Alright, don’t judge me on the organization of my spice cabinet. Sure, I have to lift up each spice jar in order to see what it contains. Jars are always falling over when I am looking for the garlic salt. Obviously, that is an efficient way to spend all the free time that I have - especially when I am cooking. And of course I have spice jars from when I moved from CA to Chicago in 1997.
The invitation for the “See Ya Later” party that my friends threw for me said, “No gifts. “ We all know how that goes. And admittedly, I am the biggest rule breaker whenever I see that phrase on an invite. Fortunately some friends read my blog post that mentioned gifts for someone moving. I didn’t open any gifts immediately after the party because I needed a few days to let that party sink in. Since there was a lot of thoughtfulness that went into each rule-breaking gift, sharing the thoughtful pinches may be helpful. The next time there is a need to say “See Ya Later” to a friend who is moving, you’ll be ready!
The only person who calls me Barbara Joyce is my cousin Jay-Jay. And when she calls me that, it’s not really meant to be endearing, it’s meant to be like, “Girl, what are you doing?” Y’all, it must be a southern thing when someone addresses another by using both their first and middle names. Even though I’m over fifty, when Jay-Jay calls me Barbara Joyce, I feel like I’ve got some explaining to do!
I love that the three ladies in the picture above gathered their friends from the club and hosted a tea party. It was a lovely time. Some of us hadn’t seen each other in two years due to the pandemic. Typically, not seeing each other at the club is only at most, a season or two in between. Therefore, we appreciated the opportunity to attend the tea party because it was a reunion for many of us
The other day I was caught completely off guard when the Moms Group amazed me with a surprise party. Coincidentally, the surprise party was on the same day as my hub’s birthday (and Cinco de Mayo) so any attention for me was definitely not on my radar. My Moms Group consists of moms that I met when my daughter was eight months old (now 14.5 years old), moms that I met when my son was born (2008) and moms that I met in between then and now middle school years. Meeting up for parent educating classes for fourteen years or just a year, we have history together. Moms who learn together, stay together.
Even though mothers are not supposed to measure ourselves up against other mothers, we do it anyway. Comparing our motherly capabilities to others is something that we naturally do and I think it could do more good than harm; especially if we compare both sides. We can try to be like someone we admire - a mother who seems to have it altogether. And/or when my daughter is watching Dance Moms or Toddlers & Tiara’s and I catch a glimpse of those mothers, I can strive to be the opposite of who they are.
While we were in Denver a few weeks ago, I found myself totally clueless about bubble tea. We had been looking for houses (my least favorite thing to do) and it was suggested that I reward myself by having a bubble tea. Yes, please! Due to Covid, we had to use the drive thru at the bubble tea shop named Mini Moo’s Tea Shop because the walk-in or dine-in options were not available. Looking at all the options on a billboard, while in a car, knowing that there are cars behind me, made me panic. I didn’t know what to order because I didn’t know what bubble tea was. Everyone else in my car knew exactly what to get. I ended up getting a watermelon flavored milk tea with bubbles.
When I recently learned that there was such a day as National Pretzel Day, I searched my file of gift ideas to look for a certain pretzel company to help with this special occasion. My cousin Jay-Jay had sent us a “You Lucked Out” gift pack of pretzels this year for St. Patrick’s Day and it was such a bit hit. For National Pretzel Day, I am using the same company, Eastern Standard Provisions Company. A few days ago, I ordered some thoughtful pinches and I’m hoping that the pretzel gift packs arrive in time to celebrate!
Surprisingly, leaving Denver after our 18 day visit was tougher than I thought it would be. Prior to our trip, the Type-A in me envisioned being there checking off a lot of boxes and getting things done. And we did.
I don’t want to assume that everyone knows what an empanada is but I also don’t want to bore everyone else with an intricate description. Let’s just say, if you know what a Hot Pockets is then you are on the right track. The difference is that empanadas are far better in quality than Hot Pockets and the flavors of the fillings varies from region to region.
Many people, including myself, consider me “old school”. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that I would get so excited to learn about National Pencil Day. Pencils are so my jam - I can’t wait to celebrate this national day. I use pencils to write so many notes that I go thru them like water. Every Fall, when it’s time to buy new school supplies, my kids do not need pencils because their school provides them. But that doesn’t stop me from taking advantage of the low “back to school” prices and buying fresh packs of No. 2s.
So many people were going stir crazy after a couple of months of hibernating during the COVID Stay-at-Home order in 2020, that they ventured out in RVs and SUVs traveling the country. I was envious and wished that my family could also go on a Road Trip! Yes, you read that correctly. When I talk about road trips, I always add an exclamation point at the end of “road trip” (!) because for me, I always think of them as an opportunity for undivided fun.
