Jennifer Apodaca's Blog

TGIF!! And we know what that means — time to share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

It’s an exhausting week and it’s not going to let up until next Wednesday afternoon. So if I’m scarce, that’s why I’m making more sourdough bread this week because I gave away one of the two last loaves I baked. Wizard has tried to make a rule that I can’t give sourdough bread away. I love that he thinks he makes the rules I went to Trader Joes yesterday and I can still buy my dairy free chocolate for a good price. Everywhere else I’ve checked, the cost is rising so fast, that I’m stunned. Although one could wonder why, when I’m so busy and not baking much, I’m still making time to look at prices of chocolate, LOL. I will tell you, I make a yogurt bowl at night sometimes with nonfat plain Greek yogurt, peanut butter powder and my beloved, dairy free chocolate chips. It’s weird, but I’ve actually grown to really like it! However fair warning, it took a long time to get to the place where I can even eat plain free yogurt. These days, I’ve almost convinced myself it’s a substitute for ice cream.Yesterday I went out to babysit Cigi (my granddaughter). We had so much fun! She’s into everything now, and considers Grandma her personal playmate. For four hours I played with a nearly one year old and I survived! She had to have crashed for a long nap after that! When she stands by herself, she claps for herself. I love her confidence! But for speed and efficiency, she crawls, and I can personally vouch for her being very fast.Saturday is the the big One Year Old Birthday Party for CiGi. It should be fun! Sunday we’ll be helping Wizard’s mom for a couple days. Not sure how posting on Monday will go, but I’ll try!

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a fun and restful weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Happy Wednesday! I finished MAGIC HOUR by Kristen Hannah, and I really enjoyed that book. I don’t know what I’m reading next. I may just find a book hanging around here that I haven’t read yet.

While on the subject of books, I told my Daughter in Law (Cigi’s mom) that I really liked Colleen Hoover’s VERITY awhile back. I didn’t realized she’d get it and read it. Over the weekend, she said, “You didn’t tell me that VERITY was dark.” I laughed. I mean…she’s known me for many years now, is she really surprised???? But yeah, I didn’t mention that and I should have.

On the other hand, she loaned me a book that ripped my heart out and smashed in into a trillion shards, and I forgave her, so she’ll forgive me. Also, I loved that same book that destroyed my heart, so clearly my judgement is suspect

What are you reading? And how much can I trust your judgement????

The post Wednesday Reading first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

First order of business: I’m sorry I didn’t answer the blog on Friday. I read all of your Friday Five things on my phone, but didn’t get to my computer to answer.

Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is enjoying the day. Now let’s get to the Weekend Roundup. We had a good weekend. Going back, we had a nice, fun dinner with youngest and his wife for her birthday on Thursday night. While there, Youngest mentioned they may or may not have a pool party. It was dependent on Oldest and a software issue at his company — it’s a long story. But knowing the story, I figured the pool party was unlikely.

Friday, I decided to feed my sourdough starter to make bread later in the day, then I’d ferment it overnight in the fridge, shape it the next day and bake it. Then I did normal stuff, ran some errands, and all was going well. Then I got a message that the pool party was on for reals That was fine, but subsequent texts said Turbo requested cupcakes with sprinkles. Now this caught my attention because, obviously, only Grandma can do that. Grandma, however, also had a starter growing and needed to make the dough, and begin a couple hours of stretch and folds. I also needed to go to the some ingredients for the cupcakes in order to make from scratch so youngest could also eat them. Somehow, with all this going on, Grandma forgot she is not a youngin’ anymore. So Grandma decided that she could do it all.

Grandma did do it all, but then she sparked a massive nose bleed in the process and the various things that go with it. Long story short, at said pool party, I didn’t go in the pool. I was genuinely too tired and didn’t want to deal with another bloody nose. But I did have a blast anyway! Seriously. Turbo’s mom didn’t want to go in either, and we hung out in the house with Phoebe (my grand dog) and chatted without interruption.

Both the cupcakes and the sourdough bread were a hit. I’d brought the sourdough mostly for my daughter in law’s mom, who is limited in what breads she can eat. She was delighted, and dug in. But once she cut into it, then everyone was eating it. She was a good sport about that!

Also on Saturday, I got the results of my sinus CT scan. I have a deviated septum (duh, any idiot with a flashlight and eyes would know that) and a bone spur. That’s causing all the bleeding. I’m weirdly relieved because I kept wondering if I was doing something to cause it. I know that’s illogical, but apparently, I just like to take credit for everything, LOL.

By the way, there’s zero excuse for me having endured this for two years — if the original ENT had just done his job. But I’m fine, and this will get taken care of, so I plan to think of that doctor as little as possible. And try to keep Wizard from thinking of him at all, because his anger hits a lot higher on the chart than mine does.

Sunday was my first quiet day in quite a while. Wizard went racing, and I worked out, washed bedsheets, dusted, baked off my second loaf of sourdough…it was nice to have an easy day.

How was your weekend? Are you doing anything special for Labor Day?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

TGIF! Time to share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

It was an eventful week, but some of it isn’t my personal news so I can’t share it yet. Don’t you hate when people tease like that? I do! And yet…I did, LOL.Wednesday, I did blood work. This was a personal record for me: 13 vials! It was so much, the tech used a butterfly needle so that I wouldn’t get sore from changing the vials. It worked! I usually don’t have any problems with blood draws and I’m not squeamish about it, but I still appreciate the tech’s care.After that, I went to lunch with a friend, then we browsed a nearby store for a while.  It was nice to see her. We talk a lot about grandkids now which is kind of surreal.Thursday, I had my mammogram done. It was pretty easy, and I should have results in a couple weeks…yeah, it’s stupid slow these days. This is the last of my latest round of tests and labs. Man I’m glad to have it all done. And I think this should slow down next year, but that could be wishful thinking on my part. I’m also annoyed/frustrated/aggravated that I don’t have my results yet from my sinus CT scan that I did a week ago Wednesday. I know, I know…everything is backed up and I’m not special No one has ever said that patience is one of my virtues!Thursday night we’re taking Youngest and his wife to dinner for her birthday. I’m writing this beforehand, but I’m really looking forward to that. This weekend is a we’ll see what happens kind of thing. Wizard plans to race Sunday and I’ll do all I can to make that happen for him. As of right now, we don’t have any special plans for Labor Day and we’re fine with that.

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours. I hope everyone has a great weekend and a Happy Labor Day!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

I’ve been really enjoying the book, MAGIC HOUR by Kristen Hannah. I see it categized as mystery or contemporary women’s fiction. There’s definitely a mystery, but with a woman’s fiction feel to it. It’s about a child who appeared out of a forest, and appears to be a “wild child,” as in she lived in the forest. So far  in the book, it’s thought she lived with wolves. The child is mute and “feral” although I don’t love that word. This child is the mystery, and two sisters, the town Sheriff and a big city psychiatrist, are trying to solve who the child is and what happened to her. There’s also a hot town doctor involved. Normally I’d be annoyed by the hot town doctor in this type of story, but his past is mysterious and I think he adds to the story.

Otherwise, I have a book on Audible but haven’t listened to it yet. It’s a busy week in a busy month. It’s weird as August is usually a quiet month, but the upside is I haven’t had time to be bored

What are you reading?

Happy Wednesday!

The post Wednesday Reading first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

It was a good and okay weekend.

Friday was great. We went out to visit our granddaughter Cigi and had a ton of fun with her. She’s really cruising around furniture and holding onto toys to walk around. She will be toddling on her own any time now! But as independent as she’s getting, she still likes to hug Grandma! That was a good day.

The rest of the weekend was fine. We spent it with my Mother in Law and all went well. It’s just tiring, but with all the siblings in the area helping out, it’s manageable. I’m playing more cards than I’ve played in years, LOL. My Mother in Law loves cards, although she only remembers one game now. What’s amazing is that math skills (in keeping score) are still sharp. I’m impressed. These days, her memory isn’t great, so it’s fun to celebrate the skills she can still do.

Maggie had fun as always but she is very happy to me home

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

TGIF!! Time to share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

Monday I bought towels, a shower curtain and liner for the guest bathroom. Both of us are happy to have nice towels and a fresh look replaced the old towels I bought two years ago that shredded in the washer. And yep, I made what we could salvage out of those towels work for two long years because I’m stubborn and (sort of) cheap.August is zooming by and we haven’t caught our breath yet. Usually this time of year is slow and I’d plan to launch my new blog. That’s on hold now until we can get a better handle on things. It’s fine though…lift happens.I did get a ring light and some microphones to learn to do videos. Right now I’m using my old phone. If I (or we — Wizard is always trying to get in on my ideas, LOL) enjoy this, I’ll eventually look for a better camera with a price tag that doesn’t give my chest pains.I got my Cat Scan done this week. I expect my doctor to get the report sometime next week. Man CT’s are so easy compared to MRIs! Not cheap, but then this whole week has been expensive. I stocked up a various stuff from Target and spent $109.00!!! I’d already guessed at least a $100.00 before I set foot in the store, but still…prices are ridiculous. Ironically, Maggie’s pill pockets were the most expensive thing I bought. The rest was just random stuff we needed to stock up.Busy weekend ahead. We are going to see our granddaughter Cigi today — we just want to despite a ton of driving lately. She’s eleven months and growing crazy fast. Now she’s assisted walking with toys she can push. Then on Saturday, we going to stay with Wizard’s mom, so a lot more driving. On the upside, Maggie’s loves visiting her and has a blast in her backyard so she’ll be happy.

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

I bought one book at Target and felt like a big spender. Then Wizard went to Barnes and Noble and bought three books. He beat me, LOL. He’s been reading a ton this summer because the heat is keeping him inside. For me, these last couple weeks of August are super busy.

Anyway, that single book I bought is MAGIC HOUR by Kirstin Hannah. I’m only about 30 pages in, but it looks interesting so far. I think I’ll like this book. And I finished listening to EVERY SUMMER AFTER. It was an okay romance, but it had a infidelity plot line that didn’t work for me. That’s a personal taste thing, I guess.

What are you reading and/or listening to?

The post Wednesday Reading first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

This one is easy to roundup my weekend — cleaning. Not exciting at all, but good to get done.

One bright spot — I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies (gluten and dairy-free) for Youngest. Then later that day Youngest tried to shake me down with a text: “Send my $75.00 for a picture of Cigi”

I replied, “Are you visiting her?

His reply was a rude demand. “Now it’s $80.00” I was being shaken down by my own son for a picture of my granddaughter. Can you believe the nerve?

But I had an answer for the amateur blackmailer. “I baked you cookies.”

He sent the picture. I mean seriously, where does he think he learned to do these shakedowns?

And this is the kind of text shenanigans that go on in our family text chain, or in separate texts, all the time.  Last week, oldest was taunting me with a picture of me making a crazy weird face at Cigi. I really should change my phone number.

How was your weekend?

 

 

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

TGIF! Time to share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

I wasn’t impressed with the peach picante pork chops. I need to find a better recipe with a peach glaze, I think.I’ve cut my walking this week due to my legs aching. It’s really annoying to work so hard to reach goals, then have factors beyond my control get in my way. Could be anything causing it, but the usual suspect is my RA flaring up. And in good news, I can lift weights fine still. It’s my legs that are whining. I think reducing the walking for a few days will help that. Also my idea of resting my legs is to reduce my walk to half a mile or so, and THEN spend hours vacuuming and washing floors I finally was able to connect on the phone with a friend — we’ve been trying to connect for two weeks, LOL! That called led to a plan for lunch in two more weeks time. It’s pretty funny that we’re both retired and can’t get our schedules to align! Family, grandkids, some health stuff is keeping us busy. But the great thing about friends is we understand and work around these days.Yesterday we went to see Cigi. I love that she wants me to hold her right after I get there. She played for hours with both me and Wizard. She’s cruising around furniture and speed crawling all over. But while doing all that, she’ll just randomly come up and hug one of us — baby/toddler hugs are the best! Here’s a pic wherein Cigi gives us her stamp of approval on our new car.This weekend is up in the air. I believe two of Wizard’s sisters have his Mom covered, but we will make ourselves available if we’re needed. I have a list of things I’d like to do like check out clearance on outdoor furniture for my deck, and some cleaning that I haven’t gotten to yet, but we’ll see what the weekend brings. I’ll always skip cleaning for better offers!

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.