Full Hearts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finally! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good week! 

Oh Hey Monday

Good Monday morning everyone. How was your weekend? Ours was good, low key, and felt summery thanks to the weather.  

Friday evening we had friends coming over for a 'dinner cruise', which was going to be mainly hors d'oeuvres and snack-y type foods that could easily be eaten on the boat. Then we shifted gears and decided not to bother lugging all the food onto the boat, and instead relaxed on the patio which was really nice. 

We had cold shrimp, cheese and crackers, fruit skewers, pasta salad served in cups, and then hubs grilled two ribeyes because he can't help himself. They were delicious! He cut them into cubed sized pieces for easy dining. 

Did I snap a picture? Nope. 

But I baked peanut butter cookies earlier that day, and those did come along for the ride. 

The weather was lovely and we putzed around the lake, looking at houses and all the new things people have done over the winter months. Mostly we just enjoyed the perfect evening air. 

Saturday morning we decided to kayak. Sounds simple, right? And it would be if we left the little brown dog at home, but where hubs goes he goes, especially if the lake is involved. 

Here's how kayaking looks with a dog, or rather how preparing to kayak looks...

The kayaks hang on the side of our bridge so it takes hubs a minute to move them onto the dock. I watch because I'm not helpful in this endeavor. Nor is the little brown dog, who whimpers and paces and goes right to the edge of the dock and considers jumping in. Then he whimpers some more because there is nothing more exciting than the thought of getting on and in the lake. 

Hubs gets the first kayak on to the dock and the pup hops in to that kayak like he's the captain. But at least he's momentarily not in the way. I put the steps down and the pup hops out of the kayak and into the water, which honestly is better because this takes his adrenaline down from a hundred to maybe eighty. 

He is soon back on the dock because he's not missing this. Hubs gets the second kayak down while I hold the dog, then he gets my kayak in the water. This is almost too much for the pup to take, but so far so (mostly) good. Hubs holds the dog while I get myself into the boat which is now in the water. 

Then hubs has to release the dog in order to get himself into his boat, and because the little brown dog is afraid he'll be left behind he launches himself off the dock, and starts swimming for my boat. Hubs yells for me to paddle fast and get away from the dock. It's quite something. 

Hubs gets himself launched and chases us until he reaches the dog. We have our pup in a life jacket made with a handle on the back for this very reason. Hubs helps him up into his kayak and we're off. The little brown dog sits right on top of hubs until he's sure he's actually coming with us and then he at long last relaxes. 

We kayak across the water over to an island with a little beach, and as soon as we're reasonably close to the island hubs lets him jump in and swim the rest of the way because this is what he lives for. 

And y'all. It is like this every.single.time we take the kayaks out. There's much less drama with the paddle board, but we wanted to kayak. It's more of a workout than it needs to be, but also a lot of fun and the dog is just so funny to watch. His excitement puts you in a good mood. 

Saturday was such a pretty morning on the water, and when we got back to the dock I actually got in the lake for a minute. The water is still a little cooler than I like, but the air was really warm so it felt good. 

We're in our outdoor shower era. The view from the shower is on point-

We had some lunch, then I chatted on the phone for a while, and we watched some baseball. We're all in on the College Baseball World Series, and our favorite team was still in it although they lost on Saturday. Sunday too, but I'm still talking about Saturday. Hubs grilled brats for dinner and there were crazy thunderstorms later,  so I was happy to be home with no where we had to be. 

Sunday was church followed by brunch right after, then more baseball. I worked on my blog and read and we watched the Vols lose another game to Arkansas, so they're out of the series which is disappointing.  

We have a busy couple of weeks coming up, so a low key couple of days felt just right. What were you up to this weekend? 

Linking with Holly and Sarah for their regularly scheduled Hello Monday blog hop. Feel free to add yours to the party too. Have a great week everyone~

Weekend Ramblings

Good Monday morning. It's time for the weekly weekend recap, hosted every Monday by Holly (Pink Lady) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books). 

Does anyone else need their phone to remember what they did two days ago? 

We had a nice, low-key weekend here. On Friday hubs spent some time helping the boys with a little outdoor project. We may not have a fairy garden but we do have our own version of a GI Joe Navy Seal Training Facility lol. 

There was even a hammock for Joe to get some r & r...

Friday night friends invited us to meet them at a local Italian place for dinner, and that's always fun. The 'kids' had gone to the college baseball game followed by pizza out, so all dinners were accounted for. 

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day. Beautiful!! Blue skies, springtime temps, a gentle breeze. We loaded up in two cars since we were bringing the pup, and headed to the woods. 

We had a hike planned to a local waterfall which hubs and I both love, and it's one we thought the littles could manage without too much trouble. The hike in is all downhill, but there’s truth in the saying...what goes down must come up. 

Something like that? 

To get to the falls you turn off the main road for a slow mile long trek down a gravel/dirt road before parking. Then you hike about a mile and a half through the woods to reach the falls and the pretty sandy beach beside them. 

My daughter had little miss on her back in the carrier and the boys walked~scrambled~noticed things. The little brown dog ran ahead, but kept circling back to be sure hubs  his person was still right there. 

The falls here are only 12-feet high, but! they're 100 feet wide and so so pretty. They were rushing too as we've had rain recently. 

I read there was once a gristmill on the site, but now it's strictly a beautiful piece of nature with the falls dropping into a natural pool beside the beach, and then the river continuing on its way through the forest. 

We had the beach mostly to ourselves. A couple of people hiked in and looked around, but for the most part it was just us. We got there on the early side and passed more people coming in as we were leaving. We'd packed a picnic lunch and the kids had a ball wading in the icy waters...

...getting their clothes only a teensy bit damp, skipping stones, and hunting for shiny rocks and arrowheads. Hubs is still on a mission to find one, but that didn't happen Saturday. 

This guy who turns ten years old this week was living his best life romping through the woods, chasing sticks thrown into the river, and swimming to his heart's content. 

We were home mid-afternoon and my daughter and her family changed clothes then loaded back up in the car for a ride over to their other grandparent's home for dinner. My son-in-law's dad was celebrating his birthday so a full fun day for them.  After they left I put together a little snack to take to the neighbor's house later in the evening-

A sweet and salty drizzled popcorn (you pour melted white chocolate over popped corn), which is so easy and so yummy. 

Our neighbors invited us over to play cards with another couple, but first we all went out for Mexican food. We went to a nearby spot that started as a food truck, but has morphed into an 'almost' full fledged dining establishment. 

After dinner we went back to the neighbors house and stayed up too late playing our favorite card game- Swoop. We weren't thinking about the time change. We do agree we all have spring fever here and are so ready for float parties, dock sitting, and watching the sunset from the back of the boat. 

Sunday I turned the fireplace on for a while because it was gray and chilly. Not northern USA chilly, but SC chilly. Hubs and I slept in and then met the kids for brunch. They were up early of course (parents of young children rarely sleep in) so they made it to church first. I spent the afternoon finishing a book, hubs grilled steaks for everyone for dinner, and that was the weekend. 

So what were you up to this weekend? 

Hello Monday Musings

Good Monday morning everyone. How was your weekend? Ours was cold, really cold for South Carolina. We had snow on Friday which is a rare treat. It's come and gone now, but was so pretty while it lasted.

The temps were freezing and it was a really wet snow, and yes I know wet isn't the best adjective to use here, because isn't all snow wet? This was not the light and fluffy kind, so I didn't get out in it. 

Someone did though, and he loved it. LOVED it!!

He does an army crawl across the grass and it makes us all remember what he was like as a puppy living in the Pacific Northwest. 

There's something about a snowy day that inspires me to cook. Hubs and I started the day with blueberry waffles which are hubs favorite, but not something I make on the regular. I also made a pot of chili for dinner because that's in the snow day bylaws. 

Saturday we had some errands to run and opted for a breakfast date before making a few fun stops like filling up the gas tank and wandering the aisles at CVS. We came home and I finally cleaned out the pantry. I don't know how the pantry periodically ends up so out of order, but I pulled everything out, wiped down all the shelves, got rid of a few things, then put it all back in mostly the same place, but not quite. 

Change is good. 

Also reorganizing the pantry is a satisfying job to have done. 

I put a roast in the crock pot before we left on Saturday and the house smelled so good all day long. Did you come here today to read about what we ate all weekend long? If so you're in luck lol. I made the Mississippi recipe which calls for a packet of ranch dressing, and didn't realize until it was too late that the ranch mix I bought was spicy ranch. I didn't even know Hidden Valley made a spicy ranch mix? 

All's well that ends well though because we like spicy here. It honestly didn't change the flavor too much,  a tad more peppery than usual but very tasty. 

A pretty low key weekend overall...reading, football, watching the snow fall, comfort cooking, and a few small projects crossed off the to-dos. I finally made my winter bucket list, and always refer to my calendar when I  create my list to capture anything eventful I know will be happening. While we don't have any big trips or significant travel on the calendar this winter, the calendar somehow still manages to look awfully full. 

There will be grandkids in the house this winter and I might make a bucket list with them once they're here. I usually do one in the summer when they're visiting, so this would be different and fun I think. In the meantime here's mine-

So how was your winter weekend? Frosty? Fun? Filled with family? Do you have a winter bucket list? 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their Hello Monday weekend recap blog hop. 

The Weekend Recap...Prost!

We had a nice weekend, somewhat low key, but honestly things never feel completely low key here. I don't think those are words that would be used to describe us. 

Thursday is my day to volunteer and I'm out of the house most of the day. I'd made soup on Wednesday evening to take to a friend whose husband has been in the hospital, so I packaged that up and hubs and I made the delivery. We decided to grab dinner out and had a nice meal at a local favorite spot. The moon was amazing every night last week. 

Friday I had an appointment for a facial and hubs had conveniently booked himself a hair cut in that same time frame. Approximately. Both appointments are in the nearby city so we were able to take one car. It required a little logistical planning, but I dropped him at the hair place and the plan was he would Uber to Costco after, and I'd meet him there once my facial wrapped up. 

A facial is the most relaxing hour of my life. 

Carry on. 

I wasn't thinking when we left the house and forgot to bring the cooler which meant Costco shopping was a bit limited. We live an hour from Costco. We did get the paper products restocked and hubs grabbed a jar of his peanut butter stuffed pretzels along with a few things like batteries, Mr. Clean erasers, and Rao's spaghetti sauce which I like to keep on hand, but nothing cold. Bother. 

We had lunch at a nearby bakery we enjoy and realized we were very near the outdoor furniture shop where we bought some of our porch furniture. We decided to make one more stop. Question-why is outdoor furniture so ding dang pricey???

We need a lot of outdoor furniture. We have a lot of outdoor furniture, but now we've added all these new spaces and people gotta sit. This store has so many beautiful things but since we didn't know we were making a stop here we didn't have any measurements with us. 

Batting 1000 on preparedness Friday. 

As it turns out the shop has a free design service and someone will come to the house to draw up a plan, make recommendations, and tell us what would fit best in all these new spaces. We said yes to that, and the designer will be here tomorrow. I'm anxious to see what he suggests. 

We didn't get home until almost dinner time at which point who felt like cooking? BLTs for the win. After dinner we watched a few episodes of that new show called High Potential with Kaitlin Olson. It's cute and doesn't strain your brain which is what we needed after a long day.

Saturday we sipped coffee and watched College Game Day, then watched Clemson win their game while somebody got a haircut. The groomer comes to our house with a van designed for just such a purpose and the little brown dog does not enjoy the experience at all. 

But he sure looks cute. 

Our VOLS played Bama which is a rivalry for the ages and we watched the first half at home. Volunteer football is so hard on the nerves. Always. We had plans to meet up with friends at a local Octoberfest celebration so had to head that way at halftime. 

Not quite like being in Germany but lots of fun nonetheless. 

Hubs hat is the real deal. 

The beer tent had big TVs behind the bar so hubs and I stood there to watch the last few minutes of the game. When the VOLS won the whole crowd around us cheered. For those not in the know, everyone in the SEC roots for whatever team is playing Bama, unless you happened to go to school there.  

The weather all weekend long was beautiful, but Sunday was perfection. Sunday afternoon hubs and I took a long walk in the neighborhood and hubs threw the ball for the little brown dog.

There aren't a lot of Halloween decorations in our neighborhood, but this chicken skeleton is a good one. 

We're still really green here, although a few trees are finally starting to turn. We've heard some of the roads into the mountains are now navigable so we'll take a drive up there soon for some true leaf peeping. 

Hubs had a project going on at the dock and I spent the rest of the afternoon right here working on my Bible Study (Jen Wilkin's Revelation), catching up on my blog, sipping tea, and reading one of the books I've currently got going-Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See. It's good so far, and I always enjoy her books. 

Fall is my favorite. 

And every once in a while I guess we can do low key. 

I'm joining Holly and Sarah for their regular Monday morning link up today. 

What kind of fun did you have this weekend?