Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 543

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then spring back here to share answers with your peeps. See you there! 

1. Spring is officially upon us, no matter what the weather may be in your neck of the woods. Is there any 'spring cleaning' on your to-do list? What's your most dreaded task? 

2. What's something many people seem to love, but to you feels like 'watching the grass grow'? 

3. Mint grows in abundance during the spring season. Are you a fan? What's your favorite food with a 'minty' flavor? 

4. It's been said, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.' Agree or disagree? Explain. 

5. Are there any festive spring events in your city or town? If so, will you take advantage of them? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Home Is Where The Hodgepodge Is

Welcome to another edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for your neighbor there. Here we go- 

From this Side of the Pond
1. Thursday is National Pi Day...are you good at math? What was the last thing you had to calculate? Did you use your head or technology? Last slice of pie you ate? 

I'm not bad at math, but I'm much better with words than numbers. The last thing I had to calculate was probably related to our tax organizer. I used my head for some of it and a calculator for the rest. 

As far as the last slice of pie I ate? I made an angel pie to take to my neighbors when we had dinner there recently. It was heavenly. 

2. What makes a house a home? 

The people I love are in it. 

3. Your current favorite green thing? 

I'm going with spring, in spite of the pollen that blows in with it! The leaves beginning to turn, the grass starting to green up, lots of leafy green bulbs popping up out of the brown earth, these are all things that lift my spirits. February tends to be gray and rainy in our neck of the woods so signs of spring are very welcome. 

4. How do you define achievement? How does your personal definition look similar to, or different than, society's definition? What's something you think is worth achieving in life? 

I guess I would define achievement as doing something successfully, and I think the world's definition is probably similar. Where we differ is in what that 'something' is, in defining the value of 'something'.  

I think raising a family is a worthwhile achievement. 

5. What song is a good soundtrack for your life right now? 

This one-Blessed by Martina McBride 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My mother-in-law celebrated her birthday on Monday, so hubs and I drove over to TN on Saturday to spend the weekend with her. We had a fun dinner out on Saturday night, then drove her to daughter2's house on Sunday to meet her newest great-granddaughter. 


These generational pictures are so very special. 

And this little punkin' grows more precious by the minute. Happy Wednesday everyone! 

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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 542

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. Thursday is National Pi Day...are you good at math? What was the last thing you had to calculate? Did you use your head or technology? Last slice of pie you ate? 

2. What makes a house a home? 

3. Your current favorite green thing? 

4. How do you define achievement? How does your personal definition look similar to, or different than, society's definition? What's something you think is worth achieving in life? 

5. What song is a good soundtrack for your life right now? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Friday, March 8, 2024

C'est La Vie

I wanted to blog this afternoon, but when I got home I accidentally on purpose turned on my Audible app so I could finish listening to my current read, Demon Copperhead, and holy cow! This book! Who has read it? Barbara Kingsolver's writing is superb. 

Also, that whole first paragraph was written yesterday, but whatever. Trying again today. Friday. TGIF. 

It's gray and rainy-ish here and we've had a busy morning, running errands, getting the dog a much needed and overdue trim, returning some clothes hubs ordered, making a drug store pick up, and then grabbing a few groceries I need for a dish I'm making tomorrow that I forgot to grab yesterday when I was in the very same grocery store. C'est la vie. 

Or at least c'est la vie when you're moi. 

Speaking of life, we've been livin' it, but not blogging about it. February is often that way. Actually 2024 so far has been that way, and when I look at our calendar I don't see things slowing down anytime soon. To bring us up to speed here I think I'm going to look at my phone pics and try to remember what we did last month. This month? Since last I truly blogged. 

Daffodils bloomed. 

They have a short sweet life so it seems worth mentioning. 

Hubs and I had a fun night out in the nearby small big city a couple of weeks ago. We had a fantastic dinner at one of our favorite eateries then spent the evening with David Foster and Katherine McPhee in a cozy venue which was so much fun. 

I don't know if you remember Katherine McPhee but she was a finalist on one of the earliest seasons of American Idol and she's adorable. She has an incredible voice and is now married to the producer David Foster who is her senior by several decades. So much talent between them. He's quite the charmer (she's his fifth wife) and he definitely knows it, but seeing him in a venue like this, where they combined music and conversation, you could see the charm. It was a really entertaining evening and we enjoyed it a lot. 

We've been tackling a few small projects around the house, mostly getting people here to tell us how much it will cost to do this or that, and just gonna say it's all a lot. No such thing as a truly small projet it seems.

C'est la vie. 

We need a dead tree removed which is one of my least favorite but most necessary things to spend money on. And as long as they're here taking out a dead tree we'll have them limb up some of the tall trees that need limbing up. That's what you do at the lake. Limb up to better see the water, while still having some nice tall trees for shade.

The boat guys (they likely have a title but are the 'boat guys' to me) finally came and got the boat today for a minor repair and oil change. Minor being a relative term of course, ahem. We have a little scratch that needs to be un-scratched and the time is right because summer is coming. Can you believe it??? 

I guess technically spring is up next, but summer's racing in too. We've been on the boat guys books for the past three weeks but every time they get us scheduled the skies open up and we have to re-schedule. They made it out today, but just barely. 

I've been wanting to add some wallpaper to one of the lower level bathrooms and when I pulled out the sample I ordered two years ago it didn't grab me like it did back then. 

I know!! Two years!! 

In my defense a lot of life has happened here in the past two years (three babies for starters), so some of our more minor 'want-to-do' projects were moved down a notch or two on the ever growing, never-ending 'still -to-do' list. 

C'est la vie. 

On the bright side, maybe I would have tired of that pattern if I'd gone ahead with it? I've ordered a completely different sample and am happier with the look. Now to hire someone to do the actual hanging because that is not my gift. I've actually gotten a couple of recommendations so hopefully this project gets done before I change my mind again. 

I've recently had several canvases made for the wall in my office that's been crying out for something to be hung there ever since we added the shiplap. Which was probably also a couple of years ago. 

C'est la vie. 

Just waiting on delivery of the last two canvases, which should be next week. Then hubs will get out his tape measure and his level and will rattle my nerves with his need for precisely precise precision, but he will get them hung. Perfectly. 

What else? We've played cards with the neighbors, celebrated a friend's birthday,  listened to live music in the local pub, I've bought birthday presents and Easter treats, mailed packages, selected and signed a lot of cards (a lot!!), cleaned out my pantry (the real deal... as in emptied it all out, wiped it all down, tossed the stale crackers, and started fresh). I made a big Costco run (is there any other kind?), had my yearly skin check at the dermatologist, face-timed, volunteered, mah jong-ed, bible studied, and I don't know what else. 

Things. Stuff. Details. 

We went and did and read and watched and talked and planned and helped and played and prayed and slept and ate and laughed and loved. 

C'est la vie.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

A Saucy Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

From this Side of the Pond
1. Has March come in like a lion where you live? If not a lion then what animal would you use to describe the weather in your area this first week of March? Does the weather affect your emotions? When did you last feel 'under the weather'? 

Definitely not a lion. We've had a fair amount of rain, but also some really nice spring like weather so maybe more of a house cat than a lion. 

Does the weather affect my emotions? Maybe a little, but I can get on board with a drizzly rainy day now and then every bit as much as a bright blue sky day. Too many gray sky days in a row can be a mood-dampener, but there's no such thing as too much sunshine. 

Hubs and I were both under the weather in early December. We are rolling in to pollen season here now (ugh! does that count as weather, because if so then that is definitely a downer for me!) and I will suffer with the effects of that for the next couple of months. Not exactly 'under the weather' but pollen hits me hard and the meds make me sleepy. 

2. Do you know what your name means? Does the meaning of your name fit with your personality? Do you like your name? If you have children did you consider the meaning of their names before choosing them? 

My name more or less gives away its meaning and yes I think it fits with who I am. I don't have strong feelings one way or the other about it. I mean you grow up with a name and it's part of who you are and you just kind of accept it, right? I never wanted another name. 

As far as our children's names, we picked names we liked. My younger daughter has family names and that was deliberate. I did look at the meaning of their names, but that wasn't the deciding factor in our choices. 

3. It's National Sauce Month...what's your favorite sauce? Last thing you ate that used a sauce? 

I'm not a big sauce person and don't like anything swimming in sauce. My favorite? How 'bout hot fudge lol? I guess the last thing I ate that had sauce would be spaghetti. 

4. Something you've seen, tasted, done lately that you'd describe as 'awesome sauce'? 

I made this salad recently and might describe it as 'awesome sauce'.  

Honestly I wouldn't because that's not an expression I use, but it was super delish and felt really healthy too. It's a slaw like composition more so than what I think of as a salad and I got the recipe from a reel I watched on Insta. The chef said make as is before you turn your nose up at any of the ingredients and start switching things out thinking you won't like this or that. 

I'm not at all picky, but am a little cautious when using fennel because it can be too strong. In this salad it was yummy, and hubs liked it too so win-win. The recipe said the serano chilies were optional but I added them and loved the bit of heat they added. The recipe is linked here-Sivan's Kitchen

5. What kinds of things do you love to collect? 

recipes, dishes, words and phrases, memories... 

My girls and I buy each other hedgehog 'stuff' now and then, but I wouldn't I say I collect it.  I only love it because it's from them and that's a thing we do. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Only three years overdue, but finally framed a wedding picture from Daughter2's big day. I wanted the frame to coordinate with another frame I already have on the wall from Daughter1's big day, and finding that took some doing. When I started looking a couple of years ago everything was very bright gold and I needed a softer tone. I set the print aside thinking I'd get back to it 'someday' and turns out that someday is today. 

If you wait long enough trends will change and I'm so happy with the end result. 

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Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 541

Here are the questions for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with all your friends and neighbors. See you there! 

1. Has March come in like a lion where you live? If not a lion then what animal would you use to describe the weather in your area this first week of March? Does the weather affect your emotions? When did you last feel 'under the weather'? 

2. Do you know what your name means? Does the meaning of your name fit with your personality? Do you like your name? If you have children did you consider the meaning of their names before choosing them? 

3. It's National Sauce Month...what's your favorite sauce? Last thing you ate that used a sauce? 

4. Something you've seen, tasted, done lately that you'd describe as 'awesome sauce'? 

5. What kinds of things do you love to collect? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

A Hodgepodge Salad

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. February is coming to a close. Give us a two-word phrase that tells us something about how yours went.

Baby love 

2. If you had to describe how you're feeling right now as an amusement park ride, what ride are you on? Explain. 

I'm going with Thunder Mountain Railroad which is a roller coaster, but without the super big dips, drops, and rolls. It's described as a train racing down a track, bumpy in places, but the main thing is it's fast, which is how life seems to be moving here in 2024.  

3. What's something on your desk or a nearby wall that cheers you up when you see it or walk past? 

For Christmas every year our girls make us a calendar with pictures of the grands from the year that was. My frig cannot hold a magnet so I have the calendar on a 3M hook on the side of the frig. 

I see it many times a day as I open and close the frig, or just work in the kitchen, and it never fails to make me smile. I look forward to flipping the page to a new month this Friday. 

4.  Are you a salad eater? How many salads do you typically eat in a week? Your favorite kind of salad? 

I love a salad, almost any combo of veggies (love a fruit salad too!), and I eat one pretty much every day, if not for lunch then with my dinner. I love a true Cesar but mostly eat some sort of 'garden salad' with whatever I have on hand. Oftentimes for lunch I make a salad and sprinkle a little cheese and maybe some ham or turkey to add protein, or I add a hard boiled egg. It makes a satisfying lunch, filling without a lot of calories. I do not like a lot of dressing on my salad and sometimes eat it without any dressing at all. 

5. Without telling us the category give us your top five ______________. 

How Great Thou Art 
This Is My Father's World
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Crown Him With Many Crowns
Great Is Thy Faithfulness

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Today is my son-in-law's birthday so happy birthday to him! Next week my other son-in-law will celebrate his birthday, and what a gift these two men are to our family. Throwing it back to when they joined the party here-

January, 2021

January, 2015

They're wonderful fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, and friends. Hard-working, even-tempered, dependable, and lots of fun. We're so grateful to their parents for raising them to be the men they are, and we absolutely love the way they've grown our family and care for our girls. 

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