It's been busy...

It's been a busy week at my place. I've worked some strange schedule this week since I was training and the training went great. Not to mention, we are gearing up for the opening of Dolly Parton's newest dinner attraction and show, Smoky Mountain Adventures. It is going to be amazing and I can't wait to attend it to see what it is like. 

Yesterday for lunch before I went to work, I fixed a grilled pizza sandwich. My grandson came up with this idea when he was 10 or 11. You butter a piece of bread like you do for grilled cheese and put it in your skillet, butter side down. Cover the top with pizza sauce, your favorite topping(s), I use pork sausage. Then spread on your fave cheese. I use finely shredded it works better and I always choose Colby Jack cheese.

Then butter another piece of bread and put on the top, butter side up.

Grilled on medium heat until golden brown and then flip to the other side and finish it off. 

Doesn't that look loaded and deliciouse. I am here to tell you it is devine.

I am strange, but I love M & M's as a side dish on anything that is pizza related.

I had made some brownies earlier and was wishing I had some icing or some type of topping for them. Then inspiration hit. I remember something I made years ago and the icing recipe was simple. I melted a couple of miniature Milky Ways with a little bit of peanut butter and just a splash of water. This made a gooey delicious ganache. I poured it over my one slice of brownie as a test. Instant success. This was SO good that I'm doing a whole pan like this for work next week. 

I needed a new shower curtain and liner. But I can't find what I want. When I was in Family Dollar the other day they had heavy ones that act as the liner and the curtain. So I thought I'd pick one up for temporary use. It was just $4.00 but I am happy with it for now. And because it is heavy, it doesn't blow against you with the power of the shower going.  

I had a little sea shell shaped dish that I put some fake sea glass in to add to the decor on the ledge of the tub. 

I have to wear closed toe shoes to work which stinks in the summer when I love flip flops. In addition, we can't wear wild or bold nail polish (in keeping with our time theme). But my granddaughter Shelby had a great solution. She said to do my toes wild and nobody at work will ever see them, but I will know that at least my toes are bold even if my fingers aren't. I took her advice and did my toes in this pretty turquoise and decorated them with the pink with dots. I now have polka dot toe nails. 

But my nails are still a pale pink.

Well, that's life in my world the last few days. Have a great Thursday. 

Words for Wednesday

Here are some cute quotes I found that I really like. I need to print them out and make a collage. 

Weekend wrap up...

I  spent most of my weekend working as I am training in a new position at work. But Sunday night I went out to Texas Roadhouse with the family to eat. I was so happy to be with family that I forgot to get any pictures of the birthday boy, but we had a great time. And the cactus blossom onion appetizer was perfect.

In addition to learning my new position at work, I am cross training to work our Dixie booth inside Dollywood in case I ever need to be sent over there when we are shorthanded. That meant getting up at 5:00 a.m. yesterday so I could be at Dollywood for orientation by 7:00.

Orientation was small and of the 8 attending, 5 of us were Dixie employees. The teacher was really fun and made attending "school" really enjoyable. Afterwards we went into Dollywood and walked all around the park on a tour. We even got to stop in a few of the shops. I was so happy when we went through the chocolate shop. The smell was heavenly. I need to make a trip back over there to try out their orange creams.

We also stopped in the blown glass shop. I fell in love with the beautiful oil lamps.

She bought our lunch in the host lounge. They change up what they fix everyday and lunch for employees is $2.50 each. Yesterday, one of the choices was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and a choice of one more side. I chose corn. It was really good. After lunch, we finished our tour and took in a show. Since it is the Festival of Nations all shows are from different nations. We picked Switzerland to go to. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. It was just different. Very, very different. But wow one guy could really yodel.

I didn't get home until around 2:30. Then I went through some office supplies to look for a few things I was needing from my stock pile. I fixed a snack and did a little laundry. Next thing I knew, it was time to head to church for VBS training and a look at the theme and the crafts for this year.

We weren't impressed with the crafts because they are geared toward the bigger kids with lots of glue, glitter and paint this year. Nope. Not with 2 thru 4 years olds. Especially when we have around 40 of them come through every night for crafts in that age. So we will resort to Pinterest for our ideas. I am really excited about the telescope. They will love those.

I got home and finished off the last 90 minutes of The Voice. The battle rounds started last night. The final one was the best of the night that ended in a three chair steal so both these ladies will be moving forward in the competition. I really liked them both so I was glad to see the steal.

Well, heading back to work today to continue more training. This will be day three of training and each day I have learned a different facet of the company. My brain will be on overload before I'm through.

Some random thoughts today....

I have been looking at some of my idea folders from the past several years. That's where I keep all the wonderful things that I hope to see, find or do someday. Here's some that I found that I still want to put on my to do list. I have been planning on making brownies for over a week now but the mix is still in the cabinet. I may pick up some walnuts today and make them with walnuts. I haven't done that in year and years. Just make them plain most of the time. 

I have still not been able to find the recipe for the skillet chocolate cake and buttercream frosting. It could be because I keep forgetting to look for it.

I love doing red, white and blue for Memorial Day and Fourth of July. This would be a cute idea and I may pull it off this year.

I have some patriotic fabric already in my stash. I just need to buy some burlap and I could do this. I love it.

Since I have decided to stick with my pink and blue room theme in my craft room, I also want to put some pops of red in it. This is really cute. I love red and turquoise together.

I post this several years ago and really loved the idea. I was thrilled when I found the hob nail planter but I stuck pencils in it for a pencil holder and had completely forgotten what I wanted to do. Going to change it out and get a new pencil holder and then fix my plant like this.

You know I am becoming interested in projects with small clear bottles and vases. This is cute and would be super simple to make.

This was one of my very first Thirty-One sets I bought and other than the little billfold on the left (which was too small for me) I still have this set plus a weekend travel bag to match it.

I love the Rubbermaid drawer storage items they make, but hate when you can see everything stored in them. I had one many years ago and cut scrapbook paper and glued it in the drawers to make a decorative storage piece.

I want to grow some beautiful flowers this year and then pick some to keep fresh flowers in my house at all times. I love the idea of putting a few cups around the house. Just always need to check them before I bring them in to make sure there are no bugs on them. Yuck.

I love whimsical birds and these refrigerator magnets are just adorable.

I saw a beautiful flower arrangement grown in a Pyrex bowl. But with the winds we get through here sometime I am scared to death to put plants outside in something breakable unless I were to put it in the very corner of the porch and hope for the best.

If we didn't share cubicles at work, I would definitely decorate mine like this. I just love this. All those wonderful Thirty-One products.

Well, that's my thoughts for today. Have a great Saturday.

A very special birthday....

I sit here and look of pictures at a smiling little boy who turns 18 today. My first grandson, Garret. I will never ever forget the feeling I felt holding him in arms that very first time. 

Like any little child, he liked to look in the mirror and watch himself make faces. I did catch a great one of him looking at his smile. I remember this picture so well. He had had a bath and had his jammies on. But it was summer and warm and we went out to sit with Papaw on the back patio and his feet got so dirty that I had to stick them in the sink to wash them when we came back in.

He always loved smiling for the camera when he was smaller.

One year we went to my mom's around his birthday and we had him a birthday party up there as well so he ended up with TWO parties that year.

He loved helping out in the kitchen. This was my first time making home made biscuits. Come to think of it, that was the only time I ever tried them. He helped by rolling out the dough. We got a little crazy with the flour. 

Those eyes and that smile of his could always bring great joy to me. 

This was his dinosaur stage which lasted a very long time. The child was the most knowledgeable person about dinosaurs I ever met. He's chipping away at a rock that was supposed to have fossils in it.

One of his many outings with me and his Aunt Di. This one was at Dollywood.

One of our outings to Rain Forest Adventure. He volunteered to hold a snake. Which made me want to freak out but he had no fear whatsoever. Of course, this is the same child on another visit who volunteered to hold a tarantula as well. Fearless.

Family gatherings at our house were always so much funny because you had no idea what he would say or do next. Of course, that's still true today.

One of his many funny photo faces. 

Sometimes it would take many tries to get a good smiling photo and sometimes, you just took what you got and were happy he even let you take the photo.

He's an outdoorsman for sure. Today, he loves to hunt and fish. That's his favorite past time.

One thing you can always guarantee is that there will be laughter when he's around. I don't remember him ever being a difficult or moody child. He enjoys life and lives in the moment.

Although the teen years was when he started his serious "don't take my picture and I'm not smiling if you do" stage. That's when you sneak in to a room, snap and run and be happy with what you get.

Fortunately, that stage didn't last long. 

Of course, I can't promise he was smiling for the camera every time I got that smile. It just meant I got better at catching the right moment when he wasn't looking.

It's easy to get him to smile nowadays and I think that's because his girlfriend Hannah makes him smile. It's hard to believe he's dating and heading off to college this year. But one thing I do believe and that is that no matter how old he gets, he will always be Mamaw's little buddy. Happy birthday, Garret. I hope you have an amazing 18th birthday and wish you the very best as you journey through the next stage of your life.