The Hodgepodge Splurge

 

Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at From This Side of the Pond.

1. What does productivity look like to you? 

It looks a lot different now than it did a month ago. I have no idea what retirement productivity is going to look like. I'm assuming it will mean actually getting out of my pj's before 9:00 and doing things around the house.

2. What was your fondest (or one of your fondest) memory of High School? 

My high school life centered around band. That being said, one of the memories I have was when I was a freshman at band practice. I kept getting something wrong, and the director ran over to me and said, "Mary! What are you doing???" I just replied, "I don't know!" Needless to say, I think I got it right after that!

3. What did you do the summer after High School? 

I went to college! The university where I attended switched from the quarter-to-semester system that fall so they gave freshmen the opportunity to take some classes. It was a great introduction to college: we could only take 2-3 classes and only freshmen were in them. I met a future roommate that summer. 

4. June 14th is National Strawberry Shortcake Day...are you a fan, and if so will you celebrate? How do you make yours? Have you been strawberry picking? If so what do you do with all those berries? 

I love strawberries but I'm not a big fan of strawberry shortcake. I don't know that I've ever "made" them: I have bought the sponges shells, thrown some strawberry pie filling in it, and topped with whipped cream. YS planted a strawberry plant that is kicking but has produced very little strawberries that we've seen. I think maybe a bird, squirrel, or rabbit has been getting them.

5. What's something you always splurge on? 

Cherries...when they're on sale. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We still haven't decided where we're going for our big trip. Who knows? We may just get in the van and see where the road takes us!

We did get away this past week but it didn't go as we planned. Stay tuned for a post on that coming up soon!

{Weekend Wrap-up} Underground, HEMA, Relaxation

I kicked off my weekend by going by the church and going through the outdoor Stations of the Cross. It was a little chilly; I was glad I had my jacket with me. One of our parishioners completed this as his Eagle Scout project. He did an excellent job with it. The pictures he used for each Station are very nice.

CH & I had a quiet Friday night. We went to our "new and improved" Captain D's for supper (it was a Friday during Lent!). They've remodeled it so it's now bright and cheerful. I did have a quick thought that I need to tell Daddy about it. 😔

Saturday, we were up early to drive a couple of hours to the town where we met. (Which had nothing to do with why we were there!) YS has been taking HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) Fencing Lessons for the past 6 months. There were the "Highland Games" that were held. This was a very small event; we have a private college in town that puts on a good-sized game in the Spring. For YS' first outing, he did pretty well!

He's waiting for his gear to come in, so his shoulder has a pretty good bruise on it from getting hit. I thought we were going to be in a nice warm gym, but we were outside. And, it was cold! (Again, I was glad I had my jacket!)

There were women's events:

Non-fighting events:

Even the kids got in on some events:

This guy was my favorite (we dubbed him: Viking guy!):

It seemed like a very friendly competition; after the fighting, everyone talked, gave each other tips, and just socialized. I think YS had a good time.

CH & I couldn't be where we met without visiting some old haunts. The place where it all started:

The building in back of us used to be the fraternity house were I was a little sister for 3 years; CH was a brother during fall semester of my senior year. It's a family home, now. I was so very tempted to go up and stand on the porch! I spent many hours on that porch!

We went by Pals, grabbed some burgers, and sat at the amphitheater on campus while we ate. This is a popular place for students to picnic and/or study when the weather is warm. (I don't remember ever doing that, though; too many distractions for me!) The students are on Spring Break, so it was quiet. 

Saturday night, we started watching the series Underground. The show is about the Underground Railroad. Very good, and heartbreaking.

Sunday was the grocery store, a quick trip to our favorite watering hole, The Casual Pint, then just piddling around the house.

Nice end to the weekend!  Have a great week!!!

Thankful Thursday

Rebecca Jo at Knit by God's Hand started this link-up. Thursdays are a good time to stop and remember to be thankful for the little things.

 This week, I’m thankful for…

...a 2 hour delay on Monday so I could go to Daily Mass with my Daddy.

...being able to to stay at home and enjoy the view.

View from my living room:

From my kitchen window:

..for a puppy dog (>65 lbs.) who thinks she's as little as Pepper (< 20 lbs).

...for walks in the snow covered park with said puppy dog.

...for coffee.

...for college students who just want to have fun.

WBIR posted this picture of UT students involved in a snowball fight on their football field for the 2nd year in a row. The police didn't think it was so great...they cited a few students for trespassing and a couple for underage drinking. My 2 cents: they should open the gates for 30 minutes and just make sure that no damage is done. It would keep the students from climbing over the fence!

What are you thankful for? Visit Knit by God's Hand and join in the thankfulness.

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend saw some tea-drinking (not the norm for me), quite a bit of sleeping, some baking, and a celebration.
Friday, as the day wore on, my throat got progressively worse. I figured it was just the beginning of a cold, so I suffered through it. I drank lemon & ginger tea with honey in it, sucked on lozenges, and kept a glass of water by my bed. I'd sleep a couple of hours, then wake up with my throat on fire. Not what I needed this weekend.
Saturday, we had to get up early for a special celebration:

 MS graduated from UT-Knoxville! OS was able to come in, but YS had to work and then play for the commencement ceremony at his community college. We really missed him.

The ceremony was over 2 hours long...made longer by the guest speaker who apparently thought he was on the stage to teach a biology class. OS leaned over and asked if he was going to get any credit for sitting through it.

After the ceremony, we had lunch, then CH & I went home & I went to bed.

Sunday morning, I was at the Clinic right after it opened; it was filling up fast. After about 1.5 hours, the dr. took 1 look at my throat and said she would be surprised if my strep test came back negative and wrote a prescription. I got it filled, then went home and made some tea. I managed to stay up long enough to get most of the laundry done, then I went back to bed. CH ran out to "our Mexican restaurant" and grabbed take-out. In the meantime, I did a little baking for the office staffs at both of my schools:

These Eggnog Breads with Rum Glaze are just amazing. And, they're really easy, too. The first time I made them (a couple of years ago), I over mixed them, but I got the hang of it after that. You can make one regular size loaf, but honestly, it doesn't turn out as well as when you make the mini-loaves.

That was my weekend. I'm looking forward to getting this week started so it will be over! 

Weekend Wrap-up

Time for another Weekend Wrap-up, hosted by Stefani at A Defined Life.  She's just getting this meme started, so please visit her and join along!

(Reminder:  you can click on any of the pictures to get a bigger view.)

Friday, I saw this butterfly on my butterfly bush:

 And then I saw this skink...shortly before Pepper caught it and dismembered it.

 YS & I drove up to the town where I went to undergrad school & spent the night.  The view from our hotel, looking toward the university:

Upon arriving at the hotel, we saw this:

 I didn't take it as a good sign, and figured the halls were going to be pretty noisy that night.  But, we didn't hear a peep!

This was on the headboards:

I was a little disturbed by it.  I would expect the duvet covers and sheets to be clean.  It's sad that Hampton Inn feels like they need to leave stickies to verify that they are.
We went up because OS' girlfriend (GF) had an art exhibition at a small gallery downtown. Here are a couple of her pictures:

She is so incredibly talented, and she had a very nice turnout for the reception.  

After the reception, YS & I went to Chili's with one of my sisters since she hadn't eaten.  The Presidente Raspberry Margaritas are to die for!  We had a nice visit, then YS & I went back to the hotel and crashed.

Saturday morning we had a little time to kill before we met OS, so we wandered around a Fresh Market that was nearby.  I was a bit surprised with the prices, but I guess you have to pay for fresh!

We looked around the campus of the university:

Alumni Plaza (This wasn't there when I was a student.)

This is something fairly new in the student center:

I say "fairly new", but I'm not sure how long it's been there.  It definitely wasn't there when I attended!  Anyway, this the first phrase of the Alma Mater.

I spent many hours sitting on the steps of this building:

And many hours on the porch of this former fraternity house, where I was a Little Sister.  It's probably a good thing that the walls can't talk!

We had a good visit with OS & GF over coffee, then we headed back to the small town.  

I got an email from the library on Saturday, letting me know that a book I had on hold was ready for download.  So, I spent most of Sunday reading this:

One of the things I like about James Patterson is that his books are a quick-read.  One of my sisters let me borrow the first book in a series to read, but I had to put that aside since I'm on a timeline with this book.

CH & I also went grocery shopping (yeah....not!), and MS & YS joined us for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

MS has been working at the big city's conference center for a Christian Youth Rally.  They had a concert on Thursday, and he said Chris Tomlin stood right behind him!  The sad thing is that he had no idea who Chris Tomlin (or any of the other groups) was.  He said that when they ate dinner, he was in the same room with all of the musicians.  He has no idea how close to greatness he was!

Join in A Defined Life and catch us up on your weekend!

Exciting Weekend

Saturday morning, we got to witness this:

That's OS walking across the stage at his university, receiving his degree!  Yes, he has on chacos, his footwear of choice.  After the ceremony, we realized that he had done some paintball playing the day before...he had red paint on his legs!    There were times when we weren't 100% sure that he would finish college, but he persevered and did it!  While I watched him amongst the rest of the graduating class who were receiving degrees that morning, I thought back to the day we moved him in the dorm his freshman year.  He experienced so much in those 5 years; some good, some bad.  I'm so very proud that he stuck with it!
It was interesting to people watch.  There was the lady sitting behind us who wore this:

Then there was the footwear that other kids were wearing:
The green shoes:

And the cowboy boots:

There was the photographer who brought her baby along for the ride:

OS with the information about actually getting his "sheepskin":

(He had already taken his gown off & wouldn't put it back on for me!)
After the ceremony, we were invited over to his Fraternity Big Sister's for barbecue.  It was just us and her family, but it was perfect for an after graduation meal! 

CH's brother was nice enough to come up so he could witness the big day!

 And to think we almost missed it!  I talked to OS on Friday morning, and asked him what he was going to do on Saturday.  He said he was going to get up and go to graduation.  I said, "but it's at 2:00", to which he replied:  "no, mom, it's at 10:00."  He sent me a text later and said that it would've been funny if we had missed it, so I replied back, "no, it would NOT!"  We left the house on Saturday around 7:00 a.m. and had to drive through some really bad rain to get there.  We actually got there in plenty of time.  CH's aunt and uncle who live in the area were also there.  Now the fun starts for him:  finding a job so he can start his grown up life.  Anybody know someone looking to hire someone with a degree in Marketing Management?

Perfection

Newsflash:  I'm not perfect.  My kids aren't perfect.  Even though I pretend that everything is just perfect, it isn't.  Some of OS' high school classmates graduated from college this past week, but he didn't.  It's very hard to read the posts on Facebook of the moms talking about how proud they are of their kids.  Oh, I'm proud of OS, and I'm proud of my friends' kids.   I have a pang of jealousy when I read those posts.  I'm confident in believing that the other kids' college careers didn't have some adversity; why is it that you don't hear about that?  Why is it that we have to make people believe that we have perfect lives and that our kids are perfect?  
Why do some kids have to learn things the hard way and others seem to breeze through their life?  I keep asking myself "What did I do wrong?"  During Mass on Sunday, the priest's homily seemed to be talking just to me:
So, don’t ask, “What do I do next.”  Or other practical questions, such as, “How do I keep my marriage, my kids and myself happy and holy?”  As long as we allow Christ to be near us, everything will be fine.  It may be difficult, like carrying a cross, but it will all be OK.  Just pay attention to God’s presence and you’ll get where you’re going.
Wow.  I couldn't believe he said that.  After Mass I slipped into the Adoration Chapel and said a Rosary.  Sunday, the mysteries that are meditated on are the Glorious Mysteries.   For you non-Catholics, we have "cheat sheets" to help us keep focused and remember what the Mysteries are.  Anyway, the Fifth Glorious Mystery caught my eye:  The Coronation.  "A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars."  (Rev 12:1)  The Fruit of the Mystery:  Trust in Mary's Intercession.  I felt a big weight come off of my shoulders, and suddenly, everything was okay.  I have to learn to let go and let my kids live their lives, even if it's not the way I want or thought they would.  I don't want anyone to think I'm disappointed in my boys, because I'm not.  I have great kids; each of them has their own good qualities.  Even if they're not perfect.

Laziness, Snow, and College

Am I incredibly lazy or what? For Christmas,  CH gave me 3 (yes, 3!) certificates for pedis!  I had my first and only one at the beginning of the summer, and loved it.  I'm excited about going back, but...that means I have to shave my legs.  I know, I know.  L-A-Z-Y.  I abhor shaving my legs.  Really.  If plucking the hairs out one by one would cause them to never come back, I would do it.  If I were rich, I'd laser those suckers away.  I'm just talking about the bottom part of my legs.  The bikini area is a whole different story.  Even if I've only worn a 2 piece bathing suit one time in my life and never plan on wearing one again.  At some point, hair removal has to be done.  I don't want anybody waxing me there:  I find it hard to believe that the waxers don't talk amongst themselves.  Do they have to sign a "confidentiality clause"?  And then the Kardashian girls go and get waxed on tv.
Sorry... got off track.  I got the Christmas decorations put away on Saturday and got the house back to normal.  Friday I had an unexpected day off because of an expected snow storm that never came.  We got a cold rain after 3:00, but that was it until Friday night/Saturday morning.  The weather models are showing a big disturbance coming in that will affect the south...we may be stuck in our house for days!   If you're not from the south, what they say about us is true:  We run to the store at the mere threat of snow for bread and milk.  I'm not sure why.  What can you make with bread and milk?  Why don't we go get other stuff?  I can't answer that, but I did tell CH that we needed to go to the store for bread and milk.  And cheese. 
OS & MS are anxious to get back to their colleges and get ready for the new semester.  OS doesn't start classes until Thursday, but with the snow coming in, he wanted to make sure he could get to school.  Since MS is just 15 minutes away, it's not as big of a deal for him; he just wants to get back to see his friends.  So, they both will be gone Sunday afternoon.  I had started to get used to our new "normal". And I miss it.  But when they're gone, I miss them.  It's a vicious cycle.  And I bet it will never end.

Miscellaneous

Husband and OS are on their way home.  YAY!  It's been nice to just have to take care of myself & YS, but it will be nice to have Husband home.  OS was suppose to start classes yesterday.  Luckily the university he goes to doesn't have the policy that the big university where MS goes:  If they're absent the first class, they get dropped from the class.  I guess the big u has people waiting to get into a class, and if you're not serious about going to class, there's someone else willing to pay to get in.
Husband sent me a picture from a campground a few nights ago.  He said this was about 200 feet from his campsite and the main building:

I don't know how y'all feel about this, but I would feel much better if this had been seen outside of a hotel, not in a campground!  Somehow knowing that a bear could tear through a piece of canvas isn't very comforting.

Middle son came by Friday night to get yet another piece of clothing he needed.  He had his rugby practice uniform on, and of course I had to take a picture.  I have to admit:  it looks kind of dopey; I think I caught him as he was looking at his suitemate and saying something to him!

 He is loving the big university.  I have to tell y'all something funny, though.  I got an e-mail from a blogging friend the other day.  She said that she was in the cafeteria and saw a guy that she thought she may know.  Then she realized it was MS!  She said that she didn't say anything to him because she wasn't sure how to explain to him that she knew me but didn't know me.  I thought it was pretty cool that she recognized MS.  I made sure he knew that she had seen him so that if she sees him again and speaks to him, he'll know that she's not some crazy person someone he can speak to!


High school football is in full swing.  Last Thursday was our big rivalry game.  This game has been played for more than 80 years, and has been pretty fierce.  There have been years of egg fights at the bridge, pranks on the other schools, and just down right not liking each other.  The dislike has seemed to lost a little of the edge as people have moved in and just don't understand what the rivalry is all about.  You have David Vs. Goliath; the small blue-collar school vs. the big white-collar school.  Last year our high school beat the other one; before that it had been 9 years since we had won.  It seems like every year we push each other to be better.  I don't remember many years when one school has been up and the other has been down.  So, how did it turn out on Thursday night?  Here's a photo of the final scoreboard, compliments of my friend Kimert:

YAY!  We won for the 2nd year in a row!  This had been the 1st time in 10 years that they had been beat on their home field.  Who beat them the last time?  Why, it was our little bitty school!  I didn't feel the excitement during the day that I had in the past; I guess it was because I don't have a football player this year.  The game was on tv, so I opted to stay at home and watch.  Y'all have no idea how crazy this game gets:  There are usually around 10,000 people there.  We only have 8,000 in our town.  People are in line at 4:00 to get into the gates at 4:30; the game started at 7:00.  This is a huge game for bragging rights in the county.  There are a couple of other high schools in the county, but they haven't had very good teams for a while.  Anyway, once the game was coming on, the ol' excitement came back!  Remember I yell at the tv during ballgames?  My jack russell mutt jumped off of the couch at one point and slinked off to the bedroom.  The game went back and forth; no one ever lead by more than 4 points at any part of the game.  Very exciting!


Another high school football game took place on Friday night that was exciting:  EHS (my husband's alma mater) had their first home football game in their new stadium.  The old stadium had been damaged during the tornado 3 years ago.  The students are now in their new school, which is the largest campus in Alabama.  The pictures of the school are amazing; that is one beautiful school!  If you choose to look at the pictures on the following site, you'll see the mosaic of the wildcat that was in the old school.  George Bush, when he visited the old high school after the tornado, insisted that the mosaic be preserved and put in its own place in the new school.
Home, at last. New Enterprise High School opens | Dothan Eagle

Does the whole town turn out for high school football games in your hometown, or is it just another night?