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. 

Monday Morning Coffee Hour

Good Monday morning to you. How was your weekend. Ours was sick! 

I wish I meant that in the slangy way the word is sometimes used, but nope, it was the real deal. 

Here's the thing no one tells you about having grandchildren. They come with hugs and kisses and words and germs. Have mercy, the germs! I feel like a first year teacher when I'm around them (iykyk). I still remember having the most wicked case of strep throat ever my first year in the public schools. 

I do think you build up your immune system being around kids, and if that's truly the case mine should be good for the remainder of the year. 

My daughter said, 'you're not going to blog about this are you mom?' Of course not.

Oh my word it has been a week. 

I'll spare you the gruesome details but let's just say one half of the team had a fever-cough-sinus thing and the other half had what I feel certain was norovirus. Sadly I was in the second camp.

Actually by the weekend most of us were fine, but we kept it low key and just did more movie viewing and less eating than we normally would. 

We survived and I have the pictures to prove it. Sort of. Getting five littles to all look the same direction at the same time, whilst also feeling crummy, is not without it's challenges, but we persevered. I plan to have a cousin crew photo every year wearing matchy matchys. They've been told. 

Meanwhile...in Arkansas...

Hubs missed out on all the fun here because he was duck hunting with friends. I know it's not everyone's thing, but rest assured we will cook and eat what's 'caught'. 

Honestly I'm glad hubs wasn't home last week, because we need someone operating at full capacity. 

He always says he thinks I'd enjoy this, but I'm not keen on the idea of cold, dark, early, and wet. Especially the cold part. 

I do enjoy the photos though. 

And that was our weekend. Dead ducks...

... and lame ducks. 

Linking this post today with Holly and Sarah and their Hello Monday blog hop. 

Don't worry...I used lots of hand sanitizer. 

Weekend Reboot

Happy Monday everyone, and Happy Inauguration Day America! 

Don't at me. I know not everyone is excited about today, but I absolutely welcome the change. Not everybody does but hey, that's America in every election cycle. May God bless her as we usher in a new administration. Nobody should be hoping our new president fails at his job.

Moving on...the weekend. Linking with Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) for their regularly scheduled Hello Monday weekend recaps.  

There are grandkids in the house, toys on the floor, marinara sauce on my dining room chair, and a morning coffee hour that now includes legos with a side of lots of questions asked and answered. 

We love it. 

I don't have many pictures from the weekend. While there's something we call multitasking, there's this whole other something which is multitasking with jet-lagged toddlers who need stories read, snacks procured, games played, and laps to sit in. Doesn't leave a lot of room or hands free for picture taking. 

Backing up to Thursday which I long ago declared the official start to the weekend. Hubs flew to London last Sunday/Monday so he could fly back to the states on Thursday with Daughter1, her three children, each toting his or her own backpack and snack box, a wagon, five oversized-overweight-overly heavy suitcases, two car seats in travel bags, and a partridge in a pear tree. 

Since my son-in-law will be in the UK for a couple more weeks, wrapping up his job there before he can join his family here, and since we parents never stop wanting to help where we can, off hubs went to do just that. The kids (the grown ones I mean) were grateful, and hubs could sleep without the thought of his girl trying to manage all of that on her own keeping him awake at night. 

These grands are seasoned travelers and trans Atlantic flights ain't no big thing to them. It's all the  'stuff' associated with flying that frays the nerves. They landed in Atlanta late afternoon then had to get through immigration and customs, and the nightmare that is Atlanta traffic anytime at 6 o'clock in the evening, then another two hour drive here, but they did it!! They arrived home about 9 PM. 

Of course by 9 pm little miss had finally hit the wall, so my daughter plunked her into bed in the clothes she'd been wearing all day and night and then I looked at my daughter and kind of wanted to plunk her into the bed right beside her. 

She's an absolute star y'all. 

Friday started early because jet lag is for real.  Everyone was surprisingly cheerful, and we pulled out the toys and they got to work playing. I bought a doll stroller for little miss and she spent most of the day pushing it around the house, putting all her stuffies and special things in it, taking them out, chatting happily. The boys put together legos and Nana (that's me) made french toast because it was a french toast kind of morning. I also played Battleship and Rush Hour and listened to little boys explain which transformer is which and just soaked up that familiar feel of family in the house that is so precious. 

Daughter1 worked on unpacking their belongings and making sense of how to temporarily settle in to our house while they find one of their own. They can move over to the in-laws lake house (the in-laws don't live in it full time) if the home buying process takes too long and that's the plan sometime after my son-in-law arrives. 

She's also in a wedding (we don't do things by halves here) mid-February, out of town of course, so she had to get herself to the alterations lady Friday afternoon to have her bridesmaid dress basically remade before she needs to be in it. Whew. It's all kind of a lot on day one. 

As an aside, why are bridesmaid dresses sized so ridiculously ridiculous? Why aren't they sized like all the other dresses women wear? 

I'd invited the other grandparents aka the in-laws, to come for dinner along with my son-in-law's sister and brother-in-law, so it was a fun welcome home celebration. I made lasagne and a pan of baked ziti the day before, and it was so good. Yes I am saying so myself lol. It was though! 

I also baked a cake for dessert. Southern Living put out a calendar of cakes, one to bake each month of the year, and I thought I'd try it in 2025. I need to do these when I have company in the house so they'll get eaten so this was the perfect time to whip up the January recipe-

Buttermilk cake-

I'd never had a buttermilk cake but the ingredients give it a taste similar to pound cake, although not nearly as dense. The icing was scrumptious! Very much like a caramel frosting. I would definitely make this one again, and thought it tasted even better the second day. 

Saturday dawned early again, for the boys anyway. Apparently little miss had been up on UK time five hours earlier, then went back to sleep about the time the boys were getting up, and this is just how it is with kids and jet lag. 

Once everyone was really up, fed, and dressed we got out of the house for a bit. We went to a small museum one tiny town over called Museum of the Cherokee, and everyone enjoyed it. Hubs is always up for an arrowhead hunt. 

Afterwards we walked to the cheesesteak place for lunch, then wandered into a couple of shops before heading back home. 

Everyone was tired. Ti-red. I laid on the couch for a few minutes trying to finish the book I was reading, but then a tea party was happening right in the middle of my keeping room, and who doesn't want to drink tea poured (mostly) carefully by the cutest little server ever???

We had left overs for dinner and everyone went to bed early. 

Sunday little miss was up early, but the boys slept in and eventually we'll all be on the same page. The sun was shining so we took a walk in the neighborhood and soaked up some much needed Vitamin D. 

Hubs had some real estate-ing to do on Sunday and we all watched a movie that afternoon. I made an easy dinner, a chicken dish I hadn't made in years that I probably over made back in the day, but everyone liked it. We used to call it Russian chicken but I don't know if that was the official name. You mix apricot jam, a packet of Lipton's onion soup, and a bottle of Russian salad dressing together, then pour it over the chicken, cover and bake. Still delicious. 

And at this point my daughter was fading. Here's something I know about motherhood...no matter how old your children are, you never get over the instinct mothers have to help, soothe, and fill in the gaps where they need filling. 

You will one day look at your grown adult daughter and think, how can I help? How can I make this moment, this transition, this whatever easier? 

You send her for a warm shower and her pjs while you read her children bedtime stories, and oversee teeth brushing and bedtime prayers. 

You remember the exhaustion that lived beside the sweetness of mothering young children, and the memory of sitting on her bed listening to her bedtime prayers leads you to say one of your own..

Now I lay me down to sleep, thank you for this life so sweet.

A Heart's Desire

 Linking this post today with Joanne (Slices of Life) for Talking About It Tuesdays 

2025 is bringing a pretty big and exciting change to our family. I haven't said anything about it on my blog because I've kind of been holding my breath making sure all the pieces would actually come together, but that seems to be happening so it feels okay to talk about it here now. 

Y'all. Don't stop praying for something that is truly your heart's desire. 

When my oldest daughter graduated from high school eighteen years ago (huh???) we were living in the UK. She hopped the pond to attend university in South Carolina and then we moved to NJ and she moved to D.C., and then she got married and moved to Washington State, and then we moved to South Carolina, and then she moved even further away-South Korea, then to a town outside of Nashville, then to Cincinatti, then to England and whew. It's a lot, isn't it? 

All that to say we have not lived geographically near one another since she was eighteen years old. 

I have occasionally referred to this circumstance as the thorn in my side. I have prayed a lot of prayers for my girls in adulthood. Jobs, spouses, married life, childbirth, child-rearing, and yes I still ask God to bring them geographically nearer on a regular basis. Near enough for a cup of tea on a Monday morning or lunch now and then without planes, trains, passports and rental cars being part of the deal because this is my heart's desire. 

My youngest daughter has been living about 3.5 hours from us for the past three years and we consider that very near. We can go by car and it's not too far for a weekend drive which is nice. Hubs and I have spent most of our married life living far away from family so we know how to do this, but still it's not my favorite. Whenever a move is on the horizon for daughter1 I ask God if maybe the next location could be just a little bit closer to me.  

She and her husband just celebrated their ten year wedding anniversary, and in the last ten years my son-in law has completed the final four years of a five year residency, four years of orthopedic surgery, and then another two years in specialized orthopedic fellowships. 

Most recently they've been living in Cambridge (England) while he wraps up his final fellowship. Just before they moved to the UK he accepted a job with an orthopedic practice that will begin once they're back stateside. 

That job is here. 

Where I live. 

They are coming home and where we live is where they will live. 

I don't even know what this looks like, all I know is my daughter and her family will be living within arms reach. We can go to the kids sporting events and programs. We can have dinner together on a random Wednesday.  We can spend one on one time with each little grand since logistics aren't complicated. 

They can come for a swim in the lake, then go home and sleep in their own beds. Or their parents can go home and the kids can have a sleep over at Nana and Pawpaws. My daughter can go to the dentist and get her hair cut without three kids in tow. She can hang out with her sister more often which makes her so happy. 

We live in a small town and I imagine we'll run into one another in the market or Hobby Lobby and other places we'll both frequent. 

They will of course make their own friends here, settle in to their own routines and find their own favorite places, which is as life should be, but to have them near means so much. The in-laws also live nearby and they're as excited as we are for fewer Facetimes, and more actual face time. 

So all these many words to say this... 

I've been praying for many many years for something that I couldn't quite work out how it would ever happen, yet here we are in 2025 and my daughter and I are going to be 'neighbors'. 

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:6-7 (The Living Bible)

Merry Happy Monday

Recapping last week's Christmas fun today, and linking it all with Hello Monday hosted by Holly and Sarah. 

We got to Daughter2's house Monday lunchtime and spent the afternoon playing with the grands. My daughter made this Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner that night and it was so good. I will definitely be making it myself someday soon. 

I feel like this post might be heavy on the food mentions, but c'est la holidays.

On Christmas Eve we had a nice breakfast courtesy of my son-in-law who made us sausage and eggs on the Blackstone. He grilled the hot Benton's sausage we'd picked up on our way into town and it's delish. I'd never purchased their sausage before but my daughter wanted the hot so we grabbed some to bring home too. It's not overly hot, just super flavorful. 

After breakfast we bundled everyone up for a walk, with a stop at the playground for sweet baby J to show us his tricks on the slide. 

This one y'all...

She's a mover and a shaker and we laugh and say when it comes to the grands it's the two little girls who are gonna give us all a run for our money. I cannot wait to see them together soon. 

My sister and her hubs sent my daughter a wonderful charcuterie gift from Gourmet Gift Baskets, which we enjoyed for lunch. The dried fruit and nut tray is amazing and there was a separate tray of cheese, sausage, and crackers. There's not a lot of dining out with littles this age but we didn't miss it. 

The babies both nap in the afternoon which gives everyone else a little time to relax too. 

For dinner my son--in-law cooked a prime rib that had first been slathered in garlic butter, and we had twice baked potatoes and broccoli to go with. Our family tradition used to be new pjs for everyone to open on Christmas Eve, but now that we have grandchildren I like to give the jammies earlier in the month so they can wear them all of December. I got all the grands and their parents the same set of the Christmas Cookie pattern from Caden Lane and they were so cute. 

And appropriate. My daughter the baker-

We didn't get to church on Christmas Eve as their service was at 5 PM and that's just a tricky time of day for a two and a half year old and a ten-month old. The little people manger helps with the telling of the story in a way the 2-year old can understand and that's the important thing. 

Christmas day dawned bright and early and it was so much fun to see the little man take it all in. You never know what they're going to remark on first, but he slayed us with his initial observation in a room full of gifts and an uwrapped t-ball set that, 'Some of these presents have bows. And some have no bow'  

He is so extra y'all. 

He was overjoyed with every single gift he was given and we leisurely opened presents, added batteries, worked new puzzles, tried to figure out how to turn off! the train when it needed a rest, enjoyed homemade cinnamon rolls and an egg casserole, and thoughtful stocking stuffers for all the adults too. 

We have loved adding trucks and trains and cars and legos to our supply of toys in the house but it's fun to now have some little girls to buy for too. 

We Facetimed with the UK contingent and we're all looking forward to being on the same land mass when Christmas comes round again next year. 

Thursday we had a slow morning then went to a nearby park for a nice long walk. It felt good to move, and while I enjoy all the holiday-ing I also look forward to cleaner eating and less indulging. After December 31st I mean. 

Thursday night hubs and I were left in charge of the littles while their mom and dad had an honest to goodness date night. They went to a nearby Italian restaurant where Momma was able to enjoy a whole entire complete meal uninterrupted. Happy new year to her! 

It's the little things, right? 

Christmas is still up at my house and will come down sometime after the first of the year. I hate the thought of putting it all away, but I do love the thought of a clean house. Hope your Christmas was merry and bright! 

A quick p.s. for anyone new here...I host a weekly Wednesday Hodgepodge on my blog and you are most welcome to join the fun. It's a random Q & A with room for a thought of your own too. The questions will post on Sundays this year, and the link-up will still go live on Wedenesdays. Happy new year everyone! 

Merry Monday

Hello Monday. It's still Monday right? The days are a blur this time of year and you just have to roll with it. I'm linking with Holly and Sarah for the weekend recap party they host every Monday. Here we go-

We had a fun weekend spent with hubs brother, sister-in-law, and his momma, not counting of course that Tennessee football game, which was possibly the worst game played in the history of ever. Let's speak of happier things. 

It's not a straight line from our house in SC to theirs in TN these days, due to the wrath of Helene. The interstate remains shut down so we have to take the long way around. 

Long but absolutely beautiful I will say. The road that runs across the mountain from NC into Tennessee is one of the prettiest in all of America. Dusted with snow it was just breathtaking. 

As we came in to Tennessee we saw more remnants of the hurricane. Yellow piping is piled high all along the highway from a plastics plant that was destroyed by rushing water. 

Lives were lost here and it's still such an incredible mess. 

We picked up my mother-in-law on our way to the lake where my brother-in-law lives, and got there just in time to see the Clemson-Texas kickoff. We were rooting for our hometown team, but they ended up losing and then things sped rapidly downhill from there. 

That Tennessee game. Whew! It was painful. My sister-in law had ordered Chicago's famous Lou Malnati's pizzas for dinner and that was the highlight of the evening. 'Nuff said. 

Sunday morning we all went to church together. Their church choir performed their cantata which was so lovely. 

We had a charcuterie style lunch, then spent the afternoon chatting, soaking up some Vitamin D on the sunny back porch, and watching the women's volleyball championship on TV. 

Sunday evening we took hubs mom out for a delicious meal at one of our favorite Italian spots-Bella.

Hubs passed a shop window with a prop that goes with his suit and we had to snap a picture. 

This suit brings out the best in everyone. People stop to wish us merry Christmas with a big smile on their face, and to tell us how much they love it. An easy way to spread holiday cheer. 

Monday morning hubs and I headed south about an hour and a half to Daughter2's home near Chattanooga. We take a back road so it's a country drive with pretty farms dotting the landscape along the way. We made a stop at our favorite smokehouse Bentons, home to the world famous Benton's bacon, and still made it to Daughter2s by lunchtime. 

Sweet Baby J literally jumps up and down and claps his hands when he sees us getting out of the car and it is the best thing ever. Truly. Whatever is weighing you down dissolves at the sight of this precious little boy so happy to see you he can't contain it. And baby sister is right behind him, giving us her whole body smile and showing off her newest skill-walking! 

The excitement level is at a ten with littles in the house and we are here for it. 

Merry Christmas Eve Eve everyone!