I got lots of new bunting, including fans like this one
I bet y'all thought that the Pirate had been made to walk the plank.
You should be so fortunate.
No, I've just been preoccupied to the point of insomnia, with wedding planning.
I splurged on a new patriotic table runner this summer
By the way, Audrey has selected her bridal gown. She's looking forward to her first fitting on August first.
The dress is quite something and she will make a stunning bride.
I'm in charge of designing a number of things, to include all decorations.
As usual, there is a gnome perched on the ledge
Audrey and I are working on the invitations and other ephemera that will be needed for the wedding and reception on November eighth.
It's all loads of fun but time consuming and, for me at least, distracting in the extreme.
But I promised to tell you about our third of three parties, which took place a few weeks ago now.
All of our names are featured several times each on the runner
Its purpose was to celebrate our Chad's birthday.
Since Cherica live over near our church, and Chad's birthday was on a Wednesday, we decided to have his party at their house after our midweek service.
But as it turned out, Baby Elliot a/k/a Skippy was under the weather that day, so I offered to stay with him while the others went to church.
Skippy and I are in love so we enjoy hanging out together
That enabled me to get the meal ready to serve the moment they walked in the door.
I had done much of the prep work at home. Chad loves ham, so I made a brown-sugar-glazed spiral ham for our meat course.
Again putting on my caterer hat, I baked the ham at home while making all but a few of the sides: deviled eggs, Slow Cooker Creamed Corn, and mashed potatoes.
This shot of us is from last April
I took pictures of absolutely none of this so you'll have to use your imagination.
But I can promise you that it was a scrumptious ham dinner.
While hanging out with Skippy for the hour or so that everyone was gone to church, I made this Squash Casserole which was a first time for me trying this recipe. It was divine. You must make it.
A typical summer sky on a typical summer Sunday after church
I also cut up some fresh cucumbers and tomatoes to have alongside everything else.
When all the fam got to the house, we sat down and ate. For dessert, Erica had bought a jam-covered cheesecake from Costco.
Then Chad opened his gifts, and eventually we all went home. It was a lovely evening.
Shelby (L) and Megan (R) spent the night with me on their way back to Tennessee
In the waning days of June I decorated for the quintessential patriotic holiday. I hung bunting outside on the railing and put the red-white-and-blue flower arrangement into the door bucket.
Inside, I unveiled a new table decoration: this personalized table runner by Personalization Mall.
I bought a special gift from the same site, but I'll show you that later as it involves Rhett's third birthday, which we are celebrating this coming Saturday, a few days ahead of his actual big day.
I really piled on the patriotic decorations this year
Speaking of Rhett, Erica and I went shopping at Hobby Lobby with him and his little bother Skippy, and Rhett became entranced by a ceramic salt-and-pepper shaker set in the shape of a red truck and flag-themed camping trailer.
It was sixty or seventy percent off so I got it and as it was snuggled into a clear plastic box, Rhett got to carry it around the store while we shopped.
And now it's so cute on the patriotic table.
Dagny put the beret on Skippy's head while he nestled with his mother at church
We had a low-key Fourth of July with no particular plans. Audrey and Mike and Dagny came over later in the day and we all swam around in the pool.
We didn't do a cookout but rather they brought cold cut sandwich fixings for everyone. It was relaxing not to have to cook.
During the week of July Fourth, I heard from my niece Shelby (daughter of my half-brother Mike), saying that she was spending the summer in middle Tennessee. My brother and his family live in California.
Yes I can eat that whole bowlful of watermelon and then some
Specifically, Shelby was staying with the family of a childhood friend, and the whole group would be traveling to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for the holiday week.
So it was that on the Saturday after the Fourth, Shelby and her friend Megan stopped for the night on their way from Hilton Head back to the Chattanooga area.
Detail of the current contents of my Southern Living door bucket
It's only the second time I have been with Shelby in person, the first being in April of 2022, but we keep in touch and she is a doll so we had a truly wonderful time catching up.
The deck and pool area is still in disarray and if I'm being honest I must say that not much progress is being made.
It's extremely hot outside and TG has been busy with other projects. If a plank does get walked, it may be him when I get fed up with the whole thing and send him down to Davy Jones' Locker (chlorinated).
I enjoy having many points of light in my tablescapes
We have heat advisories almost every day, and have had several triple-digit days. Actual temperature, not factoring in heat index or humidity.
As arduous as any sort of activity may be -- indoors or out -- in this heat, the humidity adds another layer of difficulty.
But the skies are glorious with the bright blue and the fluffy masses of cumulus clouds that scream summer.
The sky last night as we left Waffle House. The cicadas were shrieking in the trees.
I have eaten more ice-cold watermelon than you can imagine. I am wild about and consumed with and quite possibly addicted to ice-cold watermelon. I eat it in large quantities. It is refreshing.
So here we are past the mid-point of July, and soon it will be August, and you know what comes after that.
Rhett quickly became attached to this truck-trailer S&P set
With purposeful intent, let's not rush things but rather squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of what we now have.
I'll continue with wedding preparations and in less than four months I will have all of those beautiful pictures to show you. You're going to want to see this.
Meanwhile what are you up to? Tell me in the comments.
And that is all for now.
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Happy Monday
