Weekends, Weary, Wedding Dresses, Whew!

We're in the final week of our A to Z Blog Challenge and as always I'll be limping across the finish line. Since it's Monday there will be a weekend recap (with Holly and Sarah) along with my letter post on the blog today. 

There's a lot going on here this week and I'm trying to be a 'one-day-at-a timer' but it's hard not to look at the very long list in front of me. That list includes some things that will be emotionally draining and physically demanding but we can do hard things, right? 

Right! 

The weekend. 

Friday I had lunch with three friends from my old Bible Study group. We hadn't seen one another in several months and it was wonderful to catch up. Lunch was served on one friend's beautiful back porch and everyone contributed something to keep it simple. These ladies have been, and continue to be, such a blessing to me. 

I played Mah Jong at a neighbor's house later in the afternoon. 

Before I left my house that morning I made a big pot of sauce, and when I finally arrived home around dinnertime I congratulated myself for thinking ahead. Hubs had out of town real estate clients in all weekend so he was gone from dawn to dusk too. 

Saturday we sipped our coffee with the sunrise, then hubs was out the door early for another day with his house hunters. I had some errands to run in town so made the loop and was home about one. I spent the afternoon getting things ready for my mom's move. I am not going down that road on the blog today, but I'm sure will eventually gather my thoughts and put them in writing. 

We had plans Saturday night to celebrate a friend's birthday in our neighborhood clubhouse. The menu was tacos and margaritas and a delicious homemade cake baked by another neighbor. A fun night spent  chatting and catching up with friends. 

Sunday morning we went to church, then hubs and I stopped at Waffle House for a late breakfast. We needed energy for the afternoon's activity aka porch cleaning. Honestly we have had so much going on this past month we have not gotten to this dreaded but very necessary task. 

The pollen sits about an inch deep so all the porches and decking and outdoor furniture need to be hosed down and cleaned. We roll up our outdoor rugs during pollen season so they needed to be put back outside. Hubs operated the power washer and I had the tedious job of wiping down all the deck railings and spindles. We have over 200 spindles, not that anyone is counting, but yeah. It's a lot. 

And you have to keep changing the soapy water out because it turns black very quickly. 

But! we're getting there! The upper deck and the screened porch are mostly done and he made a good start on the lower level patio and dining space. Still more to do, plus there's also the boat to clean, (well for hubs to clean) but we're making forward progress and we can once again enjoy our favorite thing about this house, which is the outside space. Cheers to summer porch sittin'! 

I still need new pillows for the deck sofa and a few more flower pots but that will happen soon. Not this week though because this week is already a doozy. 

Now for today's letter which continues my theme of The Things We Keep: Ordinary Objects From A-Z. 

Day 23-W is for Wedding Dresses

Do you still have your wedding dress? When we returned from our honeymoon I took my dress to the local dry cleaners and they boxed it up in that fancy way dry cleaners do to keep it from yellowing through the years. 

You hope. I mean I wasn't even certain it was my dress in that box but we trusted the cleaners. I don't know if in 1984 I dreamed of having a daughter who might wear it someday, but I wasn't ready to part with it either. Into the box it went. 

From there it moved with us umpteen times, always in the unopened box. There it remained for 30 years, until in 2014 daughter1 was engaged to be married and thought she might like to try it on. I have a picture of her in it somewhere but I can't put my hands on it right now. Anyway...

She actually loved the idea of having the dress reworked and made to look a little less 80's bride, but logistics were not in our favor. I was in one state, she was in another, and the wedding was in a third so it all felt like an additional stress we didn't need. 

She found a dress that looked like it had been made just for her and she spun and twirled and smiled from the moment she put it on until she and her brand new husband left the reception. 

My dress went back into the box, and then a few years went by and now daughter2 is getting married and she took a turn trying it on too. 

Not 80's at all-ha! However Daughter2 had already fallen in love with a dress we'd seen in a fashion show so that was that.

But! I heard about a company that made dressing gowns/robes from wedding dresses and I decided to surprise daughter2  with a gift for Christmas before her January wedding. I had my wedding dress made into a getting ready robe for her and it turned out beautifully. 

She was, quite literally, overcome with emotion when she saw it. 

I wrote about it here (Let's Review) so I won't recap again, but suffice it to say I might never give another gift that lands as perfectly as this one did. 

And now here we are with one daughter married ten years and one married five, yet somehow we have their wedding dresses in our storage area. These boxes are not small either. 

Question-why did I tote my wedding gown from pillar to post but my girls dresses have stayed with me? I'm thinking I should hand them over and they can decide what they'd like to do with their gowns. 

They both have tiny daughters so maybe someday I'll get to see granddaughters walking down the aisle looking every bit as beautiful as their mommas. 

That makes them worth keeping. 

A Circle Of Names

We're a little more than halfway through the alphabet and this is usually the point where I start to run out of steam. I ask my family to help by giving me a word, and sometimes that works. Today I got nothin'. 

As in N is for Nothin'. 

When I really started thinking about things I've kept, or things I want to keep, that begin with the letter N I came up with one thing, and when I told hubs he said it was a little lame. 

But lame is better than nothin', right? Hubs and I agree the object isn't lame, it's just hard to make it a blog post, but of course that won't stop me. 

 Day 14-N is for Nana's Necklace 

My Nana necklace-

Rest assured I will not be posting a picture of my neck here because just because. 

Eight years ago I became a Nana, and for my birthday a couple of months later daughter1 bought me a necklace with two small charms. One was a bar with the word Nana engraved on it and the second was a round charm with the mancub's name engraved on it. I flipped the charms over in the photo because I try not to use their names on the blog. This necklace is such a treasure. 

Becoming a grandmother is just all around grand. 

When baby boy number two was born, aka Max, daughter1 gifted me another round charm with his name engraved there. His actual name, not Max which is his blog name. 

Then along came baby boy number three, and daughter1 shared the charm link with her sister and daughter2 added yet another round disc to the chain with her baby boy's name engraved there. 

A few months later Little Miss arrived and a fourth round charm was added, and then grandbaby number five joined the party and one more charm was added to the chain with her name on it. 

I've told my girls if there are any more babies I'll need a bigger chain. 

I love this necklace so much and wear it pretty much every day. I tend to handle it now and then too, and when I do I say a quiet prayer for these precious little people who have brought so much joy to my life. 

This necklace is a keeper. 

Full Hearts

Linking with Joanne at Slices of Life for Talking About It Tuesdays

Recapping our fun full weekend today, because Monday was spent getting the house back in order and preparing for Christmas round two. 

It's an in-law year here for my girls so we had an early celebration. I don't know that this will happen every in-law year, but it worked for this one. Now that daughter1 and her family live nearby logistics are far less complex, and for that we're so grateful. 

As per usual I'm looking right when I'm supposed to look left. I blame lack of sleep. 

Daughter2 and her family rolled in from Tennessee on Friday around noon. They brought their new addition with them and we all got to meet Banjo. He's a love and handled all the kid chaos really well. 

The little brown dog tolerated him. He isn't a fan of other dogs, and much prefers people, specifically his person, but he also knows where there are kids there's going to be food dropped so he rolls with it. 

Daughter1 and her hubs had a work party to attend Friday evening, so they brought their crew over here for dinner and shenanigans. I made a big pan of baked ziti, then after dinner we loaded everyone into the cars for a trip to town to see the phenomenal lights our tiny town displays. 

The party goers came back here after and we put kids to bed and watched some football. The adrenaline was off the charts but everyone went down pretty easily saying, 'the sooner we go to bed, the sooner it will be morning'. Truth! 

Saturday morning the two oldest grandsons, who normally sleep like teenagers,  were up at 6:30 AM. Little Miss had gone home with her parents the night before so we had to wait for them to arrive before we could have breakfast and presents. 

Finally! 

Sugar opened her vacuum and promptly cleaned every rug in the house. This little toy actually sucks up dirt, not a lot but still it's doing something. My daughter said as soon as they got back to their house on Sunday she got right to vacuuming there. 

Remember when running the vacuum was a good time???

We gave sweet baby J a bank that works kind of like an ATM and he spent the day opening and closing it, feeding it money, taking the money out, and just carrying it around under his arm. I love when a present is a hit! 

We bought the two older boys remote control planes which I thought might have been a scam, because they took forever to arrive, but they made it just in time and it's almost as complicated as flying an actual jet lol. Dad helped and once he got them working showed the boys and I think they'll have so much fun with them as they get better at the operating system. 

Little Miss got a purse from her auntie M that she wore on her arm all day, and lots of princess, pink, sparkly, girly girl things which are so much fun to buy. 

I love seeing my girls love their sister's babies. 

We had snacks mid-afternoon and the kids played so nicely together. 

You forget what your countertop looks like with littles in the house. 

Hubs grilled the most amazing ten pound prime rib roast on the big green egg which everyone enjoyed. 

Daughter2 and her bunch left to go home shortly after breakfast Sunday morning. Hubs and I put some of the kid stuff away before heading over to the grandson's piano recital around 2. They've been taking lessons for just over a month and they each went right to the piano and played without missing a beat. 

We were home for a couple of hours afterwards before heading out again, this time to church for the carols and candlelight service. So lovely! Plus, Little Miss, who can be a bit hesitant in big groups, sashayed right up to the front of the sanctuary when they asked the kids to come up and sing This Little Light of Mine. Truly one of my most favorite moments of the entire holiday season. 

Also, daughter2 got everyone together to snap a photo, which is a little bit like herding cats, but she gets my momma heart. 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good week! 

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?