Adventures Continued

 

Mexico was in our rear view mirror and it was time to head toward home, but first a tad more adventuring.

Monday Joy: The last Puerto Vallarta joy was breakfast with Son 1’s family. They had an earlier flight than ours, so we enjoyed a few more hours before having to leave paradise and return to the real world. Ok, not our real world, but we had to at least return to the states. We landed in Dallas  that night and headed to Ft Worth to spend the night.

Monday dinner: You know that old saying “ any port in a storm”. We had not eaten since breakfast ( I had only had a cup of coffee) and it was about 9 pm by the time we retrieved the car, drove to Ft Worth and checked in to the hotel. We were both really hungry. After driving around a minute we saw the golden arches and thought all we wanted was food and at that point were not picky about what it was. Neither of us wanted a combo meal, we both just wanted a sandwich so we ordered the ala carte burgers. It seems at that particular McD’s ala carte had a different meaning. Instead of the burgers they gave us a bag with just the patties in plastic containers. We had to wait more than a couple of minutes to have our order fixed, since no one seemed to understand what ala carte on the McDonalds menu meant. 

Hamburger, water, frustration 

Tuesday joy: We checked out of the hotel and drove to my cousin K’s house. It was the first time I had seen it, though I had heard what a wonderful place it is. No one had done it justice. 

She lives in a historic area filled with Craftsman cottages. She has hers filled with period furnishings and incredible artwork. It is a fantastic home fitting for an incredible woman. 

We visited for a while then went out for lunch at a charming local restaurant.

After a meal and more conversation we dropped her back at her house, then began our journey south.

Normally the drive between Dallas and Houston might have been just a boring interstate drive. Instead we were treated to bluebonnets, plains coreopsis, primroses, and buttercups blooming all along the sides of the road and the medians. It was a visually stunning drive. 

We finally arrived at our destination, Galveston, about 8 pm

Tuesday dinner: K vacations on Galveston Island yearly and told us if we wanted a delicious meal, to eat at Gaido’s. I trust her opinions and she was not wrong. If you are ever on Galveston Island go. It is pricey but worth every penny. We left with happy mouths and overfilled stomachs. 

Blackened tile fish with jambalaya, grilled tomatoes, creamed spinach, freshly baked bread. 

Wednesday joy: We began our trip home via the coastal roads through Texas and on into Louisiana. Neither of us had ever been there before and saw and did things for the first time.

On coastal roads 82 in Louisiana the water from the Gulf literally meets the road with waves breaking on rocks place next to the pavement. The seas were rough and every time a wave hit the rocks sea foam would bounce across the road in front of the car. It only did it for a few miles and with the gray skies overhead it was eerily beautiful.

Later in the afternoon we crossed 2 bodies of water in ferry boats. We have taken a ferry before but never a car ferry. Now we have, so another check off our list of things we’ve never done. 

We drove until we reached New Iberia and decided to call it a night.

Wednesday dinner: TheHub asked the guy manning the hotel front desk for a recommendation for our dinner. Without hesitation he said Jane’s Seafood and Chinese. 

Now I don't know about you, but I was very suspicious of going somewhere with seafood and Chinese in the name, but we went anyway. 

Wow, what a surprise. Though we cannot speak for food from the Chinese menu, the seafood we had was delicious.

Gumbo, potato salad, bread, hushpuppies*

Thursday joy: We woke, checked out of the hotel and were on our way down the coastal route toward New Orleans. By this time the term coastal route was a misnomer. We went through towns that were all off the beach, and though we saw backwaters sometimes, we really were not seeing the gulf at all. 

About 2/3 of the way to New Orleans we made a decision and headed North on a four lane road to Metarie (a suburb just north of the New Orleans city limits). We stopped there to have lunch ( another delicious seafood meal) then made the decision to abandon the coastal route entirely. 

Several years ago we had driven the coast from New Orleans to Mobile. We made a quick decision because we had seen it before, and really did not relish driving through  downtown N.O. just to pick up he coastal road through Mississippi, we would just connect with I-10 and save a bit of time. OK, it would have been quite a bit of time because the coastal route through New Orleans would mean traveling through the southern part of the city block after block.

Thursday dinner: We arrived in Daphne by late afternoon, freshened up a bit and met our SIL, who lives there, for dinner. Our niece who also lives nearby came by the restaurant, but could not stay for the meal because her son had a little league baseball game. 

We had a great visit  and meal at Market on the Bay, but it was just too short.  We vowed to come back to Daphne before too long.

Crab cakes, coleslaw, Moscow mule (me) Grilled catch of the day, coleslaw, beer (TheHub) Shrimp and grits, coleslaw, pinot noir (SIL)

Friday joy: Our big adventure was finally really coming to an end. We left Daphne and headed home. 

TheHub plans every trip when we are driving on the southern part of I-65  to include a lunch stop at Bates House of Turkey. It does not matter whether we are headed south or north. If we are on 65, there will be a meal. I get tired of doing the same thing every time, but have to admit their turkey is really good. 

Another stop we have to make is Peach Park, but only if we are headed north. Usually there is a peach fried pie that comes home with us, but Friday was only a quick rest room stop with a little browsing the sale table located near the women's rest room. Coincidence that the sale table was placed there?

We finally arrived home and after unloading the car, the great wash began. We had worn every single thing we packed so there was 2 weeks of laundry to do. 

I only got three loads down before calling it quits for the day. I kind of copped a "Fiddle dee dee, I'll think of that tomorrow" Scarlett O'Hara attitude.

Friday dinner: There was no food (at least nothing thawed) to cook. Instead we went to Fired Green Tomatoes for dinner.

Pork chop, coleslaw, green beans (me) Chicken and dumplings, creamed corn, lima beans (TheHub)

Saturday joy: After waking from a delicious sleep in our own bed with my own pillows, I made my own coffee just like I prefer it- strong and black. And since I was at my own house, I could have as much of it as I wanted. 

I would have enjoyed hanging out in my pjs sipping on coffee and reading. Alas ,we had no produce, bread, milk, eggs etc. and needed to go to the grocery store. TheHub had some things he wanted that could only be found at one store and of course I wanted to cherry pick Aldi and Publix  We wound up going to all three stores, coming back by the house between each store to put things away. It seemed to take forever. 

The bonus of going with TheHub to Walmart’s Neighborhood Market to get his 1/2 loaf of rye bread was checking out the day old bakery items  I was able to snag a sliced loaf of Italian bread for 69 cents and a 6 pack of bolillo rolls half off Score!!

We finished all the shopping with time for a couple of chores before it was time to watch the semi finals of March Madness. Both Auburn and Duke lost. I thought they would both be in the final game. Never ask me to handicap anything before placing a bet!

Saturday dinner: Ball game watching requires ball game food.

Sloppy Joes on split bolillo rolls, coleslaw**

Sunday joy: We were both tired, and skipped church so I could catch up on my sleep. 

I don’t sleep well when I am away from home, which is why I’ve already read three books this month. When we are in a hotel, TheHub likes to go to sleep earlier than I do. Since I am not able to get to sleep I use my iPad to read.

Sunday dinner: After buying all the things we needed Saturday (plus a few other groceries just because we wanted them) and a full freezer, there was no excuse for me not cooking a real meal.

Pork chops, couscous, asparagus

Planned for this week:

1. Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad

2. Tacos with all the fixings, or taco salad

3. Egg rolls, fried rice, soup

4. Cheese sandwiches, veggie sticks

5. Crack chicken, Brussels sprouts, tossed salad,  Italian bread

6. Chicken pot pie, coleslaw

7. Cheeseburger salad

Books read in April:

Look for the Lies

What I Ate in One Year

Sandwich

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

*This was one of their most requested meals and even though it sounds like a weird combination it really did work. The gumbo was chock full of shrimp, crab and fish, and the potato salad was spicy and savory rather than some I have had that are a tad sweet. The bread was a light Italian bread. The only thing I did not like were the hushpuppies that had cooked banana in the center. I thought they had committed a hushpuppy sacrilege but TheHub thought they were the bomb. Different strokes!

** You may have noticed how often we have coleslaw. We both love it so we eat it all the time. I always buy the biggest heads of cabbage I can find for that very reason.

:

Oh No, Just 38 Weeks !till Christmas

I was in Mexico this past week and thought very little about anything other than fun and sun.

I did find 3 small add-in Christmas presents while I was strolling through the markets.

Before we left home, I found 3 ornaments Mom had given Son1, so I carried them with me and gave them to him. 

Mom bought all three of them engraved ornaments every year until they were adults. I thought I had given them all to him but I found those mixed with Son 3’s, who is getting all of his the next time we see him.

I also talked with the bell captain at the resort about the holidays there. He made it sound wonderful, not only at the resort but everything that goes on throughout the town. It sounds like something we would enjoy, and we do  plan on going back next winter. Anything is possible!

Felices fiestas!

Worth the Wait

Most likely by the time this is read, we will either be on our way back to or already in Dallas. From there we have no concrete plans and will travel whichever way the wind blows, eventually winding up at our house.

Monday joy: We woke, got ready for our flight, took the elevator from our hotel floor to the terminal.  We were flying American which was right outside the hotel elevator.
With TSA security next to the American and the train to the various thermals nearby, getting to our gate was a breeze.

The flight was just a flight and American’s in flight entertainment requires a device and earbuds. I had mistakenly packed my earbuds in my suitcase so an inflight movie was a no go for me. I found myself mentally griping and had to stop and realize I was on my way to paradise.  

I decided I had to list 6 things about the day thus far that were good, and it was pretty easy to do.  I am no Pollyanna and am a realist by nature. But there are so many good things I take for granted unless I remind myself to actively appreciate them.

We landed safely, customs was a piece of cake, lucked out with a taxi driver who was part driver, part tour guide, and checked in to a lovely resort.

Our room was not yet ready, and we had not eaten all day, even to have something as simple as a cup of coffee.  Luckily there were many options for meals at the resort. We had decided we would experience cultural foods when possible and both had very different ceviches than we can get at home. 

We had just finished our meals when Pip, Son1 and DIL1 arrived. They were hungry also, so we sat with them and talked while they ate.  We were with family and whatever happened the rest of the week was a bonus.

Monday dinner: The beachside restaurant was calling us. Only posting what I had, since everyone ordered whatever they wanted

Shrimp bisque, veggie tacos

Tuesday joy: We had breakfast from a coffee shop with the family while sitting in an open air lanai.  While we ate we were accompanied by birds and iguanas.  

I think the word of the day was relaxing. TheHub and I both just enjoyed the sea breeze, the sun and the gorgeous surroundings.

Tuesday dinner:  We met Son1’s family along with some of their friends who are also staying here at Brando’s . The food was not good but the company was stellar. I had rather have bad food and great company than great food and bad meal mates any day of the week. Though, I secretly hope for good food and great company the rest of the week.

Supposedly fish tacos, though neither TheHub nor I could tell the difference between my fish ones and his chicken tacos.

Wednesday joy: All of us went to the Malacon in the downtown area. It was a beautiful stroll down the boardwalk, catering to tourists mainly. Us, since that is what we were. There was no end to the number of things we could spend money on, though there were some free things to see. We were able to watch the Papantla Pole Flyers.

 We see an “authentic” Aztec ceremonial dance with people dressed in what was supposed to be authentic clothing ( loincloths, headdresses and shells). While I am unsure about how authentic it was, it was still entertaining. They only charged if you took pictures of/with them.  Instead of paying I took a surreptitious photo from behind them. Essentially I have a photo of Aztec butts. 

Wednesday dinner: El Brugo was the choice for dinner. It was a charming Mexican restaurant in the Romantic zone, specializing in seafood.

Snapper, rice, refried beans, salad

Thursday joy: The Portland crew went on an excursion via boat to a remote beach and a waterfall hike. Most of me would have loved to go along, but my knee said no. Instead, TheHub and I went to a lovely open air restaurant over the water. 

We thought we were there for lunch, silly us. Lunch service did not begin until 1:30. 

Instead we had a delicious and leisurely brunch. 

There are several cultural norms that we are experiencing, neither good nor bad, just different.Worked for me since I never have anything but coffee before noon anyway. 

After a bit TheHub went to the hotel fitness room to work out, then the steam room, followed by a massage because that is what he loves to do.  

I sat on the balcony of our room looking out, enjoying the breeze, and reading because that is what I love to do. 

Yes there is a beautiful gigantic pool, but the water is much too cold for me. Remember, I am from Alabama where the pool water is maybe 7 or 8 degrees cooler than body temperature. I don’t like to hang out by a pool unless I am going to get in it.

Thursday dinner: if you have read my blog before you might have noticed that we are Alabama fans. The resort had a sports bar, and Alabam haa game. I will leave where we ate to your imagination

Nachos, wings, celery sticks
 

Friday joys:  Puerta Vallarta is still a beautiful place and the locals are always welcoming. Of course tourist money makes for a welcoming attitude.

I do like the non-pretentious vibe and feel at home in my knock about normal clothes, even at dinner. I can see us coming back yearly, but staying at a smaller place in town rather than a resort. As it is we either have to uber or taxi anywhere but to the marina. 

We hung around the resort, but if you can’t find anything to do there, you just want to do nothing.

Friday dinner: We had a party of 10 and ate at La Madalena. Excellent food, superb service. Sometimes the old saying “you get what you pay for “is correct. This was one of those times.

Seared tuna, truffle potatoes, asparagus, limoncello cocktails, freshly baked bread.

Saturday joy: Son1 TheHub and I went into town to do a little shopping while all the females went to the botanical gardens, or swimming at a rooftop pool. I found a couple of things I wanted to buy to take home, including bottles of organic vanilla. The town is bustling with things to buy everywhere you turn.After shopping we had a nice al fresco lunch on the Malecon.

Saturday dinner: Alabama was playing basketball again. We found a sports bar in the Marina and went there to watch the game and eat. Good meal, bad game though!

Mexican take on fish and chips, coleslaw

Sunday joy: We were all tired, and just hung around the resort. The vacation was wonderful, and for us will continue through part of the upcoming week.

Sunday dinner: The resort has a Japanese restaurant we had not been to. We went there and sat around the teppanyaki grill, while a very animated cook preformed as he made our meal.  It was a fun final meal together.

Fried rice with vegetables.

I have no plans for meals for the week. We are planning on traveling through the gulf coast from Texas to Alabama, then heading home.  No idea what will happen, where we will be staying, or what we will be eating. All I know is that more adventure awaits.

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

 

Oh No, Just 40 Weeks Till Christmas

The 40th week before Christmas is over, and by the time this is published, I will not be thinking much at all about Christmas because we will be vacationing. 

I did read the Christmas book I planned for March, The Christmas Guest. It was a true mystery, not one of those cozy mystery type books where everything revolves around cookies and romance. I really did enjoy reading it. 

I did work in the room of horrors briefly. Not enough to visibly see much headway, but I did  accomplish a little. 

I also worked some on my computer Christmas file, changing it from one big file into folders. It makes much more sense that way and should be easier to access when I need to find something particular. Who doesn't need a file with just Christmas cookie recipes in it?

Other than that, nada. 

By the time this is posted I will hopefully be living my best life in sunny Puerta Vallarta with Christmas being the last thing on my mind. 

 Feliz Navidad!

Anne

A Week of Waiting

I am writing this post in advance because by the time I send it most likely I will be in the airport waiting to catch a flight to join Son1's family in Puerta Vallarta. So this is a quick recap of last weeks joys and meals.

What was planned:

Nothing much

What really happened:

Monday joy: I stayed at home all day, but still put on real clothes and minimal makeup. I was glad I did because Son2 stopped by for a couple of hours during the middle of the day. He certainly knows what I look like and has also seen the best and the worst times, but it was still good to look like a human when he was here. 

In the evening TheHub and I finished watching the Apple TV series, Prime Target. It is not my favorite series and was kind of hard to get into at first, The series developed by about the 3rd episode and did finish with an open ended bang. I am reasonably sure there will be a season 2 (providing the viewer numbers are large enough to justify it)

And what would St. Pat's be without a late night viewing of Darby O’Gill and the Little People

Monday dinner: It was St. Patrick's Day!  So what if my family tree is German/English and TheHub hails from French/English.

Corned Beef, cabbage, potatoes

 

Tuesday joy: I did not go anywhere all day and I loved it. Since we were headed out of town to a tropical location my winter duds would not be very appropriate to wear. 

The great clothes migration began. 

We have a large walk in closet that I get only 1/3 of for my clothes. TheHub is a clothes horse who keeps everything forever and hangs everything he has in said closet. 

I might keep things forever too, but only if it is something I wear at least a couple of times per season. I cull my wardrobe and have at least 2 bags of clothes for The Exchange Club every time I change over clothes. I do also buy a few new items every year so my total number of items I wear stays fairly constant. 

Consequently I have to move my clothes upstairs for seasonal storage. The only upside of changing over clothes is finding things I had forgotten I owned, or clothes I bought at a deep discount when the season was over that were packed away having never been worn.

Tuesday dinner: This was a “use what is in the refrigerator before leaving town “type meal.

Hamburger patty, tossed salad, asparagus

Wednesday joy: I woke at about 4 a.m. and could not get back to sleep.  I was going to need to be up and dressed for class anyway, so I just read in bed until I got the text at about 6:30 that it was cancelled. Hurrah! I turned my Ipad off and dozed for about an hour after getting the cancellation message. Stolen sleep is a joy!

Wednesday dinner: We only had a couple of nights before we left for our trip and I had produce in the fridge that needed to be used. Dinner planned itself.

Squash casserole, green beans, Waldorf salad

Thursday joy: I am kind of late to the technology party, but finally figured out how to download movies for in flight entertainment. We usually fly Delta and they always have movies and such, but our last flight was with American and they had no entertainment options. I charged my earbuds, downloaded 3 movies, and should be set to watch something on both outgoing and return flights.

Other than that, the day was spent getting everything ready for the trip. Translation: washing the clothes I got out of seasonal storage.

Thursday dinner: Toasted open face cheese sandwiches 

Friday joy: Probably the only joy I had was the fact that no one was harmed during a very frustrating day.  

We will just say everything originated with the DMV when I was trying to renew my license. Now our state DMV has linked with social security. 

I do not go by my given first name, but my drivers license ( which I got when I was 16 and they used my birth certificate name to issue it to me) would never change it even after I was married and had a legitimate name change. 

Since then it is Given first name, maiden name, married last name. It is at odds with my SS legal name which it the name I use for every single thing except my blooming drivers license. Now to get my license renewed I have to have my name either legally changed to reflect me using my middle name as my primary name, or change everything to a name I ditched before I was in kindergarten ( except when I was in trouble and Mom used all three names)

So, TheHub is going to have to be my chauffeur until we get back from our trip and I can go to probate court and have my name legally changed. To be honest this just sounds like a money grab. The court costs are anywhere from 65-80 bucks, but here is the kicker. We have been married many decades, but in addition to my birth certificate, drivers license, 2 other proofs of identity, I have to have my marriage license. Neither TheHub nor I have any clue where to even begin looking for it, since in all these years we have never had to produce it. Lucky me, I get to go to the health department and have copies of our marriage license printed for another 15 dollars per copy. Plus we are going to have to have them check 2 counties (another fee) because neither one of us remember where we got it. 

And the real pisser is all they had to do was look at my photo on my DMV issued license  and have me confirm my ss# which I know and even told them, and they confirmed it was the same damn number that appeared on their computer. Looking at my passport and global entry card should have identified me also.

Common sense would tell them I am who I say I am, which is why I am in favor of the smallest government possible, which would allow individuals to think of solutions instead of abiding by absurd red tape.

Friday dinner: We had a minimum dining room purchase to use before the end of the month. We will not be back in town until sometime in April between the 6th and the 15th (not sure yet) so we had to use it Friday.

Tomato bisque, Steak or Greek chicken, mashed potatoes or lemon rice, broccolini or spinach, cheesecake

Saturday joy:   We spent the brunt of the day driving from Birmingham to Longview Texas. Joys? We made excellent time. In fact we made such good time that rather than spending the night in Shreveport, we drove through to Longview Texas. The downside to having great driving was missing the opportunity to have dinner with Sluggy and Mr. Slug.

When we were about 15 miles until we reached Longview, the car sensor said the right rear tire was losing pressure. We drove on to the hotel because March Madness was happening and we had basketball to watch. The tire could wait until morning. 

Arby’s roast beef sandwich

Sunday joy: The joy was being less than a mile from Walmart so we could buy rear tires. It seems we picked up a nail in the side of the right rear tire. After listening to Sluggy talk about Shreveport I am blaming their crappy roads.

The tire could not be plugged and we were going to need a new one. TheHub just went ahead and bought 2 so they will have the same amount of wear. I have owned it for 3 years now and never bought tires, so it was probably just about time anyway.

After that and taking time for a long lunch at a sports bar (had to watch Florida/UConn) we arrived at the airport before 4. We had an early flight and decided to stay at one of the hotels in the airport.

Sunday dinner: We were not hungry and just grabbed a quick bite from the hotel bar

Flatbread, wine

Planned for this week? Fun and whatever else happens

Books read in March:

I used to like you until . . .

That Librarian

Southern Grit (yes I read cookbooks from cover to cover)

The Great Circle

The Christmas Guest

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

Oh No, Just 41 Weeks Till Christmas

The 41st week before Christmas is now in the books. Did I get something done? Yes. Was it as much as I planned or hoped for? Nope. So what's new?

I located a few new (to me) Christmas books through my Libby app. In one of them I found instructions for something I plan on making for my DIL's. I am not saying anything about what it might be in here because they sometimes read my blog and I don't want any spoilers. 

The upside is I can make most of it right now with just a little hand work needed as Christmas nears.

 It will not be a big gift, just a little “add in “present because I really do like to have multi gifts for each person.

I decided to create a Christmas folder on might computer as well as my hard copy that I am creating. It make saving the digital ideas I find so much easier.

And once again I successfully managed to avoid doing a single thing in the terrible room filled with remnants of holidays past. I would like to figure out what is wrong with me, other than “ out of sight, out of mind “.

I am still not worried because there are many weeks left to get it done, but I need to get my rear in gear and get it done. Maybe this week, but probably not. And now begins the 40th week before Christmas. Get thee behind me procrastination!

Happy Holidays or Hollow-days. Your choice

Anne

Wonderful Yet Strange Week

This was a weird week filled with some really good days and good weather, followed by a couple of not so great things that happened during the week, tornado activity, and less than 12 hours later ___another glorious spring day. Strange!

Possible meals that were planned for the week:

1. Grilled tuna, baked potato, asparagus, tossed salad (maybe, maybe not)

2. Conecuh sausage, cooked cabbage, cornbread

3. Veggie meal TBD

4. Cheeseburger salad, rolls

5.  Smoked trout toast (been a possibility for weeks, this week for sure) tossed salad

6. Out to eat

7. Chicken divan

Meals and joys that happened:

Monday joy: We started the day with a zoom call with DIL3's parents. We really do like them and it was nice to talk "face to face". Funny how close technology bring two families crossing the big pond in the process. The only difference was the initial greeting of either "Good Morning" or "Good Evening". 

Right after the phone call I  headed to Aldi to get the food I needed for the afternoon.

I had a cooking date scheduled at my happy place, so once the shopping was done I headed there. The participants at Independence Place never fail to make my day.

We/They made colcannon in homage to the upcoming St. Patrick's Day. I took my grater 

which turned the cabbage into such a fine shred that even the cabbage haters did not find it objectionable. 

The result was an overwhelming thumbs up, except for J. He only wanted to make something sweet. Next time, J!

Monday dinner: It was a gorgeous day and the change to DST meant it was daylight much later. Perfect for firing up the grill.

Grilled tuna steaks. asparagus, coleslaw, baked potato

Tuesday joy: I stayed home all day wearing no makeup and soft knock about the house clothes. It was a great day. My beloved Sister came by for a bit, which was fine. She has seen me at my best and worst and is immune to being frightened when seeing me "undone". Of course she will tell me I look like crap, but then, what are sisters for if not to lay a truth bomb on you.

Tuesday dinner: There was a head of broccoli in the fridge and some cooked chicken in the freezer. 

Chicken divan, tomato onion cucumber salad.

Wednesday joy: I went to my Wednesday class then out for lunch with 2 friends JA and E. Loved dining al fresco on such a beautiful day while laughing and talking.

Wednesday dinner: I had half of a large head of cabbage left over from Monday's IP visit and wanted to go ahead and use it.

Conecuh sausage with steamed cabbage, pineapple chunks

Thursday joy: The day was beautiful and though the redbud trees in my backyard are no longer at their prime they are still beautiful and filled with happy bees.  A bonus is that every time the wind blows a little I can see lilac colored petals falling and covering the pool surface. They are hard to remove but look so pretty floating on top of the water.

I stayed home all day got some research that needed doing completed. 

Thursday dinner: I went to ThePig Monday for their free items, but had to spend 10 bucks to get it. They had some discounted meats, which changed the weeks menu plan.

Pork chops, brussels sprouts, baked potato

Friday joy: TheHub and I both stayed home and did a little planning for our upcoming trip. We had a lot of fun (she said sarcastically) trying to decide on the amount and denomination of pesos to take with us. 

One of us used a mathematical formula for conversions that required three steps and was completed to the correct decimal point. 

The other one of us just moved the decimal point one place to the left then halved the number to get a close estimate of the amount. Why? Because one of us does not need to be exact and close is enough.  

I am not saying one way is better than the other, of course we all know I think my way is.

Luckily no humans were harmed in the process.

After our fun with conversions session, we watched basketball, softball, then more basketball. Alabama won their basketball game and split a double header in softball.

Friday dinner: It was an every man for himself type of night.We had bits and pieces of whatever could be found in the fridge (nothing much was there) 

I had a bite of chicken, 2 ribs of celery, 3 slices of a bell pepper and 6 cherry tomatoes. Aren't you glad you were not invited to dinner.

Saturday joy: We spent most of the morning preparing for what was supposed to be the storm of the decade. (Getting all laundry done, charging everything that could be charged, relocating anything that could possibly be blown around outside, moving all the potted plants inside the house, while listening to the Auburn/Tennessee game. We did actually watch the last couple of minutes of it. 

The Alabama/ Florida game followed and we had it on knowing that as the storm neared we might lose connections. As it turned out we were able to watch the entire game and got to see our favorite team lose badly. It happens and life goes on. Right now I would pick Florida to come out as the winner of the NCAA tournament. They are good and have many weapons.

Saturday dinner: We had decided to have a simple supper in the event we had no power. There was no outage here but we had the planned meal anyway

Hot dogs and all fixings

Sunday joy: We skipped the early morning communion service and just went to our 8:30 church followed by Sunday School. I was tired and really wanted to skip it all but I am so glad I did not. We have a very young assistant minister who gave the sermon. I have heard him talk before, but never heard him from the pulpit. His message was excellent and he has an incredibly bright future in the ministry. 

Wen we headed home form church we decided to go out for lunch instead of coming back to the house to eat. Saw's in Hoover had some wonderful specials including brussels sprouts with a hot pepper jelly glaze. Sounds weird, I know, but don't knock it until you've tried it. Delicious!

Once home, the pollen that is blowing everywhere hit me hard and a sinus headache followed. I kicked back in the newly bought reclining loveseat and woke about an hour later, just in time to watch Alabama softball. 

Watching Alabama sports is one thing TheHub and I do together, and I swear if Alabama had hoola hoop contests with other SEC schools we would be watching and cheering them on. Obsession???

Sunday dinner: What I thought was frozen browned ground chuck, turned out to be taco seasoned beef. Brakes on and change plans!

Taco salad

Planned for the week:

Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes

Take out

Other than that there are no plans other than eating what is in the fridge and needs to be eaten

Books read in March:

I used to like you until . . .

That Librarian

Southern Grit (yes I read cookbooks from cover to cover)

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

Watch Out!

 

Beware the Ides of March!!!!

My Beloved Sister has issues with the month of March. In fact, throughout her life, nearly every thing unpleasant that has happened to her happened in the month of March. 

She has a particular aversion to the Ides. And of course being the sweet person that I am, for decades on the Ides I give her a call, pitch my voice as deep as possible (which is remarkably deep) say "Beware the Ides of March" then hang up.

 Of course she calls me immediately after and we both laugh. You would think after decades of doing it, it would lose it's humor. Not So!

Now the Ides is throwing a different complication our way, as we prepare for what I hope will amount to not much, but it sounds treacherous. Intense storms with possible tornados are heading our way and it seems Birmingham is in its direct path. We have battened down the hatches and have everything charged and ready for possible power loses.

I called My Beloved Sister again and told her I am putting the blame of this entire weather system on her.

If you are in this storm's path be careful!

Oh No, Just 42 Weeks Till Christmas

This kind of sums up my planning for Christmas in the 42nd week prior to the big day. As fast as January and February flew by, and now March is rolling past, I have much less time than I thought I did. But it's spring here and I though I don't have the blues about trying to organize Christmas, I had rather be planting zinnia seed.

I found 2 different free to me cookbooks with recipes and Christmas customs from Sweden and France, and another book about Christmas in Nigeria. I was thinking it might be fun once a week during the Advent season to have a meal using the recipes and customs of a different country. I could easily do it for just the two of us, but it might be a great impetus to get my rear in a weekly holiday entertaining mode.

I've read through all three of them and there are some wonderful sounding recipes as well as some tips to make the meals "feel" more authentic.

I have already added this idea my Christmas to-do calendar. Right now I have it planned for Wednesday nights during advent, but that is subject to change, obviously.

I will need to try some of the recipes in advance and plan to do that sometime in the spring. We are planning a trip at the end of the month through mid-April and I don't want to buy any unusual ingredients before we leave. (Translation: I plan on doing the minimum cooking until we leave and just don't want to be bothered doing anything out of the ordinary.)

I did get all of my Dickens Village houses packed neatly and safely away. I have 14 houses and to keep all the boxes they came in takes up too much space. Instead I keep them in a huge storage bin all wrapped snugly in thick fleece, then I use the same fleece to fill in any gaps so there is no movement or shifting. I had taken them down long ago but had just moved them and not carefully packed them away. Now they are happy and if the container gets bumped in the room of chaos I so fondly call the decoration closet room, there is no longer any worry of them breaking.

Wrapping and securing the wrappings with rubber bands does not take very long at all. It's fitting them in the container like a jigsaw puzzle that takes a while. But now it is done and one more item is crossed off the list. Just don't ask what else was done to the room or closet because the answer might possibly be nothing. I am a master at avoidance.

Other  than reading a few newly found on the library app Christmas magazines and listing a few ideas I might like to use next Christmas, I did nothing. 

I had said I was going to read one Christmas book a month and found some through my library app, but it is too early to request them since I plan on reading during the trip.

And that all I have. Now I begin the 41st week before Christmas with no plans other than avoiding the room of terror another week.

Ho, Ho, Ho or Ho, Ho, Hum; your choice!

Anne

I wonder where my mind wanders

I begin each week with a meal plan, and a plan for the week's activities and chores. Then I see something shiny and become distracted. That is when things change and I start mentally wandering from whatever task or plan I had.

Monday joy: I stayed home doing a few chores in the morning, before running a few errands.  My latest pet peeve and the reason for one of my errands concerns the US Post Office. 

We no longer have any free standing mailboxes outside the Post Office. It seems people break into them then wash checks. Even our  neighborhood mail carrier no longer picks up outgoing mail from our home mailbox. 

Before I could run mail to a drive up box near my house, right before pick-up time. Now I have to get out of my car, go into the P.O., and stick it in the mail slot, which means I have to at least be presentable enough so I won't scare dogs or small children. Thanks A-holes that ruin things for everyone! 

While I was out and about a crew came to "trim" the crepe myrtles in my yard. Crepe murder was more like it. They had been given a flattop rather than a trim. Yes I know they will grow out during the summer, but they will look really funny until then. For the record evidently TheHub told them to do it that way. I will choose my battles carefully and crepe murder is not one of them.

TheHub went with me in the late afternoon to run a few errands and do a little shopping. The Pig's Monday special coupon was a 24 case of water for 99¢. We don't drink bottled water normally, but keep it on hand for traveling. I only get their specials if it is something we will use and 99 cents for a case was too good to pass up. I buy all my meat at The Pig and never buy it until I see what the Monday special is so I can fulfill the required $10  purchase to use the coupon. Whatever protein is on sale is what I buy to either use during the week, or freeze for later. (And that just might be why my freezer is always so full)

Monday dinner: Our neighbor's generous gesture last week provided enough for us for two meals.

Gumbo, jambalaya, cornbread, coleslaw

Tuesday joy: This was a drop dead gorgeous day  but the winds were really high. I had no where to go so I stayed home and did all kinds of work around the house read. Late in the afternoon, the skies darkened, and the winds howled. By about 8 pm the floodgates opened and rain poured while wind blew, and blew. We were lucky we did not lose power like a lot in our area did.  

Tuesday dinner: We observed Mardi Gras with a fattening feast.

Pancakes, bacon, fruit cup, late night blueberry shortcake 

Wednesday joy: When daylight came we could look for wind damage. Other than a chair and a trash can being blown into the pool we had nothing except a few leaves and a couple of small downed branches. The winds were still high and the temperature had dropped considerably, and continued dropping throughout the day. 

No matter, I put on warm clothes and made my way to Independence Place. No way I would allow anything other than being sick, and afraid I might pass it on to them to keep me from going. There is nothing more heartwarming than going somewhere that everyone is glad to see you. One of the participants knows I do not like to be called Miss Anne, so the moment I walk in I hear "Miss Anne" and see an ear to ear grin on his face. His mother told me he only messes with people he likes so I actually feel honored that he teases me calling me "Miss Anne" the entire time I am there.

Wednesday night: I just was not feeling the cooking thing so we went out for takeout. In addition to getting dinner we were rewarded with a gorgeous tangerine sky peeking through dark clouds.

Chicken green beans, mashed potatoes or coleslaw

Thursday joy: Left home at 6:30 am to head to Jasper (about 1 hour NW of Birmingham) for the 30K mile checkup for my vehicle. OK so technically we were a good bit over 30K but still needed the tune up before we drive to Dallas in a couple of weeks. We had priced having it serviced locally and all 3 nearby locations were 250-300 dollars more than the Jasper location for the very same service. For that amount it was worth the drive, and we turned it into a little mini adventure.

After waiting a couple of hours in the dealership waiting room (Actually, I waited while TheHub looked at a possible new car for him) we headed to the downtown area for brunch at Main Street Market. 

It was an adorable small bakery/restaurant/gourmet food store all rolled into one. 

In addition to having a delicious breakfast scramble bowl, their pastries looked fabulous. According to the person waiting on us they make them fresh every morning but I did not get one because I had decided to eat no sugars during Lent.  TheHub brought a scrumptious looking apple muffin home.

And another pleasant surprise was finding both wild mushroom and sage , and black truffle infused olive oils. There was an olive oil store locally where I could buy it, but it closed about a year ago. I was almost out of both of those and was happy to find more. I told TheHub they actually cost nothing because we bought them from part of the money we saved having the car serviced at such a lower price. Logic!

Thursday dinner: TheHub wanted to have a veggie dinner but I had not even begun to cook when he mentioned it. Not only did we go to a meat and three, but after we ate we ran across the street and watched the sun set from the bluff. Dinner and entertainment?

Coleslaw, green beans, and mixed veggies/ or turnip greens, something, and something else (I don't remember what all TheHub ate.

Friday joy: The day was sunny but still windy. Other than watering the plants, I had an in the house kind of day doing a boatload of laundry. 

It is time for me to start changing over my clothes. Though I am sure we will still have some cool/cold days there are things I will not wear again this year because they just look too wintery. Consequently I am washing a lot of delicate load items that all have special care needs. I am currently out of space to place sweaters on a toweled flat surface. I know. First world problem. 

Additionally I had quilts and blankets from the upstairs bedrooms to launder. I am holding off, though on changing our bed into a spring summer bed. There will still be a few nights that require heavier covers, and I am not about to be cold while sleeping if it is something in my control. 

Another joy, and this sounds very selfish, but I was alone until mid afternoon and loved it. TheHub worked out at the gym, ran to his old office (still doing a tiny bit of work there), met Son2 for lunch, then hit some golf balls and visited with a friend. 

The absolute best thing about being alone was I could have a slice of cheese and some pickles for lunch without feeling obligated to ask anyone else what they wanted, or have anyone else question what I was eating. I should never have to explain my love of sharp cheddar and dill pickles.

Friday dinner: TheHub came home shortly before an Alabama softball double header, which we watched with dinner planned between the two games. Originally I planned on hamburgers, but changed to cook in the house rather than on the grill. Hamburgers can wait for another night.

Ground beef patty, with onions and mushrooms (lots of mushrooms because I really like them), coleslaw, tater tots (TheHub's request)

Saturday joy: What can I say? Alabama beat Auburn in basketball on Auburn's court. Women's softball also won 2 games. It was a good sports day.

Saturday dinner: We ate from the freezer and pantry. It was not great, but it was not bad. 

Chicken with artichoke hearts in a cream sauce, mashed potatoes, tossed salad

Sunday joy: To add insult to injury on the first day of Daylight Savings Time it was cold and rainy. We did make it to church for both the communion and early service, then had Sunday School. We stopped at Everyday Market (Walmart's take on a grocery store) grabbed a few things, got wet, and came straight home. I could not change clothes quick enough, threw on sweats and socks to get warm, ate lunch then read.

After dinner, we caught up on 1928, one of the Yellowstone series set in '28. Crazy name huh?Sunday dinner: It was still cold, rainy and windy so I went to the freezer for inspiration and found enough for 2 servings. Hooray for a heat and eat night. This is why I cook large amounts sometimes and freeze in 2 person serving sizes.

Chili, corn chips or raw veggies.

Potential meals for the week:

1. Grilled tuna, baked potato, asparagus, tossed salad (maybe, maybe not)

2. Conecuh sausage, cooked cabbage, cornbread

3. Veggie meal TBD

4. Cheeseburger salad, rolls

5.  Smoked trout toast (been a possibility for weeks, this week for sure) tossed salad

6. Out to eat

7. Chicken divan

Books read in March:

I used to like you until . . .

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

Oh No, Just 43 Weeks Till Christmas

I am becoming less and less enthused about prepping for Christmas next year, when everything in me is excited about spring. 

I did find a cute door decoration that was a nutcracker printed on canvas made to hang from a doorknob. I was not about to pay 10 bucks for a printed piece of canvas, no matter how cute it was. However, I saved the photo of it, have some balsa wood around the house, and decided to try my hand at painting my own. Heaven knows, I have a multitude of door knobs in this house and at least 3 or 4 of them could stand a little Christmas cheer.

I also added a few recipes to my Christmas cookbook. I have found Google knows no end to a search simply titled Christmas. There seems to be no limit to the number of rabbit holes I can disappear in, which is fun but time consuming.  With that time, though I have found a plethora of recipes  and traditions I had never seen before. 

Now I have to be on the lookout for lomaconi to use making a traditional Spanish Christmas soup. I was thinking that our  entertaining plans for the next holiday season needs to include having close friends over for a simple soup dinner, with three or four different soup choices. Might as well try soups from different parts of the globe, but I will want to try them first.

Did I even set foot in the room that is covered in Christmas and other holiday stuff?  Nope not at all.

There is always next week, right?

Goldilocks Week: Not to Busy and Not to Slow

This past week had gorgeous weather, warmer temperatures and a lot of sun. My hibiscus plants are showing off, and my lime tree is covered with blossoms. The redbud trees in the backyard are in full bloom, daffodils are up everywhere, and I am sneezing a little. It must be spring.

Plans that mostly didn't happen:

1. California roll cucumber salad, dinner rolls

2. Steak, baked potato, salad

3. Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad, rolls

4. Smoked trout toasts, coleslaw

5. Veggie meal TBD

6. Out to eat

7. Thai chicken curry, rice

Monday joy: I spent the day doing laundry and catching up with the TV show "Lost". It is Pip's favorite show and since we will be seeing her the end of March it is always good to have something in common to talk about. That said, I really do not like the show, but have found a different way of "watching " it. 

There is a website called TV Tropes which has a summery of each episode. I watched the first 3 shows in the first season to establish the characters. From there on I read the summery of the episodes, and only have to watch when a new character is introduced. I understand this is like a Cliff Notes approach, but it is working for me.

Monday dinner: Once again the freezer came to the rescue. 

Spaghetti w/ meat sauce, tossed salad, dinner rolls

Tuesday joy: I went to Independence Place, was met at the door with smiles and hugs, then proceeded to show them how to make the worlds easiest chicken and dumplings. 

It only takes chicken broth, canned chicken breast chunks, a can of cream of chicken soup, water, and flour tortillas* cut into 8ths like a pizza. 

Put the broth, chicken, cream of chicken soup  and water into a large boiler (Had to have a large one because they had 10 participants Tuesday but you can scale down as much as you want since there are no official measurements. Just eyeball everything) 

Once it is boiling toss in the tortilla bits, one at a time, stirring so they won't clump. (Stir after each addition.)

Cook until the tortillas are soft and hold their shape and the broth thickens up a bit. 

They loved it, and it is a meal they could make either by themselves, or with minimal assistance.

I did have a request for next time I am there that I will not honor. Miss H wants me to cook  a turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy. Not happening!

Tuesday dinner: We were in the mood for a veggie dinner

Squash casserole, green beans, coleslaw

Wednesday joy: I had my Wednesday class, and since I was dressed anyway TheHub wanted to go out for lunch. We went to a meat and three on the bluff and had veggie plates with a view! While we were out we ran a couple of errands before coming home. 

Sprouts grinds their own peanut butter and I really do prefer getting it there rather than the jarred stuff from the regular grocery store. Since I was stopping by anyway, I picked up several things there I am unable to find at some other places I buy groceries. 

I wish their store nearest me had not closed because I went there every Wednesday on my way home from class. Now I have to make an effort to go, so I don't get by there as often as I used to.

The day was so gorgeous it was easy to justify staying out anyway.

Wednesday dinner: The evening was perfect for firing up the grill.

Steak, baked potato, tossed salad

Thursday joy: Fiber as an internet option was finally available in my neighborhood . We were seriously glad to make the change from Spectrum as it is about 30 bucks a month cheaper and a good bit faster. But we had to wait around for the installer, so we both planned stuff to do while hanging around the house. The upside is that I got a good spring cleaning job done to the den.

Shortly before sunset we rode to The Pig to grab a few things then planned to swing by the bluff to watch it disappear. We missed the actual setting but did get to see some of the beautiful afterglow. We probably should have ridden to the bluff first, Oh well!

Thursday dinner: Because of the installation, we both had lunch much later than usual and we just did not want much for dinner.

Tossed salad

Friday joy: We left the house a bit after nine and headed to Athens, Alabama to meet Son3 and DIL3 for lunch. Athens is halfway between Birmingham and Nashville and a good meeting spot. 

The day was just perfect and TheHub and I talked the entire way up there. We pulled in to The Southern Table restaurant right as they got there too. The food was delicious, the restaurant was charming and the company was great. We were able to have a leisurely lunch, then shopped at a delightful gift shop next door.

I had been to Athens before but never to the downtown area. It is a beautiful Southern town that is thriving. TheHub and I will definitely be going back.

On our way home we stopped at the Dutch Oven Bakery in Falkville. We did quite a bit of damage there, but came home with 3 bags of deliciousness. We actually needed to take something to two of our friends, so it was not all for us. 

One friend's mom had recently passed away so we dropped by her house to give her a cake, and visited for a little bit. 

Then from there we stopped by to take a cake to another friend who is recovering from a knee replacement. While we were at their house we also saw their neighbors, who are mutual friends. The results? A glass of wine and some wonderful conversation with everyone. 

We left, had one more stop then finally made it home by about 6:45.

And, at about 9:30 that night our neighbor rang the doorbell. They had a Mardi Gras party Friday night that we had to decline. I figured we would be cutting the time close, but I had also screwed up my left knee and knew I could not manage climbing her driveway without re-injuring it. Wonderful friend and neighbor that she is, she came bearing gifts. She stayed and we had a nice visit for a couple of hours.

Friday dinner: I forgot we had to use February's monthly minimum we are obligated for, and being as we had been gone all day, we opted for takeout rather than dine in.

Grilled cobia, broccolini, rice pilaf

Saturday joy: We hung around doing odd jobs, laundry and watching (off and on) Alabama softball and men's basketball. The men were literally beaten at the buzzer.

Saturday dinner:  The gifts my neighbor (the one who came over with Friday night) brought were the most delicious edible kind.

Gumbo, jambalaya, cornbread, king cake. 

Sunday joy: We woke early for our church's communion service, followed by early church, then Sunday school. It was also communion Sunday at the early service, so we were double communed that day.

Our Sunday school class had a guest speaker who was about 30 years younger than all of us, but it was very nice to hear the perspectives from someone of a different generation.

TheHub and I came home, ate lunch then watched both Alabama softball and women's basketball.  Sunday is the only day of the week I take a little nap, so I obliged and fell asleep on the loveseat for about 35 minutes. It was bliss.

Sunday dinner: I did not really feel like cooking but there was a package of ground chuck I had thawed that had to be used.

SOS*, coleslaw

Possibilities  for the week that probably won't happen:

1. Smoked trout toast***, coleslaw or salad

2. Pancake dinner, sausage, bacon, fruit compote, decaf latte

3. Hamburger with all the fixings, tater tots (weather may change this)

4. Leftover gumbo, cornbread, cajun coleslaw

5. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, cucumber onion tomato salad

6. Chicken and waffles w/hot honey,  tossed salad

7. Out to eat

Books Read in February:

Confessions of a Christmasoholic

Long List

A Confederacy of Dunces (a re-read)

Anxious People

You Like It Darker

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* for 10 people (about 3/4 c. serving) I used 2 lg. cans of chicken, one family size container of broth, 1 standard size cream of chicken soup, 1 1/2 soup cans water, and about 18 tortillas

** You either know what this is, or you are really young and have never heard people who served in various military operations speak of their not so hot  K-rations. For anyone trying to figure it out, the 2nd S stands for shingle.

***The smoked trout is vaccuum sealed in the freezer, so it has  just been hanging out in a controlled setting for the past few weeks that I have had it on the menu plans and not yet made it.