Life as a CrazyMimi

Our annual Lake Anna week starts this coming Sunday.   Most people definitely look forward to their vacation week with great anticipation!  They pack their clothes, maybe some snacks, possibly some fishing gear if that is an activity they enjoy, maybe a kayak or SUP, load the car, and off they go. Well, Linda has to make everything complicated, so yeah, not so simple with us! So about 6 weeks ago, I started my planning.  I pulled up my lake spreadsheets...yes plural.  There's the menu to make, and assign the proper person to cook each meal. Then there's the list of items to pack. Every year there are staples, but every year it changes by what meals we are making, so there's a lot of planning that goes into that list!  Sleeping arrangements are on the next one.  Then the list of what has to be done before we leave...stop the mail, find a cat sitter, etc.  Why all this fuss for a week at the lake?  I will tell you... We cook every meal but one ...

For as long as I can remember, the 4th of July has been a day to celebrate our Freedom with family. The patriotic pride in our family is strong. As the daughter of a Marine, and the Mom of an Army Vet, I always start this special holiday with patriotic music. I listen to the Army band, the Marine band, and of course Lee Greenwood. I love the pride I feel for my country on this day, and pretty much every day for that matter, but this music just really sets the tone for the day!   I have wonderful memories of Independence Days of my youth. Let me take you to the mid 60s...yes, I'm that old. We would always go to my grandparents' house on the 4th of July.  The whole family would gather there. It was a special day as a kid. We got all the soda and ice cream we wanted.  We always had ice cream cones as our dessert, and on a hot July day, what could be better?  Remember, we didn't even have fast food yet. We ate meals prepared by our Moms every single meal. Soda was a...