Jammin'

As in jammin' a lot into a single post because I'm behind here. If you neglect your blog for a few weeks  days life just rolls right on by without comment. Still I'm going to go back and comment. We've had a busy couple of weeks here and I want to catch up. 

Am I always saying that, because it feels like it? 

Backing up to last Friday when we celebrated Mardi Gras with some neighbors. So fun! The hostess grew up in New Orleans and funnily enough the couple who not that long ago moved in next door to them also have roots there. 

The couple hosting made a wonderful New Orleans style meal of gumbo (delicious!), red beans and rice, and shrimp creole. Guests brought a spicy crab dip, a spicy sausage dip, and I made Emeril's creole relish tray with white cheddar crackers which I will definitely be making again. So good! 

Our hosts had a king cake for dessert because I think that's the Mardi Gras law. We ate all but two pieces and guess where the baby was? Not in one of the twelve pieces we cut. Is that considered unlucky? 

Another guest brought some bourbon balls topped with gold glitter and the next door neighbor from NOLA brought homemade pralines for everyone to take home. Si délicieux! We all had a cup of brandy milk punch too, which I'd never tried before, and it was so yummy. 

Hubs and I got up early Saturday morning to make the drive to daughter2's house in Tennessee for Sugar's birthday celebration. She's officially 2 and completely adorable. There was a sweet Minnie Mouse theme and everyone had 'ears' to wear. 

My son-in-law grilled a brisket, and his parents were in town for the weekend too. Friends came by with their little ones and the kids played while the adults chatted. There were of course cupcakes for the birthday girl made by her momma, baker extraordinaire. She even made the edible bows for the ears, which were mini Oreos.

It was low key and perfect for this age. Three dogs were also in attendance and they mostly behaved. 

It was a chilly weekend and we spent most of it indoors watching Olympics with a side of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. Sunday the grandparents were left in charge while the parents had a little day date. We let the kids nap maybe a little too long, but everyone was partied out. The kids too lol. 

We watched the Superbowl Sunday night, but were not invested in the teams and overall the game wasn't very exciting. I finished my book club book while listening to the game and my book was much more interesting. 

We drove home Monday morning and were back at the lake by lunchtime. I unpacked, did laundry, then washed my hair to get ready for our monthly wine club dinner happening that evening. 

Never a dull moment. 

Tuesday hubs had his guitar lesson, I made some phone calls and did some paperwork, took a walk, then had book club that afternoon. We read The God Of The Woods and it received mostly positive reviews. I was home for an hour, then back to the clubhouse to play Mah Jong. 

Wednesday morning I was guess where? You guessed it. Back to the clubhouse to help with a Mah Jong lesson. Hubs and I had lunch then we headed to the store. I don't know if you've seen the ads for having a song personalized, but hubs had one written for me and he played it when we got in the car. It's a beautiful song and the lyrics are so so sweet. A truly thoughtful special gift I will treasure. 

After the shopping and errands were done I came home and made sugar cookie dough for Thursday. My granddaughter was coming over for a little while Thursday morning to spend some time with us while her momma ran an errand and I thought it would be fun to make some heart shaped cookies. 

With lots of sprinkles. 

Pink of course. 

After Little Miss and her momma went home hubs and I headed to a friend's house for a welcome home celebration. Our friend has been in the hospital for months following an accident and was finally able to come home on Thursday. Friends and neighbors lined the street, made signs, waved balloons and pompoms, and cheered as they pulled in. It was fabulous. 

There are so many good people in the world loving their neighbors well. Don't let the internet, the news, or the angry loud voices on social media tell you otherwise. 

Everyone left once they were in the driveway as it was a long day and I'm sure overwhelming on many levels. 

We got home and my daughter called and said the boys wanted to come by so we could see the Mancub's school project, and I'm gonna say we are here for it. Living a few miles apart is everything I hoped it would be. 

As soon as they left I showered and changed for a fun author event with a few women from my book club. It was billed as a conversation with two local writers, Shelley Burchfield and Carolyn Newton. Your ticket included light refreshments and a signed copy of one of their books. Both of these women were so engaging and they complemented one another well. 

I hadn't read anything by Carolyn so opted for her novel called Songs Of The Dead Road. It's described as a work of historical fiction about Jan Balik, a Polish composer who uses music to cope with the trauma of WWII, including the loss of family and his time in a Soviet orphanage and labor camp. 

And that brings us to Friday. Or Valentine's Day as we're calling it here. I'm headed out of town on Saturday leaving hubs here to man the fort, so we decided to celebrate a day early. 

By celebrate I mean cooking a nice dinner at home together which we haven't done in a while. 

I jammed a lot in here, but I think you know jammed posts are kinda my jam. Wishing you a weekend filled with the people and things you love. 

Linking today with Friday Favorites hosted by Erika and Andrea