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! 

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! 

Monday March Madness

Not the fun kind of March madness because fun was cancelled this month, wasn't it?

Well maybe not cancelled but we are definitely having to work for it. Pretty soon all my blog posts will be titled 'what I ate this week'. We're all learning to get creative and figure out new ways of connecting and socializing from at least ten feet away.

Are you on Zoom? We had a Zoom call with a group of college friends Friday night, and another with a former work colleague of the hubs on Saturday. I don't know why we never did this prior to social distancing because it's a great way to connect as a group and we laughed a lot. I even played cards with friends last week via Zoom and our Sunday School class is meeting that way as well.

Temps have climbed into the 80's here which is delightful. We haven't dropped the boat in the water yet, since pollen has run amok-

Don't think we'll be dining out here just yet, but I am looking forward to al fresco dinners in the near future. And once most of the pollen is down we'll be back to meeting up with friends by water. Everyone can stay safely on their own boats a healthy distance away and life might feel a little bit ordinary. Whoohoo!

Hubs has been spending his at-home time painting all the trim in the house. He enjoys a project and this is a tedious job that needed to be done. He's a meticulous painter and it all looks so crisp and clean. Perhaps if we're confined to home much longer he'll get to some of the walls too?

We've cooked some stuff. Ha! We're all cooking these days aren't we? We tried a new recipe on Saturday for grilled shrimp tacos with avocado salsa and it was a keeper.

So easy and I'll definitely make this one again. I found the recipe here.

Still have two dogs to walk which is a happy distraction and a reason to leave the house. I'm watching very little news, but do tune in to hear our governor's updates and catch headlines to see if there are new developments to be aware of on any given day.

We started watching a program on netflix called Tales By Light and are enjoying that. Each episode features a photographer taking pictures of something fabulous somewhere in the world and their shots are pretty amazing. My daughter and I have been binging old seasons of The Great British Baking Show and are completely addicted. I'm determined to bake something I've never tried before using my one packet of yeast, which I was lucky to get. Suddenly everybody's a baker.

Speaking of baking, daughter2 and I finished a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle last week-

It ended up being 998 pieces thanks to a lightning fast little brown dog who shall remain nameless, ahem, but still fun and really pretty. How long do you leave a completed puzzle set up? We wrapped this one up on Thursday and I put it back in the box Saturday. Since it looks like staying home is the name of the game for a while longer I need the table space to start another.

So that's about it-reading, cooking, walking the dogs, working puzzles, a little TV, a few home cleaning/organizing projects, and more blogging than I've done in months are what's filling the time here. I have to say many of these activities are things I enjoy doing anyway, even when social distancing isn't the norm.

How 'bout you? What are you doing to stay busy?

Hodgepodge With Gravy

Welcome to this week's edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered the questions, add your link at the end of my post, then run say hi to the blogger who linked before you. They'll thank you! Here we go-

1. What's surprised you most about your life, or about life in general?

About my life, probably all the travel. It wasn't until well into adulthood I discovered I had a heart full of wanderlust. 

2. Among others, these ten words were added to the Oxford English Dictionary this year...awesomesauce, beer o'clock, brain fart, buttdial, cat cafe (apparently this is a real thing), fatberg (gross-read the definition here), fat shame, hangry, Mx (gender neutral), and skippable.

Your thoughts? In looking over the list, which word do you find most ridiculous? Which word would you never in a million years say out loud? Which word would you be most likely to use in conversation?

A sad commentary on the English language. I find cat cafe the most ridiculous, although probably more the concept than the actual word. I cannot imagine using the word fatberg since I rarely discuss congealed lumps of fat that won't break down. Shudder! You won't hear me calling anyone Mx. either. My word of choice on this particular list is hangry. The struggle is real y'all. 

3. Do you like gravy? Is there a food you'd rather not eat unless it comes with gravy? Do you make your own or buy the canned or store-made variety? Turkey and gravy, sausage gravy, mashed potatoes and gravy, country ham and red eye gravy, biscuits and chocolate gravy, pot roast and gravy...which on on the list is your favorite?

I'm kind of meh on the whole gravy thing. I can take it or leave it, and there's nothing I absolutely must have smothered in sauce. I like gravy on my turkey if the turkey is dry, but I love plain mashed potatoes. If I do have gravy on something I have a very small portion. I don't like my food swimming, and feel the same way about salad dressing and pasta toppings. 

I have a wonderful make ahead turkey gravy recipe I got from Southern Living a few years ago, and I make that. The past couple of years we've had gravy from a local butcher. It's made there and tastes homemade. Delicious and one less item to prepare on Thanksgiving Day so why not? I don't like canned or jarred gravy. My favorite of the foods listed would probably be turkey and gravy. 

4. Do you have a plan? Do you need a plan? Have you ever had a plan fall into a trillion pieces? Explain.

Do I have a plan? Always.  Currently we have a house plan, a holiday travel plan, a retirement plan, a health care plan, etc. etc. Do I need a plan? Yes. There are areas of my life that are in need of a plan. Ever had one fall to pieces? Ha! Of course, but it's still a good idea to have a plan. 

5. November 19 is National Play Monopoly Day. Do you own the original or some version of the game? Do you enjoy playing Monopoly? How likely is it you'll play a game of Monopoly on November 19th? Ever been to Atlantic City? Ever taken a ride on a railroad? Is parking in your town free? Last thing you took a chance on?

I like Monopoly. I wouldn't want to play every day or even every week, but once in a while and with the right people, it can be fun. We own the original, a UK version, and also a Wizard of Oz version although I think that last one might have been given away in our most recent move. It's unlikely I'll play on Friday since our game is in storage. 

I've been to Atlantic City many times, but it's not my beach of choice on the Jersey Shore. I've ridden on a railroad many times too, and parking in our town is a combination of both free and paid. You can find free parking on Main Street downtown, but if it's full you have to pay for a garage.  Last thing I took a chance on? Maybe our retirement? I'll let you know how that works out-ha! 

6. A song you like that has the word (or some form of the word) thanks in the title, lyrics, or meaning?

Some of my favorites are How Great Thou Art, My Tribute by Andrae Crouch, and an old camp blessing we used to sing before meals in the dining hall-For Health and Strength. 

7. In keeping with this month's theme of gratitude...what is something you're taking for granted that when you stop and think about it, you're grateful for?

Lots of things, but it boils down to this-having life's most basic needs met on a regular basis. A warm bed, food in the frig, gas in the car, clean water right from the tap, money to pay bills, etc. I don't think I take these things for granted exactly, but since my basic needs are always met I also don't spend a lot of time truly reflecting on what a blessing that is. When the power goes out or the car breaks down, that's when I tend to stop and really consider how grateful I am for these things that are a part of everyday life. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

This one never gets old-

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 244

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

1. What's surprised you most about your life, or about life in general?

2. Among others, these ten words were added to the Oxford English Dictionary this year...awesomesauce, beer o'clock, brain fart, buttdial, cat cafe (apparently this is a real thing), fatberg (gross-read the definition here), fat shame, hangry, Mx (gender neutral), and skippable. 

Your thoughts? In looking over the list, which word do you find most ridiculous? Which word would you never in a million years say out loud? Which word would you be most likely to use in conversation?

3. Do you like gravy? Is there a food you'd rather not eat unless it comes with gravy? Do you make your own or buy the canned or store-made variety? Turkey and gravy, sausage gravy, mashed potatoes and gravy, country ham and red eye gravy, biscuits and chocolate gravy, pot roast and gravy...which one on the list is your favorite?

4. Do you have a plan? Do you need a plan? Have you ever had a plan fall into a trillion pieces? Explain.

5. November 19 is National Play Monopoly Day. Do you own the original or some version of the game? Do you enjoy playing Monopoly? How likely is it you'll play a game of Monopoly on November 19th? Ever been to Atlantic City? Ever taken a ride on a railroad? Is parking in your town free? Last thing you took a chance on?

6. A song you like that has the word (or some form of the word) thanks in the title, lyrics, or meaning?

7. In keeping with this month's theme of gratitude....what is something you're taking for granted that when you stop and think about it, you're grateful for?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Turkey Talk Hodgepodge Style

Welcome to this pre-Thanksgiving Holiday Hodgepodge! If you've answered the questions add your link at the end of my post and then go say hi to the blogger who linked before you.  

Thank you for joining the party here every Wednesday. It's a day brightener for sure, and always fun to see all the many directions people run with their answers. Please don't miss next week's HP, because I have a special little giveaway planned in honor of our 200th Wednesday Hodgepodge.  

Feeling especially grateful today for the way words connect people. Happy Thanksgiving!

1. Besides U.S. Thanksgiving it's also National Game and Puzzle week...what game have you played most recently, and who were you with? Have you worked a puzzle of any kind in the past week?

I enjoy games and puzzles of all kinds. I played Rummikub with my mom last weekend because that's her favorite.  I work a crossword puzzle as often as I can and definitely at least once a week.  

2. What is one place you were thankful for this year?

So many, but I'm going to say Portugal. I love old cities, grand architecture, royal buildings, medieval landmarks, interesting foods, foreign words, the European countryside, winding roads that run along the sea, and most especially the friends who make whatever 'place' we're in more memorable. 

3. Take a nap, watch football, go for an after dinner walk, or hit the stores...which ONE is on your must-do list for Thanksgiving day? If you aren't in the US answer as it relates to any big holiday meal.

Well I'd say a nap while watching football, except this year we'll be at the neighbors house so can I take a nap? I do like a walk after dinner on Thanksgiving Day, but we may be dealing with Wednesday's snow on Thursday, so not sure we'll manage a walk either. I can say for sure I won't be shopping. 

4. Besides Thanksgiving, what's your favorite home cooked meal?

I love a really tender roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes, all day green beans, and my grandma's made from scratch rolls. We actually call that our 'grandma dinner' because it was something my grandma used to make when we'd visit. That particular meal also makes me think of my own mama too, who has always been a wonderful cook, and often made this meal for Sunday lunch when I was growing up. 

5. What product from an infomercial would you most like to own?

The Shark Sonic Duo Carpet and Floor cleaner. It gets good reviews and you can use it on wood floors and carpet. I have both, and also a dog that sheds so 'nuff said. 

6. Christmas shopping? Have you begun? Finished? Will you shop on Black Friday? How do you feel about stores opening on Thanksgiving Day? What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online?

I've started, but haven't finished. I do most of my shopping online or in small local boutique type stores in order to maintain my holiday spirit. I can't think of anything I'd rather do less than shop on Black Friday, except maybe a trip to the dentist. Black Friday shopping and going to the dentist fall into the same category in my head.  

I wish all non-essential businesses were closed on Thanksgiving. I don't know about you, but I've been getting 'Black Friday' offers since last week. Black Friday now lasts more than a day, and in fact is rapidly morphing into Black November. Ugh. 

7. What are you most grateful for that adds beauty to your everyday life?

Sunrises that set the morning sky afire, sunsets that quiet the day with their soft pinks and lavendar, our backyard woods that change with the seasons, a big black bear lumbering through the neighborhood, the majestic hawk who circles and swoops and finally rests high in the treetops at the edge of our patio. 

Creation is so utterly amazing.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Is there anything that brings out the Grinch in us more so than pulling out the outdoor light bins, untangling, testing, naturally finding half don't work and you haven't got the proper fuses, and then it's something like four trips to the hardware store later before the lights are actually up?

Far later in the day than you imagined, but before the snow comes so whoohoo! 
And our poles are in the ground now too, so we're ready.  

For those of you scratching your head right about now, you who live in climes where there is no need for such nonsense, we have to mark our driveway in the wintertime so the plow driver knows where the pavement is. Not pretty, but effective.

As for the sunset behind our woods last night? See #7! Be blessed this Thanksgiving my Hodgepodge friends!

Eight on the Eighth

There's only so many ways to say Friday Fragments.  Here's hoping I actually have eight things to say.

1.  I was having just a so-so day yesterday, when hubs phoned from work and asked if I'd be interested in seeing The Eagles at Madison Square Garden this weekend. Um, yeah.

2.  The Eagles are probably my all time favorite band. U2 is second. I wrestle with who should get third, but Marshall Tucker is definitely in the running. Does anybody need to know this?

3.  I haven't been to anything at Madison Square Garden in a long time. Before moving to the UK hubs and I saw a production of A Christmas Carol in the theatre there. The lobby had been decorated to look like a Dickens village, and when we came out of the show snow was falling from the New York sky. 'Twas completely magical.  

4. Yesterday was Billy Graham's 95th birthday, and last night I watched what was billed as his final message to our nation. The short film is being replayed on various stations over the next few days, but wow...what a remarkable man. He's lived a long life with the utmost of integrity, has never allowed himself to be sucked into the vacuum of fame, and has never deviated from his calling of pointing people to the cross.

5. If I were to describe November in a single word, I think that word would be brown. I don't dislike brown, but it's not autumn gold, or fiery red, or sunlit orange, all words I might use to describe our October.

What a difference a month makes...

The seasons, they go round and round...

6. I'm starting to plan and look forward to the holidays. Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year with Christmas Eve coming in a close second. My daughters will be home in 18 days. Whoohoo! I haven't seen Daughter2 since August 11th, which in case you're wondering, is too too long.

Hubs and I are signing up to participate in our tinytown Turkey Trot (5K) on Thanksgiving day. The girls are maybe not quite 100% fully on board with joining us, but I've registered them anyway. Hi girls! Hey you get a t-shirt so that's something, right? They know forced family fun is kind of our thing, and we haven't had any of that in a long while so bring on Thanksgiving!

7.  I leave you with this. A woman in the UK has created a five foot tall Johnny Depp cake as part of a baking competition. I'd post the picture, but it's courtesy of the BBC and I'm not sure that's okay. You can see it for yourself and read the full story here.  He's very life like, and it's only a little bit creepy.

8. Actually I leave you with this...one of my favorites by one of my favorites.



Have a great weekend everyone!

Fun and Games

I had to participate in Flashback Friday today because this week's prompt is all about games from your growing up years. My family will tell you I like to play games. I also like to follow the rules when I play games and they sometimes refer to me as the game nazi. Whatever.

Growing up we didn't have a family game night that I can remember but my younger sister and I shared a room and played lots of games. We especially liked Trouble, Sorry, Clue, and Go For Broke. And one of my absolute favorites was a game called Masterpiece where you bought and sold art which may or may not have been forged.

I do remember a game called Hands Down where you were dealt a few cards and when you got a certain combination you slapped the plastic hand on the board. That one stressed out the 10 year old me. I didn't quite have a handle on my competitive nature back then.

My family might say this is an area that could perhaps still use some work.

How many of you remember the game called Cootie? It was essentially a race to put together a plastic bug. Whoohoo! But it was fun and that word cootie took on a life of its own when I was a kid. Telling someone they had 'cooties' was about the meanest thing you could say. It was the equivalent of saying they had fleas or a contagious disease. Sigh. Times do go a-changing don't they?

My parents liked to work jigsaw puzzles and every now and then they'd set up a puzzle on a card table in our living room. My mom always got a jigsaw puzzle for Christmas and we'd all help put it together. We didn't use our living room except on special occasions and I loved sitting out there in front of the fireplace as family members rotated in and out around the table. Sometimes you need to walk away from a jigsaw puzzle and come back with a fresh eye.

In my own family we usually work a jigsaw puzzle when we take a beach or mountain holiday. We find a place to set one up and work on it all week long. I still like puzzles of all kinds and since getting my Ipad am loving Words with Friends. If you play, email me your screen name and I'll look for you. Unless I've scared you off with all this talk of competition.

We also played loads of outside games back in the day, like Freeze Tag, Hide and Seek, and Capture the Flag. Our neighborhood had lots of kids of every age and we all played these games together. My favorite was Kick the Can...we'd divide into teams and then put a #10 can in the middle of our street and would run and hide two or three streets over. The sense of freedom was something I will never forget.

My sister and I had big imaginations and we played lots of make-believe games with our across the street neighbors. One of our favorites we called Naugahyde which essentially involved running and hiding from a monster by that name. I never thought much about it until I was sharing this with my hubs family and they looked at me and said, 'Naugahyde? Like the fake leather upholstery fabric?" Don't ask me how we turned this into a scary game of chase but we did. Like I said, we had big imaginations.

I played a lot of games with my girls growing up. My least favorite was Candy Land and I used to stack the deck so that darn picture card wouldn't turn up at the end and send the near winner all the way back to the start. I know I said I'm a rule follower but I'm also a big believer in mama maintaining her sanity. Which reminds me that my girls used to play Aggravation and they had a song they'd sing while we played and it was, well, aggravating.

My favorite game to play when my girls were growing up was Pretty Pretty Princess. Hubs would play too and was a good sport. We also liked Barbie Dream Date, Kerplunk, Mastermind and Mancala. We played Sorry too although my oldest was too tender hearted to ever send anyone back to their start so that one often ended with her in tears. She is ruthless in Monopoly though so go figure. When my girls were teens we spent many an evening sitting around the kitchen table playing Hearts. Hubs would play too and also act as DJ because music was essential and made it more fun...we all loved those times.

I confess I still like to play games. We went thru the Trivial Pursuit phase and the Pictionary phase but these days my favorites are Scrabble, Scattergories, Mexican Train Dominoes, and Backgammon. My hubs will play cards with me if I pester him but he's not a big game player unless I'm suggesting golf or pool. When we get together with extended family on either side we play games like Outburst, Cranium, and Catchphrase.

I really do think that playing games is good for the heart and soul of a family. Its fun together time and a place where memories are made. As the saying goes...the family that plays together stays together. It's kinda true.

For more Flashback Friday posts visit Mocha with Linda by clicking on the button at the top of this post ...or better yet, share your own flashback and then link to the party.

On the road again

It sure feels like we were gone for more than five days. Monday morning we packed a-gain and loaded the rental car a-gain and then headed over to SC to spend a too short day and a half with our girls. As I said, when you're 'in the neighborhood' you have to make the most of it. Plus daughter1 has been working overtime (yay!) and had the day off on Tuesday and daughter2 took the day off as well so Carpe Diem.

When we arrived on Monday we made a bee line for Target and Bed Bath and Beyond because really what would a trip to collegetown be without dropping some money there? I know the economy is bad but I gotta think Bed Bath and Beyond must have soaring sales in the month of August. We certainly do our part every.single.year. Anyway, daughter2 will be in an apt this year too which means she upgrades from the single dorm bed to a double which also means new bedding. And a few other bits and bobs to make the apartment feel like home. I'm pretty sure they always need just 'one more thing'. I saw some bedding I'd like to get for one of my bedrooms too but oh yeah, we're not shopping for me. Daughter2 conveniently has a birthday near the start of the school year so some of the 'fun stuff' will be birthday gifts from her aunts and uncles. And since she had been browsing online she knew exactly what she wanted which made it all relatively painless...we've more or less got this down to a science now.

Monday night we took the chickas and daughter1's boyfriend out for Indian food. I haven't had Indian food since we left the UK and it was so good. We love the downtown area in the city where my girls live and we walked a little before heading back to their apt to watch the season finale of The Bachelorette. I have to say the ending surprised me and I liked the way she let Chris down. It's always a little crazy sad the way they normally do it which is to profess their undying love for one guy and then say, excuse me while I go break this other guys heart. I'll be right back. Ugh.

We wanted to have some fun on Tuesday but my word it was hot. We met the girls for breakfast and then decided to go play some putt putt before it got any hotter. The girls took us to a local 'fun park' which has an indoor arcade and more importantly, air conditioning. They also have three putt putt courses, several race tracks, batting cages, and more. We pretty much had the putt putt course to ourselves and I'm not lying when I say by the time we finished we were melting. Daughter1 made it all the way to hole 15 before she knocked one out of the park. She's enthusiastic that one. Here she is being her father...'I just want to see what's back here'...

They had colored all the water on the course blue and I was pretty sure she was going to be the same before the day was over.

Its hard to concentrate with these two on the course.

Miss sweetness kept score...She was momentarily annoyed with me because I crossed out a number on her perfectly perfect score sheet. She is her mother's daughter. In my defense she gave me a 5 when I had a 4 and I think she knew I wouldn't stand for that.

Hubs and the girls raced some go-karts and then we played two highly competitive games of air hockey and a few rounds of skee ball. I rocked at skee ball in case you are interested. As we were leaving we made two kids really happy by giving them all of our reward tickets. There are many things I miss about the growing up years but standing in front of a glass case for three hours to hand over 4,000 tickets for a plastic ring-no I think I want a bracelet-no, maybe a stuffed animal-no, wait, I want the ring after all-is not one of them.

At this point it was early afternoon and we decided we couldn't do anything else outdoors so we hit the bowling alley. We were just a walking advertisement for family fun on Tuesday weren't we? When we walked into the bowling alley a day camp was wrapping up their game and wow was it ever loud. Plus they had all the super light bowling balls so daughter1 was in trouble. Fortunately they cleared out and she snagged an 8 lb. ball which still carries her halfway down the alley since she weighs less than air. Whose child is she anyway?

We had plans to meet my sister, brother in law and niece for dinner but first we had to make our required stops to fill up the cars and the refrigerator. It's a nice treat to have mom and dad in town. We said our goodbyes after dinner because we were leaving early in the morning to drive back to Atlanta for our flight home. For the record... I hate saying goodbye. The thought I have at that moment is always the same....this was so nice but it was not enough time. I love being with my girls and I wonder if I will ever feel like, please go away I need a break from you? I don't think so. More time. Less distance. It's the soundtrack of my life.

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?

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.