TGIFriday Favorites

I should be doing about a hundred things, but let's blog about nothing too important instead. I like to say that's my niche. I'm linking up today with Friday Favorites (A Little Bit of Everything and Momfessionals) to share a few things I'm loving lately. 

1. We made this fabulous pasta dish a couple of weeks ago and we both absolutely loved it. I took pics along the way, but of course never posted any so here ya go-

Hubs stumbled across a reel on Instagram by a chef named Cesar de la Parra and we decided to give his recipe for Spicy Vodka Pasta a try. It's all in Spanish but there's a translate option at the end. 

After you add the vodka the instructions were to set it on fire, which is always fun. 

Muy deliciosa! 

Except I want to say molto delizioso! because isn't this dish Italian? No matter, just know it's a keeper. 

2. When the grands come to the lake we always try to have some new little fun things for them to play with. One thing we bought this time around is a giant Connect Four (Pottery Barn) for the patio, and I look forward to winning  playing lots of games with the two oldest boys these next couple of weeks. They might be almost 7 and not quite 5, but they get their competitive spirit from their Nana and play to win too. 

3. The outdoor shower. When we built our house we knew we wanted an outdoor shower. 

The carpenters assigned to this part of the project spoke very little English so we kind of pantomimed what we were going for and y'all... 

You could have a party in here.  

Watching them construct this door was one of the more entertaining parts of the entire home build. Pretty sure this door is as deep as what you'd find on the vault at Fort Knox lol.

If hubs had a summer bucket list, near the top would be this-no indoor showers between May and October.  So far so good. 

And you can't beat the view!  

4. My hydrangeas. They took a beating this year, mostly because the deer got to them before we realized what was happening, so they grew a bit wonky. 

The blooms are still beautiful though. 

5. I am loving this little bed on the side of our lower patio. 

Here's the view from above-

It's all hubs doing, he's got the green thumb, and has added something to this space every year for the past few years. We have a hummingbird feeder on the upper deck, but he added a second one here and the hummingbirds flit back and forth between the two. This space is lush and soothing.

 

6. Our wine club.

We've belonged to a wine club for several years here at the lake, and it's gone through some changes recently. My hubs is the current President and it's been quite the job managing said changes, and he is exactly the right person for this role at this time. 

        smoked lamb chop, yukon gold potato puree, rosemary demi glace, English pea reduction

The venue we used for twelve years decided in January to no longer host any events (not just ours), so we've had to find a new location. Not an easy thing to do in 'the country'.    

 pistachio crusted Chilean Sea Bass, smoked gouda risotto, charred fennel grapefruit relish 

We meet once a month for a five course dinner with wine pairings and last night was our first gathering in the new space. Everything was so good!  The food and wine were both  five *****. 

  candied pecan croissant bread pudding 

The chef at the new venue is fantastic and I loved every course. Besides what's pictured there was a scrumptious smoked salmon salad topped with crispy leeks and a seared duck breast with a chipoltle honey cream. Honestly I could have eaten an entire plate of the sea bass and a big bowl of the bread pudding and called it a day, it was that good. 

7. The sunrise. I think you know I'm obsessed. 

How can you not be? 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

It's All Fun And Games

Still blogging my way through the alphabet with the April A-Z Challenge. People related to me will not be surprised by today's entry-

Day 7-G is for Games 

Listen up. There are two kinds of people in this world-those who love to play games and those who don't. Guess which one I am-ha! I'm not talking athletic competition, but I am talking competition because I do like to win. 

I've taught my grandson how to play Crazy 8's and apparently he played with his grandfather during a recent visit. My daughter texted saying the mancub didn't cut granddad any slack when it came to winning, just like Nana. 

Is that a compliment? 

I'm going to say yes. 

The mancub also likes to play Go Fish, Candyland, and Guess Who, and you need to know if you play once you're going to play twenty times. I love that he asks to play games and that it's something we can do together. He's a very good sport and seems to know he can't win every time. 

Hubs would say especially if he's playing with Nana. 

He's not wrong. 

Hubs is not a big game player, but he'll humor me now and then with a game of Rummy or Backgammon. Whenever we play a new game with people, one I already know how to play, he likes to remind me not to go overboard with the rule keeping. 

I don't deny it. I mean games have rules and rules are meant to be followed, right? 

Our next door neighbors love to play games too and we get together pretty often for cards or Sequence or Dominoes. We play Euchre with them too and Darts which is a game of a different sort, but also fun. We have Cornhole and Yardtzee and also a pool table, all fun games to play with a big group. Hubs may not love games but he does love a houseful of people. 

fyi-games that involve too much eye hand coordination are not my strong suit.

When Covid was in full force and everyone was hunkered down alone I started playing a card game with my mom via Facetime. It's called Hand and Foot and while we had to tweak some of the rules, we've made it work. It has been such a fun way to connect with her every week, and do something 'normal'. 

Also, she likes to win too, so I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree. 

During Covid I learned from another neighbor how to play MahJong, and I really enjoyed it. I haven't played much lately as we've had so much going on here, but I hope to get back to it. MahJong requires focus and strategy and it's quick so you need to play regularly if you want to be any good. 

Daughter2 and I played a lot of games when she was living with us and we still play at least one or two or ten games of Skipbo every time she visits. We got a fun game for Christmas called Chronology and it seems everyone likes that, which is good for a group.  

I play an online game, which I call brain training because that's what the makers of the game call it, but hubs rolls his eyes when I say that so we'll just say game. And like the rest of the world I do the daily Wordle and also Quordle, which I think is a bit more challenging. 

So what games do you like to play or don't you? 

Are you a person who loves games or are you no fun? teehee. 

Enjoy your weekend everyone! 

Winning!

So here we are, another Monday that feels a lot like every other day of the week, but we are all going to carry on and pretend it's new and different. Technically it is new and different, it's just a bit hard to tell from the vantage point of social distancing. 

And I am still making my way through the alphabet challenge, because it's still April in case you also needed reminding about that. Here we go-                           

                                                          Day 23-W is for Winning 

Today's word comes from one of my summer camp friends. I don't know if everyone is in touch with friends they made as a summer camp counselor when they were twenty years old, but I am and it's truly a very special thing.

Camp is good for kids in so many ways-physically, mentally, and spiritually, and it's good for the people who work there in all those same ways too. I'm feeling sad that children who were looking forward to going to camp this summer are likely not going, and I'm feeling sad for the staff who were making plans to work at camps all across America.

There is a long list of disappointments every which way you turn, and this is just one more. We have to intentionally look away from the list of heartaches we're each holding, and instead work at focusing our eyes and our minds and our hearts on things we can control. I know there is a lot of good and kind and beauty out there still and I want to see that.

Now about today's word. I can keep this short and sweet.

Winning.

I like it. Ha! My family can testify to the truth of this statement. I am not a naturally athletic person, but I am a naturally competitive person about a lot of things. 

Sometimes this is not an attractive quality.

In my defense I am not competitive in the way women can be competitive with one another. I don't really understand that, but if you throw a board game in front of me LOOK OUT!

Because I like to win.

I am all about solidarity when it comes to women doing the best they can with what they have, encouraging one another, lifting each other up, and in general not being mean girls no matter their age. Just don't challenge me to a game of cards.

Or dominos-cornhole-scrabble or anything else that might be dubbed 'game'.

Hey, have you noticed how I'm rolling through this A-Z thing like a boss?
Winning! 

Another Super Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's super edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge!  Be sure to add your link to the bottom of my post and then go compare answers with your friends and neighbors.

Go Ravens!  

1. In the USA this coming Sunday millions will be watching the Baltimore Ravens take on the San Francisco 49er's in the Superbowl.  What was the last event you attended that could be described as super?

I have to wrack my brain to come up with something here....Christmas?  
Looks like I'm overdue for something super.  

2. Share something you're a fan of these days?

Lots of things...conversation hearts, a full moon, this Deruta pottery pattern, the book of James, Downton Abbey, breathtaking sunrises,  Lee Brice, weekend getaways on the calendar, Pinterest, and deer outside my window looking back at me...just to name a few.

3.  How do you feel about wings?  In case anyone is confused, I'm talking about the edible appetizer kind.  What's your preferred seasoning-hot, mild, teryiaki, sweet and sour, other? Do you make your own or is there a favorite place you like to go for wings?

I like them every now and then, but they're not an altogether healthy dish, especially when served with a side of blue cheese. I must have the side of blue cheese and plenty of celery too, because I like mine hot.  Not the ridiculous blazing so-hot-you-can't-actually-taste-them kind of hot, but definitely hot.  

I've only made wings a couple of times because this is a dish I prefer to eat out. They're messy! I do have some in my freezer I bought from a door to door salesman (yes, really) and they're not bad, but they're still messy.

4. As long as we're talking sports today, have you been following the Lance Armstrong story?  Did you watch his interview with Oprah and if so what was your reaction to his confession and subsequent remarks?

This whole story makes me so sad.  I didn't watch the whole interview, but I've seen quite a few excerpts.  So sad.  Have we not learned in the year 2013 that exposure is inevitable when you're in the public eye?  Guess not.  

We may not all be multi-million dollar athletes who doped, lied about it, and then bullied his accusers, but we are all in need of God's amazing grace.  I think I'll leave it at that.  

5. What's a question you hate to be asked?

Would you mind stepping on the scale?

6. The coaches in this Sunday's big match up happen to be real life brothers.  Jim Harbaugh coaches the 49er's and his older brother John Harbaugh coaches the Baltimore Ravens.  Were you and your sibling(s) competitive?  In what way?  Are you still?  If you're an only child how did you handle competition growing up?

I'm just going to go ahead and admit up front that I'm a fan of competition. Friendly competition that is, the kind that bubbles up in a board game, or healthy competition like we have in a free market society.  I'm not so much a fan of competition when it comes to the less tangible things in life like love, acceptance, and a person's worth.

In terms of my parent's attention or things I wanted to do when I was a kid,  I 'd say I wasn't competitive at all with my older sister. She was just enough older than me for that not to be an issue. Same goes for my brother, although he and I used to get into some heated games of  ping pong. I really really really wanted to beat him just one time, but I never did.  It didn't hurt because he was older, athletic, and always encouraging in my efforts.  

My younger sister and I are just a year apart.  I don't remember feeling competition with her for my parent's love and attention, but I guess it's possible there were moments of that for both of us.  If so, they don't stand out. We had a lot of overlap in friends, but  I think we were mostly glad we had each other.  We were in the same trig class in high school, even though she's a year younger than me.  She's a numbers girl so was ahead of the game there.  It didn't bother me a bit. 

We argued now and then, but that was mostly about making sure everything was exactly always 100% Even Steven in terms of our assigned household chores.  Oh we could drill down on that one.   

My sibs and I are not in competition with one another as adults.  
Unless a board game is involved, and then all bets are off.  

7. What's your favorite game involving a ball, and when did you last play?

To watch, it's college football, but can't say I've ever played-ha.  My favorite game to actually play that requires a ball would be ping pong.  It's been a few years, but it's still my favorite.  

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Is anyone planning to participate in the A-Z blog Challenge this April?  You can sign up starting today by going here.  The idea of this challenge is to post every day (except Sundays) during the month of April, using the alphabet as your guide.  I've taken part the last two years and really enjoyed it.  There are thousands of participants, and let me just say there's something for everyone out there in the blogosphere.  I think this year they're going to attempt to do some categorizing which should make it easier to find blogs that meet your interest. It's a work in progress so they'll likely tweak that as the month progresses.  

The last two years I've had a theme and find I work best that way. Sadly, no fabulous trip is in the works for this March so I'm having to think hard to come up with a theme for this year's posts.  You don't have to have a theme, but I think it helps a lot.  

Let me know if you plan to play along! 

Hey Hey Macaroona

Sorry. I've been baking macaroons this afternoon and consequently I have the macarena tune stuck in my head. I'm easily entertained.

First sentence and I'm already off track. An-y-way...as I was saying-macaroons. Oh my. This is the first time I've tried this particular recipe and it is most definitely a keeper. And because it's the Christmas season and I'm all about sharing I'm going to post it here so you can love it too. The recipe calls for almond paste which I found on the baking aisle of my regular supermarket. It is a little bit pricey. I think I paid $5.69 but may I just say that these macaroons are worth every single solitary cent.

The reason for all the baking today is because I'm going to a cookie exchange tomorrow. Actually tomorrow I am the co-host of a cookie exchange. I'm not entirely sure how that happened but one minute I was explaining to a friend how I used to organize my cookie exchanges so as not to make people crazy with the baking and the next thing I knew I was being introduced at a meeting as the organizer. I don't mind though...it's not going to be at my house because did I tell you I AM GOING TO FRANCE this week (Sorry for the shouting but I'm a teensy bit exited) and I didn't feel like I could have 25 people in my house for lunch the day before.

For this exchange you only have to bring three dozen cookies creatively and/or beautifully packaged in three containers of one dozen cookies each. And of course because I'm organizing it there will be a prize to the person who brings the most creatively/beautifully wrapped package. I'm all about the prizes people. I bought these cute containers at The Christmas Tree Shoppe to hold the cookies I'm bringing but I did seal them in a plastic bag before placing them in the houses.

I had an exchange like this one every year before I moved overseas. The container portion became more competitive than the cookie portion because the first year I hosted it a friend who is an artist painted beautiful bird houses to put her cookies in and there may have been a little scuffle when it was time to choose. We drew numbers and it was nice and orderly after that. Oh and btw, that very cute little baker is not part of the deal.

He's actually a smoker that belongs to daughter2...she and I went to the German Christmas markets together for several years and she loves to bake and she loves cotton candy so he was a perfect gift. You put a small piece of incense inside and smoke comes out of his mouth. She'll have a home of her own to decorate one day but for now he is happy in my kitchen.

Back to tomorrow....besides the cookie exchange we're going to have a pot luck lunch and there will be an ornament exchange too. And yes, this will be my third in a little over a week but hey, my trees are happy. And my husband's co-workers will be happy tomorrow too because the extras gotta go somewhere because did I mention I'M GOING TO FRANCE THIS WEEK?

Now for the recipe which was after all, the point of this post....if you love coconut you must try these...your taste buds will thank you. Your hips will not. As it happens I do believe the French are kind of known for their macaroon baking prowess and French women are notoriously thin so perhaps there is nothing to worry about. I'm thinking a little comparison taste testing will be in order once I get to Strasbourg...I'll let you know how they measure up.

Coconut Almond Macaroons

3 TBSP. almond paste

1 tsp. vanilla

4 large egg whites, divided

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3 1/2 cup flaked sweet coconut

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine almond paste, vanilla and 2 egg whites in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until blended. Combine powdered sugar, baking powder and salt and add this to the almond mixture. Beat until well blended. Stir in coconut. Put remaining two egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar 1 TBSP at a time until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg white mixture into coconut.

Drop dough by level TBSP , 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 17 minutes or until firm. Cool in pan on wire rack 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Makes 32 macaroons.

Par-tay!

So I know you're all dying to find out if I stooped so low as to snag my own gift at the party last night and the simple answer to that is no. I will confess though that it was not because I wasn't willing but more because...here's the best part...I was the last name drawn...whoohoo! If you've never done one of these exchanges before then you need to know that being last is really like being first. Kinda like winning before the game even begins. If you are last then you get your choice of any gift out there. Well almost any gift because there are always those women who latch onto something and give you a sob story about why they must absolutely have that gift and they put it under their chair or in their lap so you kinda forget its out there and they also tend to play the guilt card which makes you feel like you'd be the lowest form of life for even thinking about taking the gift they chose so you don't. You think really really hard about it but you don't.

Anyway, I chose a gift certificate to a little French bistro here in town that everyone raves about but I haven't managed to get to yet. I love me some jewelry but dining out just might be my love language so its all good. Daughter2 is coming home in less than two weeks and since she is coming directly home to her mama and not making any side treks to the boyfriends house she may just get treated to lunch out at the French Bistro. See it pays to come straight home to mama.

Today I'm baking a chocolate pound cake to take to a party. And guess what...there's an ornament exchange which will be done in the same fashion as last night's gift exchange. I really hope I don't embarrass my husband. He really hopes so too.

While I was baking my cake the piano tuner arrived to tune the piano. Duh. We ended up leaving our piano in England and buying a piano from the people who were selling this house. My husband hit one note on the piano shortly after we moved in and declared it way out of tune. Daughter2 who is my pianist said the same. I am not the person to ask since it all sounds like music to me but the piano tuner confirmed their diagnosis. He gave me all the technical mumbo jumbo but let me summarize for you. The number that is not supposed to be above an 8 ranges anywhere from 56-87 on our piano. Even I don't think that's good. He is going to have to make a second trip out because it seems you can only move it 50 whatevers at one time so while it is hugely improved it is still a teensy bit off key. So he says...it's all music to me. He did play a beautiful Silent Night for me before he left and he also solved a little piano mystery we had going here. There is an electrical chord tucked under one edge of the piano and we had no clue as to what it was for. Turns out there is a dehumidifier inside the piano. The things one learns. Anyway, our piano is sitting in our little sunroom and this may very well be my favorite room in the house. Because its sunny...did I need to say that? As it happens all that fluctuating temperature isn't so great for the instrument so what to do? I really don't want to move the piano and I really don't want to put anything on the windows because the windows y'all...they make the room.

It's a conundrum. I love that word and am happy I finally found an excuse to use it on my blog. Here is a photo of said piano.

And here is a close up of the adorable little hand carved wooden Nativity that now sits upon said piano. I bought this at the Christmas Market in Cologne Germany last December and it is so sweet.

Pictures do not turn out very well when taken in the sunroom because did I mention the windows? Can windows make you happy because these definitely make me happy. Unless I glance out and happen to witness a massacre of sorts but other than that yes, I think windows can make you happy. And so can German Christmas markets. And French markets. Which is where I will be exactly one week from today. Et je suis très excitée.

Cold medicine and blogging go together like chalk and cheese

In other words...I remembered a few things this weekend and I've taken a cold pill so look out...

1. Mexican food is as good as I remember. Hubs and I went out for Mexican food on Friday night and it was delicious. Really good Mexican food would for sure make our list of the top 3 things we missed most about home while we were living abroad. If we were actually keeping a list which of course we weren't because mostly we loved everything about our years in England. Well, obviously everything except the fact that there wasn't any good Mexican food. Oh, and the crazy driving. And parking. And trying to open a bank account. Or get a repair done. Where was I going with this again?

Oh yeah...you can get every kind of wonderful ethnic food in the city of London...actually all around the UK...except great Mexican. Oh, there were a couple of Mexican restaurants around and every now and then we'd get such a craving for it that we'd convince ourselves those restaurants were not too bad. So we'd trek in to one place that made pretty good salsa and pay our four pounds fifty for a coffee cup serving of chips just to satisfy the craving. We were always bitterly disappointed and would ask ourselves why why why do we keep going back?? I guess because we're the hopeful type. Anyway, Friday night we went to a place we'd heard about thru the grapevine and it was totally yummy. I feel better just knowing its there.

2. I like Bocce ball. Seriously. I haven't played since I was a kid but we spent the night at a friends house on Saturday and we just had the best time playing on their Bocce court.

They have an official court which I told my husband we could do in our back yard but he pretty much nixed it because a. you need a lot more space than we would want to devote to an official court and b. our friend explained they had equipment brought in and big rocks moved and then a tennis court type material laid on top and blah blah blah...I decided I want a few more pieces of furniture and we need to buy daughter2 a car and it's almost Christmas and really winter is coming any day now and I will most likely not be outside playing Bocce ball when there is a foot of snow on the ground so...impractical. But fun. Have I mentioned on here before that I'm slightly competitive?

3. Old friends are comfy. Like I said we spent the weekend with some old friends...actually the Mrs. was hubs boss way back when. There were a few other folks there too and we just talked and laughed and warmed our feet by the outdoor firepit in between the bocce games and the fabulous homemade meatballs. We stayed in their adorable little guest cottage which used to be a doll's house but they raised the ceiling and have converted it into the most fantastic space for guests.

I told my husband we could do this in place of the Bocce court. I mean we for sure get a whole lot of houseguests and how fun would it be to have a place to send them for them to relax in their own little cottage?

4. My girlies will be home two weeks from tomorrow to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. And if you want to get all technical that isn't something I only remembered this weekend....I just like saying it.

Yup...like chalk and cheese. And do you know what else I just remembered? I have now worked that expression into two blog posts...just wondering what that says about the content here?

Wordless Wednesday...Look Mom! No Hands!

That's my girl. Actually the 'no hands' bit means she's got a lot of her Daddy in her too!

For more Wordless Wednesday posts visit 5 minutes for mom

The BBC and our MGB...you know, British stuff

I know you are on pins and needles waiting to hear how the car show went and I promise I will get to that in a minute. And you can rest assured there are trophies involved. Before I get to that bit though I wanted to let you know that back in the autumn of 2008 I was part of a program recorded and broadcast in the UK on BBC Radio4. The women's club I've mentioned here before was featured in a 30 minute BBC Radio programme called Lives in a Landscape. The show highlights all sorts of things going on in the villages around the UK and back in the fall of 2008 our club was the story. I was interviewed as the outgoing club president along with the incoming president who was leading her first general meeting, two ladies newly arrived in England, our hiking activity group leader and a club member who has lived in multiple countries and is something of an ex pat pro. The interviewer also attended that first general club meeting of the year, a newcomers coffee and he even went on a hike with our hiking group.

Anyway, all this to say that the program is going to be rebroadcast on Monday evening, 11:30 PM UK time which is 6:30 PM East Coast time in the US. If you are at all interested in listening in I think this link will allow you to connect (Lives in the Landscape). If not it will most likely be on their website for a few days following the broadcast so click here if you'd like to listen online sometime after Monday.

Now, you may have zero interest in this and if so just skip on down to the next bit of today's post. I do think the program is an interesting little glimpse into what it's like settling into life in another country. And of course I must also add that I am speaking in a couple of places and will be easy to identify because (1) I'm the first segment and I was interviewed while driving. Uh-oh. If you read my blog you already know about my expertise at operating a motor vehicle in the UK and (2) I was interviewed in a later segment while hiking and a hilly part at that so when you hear the person speaking who makes you think, "Why is that woman so out of breath?" you'll know that's me. I'm in a bit at the end as well but I don't think that requires any forewarning. Click here if you'd like to listen online sometime after Monday.

Now for the car show...I have a few thoughts (you're not surprised) starting with this....it was hot. Really really hot. And, because I wanted to be all into the spirit of the event I wore my London Polo shirt which is short sleeved but heavy and did I tell you it was HOT?

And is there such a thing as a car show tan because if there is I'm gonna be sporting one for the next couple of days?

Next thought...convertible hair. Not good. At all. Thankfully I grabbed a hat at the last minute because convertible hair definitely needs a hat and that's all I'm gonna say about that.

The car show was held on the grounds of a local community college and all the proceeds from today's event will be donated to the 9/11 memorial charities. There is a lovely memorial on the college grounds that stands 9 feet 11 inches tall and its centerpiece is a steel beam from one of the towers.

When we arrived at the car show we collected our entry number and our goody bag. Oh, I do love a goody bag and I'm really not too particular about what's in it. This one held mostly 'car stuff' but I did get a little bit excited about the miniature tape dispenser. The couple next to us informed me that Mars Candy sponsors a car show and their goody bags have Mars candy in them. I think I can manage to attend another show if chocolate is involved.

Anyway, besides our goody bag we were given a ballot so we could walk around and vote on cars in the various categories. And get this...you cannot vote for your own car. Huh? What is that all about? We were also given a ticket for a door prize and whoohoo! we won something. In keeping with the car theme it was a little plaque to hang somewhere in the house about God holding the 'key'. And technically it doesn't match my decor so it might need to hang in the garage right beside our trophies. That's right I said trophies. As in two. And it's fun to win stuff y'all. One trophy was for our category (sport something or other) but the second trophy was the fireman's choice. The local fire dept was at the show cooking hotdogs and hamburgers and they also got to award trophies for their favorite cars so we got one of those too. And while I love the actual winning of the trophy I don't get as excited about the displaying of them in the house so I think they will be beautifying the garage...that's good, right?

Today was kind of fun. I think I'd have enjoyed it more if it weren't 175 degrees but all in all it was an experience. We got a kick out of the number of people who looked at our car and didn't register the fact that the steering wheel is on the right hand side. And we did meet some nice people and there were lots of great cars at the show...

And boy do car collectors take the competition bit seriously. I mean they're just cars people.

Oh, and did I tell you we got TWO trophies?

Thar's Bears in them thar hills!

And by 'them thar hills' I mean my own back yard.  Well...the woods at the very edge of my own backyard anyway.  And did I mention that it was huge?  And by huge I mean HUGE!!!  And it lumbered.  I think that's how you describe the way a HUGE bear walks.  Or skulks.  Or prowls when he's looking for a snack. And I'd love to post a picture but my husband and I were too busy tripping over our feet, our furniture and a few unpacked boxes in our efforts to get our hands on the camera that we didn't actually get our hands on the camera until Gentle Ben had meandered on up into the woods.  I'm gonna call him Gentle Ben because I like to think he's gentle.  And is it a bad thing to see a bear in your backyard and have your first thought be 'wow, am I gonna get some blog mileage out of this or what?'   I'm thinking maybe personal safety should have been my first concern but really I do think you may be hearing more about Gentle Ben on this blog.  I suspect he'll be back periodically because he looked way to comfy for me to think he's a first time visitor.  

Actually seeing the bear was a nice distraction to the fact that my girlies + Daughter1's boyfriend are on their way back to South Carolina.  They were here for a couple of days 'meeting home'.  This was their first time to see the new house and we had a happy couple of days.  This morning I found Daughter1 in the basement just like this-

Yes, that is my 21 year old daughter, smiling at the sight of her American Girl Dolls, a favorite memory from her childhood days..."I'm just organizing the clothes mom...really."

And this is how I found Daughter2 this morning-

For those of you with babies and toddlers who never sleep let me reassure you that they will make up for all that no-sleeping when they hit the college years. 

And in between hitting all the ice cream shops in our new little town (hey, the girls need to have lots of reasons to come home often) there was a little of this-

And I guess the look on my face here suggests that I was only half joking when I said I was slightly competitive.  (And it also suggests that I should get busy hanging pictures in this room instead of playing pool!)

Actually, all the kids showed me up at pool.  

Bowling now...that's a whole 'nother story.  I rocked bowling.  Totally.

Fun and Games on the Highway of Life

I've had so much fun with my daughters this week. We have been shopping and talking and eating out ALOT ...oh and playing Scattegories...I love that game. In fact I love most board games and I guess it's possible that in years past I may have become a teensy bit 'over zealous' while playing games with my family. And my competetive spirit is possibly the reason why my children now restrict which games they will agree to play with me. And my husband might have referred to me as the game nazi once or twice in our married life but I'm pretty sure he means that in a nice way.


Anyway, besides all the fun and games (clever, isn't it?) we've also been driving. And driving. And still more driving. And parking. And reversing. And then more driving. Daughter2 is hoping to get her US license this summer at the tender age of nearly 19. I'll let you in on a little secret here....this whole teenagers not driving thing was one of the hidden blessings of spending the teenage years in England. For one thing they couldn't even apply for their learners permit until they were 17. Then there was the matter of insurance...if I told you in US dollars the cost of insurance for teenagers in the UK you'd be telling your teenager to take the train too. Then there was the problem of what car to drive...mine was almost too big for me to navigate on the narrow English roads and sitting in the passenger seat while my 17 year old child tried to negotiate my too wide car into a parking space that was most certainly designed with a moped in mind...well, let's just say it wasn't pretty. In fact it wasn't even pretty when I tried to do it and I had 30 years of experience. In addition to these obstacles we didn't own a car in the states for our girls to use for practice and testing when we were home for summer visits. And those summer visits were usually a whirlwind of activity and travel from relative to friend to relative and kids don't want to spend that time in driving instruction. And really, let's be honest here and just admit that no one actually wants to get in a car with a teenager who has only driven for a couple of weeks while home on summer leave do they? I knew you'd agree. So here we are...Daughter2 has now had her permit for several months and has had lots of practice so it's been a good week in that regard too.

Tomorrow I will be leaving SC and I might feel a little bit sad about that fact except my girlies will be coming to NJ next week to 'meet home'. Knowing I will see them in just a few days makes it so much easier to trek back north. And if that's not enough to make me smile well, I'm also going to be stopping in NC for the weekend to meet up with some of the girls from my college sorority days. And while I have seen some of these friends since college there will be a few coming to the reunion that I haven't seen in 25 years. Wow that makes me sound old and you'll just have to take my word for it when I say I am not. Or you can ask my kids next week after I embarrass them at pool. I'm just sayin is all.