Weekend Wonder!

Recently our friends from Pennsylvania came to spend the weekend with us at the lake. They arrived to a breezy, summer day in North Carolina. Just hours before their arrival at the lake, it was humid and no air was stirring. My husband and I thought it would be a sweltering weekend because the temps had hovered around 100 degrees for the last week or more.


Little did we know it would be the most perfect lake weather we could have asked for! The breeze blew continuously Friday and Saturday to the point that our flags waved and the windsock fluttered more than we've ever seen them. The temps were much milder and invited all 12 of us to constantly find something to do outside.




The ladies had already decided who would handle each meal. At each meal, the primary cook prepared her menu and the rest pitched in with assistance as needed and did the clean up. All our meals were delicious: waffles and fruit, beef stew, watermelon, breakfast casserole, homemade cinnamon rolls, ribs on the grill, homemade root beer floats, and banana splits! YUMMM! Of course there was plenty of snacks also.

On Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon, we found a shady spot on the pier and sat and had great conversation and just listened to the water lapping the shore as children and husbands darted around the lake on the jet ski. We decided that we could get used to this kind of perfection.

There was fishing with grandparents and grandchildren. It didn't matter that no one caught a fish. It was the time spent together that mattered most. The teenage girls delighted in the hammock and watching shooting stars from the pier in the evenings. There were games of Board Rook (played with cards and chips) until the participants had to go to bed from too much of a good thing!


On Saturday after a delicious meal of waffles and fruit, we took the pontoon boat and jet ski out to a small island where we could explore and have juicy, red watermelon! Everyone had his/her fill of this fruit that just screams summer and we picked up shells and rocks of interest.


Later on Saturday evening after a tasty meal of ribs, we loaded the 2 boats and went out on the lake to admire the sun set. We sat there for about 20 minutes just watching the different phases of the gorgeous, setting fire ball. It was truly magnificent!



After worshiping together Sunday morning out on the second story deck, each carload packed and reluctantly left what had been a most splendid weekend of true friendship. It is so wonderful spending time with people without attitudes or agendas. Being together enjoying our friendship is such a blessing.

Weekend Full!

On Friday, we were at our grandchildren's home most of the day. My husband had business in a nearby town so I took the opportunity to go with him to see our sweetie pies. It's always good to be there. Our 6 year old granddaughter slept with us Thursday night and Friday morning my husband said he thinks she'll be a kick boxer when she grows up. She had a restless night.

On Saturday morning, our youngest daughter called and we planned to meet in a small town between us for lunch. The restaurant is in a downtown storefront that used to be a hardware store. The original wooden floors and shelving are like they were over a hundred years ago. All the sandwiches are named after things that you would find in a hardware store--mouse trap, hammer, blow torch etc. We had a great time visiting and we went in a few stores looking for something interesting to pretty up our homes and lives with. We each found a ceramic bird to add to our home decor.


My husband and I spent an overnight at our lake home this weekend so we could be sure the yard was not overgrown and unkempt. After my husband tended the yard, we got busy preparing dinner. He had arrived earlier than I did and turned everything on so the house would be toasty warm as our weather can't make up it's mind if it's winter or spring.

We had a very simple dinner of barbeque chicken, stewed potatoes, and slaw by the fireplace. My husband's cousin had brought by an apple cake this week because I had knee surgery a week and a half ago so we had that for dessert. It was a cozy, relaxing time for the two of us to catch up from a busy week. After dinner, we watched the movie Blindside. It was a good story and gives you hope that there are still many good people out there.

Husband's week was filled with baby calves and new moms at the farm in addition to his full time job. He also found time to get the garden ready for summer plantings. He planted garden peas, potatoes, and onions a week or so ago. It's been so wet here that he couldn't get in the garden in February when he normally would have planted these items.

Since we bought whole chickens on sale recently, I split them in half to freeze instead of cutting them up in multiple pieces. I can do that later if I need to and it didn't take a long time to cut them in half.

I tell you this because I think I made a discovery about grilling chicken. Often times, our chicken from the grill is dry, but this time cooking it in halves, I think it was moister. Grilling it in just two pieces may have kept in some of the juices. I think this is the way to do it. I think the leftovers will be juicier from the halves also.

Have a great Holy Week!