Words And Pictures

Hello and happy Monday. I intend to do a catch up maybe tomorrow, or maybe Thursday, or if not then sometime, but not today. Today I'm making the trek back to the lake after a week spent watching my Tennessee grands. 

Not for the faint of heart. 

Also, highly recommend. 10/10. Except when it's not, but it's for sure mostly 10/10. Grandparents reading here are nodding because iykyk. 

Keeping it easy today with a few random snaps that I'm linking with Kym's most recent Everyday Images Photo Prompts. Linking too with Holly and Sarah because it's Monday and some of these pics are weekend related. Today's photo prompts are:

at home (monthly)~in my cup~path ~Tuesday tranquility~ summer~golden hour~

out for a walk (quarterly)

at home (monthly)-

We had a few friends for dinner on a recent Thursday evening and it was a lot of fun. There were twelve of us and everyone brought something. Hubs grilled a cut of meat called a Teres Major and served it with cowboy butter and horseradish on the side. We'd never tried this particular cut before, but the butcher suggested it and we loved it. It's said to be second only to the filet in terms of tenderness and we would agree. 

I also made stuffed shells filled with a mixture of cheeses and zucchini and we had yummy appetizers, a delicious and refreshing white bean salad, a cucumber tomato salad, and blueberry cobbler for dessert. 

This outdoor dining space is one of my new favorite spots 'at home'. 

in my cup-

I rarely drink soda anymore. Almost never. Unless I'm in charge of a two-year old and a four-year old whose parents have been out of town for ten days, then all bets are off. 

This was my last night in charge. A glass of wine sounded nice, but I needed to keep my wits about me so opted for caffeine instead. 

path-

I snapped a picture of this cool piece by the artist Baggs McKelvey at the Discovery Museum in Chattanooga Tennessee. She primarily does large scale, site-specific installations using a variety of materials, which in this case is toy cars. 

Tuesday tranquility-

last Tuesday...

We were en route to Tennessee and stopped for lunch at a tiki bar sort of place about halfway to our destination. The restaurant sits across the street from a popular lake and is all open air which was nice. We had our pup with us so it was lunch in a covered outdoor space for the win. 

summer-

My daughter's garden is bustin' at the seams and we've had so much heavy crazy rain while I've been here that her tomatoes have been overwatered. I'm doing my best to pick and the kids eat them almost as fast as I get them in the bowl. Still we're not keeping up.  

Her okra got ridiculously ginormous overnight. Not sure if these jumbos will taste any good but the kids were impressed. The flowers on the okra plants are so pretty. 

We can't pick the blackberries fast enough. It's also been really wet so I haven't tended the bushes the way I would have if everything wasn't soaked, but we've eaten our share of these beauties too. 

One more summer snapshot, no explanation needed...

golden hour-the golden hour is defined as the first hour after sunrise and the first hour before sunset. It's when the sun sits low in the sky and creates a soft warm glow. If you read here at all then you know this is my favorite time of day to snap a picture. Here's the most recent-

And then just a couple minutes later...

out for a walk (quarterly)-

Pawpaw and one of his grandgirls...

The grandgirls adore their pawpaw. I hope once in your life someone greets you the way these little girls greet their pawpaw when he walks through the door. It's literally life giving. 

I enjoy these photo prompts which are posted every other Thursday.  Hop over to Kym's for a new batch this week. I do have a few grandparent-y related thoughts to share still so will get to that one day this week. Happy Monday everyone! 

The Hodgepodge Is Never Just So-So

Welcome to November and this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. Mine is wordy. That second question was better in my head lol. Thanks for playing along! 

Quick reminder-I'm hosting a Day In The Life linkup here for anyone interested, on Thursday, November 13th. If you need more info you'll find details at the end of the post linked here (A Freshly Painted Hodgepodge).

Okay, back to today... 

1. Besides Thanksgiving, something on your November calendar you're looking forward to? 

My younger daughter and her littles are coming to hang out with us next week and there's nothing I love more than seeing my two girls together. Love having all the grands together too, but I especially love my girls having sister time. 

2. Dictionary.com's word of the year is '6-7'. Huh? 

Is it even a word??? I had to consult the internet to find out it's meaning because apparently I'm old and this particular slang is not part of my vocabulary. Is it part of yours? According to the article I read, it's a viral term, more of an inside joke with an unclear meaning driven by social media.

What do you think? 

Dictionary. com says it's selection each year is a 'linguistic time capsule reflecting social trends and events, but they also admitted to being confused by '6-7'. Some say it means so-so and is sometimes accompanied by the up and down hand motion we associate with the phrase so-so.

What word do you think would have made a better choice? 

Here are my answers-

Is it part of my vocabulary. Nope. 

What do I think? I realize and can also appreciate the way slang is very much a generational thing and changes with the times. I can get on board with slang working it's way into everyday usage, and even our dictionary in some cases, but not super ridiculous slang. 

I suppose all slang is slightly ridiculous, but even the people using this one don't seem to get it, and it's not an expression I see lasting the way a lot of slang does. 

What word do I think would have made a better choice? If we're sticking with slang I like doomscroll and I especially like doomscroll detox. Who doesn't need that in today's climate? 

3. What's a food, trend, activity, or thing people love but you think is just so-so? 

Green drinks. The real thing, aka veggies, is so much better. 

4. Are you a tea drinker? Hot or cold? How do you like yours and at what time of day? Do you like flavored teas or teas billed as calming, energizing, healing, etc? 

Yes and I like both hot and cold. I drink coffee first thing in the morning, but will have a cup of tea most afternoons around 3 PM. I like mine with just a splash of milk. No flavors, just regular tea flavored tea please.  

Also, I want my hot tea in an actual cup, no styrofoam or metal Stanley type container. And I don't want it microwaved. We have an automatic super hot water dispenser in our kitchen sink but I do not make tea with it. I use a kettle like all tea snobs should. An electric kettle is fine. I like the act of making tea, the exhale that seems to come with it, and the slowdown it brings to a busy day. 

5. The November Hodgepodge always has a gratitude question each week. For today, what are three things that make your heart sing? 

• Well, in a nod to the previous question its tea drinking season and I love my afternoon cuppa. In the warm months I drink iced coffee in the afternoon but once fall hits I'm all about a cozy cup of  afternoon tea. 

• Autumn skies. I love sunrises that are so brilliant they reflect off the lake into my kitchen window. 

• My sister. Today is her birthday and I'm  feeling especially grateful for her this year. My mom lives with her and I'm so thankful for all she does to keep my mom safe and feeling loved. Growing older requires a lot of letting go of roles we've always held, routines we've created, and  bits and pieces of who we used to be. But caring for someone who’s aging means letting go, too. Caregivers give up time, energy, and parts of their own lives, and I want her to always know how very much we appreciate all she does. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I've been posting our weekly 'day dates' here because we're aiming for 52 in 52 weeks. Mentioning them every week helps us stay on track. We've had a busy month so most weeks we've had to make the most of whatever window of time we happen to have, and I guess that's kind of the point-find time. 

Day Date Episode Five...does a visit to the doctor count? 

It does if you decide it does. Last week hubs had an appointment at the dermatologist and we made a date of it. It's about an hour away so lots of time to chat in the car both coming and going. It was a rainy day and we decided we'd have lunch out after his appointment. 

I sat in the car and read my book, then we did another fun thing together which was a trip back to the car dealer to get new batteries in my key fobs. Naturally the warning light for that couldn't have come on when I was there the week before, but we popped back in and they were quick and are always so nice. 

We thought about where we wanted to eat and initially thought we'd try something new but it was not yet 11 am so most lunch spots weren't open. We decided on breakfast instead and hubs suggested a spot we used to frequent when our girls were in uni here. We went more often when we lived in the city while building our house. 

It's a diner of sorts but we like it and we enjoyed talking about living in this town and would we ever want to live there again, and how much it's changed but how it's still a great city. 

We remembered to snap a quick rainy day selfie out front before we left. 

Day dates are what you make them. We likely will miss one this week as my mother-in-law is visiting, but we'll tack a week on at the end because we're retired and we can do whatever we want. That's what we like to say anyway. 

Happy Wednesday everyone! Happy birthday Sissy xo 

End of September Everyday Images

I really enjoy the photo prompts Kym posts every couple of weeks on her blog (A Fresh Cup Of Coffee). I'm not sure if we're supposed to go looking for something that meets the prompt, or if we're supposed to scroll through the photos we've already taken and see what works. I guess either way is probably fine. 

I tend to look at the prompts when she posts them, and that helps me notice little things throughout the week that might work. I also like to add words to my pictures and make it more of a blog post because I'm better at words than pictures. 

Usually. The fonts in this post are all over the place and I could not seem to correct that. C'est la blog. 

Some weeks I get mine in just under the wire, and I missed last week's altogether, but I'm sharing the most recent here today. Kym posts new prompts every two weeks so you have some time to play. I'm also linking today with Joanne at Slices of Life for her weekly Talking About It Tuesday hop. 

Okay, here's what we're working with this time around-

neighborhood spot~ink~smooth~checked~sunrise and/or sunset~at home~ 

Neighborhood spot...

Not right in my neighborhood, but nearby and a place for neighbors to gather-

We've spent some time here recently, watching the Mancub play baseball and his brother Max on the soccer pitch. We were there Monday evening as the sun was setting, watching the six and under set play their hearts out, ever hopeful of a goal.  

Ink...

I'm not tattooed so I went with the other obvious choice-

Books, which are full of my favorite kind of ink-the written word. This is my current stash just waiting to be read. 

smooth.... 

I try to think out of the box on some of these and this is one of those times. That first cup of morning coffee is smooth, as is the lake early morning. Here's a shot of both-

checked....

I'm finally pulling out a few fall themed items for the house, and on Monday I switched out some pillows on the couch-

It only took me an hour to remember where I'd stashed the covers, but I finally found them in a big box in the attic labeled 'holiday pillows'. Who'd have thought it? 

The pillows are about as much as I've done because I got distracted by some of the other attic boxes I've started going through. I spent all of Monday washing Bitty Baby clothes that have been stored for thirty+ years along with two huge bags of dress up clothes I want my granddaughters to be able to play with one day soon.  I also discovered a stash of letters, cards, and assorted loose and framed photos which are always my downfall.  It's hard to stay focused when you land on a picture like this one- 

Look at that little cutie. I haven't seen this photo in years, and I know it doesn't fit the prompt, but it does make me smile. When I look at this picture today I see how much Daughter2's little Sugar looks like her momma. Her momma was three here, so a little older than Sugar is now, but that face! It's the same. 

Sunrise and/or sunset....

Well if you read here you know I'm never without a sunrise photo-

And lastly, at home.... 

When you live on a lake the water is home. 

Falling Into Monday

Hello on this first Monday in fall. It was 90 degrees here on Saturday, but the calendar says fall so fall it is. We had a great weekend with (mostly) beautiful weather and lots of birthday celebration. Let's back up to Thursday, aka my birthday, and recap it all. 

The day started with a beautiful sunrise, which is always a favorite. 

I had an early morning appointment with the orthopedist, and I'm just gonna say nothing makes you feel your age like starting your birthday with a trip to the doctor. My ankle is still a problem and he can't figure out why since the fracture appears to be healed. I'm going for a closer look with an MRI next week.

Hubs drove me so we could go to breakfast right after. We met Daughter1 and her little miss at a local spot and had cappuccinos and a bacon/egg/cheese croissant which was delish. She and I could gab because hubs keeps little miss entertained. She's got him so wrapped there aren't enough words to say how much. 

Completely pretty much covers it. 

This time last year she and I were having tea in Cambridge, but coffee in tiny town is fun too. 

We got home close to noon and I opened gifts, then grabbed my book and made myself at home on the comfy couch on the lower patio. I read most of the afternoon and then eventually hubs and I headed into the nearby city for dinner. 

We started at one of our favorite venues for a celebratory cocktail, then moved to a seafood place just a few buildings down the road. 

Dinner was outstanding. We hadn't been to this particular venue before but we'd heard good things, and it did not disappoint. 

They had a special appetizer which was an octopus carpaccio-thinly sliced octopus, roasted tomato chutney, chili garlic crunch, jalapeno, chimichurri oil, cilantro, pickled corn salsa and drop peppers. This dish had so much flavor and we loved every bite. 

Hubs bought me a chocolate cake with raspberry filling because that's what he does every year on my birthday, but we were so full from dinner we decided to save it and have that on Friday. The restaurant couldn't let the day go unmarked though, and I appreciated the gesture. And the chocolate. 

Friday morning situation...

Cake. It's what's for breakfast. 

Hubs ordered me a new iphone for my birthday and it was supposed to arrive at the Verizon store sometime Friday. I had a couple of library books to return and a package to mail so we did that, then came home and I did some laundry and read more of my book until the salesman called about coming in. At this point it was late afternoon and hubs had evening plans so we made our appointment for Saturday morning thinking it would be less crazy. Hometown team had a hometown game so everyone would be there and not in the phone store. 

My son-in-law attends the high school football games most Friday nights as he's the doctor on the field, and this week hubs took the grandboys to the game so they could watch. They had a great time and winning always makes a game more fun. I caught up on the show I've been binging-Bones. Did you watch this when it came out? I loved the books and never watched the show, but am enjoying it now. 

Saturday morning we navigated game day traffic and picked up my new phone. My phone is about nine generations old so yeah, it was time. I thought about getting a 'real' camera but instead opted for an iphone with a quality camera built in because I know it's more practical. 

We came home and watched our Vols win and our hometown team get whooped in an agonizing game interrupted for the second week in a row by lightning.  Hubs grilled steaks for dinner and the whole weekend just felt super relaxing. We were overdue and feel recharged after a busy few weeks, with lots on the calendar still. 

Sunday we went to church, then out to brunch with daughter1 and her family, an extended birthday celebration. We came home and watched the Charlie Kirk memorial service. Wow. Or maybe hallelujah and amen ! would be better words to use. If you missed it I'm sure you can find it online somewhere, and it's so worth watching. Inspiring on so many levels and a testimony to the absolute goodness of God even in the most tragic of circumstances. 

Wishing you all a week filled with the beauty of fall. 

To read more weekend recaps hop over to the Hello Monday link up hosted by Holly (Pink Lady) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books). 

Friday Fragments and Favorites

Linking today with Andrea and Erika for their Friday Favorites hop. 

I'm out of sync with my blog these days mostly because I'm not doing a whole lot besides rest my foot. Hubs says I'm not doing great with that and gave me a talkin' to yesterday about how we're going to the beach and I'll be in this boot unable to keep up. Even if I'd done a solid nothing it's likely I'd be in the boot when we go to the beach. I have not driven one time and have spent most of the month with my leg propped up so I think I've done pretty great. There's been a day or two I've overdone it, but for the most part I feel like a slug. 

I volunteer on Thursdays making lunch in a soup kitchen, but after hubs said he thought it was too much  I called in last minute yesterday to say I wouldn't be there. Then he left for the day and I planted myself on the couch. Except he was suddenly buying a car and needed me to make four, yes four!!, separate trips to the office downstairs for information. I told him I'd have done far less walking and definitely no stairs had I gone to the soup kitchen. 

Anyway, I guess we have a new car lol. And it's been purchased in my favorite way. I wasn't there. I saw it online before he went to look, and honestly this is how I feel about a pick up. It's a truck. The end. Hubs is excited and even though he babies his vehicles his current truck has over 200K miles on it so it's time. Apparently there are a lot of variations, and he does his homework. Since it will be his mode of transportation if he's happy, then I'm happy. 

This particular new vehicle ticked 'our' must have list-the color both interior and exterior (those are my must haves-ha! ), something about the running boards and the tailgate, very low mileage (we never buy new) and price. No pictures because we won't get it until next week, but yay! We have a new ride.

We've spent very little time on the boat this summer so on Monday morning we spontaneously decided to pack up breakfast and go for a ride. 

Yes in my boot. Are you tired of hearing about it because I know I am. 

I made us a scrambled egg with cheese on a bagel to go. They were so good. 

It was a picture perfect day and we had the lake pretty much to ourselves. Weekends are busy, but weekdays it's like your own little slice of paradise. 

When my sister-in-law was here over the 4th she brought us these ginormous rubber bands (linked) which I think she said are made for patio furniture, etc but they are also perfect for keeping your towel from flying up on the boat. 

I ordered the most adorable little sundresses for my granddaughters to wear at the beach, matching because I like matching-

They're from Janie and Jack, which has so many cute things. 

Monday night we had plans to get sushi with some friends we haven't caught up with in a while. My roll was so pretty and just the right amount of heat. Hubs and I each ordered a roll and split an order of their Brazilian street tacos too. 

Our tomato tree. Y'all my hubs has the green thumb here. My daughter1's in-laws gave us a teeny tiny tomato plant back in the spring and hubs has cared for that thing so well that it's now what we call our tomato tree. And it's loaded! 

The in-laws were here over the 4th and they could not believe the size of this plant. Yesterday we picked our first tomato and I will probably make us BLT's for dinner. Hubs is golfing today and I'm sitting and it's hot so a BLT will be easy and won't require the stove. 

His lemon tree is also thriving.

We watched the grands on Wednesday evening while their parents had a middle-of-the-week date night. They had fun with these water guns which are more powerful than they look lol. 

Especially at close range. Nana got it in the face more than once and I wasn't even armed. 

Hubs made smash burgers on the griddle, and the boys put together new legos I'd purchased. We had fun just hanging out. 

Thursday morning's sunrise was a beauty. As are they all, but Thursday's was really pretty. 

My limelights are making me happy too. 

I spent the day on the couch when I wasn't running up and down the stairs to get hubs the paperwork he needed to buy the car. 

Also, I wasn't running. 

My next door neighbor invited us and two other friends over to float on Thursday afternoon so we went over there around 4:30 and floated for an hour. Afterwards we went for Thai food at a place we hadn't tried before, and it was really good, just very very slow. We weren't in a hurry so no biggie. 

Today I'm back for more sitting and reading and catching up on a few things blog wise. Hubs is on the golf course so won't be calling lol. 

Enjoy your weekend everyone!