Travel Tuesday

So, for the past 5 days, we've been on our ski trip with the grands. I don't ski anymore, I cook and chauffeur. It's always a fun time. 

They couldn't have asked for better weather. Mitchell and Olly just wore jerseys since it was so warm. Butch only brought his ski jacket, but he just had a shirt underneath.

Morgan and Olly.

Sisters!

Robbie, Jordan and grandpa.

Sisters.

This was the night that I surprised the "kids" with a sleigh ride dinner. We had done this about 25 years ago. 

Jordan and Morgan posing with one of our horses. 

Same food as 25 years ago. It was just as good as I remembered. We all had so much fun. The entertainment wasn't quite as good as I remembered. All those. years ago, we had a singing cowboy. 

This time it was a very nice middle-aged woman, but she wasn't the greatest. After she sang about 10 songs, she said that she had come to the end of her list! She ad-libbed after that. Apparently, all she could come up with for her final song was "Winter Wonderland."

Jordan complimented my hat. I gave it to her. I really like it, but it was way too big on me (see photo above). It looks really cute on her.

This just goes to show how much skiing takes out of them! This does not look comfortable!

We have this ski thing down to a fine science. While Butch took the "kids" to get their skis, Robbie and I did the grocery shopping. I keep the food pretty easy and simple. I made grilled ham and cheese the first night. I made scrambled eggs and biscuits for one breakfast. After that it was bagels and spreads, English muffins with peanut butter or cereal. One night I made shrimp fettuccine with garlic cheese bread and a Caesar salad. I made a hot cherry cobbler with ice cream for dessert. We were here for the Super Bowl. We just had snacks and then sloppy joes at half time. 

Morgan is already planning next year! I said, "What's to plan? Y'all said you love this house, so I'll just reserve it again!" 

One of my favorite things is that there's not many "kids" who can say that their grandfather taught them to ski! 

The place is really big. It has 4 bedrooms and with a set of bunkbeds downstairs and a pull-out couch, it can sleep 12. So I have a problem with that. If you advertise that you can sleep 12, then why wouldn't you have places for 12 to sit? Since there were only 7 of us, we had seats around the table. But there were not enough seats in the living room. We had to use a dining room chair. 

Also, this was a problem:

They had a huge tangle of pots and pans--that kind I hate--stainless steel. In this day and age, why wouldn't they have non-stick cookware? Also, if you advertise for 12 people why wouldn't there be some really big pots? I had to use two pots to cook the pasta. There wasn't a big colander to strain it. Nor was there a pasta server. The dishes and matching coffee cups were not dishwasher safe. There weren't enough of them anyway. I ended up buying paper plates. There were no scissors to open food packages either. Oh well...

Our condo at the beach used to be for rent. I made darn sure that there was every single thing anyone would need. It's just too hard to cook in an unknown kitchen!!

Until next year's ski trip...

Monday Mystery

Okay, I don't get this:

After our Christmas discussion when all the younger boys couldn't understand the problem here. They said it was an "Eads girl" thing to be so particular about. I could not wrap my brain around it. 

It's very obvious that this is the correct way to "clip" a bag--fold both sides in and roll down. It's not that hard. Really, isn't it obvious? Well, apparently that's not the case for "someone" in our house. And I think you know who that "someone" is this time!! 

So, I guess it's not much of a mystery, but that's all I've got!!

Friday Funnies

Five Things Thursday

1. Valentines Day is right around the corner.

I found these cute plates at Michaels. You might think that the smaller plate with the heart is a small cake plate. Actually, I'm not quite sure what it is. It's about 4" in diameter. 

So cute! Yet, I resisted buying them. I have quite a huge paper plate collection. I can't think of anything else to call it. It's too much! Yay me for resisting.

2. I thought this was a clever idea--I've seen it before. 

The problem is that I do not save empty tissue boxes. Recently when I was sick, I just used a plastic grocery sack for my used tissues. That worked out just fine.

3. I thought these were interesting statistics:

 Around 14.4 million visitors came to Nashville in 2022, up 13% over 2021, and generated a record $8.8 billion in visitor spending.

4. I don't think this is a new concept, but still a great story.

Vanderbilt has the same sort of deal. 

5. In the vein of Valentine's Day, this is kind of a great idea!

Tuesday Thoughts About...

...mall shopping. I don't do it. Or, I should say, I rarely do it. I don't really like shopping at all anymore. Plus, I am such an impulse buyer, I'm better off staying away.

Recently, my friends were talking about all the stores that have closed in the mall. I can't really remember which ones, but they were big---and popular---or so I thought. Really, I think it's online shopping doing them in. I do most of my buying online.

A couple weeks ago, I had a return for Pottery Barn. As I was walking through the mall, I noticed all the new stores I never heard of before. Also, I noticed the Apple Store is still bustling---there are always a lot of people in there. Then I came across this store:

What the??? Psycho Bunny?? What does that even mean? And more importantly, who would want to shop in a place named that? It appears to be a clothing store of some sort. Either they sell a lot---although I didn't see a single soul in there---or they only have about 10 different items to sell. It was nearly empty of goods. I cannot imagine what the rent must be. I didn't check to see how expensive the clothes were. Just the name alone turns me completely off!

The name made me think, so I had to look it up and find out the story behind it. Really, what lunatic thought that up??

There doesn't appear to be a story behind the name. Here's their slogan:

"There are people who are classics. Then there are the classics who imagine what's possible." 

I cannot make sense of that at all! Then there's the logo:

Another quote: "Just look at our logo. It's unconventional and we're proud of it--4,000 stitches and infinite character."

Okay, well the stitching part intrigues me a bit. I looked at some of the shirts. T-shirts for $75.00 and polos at $150.00. There are some things higher and lower, but this seems to be the average. 

All I've got to say is that seems like an awful thing to do to a cute little bunny!!

As you are reading this, I am at this very mall---but not for shopping! I'm taking a Pickleball lesson with Connie and Nancy. They have a court there that is free. This is our first time, so we're trying it out. Connie said she would never play at the mall because she might see people she knows. Heck, I don't care about that. I just want to give it a try. That's all we hear about, Pickleball, Pickleball, Pickleball! I want to see what all the hubbub is about. 

I've always been pretty athletic and I am competitive. But, I'm planning to be really careful. I want to play, but I don't want to hurt myself. We'll see......oh, and Mitchell gave me a Pickleball set for Christmas. I do need to at least try it out! 

Morgan on Monday

Last week, Morgan sent me pictures of her African Safari bathroom. 

She used many of the things she bought in Africa.

She bought all of these cute animals. They look perfect on this little shelf.

This is one of the photos that she took and had blown up.

I couldn't resist. I sent her the tissue box and a pair of hand towels. 

I can't wait to see it in person!!

I spent the better part of the weekend getting ready for our scrapbook retreat a week from Wednesday. We're leaving on Thursday to take the grands skiing. We'll get back on Monday afternoon. I'll turn right around and leave for scrapbooking on Wednesday morning. So, I'm running out of time. Actually, I'm in pretty good shape. I've pre-planned a lot! Since we're taking two cars this time, I'm not limited on space. I'm probably bringing more than I've ever brought before--just because I have the space.

And now, I want to brag on Butch. The guy has been working like mad--in the freezing cold of the garage! We're finally getting it "re-done." Other than cleaning it here and there, it hasn't been painted since we moved in--June 1995! The drywall tape needs to be repaired, and everything needs a thorough cleaning, painting, new shelving, and a fresh floor. In order to get the garage ready for the work, Butch had to rent a pod and empty out the whole thing. I'm so sad that we forgot to take "before" pictures! We'll get some of it empty and then the "after." That's about the best we can do. 

He said that he thought "someone" might offer to help him. I told him that "someone" had considered it but:

1. It's cold.

2. It's heavy stuff.

3. It's dirty stuff.

4. We don't work well together. 

5. Prepping for scrapbooking is way more fun!

Most importantly, he gets ALL the credit!! But, he has to admit, I'm the one that got the ball rolling! I'm good at that!

Something for Saturday

Hey All! I'm back again---at least until we leave for our ski trip with the grands later this week. Since I don't ski anymore, I'm the chauffeur, chief cook, and bottle washer! I use my free time to plan future trips! I'll be devoting all my free time to planning our book club trip to England in September. I have my work cut out for me! 6 of us are going and meeting up with our 2 members who live in Nottingham. Too many things to do and see! I've got to start narrowing it down.

But, for now, here are a few pictures from New York. Janet, Sharon and I went---mainly because I wanted to see Phantom of the Opera one last time before it closes. 

We lucked out with the weather. The coldest it got was 31. It wasn't windy, plus when you are walking a lot, you warm right up. Janet was so bundled up you would have thought we were in Quebec City---OR---St. Louis!! 

We started at the Stardust diner. 

There's nothing that gets you in the mood for the fun of Broadway--plus the food is good too. This was Sharon's first trip to New York. I love taking someone for the first time. It makes me see it all through their eyes again.

That platform jutting out from that building is called "The Edge." This was my first time. If you look closely, you can see that tiny clear part. It's really much larger than it looks.

Here I am, 100 floors up on that clear glass looking straight down. It was an awesome experience. You can see for miles around. The Empire State Building is iconic--no doubt, but The Edge was more fun IMO. They both cost about the same--$41.00.

After the edge, the plan was to walk to Macy's. Wouldn't you know it, we were held up by President Biden. We did actually see him waving in the presidential limo.

After backtracking and winding this way and that, we finally ended up in the subway and walked under the intersections so we could get beyond the barriers. We finally made it!!

We stopped at Carlos Bakery---this was new to me, but will be added to my list for every time I'm in New York. Janet knew about it from the show The Cake Boss. I never watched that. If you go, get the lobster tail. It's basically a cream puff but it looks like a lobster tail---so good! I can't believe I don't have a picture!

The reason we came--and it didn't disappoint. 

We stopped at Junior's for a post-show slice of cheesecake.

Brunch at Marseille---one of my favorite places---off the beaten path. The French onion soup--OMGosh! Plus it has a cloth tablecloth--albeit under paper, but it still counts! I love a fancy place.

Since I'm the theater geek, I wanted to make sure that Sharon and Janet would enjoy their experience. There's none better than the high energy of MJ. We all loved it--me for the second time. You can bet there will be a 3rd and more!

We did so much in 2 and a half days. We walked 15.3 miles. We browsed 5th Ave., Rockefeller Plaza, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Times Square--we hit it all. Our only disappointment was Rolf's. 

I've been wanting to go to this German restaurant ever since Sandy found out about it. We've tried, but could never get anyone to answer the phone--which is the only way to make reservations. It's decorated for Christmas---so elaborately---all year round. If I ever go back, it would be just to let the girls see it and maybe have a very expensive drink (all drinks in NYC are expensive---at least $22 for anything). Anyway, I was looking forward to some good German food. This wasn't it. We shared the viener schnitzel---it was tough. The German potato salad wasn't what I expected at all. The red cabbage and spaetzle were very good. Still, it wasn't worth the cost. 

Really, I'm not complaining. We had a fabulous trip. One disappointment doesn't ruin a whole trip!! I love, love, love New York and can't wait to go back. We have a girls trip---besides my girls, we're taking the granddaughters--in June. I'm excited because Sandy and Stephanie are planning this one. I can't wait to see what they come up with. I told them it had to include Carlos!! You can even go there after a show---it's open until 11:30 p.m. If you get a chance, check it out!!