Tap Tap...Is This Thing On?

I was looking back at my recent posts and they're pretty much all Hodgepodge all the time, and I guess that's because life here lately has felt a bit 'hodgepodge'. Here's some of what we've been up to in February.

Well there's been no down time lol. 

We pretty much just drop where we are these days. The 'kid's are still here with us, and while I'm not in charge of the littles there is still so much that needs doing on a daily basis. I know my daughter manages all the everyday type of household and childcare chores on her own on the regular, but we're all here together so we're trying to help where we can help. 

They're somewhat unpacked here, but they also have bags in the garage and some stashed in the storage room, and things in the attic all of which hey've needed to access since the weather has warmed up. Everything else they own is still in storage and I know they are just so ready to be settled into a home of their own. 

Waiting is sanctifying. Patience is grown in seasons of waiting. I explained to my oldest grandson recently that we learn to wait by waiting. That even when we feel like nothing is happening God is always working out His perfect plan for our lives, which might even include something as simple as what house we will live in next.  

making lemon bars with my granddaughter using lemons picked right off our tree 

Hubs and I know this time together is a gift. Yes it's exhausting, and yes everyone will be glad to resume (or establish) more normal routines, but we also know love that runs deep, that sense of security and precious relationship are built moment by moment. I keep that thought front and center and am so grateful for all these moments. 

marshmallows in the firepit

In other news...I'm buying a lot of groceries. A lot. The first couple of weeks the total was shocking, but now I'm just like whatever. We're not eating out much so I'm sure it all balances out in the end. My daughter and I have been going to the store together and sharing the cost and when we finish paying and combine our two receipts we both kind of gasp. 

Besides all the meal planning and meal making and meal clean up there's laundry and our usual weekly commitments with volunteering, real estate-ing, dinners with friends now and then, and grandchildren wanting our attention. It's nice that we can fill in whatever gaps need filling. We can keep an eye on the 2-year old while momma showers, make breakfast for the whole big hungry crew, I can be available to stay with the kids while the parents run with hubs to look at a house or two, that sort of thing. My son-in-law has a birthday this week and we told them to go out to dinner one night. Alone. Happy birthday!

Speaking of real estate...there's not a lot on the market here currently. They found a house they wanted (mostly). It wasn't perfect, but we've all let go of perfect, and the house was warm and lovely and only 2 miles from us. It was overpriced and the seller wouldn't come down enough to make it make sense so it wasn't meant to be. 

Hubs and I have bought and sold a lot of houses over the course of our married life, and whenever we house hunt I tell myself if it doesn't work out for whatever reason then it's not our house. It can still be disappointing though, as you really need to imagine yourself living in a place before you make the offer, and once you do that you can't help but get excited thinking a place might be yours. 

Typically this is the time of year where the market picks up and we're hoping that's the case this year too. I've enjoyed seeing some of the homes they've considered and we've taken the kids to a couple too. As my daughter says, 'it's good to know the kids can be happy in any house' ha! While mom and dad don't mind a few projects some of these homes are in need of far too much reno. One was also in desperate need of a thorough scrubbing (shudder!), but the kids look around and claim bedrooms and check out the outdoor space and declare it all GREAT!  

Besides all the busy-ness with extra peeps in the house, hubs and I have been working to wrap up our tax organizer, secure a beach house for a summer holiday, track down the covers we need for our outdoor furniture before the pollen really falls, finalize plans for a wine dinner for 20 we're hosting with another couple, manage a huge tree removal from the backyard (these tree guys are amazing)...

 ...and honestly about a hundred other 'things' both large and small. 

We've also had some friends dealing with a really hard thing that's left both hubs and I feeling a little bit down. And then there's America, mad all the time and filled with so much bickering and whining my brain hurts from trying to understand how we've gotten to the place we're in and can we even find our way out? Is this the new normal???

Daffodils are blooming. 

It needs to be said.  Spring is a reminder of so much goodness...hope, beauty, warmth, light, forgiveness, new growth, fresh starts...

Last week some friends invited us to join them for a couple of days in North Georgia at an Air B & B they'd rented in a pretty little vineyard (Buckley for anyone local reading this). 

What a fabulous get away and a beautiful venue! The cabin was so well appointed and the view could not have been nicer. There's a screened porch that overlooks the river and you can make the short walk over to the tasting room if you feel like it. 

We drove down on Tuesday and once we'd dropped our bags we headed in to Ellijay for lunch. 

We sat outside and had a fun waiter who loved to talk. Hubs and I split a salmon BLT and an order of Brussel sprouts and the summer-like day called for a glass of Rosé. 

We came back to 'our' winery after lunch and enjoyed a tasting there in the sunny sunshine of the vineyard. 

We had dinner 'at home' both nights we were there, courtesy of our friends as she had done most of the prep work at home. Easy peasy, for us anyway. Tuesday night we played cards after dinner and talked and it was just so nice to be with friends we've known since college. We've lived a lot of life with these two and they are definitely our people. 

Wednesday we drove into the nearby town of Blue Ridge and meandered through some of the stores we enjoy. I bought these imported Italian chocolates with balsamic which might not sound good but trust me, they are super delicious! 

The center is soft and nougat-like and the balsamic isn't overpowering but it's definitely there. The taste is somewhat similar to a chocolate covered cherry, not as sweet and minus the liquid you get with those. 

We grabbed lunch on yet another patio, sharing a charcuterie board and a small flatbread pizza. The weather was absolute perfection both days.

After lunch we made our way to a hillside winery called Roo Mountain Vineyard.  

Their tasting room is beautiful (no kids allowed here) and their outdoor space has an absolutely gorgeous view. 

It was hard to peel ourselves away, but we eventually managed that and spent the pre-dinner hour sitting beside the fire pit behind our sweet little cabin. 

There were more cards after dinner and we crashed pretty early. Everyone was up and on the road to head home after breakfast on Thursday. 

It was a perfect little break. 

When the noise in your head grows a bit too loud tell it to hush and get yourself outside...

With friends you've known forever. 

I highly recommend. 

This post is linked with the Hello Monday party hosted by Holly and Sarah. Hop over there to read more or add your own weekend recap to the blog list. Also, because I haven't spent much time online this past week my reading list is long. I likely won't get back to read the posts I've missed so if you wrote something recently that was great, newsworthy, funny, or even only slightly interesting let me know and I'll hunt it down.  Enjoy your day! 

Weekending

Good Monday morning friends. We are still fighting germs in our house and it seems when one kiddo gets to feeling better another one goes down for the count. The two oldest grandboys spent the weekend with their other grandparents and I washed all the sheets and towels (again), Lysol-ed the house, cleaned all the bathrooms, then opened up some windows to let the sunshine and fresh air in. 

Hubs, daughter1, little miss, and I hung out at home mostly, with a few little errands thrown into the mix too. I've been doing a lot of cooking with a full house here and was running out of steam by the weekend. You forget how often kids eat. I mean there's breakfast then there's lunch and then of course dinner plus snacks in between. They are not picky eaters at all, but I'm just not used to all.the.meals. 

I made a chicken pot pie on Friday and we had BLT's Saturday which doesn't feel like real cooking and was a nice break. Pictures? Nope. 

How about an outdoor project update because I do have some pictures of that. When last we spoke (about this) we were waiting on furniture to arrive and guess what? It's here! The truck pulled into our driveway Friday morning and the unloading and figuring it all out commenced. Thankfully the designer came with them because it required a bit of finagling. 

It's a large space and we needed large furniture to fill it. Plus we always have people coming and going here so we wanted a lot of seating. It took a while to get the rug in the exact correct precise right spot and then get the furniture centered. Where is the center anyway? Is it between the columns? In line with the sliders? in line with the line that runs through the patio? hmmm...

Hubs needs everything symmetrical to the nth degree, while I'm more of a 'let's eyeball it and see how that looks' kind of gal. These delivery guys were great and super patient. 

Can you move it about four inches to your right? 

Wait, can you move it two inches back to your left? 

Bring it forward just a smidge. 

Too much! Can you back it up a hair? 

Maybe we should try removing one piece? 

Maybe we should add that middle piece to the left side instead? The right side?

Somehow the rug is now off center. Can you slide it over just a tad without 

moving all the heavy furniture we just asked you to set down there?

In short, we're a lot. Daughter1 tried to gently suggest hubs and I go upstairs and let them set it up and then come down and weigh in, but that's not how we roll here.  We have opinions. Especially one of us. Hi hubs! 

The end result though is so pretty! Can't wait to have a party of some kind when the weather warms up for good. 

I love the swivel chairs which sit out a bit from the main seating. You can join the conversation or swivel and look at the lake. 

We've made a cozy outdoor dining space under our screened porch and I love the new table and especially love all those chairs. 

We still need a fan installed in the dining space, along with some twinkle lights or Edison bulbs, and I need some lamps for the serving pieces, and some art and 'stuff' but we're on our way. 

We sat out by the new little fire table that afternoon and it was lovely. 

I have my new soon-to-be favorite napping spot all picked out-

Saturday we loaded up the car and went to see a couple of houses that are on the market. My daughter and her family are house hunting, and she's finally got her land legs after the move, the trip across the pond, the germs!!, so starting the hunt in earnest now. While Saturday's houses were a no-go, I guess it's good to eliminate things too. There's not a ton on the market, but listings generally pick up here in these next couple of months. While they're not in a big rush, I know it's hard not to be itching to get settled into your own space too. One day at a time. 

Saturday night we put little miss to bed, then the three of us watched Back In Action with Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx. I thought it was going to be silly, but it was actually pretty cute and we all enjoyed it. 

Sunday hubs took daughter1 to see three more houses and a couple of these might be worth another look once her hubs arrives later this week. I did more cleaning, more laundry, and just some general picking up while they were out and it felt good to get the three inches of dust off my bedroom furniture. Hubs grilled burgers for dinner and then it was early to bed for all the littles. We watched Groundhog Day because it seemed like the thing to do. 

It's an unusual season here...we're trying to hold on to some of our routines, but others we've chucked out the window for the time being.  It's fine. Better than fine. We love having the kids here and I know the other grandparents feel the same. 

I confess I might need to mother my daughter a little less, but it's hard. I mean she's right here in my very own house so it's tempting to weigh in on all sorts of things I don't need to weigh in on. She was going to run an errand the other day and I launched into directions when she reminded me she lives here now and is going to have to learn her way around. Plus it's 2025 and she has gps so I actually never need to launch into directions. 

It's what I do though. Mothers gotta mother.

Think maybe I'll put myself in time out right here. 

Linking with Holly and Sarah for their regular Hello Monday weekend catch up. 

Hello Monday

Linking up today for a weekend recap with Holly from Pink Lady and Sarah at Sunshine and Books. 

We had a pretty quiet weekend here, mostly because hubs had a lot of real estate-ing happening, and that meant we needed to stick close to home. He worked with a client all day Friday and I did some things around the house that needed doing, which always feels good. We ate leftovers for dinner and watched the movie Moneyball that evening. It's been out for more than ten years, but somehow I'd never seen it. I liked it. 

In my efforts to get myself in gear this year I've started using a walking app called Better Me. Hello, yes I know it's nearly May but I'm just now getting around to sticking my big toe into 2024. 

Question-does anybody really need an app for walking? 

I mean it seems pretty straightforward, but exercise is such a mind game for me, I find the app helps. It's a series of timed walks of varying speeds, and each walk is broken up into blocks so you change your pace a few times along the way. It took me a couple of days to figure out how much faster fast walking should be than brisk walking, but I've got my pace now and have been sticking with it. Sticking with it is really the thing, right? 

Also I should get extra credit for fast walking in my neighborhood because we've got some hills that make you want to cry. Not just me! I've had runners tell me they won't run in our neighborhood because it's so deceptively steep. The app helps me keep going. 

Back to Friday night's leftovers...I made a knock off California Pizza Kitchen BBQ chicken salad last week and it was delish. 

I had to watch a youtube video on how to cut a jicama but no blood was shed in the process (which is not always the case with me and knives) so whoohoo. 

I followed this recipe more or less. It sounded like a lot of dressing so I cut back on that, and hubs grilled the chicken then just topped it with a little BBQ sauce. 

The salad tasted very much like what I remember having at the CPK restaurant, although it's been more than a decade since I've eaten in one, so I can't say for sure.

Wait!! It's been more than two decades? Is that right? 

Yes I know it's right because my kids were kids last time I ate in a CPK, not grown married women with kids of their own. They weren't even in high school. Gulp. 

Are CPK's still around? There was one in the mall when we lived in Annapolis and we used to go every now and then. Now I'm wondering if people even still go to the mall? 

All that to say I will for sure make this recipe again. And I promise there is grilled chicken under there. My food photo snaps could use some work. 

Saturday hubs had more real estate-ing to do and I spent a fair bit of time on the phone with my siblings and my momma and also caught up on laundry and then took care of some paper work that had accumulated in the office. Why is there so much paper when everything is paperless? 

Hubs wrapped up work on the early side and we decided to go for sushi at a local place we enjoy. An unplanned date night-

My neighbor texted and asked if we wanted to come by for a glass of wine on their patio when we got home, so that's what we did. It was such a pretty evening, the temperature was absolute perfection, and it made me so ready for summer nights, porch sitting, sunset chasing, and al fresco dinners with friends and family. 

Hubs had still more real estate-ing to do on Sunday so we didn't go to church, and I watched online instead. l got all my grocery shopping done for the week, then came home and baked peanut butter cookies for two different friends who've had a bit of a rough time lately. A homemade cookie says someone is thinking of you. 

And just in case you're wondering, the amaryllis king is still in business. This is the same plant my daughter brought home from her classroom five years ago, that she somehow dumped over in her car on the way here so it was a literal stick by the time she pulled in the driveway. She planned to throw it away, but hubs worked his magic and she's still blooming beautifully. 

You'll have to take my word for it. My plant snaps could also use some work.