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 Photo Finish Hodgepodge

Welcome to another week in The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for your neighbor there because that's what good blog neighbors do. Here we go...

1. Did you watch the Kentucky Derby this past weekend? Have you ever been to a horse race? Ever ridden a horse? Did you enjoy it? Have you ever been to Kentucky? Do you like Bourbon? 

We did watch the Derby. We had an impromptu party which I wrote about in Monday's post (Oh Hey Monday). This year's race was one of the most exciting in a long time, a literal photo finish. I think the winner was over the line by half a hoof. 

I've never been to the Derby, but I have been to a few horse races. When we lived in NJ we used to go to the race at Far Hills every year as guests of someone hubs did business with. It's held in the fall and it's a steeplechase. I always enjoyed it and wrote about it on my blog several times. Off To The Races was the first one. There's more, but is anyone going back to 2011 on my blog to read about a horse race? 

Carry on. 

I've ridden a horse, but it's been a while. I used to ride horses at summer camp. Hubs and I have also had a couple of horseback outings while traveling for some of his work trips, one in St. Lucia and one in Sedona. In St. Lucia they let us take the horses on the beach and that was especially fun. 

St. Lucia, 2002-horesback riding on the beach in my mom jeans 

I've been to Kentucky several times, twice on 'the bourbon trail'. 

I'm not a bourbon drinker but the distilleries are in some very pretty countryside and I enjoyed our visits there. 

2.  What's something you wish you'd placed in a time capsule twenty-five years ago? 

Hmmm, I knew this question sounded familiar. I asked one very similar to it just last year. Oops. The original question when I posted them yesterday said fifteen years ago, but then I switched it to twenty-five. Answer whichever time frame is easiest for you. 

Twenty-five years ago feels like it should be high school but when I do the math I come up with 1999. Can that be right? 

Remember 1999 when we were all a dither about Y2K?  I have a few packs of Pokemon cards that people started trading that year so might include those. Is Pokemon still a thing? 

Or maybe I'd include a phone because I had a big clunky phone in 1999. Or a video camera. Ours was the kind you hoisted on your shoulder which made it look like you worked for a major news network. Probably something tech because 1999 technology was a long way from where we are today. 

3. Are you adventurous? Elaborate. 

Reluctantly lol. And I guess it depends what you mean by 'adventurous'. I'm not going to hang glide, bungee jump, or skydive but I will try other sorts of things some people might find scary. I looked up the definition and Webster says, 'willing to take risks or try out new methods, ideas, or experiences'. 

I did move abroad with two teenagers in the house, traveled solo in Europe a couple of times, ate some unidentifiable something from a styrofoam cup in Taiwan, and will speak comfortably in front of large gatherings of people, so I'm that kind of adventurous

I'm also married to an adventurous person and sometimes I get talked into pulled in to the fun. 

4. Something you want to make this year? It can be a new recipe, craft, diy project, a milestone you've set for yourself...anything at all. 

I have too big goals for putting together some scrapbooks for my grandchildren this year. I've bought some supplies and printed a few pictures but I need to get crackin'.  

5. Cinco de Mayo was also celebrated this past weekend...do you like Mexican food? If so what's your favorite dish? Have you ever been to Mexico?  Margarita-yes or no?

I love Mexican food and enchiladas are probably my favorite. Unless guacamole counts and if yes then that's my favorite favorite. I've been to Mexico several times but have no desire to go there now.

Cancun with friends- 2011

Margarita? Yes please, on the rocks with salt. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Absolute sweetest post I've read in forever on my daughter1's blog Tuesday. It's not about me, but the words feel like a true happy mother's day gift. I've linked it here-Sisters and Mothers.  

Happy Mother's Day to mothers everywhere~

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 550

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with all your friends and a few strangers too. See you there! 

1. Did you watch the Kentucky Derby this past weekend? Have you ever been to a horse race? Ever ridden a horse? Did you enjoy it? Have you ever been to Kentucky? Do you like Bourbon? 

2.  What's something you wish you'd placed in a time capsule twenty-five years ago? 

3. Are you adventurous? Elaborate. 

4. Something you want to make this year? It can be a new recipe, craft, diy project, a milestone you've set for yourself...anything at all. 

5. Cinco de Mayo was also celebrated this past weekend...do you like Mexican food? If so what's your favorite dish? Have you ever been to Mexico?  Margarita-yes or no?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Oh Hey Monday

Let's recap the weekend that was. We were home again, two in a row so whoohoo! I love at home weekends, especially this time of year. I also love weekends away, but there's gotta be a few at home to help us keep our balance.  

Friday night hubs and I sat on the deck and listened to music. Complete chill at the end of a busy week,  and in general this is where you'll find us on Friday nights for the next six months-ish. 

Or you might also find us here-

The pup  loves morning coffee on the dock with his best bud. 

I was out Tuesday night when hubs texted asking if we could have a few people over for the Derby on Saturday. I said sure and next thing ya know we have twenty coming to celebrate the run for the roses with party snacks and mint juleps. 

I do love a good theme party and if I'd had more notice I'd have gone to town with recipes and decor, but Amazon to the rescue and we managed to get a few fun things for our fun people. 

Everyone was bringing some sort of appetizer and hubs got right to work on his super special julep juice.  He fired up the green egg for wings (these were his very best ever!!) and I found a recipe online for Derby Pie cupcakes. 

If you've never had Derby Pie it's a gooey chocolatey nutty pie and it's scrumptious but not practical for a party, so I thought the cupcakes (recipe here) would be an easy option. I was so wrong. I think I used every bowl in my kitchen for this one. You first had to mix the batter ingredients and then you had to make a 'pie filling' on the stove, and when that was done you put the filling into two bowls, then you took three quarters from one bowl and put that in yet another bowl and on and on it went.  

Holy moly talk about labor intensive. 

Part of the filling also had to be poured onto a cookie sheet and baked. When it was done it had a toffee like texture and you broke it apart and added it to the icing. Oh my it was so yummy! 

The cupcakes didn't look especially pretty, but the taste was five stars. Sorry for the blurry photo...it came to me thirdhand. Did you watch the race? What a finish!! 

Sunday morning as we had coffee on the deck we noticed a blue heron on the shoreline. We watched him stalk a chipmunk in the rocks behind our firepit before nabbing it with precision, and then of course 'digesting' it.

After he'd dunked it in the lake several times to be very certain it was dead. It's one part icky and two parts completely fascinating. Another blurry photo but I had to zoom in about 150% so as not to scare him off. 

Our neighborhood wine club met Sunday evening which is always a lot of fun, and then we came home to this...

No better way to usher in a new week than with the visible reminder God keeps his promises.  

I'm linking up with Holly and Sarah again this week for their Hello Monday blog party..now tell me how was your weekend? 

Here Comes the Sun

It feels like it's been a month since I did a weekend recap, but we had a fun weekend so I'm gonna do a little recap.

Friday night hubs and I decided to go to a local place for a quick dinner. As we sat down we noticed 'work friends' on the opposite side of the room also having dinner. They were talking to one of our neighbors so we all joined up for the evening. This particular spot has live music and the band on Friday night was called The Screaming Nudes. Rest assured they were fully clothed, but they were definitely screaming. They played a lot of 80's rock and were actually quite good, just semi-appropriately named.

Thankfully.

Saturday afternoon our women's club had a Kentucky Derby party. It happened to be at our neighbor's house, so easy peasy.  These are the neighbors who lived in the same village in England we lived in, only they were leaving the UK as we were arriving. Now we live a few houses apart in tiny town New Jersey. I will not mention it's a small world so as not to give you a Monday morning earworm.

oops.

Unlike the actual Derby locale, the weather here in North Jersey this weekend was splendid. Blue skies, sunshine, and spring like temps. Fi-na-lly. Everyone brought southern style appetizers and desserts, and our hosts grilled ribs which were delish.

Hubs donned his seersucker jacket and bowtie and carted along his special julep juice which almost everyone sampled. Gotta have a mint julep at a Kentucky Derby party, even if that party is in the Garden State.

We didn't actually bet on the horses, it was more along the lines of a game where everyone drew a horse's name out of a bag and that horse was yours. If we were actually betting I would not have bet on the one we drew-Black Onyx. In case you missed it he scratched...never even made it to the starting line. Good thing it was just a game!

Sunday was another glorious day weather wise, perfect conditions for a spin in the little red car. We'd intended to just go to the diner for lunch, but after we ate we decided it was a day meant to be savored, so we cranked up the tunes and headed for the open road.

We drove through the countryside where the dogwood bloom, past the now green farmland home to newborn colts, and on up to Highpoint before heading home. It was sheer perfection.

When we finally did make it home we pulled out some of the patio furniture and sat out back for a while.

We're not the only ones around here excited to see spring finally make an appearance.