Monthly (On Occasion) Musings, June 2024 Edition

I don't link up with Holly and Patty for Monthly Musings very often, but I'm trying to be better about tending to this space, so I am grateful to them for offering the writing prompts. 

What questions are they asking this month? Questions all about summer. I like summer! I think I can contribute to the conversation, so here we go.

1. Our summer plans are being dictated by the upcoming wedding for Shanti and the Man-Cub! We had Shanti's shower this past Sunday and are in full preparation mode for the rehearsal dinner, wedding, and reception. In addition to all that, we are hoping to get the boat on the water and the motorhome up into the mountains. It's going to be a busy summer, and one that we will never forget!

2. Our summer traditions have gone the way of the Dodo Bird; that is what happens when one's children fly the nest and the other people in one's life grow and change. For the past several years, Hugh and I have taken a 4th of July camping trip with our friends Erin and Kristi and Tom and Sean; this year, the gals are living their best lives in the UK and the guys have sold their camper. So, we are in transition mode and will be finding new things to turn into traditions. It's ok; that's how life works.

3. For most of my adult life, my favorite summer destination was my hometown. Each July, we loaded up the car and headed to Mayberry for the last week of July. We spent time with my family and childhood friends, lazed around in my parent's backyard, chased the ice cream truck, and enjoyed the annual Stampede weekend. I miss those days. Also, it looks like I'm on the hunt for a new favorite destination.

3B. (I guess? 😅) I love the ocean and have enjoyed several different beaches in several different states and countries, but, we live in land-locked Colorado and we own a boat, so I would have to say that I prefer the lake because it is more easily accessible.

4. I haven't been near a pool in years. Actually, that's not true; Queen B and I hung out at the pool at our hotel earlier this month when I was in Texas for dress shopping. Anyhoodle, that's probably my pool time for the foreseeable future; it's just not a priority unless I am on vacation. That's kind of depressing, considering how much time I spent in pools as a kid and how many summer days I spent poolside when the kids were small.

5. The best tip I have for traveling is to pack your suitcase and then take out half. I have been a horrible over packer, but have recently discovered how freeing it is to travel light.

6. I don't really have a favorite summer movie. 

7. Sun tea will always say "summer" to me. I have a large jar that I use specifically for this purpose.

8. My summer playlist will always feature heavily with songs from the 80's, think Cruel Summer by Bananarama.

9. I like my burger well-done, on a wheat bun, with lettuce, tomato, red onion, dill pickle, mustard, and ketchup. I'm not a huge hotdog fan, unless I'm at a baseball game, in which case I'm good with mustard and ketchup.

10. I haven't used a charcoal grill in years, so gas, all the way. 

This was fun! I don't know why I don't do this every month...oh, yeah...life. So much to do and so little time.

What's Up Wednesday, June 2024 Edition

 

It's officially summer, folks! We've passed the longest day of the year and are sliding into that part of the season that you either love or hate, depending on your tolerance for heat. I personally prefer heat to cold (now that I am, knock on wood, past the hot flash portion of the menopause program. Praise hands!), so I am content with life right now. So let's talk about what's up!

Thanks, as always, to Sheaffer and Shay for hosting!

What I've Been Eating

Since it has been a bit warm, lately; I've been eating light lunches and dinners. And it's less about what I'm eating and more about where I'm eating it; porches are my favorite.

More interesting than what I'm eating is what I'm drinking. While waiting for my order to be taken at the local Sonic, I was influenced to buy the limited edition Orange Cloudsicle, and, while the soft serve ice cream in it was dope (as the kids would say), the toxic orange syrup was so sweet, my teeth literally squeaked.

I also recently tried Starbucks limited edition refresher with boba. It was actually pretty good. Mom tried one as well, and her first experience with a boba bead was precious, despite the fact that the barista could not spell her name.

Since I have a ton of mint growing in a container in my garden, I have been making pitchers of mojitos. Highly recommended, by the way.

And, at golf, I tried my coworkers Transfusion, which is vodka, grape juice, ginger ale, and lime juice. It was really good!

What I'm Reminiscing About

Nothing at the moment.

What I'm Loving 

Queen B flew home last Friday to surprise Shanti at her bridal shower. It was so nice to have her here to help, and, between the two of us and Shanti's mom, we threw a hell of a shower.

What I've Been Up To

My work team and I started golf lessons again and we are killing it. Ha! Just kidding! We suck. But, we are eager to earn, so we will suck less in no time.

Hugh and I opened the porch officially a few weeks ago, and have been enjoying porch sittin' ever since.

Chris, Jana, Hugh, and I got half of our kids together for a trip to the lake. It was the first time in four years that the Sea Chelle had been on the water, which is about four years longer than it should have been.

What I'm Working On

The annual golf tournament to benefit Not So New Job is rapidly approaching, and I'm thrilled to say that we are sold out! So, I've been working on signage, swag, and logistics. It's going to be a great tournament this year and I'm actually looking forward to it. If you had told me four years ago that I would feel this way, I would have told you that you were crazy. Of course, if you had told me four years ago that I would still be at this job four years later, I would have cried at your feet. True story.

What I'm Dreading

I don't want to jinx us, but the weather in our area has been ridiculously unpredictable. We have had numerous rain storms, which is unusual for June. The monsoon rains usually hit in August, and the wedding is in August, and it's an outdoor ceremony and tented reception, so...I'm dreading the need for a backup plan, but it probably won't be a bad idea to have one.

What I'm Excited About

The bridal shower this past weekend really got me excited for the wedding in August! It's like it's been real, but the bridal shower brought it all into focus; my baby is getting married! The shower was the first event of the festivities; we have the rehearsal dinner still to execute and the kids are all heading off for a bachelor/bachelorette party in the big city next month. So many fun things! 

What I'm Reading

This month, I reread several Elin Hidebrand's books. I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of her final book set on Nantucket, so I figured, why not? Swan Song arrived mid-month and I haven't even started it. I think I'm in denial.

What I'm Watching

Oh, Bridgerton, where to begin? Like a lot of other fans of the Julia Quinn books, I was bitterly disappointed with this season's treatment of Colin and Penelope; their story in the books was so much more nuanced than it's screen translation, and I felt ripped off. I doubt that I'll be back for future seasons because I couldn't bear to watch the show ruin the stories of Benedict (although, they've basically achieved that, already) and Eloise.

The past few days, our television has been tuned into what Queen B lovingly refers to as Serial Killer Channels. Which means we've been watching a lot of shows about serial killers. I hope her future husband isn't squeamish.

What I'm Listening To

A the moment, I am listening to Boomer Dog snoring. He's still doing well, despite the fact that the tumor in his anal sac is growing. I'm grateful for every day that I get to listen to him breathe.

What I'm Wearing

Right now, I'm wearing palazzo pants and a tank top. It's hot, y'all; I'm dressing for my environment.

What I'm Doing This Weekend

Other than a long Zoom with the Erin and Kristi, I don't have anything scheduled, which feels pretty darn good. I've been going, going, going for several months now, so it will be nice to have some time to catch up on household stuff. Catching up with Erin and Kristi will be awesome, though; they recently returned to Wales from a vacation in Greece and I am very excited to hear all about it. I live vicariously through them.

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

The past several years, Hugh and I spent the Fourth of July weekend camping with our Gays; since Erin and Kristi abandoned us all for the UK, and Tom and Sean sold their camper, this year is going to look a little different. I'm hoping that we will still get to go camping with Shanti and the Man-Cub.

Favorite Amazon Purchase This Month

This is the second time that I have purchased this collagen. It's completely tasteless, dissolves without any gritty residue, and has improved my hair, nails, and skin. I also have noticed  an improvement in my joint pain.

We Had a Shower...and It Didn't Rain!

This past weekend, Shanti's mom and I threw the bridal shower that we have been planning for weeks. It was a huge success; we even managed to pull off the surprise appearance of Queen B, who flew into town just for the party.

Because it had rained steadily throughout the two days leading up to the shower, we had our concerns about having an outdoor event. Luckily, the day dawned bright and sunny and we had gorgeous weather right up until the last present had been stowed away in the Man-Cub's truck. Of course, the Man-Cub wasn't invited to the shower, but his momma raised him right; he showed up with flowers in hand just as the last gift was opened, then pitched in to help with cleanup. 

But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

The theme for the shower was "Love is Timeless". The location was graciously loaned to us by Jeanne, who is the mother of Frankie, who is one of the bridesmaids. Jeanne, has known Shanti and her family since Shanti and Frankie were in junior soccer, and she was thrilled to be part of the planning. We very much appreciated her generosity and the space could not have been more perfect for our vision of the shower.

The invitations, which went out last month, were printed on handkerchiefs, and I used additional handkerchiefs in swags around the gift tent.

I purchased an old parlor chair at an antique store in Hooterville and we used it both for decoration and for Shanti's seat when she opened gifts.

The remaining decor in the gift tent included my grandmother's old ironing board, and a stack of old suitcases, adorned with a crocheted afghan that Shanti's mom picked up at Pickin' at the Pea this spring.

The drink station was set up near the gift tent; since we were serving brunch, we included typical brunch beverages, including mimosas, hot and iced coffee, water, and flavored iced teas. We ran out of champagne just as Shanti started to open gifts, but Jeanne saved the day by running to the liquor store for a few more bottles (funny story: she took one of the empty bottles with her so that she could duplicate the order; the clerk took one look at her and asked her if she bought it there and then drank it in the parking lot. I mean, I suppose there may be people who do that, but...).

The night before the shower, Queen B and I sat on my porch and put together the centerpieces for the guest tables, using a variety of flowers I purchased at the grocery store and vintage vessels that Shanti's mom and I had been collecting, including silver teapots and a silver gravy boat (the gravy boat was Mom's contribution, she bought it at Pickin' at the Pea just for this purpose).

Because we were doing a brunch, I started collecting mix-matched china plates from the local thrift stores, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity Restore, and other places. The plates were all incredibly inexpensive and featured some really well known marks, including Noritake and Spode. It's amazing to me what people give away.

Shanti had requested a donut wall, so, we served them on fine china and everyone loved it. They also loved the mini quiches, croissant sandwiches, fresh fruit, and pastries. I definitely over-purchased on food, yet we had very little left over.

In keeping with the 'Love is Timeless" theme, Shanti's mom and I put together a display of wedding china from family members throughout the years. She had several sets from her late Mother-in-Law and grandparents, and I had pieces from Mom, Emily, Hugh's grandmother, and a couple of sets that I have collected. The display turned out better than we could have hoped and our guests were intrigued by the different patterns.

We sent out just over forty invitations for the shower and we ended up with thirty-eight people attending; that is the best acceptance rate that I have had of any party that I have ever thrown. It just goes to show how much Shanti is loved and how excited our friends and family are about this wedding.

In order to accommodate that number of guests, Shanti's mom rented tables and chairs. The backyard was plenty large enough for the seating area, as well as for the gift tent, drink station, and buffet, and, because it was just naturally beautiful, there was little need for decorations. I covered the tables with vintage tablecloths from the 1950's that I sourced from antique stores in Hooterville and online on Mercari. That, and the centerpieces were everything we needed.

I mean, look at this view.

Since it wouldn't be a shower without games, we included Take a Ring, Musical Bouquet (to a playlist of love songs from the 30's through the 2000's, I mean, of course!), and True or False. The games were simple, but the competition was fierce!

Shanti's mom had the brilliant idea to purchase bookmarks as our party favor, and they were a big hit with the guests.

Of course, the best part of the day was getting to visit with all of the guests who showed up for our girl. There was a nice balance between those who knew us, those who knew Shanti's family, those who knew all of us, and those who just knew Shanti. By the end of the shower, everyone knew everyone, and we all parted with "Can't wait to see you at the wedding!"

That's the true sign of a successful shower.