Kickin it pot roast

Ok. This is the second post today, so don't miss the previous one (Mom). Perfect pot roast. 

Secret ingredient? 

Leftover Bloody Mary mix (?). Adds a little kick and made it so tender. Pepper approves. 

Work in progress

Still don't have good pics of the apartment yet. Here is the dining area for the first day or so. 

With the help of good friends and family things shaped up later. Candy brought over spaghetti and quiche. Each to their strengths. I promise I will post better pictures. 

It was so cold and rainy today that I wanted some homemade hot chocolate. I used to always make it for the girls. 

I tried it with Truvia. Decided it needed a little something so I added Mexican vanilla Sophie and Paul brought back. A little squirt of whipped cream on top. 

Sunsets

Madison county sunset this week

Had an unexpected happy time today. Old friend Jennie was in town and texted to get together for lunch. We met at Broadstreet for our catching up. She knew I had funeral duty at Broadmeadow. It was a longtime church member who passed away. Another sunset. We both remembered him as our Sunday School teacher in our high school years. We sat together in the pews and were immersed in nostalgia. She had not been back since her (and my) wedding in 1983. I got married in February and she in the spring. So nice. 

In another epic event...Ivy and Tripp get their first apartment. A sunrise. 

Took the first load over on this snowy evening. More tomorrow !!

Food and such

Succeeded in attending 4 swim classes and walked a few times this week. Post swim one day, Candy made this virtuous lunch. 

That is salmon salad, Asian coleslaw, raspberries and pomegranate seeds. 

Made an old standby from MSU days. This came from my Meal Management class. The only class I ever made a D in. Changed my major to Interior Design the next semester. 

This is good to use leftover ham. I use 3 slices of bread, 2 whole eggs and a half cup of cheddar cheese instead of what it says. 

Book Club was at Kathy's lovely house. Look at this lovely display of crocuses. We read The Signature of all Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you need a good book, go out and get this one immediately. 

Salmon, asparagus and gorgeous salad. Those are chunks of roasted butternut squash on top. 

She showed off her new espresso machine with lattes. 

My lucky day to have buttermilk pie so close on the heels of the 2, Paul's mom made for us over the holidays. 

Got to meet her new babies. So sweet. 

Walking with Jan Saturday morning we spotted an opportunity. 

Came back and snagged 2 for Ivy and Tripp's new place. 

They can leave them as is or paint them a fun color!!

Road trip / not a billionaire

So... Candy had this crazy idea that we needed to drive to Louisiana to buy lotto tickets. The prize is in the billions now. Well she talked Anna and I into accompanying her. We headed out in high spirits with road beverages...

and snacks ( we actually went back to water aerobics first ). 

We hit a snag before we left the neighborhood. A terrible 18 wheeler accident halted traffic for miles on the interstate to Vicksburg. No other route seemed viable. Not ones to give up on a road trip day, we shifted gears. I didn't really want all that money anyway. Anna suggested a visit to family ground in Kosciusko. 

The day was gorgeous. Beautiful blue skies and cool temps followed us down the Natchez trace. Our first rest stop, inexplicably named holy hill gave us respite. 

We pulled into the Kosciusko welcome center which was charming. 

Anna struck up a conversation with the volunteers there, to of course discover they knew her Mama and them. 

Kosciusko himself. We asked a gentleman there where he recommended we have lunch. As he scratched his ear canal with his key, he directed us to the Italian restaurant next door. Or we could try the Mexican one behind it where he said they also serve Italian food(??). We looked for something local. We settled for the only thing we could find open. 

A sports bar on the square. 

Ended up with great burgers and fries ( I stole off their plates 😞). Great service and an owner who checked on us. We decided to give the waitress the money
we were going to spend on our lotto tickets. So someone won today!

The town was lovely. 

A shop on the square. They actually had really cute clothes too. 

Apparently the town was named "the Beehive of the Hills".  These beehives on the corner of the square looked like something else to Candy. On to my favorite. 

City cemetery. 

This statue was put there by a bereaved husband. He could see it from his nearby mansion. 

We pressed our faces to the window of an antique shop only open on Wednesdays (?). Looked in one that was open 😬   Not so great. Then on to Anna's ancestral cemetery

Hauntingly beautiful. The Hight family row. 

One of many babies. 

Anna's grandfather. Born in 1858!

Her dad was born when he was in his 60's. Wow. 

There were many rows of tombstones that were simply rough stones. Anna said they were always told they must have been Indian graves. I think it was probably early settlers who did not have access to carved stones. 

Headed home. Gliding along empty highways with the sun flashing through the deep trees, with an old Neil Diamond CD playing. (My first 45 I ever purchased was Sweet Caroline) , it all seemed surreal. We wanted to hear David Bowie as we were all a bit traumatized by his death yesterday. But we could not get a signal in the middle of nowhere. We did swap stories of him and how he and his music / acting had affected us. We agreed he would be missed. 

The only way I could decide to end this day is with chicken and dumplings. I used flour tortillas!! Pretty good.  

Dogs

Got back from the grocery store a little while ago and Toby won't move from his post. Apparently he is protecting his chow. 

Check out this one of Daphne. 

Mary Grace sat her up with a pillow and she stayed. I have never known such a laid back dog. 

Oven dinner

Ready for a food blog? I decided to make those little mini meat loaves we love so much. They cook up so quick. Well I tried to make a small batch and succeeded. That left a few empty holes in my muffin pan. 

What if I filled them with potatoes?!?!? I baked 2 small red potatoes. Chopped them up, sprayed them and the muffin tin with canola oil spray, sprinkled with seasonings and plopped them in the empty holes. 

They turned out great! I wanted to make green bean bundles in there at the same time which would have been brilliant, but I lacked key ingredients. Here is a canned green bean tip. Buy whole green beans. They are better quality beans and cost the same. 

The rest of the story

So...Mary Grace and I headed to Old House Depot Saturday morning to look for a mantel piece. If you haven't been there and you love old stuff, you should go.  They have tons of salvaged doors, windows, sinks, hardware and timbers which we were interested in.  After looking through piles of them outside, we ran across a finished cypress 6x8 that was beautiful. Ryan and Mary Grace notched it out to slide right onto those 2x4s that stuck out of the brick. 

Drilled out holes. 

Chiseled it out. 

Perfect fit. 

Beautiful! Looks great with the floor. 

Sew sew

This little sewing machine cabinet was discovered at a local flea market. Machine gone, original purpose rendered useless. 

Sophie saw the potential...rescued it...stained and oiled it. 

It found a home in the newly renovated bathroom. Original flooring. Fabulous teal wall color. New vessel sink.

Will post hardware and finished shower area soon.