Weekending

Good Monday morning friends. Joining Holly and Sarah today for their regular Monday morning catch up. Hope you had a nice weekend. Here's how ours looked-

Thursday. Our first full day home from vacation. I was up early and out the door to the volunteer slot I work every Thursday. I stopped for gas before remembering my usual spot that takes my grocery points is cash only due to Helene. 

This is our lake and those are the Blue Ridge Mountains. So much staggering beauty. So much pain and heartache. 

I know the scope and geography are hard for people unfamiliar with the area to understand, but you should know this is not a case of people being told to evacuate, and instead deciding to ignore the instruction and ride out a hurricane, hoping for the best. That isn't what happened here. These are people who have been overwhelmed by flash flooding, rain, wind, and a literal mountain of water. 

If you're looking for a way to help consider a donation to Samaritan's Purse. They are a trustworthy organization with boots on the ground in the most devastated areas. 

Life is never all one thing, although there are times it certainly feels that way. It's awkward to write about the mundane when we're on the edge of this disaster and know so many directly impacted by it. I'm going to continue with my regular posts but will likely mention the storm fallout from time to time for the next little while. 

The weekend. 

We had our monthly wine dinner Thursday evening and yes we did indeed attend a five course wine dinner our first day back from a two-week holiday. I admit I was tired and not all that excited to go, but it was super delicious and we sat with people we didn't know prior,  so it ended up being a lot of fun. One couple at our table were getting ready to go on an African safari which is something we've talked about. The Mrs. did say there are six different bush flights on their trip, so I'm gonna have to think really hard about whether their itinerary is one I'd want to follow. 

I didn't capture every course in pictures (I blame jet lag), but I got a few. This baked brie appetizer was sooo good. 

Friday I went to the grocery store for real. The stores are a bit hit and miss right now, particularly meat and dairy, and one of our main stores is still cash only so a long way to go. My frig was pretty empty when we left town, but anything I did leave was lost. Besides food for the week I needed to start restocking the basics...mustard, mayonnaise, salad dressing, that sort of thing. 

I had to throw away all the food in my chest freezer, which should have been fine but the gfi tripped and it didn't reset when the power returned so ugh, what a mess. We had to empty the freezer then pull it out of the garage and drain the icky liquid inside, then scrub it clean before we could get it going again. Fortunately I had a Good Ranchers order arriving over the weekend so we're pretty well re-stocked for meat. 

Friday night friends invited us to their house for dinner and cards. Our next door neighbors came too and we had a wonderful meal and lots of fun playing a card game called Swoop. Somehow when we looked at the clock it was 1 am and I cannot tell you the last time I was up at 1 am. I blame jet lag. 

Also I made an apple crisp to take for dessert and here's proof-

I forgot to take a picture when I pulled it out of the oven but trust me, it was yummy. I followed this recipe-The Best Ever Apple Crisp-and will definitely make it again. 

The Friday night sunset from their dock was a beauty. 

Saturday morning hubs and I took our coffee out to the new patio space beside the waterfall. We don't have any furniture there yet but the weather was beautiful and the light golden. 

We pulled a couple of chairs from the dock over to the patio space and sipped our coffee with a waterfall soundtrack. I love it. 

We're still waiting on a guy to come back and install the griddle and connect the water to the sink in the BBQ bar before we break it in. These projects are a little bit 'if you give a mouse a cookie he's gonna need new patio furniture to go with it' if you know what I mean. 

We'll make do with our current stuff until we figure out what we want for the new outdoor dining space. It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be and my current outdoor table looks dinky in there. Plus the plan going forward is to cook big breakfasts and dinners out there when our grands are here and there's a lot of them lol. We need a bigger table.  

We also need an electrician to come out so we can hang a fan and get some twinkle lights in, and like I said...that mouse needs at least ten somethings to go with his cookie. 

Saturday night we went to a party at our neighborhood clubhouse-a low country boil. Yes three nights home, three nights out. We hit the post-vacation ground running! I forgot to take a picture (it's the jet lag I'm sure) but for those who don't know a low country boil is usually shrimp-corn-sausage and red potatoes boiled in a big pot with seasonings. It originated in the Carolinas and it's delicious. Friday was a gorgeous day, the temps still feel summery here although it's supposed to cool off later this week, and we had a great time catching up with some of the neighbors we haven't seen in a while. 

We didn't stay late because the Vols were playing Arkansas Saturday night, and we needed to be home for that. Our hometown team also had a big game happening at the same time so there was some channel flip flopping. Yay for the hometown team who pulled off a win. The Vols were not so lucky. 

Sunday afternoon we went for a boat ride. Officially autumn but still 80 degrees so why not? The lake is so pretty this time of year. 

We putted around the neighborhood to see if there was any visible damage and saw a few huge trees down in several places. Overall we're very lucky here. There weren't a lot of boaters out and we flew down to the far end of the lake for fuel. Our usual closer marina had only gotten their power back on Friday and they were without gas anyway. 

After buying gas we flew back down (up?) the lake to my daughter1's in-law's dock. They were home so we tied up and went inside to visit for a few minutes, and of course we never leave there empty handed.

 

Hubs grilled some flat iron steaks for dinner and we ate on the screened porch which has a birds eye view of the new waterfall. It was a lovely way to end the day. 

I'm off to the dentist this morning which is not my favorite thing, but I'm determined not to whine about it. Life is so hard for so many right now, and I feel fortunate to be able to get in my car with a full tank of gas and do something as ordinary as go to the dentist. 

Have a nice Monday everyone! 

A Few Of My Favorite Friday Things

I wrote a post Monday (linked here) recapping our houseful, but wanted to share a few more favorite things from the past week on the blog today. 

While my youngest daughter and her littles went home last Friday, my oldest daughter and her family were here with us until Wednesday. On Wednesday we loaded up in two vehicles, that is the in-laws in one car with dad and the two boys, and then hubs and I in the other car with momma and her little miss, for the trek to the Atlanta airport and their flight to the UK.  

Two kids dragging backpacks of their own, momma wearing the baby pushing a cart loaded with three huge bags, dad pushing a wagon carrying a car seat and then pulling a cart with another two ginormous  bags, and whew! They're rockstars!  

They will be living in England for the next six months, and believe me when I say one of my favorite things currently is knowing I have a trip already booked and on the calendar. 

For the record, airport goodbyes are not my favorite.

Let's talk fun...linking up today with Andrea and Erika for this week's edition of Friday Favorites. 

1. A 'Grand' Summer Bucket List- I like to ask the two oldest grands what they want to do when they visit, and then I make a little bucket list/chart, hang it on the side of a kitchen cabinet, and they can check off as we go. They enjoy the checking and remind me when I forget. 

This year's chart included the usual swimming-boating-fishing type of activities plus a few newbies as well...paddle boarding, the jumbo Connect 4...

...a trip to the Fish Hatchery, and jello pie. 

2. Jello Pie-have you had this? 

In this picture I hadn't spread the whipped cream over the top yet, but you get the idea. Hubs has very fond memories of his grandmother making him jello pie as a child. He told me it was plain strawberry jello poured into a graham cracker crust, topped with sliced bananas and topped with cool whip. I wasn't convinced, but he really wanted the boys to try it. 

First of all, I don't do Cool Whip. I know some people love it, but homemade whipped cream is so easy and a thousand times better. Also, jello pie? I went to Pinterest and found a variation of hubs grandmom's technique, and the boys helped me put it together. 

I was out of bananas so used strawberries instead and they were yummy. Hubs assures me the bananas are possibly more delicious but then childhood memories are hard to beat. The boys helped make the jello, and my 'recipe' had you add a little cornstarch and less water so it was more like that filling you get in fresh strawberry pie. I think I really wanted strawberry pie and hubs had his heart set on the jello version. This one made everybody happy. 

We stirred the sliced strawberries into the mixture, then poured that into the crust. I'd purchased a large box of jello, but the recipe only called for 3 ounces so I mixed up the rest of the jello as directed on the box. Because the strawberry mixture only half filled the pie shell I went ahead and poured the rest of the regular jello on top to set. It worked. 

I have to say, it was so tasty. Surprisingly light and refreshing and the boys thought it was a big treat. Hubs too! 

3. Paddleboarding. Y'all. My six year old grandson jumped on the paddleboard on day one and navigated like a pro from the word go. Even the four and a half year old could manage without a lot of help. We made the paddles shorter after their first try and that was even better. 

The mancub had to literally be pushed off the board and into the water if you wanted a turn. He absolutely loved it, and while he used to spend all day running off the dock he's now spending all day on the paddleboard.  I mean he still loves running off the dock, but the paddleboard is his new favorite.

4. Water skiing-

Friday night we went for a quick boat ride so Daughter1 could waterski. She hadn't skiied in a few years, mostly because she's birthed three children in the last seven, but she is her father's daughter in terms of coordination. Popped right up without even thinking about it. 

Her children thought she was amazing. 

She pretty much is. 

5. My people-

We've had no less than nine people in the house, eating, sleeping, and playing since July 14th. The level of activity from sun up to sun down has been something like mach ten. The volume too. 

There's been swimming and boating and jumping and games and books and movies and outdoor showering and indoor legos and meals eaten...so.many.meals. We've talked and laughed and applied sunscreen and reapplied sunscreen and we've sipped a lot of coffee. We tried to take a few pictures too, but this crew was not having it so we let that go. 

Yesterday it was back to just me and the hubs, and the silence is deafening.  

The house needs cleaning from top to bottom, every sheet and towel is in the process of being either washed or dried and folded, the frig needs wiping down, the windows too because little hands and noses need to press against the glass for a really good look at the world around them. 

Not gonna lie...the transition from full to something less than that takes time. We give ourselves a lot of grace and space to reset the house and our heads too. It takes a few days to get back into the rhythms of regular life, but we'll get there. We always do. 

Girls who grow up and grow families of their own, who keep touching home plate whenever they can... definitely one of my favorite things. 

Weekend In The Mountains

It's been a sunshiny day here in the Upstate which feels appropriate for the first day of May. The temperature hasn't quite gotten the message yet, but I'll take the sunshine. We've had so much rain this spring and today's blue sky feels like a real gift. 

Hubs and I drove through what felt like a monsoon Thursday morning, but managed to make it safely to our weekend destination-the North Georgia mountains. Specifically the little town of Ellijay, where we'd rented a house with three other couples we've known since college. 

Which was a decade or four ago, but whatever. 

These boys were all fraternity brothers and we've remained close now for let's just say a long long time. 

We're all married, we all have grandchildren, we all have various aches and pains related to the fact that we're not 20 anymore, except when we're together we kind of still feel 20. 

That's the beauty of old friends. The ones who knew you when you were still trying to figure out exactly who you wanted to be. 

You can be bare faced and bare souled and real and hilarious and honest and grateful. 

We had dinner down the mountain on Thursday night, then stayed up late (not late for 20 year old us, but late for 60+ year old us) talking, laughing, and playing Mexican Train Dominoes at the big kitchen table. 

The skies cleared mid-morning Friday and we loaded up the cars to make a short hop one town over, to the little town of Blue Ridge. I'd never been before, and it's a popular tourist and retirement destination both, so I was glad to see what the buzz was all about. 

Blue Ridge is cute with lots of great little shops and restaurants and you can park your car and walk at your leisure. The sidewalks were busy, but not overly so, and we were glad we opted for a Friday visit as we discovered there was some kind of fish festival happening in town Saturday. We stopped in a little wine bar early afternoon for a light lunch and beverage then headed back up the mountain to relax and have a later dinner at home. 

We had a view y'all. 

We spent a lot of time sitting on the covered deck and everyone brought their own steak for grilling that evening so it was simple, delicious, and low key. We had also been assigned 'parts' in a murder mystery and everyone had some little bit of costume they'd brought from home, and it was a hoot. Took a little bit of time to really get into, but once in we were all in.

 
I was not the murderer in case you're wondering. 

Saturday was a gorgeous day, with warmer temps and bright blue cloudless skies. We trekked back down the mountain to visit a couple of the wineries on the other side of Ellijay. When I say trekked up and down the mountain it sounds like a million miles, but it wasn't. It was a somewhat steep, winding road getting to and from the house, that we all agreed would be tricky in the winter months. 

Our first stop was Chateau Meichtry which is in a very pretty location. We had a tasting there before moving a couple of miles down the road to Buckley, also very pretty and the wines were more to our liking. 

This is us-

This is also us-

We're still us. 

We headed back up the mountain late afternoon so we'd be there when our chef arrived. We'd hired a chef to cook dinner at the house, and it was so much fun. 

We selected the menu based on what she suggested and had a lovely charcuterie board as a starter, then it was a green salad with paella made in a huge paella pan on the deck. She put noodles in her paella instead of rice and we all agreed we liked that better.

Hubs will own one of these set ups before summer is over. Just sayin'. 

Dessert was a seriously scrumptious tres leches cake, and our chef cooked, served, and cleaned up, so easy peasy.  

We headed home on Sunday and all agreed we should do this more often. The thing about old friends is it matters not how long ago you were together because in your head you are always together. In your heart too. 

Still it is really fun to actually be together.

Super Fun

Weekends leave a little something to be desired these days, wouldn't you agree? Feels like we've been walking through sludge for a while now, and February isn't helping.  

We're mostly still doing a lot of nothing here and like most everyone we're tired of it. Bored with it. Ready to rejoin the party except there's still no party to rejoin. Which is why I blog about the weather and what's on the grill and the ongoing saga of our television service. 

We did have a very small snowfall Saturday night and that was a little bit exciting. Relatively speaking of course. Parts of the lake had more, but just a dusting here. 

Did you watch the Superbowl? We sorta kinda watched a snippet here and there, but honestly were not the least bit invested in the outcome. We have not watched a single NFL game this year because we are over the NFL, but I love Eric Church and wanted to see him sing the National Anthem. He's country and this was to be a duet with a more hip hop/R & B singer (Jazmine Sullivan) so I was nervous. I hate when singers mess with the anthem and the potential for that felt large with this combo. 

Course by the time we got the tv connected (!!!) team captains were already mid-field doing the coin toss and we missed it. 

Remember when something annoyed us and we'd just say 2020 and roll our eyes and everyone knew what we meant?  Saying 2021 is not nearly as satisfying. 

Anyway, I did go watch a clip of the anthem on youtube and based on comments I'd read was prepared not to like their version, but I actually loved it. They only messed with it a little, plus that sign language interpreter was fantastic and brought a big dose of happy to the whole thing. 

This boy loves my popcorn maker more than even I do and that's saying something. He watches this machine like a hawk-

 

In other Superbowl food news hubs decided to grill wings, a skill he has completely mastered-

We invited our next door neighbors over to share and ended up talking, laughing, not really watching the game, and playing pool until midnight. The girls won which isn't important but does feel worthy of a mention, and the whole evening was so much fun I forgot for a minute it wasn't a party. 

Remember fun? In 2021 I think we have to make our own. 

And so we do.

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 368

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. Here we go-

 

1. Ever played the game Farkle? Are you a risk taker? In games only or also in life?

2. What's your favorite thing about your yard or whatever outdoor space you may have?

3. Tell us about the most interesting building you've seen or been in.

4. In this current season of social distancing, what's something you've come to realize you take for granted in more ordinary times? Do you think you'll make a conscious effort to appreciate whatever that 'it' is once normal life resumes?

5. Share a favorite song with a springtime flower in the lyrics somewhere.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Mother's Day Post Game Analysis

Good Monday morning! I know it's afternoon but I started typing hours ago and just now got back here for sentence number 2. It's been a while since I wrote a 'what I did this weekend' kind of post, but I have some pictures I want to save and this is where I'm going to let them land.

We've had the loveliest spring, although I could do with a bit less wind and there was that tornado a couple weeks back, but mostly we've had true springtime weather. Blue skies, pleasant temperatures, and no humidity. Next weekend we'll hit the upper 80's so going to enjoy this while it lasts.

Daughter2 is in the house and her boyfriend has joined us for a few days which has been really nice. Friday night we made pizzas on the big green egg and while we're still perfecting the technique (mostly the sliding it on and off the peel without any naughty words being said), they do get better every single time.

This one was delish! I made the Pioneer Woman's pizza dough recipe and it's a keeper. This recipe makes a thinner crust which is what we all like best.

Mother's Day was just gorgeous. Daughter2 gave me the most fun gift called Yardtzee which is the backyard version of Yahtzee and Farkle. Giant wooden block dice that come with a plastic bucket for tossing them onto the grass.

The set includes big wipe off scorecards with a dry erase marker, and we had a great time breaking it in. #winning

We took a little boat ride mid-afternoon but decided it was too breezy to be out on the water so we made our way back and spent most of the afternoon relaxing beside the fire pit. Hubs grilled steaks for dinner which were 5-star and my resident baker, aka Daughter2, made the most scrumptious Victoria Sponge for dessert.

She and I love to watch The Great British Baking Show and they make a lot of sponge every season, which was her inspiration. She used Mary Barry's recipe and we all loved it.

We also Facetimed with Daughter1 and our favorite little men and on the other side of the globe which is always a day brightener. This picture isn't from our call, but I saw it on her page and swiped it because I'm the mom and I can do that.

She gave me a really interesting gift that I'm super excited about, but I'm not going to say too much more just yet. It falls into the category of 'an experience' so I think I'll wait and share details later.

It was a good day. A strange day as all days are in the age of Corona, but it felt almost normal being outdoors, hanging with my girl, calling my mom, and texting with my sisters. I know Mother's Day is a jumble of emotion for so many, but I appreciate the pause to think about what the mothers in my life mean to me.

 And the gift of motherhood I never want to take for granted.

Winning!

So here we are, another Monday that feels a lot like every other day of the week, but we are all going to carry on and pretend it's new and different. Technically it is new and different, it's just a bit hard to tell from the vantage point of social distancing. 

And I am still making my way through the alphabet challenge, because it's still April in case you also needed reminding about that. Here we go-                           

                                                          Day 23-W is for Winning 

Today's word comes from one of my summer camp friends. I don't know if everyone is in touch with friends they made as a summer camp counselor when they were twenty years old, but I am and it's truly a very special thing.

Camp is good for kids in so many ways-physically, mentally, and spiritually, and it's good for the people who work there in all those same ways too. I'm feeling sad that children who were looking forward to going to camp this summer are likely not going, and I'm feeling sad for the staff who were making plans to work at camps all across America.

There is a long list of disappointments every which way you turn, and this is just one more. We have to intentionally look away from the list of heartaches we're each holding, and instead work at focusing our eyes and our minds and our hearts on things we can control. I know there is a lot of good and kind and beauty out there still and I want to see that.

Now about today's word. I can keep this short and sweet.

Winning.

I like it. Ha! My family can testify to the truth of this statement. I am not a naturally athletic person, but I am a naturally competitive person about a lot of things. 

Sometimes this is not an attractive quality.

In my defense I am not competitive in the way women can be competitive with one another. I don't really understand that, but if you throw a board game in front of me LOOK OUT!

Because I like to win.

I am all about solidarity when it comes to women doing the best they can with what they have, encouraging one another, lifting each other up, and in general not being mean girls no matter their age. Just don't challenge me to a game of cards.

Or dominos-cornhole-scrabble or anything else that might be dubbed 'game'.

Hey, have you noticed how I'm rolling through this A-Z thing like a boss?
Winning! 

Christmas Snapshots

I spy a hedgehog, a soccer ball, and Big Ben-

So this was the situation here earlier today. Ugh. I'm not a fan of taking it all down and putting it all away and the sweeping and the dusting and the sawing that needs to happen. Yup you read that right. Without his future son-in-law here to help get the tree outside and down the stairs hubs got creative and sawed it in thirds. Job well done! 

Normally the week between Christmas and New Year is my favorite because everything is bought and wrapped and cooked and done. It's when I like to exhale, sip my tea beside the twinkling tree lights, and savor the small things. Except we're traveling early in the new year and I could not face the idea of coming home to a house still decked out in all her Christmas finery. 

So how was your holiday? Take any blurry pictures? We always seem to have a couple, but what's Christmas without some out of focus photographs?

Hubs mom was with us for Christmas this year, and his sister and her family also made the trek south from several states away.

Lest anyone's confused, they did not come by kayak-ha! My mother-in-law has been here several times, but this was my sister-in-law's first trip to the lake.

It might be December and the air might be cool, and they might have jumped in anyway.

I think this will be a new tradition, our own version of a Polar Bear Plunge. I volunteered to wear my winter coat and take the picture because somebody had to.

Along with new traditions there were also some of the tried and true. Like too many cookies, new board games played around the dining room table, stockings filled to overflowing, and your mom waking you up way too early because she doesn't want you to miss the gift of a Christmas morning sky-

This girl might be getting married in 120 days, but a daughter is never too old to snuggle up next to her Daddy for the annual reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

120 days!!

I know!! 

photo cred: my sister-in-law

Hope your Christmas was merry and bright!