State(ment)

The first song on my discovery weekly playlist presented me with a problem. Instead of Fats Domino singing Blueberry Hill, the AI genius had him singing Kansas City as my first listing.  I could have easily worked with fruit, but the only song I know that has Kansas City in it is the song Kansas City. 

My skewed logic then decided instead of using the city, I would use  the band Kansas. 

The week started off like gangbusters, until I got to Thursday when I realized I only knew (or at least remembered) 3 Kansas songs.

Shift time! Since Kansas is the name of a state, my eureka moment was to continue the week using bands with state names.  Logically, since I live in Alabama, the next step for me was to use the band Alabama, but I only knew 2 of their songs .

I had to wrack my noggin to come up with the other 2 days of the week. I was mentally reciting the states alphabetically. I've heard of the band Florida/Georgia Line, but had no clue if I have ever even heard one of their songs before, so I had to pass on them.  Luckily, when I got to Ohio,  I remembered The Ohio Players. and 2 of their songs.

Monday: This was a delightful stay at home day. It was hot, I had a lot of housework catching up to do, and also a lot of reading.

What I learned: My spiderweb tool needs replacing.

Listened to: Carry On Wayward Son

Dinner: I freeze foods so I can have a quick meal with little cooking on a hot night.

Swedish meatballs over noodles, broccoli, coleslaw

Tuesday: I did a few chores around the house before heading to the grocery store. Publix had a few BOGOs I wanted to grab before the sale was over. I had a couple of other quick errands, dropped off 4 bags of Goodwill donations, then headed home to read a little before we headed to Trivia. One of our neighbors joined us there, so it was even more fun this time.

What I learned: The famous lawsuit the Loving family filed was vs. Virginia. I thought they lived in Tennessee.

Listened to: Dust in the Wind 

Later in the afternoon, I heard the news about Dolly Parton and thought this was an appropriate addition, plus it aligns with the state theme.

My Tennessee Mountain Home

Dinner: We were at The Electric for trivia and dinner.

Shared flatbread, coleslaw

Wednesday: I stayed home all day and did nothing terribly exciting other than going through some more stuff to begin another bag for donation. I am trying to get rid of a good bit of our excess.

What I learned:  When Duane Allman was a studio musician at Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals he acquired a nickname. The owner called him Dog because of his shaggy long hair, and Wilson Picket called him Skyman because of the way his fingers flew on the guitar. The names merged and he became Skydog.

Listened to: Point of No Return 

(I admit I did not remember the name of this song and had to type the lyrics I remembered into Google to come up with the name)

Dinner: Leftovers to the rescue

Butter peas, leftover mac and cheese, okra, coleslaw, cucumber slices, tomato slices

Thursday: I went to a planned lunch (bookclub) but circumstances meant only 3 of us could be there. It was still a lot of fun and a lot of laughs.

After lunch I dropped off my August appreciation basket to the minister at my church I was assigned to for the month. Though I am glad I volunteered to do this, I think doing it every month is a bit much. Quarterly might be a better option.

What I learned: My Beloved Sister planned on wearing a dress to an event because she has a new rule that she cannot use the word #%& if she's wearing a dress. (When she told us this at lunch we both almost wet our pants laughing)

Listened to: My Home's in Alabama

Dinner: When I planned the week's menu, I forgot about a club minimum we had to use.

Cobb salad (me) Blackened catfish, saffron rice, sautéed veggies (TheHub)

Friday: 

Listened to: Christmas in Dixie

Dinner: One of my cousins from San Antonio was in town for our annual family reunion. She had planned a night before the reunion get together at Half Shell Oyster House, with a few of the cousins. 

Snapper, asparagus

Saturday: We were not able to go to the family reunion. One of our dear friend's daughter was getting married at 1:30 which meant we could go to the reunion neither early nor late. 

The bride was gorgeous, the ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was amazing. 

We have known the bride since she was a lump and watched her grow into the incredible woman she is today. It was a happy occasion and we were so happy to be included.

What I learned: S. has lived in Virginia for quite a few years. The medical team she works with were all at the wedding and could not stop singing her praises. It did not surprise me since she has always been a remarkable person.

Listened to: Love Roller Coaster

Dinner: We still had money left on the club minimum so we ordered a light dinner.

Watermelon salad, cauliflower crust veggie pizza

Sunday: We began the day with our usual early communion service, traditional worship and Sunday School.  We stopped on our way home and picked up a light lunch followed by some intense reading, golf tournament watching, and some rest. (How nice was it that the early communion service was about resting on a day of worship?)

What I learned: Not that I wanted to know this, but I learned how ancient stoning was done.

Listened to: Fire

Dinner: Leftovers or planned overs, your call.

BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw 

Read: The Calamity Club (strongly reccommend)

Have a great week.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

I Wonder Why

 

And the answer to the musical question in because the evil overlords of Blogger are not showing my reading list of several people I follow until days after the post.

Sorry for not commenting timely.

Almost Everything

It was pretty easy to follow the past Wednesday - Tuesday meal plan, because it was a fairly slow week here with minimal evening plans.  It was an almost week!

This was the plan:

1. Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad

2. Hamburgers with all the fixings, potato salad, coleslaw

3. Grilled tuna steaks, coleslaw, baked potato 

4. Veggie meal TBD

5. Drunken meatballs over rice, broccoli, 

6. Out to eat

7. Crack chicken, coleslaw, rice, dinner rolls

Truth time: When I was looking in the freezer for meatballs, I found a pack of Swedish meatballs I had made a while back. I took them out and thawed them, leaving the plain meatballs for another day. Obviously instead of serving them over rice, I cooked plain egg noodles.

We had eaten a larger than normal lunch the night I had planned on having crack chicken. Dinner that night became a pretty simple BLT salad.

For the next 7 days I plan to use as many leftovers as I can.

Potential meals for today - next Tuesday

1.Veggie meal* TBD

2. BBQ chicken**, coleslaw, green beans, sliced tomatoes

3. Spaghetti *with meat sauce, tossed salad

4. Asian stuffed lettuce leaves, sliced raw vegetables

5. Stuffed bell peppers, brown rice, broccoli

6. Out to eat - Trivia night

7. Out to eat - Planned dinner with cousins

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

* Will include leftover butter peas

**Uses leftover shredded rotisserie chicken

*** Had a lot of leftover spaghetti sauce

Green Days

I have no idea how the algorithm Spotify's Discover Weekly uses to create my list would decide I need or want to hear a New Christie Minstrel song, but it was the first song on my playlist last week. 

I am certain I could not think of 7 songs by them to listen to, so I decided to choose songs with the word green in the title. This turned out to be a much better choice. And just in case any of you actually click on the tunes, I will subject treat you to a little Green Green.

Monday: This was an unbelievably hot, humid day.  It was the perfect day to stay inside and go nowhere.  It was also a good day to get more done than I did. I am blaming the weather without giving a nod to my amazing ability to procrastinate.

What I learned: I learned more than I wanted to know about a recent bad car crash, and about how traumatizing horrid wrecks are for all of the police and emergency workers who have to cover them.

Listened to: Green Onions

Dinner: This was an unplanned meal because I did not allow for leftovers on my menu plan for the week.

Leftover lady peas, squash casserole, coleslaw, sliced tomatoes

Tuesday: We had several errands to run so it was one of those get up and get ready to go kind of days. And it was hot__miserably hot. There was nothing to do but go on and do what needed to be done. It did help when we stopped by Snapper Grabber to purchase a gift card that we decided to have lunch there. I have to admit fish tacos were just the ticket for lunch. They were delicious!

We headed home for a little reading, then I had a few more errands to run.

I was glad I was already dressed for the day so I would not have to do anything before we went out for the night. Tuesday night has become trivia night for us.

Listened to: Greensleeves

Dinner: Since we were at The Electric for trivia, it just made sense to eat dinner there.

1/2 Reuben, coleslaw, chips

Wednesday: It was steamy and unbearable, beyond our regular hot and humid days. Ugh! I was going nowhere, opting instead to do some work in the house. I remember hot days when I was a kid and we had no a/c, but those days we were young enough to run through the sprinkler when the grass was being watered. It is so hot now that the pool water feels like bath water and is not refreshing at all. 

I know when we were having so much rain, I was hoping for some sunny days, but now a slow steady afternoon shower would be wonderful.

Instead of going out and about, I did some needed chores, laundry and reading.

What I learned: When talking with my cousin, I found her oldest granddaughter is trying to decide whether she will go to Auburn or Ole Miss next year.

Listened to: The Ballad of the Green Beret*

Dinner: Tuna Steak, baked potato, coleslaw

Thursday:I did some reading the got the house in reasonable shape for  dinner company. We have been meaning to have our neighbors over for dinner for quite a while, but have not made concrete plans other than  a generic "We want to have y'all over for dinner soon". A couple of  weeks ago, D came over to give us a few cat sitting instructions and I said we definitely wanted them to come to dinner the week after they returned home. Thursday night worked for all of us.

What I learned: R is having a sabbatical in the late spring and he and D will be living in France immersed in art.

Listened to: Green Tambourine

Dinner: I never said I was inviting them to eat high on the hog.

Burgers, all the fixings, chips, peach cobbler

Friday: It was another hot, muggy, miserable day. Even with a/c shorts, tank tops and flip flops it was still hot. I spent most of the day in the laundry room sorting, straightening, tossing and getting things ready for Goodwill. 

What I learned: My friends grandson, a high school senior, plans on majoring in engineering. On a mission work trip this summer one of the adult leaders is CEO (?) (Maybe COO) of an engineering firm in town and through their week together they formed a bond. This week her grandson was offered a part time paid internship at the company.

Listened to: Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You

Dinner: It was a veggie meal night. I think the super hot weather requires it.

Butter peas, leftover squash casserole, cornbread, sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes

Saturday: This was another day that was just too hot to go outside and do anything. I stayed in, did some laundry, worked in the laundry room, and thought about deep cleaning our bedroom. Fortunately that idea did not stay with me very long, and reading took its place.

What I learned: TheHub went to Costco where I refuse to go on a weekend. I was not surprised to hear him talk about how crowded it was, which is why I refuse to go. We can go any day of the week, but for some reason he still feels like he should run errands on a Saturday or Sunday. Go figure.

Listened to: Green-Eyed Lady

Dinner: Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad

Sunday: We woke early got dressed and headed to our normal Sunday activities. First we went to the communion service, followed by our traditional 8:30 service, then Sunday School.

A lot of Sundays we go out for lunch, but this day we headed to Publix to grab a rotisserie chicken, then filled it out out with potato salad, tomatoes and cucumber slices from the house.

After eating we both read for a little bit, staying dressed in our church duds, before leaving to go seen the Birmingham Community Band's summer concert. 

I admit, I was surprised at how good they sounded. The band is composed of folks who were fairly proficient with their given instrument, but are not professional musicians.

I'm glad we went and we will go hear them another time when they have a performance.

The concert was at a church near Aldi and we killed 2 birds with one stone and swung by there for a quick shopping trip while we were in the same area.

What I learned: We need to take advantage of more free offerings in the city. It was good just to get out and do something different.

Listened to: It's Not Easy Being Green

Dinner: Because we had eaten a pretty big lunch we had a smaller dinner.

BLT salad

Read: The Co-worker

        The Atomic Weight of Secrets

Have a great week.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

*I have no idea why I thought of this song when I was thinking"green".

Maybe Menu

The menu plan worked fairly well the past Wednesday through Tuesday. We had some leftovers one night that I did not plan for, and the thawed ground chuck I had planned for stuffed bell peppers turned into taco night. Stuff happens! 

Planned and mostly executed:

1. Garlic butter chicken tenders, glazed carrots, rice pilaf, tossed salad

2. Grilled tuna steaks, chopped salad,  potatoes (TBD)

3. Grilled steak, baked potato, broccoli,  tossed salad

4. Peruvian chicken w/green sauce, potatoes, cucumber salad

5. Veggie meal TBD

6. Stuffed bell peppers, coleslaw, jasmine rice

7. Out to eat

Understand when I strike through the planned meals, some minor adjustments have probably taken place. For example, instead of rice pilaf on the first meal listed, I made twice baked potatoes and did not bother with the glazed carrots.

New Possibilities

1. Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad

2. Hamburgers with all the fixings, potato salad, coleslaw

3. Grilled tuna steaks, coleslaw, baked potato 

4. Veggie meal TBD

5. Drunken meatballs over rice, broccoli, 

6. Out to eat

7. Crack chicken, coleslaw, rice, dinner rolls

Prima(ry) Week

I woke, had my coffee and turned on my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist. I never have any idea what the algorithms will decided I need to listen to. 

Supposedly it is based on my recent listening preferences, but each week I listen to music from just about every genre. This week's suggestions were a mishmash of my last year's listening, because a little bit of everything was on the list. 

I have been using the first one on the playlist to establish my daily listening share and this was the first song.  

Since I knew absolutely no other song with the word gigolo either in the title or the lyrics, I gave myself a pass and decided I would use Louis Prima and/or Keely Smith songs.

                                            Just a Gigolo

Monday: After establishing my music theme for the week, I finished up my coffee, cleaned the kitchen, did a little laundry and thought about cleaning other rooms, while listening to the recommended Discover Weekly playlist. Instead, coffee and listening won.

I gathered all the supplies I needed to go to my happy place in the early afternoon, read a bit then got ready to go. If any of you have been reading for any amount of time, you know volunteering at Independence Place is one of my favorite things to do.

Monday we got to see a new participant, whom I had met through DIL2 a couple of time before. I think My Beloved Sister had only met her once, but she did remember her also. They are adding new participants slowly but surely, and I am so thankful they are providing space for these additional folks.

To say we enjoyed being with them is an understatement. 

Once home I thought about Sluggy and gave her a call. She had a setback and was in the hospital for 8 days. She's home now, but it has pushed back some of the progress she had made. I know whe would appreciate any and all good thoughts.

And just in case some of you want to watch a decently written series, we are enjoying Furious. However, if you don't like to watch the FBI try and solve some violent murders this might not be the show for you.

What I learned: I need to be a better friend, reaching out to others more often, even if just through text.

Listened to: Che La Luna

Dinner: We needed something that would be quick and easy.

Grilled chicken tenders, seasoned corn ribs*, tossed salad,

Tuesday: I have had my days and nights mixed up badly lately, and have not been going to bed until 3 or so in the morning, but still waking by 7ish. I have been extremely tired (self inflicted) but had nothing planned for the day and decided to sleep until I woke. Well at about 9:30 I finally roused, which is much too late. 

I have decided I need to be in bed by midnight, no matter what I want to do in the late night.**

All I did during the day was routine cleaning and laundry, along with some finding. While working in the laundry room I found a Costco size pack of ziploc bags. I knew they were somewhere, I just had forgotten how cleverly I had stashed them in the cabinet. 

Tuesday night is trivia night at The Electric, and it turns out TheHub loves going. I enjoy it but that night I would have rather stayed at home. 

What I learned: Afrikaans's translation of the word aardvark is earth pig 

Listened to: Angelina

Dinner: TheHub and I have learned to share a sandwich when we are at The Electric for trivia.

Reuben sandwich, coleslaw, chips

Wednesday: I woke, had 3 cups of coffee, did a few chores, then dressed for the day. 

I have 2 friends I have known since 1st grade and we reconnected recently to start having long lunches filled with conversations. I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoy being around them and sharing them sharing their lives with me. 

They were 2 of the smartest girls, now women, I have ever known and are still as much fun to be around as they were when we were kids.

We stayed at our table at the restaurant for 3 hours. Lucky for us the place was not crowded, and we tipped our server more than we normally would have.

What I learned: Other than things my friends had been doing for a while, I learned about their upcoming travel plans.

Listened to: Old Black Magic

Thursday: I did not leave to go anywhere today and it was so very nice. I managed to get a few things done but made no progress on any projects.

My SIL was going to be in town for doctors appointments both Thursday and again Friday morning. It would have been stupid for her to drive 2 hours home , then turn around and drive 2 hours back for an 8 am appointment. I am glad she called and let us know, so she could spend the night here. We always love being around her anyway, so this was just a bonus visit.

What I learned: SIL's grandson lost his first tooth. The Tooth Fairy has become much more generous than the quarter she left for me when I was a kid. Seems like 5 bucks is the low end on the TF scale.

Listened to: I Wanna Be Like You***

Dinner: SIL and BIL raise cattle on their farm, so I never have to worry about what to make for her.

Grilled steak, baked potato, sautéed mushrooms, tossed salad

Friday: TheHub and I did a little running around, but mostly spent the day at home doing odds and ends, like cleaning and reorganizing under the sink, cleaning and reorganizing the baking center, and reorganizing a bit more in the laundry room.

What I learned: I need to straighten underneath the sink monthly. I have enough products to polish silver for years, and oven cleaner to last for at least 2 years.

Listened to: Hey Boy Hey Girl

Dinner: TheHub suggested going out to eat until I told him if he could be patient for 30 minutes, I could get dinner ready.

Peruvian chicken w/ green sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, tossed salad 

Saturday: TheHub and I went to our favorite produce vendor, then stopped by a couple of grocery stores to grab a few necessities. Once home I began a draft of a Sunday School lesson, then TheHub and I settled into our routine, doing whatever we needed/felt like doing  around the house.

What I learned: The coming week is most likely the last week we can find really good peaches. 

Listened to: On The Sunny Side of the Street****

Dinner: Having an abundance of fresh produce meant only one thing__veggie dinner.

Lady peas, okra, corn on the cob, tomato cucumber onion salad

Sunday: We woke early to have enough time to get to our communion service, followed by the service in our sanctuary, then Sunday School.

On the way home, TheHub wanted to pick up lunch. It was fine with me!

We came home and I might or might not have dozed while reading.

What I learned: Obviously TheHub must look much older I do 😏, because the server asked if we wanted the Senior meal. 

Listened to: When You're Smiling

Dinner: Since we had eaten a larger then normal lunch, we did not need a big dinner. 

Tacos, with all the fixings

Read this week: Drowning

Have a great week.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* I bought these frozen from Trader Joes, If we have them again I will make them from scratch using fresh corn. In fact, if I can still find decent corn I will go ahead and cut it into ribs and freeze it for later, then season and cook them as needed. 

**I have a friend who once told me she was sure I had vampire blood somewhere in my family history because I am more alert and creative after dark.

*** Louis Prima voiced King Louie, the ape, in Disney's animated film The Jungle Book. His song is my all time favorite Disney tune.

****Keely Smith had more than one hit solo song I imagine, but this was the only one I knew.

***** I had a box of Old El Paso nacho flavored ultra low card taco shells. They were very good.

Almost Made It

The meal plan for the past 7 days

1. Hot dog and fixings, chips

2. Veggie dinner TBD based on produce available

3. Out to eat

4. Grilled steak, baked potato, tossed salad

5. Chicken casserole, coleslaw, some green vegetable

6. BLT salad Hub did not want salad so we changed it to just a regular sandwich

7. Veggie dinner TBD

The veggie leftover meal happened at lunch. I did not have as much cooked as I normally would have and there was just enough for two small lunch plates. 

The chicken casserole did not happen because we went out for dinner twice rather than the 1 time I planned. 

Over all we did better than we usually do, didn't we? 

My aim for the next 7 days is to use things we have either in the pantry or freezer. If I do go to the store it will be to cherry pick things to stock up.

Possibilities for Wednesday - Tuesday

1. Garlic butter chicken tenders, glazed carrots, rice pilaf, tossed salad

2. Grilled tuna steaks, chopped salad,  potatoes (TBD)

3. Grilled steak, baked potato, broccoli,  tossed salad

4. Peruvian chicken w/green sauce, potatoes, cucumber salad

5. Veggie meal TBD

6. Stuffed bell peppers, coleslaw, jasmine rice

7. Out to eat

A Week of Training

Choo Choo Cha Cha was the first song on my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist Monday morning. At first I thought I only know one song with choo choo in the title, so I decided to give myself a little grace and just think of songs with train in the title. That was easy enough, but then I thought of a few more which just mention trains in the body of the lyrics, so I added them at the end to amuse myself for your listening pleasure.

Monday: This day was just what I needed. Other than needing to run to the bank, I was able to stay home all day. It was glorious!

The day was hot and muggy but that was even fine with me, because the bank has a drive through and I did not have to change out of shorts, flip flops and a tee shirt. I call that a win!

What I learned: More about the MLB trades than I needed or wanted to know. I am currently outnumbered at the house and discussions tend to be sports related.

Listened to: Chattanooga Choo Choo

Dinner: Though I had intended to grill, the weather had other plans. I am just thankful I recently bought a cast iron grill pan for indoor grilling.
White bbq chicken, potato salad, green beans, sliced tomatoes

Tuesday: This was a second day in a row I had no activities planned. I was able to change the sheets and do a bit of work in the laundry room. My laundry room was originally for laundry, sewing, and was supposed to have studio space for art projects (never happened). Over the years it became a dumping ground for anything that did not have a dedicated space. 

The room is overflowing and the time has come to either find places for things or get rid of them.

While I was in the laundry room my ferret brain told me instead of finishing cleaning, I needed to restyle a couple of things I had put on the sewing machine cabinet. I like them but they are dated. Now, with a few snips and a little tweaking they have been given another life.

What I learned: I have fabric scissors of my own, but I also inherited Mom's. I had never really used them until Tuesday. What a difference really nice scissors make!

Listened to: Freight Train

Dinner: TheHub wanted something that I do not cook__ever.*  He ran to our local meat and three and grabbed it for us to eat at home.

Catfish, squash, okra, hushpuppies

Wednesday:

Listened to Midnight Train to Georgia

Dinner: Hot dogs and fixings

Thursday: Son3's work plans changed and he would be finished a day earlier than planned. Nothing much during the day. DIL3 got into town right as I was leaving to go meet several cousins for either a really late lunch or a really early dinner. I asked her is she would like to come with us but she declined, saying she had some work things she would do while waiting for Son3 to finish.

My Beloved Sister drove this time and we were caught in possibly the worst rainstorm I have been in. I am not a sissy about lightning and thunder but when it is raining so hard your windshield wipers can't keep up with the rain, I don't like it. Luckily there was a traffic snarl which normally irritates me. Instead this time every single car was barely moving, and after about 10 miles we ran out of the storm. The congestion remained the same, but at least MBS could see the gozillion cars on the road ahead of us.

Once we finally got to the restaurant, the rain had cleared.

What I learned: There is always one idiot driver who thinks he/she is going to be able to drive fast and weave in and out of traffic in a downpour. It does not work! 

Listened to: Love Train

Dinner: Met 5 cousins or their spouses at TheHalf Shell Oyster House. We were there for almost 3 hours and normally I would have felt bad occupying a table that long. We were there by 4:15 which is not a traditional dinner time, but I also imagine the weather killed the plans for a lot of diners. By the time we left there were only about 10 tables filled in a very large restaurant.

Shrimp and grits, asparagus

Friday: Woke and had coffee and talked with DIL3 and Son3.

Son2 and DIL2 came over for lunch and to visit with Son3 and DIL3 before they left to head back to Nashville. They decided since his job was done sooner than they thought, they would to drive back to Nashville Friday rather than Saturday morning as they had originally planned. They were going to leave Birmingham very early Saturday to be back in Nashville for the Tomato Festival, and it made a lot more sense to head out, have a leisurely drive back and enjoy Saturday's festivities.

What I learned: I learned what the Tomato Festival is, and what goings on happen during it.

Listened to: Crazy Train

Dinner: I had planned on having a salad, but TheHub had a salad for lunch and did not want another for dinner. So our dinner plans just changed forms.

BLT sandwich

Saturday: I was extremely tired Saturday and did very little until it was time to dress to go to an anniversary party for my dearest and closest cousin and her husband. It was a lovely party held at her son's house. The only downside to being married in August is having a celebration then is hot. I mean really hot!

My Beloved Sister and I went together, talking and laughing, and silently hoping the almost daily afternoon thundershower would hold off. It did, mostly.

And in spite of the heat, I was so thankful to be able to celebrate their success building a life and family together. I love them all.

What I learned: I met the newest addition to our extended family. I learned in spite of a serious medical issue when he was born, he is now thriving and gaining weight. Like Kim always says at the end of her blog posts "God is good".

Listened to: Peace Train

Dinner: I knew I would be getting home from the anniversary party right about dinner time and wanted something that would be an easy to make meal. Again I am so glad I bought a cast iron grill pan recently.

Steak, baked potato, tossed salad

Sunday: We woke, went to the early communion service, 8:30 church followed by Sunday School. 

On our way home we decided to go out for lunch. I seem to remember saying we needed to quit eating out as much as we do. Hollow words!

 Once we finished eating we headed to Aldi and Publix for a little cherry picking. I keep a running list of whatever is a really good deal (there have been very few lately) and go ahead and snag them. Once home, and after putting the groceries away, I did a few mundane chores, visited with a neighbor an bit then did some serious reading. (Only serious in the amount of time I read, not the reading material)

Later Sunday night we began watching a new series, Furious. It looks like it is something we will enjoy watching.

What I learned: Our senior minister at our church is going to leave to pursue a different sort of ministry. He will become a minister or consultant to ministers who face the struggles that come with their positions.

Listened to: This Train

 

Dinner: Now that it is just the two of us for dinner again, our meals will be even simpler.

Lady peas, coleslaw, mac and cheese

Bonus songs that just mention a train.

You Never Even Call Me By My Name

You have to wait for the last verse for this one, but it is worth it.

500 Miles

City of New Orleans

Read this week:  Glitz, Glamour and a Damn Good Time**

Have a great week.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* I will cook fish any way but frying it. I can't stand the way the house smells after that.

** If any of you have watched The Golden Age on HBO you might like this book about Mamie Fish.

Could I Possibly Care Less?

This was the meal plan for the past week. Some meals worked out and others were either restaurant or take out meals. So much for curbing our recent bad habits. But who really cares? I am in surrender mode!

1. Spaghetti, meat sauce, tossed salad

2. Grilled fish, rice, grilled veggies

3. Steak, baked potato, tossed salad

4. White bbq chicken, potato salad, coleslaw

5. Lemon garlic chicken thighs, brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes

6. Veggie dinner TBD

7. Hot dogs with all the fixings, dilled green beans, baked beans, chips

I will be moving some of the uneaten meals to the Wednesday-Tuesday meal plan, but the lemon chicken is most likely going to wait a bit because I just don't feel like making it. 

Even when I say we need to curb eating out, I already had one dinner out planned for Thursday night and I am going. In all honesty, I imagine there will be at least one additional restaurant or takeout meal.

Possibilities but not probabilities:

1. Hot dog and fixings, chips

2. Veggie dinner TBD based on produce available

3. Out to eat

4. Grilled steak, baked potato, tossed salad

5. Chicken casserole, coleslaw, some green vegetable

6. BLT salad

7. Veggie dinner TBD

This is not an exciting meal plan and I do not care. It has been hot, I don't feel like cooking, and will take advantage of leftovers from the first veggie meal.

Oh no, a little under 5 months till Christmas

I made no real progress in July toward Christmas, though I did revisit some Christmas magazines and listed a few things I intend to have done before Dec 1.

I tentatively planned a Christmas party with my childhood neighbors for December 1. It will be a weekday event, in the early afternoon (possibly an early lunch) since a few are older now and don't like to drive the interstates after dark. It will also be early enough in the holiday season to avoid the chaos of Christmas. 

I found a new home for my music box collection. For years Mom gave me one beautiful bisque porcelain Christmas music box right after Thanksgiving. I love them and have put them out every year, but I am now scaling down how I decorate for the holidays. When I asked Son3 if he wanted them, he said yes. Both he and DIL3 are musicians so it kind of makes sense. I had 15 but I am keeping a couple of them for sentimental sake. The rest will live in Tennessee for now. 

The Christmas card list needed cleaning up, so I both added, deleted and changed addresses for those who have moved in the last year. 

I know some of you have seen my praises of the Libby app. Due to the magic of modern technology, I was able to look through about 20 Christmas magazines from the comfort of my couch and make a list of things I would like to try for Christmas, both foods and decorating ideas. 

And, if it counts, I watched The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

August needs to see me get busy.

Ho Ho Holy Smokes, This Year Is Flying!

Dang, Oh It’s Django

Decades ago my beloved sister and I were at an art exhibit at the Birmingham Museum of Art. It was one of those where you get a recording explaining all the different works of art. I don't remember the actual exhibit (we used to go to a lot of them) but when we passed a particular piece of art we were gobsmacked by the music that was playing while we were viewing it.

And because we have no shame we had to find out who the performer was. Once we found out it was Django Reinhart, I had to go to the  music store (remember when you had to buy cassette tapes or CDs?) to find this artist.

I have been listening to him off and on ever since, and have developed an affinity for gypsy jazz.

Monday my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist had the song Danjologie first up. Turns out this was recorded by Django's son, Babik, which meant this weeks listening had to be devoted to the sounds of Django Reinhart. This was not hard for me.

Monday: I had a lazy and delightful morning of coffee and reading. It was wonderful.

I managed to clean out the armoire where I keep all of my clothes that are not hung in the closet. Each time I straighten it I make sure everything in there fits my needs and is something I actually wear. If not, it lands in my donations bag which is now overflowing. I need to itemize everything and move it on, out of the house.

TheHub and I had to run a few errands including going to Costco, which is my least favorite place to go. At least it was not as crowded as it is on the weekends! After we left there we ran by a couple of grocery stores to do a bit of cherry picking.

What I learned: I need to go through every single thing in my bedroom (not just clothes) and get rid of everything I don't use anymore.

Listened to: Sweet Georgia Brown

Dinner: TheHub wanted veggies so we went to our local meat and three

Stuffed bell pepper, turnip greens, okra

Tuesday: Son3 was going to be working in Birmingham for a week and a half. They only have 1 car and DIL3 needed to stay in Nashville so we met them halfway, had lunch, and drove Son3 the rest of the way here. 

He has access to TheHub's car and the two of us just coordinated our calendars to share my car for the time being.

On the way home we stopped at the Dutch Oven Bakery in Faulkville. It is a Mennonite run bakery filled with deliciousness. I stocked up on their cheesecakes. I keep them in the freezer as a grab and go to have on hand to share with anyone who might need a little something.

Listened to: The Sheik of Araby

 

Dinner: We had to use a club minimum by the 30th. We ordered take out rather than eating there.

Cobb Salad

Wednesday: This was a home based day for the most part, but we did run by the grocery store before going 2 places to look at chairs. We are updating our patio and pool deck furnishings. TheHub wants a specific type of Adirondack chair which we found at a couple of places. Now he has to make a decision about which type he wants, one with lumbar support or the straight back. 

What I learned: Polywood is definitely the way we want to go for furniture that will be in the elements year round.

Listened to: Dark Eyes

Dinner: Grilled grouper, saffron rice, grilled vegetables

Thursday: I woke and read a bit before getting my appreciation baskets ready to be delivered to the church employees I was assigned for June and July. We were out of town much of June and kept missing the person I was assigned to when I was around. The same happened through July, but June's recipient was available Thursday as was the guy who was my July person. I am glad I could kill two birds with one stone!

As soon as I delivered them, I picked up my sister and we drove to CVS to be a shuttle service. We were headed to a get together of people who lived in our childhood neighborhood and the parking at the house was limited. 

Well obviously we are no longer the kids who all played together, but we all share the same memories. Some of those who were there I had not seen since I was 13 years old, and it was great catching up with everyone.

Listened to:  All of Me

Dinner: The gathering began at 2:30 and we all finally left a little before 6. I had no idea that much time had passed and I had nothing started for dinner. Take out___again

Chicken Salad Chick plate

Friday:  We are changing our very outdated wills and had an appointment with the estate lawyer. Son2 went with us to outline what he is to do after we are gone. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half, which is a long time in typical attorney 15 minute billing cycles. 

Once done, we ran by the house and grabbed Son3, then met DIL2 at The Dip for lunch and conversation.

Back at the house we mainly hung out doing laundry and regular household chores. 

What I learned: If I am paying for legal advice, take it without question. They know more about it than I do.

Listened to: I'll See You in My Dreams

Dinner: I was trying to cut the carbs from one of TheHub's favorite meals. (It worked)

Spaghetti sauce over palmini "noodles", tossed salad 

Saturday: I spent the morning tidying the house and doing laundry. Then reading (can't forget to mention the reading)

TheHub and Son3 ran into overly crowded Costco to pick up a few items we needed for dinner. Several months ago I had made a proclamation that I would not go to Costco on a Friday evening, Saturday, or Sunday ever again, and I didn't go.

Anyway it was kind of them to pick up the steaks, and since they were going to be there anyway, I added a couple of things to the list .

What I learned: While doing laundry, I found a removable strap that had come off one of my summer tops about a week ago, but did not attach it the minute I found it. After misplacing it again, I learned to take care of small details immediately rather than thinking "I'll do it in just a sec" because a million things might happen between right then and later.

Listened to: Honeysuckle Rose

Dinner: We celebrated Son2's birthday with a dinner. My Beloved Sister also joined us and there was a lot of laughter.

Grilled steaks*, baked potato, tossed salad, croissants, cake

Sunday: Because Son3 was here we did not do our normal Sunday morning church activities. Instead we stayed home with him, had coffee and conversations. 

Afterward I was able to stream the traditional service. Essentially, I attended without actually going.

This was a laundry and reading kind of day. The skies were gray with low hanging clouds that threatened to rain all day and I was glad to stay either inside or on the screened porch. (Have I ever mentioned how nice porch reading sans mosquitos and under a ceiling fan is?)

What I learned: I learned that the three sons of Herrod the Great were given separate territories to govern. I knew about two of them but had no idea about the third.

Listened to: Brazil

Dinner: We had a late lunch and no one was very hungry.

Grilled cheese sandwich

Read this week: Everyone is Lying to You (quick read)

                            Dungeon Crawler Carl (this is like intergalactic 

                            Hunger Games, meets A Hitchhiker's Guide to the                                  Galaxy)

Have a great week!

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

*You can find Prime steaks at Costco. These were so good I am going next week and getting a few more to stick in the freezer. They were  thick enough that TheHub and I each ate only 1/3 of our shared steak. 4 steaks fed 6 of us with enough left over for another meal for 2. Since Son2 was the birthday boy we insisted he take the leftovers home.