Good morning friends. It feels wrong not to mention the devastation and heartbreak that hit Texas over the weekend. I grew up going to a Christian camp on Maryland's eastern shore every summer, and I worked at the camp as a college student. The experiences I had there as both a camper and counselor helped shape me in to the person I am today, and it holds a very special and tender place in my heart.
The pictures out of the Guadalupe flood and the young campers especially, are hard to see...the stories so very hard to hear. I pray the God who knows our every ache brings peace and comfort to the many families struggling to cope with the weight of their grief and loss.
We celebrated America's birthday this weekend, and it was the absolute nicest 4th I can remember in terms of weather.
Let's recap...
Daughter2 and her littles were here all last week and the cousins had so much fun hanging out together, both in the lake and in the neighborhood pool.
My daughter has this darling outdoor mud kitchen which Sweet Baby J could not wait to play in.
She had us all come for dinner Wednesday night and made a scrumptious dessert with the blueberries we'd picked the week before. I'll definitely be making this myself all summer long.
Daughter2 and her crew left around lunchtime Thursday to get back to their own home, and to her hubs who'd been traveling for work all week. Hubs and I got busy putting away some of the kid stuff-high chair, portable crib, toy box, etc, and then he ran the vacuum and I cleaned bathrooms.
About four hours after they pulled out of the driveway hubs brother and sister-in-law rolled in from Tennessee. They brought fabulous steaks for us to grill that evening and I made baked potatoes and a Caprese salad to go with.
After dinner we sat on the upstairs deck and caught up. I'm in a boot which is super annoying and I try hard not to go up and down the stairs unless it's absolutely necessary. I knew on Friday there would be more up and down than would be good for me so I tried to balance that with no up and down on Thursday.
Friday was America's birthday and she dawned bright and beautiful. I'd made a quiche to have for breakfast and hubs grilled the rest of the Benton's bacon my sister-in-law had brought to have as a bloody mary garnish. Hubs is the master when it comes to handcrafting a bloody mary.
Traffic on the lake is higher than normal on the 4th, so we took a morning cruise to get out before the rush. We came home and floated and then I made a charcuterie for us to snack on between breakfast and dinner. It's no simple thing to get me to the dock. I wear the boot down the walkway, take the boot off just before the dock, hubs helps me down the dock steps into the water, and then I just hang on the float, suspended, without moving my feet.
Then someone helps me out, I dry off, reboot and hubs helps me walk back up to the house on the cart path.
I'm a lot right now and I know it.
Daughter1, her hubs, and their three littles arrived mid-afternoon and spent a few hours in the water having a grand time. We have a big lily pad they like to jump off of, and hubs and his brother and sister-in-law make it shake (we call it an earthquake) and they fall and laugh and love it. I watched because I want to get out of this boot sooner rather than later.
Hubs grilled wings and brats for our July 4th feast.
I made baked beans and cole slaw, and daughter1 brought a pasta salad and dessert, this patriotic and delicious trifle-
We ate outside and then pulled out the corn hole and relaxed on the patio for a while. Daughter1's in-law's popped by to say hello, then we were joined by friends who also had their grandkids visiting. We're the primo spot for viewing the fireworks, and another friend brought a boatload of his family over to tie up to our dock and watch too.
The grands had some pre-game fun with sparklers we'd purchased before we all settled in to watch the absolutely fantastic show my neighbor puts on every year.
It's a solid thirty minutes of fireworks and just when you think it's over a few more go off. I think this was the best we've seen in the eight summers we've been here.
Little Miss slept through the entire show on her momma's lap lol.
I didn't go all the way to the dock to watch because of my ankle, but instead planted myself in a chair at the fire pit and the view was top notch there too.
Saturday morning was super relaxed with coffee sipped leisurely on the deck. We had a light breakfast then took the boat out to see what we could see. We came home and floated before showering and making our way to daughter1's house for a tour. This was her aunt and uncle's first time seeing the new house, plus they brought gifts for the kiddos which were thoroughly enjoyed. Little Miss may have worn her tiara to church Sunday morning.
Saturday evening hubs and his brother grilled the most delicious pork chops ever. They'd purchased them in Tennessee from a place called Simpson's Meats, bone-in and about 2 1/2 inches thick. So so good. I made a big salad and that was plenty.
After dinner we went out for a sunset cruise. It was a beautiful evening and I love a sunset cruise.
Where I go the boot goes.
Sunday morning we all went to church together. So special having an entire pew full of family. We went to our usual and favorite breakfast spot right after, and then my brother-in-law and sister-in-law got on the road home. I planted myself and my bum ankle on the couch to watch movies with the hubs.
And that's the weekend that was. Happy birthday America and have a great week everyone.
Linking with Holly and Sarah today for their every Monday morning weekend recap blog hop. Come on over!
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