Saturday, November 7, 2009

Sunday Dinner, November 8, 2009 & Assorted Blatherings

This has been an eventful week in some ways, and just a common, ordinary week in others.

Is that wishy washy enough for you? Then you'll be delighted to know that the rest of this post will be chock full of even more of the stuff.

Let's deal with Sunday Dinner first, shall we?

I gave my usual Sunday Dinner guests a choice of going out to eat at Cracker Barrel or having white beans, cornbread and spaghetti chicken from my freezer stash, and the general consensus favored eating out at Cracker Barrel.

Works for me and I can use one of my gift cards for Cracker Barrel that a dear friend gave me for my birthday. I really like the part where someone else cooks the food, serves it to me and cleans up afterward too.

What's for Sunday Dinner at your place? Share your plans/menu in the comments if you'd like.Lamar's eye is looking and feeling much better, praise the Lord! Thank you all so much for your prayers and keeping him in your thoughts. Of course that's just what we can see on the surface, so we have no idea what's actually happening inside the eye.

Lamar goes back to Memphis on Tuesday to see the specialist and I'll try to post an update with any news as soon as we hear anything.

We still have so many unanswered questions regarding the cause of Lamar's eye condition, any further treatment, if it can be cured or if it will be a recurring thing and so many more questions. We hope to have at least some of these questions answered on Tuesday, God willing.This first full week of November has graced us with some of the most glorious Fall weather that Arkansas can offer. These sunny and warm but not too hot days and chilly clear nights have been very welcome after the seemingly eternally soggy October we endured!

Our trees and foliage have finally put on some decent color, though not as brilliant as we've experienced in some years. A lot of the leaves have just fallen off the trees without changing to bright colors and now piles of dull brown leaves are drifting everywhere.

I took advantage of our sunny, breezy Wednesday afternoon here and stripped my bed, then washed my handmade quilt and some of Emmy's bedding and hung them outside on the clothesline.

I used my beloved original Gain detergent and just a touch of bleach, and then used Gain original fabric softener in the rinse before I hung them outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

I don't think there's anything that smells better than freshly laundered bedding that's been dried outside on the line. My freshly made bed sure did smell wonderful Wednesday night! Still does, as a matter of fact. :-)And on a related note, Lamar and I went with Jessica, Emmy, and my sisters Cecil, Ducky and Sue to a movie this afternoon. More on that in a bit.

I took one of Emmy's handmade baby quilts with me that I'd line dried, just in case she got sleepy or cold at the movie. Emmy didn't use the quilt, but my arms got chilled so I threw her quilt across my front, and that wonderful fragrance of clean laundry dried in the fresh air and sunshine wafted up to my nose.

I love the convenience of my electric dryer, but nothing can replicate the smell of clean laundry dried outside in the sunshine and fresh air. I really should try to hang more of my linens and such outside.

However, I do have to say that I'm not fond of blue jeans and towels that are so stiff you can stand them up in the corner, so anytime I dry them outside I usually tumble them in the dryer for a bit to fluff up the towels and soften the denim.Now, the movie we went to see was the new 3-D animated version of "A Christmas Carol" with Jim Carey's voice, among others. The special effects were out of this world! Emmy even kept her 3-D glasses on for almost the entire movie, and for the most part she was really quiet and watched the movie.

A few times when the action slowed down a bit Emmy got a little restless, but I was pleasantly surprised at how attentive and good she was for the movie.I'm beginning to get a little hungry and I still have to study my Sunday School lesson, so I think I'll get this posted and go find a snack. I have a Gala apple here on my desk that's really calling to me.

I hope you all have a blessed Sunday and a great new week. My prayer for each of you is that God will richly bless you by meeting all your needs, and that you'll have enough to share.

11 comments:

Wander said...

Praise God for Lamar's eye being better. Still keeping y'all in my prayers. Enjoy lunch out tomorrow, I love having somebody else doing the cooking and clean up thing too.
{{{HUGS}}}}

Sam said...

Hi Diane! I'm really glad to hear Lamar's eye is a bit better, but I am very sorry that you all are going through this. I will most certainly keep him in my prayers.

Dinner at Cracker Barrel sounds wonderful. I agree with you--letting someone do the cooking, serving and clean up is the best!

I hope you have a wonderful week, my friend. XOXO

Gigi said...

So glad to hear that Lamar's eye is feeling better! Now let's hope that the doctor's report is just as positive...still praying!

My favorite breakfast at CB is the oatmeal with banana and skim milk with a bran muffin! I loooovvvveee me some oatmeal! My Sweet Hubby could eat a platter of pancakes - his favorite!

I agree with you - nothing beats the smell of bedding hung out in the fresh air and sunshine! Mmmmmm...

Have a wonderful day tomorrow and a blessed week ahead!

amelia said...

Wonderful news about hubby's eye but it's strange that a cause can't be found.
We went out for dinner last night to the closest place we have which is half and hour from our house but it's a greasy spoon and we both felt ill after. Too much grease!!Cracker Barrel is good we have those in Toronto I think or maybe it's the Pickle Barrel I'm thinking about.
I haven't been to the movies in over twenty years but I really want to see A Christmas Carol for the special effects. I have the old Alistair Sim version and watch it every year and love it but Jim Carrey is good and it looks to be something different.

Anonymous said...

Good news about Lamar's eye. I hope it continues to improve.

I'm SO jealous that you can hang your clothes outside to dry. Our stupid HOA forbids clotheslines. I'm still trying to find a way to get around that because I love the fresh smell of clothes dried in the sun. And I really like the actual "work" of hanging them and taking them down, all folded and ready to put away.

Now I have to take my sheets out of the dryer - no fresh smell. Rats!

Mary said...

Diane,

One of my favourite places to eat in the US is Cracker Barrel. We always search them out and are disappointed if we can't find one before everyone is way over hungry. Enjoy!!

Continuing to pray for Lamar's eyes. Update us when you can.

Line-dried sheets are magnificient. There's nothing like it. Like you, I throw jeans and towels in the dryer if I line dry them.

Enjoy your Sunday.
Blessings,
Mary

Lucy Stern said...

Diane, I hope you enjoy your dinner out this weekend... It is nice, once in a while, to have someone else do the cooking.... Occasionally, we will order in a pizza if it has been a really hecktic day....

So glad that Lamar's eye is doing better... I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the doctor visit on Tuesday will go well...

No fall colors down here in Houston... I love the fall colors so it kind of depresses me when we don't get any... (Some years we will get a little...lol.)

Glad you all enjoyed the movie, it's nice that you had a blanket handy to keep you warm...

Have a great week, don't forget to let us know how the doctor visit went... Later!'

PS: Love that picture of Jessica and Emily on the side of your blog.

Mountain Mama said...

Hi Diane. I have never gone to a Cracker Barrel. We don't have them here. I did go to I*Hop's last night with my daughter Patty. We had been to my great granddaughter's birthday party and decided to get a bite before she brought me home. I had a turkey dinner. Not bad but I could give them some of my recipes that would be a big improvement. I like sage in my stuffing. They used none. I don't like all that goop in my mashed potatoes, just potatoes and butter. Then we shared a strawberry crepe for dessert. Won't do that again either. Patty had their chicken stirfry. I had it once before and should have ordered it too.
Today I just had a TV dinner. I'm still not up to cooking a meal so have been snacking a lot.

I did get a couple BIG bags of Fuji apples picked today. My tree was loaded and they are at their prime right now. I have given away several bags already. The birds have found the tree, so I need to get them picked right away. I always leave the smaller ones for the birds, but they like the great big red ones.

I'm glad to hear Lamar's eye is better and pray you get some solid answers soon.
Hugs

RennyBA's Terella said...

Glad to hear Lamar is better!

We had rosemary and garlic marinaded lamb chops :-)

I'm sure Gala apple tasted good.

Have a great week!

Dawn said...

I ate lunch with my brother and SIL in Oklahoma yesterday noon, then to a bbq place for supper with my old college friend, with whom I was staying.

I'm with you on the towels and jeans issue!

kkryno said...

Wondrous news about Lamar's eye! I'm so happy to hear it. :)

As for line dried linens: that has to be what Heaven smells like. It's a fragrance that takes me back to my Mom-Mom's house when I was little. She had one of those square clothes lines that you could spin. I remember weaving through those sheets. It was so much fun!

Amazing how quickly we pass the years.