The Weekend

Good Monday morning friends. How was your weekend? Ours was really nice and I hope yours was too. We celebrated our anniversary on Thursday, which is a little bit early but when your calendar looks like ours you grab the blank space and go for it. I'm going to write a separate post about that and just talk about the weekend today. 

Our anniversary celebration involved an out of town overnight but we were home by 11 Friday morning. I unpacked, started some laundry, and then sat on the porch and spent some time blogging. At some point hubs needed to pick up something from Daughter1's house and I tagged along for a ride in the MG. 

Once home we got ready for a neighborhood get together poolside and I made an appetizer to take along. I did not take a single picture but it's a yummy recipe.  A friend shared it with me, and it's easy and delicious. A water cracker topped with whipped cream cheese, smoked salmon, chopped hard boiled egg, chopped red onion, capers, and cracked pepper. We had a nice time catching up with neighbors and the food is always good. 

Saturday morning hubs and I took our coffee down to the lake and enjoyed the view. 

The dock guys finally came to do the staining (the weather created multiple delays) so hubs moved the boat to the neighbor's dock in case there was any mess. There was not and it looks almost new. 

The mancub made the All-Star team and they had a full weekend of games on tap. Game one was Thursday night and we missed that as we were away, but we made it to the first game on Saturday and it was fun to see him play. 

It was hot so after game number one hubs and I took Little Miss and Max back to our house to bake their momma a birthday cake, and the Mancub and his parents stayed to play the second game. 

We had lunch on the porch then got to baking. Their momma loves angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream on her birthday, but explaining a-why there's a hole in the middle of the cake, b-why there's no icing, c-why there's no sprinkles, and d-why we have to wait until tomorrow to eat it, was a whole conversation. 

It looks tastier with the whipped cream and berries, but someone forgot to snap a picture. Oops. 

They colored pictures for their mom and we watched a movie. Everyone was worn out from all the baseball, the heat, and the going going going so it was nice to chill for a while. 

Their parents picked them up then I made another appetizer to take to a neighbor's house that evening. We were invited with another couple to watch game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals, and it was a fun night. The host said bring a very light and easy appetizer so that's what I did. I had a jar of blueberry lemon thyme jam I'd bought when I was at my Daughter2's in Tennessee a couple of months ago, and poured it over a brick of cream cheese with crackers and pita chips for dipping. It's sooo good! 

My team didn't make the finals, but it was an exciting game nonetheless, with two overtime periods, and we didn't get home until after midnight. 

Sunday morning we went to church, then popped home for a quick lunch before taking the cake and the berries and the whipped cream, and the candles, and the gift over to Daughter1's house to celebrate the birthday girl. 

Okay so she's a few years older than this now, but whatever. Mommas gonna mom especially when a birthday rolls around. 

She had a lot of help opening her gifts and everyone loved the cake. We didn't stay too long because they were hosting a pizza party for the baseball team and we were pooped. We came home and I took care of some paperwork that needed taking care of for Monday, then worked on my blog and relaxed. 

We had an easy pizza dinner too, then watched a really sweet older movie I'd never seen-The Magic of Belle Isle. If you've never seen it I recommend. 

And that was pretty much the weekend. If you've chatted about yours on the blog today, hop over to add your link with Holly and Sarah. 

Here Comes the Sun

It feels like it's been a month since I did a weekend recap, but we had a fun weekend so I'm gonna do a little recap.

Friday night hubs and I decided to go to a local place for a quick dinner. As we sat down we noticed 'work friends' on the opposite side of the room also having dinner. They were talking to one of our neighbors so we all joined up for the evening. This particular spot has live music and the band on Friday night was called The Screaming Nudes. Rest assured they were fully clothed, but they were definitely screaming. They played a lot of 80's rock and were actually quite good, just semi-appropriately named.

Thankfully.

Saturday afternoon our women's club had a Kentucky Derby party. It happened to be at our neighbor's house, so easy peasy.  These are the neighbors who lived in the same village in England we lived in, only they were leaving the UK as we were arriving. Now we live a few houses apart in tiny town New Jersey. I will not mention it's a small world so as not to give you a Monday morning earworm.

oops.

Unlike the actual Derby locale, the weather here in North Jersey this weekend was splendid. Blue skies, sunshine, and spring like temps. Fi-na-lly. Everyone brought southern style appetizers and desserts, and our hosts grilled ribs which were delish.

Hubs donned his seersucker jacket and bowtie and carted along his special julep juice which almost everyone sampled. Gotta have a mint julep at a Kentucky Derby party, even if that party is in the Garden State.

We didn't actually bet on the horses, it was more along the lines of a game where everyone drew a horse's name out of a bag and that horse was yours. If we were actually betting I would not have bet on the one we drew-Black Onyx. In case you missed it he scratched...never even made it to the starting line. Good thing it was just a game!

Sunday was another glorious day weather wise, perfect conditions for a spin in the little red car. We'd intended to just go to the diner for lunch, but after we ate we decided it was a day meant to be savored, so we cranked up the tunes and headed for the open road.

We drove through the countryside where the dogwood bloom, past the now green farmland home to newborn colts, and on up to Highpoint before heading home. It was sheer perfection.

When we finally did make it home we pulled out some of the patio furniture and sat out back for a while.

We're not the only ones around here excited to see spring finally make an appearance.

How to Make a July Weekend

Begin with Mexican food at your favorite local spot.

Sleep in on a blue sky Saturday morning.

Lounge with cups of coffee sipped in the comfort of your very own kitchen.

Take a trip to Loews for this and that.

Watch your hubs carefully.

Loews is a dangerous place for a middle aged man with a yard and energy.

Distract him with an ice cream cone eaten beside the lake.

Let the sunlight work its magic on the water and your soul.

Take care of simple things...laundry, weeds, mail.

Feel the temperature dip and the gentle whisper of a cool evening breeze.

Share a steak cooked to perfection on the grill.

Don't forget a side of sweet summer corn, fresh from the farmer's field.

Dine al fresco because you can.

Light a fire in the fire pit and let the music take you back a decade or three.

'...the dangerous coals of fire'.

Laugh at the boy and the memory.

Let him roast the marshmallows because he has a gift.

Just the right shade of gooey deliciousness.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Sit under the stars and dance slow on the patio.

Open your eyes to a beautiful Sunday.

Sit on a pew and sing softly.

Pack a picnic blanket and some tuna salad.

Grab your shades and baseball cap and hop in the little red car.

Actually, climb ever so carefully into the little red car.

'Hopping in' makes the hubs frown.

Turn the music up loud and feel the wind on your face.

Smile big and ride into the countryside and the glorious day.

Sit on a mountaintop.

Be amazed.

And thankful.

For love and life and grace and hope.

For a blank July weekend in a calendar filled with busy.

This post is linked to the One Word Blog Carnival hosted by Peter Pollack.

Today's word prompt is July.