Hey Y'all~It's Monday

Good morning friends. I hope your weekend was grand. Ours was busy and delightful. Delightfully busy I guess you could say. Did you watch the Derby? 

On Friday the 'kids' furniture was delivered to their new home. My son-in-law had to be in Charlotte all day for a medical thing (work, not illness) that was scheduled before they knew when the furniture was arriving, but we rally here. 

The in-laws picked up the grands first thing and took them back to their house for the weekend, then I went to my daughter's house to help with the unpacking. Hubs stayed at our house since we had scheduled a whole house clean for that day because...

Saturday we were having 32 people here for a Derby party.

We like it complicated. 

My daughter and I unwrapped at least 100 pieces of glassware, and managed to get most of the kitchen unboxed so the movers could take the empties and filler with them. I went to pick up lunch for everyone and got back to her house in the middle of a crazy hail storm. Insane! I was a little worried about my car but think it survived unscathed. 

My daughter's house is a mere four miles from my own house but hubs said we had all rain, zero hail. The lake can make the weather wonky (er). 

Meanwhile, at my house every nook, cranny, window, and corner was being dusted, mopped, wiped down, wiped off and vacuumed. These girls did the most fabulous job and there is nothing better on a Friday afternoon than walking into a sparkling clean house. We normally do it ourselves but given the timing of the move/party we decided to call in the professionals and it was worth every penny.

Friday night we checked out a newish place for dinner,  a distillery with a charming western vibe (the owners are former rodeo competitors). Hubs and I shared a salad and a pasta and both were delish. The 'kids' joined us as we were finishing up and my daughter and I split a chocolate dessert which was fun. 

For some reason the cake looks ginormous in this picture, but it was just a normal serving. We got home around 9 and hubs cranked up the Big Green Egg to start the BBQ we would be serving the next day. 

We had eighteen pounds of meat (three pork butts he'd seasoned that morning) and knew they would take about 16 hours to cook, cool, and shred. 

It's a whole big process which hubs manages like a boss. I'm just here for moral support and the end result- 

Saturday we were hosting a Derby party and the sky kept us guessing as to whether that would be indoors or out until pretty much the last minute. The plan was for outdoors, but we had some rain in the early part of the afternoon and the forecast wasn't the best. Our dining space is covered and so is the main seating area, but the grilling area is not and neither is the waterfall patio. 

The party was starting at 4:30 and at 4:15 we finally felt like it was safe to uncover the furniture and bring more chairs down to the lower patio. I put a six foot table there too so people could spread out. 

And they did. 

People were everywhere and it was so much fun! 

The new space worked out really well, comfortable and cozy and it felt exactly as we hoped it would feel. 

Hubs made his famous mint juleps and we put some red roses around and I have some fun little picks and table runners and a horse poster to add to the festivities. 

Everyone brought appetizers, salads, or desserts to go with the BBQ, which was one of hubs best...so good! 

The race itself is short but definitely lives up to its billing as the most exciting two minutes in sports. You know what our highlight was? About an hour before the party ended my daughter and her hubs walked in. 

Hubs said his heart leapt when he saw her from across the room, because it was just this unexpected moment we both were able to recognize as our new normal. We have never lived near enough for us to say, 'hey we're having a party, why don't you come?', and now we do. 

On Sunday hubs and I were supposed to drive over to TN to attend the funeral of a college friend. We hadn't been traveling long when we got a call that the service would need to be rescheduled due to a separate family emergency. Such a hard thing for these folks to navigate and I really feel for them. 

We turned around and stopped for breakfast at a place we like, then I changed into comfy clothes and watched movies and napped the afternoon away. Hubs was out getting the leaves off the driveway, moving chairs back where they belong, and carrying a table to the attic, but that's the hubs. 

I took the day off because a day off is sometimes needed, and today was that day.

I hope you had a nice weekend too. Hop over to the Hello Monday link up hosted by Holly and Sarah to add your own recap and see what others are sharing there too.

A Hodgepodge Picnic

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my blog, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go...

1. The Hodgepodge lands on National Picnic Day...will you celebrate? Do you enjoy picnics? Dining out of doors picnic or otherwise? What are three or four things I'd find in your picnic basket? 

I do like a picnic and dining al fresco is my absolute favorite. If we're somewhere with outdoor seating and the weather is conducive to it we will opt to sit outside. It's supposed to rain here on Wednesday so a picnic is unlikely. 

Three or four things you'd find in my picnic basket?  Fruit, something sweet, bread or crackers of some kind, and cheese. We do a lot of boat picnics in the summer and lean more towards the charcuterie style of eating there. 

2.  A time recently where you felt 'antsy'? 

I'm not a restless person so this is a tough one. I suppose I feel a little antsy about getting the 'kids' moved into their new house. Everything has gone super smoothly so far but we're all just anxious to have the keys handed over and get them settled. So many hoops to jump through in a move, and they have furniture in storage and some belongings here and some at the in-laws and it's not really my donut, but I feel a little antsy with all the boxes that have needed ticking. They've pretty much all been ticked at this point so just waiting now for closing day to arrive. 

3. As the saying goes...'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.'  Do you like lemonade? When did you recently need to make lemonade out of lemons, figuratively speaking?

Well I suppose Easter Sunday might qualify. We envisioned a full pew at church and a full table for dinner, but my son-in-law ended up missing the whole day. There was no choice but to roll with it, he was on call and ended up having a very busy day, which I guess is par for the course on a holiday weekend. We had a nice time with his mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law though. This is how life goes sometimes and in general we're good at making the most of things. I told my grandsons we might need to make a 'flat Daddy' to hold up in family photos when he's working. 

I do like lemonade, but what I really like is an Arnold Palmer-half lemonade/half iced tea. 

4. Recently five 'celebrities' made a brief (ll minute) foray into space aboard Jeff Bezos Blue Origin rocket. Did you hear about this? Your thoughts? If money were no object is this something you'd like to do someday? 

I did hear about it. I mean I suppose they were technically in space, but calling themselves astronauts feels like a giant stretch to me. As far as this being something I'd want to do someday? That's a hard no. A very very hard no. Like concrete lol. 

5. Favorite thing about the 'space' you're sitting in right now? 

I'm in my office and my favorite thing about it is the quiet. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I enjoyed posting some Easter throwbacks in this space in the weeks leading up to the day, and I think I might do the same now for Mother's Day which is the next holiday on tap. There are just three Wednesdays before Mother's Day is here, which is hard to believe but the calendar doesn't lie. 

I cut myself some slack on Wednesdays in the A-Z Blog Challenge and work the Wednesday letters in to my random thought space too. Two posts on Hodgepodge Day would be one too many for me. Here goes- 

T is for time passages

'the process of time going past'

My very first Mother's Day with the one who made me a momma...

1988

And here's that same little girl on her very first Mother's Day, with the one who made her a momma...

2017

'Time moves slowly, but passes quickly.' Alice Walker 

Life Lessons From the Window Seat

S is for Seven. After today that's how many letters remain in the April A-Z Blog Challenge. It's been fun and it's been a challenge. Blogging with a houseful of people requires a bit of finagling. Onward...

S is for Sunrise 

'the apparent rising of the sun above the horizon; 

also: the accompanying atmospheric effects'

If you've been reading here for a while then you know I have a small obsession with the sunrise. We have prime viewing out of any window on the backside of our house, but my favorite place to watch it happen is from the upper deck. 

And I like to snap a photo while I'm there. 

Or ten photos. 

Or possibly 365. 

Hubs teases and asks me why I take the same picture every morning but I assure him I do not. One sunrise is not like any other and my pictures are the proof. 

Recently Joanne (Slices of Life) shared some of her favorite sunrises and sunsets and it got me thinking about why it is I'm so drawn to the early morning skies. Why all the sunrises? And why now? 

One of the reasons I'm more tuned in to the sunrise in this house is because it's hard to miss. I step quietly out of my bedroom in the early hours of the morning and there it is. Sometimes soft and dreamy brushstrokes in a pastel painted sky...

...sometimes awash with all the colors of the rainbow. 

It can, quite literally, take my breath away. There are things about the sunrise that speak to me in this season that feel almost sacred. 

The sunrise tells me it's a new day, with no mistakes in it yet. A fresh start. Blank slate. No regrets. 

The sunrise fills me with hope. Anything is possible at the start of a brand new day. 

The sunrise says slow down. Breathe. Be present. 

It also tells me time moves fast. If you're not paying attention you'll miss it. Life is like that too. 

The sun rising fills me with awe for the One who made it, for the staggering beauty of this world, and the power so evident in nature.

 

The sunrise reminds me of the value of stillness and quiet, things I'm always looking for in this too noisy world.

The sunrise reminds me of the faithfulness of God. Every single day the sun rises. He never fails. 

My favorite verse, which is in my blog header but worth posting twice...

'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; 

they are new every morning." Lamentations 3:22-23

Kounting My Blessings

In keeping with my Saturday A-Z Blog Challenge tradition, here's a list of 20 things in no particular order, all featuring the letter of the day, that I enjoy-love-am grateful for in this season of life. 

K is for Contentment is Key

'feeling happy with what you have;

deliberately choosing to be thankful'

secrets kept

my kin 

knowledge gained

kisses

key lime pie

even-keeled people

kingfisher on the lake 

unexpected kindness

kaleidoscope skies

a clean kitchen 

music by Kenny Chesney

promise keepers

kids

Lake Keowee

kayaking 

keen insights

kudos given

the Florida Keys

blooming kalanchoe

kindred spirits

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 595

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (of course), March 26th. See you there! 

1. Spring has officially sprung (in the northern hemisphere anyway)...did she roll in more like a lion or more like a lamb in your neck of the woods? What needs more of your attention in terms of a good spring clean this year-your house or your garden/yard? 

2. What's put a spring in your step lately? 

3. When you were a kid, what was the best snack to find in your lunchbox? If you didn't do the lunchbox thing, tell us what was your favorite after school snack. 

4. In what area of your life are you planting seeds ? 

5. Why do you live where you do? Would you consider living somewhere else? Why or why not? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Lucky You! It's The Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post then leave a comment for the lucky blogger beside you there. Here we go...

1. I write the Hodgepodge questions so they'll post on Sunday, which sometimes throws me off in terms of what day it is. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated on Monday, March 17th. Did you mark the day in some way? Wear green? Make a special meal? Watch or participate in a parade? 

We didn't watch or take part in any parades on Monday, but we did have a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage. I add carrot and red potatoes to mine and everyone here loves it. A once a year treat for sure. Did I wear green? Of course...

My 5-year old grandson wanted to snap our picture and he did a pretty good job. I literally handed him my phone and a nanosecond later he handed it back. Done. Not bad. 

2. Do you think luck plays a part in your life? Explain. 

Mostly I think we make our own luck in the form of setting goals and working hard to bring them to fruition. If we're talking cards or Mah Jong or a board game of some kind then I'd say yes, luck does indeed play a part. 

3. Of the 15 green foods listed, which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Any on the list that are a hard no for you? In general do you like fruits and veggies? As a kid did you eat them willingly or did you hide peas in your napkin hoping your momma wouldn't see? 

Asparagus, avocado, broccoli, celery, cucumber, grape, green bean, kale, kiwi, lettuce, lime, 

pear, peas, pistachios, spinach

I like everything on that list, although kale is not my favorite. I prefer it in salads as opposed to cooked, but I'll eat it so nothing is a hard no.  

Not sure I can pick a favorite, but if I must I'll say green beans. I like them any way you want to fix them. Sauteed with some garlic, wrapped in bacon, cooked all day on the stovetop, or the Blue Lake variety straight out of a can...it's all good. 

Cucumbers are probably my second favorite on the list. I love a summertime cucumber-tomato salad and can't wait for summer produce in general.  I've always loved fruit of every kind, even as a child, but vegetables were a different story. Growing up I liked corn, green beans, and salad but not much else in terms of veg. Definitely no asparagus or spinach, both of which I love now. As an adult there aren't any vegetables I won't eat. 

4. What's something that makes you 'turn green'? (with envy or with illness... whichever way you want to take it)

Pretty much all forms of transportation can turn me green. Planes, boats, cars on curvy roads. Hubs likes to say there is no mode of transportation we've been on together where I haven't been green around the gills at some point. Ferries are the worst and I never go anywhere without Dramamine. 

Yes we have a boat. I'm good on the boat, especially if we're moving or anchored in a cove. I don't want to sit on 'the big water' and bob unless it's absolutely completely still. And as much as I love to travel you won't find me vacationing on a cruise ship. For a few reasons, but mostly it's the potential to be miserable from the motion. 

5. Did you spend a lot of time outdoors as a child? Doing what? Do you spend a lot of time outdoors now? Doing what? 

I feel like my sister and I were always outside. We would often take our indoor toys outside, Barbies especially, where we'd set up elaborate homes for them under a huge tree in the back yard. We also did lots of bike riding, jump roping, swinging as high as we could swing, and games of HORSE at our neighbor's basketball goal. We'd bring our crayons outside and sit and color on the porch, and we also  liked to lay in the grass and watch the clouds go by, make clover necklaces, and daydream. 

There was sledding, building snow forts, big snowball fights, and ice skating on the neighborhood duck pond in winter. Summertime found us at the pool every day and in the evenings all the neighborhood kids would gather in the middle of our street and play huge games of kick the can and hide and seek. 

I still enjoy being outdoors, swimming, hiking, walking, kayaking, and my favorite-porch sitting. Just keeping it completely real-ha! 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Having the grands with us has meant exploring some of the local playgrounds. We went to one in a nearby park on Monday morning, and it was so pretty. There are Pickleball courts at the entrance to this particular park, which is as far as I'd ever been, but the playground area further back is nice and shady and sits right beside the water.

Hubs and I walked out on the dock there to watch the heron, who seemed unbothered by our presence...

Until he wasn't...

The park is huge and has an area for camping too. There's a great little camp store beside the playground  that was fun to browse, and we'll definitely come back and bring a picnic lunch next time. #lovewhereyoulive

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Who Wears Short Shorts?

Not me. I just wear regular shorts, but I wear them in FEBRUARY!

Hubs and I have been enjoying the great outdoors this weekend and yesterday I was in shorts. In FEBRUARY! It's been crazy humid and the pollen is already making an appearance but y'all! I wore shorts! In FEBRUARY! 

Toto I don't think we're in Kansas North Jersey anymore.

There are a number of waterfalls an easy drive from us, and we're determined to get out and see as many as we can up close and personal. One is just a few minutes from the house and we pass the park entrance sign on an almost weekly basis. Every time we drive by we say, "hmmm...wonder what's up there?" On Friday we finally made the turn in to see what's what.

Even though these falls are situated within a state park vehicle parking can be wonky at the trail head. We knew this before driving in, because I always like to hop online and read travel tips before we go. Other visitors to the area said to park on the road, but it looked like we might get blocked in by hikers who had not read the parking instructions online. We decided to park at the ranger station then walked along the road to the trail head. Easy peasy. Also the ranger was very nice and gave us a couple of options for hiking.

Before heading to the trail we walked up the hill near the station to check out two historic buildings on site, The Stone Block House and The Trader's Brick House.

Following some raids by Creek Indians the State of SC had these block houses put up along the frontier and then protected by a small group of militiamen. The Brick House was a trading post established in 1795 that exchanged everything from ammunition to livestock.

Both buildings are boarded up now so you can't go inside...

...although someone thought there might be a way- ahem. Still so interesting to see and read about and imagine what the world was like a couple of hundred years ago. When we hike we're always on the lookout for an arrowhead or some other remnant of days gone by.

The hike into the falls was about a mile on a well-marked trail. The poplars are leafing out and we saw lots of lovely little trillium peeking out of the ground too.

The falls are about fifty feet in height and they're beautiful.

Since Saturday promised to be even warmer than Friday we ventured the next day to another nearby area known as Riley Moore Falls. It pays to do a little bit of research before you hike because this is not one you'd happen upon without a little bit of direction. You travel about three miles on a mostly gravel road and then we parked and walked another mile or so down a muddy road to the trail head. Note to self-that downhill road is gonna be uphill all the way back.

The trail itself is well marked and continues downward through thick woods before opening up to a wide expanse of beach and a really pretty waterfall.

Riley Moore Falls are only about twelve feet high, but they're a hundred feet wide and the beachy area makes you want to linger.

Here's my mountain goat-

He coaxed me up there and we had a picnic lunch on that highest rock.

You can tell from my smile I much prefer terra firma.

Or maybe that smile is all because the sun is shining, there's beauty in this wild world, and oh yeah...

I'm wearing shorts.
In February!