CatchUp Wanna Be Irish Style

 I had a weird day yesterday.  A feeling hit me that I haven't felt in 20 years and it knocked me off my feet.  It was not a good feeling.  

So once I got home, I got busy with work, folded some clothes, got ready for a cooking class last night and the feeling subsided.  I felt "in control" again.  MUCH better!

If that's an anxiety attack, I'm going to do my best to avoid them.

Anyway, the cars have been in and out of the shop with major issues for the past few weeks.  I'll be glad when all cars are functional again without the engine lights coming on or weird noises from under the hoods or near tires.  

In the market for a new or new to me lawn mower.  My dear brother drove here from western Iowa and mowed my yards a week ago Thursday and they're about due again.  What an awesome brother I've got!

While I tried out his mower, finishing the back yard, he used his gas powered trimmer and started in around my garden.  He accidentally trimmed up two of my 3 tomato plants that I grew from seed before he realized there were "wanted" plants mixed in with the tall weeds! :) I asked him to leave the last one as it was my favorite anyway.  They are NOT being productive plants anyway this year.  I guess I don't know what I'm doing with the garden.

His mower is a zero turn and I think I may be sold on that idea now.  It was very awkward to figure out and I almost drove over him a couple times yelling, "How do I stop this thing?" "PULL BACK!  Like WHOA NELLY!"

oh!  Treat it like a horse, huh?  okey dokey.  I've always WANTED a horse!  I'll name her Nelly, of course.  Or Mr Ed.  It depends on what name hits me as appropriate when I finally pick one out.

Aggie turned 2!!!!  We had her party at the Des Moines Science Center with all the major players of her life in attendance.  So much fun!

Then cake with just the immediate family and grandparents.  Her other grandma made the cake and it was SO good!  It had a raspberry filling! mmmmm  I went off my pre-diabetic diet and enjoyed a half piece.

OH - my A1C got tested again this morning and it's 5.5!!!  Dropped from 5.9 in 3 months!  yay!  I'm still pre-diabetic though and will have to consistently watch what I eat.  Keeping it low carb as much as possible.  I think I'll wait a few more months before I bring a few more carbs into my food though.

I got 2 things entered into the State Fair that just started.  Thank goodness my son-in-law takes such good care of clothing I've made for him!  I've been out of the sewing mojo for some time now.  I've STARTED a ton of projects but haven't gotten very far in actually sewing them together.  

That might be my new hobby.  Dream up and starting projects.  I need a friend whose hobby is to complete unfinished projects and we'll be the dream team!

I've got several ideas for Christmas gifts and once I push all the already started projects off my sewing table, I'll get going on them!

Wednesday night, I attended a cooking class in town nearby and learned how to chop veggies properly with knives!  It was so much fun and I've got 2 quarts of chopped veggies that I'll eat tonight.

Thursday night, I attended the cooking class again with a widow friend and we learned how to make Spring Rolls!  OOOH!!!  Those rice paper rounds made it so easy!  However with 8 carbs per wrap, I only ate one and made two other rolls using lettuce leaves for the wrap.  They were messier and I should have had a fork, but oh well.  The peanut sauce was DELISH and the chef deliberately left out the brown sugar!  So now we know we can!  I was too shy to ask, but someone else did. Whew! Thankful for their boldness!

Oh!  Last weekend, Leon and I met up with Maddy and Meri in Waterloo for the Irish Fest!  

We watched knives being forged from railroad ties

Bohran, tin whistle demonstrations and Myth telling

Maddy and Meri were the only ones who enjoyed authentic Irish cuisine.  Leon ate up most of my Food dollar bucks on lemonade, corn dogs, gelato, burgers, fries and fried cheese curds.  No, I wasn't keeping track...  But I did end up with a burger and a few curds.

We saw the Trinity Irish Dancers from Chicago!  And reminisced about when Meri took Irish dance classes when she was really young.

Lots of quality time with my girls!

Leon climbed 3/4s of a wall!!!  The last time he'd tried this sort of thing, he only got a few feet off the ground.  So he's improving!!

Maddy wove some fabric and may have just struck on her NEW hobby!  She's got a lot of them too.  Like Mother, like daughter!

Enjoyed the Highland games!  They're throwing a 28 pound rock as if it's a discus throw!  Some got it as far as 34 feet!  Mine would have landed on my foot.

The girls got to pet some Irish dogs!

It was a fun day and I put in over 5 miles in walking. My watch confirmed!  Leon was beat!  And now he's thinking twice about attending the State Fair with me because of the walking...

:) Maybe I'll bring him in with a stroller! LOL!

Well, back to work.  Meri's car is in the shop today and I'm working from my bestie's nursing home library for at least the morning.  Trying to be inconspicuous and quiet.  She and I have lunch plans but I'm working and she's got her morning schedule.

I've got a mile in so far today just walking from the car fixing place!  

THAT should work off any carbs I picked up last night or decide to eat today.  sigh.  I have no idea how this whole thing works yet.

Tacos and catching up

Leon and I attended the Iowa Cubs game against the Louisville Bats on Friday night!  It was a lot of fun catching up with some college friends.  I hope more are able to attend next year!

My sister-in-law dropped us off with the intent of eventually finding a parking spot nearby and joining us but no luck.  Every single lot was full and she wasn't in a state to walk several blocks.  At least I got to visit with her for the drive from our parking ramp over! 

Leon didn't understand the game but was totally in it for the food.  Thankfully his dad gave me some money to keep the kid happy and boy did I!

He got a big slice of pizza right at the beginning and then ate half my peanuts.  Then we climbed over a fence barrier to our left, three more times to either find a restroom or more food and drinks.  He had seen a sign for Raising Cain's chicken fingers but apparently it was just an ad because there was NO booth for it.  He settled for a generic BBQ booth and only ate a teeny bit of the $14 plate of chicken strips and fries.  I ate the rest, not wanting anything to go to waste...  And since I'm counting carbs and blood sugar these days, I'm still working it off.

sigh.  The things I do for these kids!

It was delicious.

Ok - since a month ago, when I last blogged.

1) I did NO sewing.  I hope to remedy that this week.  I need SOMETHING to send to the fair.  I should actually sign up for some tickets today.

update: DID!  Signed up for 6 entries. Not sure if I'll have that many but we'll see.

2) Meri has a new boyfriend and I finally got to meet him a couple weeks ago. He's coming for taco night tonight too.  We like him. and she really likes him.  So things are good.

3) Leon and I visited with Maddy and Matthew and went on adventures in paint 

and boating!

4) Leon is out of school!!  and as far as we know, is now in the 8th grade.  You can't tell ANYTHING by those new fangled report cards. M=met expectations, N=nearing expectiations, S=sweet but trying, etc.  He is sleeping/gaming away his summer.  It's a challenge to get him out into the sun much less bed but we're doing our best! Thus the bribery with ball game food.

Come outside little boy!!...

5) staying as positive as I can about certain situations in my life right now.  

Robb would have said, "yep - told you."

6) possibly buying another car later this summer!  The current cars are nickel and diming us to death. One car will only drive smoothly if you put in a bottle of fuel injector cleaner and only if you put it in and fill it when it's around 1/4 of a tank.  Then you're good (maybe) until it's back down to a 1/4 tank.  weird.  Another needs new tires.  Another rattles when you start it and needs new tires too.

never ending.

7) I did something stupid (and almost died) with my riding lawn mower and that story is for another day.  Now the front tires look a wee bit bowlegged.  With any luck, Meri's new BF will help me bend it back into place today. I hope.

8) Leon and his middle school band played during Memorial Day out at the cemetery.

9) same day I realized that my blood sugar was way too high. That darn drunken peach cobbler.  

It's SO sweet!

and delish.

eh - I needed a wake up call.

10) Aggie's other grandparents came for a day and helped us all tear down the Eagle's nest from in front of our house and put up portions of it for a deck for Aggie's little house back in the yard. It's adorable!

pay no attention to the wheelbarrow!  it's not still there. This is an older picture.

and she is adorable too.

Just Grandma and Aggie

She is a stitch and a half!

Anyway, back to work and other things!  I hope you're having a beautiful week!

Eat a taco tonight!

Ketchup and Cabooses

 Wow!  Since July?!  A lot has happened.  

If I tried to get caught up with a post for each, I'd never get it done.

I lost 47 pounds JUST in time for the cruise!  I'm hovering around 45-47 pounds off since. For example, we're out of chips so today is a salad day!  Judging from these pics, I could stand to lose another 20 but that's for another day.

I went on the cruise with Leon, Meri and her bf Ryan, and two sisters (a BIL, nephew and his fam) and an aunt.  It was a lot of fun, a lot of money and a LOT of food!  Will show more pics later when I feel like it.

The gang

The MSC island, super early in the morning.  We were the ONLY ones on the beach until my niece-in-law showed up! SO beautiful!

Leon FINALLY at the water park on the cruise ship.

Teresa and I. We found that they were at the airport at the exact same time as us on the way back!  Leon and I were waiting for food at the food court and he saw them. Hey, isn't that your sister?! HA! 

The weekend that we got back from the cruise, we threw Aggie her FIRST birthday!!!  Her actual birthday was the week before but the cruise...  so they didn't do the party until the next week and that worked out great for me!  Her other grandparents were there too and lots of aunts and uncles and friends.  

At the party, Ryan and Jen announced that they'd been secretly married for the last two weeks! WHA???  Only Leon and Meri knew.  They had attended a Creed concert and took a friend along that can perform weddings and said "I do!" JUST as the song "With Arms Wide Open" started!  So I'd been calling her my daughter-in-law for so long already, it felt natural.  I have 3 daughters now!

I went to the Iowa State Fair with my sister, Kristin, and her kids. So much fun, so little time.  I was also dogsitting in Mason City so I couldn't be gone too long. We made every second count.  Oh and I got NO ribbons for my entries. Oh well.  NEXT year.

My nephew, Brae, and me found a photo booth!  He's a crack up!

Leon started school here this year and appears to be doing fine and making lots of friends.  Only one note from a teacher so far about him not participating very much in class but he's been talked to about that by his dad.  He started learning the flute and with the band playing along with him, he decided that it's not for him. He can't hear himself play and can't tell if he's actually playing the note or not.  So we're trying to track down a clarinet.  Meri has one packed away somewhere and she'll find it this weekend I hope!  But boy oh boy, he knows how to make the flute work if he's the only one in the room!  oh well.

We've had lots of car problems/expenses in the last few months.  I think we're through the worst of it, but I think Ryan's car needs brakes now.  sigh.  It's ALWAYS something!  Our car guy either loves or hates us.  I'm not sure which and afraid to ask.  His wife just keeps taking our money so okey dokey.  It must be LOVE!

I'm painting the guest room this weekend, starting over lunch today.  My bestie from NC is coming in less than 2 weeks for a visit!!!!  I can't wait!  and the guest room is full of my sewing equipment and still has the paint job I did for the girls in 2005.  It's time.  We're going to hit our favorite Mexican restaurant and hang around in Des Moines before taking her to the airport that Friday.

Tomorrow, I'm going to watch Dirty Dancing with my other bestie, Ada, at the nursing home.  It's her favorite movie and I gave her the decision of what we should watch.  My mistake!  We've already watched it twice this year alone.  That's ok.  I'll just keep singing along with the songs.  And I'll start thinking about suggestions for the next movie.

Thinking about taking Leon to the new PG13 Monster movie this weekend.  I need to make sure it's ok with his dad before I talk to Leon about it.  But that could be a fun outing!

Anyway, back to work.  I've got one more miracle to pull out of my caboose before the weekend!

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?