Pomp And Hodgepodge

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. Or all the bloggers if you've got the time. Here we go...

 

1. What's one piece of advice you would you give a recent or soon-to-be graduate? 

Congratulations! You don't have to have your whole life figured out. 

You may have to take a job that is something less than your dream job, and that's okay. Your first job is a stepping stone to your next job.  Prioritize your relationship with Christ in this season of enormous growth and change. 

2. May 15th marks the birth date of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. At this point in time are you more in need of brains, courage, heart, or a trip back home? Explain. 

I'm going with courage. I want more of it. Moral courage in particular, which feels essential in these turbulent times we find ourselves caught up in, where truth is relative and everything is polarized.

3.  "There's no place like home" is an oft repeated line from Baum's book. When was the last time you felt the truth of that statement? 

Every time I travel I have this thought. I love getting away, whether for a long weekend or an extended holiday, but it always feels good to be back home, to sleep in my own bed. 

Actually sometimes it doesn't even have to be a trip. When I've been out of the house for a full day I might also have this thought. 

4. May is National BBQ Month...do you own a grill? Who does the grilling at your house? What's your favorite thing to throw on the grill? What's the last thing you grilled? 

Do we own a grill? Ha! We have a Big Green Egg used primarily for steaks and large entrees like pork butts, ribs, brisket, 50 chicken wings, that sort of thing. We have a gas grill we use when we just want to grill a couple of chicken breasts or burgers, a piece of salmon, etc., and we have a griddle we use for a variety of things...smashburgers, fried rice, fajitas and my favorite...

...making pancakes when the grands are all here. Hubs and I were just discussing the griddle the other night saying we want to do more griddling this summer. 

Hubs does the grilling here and also the cleaning of the grill after cooking. My favorite thing to throw on the grill would be a burger, but the last thing we grilled was a ribeye steak on Mother's Day. 

5. What's a memory you replay in your head when you need a little joy? 

There are many, but one of the first things that popped in to my head was daughter1 meeting daughter2 the day she was born. 

My parents brought her to the hospital and it was one of the sweetest moments of my life. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

"The earth laughs in flowers." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Weekend

Good Monday morning friends. My blog and I are out of sync and need to get reacquainted. I spent last week helping get my mom moved which entailed, among other things, driving more than 700 miles (all local!!), and I have either a whole lot to say about it or nothing at all. I haven't quite decided. 

It was a bit of a tough week, with some bright spots too of course, but I think I'll put that on the back burner for now and just chat about my weekend, pretty blooming things, and how much joy motherhood has brought to my life. 

Backing up to Wednesday because the day was a beauty and for dinner I made this delicious one-pan chicken and spinach orzo which needs to be mentioned. 

The recipe calls for rotisserie chicken but I brushed a couple of chicken breasts with Italian dressing, roasted them, then shredded, and I liked the flavor this brought to the dish. Really good!! Hubs loved it and ate the leftovers for lunch the rest of the week. 

In other news I am in love with everything blooming in our yard right now.  

The color of these azaleas is so delicate. 

Thursday was my volunteer day, then I came home and washed my hair, made stuffed peppers for dinner, and crashed on the couch. 

Friday I spent most of the day with my mama who now resides in the Palmetto State. My older sister and my niece both live just a few minutes from my mom's new home and the three of us joined her for  a lovely Mother's Day luncheon there. 

I got back to the lake about 3:30 and met hubs at our local wine shop for a tasting. A vintner from Italy he’d met on one of his earlier visits to the lake was in town, so hubs wanted to stop by the tasting. I was exhausted so didn't stay long and we came home and had a low key Friday night. We had leftover peppers for dinner, then watched a movie-Solo Mio, which we thought was really cute. 

I'd love a trip to Italy right about now, please and thank you. 

Saturday morning we made a trip to Lowes to pick up more potting soil, dirt so hubs could repair the yard where the sprinkler repair happened the day before, and lightbulbs for our outdoor lanterns. I wanted to sit outside and blog and read, but it was a little too cool and cloudy so I planted myself on the couch instead. 

Hubs did a million things like clean the boat bimini, fix the yard where it needed fixing, repotted some tomatoes, and got ribs going on the Big Green Egg. Happy Mother's Day to me. He knows I've had a month week and has pretty much let me be. 

It warmed up some close to dinner time so we sat by the waterfall with a glass of wine which felt like a great big much needed exhale. The lake was quiet and the sound of the waterfall soothing. 

Also these ribs y'all. 

He has mastered it.  

Sunday. Mother's Day. We went to church and heard a really good message taken from James 3 about the power of the tongue, which I think gave everyone something to think about, or maybe that's just me? Right after church daughter1 and I sent the guys home and she and I went to see Devil Wears Prada2. A quiet theatre with chairs that recline and a tub of popcorn to share for our Mother's Day lunch. 

What more could a mom ask for? We both liked the movie and it confirmed my need for a trip to Italy. Also a pair of super chic sunglasses which I'll be adding to my birthday wish list. 

I bought both of my girls the same thing as a little Mother's Day gift this year, and went all in with my hedgehog theme. I ordered this wrapping paper from Zazzle and it was so cute and of great quality. I dislike flimsy wrapping. 

Both my girls have gardens and you know how we feel about hedgehogs. 

These watering cans are from Uncommon Goods and I saw them at Christmas time, but they sold out fast. I remembered them and went back and looked a couple of months ago and success! They're sturdy and  adorable both so I might have to go back and get one for myself too.  

My girls both gave me sweet gifts that confirm they know me well. I appreciate when there is thought behind a present.  

I came home after the movie and hubs and I finally!! took the boat out for this season's maiden voyage. The sun was shining and it was a gorgeous day to be on the water. We motored by a house hubs recently sold so he could snap some pics from the water to send the soon-to-be new owners, but mostly we just moseyed around  nearby coves before coming back to the house to get dinner going. 

Hubs grilled steaks and they were delicious. After dinner we took a short walk before deciding to jump back on the boat to try and catch the sunset-

A beautiful ending to the Mother's Day weekend and always a sweet reminder that God is faithful. 

Visit Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Books and Sunshine) to read more 

or to add your own weekend recap. 

No Kidding It's The Hodgepodge

Welcome to 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's your favorite room in your house and why? 

Does a porch count? Because the porches in my house are definitely my favorite spaces and we use them like rooms. 

We have a covered upper deck, a screened porch off the kitchen, and then the lower level space with a covered patio, a covered dining space, as well as an uncovered patio. Lots of options for sitting outside.

The upper deck is my favorite because it's easy to just step out there first thing in the morning, and the view is so pretty. 

I do love the new lower level space, but we haven't spent as much time there yet. It does have the potential to become my new favorite, especially in the summer months. 

2. What's something that will instantly annoy you? 

Getting behind someone in the left lane driving below the speed limit. Even if they're driving right at the speed limit I can feel annoyed. It's the passing lane. Move over. Please. 

3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day...will you celebrate? How do you like yours? If you're not cooking at home is there a favorite place you like to go for a burger? Did you ever work in a fast food  restaurant? 

A hamburger on the grill is one of my favorites, and I think yes, we'll 'celebrate' (AKA-grill a burger on May 28th).  I like mine with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mayo. I have never worked fast food, and there's not really one favorite place here for a burger. There is a place that's more or less a sports bar in town and they do make a good burger. 

4. What are three scents you like? 

It's hard to narrow it down to just three, but I'll try. I love lemon (or any citrus really) and also cinnamon in terms of candles and baking. For the third I'm going with the scent of freshly mown grass, which I wouldn't want in a candle or perfume, but which does have the power to wing me back to my childhood in the blink of an eye. 

5. What do you miss most about being a kid? 

I don't know if miss is the right word, because I don't have any desire to be a kid again. I do sometimes have a longing for the sense of carefree-ness I felt as a child. (I looked it up because carefreeness didn't sound like a real word, but it is indeed a real word). 

By carefree I don't mean free from having any responsibilities because I think we're made to have those, and I like having some responsibilities. 

I'm thinking more along the lines of not being weighed down by the world and all its trouble and strife.  The division, the conflict, the endless complaining.  I know that's part of growing up, taking those things on and trying to make the world better in whatever way we can, but the 2020's so far have been more than a little exhausting. 

My childhood was for the most part carefree, and for that I'm grateful. I was protected from the heaviness of the world that, while different than what we have today, was still there. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

I started this post a little late so will just say enjoy this last week of May...it's flown! 

Happy Wednesday everyone~

Monday Morning Musings

Before we get to our weekend recap I want to say a heart felt thank you to all of the men and women who've served this land I love in some branch of the armed services. I have so much respect and admiration for those who take this path and for the many sacrifices they make. Their families too. My dad was a career marine and my son-in-law was in the Army, and I'm both proud and grateful today for their service. 

Linking this post with Holly and Sarah and their Hello Monday party happening today-

Our weekend kicked off with a trip to the lawyer's office Friday morning. Hubs and I had some financial stuff we needed to deal with and we finally made ourselves book an appointment. Who else loathes talking about anything related to taxes, wills, estate planning, and such? 

We had new wills made about fifteen years ago, but our girls were in college then, and we lived in another state, and so much has changed that it just made sense to update. We also spent some time figuring out if we need a trust or don't need a trust, or if you're me, what even is a trust? 

These are the sorts of things I want someone else to figure out and then just tell me where to sign, but I adult-ed like an adult and we got it done. We spent an hour and a half with the lawyer and he did let me know he won't charge us for the twenty minute sidebar he and hubs had discussing their mutual love of bourbon. We got home just in time for hubs to meet a tree guy about a big tree (sob) that needs to come out. 

The fun never ends 'round here. 

Friday afternoon I baked a batch of mini cupcakes to take to an evening event. I did minis because I feel like a sweet bite as opposed to a whole cupcake is what most people want at something like our once a month Friday evening socials. In November the organizers always recognize and honor any Veterans and active duty military in the neighborhood which I love to see. 

These are banana cupcakes with a peanut butter frosting and I used this recipe- Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes. The icing is fabulous, so light, and I think would be really good on a chocolate cake or cupcake too. I had a big bottle of fall sprinkles so why not

Saturday morning hubs went to our quarterly HOA meeting and I went grocery shopping.  Like I said...it was a weekend chock a block full of excitement. Have you seen this in your market? 

I know pickle juice is supposed to be good for you and we always put some in our Bloody Marys, but that might not be what they mean when they say it's good for you -ha! It's also good for leg cramps, electrolyte replenishment, and your gut, but this is quite the jug isn't it? I can't imagine how long it would take me to consume all of that. 

I don't like grocery shopping on the weekend, but since I didn't do my pre-weekend shop I had no choice. Also, I wore shorts. The weather has been so warm it's hard to know how to dress. 

We've been walking most days, and while it doesn't feel like summer it's warm for fall. My basil plant is happy though, and still going strong, so Saturday afternoon I snipped a bunch and made pesto to use on Sunday. We watched a lot of college football and hubs and I went out for Thai food Saturday night. 

Daughter2 and her hubs and kiddos had been at my son-in-law's university homecoming all weekend long, and we were sort of on their way home so they made us an overnight stop. I hadn't seen these grands in two months and was so happy to have some in person time together. 

I might come back and add pictures to this post later, but they arrived close to dinner time Sunday, and Sugar was not feeling her best. Big brother made a beeline for the toy box and then we ate and did baths  and I kind of forgot about taking any pictures. 

Daughter2 and I have been baking along with The Great British Bakeoff this season and had this crazy idea we'd be able to do the week 4 bake (caramel) while we were together. No way that was happening Sunday night. 

We might try to add this one in at the end or somewhere in the middle when a bake pops up that we're unable to complete for our own 'technical' reasons. We make the rules and we say it's okay. 

We didn't do a lot but somehow the weekend flew right on by. And I love waking up to Monday morning coffee with a daughter in the house. 

Have a great week everyone!

Good Day Sunshine

Hello friends. We've had an absolutely gorgeous fall weekend here weather wise and it looks to be more of the same all week. I'm joining Holly and Sarah for their weekend recap link today so here we go-

First of all, it's hard to get things done when you have a brand new waterfall in your backyard. 

Especially on a sunny day. I kind of just want to hang out here and think deep thoughts or nothing at all.  Our travels and the busy days following have caught up with us and we were feeling it this weekend. At one point on Saturday I knew hubs had gone outside to sort out a few things and when I went looking for him he was sacked out in the hammock. Just taking a little rest he said lol. 

Let's back up to Friday. I spent the afternoon with a little baking project I'll talk more about later, but suffice it to say I made the biggest mess in my kitchen and when I was three quarters of the way through friends dropped by the dock to say hi. Hubs invited them up and I'm not kidding when I say there was sugar on every surface of my kitchen. 

These friends had never actually been inside my house before so 'oh hi, don't put your hand down on my countertop or you might be stuck there permanently'. I decided to finish the baking project later and have a glass of wine on the deck instead. In my apron, but hey that's lake life. Come as you are. 

We chatted for a while then they boated on home. Hubs fired up the new griddle while I tried to put the kitchen in to some sort of order and then we had our first BBQ in the new space. 

The chef's view is a win-

We made fajitas and by we I mean hubs grilled everything and I watched. They were delish. 

Saturday morning was another beauty. You should know I take a million pictures of the sunrise this time of year. It's the best. 

Does your neighborhood Boo people? It's a thing as Halloween approaches where someone secretly leaves a bag or bucket or box of goodies on your porch with a message inside that tells you to now go do the same for another neighbor. There's a foam pumpkin in the bag too,  that gets hung on your mailbox so you know who has been boo-ed and who hasn't. 

I snapped a picture of what was in my bucket...two cute pumpkin coffee mugs, some cinnamon flavored coffee, a fall kitchen towel and pot holder, two jumbo Reese's cups, a little cup filled with snickers bites along with candy corn and a decorative pumpkin.  

I'm not going to say what I put in the bag I gave away because a few neighbors read here and it's supposed to be hush hush. 

Except everyone in my neighborhood has cameras so it's hard to be too hush hush. I dropped mine off after dark and donned a baseball cap and a dark jacket to make the delivery. It's a fun little neighborly thing to do this time of year and I enjoy seeing what people put in their bags.

Hubs and I spent Saturday mostly trying to get the house cleaned and ready for company on Sunday. I finally tackled all the bathrooms and he vacuumed and then we both conked out and watched football. 

The Vols. Have mercy. That game was so painful to watch. Will they ever play a game where we're not yelling at the TV? A win is a win, but it was not pretty. Or quiet. 

The lake this time of year often looks 'smoky' early morning and Sunday was one of those times. It's called steam fog and it happens when warm water vapor rises from the lake into cooler air to form a mist you can see. It adds a mysterious quality to the early morning and I love it. 

Sunday was a fun family day. My momma and my younger sister and her family plus two of my nephew's friends all flew to SC for the weekend. My older sister lives about an hour from here and they were with her on Saturday then everyone came here on Sunday. 

Half of the crew came early so they could swim and have lots of lake time, the other half came a little later. Hubs and my brother-in-law took the boys for a boat ride while my sister and I sat by the waterfall and got caught up. We don't have a lot of time where it's just the two of us so this was really nice. 

The pup even got in on the action and hopped on a paddle board. The boys swam and kayaked and played corn hole and pool and they couldn't have asked for better October weather. The lake is still warm enough for swimming and the air was 82 degrees on Sunday so plenty warm out of the water too.

My sister brought my mom out to the lake later and my niece and her husband came too, so a houseful. A patio full? Hubs grilled burgers and wings and we put a couple of tables in the new outdoor dining area and declared it open. 

Furniture, fans, and lights will come later, but on Sunday we made do with what we had and it was better than fine. 

My younger sister has a birthday in about three weeks, but because we're almost never together on our birthdays I decided to get her a cake and celebrate a little early. 

It was a fun surprise. This was from our Publix bakery, and I don't know who did the decorating but they had some serious skill with a pastry tip. We all thought it was the prettiest writing on any cake we've seen. 

It was a great day. As the saying goes...I'm glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. 

And sisters too. 

Oh Hey Monday

Let's recap the weekend that was. We were home again, two in a row so whoohoo! I love at home weekends, especially this time of year. I also love weekends away, but there's gotta be a few at home to help us keep our balance.  

Friday night hubs and I sat on the deck and listened to music. Complete chill at the end of a busy week,  and in general this is where you'll find us on Friday nights for the next six months-ish. 

Or you might also find us here-

The pup  loves morning coffee on the dock with his best bud. 

I was out Tuesday night when hubs texted asking if we could have a few people over for the Derby on Saturday. I said sure and next thing ya know we have twenty coming to celebrate the run for the roses with party snacks and mint juleps. 

I do love a good theme party and if I'd had more notice I'd have gone to town with recipes and decor, but Amazon to the rescue and we managed to get a few fun things for our fun people. 

Everyone was bringing some sort of appetizer and hubs got right to work on his super special julep juice.  He fired up the green egg for wings (these were his very best ever!!) and I found a recipe online for Derby Pie cupcakes. 

If you've never had Derby Pie it's a gooey chocolatey nutty pie and it's scrumptious but not practical for a party, so I thought the cupcakes (recipe here) would be an easy option. I was so wrong. I think I used every bowl in my kitchen for this one. You first had to mix the batter ingredients and then you had to make a 'pie filling' on the stove, and when that was done you put the filling into two bowls, then you took three quarters from one bowl and put that in yet another bowl and on and on it went.  

Holy moly talk about labor intensive. 

Part of the filling also had to be poured onto a cookie sheet and baked. When it was done it had a toffee like texture and you broke it apart and added it to the icing. Oh my it was so yummy! 

The cupcakes didn't look especially pretty, but the taste was five stars. Sorry for the blurry photo...it came to me thirdhand. Did you watch the race? What a finish!! 

Sunday morning as we had coffee on the deck we noticed a blue heron on the shoreline. We watched him stalk a chipmunk in the rocks behind our firepit before nabbing it with precision, and then of course 'digesting' it.

After he'd dunked it in the lake several times to be very certain it was dead. It's one part icky and two parts completely fascinating. Another blurry photo but I had to zoom in about 150% so as not to scare him off. 

Our neighborhood wine club met Sunday evening which is always a lot of fun, and then we came home to this...

No better way to usher in a new week than with the visible reminder God keeps his promises.  

I'm linking up with Holly and Sarah again this week for their Hello Monday blog party..now tell me how was your weekend?