Everyday Images From The Weekend That Was

Hello friends. It's Tuesday, but of course will feel like Monday all the ding dong day. I'm linking with Joanne for Talking About It Tuesdays, Holly and Sarah at Hello Monday, and with Kym for her Everyday Images prompt today, using pics I've snapped these past few days. This week's photo prompts are: 

at home-bright~town~miniature~empty and/or full~ design 

At home...

While this is technically a covered deck, it's also pretty much where we live. We spend a lot of time right here and the view never gets old. When you step inside my house you see the lake. It feels natural to walk right on through the great room to sit right here. Come on over. I'll bring you tea. Or coffee. Or a glass of wine, a pillow,  and a good book. 

Bright-

Good morning sunshine...

I stepped outside Friday morning and it was so bright. Perfect. We have our coffee on the deck most mornings and the sun was doing it's thing behind my potted plant, which is hanging in for the arrival of fall. 

town-

I've got hubs on board with the photo prompts and he keeps an eye out for something that might work. He suggested this one. 

I had to run to the Dollar Store to pick up a couple of things I needed for his birthday dinner (paper plates and birthday napkins) and of course when it comes to Dollar Stores we all have choice. Why is there a Dollar Store every few hundred feet everywhere you go? 

Anyway, our street address is in one tiny town, but we're kind of in between two tiny towns, and there are Dollar Generals any which way you want to go. I opted for the one close to town so I could snap a picture. I took this on Labor Day and a lot of shops were closed so the sidewalks were quiet. 

We like this little town a lot. It feels a little bit like you stepped back in time, but there are a couple of fun brew spots, a nice library, some shops I enjoy browsing and two good coffee-breakfast spots. Plus a cheesesteak place that is legit. I grew up in the land of the cheesesteak so I'm a harsh critic. Tiny town does one that tastes like the real deal. 

We've been going to church in this town too so we're here at least once a week. 

miniature-

These two little guys love my lantana...

empty and/or full-

I'm going with full. As in my heart is full. We had the loveliest weekend...the weather was pretty much perfect...there was college football and boating, and family here to celebrate hubs birthday. A super relaxed Labor Day weekend. 

design-

I had some college girlfriends here two weekends ago and one of the girls sent me the loveliest thank you gift. Our hummingbirds were putting on a show while everyone was here and she loved watching them. She found these solar lanterns with a hummingbird design, which need just a six hour charge in the sun. 

We happened to be on our screened porch when they came on and the design is beautiful, both on the lantern itself-

And on the table where it's sitting. 

I liked it so much I ordered one and sent it to my sister-in-law on Saturday, and true story-I placed the order at 8 am and Amazon said she'd receive it between 10 am and 2 pm that same day. A marvel of the 21st century y'all. 

Hope your Labor Day weekend was light on labor! 

Hola Monday

Hello friends and hello June. We're halfway through the year which seems crazy because I feel like Christmas was yesterday, but here we are. Question-is it a sign of aging when you constantly talk about how fast time is moving? Possibly. 

We had a nice weekend and here's how that looked-

The sun shone and that seems worth mentioning. Not every minute, but there were some really pretty moments. 

Friday morning I made a trip to the grocery for a few things then spent the afternoon in the kitchen. I did not take many pictures because when I bake I get caught up in whatever I'm doing and forget. True story. I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies (using m & m's) to give away, and also a blueberry pie to take to dinner at the neighbors. My neighbor asked me to bring dessert and the blueberries are really good right now. 

I make my mom's recipe which instructs you to mash one pint and leave one pint whole. I think this makes the pie so good, because you get some actual berries mixed with the fruit filling and the texture is delightful. This recipe also calls for a whipped cream topping as opposed to a double crust and I definitely prefer the whip. 

Do I have a picture? Sort of. Here's proof I use my pie weights-

My neighbors had a childhood friend and her husband in town and invited us to join them for dinner. The weather was nice and we ate on their porch, then played our favorite card game inside. 

And ate blueberry pie of course, of which there is no picture. Carry on. 

Saturday morning hubs and I went to a funeral, a lovely service for a truly lovely woman. We got home and hubs left pretty much right away to go to a real estate open house. I read some, then did more cooking for a dinner I was dropping off later that evening. 

My son-in-law and the boys were at the house when we got home from the service which is always a sweet surprise. They were paddle boarding, then my daughter dropped by a while later with Little Miss and we sat on the porch chatting for a bit. Such a treat to have a daughter close enough to drop in. 

Sunday was a sweet sweet day. We went to church, then right after Daughter1 and I left in my car to go into the nearby city to celebrate her birthday. I truly cannot remember the last time I got to celebrate a birthday with her in person, and we made the most of it. Her birthday isn't until next week, but her hubs made plans for them on her actual birthday, which is also nice. 

Almost as nice as an afternoon out with your momma. 

This girl has always been a gentle graceful woman child who loved ballet. She's the one in front, so serious about her dance. She started ballet as a tiny tot and kept at it until she graduated from high school. Other forms of dance too, but the last few years focused solely on ballet.  I always loved watching her dance. 

For her birthday this year we had a girls day. We started with brunch in the nearby city, or jazz and Jesus as my daughter called it. There was a jazz trio playing and singing in the lobby of the restaurant and their playlist featured jazzy versions of some very well known hymns. I've never heard a jazz version of Blessed Assurance before, but we did on Sunday and it was good! 

We toasted to another year with this venue's version of a Bellini. Not quite as good as Harry's in Venice but still delicious. We couldn't make up our minds about what to order and decided to split two of their entrees. Both were wonderful. 

I ordered the crab cake Eggs Benedict with pepper jack grits (yum!) and my daughter ordered the lavender scented brioche style french toast with an espresso mascarpone cream, maple syrup and bacon. We both love french toast but knew we'd want something savory to cut the sweet and the eggs were perfect. I will definitely be trying to recreate that espresso cream at home. 

The french toast was a lot and even splitting the order we only ate half. After brunch we walked a little, browsed the downtown bookstore for a bit, then walked over to the nearby venue to see the International Ballet's performance of Don Quixote. 

The music was wonderful and the costumes were colorful and so so lovely. And the dance was just amazing. They make it look so easy and we know it's not easy. 

It's been too long since either of us have spent an afternoon getting lost in a ballet, too long since we had a mother-daughter day date. We loved every minute. I know we were celebrating her birthday, but it felt a little bit like a gift to me too. 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their regular Monday morning weekend recap party. So what were you up to this weekend? 

Hello Monday Afternoon

I didn't have it in me to blog Sunday night, and then had some things to do here this morning, so going to try to catch up now. I took very few pictures this weekend which is partly why I put off doing my Hello Monday recap. I feel like these posts need pictures. 

Honestly I'm not sure what I did on Friday. The kids spent their first official night sleeping in their own beds in their own house Thursday night so we woke up to a quiet house Friday morning. When they pulled out of the driveway on Thursday hubs was a little sad and my daughter laughed and said, 'see you tomorrow' because that's life now. 

While it's nice to return to our quiet morning coffee routine we are also missing the hugs and chatter and big smiles we've been greeted with first thing every morning since mid-January. We'll get used to it. 

I think hubs and I went out to a little local 'dive bar' for dinner Friday evening. I only know this because I took a picture of one half of my BLT, which hubs thought was funny (as in odd), but I told him that's how I remember things now. Sad, but sort of true. 

Plus it was delicious. This place is tiny and low key but the food is homemade and tastes like your momma made it. 

I do know hubs spent the entire day on Friday cleaning both my car and the boat. And the dock too, because why not? I'm getting new tires put on my car as I type,  and hubs says you can't take a car for new tires without washing it first. 

I mean I could, but he couldn't.  

He came home from washing the car and said he was just going to clean the boat which is a job in itself since it's been covered all winter long, but he cannot ever do just one thing so he went ahead and waxed it too. 

With his sidekick of course. Then,  since he was there and had the power washer going, he also cleaned the dock. 

She's all ready for her first voyage of the season.

Now we just need the weather to get with the program. We have a rainy few days in the forecast, but hopefully later this week we can go for a spin. Ride? Cruise! 

Saturday I picked my daughter up at her house which is 3.7 miles from my house (just sayin'), and we drove a little over an hour to a baby shower for her sister-in-law. 

The shower was in a friend's home and the hostess did a beautiful job with the decorating, the food, and all the little nice touches that make an event feel special. 

It sprinkled on us a little so we ended up opening the presents inside, but it was a lovely event and a fun day. 

The hostess had these sweet little favors which are wildflowers on seed paper. You actually plant the paper and flowers will grow. 

My daughter rode home with her mother-in-law because her hubs was at their house with the kids so they could have an early Mother's Day dinner together on Saturday night. I came home and kind of wanted to flop on the couch, but hubs said he'd been 'lazy' and wanted to go out so we did. 

fyi-my hubs is never lazy. 

We went to a local place for Mexican food and a margarita which was fine. 

Sunday morning we went to church with the kids. We've been going to their church the past few Sundays and I really like the pastor. The messages we've heard have been excellent and they're going through 1 Corinthians one chapter (sometimes less) at a time. So so good. 

We arrived before the kids did and it's so sweet to see them running towards us. The kids come into church for the first part of the service, then go to their own classes before the preaching and Max held hubs hand the whole time. After church we went to breakfast/lunch with the whole crew. I always order breakfast, but the boys had lunch so everyone was happy. 

My daughter brought me the cutest hat as a gift and the sweetest cards. Hedgehogs are a thing for my girls and I so they always try to find me hedgehog cards when they can, and I appreciate it.

I haven't mastered the selfie. Carry on. 

Daughter2 sent her gift earlier in the week, and I knew I'd love it because it's from a company I order from myself-The Rifle Paper Company. They have hand painted designs...stationery and home goods, and I think they even do wallpaper too. The quality is so good. She sent this pretty tray-

And a stationery set (yes, I write notes and letters) in a pretty box-

There's a nice pen, pretty paper, and envelopes with fun seals that I can't wait to use. 

It was a gray rainy day so we came home and I put on my comfy clothes and spent the afternoon reading. Hubs had booked us a table at a nice restaurant in the 'city', but we decided before church to cancel and just go to brunch with the kids instead. We watched a couple of movies that evening and just chilled, all of which made for a very nice Mother's Day.  

And that's pretty much the weekend that was. Hope yours was filled with lots of happy moments too. 

Linking a bit late, but not too late, with Holly and Sarah for their Hello Monday weekend recap party. Have a nice week!

Hodgepodge Favorites

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

1. What was your favorite part about growing up in your hometown? 

Without a doubt it would be the neighborhood. We walked to school, rode our bikes with abandon, chased fireflies and played big games of tag and kick the can with all ages teaming up together. We knew our neighbors and there was a strong sense of community. Family. Friends. Fun. And the freedom to figure out life and our place in it.

As I was answering this question I remembered writing a post in my early days of blogging on this very topic. You'll find it here-My Very Own Wonder Years. 

"There was a time when the world was enormous...Spanning the vast, almost infinite boundaries of your neighborhood. The place where you grew up. Where you didn't think twice about playing on someone else's lawn. And the street was your territory that occasionally got invaded by a passing car. It was where you didn't get called home until after it was dark. And all the people, and all the houses that surrounded you were as familiar as the things in your own room. And you knew they would never change."

Kevin Arnold, The Wonder Years

2. Do you prefer 'material' gifts or 'experience' gifts? If you answered experience, tell us about one you've received and enjoyed. 

Here's how I feel about gifts...when I receive a gift I want it to say 'I thought of you'. Or 'I remember once you said you loved x and I saw x so I got it for you'. 

Some of my favorite material gifts are small inexpensive things that in some way suggest the giver has taken the time to really think about me before they just go out and buy something for the sake of buying something. It could be a hedgehog apron or a weekend in NYC. They're of equal value in my mind because they show intent and thought and planning...my favorite kinds of gifts. 

My hubs has planned two birthday getaways with an element of surprise and both showed a lot of forethought and planning. To me that was the best part of the whole thing. 

3. Is brown a color featured prominently in your home decor? Your wardrobe? What's one brown thing you own and love? Of the brown foods listed here which one is your favorite and/or most often consumed.. brown sugar, brown rice, pretzels, coffee, dates, cloves, German chocolate cake, whole wheat bread?

Is it featured prominently in my home? I guess you could say that. I like real wood and we have a lot of it in the form of beams, furniture, and wainscoting. Our wood leans toward the darker hues, which to me make a house feel warm and cozy.  The dark tones need to be balanced with light coming in somewhere, but for the most part I love the dark woods. 

Off the top of my head I don't think I have a lot of brown in my wardrobe. I do have a pair of heels I love and some brown boots, but in terms of tops, dresses etc no brown. 

I like all the foods listed, but if I have to pick a favorite I'm going to say pretzels. I always have pretzels in the house. 

My favorite brown thing I own and love? 

The little brown dog of course. 

Always livin' large. Remember his money shot-

Except there was no money lol. He did get his ten minutes of fame and was a happy distraction for over 91,000 voters during that very strange season we dubbed 'the pandemic'.  

4. Which 'Charlie Brown' character do you relate to most? If you're not sure, you can take a fun quick quiz by clicking here-Which Charlie Brown Character Are You?  or another one here-Charlie Brown Quiz. I got the same answer on both. 

I could have answered this without the quiz-Charlie Brown. 

Chuck is an ambivert and so am I. As the quiz describes...both introverted and extroverted depending on your mood or the situation (true). You're gentle and lovable (I hope so), determined (some might say stubborn) and hopeful (an eternal optimist). You mean well and care deeply about your friends (yes). When it comes to failure, you stay optimistic (of course), press on, and cheer for your friends to keep on going (keep going friends!)

 5. Favorite item you've purchased this year? 

I feel like I've made a lot of purchases this year, both large and small. We recently bought a slew of new outdoor furniture, two outdoor rugs, and a couch for the lower level family room so declaring that my favorite. Technically it's not going to be delivered until sometime in the new year, but since the deposit hit the credit card in this calendar year it counts. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

How about some random cuteness? Time is a-flyin' and I never posted any pics from our quick 24-hour visit with the Tennessee grands, which happened a whole week and three days ago. I meant to, but somehow I seem to always be a few steps behind here.

Sugar with her double ear infection and sweet baby J wanting to bust loose, but we powered through and snapped a photo. They're the sweetest-

Happy Wednesday Hodgepodgers! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 578

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

1. What was your favorite part about growing up in your hometown? 

2. Do you prefer 'material' gifts or 'experience' gifts? If you answered experience, tell us about one you've received and truly enjoyed. 

3. Is brown a color featured prominently in your home decor? Your wardrobe? What's a favorite brown thing you own? Of the brown foods listed here which one is your favorite and/or most often consumed... brown sugar, brown rice, pretzels, coffee, dates, cloves, German chocolate cake, whole wheat bread?

4. Which 'Charlie Brown' character do you relate to most? If you're not sure, you can take a fun quick quiz by clicking here-Which Charlie Brown Character Are You?  or the one found here-Charlie Brown Quiz. I got the same answer on both. 

5. What's a favorite item you've purchased this year? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Cheeky Hodgepodge

'They say it's your birthday....well it's my birthday too...." 

Welcome to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thanks for coming to my party lol. If you've answered today's questions, add your link at the end of my post then go say hi to your neighbor there. Here we go-

1. Something that's had you 'chuffed to bits' recently? 

The backyard project we've had going on here for the past month is finally just about complete. It's always those last loose ends that seem to drag on, but we're loving the look so far. I'll blog details when a few more pieces are in place, but in the meantime here's a preview (I hope! I don't have great luck adding videos to my blog)-

2. Tell us about an instance recently where you were tempted to 'throw a wobbly' (expression used to describe tantrums thrown, usually by adults or people who should know better) 

I broke my favorite mug the other day. Boo! It came at the end of a long day, I was overly tired, and I definitely wanted to throw a wobbly. 

3. Something everyone seems to love but is not your 'cuppa tea'? 

This question feels familiar, like maybe I've asked something similar in a recent HP?  I kind of remember saying I'm not a fan of the Marvel movies last time I answered, so going a completely different direction today.

Pumpkin spice everything. 

4. Fish and chips, bangers and mash, shepherd's pie, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding...which entree would you choose? Yes, you have to choose. 

I happen to like all of these so it would just depend on what I happen to be in the mood for when it was time to order. You can't go wrong with fish and chips so let's go with that. 

5. Something you want for your birthday this year? 

A return to civility. Healing and revival for our broken country. 

In terms of actual gifts, I've bought myself new luggage and a brand new cross body bag for our upcoming trip, plus a Cozy Earth two piece set to wear on the plane. It feels like there are one or two other things I'm forgetting to include, but I know Amazon has been here on the daily. Happy birthday to me : ) 

The bag is from PomPom of London and I love it. The size is perfect, and it comes with a leather strap, but I also bought one of their wide fabric straps too, which I think I'll use more than the narrow leather. 

I added the card insert because I felt like I'd need that. My bag is tan, but I bought my daughter1 the black one for her birthday and that's pretty too. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Today is my birthday. In case you're new here, you should know I'm not someone who resists. In fact I go all in on the day. I like to think about the year that was, and count my blessings. This year I'm excited to spend my birthday in a place I love with people I love. I'm sure I'll have more to say about that, so stay tuned.  

"May you live all the days of your life." Jonathan Swift

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 547

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

1. What's a skill you think everyone should have? 

2. Do you have a special place or organizational system for gift wrapping? Do you still buy 'real' cards to send for birthdays, anniversaries, get-well, etc? 

3. It's National Banana Day...are you a fan? What's your favorite thing to make with bananas or, if you're not a cook, your favorite thing to eat that contains banana? 

4. Do you believe in second chances? Elaborate. 

5. What is your idea of fun? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Mother's Day Weekend Recap

Hello. 

Monday morning blogging always happens around here on Monday afternoon. Sometimes Monday evening. Sometimes Tuesday. 

We had a lovely at home weekend which was much needed and a rare occurrence. I had a power nap on the porch Saturday and Sunday both, which might have been the highlight. 

Friday night some new friends came for dinner. A few Sundays ago our pastor encouraged everyone to meet someone new, invite them for coffee or lunch after church or whatever, and so we did. We invited a couple we knew only very casually to come for dinner, and y'all we had the best time talking and  discovering the very many things we have in common, including both of us living in the UK for a while. 

Living life in person is how it's meant to be. 

Saturday morning hubs attended our neighborhood HOA meeting. We were electing new officers and they needed people to show up to be counted. One vote per household though, so hubs voted and I stayed home, called my momma, and washed my hair. 

Happy Mother's Day to me lol. 

It was a pretty day so we took the little red car for a spin, had lunch on the porch at a local lunch spot, and toasted the start of summer with a hand crafted Orange Crush at the lakeside cabana. 

It was for sure a convertible kind of day so after lunch we meandered around some neighborhoods looking at new construction with the radio blaring and the top down. 

Then that nap happened. On the porch with a soft breeze blowing. Perfection. 

I cooked a Home Chef meal on Saturday night then we watched some of our current binge-Succession. Who's watching this? Do you like anyone on the show? Every evening we try to decide if there is a single character we actually like and we pretty much agree no there is not, yet we keep watching. Still in season one and I think there are three but the jury's out on whether we'll make it all the way through. 

Neither of my girls were in the house on Mother's Day, but we have all been coming and going and everyone needed to just stay put. We will see both girls and all the grands in the next few weeks, and as long as I have that next visit on the calendar I'm good. 

My daughters both sent sweet gifts, and also cards where they write messages that make me feel all the feels. My two oldest grands colored a card for me which is one of my favorite things. We went to church Sunday morning, had an afternoon nap I've already mentioned at least three times now, and then hubs grilled scallops on the Big Green Egg for dinner. 

I made a lemon butter orzo and steamed spinach as the sides, and everything was easy and so delicious. 

And now it's Monday. Afternoon. Evening. Whatever. 

We had plans to get up and go to Costco first thing this morning but when we got in the car hubs noticed the tire light on and upon investigation discovered a nail. Bother. Off we went to the tire place which is not in the direction of Costco but we had no choice. We have two houses under construction on our street and I think this was hubs third trip to the tire center as a result. Everyone seemed to know him when we walked in and they're all so nice, and were quick too. 

Now to Costco. 

Wait, before we went to Costco we had to drop a return package at UPS. I ordered lightbulbs for a bathroom fixture and they were the wrong size, even though hubs and I both checked and rechecked to see if we were getting the correct shape, wattage, and style. Ughhhh! 

Does anyone else find buying lightbulbs now just the teensiest bit stressful? I'll have to worry about replacements another day because we still needed to get to Costco. 

Which is not close.

We have to drive into the small big city to shop at a Costco, so only go about once a month. We spend a ridiculous amount of money in our efforts to save money, then treat ourselves to lunch (not at Costco) before making the trek home. 

Once home you still have to deal with all the purchases. The meat has to be broken down into smaller packaging, and I have to rearrange my too full freezers to make room for it all, and the whole thing makes me think I might need another nap. 

Instead I blog. 

Hey, did you know Costco sells jelly bellies in a jumbo sized container? 

I thought my season of jelly bean overindulging ended with Easter, but discovered today it in fact did not. Whoohoo! Happy Monday everyone~