Doesn't Really Compare...

So, the husband and I went to Myrtle Beach for the weekend. His parents live there, so we went to spend some time with them. The men golfed while my MIL and I went shopping and just hung around the house. 

Meanwhile this is where teen daughter spent the weekend:

(Just a few of the photos she posted on FB)

Kind of makes my weekend seem pretty pitiful!

Dirty Myrtle vs. Paris? No contest!

A Mid-Week Getaway

I think I've said it before, but I just love to go to our lake house during the week!
Husband had to go to Greensboro NC for work on Wednesday, so we thought to help cut some time off that drive we would head up to the lake house on Tuesday and he could leave from there in the morning. 
It was so nice and quiet! No neighbors were around and since it's still pretty cool outside, there were only one or two boats going by. 
I spent most of Wednesday hanging out and doing a little cleaning and trying to finish up the book I picked for book club, which meets next week!
Husband got home around 6:30, we ate dinner and then decided to walk out to the community dock and look at the water. 
Would you believe when we got back to the house we had locked ourselves out?! And, remember, there were not many people around. And our keys and phones were locked in the house!!!!! 
Husband thought we should call a locksmith, but I thought that maybe the window above the kitchen sink was unlocked. Now, this window is two stories up from the ground, and husband hates heights! We found a really big ladder at one of the neighbor's house and with me standing at the bottom trying to hold it steady, husband climbed to the top. He tried to remove the screen, but had problems. So he came back down and tried to find something flat that he could pry it off with. Finally, and it's getting pretty dark by this time and getting colder, he gets the screen off. And sure enough he starts pushing the window and it starts to open! He got it up and crawled inside and came around and unlocked the door. When he did I told him that I was so glad that he wasn't a big, fat guy and was able to fit through the window! Needless to say, I went and made a couple copies today to hide around outside the house so that never happens again!

Have I Ever Told You That I Really, Really, Really, Hate Driving?!

It's a new week and so far, so good!

I just got back from driving to Clemson to take college son and one of his roommates back to school. I was the one that went and picked them up and I was the one that drove them back!

Did you know that I really hate driving or even riding in a car for that matter? And I had to go get them AND take them back! And to make matters worse, right as we were packing up the car I heard husband ask son why roommates parents didn't offer to take them back. And would you believe that son says "oh they offered, I told them mom doesn't mind doing it". You may be thinking "well, why didn't you contact the roommate's parents and make the arrangements yourself?'  Well, first I don't get along with roommates mother. Like at all! So, I try not to come in contact with her if at all possible. And second, I thought, mistakenly so, that son was mature enough to make the arrangements for the other parents to take them back. 

So, I am home now and cleaning and doing laundry. I think college son used every towel in the upstairs linen closet while he was here! 

Hope you all had a great weekend and didn't have to do much driving! ;)

So glad this week is almost over!

This has been a really crappy week. One filled with lots of sadness and tragedy!

First off, last week when I went to pick up college son I went up on Thursday so I could make a visit to my best friend's mom. My best friend actually died 11 years ago next week, and I have tried to make it a point to visit with her parents when I go back to my hometown. Well the past three or so years I haven't been able to get over to their house and have mainly communicated through Christmas cards and mothers and fathers day cards. Not long ago friend's mom was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. When you look it up online one of the first things you see is that it has no cure and it is fatal. Life expectancy is 5 years from diagnosis! So, best friends husband had written a note in his Christmas card that things weren't good and that if I came up that way to try to visit her. I decided that NOTHING was going to keep me from seeing her, so I called as I was driving up and told her I would be coming straight to her house to see her. We had a great visit, but her SIL is right, it's not good! The past few months things have been deteriorating rather quickly. It breaks my heart. When I was growing up she and her husband were like second parents to me. In fact there are things that I do now in my life that I modeled after her! When I left, her husband (my second dad!) walked me out to the car and we talked a bit. He said that she almost didn't go that morning to receive her treatment that will hopefully slow the progression of the disease. I think that she is so tired and she feels like giving up since the treatments don't cure, just slow down. 

Then, early this week and friend of college son's died from taking several Xanax after consuming a large quantity of alcohol. So son ended up attending a funeral while home on spring break. So sad and such a tragedy!

On Tuesday another young person, same age as college son, committed suicide. I didn't really know her but she and her father and brother used to sit in the same pew our family did at church. So sad and tragic too.

On Wednesday morning a guy my husband knew, who was very close with husband's boss was found floating in the water at the marina where he kept his boat. Could have been a heart attack, but this guy lived on the edge, so could have really been anything. He was 53 years old.

And then if that wasn't enough, my sister,who has no children, sent me a text last night and their dog has an inoperable mass on his heart. And if I understood her last text he is not doing well and they were trying to decide if they should take him to the vet today and end his misery.

So, I am glad the week is almost over. Here's to hoping next week is full of good things!

TBT

What I would give to have that skin again! I think I was around 24 when this was taken. I am now twice that age! EEK!

You Must Try This

Last night I decided to try that One Pot Wonder Thai Peanut Pasta recipe that is floating around pinterest. 

I have to say with a little tweaking, I thought it was pretty good. 

Tomorrow I am heading to the upstate so I can pick up college son on Friday for his Spring break. I went to the grocery store today to stock up on some of his favorites and things to prepare some of his favorite meals he has requested. Man, did the grocery bill go up! 

Happy Hump Day!

Ready for the Weekend!

Yea! It's Friday! I really don't know why I said that, when you don't really work, everyday is like Friday! 

Anyway...

Tuesday night I hosted my book club. We had read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It's a YA novel, but was actually pretty good and now I want to read the second one in the series that just came out! I picked The House in the Sky: a memoir by Amanda Lindhout. I read it back in October and really liked it. If you haven't read it, you should, you will be amazed at her story!

I made this amazing Smoked Paprika Pearled Couscous Salad. The recipe came from Giada de Laurentiis' newest cookbook. 

Then I served this Chardonnay:

I don't really drink much white wine, but this one was really good. 

Excited that we are invited to an Oyster Roast with some of my work friends on Saturday night! We haven't had oysters at all this year!

Sunday afternoon I have to work, but it should be gorgeous outside so we should be pretty busy.

I got a notification from the exchange organization that daughter is involved with and they have travel arrangements made for her return in July. So, that means time for us to book her flight from JFK to home! Couldn't find any flights to get her to Charleston until the next day after her arrival in New York, so I finally found one that will get her to Charlotte and I will just have to drive to get her. Not too bad an option since my sister and SIL and BIL live nearby. I think I am going to get all of them to greet her at the airport!

I think I may have mentioned before that I like a clean house but I really don't like to clean. Husband knows it and gives me a hard time about it! Well, I found some "fresh linen" wax melts that I can heat in my warmer thingy and it smells like I have been cleaning all day! I turn it on a couple of hours before husband comes home and then turn it off right before he gets here and he keeps remarking that he can't believe that I cleaned the house again!Shhh, it's our little secret! ;)

Hope the weather is turning warmer wherever you are and you have a great weekend!

Welcome March

I saw that I hadn't posted since last Monday. 

Last week was a busy week.

I worked all day Tuesday and Wednesday! Tuesday was a beautiful day and we had a steady stream of guests at MP. Wednesday was a really yucky day, cold and rainy and so we didn't have quite as many people visiting. When I got home on Tuesday night I was exhausted... and for a minute I thought "how do women do this everyday and take care of a family?" And then I remembered that it was not that long ago that I did exactly that! And you know what? You do it. It's hard work but someone's gotta do it and it normally falls on you! Man, I am so fortunate that I don't have to do that anymore and it really makes me want to reach out and do something for some of my young working mom friends! 

We didn't head to the lake this past week because it was such a dreary day and because I didn't leave work until 5:00 and I didn't want to have to drive the hour to the lake house!

Saturday I had to work again. The weather was still a little on the cool side but the number of guests really picked up! 

Sunday was beautiful! We went to Mass and then after lunch went to the movies to see "Son of God". 

Yesterday afternoon I made these wonderful cookies... and they are gluten free!

Friday I got a text from teen daughter telling me that it was Carnival in Dunkirk and they were going and that there was a Ball that her french sisters were attending and could she go too? She was asking because she needed money for a ticket. We made sure she had the money. Yesterday I got a photo of her before she and the sisters headed out for the festivities in the town:

The older sister is very good at doing makeup and apparently this is the look they were going for! She said it was so much fun and they are going again today and tomorrow. I asked about school and she said they don't have it. I saw a live feed from the town square in a link her host mom posted and let me just say I have to put that scene out of my head to keep from worrying myself crazy! I keep telling myself it's the experience of a lifetime and she told me that her host mother wouldn't let her go if she didn't think it was safe! 

Since I did finally get a smart phone I finally got on Instagram! Ha, I feel so old trying to figure the whole thing out! ;)   But if you are on too you can find me and my piddly four photos, I think, at nancybinsc. I am kind of hooked and spend way too much time checking it so don't know how long I will keep it up! 

So to wrap this up, today it is 74 degrees. Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 40's! I really hate this time of year!