Thursday Thirteen - Snacks

 

I know that eating snacks may not be good for me, but I'm craving a snack right now, so that's what I'm listing here:  some (not all) of my favorite snacks, in no particular order.

1.   Sour cream and onion Lays potato chips.

2.  Peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich.

3.  Fiber One brownie.

4.  Ben & Jerry's peanut butter cup ice cream.

5.  String cheese.

6.  Frosted Flakes. 

7.  Peanut Butter M&Ms.

8.  Munchos (especially on a road trip!)

9.  Toast and chocolate milk.

10. Single-serve Velveeta Shells & Cheese.

11. Chocolate milk shake.

12. Buttered saltine crackers.

13. Cheetos - crunchy or puffy (but not the flamin' hot kind).

Do you like any of these?

Link up with Thursday Thirteen for more fun!

Wednesday Photos

 In July of 2019, my husband and I visited San Antonio and stayed at the Menger Hotel.  The Menger is the longest continually operating hotel west of the Mississippi. It's basically next door to the Alamo.  Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders gathered in the Menger bar back in 1898.  Some say it's the most haunted hotel in Texas, but, who knows?  2021 marks its 162nd anniversary.  It's quite a place!

The ceiling in the Victorian lobby.

More of the lobby

The outside of the hotel.

I took the above photos, but I couldn't find my photo of the bar which is  a really interesting place, so I can't take credit for these last  two photos.

Image Credit

Above is a picture facing the bar.  You might be able to see the balcony reflected in the mirror above the bar.  Below is a picture from the other direction, behind the bar looking out to the seating and balcony.  When I visit the bar, I really don't have a hard time thinking the bar is haunted!

Image Credit

I'm linking up with image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday (even though I actually used a lot of words!)  Come visit for more photos!

Random Happy Tuesday

 Visit Stacy and Sandy for some blog-hopping fun!

Howdy!  Come in and stay a while. How was your Easter?  I made a little bucket for our grandbaby, but we have no children of Easter-egg-hunt age yet, so ours was relatively quiet.  

I had no idea how hard it was going to be shopping online for bowls.  Yes, bowls! Who knew there were so many different kinds?  Cereal, soup, salad, noodle, serving, dip, snack, mixing, and so on. 

It doesn't help that when you search for a certain color, size, or capacity that 100 bowls that don't fit your criteria will show up instead of what you were looking for.  I searched three online stores and finally chose a set from Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  Who knew it would take me almost two hours?  And don't even get me started about shopping for bras or swimwear (I need both)!

My mom's wound (on the outer side of her calf) still isn't healing.  If anything, it's getting bigger.  Last week she had to have a PICC line inserted so she can receive antibiotics daily for about four weeks because oral antibiotics did nothing.

She's a trooper.  It took them three times to finally get it inserted correctly. Luckily, they won't have to stick her at all to give medication or to draw blood while she has the line.  She also had an angiogram to place a balloon in an artery of her leg and an MRI.  I don't know what we do next if this doesn't cause a positive change.  Prayers are appreciated.

I've been coloring pictures of kittens lately, which makes me happy.  It's also me being random!  We also went to see our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter for a short visit last week, so that was happy, too.  The weather was beautiful!

She loves to swing!

So, with that, I'll move on to some funnies:

Dye!  Apropos for Easter eggs!

Crazy!

I miss reading Family Circus in the Sunday paper.

Irony!

I learned this when visiting our granddaughter!

Hahahaha!

And last, but not least...

Awwwwww.

Have a great week!

Sunday Synopsis

The Reckoning by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't know how I missed this book two years ago. Since I'm just now reading it, I thought it was new. Then I found out my mom had already read it, and it was published in 2018, so I'm late to this party.

A reckoning is the settling of accounts, a judgment, an accounting of things that have been done. A day of reckoning refers to a time when one pays for past mistakes. The Reckoning was a fitting title based on the plot.

The novel centers around the Banning family, land owners who operate a cotton farm just outside of Clanton, Mississippi. Head of the household is Pete Banning, his wife is Liza, and their children are Joel and Stella. Pete's sister Flory also lives nearby on her tract of land which Pete also farms.

When the country enters WWII, Pete resumes his officer role in the military. Pete returns from WWII in October, 1946, and is declared a hero after being presumed dead for several years. Not long after returning, he murders the Methodist preacher. But why? This is where Grisham injects suspense because Pete will only say, "I have nothing to say." He will not help his lawyer mount a defense. His attorney is named Wilbanks, so perhaps a predecessor of Lucien Wilbanks in A Time to Kill and A Time for Mercy. I'd like to thing so.

I enjoyed the mention of Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter of New Orleans and the Peabody Hotel in Memphis because they added a historical aspect and verisimilitude, a realistic quality, to the story.  I have visited both hotels, so I felt a personal connection.

The novel can basically be divided into three sections.
1. crime and punishment
2. courtship and WWII (flashbacks)
3. legacy and revelations

The mood of this novel is somber and morose. It has a very ironic yet heartbreaking end. There are a few minor "happy-ish" moments in the book, but overall, it is dark and subdued.

View all my reviews

Friendship Friday: Easter Cards and Grandbaby Love

 Hello friends and welcome!  I'm linking up with Joy for this blog hop.

This week, I haven't done much cooking because my husband smoked some delicious brisket, sausage, and chicken.  Just before we smoked meat, I did cook some awesome shredded chicken for tacos.  I didn't use a recipe, but if you are interested in what spices I used and the ratio, I will be happy to share how I took plain chicken and spiced it up for Tex-Mex tacos.

Not Really!!!!  I'll  share!

I made Easter cards this week!  Below is one that I sent one of my daughters.

Sorry about the shadows!

I got the Easter Truck SVG from Crafthouse SVG.  I love their designs!  And you can still use the coupon code Forgetfulone to save 10% if you choose to purchase a design.  They have so much!

I spent most of the day yesterday and will spend part of today with our precious grandbaby.  There's really nothing better!  And we had awesome weather!

For those celebrating Easter this coming week, many blessings.  Be safe and have fun.  Wishing you a happy Easter!