Monday, June 16, 2025

It’s Monday and it’s time to link up with Sarah and Holly to share our weekends.

It’s halfway through June and it doesn’t feel like summer. I have only been in a body of water once. I have only been on the boat once, too. It has been rainy or gray so many days.

I am really wanting to get several inches cut off my hair. I have an appointment in a couple of weeks but thought about calling to come in for a cut before that.

Let’s go back to Thursday evening – do you play Mah Jong? Mah Jongg? My mom had a vintage set at her house and I chose to bring it to my house. My kids and I tried to play and they told me they had learned it from a video game but there is a Japanese and a Chinese version. Well, now I know there is a National Mah Jongg league in the US!

I signed up to learn from an Oh My Mahjong certified trainer (and who is a friend of a friend) and I convinced my SIL and Heather and Heather to do it with me.

It was fun but I started fading after two hours (we stayed 3.5 – eek!) and I am worried that I will not know how to use my more traditional pieces because these tiles are fancy.

You have to order a $15 card from the national league to know all the “runs” and combinations you can make. I won the first game and then we didn’t finish the second game. I ordered my card and I will try to convince the same three to try to play on my patio sometime soon! I need to order the things that hold the tiles because my set didn’t come with those.

Also, my niece Nora and I did our first cooking challenge on Thursday. I sent her the first recipe of homemade stromboli with homemade dough.

It turned out so good! The house smelled like a pizza parlor. We dipped it in Kroger brand pizza sauce. On Friday I had some leftover of it and made Cobb salads. Yum!

She has picked our next recipe of homemade black bean burgers! That will be a fun challenge.

I went to bed way too late on Thursday night but Friday was Tom’s birthday and he had to leave the house earlier than normal. He had sent me an Instagram Reel of this recipe so I made it happen on his birthday morning. They are super ugly, but it is cooked bacon with pancake batter around it.

After work, he got a basket of spicy chips and favorite snack foods.

And, his dinner was meatloaf, brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes.

Happy birthday to Tom and not happy day to Amy. It felt like a lot of work…lol. Mason made the brussels sprouts, though!

I also bought a Thermacell for him and me.

The many faces of Eddie Otis…

He is not supposed to bring his stuffies outside but who can resist this cute boy with Harry Elefante in his mouth. Tom has named all of his stuffies and Eddie can go get whichever one we ask for.

He’s so fun to buy toys for so he got an Axolotl and a baseball bat on Friday when I had to get him more treats.

I finished this on Saturday morning…I overdosed on WWII books and took a long break and this was worth coming back for. I felt like I had a book hangover after finishing it.

Seriously, I loved it.

Look at this line from the book:

“I learned far too late that life is simply about being good and decent to others. It’s as plain as that. But first, you must be good and decent to yourself. Find your own road. Find your own happiness.”

I really liked this quote. I realize there is more to life than that, but that’s a good part of it, I think.

Saturday Tom and I loaded up a piece of wood and tools that he needed for my mom’s house. Our mission was to do a few odds and ends before the house were to be put on the market.

It’s an hour drive and we pass really beautiful horses farms first and then we cross the river into Indiana.

Tom did some outdoor stuff and I entered the house alone. Reminder that our estate sale was at the end of May and then we paid the company extra to empty the house of anything that remained. Before the estate sale, the three of us had chosen what we wanted to keep and we had saved things for family members and friends.

So, this would be the first time to see the house totally empty. It was kind of good that Tom stayed outside to do some work, but it was good that he was with me, too, for the support.

I walked through the whole house and took pictures and just silently prayed a prayer of gratitude for my parents and what they gave me. It was emotional for sure, but it was also beautiful. I told them I hoped that we had done right by them. It’s just a house and the stuff inside it is just stuff, but it was theirs. They lived in the house for 19 years (we were 33, 30, and 27 with our own houses by then) but they loved the house and it saw a lot of happy memories with all of us.

My Dad’s handwriting is in the utility room on the water heater. He wrote the date he purchased it and he taped the receipt on it! Also, he was an avid runner and he wrote which running shoe he started wearing in what month. It made me smile so big. I don’t know that I had seen the running shoe record before. He passed away in December of 2018.

img_4194-1

My Dad’s handwriting was very distinct. He always used the military style of writing dates, too.

I sent photos of the empty rooms to my sisters (only after asking if they wanted me to) and we texted a bit while I was there. I helped Tom with what I could and we had to make trips to Lowe’s and Walgreen’s for supplies (as one does with any house projects).

We stopped at a store in the downtown on the way home and I ordered Mexican when I got home. Comfort food. I felt emotionally and physically exhausted.

I also went to bed at 9:00 and slept 9 hours!

Sunday was Father’s Day and there’s nothing that says happy Father’s Day like pork products. I had bacon ready for Tom when he came home from the gym.

And, his pick was to go to movies as a fam! This rarely happens these days!

How was your weekend?

Amy

28 thoughts on “Hello Monday”

  1. That sounds like a delicious weekend! Ben wanted meatloaf for his father’s day meal but I convinced him to pick something different since he’s the only one of the 5 of us that eats it. I felt a bit bad but not bad enough to make meatloaf! LOL. It rained all day on Saturday so we had a lazy day at home. It was pretty cold again this weekend so I wore pants and sweatshirts again and thought it really isn’t feeling much like summer yet.

    Like

    Reply

  2. That sounds like an emotional Saturday, but it also sounds like a big piece of healing to walk in the house being empty and feeling thankfulness. I love that you saw your dad’s handwriting.

    Mahjong is big around here and my work even had a Mahjong night last fall, although I haven’t learned to play it yet.

    Have a good Monday!

    Like

    Reply

  3. Your weekend sounds like a good one! Pancake covered bacon- I’ve not seen it all as a result of your photo of it but now I’ve seen and learned about this combo that I’d not heard of before :). I’ve never so much as heard of the game that you got from your mom’s house. Judging by the pictures you posted, it looks a bit complex for me. UNO is my current game fix- I know the rules by heart and games are generally really short which I like :). Have a great Monday!

    Like

    Reply

    1. I think they have it at a fast food place like Sonic?
      Mah jong is getting big here. We even have some parlors opening up. It’s like rummy with runs and pairs.
      I like a fast moving game so I think this will move fast once I learn.
      You too!

      Like

      Reply

  5. What a weekend, I am glad you had that time alone in your parents’ house. I expected you to find a penny!

    I had to take a break from the WW2 books too. Yesterday I actually finished a book. I very rarely take the time during the day to read because there is always so much to do but I did it and it felt good. We went to the movies yesterday too but saw The Unholy Trinity – it was okay.

    I want to play Mah Jong but boy, it sounds intense!

    xo,

    Kellyann

    Like

    Reply

    1. No penny – I did look. Sad. We went to The Phoenician Scheme yesterday – loved it! It is a Wes Anderson so it’s out there. My favorite of his, I think.
      It isn’t bad – it’s like rummy with runs and pairs. But, you do have to focus.

      Like

      Reply

  6. So much to comment on here today…I play Mah Jong every week with a group in my neighborhood and I love it. You need to play regularly so you can ‘learn the card’ so to speak. Not memorize it, but just get very familiar with it so you can quickly find your pattern. It requires more concentration than something like Bunco, so we don’t chit chat a lot during the game and save that for between rounds. I play with my neighborhood group, but am getting ready to teach three friends which will be fun too. I also loved The Winemaker’s Wife. And my hubs would be very happy with meatloaf on his birthday. I think that’s his favorite thing I make. Your stromboli looks delish and I’m glad you were able to have a quiet walk through at your parent’s house. Have a great week. I hope there’s some sunshine there!

    Like

    Reply

    1. I really enjoyed learning! I get it about the card. The downfall is that there was really no chit chat! You have to be on it!
      That book was so good!
      What makes this meatloaf good is the topping. It has brown sugar, mustard, and horseradish that goes atop.
      The stromboli impressed me. I’m not excited about the black bean burger, but don’t tell my niece.
      It worked out and I am grateful to have that time alone.
      You too!

      Like

      Reply

  7. I’ve been thinking of learning mahjong or bridge. Maybe bridge and get my husband to play along. Love the Eddie Otis photos! He is just too cute! You always seem to have the best weekends and it has inspired me to try harder with ours. We did go out for a nice dinner on Friday night. It has been raining here off and on for weeks and expected to be gloomy all week. I’m so ready for summer weather! Have a great week everybody!

    Like

    Reply

  8. My mom and a group of 8-10 (ages 50s-70s) play mahjong a few times a month at my uncle’s tavern. According to TikTok, since I’m in my 50s I need to learn… 😅 Mom also plays on her iPad- maybe that’s a place to get quicker at it?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. We had a great weekend. It has rained alot here too but I am not complaining! It’s so much better than a summer in a drought when everything is brown and crispy! Mah jong looks very complicated. My cousin has been playing it for many years. I had no idea there was a league!

    Like

    Reply

  10. What a fun and full weekend! The mah jong class sounds intense; I don’t think I’d have been able to hang. I like games, but when they make my brain hurt, I can do them. I’m so glad Tom was there with you at your parents’ house for one last time. Speaking of him, you did a great job of spoiling him this weekend! I’m sure he appreciated all of the work and effort you put into that. You’re a good wifey! 😉

    My weekend highlight was Saturday/Saturday night! Enjoy your day, my friend; I hope it starts to feel more summer-y to you soon. I need it to do the same for me, actually, since I haven’t been swimming enough yet. I need that to change ASAP!

    Like

    Reply

  11. I used to have a mah jong game on my really old ipod touch but I haven’t found another whose tiles I found appealing. Definitely never played in real life!

    Like

    Reply

  12. I play Mah Jongg on my iPad. But, I wonder if it’s different because I get rid of tiles, and I’m the only one playing. I should see if anyone in our neighborhood plays. When my mom sold the family house several years before she died, she left me and my sister cleaning. We just looked at each other in shock. I found out later she went back and cried. It’s an emotional thing even if you didn’t live there. I am a bad wife because I don’t make bacon! It’s too messy. I’d grill it for him though. Love the stuffy names and the many faces of Eddie Otis!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. Oh no! I hope the weather improves for you.
    The only Mah Jong I have played is on the computer. It looks like you had fun with it.
    The stromboli looks so good and the challenge with your niece sounds brilliant.
    Happy birthday to Tom!
    What a clever boy Eddie Otis is knowing all of his stuffies by name.
    It sounds like an emotional time visiting your moms house. Sending love and hugs!

    Like

    Reply

  14. I bet that was so emotional going through your parents’ house. I love that you thought/prayed about them with gratitude. My cousin taught me mah jong while we were on the boat. It was fun, but also very confusing. If I had a group here, I might join in, but don’t think I’d start one on my own. We also saw the Phoenician Scheme this weekend. What did you think? The kids loved it, but it wasn’t quite the movie for me! Hope you have a good week.

    Like

    Reply

  15. Learning mah jong – perfect summer retirement hobby 🙂 looks like Tom had a great birthday! EO & his toys —& knowing their names! He’s gifted. I can only imagine how your visit home felt with the empty house . The prep and then estate sale seems like the best option overall especially with you all being out of town. I didn’t even know about this route and pray I don’t have to worry about it any time soon but as I live out of town from my parents as well.
    My dad writes the date on the back of his running shoes 🤣I always chuckle

    Like

    Reply

    1. Right? But, I also need an active one. He is advanced! I am like that horrible parent that comes to conferences. “But my baby is advanced!”
      I have learned so much and estate people are literal angels. I knew Major and my Dad were cut from the same cloth! Ha!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a reply to Marilyn Bridges Cancel reply