Falling In To The 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-

1. Fall arrives this week in the northern hemisphere. Does it look/feel like fall where you live?What's something you love to do this time of year that makes you feel its officially fall? 

*If you're answering today from the southern hemisphere feel free to sub spring for the word fall. 

It doesn't look or feel much like fall here yet. We've had temperatures in the 90's and the humidity has been thick, but! we're 'cooling off' and will be in the upper 70's later this week and I.am.ready. We're back into the 80's next week so there will be a little more summer before fall finally lands. 

Everything is still green here, but I'm going to the mountains with some girlfriends this weekend and I'm hoping we might see a few pops of color. 

I always miss my NJ yard this time of year. 

Something I love to do that makes it feel like it's officially fall? 

Apple picking. 

I hope we can find a day to do that soon. 

2. What's a small daily task or chore that always seems to fall through the cracks when your schedule gets busy?

Dusting my bedroom. In fact, answering this question inspired me to go dust. 

3. What's something you're falling for lately? 

I bought some wide legged jeans and have to say I love them. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the fit, but I wore them for the first time recently and several people commented on how cute they are. 

4.  Pumpkin is a popular flavor this time of year.  Are you a fan?

Pumpkin is not my favorite. I like pumpkin bread but am a hard no on pumpkin flavored coffees, creams, and candle scents.  I like to decorate with pumpkins, but can take or leave the flavor in food and drink. 

I do have a good recipe for a pumpkin french toast that my daughter found a couple of years ago and I'm going to make it this weekend. It's just the right amount of pumpkin and makes a nice fall company breakfast dish. 

5.What's something you wish would never change? Explain. 

Our love for this country and the core values of our founding. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

What's everybody watching? We need a new show. 

Weekend Favorites

Hi friends. How was your weekend? Mine was full of fun, family, and festive happenings. Let's recap with Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and (Sarah Sunshine and Books) and their Hello Monday blog hop. 

Backing up to Thursday or as I like to say, my birthday eve. Daughter1 had planned a fun birthday outing for  just the two of us, which was a treat. She has three littles and trying to spend a few hours doing something with just her mama took some maneuvering, but she made it happen. 

She and Little Miss arrived about 9:30 to pick me up. Little Miss was so excited to hand me her card and a box of one of my favorite candies-lemonheads, which she needed to sample. I mean how can you not? They also brought me the prettiest vase filled with flowers. The vase looks like a book, one of my all time favorites in fact-Anne of Green Gables. 

We drove to her sister-in-law's home about an hour away so Little Miss could spend the day with her cousin and her other grandmother while Mama and I had some fun. We went to a kitchen shop I absolutely love (The Cook Station for locals reading here) and it's one of my favorite places to browse. 

How many times can I say the word favorite in a single post? Birthdays are for favorites so pretty sure there's no limit.  

This store carries Vietri and Juliska both which are two of my favorites. I wanted to take this whole set of dishes home for Thanksgiving.

My daughter had reserved us seats in one of their cooking demonstrations which includes lunch. The chef  chats while he's cooking and then you eat what's been prepared. Everyone gets a glass of wine too so it felt like an occasion. 

Today's recipe was a most delicious French Onion Soup with a light salad on the side.  I'll definitely be re-creating his recipe at home. 

Such a nice relaxing few hours where we could chat, which is not something easily done when the kids are with us. I love having the kids with us, but time with a daughter where it's just the two of us is so special. Another favorite you might say. 

We picked the boys up from school on the way home and they all came in to say hi to Pawpaw and we were greeted by this-

Balloons, flowers, and chocolate cake. Yum! The kids were ready to dig in but we told them to come back on my actual birthday and they could help us eat it then. 

I facetimed with daughter2 and her littles and everyone was excited to wish Nana a happy birthday. I love it. Daughter2 sent me Laura Wifler's new book (This Side Of The Sky) and I have been savoring her beautiful way with words.

If you don't follow her online I recommend. Daughter2 and I both love her writing and I was excited to get this in my hands. I'll review it when I recap my September reads in a couple of weeks. 

Hubs made a yummy dinner on the griddle that night, using the left over flank steak from earlier in the week-steak fried rice. I'd made the rice first thing that morning as it needs to sit in the frig for a bit before it goes on the griddle. 

We added broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, onions, peas and carrots and then soy sauce and sesame oil and the requisite scrambled egg. 

So good!

I woke up on my birthday to a beautiful sunrise. The heat has been obnoxious with temps in the  90's so we spent the morning swimming and...paddle boarding. 

Whoohoo! My first time on the board since my ankle mishap. You should know I'm not a natural and hubs likes to take ridiculous photos of me trying to stand, which is not super graceful, but hey I am up and I am paddling and I am a year older so go me. 

Daughter1 and her crew arrived about noon and we all swam and jumped off the dock and then had lunch on the patio. And cake. Can't forget that! Hubs always gets me a chocolate cake with a raspberry filling because it's my favorite. 

We swam some more after lunch before everyone headed home and then hubs and I had dinner reservations at a place we both love. A favorite if you will. 

Hubs had called ahead and told them it was my birthday so even though I still had half a chocolate cake at home I ate the chocolate mousse the restaurant served me. It had toffee chips all around and wow was that ever delicious. 

The sunset driving home was a stunner too...

Saturday was another scorcher of a day and we were up bright and early to tailgate with friends who had invited us to the Clemson game. 

It was an early game (noon) so we did breakfast type foods as our tailgate menu. I made deviled eggs and sausage balls and hubs brought the fixin's for Bloody Marys. I also brought some fruit and cheese and our host made ham and cheese sliders, cinnamon rolls and pigs in a blanket. They even brought me a small cake, Clemson colors of course, which was so thoughtful. 

Look who stopped by to say hey y'all...

I wore the same shirt I wore to the Tennessee game because it was once again 80 million degrees outside and the shirt is technically more Clemson orange than Tennessee orange. Go Tigers! Go Vols! 

My son-in-law brought the two boys to the game so they stopped by the tailgate before we all went in to the stadium. Game day is a sea of orange and the atmosphere on a college campus during football season is the best.  C-17 flyover the stadium-

We did not play well the first half and were losing into the 4th quarter when lightning moved in and everyone had to leave the stadium We didn't hang around because we knew it would be a long while before the game picked up again, plus the outcome wasn't looking like it would be in our favor, but! Lo and behold they came back and pulled off a win. A wonderful way to wrap up a birthday. 

Did you know birthdays are my favorite? 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 672

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (Sept 23rd) to share your answers. See you there!

1. Fall arrives this week in the northern hemisphere. Does it look/feel like fall where you live?What's something you love to do this time of year that makes you feel its officially fall? 

*If you're answering today from the southern hemisphere feel free to sub spring for the word fall. 

2. What's a small daily task or chore that always seems to fall through the cracks when your schedule gets busy?

3. What's something you're falling for lately? 

4.  Pumpkin is a popular flavor this time of year.  Are you a fan? What's your favorite pumpkin flavored food or beverage?  

5.What's something you wish would never change? Explain. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Beauty Of A Hodgepodge

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (September 16) to add your link to the party.  See you there!

1. How do you define beauty? 

It may be cliche to say, but beauty comes from within. Of course there are people who are physically attractive, but I think real beauty goes deeper than that. Confidence, the way you treat others, and being 'real'  all make one's beauty something more than just appearance. 

2. Have you ever taken a trip by train? If so where did you go and what did you think of the experience? If not do you have any desire to do so? Where would you like to go? (You might find inspiration here-The Best Train Trips in The World)

No, but it's definitely on my bucket list. I've ridden a lot of trains around Europe, but have never taken a real train vacation. I'd like to take the Rocky Mountaineer as we have several friends who've done that and loved it. Course if money were no object you could book me on the Venice-Simplon Orient Express which runs from London to Venice. There may be options in terms of route, but I think that's the most popular. The original Orient Express route went from Paris to Istanbul, but that service ended in the late 1970's. 

3. Shell shocked, bombshell, bandshell, shellacking, in a nutshell, walking on eggshells...choose one and tell us why you chose it, or how it relates to your life in some way currently.

Our home town team took a shellacking in the college football season opener. It was painful. They looked slightly better Week 2.  Our VOLS won games in weeks one and two both though, which made us happy. 

4. Tacos, pistachios, oysters, clams, eggs...your favorite food on the list that comes in/with a shell? 

I like all of the above so it's hard to choose...eggs would probably be my favorite on the list. 

5. Are birthdays a big deal in your house? Is your own birthday a big deal in some way? Elaborate. 

Maybe you should ask my family lol. I try to make birthdays a big deal, including my own. I like party planning and celebrating the people I love. I want you to feel special on your birthday and I try to do something to make sure that happens. 

As far as my own birthday goes the thing I want most is to know I was thought about prior to the day. I know people say if you want the day to look a particular way then say so, but the main thing I want is someone else to do the thinking and the planning and the booking and the cooking.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I've been a bit off the grid here lately and have so much to catch up on. Just know I probably won't. I want to get back to my blog and hopefully I will. In the meantime...

I'm definitely turning a year older this week. 

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens...' 

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 671

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (September 16) to add your link to the party.  See you there!

1. How do you define beauty? 

2. Have you ever taken a trip by train? If so where did you go and what did you think of the experience? If not do you have any desire to do so? Where would you like to go? (You might find inspiration here-The Best Train Trips in The World)

3. Shell shocked, bombshell, bandshell, shellacking, in a nutshell, walking on eggshells...choose one and tell us why you chose it, or how it relates to your life in some way currently.

4. Tacos, pistachios, oysters, clams, eggs...your favorite food on the list that comes in/with a shell? 

5. Are birthdays a big deal in your house? Is your own birthday a big deal in some way? Elaborate. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Now And Then

I've been blogging since 2009 and every year on this date I write a little happy birthday message to my daughter2. After that first year she told me reading my blog on her birthday is one of the best parts of her day. Knowing she likes to wake up and see what momma has to say about her motivates me to keep writing. And writing and writing. 

Seventeen years of birthday blogging is a lot of birthday blogging. 

In that first post of what would become a yearly tradition of posting on her big day, I wrote a lot.  Paragraphs. Details. Cute stories like how she called us from uni across the pond and said she needed to tell us something. I still remember the way my stomach rolled. No worries though...she tried out for cheerleading and made the team. 

No she'd never been a cheerleader. 

I feel somehow like this story tells you everything you need to know about her. 

Anyway, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole looking for inspiration for today's post and saw that in 2021 I wrote a 10 on the 10th post in her honor. Five years have come and gone since that day so I thought it would be fun to do a then and now style post. Here goes-

1. In 2021 she was living many many states away. 

2. Just one now. Much better. 

3. In 2021 she had two nephews who adored her. Now there's a niece to love, plus two littles of her own who all together make up the glorious chaos of our cousin crew. 

4. In 2021 I said she gets stuff done. In 2026 she's still our super capable, dependable, girl with a plan. 

5. And still a beauty. 

6. In 2021 I said she teaches, reads, bakes, and naps like it's her job. One of those things really was her job. Now she nurtures her babies, reads, bakes, and longs for a nap. 

7. Motherhood is more than a job. It's an adventure. Something like that. 

8. In 2021 she loved dogs, books, sharpies, Jesus, and hot tea with her momma in the late afternoon. Still true. 

9. In 2021 I asked her sister what her favorite thing is about Daughter2 and she said, "She's the first person I want to share any news with, good or bad. And she always takes my side, even if I'm wrong.' Ha! And also still true. 

Sisters. 

Going strong since c.1990

10. In 2021 I described her as chatty, faithful, and determined...the best friend, the sweetest sister, the much adored aunt. She is a confidante, truth teller, joy bringer, a day brightener...

And now also a wife and momma, full of wisdom, full of grace. Happy birthday Daughter2...

I'm not with you in person today, but am adding this picture because I know you'll smile when you see it. Me too. May the year ahead be full of sweetness and unexpected moments that bring your heart joy. xo 

Ready-Set-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. Or all the bloggers if you've got the time.  Here we go-

1. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?  On a scale of 1-10 how much of a fan are you? (10 is never miss a game and 1 is I'm just here for the snacks). Who's your team? If you're playing along today, but live outside the US feel free to sub your feelings about futbol for the more American sport of football. 

I'm a fan. Maybe not a 10 but more than a 5. More so college football, although that's changing by the day and not for the better in my opinion. My feelings about it might change too. 

Call me old but I miss the days when kids played for a team, fans got behind their team, a player or two might transfer once at some point if they weren't getting play time, but mostly your team was your team and that was that. 

I'll hush. Go Vols!! And if we're talking NFL then Go Eagles! 

When it comes to futbol my grands love Tottenham so I've declared them my team now too. 

2. What's something you currently have a game plan for managing? 

Honestly I could use a game plan for managing a few things right about now. 

3. Do you like chicken wings? Hot, mild, or some other flavor? What's a must have food for you on a tailgate menu? I know tailgating isn't as big of a thing outside the US of A as it is inside the US of A, but you can also answer the question this way-what's a must have food for you at a sporting event viewing party? 

I do like wings. Hubs makes them on the Big Green Egg and he's got it down pat. 

Wings are messy though so I need to be dressed appropriately. I like hot wings with some celery on the side to cool things down. I like a teriyaki wing too and some of the creative saucing restaurants do. 

A must have food at a sporting event? I'm not sure there's a 'must have' food for me, but I like to see sliders of some sort, chips and guac, and popcorn. 

4. Teams typically have strict playbooks they follow. What is one unwritten rule or piece of advice in your 'life playbook' you think everyone should know?

The Golden Rule would be one entry in my life's playbook-'Do unto others as you would have them do to you.' 

5. This is the week we remember and mourn all that was lost and changed on September 11, 2001. I always include a spot for bloggers to share anything they'd like to share about 9/11. Share as much or as little as you like. 

I've written about this in various ways over the years, and this year think I'll just say this -don't forget.

Don't forget the lives lost. Don't forget the families whose lives were divided into a world where there is a before and there's an after. Don't forget the firefighters, police officers, first responders, and ordinary citizens who ran into the danger while others were running out.  

We're a long way from that awful day and some of what is going on currently in our country is downright frightening in terms of what's become popular ideology. The notion that we won't label what happened that day as terrorism is ludicrous. 

We were living outside of D.C. on 9/11 and we knew people who worked in the Pentagon. We also had a lot of secret service members who made their home in our community. I was the Director of a church preschool and kindergarten and the husband of one of our aides was George Bush's number one guy. We've also lived and worked outside of NYC and I think those of us who knew people who worked in the Towers or at the Pentagon cannot forget. A bright blue September sky is a quick and vivid reminder of that tragic day. 

I pray for the families who lost so much, who continue to grieve, and for our nation, that we would turn our hearts toward Jesus.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The beauty of the sunrise reminds me the same power that paints the skies is not surprised by anything a day can bring. He goes before us into each new day. 

What a comfort.