Breakfast Tales

This morning my hubs informed me that he needed to take his vehicle for a tire rotation. That meant that I had to get dressed and take my car to pick him up while the work was being done. We had a few errands to run and as we were finishing up the phone rang, Hubs car was ready. Since it was just 9:30 am we decided we would go to our favorite restaurant in Hartselle for breakfast. We should have realized that Mr Henry's was closed for Memorial Day weekend when we saw only two cars in the parking lot. We were so sad....we both had our mouths all set for a good breakfast. Hubs suggested that we try the small restaurant near our home. Well..CLOSED. Then we had the bright idea to go to IHOP where I had enjoyed a delish meal yesterday. The line was out the door as the Balloonists who were in town for Memorial Day had just completed their morning rides and were ready for breakfast as well. I suggested Cracker Barrel just down the road. Same thing...lines out the door. We finally gave up our quest and came home. I decided I would prepare a breakfast supper tonight and I hope it will be well received. As we got home, we both just looked at each other and laughed...what a morning. And a tale that we will laugh over in days to come. But right now I just want some gravy and biscuits!!

Breakfast at IHOP

Doesn't this look yummy? I had breakfast with my sweet friend, Diane at IHOP this morning and this is what I ordered. It is the Bananas Foster Brioche French Toast. All I can say is YUM...my only complaint was that I would have added more bananas. Maybe next time I will bring my own!lol...

Diane works at the City Hall and she goes to work at eight so we meet once a month for breakfast. We enjoy our time together and wish it were longer. Diane is retiring in the near future so I see some fun days with her on the horizon. We both have May Birthdays....it seems that some of my best friends are May babies.

After having breakfast, I headed off to Publix to get groceries. They were having lots of good Bogos and they had watermelons and cantaloupes on sale so I was happy to shop there today. It is more pricey than Walmart but I must say they have the best produce in town. With the holiday weekend coming up and in anticipation of having three grands here next week, I needed lots of food. We plan to grill hotdogs and hamburgers on Monday. Along with the fixins, we will have a pound cake, strawberries and whipped cream. E's pound cake recipe will be brought out and we will enjoy the pound cake as we remember our special great aunt.

I had planned to put in my summer impatiens but it is supposed to be chilly again tonight so I will wait until later in the week.  This has been one of the chilliest and rainiest springs we have had in Alabama in quite a while. But we have not had to turn on our sprinklers yet so that is a good thing!!

Hello Summer!

Today is Kendall's last day of school as a first grader! This year has flown by and our big girl has learned so much. I dropped off end of the year gifts for Mrs R, her first grade teacher and Mrs J, who is her s peech teacher. Kendall helped me decide on gifts and we came to the conclusion that gift cards were the way to go! We added a pretty notepad and wrapped them nicely. Kendall wanted her teachers to know how much she appreciated all that they have done for her this year.

When I was a little girl, the last day of school meant Summer...even though summer did not officially arrive until June.  The first days of summer break were fun but then boredom set in which my mother helped us to over come by giving us chores to do! (Note to self, do not complain about being bored!) Then the garden "came in" as we say in the south. That meant helping Mother to can and freeze. I remember many hot days in our small kitchen...putting up food for the winter. There was no air conditioning and we all vied to get closest to the fan that whirred away as we worked.  I also remember trips to the library for books to read and the high point of my summer, Vacation Bible School.  Life was good.

Now I will have Kendall and Landon to keep busy this summer. I have already been lining up crafts to do but we will also be reading and doing a bit of cleaning. I have found that both Kendall and Landon like to help around the house so I plan to take advantage of that and I hope to teach them some new skills as well. Landon loves to cook. Yesterday we made some peanut butter fudge...super easy, two bags of Reeses peanut butter chips and one can of sweetened condensed milk. Stir together over medium heat until everything is smooth, pour into an 8 by 8 pan..cool in fridge then eat!! Now Landon is not a peanut butter lover but he did want to take some of the candy home to share. He loves it when we all brag on him for being a good cook.

Today is friend day....off to the Olive Garden to eat to celebrate my birthday. Looking forward to time with friends!

Calling All Downton Abbey Fans

If you are a DA fan like I am, I know you are finding it hard to wait for the new season! As I was browsing in Books A Million last week, I saw this book on an end cap. Once I picked it up and looked at it, I knew is was coming home with me.(Where is human nature so weak as in a bookstore?) I sat down with it Friday evening and finished it on Saturday. It is now visiting my friend, Susan, and will go on to friends Maggie and Donna, when Susan has read it!!

While We Were Watching Downton Abbey is set in a luxury high rise apartment building in Midtown Atlanta. Edward, a Brit, is the concierge for the Alexander. Hoping to encourage a feeling of community in the building, Edward hosts weekly viewings of Seasons One and Two of Downton Abbey in preparation for the upcoming Season Three. ( Of course, I found it hard to believe these ladies had not seen DA when it premiered but this is a story!)  Each Sunday evening at eight, Edward prepares an English "snack" and drinks in the club room and about 20 ladies show up to enjoy this party. The novel revolves around three ladies who become friends as a result of Edward's plan. Samantha is a woman who seems to have it all....handsome husband, penthouse apartment and a member of a powerful Atlanta family. But appearances can be deceiving. Brooke is a mom of two young daughters who was dumped by her plastic surgeon husband after he had moved her from her home town of Boston to Atlanta. Of course she had worked to put him through school and the start up of his practice but she feels lost and unlovable in Atlanta. Finally there is Claire, a new empty nester and an author who has writers block. She has moved from OTP(outside the Perimeter....I 285 that circles metro Atlanta)  to the Alexander, planning to spend a year of non stop writing.  These ladies and Edward are an entertaining bunch! In addition to being the Alexander's concierge, Edward runs a small business called Private Butler. His aim is to make all his clients feel that they have their own Carson!! Edward's business is also part of the story line.

I really enjoyed this book as I lived in Atlanta while I was in nursing school so I knew all the locations described in the story.  There are twists and turns but there is a happy ending and I love happy endings!! I have read several books by Ms Wax and this one is my favorite.

We Interrupt this Post...

I had planned to do a book review this morning but my heart is heavy as I hear reports from Oklahoma. What a heartbreaking sight...especially the school where 20 little ones lost their lives. Let's all remember these dear people in our prayers today. Being from Georgia and living in Alabama, tornados have been a part of my life from my childhood. When I was in elementary school a tornado hit our little community doing much damage and uprooting three big shade trees on our school play ground. I was in nursing school when the April outbreak of 1974 devastated many communities from the south all the way up to Kentucky.  I was so scared because I could not get in touch with my family to see if they were ok. I was so relieved when I was finally able to hear that they were safe. In 1989, we lived in Huntsville where a huge tornado hit the southern part of the city.  A school was destroyed there as well. Children were attending the after school program but thankfully no one died.  The death toll was in the 20s after that massive tornado. Then we went through the April 27th,2011 tornado that destroyed several nearby communities...another reminder that storms are to be taken seriously.  It has made me a believer in taking cover when the weathermen tell you to do so!!  Yet with tornados and straight line winds...often they spring up and gather more strength than predicted.  My plan for storms is to take cover and pray!  And I will be praying for the people of Moore, Oklahoma as they pick up the pieces of their lives and deal with heartbreak and sorrow. God Bless Oklahoma.

Going To The Chapel Part Two

 It was a beautiful day for a wedding as Katlyn and Jon made their vows "until death do us part" I was taking pictures at the reception for the mother of the bride and I think I ended up with 104! I tried to get photos of everyone who was there but I may have missed a few.

 The newlyweds....they were so cute! You could just feel happiness oozing out of them. I do not think a smile left their faces the whole afternoon.

 Leaving amid bubbles...

And off to the honeymoon...loved the old car that carried them away. I love weddings. Blessings on Jon and Katlyn as they start their life together!

Going to the Chapel!

Today  a beautiful young lady and a handsome young man will make vows to each other as they are married. The wedding will be held at our church and I have had the privilege of helping with this big event. Yesterday a group of the bride's friends and a group of the mother of the bride's friends met to "do" all the bouquets, corsages and boutineers. Believe it or not there are videos on You Tube teaching all aspects of bridal flower arranging. Alana, the bride's mom, had sent us all links to the videos so we had a chance to get some advance training! The family had purchased all the flowers from a wholesale florist in Huntsville and the flowers and greenery were awaiting us when we arrived for the flower party. Believe it or not, our flowers looked like professionals had done them! We all had a great time together, laughing and eating some of the great food Alana provided.  I was able to help Alana with the bride's bouquet. With the handy bouquet holder filled with oasis, it was not difficult at all.  I do think many people would make their own flowers if they knew how easy it was!! There is a big mark up at the florist. I am glad to have another skill to add to my list of talents.:) I am looking forward to attending the wedding today and seeing all our handywork on display. Hopefully I will have some pictures to post on Monday!