Another Week of Joys and Foods

This week I really was off my decluttering game. In fact the only thing I even moderately decluttered was getting rid of some clothes I will never wear again. 

I had a pair of pants I had packed and planned to wear out to eat while we were in Fairhope last week. Fortunately or unfortunately (I will leave this up to you, the reader) the hotel room had a full size mirror in the hallway of the room. You guessed it__I came, I saw, I changed into a pair of jeans, and as soon as we were home, put those atrocities in a Goodwill box. (Had to be the pants right? No way it could have been the person in them). Once I started a load I thought I might as well go through everything hanging and get rid of anything I did not think I would wear again.  Damn mirror!

Monday: I was glad to be back home, able to do a little laundry, get back in a routine, and read a bit__mainly glad to read!

Dinner: I had intended to make a cheeseburger salad, but when I talked with TheHub before he came home from work, he told me he had a big salad lunch. Back to the drawing board! This is exactly why I keep things in the freezer that can be thawed and cooked in a few minutes.

Hamburger patty, sautéed peppers, onions, and super thin potato slices

Tuesday: It was a drop dead gorgeous day, with lovely spring like weather. When I was out driving around I saw daffodils blooming and the shrubs are showing signs of that beautiful spring green. I love it. And a bonus for the day was the sale price on frozen tuna  filets. The day felt like an all around win!

Dinner: I had planned on air frying some chicken, but decided I did not want to have that much clean up. Instead I changed plans a little.

Orange ginger glazed chicken, smashed potatoes, tossed salad

Wednesday: Another gorgeous day in the hood. I woke, got gussied up and went to my weekly class, came home and got everything in order to go to my happy place.  My beloved sister has started going with me sometimes and I love having someone to talk and laugh with driving from here to there. It only takes about 30 minutes which is not a long time, but there is really nothing to see from the interstate between my house and the exit. It's much better to have a passenger!

This time the participants made nachos and as a bonus I had mini moon pies for them. I think they really liked it.

Dinner: We never celebrate Valentine's day on the actual day, and had made reservations for dinner on the 15th. We needed to reschedule because we had to leave town last Thursday afternoon. They had an availability for Wednesday at the time we wanted so we took it. It was the first time I have ever been to Automatic Seafood. What a treat!

Scallops for me, Grouper for TheHub, rolls, and creamed spinach

Thursday: It was beautiful once again. After all the rains we had this winter the gorgeous days are much more appreciated. Now the forsythia is blooming along with a few trees. The best thing is the days are warm enough to have the house open and aired out before the Big Pollen Dump. I fear it is coming early this year.

Dinner: I did not give a hoot what TheHub did or did not eat for lunch. We were having what I wanted!

Cheesburger salad

Friday: It rained in the wee hours  of the morning then the sky was blue all day. Instead of doing any sorting I did minimal laundry, drank a lot of coffee and read.

TheHub wanted to do something besides stay home, so I kind of dressed up (OK I  showered, put on clean clothes and makeup) so I would be ready the minute he came home. It was still light, more like an early twilight. I am very lucky that when you walk out my front door you can see the moon. rising. Friday the sky was a blueish purple with a beautiful full moon. as if that was not enough I could see the glow of sunset through the trees. We hopped in the car to ride up to the bluff, We missed the actual sunset, but the afterglow in the sky was brilliant scarlet and tangerine. I told TheHub we had a bookend sky experience. Dinner: Once had finished looking at the amazing sky, we headed to our favorite "just beyond the neighborhood" place. While there imagine my surprise when I ran into one of my childhood friends. I do not remember a time when I did not know her. She has recently moved to my area of town so I could possibly see her more often.

Wedge salad or flatbread

Saturday: The day was a little cooler, but far from chilly. It was gorgeous while TheHub and I went out to do some errands along with a little exploring. Daffodils are blooming everywhere along with several tree varieties, and dandelions which I find a menace if they pop up in my own yard, are quite beautiful in other folk's yards.

While running around/driving about we decided we were hungry. One of our resolutions for the year is to try new to us places to eat. We had been in a rut and seemed to go to the same 6 or 7 places over and over. Saturday we tried Donato's pizza and had not been there previously. 

Neither of us are huge pizza fans and both chose something other than a red sauce based meal.. The Italian chef's salad was a perfect lunch for me, but TheHub's sandwich looked delicious also.

We got home in time to watch Kentucky skunk Alabama's basketball team. Oh well, then ended the night watching the current episode of "Masters of the Air"

Dinner: While out, we ran by Snapper Grabber to pick up some fish for Sunday's dinner, and also bought  1/2 pound steamed shrimp. I am not a big shrimp fan but an easy dinner is an easy dinner.

Steamed shrimp, coleslaw

Sunday: We went to church, came home and watched a little bit of Alabama's softball game. TheHub had to run into the office, so I read while he was gone. Once he came back to the house we went out, rode around a little then ran a couple of errands before coming home. BTW I am stocked to the gills with groceries now!

Dinner: This meal was not even thought of when I planned my menu last week. I blame the impulsive visit to Snapper Grabber Saturday morning.

Grilled swordfish with yuzu sauce, broccoli, tossed salad.

What might happen this week:

1. Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans, cucumber salad

2. BBQ cheeseburger waffles, cauliflower side dish TBD

3. Chicken divan (ton of broccoli left over from Sunday's dinner to use)

4. Hot and sour soup, spring rolls

5. Big salad meal TBD

6. Potential celebration meal at a restaurant

7.Spaghetti w/ meat sauce, tossed salad

Hope you have a great week staying on plan, going off plan or with no plan at all.

Books read thus far in February*

Lillian Boxfish takes a Walk

The Nightingale

Be sure to look for your joys this week. No matter how small they are always out there!

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* Seriously bad reading month

Joys and Sadness

I knew from the start of the week, it would be filled differently than most weeks. Even before I realized we would be out of town for part of the week, I had made plans for a few days. Some plans happened and some had to be cancelled because life got in the way of them. Regardless, plans that were made and happened or changed, time and life goes on

Monday: The day was dreary with downpours but I loved it because I was able to volunteer at my happy place.  In homage to Mardi Gras, I wore a purple top with my jeans, lots of green purple and gold beads, and we made red beans and rice for the life skills lesson.  

A couple of them liked making it more than eating it, declaring it was too spicy for them.  Then some of the participants loved it. It was a little hotter than I intended but the person who was putting the seasonings in it got just a tad heavy handed and I could not get it out of the pot.

Dinner: TheHub had eaten some of his Chinese leftovers for lunch Sunday and was not keen to have it again. Fortunately I had a couple of containers with frozen leftovers.

Spaghetti with meat sauce (TheHub), leftover moo shu pork (me)

Tuesday: I woke and did a little around the house before leaving to meet a friend who was in my first grade class. We sat at The Cheesecake Factory for 3 1/2 hours eating lunch*and talking, and talking, and talking. I have not seen her in several years and forgot how much I enjoy her company. We left vowing to do it again, but much sooner this time.

Dinner: I arrived home in time to get our Mardi Gras meal going

Jambalaya, coleslaw, king cake doughnuts**

Wednesday: The reason I do not likeTheHub to schedule any work for/ about the house is because he schedules times that would be convenient for him if he were actually here during the day. It was time for our termite bond to be renewed, which always  a walk through the basement, and all the rooms of the house looking for signs of the little critters. It is also the year when a new treatment needed to be done around the perimeter of the house. I think it is every 5 years that it must be redone. So he of course scheduled it for between 8-9 am.

When I reminded him that I have a morning class every Wednesday, he said it would be no problem, that he would go into work later and I could get ready and go to class.  The termite guy was here by 7:45 and TheHub was still here, and technically walked around for the main level inspection part, then left. Seems I was the one who was stuck here until the young man finished, so I could pay him. I was not terribly happy.

SO instead of going to class, I hung out at the house, touching more things, and making decisions "do they stay or do they go?" I find if it is something that needs thought, more often than not I am choosing "go" as the option.

Dinner: It was Valentine's Day and we no longer go out to eat then. Rather than fight the crowds we stay home and have a jointly prepared meal.

Grilled steak, smashed potatoes, tossed salad, truffles

Thursday: TheHub had a scheduled offsite strategic planning meeting at Persell Farms (about an hour away). Because we were going to leave from his meeting and head straight to South Alabama for the family funeral, I went with him when he left for the meeting. I dropped him off and spent a few hours exploring the surrounding towns, before finding a small out of the way restaurant for a late lunch (It was almost 3 by then) The place was nearly empty, so I ate then spent about an hour reading and talking to the waitress. In rural Alabama if you do not talk to those who strike up a conversation with you, you are thought of as rude and uppity, and if you are eating at a restaurant named Lori Darlin's, you better not be uppity. 

The place was less than 1/4 of a mile from the farm's entrance and I figured I could call for a take out meal we could pick up as we were leaving. That way TheHub could eat it in the car and we would only have to make one stop on the way to Fairhope. I knew after a very late lunch, dinner would be off the table for me anyway.

We left and took what were called county roads, though I called them cow paths, to get from the middle of nowhere to the interstate. Once there it was a pretty straight shot to our destination and we arrived about 9:30, in time to check in, rinse off and get ready for bed, since we were starting the next day with a morning celebration of life.

Dinner: Non existant

Friday: We woke after sleeping badly***, put on proper attire, and left for a morning visitation in Daphne, prior to the funeral. All of TheHub's generation's siblings  and spouses were there along with a few nephews and our only niece, spouses and children. 

The service itself was very uplifting and all 5 of the grandsons ****participated in the ceremony, which I thought was particularly lovely.

Afterward we all went to my Sister -in- Laws house for a post funeral meal. Prior to the actual meal a favorite adult beverage was passed out to everyone (of age, kids had Sprite) and my nephew made a lovely toast to M. I truly think that should be a tradition at every after funeral meal. 

We stayed for a couple of hours, then went back to the hotel to change into comfortable clothes. 

Dinner: My niece and nephew both asked us to come back to their mom's house so we could all go out to dinner. (They just wanted to get her out of the house into a neutral environment) So 17 of us met at a seafood restaurant near her house and had a meal, shared memories and laughed. What is a better way to remember someone?

Whatever seafood anyone wanted

Saturday: We had planned on getting up and heading back to town, but our SIL asked us to come back to her house to eat. Her friends had been so generous and had covered her with food. (After putting away the leftovers for freezing after we all ate, she is not going to need to cook for a month)

We went and had a very good visit with her, her kids , their families,  and TheHub's sister. We left much later than we intended, but sometimes you have to forget about any plans and just do what you really needed to do all along. 

Dinner: We got home later than we thought we would and had no dinner plans, and were not really hungry

Progresso soup

Sunday: I was back home and my bed which is in the correct geographic orientation for my sleep was calling me. I slept much later than normal. 

We decided to skip church because we would have needed to really rush to make it there on time. Instead we ate a leisurely breakfast and talked.

After we ate, we both did a few chores then watched Alabama's softball team play before changing the channel to watch Alabama's women's basketball beat Auburn. (It was a surprise win because Auburn was leading until the last couple of minutes, but it is always good to beat the in-state rival)

Dinner: I pulled a couple of things out of the freezer to create a much less than stellar meal.

Chicken with gravy over smashed potatoes, green beans

Potential meals for this week:

1. "Fried"chicken, potato salad, steamed broccoli

2.  Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad, rolls

3.  Cheesburger salad

4.  Crack chicken, spinach salad

5.  Mexican Pizza, coleslaw

6.  Out to eat

7.  Soup meal TBD

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

Be sure to look for your joys this week. They are out there no matter how small they may be.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

*We arrived after the lunch crowd then left right before the dinner crowd was arriving. We also cleared our bill so out waitperson could close out her lunch ticket. If I am going to be somewhere for a prolonged period, I am at the very least going to be respectful of their time.

** Used just a basic cake doughnut recipe, added cinnamon, a light vanilla glaze, and should have used purple, green, and yellow sprinkles, but I only had green and did not want to make yellow and purple, so we ate unsprinkled  doughnuts. Though not festive looking they were still pretty tasty.

*** If I am not sleeping with my head to the east and my feet facing west I do not sleep well. I never pay any attention to it until the next morning after fighting with the bed all night. Yes I know it is quirky but it is what it is.

****The grandkids, all guys, are absolutely darling boys. I enjoyed being with them and talking to each one of them. We need to see them more often, and since we have only 2 adults at our house it makes sense that we should be the ones who travel to visit them.

A Week in a Minor Key

The past week was not a fun filled week, though there were small joys as always. This week is going to have some ups and downs for us, but I am not going to make it better by staying in the house working. I think I need to be out in the world  among people a little more.

Monday: This was just a regular day and I did not try to clean out anything. In fact I did very little other than normal household chores, laundry (and yes there is a joy when you get into bed on freshly washed sheets), cooking, and some reading.

Dinner: TheHub had a meeting downtown and came home as soon as it was over, rather than go back to work. He wanted to eat early. No problem, but I would have preferred a heads up. Since I had not started cooking (or even thought about what I was going to make for dinner) I opted for a quick meal. This is why I always have browned and seasoned ground chuck in the freezer.

Taco salad

Tuesday: I began serious decluttering in the changing room, bath, and hallway. I found more things I had forgotten about, but only one item neither of us remembered getting (buying?).

Dinner: TheHub did not really want what I planned on making and suggested he pick up something on his way home from the office. I am not stupid enough to disagree when someone volunteers to stop at Fried Green Tomatoes .

Veggie plate (TheHub), pork chop, collards, (me)

Wednesday: I woke to an extremely early phone call. Those almost always mean sad/bad news and this was no exception. I was supposed to go to class that morning but did not want to be around anyone for a while.  Instead I got a lot of Mom's personal business papers together (kept them for a few years just in case) and took them to be shredded. My Beloved Sister went with me, then we stopped at a couple of places on the way home. 

Dinner: It was the perfect night for soup, so that is what we had.

Creamy ham soup, stuffed mushrooms

Thursday:  I did more cleaning until it was time to get ready for a show we were going to see. We met our friends at The Alys to hear Steep Canyon Rangers. It was great, and makes me angry that we did not take advantage of more recent events there. 

Dinner: We did not have time to eat beforehand so we stopped at The Purple Onion on our way home to grab a bite to eat.

Cheeseburger (TheHub) Gyro salad (me) 

Friday: It was a stay at home day for me, in fact I only ventured outdoors a couple of times. Instead I did more touching, sorting, and increasing my donation pile. I did find a couple of things taking up space in my closet that I do remember getting, but out of sight, out of mind. They are now gone thanks to the buy nothing FB site.

I had a very short call with Sluggy which was interrupted by an unexpected, but not unwelcomed visitor.

Dinner: We normally go out on Friday nights, but since we had been out Thursday we decided to stay home and watch a movie. Neither of us were hungry and just had warmed overs.

Soup

Saturday: We ran our usual morning rounds, getting back just in time to watch Alabama basketball followed by an Alabama softball game. I was not feeling well, but I didn't feel horrible. I was freezing even though the weather was not cold at all. I should have listened to my body but I did not.

Dinner: It was Chinese New Year and every year we do Chinese take out, as we did Saturday night. The dinner was delicious and we ate at the kitchen table which was all gussied up with Year of the Dragon decor. I was feeling pretty rotten by the time we got the food, but ate anyway. Mistake! I obviously had picked up a virus somewhere.

Lemon chicken (TheHub) moo shu pork (me)

Sunday: I finally got to bed at about 4:30 Sunday morning after a difficult night. I woke about 9:30 and was not feeling great and still freezing. I dressed in the softest clothes I own and spent the day mostly on the couch, covered in blankets, sipping ginger lemon tea. 

I know we watched (OK TheHub watched while I sometimes watched between snoozing) Alabama women's basketball, and I really did not start feeling human until early evening. when the Super Bowl came on.

Dinner: TheHub was on his own for dinner because I was not about to eat a meal of any sorts.

TV dinner (TheHub) a few crackers (me)

What's possible for this week:

We are going to be out of town for a family funeral and will not be home at least 2 nights, possibly 3. I am planning our meals assuming we will be gone three nights, I can always throw something together, or we can do takeout if need be. 

1. Leftover Chinese

2. Jambayla, coleslaw, king cake - Mardi Gras

3. Grilled steaks, broccoli, potatoes, tossed salad, chocolate cake - Valentines

4. Soup or salad meal

Enjoy your meals staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all.

Books read in February

Lillian Boxfish Takes a walk

Have a great week and look for your joys. They are always out there no matter how small.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

Variation on a Theme of Tom Kha Gai

 I love soup, but TheHub is very finicky about when he will eat it, so I am making it often while the weather is cooler. And what could possibly be better on a cold night than hot spicy soup. Unfortunately not as spicy as I would like, because TheHub does not have an asbestos mouth like I have.

I found a couple of recipes but I am not a big follower of recipes, so this is just my take on the soup. I also am not a measurer so all measurements were eyeballed, but I am pretty good at eyeballing.

I will also say all the recipes I read called for galangal which I not only did not have on hand, but I have never had any. Nor do I have a clue what flavor it adds, so I left it out and used turmeric instead. Sue me!

I did not have kaffir lime leaves either, so lime zest and juice were my substitutes.

I  confess, I also have squeeze tubes of many different herbs and spice pastes in the freezer and use them often because it saves time. Knowing this, you might call this Cheaters Soup. 

Almost Tom Kha Gai

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

Put the oil in the bottom of a stock pot

Saute the onion in the oil until it is almost translucent

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cartons mushrooms cleaned and sliced

Add the garlic and mushrooms to the pot and stir until they are wilted but not browned

32 ounces chicken broth/stock (your choice)

Add to the vegetables quickly to stop the browning process.

Stir well

Add the remaining ingredients

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 boneless skinless chicken breast thinly sliced*

1 tablespoon ginger paste** (equals about and inch of fresh ginger, peeled and minced)

1/2 tablespoon lemon grass paste (about 2 or 3 fresh stalks thinly sliced)

2 tablespoons brown sugar substitute (the recipes all called for coconut sugar or brown sugar)

2 teaspoons hot red chili paste ( 1 minced jalapeño instead) 

1 teaspoon turmeric paste (not sure this added anything but color)

zest of one small lime

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce (I will decrease this a bit next time)

2 heaping tablespoons red curry paste

Bring to a simmer and gently cook until the chicken is done. ( about 20 minutes)  Serve this deliciousness piping hot, but if you use fresh lemongrass make sure you don't eat it.

This was so good, and before we were through eating there was only about a cup full of soup left for me to have for lunch. Just typing this makes me want more. 

It is an easy, quick and delicious soup meal.

* I used 2 chicken tenders that were frozen. I let them thaw about 10 minutes and was able to slice the still icy tenders very thin.

** The links are not to affiliate products. They are just what I use

Joy and Vittles

Last week came first as January, then left as February. I guess this year is going to fly by just like the last year did. 

I continue with the sorting, placing things in a completely logical spot, and giving away anything that is not needed.

Those days are not particularly fun, but I have found a couple of podcasts or brainless movies to listen to as I work. And in spite of doing an excess of chores, joys still occur.

I am finding things I did not remember ever having and am keeping a list for the end of the month. I am certain I will find more items. I am not even through with the main floor, and have not touched the rooms upstairs or downstairs. Ugh! Back to the mines for me this week.

Monday: Spent another day in the laundry room sorting through more and more things. Not fun, but it has to be done.

I did have another small chore to take care of last week. I try to decorate the dining room table seasonally. (That does not mean crap does not get tossed on said table all the time. It seems to be the dropping off point every time we come in the house.)

Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras and Valentines are all in a 4 day period this year and I was in a quandary about how to manage all of the decorations in such a short time. Following the path of least resistance, I decided to do the dining room as the Valentine's room and just jazz up the kitchen table for the other two. 

I got Chinese New Year done, made tassels and hung Chinese lanterns. It is the year of the dragon so I cut out a cool looking one from red card stock. I did not realize when I was drawing it that there were so many small cuts. It took much longer than I thought it would. But it was done and on display.

Dinner: Chicken Divan

Tuesday: I was back in the laundry room, and I managed to almost finish. Then I remembered one cabinet in the dining room sideboard that I forgot to clean. So of course I left the laundry room to go clean it.  Good thing because I found some more things for a final sayonara . 

While I was in the dining room I decided to go ahead and decorate for Valentine's Day.  And since enough is never enough I also decorated the foyer. Sneaky Jorge (my monkey butler) seemed happy to have hearts on his serving tray. I think he really wanted a bowl of foil wrapped chocolates there too, but he understands my chocolate weakness.

Dinner: I was lucky to have most of dinner frozen so there was very little prep for the night.

Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad

 

Wednesday. I went to my Wednesday morning class, and afterward went shopping. 

I like to keep greeting cards on hand for any occasion and my supply was low.  I restocked them, picked up a couple of other items I had on my "needs' list before heading out to the grocery store.  

Once I got home and put the groceries away, I needed to do some everyday cleaning. I noticed my vacuum was not working properly and thought I might need to clean the filters. I was right!  It took forever to get the water to run clear. I must have been about a year overdue cleaning them. Now it is on my calendar to rinse them out in three months. How dull is your life if a calendar entry is about vacuum filter cleaning? 

Dinner: Alabama mens basketball team was playing Georgia and we planned to watch it, so a game meal was in order.

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

Thursday: I woke, had coffee, then it was back to the grind. I was still touching, sorting, and all that other stuff that comes with seriously deep cleaning. It is not fun and is rather tedious, but I got a call from Sluggy. Laughing and cleaning is a lot easier than just cleaning. 

Dinner: I did not know Alabama women's basketball team was going to be televised and had planned a traditional dinner. TheHub really needs to let me know he has tv plans in advance if he wants a game night meal!

Ground chuck patty smothered in peppers and onions, brussels sprouts

Friday: Part of the morning was spent getting ready for DIL3 and Son3 who were coming for the night to go to an event with us. Meanwhile DIL2 and Son2 were on our side of town so they stopped by with their lunch, and while they ate, we visited. 

Once the 3's were here we sat and talked a bit before we all got ready for a fundraiser benefiting the American Baseball Foundation. 

The organization is a summer program for underserved kids that incorporates baseball and team building along with math and reading skills. They have charted the increase in test scores for those who have participated in the program and after just one summer both math and reading levels increased substantially.

We all met Son2 and DIL2 at The Club for dinner and the program featuring Brian Jordan, a former major league baseball/NFL player. Even though I had no clue who he was, he was a wonderful speaker and seems to be extremely generous in his philanthropy. 

He has written motivational books aimed at elementary school age children, and had a silent auction for the books with the stipulation that he personally would go to a school of choice and read them to the student body. There were 2 tables bidding and the bids got quite high. He finally suggested if each would pay the winning bid amount he would go to both of their schools and read to each one. Sold!

 It is probably a good thing he lives in Atlanta, because it is only a two hour drive from Birmingham so it is doable.

Dinner: We were at the fundraiser so it was basic banquet fare

Chicken, side salad, broccoli, potatoes, dinner rolls, their signature orange rolls, and cheesecake

Saturday: We woke, had a leisurely coffee and breakfast with Son3 and DIL3 before they left to get back to Nashville.  After doing a few house chores we got ready for our planned outing. We drove to Persell Farms for a meal, a show and an overnight stay in the inn. 

Let me fill you in on the back story.  TheHub saw this offering online and asked me if I would like to go. I said yes but it sounded like a waste of a Saturday. 

My intention was to go, then on the way home Sunday morning I could either ride smugly, knowing I was right or I could say "I told you so" all the way home.* 

We were driving through serious Alabama back country, passing such things as Clear Waters Cowboy Church, and a worm farm when we turned left off a two lane road to nowhere into a true oasis. 

The grounds including a golf course and clay shooting range, were gorgeous. The farm had several houses (no way you could ever call these cabins), the inn, a separate spa, entertainment venue, an Orvis store, outdoor game installations, pool. This thing was not a farm . . . it was a full scale resort.

The inn, which I imagined would be very rustic was anything but. Our room (not a suite) was beautifully appointed with a 4 poster bed, brocade chairs, a couch, small table for in room dining, desk (with brocade upholstered desk chair) a hall tree and a bench in addition to a beautiful dresser. TO say I was shocked would be an understatement.

Once we checked in we explored the common areas. Every little bit of space served some purpose. The stair landings all had small game or conversation areas. At the end of each hallway to rooms were a couple of couches to mix and mingle with other guests. There were three restaurants and a bar, a few scattered fireplaces, art and framed historical photos were everywhere. We even saw one stone carving from the 15th century.

When we finished browsing and after TheHub had a short nap it was time to go to the venue for dinner and a show ,"Tied Up in Knotts", a one woman show featuring Karen Knotts (Barney Fife's daughter)

Dinner:  The dinner tables were for seatings of ten, and we met and dined with 4 new to us couples. I am not particularly shy and enjoyed talking with them and discovering their stories. As it turned out the woman sitting next to me was covering the event for a weekly newspaper and once we began talking it turned out we had seen her perform a some fundraisers we go to yearly.

The meal itself was buffet style, reminiscent of something Aunt Bea from Mayberry would serve for dinner.

Chicken, fried catfish, mac and cheese, collards, pinto beans, fried green tomatoes, hushpuppies, cornbread and a pound cake trifle.

Sunday: We drove home from the farm after we woke and were dressed for the day. We planned to stop for breakfast on the way home but it was raining so we just went through a drive through. It suited me fine since all I ever have for breakfast is coffee.

We got back to the house just as the rain slacked off, opened the front door, then the bottom fell out. Perfect timing!

We both did our own thing during the rest of the day, but I did not do any deep cleaning.

Dinner: TheHub went to get a massage even though it was wet and cold. I stayed home and made soup.

Tom Kha Gai**

Possibilities for meals this week: 

I am meeting a friend for dinner and TheHub and I will do take out one night

1. Baked Greek chicken, roasted cauliflower, green beans, tossed salad

2. Steak, asparagus, tossed salad, baked potato

3. Soup TBD later in the week

4. Taco salad

5. Either a takeout Chinese meal, or  Chinese hot pot

6. Grilled tuna steaks, fries, tossed salad, broccoli

7 Out to eat

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan or with non plan at all.

Books read the first week of February:

None - I was busy cleaning and clearing crap

And remember to look for your joys. They are always out there even if they are small ones.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* Damn! Now it is TheHub who can say "Told you so"

** How to's and thoughts coming later this week

Found Things

I had mentioned in a previous post that I have been sorting, organizing and touching. This post is nothing but a recap of things I had no memory of ever receiving or things I bought, put away them promptly forgot about. 

Things I found that were unknown or forgotten

Kitchen baking center: 

Red Candy Melts (Given away)

White Candy Melts (Given away)

Whole flax seed (Will use)

Trader Joe's Nuts and Olives (TheHub and I ate them all week)

Kitchen small appliance cabinet:

Flat kabob skewers (moved to the outdoor bbq  cabinet)

Vegetable pan for the grill (moved to the outdoor bbq cabinet)

Kitchen buffet: 

Solar water bubbler (will use in the birdbath after the spring clean-up)

Laundry room:

3 sheets of chalkboard self stick tags (These were actually on my "to buy" list. Score!)

Mom's small decorative wooden catch-all box (Had no idea it was here. Now it is in use.)

6 skeins baby yarn (given away)

3 piece hiking pack including extra water bottle (given awy)

2 clear shopping bags (given away)

Bag of excelsior (kept for now)

MIL's handwritten cookbook* (thrilled to have found this)

A watercolor my dad painted when I was a child (framing it) **

Really cool placemat from a bar found in 1 of MIL's binders  (framing it) ***

Dining room sideboard:

8 off white, round candles, never burned (given away)

Trifle  bowl ( I had no idea I even had this. Guess I need to make a trifle)

2 rice paper table table lamps (undecided whether to keep or toss) ****

2 bisque dove candleholders (given away)

Given away in January

2 full size commercial baking pans - Buy Nothing FB group

3 springform pans - Exchange Club

candy melts - neighborhood FB group

George Forman Grill - Exchange Club

panini press (never used) - Independence Place

12  plates - Independence Place

set of extraordinarily cool spoons (never used) - Buy nothing FB group

set of retro cloth cowgirl napkins (never used) - Buy nothing FB group

1 oblong fall tablecloth (never used) - Buy nothing FB group

packing material from a delivery (who knew? )- Buy Nothing FB group

University of Alabama door wreath - Buy nothing FB group

2 silverplate casserole dish holders - Exchange Club

6 skeins yarn -Buy nothing FB group

Tervis koozie (never used) - neighborhood FB group

2 moving boxes of miscellaneous stuff including clothes - Exchange Club

Christmas circular table cloth - Exchange Club

Christmas table runner - Exchange Club

3 piece hiking pack  Exchange Club

Sturdy 10x10x4 black gift box with black shreds - Buy nothing FB group

8 round candles Neighborhood FB  group

2 bisque dove candleholders - Exchange Club

So now that February has begun and I move on to different areas of the house, the "touch keep or toss"game begins a new chapter and I will start a new list. I am beginning to think I made a terrible mistake vowing to do this. Maybe I should have made it a two year plan!

*MIL's family famous lasagne recipe was in the book!

** Overjoyed to find this treasure, which has no value to anyone but family.

***This placemat has drawings of the speciality drinks the bar offered. Will hang in the butlers pantry.

**** Decided at the last minute to toss the lamps in the Exchange Club box.