Dinners and Lots of Joy

Again I am posting both the meal plan and joys in the same post. We were in Daphne for a family visit and after we got home Sunday night I just did not feel like getting on the computer.

I do apologize for not commenting on your blogs. I only had my phone with me and it will not let me post comments, though I did read your blogs.

Meal plan (What a joke) for the week

1. Mexican chicken salad on greens

2. Spaghetti, tossed salad

3. BLT salad

4-7 We are visiting our SIL so who knew what/where or when we would be eating

Monday joy: I was doing some housekeeping and found a few things that will be great to use when we take our cross country trip, so packing for that trip began.

Monday dinner: I cook bacon  in the oven, 4 pounds at a time. After cooking it until nearly done I take it out to cool then pack it flat to freeze. We do not eat bacon often but when we do all I have to do is grab a couple of pieces and zap them until they are crisp (usually one minute). It is very handy for a day like this one when I just didn't feel like cooking.

BLT salad with black truffle/garlic aioli 

Tuesday joy: I had a few errands to run, and also had a long overdue conversation with one of my cousins. It is sort of funny. When we were younger adults, the need to keep in touch was not as intentional as it is now. We could go months between phone calls. Now we seldom have more than a couple of weeks without talking to each other.

Tuesday dinner: I was using things that needed to be used before we left to visit our SIL. I had several overripe tomatoes, lettuce and a cucumber that had to be used right then.

Spaghetti, tossed salad

Wednesday joy: I needed to mail DIL1's dress to her. (I was unaware it had even been left behind.) She was not able to come to Birmingham, but somewhere along the way her dress was forgotten here. Yes, I fault Son1 for that. 

I had been doing laundry all day because I hate leaving town with dirty laundry left behind. I was dressed like a haint* but needed to send it to her. 

There is a mailing service near me and I decided it would be fine to run there in all my haint-like glory. After all it is a small place and is never crowded. I walked in with my package only to see a sign on the door: Closed for CT scan, back tomorrow at regular time. Crap that meant I had to go to the post office instead (still looking like a haint). 

Even though I had to get out of my car and go into the postoffice where the wait was about 15 minutes, my single joy was that I did not see a soul I knew. It's the small things isn't it.

Wednesday dinner:TheHub got in later than we had expected, and rather than getting something out of  the freezer to cook, we ran by a local "meat and three" to grab dinner instead.

Pork chop, stewed okra and tomatoes, cooked cabbage, or whatever TheHub ate

Thursday joy: TheHub went into the office (yes his retirement still looked like a regular work day) and came home about lunch time so we could drive to Daphne to see our sister-in-law. 

We had a beautiful drive down and thanks to Waze we managed to avoid traffic clogs where construction was happening. We checked into our hotel then headed to N's house for a quick snack glass of wine, before heading to the restaurant. Her daughter (our niece)  and her son** along with TheHub's sister were also there. Mini family reunion time.

Thursday dinner: We ate at a seafood place on the bay. It was a step up from a dive but was in no way, shape or form a place you would go for an experience. But what delicious food!

Crab cake stack with green tomatoes, tossed salad. Everyone else had something different but they all enjoyed it.

Friday joy: We met, mid morning for coffee and a sightseeing ride winding up in Magnolia Springs. If I ever move to lower Alabama this is where I would like to live. The entire town is gorgeous and parts of it on the river are downright magical. We ate lunch at a quaint little restaurant (incredible food, extremely bad service). I did not mind the wait because we would have been talking and enjoying each other's company anyway, but I do think waiting nearly 2 hours for a lunch was a tad long. (Our waiter did not turn our order in).

After our long lunch, we drove a different route and wound up in Fairhope, which is another charming town. It has a ton of little shops just begging you to come in and spend some time (and mainly money). I am not much of a shopper and their charms were wasted on me.

We drove to N's to drop them (N, TheHub's sister, and JP) off then drove back to our hotel. TheHub had a couple of phone calls to make (Yes, even working on a trip) while I read. Our hotel was on the bay and we had a beautiful bay view our our window. I would had enjoyed sitting on the balcony, but it was just too hot and muggy. Instead I pulled the chair close to the window so I could enjoy the beauty in comfort.

Friday dinner: We met at Gambino's in Fairhope for dinner. Our party for the meal expanded to 12. In addition to those that ate with us Thursday, our nephew, his wife, and 4 sons joined us. It was the perfect place for a large party, serving Italian entrees along with steaks and seafood. They had something for everyone. I just did not know how we would all fit. 

No worries. In the back room they had several long tables to accommodate big parties. Our 12 did not even completely fill our table.

Grilled scallops, veggie skewer, tossed salad for me and everything. under the sun for everyone else.

Saturday joys: N had invited us to all be at her house at about 3 pm. We decided to kill some time doing a little more sightseeing, so we drove to Mobile. I had not been there in several years and had forgotten how beautiful downtown Mobile is, complete with trees that still had beads hanging leftover from Mardi Gras throws. We spent about an hour wandering through town then headed back to Daphne. Though I kept asking, the only thing N wanted us to bring was ice. Done! 

We got to her house and TheHub's brother had driven down to join us. SIL P could not be there as she was on her annual girl's trip. We missed her but were glad to see him, and we were able to visit a bit before the rest of the group got there. Our niece and her son, our nephew, wife and boys and our bonus nephew all came. The kids all swam while the adults talked and talked some more.

Saturday dinner: N had us all for dinner. Bless her!

She made a delicious pork roast, and baked beans. Our niece made several sides, and our BIL brought the famous caramel cake they get in Livingston (It has become a family tradition)

Sunday joys: Our drive home from Daphne was filled with torrential rain and thunderstorms. And because some idiots believe you should drive fast regardless of weather conditions (like actually being unable to see the road while driving in blinding rains) we got stopped frequently while traffic mishaps occurred. I hope no one was seriously hurt, and 6 and a half hours later, we made it home  and unloaded the car right before another gully washer hit. The big joy was getting home safely even with the delays.

Sunday dinner: I had nothing available for a quick meal. TheHub ran to Publix while I started doing laundry.

Sunday dinner: Deli mac and cheese, coleslaw

This week I am planning nothing, in fact, I am planning nothing through August. We will be leaving for a cross country road trip sometime soon and will be eating whatever.

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

*I have no idea what a haint actually looks like, but whenever my sister or I were in grubby clothes with no "face " or "hair", Mom would say we looked like haints. It definitely served to describe my look Wednesday.

** If any couple were on the fence about having a child they should spend the day with JP. He is just about the most perfect 12 year old boy I have ever met.