A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That!

Hey Yall! I had a great day today. I managed to sleep till 9:30. It was glorious! We had decided Sunday that we would go to Myrtle Beach and get Jamie and Heidi's wedding presents. Jamie is Barbara and Jim's son. They are getting married August 2. Our plan was to get the presents and then head to Barbara's to deliver them and visit with her. She had a heart catherization last Thursday. It was nice to see her and laugh and it reminded me of some good times we have had in the past. Somehow during our chitchat time someone said something about how they like to eat breakfast food for dinner. Well that is all it takes for me. I can hear someone talking about something they are having for dinner or something they made and I just about can't wait to have it myself. So we went to the Waffle House for dinner. And we were not disappointed. Much. The food was delish, but well.....the place was filthy (aren't they all), there were flies hanging around (don't they all have them?) and our waffles came about 10 minutes after the first part of our meals (you can't be perfect all the time). Actually, Elaine's waffle came about 7 minutes after the first part was delivered, but the waiter accidentally let it slide off the plate onto the table when had been wiped clean 15 minutes earlier but still looked wet. We figured the rag must have had bacon grease on it cause the table kept that wet look. But you know what? You go into Waffle House and you know what you are probably going to get...........and we got it all. Plus the food was delish, just like it usually is.

To back track a little, the party Saturday night was great. Virginia, Kathy and I did the cooking at Virginia's house in Sumter. And boy did we cook! Virginia is the cooking queen and knows just what to serve and how much. Kathy and I just followed directions. We made chicken salad, tomato tarts, grilled flank steak for sandwiches, Vidalia (Yea Georgia!) Onion dip, bean dip, a fruit tray, special brownies, Lemon Blossoms, and had shrimp and cocktail sauce. Virginia's chicken salad is to die for and she is known far and wide for it. She had ordered cream bread from Charleston to make sandwiches with it and they were a big hit. We marinated the flank steak and sent it on down to Georgetown and had the men there grill it then refrigerate it. Right before the party, we sliced it and put it on a platter with rolls and containers of champagne mustard and mayo so the guests could make sandwiches. The men in particular loved this. The Vidalia Onion Dip is so easy. I actually first found the recipe on "justabeachkat" blog that I have under my recommended blogs. Virginia also has the recipe and makes it pretty regularly. It turned out to probably be one of the most popular things we served. The bean dip is a mixture of canned white corn, black beans, and black eyed peas, chopped onion, bell pepper, tomato and cucumber and some olive oil and spices. Yum. The brownies were wonderful! You prepare a regular box brownie mix, pour half of the mix into a 9X13 glass dish. Cover it with 3 Symphony candy bars with toffee and almonds. You need the really large ones from Walmart of the grocery store. If you lay them side by side it should cover the uncooked brownies. Then pour the remaining mix on top and cook according to directions. Oh. My. Lord. It was Divine. The Lemon Blossoms almost caused Virginia to lose her religion a couple of times. But in the end, it all turned out great. At the end of the party, Mary Ann and Justin presented the hostesses with a gift. When I opened it, it almost made me cry. They had made a donation to the Alzheimer's Association in the name of Dick and Fran Jackson. Mary Ann's grandmother and Elaine's mother had Alzheimer's. Mrs. Creech was just the sweetest person and I am so glad I was able to meet her before this horrible disease took her from the ones she loved and that loved her. I think this was a wonderful gift to the hostesses and hope that this becomes a trend with brides. Thank you Mary Ann and Justin.

This afternoon, Elaine and I went into the Goodwill in Surfside. As usual, I was able to find something I wanted. I have been looking for this particular thing for a while. I would love to tell you what it is, but I am giving it to Chris for part of his birthday present. Aren't you excited Chris? Momma got you your birthday present at the Goodwill! Yeah, I thought so..... But you WILL change you mind! I will fill all of you in on my purchase this weekend. I will be heading back to Raleigh maybe Wednesday for a birthday celebration for Chris on Saturday.

Tomorrow, Elaine is going to help Mary Ann move all her school "stuff" to her new classroom in Columbia. She is leaving me here to do as I dang well please which should include sleeping late, walking their dog, doing a little shopping, walking their dog, taking a nap, walking their dog, and if I have any more time, maybe walking their dog! Just kidding Elaine.....Maggie, aka Tar Baby, will be a pleasure to babysit. It is the least I can do for letting me drink all your diet cokes.

I guess that is all for now....I need some sleep and rest for all my dog walking I have to do tomorrow..... Tootles!

Fran