Going Back to High School

Don't let the title fool you.  I would NEVER go back and relive those high school days!  However, I did attend my 40th High School Reunion this past weekend.  (Oh no.........did I just reveal my age??)

I had been going back and forth on whether or not to attend.  40 years is a long time, and my usual inner voice crept into my brain:

• No one will remember me - I was a nobody in a class of 680+
• I was a shy wall-flower who blushed easily
• I didn't have many friends that I hung out with outside of school
• I was not in any clubs or extra-curricular activities
• Most of my friends from my Catholic grade school moved on to the Catholic High School
• I was dorky 
• I didn't really date anyone in High School nor go to Homecoming or Prom (which is a total blog post in itself 😭)
• I have Facebook friends from High School, and do they really care if they see me in person?

I was also going to use the excuse of being only 2 weeks post-surgery, however more than one person quickly squashed that one and told me that I would be pretty much ok by then.  Sigh.....out of excuses, so I finally bought my ticket to attend, and bought my husband a ticket as well - you know, for insurance, just in case I needed to have someone to talk to, as I was pretty sure no one would be talking to me.  There were other spouses going, so I knew that on the outside chance I was actually busy talking to people, he would not feel neglected.

The day before the reunion, I saw that there were going to be some former classmates that would be gathering at the local downtown pub - kind of a pre reunion, if you will. One of my friends, Mary, was going to be there, so I decided to go. Mind you, my high school self would NEVER have done something like that in a million years, however my adult self felt somewhat comfortable, as I am familiar with the place, and I knew that at least Mary would be there.  I considered this a good ice breaker for me, so that walking into the actual reunion the next day might be a bit easier.

Thankfully, Mary was standing outside when I arrived, so I was able to go in with her.   Surprise to me - people actually remembered me!  People that in my high school days I considered "popular", and that I had no real connection with back then, remembered me and were genuinely happy to see me! What??  I had such a good time talking to people that night - and found that many of them felt the same way I did - that no one would remember them or care about who they were now.  (As a side note, I am the Exec. Director for our local Chamber of Commerce, so more than once I had people referring to me as the Queen of our Village - hah - not even close, but thank you for making me feel like I'm a "somebody" instead of how I saw myself 'back in the day".)

The actual reunion itself was really a nice event.  I was able to get over myself and my anxieties, and actually go up to people that I remembered.  Hubby hung with all of the other "plus ones" that he already knew, so he did not feel a bit out of place.  I found that the majority of the girls (ok, women, but that night we were all back in high school, so girls) looked very much recognizable, whereas I found that many of the guys were not.  All in all, however, we have aged pretty well, if I do say so myself! 

One of the people I reconnected with was Char - someone that I remember fondly from back then. She and I were messaging the other day.  We both commented on how we felt like no one liked us in high school, but as adults, we now find that it was really the exact opposite. Too bad it only took us 40 years to realize it.  She made a comment that struck me: "Isn't it amazing how we perceive ourselves, versus how others actually see us?"

I have come a long way since 1973 -1977.  That shy girl is for the most part gone. Although the feelings do creep in at times, I do my best to push them off.   I know that we all have the same feelings of inadequacy, so I make myself remember that.  I know that if I am the first to approach someone  and say something, the acknowledgement will usually be welcome.  This has taken me YEARS to be comfortable with, though - trust me!

So in 10 more years, we will all be just a few years away from turning 70.  Well, except for me.  When I turned 50, I started counting backwards.  I am now only 42.  So if I decide to start counting up again, I will only be in my early 50's in time for the 50th reunion - wink, wink 😄 .

The Year of Me

I was born on July 17 - or 7/17.  Those numbers have always sort of been "my numbers".  I have used 717 as part of my login name on nearly everything, and when the long-awaited Alzheimer's Illinois License plates are finally released, mine will (hopefully) read YMI717.  Many times I will glance at the clock (ok, it can happen twice a day) and the time will be 7:17.  My husband or I will say out loud "Seven Seventeen!"  Once he even texted me at that exact time, telling me it was 7:17.   Silly and fun stuff!

So, when the year was going to be 2017 - well, that was going to be my year!  I obviously was not around for 1917 (or, maybe I was, and look really, really good for my age.....) and I will not be around for 2117, so this was it!  This would be "my" year!  I don't really know what I expected; perhaps that 7/17/17 would be something spectacular and significant (which it was not).  I know, "grow up Yvonne", birthdays are best celebrated by kids.  I mean, it wasn't a bad birthday, it was really just not much different than any other day.  The year itself, however, while not yet over, has held many ups and downs. 

Let me just start this by saying that I live a blessed life, and I know that I do.  I want for nothing, and I have a terrific family, both immediate and extended, as well as a plethora of wonderful friends that really do care about us.  This was proven to me most specifically when my mom passed away in March of this year.  I really felt the love.  It was a bittersweet time, as my 4th grandchild was born just one day prior to my mom's passing. So very difficult to celebrate the arrival of one beautiful life, while another beautiful life was departing - so many mixed emotions.

Some of the significant up moments of this year so far have included:

• Nearly one full month of seeing my siblings on nearly a daily basis, at the assisted living facility where my mom was living.  Someone was always there with my dad, and by late afternoon, it was usually all of us for an hour or two. Reminiscing about all of the years gone by - childhood friends and experiences - fun things our mom had taught us - the wonderful meals she prepared, and on and on.  
• Meeting our 4th grandchild - sweet Orestes - in England.  We are blessed to be able to afford to purchase plane tickets and travel overseas.  So thankful for Skype, to be able to stay in touch and see him and talk to him - and hopefully next time we see them he will recognize our faces and our voices
• Reconnecting with several of my high school friends who took the time out of their lives to attend my mother's funeral. I was encouraged to attend our 40th Class Reunion, which will be happening this Saturday.  I'm a little apprehensive, because while we change over the years (I mean 40 years since high school - how can that be since I feel like I am only 39 years old!?!) I don't think we ever really lose the "high school" part of ourselves.  I did not have many friends in high school, but that's ok, as the ones I did have, helped to shape me into who I am today.  It's those few people that I am really looking forward to seeing.  
• Driving over 11 hours (one way) with my long-time dear friend Cathy, so that we could visit Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman's Mercantile Store in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. If you have no idea who I am talking about, you can check out her blog Confessions of a Pioneer Woman Here - or you can find her on her cooking show on the Food Network channel.  I started reading her blog years ago - before she was famous.  Cathy and I had a blast on this trip, and it is one I will never forget.  We did a lot of Facebook Live videos from the car, and while we didn't have a ton of viewers, we had a load of fun doing them! Sadly, we did not run into Ree or her family during this trip, but to see where her cooking show is filmed, and to stand where she has stood - well, that was 2nd best!  We are going to a book signing in November, so will see her in person then~

The Down moments:

• The death of our dear Pug, Allie, who went downhill pretty quickly from Mast Cell tumors.  She actually died before our eyes, as we awaited a phone call from the local vet.  This was especially difficult for my husband, as he brought her home to us as a small, but rambunctious puppy, and she was his side-kick on a daily basis.
• In February, my mother took a fall, which started her downward spiral that ended in her passing on March 30.  My sweet mom lived with Alzheimer's for 11 years - each year we lost a little bit more of her, until she no longer knew who we were, and we had to search for the bits of "Mom" that were recognizable.  Last fall, our family made the difficult decision to move her into Assisted Living, then searched out the best place.  We found it in Terra Vista, close to our home.  We did not regret our decision for one minute.  They were just wonderful, not only to my mom, but our whole family as well.  We felt truly loved and embraced. 
• All of the natural disasters, and man-made tragedies that  have occurred over the past month. It's hard to wrap your head around it, really - 3 major hurricanes that caused mass devastation in Texas, Florida, the Caribbean and Puerto Rico.  Earthquakes in Mexico and several other areas of the world. The deadly mass-shooting just the other day in Las Vegas...so sickening and sad.

Right now I am on medical leave after surgery, and recovering quicker than I expected.  It's amazing how quickly the body can heal itself. Healing the heart and mind is a different story, however.  Love and faith and the comfort from others helps.

2017 has held many significant moments for me, both good and bad, and while it has not been the spectacular year that I had envisioned, it has been significant in showing me how blessed I truly am. 

In the Blink of an Eye

Seven years ago I started a blog that I called "My Little Observations"  I had a total of 5 followers, and after 15 posts, I abandoned it.  Had I run out of observations?  Who knows? Today I stumbled upon it - I'm not even sure how - and decided to try to resurrect it. So, with a new name (along with the 15 original posts) I have decided to try again.  Full disclosure - I am not a professional writer, nor will I ever pretend to be.  I have no idea what I will write about, or if it will even be interesting - or if my original 5 fans will even give me another shot.  But in any event, here I go!

The title of this post "In the Blink of an Eye" can mean many different things to many people.  Life does tend to pass us by in the blink of an eye.

Seven years ago, my mom was living with Alzheimer's, however, she still knew who I was.  Over the course of this past year, she know longer knew her children, was moved into assisted living, then within 5 months she was in hospice. She became a Great-Grandma for the 4th time, the day before she passed away.



Five years ago there were 2 awesome kids that called me "Gramma".
Ava at the time was 6 years old, and starting 1st grade. She is now in 6th grade!






 Rhys was only 3 1/2, and is now in 3rd grade - I swear they are growing up faster than my own did.




Three years ago, little Miss Isla came along to join Son Justin,

daughter-in-love, Emily, Ava and Rhys. I can't even remember what it was like before she arrived!

Son Brandon married our lovely daughter-in-love, Giouli 2 years ago and is living full-time in the UK.  Just 5 months ago, they started  their family with their son Orestes, and in the blink of an eye, I am now Gramma to 4 of the most wonderful kids!

Youngest son Zac is now gainfully employed and living on his own with my "Grand-pup" Diesel

Deanna and her pup Roxie are in Bozeman, MT - that has not changed, however she is now in college, and very close to earning her degree in Entomology.

7Husband Tony has been at several different trucking companies over the past 7 years, with the ever-changing industry. Praying this current company will take us into retirement!

Summer itself has passed us by in the blink of an eye, but I have always looked forward to each and every season.  Even though I am not quite into the Pumpkin and Spice state of mind just yet, I know that it will just be a matter of time for me to get out all of the fall decor and change things up.

So much can happen in the span of 5 years - vacations, parties, births and deaths, relationships solidify, and others dissolve, hairstyles (don't get me started) and all of ups and downs of this crazy journey that we call life.  One would think that maybe we ought to stop blinking, so that life will slow down a bit, but I want to live each moment to the fullest - feel all of the joy as well as the hurt.  I want to keep experiencing life, and all of it's lessons, and be content with knowing that I am just trying to live my life to the fullest. 

Light up the Night

I bought one of these cute little lanterns about a month ago at IKEA.  With just a simple little tealight it really reflects back a lot of light!  Hubby and I sat out on the porch last night with our little lantern sitting on the table, and decided that it would look much better hanging on one of the porch support posts - and that we needed another 3 - one for each support.

Back to IKEA we went.  At $3.99 each, it was a pretty affordable deal!  We stopped at our local Ace Hardware, and found these perfectly matching hooks in the garden section.  They were only $3.69 each, so all 4 lanterns and hangers for just under $32!!

I can't wait until tonight when we can light them all up! 

Upstate Minestrone Soup

This is really the only homemade soup that I make on a regular basis.  While I like soup, I'm not fond of making it - except this one, as there is nothing that tastes quite like it, and my family requests it often during the cold winter months of Chicago.

Here is the cast of characters, otherwise known as the list of ingredients:

1 lb. mild Italian Sausage

1 medium onion - diced (about 1 cup)

3-4 carrots - peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)

2 zucchini - sliced

1-2 cloves garlic - minced

2 cups shredded cabbage (or coleslaw mix)

32 oz. beef broth

1 can Italian stewed tomatoes

1 can Great Northern Beans

1 T. olive oil

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Begin to heat olive oil in stock pot (got mine at Target - it's the Paula Deen one, and I love it!)

Cut the sausage into 1 inch thick slices (you can use bulk sausage if desired)

Brown in the olive oil then add the following:

onion

carrots

garlic

basil, and let cook for about 5 minutes.

Add zucchini

tomatoes

beef broth and shredded cabbage (oops, forgot to take a picture of the cabbage!)

salt and pepper.  The whole mixture will look like there is not enough liquid, but the cabbage will cook down and there will be plenty of liquid.  Bring to a boil, then lower temperature and simmer covered for about an hour.

Add the can of beans (undrained) and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

I like to serve with parmesan cheese..  Enjoy!!

Makes about 8 servings

Porch Retreat

Fall Pumpkin Project

I chose 2 coordinating fabrics for this project. 

Cut 3 pieces from each of the fabrics (since it is folded, I cut 3 sets of each,

so I could make 2 pumpkins)

Cut 2 for the stem (this is of felt) 

Here are all the pieces needed for this project.  If you want me to email you the patterns

let me know in the comments

Start by sewing 1 of each of the different fabrics together along one edge.  All seams are 1/4 inch.

Add in each piece, alternating the fabrics.

Until you have all six pieces sewn together - then join the first piece and the last piece, being sure to leave an opening along the edge for stuffing.

What you have will look like a deflated beach ball!

Begin stuffing the pumpkin very tightly - it actually took 1/2 of a bag of stuffing!

Whip stitch the opening by hand with small stitches.

Sew the 2 pieces of the stem, leaving the bottom open.

Then carefully turn it right side out.

And stuff tightly

Sew the edge corners of the stem to the pumpkin with several stitches (yes, I know I need my nails filled...)

Almost done!

I thought it needed a little something else, so I tied 3 pieces of raffia around it - pulling it a little tight to give it some shape.  Of course, this should probably be done before sewing in the stem, and that's what I'll do when making any additional pumpkins.  The nice thing about them is that you can keep them out from September through November! Happy Fall!