About Last Week And Maybe The Week Before Too

Hello friends. It has been non-stop party party party here for the past couple of weeks leaving little time to blog. I will hopefully not feel the need to tell you absolutely everything here today, but I make no promises. 

Two weeks ago hubs trekked over to Tennessee and brought his momma back to the lake to spend the week. While she was here we had a minor repair to the flashing and shingles around the chimney which meant a lot of hammering and banging. The actual work made a bit of a mess, but the roofers did a great job, tidied up before they left, and it's done now which is what matters to me. 

While this was happening we also had our front door refinished. It takes a beating from the sun, and we've been in this house nine years now so it was time. The job was supposed to take just a couple of days but ended up taking the whole week (minus the day the roofers were here). 

That's because they had to remove the door, seal the opening with plastic, sand the door, restain it, then tone down the stain on the interior because hubs thought it was too shiny and amp up the stain on the outside because hubs thought it was too matte, then seal the whole thing, and re-hang. It looks like a brand new door so a job well done. 

This is interesting, isn't it?

Hubs mom and I got out every day to do something fun, and she got to spend time with the greats which made her so happy. They all came here for dinner one night and it was the right kind of weather for a fire so we made s'mores. 

That Friday our neighborhood social committee hosted a Veteran's Day event and she enjoyed that too. They do a really nice job with this evening and everyone brings an appetizer or dessert to share. My mother-in-law and I had gone to a flea market on Wednesday and I bought some beautiful tomatoes there.  I made a Caprese style flag that turned out really pretty. 

The 'stars' are black olives. 

Hubs and I took his momma back to Tennessee Sunday after church. We spent the night at hubs brother's house, then drove home on Monday morning because we had our monthly wine dinner that night. 

Let's pause for a moment and give this cake its due. So delicious! It's a Portokalopita aka Greek orange phyllo cake. I will be tracking down a recipe online to recreate. 

Tuesday I had book club and Mah Jong, oh and daughter2 and her littles arrived to spend a few days. She stayed over at her sister's this time which was fun for everyone. The cousins had a great time together and so did the sisters. 

Cousins...

Be still my heart. 

Wednesday everyone came over here in the afternoon and I gave the kids their Christmas pajamas so we could take the most adorable photos ever! and also have dinner together. I'm not posting any of the pics as I'll use one in our Christmas card. 

Congratulating myself for not overthinking the pajamas, for buying as soon as I saw them, for remembering to take a picture of the grands all matchy matchy. I got the LAKE pjs, holly jolly for the boys and sugar plum dreams for the girls. I've never bought any of their kid wear, but their women's pajamas are really comfy. 

Hubs snapped this photo of the night sky-

Thursday the boys had school but the rest of us met for breakfast at a local spot we love. 

Hubs went on to the office for a bit and the girls and I (plus the three littlest littles) went to Hobby Lobby and Belks. Here's my haul-

The bedding was from Belks. I've been wanting to add Christmas linens to the bedrooms and decided this was the year to get started.  As we were leaving the restaurant hubs snapped this picture-

It's one of those pictures that plays tricks on your mind. You see moms walking their little ones to the car. I see teenage girls who dreamed of raising babies together living their dream. 

Hubs and I had plans to meet up with friends later that afternoon to talk about a potential trip in 2026. It sounds exciting so hopefully it all works out. My daughter invited us to come for dinner, but we were tired (ya think?!) and said we'd just eat leftovers at home and let them have sister time that evening. 

Friday morning everyone came to us after breakfast so the girls could divvy up my Snow Village. I've had the Snow village for decades and I love seeing it all set up around Christmastime. I don't have a great place for it in this house, and honestly the set up and take down was starting to bring me more stress than joy. Recently Daughter1 said she wished she had a snow village in her new house, and I told her I'd happily hand mine over. Half anyway, and half to her sister. 

So we pulled out the boxes and they took turns choosing who got what and in the end I think everyone was happy. I'll enjoy seeing the village in their homes and am glad they're excited about setting it up. 

Still here? 

Daughter2 got on the road back to Tennessee about noon, Daughter1 took her gang to the library and hubs and I had a day date. I'll save that for tomorrow. You're welcome. 

Saturday Daughter1 and her hubs had a day date of their own, and we were in charge of the three grands. They were excited for a sleepover at Nana and Pawpaws and we were excited too. They were dropped off here about one and we started the afternoon with ice cream sundaes. Or Saturday 'sundae's as Max likes to say. 

The weather was beautiful so we went to the park for a while. I played a little soccer and y'all it's been a minute. Hubs helpfully yelled from the sideline, 'don't hurt yourself' and you'll be relieved to know I did not. I called for a sub and hubs played the rest of the afternoon and I pushed Little Miss on the swing which felt less risky. 

We came home and everyone played here before dinner. We watched some football which the boys also enjoy and played some games then had dinner, Mississippi roast and mashed potatoes which everyone loves. After dinner it was baths and showers and then movie time. Hubs made popcorn and we watched The Incredibles and then everyone went to bed with nary a complaint. 

Sunday morning we went to church and met the parents there for the switch. After the service hubs and I stopped and got Mexican food for lunch and then it was home for some afternoon r & r, which translates to blogging on the couch for me, and football at a friends house for hubs. Watching, not playing just in case that wasn't clear. 

And I think that brings us up to speed. 

Mostly. 

So, what's new with you? 

This post is linked with Hello Monday hosted by Holly (Pink Lady) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books). 

Everything's Relative In The Hodgepodge

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

1. What's something that makes you feel stressed? How do you cope? 

Something that makes me feel stressed? Running late. 

How do I cope? I don't lol. I despise being late and am usually careful to plan my travel so as not to be late. If I am late for some reason I remind myself that it's not the norm, that sometimes circumstances arise that are outside my area of control, and I try to call wherever I'm headed to explain. Once I'm there I apologize profusely. 

2. What's a food you eat that evokes a memory? Explain. 

We don't have it very often but homemade ice cream takes me right back to my childhood. My sister and I taking turns sitting on the freezer so it didn't 'walk' while my dad and my brother took turns with the crank. The smell of rock salt, and that first taste we always had as my dad pulled the paddle out of the container. 

We have a new freezer, electric so not the same sort of charm. Not the same amount of work either so there's that, but still...there was something about the process that made the ice cream taste extra good. 

3. This week's Hodgepodge lands on National Visit Your Relatives Day. Will you celebrate by visiting a relative? If so is travel involved? Geographically, who is your nearest relative (not counting those living in your own house)?

As it happens I am going to see Daughter2 today, so yes travel is involved, but just the car kind. My momma is here visiting and we're taking a little road trip to see both girls and the grandboys, which will be fun. Hubs is home minding the fort and the pup. 

Geographically my nearest relative is my older sister who is a little over an hour away. 

4. What's your most frequently used emoji? Do you make more phone calls, send more emails, or mainly text to communicate with friends and family? 

Usually it's the laughing face although lately it might be the blue heart. Every time I text about baby boy I add a blue heart. 

I definitely do more texting and emailing than phone calling but there are times when a phone call is necessary. I used to do a lot of emailing, but these days its mostly texts. 

5. Tell us the story behind a favorite piece of furniture. 

This is our antique Monk's Bench. It's a tabletop set onto a wooden chest in such a way that when the table isn't being used it can be flipped up to form a bench. 

We generally leave ours as a table-

We bought this on a bright blue sky day in the little village of Hungerford while living across the pond. It was a fun day out with friends and is a little piece of England now living in the southland. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A few things-

• I'm so glad we added the Murphy Bed because it's been the extra space we need when we have a full house. 

• We often have a full house.

• My freezer door 'broke' when I had company about three weeks ago. That was fun. My houseguest got to help me empty my overly full freezer and move everything to the garage freezer which was also already overly full so ugh. The repairman managed to get it closed though, I think because I threatened tears saying I had a shower coming up and really needed everything in working order. Today he came back with the ordered part and we're back in business. 

• Hubs drove my car one hour to the dealer this morning to have a part replaced, one they'd ordered and let him know had come in, only to discover after he got there someone had sold the part. Double ugh. The dealer is making it right. 

•  I'm tired. Yay for leftovers! 

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Come On Over

Good Monday morning. I hope you all had a joyous Easter Day. Ours was lovely with beautiful weather, a really great church service, and a delicious meal shared with several couples from our church who also happen to live in the neighborhood. 

Hubs came home and washed my car. I came home, put on my yoga pants, and took a quick nap. 
Hey, we all have our superpowers. 

Continuing now with this month's A-Z Blog Challenge...

Day 15-O is for Out Of Town Visitors 

I know not everyone feels the same, but we love company. When you move around a lot you end up with friends in every corner of the world, and connecting when they pass through town for a night, a weekend, or a few days mid-week is something we welcome and enjoy. 

That being said unless you're related to me, a few days is good. Ha! We have the room so physical space isn't an issue, its more the mental space for me. I like activity and then I like quiet. I love seeing friends pull down the drive and I love waving goodbye when it's time to go. 

We've had a lot of company in this house. Our many visitors have been great, turning up with wine and treats and sometimes even their own bath towels (less laundry for me) and rolls of Bounty since paper towels are something we seem to run through when company comes to town.  

One thing I've learned is I'm far more anxious about the menu, the plans, and the accommodations than my guests are. I want everything just so and they want to go for a boat ride, sit on the porch with a glass of wine, and catch up. I try to remember this and not overly stress about something that in the end isn't important. I love make ahead dishes that allow me to hang with my guests rather than spending a lot of time in the kitchen while they're here. 

People almost always offer to bring something and rather than saying no thanks, I've learned to say sure...bring boat snacks or a fruit salad or bagels for breakfast. People want to contribute and I need to let them. We love our charcuterie boards and if I'm having a big group here I tell everyone I'll do meats and crackers and they can all bring a favorite cheese or 'relish item' to add to the tray. This has worked really well. 

While we do have room for a large crew here we, more often than not, have a larger than large crew come to stay. This year we added a Murphy bed to my office, designed, built, and installed by our cabinet makers. We couldn't be happier with the end result. 

It hides a queen-sized mattress and the design makes it feel like the bed has always been a part of the room. 

I still need a chair and a small table for the sitting area, and we still need to hang some art, but this bed has been slept in more than once since the install and it's not even summer yet, so a good investment. While the room may not be 100% done, people are sleeping in there because they don't care that I haven't hung the pictures or landed on just the right piece of furniture to add between the chairs. They just want to come hang out and we want them to come hang out. 

In this age of social media we can start to feel like our homes need to be picture perfect and our guest accommodations over the top luxurious before we invite friends to stay. But once upon a time people would come to your house and kids would give up their beds and enthusiastically move to a pallet on the floor or a blanket on the couch to make room. More chairs were squeezed around an already crowded table, hamburgers were cooked on the grill, and the bathroom was shared with whoever lived in the house.

We're all a bit spoiled in this new century. We need hotel quality pillows and a private bath and soy milk- no gluten options wherever we go, and honestly that can be a little bit intimidating to a host. 

Host anyway. 

Welcome people into your home and your life and your heart. Make memories. Build relationships over cups of tea and a lazy afternoon spent floating on the water. It might not solve all the problems of this world, but it definitely solves a few.  

Lake life is meant to be low key and casual. If you need a special pillow or a certain kind of bread bring it with you. Come enjoy the spectacular view, the serenity of nature, the quirkiness of a small rural town, and most of all your people. Come and enjoy your people and the gifts of time and togetherness. 

The door is open and the kettle is on. 

In Grand Style

On this rather somber day I'm going to write about ordinary life here. Feels a bit daunting at the moment, but life carries on, babies grow up, seasons change, and here is where I mark the moments. The good, the hard, and most especially the extraordinary ordinary. 

Let's back the truck up to last Friday, which feels like years ago as opposed to days. Time has not been right since Covid was unleashed, am I right? 

Anyhoo, last Friday afternoon the grandboys (and their parents lol) pulled into our driveway followed by a carload of some of their best friends. That made for a grand total of eleven people, including five children ages 7, 5, 4, 2, and 2 all here for the long holiday weekend. It was a blast, and we agree it worked because they weren't all two years old-ha! 

The grown up guys spent Saturday morning at a quail hunt while we girls herded all the kids to the neighborhood playground. The weather was delightful and they ran and slid and swung as high as the bright blue sky. 

Later everyone tried their hand at fishing off the dock with varying degrees of success. 

The friends drove home on Monday, but Daughter1 stayed with her two boys, and the mancub spent lots of happy hours with Pawpaw 'fightin' the fish' and reeling in a whole bunch.

We spent Sunday before the friends left in the nearby small big city with our first stop the zoo. 

You could hear the apes carrying on all the way from the parking lot and they were so entertaining. It was a nice day and most of the animals were out which makes for a fun visit. 

Afterwards we headed to lunch and then a walk across the suspension bridge that spans the river running right across Main Street. It was a really enjoyable day and weekend all around. 

The friends plus my son-in-law headed back to Tennessee on Monday morning, but we got to enjoy a few more days with the boys and their momma here at the lake. 

We have a house just starting construction in our neighborhood and the cement trucks provided some easy entertainment one afternoon. 

As always we read a lot of books-

We played some new card games and we made pancakes for breakfast-

We raced cars on the track-

We drew with chalk, worked puzzles and 'we' checked the water temperature!! (but I want to go swimming Nana)

We visited the geology museum at the local university and wound down with bubble baths every evening. 

Honestly, there's just nothing like having little boys in the house. Can't wait for their soon-to-be- born cousin to join the party this summer! 

Thursday I drove the boys and their momma to the in-laws where they'll spend a few days before going back to their own house to get ready for us to come there. Our spring calendar is chock-a-block full and we look forward to spending time with the big and little people who mean so much to us. 

I want to hold them especially close in this season of chaos and turmoil all around the world. 

In times of strife we can love our families and say our prayers. We can know God sees and hears and cares. The world is a genuine mess right now, but there are pockets of joy always and we need them. Oh how we need them...

The Hurrier I Go

psa...there will not be a hodgepodge this week... I need a breather. 

The Hodgepodge will be back next week, July 28th. thanks! 

"The hurrier I go the behinder I get...."  Name that author. Besides me I mean-ha! Does anyone else feel as if July is whizzing by like a fast moving train? 

I'm not sad about it because we are trying not to count the days til our daughter and her family arrive stateside, except we are for sure counting the days. My daughter has post it squares on the side of her frig and when we Facetime with them,  the mancub likes to pull one down and tell me how many more days til we're on the same landmass. 

He does not actually say 'landmass' but that is what we're all waiting for. 

Also if I say landmass he will say, 'What's landmass' and I will explain it's a large area of land, a continent even, and then he will  say 'What's a continent?' and I'll explain there are seven and we live on North America and they live in Asia and he'll ask 'why do you live in North America?' and I'll tell him soon we'll all be together and that's the important thing to know. Whew! 

photo credit: Sincerely-Shannon

We are so ready for in person hugs and kisses and baby boys on Nana's lap and little men fishing off the dock with their Pawpaw and books read by their favorite aunt and all of us in the very same house at the very same time. Honestly I try to stay busy because if I think too hard and too much about it all I might burst. 

Company helps and thankfully we've had a steady stream of visitors to enjoy and share with, this place we now call home. We lived in Maryland for nine years and had wonderful friends and neighbors there. While we've seen these friends here and there through the years none had been to the lake house until this summer. Set number three arrives tonite and we can't wait.  

We have had the best time catching up with everyone, remembering the sweetness (and occasional saltiness) of raising tiny humans together, and now hearing about how all these once upon a time littles are full fledged adults nearly the age we parents were when we first met as young moms. Say what? 

Time is funny, isn't it?

And it's Lewis Carroll for anyone wondering about the quote up top.  

Besides our Maryland peeps we also had some college friends visit last weekend or I guess since it's Sunday it would be two weekends ago now, but as I said we've been busy and our calendar is so full I am on a day to day basis in terms of what's happening. 

Did I tell you my daughter and her family are moving to one of our favorite states in the US of A? She wrote a post about the transition and it's wonderful and moving and tender and if you've moved a lot or if you've ever had to leave a place behind that marked you deeply and for all time then you'll enjoy her words. The link is here-Preparing For The Next Goodbye

They will be about a six hour drive from us and while many of you are thinking wow-that's not all that close, we are jumping for joy because this is the closest they will have lived to us since they married almost seven years ago. 

And so we wait. And we enjoy the meantime. We feel so much gratitude for friends who knew us when... for neighbors we could call when we needed a cup of sugar, a helping hand, an adult conversation...

For sunlight that sparkles and a warm summer day...

For daughters who get married and move many states away, but who still come home to sip coffee on the porch...

For fire in the sky...

...and a God who cares about all the details of our lives.

Saturday Sunnies

The sun is shining, the weather is wonderful, and it's the birthday of this land I love. Thank you to all the men and women around the globe protecting the freedoms we cherish. May we be mindful of your sacrifices both large and small, today and every day.

Doing a little phone dump here because summer is flying by at mach speed and my blog is where I keep track of the time. Actually my phone is where I keep track of the time. If it weren't for the photos snapped there the weeks would be a blur. 

So what's been happening in these parts? 

Well for starters we had company. Last summer was so strange in terms of no company. No friends coming to visit, no family barbecues or porch sitting, no fun dinners with piles of friends. Nothin'. 

We are back in high gear this summer though, and on Monday some of our Maryland cul-de sac neighbors were in the area and spent a couple of days here at the lake. Our children collectively put about 100,000 miles on their Little Tykes car once upon a time, and even though everyone is all grown up I see them still, little blonde pony tails bobbing in the sun, negotiating a turn at the wheel. 

There were only about six houses in our cul-de-sac and we all had kids about the same age. It was the sweetest little spot to spend a childhood. We had backyards with swingsets but most of the time you'd find all the kids congregating in the middle of the court for games of kickball, roller blading, flashlight tag, and one memorable winter (I don't need to remind them which one!) sledding down the ginormous hill made of plowed snow right in the center of our street. 

The day they arrived the weather was grand and we showed them the lake and even boated to dinner. The next day brought some morning drizzle so we headed over to college town to see what we could see before grabbing lunch. By the time we got home the skies had cleared enough for some cornhole and a swim. 

So many shared experiences raising our children beside the bay, and it was so great to see them in person and catch up on everyone's lives and goings on. 

Thursday evening I hosted a BBQ for a group from church. Originally I thought we'd number about 15 or 20 so hubs volunteered to smoke pork butts on the Big Green Egg. 

We ended up a group of more than 30, and kudos to the grillmaster extraordinaire who started the meat just before midnight and produced a fabulous entree at 6 PM the next day. 

We're pooped by the way. 

In completely unrelated news, we've been moving my sewing machine table from house to house and I finally said enough, I'm not sewing anymore so let's go ahead and get rid of it. One of my friends made a table out of hers and I told hubs about it and next thing you know we've got this-

I love it! We removed the box from the legs, ordered a piece of glass with a beveled edge, and ended up with a new old patio table. 

Also, by 'we' you know I mean the hubs, right?

This morning we looked out and saw two young deer walking across the drive, no doubt dining on something from my yard they shouldn't be dining on, but they are so cute it's hard to be annoyed. 

Daughter2, aka the newlywed Mrs.,  is on her way here as we speak. She's going to spend a few days and collect the sweetest dog in the world who has been staying with us since their honeymoon. Her pup is not well and it will be so hard to send her back to PA in a few days. Dogs fill some of the coziest spaces in your heart but they break it a little bit too. 

Daughter2's mister has a work trip this week so she's going to hang out with her momma and I cannot wait to pepper her with questions, talk too much while we try to watch our favorite cooking shows, ask her to straighten my hair every other day, and show me one more time how to do something on my phone that she's shown me a hundred times. I bet she can't wait to get here. 

Enjoy this holiday weekend everyone! America may not be perfect, but she learns and she grows and tries her best to stay true to her noble ideals. "May God shed His grace on thee..."

In The Good Ole Summertime

It's Monday so how about a catch up post? That's pretty much been my summer blog theme, and hey! it's still summer so there ya go. Daughter2 will greet a new classroom full of students today, but it's the middle of August on the lake and we've got the humidity to prove it.

My sister and her hubs were in town all last week along with my twelve year old nephew and his best bud. They got a kick out of prepping the pork butt for the grill.

The weather was perfection every single day which was a good thing because these boys lived in the water. 

We tubed (and by we I mean they), we taught them to water ski (and by we I mean hubs and the brother-in-law taught them to ski)-

Also the skier pictured here is hubs. They might have taught the boys to ski, but they're not looking like this just yet-ha!

We hung out on one of the island beaches, took a sunset cruise, and motored all over the lake while the boys each had a turn at the wheel.

We played tag at the waterfall...

There were a few boats at the falls, but nothing like you see on a hot June or July weekend. Weekdays are where it's at.

Also it was hubs and the boys who played tag. My sister and I chillaxed on the boat.

It was fun to have a whole week to swim and boat after being away from it for three weeks. This is the last of our summertime company, but not the last of our summertime fun. Lots still on the calendar which is how we roll here on This Side Of The Pond.  Enjoy your Monday everyone!