Weekending.

Looking back on my photos from the weekend, Friday night seems like ages ago (maybe because I've had two solid nights of sleep since then?!)

Yes, I got to spend the evening with my two favorite little guys ... who are full-speed non-stop ... until they fall asleep. I then had almost two hours to myself at their kitchen counter. a pleasant change of pace from my own. as was the pizza salad Katie ordered me for dinner ... and the espresso that I had after the glass of wine. The TV show is The Brief on Amazon Prime. sadly only eight episodes (and I still have one to go).

The rest of the weekend was almost all about the knitting.

The top row was Saturday - with friends, on my own, watching a new Triple Crown winner. And then about 4:30 yesterday ... bound off ... and a little later, Holly-approved.

This morning I wove in the ends, then washed and dried (in the machine!) Super pleased with the results, but you'll have to wait a few more days to see.

Despite what these photos say, I really did not spend the entire weekend inside. The weather was nice. We had blue skies and clouds, a run and a walk (and two rounds of golf). The butterfly bush in our front yard is full of blooms and bees ... and I can only hope the butterflies get the memo that we're ready for them.

Happy Monday!

Early June Weekending.

Hello and Happy Monday! Thank you for all the great feedback on last Friday's post, especially about mixing up our workouts. I added in weights and Pilates after this morning's walk ... and it feels sore in that good sort of way 😉. Now let me tell you a little about our weekend.

Marc played in the club's Member Member tournament. I have no photos. He did share that after Saturday's round they were in 2nd place and yesterday they played the team that won.

I think my weekend was a lot more fun!

The tournament actually kicked off Friday evening (players only), so I enjoyed Friday night snacks on my own.

I got an early start Saturday morning (with a speed-limit drive!) to meet Katie and the boys back at Ponce City Market and the Beltline. We had a ball ...  coffee and donuts (for the boys), a one-mile walk to Piedmont Park to the playground, then back to the market for a picnic lunch. After lunch, we walked another mile to Krog Street Market, where the boys enjoyed Jeni's ice cream, and then back again. Charlie fell asleep on the walk back so we walked around Ponce City Market to see if Sam would nap. And he did ... finally! 

at Jeni's

Katie and I both agreed it was the kind of day our husbands would hate, but we're definitely going to try it again ... soon!

Sunday morning, Holly and I walked down to the lake. She actually walked the whole way there (it's about 1-1/2 miles); I carried her home.

Then church and that big meeting I'd been planning for weeks. We installed the new team and took a photo.

In spite of that continuing open spot, I'm feeling optimistic about this upcoming year - because this is a great group of ladies!

Marc and I watched two more episodes of The Americans (we're now well into Season 5) and then we went to bed. This last photo is time-stamped just after 8 pm... and this morning my bookmark was on page 25!

I'm glad it's Monday ... I need to rest.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Memorial Day Weekending.

It feels late - even for me! - to be writing about the weekend when it will be Wednesday before many of you read this. But this Tuesday-as-Monday has been more like a Monday, except without my usual  knitting with friends in the afternoon and with a bunch of to-do's for this weekend's Women's Ministry leadership team (still without a Vice Moderator) kickoff meeting. It's honestly not very often that I cross things off my list on MondayTuesday, so at least that feels good!

As does looking back at the weekend:

We FaceTimed with our favorite little guys more than once. This is from Friday night's "goodbye". Sam is blowing a kiss and Charlie is getting ready to make a bubble (and next time I see him I'm going to have to ask what the bubble has to do with goodbyes...because now we can't remember).

Our weather forecast turned out to be wrong a lot - in that it did not rain for 96 straight hours and we saw some sun. Marc played three rounds of golf and I went to the lake three times - two times running and once walking. Sunday morning, I snapped that photo of the flag at the lake. It was a good reminder of why Monday was a holiday.

Running twice was a big deal. I haven't made two back-to-back runs (even short three-mile ones) in a couple of years. I'm sure the second one was better because I got new shoes!

That stack of books middle bottom is my "next up" pile. The bottom one and top two are not library books, but still - I need practice managing my hold queue! The good news is that the loans aren't due until June 23 and I'm actually thinking I might be able to read them all.

And finally, lower right, a three-day weekend means two two snack nights! and (not pictured) pork tacos. Marc is still the pro with our Instant Pot - we had a pork loin in the freezer (which he thawed) and then "slow" cooked it in about an hour. I added the guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. This is definitely going on our repeat menu and I'll take photos and share the recipe next time!

I hope your week is off to a good start!

(Blogger is still not sending me emails about comments, so I apologize that I'm not replying if you've left one. Please know that I am reading - and enjoying - every one of them and I value the community this exchange has created in my life. Thank you!)

Weekending.

This one included a lot of knitting (which I'll share on Wednesday) and a surprising number of other good things. Thankfully, I even remembered to take a few photos:

We got the weekend off to a FriYAY start with an evening walk beer and then snacks. I was up early to watch the wedding festivities (that middle photo is the first one I snapped 😀) and Marc joined me in plenty of time to see the royal arrivals, the dress reveal and the ceremony. We both enjoyed the whole thing (and even rewatched highlights a few times). The TV was back on Saturday evening for the very muddy Preakness and I love that we have a Triple Crown contender! Yesterday morning the sun was shining for my morning walk; the daylilies are in full bloom and almost glowing in the sunshine. In the afternoon we attended a special party - a tea (complete with scones, sandwiches, my two favorite toddlers, a host of other family members and of course pearls and hats) for an 80th birthday celebration.

I hope your weekend included good things, too - please share!

Weekending with Sam and Charlie.

Well, whew! and thank goodness for iPhones. This video - 38 of my favorite (video'd) seconds from the 48 hours Sam and Charlie were with us - shows you how much fun we had.

And this morning, as I sorted through all the photos, I noted a few more things:

The boys play really well ... together and on their own. And it was wonderful to see Marc join in, too. (He did not play golf all weekend. thank goodness!) Charlie has grown up a lot in the 13 months since he and I spent Tuesdays together. Some is certainly just his age (he's 3-1/2 now), but I think it's also being a big brother. It suits him.

Meal times are a Big Deal ... these boys love to eat!

Sam's "lovey" is a drill. He carries it everywhere, even to the dinner table!

Not gonna lie - these two moments from Friday evening were most welcome. (especially because Saturday morning arrived before 5 am.)

yep, the drill goes to bed with him, too

It was also nice to see their parents yesterday morning. They all stayed for brunch to celebrate Mother's Day and my mom joined us. Four generations all together is very special (as is getting five smiles on all five faces).

The rest of Sunday was back to typical, with naps, FaceTime with Sara, a little TV and early bedtime.   We were ready for it!

Early May Weekending.

This weekend wasn't nearly as photogenic as the last one (or hopefully as this next one promises to be !) but it seemed a lot more typical of weekends around here.

A Friday afternoon pedicure. (which isn't all that typical - I make appointments for every five weeks in the winter and four in the summer ... but I certainly wouldn't mind if this were a regular Friday thing!)

Friday night snacks (back to the typical).

Morning walks to the lake. I took Holly with me on Saturday and went by myself on Sunday. The round trip is three miles and I have to carry Holly for at least 2/3 of that. She only weighs 8 pounds, but still, I was surprised I burned more calories on the solo Sunday walk. (maybe because I didn't pause to take any photos?!) I realized this morning that neither Marc nor I have had to resort to the treadmill in over a week. This is a new - and much-welcomed - return to typical!

Cinco de Derby. fun Mexican is a standard feature around here (that's Ina's grapefruit margarita bottom right ... highly recommended) and we are horse racing fans through the Triple Crown. I think Justified might have a chance...

and that brings me to the center photo. a new knitting project (details forthcoming) and a new book. definitely typical! but oh my goodness - I haven't been this captivated by a book in months. I am loving it!

I guess "typical" is a broad term.

What from your weekend was "typical"?

Late April Weekending.

It's been a while since I posted about a weekend at home; this one was pretty special. We started with Friday night snacks and actual cocktails.

That's my Negroni (and popcorn); Marc's Seabreeze was out of frame. We watched some crazy movie that Marc recorded last weekend when we had a free HBO trial. I couldn't tell you anything about it except that it was hard to follow ... and I knitted.

Saturday morning was chilly and bright and I ran to the lake and back. for the first time since January 3. Yep, nearly four months!!; it felt great. The midpoint view was pretty spectacular, too.

I spent the day catching up with friends and knitting. Then I grabbed a quick nap to get ready for the weekend's highlight - a wedding!

the chuppah - with the ketubah in full-on sun

This is the first wedding Marc and I have been to since Katie got married (almost five years ago!). 

The bride is the stepdaughter of one of Marc's good friends (and the bride's mom is a friend of mine). We went with two other couples who were also at Katie's wedding ... so much fun!

the bride's mom is 3rd from the left (showing off the pockets in her dress - very smart design element!) and her husband is standing next to her

♥ Marc videoing their first dance

#selfie

the bride and groom - fun fact - he was her younger brother's best friend growing up

tradition! the bride and groom are carried on chairs for this dance!

Needless to say, we were toast yesterday. Holly had more energy than the two of us combined.  ...and only when I poured out her entire toy stash onto the floor.

I took this photo when I got into bed. I did actually read a few pages past this point, but the photo is timestamped 8:11pm. 

As Bright as Heaven ... very good so far

Thankfully, we felt like ourselves again today!

I hope you had some fun this weekend, too ... but maybe not so much that you were toast yesterday 😉. Happy Monday!

Weekending with Sara.

...sigh...the kitchen counter seems so empty now that it's just me and one laptop. For most of the weekend, it was dueling MacBooks and today it was that plus Sara's work computer. Busy fingers tapping across keyboards....

Sara arrived just in time for Friday night snacks.

Saturday, she and I had lunch with my mom,

and made a quick trip to Costco for mussels and wine before coming home to Queer Eye (this relaunch of the series is excellent - and I love seeing Atlanta in all the external shots) and snuggling with Holly.

Marc cooked the mussels for dinner and we had a delicious meal ... with basketball (and no photos)!

Sunday did not go as planned. My left eye was swollen shut when I woke up. Marc and Katie agreed it looked like pink eye (?!?!) and Sara drove me to urgent care. Yep, pink eye. I have two kinds of drops and my eyes are looking better, but still swollen. I missed Confirmation Sunday, and Sara and I missed the wine tasting and seeing the boys. We did enjoy a nice bottle of Shiraz with the rest of Queer Eye

and Katie was good about FaceTiming with the boys in the tub.

Not quite the same as being with them in person, but definitely a lot healthier for them! And I know it wasn't the weekend Sara had in mine, but I couldn't imagine a better buddy for laying low. There are definitely worse ways to spend some forced downtime!

Here's to a new week ... and a healthy one!

Early March Weekending.

In spite of the chilly wet weather, both Marc and I were out and about.  Marc played golf. I took a very cool field trip and spent a wonderful (but long) morning at church to celebrate Gifts of Women Sunday. 

The field trip was to a Hindu temple, specifically the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, with our spring confirmation class (I am fortunate to be a mentor to one of the confirmands). Ten teens and 13 adults visited on Saturday afternoon.

Most of us had no idea what to expect; all of us were blown away. We learned not only about the Hindu religion, but also about the amazing construction process that follows traditions thousands of years old. ...and the Atlanta temple is one of only five in the US (six in North America counting the one in Toronto). 

The temple website is definitely work a click-through - even if just to see the beautiful photography! You can also learn more about that construction process - which took only 17 months and used 1.3 million volunteer hours. All the carving was done by hand, in India and then the pieces were shipped here for assembly. My mind is still boggled!

I hope to have photos from the services to share next week (relying on others' iPhones is sometimes tricky business for Monday blog posts ;-), but it was 100% written and celebrated by women. Our congregation is blessed to have two wonderful female pastors, a beautiful women's choral ensemble, a female guest organist and a host of other females of all ages - acolytes, greeters and ushers - to lead and celebrate worship. I had a very small speaking part to recognize the Presbyterian Women in our congregation; it was inspiring to see about half of the congregation stand for that!

We also spent a good bit of time together at home. We started the second season of Sneaky Pete, cheered the awesome showing of the ACC in the upcoming NCAA tournament and FaceTimed with our favorite boys. I love that I can now take photos from FaceTime (even if they're blurry!).

That's Sam hugging Charlie in the bath and Sam completely and utterly despondent when his dad left the house. The boys fight over who gets to hold the phone ... I think Charlie sometimes lets Sam win. and I think Marc's favorite thing about all of it is that Sam can say Poppa. Katie says that's his first two-syllable word. (yep, just a little jealous).

And in between all of that, I also kept close tabs on the latest (last?) amaryllis bloom. Here it is yesterday afternoon.

Hard to tell it was pouring rain outside, isn't it?!

Photos really do help to tell the stories! I hope you captured something good this weekend, too!

Happy Monday!

Mid-February Weekending.

...was filled with good things:

Early signs of spring.

Knitting with a friend.

A beautiful Sunday morning, with tears of sadness (those backpacks on the chancel steps were placed by 17 high school students and teachers at the beginning of the service) and happiness (we celebrated the baptism of the grandson - another Charlie! - of one of my small group friends).

And another amaryllis bud - this is #7 from the basket of three bulbs!

Not pictured - more salads (we leave for Mexico on Friday), nine (?!) episodes of Longmire and a finished tank.

Hope your weekend was full of good things, too! Happy Monday!

Mid-February Weekending.

... started out with blue skies and temperatures warm enough to have the roof open in the car - this is Friday afternoon on my drive home.

Thankfully Saturday and Sunday weren't as rainy as the forecast predicted (meaning Marc did leave the house for several hours both days to "hit balls" which judging by the state of his clothes, he did) but I still think the best parts of my weekend were spent indoors:

Catching up with Sara. I listened to her latest 2+ hour podcast and then had a long FaceTime (about much more than Homeland).

Watching the amaryllis. Another flower stalk has started (this is #7!)

and the blooms are still going strong.

Saturday evening we watched Longmire while I snuggled with Holly and worked toward finally seeing colors change on my Parallelogram Scarf.

And then yesterday morning, we met up with our favorite toddlers and their parents for breakfast. Marc hadn't wanted to commit to any daytime plans (in case the weather turned nice), but he agreed to 7:30 am when Katie texted Saturday evening. Leaving the house dark-early in the rain was completely worth it!

I love how Katie can get Sam to smile

and how Charlie can actually make Marc laugh!

What made you laugh this weekend?

Weekending.

Turns out finishing that test knit involved a little lot more time than I thought it would. But my work on it is now done ... and hopefully some concentrated fan action will yield a real FO by morning. The knitting kept me away from the computer for most of the weekend (and yikes, I feel like I've been gone for weeks, not just days - can't wait to read your blogs and find out what's been happening!) and this morning I felt like it had kept me away from more than just that ... until I looked at my photo stream. Oh yeah, there was more than just test knitting!

I don't have photo evidence for all of it, but now I remember there was clothes shopping (for me!), finishing up The Night Manager (oh my goodness, we loved it!), miles on the treadmill, a quick visit with my mom (which even involved a little bit of furniture assembly, but no power tools ;-), a nice FaceTime catchup with Diane, knitting with Deena,

#ParallelogramKAL - mine's in front and Deena's is in the back ... since this photo, she's made a lot more progress and I have not!

walks with Holly (in the rain ... happy to report the sun is shining now!), and

a leisurely birthday brunch with my favorite in-town girl.

I've started another deadline knitting project (more on that Wednesday), but I'm not thinking this one will be quite as consuming as the last one. Hopefully....

Happy Monday! did you capture something good with your camera this weekend?