The Weekeend Merriment

'Twas a whirlwind of a weekend filled with family, food, fun, and birthday festivities. My mother-in-law turns 90 years old this week and I don't think she'd mind me telling you. I mean she's a dynamo who can run circles around all of us 'kids' so why not tell the world your age? 

She will be celebrated by family and her at least 1000 friends all week long, but we kicked things off here at the lake with a great-grand palooza. All five of her greats were here and it was wonderfully chaotic and sweet. 

Nana (that's me) might be tired today but it's a good tired. 

I took pictures but I try not to post any of the kids faces up close here, so I'm not sharing many. We laughed a lot and enjoyed being together and that's the main thing. 

Daughter2 and her littles arrived Thursday afternoon and since Thursday is my volunteer day I'd planned ahead with a roast in the crock pot. Yay me!  Her hubs was working his way this direction and would arrive Friday afternoon to join the party. 

Friday morning I had a hair appointment so while I was there daughter2 went over to her sister's house and spent a few hours. Just one of the joys of living close. The cousins played so well together and it was nice for their mommas to have time together to chat and catch up. 

Meanwhile...back at the ranch....

Hubs was manning the BBQ he'd started in the literal middle of the night Friday. He was up at 3 AM putting the pork butts on the Big Green Egg, and we all agree this might be his best effort yet. So delicious! 

Hubs brother and sister-in-law arrived from Tennessee late afternoon, bringing the birthday girl with them. One son-in-law made it here around 5, and the other ended up in late surgery so had his dinner with our dessert. You have got to roll with these grown kids work commitments and such. 

It was forecasted to be a rainy weekend, but Friday was so nice and really warm and we sat out on the patio and talked, hula hooped, fed fish, and chased small children. 

Dinner was BBQ courtesy of the hubs, baked beans and cole slaw ala me, and homemade mac and cheese made by Daughter1. Everything was yummy. I ordered a cake from the Publix Bakery because hubs said I shouldn't try to add one more thing to the already full schedule by making one from scratch. 

The cake was delicious, but they forgot to put the cross mark on the H in happy birthday, and there was a small crack in the icing so not the usual perfect you get from Publix. If I'd baked it myself I would not have missed that H, just sayin'. 

Still so pretty though! 

We lit the candles and sang happy birthday and then the absolute precise second the song ended my middle grandson blew the candles out before anyone knew what was happening. He did not miss a beat. It was hysterical.  

I got these gorgeous tulips from Publix too and they were the most beautiful shade of fushia, which you don't see a lot of in the tulip world, or at least I don't. 

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law slept at Daughter1's house so after breakfast we all met up there. Which is just four miles from me in case you've forgotten. The three littles played and hubs and his brother and sister-in-law went to watch the two oldest grands at their baseball practice. Dad was coaching and they had a lot of fun. 

Daughter2 took her two back to our house for a nap, but my mother-in-law, daughter1 and I had a nice long chat on her screened porch which was lovely. 

We had going out to dinner plans booked in a local Italian restaurant for Saturday night, which let's just be honest and say is a bit of a crap shoot in terms of how it will actually go when you're talking small children. The two oldest boys thoroughly enjoy ordering from a menu, but restaurant dining with the three and under set (of which there are currently three) is anybody's guess. 

Turns out it was a really great fun family night and everyone was happy, hungry, and eager to help Grandma with her cannoli. 

The oldest with the youngest is just so precious. 

Sunday morning we took up a pew and a half in church which made my heart so so happy. Daughter1 and her family left after church to go her in-law's house to celebrate her father-in-law's birthday, but everyone else came back here for lunch before the Tennessee crew headed back home. Daughter2, who also lives in Tennessee but a different part than her grandmother, aunt, and uncle, stayed until Monday morning. They'll go home around lunchtime and the house will be quiet once more. Messy too, but it's the quiet we'll notice and love a little, but also hate. If ya know ya know. 

Hope your weekend was filled with lots of happies too. I'm linking today with Holly (Pink Lady) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) for the Monday morning weekend recap link party. Hop over there to see what others are doing and sharing too. 

Have a great week everyone!  

Monthly Musings-December

Hello friends and happy Thursday. Joining Holly (Pink Lady) and Patty (Good Better Best)  for their Monthly Musings link up today, and mixing in some of our holiday home decor just because. Here are the prompts-

1. What holidays do you celebrate? 

In December-Advent, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. I'm not sure Advent counts as a holiday, but it is an important part of the season for me.

2. Scale of 1-10, how into the holidays are you this year? Be honest. 

I'm an eight. I'm excited to have my girls and their families all together this weekend. It's the 'in-law' year so we're having a little family Christmas here on Saturday. When your kids are grown and married and have children of their own, and those in-law children are also close to their families, well...some flexing and adjustment of your expectations as to how Christmas looks absolutely needs to happen. 

Not gonna lie-it may not happen year one, but we're ten years in now and it's all good. Different can still be wonderful. 

Firstly, I love that my girls have in-laws who love them and their children. That is no small thing. Plus hubs and I have spent our entire married life alternating Christmas between our two families due to geography, so we know the drill. I've told my girls if we can manage a get together sometime in December on the 'off' years then we'll make that happen. Personally I don't want to celebrate in January. My mindset shifts to quiet, low-key, and hey let's not eat cookies every night in January, so if we're going to celebrate Christmas together it needs to be December. 

3. Favorite things to make/bake during the holidays? 

I love to bake cookies, but haven't done very many this year. Both my girls bake and will bring their creations here so we'll have plenty. I always make cranberry bread too, and chex mix both the sweet and savory.  

4. Favorite holiday movies? 

I'm not big on the Hallmark movies, but I like most of what we think of as the traditional holiday films. White Christmas, The Holiday, Elf,  Love Actually, and The Christmas Story are all watched here. 

5. Most random holiday tradition?

A picture on the steps first thing Christmas morning, before coming in to the room where stockings have been filled and more presents added under the tree. It was torture when I was a kid, and I think my girls will say the same. Now their children have a picture taken on the stairs so yay for tradition! 

6. Are you hosting for the holidays? New Year's Eve or New Year's Day? 

We're hosting our kids and grandkids this weekend, and then will be with my extended family on Christmas Day which I'm also looking forward to. We haven't thought about the New Year celebration at all. We may have friends in impromptu, or it might just be us? We're okay with low key on the last day of the year. 

7. Favorite way to ring in the New Year? 

I'm not a night owl, but I do try to be awake when the clock strikes twelve to mark the start of a new year. #goals lol. 

Is just being awake considered ringing in the new year? 

Some years we're with friends, some years friends are here, some years it's just me and the hubs and I'm good with any of those. I don't like to be on the road on New Year's Eve. 

8. Any new year's resolutions or word of the year? 

There will be some goals set and many years I do have a word. This year mine was anchor and I'll write more about how that looks in hindsight after Christmas. I haven't given a lot of thought to the new year/new word yet and honestly I typically don't get it in gear in this department until about January 7th so stay tuned. 

9. Favorite holiday songs? 

The traditional hymns and carols from my childhood are still my favorite...

                '...a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices...' 

                '...God is not dead nor doth he sleep...'

                '...the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonite...' 

10. Favorite holiday memory? 

I could never choose just one. What I treasure most from my own childhood is the warmth and love I felt from my family and for my family on Christmas day. Those feelings bubble up every year and I feel so much gratitude for the people who grew me up. My momma made it all pure magic. 

A Summer Bucket List

The calendar says summer which means it's time to revisit my spring bucket list and move on into this new season. This was my spring bucket list...

I kept it short and sweet and still didn't do all I'd planned. I did a lot though, and there were so many fun spring happenings that didn't make the list which means I pass. 

Not that it's a test, but I don't like leaving lists uncrossed. 

Go to a Farmer's Market...not yet. I'm adding this to my summer list because I still want to get there. We just did not have a weekend where it worked this spring, but summer's my favorite for fresh produce and lots of grilled fruits and veg. 

Tackle the attic. Oops. Nope. And now it's hotter than h e double hockey sticks up there so I think we'll push this task off until autumn. Pretty sure last winter I moved the task to spring and since I'm not worrying about it in the heat of summer I guess you'll see it again when autumn rolls around. Hi hubs! 

Kayak. Done. Once but at least we got out there. We'll do more kayaking this summer and nobody will love it more than the little brown dog. 

Dye eggs with the kids. Celebrate Easter. Host dinner. Wow, raise your hand if it feels like Easter was a hundred years ago? In reality just two months. Well, technically a lot longer than two months, but you know what I mean. 

Anyway, this one was done-done-and done and I loved it all. 

Write a love letter. Hmmm...I'm going to say yes because I wrote my grandson a birthday letter four days before summer rolled in. I think when I put this on my bucket list I was thinking more of the hubs, so maybe I can still make that happen. I like writing letters and we still need to officially celebrate our anniversary. 

Hike a trail new to us. Nope. I wish we'd been able to do this, but between the weather and my ankle we didn't get to this one. We don't do a lot of hiking here in the summer because it's so hot, but never say never. 

Host a Derby party. Yup. Whoohoo! It was lots of fun too. 

Pick strawberries and make jam...fail. There's always next year, and thankfully daughter1's mother-in-law makes strawberry fig preserves and always shares. 

Visit a garden. Does my daughter2's raised beds count? Ha! 

Probably not, but I loved seeing all her plants and look forward to tasting something she's grown. 

See a ballet. This was one of my favorite springtime activities. Daughter1 and I went to the International Ballet's performance of Don Quixote to celebrate her birthday. The costumes were beautiful, the dancing exceptional, and there's nothing quite like a mother-daughter day to bring the smiles.  

Spring was busy. While I only managed to complete half my list, there were lots of fun spring events that happened, but weren't listed....my sister and niece came out to the lake one weekend for brunch, the 'kids' moved out and into their own home, we had a whole week with both girls and all the grands in the house, took our first boat ride, celebrated a soon-to-be new momma, a grandson turning three, 41 years of married life, and more. It wasn't dull. Or quiet. 

Now bring on summer...

Linking today with Joanne for Talking About It Tuesdays...hop over to her blog (Slices of Life)  and see what everyone else has to say on this last Tuesday in June. 

Sum-Sum-Summertime Hodgepodge

Welcome to the mid-week random known as The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. Summer officially begins this week (in the northern hemisphere)...what was your favorite thing to do in the summer when you were a kid? What do you like most about summer now? 

My favorite thing? Oh my...lots of things....spending all afternoon at the neighborhood pool, going barefoot, a week at camp, big games of kick the can with dozens of kids from two and three streets over, sitting on the ice cream freezer to keep it from moving while my brother turned the crank...

...the freedom to be a kid and believe anything is possible. 

What do I love about summer now? 

dining al fresco, daylight that lasts until 9 PM,  fresh fruit, swimming, and sitting outside beneath a starry night sky

2.  Something you'll celebrate this summer? 

June is a big month for us and we've already marked a nephew's birthday, a nephew's high school graduation, a daughter's birthday, a grandson's birthday, our 41st anniversary, and Father's Day. Whew! Lots of fun family events and milestones.  

My oldest grandson has a birthday in July, as does my momma who will turn 95 years old. And we love celebrating our nation's birthday on the 4th, one of my favorite days of the year. 

3. Summer tastes like? Smells like? Sounds like? 

Tastes like...red, ripe, watermelon, ice cold sweet tea, hamburgers on the grill, peach cobbler

Smells like...charcoal burning, coconut oil, freshly mown grass, and chlorine

Sounds like...crickets chirping, kids laughing, water splashing, childhood 

4. June 18th is National Splurge Day...what's the last thing you splurged on? What might you splurge on today? 

I splurged (only a little) on some jewelry to wear to a wedding we're attending. In my defense, I had purchased several dresses and narrowed it down to just two. One was pretty pricey but I preferred the slightly less expensive one, so adding the jewelry made it all come out even. Something like that. I might have even saved money-ha! Hi hubs! 

I don't think I'll be splurging on anything today, but never say never. 

5. Share a favorite summer quote, saying, song lyric, or meme. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

In these very troubling times I remind myself every day He's got the whole world in His hands. 

'You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.' Isaiah 26:3 

Ten On The Tenth

Joining Marsha today for her monthly 10 on the 10th prompt which is this-

I didn't do a year end recap on my blog this year, so I'm thinking this might take it's place. Scrolling back through the prior year's pictures it's funny the moments you see captured there that were so special as you lived them, but that were then pushed to the recesses of your mind as time rolled forward. It was fun to pull them out and dust them off.  

Here are ten for keeps..

1. A new little someone to love joined our family in February. 

The baby shower my daughter's friends hosted for her was truly so special. 

These friends praying for Sugar, who arrived just a few weeks later, is a moment I don't want to forget.

My own momma meeting her for the first time a few weeks later is another memory I'll treasure. 

2. There was a whole lot of lake fun this year-

3. Cousin time was for sure a favorite...

And even with all the comings and goings and people moving countries we still managed to squeeze in a whole lotta fun with grandkids in the house. 

4. Lots of happy celebrations happened this year, including a 2nd birthday..

Fireworks on the 4th of July...

A summer bridal shower and traveling to two different weddings of kids we knew when they were still just kids...

5. There were some fun weekends spent with college friends...

6. A great big outdoor project that will be enormously enjoyed in 2025...

7. Tea in Cambridge with my daughter on my birthday was a 5-star highlight from 2024...

That day was part of a fabulous trip to England taken with my hubs to mark our 40th anniversary....

8. Not enough sister time in 2024, but what we did have was special...

And I loved that my momma had a day at the lake with her three girls plus one granddaughter all together...

9. As always I am so grateful for the beauty that surrounds us...

10.  And last but not least, there was the Christmas holiday spent with littles to round out the year.

There was an awful lot to love in 2024. I knew this of course, but looking back and writing it down helps make it all stick. And while I'm sure I could have made a list of things I'd rather forget, it felt really good to count my blessings. 

'Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.' Ralph Waldo Emerson