Fun and Games on a Sunday night

This Sunday night we managed to all sit at the kitchen table and enjoy a meal together.  We had grilled chicken, corn and cast iron roasted asparagus.  After we were finished eating, we broke out one of our old kitchen table games before everyone went their separate ways. When the kids were younger, that is something we'd do at least once a week after dinner. It was after one of those family dinners that ended with a few minutes of a game that I started this blog. That's where the title came from.

We played "Battle of the Sexes" . There is a full sized board game, but we have several card versions of board games that we keep on the table, and this is one of them.  It's played boys against the girls, and there are different cards with questions for either sex.  Tonight we learned that our son was able to identify Vera Wang and Donna Karan as popular designers and that the boys not being able to remember Harper Lee's last name was almost enough to reduce our oldest daughter to tears.  The point should also be made that the girls in this family know way too much about football to be stumped by any of those questions and that this mom knows the difference between a birdie and bogey. We only played for 15 minutes or so but it was fun reconnecting.  

This little metal basket sits on our kitchen table. We keep our salt and pepper (cayenne too), cloth napkins and games in it. We have a couple little boxes of conversation starters too just in case we want to be serious (which honestly doesn't happen too often). By keeping the games on the table, it's been easy for one of us to grab one and start a game.  I hope one day my kids play games at the kitchen table too. Here's a photo, torn boxes miss-matched napkins and all.

After dinner, I loaded the dishwasher (by the way, does anyone know how to keep a dog from trying to "help" with the pre washing?) and everyone scattered.  As a mom of three adult children I can't help but be thankful that our kids still like our silly little family traditions. I hope that one day they keep games on their kitchen table too.

Happy Little Top Ten List

For a while now I've been feeling the need to do more living of the life that I have.  The heartbreaking tragedies that have befallen so many this week only serve to reinforce that sentiment.  I have been blessed with so much but I really seldom take the time to appreciate what I am thankful for.  It's really easy for me to dwell on the negative, but I'm making a deliberate choice to live a happier, more joyful life.  This week's top ten that make me happy (in no particular order):

1. My husband. Married this man going on 24 years ago, love him like crazy and I'm so thankful that we get to spend more time with each other now that the kids are getting older.  We started this week off on a double date with our awesome friends. That alone made me happy, but then I found this photo, which made me extra happy.

2. This has been a very good week in the worlds of our children.  Our oldest is getting very close to meeting some personal goals. Our middle child had a week filled with more good days than bad, one less injection and a visit with a friend. Our baby went to his senior prom and starts a new job tomorrow after his soccer game.

3. Shopping for a new tie for the senior prom with my baby boy definitely makes the happy list.  How about the fact that he wouldn't let his sister come with us because he wanted his mom all to himself?  Try not to ugly cry when you hear your almost grown son say something like that.

4. My fingernails are painted in a lovely wet cement shade called Slate by Sinful Colors. I adore this inexpensive nail polish that comes in colors that are off the beaten path. Today I found another fun muddy green shade called Leapfrog while I was at the Walgreens. I can't wait to try it out.

5. We had a wonderful, long burst of rain one evening this week.  I loved that our grass was watered for free and some of the pollen that is harassing us was washed away.

6. I love my coffee, but this week a new variety of tea has made me extra happy. My friend B brought me some to try on our double date with our husbands. Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea is my new favorite. Let it steep for ten minutes and it's just like drinking an Atomic Fireball. I love it.

7. So I sort of gave my baby sister the pep talk that I needed myself.  She is going through a really busy time, running on empty working so hard and going to school.  She is so smart and determined. I love that girl so much and just called her to remind her what she's made of and that she can do this. I ended up saying words to her that I probably needed to hear myself. I don't know if she was at all encouraged but that conversation put some things in perspective for me.

8. My butler's pantry is clean. I can see the floor and find things.  That feels really good even if Mr. Carson never comes to visit.

9. There are times that I don't appreciate living in the land of heat and humidity (especially in July and August), but there are things about being here that I wouldn't trade for the world.  We live ten minutes from my parents and twenty from my husband's. Four out of my seven siblings live here not to mention my husband's large extended family.  This week, I'm feeling especially happy that we live so close to them.

10. This week the fact that I went to sleep every night this week with my husband and babies safe and sound under the same roof is a true blessing. The fact that God blessed me with them and kept us all safe has to be the very thing that has made me the happiest of all.

Disney Dinner Series (Part One)

So my girls and I have these lovely, lovely friends.  There are so many things about them that are wonderful, but the one crazy fun thing we have in common is our love for all things Disney.  I'm not sure of the exact moment, but we decided to get together once a month or so to have a themed dinner and to watch a favorite Disney movie.  Our girls also found a blog called Disney Bound, with outfits planned around a Disney theme but using every day type clothing instead of costumes. Dressing up was a perfect idea, and made the experience complete.

Our friends were kind enough to host the first dinner party. They chose a French theme, based around the movies The Aristocats and Beauty and the Beast.  We decided that we would each dress as an Aristocat. At dinner we had Thomas O'Malley, two Maries, Scat Cat, Toulouse and Berloiz. That was fun.  We arrived to be greeted by beautifully decorated theme tables and were served a wonderful four course French meal.  We dined on a lovely salad with pears, beautifully prepared French onion soup with the most amazing smoked guyere crouton, followed by an amazing fresh quiche.  We talked and enjoyed our lovely meal.  Our friends put so much effort into making the evening a very special experience. It was an evening that I will reflect on for many years to come.

After dinner, we watched our movies. It was wonderful to share our memories of first seeing the movies. The Aristocats is one of the first I recall seeing in a theater in my childhood. Our girls all grew up with Beauty and the Beast and had an assortment of sweet stories that they shared with us of their childhood memories as well.  In between movies, we enjoyed my favorite dessert ever - Creme Brûlée. What a perfect ending to a really wonderful evening.