A Post-Holiday Hello Monday

Hello friends and happy Monday. 

I'm joining Holly and Sarah for a post-holiday weekend reap today. I took so many pictures of the beautiful sky this weekend I might just post them all. 

I have a hair appointment this morning which is going to throw off my entire day, but I had to take what was available. I had to cancel my normal appointment in order to go to my daughter's house a couple of weeks ago, so I'm overdue and my stylist is fitting me in today. Do you have to book your hair appointments three at a time in order to be sure you get on the calendar, because that's what I have to do?

So how was your holiday weekend? Ours was really fun with a lot of time spent in the water because it was HOT!

Hubs brother and sister-in-law arrived on Wednesday afternoon on their way home from the beach. They brought four pounds of fresh shrimp with them, which we promptly deveined and cooked to have with our dinner. 

They lived in the Chicago area three different times and know their Portillo beef, so they also treated us to dinner Wednesday night by sending a 'to go' order to the southland. If you're a Chicagoan then I don't have to explain, but for those who are not here's the 411-

Portillos beef is a slow-roasted, thinly sliced, beef served on baked Turano French bread. The bread is key. The standard way to serve the sandwich is to put the beef on the roll, splash it with some of their secretly-spiced gravy and then have a cup of gravy on the side for dipping. It's even better topped with their oven-roasted sweet peppers and the hot giardiniera peppers which we love. 

My neighbors joined us because they also have Chicago ties and I wish I'd taken a picture but it's a bit of a production getting it all put together. I'd made a cucumber salad and we all sat around our outdoor table and it was a low-key fun way to kick off the holiday weekend.

We woke up on Independence Day and had coffee on the deck, then spent most of the rest of the day in the lake. It was HOT! but the water temp was perfect. 

For our July 4th dinner hubs grilled ribs to perfection and I made baked beans, cole slaw, and a roasted corn salad, plus there was  more shrimp. 

I made a frozen strawberry pie for dessert, which doesn't actually contain any strawberries, but does have a strawberry topping so I guess the name fits?  I made the Alex Guarnaschelli's recipe linked here.

It does contain mashed raspberries which are what give it the pretty pink color, and the pie is really light and tasty. Also refreshing, which was the name of the game this weekend.

It was HOT!! 

My across the cove neighbor does a ginormous fireworks show and boats start coming to our cove and to the water just outside our cove about an hour before. A neighbor asked if they could tie up to our dock and we said sure and they asked if they could bring a few people as they had friends at their house, and we said sure and y'all!!!

They floated over on a boat filled with 28 people and a few more in a car and it was ka-razy! 

Fun for sure, but also ka-razy!

Kids peeled off that boat and scattered like ants. Adults too! 

God bless America! 

The fireworks display was its usual fabulous happening which we all enjoyed, and then one of the adults who had come by car (and who we did not know) announced she had dropped her keys in the lake. 

Ruh-roh. 

Their car was parked at the top of our driveway, and there it sat until 4 PM the next day. It would have been moved earlier except her brother who arrived from an hour away brought the wrong key so...

All's well that ends well, right? Lol!

We had nowhere to be on Friday except the lake so it was just a funny thing to us. Maybe not so much to the person who dropped the keys, but we spent the day boating and swimming. Late afternoon the most delightful storm rolled in and we sat on the screened porch listening to it roar, feeling the humidity drop to an acceptably breathable level.

I love a storm on the lake, so long as we're all tucked safely indoors. 

Hubs grilled steaks for dinner and afterwards we sat on the deck and watched the sun make a perfectly pink exit. 

Family left Saturday morning, then hubs had some real estate-ing to do for a fair chunk of the day. I put the house mostly back in order, did five loads of laundry, cleaned out the frig, and took care of some paperwork that needed taking care of. 

We have a busy week filled with meetings and appointments and readying the house and the pantry for a big wave of family who will begin arriving this coming weekend. We can't wait to have all the grands here!! 

We also know we need to eat our Wheaties, fill our frig and our sleep tanks to overflowing, and get our steps in so we're in tip top form to keep up with the under six set. No grass grows under their feet when they're here and we gotta keep up!  

Hope your holiday weekend was grand! 

Show Us Your Shelf-June

Happy birthday America! I hope you're celebrating this big beautiful country today, and all the freedoms we still enjoy. It's also time for the book link party hosted by Joanne, Marilyn, Tanya, and Jennifer-Show Us Your Shelf. Here's what I read in the month of June-

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Set in 1789 Maine and inspired by the life of Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife and healer, The Frozen River is a work of historical fiction billed as a mystery.  

As the Kennebec River begins to freeze, a corpse floats down and becomes trapped in the ice. Martha Ballard, midwife for the town of Hallowell, Maine examines and identifies the body as Joshua Burgess and declares he was murdered. Burgess was involved in a recent town scandal, the rape of Rebecca Foster, the pastor's wife, who named him and a local colonel and judge as her attackers. There are a number of threads to the plot, which are woven together with finesse. The legal system in the 1700's was still figuring things out and much of how justice was served back then was new to me. It added a lot to the tale. 

Each of the novels six parts includes a flashback to a second storyline and the format works really well in this novel. If you like historical fiction I recommend this one. 

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan 

Anthony is a former short story writer who takes comfort in rescuing lost objects and then writing stories about them. He has amassed quite a collection of seemingly meaningless objects, each tagged with time and place details. Laura, a young woman recovering from a painful divorce, answers an ad and becomes Anthony's secretary, and grows to become his very dear friend. Laura is eventually tasked with returning these lost objects to their rightful owners. A second storyline is woven into the tale, and there's a gardener/love interest along with an across the street neighbor with Downs Syndrome, aptly named Sunshine who feature heavily in the Laura plot.

There's a great deal of back and forth with the two storylines, which the reader knows will eventually collide. Probably a bit too much coincidence happening, and there's also an element of 'magic' that isn't appealing to me, but there's a quirkiness to the characters and a certain charm to the storyline that made this a pretty good read. Three stars for me. 

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

If you enjoyed Kwan's novel (and/or the film based on his earlier novel) Crazy Rich Asians , then you'll probably like this one too, maybe just not quite as much. If you're not familiar with Kwan's style of storytelling it will take a minute to get into, but once you're in you're in. This was an entertaining read, set in the world of the ultra rich and privileged

The future Earl of Greshambury, Rufus Leung Gresham, son of the Earl of Greshambury and a former Hong Kong supermodel is, much to his mother's dismay, in love with the girl next door. The Greshams are throwing an extravagant wedding in Hawaii for their daughter Augie and her Norwegian prince Maxie, when a series of mishaps and outright disasters overwhelm the occasion, leaving the family finances and their reputation in tatters. Rufus is expected to find a wealthy bride and recoup the family fortune. 

Rufus wants nothing more than to live in his surf shack, create his art, and woo Eden, the girl he's loved since childhood. A secret tragedy, hidden for two decades, makes for an interesting twist to the Greshams troubles. 

There are some very unlikable characters in the novel, but they didn't ruin it for me. I especially loved the English country home setting, and while it's all a bit over the top (waaay over the top) this was a fun read. 

Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Thinking this one should be required reading for high school seniors or college freshman. Or anyone espousing the notion that communism is a good thing for any society. I am so grateful to live in the land of the free. 

Nothing To Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over a period of fifteen years and gives us a look at what it's like to live under the most repressive regime in the world. No internet connection, for that matter very often no electricity, government only radio and television broadcasting, a police state that rewards neighbors informing on neighbors, and one where a truly innocuous comment can land you in prison (or worse) for life. 

Citizens know only what they hear from their leader which is that everything outside N. Korea is evil, capitalism most of all, and that their government will take care of them. Until it doesn't and they make the decision to flee. Sadly their decisions are not without consequence for the ones left behind. Heartbreaking consequences. This book was haunting, sad, and made me appreciate once again the freedom we have to think, speak, worship, move, and choose in abundance.

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

Traci Eddings, a 'townie' who fell in love with, and then married, the son of the owner of a local resort, is now a widow running that same resort, The St. Cecelia. A mix of mystery and beach read the tale follows Traci as she faces numerous challenges in maintaining The Saint's reputation as a five star resort. New information surfaces about a drowning that occurred at the hotel two decades earlier just as a murder occurs on resort property. There's a long list of characters, a love interest, and some truly cringy dialogue, but still an enjoyable summer read. 

So what have you read lately that you loved? 

Three Cheers For The Red, White, And Hodgepodge

Welcome to our first Wednesday Hodgepodge in the month of July! I love everything about the July 4th holiday here in America and hope you have a great week celebrating in some way. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. It's a big week in the US of A as we celebrate Independence Day. Do you have any special plans? How will you mark the day? BBQ? pool-lake-beach time? fireworks? homemade ice cream? If you're not an American you can tell us what's happening in your corner of the world on Thursday. 

It's always a fun day on the lake, but the water gets busy. We normally don't take the boat out on the 4th because we live here and can boat when there are fewer people out. We'll play it by ear. Conveniently our across the cove neighbor puts on one of the best firework displays on the lake and we're in the prime viewing zone. Boaters come from all around the lake to watch (we sit on our dock) and when there's an especially pretty firework everyone honks. So fun! 

Normally my girls are here on the 4th with all the grands, but because my daughter1 has movers coming next week, and once they finish the pack and load, she'll be at the lake right after, both girls decided to wait. Daughter2's hubs is currently extending their patio so his parents went to TN for the holiday so his dad could help with that. Parents are great, aren't they?  

The girls want to both be here at the same time, so we'll have the whole crew in a couple of weeks, and we'll make homemade ice cream then. A lot of noise too I'm sure lol. 

Hubs brother and sister-in-law are coming here for the 4th, and we always have a great time with them. Hubs plans to BBQ ribs, and it'll be HOT so we'll spend a lot of time relaxing in the water on our floats. 

2. What's your favorite 'All-American' dessert? 

Is a brownie an American dessert? 

The answer is yes. I checked the internet and apparently the brownie was developed in the USA at the end of the 19th century. A brownie is one of my favorites. Strawberry shortcake feels All-American and that's another favorite. 

I'm not making either for the holiday though. I'm going to make a frozen strawberry pie that sounds yummy and also refreshing. I'll let you know. 

3. Does that patriotic feeling come easily to you, or are you having to work for it more these days? What's something that makes you proud to be a citizen of your country?  

It comes pretty easily to me. I mean as long as I don't watch too much TV or surf social media for too long. The men and women who serve our country make me proud. The way neighbors pitch in and help neighbors and strangers alike in times of tragedy or following natural disasters makes me proud. The volunteer spirit in America makes me proud. 

4. Your favorite 'patriotic' movie? Favorite patriotic song? 

This is a tough one. I think I'll go with Saving Private Ryan for my favorite patriotic movie. 

There are so many really good patriotic songs, not sure I can choose just one. A lot of country music has a patriotic bent to it and I love that. 

Some of my favorite patriotic songs are Only In America by Brooks and Dunn, Whitney Houston's version of The Star Spangled Banner which never gets old, and The Marine Corps Hymn which makes me think of my dad. Whenever that one's played it makes me proud to be an American. 

And I love Rodney Atkins 'It's America'. 

5. One simple pleasure on your July 'bucket list'? 

Make a peach cobbler. I generally make just one a summer and it feeds a crowd, so will probably do that when the kids and grandkids are here. I like to get the peaches from a farm store that's a bit of a drive from our house so I need to get hubs on board with a ride out that way.  Hi hubs! And yes I could buy them in the grocery store but these are worth the drive. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

America is a bit of a mess but it's still the land I love. May God bless and keep her...

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 558

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. It's a big week in the US of A as we celebrate Independence Day. Do you have any special plans? How will you mark the day? BBQ? pool-lake-beach time? fireworks? homemade ice cream? If you're not an American you can tell us what's happening in your corner of the world on Thursday. 

2. What's your favorite 'All-American' dessert? 

3. Does that patriotic feeling come easily to you, or are you having to work for it more these days? What's something that makes you proud to be a citizen of your country?  

4. Your favorite 'patriotic' movie? Favorite patriotic song? 

5. One simple pleasure on your July 'bucket list'? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Good Mor-nin' America How Are You...

Good Monday morning all! Hope you have some fun plans to celebrate our nation's birthday this week. The weather here has certainly screamed summer lately and looks like we'll have more of the same all week long. 

Linking up today with Holly and Sarah for their Hello Monday blog hop. I'm going all the way back into last week with my recap so you might want to grab your coffee and get comfy. 

I spent all of last week at daughter2's house as she was recovering from some minor surgery and couldn't do any lifting. She's 100% fine so no worries, but I think I know now why all moms my age have aching backs.  

High chairs and bathtubs and car seats and baby carriers. So.much.lifting. It's got to leave a mark. I carried the baby in the baby seat to and from the car whenever we went out, and also into and out of any shops or restaurants we visited. I know I did that when mine were babies but I don't remember them being quite so ridiculously heavy and awkward. 

My daughter might say the awkward part is just me, but whatever. She quite often is managing the baby seat with one hand and wrangling a 2-year old with the other. I don't feel like a weakling, but this week kind of makes me wonder.  

All my grandchildren have wonderful dispositions, but our little Sugar just might be the happiest baby on the planet. I could eat her up with a spoon.

She's a beauty like her momma. 

It was nice to have a low key week with my girl. Her hubs was traveling for work so once the babies were in bed we hunkered down and watched the entire new season of America's Sweethearts-The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. It's on Netflix now, but there were several seasons prior on another network that had a slightly different format. 

This new version is a bit more documentary style, and we loved it. When we finished that we moved on to Spring Baking Championship. She and I both love to bake and while The Great British Baking Show is our favorite we like these seasonal baking shows too. 

We tried to plan a little outing every day. There was gelato one afternoon- 

And of course there was a teensy bit of shopping because there's the cutest children's shop very near her home that I like to visit whenever I'm in town. They have a beach trip later this summer so I bought the kiddos something beachy. 

Hubs did not go with me this time because the little brown dog also had a minor surgical procedure this week and he needed to manage that. 

Such a handsome fella. 

I got home from Tennessee late Friday afternoon, unpacked, then hubs and I went out for Mexican food. We caught up on the week over margaritas and chips and salsa. Honestly this could be my meal when we go for Mexican. 

Saturday I did all the things that needed doing after a week away. 

Maybe not all, but many many. I did get all the laundry done and put away, made a menu for the coming holiday week, then hit the grocery store. Saturday morning is not my favorite time to shop and it was as zoo-ey as I expected.  

Question-do you shop just once a week? I don't know how people pull that off. I feel like the produce doesn't last the way I'd like it to so I usually shop twice a week. 

After lunch we went 'back to town' as we say here, because I had an Amazon return and discovered I could do that at Staples without any wrapping or label printing. Easy peasy. We need to replace some of our flameless candles so made a quick stop at Hobby Lobby to see if they had the size needed, but no. Amazon it is. Again. 

I've ordered about ten smallish things from Amazon in the past three days, one at a time though. Oops. I wonder if anyone looks at the orders and asks why this woman can't get it together to make a single order? They've managed to consolidate it into less than ten deliveries so kudos to Amazon. 

Anyway, since we were in town we decided to pop in Lowes for something, and saw they had their chest freezers on sale so we bought one. I have two refrigerators, both with drawer style freezers, but there's just not enough space in either one to store much of anything. They deliver which meant that was pretty easy peasy too.

When we got home I spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen. Our basil plant was out of control so I made pesto to have for dinner. 

The smell of fresh basil is heavenly. 

I had some basil infused olive oil and used that instead of regular which was delicious. My daughter1's in-laws brought over a big bag of home grown cucumbers while I was away so I made a pesto chicken dish for dinner with a cucumber-tomato salad on the side. 

We thought about going into town after dinner to an event at the local brewery, but the temperature was still something like the surface of the sun so we opted instead to sit on the deck and listen to our own music. Such a relaxing way to end the day. 

Sunday was spent at home as we had a delivery window we needed to be available for. We watched a movie and I baked a quiche to put in my freezer for breakfast later this week when we have people in the house. 

A college friend gave me this recipe and it's never-fail and so so good. I use whatever veggies I have and this one is bacon, spinach and red pepper. With cheese of course. 

It was still ninety degrees at 7 PM so we wrapped up the day with a float in the lake. Looking forward to fireworks from this very spot in just a few days. God bless America! 

Visit Holly and Sarah to read more weekend recaps and add your own. 

And The Seasons They Go Round And Round

In my hunt for some pictures for yesterday's Hodgepodge I came across this photograph-

...and I keep thinking about the way it made my head spin. My heart too. 

That's my oldest daughter in the picture, sitting in the grass in front of Canterbury Cathedral on one of the brightest blue sky days there ever was in the history of England. 

She is seventeen. 

It's funny the way a picture can peel back the years and remind me that once upon a time I had teenagers living in my house. If you have teenagers at home you might wonder how in the world you could ever forget this season of intense everything, but I'm here to tell you time is sometimes blurry in the rear view mirror. 

The now grown women I birthed and adore, the ones I talk to about recipes and books and parenting and politics and culture wars and Jesus and everything under the sun, well they used to be teenagers. Not so long ago they were sleeping in their bedrooms upstairs and eating breakfast at our kitchen table. They were asking for rides or cash or permission, doing homework, dancing, dreaming, and planning their futures.

Was it not so long ago? 

Nineteen summers have come and gone since this photo was snapped. The teenage girl in this photograph went off to uni, worked in our nations capital, married her doctor-captain -major-now civilian, birthed three children, moved west across the country, east across an ocean, then south, then up and over to the midwest and, as I type, is preparing for yet another move. 

A move that will bring her back to the dirt she is sitting on in this photograph. 

England. 

Her hubs will complete a six-month orthopedic surgical fellowship there and she will introduce her children to tea and scones, the English countryside, village life, 1000 years of history, kings and castles, old churches and new experiences. The same language only different.  

The seventeen year old girl in that picture had no idea all the ways God was going to work out His plans and His purposes in her life. 

She's going back to the place she first learned the world is big and change is a given. That when a door opens wide we can walk on through, knowing God goes before us. Knowing too that He meets us there and walks beside us wherever we may roam. 

She doesn't have to wonder if that's really true. She knows it because she's lived it. As a young teenager moving across the pond, as a young wife moving across the country, as a young mom giving birth in South Korea. In all the places and seasons and changes life has brought God's been there. 

I cannot wait to hear how that seventeen year old girl sees England now...

Through her grown up eyes and the lens of time. 

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Isaiah 139: 9-10

Prioritizing The Hodgepodge

Welcome to the last Wednesday Hodgepodge in the month of June. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then hop over and leave a comment for the blogger before you. Everybody loves company...at least in the blogosphere they do. Here we go-

 

1. What do you think has remained the same about you your whole life? How has your perception of yourself changed over time? 

I think I've always been a helper, introspective, sensitive, and stubborn. Hubs will testify to that last one-ha! My faith and my family have always been important to me and all of these things remain true today. 

As far as changing over time...hopefully I've grown, matured, learned to recognize what's important and will matter for eternity and what to let fall by the wayside. Course there's still plenty of growing to do. We're all a work in progress, but I do think I'm able to give myself more grace in this stage of life than in prior seasons.  

2. What was the first thing you learned how to cook? Do you prefer to cook or bake? 

That's going back a long way but I guess the first thing I remember learning to make in the kitchen is salad dressing. Which technically isn't cooking but it felt like I was contributing to the dinner by making the dressing. We had a tossed salad pretty much every night so my sister and I were in charge of that from a fairly early age. I learned to cook by watching my mom and helping in the kitchen. 

The next thing would be cookies. All the cookies because my mama has always been the queen of cookie baking, and this was true long before cookie baking became a 'thing'. Every Christmas my mama made dozens of different types of cookies, I'm going to say something like thirty different varieties, not exaggerating. And every December she gave away big trays to lots of different people including her mechanic, my brother's co-workers, neighbors, strangers, and of course we had cookies for dessert every night during the month of December, sometimes into January, because y'all there were so.many.cookies.

My hubs could not believe his eyes the first year he came home with me for Christmas and saw the wall of tins, Tupperware and assorted containers lined up floor to ceiling in the big walk in closet in our family room and a freezer filled with more of the same. He knew right then he was happy he married me. 

My sister and I at some point joined in the baking. We love it still and while there's never the number my mom made, my sisters, daughters and I all carry on baking many of those same recipes. 

3. What are some of your current priorities in this season of life? Elaborate. 

Health for one. Good health feels less like a given and more like something I need to pay attention to in terms of food, movement, and not skipping routine medical checks. 

Family, specifically my grandchildren. I want them to know Jesus and to see Jesus in me. I want to have fun with them, listen to them, encourage them, and pray for them. I want to be their biggest cheerleader as they each walk the path God has set before them.  

Faith. Always a priority for me, but the world is particularly bonkers and slightly scary these days, and I want to be grounded in God's word so I can live with gratitude and hope, not anger and fear. 

Peace. I'm at an age where I don't want to deal with a lot of conflict and negativity. I mean I've never enjoyed that, but for sure I don't want it occupying my heart and mind now. I know sometimes we have no choice, but then again, oftentimes we do. 

4. How much time do you spend on your hair each day or, put another way, what's your hair care routine? Do you get it cut regularly or just whenever the mood strikes? Do you go to the same stylist every time? Do you tell your stylist everything? Any other beauty treatments you indulge in throughout the year? 

Well it is summer and I live on a lake so a pony tail under a baseball cap, or tucked under my 'lake hat'  is pretty standard if we're spending any time at all in the water or on the boat. I'm here to tell you that you' cannot have great hair on a fast moving boat. As the saying goes, 'Boat hair, don't care'.   

I see my stylist about every 6-8 weeks so she can make my hair look sun kissed. Sometimes I forget I'm a natural born brunette-ha! I have blue eyes and as I've gotten older I like a bit of brightness around my face. 

Do I tell my stylist everything? Pretty much. She's a good listener and we have a lot of similar feelings about the world at large. She's the same age as my daughters so that's fun. 

I love a good facial and also get the occasional, but not weekly mani/pedi. 

5. What is the most awe-inspiring place you've visited? 

Oh my. How in the world do I answer this one? I've been to so many places around the world that inspire awe. I might be able to make a top ten, but even that would be tough. When I hear awe I think of places that are not only beautiful, but that also move me and cause me to feel something deeply. Here's a handful that would make my list-

Pretty Place, Cleveland SC, USA 

The California Redwoods

Mt. Rainier, Washington, USA 

Arlington National Cemetery-Arlington VA, USA 

The Daniel Boardman State Scenic Corridor-Oregon, USA

The Auguille du Midi-Chamonix, France

Canterbury Cathedral, UK

The beaches at Normandy, France 

Mont-Saint-Michel, France 

The American Cemetery at Colleville-Sur-Mer, France 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

There were some thought provoking questions in the HP today and I feel like some deserved more attention than I had to give. Here's the short version-I'm with my daughter2 and her two littles for a few days and it's hotter than blazes as my dad used to say and her a.c. was giving us fits and we left for swimming lessons and were talking so she went the wrong way on the interstate and we had to go something like nine exits to get turned around the right way and while we were doing that the swim place called and said their pool chemicals were wonky so they were cancelling and then just before bedtime the two year old had his first bee sting. 

In spite of all of the above this was still a really fun day, it just did not leave a lot of room for deep. I hope you're all staying cool, thinking clearly, and using a scoop as opposed to your bare hands when you need to remove a bumble bee from your water table. 

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