So many changes!

I was about to come here to try to write about so many changes that have happened lately in life, and then I see a notice that Google is going to start adding unnecessary links to my posts?! From what I understand, it looks for keywords in the post and then links those to google search results. What a nightmare. I don't think there is a way to turn it off as long as I don't "activate" it (someone on Reddit said that once they clicked the button to activate it, there is no going back). Anyway, if you see links with little magnifying glasses, those are not from me and I really don't want them here.

Well, then, now that I got that intro out of the way... hahaha!

Yes, it's been a long time. Again. I really don't intend to just ignore my blog, emails, and the only social media account I have left (Instagram--I am still trying to work up the nerve to delete it, even though I never use it). I swear, it feels like I blink and months have gone by.

I feel like a crabby old lady who is stuck in her ways and instead of progressing, just continuing to procrastinate. I keep reminding myself that my blog is a hobby and not something to feel guilty about neglecting, but I honestly do feel bad. Especially when people ask how I'm doing or why I haven't written. It's not personal--against anyone--and it's not my intention to ignore things.

Interestingly, I am CONSTANTLY writing posts in my head. [Side note: Did you know that not everyone has an internal monologue? I assumed everybody does! There is not a second in my day where I am not "talking" in my head. It's drives me crazy; I would love to shut it off and take a break as needed.] Anyway, a major part of my inner monologue is narrating blog posts. I just never end up writing them but it feels like I have because my brain already did.

Do you all think I've gone completely bananas yet? ;)

So, changes. I almost feel like an entirely different person than I was three years ago. Some good, some bad, some whatever. Before anyone speculates that there are problems with my family, I assure you that we are fine. Jerry and I are happy, the kids are still living with us and (I hope) happy, no more pets have passed.

But poor Joey... he's losing his hearing. He's 12 years old now and the vet said he's in very good health for his age, but we've noticed that his hearing is starting to go. I don't like to think about it because it reminds me that he's not going to be around a whole lot longer. I've been spoiling him more and more because of it, though!

Here he is hanging out with his cousins a couple of weeks ago

The changes that I'm referring to are mostly within ME. I don't like the word "traumatizing" because it's used so frequently now and it is such a broad term, so I'll just say that something "not great" happened to me a few years ago and I'm still working through it. I tried doing it on my own, but that wasn't working, so I found a new therapist and I don't think I could have picked a better match. He has been super helpful in regard to all of the stuff going through my head and helping me sort things out.

Aside from the "not great" incident, I have been introspecting about topics that I never would have imagined: politics and religion. (I know, right?)

As you probably know, I stay away from controversial topics on my blog. I have always wanted my blog to be a "happy place" (with occasional hypomanic or depressive thoughts thrown in for fun, of course). Certainly never talking about politics or religion (I'm still not going to).

Which is why I just don't have a lot to say recently. Controversial topics always turn to arguing in the comments and that's no fun for anyone. Over the last year, I've gotten very passionate about particular topics (some political and some personal) and I've also been questioning past beliefs (religious) and they have been very intertwined over the last year.

I am SO SAD to see how much hate has come out of people and how divided this country has gotten (among itself and the rest of the world). I am SO SAD to see horrible and scary things happening to good people on a daily basis. I am SO SAD to see people justifying their hatred because someone in power says it's okay to hate and mistreat people. What makes me saddest of all is seeing some of the people I care about taking part in it.

And so I've stepped back. Maybe it's not the best way to handle it, but it's been tearing me up inside and it's easier to remove myself than try to argue with people who are passionate in their own beliefs. My psychiatrist and therapist are helping me (I am grateful for good health insurance!). I've been working on taking care of myself, physically and mentally.

I'm coming up on four years vegan and five years sober. Isn't that wild? I wish my weight was back down where I'm most comfortable (under 135) but I'm at 165 right now. Not for lack of trying! I haven't binged--or eaten sweets--in 45 days. Considering all the stress I've been feeling, I'm very happy with that.

I remember when I worked at Curves (the women's workout facility) the women would all tell me, "just wait until you're 40, losing weight after that is a nightmare" and I secretly thought, "I'll show them; if you just eat right and exercise, how hard can it be?" (I was a naive 21-year old who knew everything).

But goddamnit, they were right. I'm doing the same things I used to do to lose weight and it's just not working like it used to. My weight is moving downward (it was up to 175 at one point) but very slowly. However, I cannot complain too much because the biggest difference right now is that I'm not doing deliberate exercise. (I go for walks with Joey, but those are super slow because he has to smell everything and they're more for him than for me.)

Getting older, my body is getting more poppy and crunchy (you know the noises I am referring to?) when I stand up or bend over or whatnot. So ideally, I'd have a routine with some cardio, some strength, and some stretching. Getting into the habit is what I struggle with. Turning 40 shifted my mindset almost overnight from worrying about my looks to worrying about my health, though. I want to feel good as I age!

Jerry just set up my treadmill in the garage (I had to move it out of the house when Noah moved home) and got a heater, so I am going to try to get in the habit of long walks again. (Also, the older I get, the less I tolerate the cold. I can't believe I used to enjoy running in freezing temps.)

I visited Sarah's grave today. Sarah is my friend from high school who died in 2014 from melanoma (just a couple of weeks before Mark died). Shamefully, today was the first time I went to visit her grave. I've kept in touch with her mom (she's the one who asked me to do the Melanoma 5K Run/Walk in 2018, that you helped me raise funds for), and I don't know why I didn't go before.

Anyway, I had to get lab work done early this morning (my annual physical) and I decided to stop at the cemetery on the way home. She's been on my mind non-stop for a year or two--seriously, I think about her several times a day--and I feel like there has to be a reason for that. I stopped at the store to get something for her grave and I saw the most perfect item: a little stuffed ladybug. Sarah loved ladybugs, enough to where some of her family got ladybug tattoos in her memory. 

Her mom went to the gravesite later in the morning to replace her flowers and saw my ladybug. She sent me this picture. Look how pretty! Sarah loved the fall and especially Halloween.

It felt good to visit her and I definitely plan to go again. With her being on my mind so much, I even made an appointment yesterday for a routine skin check at the dermatologist's office.

Jerry, the kids, and I went to visit Jeanie and Shawn a couple of weeks ago. We hadn't been up there in two years, so it was nice to go visit with them. Next week, Jerry and I are going to visit Becky and the kiddos in Minnesota! I haven't seen Becky since the last time we went out there a year and a half ago, so I'm really looking forward to catching up with her; I miss her a lot.

Anyway, this is my quick here-but-not-here post. I'm still alive, just in the background for the time being. xoxo

Continue Reading...

Friday Night Photos

Holy smokes, it's been two months since my last post. Time goes by SO fast--I don't know if not blogging has something to do with that, but it feels like time is going infinitely faster over the last year or so. Anyways, while this isn't truly "Friday Night Photos", I figured I would just do a bullet-style post of random stuff, since it's been so long. (There honestly isn't much to say; I'm just trying to keep life simple right now.)

*I find myself writing posts in my head daily. I was so used to writing every day for years that it's hard not to think in terms of a blog post. If you picture a movie or TV show where someone is narrating their own life, that's kind of how it feels. Silly!

*My throat is completely healed from my thyroid surgery. The saggy skin improved a bit; it still doesn't look "normal", but I don't notice it much anymore.

*Since my surgery met my out-of-pocket max for my health insurance, I've been taking advantage of that by seeing specialists for ongoing problems. Namely, my hands and my back. I've been dealing with carpal tunnel since 2018, and the back problem is one I've had forever (literally 35-ish years).

-The hand doctor ordered an EMG and I was so glad I would finally get carpal tunnel surgery to fix it. But my EMG came back negative! There is NO WAY that the carpal tunnel symptoms are just in my head. I got more answers from the back doctor, though...

-My back pain has gotten horrible over the last year or two, and even worse in the last 4-5 months. It's always been a very specific spot in the middle of my back--not an injury, because it's been there for as long as I can remember--but doctors have never really taken it seriously because I was "too young for back pain" (and thoracic (mid) back pain is less common than neck or lower back pain).

Anyway, this spinal doctor is so refreshing! Maybe it's because I now *look* old enough to have back pain, but either way, I feel like he is going to help me. Based on my x-rays, he said that I have significant arthritis and he ordered an MRI of my neck and back (my neck because of the symptoms in my arms/hands). 

I have a follow-up appointment on Monday to go over the results, but from what I can see in my chart, my back is very screwed up. My neck, just as badly. I have arthritis all over, a couple of bulging discs, a hemangioma, and just a lot of wear and tear in general. Every disc from my mid-neck to my lower thoracic vertebrae has something going on with it. And the "carpal tunnel" symptoms could very well be caused from pinched nerves in my neck. Is there a solution? I have no idea. I'll learn more on Monday after I see the doctor. 

*I won't go on and on about this, but the state of this country has done a number on my mental health. I've never gotten political here and I still won't, but I'm just sad to live in a world with so much hate and uncertainty. November was the first time I ever voted; I'd been so worried about what was going to happen based on the results of the election, and now it's all happening. I worry so much about everything, all the time, and now politics is in there, too. I just wish my mind could take a vacation and I could forget about everything for a while.

*The kids are still living at home (for the most part; when he's not working, Noah spends most of his time at his girlfriend's house). I never thought I'd worry even more about them when they are adults, but here I am. Maybe this is why I seem to be having some sort of existential crisis--I spent their whole lives as a stay-at-home mom who had control, for the most part, and now that they are adults I just have to sit back and watch.

*Noah turned 21 last month. I have a 21-year old! Jeanie happened to be in town and she loves casinos. Jeanie, Shawn, Audrey (you may remember her from my blog at certain points), Jerry, and I took Noah to the casino in Toledo. It was fun! And Noah really enjoyed himself. I made him a mushroom-themed cake for his birthday. It turned out kind of goofy, but it was fun to make! Luke and Riley helped me.

*Funny story: We had a busy day--my uncle's 90th birthday party in the afternoon, and then the casino in the evening, with no time in between. We headed out to go to the casino, and it took about 40 minutes to get there. We arrive, take Noah's picture by the "Must be 21 to enter" sign, and head inside. Then Noah looked totally panicked and I *knew* that look--because I remember having it before. He forgot his ID!!! The guys went back to get his ID, and Jeanie, Audrey, and I got started at the casino. (I don't like to gamble, so I just watched.) Guys arrived with Noah's ID, and he was able to get in.

*No more drama with the pets, thankfully. I was worried about Joey because he had a large lump on his side, but the vet did a needle biopsy and it's just a lipoma (benign fatty tumor). It's hard to believe he's 12-ish years old; he acts much younger. The kittens are staying out of trouble, and Estelle is still grouchy old Estelle. (I believe she is 16)

*I've still been sewing quite a bit, but not as much as last summer. I really like to quilt, so I have an ongoing project that I work on a little each day. Once in a while, I make a smaller project that I can finish in a few days just to keep from getting bored. I recently made this bag for Jerry and he was thrilled. I love how it turned out!

*This summer has sucked horribly because of the humidity. I don't ever remember a summer that has been so hot/humid as this one has been. Jerry and I got our bikes tuned up a couple of months ago so we could start riding on the weekends and it's just been too humid. I really hope that fall will be nice!

*My weight is back up. I hate that this is a forever-battle. I'm at about 170 right now, having gained almost 10 pounds since my last post. I'm still trying. Always.

*I got a whopping 50 pounds of peaches from The Peach Truck this year. I feel like I ate nothing but peaches for about two weeks, not including the salsa, preserves, and pies I made. I also gave away several pounds. By getting the "early bird special" on the peaches, they came with two bags of pecans. My squirrels were thrilled, haha.

Well, that's all I've got for now. I'm going to try and take more pictures so that I might remember things to write about! I rarely take photos anymore.

'Til next time! xo

Continue Reading...

Summer

It's so hard to believe that summer is over. I only wrote a few posts; the time went by so fast. It's been an emotional summer for sure, and I think that is due to a lot of the changes around my house recently--Noah moving out, Jerry's drastically different work schedule, Eli graduating high school, both of the kids working full-time (with Jerry, no less!), our car situation, and some other things. I'm still trying to get used to it.

Rather than totally overwhelming myself by trying to "catch up" here, I thought I'd just go through my photos from the summer and try to write about some key things (or just random thoughts). I actually don't have a lot of pictures! Since I haven't been blogging, I drastically reduced the number of pictures I've been taking. I wish I had taken more, if only for my own memories.

Anyway, here goes...

*Remember when I wrote about how I was FINALLY growing Asian pears after probably 10+ years of trying? I was so excited! Well, I went out to look at them one day and they were just completely gone. Vanished, overnight. There wasn't even a trace of them left. I officially give up. I hate getting my hopes up every year and then being disappointed, so I am not even going to think about it anymore. I'll just continue to buy them when I see them somewhere and enjoy them all the more.

*I got a new rug for the living room. Exciting, right? Haha. The other one was definitely worn, but it was also a pet hair magnet. Joey liked to lie down on it and even vacuuming daily, it was ridiculous how much hair accumulated. I got this shag rug and I love it! I was worried it would be hard to clean, but it vacuums easily.

*My friend Sarah came to visit from Arizona and I went to her mom's house to see her (and her husband and kids). A friend of mine had told me about a fun, sneaky thing to do in random places--stick a pair of googly eyes somewhere inconspicuous. I brought some with me to Sarah's because I thought her kids might have fun finding a place to put them to "prank" their grandma. They chose to put them on their school portraits--haha! They were SO excited for her to notice that they could barely hold in their giggles. When grandma noticed, she found it hilarious.

*Luke and Riley came over and wanted to play with the skeletons. I couldn't think of something more boring, but they loved them! Riley even danced with one. (By the way, I'd love to put together a post of skeleton Halloween decorations again this year. I'm not sure how many people are still reading my blog, but if you have any skeleton decoration photos to share, you can email them to me and if I get enough for a post, I'll compile them when it gets closer to Halloween: Katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com.

*I did a LOT of sewing this summer. Like, probably a completely abnormal amount. But it's helped with all the emotional stuff I've had going on. I really love making bags, but one can only have so many bags... so I branched out to other things. I will have to do an entirely separate post (or series) of those projects, though--there are too many. The cats absolutely love everything to do with my sewing. I even built a little shelf to go on the windowsill in the sewing room and Duck sleeps on his bed there when I sew.

*My brother had his annual July party. I asked Luke if he would drive me around on his little... side-by-side? I don't know what to call it. It's smaller than a side-by-side, safer than a four-wheeler. Anyway, he drove me around the property, which was fun. I told him that I'd bet if he would give people a ride from their cars to the backyard, he might earn some tips... and he sighed and said, "I've been driving people around all day and I just want to enjoy the party!" I thought that was hilarious--he's seven.

*My dad sent me this text (out of nowhere) and I thought it was really sweet. The top of it is cut off, but it's that giant magnet that was on the side of our Ragnar Relay van in 2013 (when the From Fat to Finish Line documentary was filmed). There was a magnet for each person on our team and this one has been on my parents' garage refrigerator ever since.

*I painted the "craft room" (since Noah moved out, I converted the extra bedroom to my craft room). I used leftover paint from Eli's room and I was so sure I'd have enough... but I ran out with just a small part of the wall left. I didn't want to buy another gallon if I could help it, and then I found a nearly-full gallon of the aviary blue paint that I used for the pantry. I used that instead, and I love it! It looks so bright in there.

I also removed the carpet (it was seriously SO gross--I didn't even want to share a "before" photo). Jerry installed the plank flooring. It still needs some shelves and things on the walls, but I'll just do that over time. I made do with what I already had, including a makeshift table made from simply setting a wide board over a couple of small nightstands. It's not pretty, but it works!

*A picture of Jerry and the kids at work. They have different jobs inside of the plant, but they still see each other a lot. It still feels so odd to me that they all work in the same place! (The kids only plan to stay there for a year while they save up money and figure out what they really want to do.)

*I went of my first airplane flight since 2019. I used to rely on wine to get me through flights (I hate flying) but since I quit drinking in 2021, I just had to white-knuckle it through the flight. Thankfully, the flight was super short... I just flew into the upper peninsula to go visit Jeanie and Shawn. The airport I flew into was absolutely TINY. This picture is of the entire airport! 

It rained the entire time I was there, but I only went so I could visit with Jeanie and Shawn, so the rain didn't bother me. And I actually lost seven pounds, hahaha. My being vegan, Jeanie thoughtfully asked what I'd like from the store. I was only going to be there for five days, so I chose a very minimal menu: Larabars for breakfast, peanut butter toast and apples for lunch, vegan "chicken" nuggets and apples for dinner. I didn't feel deprived at all and it made me realize just how much my evening snacking was hindering my weight loss. (I gained back the weight when I got home, unfortunately, but I haven't gained any more.) It was a good, relaxing visit!

*This completely freaked me out one morning. I was going to put some peanuts in the squirrel lunchbox and to my surprise, there was a raccoon right next to the door! Raccoons are the number one carrier of rabies in the States and to see them out during the day is extremely uncommon. Each time I started to open the door to scare it off, it started to come at me. By the time I got my phone to call the DNR, though, it was gone. I haven't seen it again.

[This reminds of a comment I got one time. I was out for a run and I saw a raccoon acting very oddly (again, during the day). I decided to call the DNR when I got back from my run (I didn't have my phone with me). It was gone on my way back. I wrote about it on my blog, and someone who had always been super nice left a comment saying that I should have taken off my shirt and wrapped the raccoon in it and take it to get help. She was so angry that she said she was done reading my blog. Haha! First, I am not taking off my shirt in public unless someone is bleeding out and in dire need of a tourniquet and my shirt is the ONLY option to save their life; second, I don't want rabies? Anyway, she followed through--I never heard from her again.]

*Jerry and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary last month. The night before, we both said we wish we'd have gotten gifts for each other (we had agreed not to). At that moment, we decided to order each other something from Amazon--but we had rules: 1) It had to be next-day delivery 2) It had to cost less than $25. So, we sat scrolling on our phones--it was actually pretty fun!--and at some point, one of us suggested we get each other a Squishmallow. I chose this alien from Toy Story for Jerry (we like to say the quote from the movie sometimes, "You saved our lives. We are eternally grateful.") Jerry chose this little girl from Monsters, Inc. because her name is Boo! (He calls me Boo. It was perfect.) It was a fun gift exchange!

*Jerry and I went to Eastern Market in Detroit a few weeks ago. I always love going there! We bought a ton of produce and made it a mission to use it all before it went bad. The cats were thrilled that I brought back some cat grass for them. I've tried growing it myself, but it never turns out like this.

*Since Noah moved out, and with Eli likely moving out within the next couple of years, I wanted to start a tradition where we have a plan for them to come over every other Sunday for a super casual dinner and something small but fun to do. They liked the idea, and they (and their girlfriends) came over. We made individual pizzas and then had a fire outside. The wheelbarrow was next to the fire pit and we ended up doing a wheelbarrow race and timing each other. It was so fun!

Then Noah sat on Rose's lap and I thought it would be funny if she was his arms to eat his plum and drink his pop. Basically, she put her arms under his and made the eating and drinking motions while Noah couldn't use his. They actually did pretty good!

*My Uncle Ron (my dad's brother) and his partner, Renee, came to visit from Florida. I rarely see them, but he is so fun to talk to (he's had quite the life--I would love to write a memoir for him!). He and Jerry went to a Tigers game, and then we met up with him and Renee afterward. I wish I'd thought to take a picture with him--I don't know that I have a single one. He loves to tell every single person that he comes across, "Hi, I'm Ron from Florida!" and he's so personable that people love to chat with him.

*I don't have a picture to share for this one, considering the privacy circumstances, but remember how I said I discovered a first cousin via 23&Me? They were placed for adoption and nobody in the family knew they existed until I took this test. We had been talking since January, and last week, they came to visit and meet in person! It was really fun getting to know them and we plan to stay in touch.

*Brian took Luke, Riley, and my parents to Alaska. They had a great time! Becky sent me some pictures and I was sure that Brian had probably photoshopped this bear into the picture... but nope, it was real.

*I know I said I'll do a separate post for my sewing projects, but I am pretty proud of this one, so I'll share it here. I made a quilt! I've never really had the interest in picking up quilting (and I still don't, really) but when I saw this pattern I couldn't resist. And it was a simple, beginner pattern--a quilt-as-you-go appliqué technique.

I think my favorite cat is the one in the seventh row, fourth from the left--I don't know why, but I was just drawn to that one.

I learned that 1) quilting gets VERY expensive very quickly, even for a thrifty person like me, and 2) it's so much harder to do the actual quilting part (sewing the backing to the quilt top) than I thought. I was surprised at how time consuming the binding (the orange border) was; it's actually done by hand so that the stitches aren't visible. It took me 11 hours!! I'm sure for an experienced quilter, it wouldn't even take half that time. But I actually enjoyed that part the most out of the entire project. It was relaxing and I got to watch like 15 episodes of Evil Lives Here while I worked on it, hahaha.

Here is the binding. I just have to show it because I feel like I did a good job and where else can I give myself a pat on the back?

This was a great first quilt--there is no intricate piecing and I chose to make the outlines on each cat "scribbly" looking. It's meant to look odd and a little messy, so my mistakes--and there are several--aren't so noticeable. It has character ;)

Before it was done, I swore it would be the only quilt I ever make. And when I finished it, I was already looking at Pinterest for other quilt ideas! It's kind of like racing... while training for a marathon, you swear it's a one-and-done race. And then as soon as you cross the finish line, you're already planning the next one. Anyway, I love how this quilt turned out--it's not an "heirloom" quilt by any means, but it's fun and definitely fits my personality!

Continue Reading...

Checking In

After my last post, I was so sure that I was going to get back to writing regularly (not daily, but at least a couple of times a week). The more time that passes, though, the more overwhelming it feels. To keep things simple on this post, I think I'll just write bullets--short tidbits of what's been going on lately. I've actually really missed writing!

**Eli bought a new (used) car. And when I say used, I mean a Dodge Neon! They quit making those in the early 2000's, I think. I actually had a 1995 Dodge Neon when I was in college and I loved it. Eli has gotten really into cars, like Noah, and he chose this one because of the "mods" (I don't understand anything about cars--they don't interest me at all).

It's so interesting, though, that both Noah and Eli have met people due to their cars. On more then a couple of occasions, car enthusiasts have pulled into parking lots behind them to ask about their cars. I never knew it, but there is a whole community like this--my kids have even gone to car "meet-ups". Anyway, I have taken over Eli's Volvo--it's a 2008 and has 317,000 miles on it! Hopefully it lasts until interest rates on cars go down, but I'll drive it until it's dead. It has a CD player and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about playing some old CD's from high school. I have no idea why I held onto them, but I'm glad I did!

**My weight is up about five pounds. Honestly, I feel lucky that it's not more! I know my biggest problem is snacking in the evenings. I don't know why it's so hard to get it under control. If I can just quit snacking before bed, I know that it would make a big difference in my weight. All I can do is keep trying, I guess!

**One of the reasons I was hesitant to write is because of a comment that someone left on my last post (I didn't publish it). This person has been hate-reading my blog for probably 10+ years, and I was kind of creeped out that she mentioned something very specific regarding my kids. There are a few things that I've always kept private from my blog, usually for safety reasons. (For example, the name of my kids' schools... yes, someone could get that info if they really wanted to, but I didn't want it to be easily accessible on my blog.)

Seeing something that specific in the comment, something that I'd deliberately left out of the blog, was kind of creepy. I was used to the degrading comments (she loves to make me feel bad about everything--my terrible parenting, being a bad wife, being a lazy stay-at-home mom, doing projects all wrong and making them look like crap, my food looking disgusting, my house being ugly, you name it!); but this was new. I've been valuing privacy more and more lately (with cameras *everywhere* now, I hate feeling watched all the time). So, the fact that this person looked up this info about my family was disturbing. Anyway, I don't understand why people hate-read; my time means too much to me to waste it in such a negative way.

**My Asian pear tree has fruit growing on it!!! I only planted it in the fall and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw actual fruit there. I'd waited probably 10+ years for the other "Asian pear tree" to grow fruit, only to learn that the tree was just an invasive species of tree that would never bear fruit. Hopefully I'll get to eat a few Asian pears from the tree this fall!

**Jerry and I were scrolling through Instagram one day when we saw the "old man challenge"--you have to stand on one foot and put on your sock and shoe (while keeping balance and not lowering your foot or holding onto anything), then switch legs and put on the other sock and shoe. We tried it and had fun doing it, so we looked up some more challenges. There was one that I thought was ridiculously impossible but we tried it out for a laugh. And we discovered it actually wasn't that bad--it looks so much harder than it is! This is just a screenshot from a video right before we crashed to the floor.

Date night shenanigans

Ideally, both people would be able to balance horizontally. We never fully got the balance to the point where we could hold the position for a long time, but we realized later that the person on top has to stay flat (this is hard to describe--if you look at the picture, Jerry should be lying back more, which helps control the balance). Anyway, we laughed so hard and we have some funny videos of us toppling over. 

We also did a challenge to see who could draw the best circle without looking. Mine is the white one and Jerry's is the red one. Basically, you stand with your shoulder close to the wall, looking straight ahead so you can't see the board. Then you use your arm to make a big circle and see how close the start and end are to touching. Mine was really good! Jerry's needed some work, haha.

Luke and Riley came over and I had them try it, too. Luke was so funny. Luke's was off about an inch at first, so he switched to his left hand and it was near perfect. He's the only person I know that is truly ambidextrous--sometimes he writes with his right hand, sometimes with his left, whatever he's in the mood for. Same with things like throwing a ball, and even playing Jenga.

**While Luke and Riley were here, I played Tapple with them--it's the game I wrote about before, where there is a category and you have to take turns calling off things that are in that category, beginning with a unique letter each time, until all the letters are used or someone can't think of one before the timer goes off (you get 10 seconds each). The category was "things found in a house" and we went through things like couch, table, dresser, pets, etc. There were only a few letters left, and "i" was one of them. Riley said, "Inhabitants!" I was stunned and couldn't help laughing. She's only five! That was impressive.

**When Jerry and I went to Minnesota, we spent a lot of time at Becky's parents' house. Becky's mom is a very talented quilter (she's the one that quilted my race t-shirt quilt top). Since I love sewing, I was fascinated with her sewing room and all of her quilts. This one blew my mind--she pieced the entire thing BY HAND with a needle and thread! She told me how many pieces there are, but I can't remember.

The hexagons are incredibly tiny, and she had to do a lot of "fussy cuts"--which basically means that rather than cutting fabric in any which direction, she chose to cut the hexagons out with the fabric's polka dots in the center and the stripes going in particular directions. I wish I had the patience to quilt, but I prefer smaller projects (likely because I am an instant gratification person, ha).

**Remember when I took that 23&Me test in December? I did it solely for the medical part, but toward the end of January, I decided to look at the ancestry part of it. I thought it would be incredibly boring, but I discovered something kind of unbelievable. I wish I could go into details, but I have to keep this kind of vague. I saw someone who was listed as a first cousin (sharing a set of grandparents with me) and I didn't recognize the name. I asked my parents and they didn't know, either. (Each of my parents has five siblings, so there were a lot of possibilities.)

I contacted this cousin (I'll call them a gender-neutral "Sam") and discovered they were adopted right after birth. They didn't know who their biological parents were due to a closed adoption, but they had a little info from the adoption agency. Based on this, I was able to figure out who Sam's bio parent is. Sam had been looking for this info for decades! The bio parent is choosing to remain anonymous and because of the closed adoption, Sam is respecting their wishes. I really hope that someday this will change, but for now, all I can do is get to know my cousin--and chatting with them has been great! We hope to meet up later this year.

**We bought some more luxury vinyl planking, and are going to put it in the bedrooms--Eli's room and my craft room still have carpet, which desperately needs to be replaced, so we are excited about this project. I'm hoping Jerry will get it installed it next weekend. While I did most of the work in the house remodel, Jerry did the floors and I'm happy not to have to do them! I am definitely going to paint the craft room, though. Maybe I'll do that this weekend, actually.

I'm going to end this post now. I know I have more to write--I really need to keep a list--so hopefully I will write another post soon! Thanks for the love and the checking in on me. I really do appreciate it, more than I can express.

Continue Reading...

Friday Night Photos #138

Even though I don't have a ton of photos, I'm going to post what I have (aside from "project" photos, which I do have full intentions of posting separately). I'll start with one project photo, however, because I *love* how it turned out. Remember my corduroy coat, the one I loved so much that I wound up with three different sizes? When I had gained quite a bit of weight, the coat wouldn't fit me anymore (it was a medium that fit on the small side). Thanks to Poshmark, I found it in a large and extra-large.

I wore them for a season or two until I lost the weight and they'd been in a bag in the garage ever since. I love to make things out of old or unworn clothing, so I decided to turn the coat into a bag. I used the faux fur to make cat beds, and then used the corduroy for the bag. I also used a men's dress shirt for the lining (and outer pocket). I had never sewn piping before, so I decided to give it a try as well.

This is what the coat looked like before

And this is the bag I made from it!

Isn't it cute? Jerry totally fell in love with this one and I think it could be pulled off as a "man bag" to use as a carry-on. (Jerry got the position at work he was really wanting, and it will likely involve international travel).

Speaking of sewing, I now have a brand new sewing machine! To take full advantage of credit card cash back, we put literally *everything* on a credit card and then I pay it off a couple of times a month. We never carry a balance, but we get 1.5-5% cash back on everything (including the bills that I pay with the credit card). I've always thought of this as my "bonus" money for taking care of the finances and paying bills on time, etc. I let the cash back build up and then "buy" something that I really want, without feeling guilty. (I know I shouldn't feel guilty for buying myself something, but I think it's ingrained with being a mom.)

Anyway, I had a little over $1,000 in cash back waiting, and I decided to get a sewing machine. I did a lot with my old machine and it worked well; but because I've been sewing so much lately, I wanted a machine that would make it easier to go through multiple layers of denim and interfacing. I was torn between two opposite ends of the spectrum in regards to the machine I wanted--either a super basic "workhorse" straight-stitch machine, or a digital machine with embroidery and all the bells and whistles.

As you know, I like simplicity, especially with electronics. I decided to go for the basic workhorse machine. One of the things I *really* wanted was a large space between the needle and the machine; I hated always trying to squeeze projects in that space while sewing. It was really overwhelming, trying to choose a model.

After reading a million reviews, I ended up buying a Juki TL-2000qi. (I bought it from Ken's Sewing Center online and I would absolutely buy from them again--great customer service, some bonus accessories, *and* the lowest price.) The machine was "only" $700 (I put that in quotes because my budget was $1000, not because $700 is cheap! ha), so I bought some accessories to go with it (presser feet, throat plate).

Isn't it beautiful?! ;)  I almost cried the first time I used it because I could not believe the difference! It's like sharpening your kitchen knives--you know how you don't realize how dull they've gotten until you  sharpen them and you realize life is just better with sharp knives? Yeah, like that. It's like the difference between cutting an apple with a butter knife versus a sharp paring knife.

The table/cart that I have it on is nothing pretty, but I put that together one morning because I was worried that I was going to drop my sewing machine if I kept carrying it around. Several months ago, I'd bought a couple of table leaves from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore; they were were solid oak and I got the two of them for $5. So I ran them through the planer and glued them together to make the table top. Then I just made a frame with some 2x4's and castors for movability. It's not pretty, but it's perfect for my sewing machine!

Anyway, enough about that. I've been using it all the time and I love it. 

The craziest thing happened a few houses down from us, and our neighbors caught it on video. The dike on the street separates the marsh from the road, and it's pretty tall (and very steep, although it doesn't look like it in photos). Well, an intoxicated woman flew down the road in a truck, straight at the dike, and basically took out half the dike while she crashed into the marsh. (Did I mention she had three kids in the car? They were not seriously injured, thankfully.)

There are kids that play on the street there ALL THE TIME. Not to mention people walking dogs and riding bikes, etc. This happened at around 3:00 in the afternoon, so she's very lucky that she didn't hurt anyone else.

Noah and his girlfriend went to IKEA one day and she sent me this picture saying, "They have plant-based meatballs at IKEA!" I was so excited that they'd actually ordered them (Noah and Rose aren't vegan). They said they were "amazing"; I always feel happy when people enjoy vegan food. And especially when they are open enough to trying new things like that :)

Eli gave me the most beautiful flowers for Mother's Day. I've always said that I'm not a "flowers person"--I don't want anyone spending money on something that isn't going to last--but the fact that Eli even acknowledged Mother's Day all on his own made me feel good. And the flowers *are* very pretty!

Eli went "urban exploring" with his friends at an abandoned factory and said it was really cool, so he went back with Jerry and Noah. I'm too much of a "rule follower" and I chose not to go, but their pictures were really interesting. There were tons of personal items that were just left there when the place closed.

This is a tote that Ken's Sewing Center sent me for free with my machine--I didn't even know that they were sending it! It's a really nice tote on wheels. Chick and Duck like to be pushed around in it, hahaha.

Every time I finish a bag of some sort, the kittens like to get inside of it. It happens immediately. (This patchy bag was actually a sort of practice for the *real* patchy bag I wanted to make.)

These are a couple of photos I took before Eli's prom. I love this one! He and his friends were standing in between poses when Jerry said something about looking like a proposal was about to happen, and it was like they were totally on cue--one of his friends pretended to pull out a ring and propose to Eli while his other friend looked shocked and excited. They didn't even know I was taking this picture. So funny!

Kids these days have no idea what this is. Jerry and I had to explain!

With this one, I thought it would be fun to go for a Beatles cover-look, but when they said, "What's the Beatles?" I gave up immediately. HAHAHA

And this was taken by an *actual* photographer for Ava's prom ;) 

I will end with this stunning photo of Phoebe looking like a cat goddess. Noah's girlfriend sent this to me to show me Phoebe's new collar. (Phoebe is so quiet that it's easy to trip over her, so they got her a collar with a bell.) She's still doing great and I know she is happy there. I went over to cut her nails last week and I actually saw her eat a whole container of wet food!

And that's all I've got for now. Have a great weekend! xo

Continue Reading...