Rainy Days and Mondays

Good Monday morning. I haven't checked in here on a Monday in a while because life and all, but today I've got time and words so here we go.

The home build is making me a little bit crazy. I alternate between sleeping fitfully and wanting to sleep all the time. Someone wake me up when it's closer to completion please. An inspection has to happen before we proceed with insulation and dry wall so here we sit. Hopefully those things will occur in a timely manner, which I think in builder's terms means more than a day but less than a month. Something like that.

A friend from NJ who worked with hubs in his previous job was in town on Saturday, so we trekked out to the lot to show her 'the house'. Still feels more like a frame than a house, although I know all kinds of things have gone on behind the scenes. Important things like wiring and plumbing and heating and cooling, but not pretty things like cabinets and granite and hard wood floors.

Another couple who live on the lake, but who also worked with hubs in NJ jetted over to our dock so they could say hi to our mutual friend too.

When I say jetted I mean they literally jetted over. And even though the weather forecast said no rain, it rained. Hubs had taken the jet ski friends up to the 'house' for a tour, and I was sitting on the dock with our friend P when the rains came a-pouring. As the rain became heavier it occurred to me that sitting under a metal roof perched atop the water is not where you want to be in an electrical storm, but thankfully this turned out to be just a really hard fast rainstorm.

I have to say it was actually quite beautiful. I took a little video which you may or may not see here because I don't have very good luck attaching video to my blog. Or maybe it's skill I'm lacking? Anyway, you may or may not see rain, but either way know it was pretty.

I can't wait to live here.

Not right here because this is a restaurant, but on the lake here. In our house. With walls and all the pretty parts in place.

Saturday night Daughter2 and her boyfriend met us for dinner at a restaurant downtown. Aren't they the cutest?

Hubs and I spent the rest of the weekend discussing why things aren't moving faster and when they might move faster, and what can we do to make them move faster and then I napped. Because in the words of Mason Cooley...'When you can't figure out what to do, take a nap.' 

Write that down and put it in your when-I-build-a-house file. You're welcome.

Various and Sundry

I like that idiom and feel like its a good fit here on this side of the pond. Experts say you shouldn't use it, but phsst.

Two weekends ago hubs and I met friends at the Sierra Nevada Brewery near Asheville NC. It's gorgeous, which seems like a funny word to use in describing a brewery but it really is a beautiful venue. The entrance is grand and they've spared no expense in the design. The brewery is tucked back off the highway and you come in by way of a long winding drive lined with copper landscape lighting (I think they were lights) and a big stone wall.

We opted not to take the tour this time, because we were there mostly to catch up with friends, but I think I'd like to take the tour next time. You do need to book that ahead as it's popular. There's a couple of huge indoor dining spaces along with a covered patio and then more seating outside.  We got a table on the covered patio and ordered several plates to share. The food was delicious. I'm not a beer drinker so can't really comment about that, but the place was hoppin' if that tells you anything.

The space out back is the best part. They have an enormous garden the chef picks from in creating the menu and it makes a really pretty landscape too. We did wonder what their secret is for keeping the rabbits at bay, because everything looked so healthy and not nibbled on at all.

The garlic and strawberries were especially impressive, and they even had a row of curry plants which is something I'd never seen before.

There's a big amphitheatre where they'll eventually have live music, a walking trail through the woods, a gorgeous firepit,and plenty of cornhole and bocce courts for visitors to enjoy. In a funny turn of events, as we were driving over to NC I had a text from Daugther2 asking me a question and we texted a bit before I mentioned we were on our way to Sierra Nevada. Turns out she and her boyfriend were guess where? At Sierra Nevada, also with friends-ha!

Last weekend (Memorial Day) hubs and I went to Georgia for a long lake weekend with more friends. One couple has a Pontoon boat on Lake Allatoona and we spent all day Saturday on the water.

In the water too because it was hot. The air not the water. The water was actually cool, but once you took the plunge it felt good. We listened to a lot of music and solved all manner of the world's problems. Time on the water is good for that.

Also, sunsets. My oh my.

We had a cookout Sunday and headed back home Monday with a quick stop at our lake to check on the house progress.

Hubs and I had stopped Friday on the way to Georgia since you practically go right by, and in a happy coincidence found the stone delivery happening and stone masons on site to get started. There will be some stone on the exterior of our home, plus all the fireplaces.

We've almostlearned to keep our expectations low when it comes to measuring progress week to week, and it was already noon on Friday when they made the delivery leading into a long holiday weekend. Plus there's a lot of prep work and such before the stone can be attached to the house, plus stuff just moves crazy slow, so yeah. Low expectations.

When we swung by Monday we were pleasantly surprised to see this-

No mud yet, or filler or grout or whatever they call the in-between stuff, but-

...it's a start!

A Berry Nice Hodgepodge

We're kicking off this first day of June with another edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered this week's questions be sure to add your link at the end of my post. Then go say something nice to the blogger linking before you because today is National Say Something Nice Day.

Here we go-

1. Tell us about one fun thing on your June calendar.

We celebrate 32 years of married life this June, so there's that. Course it lands on a Thursday so hubs will be dining at a work event, and I'll be dining with friends on the other side of town. They tell me we can Skype him in-ha! 

2. How careful are you in the sun? Do you tan or burn? Do you make it a point to see the dermatologist every year?

Ah the sun. Why must it be so bad for you??? I used to only tan, but now I'll burn if I'm not covered in sunscreen so I wear the lotion and a hat, spend time in the shade, and yes I do visit the dermatologist once a year. 

3.  Describe a time when you wanted to 'throw in the towel'.

Not often because I'm quite stubborn, but in all likelihood it had something to do with a computer problem I couldn't solve on my own. Thankfully I birthed my very own I.T. department so the frustration doesn't ever last for long.  

4.  What's a song you love that has a day of the week in the title or lyrics? 

Again with the pick one? My favorite is probably Easy (Like Sunday Morning) by the Commodores with Saturday in the Park by Chicago coming in a close second. 

5.  Are you a fan of berries? Which one's your favorite? What's the most recent berry dish you've eaten? Which blueberry breakfast food appeals to you most-blueberry pancakes, blueberry yogurt, or a blueberry muffin? 

I love berries. Blueberries are my favorite, but when it comes to berries I'm really not picky. We had mixed berries for breakfast on Monday morning and they were delish. Of the breakfast foods listed blueberry pancakes appeal to me, but I almost never eat pancakes. I like hubs to order blueberry pancakes when we go out to breakfast and then I can have one bite which is enough. I'd choose the yogurt. 

6.  What's something you want to do before your next birthday?

Move into the new house! And on the off chance Bob the Builder is reading here, my birthday's mid-September. Maybe I should tell him it's in mid-July? 

7.  June 1st is National Say Something Nice Day, so let's all say something nice here. 

I was grocery shopping Tuesday morning and a man shopping near me gave me a coupon for $10 off a $50 order. Whoohoo! It was expiring that day and he said he wasn't going to have $50 worth of groceries so would be happy for me to use it. Small unexpected kindnesses make life so much sweeter, don't you think? 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

My nephew turns 10 today, and if you're related to me and your birthday falls on the Wednesday Hodgepodge you get a birthday shoutout. 

I thought it would be fun to see what else turns ten this year, and that list includes-Taylor Swift's first album, Twitter, High School Musical, and Nintendo Wii (anyone besides us still have one?). 

Oh, and also Facebook although it had been available to college students before then, but 2006 was the year your mama could finally see what you were up to online. Not this mama because I did not jump on the FB bandwagon until a few years later.  

Happy birthday A! I wish I were there to hold up two hands on your big day! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 268

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to join the party. See you there!

1. Tell us about one fun thing on your June calendar. 

2. How careful are you in the sun? Do you tan or burn? Do you make it a point to see the dermatologist every year? 

3. Describe a time when you wanted to 'throw in the towel'? 

4. What's a song you love that has a day of the week in the title or lyrics? 

5. Are you a fan of berries? Which one's your favorite? What's the most recent berry dish you've eaten? Which blueberry breakfast food appeals to you most-blueberry pancakes, blueberry yogurt, or a blueberry muffin? 

6. What's something you want to do before your next birthday? 

7. June 1st is National Say Something Nice Day, so let's all say something nice here. 

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

Some weeks you get a clever title and some weeks you get just a title. On this last Wednesday in May I'm going with option B for the win. If you've answered today's questions be sure to add your link at the end of my post before you run say hi to your neighbor. Here we go-

1.  How should success be measured? Using that as your standard, who is the most successful person you know? (or one of the most successful?)

This is one of those words people define in different ways. I think of success as the achievement of a goal, and as such I know many successful people. As I thought about this question I decided if someone has a goal and is working their hardest to attain that goal, then I see them as successful whether they actually attain their goal or not. Success comes from knowing your purpose, believing you can achieve it, and then pursuing it for all it's worth. 

2. Have you ever been to a hot air balloon launch/fest/party? Ever taken a ride in a hot air balloon? Is that on your bucket list? According to Frommers the ten best hot air balloon adventures in the world are-

Loire Valley (France), the Serengeti (Tanzania), Napa Valley (California), Lake Champlain (Vermont), Cappadoicia (Turkey), Istria (Croatia), Gstaad (Switzerland), Varra Valley (Australia), Muelle (Costa Rica), and Albuquerque (New Mexico)

Which one on the list would you most like to experience? 

I've never been in a hot air balloon, nor have I attended any sort of balloon festival. It's not on my bucket list mostly because I feel like there's the potential for a lot of motion in a hot air ballloon. Do you feel a lot of motion up there? I can handle heights, just not swaying and dipping heights. I suppose I might be talked into a hot air balloon ride under the exact right circumstances. 

Perfect weather would top my list of exact right circumstances.  

Of the rides listed I'm going with Tanzania because a friend of mine did this and said it was absolutely incredible. A safari is on my bucket list. 

3. May 25th is National Brown-Bag It Day. Did you/will you pack a lunch today? When did you last pack a lunch for someone and what are your go-to ingredients for a brown bag lunch? 

I did not pack a lunch for anyone today. I can't remember the last time I packed a lunch but my go-to ingredients back when I was packing lunch included a sandwich and some fruit and, because it was the 90's/00's, usually a cookie or maybe some goldfish. The food police were not out in force a couple of decades ago. 

I wasn't very creative in the brown bag department. If Pinterest is anything to go by, lunch box ingredients and options have come a long way since my girls were brown bagging it. 

4. What's one of your favorite dance scenes from a movie or television show?

How to choose??! One of my favorites is definitely Anna's dance with the King in The King and I starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr. That dress! 

I also really love the scene in The Sound of Music when Captain Von Trapp dances in the garden with Maria. So swoony! 

5. John F. Kennedy made famous the line, "...Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." So what can you do for your country?

Respect the flag. Support the men and women who make up the armed forces. Vote. Lend a helping hand to lift up my community or state in some way. Treat people with kindness.  Get out and see this place I call home, appreciate the beauty that is everywhere. 

6. Weekends are made for________________________.

Less scheduled everything. 

7. On this last Wednesday of the month bid farewell to the month of May in seven words or less. 

Time flies when you're having fun! 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Question #2 reminded me I have pics of hubs and Daughter1 in a hot air balloon over Disneyland Paris. 

It was tethered, but still a little scary, or so they said. I wouldn't know since I was safely on the ground with Daughter2. 

Why was the center of the basket open? Shouldn't there be a floor there?

Just in case she steered clear of center...

...and stuck close to Dad instead! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 267

It's that time again...here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. How should success be measured? Using that as your standard, who is the most successful person you know? (Or one of the most successful?) 

2. Have you ever been to a hot air balloon launch/fest/party? Ever taken a ride in a hot air balloon? Is that on your bucket list? According to Frommers the ten best hot air balloon adventures in the world are-

Loire Valley (France), the Serengeti (Tanzania), Napa Valley (California), Lake Champlain (Vermont), Cappadocia (Turkey), Istria (Croatia), Gstaad (Switzerland), Yarra Valley (Australia), Muelle (Costa Rica), and Albuquerque (New Mexico). 

Which one on the list would you most like to experience? 

3. May 25th is National Brown-Bag It Day. Did you/will you pack a lunch today? When did you last pack a lunch for someone and what are your go-to ingredients for a brown bag lunch?

4. What's one of your favorite dance scenes from a movie or television show? 

5. John F. Kennedy made famous the line, '...Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." So what can you do for your country?

6. Weekends are made for __________________________________.

7. On this last Wednesday of the month, bid farewell to the month of May in seven words or less. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Thursday Things

A few things on this Thursday afternoon-

1. Every time we're out at the lot hubs sizes up the overgrown trees and the scrappy brush and the stray limbs which will eventually be taken care of by landscaping or we'll pay to have groomed, trimmed, limbed up, removed, whatever and then he gets that twinkle in his eye and says how he thinks he'll just go get one of those belts and climb up there and do it himself. Yeah. No. 

2. He also eyes the island out in the middle of the lake with that same twinkle, and says he can't wait to swim out to it. Through the channel where all the boats fly. Then I freak out and he says he'll get one of those float things you hook around your ankle so boats can see you so that won't be a problem. Yeah. No. 

3. I have told hubs not to mention point 1 or point 2 in my presence again. Yeah. 

4. The garage (s). This is a part of the house I'm not heavily invested in other than to say I want to park my car in one. Hubs is super excited about this part of the build which I'm just gonna say I think is a guy thing. Our original plan was to have a pull down attic, but then our neighbors invited us into their house and once we saw their stairs from garage to attic we made the change from pull down to actual stairs too.

I am now kind of excited about this space because a) attics normally creep me out and 2) as a result I don't use the space like I should because it means I'd have to climb up a ladder with a flashlight, and step carefully across narrow boards to retrieve stuff without falling through the insulation. This new set up is going to be just like accessing a second story. Winning! 

5. The attic space is huge and would be so easy to convert to a really fun bunk room for grandchildren should my girls give us a bunch. I haven't checked Pinterest for ideas or made an attic bunk room board or anything-ha! 

6. Hubs LOVES a clean garage. He jokingly says the garage will be like a surgical suite and you'll have to glove up to enter. He might not be joking?

7. On weekends we go out to the lot, broom and leaf blower and giant magnet in hand, and we sweep dirt from the framing and pick up ten thousand nails with this beauty-

It's a nailgetter. Also known as a giant magnet, but I call it the nailgetter. It's heavy and you just roll it around the perimeter of the house and nails attach themselves to it which makes for easy peasy clean up. Sort of.

8. Contractors will tell you there's no need to sweep up the dirt and such but it makes us feel like we're doing something helpful. Plus we've lived in homes where builders did NOT clean and as a result when we moved in and vacuumed we found chunks of wood and debris in the vents. 

9. We bought a boat. 

10. It's not in the garage. Actually it's not even on the property because we still need power at the dock to make the lift run and water at the dock so hubs can wash it too much. The lift was installed last week so once the utilities are connected we'll move the boat from the lake where it's currently 'parked' to it's new home on our lake. 

11. Yes I know correct terminology in the boating world is docked not parked. Old habits die hard.

12. The siding people are still at it. Hubs informs me there's about a million cuts they have to make in the trim work so I am trying to remain patient.

13. Trying.