A Time For Everything

Sweet baby angel Caleb, the newest member of the family.

I traveled to Omaha this Labor Day -- as I have done every Labor Day for the last decade or so -- and met that sweet little boy pictured above. He's just turned three months old and is a sweet natured baby.

I also saw my oldest daughter who drove from Colorado, so that was a nice treat as well.

But let me tell you, my family is a hot mess. Mostly lovable, but such a hot mess.

I also went to visit my dad's grave and left my traditional offering of pinwheels. There was a lovely breeze, and I did get video, but as I'm technologically challenged sometimes, I messed things up and now can't get the video to play. (Bah!) But here's a picture:

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And I've finally, finally gotten to work on the revamp of Series One, Book One!

Yeah, remember that?

I've struggled to make progress over the last four months because there were more changes/fixes than I expected there to be. But I kept reading / reviewing and making notes. Finally figured out some of the things that were holding me back and now I'm able to move forward. Whew!

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Oh, guess what? I'm no longer an official member of my writers group board of directors! Someone else ran for Treasurer. I still manage the website, but I'm gonna work on documentation so that someone else can take on that job at some point. Maybe even next year. :0)

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I've also made some progress on those clay pots I mentioned wanting to paint. Here's the first one:

And, yes, I obviously went with a Pride theme. :0) The other one is going to have gnomes, but I'm still searching for a simple pattern that I like and can pull off with my rudimentary painting skills.

Once I plant something in this pot, I'll share the completely finished project. And once I finish the other, I will of course share that as well.

Take care and see you in two weeks.

My annual trek to Omaha to see my family was good...

I took a different approach to the actual driving portion of the weekend which was to just not hurry. I really love the scenery of the mid-west corridor or this section of the fly-over states.

Farmers' fields in the plush bloom of being just about ready for harvest feeds my soul. The sky, usually a crisp blue, was blocked by hazy air most of the way this year due to heat and wildfires. But I hit a stretch of road and sky between Holton, Kansas and Nebraska City, NE with the clear blue that brings me so much joy. I rolled down all the windows and enjoyed the view along with the "cool"--only mid-80's that day!!

The actual visits are uncontrolled chaos. There are toddlers and elementary-aged kids along with young adults and, really, just A LOT of bodies in a very small space. My step-mom says next year we're dividing up the visits. Half the fam on Saturday, the half on Sunday. I am very okay with that. :0)

Mostly we sat around chit-chatting and getting caught up on one another's lives. And then there's always some delicious food. This year, spaghetti, pulled pork, and fajitas.

Also--my brother James arrived home from boot camp/tech school on Thursday evening. So the whole crew was there.

One of the highlights of my trip was visiting my dad's grave during daylight hours. I've always gone at 5am on my way out of town. This time I went Sunday morning around sunrise. And it was lovely and I'm doing that again next year.

Another bonus of going to the cemetery while it was light out was seeing deer, but more importantly, actually seeing the pinwheels I leave behind. As an extra special hello, there was a bit of a breeze, and I managed to catch the whirling pinwheels on video.

Hope your three-day weekend was relaxing.

And now that Labor Day is behind us, it's time to for me to get back to work and back on track with exercising and eating right and all the other things that have taken a back seat to surviving the heat.

Catch you Thursday!

Hope you're enjoying your three-day break from your usual labors.

As I have done for at least five years now, I went home to Omaha, NE to visit family. Actually, today, the Monday of Labor Day, is the day I'm making the ten hour trek home.

I look forward to getting home, but I have to admit that the drive back home is tougher than the drive to Nebraska. Mostly because I'm driving south the whole way and since it's usually bright and sunny, as this time of year is wont to be, the sun is shining directly into the car through the front windshield. I have to take care to consume enough non-caffeinated liquids. Especially once I hit Oklahoma.

More about the trip and the fam later.

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The March 2024 Buc-ee's road trip itinerary has been altered and mostly finalized. We're re-routing from our original Buc-ee's destinations in Tennessee and Kentucky to the two in Georgia and the two in Alabama we didn't realize existed the last time we...went to Alabama.

We'll also be hitting the Memphis Zoo (and a staying at a hotel in Memphis as a way point) and the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta as well meeting a couple of friends of mine, one in Huntsville, AL and one in Atlanta, GA respectively for a meal.

It's going to be a four-day whirlwind of driving...

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Speaking of Buc-ee's...Finance Buzz is offering positions to taste-test Buc-ee's snacks. So DD and I signed up. Chosen Buc-ee's Bud-ees receive money to offset their expenses.

*fingers crossed* that one or both of us get selected.

Still speaking of Buc-ee's, there's a new one being built juuust south of the I-35 split/rejoin which is juuust north of Hillsboro. It should open sometime in 2024. I pass that location at least four times a year on my way to and from the fireworks store which is probably another thirty minutes south of Hillsboro.

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Our new air fryer...

Why oh why did it take me sooo long to break down and buy one? And we've already decided we need another so we can cook two things at once. :0) It won't take me as long to buy the second one though.

The best things so far cooked: tater tots (!!!) and breaded ravioli.

I've even cooked pork chops and burgers in it and both were good. My technique and the timing both need adjusting for even better results although the burgers were pretty good. Pork chops were a little tough, so less cooking time me-thinks.

And thats it for today. Enjoy the rest of your day/weekend! See you Thursday

God save the King...

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Now the road trip...

As I usually do, I traveled north to Omaha to visit family over the long weekend. The trip probably wouldn't have happened had Mom not died, but she did and I was able to go. Not that I'm glad it happened at the expense of her life... But I am still grateful that I got to go.

DH had hoped to go with me this year, but inevitably something work-related and something he can't do remotely or push off comes up. Honestly, I don't mind. 

I enjoy the long drive by myself. My soul is fed by the time alone and the beauty of the countryside I drive through on my way there and back. The open plains filled with cattle or with fields of lovely growing things are so beautiful to me. The last stretch from the Nebraska border into Bellevue is especially wonderful because Highway 75 is two lanes and the fields and homes are right there.

My family is a chaotic, weird, wild, redneck-ish mass of people. I love them all. I like some of them way more than others...

The last two years, I met new babies, Christine in 2020 and Mayson in 2021...here we are this year. Christine took way too long to warm up to Auntie Jen (hence the face), but Mayson settled right into my arms as if no time had passed.

This year, I met my de facto new sister-in-law, Ally, and new niece, Ana. By all accounts, Ally and my oldest younger brother are destined for marriage. My oldest younger sister and Ally are already besties. Ana and Christine are close in age, so a new cousin and built-in playmate.

Here is Ana and me...

Overall, it was a good trip and good to see and mark the growth of all my nieces and nephews and to meet and welcome Ally and Ana to the family.

Much as I love the drive, one of these days, ten hours in a car just won't be feasible. But not this year and hopefully not next.

Hope you had a lovely and relaxing weekend.

Talk to you soon.

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P.S. Two things...

A. I'm going to work on getting back to two posts a week. I'm finding more things to share than what Monday only posting allows for... There may be some misses here and there, but that's the goal. There will definitely be two this week.

B. I'm working on a way to automate getting this blog to those who receive via email. Right now it's been a very tedious process. But it may mean that you might see a post twice. Not sure which one as that depends on when I work out the kinks and launch. I apologize in advance.

As I usually do over Labor Day weekend, I went home to see my family.

We had another new baby, my great nephew Mayson, who is now 4 1/2, 5 months old. And sweet as sweet could be.

Last year, the new baby was Mayson's big sister Christine. She's grown into a funny independent toddler. Thankfully, she hasn't quite hit the terrible twos. But she's busy.

Here she is from last year... :0)

It can be a little chaotic with all the people in a small house, but it's good to be with them for a few days.

Hope your long weekend was relaxing and peaceful. Take care and see you next week.

The newest member of my family made his appearance last Friday...

I'll get to meet him in September when I go visit my family. Can't wait. :0) He'll be the youngest baby I've gotten to hold--the others have been several months older than this little guy will be by the time I get to visit.

Spring is in full swing here in North Texas and we had gorgeous weather Sunday.

Hope you had a great weekend too...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!