The Weekeend Merriment

'Twas a whirlwind of a weekend filled with family, food, fun, and birthday festivities. My mother-in-law turns 90 years old this week and I don't think she'd mind me telling you. I mean she's a dynamo who can run circles around all of us 'kids' so why not tell the world your age? 

She will be celebrated by family and her at least 1000 friends all week long, but we kicked things off here at the lake with a great-grand palooza. All five of her greats were here and it was wonderfully chaotic and sweet. 

Nana (that's me) might be tired today but it's a good tired. 

I took pictures but I try not to post any of the kids faces up close here, so I'm not sharing many. We laughed a lot and enjoyed being together and that's the main thing. 

Daughter2 and her littles arrived Thursday afternoon and since Thursday is my volunteer day I'd planned ahead with a roast in the crock pot. Yay me!  Her hubs was working his way this direction and would arrive Friday afternoon to join the party. 

Friday morning I had a hair appointment so while I was there daughter2 went over to her sister's house and spent a few hours. Just one of the joys of living close. The cousins played so well together and it was nice for their mommas to have time together to chat and catch up. 

Meanwhile...back at the ranch....

Hubs was manning the BBQ he'd started in the literal middle of the night Friday. He was up at 3 AM putting the pork butts on the Big Green Egg, and we all agree this might be his best effort yet. So delicious! 

Hubs brother and sister-in-law arrived from Tennessee late afternoon, bringing the birthday girl with them. One son-in-law made it here around 5, and the other ended up in late surgery so had his dinner with our dessert. You have got to roll with these grown kids work commitments and such. 

It was forecasted to be a rainy weekend, but Friday was so nice and really warm and we sat out on the patio and talked, hula hooped, fed fish, and chased small children. 

Dinner was BBQ courtesy of the hubs, baked beans and cole slaw ala me, and homemade mac and cheese made by Daughter1. Everything was yummy. I ordered a cake from the Publix Bakery because hubs said I shouldn't try to add one more thing to the already full schedule by making one from scratch. 

The cake was delicious, but they forgot to put the cross mark on the H in happy birthday, and there was a small crack in the icing so not the usual perfect you get from Publix. If I'd baked it myself I would not have missed that H, just sayin'. 

Still so pretty though! 

We lit the candles and sang happy birthday and then the absolute precise second the song ended my middle grandson blew the candles out before anyone knew what was happening. He did not miss a beat. It was hysterical.  

I got these gorgeous tulips from Publix too and they were the most beautiful shade of fushia, which you don't see a lot of in the tulip world, or at least I don't. 

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law slept at Daughter1's house so after breakfast we all met up there. Which is just four miles from me in case you've forgotten. The three littles played and hubs and his brother and sister-in-law went to watch the two oldest grands at their baseball practice. Dad was coaching and they had a lot of fun. 

Daughter2 took her two back to our house for a nap, but my mother-in-law, daughter1 and I had a nice long chat on her screened porch which was lovely. 

We had going out to dinner plans booked in a local Italian restaurant for Saturday night, which let's just be honest and say is a bit of a crap shoot in terms of how it will actually go when you're talking small children. The two oldest boys thoroughly enjoy ordering from a menu, but restaurant dining with the three and under set (of which there are currently three) is anybody's guess. 

Turns out it was a really great fun family night and everyone was happy, hungry, and eager to help Grandma with her cannoli. 

The oldest with the youngest is just so precious. 

Sunday morning we took up a pew and a half in church which made my heart so so happy. Daughter1 and her family left after church to go her in-law's house to celebrate her father-in-law's birthday, but everyone else came back here for lunch before the Tennessee crew headed back home. Daughter2, who also lives in Tennessee but a different part than her grandmother, aunt, and uncle, stayed until Monday morning. They'll go home around lunchtime and the house will be quiet once more. Messy too, but it's the quiet we'll notice and love a little, but also hate. If ya know ya know. 

Hope your weekend was filled with lots of happies too. I'm linking today with Holly (Pink Lady) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) for the Monday morning weekend recap link party. Hop over there to see what others are doing and sharing too. 

Have a great week everyone!  

Friday Favorites Or Something Like It

Linking with Andrea and Erika today for their Friday Favorites hop. 

I've had a houseful this week and have been off my blog game. I always remind myself it's more important to live life than to write about it, but I do love to write about it too. Doing a little catch up here as we roll into the weekend.

With my ankle propped up on a cushion because it's still achy achy, hopefully not breaky. 

Here are a few snaps and snippets from the week that was...

Lake life. Hubs can spot a snake from the second floor deck. We don't see many, but occasionally one crosses the cart path and slithers over to the rip rap along the shore. I've been assured he's one of the good guys and since I've never seen a copperhead on our property I'm going to say that's true. 

I ordered new melamine dishes to keep in the outdoor dining space and I love them. My daughter2 had seen some really pretty ones at Walmart which I almost bought, but then I went down the rabbit hole that is the Internet and found these I liked better.  They're Pfaltzgraff and were also a great price, so I got a service for 8. 

Last Friday my daughter had to go to the DMV to sort out her new license and tags so we said we'd stay with the kiddos while she was out. The DMV is challenging enough without three little ones in tow. We brought donuts. 

So fun to be close enough to do little things like this. 

Friends we hadn't seen in a while came for dinner Friday night. We opted for heavy hors d'oeuvres and dessert and we sat outside and used the new dishes. I know the calendar says we've got another 28 days before summer is officially here, but they came by boat which means summer is officially here. 

Don't you think we should just declare Memorial Day weekend the start of summer and get on with it? 

Our butterfly bushes have started to bloom and we've seen quite a few butterflies too. 

Quick topic change...I had bananas that were a little too ripe so I did what everyone does and made banana bread with them. This recipe (linked here) is my absolute favorite-

It's got a little bit of coconut in the bread and a lime drizzle over the top which sounds odd but trust me it's delish. I don't add the optional coconut extract, just fyi. In other food related news I made the Ina Garten orzo salad one evening and it's a keeper.

 Orzo, red onion, cucumber, scallions, feta, fresh parsley, fresh dill, and a lemon vinaigrette. So good! 

The grands arrived. 

All of them I mean. Three live nearby but daughter2 came with her two to spend the week and it's been a fun sort of loud chaos. 

I have four chairs that rock and swivel in my keeping room and when the grands are here no two chairs face the same direction ever. 

Having both girls here is such a treat. You never get over that. 

Tuesday morning we went to Daughter1's house to play while she took her oldest (the mancub) to his new school for a reading assessment. He reads like a boss so it was basically just a box to be checked but they were out for an hour and the rest of us hung out in her play room. She's still getting that space organized so basically every single toy was fair game. 

Pretty sure we played with them all. 

Tuesday afternoon we took the kids to a park just a couple of miles from our house and spent the afternoon playing in the sand and sea. Technically the sea is a lake but you know what I mean. Also five kids along with sand toys, towels, sunscreen, hats, chairs, snacks, plus the kitchen sink but totally worth it. 

This park has shade and a playground right beside the beach too which is nice. I mentioned this in my Hodgepodge on Wednesday and someone asked if there were sandy beaches on our lake. The answer is yes. The sand on some is better than others and we have our favorites, but kids don't care as long as you give them a bucket and a shovel. 

On Wednesday we met for coffee and breakfast in a cute little shop one town over from ours. We love this little burg and spend a lot of time here. We did a little shopping afterwards and it was a fun outing. Maybe I'll call it an event, because with five under seven pretty much everything feels like an event. 

Daughter1 made dinner for us that night which was a treat. Course hubs and my son-in-law missed it because they were guess where? Baseball! Whoohoo! The season ended on Thursday evening and it will be nice for her family to be able to check out some of the other things there are to do in their new home town which is also our home town. 

My grandson is sad the season's over so that's something. It's not easy to be 'the new kid' and he really enjoyed playing on this team. 

Thursday we had big plans. Or another event if you will. Boating.

Our maiden voyage and everyone was along for the ride. 

Some enjoyed it more than others lol. The littlest grand is a mover and a shaker (pretty sure I've said that about all of mine) and she wanted to walk around as opposed to sitting while moving, which Nana and Pawpaw put the kibosh on, plus lifejackets and that age are just not great. 

I mean they're great in terms of doing what they're supposed to do, but they're designed for safety, not comfort. 

We got back to the dock and everyone had lunch and then the littlest three laid down for a rest and the oldest two hopped on the paddle boards. Hubs got a workout in terms of pulling out all the gear, but it's gotta happen sometime and I guess this was that sometime. 

Let me just add here that whoever came up with the swim shirts for kids was a genius. 

The mancub would stay on that board all the day long if we let him, he loves it so much. His momma got in the kayak in case anyone started floating out of the cove, but no worries. They had so much fun and I suspect will be over here a lot this summer doing this very thing. 

And that brings us to Friday which I'll save for next week's Monday recap happening on Tuesday due to the holiday. 

I never like to let this particular weekend go by without acknowledging the brave men and women who've given their very lives for the freedoms we continue to enjoy. On this Memorial Day holiday I not only want to honor them, but I want to live in a way that makes their sacrifices meaningful. 

My Dad was a career Marine and while he did not die in battle he did serve in three wars and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. I always think of that very special place on this very special day. Sitting beside row upon row of white crosses puts many things in perspective. 

May God bless America and may He pour out His wisdom on our leaders and citizens alike. 

HeLLo Monday

I'm still working my way through the alphabet this month with the April A-Z Blog Challenge, and my loose theme of life lessons learned. Today I'm doing my regular weekend recap because I missed it last week. 

I think something I've learned is to notice the little things that bring joy, the tough things that need grace and lots of prayer, and the everyday ordinary moments that make a life a life. These recaps are a good way to remember and record all of the above. 

L is for HeLLo Monday 

life lesson: 'something from which useful knowledge or principles can be learned;

a valuable piece of knowledge or wisdom gained from experience, 

often about how to live or make decisions'

There's always something happening here and we're just trying to keep up. We had a full week with our wine club dinner on Tuesday night, then a fundraiser on Wednesday night. I don't have pictures, but it was for the local hospital's cancer center so money was raised for a good cause. The event had a 1920's theme and almost everyone dressed up. 

Thursday evening hubs and I attended an event at the local university hosted by their chapter of Turning Point USA. Originally my daughter was going to go with me, but she had one child not feeling well and another going to baseball and it all just felt like a lot. 

So hubs tagged along and I think he enjoyed the event. We heard Allie Beth Stuckey speak, and if you've never heard her in person, she was exactly as you'd imagine. So articulate, and such clarity in her message. We arrived early and were lucky to get in. More than 100 people were turned away due to space limitations, and she did go outside and try to at least say hello and greet the people who didn't make it through the doors. 

I listen to her podcast (Relatable), and while hubs has heard an episode here and there, he wasn't as familiar with her as I am. She's so impressive both in her ability to communicate and her depth of knowledge about current events, today's culture, and theology. 

Friday was pretty much chaos here. We made the delightful discovery of what appeared to be a leak so the plumber came by to check it out which involved cutting a whole in a bedroom ceiling (ugh!).  The Terminix guy also showed up to do our yearly inspection, and the electrician arrived to install our fan and outdoor lighting in the new dining space. Trying to get a car out to go to the store was a real challenge. 

I had a cute helper though, which was fun. 

No leak so good news there,  and we now have a working fan and almost working lights in the outdoor space too. The bulbs are not dimming even though they're described as dimmable, so we've got replacements coming and hopefully that does the trick. We may have to switch out the dimmer, but honestly that's not in my need (or want)-to-know department, so I'm letting hubs sort out whatever needs sorting there.  

Both grandboys had baseball games on Saturday, and we were excited to attend. Definitely one of the perks to having them close. It's been a while since I've had kids in sports, and T-ball is still T-ball, but I can't believe how the 7 and 8 year olds play with the coach pitch! It feels intense to me, but maybe that's because I'm the Nana, or maybe it actually is a little intense? The boys have fun either way, and it was a great day to be outside. 

There was more baseball on Sunday and we had plans with a group of friends to go to the university game. Always such a fun day, and while they won the series they lost Sunday's game. The environment at these baseball games is so upbeat, the stadium is super nice, and we always have a great time.  

There are big screens in the stadium so when there were play breaks they'd put the Masters up so everyone could check out the score. We got home at the tail end of the match and had been rooting for Rory all weekend.  What an exciting finish! Even if you're not into golf at all, it was a moment of such raw emotion, which the commentators let happen without comment and the whole thing left you feeling good. 

And that's the weekend that was. Busy, beautiful weather, fun sporting events, friends, family, and one step closer to having the outdoor space (or the never ending project as I call it) complete. 

The kids (and their parents) are still here with us, but will be closing on their own house very soon. We're grateful for the time we've spent living under the same roof, but everyone is so excited to settle into their own space and call that new space home. 

Big thanks to Holly and Sarah for hosting this weekly Monday morning link party.

Home Sweet Hodgepodge

Hi Peeps! Welcome to this week's edition of 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. Spring has officially sprung (in the northern hemisphere anyway)...did she roll in more like a lion or more like a lamb in your neck of the woods? What needs more of your attention in terms of a good spring clean this year-your house or your garden/yard? 

More like a lamb. A lamb who rolled around in the grass and is now completely covered in yellow pollen. Hubs took the blower to the grill deck this morning to get rid of some of the pollen and I snapped this picture just a few hours later...

The struggle is real y'all. 

As far as what needs the most attention I'm going to say the house. Without question. Normally it's just the hubs and I living here, and hubs is neat as a pin so the house is almost always tidy and dusted. We've had our daughter, son-in-law, and their three littles living with us since mid-January so there's more 'stuff' out than there normally would be. We pick up regularly and embrace the chaos. 

Mostly. Sometimes hubs looks around and twitches a little lol. 

2. What's put a spring in your step lately? 

We're very excited for the new home my daughter and her hubs are in the process of purchasing. I'm not saying too much about it now, because nothing in real estate is a done deal until the keys are handed over and of course the money too.  So far the process has been smooth, and everyone is eager to settle in. 

3. When you were a kid, what was the best snack to find in your lunchbox? If you didn't do the lunchbox thing, tell us what was your favorite after school snack. 

We walked home for lunch when I was in elementary school so no lunchboxes during those early years. My mom always had lunch waiting for us though, and I would be most excited to find she'd made egg salad sandwiches which are still one of my favorites. 

I took lunch to school in a brown bag in junior high and sometimes high school, and my favorite treat to find there would be a Drake's Ring Ding. Does anyone remember those? Do they still make them? The cake-cream-icing proportion was exactly right. 

And yes, they do still make them (I had to check). I wonder if they taste the same? 

4. In what area of your life are you planting seeds? 

I think if you're a parent you're always planting seeds, no matter your child's age. Grandparenting is also an opportunity to plant seeds and I hope I'm a good gardener. Kindness, fun, a gentle tone, time to spend, lots of prayer. 

5. Why do you live where you do? Would you consider living somewhere else? Why or why not? 

our lake lot pre-build, 2015

We live here on purpose. Some people end up retiring or living in the place they last worked, but our last work assignment was North Jersey, and we knew we needed to get away from the crazy taxes and the equally crazy winters. 

clearing brambles from the newly purchased lot-2015

moving dirt, October 2015

We chose this lake and this lot specifically, and then retired and built our home here. 

From the earliest days of our marriage we agreed that someday we'd live on a lake. 

dock construction October 2015

dock in place-October, 2015...way before the house was completed 

Hubs grew up on lakes and I'm all about a great view so we were totally simpatico in that department. My daughters both went to uni in the nearby town, which is how we discovered this little bit of paradise. 

home sweet home

It used to be something of a well kept secret, but word's out now so it's busier than when we arrived in 2015. Still beautiful though! 

Would I consider living somewhere else? I guess. I mean never say never. I imagine someday we'll move into something that requires less maintenance, but we'd probably stay nearby. Particularly now that we have a daughter and some of our grandchildren living in our same town. Our other daughter and grands are just a three hour drive from here, so this area makes sense. 

Plus it's beautiful. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

There are four Hodgepodges (counting today) between now and Easter so I think I'll post some throwback pics in my random space every Wednesday between now and then. 

Cheers to spring when little girls wore brand new coats that were a smidge too big or maybe just oversized on purpose? (hey, it was the 90's) and also completely precious...

Happy Wednesday and happy spring everyone! 

Coming Full Circle

Our last full day in the UK was Monday. The forecast was for a mostly rainy day, but as my daughter told my grandson, 'if we don't go out when it rains here we'll never go out'. So out we went. It does rain a fair amount in England, but it's generally manageable in that you can go about your day if you have a proper jacket, proper footware, and a brolly or hood. 

As we were driving along my daughter asked me if it felt weird for me to be sitting in the passenger seat while she sat on the 'wrong' side of the car and navigated roundabouts and single track lanes and new places and parking. 

Yeah. A little. 

Teenagers. Sigh. 'Twas a sweet season. Mostly lol. 

We moved to the UK when Daughter1 (on the left) was fifteen. She actually first learned to drive here at the age of seventeen, on a manual no less, sitting on the right side, driving on the left. We hired an instructor and he pulled into our driveway and she climbed into his small slightly dinged car and he told her to go. She had not the first clue about how to make that vehicle go. 

Never in a million years could I have imagined that one day she'd be living back here again, driving me around the English countryside with three kids in the backseat, yet here we are. When I look at this moment I'm struck by how very much God loves us and knows exactly what we need in our current circumstances to make us ready for the future He has planned. 

On Monday we visited Wimpole Estate, a country house begun in 1640 that sits on 3000 acres of park and farmland now owned by The National Trust.

Absolutely fabulous. 

Wimpole is listed in the Domesday book of 1086. At that time there was a moated manor house with a 200 acre deer park around it. The estate was held by the Chicheley family for 250 years beginning in 1428 with Henry Chichele who at the time was Archbishop of Canterbury. 

The last of his family to hold the house was the politician Thomas Chicheley who was responsible for the 'new house' completion in 1650. It changed hands a few times through deaths and marriages and financial strains and such until finally in 1938 George and Elsie Bambridge purchased the home. Elsie was the daughter of Rudyard Kipling and used her inheritance from him and the royalties from his books to make some much needed refurbishment to the house and grounds. 

She did an excellent job. 

We had the nicest day here and all of us agreed this was one of our favorites. There's what's called a home farm on site with rare breed farm animals and the property is spectacular. So very well maintained and cared for.  Protected too which is always good in an era of development. 

I love a black barn, and these had that charred look-

They have a great layout in the barnyard and stables for you to get close to the animals. 

Baby pigs y'all! Just two days old and I totally get why Fern had a fit and would not let her father take Wilbur for 'fattening up'. 

Sheep are always my favorite and there were whole herds in the pasture and some in the barn too. 

There were also all sorts of chicken breeds we'd never seen before, cows, ducks, donkeys and enormous Shire horses which are beautiful too. They're a rare breed and the farm is working to keep the breed alive. 

The property is extensive but they've cut beautiful pathways all around and you can even walk out into the pasture where the sheep roam. 

And then there's the house, which is stunning. We were able to visit upstairs, the main level, and the basement too, which had quite the Downton Abbey feel. 

The library was amazing-

And of course they have their own chapel-

There are several cafes and a restaurant on site and we had lunch in one of those. There was a small drizzle or two throughout the day, but for the most part the rain held off and that's so often how it is here. It was a wonderful way to wrap up our stay in this beautiful country. 

My blog is where I 'dump' things...thoughts, pictures, opinions, memories and hopes. I know these posts have been the equivalent of inviting people over to see slides from their holiday, and I appreciate you following along. I do have a few stray thoughts that I'll mush into one more post before resuming regular life here. Have a great day everyone!