The Week That Was

Another Spotify Discover Weekly mystery. This time I was blessed with Rhapsody in the Rain as the first song on the list. So I guessed I would be obligated to try and think of songs with either the word rhapsody in the title or the lyrics. If I am being honest, once I saw the song title, I could only think of 3 options, which turned out to be Monday's, Tuesday's, and Wednesday's songs,

 The rest of the week proved to be a  challenge, but eventually I remembered some more. 

This is where having years of listening to a gozillion CD's in every genre came in handy.

Monday: I try and keep Mondays unencumbered to use as a catch up day tidying up after the weekend. This was one of those perfect Monday's that required nothing but shorts, flip flops, and no makeup.

Household chores are non-demanding like that.

What I learned: When cooking crayfish let them sit in the spicy water they were boiled in for 30 minutes after turning the heat off.

Dinner: Tuna steaks with lemon caper sauce, mashed potatoes, broccoli, tomato slices

Listened to: Bohemian Rhapsody

Tuesday: I had a little running around to do, as well as cherry picking 2 grocery stores before their weekly ads expired.  In the evening we headed to trivia and met up with a couple of our neighbors.

What I learned: The trivia host this time was an under 30 years old young man whose trivia speciality was pop culture. I learned how unarmed we were to answer his questions since none of us were up on current music, the Marvel Universe, or current adult animation.

Dinner: TheHub and I had our typical shared dinner at trivia.

Shared flatbread, coleslaw

Listened to:Rhapsody in Blue

Wednesday: I went to my Wednesday morning class and did a little running around afterward. I had a few errands to run and returned home later in the day.

What I learned: Learned about the loneliest town in Alaska, Chicken. In the 2020 census, it had a population of 12.

Dinner: Conecuh sausage w/ kraut, leftover mashed potatoes, green beans, tomato slices

Listened to: Baby Love

Thursday: This was the day of the Parkinson's Gala. It is a huge formal fundraising event for The Alabama Parkinson's Association. Because TheHub had to be there much earlier than the event's start time I had to start getting ready before 3, so my morning was nothing more than reading and doing those things that are more spa like in nature.

It was a very successful evening, with Tim Tebow* as the keynote speaker, silent and live auctions, and great company at our table**

What I learned: We learned a good bit about current Parkinson's research that is happening right here in town.

Dinner: Tossed salad, steak, crab cake, green beans, mashed potatoes, lemon blueberry cake.

Listened to: Liszt's  Hungarian Rhapsody #2

Friday: This was mainly a recovery day. TheHub was exhausted from all he had been doing prior to the event and on the day and night itself, and just needed to take it a little easier. 

I had a few things I needed to do, before we declared Friday night a do nothing night.

What I learned: We watched a video about a vacation spot we "won" in the live auction at the Thursday gala. Learned about Victor Idaho and the surrounding areas. I see a family vacation coming up in the spring or early summer.

Dinner: I had not taken anything out of the freezer to cook for dinner and we opted to do take out from Luna Pizza, a new pizza place not far from our house. We are not big pizza fans, but we will order this meal again.

Blanco pizza, greek salad.***

Listened to: Just My Imagination

Saturday: Ball game day! Our usual Saturdays begin with coffee and ESPN game day playing in the background.  Games are on the tv all day and though we do not sit and watch them all, we do keep up with them while wandering in and out of the den. I will admit we stop and watch the last few minutes of a close game.

TheHub and Son2 headed to Tuscaloosa for the Alabama game while DIL2 came over to the house to watch it with me. I do actively watch the Alabama game.

What I learned: I'm not sure I learned anything other than Johnny Knoxville is a Tennessee fan. I could have easily done without knowing that.

Dinner: DIL2 and I had leftover pizza and greek salad

Listened to: Stand Alone

Sunday: We woke early and did our usual Sunday church routine, including attending a small reception honoring our minister who is pursuing a career in counseling other ministers. We came home in time to grab a quick sandwich before heading downtown to watch the Broadway tour of Hamilton. 

We have seen the play before, and seeing it again did not disappoint us at all, but we agreed we do not need to see it again.

What I learned: Reserved parking at the BJCC is the no hassle way to go.

Dinner: We met Son2 and DIL2 after the play at Taziki's for an early dinner.

Chicken salad, tomato onion cucumber salad, mixed fruit

Listened to: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Read this past week: Yesteryear

                                  The Mad Wife

Have a great week!

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

*Tebow's father recently passed away from Parkinson's. Research and patient support is very near and dear to him. He is an excellent speaker.

** Son's 2 and 3,  DIL's 2 and 3, and My Beloved Sister were sitting at our table, along with a young teen (Jr. Ambassador) who champions Parkinson's as her personal philanthropy, her parents, and our friend who is a current Parkinson's patient.

*** The Greek salad from Luna is gigantic with possibly the best dressing I have ever eaten. They should bottle and sell it!

Finally!

Finally, with just a few minor adjustments to the meal side dishes I followed the 7 day plan from last Wednesday through Tuesday.  Not to pat myself on the back or anything but . . .

Of course I know it will be a short lived victory because 7 more days begin today, and the likelihood of doing it again are pretty slim.

1. Leftover tomato pie, tossed salad

2. Leftover baked ziti (take out meal) tossed salad, green beans

3. Stuffed bell pepper, mashed potatoes, coleslaw

4. Veggie meal TBD

5. Ball game meal (most likely hot dogs, coleslaw)

6. Grilled tuna steaks, roasted vegetables, baked potato

7. Out to eat

Possibilities for Wednesday - Tuesday

1. Smoked sausage w/ kraut, potatoes, green beans

2. Sloppy Joes, coleslaw

3, Out to eat (formal benefit)

4. Out to eat (Trivia night)

5. Crack chicken, broccoli, Waldorf salad

6. Grilled steak, baked potato, tossed salad

7. Korean lettuce wraps, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, roll

Have a great one staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all.

Spotify Has It In For Me

Ok, now I officially believe the gods of Spotify's algorithm have figured out what I am doing each week and have decided to mess with me. Bob Hope's Thanks for the Memories was the first song? Really!?!

So, I decided the songs I listened to had to either have memory in the title or lyrics. By Friday I was having a hard time thinking of them.

Monday: I truly like Monday's to be unplanned. This day worked perfectly with that. I was able to get some things in the house done and still have some time for reading.

What I learned: We watched a video about the topography of New Zealand and why it was the perfect place to film Lord of the Rings.

Dinner: A lot of overripe tomatoes set the tone for this meal. I was just glad I had a pie shell in the fridge.

Tomato Pie, coleslaw

Listened to: Memory

Tuesday: The day was, for the most part, a regular day. I did a little tidying and dusting and got the dining room ready for company. Normally on Tuesday nights we go to trivia, but booted it for a planned dinner here.

When others come to eat with us, I truly like using the dining room and the "good" stuff. Even if I don't bring out the china we still use nicer plates, the silverware, and some sort of table decoration.

Dinner: We had a birthday dinner here, but there was no cooking involved.

Take out ziti, garlic rolls, tossed salad, Italian cream cake, Italian cream cake baby bites, half moon cookies*

What I learned: If you tell people you don't want/need a birthday cake, you'll get treats anyway

Listened to: In Memory of Elizabeth Reed

Wednesday: I had my Wednesday class than went to lunch with 2 of my friends who are in the same class. We tried a restaurant, Local, that is under new ownership. It was pretty good, and the new owner told us there would be live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. TheHub and I will have to try it one night before too long.

What I learned: I actually learned to plan leftovers in my weekly meal plan. And it only took me this long to learn.

Dinner: Planned overs to the rescue. A heat, toss and eat meal was pretty nice.

Leftover tomato pie, tossed salad

Listened to: The Way We Were

Thursday: My Beloved Sister came to my house and we went together to meet our book club for lunch. I had never been to Slice before. (We got lost. Who knew it was in something that looked like a house?)

I am not a huge pizza fan and did not want any, but, their wedge salad with green goddess dressing was fantastic.

What I learned: We watched a video about Wales. It might have moved to one of the top spots on my bucket list.

Dinner: Leftover ziti, tossed salad

Listened to: Memories

Friday: I had another at home day, with massive work taking out and rearranging everything in the freezer.** It worked for not only creating additional freezer space, but also to visually inventory what I have. (Too much!)

What I learned: I learned there was a huge cholera epidemic in Birmingham sometime in 1873, which wiped out nearly half of the population. Thanks to the "ladies of the evening" who acted as nurses to many of the survivors.

Dinner: Stuffed bell pepper, leftover speckled butter beans, coleslaw

Listened to: In My Life

Saturday: Ball Game Day!!!  We began with ESPN Game Day on TV at 8 a.m. , and ended with the final play of the Ole Miss/LSU game.

What I learned: Ole Miss now does their version of Rammer Jammer

Dinner: Ball Game days require ball game meals.

Hot dogs with fixings, coleslaw, Sun Chips

Listened to: Gentle on my mind

Sunday: We woke and did our usual Sunday morning church activities, came home for lunch and hung around the house for the rest of the day. It was kind of nice to have a slow/low day at home. My only productive thing was to work in the laundry room refrigerator and freezer.

What I learned: The Atchafalaya River in Louisiana is home to both fresh and salt water critters, including alligators, shrimp, crabs, and bull sharks.

Dinner: Veggie night

Lady peas, corn on the cob, tossed salad, tomato slices, cornbread

Listened to: Memories ***

Read: The First Time I Saw Him

Have a great week.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* I love Italian cream cake, but making one is not in TheHub's playbook. There is a bakery near here that makes a delicious one but it is huge and we just didn't need that much cake around, so TheHub went to Pastry Arts to pick up a few baby bites. 

Meanwhile Son2 and DIL2 went to the Dutch Oven Bakery in Faulkville to pick up a one layer Italian cream cake. 

Not to be outdone My Beloved Sister headed to Full Moon to grab a dozen half moon cookies.

 

**Handy tip for working in the freezer is to wear ski gloves. They repel any dampness and keep the hands from freeing.

** *I think I vaguely remember this from Lawrence Welk or some similar variety show.

Almost!

I'm getting better!

Deconstructed Lasagna, tossed salad 

Hamburgers with all the fixings, coleslaw, baked beans

Dijon chicken, rice, broccoli, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers

Lady peas, squash casserole, tomato cucumber onion salad

BLT salad

Out to eat

Leftovers or stuffed peppers with leftovers

I am planning our menu Wednesday -Tuesday to take advantage of  the weekly food ads for my area. For the past 7 days I stayed almost on plan with slight revisions. 

We still had a veggie meal but instead of lady peas we had speckled butter beans, with sautéed squash rather than a casserole. 

The night with the dijon chicken, I substituted mashed potatoes for the rice, but all in all any changes were minor.

The one meal I changed totally was simply because I had some tomatoes that needed to be used, and I had 1 deep dish pie crust in the refrigerator. Because we really do like it, tomato pie became our meal.

Also, the out to eat meal turned into a takeout meal for the family.

Possibilities for the week:

1. Leftover tomato pie, tossed salad

2. Leftover baked ziti (take out meal) tossed salad, green beans

3. Stuffed bell pepper, mashed potatoes, coleslaw

4. Veggie meal TBD

5. Ball game meal (most likely hot dogs, coleslaw)

6. Grilled tuna steaks, roasted vegetables, baked potato

7. Out to eat

Have a good week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all

A Boogie Through Last Week

I can think of absolutely no reason why the Gods of Spotify chose this as the first song of my Discover Weekly list, but it happened. Boogie Woogie Country Girl had possibilities, I was sure, but I had no idea the direction it would take. I knew very few boogie songs and even fewer possibly no songs mentioning country girls 

 

Monday: The very hot Labor Day came and went with little fanfare other than having Son2 DIL2 and My Beloved Sister over for lunch (which I am counting as dinner since that is the only meal we ate for the day)

Once they left I did a lot of reading while TheHub nodded off in his recliner.

We watched the FSU-SMU football game, which was delayed because the lights in the stadium were not working for a while. What was that about? Did someone forget to pay the power company?

While we were waiting I read a couple of magazine articles (Thank you Libby app)

What I learned: We watched a video about Patagonia and I learned about the southernmost post office in the world. It is not on my bucket list for places to go, but the post office has its own passport stamp that is pretty neat and I would not mind having it.

Dinner (or lunch really): We enjoyed a Labor Day spread curtesy of Saws BBQ.

Pulled pork, smoked chicken, baked beans, potato salad, collards, coleslaw, banana pudding

Listened to: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B

 

Tuesday: I started the day with a loads laundry followed by a little cleaning and a lot of reading. Then it was time for a little cherry picking at my local grocery stores, followed by an evening of trivia. Our neighbors joined us there to multiply our brain power. It was fun, but even with their help we were not the brightest bulbs in the box.

What I learned: James Brown was known as the "Hardest Working Man in Show Business" (Obscure trivia question. We had no idea!)

Dinner: When we are playing trivia at The Electric, TheHub and I split a sandwich and order an extra side. 

1/2 Cuban sandwich, coleslaw, adult beverage

Listened to: Jungle Boogie

Wednesday: My Wednesday class began after our summer break. It was wonderful to see everyone again and catch up on what everyone did over the summer. Other than running a couple of errands after class, making my grocery list and menu plan, I mostly had a pretty low key afternoon. I did talk to Son1 and Son3, and of course I talked with My Beloved Sister.

What I learned: TheHub and I watched a video about the English Channel island, Sark. It has a population of a little over 500, allows no cars on the island and all transportation is by horse and buggy, bicycles, or tractor drawn carts.

Dinner: I am going to be using a lot from the freezer and pantry this week (as long as I remember to thaw what is needed)

Chicken in dijon cream sauce, mashed potatoes, broccoli

Listened to : Boogie Oogie Oogie

Thursday: TheHub and I got ready and left the house fairly early to do some running around to gather a few things for the upcoming Parkinson's Association Gala. 

While we were out we ate lunch at Nicki's. If any of you are familiar with this long standing meat and three you know how it goes. If you aren't the best thing I can compare it to is the Soup Nazi episode from Seinfeld. You better know exactly what you want when you are going through the serving line because there is absolutely no dawdling allowed. 

You can always tell when someone is bringing a rookie with them. While standing in the queue you can hear them say "Look at the board so you will know what you are getting before you get there" .

After a delicious lunch we headed to Aldi and Trader Joe's. I cherry picked Aldi, but I bought some of the seasonal items at TJ's. When it get a little cooler I will be baking the Maple Butterscotch Blondie mix I bought with a London Fog from the concentrate I also bought.

What I learned: There is a new coffee shop fairly near us and I have driven by it several times and never even noticed it.

Dinner: Because we ate a much heavier lunch than normal we wanted something lighter.

Small BLT salad

Listened to: Boogie Nights

Friday: I did not feel well enough to go anywhere and instead concentrated on cleaning another area in the laundry room. I was able to get rid of some fabric I will never use, and reorganized the sewing area, including cleaning all the drawers and cabinets there.

Other than that there was just some routine household chores and the beginnings of changing over my clothes. It is still seriously hot here, but some of the very summery looking things will not be worn again until next spring. There is no point in them taking up drawer or closet real estate.

It is still too early and too hot to bring any fall/winter clothes downstairs.

What I learned: We watched a video about Greenland. Learned a lot about the icebergs that change the seascape almost hourly.

Dinner: We both wanted something that was not bland.

Deconstructed lasagne, tossed salad

Listened to: My Boogie Shoes

Saturday: Woke and listened to College Game day while having my coffee, all three cups of deliciousness.

While TheHub was in his office working on the Gala, I had a mini spa morning. It's been a while since I did that and I honestly enjoyed the self care.

After getting all lotioned and potioned, I was ready for some football. That would be Alabama/Kentucky football, but in reality the TV was already tuned on to whomever is playing the first game of the day. I didn't watch it, but couldn't help but hear it.

Alabama, on the other hand, was actively watched.

What I learned: A friends daughter has an antique business and agreed to look for a few more dining room chairs for me. The ones I have now were bought from a friend who was emptying her mother's house and they are so much better than the ones that came with my table. Our family has grown and the lower profile chairs make everything less crowded.

Dinner: Ball game days require ball game meals

Hamburgers with all the fixings

Listened to: Cow Cow Boogie *

Sunday: We woke and did our usual Sunday morning church thing. We were at the early communion service before going to our traditional service followed by Sunday School. Doing that sets my week in a direction I would like it to go.

Afterward we had lunch and both settled in the den to read. I was still not feeling great, and covered up with a light throw (both the a/c and ceiling fan were going)  A couple of years ago we bought a new love seat with reclining seats. It might have been a dangerous purchase because my reading turned into snoozing.

What I learned: We watched the Netflix show about Thomas Jefferson and learned a bit about his beginnings.

Dinner: Veggie night!

Speckled butter beans, sautéed squash and onions, okra, tomatoes, cucumbers

Listened to: Give Back My Heart*

Read this week: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Have a great week.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

*Most days my mind went straight to disco songs for a boogie tune. I can't believe it took me until Saturday to remember Cow Cow Boogie!

** I could not think of a single song with Country Girl in the title so instead I used this which is about a redneck cow girl. (It was the closest thing I could think of that hints at a country girl.) I  listen to this album regularly.

Oh No! Just 3 Months and 9 Days till Christmas

 Man oh man! Have I ever been flunking Christmas prep! 

I guess I have been in a funk with the extreme heat. I need to think about cooler temps. maybe a funky Christmas tune will help!

In August while I was cleaning one of the laundry room cabinets, I found a tracing of Pip's 3 year old little hand. I cut it out, and decided to make clay handprints I can weave through a garland for the dining room windows. This way even though she will not be here, a part of her will be with us throughout the holidays.

Also while cleaning the same cabinet, I found an almost full box of Christmas cards. I have added several new names to our Christmas Card list and have gone ahead and addressed them to the people I added. The cards are really nice cards and this way I can use them without worrying about someone getting the same card from us two years in a row. 

I did buy a couple of gifts. I can't say what they are because they might be for a couple of relatives who sometimes read the blog.

Other than that, I have started putting together ideas on what to serve at the Christmas party My Beloved Sister and I are having for our childhood neighborhood friends.  The party is scheduled for Dec 2, which will make me have everything done and decorated as soon as Thanksgiving is over. I don't know about the rest of you, but for me time flies, so I need to start early.

I am hoping then 2nd half of September sees great strides, but I know me and doubt it will. I seem to work best under pressure, and I am an excellent procrastinator.

Gotta get my rear in gear. 

Ho Ho How are I going to do that?

I Tried, I Didn't Succeed

I had a menu planned for the week, but forgot to allow for leftover meals. From now on if we have a veggie meal on the plan, I am going to have an additional leftover meal planned at least partially around the excess.

The food ads are less than stellar this week, so other than cherry picking some shelf stable longer term storage items, I need little. Looks like I will actually only have to have a little bit of produce. The upside is that cooking for the next 7 days will result in using foods I already have on hand.

Other than that I've got nothing, or maybe a little something

Asian stuffed lettuce leaves, sliced raw veggies

Deconstructed lasagna, tossed salad

Tomato pie, green beans, sliced cucumbers

Veggie meal TBD

Out to eat

Meatloaf, rice, broccoli

Labor Day meal TBD, most likely BBQ of some sort

1. Deconstructed Lasagna, tossed salad

2. Hamburgers with all the fixings, coleslaw, baked beans

3. Dijon chicken, rice, broccoli, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers

4. Lady peas, squash casserole, tomato cucumber onion salad

5. BLT salad

6. Out to eat

7. Leftovers or stuffed peppers with leftovers

Have a great time staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all