Sunday, March 31, 2019

Two Fer One Thankfuls, But I Had A Good Reason

Tick tick tick tick. 

That's the Ten Things of Thankful Countdown Clock (relax - it only exists in my head), and the alarm is about to go off. QUICK! WRITE!

(Note: this was my list for a week ago, explanation to follow)

1. I spent last weekend at a lovely inn in Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee, with my Person, Terri. Our trip made up my Ten Things last weekend, but I'm going to throw it in again because I'm still thankful for that weekend! 

2. Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. 


Goat cheese with red cherries, salty
caramel, brandied banana brulee,
and cream puff. Lest you think I am
quite the pig, these are very tiny
scoops. Very tiny.


3. Nashville is one of my favorite places to thrift shop, and I TOTALLY SCORED on an armchair and ottoman! The armchair was brand new with a price tag of $77.00. I texted my husband and he said to buy it, but it was still a lot of money to drop, so I wasn't sure. He looked up the brand name of the chair and found out it was in the $1,000 to $1,500 range, and $77 didn't seem so steep! When I took the tag to the check out, the cashier said, "Oh, it has a blue tag - that means it's 50% off today!" So guys, with tax, I spent $40 on the chair! At a different thrift store, I found an oversized ottoman that matched perfectly for $20. Guess where I'm sitting right now, with my feet all propped up...?


My little corner of the world.

4. The chair was kind of shoved in the back of my van by a worker at the thrift store (completely blocking my view out the back window, by the way), so when I bought the ottoman, I had to do some rearranging. The ottoman was on the ground next to me as I pushed and shoved, and then I heard a man ask if I could use some help. Now, I'm a pretty independent woman, but I'm also not stupid, so I said sure, and he not only helped me move the chair so I could see out the window, but he also packed some blankets I had around the legs so they wouldn't bump the side window and break it, plus he put the ottoman in for me. 

5. I had to leave Nashville on Tuesday. I don't get to spend enough time with my Person, since there are many, many miles between us, but we make the most of the time we have and I couldn't be more grateful for her friendship. 

6. Real bagels. Not Panera. Not Sara Lee. Real bagels from a real bagel bakery. Can't get those where I live, so I picked up 2 dozen before I left Nashville. They freeze very well!

7. I stopped in the little town of Wickliffe, Kentucky, where the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers is, just to take a look at the water. (Note: I'm actually terrified of water, but I love to look at it - just don't ask me to get on it or in it!) The Ohio has been flooded, which led to the Mississippi being flooded, and a whole lotta water was hustling downstream. Another car had pulled up where I was, and as I walked back to my car, I saw that it was an elderly gentleman. I stopped to visit with him, and I'm so glad I did! He was darling! He told me he came down to the water's edge several times a day. He was a widower and a retired barber. He had had a stroke ten years ago and didn't get around as well as he used to, but he could still drive (slightly terrifying if you could see how little use he had of his right side). He told me about a scenic view not far away, then followed me to it and we got to visit a little more. I told him if I ever get hauled into the pokey while passing through Wickliffe, Kentucky, I would call him!


See the yellow gangway in the upper right of the
photo? The right side of it is supposed to be on
dry land. This is a "floating" store, built
on a dock, for tug boats to stop at for
supplies as they navigate the rivers.

Where the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers meet.

This is my new friend Bill. Isn't he adorable?
Me, not so much. It was very windy.


8. My college girl was home for spring break, and I spent the rest of the week with her. It was hard to send her back to school after the week was over.


In her room at the sorority house a few
weeks ago during Moms Weekend.


9. Emma and I had lunch during one of the days she was home with one of her old high school friends. We sat at a table for three hours while the girls talked and gossiped and laughed, and I was reminded of how one of my favorite activities has always been to watch my kids interact with their friends. Now that they're away at school, I don't get to enjoy that very often.

10. In the TToT Secret Book of Rules 14.07.2 subchapter c(3)iii, it clearly states that when you leave the charging cord to your laptop at the lake house, you can finish your list a week later, after your dad brings the cord back to his house and your husband is able to stop by that house and pick up the cord when he coincidentally has a business trip that takes him through the area. It also allows you to add a VERY BRIEF list for the next week, and here goes:

1. Propel water. 

2. Heated mattress pads, especially when winter refuses to leave.

3. Facetime, when it works, that is.

4. Flowers popping up out of the ground. Daffodils, hyacinths and paper whites are blooming, and the tulips aren't far behind.

5. I found six cents on the ground outside a convenience store. I guess I understand not wanting to bend over and pick up a penny, but a nickel? It reminds me of an old joke about a fellow who accidentally dropped a quarter down the hole in the outhouse. He then took a $20 bill and threw it in, then went down inside to retrieve it, along with the quarter. Another fellow asked him why he threw in the $20, and he said, "You wouldn't expect me to go in there for just a quarter, would you?"

6. Podcasts.

7. Netflix. Binge watched "Russian Doll" yesterday.

8. My new bundt pan that makes six little bundt cakes at a time. I may have gotten carried away this weekend....


Sour Cream Chocolate with a Chocolate
 Ganache Glaze. 

Coconut Cake with Coconut Glaze,
plus toasted coconut on top.

Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze.

Monkey Bread (or monkey bundts,
as I called them)

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Filling


9. My college girl won a scholarship this week. We don't have an amount yet, but even if it's for $5.00, we will be grateful.

10. Phone calls from the Med School student. He doesn't have much free time, so when he can squeeze in a call, my heart sings.


My Med Student on the right, at the wedding
of one of his childhood friends.


I'm still trying to get back in the swing of blogging again, and I have not been observing proper blog etiquette, which mandates that I read and comment on the blogs of my fellow bloggers, especially those in my "circle." I'll get there - I swear!




Ten Things of Thankful

8 comments:

  1. That countdown clock exists in my head, too--why do we do that?! I try to keep the TToT a no-stress zone, but I haven't figured out how to have participants (myself included) eliminate the self-induced guilt/stress. ANYWAY, glad you are back! I think Clark would be proud of your use of the rule book.

    I can relate to your second #10, as well. Between classes and studying for that big test (that I can't remember the name of right now), med school students have about zero time. It's so sweet they still make time to call their moms on occasion. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to be better about keeping a running list of thankfuls on my phone, and it made it much easier to write a post in a timely manner. Still working on getting back to the blogging habit! And I appreciate your warm welcome back! I'm afraid so many people have forgotten about me that I won't have many followers anymore, but I write for myself anyway, and anyone else who reads a post is a bonus.
      The Med Student is studying for that dreaded test as we speak (I don't know the name of it either!). He finished classes the first of March and has dedicated study time until the test in June.

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  2. What a treat being able to read a two for one post!
    What a deal on that chair and ottoman! How nice that you had some help getting those items into your truck. You are definitely not dumb. :-)
    Congrats to your daughter for receiving a scholarship!
    Loved seeing all the photos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Pat! It made for a VERY LONG post, but my battery started dying on #9 last week, and that's when I discovered that I had forgotten my charger! It's a shame laptop chargers can't be universal.

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  3. ...monkey bundts, as I called them.
    Your papers are in order, your bona fides totally established. lol
    Very excellent use and citation of the BoSR/SBoR

    My total respect for your roadtrip skills! (Wayne and Garth insert here".. we are not worthy")

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you appreciated the phrase "monkey bundts". I thought it was genius.
      When you need the SBoR, you need it.
      I have completely mad road trip skills!

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