It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends. Here are some favorite parts of the last week:
1. Jim’s mom’s birthday was last Thursday, but we celebrated Friday since everyone had off then for the 4th of July. It was fairly low-key as she doesn’t have the endurance for a long, involved celebration, but I think it was enough to make for a special time for her: some flowers, a balloon, a new nightgown, several cards, a cupcake for blowing out candles but then a cream cheese/pudding/whipped topping dessert that she could eat for her birthday treat.
Of course, a visit from her favorite little guy always brightens her day:
2. Neighborhood cookout and pot luck for the 4th. One neighbor cooked some amazing ribs in a smoker, and everyone else brought side dishes and desserts. Good food and a good time to touch base with the neighbors.
3. Broccoli salad. I knew people would be bringing potato salad and baked beans to the cookout, and I wanted to bring something different so as not to have too much of the other stuff. We had a broccoli salad that we liked years ago at a banquet, so I searched a number of recipes. I ended up combining this one and this one, using fresh broccoli, bacon, red onion, sunflower kernels, shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and sugar. Loved it except that it was way too sweet. If I make it again I’ll reduce the sugar a great deal. Unfortunately, even though it sounds light and summery, it’s over 500 calories a serving, so I think next time I’ll also try lighter versions of some of the ingredients.
4. Rain. Usually rain doesn’t make my list, especially two weeks in a row. But as I mentioned yesterday, we have some dry, dying trees and had some unsafe fireworks usage in the neighborhood, so I was really glad everything was soaked from rain that day and most of the week before.
5. Puttering. A small sewing task for my husband led to some straightening, cleaning out, and organizing in the sewing room. It’s nice to have a week with relatively few obligations so one can meander off at will into tasks that there’s often not time for.
Happy Friday!
Stray Thoughts 
Your broccoli salad sounds delicious! Happy Birthday to such a sweet lady! Her birthday treat also sounds delicious! I guess I’d better get some breakfast. Your blog post is making me hungry! Have a wonderful day.
LOVE the photo of great-grandma with the little guy. Wonderful! I always enjoy reading these.
A very touching picture of the little one with his great grandma ! I never put sugar in any salad, but I noticed that in Germany they do ! I had completely forgotten that my mother also used to put sugar in the salad ! In Belgium, France and Italy they don’t.
broccoli salad and a neighborhood cookout sounds like a wonderful celebration.
LOVE the picture of the baby and his great-grandmother.
Love the dimple on the ‘little guy’:) Thanks for the squash recipe, I just harvested another half dozen this afternoon:/ And the broccoli salad recipe has been a favorite of ours. You remind me that I haven’t made it yet this summer.
Have a good weekend, Barbara.
Happy Birthday !!!! So amazing to see several generations together!
I wish we could send some of our rain your way. We had 5 inches in June and probably that much already in July! (we’re never happy are we?!) 🙂
Hope you have a nice weekend!
What a precious picture of Timothy and Great-Grandma.
My mom makes a couple different broccoli salads – a sweet one similar to the second you linked and a savory one with onions and chunks of cheddar and monterrey jack cheese. Both are delicious – but neither are low calorie, that’s for sure!
Happy belated to Jim’s mom.
And might I say how much I LOVE the picture of she and Timothy looking at each other? They are both clearly very happy to see the other. So adorably sweet.
Happy belated birthday to Jim’s mom! So nice that she had family around her to make it special. Love the picture of her and Timothy!
Wow, I love broccoli salad. Had no idea of the calorie count though. Yowzers!
Those dimples are sure to bring a smile. What a lovely photo of Little Tim and his great grandma! I love it that you have big photos of loved ones in the room.
That neighborhood potluck sounds like a delicious way to get to know one another and enjoy an evening together.
Like the others, I LOVE the photos of great grandma, especially of her and her little great grandson. The older I get, the more I notice (and understand) the joy people seem to get from children. I am so glad you made her day special!
Happy Birthday Grandma! I hope she had a wonderful day. If that smile is any indication, she did. How sweet.