A Weekend Recap From The Porch

The weekends go by fast, don't they? We like to say every day is the weekend in retirement, but lately not so much. Hubs and I declared Saturday a no-hurry have fun day and although I had to remind him of the no-hurry bit a couple of times, he eventually relaxed and we had a really nice day. A day date if you will. 

Remember when I was counting those here? I'm still counting, just not posting all of them on the blog. 

Backing up to Friday...

Hubs of course had a dozen projects going so he spent most of the day power washing the dock and bridge. We've hired the staining out this year because that is a back breaking job and some years we pay to have it done. They're supposed to be coming on Monday so he wanted it squeaky clean first. 

Power washing the dock is also back breaking so he earned the rest. 

I took care of some paperwork and cleaned bathrooms, then went to play Mah Jong. Not back breaking, but it can sometimes strain the brain. 

Daughter1's hubs was attending an out of town medical thing last week so she and the kids came over Friday evening for a slumber party. The puppy too, because where they go the puppy goes. He desperately wants to play with the Little Brown Dog, but the LBD is not having any part of it. He lets him know too, but they'll get used to each other. 

The weather was absolutely gorgeous all weekend long, so we sat outside and played and talked, and hubs grilled burgers for dinner. Little Miss went to bed on the early side and the rest of us snuggled on the couch and watched Hook. Nana might have missed the entire middle of the film due to an unplanned nap, but I'd seen it before so no biggie. That's life in the third act. You fall asleep before the six year olds. 

Actually that has always been me, never a night owl. Does staying awake past 8:30 qualify one as a night owl? 

After some early Saturday morning fishing for the Mancub and Pawpaw, the party goers had breakfast then went on their way. Hubs and I jumped in the car for a drive one state over. We had a lunch destination in mind, then planned to piddle around in some of the shops nearby. 

At our wine dinner this month one of the couples we sat with told us they'd been to a great BBQ place in the little town of Dillard Georgia. I live in the Palmetto State, but the GA border is right down the road. 

We don't often go out for BBQ because hubs makes a mean pulled pork here at home, but the pitmaster at the Blue Hound in Dillard won Season 6 (July 2025) of the Bobby Flay BBQ Brawl and we thought we should taste it for ourselves. 

The drive over was just under an hour, and it's my favorite kind of BBQ place. A small building that sits on the literal side of the road beside a gas station, smoke billowing out of the smokehouse, and already a long line at 11:15 AM. 

I got the brisket sandwich with a brocoli salad instead of chips and hubs had the brisket plate with collards and slaw. He meant to order banana pudding, but forgot. We did get two jars of their rubs to try at home. 

We sat at a picnic table outside and enjoyed every bite. Afterwards we browsed a couple of shops just a few hundred yards away, then headed towards Clayton, which is a cute little mountain town we love. 

We passed this shop on the way to the restaurant and the name forced us to make a stop there on the way out-

They actually had some nice pieces of furniture and then the usual assortment of 'stuff', but we just looked before heading on to Clayton. Which was hopping on a sunny Saturday! Once we got parked we walked to a little shop called White Birch Provisions for a coffee. I think I might like to stay in the White Birch Inn sometime as it looks cute. We browsed the shops on the main drag, but didn't buy anything.  

On the way out of Clayton we popped in to the local distillery there so hubs could get a bottle of their bourbon. I hadn't been in the place in a couple of years and they've expanded quite a bit which was nice to see.

We made the hour-ish drive home and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening on the lower level porch. I had a small nap (my sleep tank has been fumes the past month) and we listened to music, read, and chatted. Neither of us were very hungry so hubs ate the leftover burger and sides from Friday's dinner and I had a fried egg sandwich.  Sometimes that is exactly what I'm craving. 

Sunday morning kitchen sink view. 

We went to church, then made an exceedingly and unnecessarily long stop at Tractor Supply for a piece of rope for the outdoor shower mirror (the one we had finally broke) and then had lunch on the porch. After lunch hubs trimmed tree branches or some such nonsense and guess where I was? 

If you said the porch you wouldn't be wrong. It's great to be back in almost summer mode. 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their regular Monday morning weekend recap party. 

Weekends, Weary, Wedding Dresses, Whew!

We're in the final week of our A to Z Blog Challenge and as always I'll be limping across the finish line. Since it's Monday there will be a weekend recap (with Holly and Sarah) along with my letter post on the blog today. 

There's a lot going on here this week and I'm trying to be a 'one-day-at-a timer' but it's hard not to look at the very long list in front of me. That list includes some things that will be emotionally draining and physically demanding but we can do hard things, right? 

Right! 

The weekend. 

Friday I had lunch with three friends from my old Bible Study group. We hadn't seen one another in several months and it was wonderful to catch up. Lunch was served on one friend's beautiful back porch and everyone contributed something to keep it simple. These ladies have been, and continue to be, such a blessing to me. 

I played Mah Jong at a neighbor's house later in the afternoon. 

Before I left my house that morning I made a big pot of sauce, and when I finally arrived home around dinnertime I congratulated myself for thinking ahead. Hubs had out of town real estate clients in all weekend so he was gone from dawn to dusk too. 

Saturday we sipped our coffee with the sunrise, then hubs was out the door early for another day with his house hunters. I had some errands to run in town so made the loop and was home about one. I spent the afternoon getting things ready for my mom's move. I am not going down that road on the blog today, but I'm sure will eventually gather my thoughts and put them in writing. 

We had plans Saturday night to celebrate a friend's birthday in our neighborhood clubhouse. The menu was tacos and margaritas and a delicious homemade cake baked by another neighbor. A fun night spent  chatting and catching up with friends. 

Sunday morning we went to church, then hubs and I stopped at Waffle House for a late breakfast. We needed energy for the afternoon's activity aka porch cleaning. Honestly we have had so much going on this past month we have not gotten to this dreaded but very necessary task. 

The pollen sits about an inch deep so all the porches and decking and outdoor furniture need to be hosed down and cleaned. We roll up our outdoor rugs during pollen season so they needed to be put back outside. Hubs operated the power washer and I had the tedious job of wiping down all the deck railings and spindles. We have over 200 spindles, not that anyone is counting, but yeah. It's a lot. 

And you have to keep changing the soapy water out because it turns black very quickly. 

But! we're getting there! The upper deck and the screened porch are mostly done and he made a good start on the lower level patio and dining space. Still more to do, plus there's also the boat to clean, (well for hubs to clean) but we're making forward progress and we can once again enjoy our favorite thing about this house, which is the outside space. Cheers to summer porch sittin'! 

I still need new pillows for the deck sofa and a few more flower pots but that will happen soon. Not this week though because this week is already a doozy. 

Now for today's letter which continues my theme of The Things We Keep: Ordinary Objects From A-Z. 

Day 23-W is for Wedding Dresses

Do you still have your wedding dress? When we returned from our honeymoon I took my dress to the local dry cleaners and they boxed it up in that fancy way dry cleaners do to keep it from yellowing through the years. 

You hope. I mean I wasn't even certain it was my dress in that box but we trusted the cleaners. I don't know if in 1984 I dreamed of having a daughter who might wear it someday, but I wasn't ready to part with it either. Into the box it went. 

From there it moved with us umpteen times, always in the unopened box. There it remained for 30 years, until in 2014 daughter1 was engaged to be married and thought she might like to try it on. I have a picture of her in it somewhere but I can't put my hands on it right now. Anyway...

She actually loved the idea of having the dress reworked and made to look a little less 80's bride, but logistics were not in our favor. I was in one state, she was in another, and the wedding was in a third so it all felt like an additional stress we didn't need. 

She found a dress that looked like it had been made just for her and she spun and twirled and smiled from the moment she put it on until she and her brand new husband left the reception. 

My dress went back into the box, and then a few years went by and now daughter2 is getting married and she took a turn trying it on too. 

Not 80's at all-ha! However Daughter2 had already fallen in love with a dress we'd seen in a fashion show so that was that.

But! I heard about a company that made dressing gowns/robes from wedding dresses and I decided to surprise daughter2  with a gift for Christmas before her January wedding. I had my wedding dress made into a getting ready robe for her and it turned out beautifully. 

She was, quite literally, overcome with emotion when she saw it. 

I wrote about it here (Let's Review) so I won't recap again, but suffice it to say I might never give another gift that lands as perfectly as this one did. 

And now here we are with one daughter married ten years and one married five, yet somehow we have their wedding dresses in our storage area. These boxes are not small either. 

Question-why did I tote my wedding gown from pillar to post but my girls dresses have stayed with me? I'm thinking I should hand them over and they can decide what they'd like to do with their gowns. 

They both have tiny daughters so maybe someday I'll get to see granddaughters walking down the aisle looking every bit as beautiful as their mommas. 

That makes them worth keeping. 

The Weekend

Good Monday morning everyone. We had a nice weekend and I hope you did too. The weather on Saturday was A++, and I'd like more of it please.

Joining Holly and Sarah today for their regular Monday morning catch up. Here's mine-

Thursday was a full day. Hubs had an appointment at the dermatologist in the nearby city and I went with him so we could meet the designer at the outdoor furniture store soon after. We had lunch in between and agreed we'd play it cool when the designer showed us the plan. 

Note to file-I am not good at playing it cool. Hubs doesn't like to car shop with me because I ooh and ahh instead of acting like they're crazy for asking us to pay what they are asking us to pay and I guess the same concept could be applied here. 

We absolutely loved the plan the designer created for our outdoor space, which somehow includes a new sofa for the pool table room inside, but whatever. The designer is all about flow and having the indoor space draw you gently toward the outdoor space, hence the new sofa. 

The sofa we have in that room currently is probably 25 years old. It was very well made and has held up extremely well, is neutral in color, and has moved with us here there and everywhere. Time to retire. 

Anyway, back to the design plan. Not gonna lie, it's a lot, but then the space is a lot and it needs furniture.  I know us, and while we could fill the space two or three pieces at a time over the course of two or three seasons, we decided to just bite the bullet and get it the way we want it now. 

Actually not now, but sometime early in the new year because some of the pieces are made to order. We've had our current teak furniture for 20 years and are so ready for a change. I'm excited to see it all in place. 

Hubs and I ended up in Barnes and Noble for a quick minute and I had my first and most likely only Peppermint Mocha of the season. 

I don't normally do flavored coffee drinks, but it sounded good and I was cold. Also, I haven't been in an actual Barnes and Noble all year and I forgot how much I love this store. 

Friday we had friends coming for the weekend so we spent the morning getting ready. Hubs vacuumed and I baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I dusted and he blew leaves off the porches and then a neighbor dropped by with a bag of key limes from their tree and to check out the outdoor project, and then company pulled in. 

Not really company as these are college friends who knew us before we were us. Their daughter just got married and we'd made plans to have a lake weekend sometime after to decompress. I know when my girls got married I enjoyed talking details after the fact with friends. 

We went out for Mexican food Friday night, then came home and played cards for a long while. We played the game called Swoop. Do you know it? Really fun. 

Saturday morning we had a leisurely breakfast then sat out by the waterfall for a bit. The weather on Saturday was absolutely glorious. Bright blue skies and gentle fall temperatures. 

We wanted to be out in it so early afternoon we drove up to a nearby winery we'd never been to before. We made a stop on the way to take in beautiful Table Rock Mountain. 

Table Rock is an open rock face that overlooks the Blue Ridge region, and it's a significant Cherokee landmark. Hubs and I have hiked to the top and let me tell you that hike is not for sissies. The Cherokee believed when their god had a feast this was his table. It's a really interesting spot. 

The winery we visited is under new management and we enjoyed sitting on the patio, listening to some live music, and a flight of wines. We gabbed the whole time because when you've been friends for almost 45 years you never run out of things to talk about. 

Time is fleeting and precious. Love your people. 

We got back to the house late afternoon and watched some football, relaxed, some of us might have even napped, and then hubs grilled steaks for dinner. We picked our first two lemons from our lemon tree and I made a lemon vinaigrette using one for our salad. 

It's the little things, right? 

We played more cards as we watched our favorite Tennessee Volunteers lose to Georgia. Oh so sad, but that's how it goes sometimes. Our friends headed for home mid-morning Sunday and hubs and I piddled around putting stuff away, we watched more football, I got my Christmas card sorted and ordered a couple of gifts, then tried to catch up on my blog.

So what fun things did you do this weekend?

Friday Faves

Trying yet another new (to me) link up today with some Friday Favorites, hosted by Erika at A Little Bit of Everything and Andrea at Momfessionals.  

First favorite...I had a facial on Monday morning and it was pure bliss. My primary care group has a brand new office and they've added a beautiful medical spa beside the main building. It might even be the same building but with separate entrances. I haven't had a facial in a long time and they're my absolute favorite spa treatment. 

I wish I hadn't loved the sun as much as I did when I was younger, but doing what I can now to correct what can be corrected. I'm not interested in surgical procedures but am on board with a good facial, Vitamin C serum, retinol, and the esthetician has me seriously considering laser now too. Has anyone done laser on their face? I have some dark spots that she can treat on their own, but she says I'm a good candidate for full face laser. 

Sounds super freaky and very 21st century, but here we are. 

We've been going (as per always) mach ten here for the past many months, and just stepping in to the quiet beautiful treatment room with the warm bed and the weighted blanket, the low light and subtle scent of lavender, it was exactly what I needed. I loved it so much I might have booked another. 

Up next...I rarely see a movie in the theatre anymore, but this week I went with some neighbors to see Unsung Hero. We all really enjoyed it. The film tells the true story of the Smallbone family, parents to the brothers from King and Country and their talented sister Rebecca St. James. Bring your tissues. 

Thirdly...I'm still walking in the neighborhood and like I said on Monday, there are some crazy steep spots I do not at all enjoy. But! When I get to the top of the first hill I'm rewarded with the sweet sweet scent of honeysuckle growing wild around the trunk of a tall tree. 

Y'all. That smell takes me right back to my childhood and summer afternoons at the swim club. Honeysuckle grew wild along the fence there and when the lifeguards shooed the kids out of the pool for adult swim we'd hang out by the fence tasting the honeysuckle. 

Next thing...hubs spent the entire day Thursday cleaning all of our porches, patios, outdoor rugs, outdoor furniture and the dock. Whew! It's an enormous job and I'd have broken it up a bit, but he is a 'giterdone' kind of guy so a full day it was. I volunteer on Thursdays so was not home to help, but this is his wheelhouse, and as he says 'The porch pirates are back in business'. 

Aaaand....because he knocked it out in a day we had our first morning coffee of the season on the upper deck this very morning. It's my favorite favorite. 

Lastly...we have baby bluebirds in our bluebird house. This is the sixth year I think and I'm guessing maybe it's the same mom and dad? 

Maybe not? I'm not an ornithologist, but I do love birds in the wild and these babies are adorable and noisy and their parents are beautiful. 

What are some of your faves from the week that was? 

Time Well Wasted

Still A to Z-ing... and for some reason I have three different sized fonts in this post that do not want to be made right. I'm going to live with it. 

Day 16-P is for Porch Sittin' 

Time spent on the porch is never wasted. Isn't that how the saying goes? Porch sitting is high on my list of favorite things and it never gets old. We have a covered deck, a screened in porch, and a lower level mostly covered patio and I love them all. These are the places and spaces I nap, pray, read, have heart to heart chats, watch college football, dine, stargaze, listen to music, and relax. 

You cannot be stressed out on a porch. It's the law. 

Also, hubs and I are not the only ones who love a little porch sittin'. 

I'd post some current pictures but all of our furniture is still under wraps due to another P word this part of the country is famous for-pollen. Pollen makes my list of least favorite things and in the Upstate 'tis a season all its own. 

To make post-pollen cleanup easier we bring cushions inside, roll up the outdoor rugs, and cover the furniture, typically end of March through mid-late April. Then hubs gets out there and scrubs the decking and washes the porch screens and we pull everything back out and enjoy. We're preparing to re-stage this weekend and we're both so ready. 

While I love all the porches here, the covered deck is my favorite 'room' in the whole house and where I spend the most time. We have a fire table on our covered deck and most mornings I take my coffee and sit out there. We spend most evenings out there too because it's peaceful. 

Hubs loves to hang out on the lower level patio since that's home to our Big Green Egg. The view from that particular vantage point is not too shabby either. 

We have a TV and a fireplace on our screened porch which is just off the kitchen. Come fall you'll find us there most weekends watching college football. We have a dining table on the screened porch too, and eat breakfast-lunch-dinner out there when the weather is nice.

If there's a crowd we move to the lower patio and the bigger table. 

We've got options and they're all good. When people ask for tips on building a lake house we always say pay as much attention to the outdoor spaces as you do the indoor. We pretty much live out of doors here. 

Except during pollen season. 

Which isn't all that long and also isn't snow.

Even this guy will tell you it doesn't matter which porch you choose-

There is no wrong answer.