Jennifer Apodaca's Blog, page 6

Weekend Roundup

It was a quiet one for me. I’m good with that.

Friday and Saturday involved a lot of cleaning. I also wrote a blog and had three ready to go. Then it dawned on me that two were very similar. Sigh…I discarded one into my “draft” file where I can repurpose it later. I wrote one more blog, so I had three again and am beginning work on the fourth. I want seven or more written before I launch the blog. I haven’t even started on the interview side of things (I want that to be part of the blog, plus podcasting later).

Will I do all this? I hope so, but also, life is swirling. So they way I look at it now is I’m exercising my writing muscle and enjoying learning new things. If it all comes together — awesome! If not, it’s all good. — I’ll just readjust or pivot and find my happy place in a scaled down version.  I really do need to make a decision on the blog theme and ask someone to take pictures of me. I’m not looking forward to either of those things But I am enjoying working on this, and keep the pace as I want it to be.

Here’s a pic of my granddaughter in the airport heading for her first flight.

 

From all the pics I saw, she did great on the plane and fell asleep on her dad. It looked like they had a blast. They’re visiting Cigi’s mom’s relatives and I’m really happy that she’s getting to meet her extended family. I just have to say, Middle Son is loving being a dad.

Turbo and his family are having a blast. Here’s oldest son (CPA boy) covered in kids. Boys never really grow up, but they sure do get stronger! Turbo is in on the right of the picture (in CPA boys left arm). They are visiting CPA Boy’s friend from high school and college!

Here’s a pic Maggie’s here just because We were hanging out in the backyard and I used a treat to bribe her for a pic.

This weekend I floated the idea of renting an Motorhome to go see Wizard’s brother in Oregon. He had a minute of being intrigued, then starting thinking of disasters that could befall us. Essentially, the motorhome was going to break down, leaving us stranded and evidently our phones would die and any form of communication would evaporate and probably bears would eat us slowly while we’re alive and screaming…it was astonishing how fast a fun idea became a horror movie, LOL! He might come around or write a horror novel, I’m not sure which yet!

So how was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF!! Here we are again on Friday and I’m my usual, “How did that happen???” But it’s here and it’s time to share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

I’m working on my blog stuff. I have a lot to do, so it’ll be a while. I have a question, but for context, the new blog will be different. More of a lifestyle blog (loosely), and I’ll start with one main post a week. Not the casually, unedited chatty type I do now. However, I’m thinking about keeping Friday Five if any of you are still interested in that kind of interaction?? Any answer is totally cool, I’m aware that some or all may not be interested in a different version of the blog at all.I learned from working on all this how much I missed writing. But I don’t miss the pressures, deadlines and things that were beyond my control.It’s been a tad cooler this week. Enough that I repotted a couple plants and Wizard did a major weed and clean of our backyard hill area. I don’t know how he still does it, but he manages.So far, I really like my new pans. Especially for the price But seriously, I do like them and am happy that I took a chance on them. It’s only been a couple weeks so we’ll see how I feel in a few months. I’m pretty hard on my kitchen tools.It’s been a quietish week and this weekend will be fairly calm. All the kids are busy — two are traveling and one is dog sitting for one of his traveling brothers. I haven’t decided what kind of kid free trouble I might want to get into, but if I do something crazy, I’ll let you all know on Monday!

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

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Wednesday Reading

I’m going to try for a soft rant…but I get worked up so we’ll see. I’m having feelings, and let’s be real, feelings are feelings…not facts. This is just the way this experience is making me feel.

I bought an audiobook by my favorite authors and I flat out feel misled. If the romance is between two women, mention their names or some other clue in the blurb. I found out by surprise, and that’s the part that bugs me. Not like a shocking plot twist, I love those. This feels deliberate to get someone who chooses not to read a certain thing to read it. Authors shouldn’t have to trick readers into buying their books. Sure we advertise, get good covers and catchy blurbs to get attention for the book, but hopefully, we’re highlighting the strong parts of the book, not misleading readers.

I considered returning the book, but I’m not actually offended by the romance. I’m just annoyed at the game, and not interested in the romance. It’s not my thing. Think of it like this: I really don’t like fish. But I have nothing against the fish industry, and people choose to eat fish around me all the time. I’m fine with it, I just choose the kind of food I like and everyone is happy. So I’m not returning the book.

FYI, I did return a book once because the adult hero of the book made fun of someone with a handicap in the opening pages. In that case was offended and mad. I returned the book in utter disgust. I don’t remember the title or author or anything except how upset I was.

Back to this book: Would I have bought the book anyway if it’d been clear in the blurb? I’d say there’s a 60% or better chance I would have as I liked the premise of the book, and I really like her writing. This author’s books are generally about more than a romance so … yeah, I’d say 60% chance I would have picked it up anyway. I might even have been curious of how she was going to weave that romance into the super interesting, and highly competitive setting.

Now I don’t know if I’ll finish it because I’m soured by the feeling of being duped. Or maybe I don’t like being thought of as closed minded or in any way supporting censorship? Something I fought against in my time of Co-President and Published Author Liaison for my chapter of RWA.

I don’t know, but my experience with this book has soured and I’m not sure if I’ll finish it. I really do like the premise…so we’ll see.

What are you reading? And was my rant soft? I mean, I didn’t swear…that counts right

Happy Wednesday!

The post Wednesday Reading first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

We had a good weekend. Saturday was the pool party at Youngest Son’s house.  That was a blast. Youngest has a waterproof vlogging (video) camera, and Middle Son used it to capture himself doing summersaults into the pool. That was amazing to see from the video perspective, even under water. By the way, Middle Son is a total ham, just like his adorable daughter, Cigi. Of course, Cigi was the star of the day (Turbo wasn’t there, he had friend’s birthday party). FYI, my sons and daughters in law made fun of me, saying “Don’t let Cigi see Grandma or she’ll just want her.” Um…how was this supposed to upset me? LOLOL! Cigi loves everyone and spent time with them all, I just can just usually coax her to come to me. It’s a Grandma Superpower

Second fun thing, I was bugging them all about going stand up paddleboarding with me. Middle insisted that he’s the best paddleboarder and he’ll teach me. His wife said he’s good at paddleboarding but sucks at teaching because he just goes…and would leave me behind, so she should teach me.  When middle balked, she asked him who taught him. He shut up then, since she taught him how to paddleboard! Yep, that’s my utterly ridiculous family. Anyway, hopefully we will go paddleboarding before summer is over, and I’m going to drag Youngest daughter-in-law with us because it’s her kind of thing even if she doesn’t know it yet. And probably Youngest son too, so he can watch Cigi at the beach (he’ll volunteer for that!).

Sunday, Wizard went racing with Turbo and Oldest Son. He fixed up a car for Oldest Son so he can race too, and last I heard — both Turbo and his Dad had qualified in first place in two different qualifiers. We’ll see what happens in the single main race. Wizard told me he wasn’t going to race as he would end up being Head Coach and Mechanic fixing both Turbo and Oldest Son’s cars. I think he’s enjoying his coaching/mechanic job as much as he enjoys racing. Update: Turbo came in second place against five other adults!! His dad placed after him, but I’m not sure where yet. Here are father and son, both clearly having fun!

This week we need to buy some rock to go around our new deck now that it’s all sealed and done. I’m still thinking about some kind of patio cover or pergola…but our budget tells me it won’t be happening soon. Budget is a total buzzkill.

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

TGIF!!! Let’s jump right into sharing five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

I forgot to mention that I made a terrible gluten free lemon poundcake last weekend. Wizard ate a piece, then agreed I could throw it out. Some of my efforts most definitely fail Also, this is another example of listen to your instincts — when I read the recipe I was pretty sure it was going fail. So why did I do it anyway? Good question!I’m waiting for a CT scan for my sinus area.  I’ll be waiting for a while, because the insurance takes forever to approve those, but I’m not really in a hurry anyway. Overall, I’m glad that I went. My doctor could definitely see that my nose looked “irritated and weird”.  Why am I always weird? LOLOL!! (No worries, the most likely cause is a polyp or even severe allergies/irritation–we’re hoping the CT can show us where the source of the problem is).I finished sealing the deck. It took a couple days, but I did it. Next up, we need to get rock to put around it. Maybe next week, we’ll see. Now I need to get back to paying attention to my plants. A couple need some help…repotting, feeding, etc.The price of the coffee I buy jumped $2.00 between my last purchase and the one this week. I was displeased. It’s been going up for a while now, but this jump triggered my deep rooted fear of Severe Caffeine Withdrawal. Other prices are going up to, but the coffee one got to me. On the upside, the price of eggs been down for a while now. Why am I talking about this? Because this week was my highest grocery shopping bill ever and I’m not over it yet. Fun fact, we took a car in this week for a dent-and-paint fix that was way more than the grocery bill but I shrugged that off. Funny what gets to us.It’s a Pool Party weekend! Now that Youngest if freed from the indentured servitude of building a deck for his parents, he’s having a family pool party. We’re going, and Middle, his wife and CiGi are going. Oldest, his wife and Turbo have another commitment. We will miss them, but still….Pool Party!

That’s my rather bland week. I did a lot of chores and such but nothing interesting I bet you all have better things to share! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Wednesday Reading

I finished THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED by Rebecca Yarros and really enjoyed it. I don’t have another book I’m committed to reading just yet. I started a Kindle sample of a nonfiction, and soon got lost in the weeds. That is the issue with historians sometimes — they can really get lost trying to tell the backstory of every single tree in the forest. I didn’t buy that book as I just don’t have the mental space to weed through so much backstory exposition before we even get to the main point of the book. On the other hand, life has felt a little chaotic due to extended family stuff, so my focus and patience is definitely off.

Today I’m going to my GP for ongoing bloody nose issues. I’m hoping to get this taken care by the end of the year — as in get a referral to an ENT who can hopefully cauterize and eventually stop the surprise explosions of flowing red drama that freaks out onlookers But in our area, finding and actually getting into an ENT’s office is a months long wait, so we’ll see. In the scheme of things, this is small, annoying and inconvenient problem to have. Also, sorry if this is TMI. I’m just used to it now and may be immune to the unpleasantness of hearing about it. The good news is, if you’re with me and need a Kleenex, I probably have a bunch!!

Are you reading or listening to anything good?

The post Wednesday Reading first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

Saturday was a marathon! It turns out, Youngest is a slavedriver

So Youngest texted me Friday and asked me if I wanted more rock to fill the frame of the deck before he laid the redwood planks down. I said yes (it’s better for drainage and keep critters out), and then I made the mistake — I told Youngest that his dad and I would be home all day to help him. Then he made us help. All day long! But the deck is done! And I learned a new-to-me skill in using a cordless screwdriver. I got pretty good at it too after Youngest drilled enough holes to use up a 5lb box of screws. That deck is solid.

So once the deck was done and we were all sitting around with cold drinks, Wizard says…”I think we need a cover (like a patio cover) for the deck.” Because that is the slippery slope of home improvement projects, one ideas becomes an expensive, time-sucking, landslide of chores. But for now, I’m thrilled to have the deck done. Today Wizard and I will seal it, but that shouldn’t be too hard.

Also I have to note, Maggie was right smack in the middle of all this work. She’s scared of phone chimes, but power tools? Not a bit scared and decided to curl up under the table that youngest was cutting some wood on with a power saw. When I told her to move (safety and all that), she went and curled up on the thick mat we were using for kneeling and watched us wield noisy power tools. Then my phone dinged a text message and she ran to the door to escape the terror. She’s a strange critter sometimes.

Sunday, I ended up staying home because my lucky grandson got to go to Disneyland. I’ll see him another time. It worked out nice though as I got all my floors cleaned and the furniture dusted after all that digging and sawing that somehow migrates to my floors. Then I made some sourdough bread that I’ll bake today.

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF!! Am I the only one constantly surprised with how fast Friday comes? Okay, let’s do this and share five random things about our week! Here’s mine:

I had a couple low key days this week and loved it! Normally I do more things, but I just enjoyed a slower pace.Um, our freezer is fixed? Maybe we accidently fixed it when we couldn’t get the last screw out to take the drawer out? I don’t know…but I’m sure as heck not complaining!Wednesday, Wizard and I went in the afternoon heat to begin the long process of looking at cars. We tend talk about getting a new car for two years before we actually do it, so basically, the story is one day in the next days, months, or years, we will replace our Camry…or not, LOL.I got new pots and pans! Amazon Prime had some decent deals, and I found a set I liked. And then…I did zero research because every time I have done research in the past, I found a reason to not buy them. And we really needed new pans as my old ones are worn out. I’m very proud of myself for buying them…and hope they work as well as I think they will.  They are basically a reasonably priced cross-breed of stainless steel with a blue diamond non stick coating. I just washed them and put them away, so I’ll let you know in the coming weeks if I’m happy with them.Yesterday, we went to see our granddaughter CiGi…I know, I know, we just saw her! But guys, she recognizes us and cries if I don’t hold and play with her right away. I mean what’s a Grandma to do??? Then we found out her other Grandma is coming out today, so little CiGi is getting all the Grandma love!!! But boy do I miss Turbo. I need to get out to see him soon (Wizard has been racing with him, so he sees him more lately.)

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.

Wednesday Reading and Stuff

I had a brain glitch and set this to post on the right day, but at the wrong time. Sorry I’m late!

Happy Hump Day!

I have not gone back to reading the getting unstuck book But I am reading THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED by Rebecca Yarros and really liking it. I started it on the camping trips, which was awesome. However, the room had crapping lighting so I couldn’t read at night. It’s a trade paperback, if it had been on my Kindle, I could read it. But these days, I really like reading in Trade paperback. Probably because on my Kindle, I watch YouTube.

It’s nice to be home and have a few calm-ish days. But am I getting any work done on my site I want to create? Um…in my defense, I’m lazy But seriously, it’s making me think about how much effort I want to consistently put into this. It’s good to set realistic goals for myself. So the question becomes, is it something I will have a lasting passion and energy for? I think so, but in manageable chunks. Figuring this out now can save me a lot of agony and worry later!

What are you reading, and how’s your midweek going?

The post Wednesday Reading and Stuff first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

But before we get to that, my heart and prayers go out to Texas. The tragedy their is awful. Truly, I hope they can find everyone, and if they aren’t alive, at least let the families have the peace of knowing, and saying goodbye. It’s just heartbreaking.

Now for something lighter. We’re home! The day before a trip is always busy and stressful and I wonder why I ever booked the trip. But then we get on the rode, and it all makes sense We had a great time! Maggie was good. She loves going in the car, and she behaved well the whole trip with no issues. We had so much fun with Middle Son, his wife, CiGi and the pups, Jett and Hazel. Maggie gets along fine with the dogs too so that makes it overall easy. We spent one day at the big campsite pool, another day, we had lunch and a wine tasing at a local winery. My daughter in law’s mom and her husband were there for Fourth of July dinner and the day at the winery day, so CiGi had two Grandmas to spoil her! We really like my daughter in law’s mom, so it feels like we’re all family.

For the Fourth, our daughter in law made a lovely dinner of tri tip, potatoes and tortellini pasta salad. We all hung out at the campsite, visited and relaxed.

Here’s a pic of CiGi in her camp chair, and then one of her with me — I’m looking at the camera while CiGi is chatting with Grandpa across the table

 

And a pic of Maggie on the little patio of our room at the Inn:

Maggie is getting as gray as her mom, but we love her all the same.

And let me just say, CiGi is such an easy baby! Grandpa and I had so much fun with her. She recognizes us which is so cool, and she gets mad her her parents take her away from us for parenting tasks like diaper changes. She makes us feel loved. Grandkids really are a gift! And a fun note: Our room was a pretty quick walk to their campsite–like a three minute walk. Yet our son had a sudden need to stretch his legs when we walked back to our room at night and would accompany us. And you know what? We thanked him. There are worse things then our kids caring, right? But seriously, it was a short walk, and we felt perfectly safe I’d happily stay at the Inn again.

How was your Fourth and weekend?

 

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.