Hodgepodge filled with Hyacinths

Hello, dear readers.  First of all, I want to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful people who took the time to give me the 4-1-1 on Durham, as well as to all who sent warm wishes to my #2 as she begins a new chapter of her life at Duke. 

If you have read my blog for awhile, you know what happens here on Wednesdays...


 

1.  Tell us about a time you found yourself in the middle of nowhere.  Was this deliberate?

Unfortunately, my Sista and I inherited our poor sense of direction from our parents.  They could get lost in a driveway.   

Even though I have a GPS in my car, I manage to find myself in the middle of nowhere more times than I care to admit.

2.  What's something you're in the middle of today or this week?

Packing for #2's graduation.

Of Design.net

Preparing to have neighbors over for dinner.  I wish the person who set this table would come to my house and spread some magic.

And losing 20 lbs. before Susie B's Memorial Day wedding.

3.  At what age do you think "middle age" begins?  What does it mean to be middle aged?

I believe that middle age begins at age 70.

I'll let you know what it feels like when I get there.

4.  Ravioli, stuffed peppers, samosas, deviled eggs, steamed dumplings, pierogis, or a jelly donut... your favorite food (from the list) with something yummy in the middle.  Your favorite not on the list?

Nothing screams "favorite" to me, but if I had to choose, it would be a samosa.

Sweet Baking Co.

This is more my speed.

5.  Albert Einstein is quoted as saying "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."  Would you agree?  Have you found this to be true in your own life?  Feel free to elaborate.

"recalculating."

Refer to Question 1.

6.  What's a song you remember loving from your middle school years?  Do you love it still?

Julie, Julie, Julie do you love me? 

I was so in love with Bobby Sherman that I wanted to change my name legally to "Julie."  To this day, I'm jealous of anyone I meet named Julie. 

7.  May 18th is National Visit Your Relatives Day.  Which relative would you visit if time, distance, and expense were not considered?

What, are you kidding?

I'm supposed to pick one relative?

Are you trying to start WW III?

8.  Insert your random thought here.

I hit the lottery on my Texas visit.  I got to meet one of my favorite bloggers, Sarah, from Hyacinths for the Soul.  My #1 and I had breakfast with this lovely Southern Belle in Austin. After only a few minutes, I felt like I had known Sarah for years.  When we got in the car after our meeting, my #1 referred to Sarah as "tres chic."  I've been waiting 40 years to get a compliment like that from one of my girls.


What was your favorite song from middle school?

Until next time...

  

Sarah's sweet girl, Sadie Mercedes, who is as chic as her Mama.

Great News & A Birthday

Hello, dear friends.  I hope that you are enjoying your weekend.  These are a few snippets from mine.  

Who do you think had more fun outside?

We met Annie and her Mister for a movie.  Money Monster is simmering with suspense and not just because my boyfriend, George is in it.  Both men and women will enjoy this one.  We all agreed - it deserves 5 stars.  I'd give it a "6" because of the eye candy.  But that's just me. And probably chubby Amal.

*****

This post will cover my first day back to my former home-away-from-home, the great state of Texas.

My #1 picked me up in Dallas, and we hit the road to Austin where we were to meet my Sista and two handsome nefs.  Our mission was to celebrate my father's 98th birthday.  Yup, you heard me correctly - 98-years-old and going strong.  

On the way, my #2 called us with the great news that she was accepted to her number 1 choice for her Masters.  

Good bye... Generals

Hello ... Blue Devils

Dear readers, if you live in or know the area of Durham, and can give me the heads-up on favorite restaurants or shopping, please leave me a note.

Speaking of shopping, we made a little pit stop before Austin.  I will share my photos and initial impression at a later date.  I had a fabulous lunch with Chip and Jojo.  OK, I lied.  Just wanted to make sure you are paying attention.

We met Sista and nefs in the hotel bar for a little pre-gaming.

We stayed at the Westin Domain.  I love this hotel.  Outstanding service with a smile and lovely rooms.  It has the fastest Room Service in the world!  Twelve minutes from my call to a knock on the door.  The best part, though, is that the Westin Domain is located within minutes of a beautiful outdoor mall with great shops and restaurants.

Nef #2 is thinking how impressed all the babes are going to be when they see him cruising in this cool ride with his family.

Destination: Flemings

The birthday boy and his darling sweetheart, Norma.  She is pure Southern class and loveliness.

My Dad is a Blue Devil and started to get weepy when he got the news that his #2 granddaughter is on her way to Duke.

Sista and Miss Barbara, who is a close friend of Sista's from college and the epitome of a Southern charm and humor.

Nef #2 chatting it up with Barbara's beautiful daughter, darling Lilly.

Miss Barbara's niece, Sweet Caroline. 

If you don't know who these two are, you weren't paying close enough attention.  Go to the back of the classroom.   

Here I am trying my new casually cover the waddle pose.
Thoughts?

Nobody loves his birthday more than my father.  I don't think that there was a person in the restaurant that didn't know that a 98-year-old was in their presence.

If you know Durham...
talk to me!


Until next time...

While we were at the movies this afternoon, these two hooligans were having a much-needed spa day.  Chow got an A+ for his behavior ( I think he bribes them) and Chili still is in the needs improvement category.  And she doesn't care.  At all.

Friday's Favorite Things

Hello, dear friends.  It's taken me all week to get back in the sync of things since I returned from the great state of Texas.  I caught up on laundry, ran a few errands, and worked on dropping my southern drawl so the Mister could understand me again.

Here are a few of my favorite things as well as one from my #1.

 I begin with one of my #1's latest favorite thing.  She has been ordering from a company called Blue Apron for a couple of months, now.  Blue Apron sends her fresh ingredients in the exact proportion along with a recipe to provide a delicious, healthy dinner.  There is no shopping or waste.  Also included is a recipe card and you can go on their website as well and watch a video. 
 I would probably need both. 

Below are the photos of a couple the fabulous dinners that #1 made for Adorable Jonathon.

Ingredients

Fruits of #1's manual labor.

Voila!

#1 proudly reports that the fire alarm only went off once.

*****

Every Sunday morning, I pour myself a cup of Joe, sit at my computer, and open it to The Enchanted Home's Seven on Sunday.  It's a little like Tina's favorite things.  I always find many things of interest - whether it be a new Instagram to follow, a book that interests me, or an item that I cannot live without.  Tina featured these paper placemats from Plat du Jour a couple of weeks ago, and I ordered them.  They are even prettier in person.  Not a bad price, either.

*****

My friend, Jeanne, asked me if I ever heard of Harry's razors.  She told me that she tried one out and really liked it.  She also sent me a coupon to try one for free.  I am very impressed and plan on ordering blades this week.  The razors are sold online and you can sign up for a plan if you wish.  The razors and blades are sold at reasonable prices.  
Harry's Razors was founded by one of the guys who started Warby Parker.  They also opened their first retail store/barber shop in NYC.

You can order a razor for free - you just pay the price of shipping on Harry's website.  Tell them Katie sent you.  They'll have no idea who I am, but tell them anyway.

*****

Amazon

I used to have full eyelashes and great legs.  Ok, the second half is a lie.  But my eyelashes weren't bad.   For some reason, (old age) a regular curler was not doing the trick anymore.  So I hopped over to Amazon and ordered a heated eyelash curler.  I really like it and you can definitely see the difference.  The price isn't bad either.  I figure at this stage of the game I'm worth 20 bucks.

*****

Amazon

If you enjoy psychological thrillers that are  jam-packed with twists and turns and appreciate a true shocker ending, you are going to love What She Knew.  I bought the audio version and used any excuse I could think of to don my headphones.  I even tried to convince the Mister that they were a fashion accessory.

Last but not least, my last favorite thing is renewing old friendships.  Jill is my old Texas tennis buddy who is living in New Hampshire and just bought a house on the Cape.  It's been about five or six years since I have seen her but it felt like yesterday.  I look forward to seeing a lot more of her.

What's your latest favorite thing?

Until next time...

Proudly linked up with:
Thoughts of Home on Thursday
That Friday Bloghop
Friday Favorites
Friday Features Linky Party
Rattlebridge Farm
Best of the weekend