!Sangria Margarita!

It doesn't get much better than that! We had a late Mexican lunch yesterday. The Big Guy and I shared the jumbo Sangria Margarita. It is frozen margarita with a splash of Sangria on top. If you haven't tried one, they are really good! I won't mention the fact that we had to take a nap when we came home and that both of us ended up with headaches. Can you say lightweights? David kept saying it was the food that gave us a headache. He likes the drink too much to blame it on the frozen treat. It was a funny day. The weather reminded us more of fall than of spring. It poured down rain for most of the day. We rationalized that is was okay to nap as the weather had nap written all over it:)

Pumpkin had a swim meet this weekend. His team hosted it on Saturday and Sunday. This was the first time I got to see him swim since his broken ankle. It was great to see him back in there. He had a good meet and cut time in all but one of his events. It seems like he is really trying to apply the things he is learning in practice. He is so fortunate to have a group of boys his age on the team. The meets turn into a big social event for him.

For the first time ever, we dropped him off at the pool on Sunday morning by himself. We went on to teach PRE. At about 9:30 am I looked up and thought about Pumpkin and the start of the meet. We made it to the pool by 11 am. When we walked in, another mom told me that Pumpkin sang the national anthem - - ALL BY HIMSELF. We could not believe that we missed it. It was just one of those things that evolved that morning. Pumpkin willingly agreed to do it. He paused in the middle for just a bit to remember the words. Other than that, he did great - - or so I heard! A few parents passed along compliments. I was so proud of him for stepping up to the mic and singing a very hard song. I just wish we could have heard it! This is another reason to support our retirement from teaching PRE. Pumpkin said that he was sort of nervous, but he'd do it again. We hope to be there the next time!

Date Day!

We finally celebrated our anniversary just 12 days late! The Big Guy took the day off of work and we spent it together. It was a treat. We have found over the years that we enjoy the day. It is nice to have the time together before the boys get out of school in the next month.

We started the day off with a bike ride. My husband is so kind. He did not put any pressure on me and just pedaled right with me. He is a much more accomplished biker than I am. It started out kind of stressful as I knew I was going slower than what he normally goes. I was working really hard. Then, I gasped for a deep breath and realized I just needed to enjoy it. Was he going to love me any less because I ride slower than he does? Fortunately, no. He was content riding with me. The weather was beautiful with a wind coming out of the south. We even struck up a conversation or two. I like the distraction of talking. He has become accustomed to deep thinking on his rides. We had a good time.

For a treat, we went out to lunch at a pizza and panini place on the square. I licked my plate clean! I was starving. I guess from all the fresh air. I got a portobello panini. That is something I won't make at home as mushrooms are only enjoyed by me:( The sammie was good. We struggled with what to do next. We have to make some decisions as to what project to do around the house. And, we need to focus on what the next car is going to be. We talked about test driving some vehicles today. One of the things I hate is walking into a showroom. As much as I'd like a plan for a new car, I did not want to spoil the day by visiting a car salesman. So, we headed to a local kitchen shop and we went to Home Depot. I think the next project is going to be the kitchen. We use that room so much and it needs a bit of updating. We are at the exploration stage. I may talk to a few designers to get their ideas and balance that against a budget. We want to do as much ourselves and that makes it kind of scary. Our ideas have spanned the gamut. We think we've come to reasonable starting place using some of what we have. We'll see what kind of progress we make.

Our day was a nice one. Now, he is off with one boy at soccer and I have to get the other one from swimming.

Have a great weekend!!

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

We went out last night to the Bee show. We don't go out alone that much. This was a late celebration of our anniversary. The show was entertaining. It just finished its run on Broadway and is touring around the country. They actually incorporated four members from the audience into the bee. One of them even stumped 'em and spelled a challenging word correctly. It was wonderful. We had a nice time. We stopped for a cone on the way home. The boys were all nestled and snuggled in their beds when we got back. We are continuing the celebration today. The Big Guy took the day off. We'll head out for a bike ride together. Wish me luck! My legs can't keep up with those;) We are going to go to lunch after that. Sounds good to me!!


I got my hair done yesterday. You can see it in the photo. She cut a bit more off and I got color - my first time ever! I wanted all those colorless hairs (who is mentioning grey?) to go away. This morning I am wondering what I did. I guess it will have to grow on me. I'll have a clearer opinion after I shower and try to do it myself!

Mississippi Breakfast Bake - Yummo!

Tuesday night we had breakfast for dinner. We tend to do that about once every two weeks. I normally resort to a baked french toast, but this time I did an internet search for a sausage patty and egg recipe. I had enough of those ingredients on hand and wanted to use them up. I found the recipe for the Mississippi Breakfast Bake. It was a hit with everyone. I did not chop the tomatoes up too small as one in the group doesn't like tomatoes. The Cajun seasoning is a perfect addition to the dish. My guys said I could make it again. They recommended crumbled sausage instead of patties next time. I think they want to be guaranteed sausage in every bite!


Like the vintage Corning Ware? I think it is a hand-me-down from my oldest sister. I don't use it that often, but it was the perfect size for our dinner.

They Flew the Coup!

A few weeks ago, I posted about the robin sitting on the nest in the Crepe Myrtle outside our front door. We watched her day after day. We knew there were two eggs in the nest, but weren't sure how they were doing. One day last week I saw the Momma bird feed two birdies. I stood at the door and watched her bring food to them. On Sunday, I got brave and brought the ladder out. Momma was off finding food - I guess. Those two birds were quite instinctual. They were up in the nest until they heard the ladder. I stayed pretty far away as I did not want to terrorize them. As soon as they heard the ladder, they got as small as they possible could and sunk down into the next. I snapped one photo.



The very next morning, Buddy and I were rounding the corner for home. I saw something hop out of the corner of my eye. The birds were learning how to fly. One hopped up onto the truck across the street. I don't know where they ended up. The nest is empty. We hope they were able to spread their wings and really fly. We miss the entertainment of watching nature right outside our door!

France?

I see London. I see France.
Fortunately, we don't see Peanut's underpants!!!

Today marked the end of the state testing for both boys. Peanut was still sick on the first day of testing. But, he was able to make it up. The boys thought the tests were easy. We'll see when they get their results.

I proctored in a second grade classroom two days this week. The test seemed easy to me. I do have years on those second graders! Ha! Ha!

Peanut's teacher had activities for the class each afternoon following the testing. This afternoon they decorated a potato. Peanut's potato came alive as a French soccer player. I guess it is officially a football player. Go figure! I think he's watched his share of ESPN. Although, this guy is dressed in white which means his team is playing at an away location. I wonder where. I love the blue tattoos. The potato shared those with Peanut's hands! We welcome the addition to our counter.

Happy Birthday, FedEx!

Today marks the 35th year for FedEx. It seems like they have always been around. They had an article yesterday in our local paper. Fred Smith, CEO, celebrated with some employees at the hub. Today, at my husband's office, they were going to have cake. It is amazing all they have done. Mr. Smith comments in the article that they are just getting started. My Big Guy has only been with them for 1/5 of its life and has seen lots of changes and improvements. We are grateful. As the IT guys say, FedEx is a large IT company that just happens to ship packages!!! I am not sure the pilots think that way!

In our paper today there was a full page photo of a driver helping during the flood in SE Missouri. Give the site a click and see what else FedEx is doing and where they are going.

Happy Birthday, FedEx! Here's to even more wonderful years!!

Wow! What a Weekend!

We had a great weekend. Two of my three sisters, Rita & Gina, and my mom flew in to spend the weekend. We missed my sister Ruth:( She was returning from her spring break and could not make it for this GWO. The weekend was a big get-together to celebrate someone's big 50!

They got here Saturday afternoon. My mom has many years on us and my sisters thought it would be a good idea to get here a wheel chair. They weren't sure how far away the gates would be when they changed planes in Chicago. Well, in Memphis, I see my mom in this wide body wheel chair. All of us could have fit in it with her. It was too funny! Their trip was uneventful and we hit the ground running when they got here. We dropped their bags at home and headed for the town square in Collierville. We roamed in and out of the shops on the square. The azaleas are blooming. The town square is breath-taking. My sister is supposed to email the group photos we took from there.

I did take this one of the azaleas on the square.


Here is one of Rita being goofy trying to hide in the azaleas.


In one of the shops. I bought this. I love the concept of using the wine bottle for a candle stick holder. We shared this bottle on Sunday night. It was one we got out in Sonoma this summer.

Every time I walked by the table today, I smiled as the holder reminded me of the wonderful weekend:)

Rita emailed me a link to this. A few weekends ago, they were having a 50% sale on the certificates. We knew we'd go out while they were here. I ordered a handful of certificates. The Birthday Girl, Gina, said that she felt like Italian. We opted for dinner at Ronnie Grisanti's. I have heard out their reputation since we moved here seven years ago. The food was wonderful! I can't wait for my husband and I to go back. I had ravioli. It was one of the best I have ever had. The marinara sauce was out of this world too! It was so nice to eat and chat with my family in my town!!

This idea for a GWO started with going to see the musical, Menopause the Musical in Danville, KY. The show seemed like a very apropo way to celebrate a big birthday. As it turned out, airfare was nominal and the play was showing in Memphis. On Sunday afternoon we went to see the show. I cannot say enough about this show. It was hilarious. We laughed from start to finish. We weren't the only ones. The entire theatre was roaring. The music is songs we recognized with modified lyrics. The voices of the four women were amazing. If the show is in your area, you need to grab a group of girlfriends and go. Here we are before we headed down to the theatre.


Did I mention that Sunday was my anniversary? We've been married seventeen years! If you look over my shoulder, you can see the wedding photo. Gosh, I love this guy! He was very understanding all weekend. He took the kids under his wing and I got to play with my sisters. We are going to celebrate our anniversary in the next week or so:)


Sunday evening we enjoyed Corky's, a yummy local barbeque joint. We lit the OVER HILL CANDLES in an Apple Crisp Pie per the Birthday girl. She made a wish and blew!



The weekend flew by. I drove everyone to the airport this morning. They got home this afternoon. Everyone had a good time and we will cherish the memories. We'll have to make it some sort of annual tradition.

The only bummer over the weekend was the Peanut was sick. He came home from school Thursday afternoon running a fever. That continued and continues today. I took him back to the doctor this morning. He thinks Peanut has a specific virus. I don't remember the name. The fever runs its course for about 5 days. We are crossing our fingers that we are on the downward slope of this one. I am sorry he was sick. I am extremely grateful my husband assumed the caregiver role for the weekend.

Boy Filling Big Shoes

Too funny! My soccer player came home last night and sat right down for dinner. It was his dish night which he doesn't like. He starts complaining and whining from the time he realizes he'll have to do the dishes. My husband had to leave the kitchen as Peanut kept begging for assistance. It doesn't help that he takes forever to do the dishes. After a few minutes, we got a call to come back to the kitchen and this is what we saw. It brought smiles and laughter. As I was grabbing my camera, Peanut said that I should blog the photo calling it "boy filling big shoes." So, there you go! In the blink of an eye, my nine year old will fill those shoes!!

Projects

My sisters are coming to visit on Saturday. I am very excited. We are having a Girls Weekend here! That along with the beautiful weather has inspired me to do some spring cleaning around here. I have so much to do and I keep uncovering new distractions. I tend to flit and flutter as I am getting the house ready.

One of the things I did this weekend was to sort of organize the guest bedroom closet. I think I just moved more stuff to the attic. I did uncover my sewing machine. It sits nicely in this closet. The idea was to make it my craft closet. I just haven't done any sewing since I moved the machine there two years ago. Now that you can see the machine, I felt the urge to sew! A few years ago, I made our kitchen window treatments with a toile fabric. I found a checked pattern that sort of matches. I referenced Amy Butler's In Stitches book and went to work on four placemats. I used interfacing that I had. I think they'd be nicer if they were not as flimsy. But, I was impressed with the simplicity of the project. I was also impressed that I completed it. We just won't be able to use the placemats until my sisters arrive!!!


I need to post a picture with table set. The white dishes will look good in the center minimizing the checks. I don't have time to do that tonight and blogger is having some issues with uploading pictures. I have to keep trying again and again.

My other project was my sock! I have completed one and have one more to do. I am pleased with the results. My other foot is a tad smaller. I think I will make the next one a tad smaller. Is that crazy to have a left and right sock?


The big news for this evening was Peanut scoring his first goal. He normally plays left fullback. The coach let him play up and within minutes he had his first goal. We were thrilled and he was excited. It was his first this year!!! What makes it even sweeter is that Peanut is plagued with allergies and was feeling miserable this morning. The drugs we gave him must have worked. Anyway, to celebrate, we stopped at Kroger on the way home. We splurged for cupcakes from the Oops We Baked Too Much rack. We settled right in to watch the Memphis Tigers and eat the treat. I enjoyed my cupcake by scraping the icing into the sink as I am not fond of that stuff. We live too close not to cheer, GO TIGERS!

Just Keep Riding!

Rode Monday
Felt Great

Rode Wednesday
Felt the wind and struggled

Notice the Bike Odometer on the sidebar

Exhausted in a good way
Gonna beat the boys to bed

Confident my bowl of ice cream will not produce additional curves
Gratitude exudes with every beat - from my heart

I just have to keep riding!

Signs of Spring

Over the last few days, more and more signs of spring popped up! It is quite hard to believe as we've had our fair share of rain. The ground is definitely soggy. We got over two inches of rain last night and the Bermuda grass loved it. It is starting to turn green. It must be about time to mow it! I don't know if I am ready for that.

Enjoy the wonders of nature just outside my front door!


These line the north side of our house in clusters between the Crepe Myrtle trees. They seemed to bloom right before our eyes. The only thing is they are on the side of the house we see the least. I hope our neighbors enjoy them!


This is the only splash of lavender in the yard. These Iris tried to bloom in the late fall when it was really warm. I was happy to see it blooming again this spring. There are a few more waiting to open in the next couple days.


Look closely at the bird's nest in the middle of the tree. You can see the bird's tail and its beak. The nest is a work of art - quite deep and almost perfectly round. I've felt sorry for the bird sitting on that nest as the rain keeps falling and falling and falling. I'll be watching for some babies!!