Meals and other stuff

I enjoyed the beginning of the week while we were still in Portland, but by the remainder of the week, I was busy feeling petty about the cancelled road trip.  Plus it was as hot as Hades when got back to the south. Neither made me happy. 

I continued to sulk for a few days, which did no harm to anyone but me. Nonetheless I continued doing it until Saturday when I decided I just needed to stop.

As part of my sulking I did read your blog but was too busy pouting to comment. Apologies to all. I'll be back to normal soon.

Monday joy:  Pip  came over for breakfast, (cool little pastry shop a block from the hotel)  then left to get her friend and come back over over for a swim and a snack ( yes I am a sucker) I truly enjoyed watching them swim and not try to be/act older than they are. Kids seem to grow up so much faster now, and it was a true joy seeing them just be kids.

Monday dinner: DIL1 made the most delicious meal, then we watched some Olympic highlights. 

Mediterranean-ish/Italian-ish stuffed baked potato

Tuesday joy: Son1 came by the hotel and had tea while TheHub drank tea and I had coffee. He left and we had a little time before we picked up he and Pip to go eat lunch with DIL1's father and stepmother. 

We had one of the most enjoyable visits we have ever had with them.

 While we were at lunch Pip had a great idea. she thought we should go to Collage, a really cute DIY store in Portland, "just to look". Of course we did. She bought a canvas bag  and a set of acrylic paints. She wanted to paint a fall tree on her bag to hang in her room for when the seasons change. 

Fortunately painting is in my wheel house so I had her practice on a couple of blank sheets of paper before transferring her design to her bag. She picked up the technique to make the leaves look mottled very quickly, and in the end, was thrilled with her bag.

Tuesday dinner: We wanted to take them out to dinner and also invited DIL1's mom so we could see her one more time before we left. 

Gnocchi and whatever everyone else had for dinner at Luna.

Wednesday joy: I was extremely glad I bought a sweater when we took Pip to Target. The return flight was a cold as the flight out and the cardigan kept me warm. Of course, once we got off the plane in Nashville the sweater had to come off the minute we stepped off the plane and onto the jet bridge.

We had an uneventful drive home, stopping only at Buccee's for a little relief, (best restrooms ever) and got to our house by about 11:30. Our aim was to be home by midnight, so we were a tad ahead of our self imposed schedule. I will gladly use the Nashville to Portland route for future travel to Portland. Even with the drive, it is easier and about as quick as going through Atlanta.

Wednesday dinner: We stopped on the drive home from Nashville and grabbed a quick car meal.

Chicken fajita from Buccee's

Thursday joy: Portland was unseasonably cool and we had been relishing the 70 degree days. When I woke Thursday morning, Alabama was not quite so generous. It is hard to be joyful going to the grocery store in the relentless heat and humidity. 

I do have groceries now, so that was a joy, but man oh man, was it ever hot unloading them. Still it was done now, and I have eggs and bread, and all the other things I refused to buy because we were supposed to be on the three week road trip. 

Once TheHub came home from work ( yes, he is still going to the office)  I ate a quick dinner then we ran a couple of errands. He wanted to see if our Target had a particular jacket he saw while we were in Portland but was not in his size.

Thursday dinner: The first thing TheHub mentioned when he walked in the door from the office was that he had salad for lunch. I was planning the same for dinner. 

I know part of it is still being angry about the trip, but he is coming perilously close to being kicked off the island.

Sunflower salad* and croissant for me, half a pimento cheese** sandwich for TheHub

Friday joy: I was tired, not tired enough to go to sleep before 3 am, but tired enough that I slept late. Other than sticking a couple of loads of laundry in the machines, I was content to read and drink coffee the remainder of the morning.

By the time the afternoon rolled around I had done some indulgent self care read a little more while I listened to some gorgeous music. It was just too blooming hot to go anywhere, especially since I could stay home in the a/c wearing shorts and flip flops.

Friday dinner: I had cooked some pasta during the morning and planned on having a cold dinner meal.

Pasta salad, iced tea (lots of iced tea)

Saturday joy: TheHub picked our lone apple from our apple trees. It was the only one the squirrels were unable to claim as their own. You might think with 2 producing apple trees we would get at least a few, but nope. 

Luckily they have not really paid attention to the pear trees in the front yard. The trees did not have a big yield this year, but at least other than losing a couple to the birds we were able to harvest them.

We decided to try a new place (at least new to us) for lunch. We met Son2 and DIL2 at Price's on the main street of Pinson, a small incorporated place on the outskirts of town (actually about 35 miles from us) 

In its former life it was a true apothecary with (I am assuming ) a soda fountain. Now, the store's surrounds are filled with old pharmaceutical packaging, lotions and potions from the past, along with cosmetics of indeterminate age. It functions as a mini museum/eatery with sandwiches and of course various ice. ream  based treats.

The food was very good and the ice cream was delicious.

On the drive home TheHub and I decided we need to start going somewhere new each week. If we can't drive across the country we can at least drive a few miles to do something different.

On our list for the next several weeks: 

                   Boondocks in Brierfield

                   J &J Grocery in Bessemer 

                   Rattlesnake Saloon in Tuscumbia 

                   Waysider Restaurant in Tuscaloosa

                   Melt in Birmingham

                   And anywhere else that strikes our fancy.

Saturday dinner: Neither of us were very hungry

Cottage cheese, pears or peaches

Sunday joys: We went to church then stopped by a couple of grocery stores to get a few needed things and one total indulgence. Can you say peach ice  cream?

We watched the round of the FedEx golf tournament because we were pulling for a local guy to make it to the next round. He did by the skin of his teeth.

Sunday dinner: Toasted cheese sandwiches, cucumber onion and tomato salad

Possible meals for the week:

1. Chicken piccata over pasta, broccoli

2. Shrimp and grits, coleslaw

3. Korean beef over rice, Asian-ish salad

4. Big salad meal

5. Out to eat at Hot and Hot

6. We have a family reunion Saturday and most likely will just eat fruit  or tossed salad for dinner

7. Grilled tuna steaks, tossed salad, croissants 

Books read in August

The Skin Collector

Dark Archives

The Rose Code 

The Thirteenth Child

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

                  

* Thank you, Belinda for turning me on to this salad from Aldi. I had never seen it before and it is delicious.

** While we were at Target Thursday night TheHub decided he would like a pimento cheese sandwich for a late dinner. I told him to have at it, but he needed to buy the stuff already prepared because I was not going home and make it. 

He did, even though it meant an additional stop at ThePig. (I think he is trying to get back in my good graces because he also picked up some of their bakery made white chocolate macadamia cookies he knows I love.)