half the pasta, we still had twice as much as we needed.  

Cathy also made some fantastic centerpieces on the tables.  There were 3 Christmas Vacation themed. One A Christmas Story 

and even one for Robb's mom, based on Hallmark movies with a Hallmark Bingo game.

There was a ton of spaghetti sauce leftover and I brought home the opened stuff so she wouldn't have to throw it out as she was suggesting or tote it home, four hours away.  I got it all canned up yesterday in various sizes so we can use some for pizza sauce too.  

We also have a few quarts of the Elfredo sauce leftover too.  I have been trying to eat it up as much as I can and that might be related to the weight gain issue...  I am doing keto but the heavy whipping cream in it might be kicking my butt.

Jen and I agreed to freeze it in manageable portions as I can't can it easily.

I did find out that if you heat up a bowl of it and then chop up a couple hard boiled eggs and mix it together, it's pretty good!  I used up the last of the hard boiled eggs this morning so I'll have to be creative for breakfast tomorrrow.  Elfredo sauce over spinach?  Not bread, I can't do that.

hmmm

Anyway, we played Apple Schmear and hit apples all over the deck.  I hit one and found myself in a cloudy mist of apple juice!  The kids all cleaned up all the apple bits and washed off the windows. 

Not sure what they were all looking at over the edge of the deck, but my BeReal app popped up and I am a slave to the light of the waffle iron BeReal App.

 Everyone helped with the cleanup and it got clean, lickedy split.  

The house is all decked out for Christmas now.  I'm NOT going to risk my neck, lining the roof with lights.  I'm just decorating the porch this year.  Maybe I'll feel more energetic next year and put a HUGE star and Santa on the roof. HA!  Probs not, even if I DO feel energetic.

Got my nativity up and the porch goose is gracing a beautiful bench, given me by my bestie when she moved.

The circle light thingy was inspired by a decoration I saw at our local Earl May garden center.  I had found a log holder at a garage sale last summer, so I strung it up with lights and positioned a plasticky wreath in the center with lights too.  At night it looks pretty cool!  And then of course, Robb's leg lamp in the window.

There!

AND Robb's bagpipe hat along with the gold colored crown of thorns AND the 18 year old paper star that Meri made in kindergarten for the top of the tree.

Now the rest of the season is mine to enjoy!!!

Well, if I don't count all the things I HAVE to do.

I'm altering a sparkly dress to wear to a candlelight concert this weekend.  A friend from my widow group invited me to go along with her.  Looking forward to dressing UP!

Catching up JUST a little

 Hi all!  I survived Covid. No symptoms but got a lot cleaned and sorted in my bedroom and closets.  That may be the last thing I talked about since the Christmas letter.

So much has happened since.  Ryan and Jen are expecting a baby in July!!!  Here is a photo montage of what I missed posting.  Maybe an explanation now and then.

Thanksgiving reunion! Me and the sisters that were able to come this year.

McThankmas!  They played Apple Schmear off the porch of the hall.  

Leon was really good at it!

Oh yeah, in between those two events, my younger sister, Kristin came over with her daughter and we hung out for the day!  Her daughter Brooke helped put up our tree. yay!

Kristin and Leon watched in awe.

Playing games with the kids when BeReal chimes in.  You've GOT to stop and photograph what you're doing!  It's the law.

I took Margaret to a doctor's appointment and then back in time to the home for lunch.

Another time I had lunch with her. :)

She's wearing the scarf that Maddy knitted for her for Christmas!

Lucille, the new kitten, made the Christmas tree her playground.  She'd climb up inside of it and push off ornaments.  Scamp! but cute.

I watched A Christmas Story with my bestie at the nursing home. Fun!

I gathered up all the wool I could find and made blanket saris for my girls for Christmas. Basically a wool blanket with a big pocket and velcro to close it easily. PERFECT!  Matthew liked Maddy's so much and was calling it a kilt, that he asked me to make one for him for when he took the dogs out.  You bet!  He preferred to call it a "Maxi Kilt".  One that goes down to your feet.  Gotta keep those legs warm!  I still need to make one for me.  It'll happen.

I made a failure of a fudge batch.  I was using my sister Tammy's recipe from the 70s and apparently did something wrong.  I'll figure it out next year.  Dieting now.  I gained 10 pounds over Christmas, 30 total pound gain since Robb died.  yikes!  Comfort food has been great though.

Oh and this is a pan (has matching lid) that Robb and I got for our wedding from my Grandpa. :) It's a favorite pan and used often.

The girls and I had a goodie making weekend at Maddy's in December!  We made a ton of goodies and crafts, thus more reasons why I gained 10 pounds in 1.5 months.   

Ask me how I did it!  

Go ahead!

Two words.

Christmas Crack. and cookies and candies and lots of things that I shouldn't eat all in the same day.

Ok, 19 words.

 

Here one of our crafts!  Maddy's is the one with the Christmas trees.  I accidentally let it roll off the counter and it was smashed into billions of pieces.  SORRY MABS!!!!  So since then, she is always pointing out my cute ornament on the tree and saying, "I wish I had one like that!..." sigh.

Oh and I almost died.  God has his hands full with me!  I ignored a knocking sound that kept getting louder.  You shouldn't do that! The back tire had ALL of the lug nuts sheered off and I could have careened into a ravine or hit another car but I didn't!  I was able to get it to the shoulder and stop before too much damage.  If you don't have AAA, get it!  They towed me to my car guy's place that Sunday morning and showed me what the problem had been.  Super nice guy and I gave him some Christmas cookies.  Instead of costing a fortune, this cost me a mere $130.  Still some change, but it could have been worse.

Our Christmas with just us.  The only pic I took.  It was a lot of fun and I love having everyone together.

I met up in Des Moines with my favorite cousin, Julie!!  We could have talked all afternoon but both had things to do.  It's so great to get together with her!

I spent some time housesitting for Maddy and Matthew when they had an emergency trip to Michigan.

Got a leaky toilet fixed for them.

I got to spoil my poochy girls!

Meri got a surprise gift for her birthday dinner and that's how Ryan and Jen sprang the news on us!

Yay!  Grandma Val hugs are pretty good too.

The "girls" here at my house, watching Witcher with me.  

Yikes that show was steamy.  I'm glad it's over.

Snow time on the piled up heap next to the cemetery. Leon's favorite hangout besides the computer.  I'll take him here any time!  And the sky was pretty beautiful too!

After a blizzard a while back.  Robb's stone was completely drifted over!

Isn't it beautiful?

I canned 35 jars of broth from the Thanksgiving turkey carcasses.  Whew! and YUM!  I've discovered drinking bone broth and it's pretty tasty!

The Christmas puzzle FINALLY got done!  If you buy a puzzle at the dollar store, you get what you paid for.  The entire right side of the puzzle from the green bottom/yellow top boat to the right wasn't pictured on the box at all or if it was, it was a tiny replica on the side of the box and you couldn't tell what was what. Well... I guess I'll be GUESSING where this boat should be...

Leon and I had some good bonding times over Christmastime.

And I finally took the Christmas tree down two days ago.

YES, it was January 17th.

and 

YES, that's the Full Monty on the TV while I pulled it down.

If you can't laugh...

What's the point?