Hello Monday On Tuesday

Hi friends. It's June. Can you believe it? May was choc-a-block full and June will be the same. We have a daughter's birthday, a grandson's birthday, an anniversary, Father's Day, a week with daughter2 and her littles at the lake, Vacation Bible School, various appointments, my brother and sister-in-law in town for a visit, two wine dinners, and whew. It will be fun. 

Now if only the weather would get the message.

I didn't get my weekend recap written as we had company Sunday evening, then I had an appointment that required me to leave the house before 8 AM on Monday so here it is almost 3 PM and I'm finally sitting down to blog. 

Backing up to Thursday because it feels like the start of the weekend. I volunteer from about 9-1 every Thursday, then went to run a quick errand for a friend before heading to the salon for a mani/pedi. So nice. Hubs and I had already decided we'd go out for dinner which added to the enjoyment of the salon treatment. 

I got home and changed and we went to the local distillery for dinner and to hear some live music. I ordered a brisket sandwich and it was delicious but super rich. I only ate half and hubs helped with the rest. After we ate we went outside to hear a local band play. 

We ran into some friends there who introduced us to a couple they were with, neighbors of theirs, and in the course of chatting we discovered they're friends with some of our very best lifelong friends. We snapped a picture and texted our friends who live far from here and in the moment it all felt like such a small world. 

Friday hubs had an appointment to get his haircut in the nearby city and we decided to make a day of it. I tagged along so we could visit my mom afterwards, and we had the most delicious lunch in between these two events. We ate downtown at a small seafood restaurant where I could have ordered one of everything on the menu. 

We opted for a half order of their famous cheddar hushpuppies-

 A sampling of their fish dip which was so good I could have eaten as an entree...

A half dozen oysters from different east coast waters with varying salinity...

And then a lobster roll for good measure...

We got the Maine roll (cold) as opposed to the Connecticut roll (warm), but this place does both. We were full but we did get an order of their banana pudding to go so we could take that to my momma. She loved it. 

We left downtown and headed to her residence next, which is about 20 minutes from the city. We had a nice time chatting outside and hubs had her laughing which makes me smile too. These lilies in bloom in the garden there were beautiful. 

r

We made a couple of stops on the way home to drop off and pick up various things so didn't get home until about 4:30. We relaxed that evening and skipped dinner since we were still full from lunch. 

Saturday I ran to the store first thing to get a few last minute party items and hubs ran to the rock place to get filler for a spot beside the patio. I'm sure the place has a name but he bought two buckets of rocks there so I call it the rock shop. We were both home by 11 and then headed out to watch the boys play in a travel baseball game about 40 minutes from here. 

This is how it went down-

We drove forty minutes to a very nice sports field complex. I mean really nice. 

We paid $20 to get in. Yes. $10 per adult. Does anyone else think that's a lot? And y'all. There were hundreds of cars coming and going all day long as there were games played by kids of different ages on multiple fields. I wonder if there are families with a child playing where only one parent attends the three day tournament because they can't afford the entry fee? 

My daughter says probably not because these travel teams are a different level and parents are spending crazy sums on the bats and other gear so paying the $10 to get on the field is nothing. I saw a meme where a mom said 'here I am wearing the same bra I've owned since 2018 while my 8- year old is on the field with a $500 bat'.  Ha! But also kinda true. 

I will stop now because I sound old, plus the facilities are super nice so the money it seems is at least going back into that community. Also, most people don't have a husband who hits the snack bar and spends another $50 on junk food. Not naming names, but it does happen. ahem. 

We came home and worked on getting everything ready for the next day's festivities. 

I cleaned bathrooms and hubs got the outdoor dining furniture wiped down and back in place, the grill set up, the cornhole boards out, etc. 

Saturday night he prepped the pork butt and shoulder. Somehow I bought one of each which I didn't think was a huge deal, because they weighed about the same, but apparently it was a bit of a deal because one had a bone and one didn't and blah blah blah. 

It was all delicious. 

Hubs put them on the green egg sometime between 11 and midnight on Saturday and they smoked happily all night long. There's nothing like the scent of BBQ with your morning coffee.

I'm not joking. 

The weather on Sunday was nuts. It looked like it was going to pour rain all day but it never rained a drop. It was chilly. Then it was warm, then chilly again. But not raining so we'll take it. 

We had BBQ with beans and slaw and then all the other yummy sides plus two desserts people brought.

 We played cornhole and fun fact-we've owned boards for ten years and I still am not great at this game. 

Here we are trying to do math. If you play cornhole you get it. It's all friendly and we had a great time chatting, eating, tossing the bean bags, and celebrating the start of summer. 

Also, this turtle lives here now. What should we name him?

Linking today with Holly and Sarah's yesterday hop Hello Monday and Joanne's 

Talking About It Tuesday

The Friday Seven

I know it's usually dubbed the Friday Five, but I have a random seven so there ya go. Just a few stray thoughts and happenings from the past week and life lately linked with Andrea and Erika today. 

1. Did I tell you daughter1 and her family got a puppy? 

As my granddaughter loves to say 'he's a basket hound'. Oh my word, it's the cutest, and we absolutely do not correct her. In fact we all now say basket hound and likely will say it that way forever and ever amen.

He's super cute, as all puppies are wont to be. Pretty sure God designed it that way because puppies are puppies, right? As far as puppies go he's a good one. Basset Basket hounds are kind of low energy which is not a bad trait in a puppy. I've read they're sometimes called the couch potato of the dog world, and while I don't think I'd go so far as to say that, he is pretty chill. 

2. Did I tell you daughter2 and her family got a puppy? Their guy joined the family back in the fall but I don't remember mentioning it here and I don't play favorites. This handsome fella was a rescue and nearly a year old when they got him. 

fyi-A  one-year old dog is still a puppy. 

He's a real sweetie and has settled in well. The kids adore him. And because I know someone will ask our little brown dog is uninterested in these juveniles lol. 

3.  We had our monthly wine club dinner on Monday and it was one of my favorites. The food was so good. There was a Spanish theme to the menu and I meant to take pictures, but oops.  

One course was a Salmorejo which I'd never heard of before, but is similar to a Gazpacho. It's made from puréed tomatoes, bread, garlic, and olive oil and I might like it even better than Gazpacho. I found a recipe online I'm going to try at home. It's served cold so will be a nice summer treat. 

4. Tuesday was book club and we read The Indigo Girl. Our hosts had all sorts of indigo details on the snack table including this tea-

Have you ever tried butterfly pea flower tea? It's indigo in color and doesn't have a lot of taste. We added honey and lemon (and in some cases Prossecco) to give it more flavor, but the color was beautiful. I read the tea's benefits are similar to green tea, without the bitterness. 

5. My two oldest grandsons are playing on the same baseball team this season and they're killin' it. I've been running non-stop since April, and until this week hadn't made it to a single game. Hubs has managed a few, but I can't be in two places at once so priorities. 

Hubs and I drove to the field Wednesday night to see them play and the other team was a no-show. Boo.  Hubs had plans Thursday night but I trekked back to the field to finally see a game. 

I love the ballpark vibe. 

6. Thursday morning hubs and I met up with daughter1 to watch grandson #2 (aka Max on the blog) 'graduate' from kindergarten. I love this school they are part of so very much. It's a hybrid, so some days students are in a classroom and the other days are homeschooled by their mommas. The heart of this school is beautiful. 

Each 'graduate' is gifted a copy of Max Lucado's The Oak Inside the Acorn, and the Director's message and prayer were lovely. The kindergartners walked in to Pomp and Circumstance and I don't care if the graduates are six or eighteen or twenty-two, that song always makes me teary. 

As we waited for the program to begin they had a little slide show with a picture of each child in their cap and gown (precious!) and a tag line telling what each little person wants to be when they grow up. They flashed this sign too-

Class of 2038???!!. Can that be right? That date doesn't even sound real. 

They let the students toss their caps in the air at the conclusion of the event and I  guess it's in our DNA because they all knew just what to do. So fun! 

After graduation I drove the hour and twenty over to spend time with my momma and had a nice visit with her. Such a beautiful blue sky day...

I  made a stop at Costco when I left there since I was somewhat in the neighborhood. Not really, but definitely closer than I am when coming from home so it made sense. Plus hubs was out of his peanut butter stuffed pretzels and we can't have that.

7. I made a pot pie for dinner Wednesday night and it was so pretty-

I am all about dishes that make more than one meal these days. Have a great weekend everyone! 

Oh Hey Monday

Good Monday morning everyone. How was your weekend? Ours was good, low key, and felt summery thanks to the weather.  

Friday evening we had friends coming over for a 'dinner cruise', which was going to be mainly hors d'oeuvres and snack-y type foods that could easily be eaten on the boat. Then we shifted gears and decided not to bother lugging all the food onto the boat, and instead relaxed on the patio which was really nice. 

We had cold shrimp, cheese and crackers, fruit skewers, pasta salad served in cups, and then hubs grilled two ribeyes because he can't help himself. They were delicious! He cut them into cubed sized pieces for easy dining. 

Did I snap a picture? Nope. 

But I baked peanut butter cookies earlier that day, and those did come along for the ride. 

The weather was lovely and we putzed around the lake, looking at houses and all the new things people have done over the winter months. Mostly we just enjoyed the perfect evening air. 

Saturday morning we decided to kayak. Sounds simple, right? And it would be if we left the little brown dog at home, but where hubs goes he goes, especially if the lake is involved. 

Here's how kayaking looks with a dog, or rather how preparing to kayak looks...

The kayaks hang on the side of our bridge so it takes hubs a minute to move them onto the dock. I watch because I'm not helpful in this endeavor. Nor is the little brown dog, who whimpers and paces and goes right to the edge of the dock and considers jumping in. Then he whimpers some more because there is nothing more exciting than the thought of getting on and in the lake. 

Hubs gets the first kayak on to the dock and the pup hops in to that kayak like he's the captain. But at least he's momentarily not in the way. I put the steps down and the pup hops out of the kayak and into the water, which honestly is better because this takes his adrenaline down from a hundred to maybe eighty. 

He is soon back on the dock because he's not missing this. Hubs gets the second kayak down while I hold the dog, then he gets my kayak in the water. This is almost too much for the pup to take, but so far so (mostly) good. Hubs holds the dog while I get myself into the boat which is now in the water. 

Then hubs has to release the dog in order to get himself into his boat, and because the little brown dog is afraid he'll be left behind he launches himself off the dock, and starts swimming for my boat. Hubs yells for me to paddle fast and get away from the dock. It's quite something. 

Hubs gets himself launched and chases us until he reaches the dog. We have our pup in a life jacket made with a handle on the back for this very reason. Hubs helps him up into his kayak and we're off. The little brown dog sits right on top of hubs until he's sure he's actually coming with us and then he at long last relaxes. 

We kayak across the water over to an island with a little beach, and as soon as we're reasonably close to the island hubs lets him jump in and swim the rest of the way because this is what he lives for. 

And y'all. It is like this every.single.time we take the kayaks out. There's much less drama with the paddle board, but we wanted to kayak. It's more of a workout than it needs to be, but also a lot of fun and the dog is just so funny to watch. His excitement puts you in a good mood. 

Saturday was such a pretty morning on the water, and when we got back to the dock I actually got in the lake for a minute. The water is still a little cooler than I like, but the air was really warm so it felt good. 

We're in our outdoor shower era. The view from the shower is on point-

We had some lunch, then I chatted on the phone for a while, and we watched some baseball. We're all in on the College Baseball World Series, and our favorite team was still in it although they lost on Saturday. Sunday too, but I'm still talking about Saturday. Hubs grilled brats for dinner and there were crazy thunderstorms later,  so I was happy to be home with no where we had to be. 

Sunday was church followed by brunch right after, then more baseball. I worked on my blog and read and we watched the Vols lose another game to Arkansas, so they're out of the series which is disappointing.  

We have a busy couple of weeks coming up, so a low key couple of days felt just right. What were you up to this weekend? 

Linking with Holly and Sarah for their regularly scheduled Hello Monday blog hop. Feel free to add yours to the party too. Have a great week everyone~

HeLLo Monday

I'm still working my way through the alphabet this month with the April A-Z Blog Challenge, and my loose theme of life lessons learned. Today I'm doing my regular weekend recap because I missed it last week. 

I think something I've learned is to notice the little things that bring joy, the tough things that need grace and lots of prayer, and the everyday ordinary moments that make a life a life. These recaps are a good way to remember and record all of the above. 

L is for HeLLo Monday 

life lesson: 'something from which useful knowledge or principles can be learned;

a valuable piece of knowledge or wisdom gained from experience, 

often about how to live or make decisions'

There's always something happening here and we're just trying to keep up. We had a full week with our wine club dinner on Tuesday night, then a fundraiser on Wednesday night. I don't have pictures, but it was for the local hospital's cancer center so money was raised for a good cause. The event had a 1920's theme and almost everyone dressed up. 

Thursday evening hubs and I attended an event at the local university hosted by their chapter of Turning Point USA. Originally my daughter was going to go with me, but she had one child not feeling well and another going to baseball and it all just felt like a lot. 

So hubs tagged along and I think he enjoyed the event. We heard Allie Beth Stuckey speak, and if you've never heard her in person, she was exactly as you'd imagine. So articulate, and such clarity in her message. We arrived early and were lucky to get in. More than 100 people were turned away due to space limitations, and she did go outside and try to at least say hello and greet the people who didn't make it through the doors. 

I listen to her podcast (Relatable), and while hubs has heard an episode here and there, he wasn't as familiar with her as I am. She's so impressive both in her ability to communicate and her depth of knowledge about current events, today's culture, and theology. 

Friday was pretty much chaos here. We made the delightful discovery of what appeared to be a leak so the plumber came by to check it out which involved cutting a whole in a bedroom ceiling (ugh!).  The Terminix guy also showed up to do our yearly inspection, and the electrician arrived to install our fan and outdoor lighting in the new dining space. Trying to get a car out to go to the store was a real challenge. 

I had a cute helper though, which was fun. 

No leak so good news there,  and we now have a working fan and almost working lights in the outdoor space too. The bulbs are not dimming even though they're described as dimmable, so we've got replacements coming and hopefully that does the trick. We may have to switch out the dimmer, but honestly that's not in my need (or want)-to-know department, so I'm letting hubs sort out whatever needs sorting there.  

Both grandboys had baseball games on Saturday, and we were excited to attend. Definitely one of the perks to having them close. It's been a while since I've had kids in sports, and T-ball is still T-ball, but I can't believe how the 7 and 8 year olds play with the coach pitch! It feels intense to me, but maybe that's because I'm the Nana, or maybe it actually is a little intense? The boys have fun either way, and it was a great day to be outside. 

There was more baseball on Sunday and we had plans with a group of friends to go to the university game. Always such a fun day, and while they won the series they lost Sunday's game. The environment at these baseball games is so upbeat, the stadium is super nice, and we always have a great time.  

There are big screens in the stadium so when there were play breaks they'd put the Masters up so everyone could check out the score. We got home at the tail end of the match and had been rooting for Rory all weekend.  What an exciting finish! Even if you're not into golf at all, it was a moment of such raw emotion, which the commentators let happen without comment and the whole thing left you feeling good. 

And that's the weekend that was. Busy, beautiful weather, fun sporting events, friends, family, and one step closer to having the outdoor space (or the never ending project as I call it) complete. 

The kids (and their parents) are still here with us, but will be closing on their own house very soon. We're grateful for the time we've spent living under the same roof, but everyone is so excited to settle into their own space and call that new space home. 

Big thanks to Holly and Sarah for hosting this weekly Monday morning link party.

Weekend Chatter

Good Monday morning. I hope you had a nice weekend...here's how ours looked-

 

I spent most of Friday getting food prepped for a Saturday brunch with my sister and niece. I made a sausage and egg casserole and a new recipe that jumped out at me when I was scrolling the endless black hole known as the internet-Orange Cream Cheese Loaf. 

I'd say it's more cake than bread, but it was light, fresh, and tasty. I squeezed the orange for the juice which I think gave it that extra brightness. 

Did I take a picture of the loaf before I cut it?

No I did not. I was pretty slack in general in the photo department this weekend. I mean it was sunny and busy and I had family here and I don't always think about snapping a picture in the middle of living life. 

Also,  I'm gonna go ahead and say here that I'm cooked out right now. We had an easy taco dinner Friday night because one of the grands had T-ball practice and tacos seemed like something we could make and eat beforehand. I also stated for the record on Friday that I would not be cooking dinner on Saturday or Sunday. 

My sister and niece live a little over an hour from me but they hadn't had a chance to see Daughter1 and my son-in-law since they returned from their UK stint. Between the sickness and the travel and everyone's schedules and already full calendars it took a while to get a date on the calendar. 

I invited them for brunch and hubs made his famous hand crafted Bloody Marys and the sun shone and the kids were sweet. Pretty much a perfect afternoon. 

They stayed and visited for a while and we sat outside chatting and soaking up the sun.  After they left we watched basketball (Go VOLS!) and relaxed. There's a Korean restaurant in our tiny town that we hadn't tried yet, and who better to go to a Korean restaurant with than people who know and love the food? 

My middle grandson will tell you mandu is his favorite food and they order their beef bulgogi like the dining pros they are which is super cute. 

Hubs and I try to walk everyday in the neighborhood and I love the flowering trees whispering spring is here. 

Spring finds a way, right? 

Ans of course blooming things mean pollen and it's basically a cloud of yellow everywhere you turn, and we're not even to the worst of it yet. We press on. 

The boys all went to watch the Clemson baseball game on Sunday afternoon and my daughter and I settled in to watch the Ruby Franke story on Hulu (Devil In The Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke). Have you seen this? I never followed her online but millions did.  Several million actually. What a sad, strange story of our times. What a nightmare these children experienced and continue to live with. It's only three episodes so not a huge investment of time.

The guys had great seats for the baseball game and were on TV every other minute which was fun to see. Hubs texted and asked us to try to take a picture and I had to tell him we changed the channel because we were deep into the Ruby saga. 

The boys came in chattering (even the grown up boys) because it was probably the most exciting college baseball game ever with the hometown team pulling off a win at the last minute after being behind most of the game. 

More importantly I kept my promise and didn't cook dinner. Daughter1 threw together some pasta with tomatoes, garlic, basil, and Parmesan cheese and we had a small bowl of that which was just right. 

And that's the weekend in a nutshell. Or fourteen paragraphs. Whatever. It was nice and I hope yours was too! 

Linking today like I do every Monday, with Holly and Sarah for their weekend recap blog hop. Feel free to join the party!