More eggsellent news...

...it happened.

 

One of Mary Grace and Ryan's chickens laid an egg. The next day I was over there and another one laid another one and I saw it happen! She seemed surprised by it. It is odd to me that they don't seem to feel motherly about the whole thing. Guess that is good though. More fun news from the farm.

 

Wedding registry at Belk. Y'all know I love eggplant, so it pains me to tell you of the crime I committed to one.

 

Found a recipe in Come On In (great cookbook). Oven fried eggplant sticks. Look good don't they? And hey no comments on the state of my pan. They were terrible. Hard crust , almost no texture to the eggplant. I tried comeback sauce, honey mustard, ketchup...all would have tasted better on cardboard strips. Guess I'll have to buy another eggplant and try to make it up to that vegetable.

 

Had coffee at the pool with Candy and her new boyfriend.

 

 

She likes them like her coffee...tall and dark.

 



When life gives you lemons...

...make lemonade , the old adage goes. But what if life (and rushing in all hot and bothered from the grocery store) gives you half a dozen cracked eggs?

 

 

Boil them of course. They were not beautiful, but ...

 

...a quick makeover turns yummy.

 

Mary Grace, Sophie and I made a trek down Hwy 49 to shop at the flea market. It was so, so hot. No air conditioning of course. Found a few little things. Can't wait for y'all to see it all in November.

 

One more yummy summer favorite.

 

So apparently I have a new pet. Here he is in an ironic pose on a can of insect repellent.

 

He kind of scares me even though I know he is harmless. He moved on to my cactus plants. When you look at him he shakes his little praying hands at you in a menacing way.

 

Hello





 

 



visitors

Well, Ryan's loss has been my gain this week. He has been working nights this week training a new manager. Mary Grace has been working days, so they have been ships passing in the night. She came over twice this week for the evening. And guess who came with...

 

Daphne was exhausted by this point. She and Truffles were so hilarious playing in the den.

 

Made these crazy good mini meatloaf muffins.

 

Made with turkey, bread crumbs, a little leftover brown rice, barbeque sauce and even a secret layer of cheese in the middle. 





Kitten

 

I had you at Kitten didn't I? This is Bev's daughter, Ashley's new baby. He was so cute and playful. As we worked on bathroom design he just rolled and played everywhere we went. Here he was playing jungle cat.

 

 

Is there anything better than squash casserole? Maybe my healthy version.

 

I always laugh about Ed and his Dollartree shopping trips , but I have to admit this is a winner.

 

These are the best pretzels. Very skinny and crisp. Too bad I recently saw pretzels on a list of top ten things diabetics should not eat! They are basically nothing but white flour in a crunchy shell.

 

I love turtles and have had them as pets many times but this guy has me beat by a few years.

 

So the Froyo event went down.

 

Lucy graciously decided that, what was a few ounces among friends?

 

challenge results

 

 

Dang it! I did not quite make the 2 pound challenge. Lucy lost 4 pounds , I lost 1.6. She can't go for yogurt until Wednesday so maybe I can do it by then. Oh and by the way I had to walk over clothes and water covering the floor in Lucy and Chris' bathroom to get to the scale. Just saying.

 

Hey here is lunch.  Black bean , corn and grilled chicken quesadilla. These extra thin corn tortillas only have 40 calories each.

 

Dinner will be great. Have been nursing this 99cent pineapple for days.

 

 

It's all coming together

 

Teriyaki marinated chicken, onion and pepper, leftover sausage

.

 

So good, with brown rice, salad and lady peas

 

 

 



Pass a long plants

I know that we are a sentimental bunch...we Ellis's that is. After church this morning Mom gave this plant to Sophie.

 

It is the plant that we used for their wedding cake decorations. That's not it's only family connection though. Mom has had it for many years, first at Riverwood and the past 3 years on the balcony of St. C's. Before that it belonged to my sweet Aunt D...pot and all. It has to be 30 years old or more. It is in a clay strawberry pot which has little pockets in the sides. Let me know if you want a start from it!

 

For lunch after church we met MG and Ryan at Sal and Phil's. If you haven't been lately you need to go. 2 younger men have bought it and have made nice changes. The seafood is excellent and the homemade slaw is perfect. Mary Grace enjoyed crab legs (boy did she!). Ryan had stuffed crabs and Mom swooned over an oyster po boy. I had stuffed flounder.

 

Yes , that is crabmeat on top! The owners are friends of MG and Ryan and he comped the meal. So if you want a great meal patronize this old favorite with a new face.

 

Big disappointment at Freshmarket. I went for the Taste of Summer sampling event. I got there at 4:00 and summer was tasted out . There were empty tables strewn with crumbs and wilting garnish. I went to buy some cod for the grill which was on sale and a surly seafood worker said WE DON'T HAVE ANY! Yikes , must have been a crazy event. Got Ed a New York strip (they still had that) and boneless chicken thighs for me (and Ivy if she takes a break from potato chips as a steady diet).

 

I think they will be good...actually I know because I sneaked a bite...see it? I'm afraid to weigh tomorrow. I'm pretty sure I'm not the biggest loser.

Here's the last dinner of the challenge week. If I don't lose 2 pounds, can I still get a medal for good try?

New times and old times

Book Club at Sue's is always a treat, and a healthy one at that. I easily stayed on my best eating behavior. She started us off with juice shots. Pam had requested that she share her breakfast smoothie with us.

 

 

It has kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, lemon juice, avocado and I'm sure I left out something. Very tasty ...a little weird texture. She has this for breakfast and says she is not hungry until lunch!

 

 

Caesar salad , with homemade dressing and nutty croutons (no bread in them), mango salsa, quinoa salad and barbecued chicken strips. 

 

All so good. Did a little antiquing with Sophie and MG Saturday.

 

This gate was just like the one at our house on Meadowridge Drive. Pennants like these may appear at the wedding.

 

This was scary. Why does he need wheels?

 

I adore this old Art Deco clock and visit it when ever I am in the antique mall. Wish it was mine.

 

Oh , the perfect glasses for the wedding toast. The iridescent plastic ivy rose base is so Mary Grace and Ryan. Not.

 

Should have picked up this little gem, but was afraid he would get me in the night. You know how clowns are.

 

Biggest score ever. Sophie dug through a big old basket of linens when Mary Grace and I would have given up. Look at these gorgeous things! Exactly what we needed to solidify the look they want for the wedding. Don't want to show too much. Shhhhh.

Day 4

I'm happy and sad. Lucy has already met the 2 pound goal. She has raised her goal to 4 pounds. Oh , that dreaded aging process. I just hope she shows mercy on froyo day (highly unlikely). Here are some culinary highlights.

 

Got to use my second gadget gift from Jan, a pepper corer. Made this job much easier. All winter I curse at bell pepper prices when I know how bountiful they are in summer.

 

Here they are all stuffed and steamy. I first learned to love these at the Mississippi State cafeteria. The cafeteria back then was a huge old building that resembled a cathedral. Mom never cooked with peppers when I was growing up due to Dad's gastric issues. Back then ulcers were treated with diet and antacids. Maybe these are the good old days.

 

 

Made fresh green beans. Read all the online suggestions and then just did it my way. Hey, that piece of bacon only had 30 calories.

 

 

My favorite almost no calorie veg...squash.

 

 

Went a little nutso in the produce area all around. Got so excited to get asparagus for $1.99 that I didn't follow my buy only US produce rule. Oh well there are needy folks in Peru too I guess. Contrary to most advice, I like the big fat spears. I think I'll grill them with steak.

 

Ok here is a thing that always makes me happy...and no calories a all

 

Starting on Harms bathrooms. I took these over and she picked the green tumbled glass. She asked her husband what he liked and he said (and this is a gruff ex marine) I love them all. Sigh...I'm good at something still.

 

 

 

 





2 pound challenge day 2

So determined were we to stay on track, that we swam in the rain.

 

Looks a bit ominous, doesn't it

 

Had lunch with my UMW circle (church group) at Olive Garden. Our group of 10 was seated next to a very loud group of 12 or so people doing some kind of business meeting. Half our folks are hard of hearing anyway so very little conversation got heard. I'm probably the youngest member, but I enjoy these ladies with their wit and wisdom. I also thoroughly enjoy my new nickname given me by the oldest member...Tadpole. Where else can a 55 (56?) year old have that moniker? In case you are wondering how I fared in the menu department...soup and salad...minestrone.

 

Dinner was austere as well.

 

Maybe a little too pitiful because I went back and had another piece of chicken and more roasted sweet potatoes. Fresh rosemary makes the potatoes. I noticed that Ed ate very little of his dinner. Not sure if it is the light fare or the pretzels he and Toby shared earlier. Either way I think I better bring on the beef for tonight.





2 pound challenge

Well after my good doctor report, I began to slip a little in my eating. I'm ashamed to say I even gained back a few pounds. Sorry to report Lucy has done the same. We decided to have a little game to help make it interesting. We have resolved to lose 2 pounds each this week. We will celebrate by sharing frozen yogurt. Only 2 pound losers get to have it. Ooooo, maybe non losers should watch the loser eat theirs. Anyway I'm off to a good start. Eating out is both of our downfall. Here is dinner last night.

 

 

My rule is half the plate produce, one fourth protein and one fourth whole grain. That is pepper steak (or something like it that I managed to make by pawing around in the fridge so I would not have to go to the store) made out of leftover steak. Shhh don't tell Ed it is leftovers.

 

Went dorm shopping with Lu.

 

Bed Bath and Beyond had it all. Too bad you can't see a picture of her stuff. You will just have to enjoy this shot of my bra strap.

 

Here is my favorite new gadget.

 

It looks like a piece of manicotti but it is a garlic peeler. I love fresh garlic but hate to peel it. You just put a clove of garlic in it and roll it on the counter and the peeled clove rolls out. Amazing. It is just a sleeve of rubbery plastic. Great birthday gift. Thanks, Jan.

 

Now it is raining, so the pool is out. Need something I can do inside. Any suggestions? Ivy just woke up and allowed me to share the shocking experience with y'all.

 

Yikes. Due to an unfortunate hair dye incident her hair is not in the best of shape. However it has a shape all it's own. 





 

 

 

 

Petting zoo

...so ready for the rest of the story? The Fun Friday story that is. After the pool and a power nap at Nana's, Brody was ready for a trip to the local petting zoo. He had to go no further than his cousin Mary Grace and Ryan's house. Since Brody has been born, I understand why we called Dad's first cousin Uncle Woody. They are so close and seem more like aunts and uncles than cousins. And why can you be a great aunt but not a great cousin? Anyway here is some of the zoo line up.

 

One of the girls.

 

He loved Buddy the bunny.

 

Here he was watching Daphne play soccer. His favorite was Dupree. I think he found his size pleasing.

 

Went to Paul and Sophie's for a little birthday celebration for his Mom. I took a dismal bunch of photos. Here is a cute one of Brenda and her birthday cake.

 

Paul's dad Rick looked down just as I took it. Their house just gets better all the time. We enjoyed their new chalkboard wall in the office. Check it out on her blog. But you must  promise to come back to mine even though hers is quite superior to mine. It is The Hourly Reporter at BlogSpot.com.