Weekend Favorites

Hi friends. How was your weekend? Mine was full of fun, family, and festive happenings. Let's recap with Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and (Sarah Sunshine and Books) and their Hello Monday blog hop. 

Backing up to Thursday or as I like to say, my birthday eve. Daughter1 had planned a fun birthday outing for  just the two of us, which was a treat. She has three littles and trying to spend a few hours doing something with just her mama took some maneuvering, but she made it happen. 

She and Little Miss arrived about 9:30 to pick me up. Little Miss was so excited to hand me her card and a box of one of my favorite candies-lemonheads, which she needed to sample. I mean how can you not? They also brought me the prettiest vase filled with flowers. The vase looks like a book, one of my all time favorites in fact-Anne of Green Gables. 

We drove to her sister-in-law's home about an hour away so Little Miss could spend the day with her cousin and her other grandmother while Mama and I had some fun. We went to a kitchen shop I absolutely love (The Cook Station for locals reading here) and it's one of my favorite places to browse. 

How many times can I say the word favorite in a single post? Birthdays are for favorites so pretty sure there's no limit.  

This store carries Vietri and Juliska both which are two of my favorites. I wanted to take this whole set of dishes home for Thanksgiving.

My daughter had reserved us seats in one of their cooking demonstrations which includes lunch. The chef  chats while he's cooking and then you eat what's been prepared. Everyone gets a glass of wine too so it felt like an occasion. 

Today's recipe was a most delicious French Onion Soup with a light salad on the side.  I'll definitely be re-creating his recipe at home. 

Such a nice relaxing few hours where we could chat, which is not something easily done when the kids are with us. I love having the kids with us, but time with a daughter where it's just the two of us is so special. Another favorite you might say. 

We picked the boys up from school on the way home and they all came in to say hi to Pawpaw and we were greeted by this-

Balloons, flowers, and chocolate cake. Yum! The kids were ready to dig in but we told them to come back on my actual birthday and they could help us eat it then. 

I facetimed with daughter2 and her littles and everyone was excited to wish Nana a happy birthday. I love it. Daughter2 sent me Laura Wifler's new book (This Side Of The Sky) and I have been savoring her beautiful way with words.

If you don't follow her online I recommend. Daughter2 and I both love her writing and I was excited to get this in my hands. I'll review it when I recap my September reads in a couple of weeks. 

Hubs made a yummy dinner on the griddle that night, using the left over flank steak from earlier in the week-steak fried rice. I'd made the rice first thing that morning as it needs to sit in the frig for a bit before it goes on the griddle. 

We added broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, onions, peas and carrots and then soy sauce and sesame oil and the requisite scrambled egg. 

So good!

I woke up on my birthday to a beautiful sunrise. The heat has been obnoxious with temps in the  90's so we spent the morning swimming and...paddle boarding. 

Whoohoo! My first time on the board since my ankle mishap. You should know I'm not a natural and hubs likes to take ridiculous photos of me trying to stand, which is not super graceful, but hey I am up and I am paddling and I am a year older so go me. 

Daughter1 and her crew arrived about noon and we all swam and jumped off the dock and then had lunch on the patio. And cake. Can't forget that! Hubs always gets me a chocolate cake with a raspberry filling because it's my favorite. 

We swam some more after lunch before everyone headed home and then hubs and I had dinner reservations at a place we both love. A favorite if you will. 

Hubs had called ahead and told them it was my birthday so even though I still had half a chocolate cake at home I ate the chocolate mousse the restaurant served me. It had toffee chips all around and wow was that ever delicious. 

The sunset driving home was a stunner too...

Saturday was another scorcher of a day and we were up bright and early to tailgate with friends who had invited us to the Clemson game. 

It was an early game (noon) so we did breakfast type foods as our tailgate menu. I made deviled eggs and sausage balls and hubs brought the fixin's for Bloody Marys. I also brought some fruit and cheese and our host made ham and cheese sliders, cinnamon rolls and pigs in a blanket. They even brought me a small cake, Clemson colors of course, which was so thoughtful. 

Look who stopped by to say hey y'all...

I wore the same shirt I wore to the Tennessee game because it was once again 80 million degrees outside and the shirt is technically more Clemson orange than Tennessee orange. Go Tigers! Go Vols! 

My son-in-law brought the two boys to the game so they stopped by the tailgate before we all went in to the stadium. Game day is a sea of orange and the atmosphere on a college campus during football season is the best.  C-17 flyover the stadium-

We did not play well the first half and were losing into the 4th quarter when lightning moved in and everyone had to leave the stadium We didn't hang around because we knew it would be a long while before the game picked up again, plus the outcome wasn't looking like it would be in our favor, but! Lo and behold they came back and pulled off a win. A wonderful way to wrap up a birthday. 

Did you know birthdays are my favorite? 

Now And Then

I've been blogging since 2009 and every year on this date I write a little happy birthday message to my daughter2. After that first year she told me reading my blog on her birthday is one of the best parts of her day. Knowing she likes to wake up and see what momma has to say about her motivates me to keep writing. And writing and writing. 

Seventeen years of birthday blogging is a lot of birthday blogging. 

In that first post of what would become a yearly tradition of posting on her big day, I wrote a lot.  Paragraphs. Details. Cute stories like how she called us from uni across the pond and said she needed to tell us something. I still remember the way my stomach rolled. No worries though...she tried out for cheerleading and made the team. 

No she'd never been a cheerleader. 

I feel somehow like this story tells you everything you need to know about her. 

Anyway, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole looking for inspiration for today's post and saw that in 2021 I wrote a 10 on the 10th post in her honor. Five years have come and gone since that day so I thought it would be fun to do a then and now style post. Here goes-

1. In 2021 she was living many many states away. 

2. Just one now. Much better. 

3. In 2021 she had two nephews who adored her. Now there's a niece to love, plus two littles of her own who all together make up the glorious chaos of our cousin crew. 

4. In 2021 I said she gets stuff done. In 2026 she's still our super capable, dependable, girl with a plan. 

5. And still a beauty. 

6. In 2021 I said she teaches, reads, bakes, and naps like it's her job. One of those things really was her job. Now she nurtures her babies, reads, bakes, and longs for a nap. 

7. Motherhood is more than a job. It's an adventure. Something like that. 

8. In 2021 she loved dogs, books, sharpies, Jesus, and hot tea with her momma in the late afternoon. Still true. 

9. In 2021 I asked her sister what her favorite thing is about Daughter2 and she said, "She's the first person I want to share any news with, good or bad. And she always takes my side, even if I'm wrong.' Ha! And also still true. 

Sisters. 

Going strong since c.1990

10. In 2021 I described her as chatty, faithful, and determined...the best friend, the sweetest sister, the much adored aunt. She is a confidante, truth teller, joy bringer, a day brightener...

And now also a wife and momma, full of wisdom, full of grace. Happy birthday Daughter2...

I'm not with you in person today, but am adding this picture because I know you'll smile when you see it. Me too. May the year ahead be full of sweetness and unexpected moments that bring your heart joy. xo 

Is It Hot Enough For Ya?

When someone asks that question it's usually rhetorical so I won't bother answering.

Except to say it's hot. In the words of my grandma it's 'hotter than blue blazes'. Did you know blazes is a 19th century American term for hell? I didn't either, but I checked the trusty internet so it must be true. Also, it's been really hot. I don't remember getting heat advisories when I was growing up, but we get one pretty much everyday in the month of August. 

Question-are we surprised at the heat in August? I'm gonna say no. 

We had no plans this weekend. Whoohoo! Honestly I'm on some meds for my sinus/cough thing and they make me sleepy so there was a nap in the middle of the day Friday which was very necessary. 

We had workers at the house most of Friday, literally on the roof, trying to wrap up a chimney repair that will actually now be wrapped up today. Hopefully. 

They were noisy and it's a messy job so I pretty much stayed inside, read, and rested. I'd made stuffed peppers on Thursday so we had leftovers for dinner Friday night. Hubs and I watched a movie-Arthur the King and we liked it. Heartwarming and based on a true story. 

Saturday morning we went out for breakfast then hit the grocery store. I hadn't been to the market all week so it was time. We had plans to come home and take the boat out, and we got everything ready including ourselves, when hubs texted from the dock saying he heard thunder so it's a no go. 

It died down but the sky was still questionable so we floated for a while which was nice. Hubs grilled a steak for dinner and we spent the evening listening to music. 

Sunday morning was church, a quick lunch at home, then we made another attempt at boating. Daughter1 and Little Miss came over to swim and get in on the boat ride and we always love that. The boys had baseball so they hung out with Dad until it was time for practice. 

Daughter1 brought some pawpaws she'd gotten I think from her in-laws. Have you ever had a pawpaw? I had to look them up to see how you know when they're ripe and also how you eat them. 

Apparently in moderation because according to what I read too much will upset your stomach. They belong to the custard apple family and you can't eat the skin or the big black seeds. They only grow in 25 states with ours being one of them, and are not available in the grocery store. Supposedly they taste like a cross between a banana~ mango~cantaloupe. I'll let ya know. 

We motored to the gas dock but didn't stay out long because we were melting. We came back to our dock and spent the afternoon swimming. So nice. 

Daughter1 and little miss went home late afternoon and hubs and I watched an episode of the new season of Reacher before dinner. I made a simple pasta dish with fresh tomatoes from our plants, chopped shallots, garlic, and olive oil combined with some pasta and topped with basil from the garden, a little mozzarella, and a sprinkling of parm. So easy and delicious. 

We talked for a brief minute about kayaking to the island to watch the sunset, but it was still in the 90's, the air was thick, and it all sounded like more than we had in us. The dog days of summer are here and they're howling. 

So how was your weekend? 

Linking with Holly and Sarah for their weekly Hello Monday blog hop. 

Love In Motion

I spent a chunk of last week at my Daughter2's house in Tennessee while she and her hubs were on a cruise around the Greek Islands. Swoon! 

Let's pause for a quick sidebar-

That now married momma of two pictured above made a trip to Greece when she was 14 years old. The girls loved swimming in the sea, tasting octopus for the first time, shopping in the market, seeing the historic sites, eating their weight in yummy Greek salads, and roasting under the white hot August Athenian sun. 

Such a fun week for all of us. 

Carry on. 

Daughter2 and her hubs had planned their trip as a bit of a mile marker anniversary celebration (5 years), and because of the distance and travel involved their time away was about ten days. When she first mentioned the trip to me I'm pretty sure my first reaction was, 'TEN DAYS!! WHO'S WATCHING THE KIDS FOR TEN DAYS?!!" 

Yes, in all caps. 

Sometimes things come out of my mouth and I wish I could rewind, but there I said it because seriously, who is watching the kids for TEN days??? As it turns out the plan from the get go was her in-laws would cover five days and we'd cover five days. 

Much better. 

You know once upon a time I was a speech pathologist with over 75 students on my caseload and now I panic at the thought of being responsible for two that are related to me for ten days. Ha. True story though. 

Her two littles are, in a word, busy. Also lightning fast, stinkin' adorable, chatty, curious, and lovable. Keeping up with them requires a clear head and the endurance of a marathon runner. These days I have neither, but I am the Nana and Nanas can do hard things for the people we love. Plus hubs is a great teammate and has an endless array of tricks, funny faces, funny voices, creativity, and muscle so all is well. 

Except! Hubs as you know sells real estate on the lake and he's been working with an out of state client for several weeks who, as timing would have it, would be coming to the lake the very weekend we would be in Tennessee. Bother.  

I mean it's fine because he put a lot of work in for the client and needed that in person time with him, but also it meant I'd be on my own for the last two days of keeping everyone in high spirits until mom and dad came home. 

The thought was daunting. This is how you know you're not young anymore. 

As it turned out everyone did great, the kids too lol. Their momma had left a little gift for them to open each day and I brought a couple of things with me so we'd have new things to play with and distract us. 

Hubs and I drove over to Tennessee last Tuesday and we had one night there with the in-laws still in the house. We enjoy them very much and it was nice to catch up with them once the kiddos went to bed. We ordered pizza for dinner because everyone loves pizza and chatted before calling it an early night. 

Sleep is key. 

They left first thing Wednesday morning and hubs and I took the grands to the Creative Discovery Museum.  Wait. First hubs dropped their dog at daycare. Did I tell you we also had their dog? And our dog? And our dog is not feeling his best these days which makes us wobbly. 

If your kids are not yet married, just know one day you'll be taking care of their dog. That's how it works. 

The Discovery Museum is fabulous. We arrived just as it was opening and beat the crowds that my daughter told me come later. It's really well done, organized, clean, child focused, and lots of space for imaginative play.

Sugar would have been happy to feed and rock baby dolls all day long in the housekeeping section. 

We were home for lunch and then rest and I'd planned ahead and made a pan of chicken divan before I left the lake, so dinner just needed heating and eating. 

Thursday morning the kids have swimming lessons and we were almost late because you forget how long it takes to get out of the house with all the things, plus the kids, plus getting everyone into the car seats, etc. But we made it and hubs got in the pool with them so I was able to just cheer from the sidelines. 

One gift my daughter left was a gift card for donuts so we stopped after swimming and got donuts in this lovely shopping center very close to their home. There's a really nice common area in the center and we let the kids run and play and coincidentally one of their neighbors was there too so all the kids had fun together. 

Afternoons were mostly rest and outside play and usually a show watched while we got dinner ready. Friday morning was meet the teacher day at their new preschool and I told hubs to go ahead and get on the road back to the lake and I'd be fine managing this. And I was. Such a sweet school and everyone's excited. 

We left there and I stopped at Publix to pick up subs for lunch and popsicles because August needs popsicles, and then it was home for the afternoon. I'd brought a new Young, Wild and Friedman play dough kit with me (Reptiles) and I cannot say enough about how wonderful these kits are. I brought that out Friday afternoon and they played with it for a couple of hours Friday, twice on Saturday, and again on Sunday. 

There was a lot of rain over the weekend, but we managed to get outside some each day. We went to the neighborhood pool one day and I took them for ice cream Saturday afternoon. We took a walk each evening which they enjoyed and it seemed to make them more ready for baths and bedtime. I know it did me.  

I arrived home Monday afternoon with two broken fingernails, a mystery bruise on my leg, in dire need of a nap, and a full heart. I love that we're able to give the parents a break now and then. I remember how much I appreciated and needed that when I was in the heavy lifting years of parenting and I want to pay that forward now that I'm the grandparent. 

I think it’s important to make memories together as a family, but also to make time for each other as a couple. Getting away from the everyday craziness of work, parenting, keeping up with the house, and everything else gives mom and dad a chance to reconnect and just enjoy being together.

One of the best ways to keep a family happy and whole is to temporarily escape from them, miss them, recharge, and come back refreshed and eager to resume the routines of daily life. Opa!

Everyday Images Hello Tuesday Edition

Hi. It's Tuesday, but I'm recapping the weekend anyway because I can. I'm linking today with Hello Monday hosted by Holly and Sarah, Talking About It Tuesdays hosted by Joanne, and Everyday Images hosted by Kym, whose most recent prompts are-

layers~current season (quarterly)~milestone~getting ready~wings~entrance~young

Also, this post might be all over the map. We'll see. Let's start with this one-

layers~

On the left a great grandmother/grandmother/mother, in the middle a granddaughter/daughter/mother, and on the right a daughter/granddaughter/great-granddaughter...the many layers of a family

Not the weekend, but this happened last week and I like the word play. Daughter1 and her Little Miss made the trek with me out to see my mama. We had a nice visit, we fed the ducks who are loud and demanding, we chatted, we looked at pictures, and then we walked with her to lunch and were on our way. The three of us stopped for lunch on our way back to the lake and little miss was an A+ car rider.

Current season (quarterly)~

We've had a rainy summer. Not necessarily all day rain, but what feels like lots of gray skies and intermittent rain. 

Friday was one of those days. I helped with a Mah Jongg class in the morning and then hit the grocery store, then hubs and I  hung out at home for a bit. We went out for Chinese food, which we haven't done in a long time because the few Chinese restaurants in town don't get fabulous reviews. 

Friends told us about a place they like so we gave it a try and we thought it was good. I mean it's take out Chinese, although we ate in, and we always go for spicy and it wasn't bad. Is that a stellar recommendation? No, but we'll go back when we want easy Chinese so that's something. 

young~

We saw this sweet thing at the entrance to my daughter's neighborhood over the weekend. There are few things cuter than a baby deer. Speaking of entrance~

We have a crepe myrtle on either side of the driveway entrance. Here's the one on the left-

and here's the one on the right. Hmmm...

These were planted on the same day, same time, and for some reason one is twice the size of the other, although both do bloom. We think it might have something to do with the electrical box on the right side of the drive, but we really don't know. 

These purslane are at the entrance to the garage. This color is called strawberries and cream, although lately there's some orangey shades in the mix too. Nature is amazing. 

Since we're on the subject of nature...

wings~

It's hummingbird central around our house and hubs added another feeder to the upper deck. The birds love it and it seems to be their new favorite spot. 

Our pet heron-

Technically not our pet, but he hangs out here a lot. Usually on the shoreline but on this day it seems he wanted a 'bird's eye view'. 

Saturday was party day. It drizzled in the morning, but cleared up (mostly) for the afternoon happenings. The Mancub's birthday party wasn't until 3 so I stayed in my pjs until it was time to leave. I have had the cough that won't quit since we got back from Florida, plus did I mention my little 'mishap'? Ugh. This year has not been smooth sailing in terms of injury. 

Last week I dropped by my daughter's house to steal from her garden (with her permission) and when I stepped out of the car, my foot landed on her soft hose, which caused the hose to roll and yep...down I went. I scraped my leg pretty good, but the bigger thing was I rolled my foot and let me tell you, it hurt. 

So I hobble in to my daughter's house and the kids come running happily to greet me and blood is gushing out of my leg, so my daughter hurries to get ice and bandaids and first aid and honestly y'all. I have been a lot this year. For everyone, myself included. 

I went to the dr for the second time yesterday and will try an antibiotic now. For the cough, not my foot. And that's if hubs doesn't smother me with a pillow first. 

I kid. 

Except he probably wants to because I'm annoying even to me. The ortho in my family and the doc today both tell me my foot is likely not broken so it's ice and the sleeve and time. 

Back to the weekend. The birthday party. My daughter should have a party planning business because she can work a theme with so many cute little touches, and the Mancub loved it. 

milestone~

Turning a year older surely qualifies. 

The Mancub's party was all things Harry Potter along with a big inflatable water slide which has nothing to do with HP and everything to do with Carolina heat and humidity and a backyard full of 9-year olds. 

There were 'Great Hall floating candles'-

pencil wands in the goodie bags, house banners hung, and Hogwarts letters in the fireplace...

Plus a  beautiful cake complete with Harry Potter themed candles-

Everyone had a lot of fun. 

Sunday morning I was up early to make ham and cheese sliders for a bridal shower daughter1 and I were attending right after church.  A sweet young couple were celebrating their upcoming wedding and I do love a bridal shower. The food was delicious and there was an ice cream bar for the bride who's been scooped up : ) So cute. 

getting ready~

...for the sun to set. 

Sunday night hubs and I kayaked over to a nearby island with a couple of neighbors to watch the sunset. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening and the air was hot, the water just right. A nice way to begin a new week.